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Christus Vivit: encounter, empower, listen

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Fran Lavelle

Kneading faith
By Fran Lavelle
“Be who God meant you to be and you will set the world on fire.” St. Catherine of Siena. This quote and indeed this saint have been on my mind a lot lately. Perhaps it’s because our calling to be who God intends us to be is particularly poignant during the Easter Season. Graduations are beginning to happen in our high schools and universities; we are in full swing Confirmation mode; and, by Jesus’ resurrection we see our hope and promise is renewed. For the youth in our midst, who are you meant to be?
The past few weeks I have spent some quality time with Pope Francis’ Papal Apostolic Exhortation, Christus Vivit, to the young people of the world. In October of 2018, the XV Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops convened to discuss “young people, the faith and vocational discernment.” Christus Vivit is derived from those proceedings. Having spent the better part of my ministry serving God’s young people, I have found this document to be affirming and challenging.
Defining youth, as in who is and who isn’t a youth, especially in ministry, is kind of tricky. The definition of young people included in the Synod and subsequentially Christus Vivit is 16-29. The defined age group was not considered as a homogeneous unit, rather seen as a heterogeneous group made up of various cultural realities and experiences of young people around the world. The study group included young people born between 1989 and 2002. They are defined by social scientists as Generation Y or Millennials (born 1980 to 2000) and Generation Z (born 2000 to present). Pope Francis paid great attention to the diversity of experiences and culture within this broad age group.
Using the Scriptures and the canon of saints, Pope Francis connects the lives of young people with the lives of other virtuous young people throughout the ages. He takes the approach of looking back to look forward and empower our youth today. He makes it very clear that young people are not the future of our world, but its present. Sometimes we get caught up as pastors, catechetical leaders and parents in thinking that young people are the future of the Church. Without acknowledging them now, understanding their culture, and recognizing their gifts, we can rest assured that they will be unchurched in the future.
One of the primary areas the Synod addressed that Pope Francis asks us to encounter in a serious way is our digital environment. The internet and social media have myriad implications on several levels. It effects individual development of social norms and skills, it creates anonymity which fosters an environment of bullying and other negative behaviors, it creates a false sense of self, self-image and self-worth, both in narcissistic and self-loathing ways.
While these mediums were created to bring the world closer and have great potential and capacity for good, the reality is the digital environment has also created a rootlessness and loneliness. It is our challenge to continue to be a virtual space that is rooted in the Gospel and builds healthy communities for young people to flourish.
My favorite might be the chapter devoted to youth ministry. He begins by underscoring his core belief that young people themselves are agents of youth ministry. He recognizes the need for adult guidance but at the same time affirms that young people need to be free to develop new approaches. He does not advocate throwing out everything from the past; rather, he is asking us to examine what has worked and been effective. In doing so, we are challenging ourselves reevaluate what has proved to be effective in communicating the Gospel.
Youth ministry, Francis maintains, has two main functions; one is outreach and the other is growth. Outreach reflects how we are attracting youth to the Gospel. Growth is how we invite those who have experienced the Gospel to learn how to deepen in that experience and mature in it. It is quite clear that Pope Francis recognizes that young people are to be empowered. They are built for community. They are hungry to be seen, heard and valued. The language young people understand, the pope maintains, is the language spoken by those who “radiate life” by those who are there with them and for them.
The Pope is writing this for all of us, not just the youth of the Church. Our ability to radiate life regardless of our role, title or ministry is at the core of how we are to be as Catholic Christians. Not just for our youth, but for all of God’s people, let us be present to one another with the care, compassion and love Jesus has for each one of us. Now, let’s go set the world on fire!

