"A Monastery to Last 1,000 Years"

Traditional Benedictines Flourish in Eastern Oklahoma

From Zenit
By Jason Adkins

HULBERT, Oklahoma, JUNE 12, 2008 (Zenit.org).- It’s been said that when the revolution comes, you won’t read about it in the newspapers.

Indeed, when the history of this part of the world is written, it may point to the recent establishment of a monastery amid the rolling hills and lakes of eastern Oklahoma as an event of momentous consequence for fostering a renaissance of Christian culture.

On my return drive to Minnesota after living for a year in Texas, I chose to spend some time at Our Lady of the Annunciation of Clear Creek monastery where an order of Benedictine monks, known as the “Clear Creek monks,” is attempting to rebuild monastic life and Christian culture in America from the ground up -- literally.

There, along with sharing in the common life of the monks, I spoke to the monastery’s prior, Father Philip Anderson, about the history and mission of this new monastic community.

Foundation

Father Anderson told me the Clear Creek monks’ story begins at the University of Kansas. There, a Great Books program, funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities, gave students the opportunity to encounter the culture and ideas of Western Civilization.

This program run by John Senior was not a relativistic one -- allowing students to pick and choose among various philosophical viewpoints -- as is common among programs of that type.

Rather, the success of the program resulted from Senior’s willingness to propose answers to the deepest questions, and point to Catholicism as the source of the many fruits the West has produced. Senior also stressed the importance of the Latin language as the medium through which this common civilization and its achievements were bound together.

According to Father Anderson, the program became wildly popular and produced not a few converts to the faith; then some prominent university donors protested and the program was shut down. But Senior spawned a small movement among students that did not end with the closure of the great books program.

When some students, one of whom was Father Anderson, approached Senior about how to rebuild a civilization being lost to modern technocratic society, Senior suggested the students go find some monks in Europe -- for there were few, if any, left in America -- who were living a traditional monastic life.

The journey eventually led Father Anderson and his companions to the medieval French Benedictine Abbey of Fontgombault, where they were welcomed and received formation in the religious life according to the Rule of St. Benedict. All along, these monks intended to return to America to establish a new monastery on their native soil.

The wait would last almost 25 years, concluding in 1998 when Bishop Edward Slattery of Tulsa invited the monks from Fontgombault to form a foundation community of that abbey in his diocese.

According to Father Anderson, building the monastery in eastern Oklahoma was the result of a fortuitous combination of an enthusiastic bishop, a Midwestern location -- close to many of Senior’s original students who could contribute to the foundation -- and the right piece of property. Father Anderson described the rocky property as “perfect for the monastic life.”

Since 1999, the original American monks, along with some Canadian and French brethren, have lived at the Clear Creek site near Hulbert, Oklahoma, where they have slowly -- but quickly, in monastic terms -- been building a monastery.

Marking the Hours

The Clear Creek monastic life centers on liturgical prayer, particularly the Liturgy of the Hours, which the monks chant in Latin eight times a day. The monk’s life, says Father Anderson, is a life of prayer: “God exists, and we have been created for him.” Praying the hours as a community allows the monks to give constant praise and thanks to the living, creator God.

The monks use the traditional -- or extraordinary -- form of the Roman liturgy. Father Anderson told me that the monks believe the traditional liturgy is more suited to the type of traditional, contemplative monastic life they wish to live. It is a symbol and embodiment, he said, of the type of cultural and religious life the monks desire to preserve.

I asked Father Anderson how the monks financially support their quiet life of prayer and praise. He said that unlike some monastic orders that make only one product and often have to build an adjoining factory to mass produce their goods, the Clear Creek monks engage in a variety of tasks and trades. The monks earn their living by raising sheep, running an orchard and vegetable farm, and making cheese, clothes and furniture.

Because the monks can perform many of the tasks needed to run the monastery, operational costs are pretty low. But building a Romanesque church for their monastery, which will be able to last a thousand years, is another matter.

"Per omnia saecula saeculorum"

The Clear Creek monks are raising money to build their church -- one they hope remains a landmark on the Oklahoma landscape for ages to come.

The monks believe their new church will be a sign of contradiction in a consumerist culture where everything is transient or can be thrown away when no longer useful. Change seems to be the only constant. The destabilizing elements in our culture are “poison for the soul” Father Anderson said.

The monks believe that people will always need faith and a culture that derives from that faith. According to the monks’ informational pamphlet, people “need a place in which they can reconnect with creation and with the silent center of their own being where God awaits them. The monastery is such a place.”

“The church will represent something permanent,” Father Anderson continued. “Architecture can have a spiritual effect on people. We hope to build something beautiful that will give value to this region and the people can be proud of.”

Father Anderson hopes construction on the church can begin sometime in 2009.

I asked Father Anderson whether the Clear Creek monks desired to rebuild civilization in America. He laughed and said that the Benedictines had “built Europe without even trying.”

“We focus on prayer,” he said. “We can only see the effects of our life indirectly like we see the ripples from a drop in a pond.”

According to Father Anderson, the work of the monks operates like concentric circles. Everything is centered on the interior life. But that has an effect on everything else, particularly the work of the monks. And the monastic way of life fosters a more contemplative way of being -- a life that explores the important questions and expresses itself through art, music festivals and literature -- that is, true culture.

Already, people have moved close to the monastery to share in the life of the monks, just like in the Middle Ages. Many laity and families show up at all times of day for Mass and to pray the hours with the monks.

Father Anderson said the diocese hopes to erect a parish nearby to assist in serving the spiritual needs of these many newcomers.

The Clear Creek monks already number 30, with three or four more expected to enter this year. The new residence they built is already filled to capacity and new monks will have to be housed in sheds adjacent to the monastery.

Father Anderson believes that the Clear Creek monks’ focus on the traditional monastic activities of prayer and manual labor, rather than following the path that many monasteries took by limiting their liturgical life in order to focus on running schools, is the secret of the monks’ vocational success.

As he said, “the life of a monk, hands folded in prayer, is a sermon without words.”

Hopefully, the story of the Clear Creek monks will inspire not only a renaissance in monastic life in the United States, but inspire teachers to be like John Senior and educate their students in truth, beauty, and goodness -- even at great professional cost.

With more teachers like Senior, and monks like those at Clear Creek, the possibility of the renewal of authentic monastic and Christian cultural life in America looks brighter.

Franciscan Friars of the Renewal Vocations eLetter for June 2008

Yesterday I received the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal Vocations eLetter for June 2008 from Fr. Gabriel Mary Bakkar, CFR.

If you have been discerning a call to the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal it is not to late to apply for the fall. This from the vocations eletter:

"Please pray for all those who are looking into joining an order or a diocese this summer ... We will have around 24 men making the official two-week visit from June 14 - 28. It is not too late if you want to apply for joining this September, please let us know A.S.A.P.! "

"24 Hours with the Lord"

Overnight retreat will focus on priesthood

From the Diocese of Rochester Catholic Courier
By Mike Latona

A few years back, Edison Tayag got an up-close look at priestly life by taking part in "24 Hours with the Lord." Now he's about to become Father Tayag, and a fresh contingent of "24 Hours" participants will witness his June 28 ordination.

Might at least one person from that group be on his own path to becoming a diocesan priest?

While that answer may not yet be known, the "24 Hours" mini-retreat provides valuable enlightenment for those wanting to know more about the priesthood, said Carol Dady, diocesan coordinator of priesthood vocations awareness.

The event, in its ninth year, is open to single Catholic men, ages 17-40. It will begin Friday evening, June 27, with dinner, prayer, conversation and reflection with Bishop Matthew H. Clark and members of the diocesan vocations-awareness team. The overnight gathering will conclude with all involved traveling to Rochester's Sacred Heart Cathedral the next morning for Deacon Tayag's ordination.

"The group is given an opportunity to meet and talk with Bishop Clark on a very personal level, and Bishop Clark looks forward to his time with them. They also meet other young Catholic men who share a love for God and their faith. New friendships are always formed," Dady said.

Dady emphasized that "24 Hours with the Lord" is meant more to be informational than a sales pitch for the priesthood.

"The vocation to priesthood is a wonderful gift to our church and we realize that gift, that call, can only come from God," she said. "We also feel, however, that we owe it to our young Catholic men -- and they owe it to themselves -- to better understand priesthood, as they are at a point in their lives when they are trying to discern how it is that God is calling them to make a difference in the world."

