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St. Joe Alumna directs ‘Bye Bye Birdie’ at her Alma Mater

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By Leila deGruy
MADISON – St. Joseph Catholic School alumna Leslie Ann Harkins is leading the theater department’s production of Bye Bye Birdie, which she starred in as a student in 2004. The show opens Thursday, April 5, with performances at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, and a 2 p.m. matinee on Saturday, April 7. We asked Harkins about her role as a teacher and director, and how the production has changed since her high school days.
Q: What made you want to teach theater at St. Joseph?
A: I had a lot of great memories and mentors growing up in Mississippi, especially in the theatre world. I could not think of a better way to give back to the place that gave me so much than to return to my alma mater and work with students who are as passionate about the arts as I am.
Q: What is Bye Bye Birdie about?
A: Bye Bye Birdie is a story that is based on the pop-star Conrad Birdie. His character is very much like Elvis Presley. He goes into the army, and the story shows how that decision impacts his manager, his manager’s girlfriend, his manager’s mother and this whole town of Sweet Apple, Ohio.
Q: What can you tell us about this year’s production of Bye Bye Birdie?
A: This is by far the largest production I have put together at St. Joe. There are 78 people involved including 14 student and professional musicians in our live orchestra, six backstage crew members, eight working on lighting and sound, and the rest make up our student cast. The majority of our cast and crew are students at the school. We are very fortunate to have talented performers, musicians and technical crew as part of our student body.
Q: How will this year’s production be different from 2004, when you played the role of Helen?
A: When I played the role of Helen while in high school at St. Joe, the show was performed in our school gym. The most significant difference between our 2004 show and this year’s show comes in the form of our Fine Arts facility that was built nine years ago. The facility offers a professional and state-of-the-art experience for both the actors and the audience. To see this production on the “big stage” versus the gym floor is a very exciting thing for me.
Q: Can you tell us about your students and what makes this year’s Bye Bye Birdie cast and crew so special?
A: The theatre experience at St. Joe is very special for a number of reasons. First, our cast and crew are comprised of students from seventh to 12th grade. It is one of the few opportunities that all students have to come together and represent the entire student body. The younger students not only get the opportunity to experience the entire audition, rehearsal and performance process, they also get to benefit from strong mentorship from the older students who also have spent years on the stage. This inclusive process is very special and somewhat unique in high school theater.
To purchase tickets for Bye Bye Birdie, visit www.stjoetheatre.booktix.com. For more information visit www.stjoebruins.com or call 601-898-4800.

(Leila deGruy is a junior at Madison St. Joseph School.)