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

Sing to the Lord: music within liturgy

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Father Aaron Williams

SPIRIT AND TRUTH
By Father Aaron Williams
In my last column, I discussed the vision of the Second Vatican Council in regard to the active participation of the laity in the Sacred Liturgy. I mentioned that the first time this term was used in a papal document was in 1903 when Pope Saint Pius X proposed the idea in the context of speaking about the role of music in the liturgy. I would like to expand that thought now by considering what the Second Vatican Council proposed as the stand of liturgical music.
Speaking on this topic, the Council Fathers said, “The musical tradition of the universal Church is a treasure of inestimable value, greater even than that of any other art. The main reason for this pre-eminence is that, as sacred song united to the words, it forms a necessary or integral part of the solemn liturgy.” This statement needs to be carefully considered. The Council proposes that music is “integral” to the liturgy itself. In other words, it is no mere ornament or decorative element to liturgical act. We Catholics are not called to sing “at” Mass — as if the Mass was some gathering within whose context we burst into song. Rather, we are called to sing “the” Mass.
What does that mean? The post-conciliar document, Musicam Sacram, which remains today the most authoritative Church document on sacred music, gives a pretty firm recommendation in how music is to be incorporated in the liturgy. In fact, it gives three degrees of sacred music in the Mass — numbering them according to importance as to what should one sung. First among this list is the dialogues between the priest and the people. That may seem odd to us. We might imagine the Church desires some sort of hymn be sung before anything else. In fact, in our common experience, we usually associate the priest chanting the dialogues or the prayers as something reserved to really solemn occasions.
The Church, however, sees things a little differently. The dialogues between the priest and the people, the prayers, the preface — these elements constitute the most important parts of the Mass. They are the parts of the Mass where we take our true role as the members of Christ’s Mystical Body. It is fitting, therefore, if these are the moments when we are most participating in the liturgy, that these are the first to be considered when finding the place of music in the liturgy.
In my own practice, I have developed a custom of always chanting the principal dialogues and prayers at the main Sunday Mass when I am the celebrant. I know other priests that do this at all Sunday Masses, and some even on weekdays. By elevating these texts into song, we further unify our voices as one expression of Christ’s body — not only joining in word, but also in tone, and meter, and expression.
The second elements are those parts of the Mass which are unchanging, or what the Church calls the “ordinary” (the Kyrie, Gloria, Creed, Sanctus, and Agnus Dei). Most of these parts of the Mass are normally sung in most parishes, so I don’t think much needs to be said other than that since they are unchanging it is much easier for parishes to memorize settings of the Mass ordinary for singing, thus furthering their ability to truly participate in these acts.
Finally, there is the proper. Most people have no experience of the sung proper. At daily Masses in some parishes, people will experience the antiphons spoken from a missallete. These antiphons are intended to actually be sung, especially in more solemn Masses, and are what the Church calls the “proper” of the Mass. In our ordinary experience, the vast majority of parishes substitute the proper antiphons for hymns (which are rooted in a vastly Lutheran/Anglican/Methodist tradition). While this is certainly permitted by the liturgy, the ideal proposed by the Council Fathers was that the proper of the Mass be truly sung.
I will use the second Sunday of Easter as an example. The Gospel that day was about St. Thomas coming to believe in the Resurrection when Christ says to him, “Bring your hand and feel the place of the nails.” The Church, desiring us to make a connection between the risen flesh of Christ in the Gospel and the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist, encourages us to take these same words upon our lips as we approach the altar. The Communion antiphon that day is, “Bring your hand and feel the place of the nails, and do not be unbelieving but believing, alleluia.”
In most places, this text was probably not even considered and was replaced by a eucharistic hymn, but by doing so we are replacing parts of the Mass which, like the readings themselves, the Church offers for our own spiritual nourishment. Though there isn’t space to go into all the various options for how these propers may be sung, suffice it to say there are a plethora of resources available readily online for free which can enable any parish to begin approaching this goal.

(Father Aaron Williams is the parochial vicar at Greenville St. Joseph Parish and serves as the liaison to seminarians for the Office of Vocations.)