Dady added that "while we do explain that the purpose of the retreat is not to 'recruit for priests,' several men through the years have gone on to apply for Becket Hall (the diocesan residential program for priesthood discernment)." She noted that "24 Hours with the Lord" was highly effective for Deacon Tayag in that it "helped him to take the next step in his discernment of priesthood."

Based on the feedback she's received, Dady said this special reflection time is valued by all who take part.

"Each year we ask those who attend to evaluate the experience for us. The comments are always very positive. Most report how much they enjoyed and benefitted from taking this small amount of time out of their busy schedules," she said.

Participants in "24 Hours with the Lord" have traditionally been extended personal invitations. However, Dady said potential openings still exist for "24 Hours with the Lord" and that any interested person, or somebody who might know of a possible participant, should contact her at 585-461-2890 or e-mail cdady@dor.org.

Thank you for your prayers.

Thank you for your prayers - the Ordination of Fr. Acero and Fr. Spurr was beautiful.

I won't go on at lenght about it, but I wanted to highlight the pictures taken by Paul Tomas during the ordination. As always, Paul did a fantastic job. Enjoy, and thanks again for your prayers.

Please go to this link at Paul Tomas Photography to view the slideshow.

You can also view Paul's pictures of the First Friday Vocations Holy Hour the night before the Ordination HERE.

For more of Paul's liturgical/religious pictures go HERE.

"The Rule of The Father: A Defense of Priestly Fatherhood"

From The National Catholic Register

BY Tim Drake, Senior Writer for the Register

The concelebration of a papal Mass is always a sight to behold. There, for the eyes of the world to see, is the Church as it really, truly exists — the Pope, lifting up the body and blood of Christ before the altar is surrounded by the Church’s visible hierarchy of cardinals, bishops and priests in an eternal posture of worship and adoration, leading the laity to Christ.

It is there, at the sacrifice where two worlds meet that we gain a glimpse of heaven that can last a lifetime. Like it or not, the image is one that is ordered, fatherly, hierarchical and fraternal. These words, despite many college professors’ protestations, properly understood, are not “dirty” words.

The priestly posture is one not merely of worship and adoration, but also of protection.

Imagine that someone were to rush the altar, after the consecration, with the intent of profaning the Eucharist. Like the sixth-century acolyte St. Tarsicius, who gave his life to protect the Body of Christ, the priests would instinctively move to protect the Eucharist.

One modern American example of this took place at St. Patrick’s Cathedral on Dec. 10, 1989. Dozens of homosexual activists entered the cathedral with the intention of disrupting Mass. One activist, receiving the body of Christ from a priest, crumbled the consecrated host between his fingers and dropped the broken Eucharist on the floor. A number of priests fell to the floor to pick up the remains.

History is full of examples of the movement of public bodies of men protecting something sacred. The Church is both the protector and the sacred thing to be protected. Christ left a body — the Church — to represent him, and that body is structured in an anticipatory posture awaiting his return.

That posture is summed up in the picture of a body of men, consecrated to Jesus Christ in the corporate fraternity of the priesthood, gathered around the body, made manifest in our presence within the Mass.

We have lost sight of the fact that the Church militant is still engaged in a battle. On the night of his arrest, Christ ordered that Peter sheath his sword drawn against Roman soldiers. Christ then went to the cross, and with the sword of salvation, slew death and descended into hell, mortally wounding Satan. But the battle still rages and will continue to rage until Christ, the servant King, returns.

Yes, Christ served unto death, but he’s also a King, and sometimes kings must lead in battle.

In the Old Testament, it was the priestly tribe, the Levites, who were the leaders and protectors of the Tabernacle. Today, just as most priests forgo marital love for a deeper love, Catholic priests are asked not to take directly political roles because they have a deeper battle to fight.

Eschatologically, the Church is assembled and waiting for that final battle. It’s a fight that doesn’t depend on human strength, but entirely on God. I’ve been blessed to participate in Masses celebrated by retired, disabled and ailing priests in an infirmary chapel. Each time, I am struck by how the priestly posture of worship, adoration and protection is maintained even when age, illness, or infirmity prevent the priests from assuming that posture physically.

Anthropology of the Priesthood

We live in an age where the image of male friendship has been stained to such an extent by the media-saturated example of male-male love that any time we speak of two men’s affection for each other, we think of the disorder rather than the proper order of things.

The anthropology of the priesthood, however, is an anthropology of rightly ordered male communion.

Whenever Catholics gather to remember (“Do this in remembrance of me”) the central event of salvation history, they are gathered by a male in the priestly fraternity — men who have sacrificed both marriage and children to give witness to the truth that eternal life comes from sacramental union with Christ.

They forgo marriage to better carry out their, or rather, Christ’s mission. Even in the Eastern Church, which allows priests to marry, priests may not marry once they’ve been ordained and bishops are not allowed to be married.

“The brotherhood” so often spoken of by St. Paul is the deepest expression of a rightly-ordered way for men to love one another — not in homoerotic selfishness, but in a life-giving reflection of the One who established fraternity.

The Mystery of Paternity

We cannot fully understand the mystery of the priesthood because it is a new reality instituted and centered around Christ himself. It’s difficult to receive this truth when we’ve deliberately set up a culture that questions any authority, especially male authority, and associates all paternity with the patriarchy that had to be overcome — a problem peculiar to the last 50 years.
“Authority ... obedience: To be frank, these are not easy words to speak nowadays,” said Pope Benedict XVI during the Mass at Yankee Stadium on April 20, 2008. “Words like these represent a ‘stumbling stone’ for many of our contemporaries. … Yet, in the light of our faith in Jesus Christ … we come to see the fullest meaning, value, and indeed beauty, of those words.”

The same can be said of the word “patriarchy.” Our discomfort with some forms of cultural patriarchy has made us hesitant to even use the word. Yet, that is a reality connected to this world, not the next.

We’ve lost the capacity to see that ecclesial patriarchy — or priestly “fatherhood” — is a reflection of a natural good. The Church, through its order, is teaching the world a truth that it cannot recognize.

Christ built the Church upon a body of men who entered into a new relationship the evening of the Last Supper. Like the Trinity, the hierarchy is a relationship of persons. The ecclesial hierarchy is made up of the pope, bishops, and priests centered on Christ.

We, as Christians, gain access to the life of the Trinity through the sacraments and the priesthood. By so doing, we are connected to a family of unfathomable size — fellow Catholics worldwide throughout time and space, both living and dead. Through worship, the priesthood makes Christ present in the world.

As both Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI have said, the male priesthood represents no defect in the personhood of women, or for that matter, of men who are not priests. The dignity of the laity is not diminished because we have not been chosen to carry out the rights and duties and liturgies of the priest. The male fraternity is not oppressive because it is not an end in itself.

“These ranks cannot belong to every individual member of the Church, but that certain ones must be appointed to them by those to whom Our Lord committed such authority,” wrote St. John Fisher in The Defense of the Priesthood in 1525.

Rather, the ecclesial hierarchy excludes many of us in order to save all of us. Liturgy is a work on behalf of the people. In our civic and cultural life this is depicted when our soldiers fight for us, or when we cheer for our sports teams. On a much higher level, priests do this on our behalf through the liturgy.

There is a hierarchy of being — an order — that’s found in nature, in language, in music, in mathematics, in relationships and in natural law.

So, why wouldn’t we expect to find the same within the Church?

“The fact that the Father is not the Son, and the Son is not the Spirit, means that there is an irreversible order within the Godhead,” writes Father James Schall in The Order of All Things. “There is an inner relationship of persons. And one cannot take the place of the other.”

A similar order is found in the Church as established by Christ. In much the same way, neither can a pope, priest or bishop take the place of the other.

Fraternity. Hierarchy. Ecclesial Paternity. We, as Catholics in the new millennium must reclaim and re-propose these words to a confused world. This is how the Church manifests itself universally.

The Church lives out its Catholic character in this way. To deny this is to ignore the truth that martyrs like St. John Fisher laid down their lives to uphold, and dismiss the truth that Jesus Christ handed down to us in a particular way the night before he died.

"Touched"

From Vita Mea Blog

By Fr. Dennis Schenkel June 9, 2008

Someone asked me this weekend if there was any particular moment during my ordination mass that grabbed me. The whole thing was so amazingly amazing that it took me a few seconds to go through it all in my head. The bishop was really “on” as he preached his homily just before the ordination rite began, and my own prostration during the Litany of the Saints was just as moving for me as I lay on the floor as it has been at every other ordination I have ever attended for other priests.