New Testament prof sorts out plausible, implausible in new ‘Paul’ movie

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By Mark Pattison
WASHINGTON (CNS) – Don’t take everything you see in the new movie “Paul, Apostle of Christ” as, well, gospel. Even the filmmakers have said much of what is on screen is conjecture.
Compared to today’s information-saturated age, little is definitively known about St. Paul and St. Luke, the film’s two main characters. A bit more is known about the time of Roman Emperor Nero, under whose rule the movie is set.
Even the identity of those credited with writing more than half of the books of the New Testament is up for grabs, according to Dominican Sister Laurie Brink, an associate professor of New Testament studies at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago.
How much of Paul’s letters can be attributed to him “depends on who you ask,” Sister Brink told Catholic News Service in a March 7 telephone interview. “There are disputed ones and undisputed ones.”
In the undisputed category are Romans, 1 and 2 Corinthians, 1 Thessalonians, Galatians, Philippians and Philemon. The others, she said, are “variously dated much later than we know Paul lived,” although they originated “from a later Pauline community.” Scholars can make that distinction, Sister Brink said, based on vocabulary, sentence structure and the topics that are addressed.
As for the Gospel according to Luke and the Acts of the Apostles, both of which are attributed to St. Luke, “that’s a larger question,” she said. “Who was St. Luke? Tradition has the person named as Luke, and tradition suggests he was a companion of Paul, from a citation based on Colossians.” But beyond that, the trail grows murky.
“In order to understand the historical author of any of our texts, the only thing we have to go by is the texts themselves. What can we know about this person based on what they wrote?” said Sister Brink, adding that learning about a person based mainly on their writings is akin to “looking at it in a mirror.”
“The person who wrote Luke is very well-educated,” Sister Brink said. “He’s Greek, his diction is very good, his use of the language is very good. He improves on Mark’s Gospel, which he uses as his source. He seems to be familiar with the patron-client system.” Theophilus, who is mentioned in both Luke and Acts, was Luke’s patron.
“Paul, Apostle of Christ,” which is to be released in theaters nationwide March 23, has Luke visiting Paul in a prison in Rome. “That makes good cinematography, but since we don’t know the identity of Luke – we just know that tradition has named him that. We don’t see that (prison visit) in the text,” Sister Brink said.
Paul is jailed in the movie after having been accused of setting the blaze that destroyed a good chunk of Rome.
The fire in Rome, according to Tacitus, a Roman historian, was likely started by the minions of Nero, who had his eye set on a particular piece of property,” Sister Brink said. “But everybody already had all that property. The only way to get that was to burn the property, accuse the Christians, make them scapegoats, and acquire the property.”
Another fire-related element in the film is solid fact: Christians were burned alive to bring light to the dark city. “Yes, that is true!” Sister Brink told CNS. “They were crucified and they were set on fire. They were like lamplights on the side of the road. Now, this is according to Tacitus, and Tacitus didn’t like Nero.”
A small, beleaguered Christian community is shown hiding in an otherwise-deserted Roman compound in “Paul, Apostle of Christ.” One thing of which moviegoers can be sure, Sister Brink said, is that they didn’t live in the catacombs.
“That’s a long trope that the Christians were hiding in the catacombs,” she said. “None of that is true. Christians were buried in the catacombs and they often had worship there,” Sister Brink added, but they did not use it as a hideout from the Roman Empire.

Joanne Whalley as Priscilla, Jim Caviezel as Luke and John Lynch as Aquila are seen in the film “Paul, Apostle of Christ.” In an interview with Catholic News Service, Dominican Sister Laurie Brink, an associate professor of New Testament studies at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago, sorts out the plausible and the implausible in the movie, to be released nationwide March 23. (CNS photo/Sony Pictures) See PAUL-BRINK March 9, 2018.

But by this point in history, though, one plot point in the film rings true: “The Our Father would have been known to this community,” according to Sister Brink.
Some scenes in the film mimic events elsewhere in the Bible.
Luke’s healing of the Roman prison warden’s daughter, while not miraculous, is reminiscent of Jesus’ healing of Roman centurion Jairus’ daughter. The warden and Paul, by this point a condemned prisoner, have an extended chat in the warden’s courtyard; by the end of Acts, Sister Brink said, “Paul is under house arrest. He is staying in some rental property, and there is a soldier guarding him.”
“They didn’t have prisons” as we know them today, she noted. Also, a band of younger, agitated Christians stages a raid on the prison to free Paul, but he refuses to leave; in the New Testament, an earthquake wrecks Paul’s jail, but he declined to escape.
Sister Brink, who had not seen the film at the time of the interview, said, “Some of this (drama) is probably coming from ‘The Acts of Paul and Thecla’ and ‘The Martyrdom of Paul.’ They are not canonical texts but they are great reads. They’re kind of like early Christian novels.”
Still, she gave the filmmakers credit. “Even if it’s not biblically or historically accurate, it gives people an opportunity to think about Paul, to know about Paul,” Sister Brink said. “For too long, Catholics have not paid any attention to Paul. Catholics have been Jesus-focused, and that’s good, but the apostle of Paul is a pretty significant figure in our faith history. So good on them for trying.”

(Follow Pattison on Twitter: @MeMarkPattison.)