Parish calendar of events

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SPIRITUAL ENRICHMENT

BATON ROUGE Louisiana, WINE (Women in the New Evangelization) Conference “Beautifully United in Spirit” Saturday, July 27, 8:30 a.m. – 3 p.m. at Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Church, St. Amant, Louisiana. Emcee Karen Sheehy Catholic author and WINE Specialist. Keynote speakers Kelly Wahlquist, WINE foundress, Catholic author and inspirational speaker, Teresa Tomeo, syndicated talk show host, author, and motivational speaker and Catholic evangelist, retreat director and radio host and Gloria Purvis Catholic advocate, speaker, and radio host. Join women from around the country for a day of inspiration, faith, fellowship and fun. Event price: $55 early bird price before June 27, $65 after June 27. Special price for religious sisters, consecrated women and students. Details: https://beautifullyunitedla.eventbrite.com to register or email karen@spiritualsafariguide.com.
BROOKSVILLE The Dwelling Place, Not Seeing Eye-to-Eye with Jesus, June 14-16. Do I think Jesus sees me the way I see myself? If not, is the difference important to me? Do I want to see myself as Jesus sees me? Conversion happens only when this change in seeing occurs. Presenter: Father Henry Shelton, retired priest of the diocese, who has conducted many seminars and retreats in Mississippi and surrounding states. Begins with dinner on Friday at 6:30 p.m. and concludes with lunch at noon on Sunday. Donation: $200. Details: (662) 738-5348 or email dwellpl@gmail.com.
CHATAWA St. Mary of the Pines Retreat Center, “With Burning Hearts” Henri J.M. Nouwen’s meditative book, June 16-22. We read in the Emmaus story “Did not our hearts burn within us?” Both sources, contemporary writers and Sacred Scripture, will form the basis for reflection on Eucharist as sacrament and way of life. Begins with dinner on Sunday and concludes with breakfast on Saturday. Presenter: Sister Kate DuVal, SSND. Suggested donation: $450. Details: Sister Sue Von Bank (601) 783-0801 or retreatcenter@ssndcp.org.
CULLMAN, Ala., Benedictine Sisters Retreat Center, Letting Go and Letting God: The Wisdom of Twelve-Step Spirituality, Saturday, June 22, 9:30 a.m. – 4 p.m. Letting God’s will and loving care uphold and direct our lives requires an ever-deepening process of surrender that is described in all genuine spiritual traditions yet uniquely articulated through the Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous. This reflection day will focus on the core principles of Twelve-Step Spirituality and the gift of spiritual freedom that is experienced when these principles are put into practice. Retreat Director: Sister Therese Haydel, O.S.B. Cost: $30, includes lunch. Details: (256) 734-8302, retreats@shmon.org or www.shmon.org.

PARISH, SCHOOL AND FAMILY EVENTS

CLEVELAND Our Lady of Victories, “Life After Loss: An Invitation” from 12-1 p.m. (bring your lunch) led by Larry L. Lambert, LPC. Remaining dates and topics on Wednesdays, May 15: Telling my story – struggling to hold on and to move on; May 22: A new day, a different world – distressing emotions and stressing demands; May 29: Where do I go from here? Renewed direction and enthusiasm and June 5: Learning to trust in a good future. Sessions are free and open to all. Details: (662) 719-8756 or email lamb5999@bellsouth.net.
HERNANDO Holy Spirit, Weight Loss Support Group, Tuesdays at 9 a.m. Come join each week as we support each other on our weight loss journey and strive to become healthier, happier persons. Details: Liz Brown at (901) 331-3419.
NATCHEZ St. Mary Basilica, Adult Sunday School, Queen of Heaven: Mary’s Battle for Souls”, DVD series from Saint Benedict Press, Sundays at 8:30 a.m. in the conference room of the Family Life Center. Details: Karen Verucchi, Class facilitator at (601) 870-5388.

YOUTH BRIEFS

GREENVILLE St. Joseph, Vacation Bible School, June 10-13, 9 a.m. – noon in the Parish Hall for children ages 4-12 years old. Workers are needed. Details: church office (662) 335-5251.
HERNANDO Holy Spirit, Vacation Bible School, June 17-21, 6 – 7:30 p.m. See your Holy Happenings for volunteer sheet. Details: Allison Baskin at (901) 409-1038.
LELAND St. James, Ladies Lunch Bunch, Wednesday, May 15, at the Mexican restaurant on Highway 82 at noon. Details: Call Patricia Maugh at (662) 379-0615 or Anita Minton at (662) 822-1775 for reservations.
MERIDIAN Catholic Community of St. Joseph and St. Patrick, First Family Dodgeball Championship, Sunday, May 19 at 1 p.m. in St. Patrick Family Life Center. Family teams of 4-6 persons will compete for a trophy. Registration fee is $5. Details: Adrian at (601) 917-4566.
NATCHEZ St. Mary Basilica, Vacation Bible School, June 10-14, 5:30 – 8:30 p.m. in the Family Life Center. This time set is different from past years. Eight to 10 adult volunteers are needed. Details: Regina at the church office (601) 445-5616.

St. Joseph school marks 150 years

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By Joe Lee
MADISON – As Doug Harkins and his wife, Kimberly, watch their twins Jacob and Clare graduate from St. Joseph High School next week, the moment will be even more poignant for Doug, a 1988 St. Joe grad and cardiologist with Jackson Heart Clinic, because of the presence of his mother, Rosemary. A 1950 graduate, she will join her son and daughter-in-law at Thalia Mara Hall as her grandchildren represent the third Harkins generation to cross the stage in St. Joe cap and gown.