There is a point in the ordination rite, just after the bishop imposes his hands and calls down the Holy Spirit upon the ordinand (person being ordained), when every other priest who is present at the mass comes and imposes hands as well, participating in the ministry of the bishop and signifying the intimate sacramental brotherhood of the presbyterate. I was kneeling on the hardwood steps that lead up to the altar, and one by one, each priest came past me and imposed hands on me.

The floor was hard, and the particular angle of my knees was such that the floor seemed to be digging into me. The line of priests was long, and many of the priests, when placing their hands on my head for prayer, added just a little bit of pressure, just a little bit of pushing down, as they prayed. It wasn’t much. It was just a little. But my knees noticed it. After 10 or eleven went by, and there seemed to be many more still to come, I began repeating to myself: “Priesthood is about the cross. Priesthood is about the cross. Priesthood is about the cross.” The last priest in the line had actually grown up down the street from me and my brothers and his dad had been Scoutmaster when I was a kid.

But then it turned out he wasn’t the last priest. All the priests had gone back to their places, but one was still making his way down. He couldn’t move very quickly. Every step involved pushing a metal walker forward, and then taking a step-and-a-half and pushing the walker forward again. I happen to know that diabetes has wrecked this man’s feet and legs, and every step for him is a painful thing. If I thought my knees were sore at that moment, it couldn’t have been anything like the struggle of this priest to work his way down to the front of the altar.

Father John and I know each other well. When I was in high school, he was made pastor of our family’s parish. He is known for being outspoken on issues around social justice and civil rights, and I remember times when his zeal for “full, active and conscious participation” of the people of God in the liturgy resulted in new and creative liturgical practices that my more conservative friends would frown at.

There have even, sometimes, been personality issues and some unresolved slights or offenses. I don’t say this as gossip but to show how very moved I was that this man, this particular priest, struggled from his seat to touch me and pray over me.

He and I are of different generations, and of different ideological perspectives. Yet despite our differences, he was a priest. He had seen many changes in his time. Many of his peers, the ones who graduated from the seminaries of the 60’s and 70’s filled with a fire to bring the Church kicking and screaming into the realities of the modern world, did not remain in ministry. But he did. He did not leave or quit when it got hard. He did not abandon his vows out of frustration or hardship. He toughed it out. He remained faithful in his own way to the Lord and to his vocation.

And on Saturday, he was still toughing it out, making his way across the hardwood floor, ignoring the pain in his feet and legs, bringing the sacred mysteries of the sacraments to a member of the faithful on his knees before God. No one would have blamed him if he had stayed in his seat. Everyone knows how hard it is for him to do what he was doing. He didn’t have to go. But there he was.

He not only touched my head, but my heart as well. Priesthood is about the cross.

Prayer Reqeust

Things will be light around here today and tomorrow. We are blessed in the Diocese of Raleigh to be ordaining two men to the Holy Priesthood on Saturday - Please keep them in your prayers! Tonight we begin the weekend with a Vocations Holy Hour in the Cathedral, Ordination tomorrow, and first Masses on Sunday. Needless to say, I'm a bit busy with work.

Reverend Mr. Romen Acero

Reverend Mr. Michael Spurr

"Vatican reaffirms Church teaching on ordination to the priesthood"

From Catholic News Agency

Vatican City, Jun 3, 2008 / 01:33 pm (CNA).- The secretary for the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Archbishop Angelo Amato, said this week only men can be ordained to the priesthood because “the Catholic Church is not authorized to change the will of her founder, Jesus Christ."

"Therefore," the archbishop continued, "in the participation in the life and mission of the Church, women cannot receive the sacrament of Holy Orders and therefore, they cannot carry out the functions proper to the ministerial priesthood.”

In an interview with the Vatican daily, L’Osservatore Romano, regarding the recent decree by the CDF on the “ordination” of women, Archbishop Amato explained, that the Church’s teaching on this matter is founded upon the “free and sovereign will of Jesus Christ, who only called men to be apostles.” The Church is bound by the decision of the Lord Himself, he stressed. “For this reason the ordination of women is not possible.”

Archbishop Amato said the CDF decree was necessary because of “false ordinations of women that have taken place in different parts of the world. The General Decree is also an aid to bishops to ensure a uniform response in the entire Church to these situations. In reality these are not true and proper ordinations,” he explained.

The archbishop went on to note that the decree imposes latae sententiae or immediately applied excommunication on those who attempt to ordain women to the priesthood and on women who attempt to receive Holy Orders. “The excommunication is automatic, ipso facto,” he stated.

Excommunication bars an individual from participating in the Mass and in the other sacraments of the Church and from exercising any kind of Church ministry. It is “reserved to the Holy See and is lifted when the persons in question show sincere repentance and promise to follow the Church’s doctrine and discipline."

“Excommunication is a medicinal punishment that invites the person to repentance, conversion and reparation of the scandal, as the act in question was a public one,” Archbishop Amato explained.

"Bishop Clark ordains seven deacons"

From the Diocese of Rochester Catholic Courier

By Jennifer Burke

ROCHESTER -- Sacred Heart Cathedral was filled with both solemn prayer and joyful laughter May 31 as Bishop Matthew H. Clark ordained seven men to the diaconate.

Making his first public appearance since his May 8 hip-replacement surgery, Bishop Clark ordained Jose Berrios, Bienvenido DeJesus, Michael Donovan, David Hudzinski, Edward Kohlmeier and Alberto Pacete to the permanent diaconate. He also ordained Brian Carpenter a transitional deacon, and plans to ordain him a priest next year after Deacon Carpenter completes studies at Mundelein Seminary near Chicago.

The seven diaconal candidates were presented to the bishop immediately after the Gospel was read. As his name was called, each candidate answered "present" in a strong, clear voice. When all had been accounted for Bishop Clark elected them for ordination.

"Relying on the help of the Lord God and savior, Jesus Christ, we choose these men, our brothers, for the order of the diaconate," he announced.

"Thanks be to God," the congregation responded before affirming the candidates’ election with a lengthy and ringing applause.

"I’d like to thank our candidates for their emphatic exclamation of their presence here today," Bishop Clark said once the applause had died down.

Their presentation to the bishop was not the only time the candidates let their enthusiasm shine through. Several minutes later, after the homily, Bishop Clark asked the candidates several questions so they might publicly affirm their intention to serve in the office of the diaconate.

The candidates answered each of the bishop’s questions with a forceful "I do!" the way young military recruits might respond "Yes, sir!" to a drill sergeant at boot camp. Their response was so enthusiastic that several times it elicited chuckles from Bishop Clark and the rest of the congregation.

Laughter soon gave way to emotion, however, as the seven candidates promised obedience to Bishop Clark and his successors and then prostrated themselves on the cool cathedral floor as the congregation sang a Litany of the Saints. Several newly ordained deacons later told the Catholic Courier they would remember this powerful moment for the rest of their lives.

"I think I made a flood over there," Deacon Pacete said as he recalled the emotional experience.

"You really get the sense that you’ve got all of these saints coming down and with you as you’re lying prostrate on the ground," added Deacon Carpenter, who grew up attending St. Joseph Parish in Penfield and has since served at St. Paul Parish in Webster, St. Mary Parish in Canandaigua and Peace of Christ Parish in Rochester.

Deacon Hudzinski said he sang along with the litany as he prostrated himself, hoping the saints were watching and bestowing their blessings.

By lying prostrate on the floor before the congregation, the new deacons visibly demonstrated their commitment to humility and obedience, added Deacon Berrios, who with his wife, Candy, belongs to Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish in Rochester.

"I was just praying for humility and asking God to make me more humble every day," he said.

Another powerful moment, Deacon Donovan said, came several minutes later, when each candidate stood or knelt before Bishop Clark, who then laid his hands on each man. When the bishop laid his hands on Deacon Kohlmeier and prayed over him, it felt like "God speaking to me," the newly ordained deacon later recalled. Deacon Kohlmeier and his wife, Nancy, belong to the three-church cluster of Church of the Epiphany, Sodus; St. Rose, Sodus Point; and St. Mary of the Lake, Ontario.