Labor Unions are Prophets for Our Time

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Father Jeremy Tobin

Millennial reflections
By Father Jeremy Tobin
Pope Francis clearly is a pope for our time. He has been the voice of those with no voice, the advocate for those on the margins. From the very beginning of his papacy he has urged the church to “Go to the margins, to the outcast…” He urges clergy to immerse themselves in the struggles of their people saying “shepherds should smell like the sheep.” He has blasted clericalism as a new idolatry.
Recently he spoke to the Italian equivalent of the AFL-CIO. He refocused labor and those who advocate for workers in the frame of Pope John Paul II, seeing the social as well as the human dimensions of work, even creativity in doing any work. No job is just a job, it should be the expression of the worker. Further he sees the necessity of leisure. “Leisure is not laziness,” said the pontiff. It is a necessity to fill out the rest of the worker’s life.
He sees work as the product and expression of the worker, not merely tasks to be done for profit. The advent of robotics used to replace human workers only amplifies the problem of profit being the exclusive motive for work. One might surmise companies who choose robots over people have no social purpose other than amassing wealth for their shareholders and owners.
Pope Francis is a firm critic of capitalism. In some circles to criticize capitalism is to espouse Marxism and immorality. This is not the focus of Pope Francis’ criticism. The negative aspects of a Marxist-based economy is to further reduce people to things, not agents of their own destiny. Marxism and predatory capitalism both gouge workers.
In addressing the Italian labor unions he firmly states, “Labor unions are prophetic and innovative.” Unions are prophetic when they give voice “to those who have none, denounce those who would ‘sell the needy for a pair of sandals’ (Amos 2:6) unmask the powerful who would trample the rights of the most vulnerable of workers, defend the cause of the foreigner, the least of the discarded.”
Today labor unions, together with the Church, have been speaking up for immigrants, joined in their struggle for equality and inclusion The leadership of the AFL-CIO under Richard Trumka the labor movement recognized it was not immigrants stealing workers jobs, it was the exploitation of immigrants that drove down wages. It is the ongoing “race to the bottom” that has split groups who should be allies.
A powerful way to combat this is through solidarity. We can go back to the glory days of early 20th Centuries organizing with that hymn, “Solidarity Forever” and chants liker the “Mighty, mighty Union!! The truth is, the works are the union. More than the chief officers away in offices. They can direct, inspire and mobilize, but the union is on the ground. It is the workers, organized and holding management accountable.
Pope Francis’ concept of solidarity is expansive. Unions represent all workers not just their members. True solidarity is respect for the workers, the company’s respect for the larger community. Today these are pitted against each other solely for profit. Today we hear speakers denounce balancing budgets on the backs of the poor. These denunciations often fall on deaf ears.
Our teaching on labor, like so much other issues, is the focus on the human person. From this lens it is people, communities that come before profits. It is seeing workers with respect, not as human machines.
Pope Francis emphasis on the prophetic role of unions is inclusive, reaching outward. He says, “Prophets are sentinels, who watch from their lookout. The union, too, must keep vigil over the walls of the city of work, like a watchman who guards and protects those who are inside the city of labor, but also guarding and protecting those who are outside the walls.” He continues saying, ”Your vocation is also to protect those who do not have rights., those excluded from work who are also excluded from rights and democracy.”
This is why I often write that our Catholic teachings on labor and social justice are well kept secrets. They should not be. At a time when so many people are being attacked and exploited in so many ways we should be preaching and teaching social justice from the housetops.
(Father Jeremy Tobin, O.Praem, lives at the Priory of St. Moses the Black, Jackson.)