But as remarkable as that accomplishment may be, the 70 years spanning the family’s graduations doesn’t even cover half the era represented by the school. The humble beginnings stretch all the way back to 1870, and the St. Joseph Catholic School 150th Class Reunion will launch July 1 and continue through the end of 2020.

“This is a once-in-a-lifetime for all of us,” said Tricia Harris, St. Joe coordinator of special events and enrollment. “We have the opportunity to put forth the importance of academic achievement and a Catholic education — there are so many influential people that have graduated from this school and gone on to amazing things.”

In addition to an updated Bruin logo that reflects the sesquicentennial – seen on car bumpers all over the Jackson area – the school will ask for a special proclamation from the state legislature, as well the next Mississippi governor.

“The whole yearbook design for the 2019-2020 school year will integrate a lot of ‘look back’,” Harris said. “The newspaper will be digitized and integrate the logo. Every athletic team will have some semblance of the 150th anniversary worked into their uniform, helmet, and ball they play with. It will constantly tout the fact that we’re in celebration mode.”

While the school has relocated several times its existence, much of what has always drawn both Catholics and non-Catholics to St. Joe remains solidly in place.


“It impacted our perspective on everything,” said 1957 grad Con Maloney, whose high school years were spent in a building that backed up to Central High School in downtown Jackson. “Our class had about 35 people, so I got to know a lot of them very intimately over the years. We were taught by the Mercy Nuns, who were very strict on us. One thing the school never had to buy was erasers. We would harass the Central students and they would throw erasers at us over the fence separating the schools.”

Con’s son, Chris, has returned home to manage the Mississippi Braves. He graduated in 1980, giving the Maloney family a second generation at the school. But a truly unique perspective belongs to David Wissel, who has taught Theology and coached track at St. Joe since 1984. He taught Doug Harkins and is now teaching Doug’s youngest son, Noah.

“Teaching a son or daughter of former students is interesting,” Wissel said. “There are similarities and mannerisms that seem to stand out. Each brings something different to the table.

“When a student walks out of St. Joe for the last time, I hope they are a better person, equipped to make their mark on the world, and that they have a stronger faith and the confidence to be successful in whatever God has planned for them.”

Terry Cassreino, whose daughter Camryn is a current Bruin, credits his Catholic education with shaping the person he is today. A newspaper reporter and editor before joining the Bruin faculty in 2011, his journalism program wins dozens of awards each year at the Mississippi Scholastic Press Association’s annual conference in Oxford. The student newspaper, The Bear Facts, was ranked in the nation’s top 50 by the Columbia Scholastic Press Association.


“I see firsthand how a Catholic education is helping Camryn deepen her faith and appreciation of the Catholic Church while preparing for her college and life as an adult,” Cassreino said. “And I am beyond proud of my current and former students — St. Joseph Catholic School, without a doubt, has the best high school student media program in the state. It is incredible to me, and extremely important, that we are accomplishing this in a Catholic setting grounded in the teachings of our faith.”

Ronnie Russell, now in his 15th year as band director, instructed two students that went on to win Grammy awards for contributions to major motion picture soundtracks, as well many who performed with college bands all over the southeast and beyond.

“Our campus minister, Kathryn Scikets, is a former St. Joe student and drum major,” Russell said. “One of the most recently-ordained priests in the Jackson Diocese, Father Aaron Williams, is a former band student. Perhaps the highest compliment I’ve ever been given came when he asked me to play trumpet in his very first Mass as a priest.”

Theology teacher Ryan Starrett and Sckiets, who teaches in the English department and graduated in 2013, both work with many faculty that taught them in high school.

“I did not expect to teach at St. Joe, but God works in mysterious ways,” Sckiets said. “When the campus ministry position was open, I thought it would be a really unique opportunity to grow in my faith and hopefully help students grow in theirs. I was — and still am — fortunate to have many great role models at St. Joe who showed me by example how to not only be great teachers, but great people.”

“The thing that impresses me most about St. Joe is that you don’t just feel you are part of a school — you feel like you are part of a family and community,” said Bruin athletic director Michael Howell. “We have a unique balance of education, arts and athletics. Our coaches do a great job of working together to make sure our student-athletes can be successful in all areas of school community.”