The candidates were then vested with their stoles and dalmatics by loved ones and brother deacons before each received a Book of the Gospels from Bishop Clark. The bishop then concluded the ordination part of the Mass by offering a greeting of peace to each new deacon and to the permanent deacons’ wives. Dozens of deacons then approached their new brothers, welcoming them with hugs and broad grins.

Moments later the newly ordained had their first chance to distribute Communion as deacons. This provided another powerful moment for Deacon Carpenter, who also was able to bestow his first blessing upon a young cousin of his who hadn’t yet made his first Communion.

After the Mass, the overall feeling was one of "jubilation," said Deacon Hudzinski, who with his wife, Amy, belongs to Rochester’s St. Boniface Parish. Both Deacon Hudzinski and Deacon Donovan said the ordination experience surpassed their expectations.

"This is actually the fifth ordination that I’ve been to, (but) obviously when you’re going through it yourself, it’s a lot different," said Deacon Donovan, who with his wife, Linda, belongs to Blessed Trinity/St. Patrick parishes in Tioga County.

During the ordination Deacon Pacete, who belongs to the Our Lady of Lourdes/St. Casimir/St. Charles Borromeo cluster in Elmira, found himself reflecting on the unwavering support he received from his wife, Mesina, and from his family and the community at Church of the Annunciation in Rochester, where he previously served as a pastoral associate.

"This is for them," he said.

"It’s very exciting," added Deacon DeJesus, who with his wife, Priscila, attends Rochester’s Our Lady of the Americas Parish. "I’m very proud … to be part of our church in our country."

The ordination was an overwhelming experience, "kind of like (being) in a time warp, with everything going on around you," Deacon Kohlmeier observed. "You're just kind of caught up in the whole thing."

As moving and emotional as the ordination was, Deacon Carpenter expects his ordination to the priesthood next year to be even more powerful. This diaconal ordination fell on the same day as his 10-year reunion for Notre Dame University, which meant many of his friends weren’t at the cathedral May 31.

"I said, ‘Go to the reunion and come next year,’" he said.

It was a great weekend. (Two weekends ago)

Well, I started writing this post a week ago, but a busy schedule has kept me from finishing it. So here it is, long overdue.

Many years ago, after a college seperation from the Church, I found myself in a aprticularly low place. Thankfully God reached into the abyss and brought me back amongst the living. Only one problem: As I turned to those around me to talk about my "conversion", I realized that I didn't really have any close Catholic friends, save one. For that matter many of the people in my life at the time were openly hostile to the Catholic Church and faith in general. As Leon Russell would write and sing, I was like a "Stranger in a Strange Land."

Prayers for solid Catholic fellowship would soon be answered, and Greg Plow would be one of those answers.

Fast forward eight years.

Last weekend was one of great joy as I watched my very good friend, now Fr. Gregory Plow, T.O.R. get ordained to the Priesthood. Fr. Gregory is the first priest I have known from the time of his discernment, all the way through formation, to his Ordination. Over the years I have been to many ordinations, but none of them have had the impact of this one.

It's an incredible thing to watch and pray at a Mass as a man steps forward and is substantially changed into a new person - a priest of Jesus Christ. In much the same way that we often take for granted the awe inspiring reality of transubstantiation, so too I think we frequently lack the profound sense of awe that should be had during an ordination.

I could go on at length, but I will end this post by stating how incredibly proud I am of Fr Gregory. Certainly not because of anything I have done, but because of everything he has done - or rather, because of everything he has allowed Almighty God to do through him and with him. Fr. Gregory's openess to the workings of the Holy Spirit is inspiring and his witness of faith is a gift for everyone that knows him.

May God continue to bless him all the days of his life, and Mary, Mother of the Clergy, keep him in her prayers constantly. It really is a wonder to contemplate all the incredible things our Lord will do in this world, for the souls of His people, through this humble man of God.

"Paths of Love: The Discernment of Vocation"

A few months ago I received an email from Joseph Bolin, a theologian studying at the International Theological Institute (For Studies on Marriage and the Family) in Gaming, Austria, asking if I would be interested in reviewing his new book: "Paths of Love: The Discernment of Vocation According to Aquinas, Ignatius, and Pope John Paul II". Truthfully, I was humbled by his request, but I was also very interested in reading his book. Unfortunately work, reading and writing assignments for the permanent diaconate, and the demands of family life have not left me with a great deal of leisure time to read books of my own choosing. However, what I have read of Joseph's book is outstanding. The book is brilliant and well researched without being difficult to read. It is both intellectual and spiritual. In short, it is an excellent book on vocations to marriage, the Priesthood and Religious Life - a rare combination in one book, and one that I highly recommend.

The editorial review below will give you a description of the book.

I will also be adding this to the "bookstore".

Editorial Reviews
"At last I have found my vocation. My vocation is love!" Love is the heart of every vocation. This book about vocation to marriage, priesthood, or religious life, has several unique features. First, while being addressed to all Catholics, not only to theologians, it does not oversimplify vocation, or give a mere compilation of advice, but aims to present the rich depth and wealth of the Christian understanding of vocation in a simple and accessible manner. Secondly, this book goes right to two great saints at the heart of quite different traditions on vocation, namely St. Thomas Aquinas and St. Ignatius Loyola, and the basic difference between them, a difference which is often unappreciated, or is passed over superficially. The goal is not to decide in favor of one over the other, nor to examine in detail their historical or theological connection; this book rather aims to use these different points of view to convey all that belongs to a full Christian and human approach to vocation.

"Sister Norbert celebrates 60 years of religious service"

Sister Mary Norbert McNamee will celebrate 60 years as a nun this Sunday with a Mass and reception at Sacred Heart Church in Monroe.

MONROE — A feisty nun who has spent the last 35 years at Sacred Heart Church in Monroe will celebrate the 60th anniversary of her entrance into the Dominican Sisters of Sparkill this Sunday, June 1 with a Mass and reception.

Sister Mary Norbert McNamee, O.P., joined the Dominican Sisters on Sept. 8, 1948, and since that time has ministered to untold numbers of people and taught countless students. She’s one of three girls from the same family to become nuns with the same order within three years of each other.

Before joining Sacred Heart in 1973, Sister Norbert taught grades two through nine in schools in the Diocese of Syracuse and the Archdiocese of New York, including St. Paul’s in Norwich and at St. Paul’s in Congers in Rockland County. Though she has retired from full-time teaching, she keeps busy as the church’s sacristan and visiting students daily at the Sacred Heart School.

Sister Norbert isn’t used to being the center of attention.

“I don’t like the limelight,” she said. “I’d rather just do my thing helping others and let others be in the limelight. I’m a little bit nervous. It’s unexpected.”

But her friends feel the honor is a well-deserved one.

“She takes her vocation very seriously,” said close friend Kay Lamb of Monroe. “She’s an exemplary sister and she has a wonderful sense of humor.”

The Rev. Carl Johnson, Sacred Heart’s former pastor who is current pastor at St. Augustine’s Church in New City, will lead the Mass. The Rev. Tom Byrnes, Sacred Heart’s pastor, will give the homily.

The Rev. Jeff Mauer, a Sacred Heart priest, has worked with Sister Norbert for the past three years. “She’s part of the ‘greatest generation,’” Mauer said, ”with her dedication to Sacred Heart School and to her religious order and to her Catholic faith. She’s spent her life dedicated to others. She’s as sharp as a tack and as feisty as they come. You can’t pull one over on her.”

Sister Norbert has no intention of slowing down. She declined to give her age. “Let’s just keep that a secret.”

“Why would I want to slow down?” Sister Norbert said. “That’s when you become stagnant. God has blessed me with so many blessings that I can’t even count them.”

Sister Norbert’s lively demeanor took on a serious note when asked what advice she would give others.

“Spirituality is a personal thing and religious life is a personal thing,” she said. “But we all have to have a more prayerful life. We are holy when we do the right thing at the right time for the right reason. That encompasses your whole life day in and day out.”

"Record set as 6 men ordained to priesthood in Chino Hills"

I know there is supposed to be a vocations "shortage", but in Diocese after Diocese I keep reading of record numbers of priests being ordained. Perhaps the tide is finally changing.

From the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin
By Joe Nelson

CHINO HILLS - Catholics across San Bernardino and Riverside counties rejoiced Saturday at St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church in celebration of the Diocese of San Bernardino's 30th anniversary and the ordination of six men to priesthood.
It was the largest number of seminarians ordained to priesthood in a single year in the history of the diocese.