New Year offers chance to dedicate time to service

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Kneading Faith
By Fran Lavelle
I got a text from our great nephew Drew the other day inquiring, “How would I request Billy Graham as a saint?” He is 11 years old and a cradle Catholic. But growing up in Mississippi he has had his fair share of friends of all faith traditions. His simple question really stirred my thinking.
I have avowed for many years that young people are telling us their truth. We saw it recently with the school walk out. The question is as adults, catechists, teachers, pastors and parents are we able to hear them? In Matthew 19:14 Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” I think of the young people in my life. I think about how they are yearning for authenticity, meaning and purpose.
All generations are a product of the family and the culture. As catechists and adults responsible for the faith formation of our young people, we are called to engage and inspire our youth to live the Gospel. Hopefully they are being shaped and formed to reflect the love of God on Earth. It baffles me that adults make generalizations about an entire generation without reflecting on their own youth. Sometimes we speak of young people like they were delivered by an alien spaceship and we don’t quite know what to make of them. Or they attribute these generalizations to the “culture.” Guess what folks, we formed these young people and we are part of the culture.
That takes me back to our great nephew Drew. Drew is all boy. He goes 100-miles an hour and stops for air, food and sleep only when necessary. He loves visiting his grandparents in the country. He loves fishing, playing sports and hanging out with his family. But he is also very deeply introspective, funny, thoughtful, and smart.
A few years ago, before he made his First Communion, we were at the family pool and I asked him to tell his Opa what the epiclesis is. Without skipping a beat, he placed his hands in the proper posture and said, “It’s when the priest calls down the Holy Spirit to change the bread and wine into Jesus.” He was very matter of fact about it. But, in his casual reply you could tell that he not only knew this intellectually, he perceived with the eyes and heart of faith.
To his parents’ credit all three children are bright, kind, caring and faith filled young people. It is obvious that somewhere in their day they find time to think about important questions, have thoughtful conversations and are present to one another. After all, he was inquiring if I knew how one goes about getting Billy Graham canonized. This kind of thoughtfulness comes from a place where questions and inquiry are encouraged. He has not grown up in a place where everyone he meets is Catholic, far from it. And, because of that, it is entirely possible for him to see people of other faith traditions as good, holy, and virtuous examples of faith.
In my response to Drew I told him that the formal process of canonization took quite a long time and is a very detailed process. While a non-Catholic has not been formally recognized as a saint it is far from me to say it could never happen. What is most telling about his inquiry is that Drew did not question if a Southern Baptist preacher could be a saint, he wanted to know how we could go about making it happen. I assured him that the Church recognizes countless people who are uncanonized saints, those faithful Christians who have entered into the presence of God for all eternity. We see this clearly referred to in Revelation 7:9, as the “great multitude, which no one could count, from every nation, race, people, and tongue. They stood before the throne and before the Lamb, wearing white robes and holding palm branches in their hands.” We have reason to hope that we know a lot of souls in the canon of saints. I think of my Dad and my grandparents as saints. Billy Graham too.
Drew, as well as his siblings and parents, remain in my prayers of thanksgiving. They remind me that we are not lost as long as we keep seeking God in all things, asking good questions, and looking for truth with the eyes of faith and love. “Dear young people, please, don’t be observers of life, but get involved. Jesus did not remain an observer, but he immersed himself. Don’t be observers, but immerse yourself in the reality of life, as Jesus did.” — Pope Francis, July 27, 2013 Youth Prayer Vigil at Rio. Keep asking good questions, Drew. It’s one of the best ways to stay immersed in the reality of life.

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

Sr. Thea researcher spreads her story

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By Maureen Smith
JACKSON – Redemptorist Father Maurice Nutt barely had time to get settled in his new office in the chancery before he was called upon to share his knowledge of Sister Thea Bowman, FSPA. Sister Thea is one of five women being honored by the Connecting the Dots foundation at their annual Women of Courage and Strength banquet on Saturday, March 24. As part of the banquet, each honoree is invited to submit a video to tell their story. A local non-profit called Spark-O-Matic offered to produce the video about Sister Thea.
On Tuesday, March 13, three Spark-O-Matic students took time out of their spring break to interview Father Maurice at Medgar Evers Library in Jackson. The group is made up of local college and high school students who want to learn more about digital literacy. They have a robotics team and have learned about audio and video production, have gotten lessons in photo editing and have already produced a documentary that will be featured at the Crossroads film festival.
The students had never heard of Sister Thea before they started on this project. They watched a video of her addressing the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and read stories about her life. Using photos of Sister Thea, quotes from her writings and Father Maurice’s interview, they plan to produce a video to introduce her to the banquet audience and for use on the diocesan website.
One student, Angel Walton said she was inspired when she watched Sister Thea addressing the bishops. Sr. Thea was in the last stages of her cancer and used a wheelchair by that time, but still spoke with energy and challenged the bishops to stand, link arms and sing “We Shall Overcome.”
Father Maurice is investigating Sister Thea’s life in hopes that the diocese can open a cause for her canonization. He lives in New Orleans, but will travel between his home and the chancery as well as the motherhouse for the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration in Wisconsin to complete his research.