At the helm of the Catholic school that opened its doors barely 50 years after Mississippi became a state is Dena Kinsey.

“I want our students to understand the importance of the Hand of God,” Kinsey said. “From the faith of a pastor and a few Sisters of Mercy, a school was established based in truth that has overcome all obstacles to not only survive, but thrive for 150 years. The love of God prevails, and St. Joe is a living example in our most secular world of the power of God.”

JACKSON – A view of St. Joseph High School located downtown in 1932. See more photos online at mississippicatholic.com. (photo courtesy St. Joseph High School Archives)

(Joe Lee is a member of Madison St. Francis Parish and owner of Dogwood Publishing.)

Magistrate denies motion to dismiss charges against plowshares activists

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By Dennis Sadowski
WASHINGTON (CNS) – A federal magistrate judge denied motions from seven longtime Catholic peacemakers to have charges dismissed on religious freedom grounds in connection with their April 2018 protest at an East Coast submarine base.
Magistrate Judge Benjamin Cheesbro of the Southern District of Georgia said in an April 26 ruling that the defendants, all Catholics, failed to show that the government violated their rights under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act.
In an 80-page ruling, Cheesbro determined that while the cause the activists espoused is legitimately religious and their faith is sincere, the 20-year prison term that the seven face was the government’s least coercive response to the protest.Bishop Joseph Kopacz testified on behalf of the protestors on Nov. 7 of last year.
Cheesbro said the faith-based activists could have pursued other means to carry out their protest against nuclear weapons on religious grounds rather than illegally entering the Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay in Georgia.
Cheesbro also denied the defendants’ three other legal arguments for dismissal, saying that the federal government acted appropriately in charging them with conspiracy, destruction of property, depredation of government property and trespass in connection with the Kings Bay Plowshares action on the night of April 4-5, 2018.
Bill Quigley, a law professor at Loyola University New Orleans who is pro bono legal representative for the seven, told Catholic News Service April 29 that an appeal of Cheesbro’s decision would be filed with the U.S. District Court for Southern Georgia within 30 days of the ruling.
“We think he was at least half right, that our people are sincere, they were motivated by deep religious, Catholic faith and the opposition to nuclear weapons is a key part of Catholic faith,” Quigley said of Cheesbro’s ruling.
“We disagree with the idea that it’s appropriate that the least restrictive means for the government to address people’s religious belief is by exposing them to 20-plus years in prison. That’s going to be one of the key challenges we bring (in the appeal),” Quigley explained.
The defendants, all Catholics, include Elizabeth McAlister of Baltimore; Jesuit Father Steve Kelly of the Bay Area in California; Carmen Trotta of New York City; Clare Grady of Ithaca, New York; Martha Hennessy of New York, granddaughter of Catholic Worker co-founder Dorothy Day; Mark Colville of New Haven, Connecticut; and Patrick O’Neill of Garner, North Carolina.
Father Kelly, McAlister and Colville remain jailed in Georgia, while the four others have been released on bond.
The protest marked the 50th anniversary of the assassination of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and to “repent of the sin of white supremacy that oppresses and takes the lives of people of color here in the United States and throughout the world.”
The seven entered the submarine base, the East Coast home of the Trident nuclear submarine, and during approximately two hours placed crime scene tape and spilled blood at different locales while posting an “indictment” charging the military with crimes against peace, citing the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
The Navy’s fleet of Trident submarines carries about half of the U.S. active strategic nuclear warheads, according to military experts.
In their arguments, the activists sought dismissal of the charges on grounds that they were being selectively prosecuted, that the charges were “duplicitous and multiplicitous,” that the government failed to identify an offense under international and domestic law, and that they were being unlawfully prosecuted under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act.

Seven Catholics who call themselves the Kings Bay Plowshares are seen April 4, 2018, before they entered the Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay in Georgia to protest nuclear weapons. They were arrested and charged with conspiracy, trespass, and destruction and depradation of property. Patrick O’Neill, second from left, Martha Hennessy, third from left, and Carmen Trotta, right, have been released on bond. The other four decided not to bond out and remain in a detention facility n Brunswick, Ga. (CNS photo/Kings Bay Plowshares) See KINGS-BAY-PLOWSHARES April 29, 2019.