"We ordained seven in the last 10 years," said John Andrews, spokesman for the Diocese of San Bernardino, which represents between 1 million and 1.2 million parishioners and 269 priests in San Bernardino and Riverside counties. "It's a bumper crop this year . . . It's a blessing to have this number of men called to the priesthood."

Not a single seat was empty during the standing room only event at the diocese's largest church. Some people brought lawn chairs and sat in the church corridor.

The ordained were: Erik Lawrence Esparza of Holy Family Parish in Hesperia, Jorge Alberto Garcia Ayala of Our Lady of Solitude Parish in Palm Springs, Javier Gonzalez Cabrera of Our Lady of Guadalupe Shrine in Riverside, Luis Alberto Guido de la Cruz of St. Catherine of Siena Parish in Rialto, Minh Toan Nguyen of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Riverside and Eduardo Aguirre of St. Christopher Parish in Moreno Valley.

"God has presented us these men to our priesthood. We are grateful to our God," Bishop Gerald Barnes said during the service, which ran nearly four hours.

The six new priests will be assigned to new parishes. They received thunderous applause from parishioners once Barnes announced their acceptance to the priesthood.

It typically takes about 10 years to become a priest - about as much time as it takes to become a doctor. Five of the six men ordained Saturday went through that process together, starting at the diocese's Serra House of Formation in Grand Terrace before moving on to St. John's Seminary in Camarillo and then the Assumption Seminary and Oblate School of Theology in San Antonio, Texas.

"That's the amazing thing," said Barnes, adding that the diocese generally loses about 20 percent of its seminarians on the road to priesthood.

The diocese also had a record number of seminarians this year, 34. But that number was dwindled to 28 after Saturday's ordinations.

Newly ordained Guido started contemplating priesthood at 22. He's now 35.

"I saw this as an opportunity to be of service to the church and to the people," he said.

His sister, Martha Guido, of San Bernardino couldn't have been more grateful.

"I'm grateful to God because he chose my brother to be his worker," she said. "I'm very proud to be Catholic."

Newly ordained Esparza, 27, said he has already been assigned by the diocese to St. Joseph Parish in Barstow. He will leave his current parish in Hesperia and begin serving in Barstow on July 1.

He said Saturday was a long time coming.

It was just as big a day for his family.

"It's a glorious day for all of us," said his mother, Rose Esparza, of Hesperia. She said her mother, Crucita McLean - Erik's grandmother - recently turned 81.

Afflicted by various health ailments throughout the years and a brush with death several months ago, McLean held on, waiting for the day when she could officially call her grandson a priest, Rose Esparza said.

"She's been really toughing it out the last couple of months, waiting for this day," she said. "She said she wasn't going anywhere until this day came."

"Excommunication decree for attempted ordination of women"

From Catholic World News

Vatican, May. 30, 2008 (CWNews.com) - The Vatican has announced that any Catholic bishop who attempts the ordination of a woman to the priesthood, and any woman who participates in such a ceremony, is subject to automatic excommunication.

The decree from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, published in the May 30 issue of L'Osservatore Romano, takes effect immediately and applies throughout the universal Church. The document was signed by Cardinal William Levada and Archbishop Angelo Amato, the prefect and secretary, respectively, of the Congregation.

"Both the one who attempts to confer a sacred order on a woman, and the woman who attempts to receive a sacred order, incurs excommunication latae sententiae."

The Vatican document declares that "he who attempts to confer Holy Orders on a woman, and the woman who attempts to receive Holy Orders, incurs excommunication latae sententiae." A latae sententiae penalty is incurred automatically, and no public decree is necessary. Only the Holy See will have the authority to lift that penalty.

The decree cites #1378 of the Code of Canon Law, which prescribes the penalty of excommunication for anyone who simulates a sacrament. That canon specifically mentions only the simulation of Mass and Confession; the May 30 decree extends the scope of the canon to apply to a simulated ordination ceremony as well.

The Vatican document eliminates any possible ambiguity about the status of women who claim to be Catholic priests, and bishops who may participate in their supposed ordination. Pope John Paul II (bio - news) declared in his 1994 apostolic letter Ordinatio Sacerdotalis (doc) that the Church "has no authority" to ordain women. The Pope added that making an authoritative statement, "to be definitively held by all the Church's faithful."

Also this from Catholic News Service:

"Text of Vatican congregation's decree on attempts to ordain women"

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Here is the English text of the Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith's general decree on the attempted ordination of a woman, signed by Cardinal William J. Levada, congregation prefect, and Archbishop Angelo Amata, secretary. It was released by the Vatican May 30.

In order to protect the nature and validity of the sacrament of order, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, in virtue of the special faculty given by the supreme authority of the church (cf. Canon 30, Code of Canon Law), in the ordinary session of Dec. 19, 2007, has decreed:

Without prejudice to the prescript of Canon 1378 of the Code of Canon Law, both the one who attempts to confer a sacred order on a woman, and the woman who attempts to receive a sacred order, incur an excommunication "latae sententiae" reserved to the Apostolic See.

If, in fact, the one who attempts to confer a sacred order on a woman, or the woman who attempts to receive a sacred order, is one of Christ's faithful subject to the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches, that person, without prejudice to the prescript of Canon 1443 of the same code, is to be punished with a major excommunication, the remission of which is also reserved to the Apostolic See (cf. Canon 1423, Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches).

This decree, once published in L'Osservatore Romano, comes into force immediately.

Archdiocese of Boston to Ordain 27 Permanent Deacons

"Lawrence, Haverhill men serve first Mass as deacons tomorrow"
From the Eagle-Tribune Online
By Yadira Betances

After four years of juggling family, work and commuting 45 minutes to Boston for classes, Jesus Castillo and Julio Vargas will reap the fruits of their labor this morning.

Castillo of Lawrence and Vargas of Haverhill, are among 27 men to be ordained as permanent deacons by Cardinal Sean O'Malley at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross in Boston.

They will serve at their first Masses tomorrow at their respective churches. Vargas will be at St. James Church on Winter Street in Haverhill at 11:30 a.m., and Castillo will be at St. Mary of the Assumption Church at 300 Haverhill St. in Lawrence at noon.

"I know the Lord has called me since I was a child," said Castillo, who is a lector, Eucharistic minister and teaches religious education at St. Mary. "I've been waiting for this moment for a long time. I wanted to become a deacon to make a bigger commitment to the church."

During the presentation of the gifts, Castillo will have his first Bible, which his aunt gave him, plantains to represent his parents' agricultural background, flowers from his garden and a photograph of the late Octavio Bobadilla, who was a role model in the faith.

His road to the deaconate was not easy.

During his second year at school, Castillo's mother became ill and he had to miss several sessions to take care of her. His wife of 30 years stepped in attending classes and even taking an exam so Castillo would keep up with the schedule.

Castillo, 58, was born in the Dominican Republic and immigrated to Lawrence in 1987. He said his vocation was fostered at home, waking up to his mother's voice reciting the "Angelus" and later praying the Rosary with his 11 brothers and sisters. He also has three stepbrothers.

Castillo and his wife, Angela, have two children, Carlos Ramon, 28, and Maria, 22, and a grandchild, Jesus Gabriel. He is a janitor at Greater Lawrence Health Center in Lawrence. She works at Nevins Nursing Home in Methuen.

Vargas, 47, was also born in the Dominican Republic. He worked as a labor rights lawyer for 14 years in his native country before coming to Haverhill. He works at Hi-Tech in Groveland and his wife runs a day care center.

Vargas was involved in the marriage encounter program when a friend suggested he consider becoming a deacon. He was already serving as a lector, Eucharistic minister, prayer group and cursillo movement at St. James Church, and left it in the hands of God. He also hosts a Christian radio show on station 1490 Saturdays at 6 a.m.

One obstacle Vargas faced was working a 12-hour shift four days a week, which not only left him with little sleep, but made him late for school because he had to commute to Boston from Portsmouth, N.H.

On one wintry day, he got into a bad accident and again asked the Lord, "If you really need me as a deacon, lead the way.' I was afraid that if I wasn't a deacon, I would lose my faith."

Vargas said he is glad his ordination day is here.

"I told my wife to take a box of Kleenex because I'm not going to stop crying," he said. "This is like conquering an impossible dream. It's a blessing and a great day to give thanks to God."

Vargas and his wife of 23 years, Milagros have three children, Julio, Indiana and Cesar.