Diocesan archives offer rich resource for researcher studying school integration

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Bishop Oliver Gerow

By Maureen Smith
JACKSON – Catholic Extension is usually lending a helping hand to dioceses, parishes and schools, but this year, the Diocese of Jackson was able to offer its own help to the organization. Timothy Muldoon, director of mission education for Extension, spent a couple days in Mississippi doing research in the diocesan archives for a project on the work of the Church in the Civil Rights Movement.
He is working on a written treatment of “the process that led to the desegregation of Catholic Schools.” His project focuses on the late 1950s through 1964. He came to Mississippi for two reasons, its preeminent place in the history of the Civil Rights Movement and the rich detail offered in the archives here. “My interest is in the fact that the Diocese of then Natchez-Jackson was a place where we had the high-profile murders of Emmett Till and Medgar Evers that cast a spotlight on the state and the diocese,” said Muldoon.
During that time, Bishop Oliver Gerow shepherded the diocese. Bishop Gerow was a photographer and historian as well as being the leader of the local church — keeping a daily diary of his activities and thoughts and creating an index of diocesan history from the founding of the diocese up to his episcopacy. “He had, clearly, a keen sense of preserving history. This is not somebody who did it in a catch-as-catch can way. He was very meticulous,” said Muldoon.
Bishop Gerow worked to unite other faith leaders at the time to soothe racial tensions and bring about reform without violence. Archivist Mary Woodward said his files are some of the most popular among researchers. “We have had several people come and do this topic so we know where everything is so it’s easy. Bishop Gerow has an index that goes all the way up through his time, 1966. His diary has an almost daily account of what went on and in there is a lot of history you don’t get in the history books such as the early efforts of the Episcopal, Methodist and Catholic bishops trying to do something in Jackson to address the racial divide. Meeting with black pastors in different places – having lunch at the Walthall and how Rabbi (Perry) Nussbaum got involved. A lot of that is the flavor behind the history that we have because of Bishop Gerow,” said Woodward.
Researchers are welcome in the archives, but they need to submit a written request to Woodward and they should be working on a specific project, usually an academic one. Genealogists are not able to access these archives, although there is someone families can pay to look up sacramental records. Many of the documents here are originals and not for public viewing. Woodward usually pulls exactly what a particular researcher will need before they arrive to save time and preserve the precious documents.
Bishop Gerow carefully planned and executed school integration in Catholic schools throughout the state. “Bishop Gerow had this sense that you can’t just have a mandate to integrate,” explained Muldoon. “He was concerned with the safety of black congregants. He didn’t want to issue a fiat. He said ‘we have to move carefully,’” Muldoon added. While he was pastoral, Bishop Gerow did sometimes have to draw the line. “We had several incidents of parishioners not being as friendly as they should be and (the archives show) how the bishop reacted to them in terms of telling them ‘this is how it is and if you are going to make people feel unwelcome you can’t receive communion until you go to confession to me,’” said Woodward.
This research is “the perfect focal point for telling the broader story of what was happening in the Catholic Church at that time and what was happening in the nation at that time,” said Muldoon. He explained that examining the phenomenon of segregated parishes can be politically charged so putting it in context is important. There is a difference, he explained, between a segregated parish and a segregating parish. “Individual parishes provided a point of integration into the larger church for many immigrant communities,” he said. Muldoon spoke to Mississippi Catholic from an office in Chicago just a few blocks from four or five different parishes with separate ethnic communities attached to them.
“Initially, parishes provided an integrating community of like-minded people. Black parishes provided cover, for shelter,” he said. He also pointed out that cultural differences do not make parishes less Catholic. “There is a critical difference between homogeneity and Catholicity. It is not about making everyone the same or making them do the same thing,” he said.
Muldoon hopes to complete his writing and find the right spot to publish it in the next few weeks. Watch Mississippi Catholic for publication details.
While he was in the state, he took the opportunity to visit several parishes supported by Extension, including Camden Sacred Heart, Newton St. Anne and a stop at Sister Thea Bowman’s home in Canton. He posted a reflection called “11’o clock on Sunday Morning” about the vibrant community in Camden on the Catholic Extension Website here

 

Vía Crucis

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ABERDEEN – Parroquia de San Francisco, los miércoles a las 4 p.m.