Father Masters’ returns for Journey of Hope in Tupelo

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By Maureen Smith
TUPELO – Almost 300 people attended a Journey of Hope Luncheon in Tupelo to benefit Catholic Charities Vardaman Service Center on Friday, April 26. The guest speaker was Father Burke Masters, former Mississippi State Baseball standout and chaplain for the Chicago Cubs baseball team.
Father Masters spoke at the Jackson Journey of Hope last year. When Catholic Charities organizers heard he would be back in Starkville for a Hall of Fame event, they took a chance and invited him to travel to Tupelo for another event.
“We can’t thank Father Burke and the people of St. James in Tupelo enough for their generosity and all they did to support Catholic Charities,” said Michael Thomas, development director for Catholic Charities. “We could not have hosted this event without their help,” he added.

Brunini Firm to be honored by Catholic Charities

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By Maureen Smith
JACKSON – On Saturday, June 15, Catholic Charities will honor the Brunini Law Firm at the annual Bishop’s Ball fund-raiser. The event will start at 6 p.m. at the Jackson Country Club and includes a cocktail hour, silent and live auction, dinner and dancing. Tickets are $85 per person.
The Brunini Law Firm was founded in Vicksburg in the late 1890s. One of the earliest founders, John B. Brunini, was a devout Catholic – the son of Italian immigrants. In the book Brunini, Grantham, Grower and Hewes, detailing the history of the firm, it was said neighbors could set their watch by when John Brunini walked to early Mass at St. Paul Parish every day. His son, Joseph Brunini, became the bishop of the Diocese of the Diocese of Jackson and so the church and the firm have always had a connection.
Today the firm has offices in Biloxi, Columbus, Jackson and Washington, D.C. It represents the diocese in many matters and many of the attorneys there support the church through work with the Catholic Foundation, Catholic Charities and parish and school work. Bishop Joseph Kopacz said he is happy to honor the firm with the award. “Because the world continues to grow more complex the rule of law becomes indispensable in safeguarding and promoting a society that is just and humane,” said the bishop, adding that the diocese is proud to partner with the firm.
“The Brunini team members are wonderful civic leaders in the community. The Good Samaritan Award recognizes organizations and individuals who serve others selflessly. We have worked with Brunini for many years and it is truly an honor to recognize them their contributions to our community through their partnerships and pro bono work,” said John Lunardini, Chief Operating Officer of Catholic Charities of Jackson.
Those who wish to reserve a seat at the ball should contact Julie O’Brien by email at julie.obrien@ccjackson.org, or by phone at either (601) 326-3714 or (601) 326-3758.

Catholic officials pleased with new conscience protection rule

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By Carol Zimmermanni
WASHINGTON (CNS) – The announcement of a new conscience protection rule May 2 protecting health care workers who object to abortion procedures on religious grounds was welcome news to U.S. Catholic bishops and the president of the Catholic Health Association.
President Donald Trump announced the rule at the White House Rose Garden during a speech on the National Day of Prayer.
“Just today we finalized new protections of conscience rights for physicians, pharmacists, nurses, teachers, students and faith-based charities,” Trump said.
The rule, issued by the Department of Health and Human Services and enforced by that department’s Office of Civil Rights, is more than 400 pages long with specific guidelines requiring hospitals, clinics and universities that receive federal funding through Medicare or Medicaid to certify that they comply with laws protecting conscience rights regarding abortion, sterilization and assisted suicide.
Under the rule, medical workers or institutions would not have to provide, participate in or pay for procedures they object to on moral or religious grounds.
“Laws prohibiting government funded discrimination against conscience and religious freedom will be enforced like every other civil rights law,” said Roger Severino, director of the Office of Civil Rights in a May 2 statement.
“This rule ensures that health care entities and professionals won’t be bullied out of the health care field because they decline to participate in actions that violate their conscience, including the taking of human life. Protecting conscience and religious freedom not only fosters greater diversity in health care, it’s the law,” he said.
Last year, the department of Health and Human Services received more than 1,300 complaints alleging discrimination in a health care setting based on religious beliefs or conscience issues.
Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann of Kansas City, Kansas, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities, and Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz of Louisville, Kentucky, chairman of the bishops’ Committee for Religious Liberty, issued a joint statement May 2 commending the adoption of these new regulations to ensure existing laws protecting conscience rights in health care are enforced and followed.
The statement said these laws have been policy for years, but “the previous administration did not fully enforce them and now they are increasingly being violated.”
The bishops said health care providers such as nurses and medical trainees “have been coerced into participating in the brutal act of abortion against their core beliefs, while churches and others who oppose abortion are being compelled by states like California to cover elective abortion – including late-term abortion – in their health plans.”
“We are grateful that this administration is taking seriously its duty to enforce these fundamental civil rights laws, and we look forward to swift action by HHS to remedy current violations in several states,” they added.
The bishops also pointed out that “conscience protection should not fluctuate as administrations change” and stressed that Congress should provide “permanent legislative relief through passage of the Conscience Protection Act.”
Sister Carol Keehan, a Daughter of Charity and president and CEO of the Catholic Health Association of the United States, said her organization “welcomes efforts to implement and enforce existing federal laws providing conscience protections.”
In a May 2 statement, she said the Catholic Health Association is currently reviewing the final regulation.
She stressed that “Catholic hospitals and long-term care facilities welcome and serve all persons in need of care. Our mission and our ethical standards in health care are rooted in and inseparable from the Catholic Church’s teachings about the dignity of the human person and the sanctity of human life from conception to natural death. These are the source of both the work we do and the limits on what we will do,” she said.
“Every individual seeking health care is welcome and will be treated with dignity and respect in our facilities, “ she added.
Critics of the rule have argued that it will limit women’s health care access. The same day the rule was announced, San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera sued the Trump administration, saying the rule sacrificed patients’ health.
The rule takes effect 60 days after publication in the Federal Register.