"Priest shortage puts 'more pressure on you'"

From the Mississippi Clarion Ledger

Path to ordination long, intense

By Jean Gordon

When Lincoln Dall was ordained a deacon in the Catholic Church, he stood before his bishop and promised obedience.

"To me, that's the most important moment because you have to be willing to do whatever you are asked to do," he said. "That's tough when we're in a society where there's so much individualism and taking control of your own life."

The 45-year-old deacon will make that same pledge today to Bishop Joseph Latino as he becomes the Catholic Diocese of Jackson's newest priest. His ordination fulfills a call from God he found impossible to ignore, and the prayers of Catholics across the region.

"There is a shortage of priests really everywhere," said Dall, the only priest the diocese will ordain this year. "That puts more pressure on you."

There are 64 priests working throughout the 49,000-member diocese, half of whom serve two or more churches. The parish where Dall will minister will be announced today after his ordination.

"He's going to make a very fine priest," said Monsignor Elvin Sunds, vicar general for the diocese.

Preparation for the priesthood typically takes from four to six years after a candidate has finished college.

Local Catholics foot the bill for sending future diocesan priests to graduate seminary, which costs about $120,000.

"The word we use to describe the whole process is formation," said the Rev. Kent Bowlds, vocation director for the Catholic Diocese of Jackson. "The four main parts are academic, spiritual, psychological and ministerial."

Bowlds said the process of becoming a priest is very intense and involves scrutiny every step of the way.

"We get into every observable aspect of a person's life," he said. "It's like being under a microscope."

That examination has only been stepped up since the priest sex abuse crisis erupted in 2002, Bowlds said.

Like many seminarians these days, Dall's path to the priesthood has been long and varied.

A Chicago native who moved with his family as a youth to southern California, Dall started his career as a Certified Public Accountant after graduating from Wake Forest University.

Yearning for more spiritually fulfilling work, he quit after seven years to join the Peace Corps, which stationed him in West Africa.

Raised a Protestant, Dall converted to Catholicism at 28.

"I always felt an interest in the Catholic Church," he said. "I was drawn by the liturgy."

Shortly after his conversion, he became a lay missionary volunteer in Canada, where he worked in a soup kitchen and healing center for indigenous people.

"That was probably the life-changing experience for me," he said. "For the first time I was living my ideals."

Dall's time in Canada laid the foundation for his social justice ministry that led him to work in South America and later Mississippi.

He moved to the Magnolia State in 2000 to teach high school in Greenville as a member of the Mississippi Teacher Corps.

After one of his students invited him to Mass, he got involved at Greenville's historically African-American Sacred Heart Parish.

"I had been there a few weeks and started going to what I thought was the only Catholic church in town," Dall said about Greenville's other Catholic parish, which is predominantly white. "It didn't click in my mind that they would be separated."

But Dall quickly felt at home at Sacred Heart, which he credits with nurturing his call to the priesthood.

He'll celebrate his first Mass there Sunday, following the church's custom of allowing a newly ordained priest to say his first Mass at a parish that is special to him.

Dall's ordination ceremony will include the centuries-old ritual of laying on of hands, in which a bishop places his hands on the candidate's head.

"The idea is that it goes back to Christ choosing apostles and apostles laying hands on others who would become leaders in the church," Bowlds said.

The new priest also lies face down at the foot of the altar while the entire congregation prays for him and calls on the saints for prayers.

"It's a moment of heaven and earth praying for him as he lies down in complete humility before God," Bowlds said.

A self-described introvert, Dall knows his vocation will challenge him personally. Still, he can't consider doing anything else.

"Not doing it would be like turning your back on God," he said.

Mother Dolores Hart

Below is most of an article about Mother Dolores Hart. I have edited it down to just the portion in which she speaks of her vocation story.

"Hollywood star turned nun helps Waterbury group"
From Republican-American
By Tracy Simmons

Mother Dolores Hart speaks during a meeting of the Marie and Pat Ciochetti Foundation at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel in Waterbury on Friday. (Josalee Thrift / RA)

For the first time in 40 years Mother Dolores Hart spoke publicly about how her life evolved from the silver screen to the Abbey of Regina Laudis in Bethlehem.

...

As Mother Hart stood behind the podium, she looked across the crowd with her brilliant blue eyes and in a low, silky voice told the 80 or so people in the crowd, mostly foundation members, about how she entered the acting world as a teenager. A black and white portrait of her landed a meeting with a producer, and with Elvis Presley. Her first film was "Loving You" in 1957.

"From there on it was absolutely amazing," she said. A seven-year contract came next.

"I just fell right into it. The Lord just kept putting things right in front of me," she said. "Right now I look at kids who are 19 and I just wonder how the angel on my shoulder kept me from sliding off." Fervently she spoke about the talented actors she worked with, like Anthony Quinn.

In 1959, Hart was invited to perform on Broadway, where she won the Theatre World Award and a Tony Award nomination.

One evening, walking on Fifth Avenue in New York City, she found herself staring blankly at a flashing stoplight. She went home and a friend pointed out how tired she seemed.

"You look tired," he told her, "I know a place in Connecticut you should go for a little rest." When she learned that Benedictine nuns ran the place he was talking about, she was hesitant. In school, she had already learned about her faith, she said. But she went anyway, and the sisters she met caught her heart and encouraged her to continue to work hard as an actress.

"I went back and threw myself into my work," she said.

She went on to make "Where the Boys Are" in 1960 and "Francis of Assisi" in 1961. When she filmed "Lisa" in 1962, about a Jewish Nazi victim, Hart's life took a turn. She met a woman who survived the Holocaust and was moved by her story.

"This was going to be an offering to the Lord, who is Jewish, and his mother who is Jewish," she said. "I do feel doing that film, and praying through that film, was the seed of my vocation."

She found herself asking what life is about. Hollywood gave her everything she wanted, she said, she was even engaged to Los Angeles businessman Don Robinson. She told him, however, that she wasn't sure if it was the right thing to do and called the wedding off six months after the engagement.

"It would make a heck of a good movie wouldn't it?," she joked.

She told him she had to go to Bethlehem to visit the convent again.

"I walked up to the hill (on the 400-acre property) and I thought to myself this is it. I've got to do this," Hart said.

Six months later she announced that she "had an affair to take care of."

"They thought it was a guy," she laughed.

She arrived at the convent in a limousine. "I arrived at Regina Laudis in style."

But she said the transition wasn't easy.

"It was the hardest thing possible. The first seven years I wanted to quit, to turn around," she said. "But when the seed finally sprouted and I knew God was there and it was the right thing to do, I don't think there was anything in my life that made me happier and I would never, ever change my mind."

"Vocations: Shaping Christian Life, Transforming Society"

From Catholic Exchange via Arlington Catholic Herald
by the Most Reverend Paul Loverde, Bishop of Arlington, VA

May 30th, 2008

Earlier this month, I was privileged to celebrate Jubilee Masses for the priests and religious sisters of the Diocese of Arlington, who mark their 25th or 50th anniversary of ordination or final vows this year.

St. Mark tells us, “For anyone who wants to save his life will lose it; but anyone who loses his life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it” (Mk 8: 35). Consider these words in the context of the men and women who celebrate their anniversaries in 2008. At ordination or at the profession of their vows, priests and religious “lose” their lives for Christ.

In the Rite of Ordination, this is symbolized by the ordinandi lying prostrate on the ground during the litany of the saints. By this act, he humbly submits himself to God and to the Church (some religious institutes have a similar act of lying prostrate during the Mass of Final Profession of Vows). Priests and religious brothers and sisters experience joy and peace in knowing that they have answered God’s call by choosing a life devoted to the service of others.

Indeed, during his recent visit to the United States, Pope Benedict encouraged priests and those living the consecrated life and thanked them for their contribution to the Church. He said, “By your personal witness, and your fidelity to the ministry or apostolate entrusted to you, you prepare a path for the Spirit. For the Spirit never ceases to pour out his abundant gifts, to awaken new vocations and missions, and to guide the Church, into the fullness of truth” (Pope Benedict XVI, Homily at the Cathedral of St. Patrick, April 19, 2008).

Joining my own gratitude to that of the Holy Father, I would like to recognize the Diocese of Arlington’s priests and women and men living the consecrated life. We are truly blessed and enriched by their presence and give heart-felt thanks that they have answered the Lord’s call. The priests and religious of our diocese sacrifice daily to build up and enrich this local Church (Our permanent deacons also collaborate in building up and enriching the diocese, and in future reflection, we shall focus on them).