BROOKHAVEN – Parroquia de San Francisco, estaciones y bendición viernes a las 5:30 p.m., seguido por una comida de cuaresma

CLARKSALE – Parroquia de Santa Elizabeth, viernes a las 2:15 p.m. (con estudiantes) y a las 5:30 p.m.

COLUMBUS – Parroquia de la Anunciación, viernes a las 5:30 p.m. seguido por una comida de pescado frito

GLUCKSTADT – Parroquia de San José, los miércoles a las 6 p.m. seguido por la misa

GREENVILLE – Parroquia del Sagrado Corazón, viernes a las 6 p.m. con misa y vía crucis
Parroquia de San José, viernes a las 5:30 p.m. Los Caballeros de Colón ofrecerán una comida de pescado frito en el salón parroquial el 23 de marzo de 5 a 7 p.m., $ 10 por persona

GRENADA – Parroquia de San Pedro, viernes a las 6:15 p.m. seguido por una cena de sopa y ensalada, a excepción de una cena de pescado frito el 23 de marzo

HERNANDO – Parroquia del Espíritu Santo, viernes a las 6:30 p.m. seguido por una cena de sopa. $ 1.00 de donación por persona beneficia a los pobres de la comunidad. Para ayudar, llame a Pat Kuehnel al (662) 996-6622

IUKA – Parroquia de Santa María, Adoración y Estaciones, los miércoles a las 9:20 a.m. Misa a las 10 a.m.

JACKSON – Parroquia de Cristo Rey, viernes a las 6 p.m.
Parroquia de la Sagrada Familia, viernes a las 6 p.m.
Catedral de San Pedro, adoración y estaciones, viernes 4:30 – 6 p.m. seguido por una comida ligera.
Parroquia de San Richard, los viernes a las 2:15 p.m. con la escuela
Parroquia de Santa Teresita, viernes a las 5:30 p.m. (inglés) seguido de una cena de sopa y un mensaje y los domingos, (español) a la 1:30 p.m.

MADISON – Parroquia de San Francisco de Asís, viernes a las 6 p.m., rosario, estaciones y comida de cuaresma

NATCHEZ – Parroquia de la Asunción, viernes a las 5: 30 p.m. Basílica de Santa María, viernes a las 12:05 y 5:15 p.m. seguido por una comida de pescado frito en el centro familiar

PEARL – Parroquia de San Judas, viernes a las 6 p.m. seguido por una comida de pescado frito

SHAW – Parroquia de San Francisco, viernes a las 6 p.m. después de la misa

CIUDAD DE YAZOO – Parroquia de Santa María, los martes a las 5:30 p.m. seguido por la misa

MERIDIAN – Parroquia de San Jose, viernes a las 6 p.m. con una comida de pescado frito

Tome Nota

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El programa “Hands ON + Hearts IN” (Manos ENCIMA + Corazones DENTRO) brinda experiencias en Holly Springs, Mississippi de discernimiento de una semana para mujeres que están considerando la vida como hermanas católicas. No hay costo para los participantes. Las próximas experiencias están programadas para el 7 al 11 de mayo, del 21 al 25 de mayo, del 20 al 24 de agosto y del 10 al 14 de septiembre.

Durante cinco días completos, las mujeres estarán acompañadas por hermanas de varias órdenes para proporcionar servicios prácticos a los necesitados como tutoría de niños, ayudar en una despensa de alimentos, limpieza de hogares para personas mayores, reparar casas dañadas o sirviendo comidas en un comedor de beneficencia.

Todas vivirán en comunidad durante la semana, compartiendo oración, cocina, reflexiones, orientación y mucha diversión. Los solicitantes deben registrarse un mes antes del inicio de un programa específico. Acompañados por los Ministros de Vocaciones, la experiencia de lunes a viernes ofrece una oportunidad práctica para ayudar a los necesitados mientras se discierne la vida como una hermana.

Para obtener más información sobre esta oportunidad de discernir la vida como hermana, contáctese con Hermana Sharon Glumb, SLW sglumb@slw.org; 847-577-5972 ext. 233 (oficina); 601-291-6738 (celular).