(Follow Zimmermann on Twitter: @carolmaczim)

NCEA convention offered financial and leadership tips with teaching ideas

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By Joyce Duriga
CHICAGO, Ill (CNS) – Rocio Carballo came all the way from Belize to attend the National Catholic Education Conference April 23-25 at McCormick Place Convention Center in downtown Chicago. It was her seventh year attending the convention.
“In my first year, I thought it would be aimed only to teachers, but it’s more than that. I’ve appreciated the focus on leadership skills and financial oversight for people like me,” said Carballo, who is president of Sacred Heart College, a high school and junior high school with 1,550 students and 135 staff.
More than 9,000 educators and leaders from dioceses around the country and beyond, including representatives from the Diocese of Jackson, attended this year’s conference, along with 700 vendors. They took part in hundreds of sessions on topics focused on religion, technology, leadership, curriculum development, trauma, finances and prayer. There are 1.8 million students enrolled in Catholic schools across the country, according to the National Catholic Education Association.
Carballo said she is taking home information about both marketing Catholic schools and effectively using digital media in the classroom.
“I attended sessions that showed us how to retain our students and, most importantly, how to market our Catholic institutions and continue to uphold the institutional excellence,” she said.
The 25-year veteran educator said the convention liturgies were spiritually enriching.
Chicago Cardinal Blase J. Cupich celebrated the opening Mass April 23 with a choir of students from local Catholic schools. Bishop Gerald F. Kicanas, apostolic administrator of Las Cruces, New Mexico, and the NCEA’s board chairman, celebrated Mass April 24 and Chicago Auxiliary Bishop Robert G. Casey celebrated the closing Mass.
Jeanine Ranzen, a teacher at Our Lady Queen of Peace School in Madison, Wisconsin, said this year’s convention was one of the best she attended.
“It’s been very uplifting being here and being surrounded by 9,000 people who are on the same mission,” she said.
Ranzen, who grew up in St. Barnabas Parish in Chicago, was also encouraged by seeing so many young teachers in attendance.
“The young teachers have a lot of passion for what they are doing. We want to have good teachers to continue the mission,” she said.
Next year’s conference will take place in Baltimore April 14-16.

(Duriga is editor of Chicago Catholic, archdiocesan newspaper of Chicago.)

In memoriam: Sister who served

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Sister of Providence Mary Jo Stewart, age 91, died on April 20 in Lourdes Hall, St. Mary-of-the-Woods, Indiana. She was born on Sept. 25, 1927 in Terre Haute, Indiana. In the Diocese of Jackson, she worked at Sacred Heart Southern Missions, Walls from 1986-96 and Catholic Community Outreach in Holly Springs from 1996-98. The wake and Mass of Christian Burial were held at Church of the Immaculate Conception on April 26. Burial was in the cemetery of the Sisters of Providence. Memorial contributions may be made to the Sisters of Providence, 1 Sisters of Providence, St. Mary-of-the-Woods, Indiana 47876.