The Catechism teaches us that praying is the lifting up of our minds and hearts to God. While we are each called to a life of prayer, our priests and religious dedicate many hours a day to praying for our diocesan Church. From the rosary to the Liturgy of the Hours, and, most of all, through adoration and reception of the Eucharist, they ask God to give us the graces we need to live the universal call to holiness. What a great gift to know that so many priests and religious sisters and brothers are praying on our behalf.

In a very particular manner, those living the contemplative and cloistered life are spiritual powerhouses for all of us. These include the Trappist monks in Berryville, the Poor Clares in Alexandria and, soon, the Dominican nuns in Linden.

Another gift we are given by priests and religious is their leadership and witness. It is through their example that we learn how to dedicate our own lives to God, for they are often the “first friend of the poor, the homeless, the stranger, the sick and all who suffer” (Pope Benedict XVI, Homily at the Cathedral of St. Patrick, April 19, 2008). We know that true leadership does not only come from words, but also from example. Our diocesan and religious priests are servant leaders who themselves answer the call to holiness and urge their parishioners to respond as well. Our religious brothers and sisters likewise respond and help others to recognize and to answer this call from the Lord.

My dear brother priests and religious brothers and sisters, thank you for answering God’s call and for your many years of service, prayer and leadership. As the Holy Father reminded us recently, you “contribute greatly to the mission of the Church” (Pope Benedict XVI, Address at St. Joseph Seminary, April 19, 2008). I am also grateful to your families, who nurtured your vocation and supported your discernment. Yours is a mission that shapes Christian life and transforms society.

Our diocesan Church is thankful for your willingness to imitate Mary’s “fiat” to God in saying “yes” to His call. Dear members of our diocesan family, as this Marian month comes to close, let us each strive to imitate Mary’s discipleship in the vocation to which we are called, be it marriage, the single life, the priesthood or consecrated religious life. With her, let us say - and live - a joyful “yes” to the Lord everyday.

"Why not you?"

A post from Fr. Zehnle on his blog "Servant and Steward"

"Why not you?"

posted May 28th, 2008

(Happy Anniversary Father!)

Three years ago this morning I was ordained a priest of Jesus Christ. Not a day goes by that I am not grateful to the Lord for calling me to his service, frail and weak as I am. When I hold his Body in my hands, I am fully aware of how unworthy I am for such service. Yet, nonetheless, he has chosen me.

Why did the Lord choose me to serve him in this way? I do not know. There is nothing extraordinary about me, nothing so unique. I am a man who prefers the quiet of a library to the bustle of large groups of people. Being an introvert I seem a strange choice for such an extroverted ministry. Yet the Lord chose me.

My life differs from that of others only in that it has been marked with much suffering. Yet even in this I am not alone. Who of us does not suffer in some way? A suffering that is bearable for one is completely unbearable for another. There is nothing too different about me; I am a man like all others. Why should the Lord chose me?

I remember very clearly a conversation I had with a Sister while I was in college. We were discussing my vocation; I had already discerned a call to the priesthood and I accepted it, but still I wondered why the Lord chose me. She simply responded, "Why not you?" And I had no answer.

And so I ask you young men who may be reading this post: Why not you? Why should the Lord not want to use you as his humble instrument? The Lord has great skill at making use of fragile instruments. Won't you let him use you?

"Latin Mass Workshop in Chicago a Success"

From Catholic Online

CHICAGO, IL (MAY 28, 2008) - Ever since Pope Benedict XVI issued Summorum Pontificum in 2007, Marytown and the Canons Regular of St. John Cantius have been hard at work to educate priests how to offer the Extraordinary Form of the Mass according to the 1962 Missale Romanum. Their multi-media website, http://www.sanctamissa.org/, is not yet one-year old, yet it has already given assistance to priests throughout the world learning to offer the usus antiquor.

Because many priests regularly approach the Canons Regular for personal training in the Extraordinary Form, it seemed advantageous to them to offer a formal group-training workshop for priests so that the requests of more clergy could be met. Working in cooperation with the Archdiocese of Chicago, the Canons Regular received the blessing of Francis Cardinal George, O.M.I., Archbishop of Chicago, to carry out this work of formation, so that the pastoral needs of Catholics today could be better addressed. His Eminence also suggested inviting seminarians to the workshop so that they would also be able to gain from this liturgical and pastoral formation experience.

With enthusiasm, priests and seminarians descended upon the campus of Mundelein Seminary on May 19, 2008, to attend a hands-on workshop on the celebration of the Extraordinary Form of the Mass of the Roman Rite held at the Cardinal Stritch Retreat House. For the next five days, these priests and seminarians, who hailed not only from the Archdiocese of Chicago, but from all over the United States, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Lithuania, Italy, and the Philippines, would study the ceremony, ritual, rubrics of the Missal of Blessed John XXIII.

Each day the participants of the workshop had an opportunity to attend celebrations Prayers at the Foot of the Altar and Mundelien Seminaryof the Traditional Latin Mass, ranging from Missa Pontificalis to Missa Lecta. Hosted by the Conventual Franciscans, the Missa Pontificalis and Missa Solemnis were celebrated at Marytown. The celebration of the Missa Cantata was held three times during the week at the St. Mary Chapel of Mundelein Seminary. The participants were greeted with warm hospitality by our hosts at Marytown and Mundelein, and everyone enjoyed participating in the robust singing of the Gregorian chant ordinaries and responses.

During the workshop, the Most Rev. Joseph N. Perry, Auxiliary Bishop of Chicago (photo at left), presented a talk entitled The Spirituality of the Traditional Latin Mass, showing how the Ordinary and Extraordinary Forms of the Mass, held in equal honor, can enrich the Catholic faithful in parish life. Plunging into the spiritual depths of the Traditional Latin Mass, Bishop Perry inspired all to receive the Extraordinary Form as a gift from the Church, meant to nourish souls with the grace of God.

Rev. C. Frank Phillips, C.R., Pastor of St. John Cantius Church in Chicago, and Founder of the Canons Regular of St. John Cantius, gave a lecture entitled The Extraordinary Form in Parish Life Today, detailing ways in which the celebration of classical form of the Liturgy can be successfully integrated into parochial life and help provide Catholics of all ages with a deep appreciation of the heritage and tradition that is ours.

While the priests of the Canons Regular of St. John Cantius instructed the priests in the celebration of Low Mass and High Mass, the brothers taught the seminarians in attendance how to serve at the altar. Additional tutorials were provided in the correct pronunciation of ecclesiastical Latin as well as in Gregorian chant.

The workshop filled the Cardinal Stritch House to its capacity and had a waiting list of priests who expressed a desire to attend. Due to the popularity and success of this workshop, the Canons Regular of St. John Cantius are scheduling future training workshops for priests and seminarians at the Cardinal Stritch House.

The entire success of this workshop was entrusted to Our Blessed Mother, and each day the priests and seminarians begged her intercession as they continued to study the celebration of the Extraordinary Form, so that they might return to their parishes and serve the faithful attracted to the Sacred Liturgy celebrated according to the venerable traditions of our fathers.

Photos and more details can be found here: www.sanctamissa.org/en/workshop-article.html

Another Good Book for the Vocations "Bookstore"

I received a request via the combox (on my previous "bookstore" post) from one of the good nuns at Moniales OP asking if I could plug their new vocations book. Of course! So here's the post, but "Vocation in Black and White" can also now be found in the "bookstore".

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Edited by the Association of the Monasteries of the Nuns of the Order of Preachers of the United States of America

"In this engaging collection, twenty-three contemplative Dominican nuns tell of God's call to the cloister. Includes contributions by Summit nuns Sr. Maria Agnes, Sr. Maria of the Cross, and Sr. Mary Catharine."

