The Good Catholic Life

Summary of today’s show: There are several living legends among the priests of the Archdiocese of Boston and Scot Landry and Fr. Mark O’Connell welcome one of them today. Fr. Walter Waldron has been a priest for 48 years and pastor of St. Patrick Parish in Roxbury for 29 years. Fr. Walter tells our listeners about seeing the Second Vatican Council firsthand, putting the lessons of the Council into practice in the inner-city in the 1970s, and then serving a parish that’s like three parishes in one for nearly three decades in a neighborhood many have written off. Listen to the show: Subscribe for free in iTunes Today’s host(s): Scot Landry and Fr. Mark O’Connell Today’s guest(s): Fr. Walter Waldron, Pastor of St. Patrick Parish, Roxbury Today’s topics: Pastor Profile: Fr. Walter Waldron 1st segment: Scot welcomed everyone to the show and started with the startling news that Fr. Mark was taken by ambulance to the hospital from his rectory yesterday. He fell down a few steps and was taken to the hospital as a precaution.Fr. Mark said the neck brace they put on had four settings: tall, medium, short, and no neck. He was highly insulted that they had it on no neck. Last night, Fr. Mark was able to go to a special Mass at Regina Cleri, where Fr. Bob Oliver is also recovering from an accident and a broken hip. Scot said it’s been a busy week preparing for the live, interactive town hall meeting on CatholicTV Monday night with Cardinal Seán. He said it’s never been done before over all the different media: TV, radio, and the Internet. He encourages everyone to tune in via WQOM or CatholicTV. On Monday’s The Good Catholic Life we will have one of the panelists, Kim Daniels, to talk about how we got to this point. The town hall meeting begins at 8pm. Fortnight4Freedom.org BostonCatholic.org/Freedom Scot said today’s guest is one of the legends of the priesthood in Boston and he’s been looking forward to this conversation. 2nd segment: Scot and Fr. Mark welcomed Fr. Walter Waldron. Fr. Walter said he grew up in Milton and went to school there. He had two brothers and two sisters. One of the gifts in his life has been his family and extended family. He realizes how much all those cousins mean to him and made him what he is today. His vocation came from his family and the community was very Catholic. He went to St. Agatha School. He wanted to be a lawyer, teacher or priest. He went to BC High and considered being a Jesuit. When Fr. Walter’s father was at BC High in the 1920s and he considered becoming a Jesuit. His grandfather had a work accident that prevented him from working and so his father was counseled he should stay to support his family. So it comes full circle to him. Fr. Walter said Fr. Riley, who was a younger priest in charge of the altar servers at St. Agatha’s, was an influence on his vocation too. He said there were no priests in his family. Fr. Walter said he ended up deciding he would end up encountering more people in the diocesan priesthood than if he joined the Jesuits, who at the time specialized in education. He went to Cardinal O’Connell Seminary for two years out of high school. He went to St. John’s Seminary for two years and then went to the North American College and was ordained in St. Peter’s. He was there in the early Sixties and was there during the death of Pope John XXIII and election of Pope Paul VI. Scot asked what it was like being in Rome during the Second Vatican Council? Fr. Walter said it was very exciting, partly because some of the US bishops stayed in the North American College and had interaction with the seminarians. Some seminarians were even able to sneak into the sessions in St. Peter’s. He and his classmates were on the side of those who were most forward-looking. During his time in Rome, he wasn’t able to come back from Rome, but his family did come visit once before ordination. He took a ship over with the other seminarians. He recalled how the seminarians were all seasick at first, but he loved it so much that he came back by boat rather than fly. Scot asked Fr. Walter is he learned the old and the new liturgies. He said he was trained in the older missal. There was no transition while he was there. Fr. Walter was ordained in 1964 and has had only three assignments in those 48 years. He was first assigned to St. Margaret in Beverly Farms. He remembers saying to the people that first Sunday, “I’m so glad to be here in Beverly Hills.” He was there for two years. Then he was a parochial vicar at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross for 18 years. He had asked Cardinal Cushing to be assigned to work in the city and to live in an apartment among the people. Cardinal Cushing said no, but offered him a position at the cathedral. He made many friendships and is still involved with some of the groups from them. He loved living in the city and came to learn the movement of the city. He has remained in the city, going to St. Patrick’s parish in Roxbury in 1984. Fr. Walter wanted to live in the city because of the priests he knew in Roxbury at the time. He liked the life they lived and how they had freedom to interact with people. He talked about how he was mentored and affirmed by Msgr. Russ Collins. Fr. Mark said the monsignor was a real innovator in our archdiocese. He helped form a group called the Boston Urban Association of Priests. They were very vocal about public policy and even endorsed a candidate. They thought they were reading the signs of the times. Scot said it was a tumultuous time in Boston with the busing crisis. Fr. Walter said it gave him an identity with the people that were there. He came to understand their difficulties and pain and how far they felt from the mainstream of Boston. It was an eye-opener for him. Scot noted that the Boston Urban Priests helped the Pine Street Inn form itself. Fr. Walter said there was a place called the Dawes Hotel that was pulling out of the business of serving the poor, and no