Diario salvadoreño describe milagro del beato Romero

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Por Rhina Guidos
WASHINGTON (CNS) – Representantes de la iglesia en El Salvador dijeron que esperarían un tiempo antes de dar más detalles sobre un milagro, aprobado por el Vaticano, que ha avanzado el camino para la canonización del beato Óscar Romero, pero un periódico salvadoreño publicó el 8 de marzo una nota de una mujer de 35 años que dijo que la oración de su esposo, pidiendo por la intercesión del beato Romero, le salvó la vida.
El periódico El Diario de Hoy, que publica la versión ElSalvador.com por internet, dijo que una mujer llamada Cecilia había tenido en agosto del 2015 problemas con su embarazo. Después de dar a luz, se le diagnosticó el síndrome HELLP, una condición potencialmente mortal que afecta a algunas mujeres embarazadas y daña el hígado.
La nota del periódico dice que un médico le dijo al esposo de Cecilia que su hígado y un riñón estaban dañados y, “si cree en algo, en un dios, pídale por ella, porque, así como está, lo más seguro es que se muera”.
El esposo dijo que se fue a su casa a rezar, abrió una Biblia que su abuela le había dado, vio una tarjeta con la imagen del beato Romero, y aunque había tenido una “aversión” por las oraciones de su abuela al arzobispo salvadoreño asesinado, rezó por su intercesión, según el periódico.
Aunque Cecilia estaba en coma, se recuperó por completo, dijo el periódico.
Los esposos le dijeron al periódico que sabían que era un milagro y decidieron no contarle nada a nadie, pero eventualmente confiaron en su párroco, quien aseguró la documentación para enviarla al Vaticano. El 7 de marzo, el Vaticano anunció que se había aprobado el decreto del milagro atribuido a la intercesión del beato Romero.
El beato Romero fue asesinado el 24 de marzo de 1980, mientras celebraba Misa tras varias denuncias públicas de violencia contra ciudadanos civiles, incluso muchos pobres, en el país centroamericano. Había hablado en contra de la injusticia hacia los pobres que llevaría a El Salvador a un conflicto que duraría 12 años y dejaría más de 70,000 muertos. Fue beatificado el 23 de mayo de 2015.
En una reunión el 6 de marzo con el cardenal Angelo Amato, prefecto de la Congregación para las Causas de los Santos, el papa Francisco firmó formalmente el decreto reconociendo el milagro necesario para avanzar la causa de santidad del beato Romero. No se ha anunciado ninguna fecha para su canonización.

Una joven mujer sostiene una imagen del Beato Oscar Romero durante una procesión del 7 de marzo en su honor en San Salvador, El Salvador. El Papa Francisco ha despejado el camino para la canonización del Beato Romero, quien fue asesinado a tiros el 24 de marzo de 1980, mientras celebraba misa. (Foto CNS / Rodrigo Sura, EPA)

San Martín ofrece apoyo parental como parte del trabajo prioritario

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Por Alí y Patricia López
HAZELHURST – Desde octubre de 2017, los padres de la misión San Martín de Tours se han reunido el primer domingo de cada mes para un programa llamado “Escuela para los padres.” Las clases son parte de los esfuerzos de la parroquia para apoyar la prioridad pastoral de la formación de discípulos de toda la vida. Fueron adaptados de un programa ya en uso en América Latina.
El objetivo del programa es apoyar a los padres que tienen hijos inscritos en la educación religiosa, especialmente aquellos que tienen niños que se preparan para la primera comunión este año. Los temas para las clases incluyen la comunicación efectiva dentro de la familia, la autoestima de los niños, los valores familiares, la responsabilidad de los padres de educar a sus hijos en la fe y la importancia de la oración familiar.
Jaime y Herlinda Martínez, quienes asistieron a las clases de capacitación en liderazgo parroquial en la escuela de ministerios ofrecidos por el Instituto de Ministerios Pastorales del Sudeste (SEPI) dirigieron la sesión de clausura, el domingo 4 de marzo. Las clases de SEPI son coordinadas por la Oficina de Ministerio Hispano.

(Alí y Patricia López son miembros de la misión San Martín de Tours)