Editorial Reviews

"Within the Dominican Order, whose motto is Truth and whose mission is the proclamation of that Truth, some proclaim primarily through their contemplative 'tryst' with that Truth. Here some of these women of the Dominican monasteries tell of how they came to embrace this way of life which to many is such a mystery. Each is a story as unique and human as its author."
-Suzanne Noffke, O.P., Translator of the Dialogue of St. Catherine of Siena

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"The life of the cloistered contemplative nun is one of the most hidden but also one of the most important treasures of the Church. The prayers and sacrifices of these holy women are so crucial to the Church's well-being that it behooves all of us to know them better. The stories in this splendid book help us to do just that, since they are authentic vignettes from the personal lives of 23 different Dominican cloistered nuns."
-Father Michael Monshau, O.P., Prior, Dominican House of Studies, Saint Louis, Missouri

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"These remarkable personal testimonies demonstrate the power of God's fruitful invitation to a contemplative and cloistered life in the Dominican tradition. Though each testimony is unique, there is a common link among them that recalls Elizabeth's words to Mary: 'Blessed is she who believed that there would be fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord (Luke 1:45).' These testimonies, then, are not a history of the past rather they give confidence to all in the present who have the courage to accept God's invitation to Himself. Indeed, God has done great things. This book reminds all of us that God is still doing great things."
-Father Dominic Izzo, O.P., Provincial of the Province of St. Joseph

"Vatican congregation calls religious to obedience"

From the Catholic News Agency

Vatican City, May 28, 2008 / 10:40 am (CNA).- The congregation charged with overseeing religious men and women has published an instruction to help improve the understanding of the roles of authority and obedience in religious communities.

The Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life today released an Instruction entitled: "The Service of Authority and Obedience," which was presented this morning at an assembly of male and female superiors general held at the Salesianum in Rome.

The first topic that the new instruction addresses is religious obedience.

While some think of religious obedience as simply an adherence to “ecclesiastical or religious laws and rulings,” the congregation explains that this is not how it should be understood. Rather, religious obedience has its roots in the “search for God and for His will.” It springs from the “momentum of a journey in search of God which involves listening to His Word and becoming aware of His design of love - the fundamental experience of Christ Who, out of love, was obedient unto His death on the cross.”

The practical outcome of this is that, obedience, “is not justified on the basis of religious authority.” Instead, “because everyone in a religious community (first and foremost the authorities themselves) are called to obedience, Authority places itself at the service on the community so that God's will may be sought and achieved together."

The parallel issue of religious authority must be seen in the context of the “shared commitment to obedience, ... the theme that opens and closes this document," an explanation of the instruction says.

How to respond in matters of “difficult obedience” is also addressed by the document. The congregation describes these instances of “difficult obedience” as instructions that are “particularly hard to carry out, or in which the subject feels he sees 'things which are better and more useful for his soul than those which the superior orders him to do'.”

Room is also made for situations in which the one who must obey has 'objections of conscience.' This reference is meant to help people “consider obedience not just as a passive and irresponsible execution of orders, but as a conscious shouldering of commitments ... which are a real actuation of the will of God," a press release explains.

"The Instruction seeks to recall, above all, that obedience in religious life can give rise to difficult moments, to situations of suffering in which it is necessary to refer back to the Obedient One par excellence, Christ.”

However, those in authority can also experience “difficult” moments, the instruction notes. They can experience “moments of discouragement and fatigue which can lead to resignation or inattention in exercising an appropriate guidance ... of the community."

The document also contains “a vast and coherent set of guidelines for the exercise of authority," such as "inviting people to listen, favoring dialogue, sharing, co-responsibility, ... and the merciful treatment of the people" of those under authority.

An explanation of the instruction concludes by saying that the religious community should be “a place in which, under the guidance of the superior, a form of 'community discernment' must be exercised in decision- making. This practice, for the implementation of which important suggestions are offered, does not however eliminate the role of authority ... And it must not be forgotten that, by ancient tradition, the highest authority within religious institutes resides in the general chapter (or similar institution), which is a collegial body."

READ FULL DOCUMENT HERE.

"Vietnam’s seminary success"

From Aid to the Church in Need

ACN News, Thursday, 29th May 2008 – VIETNAM

“Because we have so many vocations – and the number of seminarians we can take is limited by the government – people have to wait for a long time before entering seminary”. Archbishop Kiet of Hanoi

By John Newton

VOCATIONS are flourishing in Vietnam despite government restrictions – a leading Bishop told Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need this week.

In an interview with ACN, Archbishop Joseph Ngo Quang Kiet of Hanoi, the Vietnamese capital, described how a growing number of seminarians start their studies this year.

He said: “We have many vocations, this year our seminary received 300 seminarians, in two years time the number will be 400.”

Most senior seminaries are only allowed to accept new students once every two years, due to the communist government’s restrictions on the training and ordination of priests.

Archbishop Kiet added: “Because we have so many vocations – and the number of seminarians we can take is limited by the government – people have to wait for a long time before entering seminary”.

Because Vietnam controls the numbers in seminaries, the Church cannot accept all the applicants they would like for priestly training.

Asked the reason for the high number of vocations, Archbishop Kiet told ACN: “There is a tradition with Vietnamese Catholics – they have a strong sense of vision, in families parents like their children to become priests or to serve God.”

Although Vietnam’s constitution provides for freedom of worship, restrictions still remain, and the Church must obtain special permission before building new seminaries or places of worship.
The government’s 2004 Ordinance on Religion and Belief has meant an easing of restrictions, and in 2006 the authorities gave permission for the expansion of St Joseph Major Seminary in Xuan Loc diocese.

The new building will accommodate students from four dioceses.

In response to a number of urgent and important requests for help, ACN last year offered more than $1.89 million in aid to the country.

The charity’s Asia section’s largest number of grants for the formation of priests and religious went to Vietnam.

Archbishop Kiet also told ACN that religious congregations are growing, and that there are “many conversions, and many catechumens in cities like Ho Chi Minh and Hanoi” with catechesis classes and adult formation held all year round.

The situation of the Church in Vietnam has improved, in part thanks to the efforts of the Vatican to maintain official dialogue with the authorities, despite there having been no formal diplomatic relations with the Holy See since the country was unified under communist rule in 1975.
Relations have been improved by a more or less annual visit to the country from the Holy See – this year a Vatican delegation is due to arrive in June.

Up to 8.7 percent of the population in Vietnam is Catholic: reports suggest there are 2,228 parishes and 2,668 priests.

Editor’s Notes:

Directly under the Holy See, Aid to the Church in Need supports the faithful wherever they are persecuted, oppressed or in pastoral need. ACN is a Catholic charity – helping to bring Christ to the world through prayer, information and action.

Founded in 1947 by Fr Werenfried van Straaten, whom Pope John Paul II named “An Outstanding Apostle of Charity”, the organisation is now at work in about 145 countries throughout the world.

The charity undertakes thousands of projects every year including providing transport for clergy and lay Church workers, construction of church buildings, funding for priests and nuns and help to train seminarians. Since the initiative’s launch in 1979, 45 million Aid to the Church in Need Child’s Bibles have been distributed worldwide.

"Priests Among Targets in Zimbabwe"

From Zenit

Aid Group Reports Continued Intimidation Before Runoff

HARARE, Zimbabwe, MAY 27, 2008 (Zenit.org).- Many Zimbabwean priests are in hiding out of fear for their lives, Aid to the Church in Need reported.

The statement Monday from the charity organization coincided with ongoing reports of an intimidation campaign leading up to the June 27 runoff election between President Robert Mugabe, 84, and opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai.

Tsvangirai won the March elections, but supposedly not by a wide enough margin to have clinched the victory. Results from that election were withheld for weeks; meanwhile human rights groups began to report torture and even the killing of those who had voted against Mugabe.

A priest, who remained anonymous for safety reasons, informed Aid to the Church in Need that people who voted against Mugabe's party have been kidnapped, tortured, maimed and raped by soldiers -- particularly in rural areas.

"Many Catholic priests and lay people are on the wanted lists of these soldiers and militia groups," he said, "and many of them are forced to remain in hiding following death threats."

Reprisals come after the Catholic Church joined with other denominations earlier this month to speak out about the country's deteriorating human rights situation, including the organized violence in areas that did not vote for Mugabe.

Making a bad situation worse, local hospitals are unable to care for the wounded due to lack of even basic painkillers, Aid to the Church in Need lamented.

The priest who spoke with the aid group said he fears the situation will only deteriorate as the runoff nears.

Food is being withheld from those who did not vote for Mugape, he said, and despite their best efforts, Catholic dioceses are unable obtain any food for the hungry.

In any case, with an inflation rate at 160,000%, food has been scarce for months.

A report on post-election violence by the Christian human rights organization the Solidarity Peace Trust, published in Johannesburg on May 21, contained up to 50 eye-witness accounts of orchestrated beatings, torture and the destruction of homes and shops.