one wanted to take over the ministry. They took over the place and re-named it the Pine Street Inn. They didn’t know they were supposed to ask the cardinal first. They had some advisors on how to help people who were addicted to alcohol. They had only one employee and each priest would take a night to be there. Scot perceives that time as a time for the Church asking herself what she was to be in this town and in this world. What do the condiments of Vatican II mean in practical matters? There was a lot of adjustment. Fr. Walter said there wasn’t a model to follow. Fr. Walter at the time took on a foster kid and moved out of the rectory into an apartment. He was then called in by Cardinal Medeiros. He told Fr. Walter that he knows what he did and only wanted to know that he was taking good care of him. He had the foster kid for four years. Scot asked what it was like to move to St. Patrick’s in 1984. He didn’t want to move out of the cathedral after being there so long. In fact, he’d just been asked to be the chaplain at Walpole State Prison and he said no because it would be the same population day after day. So when St. Patrick came up, he took it. He’s attracted to variety in his priestly ministry. Scot said you couldn’t get more variety in St. Patrick’s. Fr. Walter said they just celebrated their 175th anniversary. They had three languages: English, Spanish, and Portuguese Creole. He feels like he’s already in charge of three parishes. In 1989, the Boston Globe did a big three-page article on him in the newspaper. It showed how he had a presence on the streets, a consistent presence over a period of time. After a while he wasn’t a stranger there and people came to know he was interested in all communities. He showed how they could come together as one parish with three communities. Fr. Walter said for a long time they had three parish councils. He didn’t think it made sense o he established a supercouncil. After a while they formed one parish pastoral councils for the last 5 to 10 years. It’s helped him to learn better the other language groups, to know them on a personal and a professional Catholic level. Scot said half of the parish are newcomers to the country. 85% of all parishioners are from Cape Verde. He said much of the ministry must be helping people adjust. Fr. Walter said the question has been whether to focus on people’s background and culture or do you try to acculturate them? They’ve found a balance. They’ve been able to do a lot of outreach in the native languages, mainly through a lot of sisters who spoke the language. There’s a commonality between the pastoral staff and the people who came here. Cape Verde is traditionally Catholic and so there’s no difficulty in attracting them to the Church. Like in the past, so much of their lives focus on the Church. Fr. Mark asked if the Church is sanctuary. Fr. Walter said “sanctuary” is a loaded word, but Fr. Mark said he didn’t intend it that way. Fr. Walter said they’ve always had good relationships with civil authorities. He’s never been faced with a person asking for sanctuary from immigration issues. Scot said growing up, Roxbury was never portrayed in a positive light in the news. He asked Fr. Walter to describe it. He said it is home for people. He tells priests that they have to come in recognizing that they are people just like you. People are sometimes afraid to come to Roxbury, but he encourages them to come. He said the safest part of the city on a Sunday morning is Roxbury because everybody’s in church. It’s hard to drive the image of the shootings in the street from people’s minds. But it’s not an everyday occurrence. There are people who are interested in raising their kids, keeping their homes neat, and living their lives. Fr. Mark said he regularly says Mass with the Carmelite Sisters in Dudley Square. Fr. Walter calls them the spiritual powerhouse. He’d never before met cloistered sisters, but he found them to be just like the rest of us. He said a number of religious orders work with St. Patrick’s so they make a big deal in February for World Consecrated Life Day. Now they have the Franciscans of the Primitive Observance in the parish. Fr. Walter said their desire is to live a life as close as possible to St. Francis’ life 800 years ago. They wear a rough habit, they sleep on the floor, they eat only what they’ve begged that day. They are very good at reaching out to others. They’ve only been there two year,s but everyone knows them. Fr. Walter said they are living in one of their buildings, but have a broader vision than the parish. Several of them have learned Creole in order to say Mass and do confessions in the language of the people. When they first came they came over the parish to offer to help. They’ve established a monthly holy hour for vocations to the priesthood. One of the brothers of the FPO is being ordained to the priesthood tomorrow. Br. Michael Sheehan will be ordained by Cardinal Seán at the Cathedral. After the Mass, they will have a reception at St. Patrick’s. He will continue doing the work of the order in the community. Fr. Walter said they are like worker-priests whose work is for the advancement of the Church, being out where the people are and making sure there’s a normal interaction with them. They are concerned the people are not only Catholic in name, but in practice too.They want the folks to see the Church as an essential part of their lives. Scot asked what is one of his biggest joys as a priest. Fr. Walter said being a priest and being fortunate to be in a life he just loves. He loves it as much today as he did the day he was ordained in St. Peter’s. He said he’s heard stories of priests burdened by the stress of their priesthood. He doesn’t recall a moment he felt that way. He said it’s the joy of being with the people and being astounded at how they take him into their homes and family. He remembers a couple of years ago after some surgery and seeing how concerned the people were for him. 3rd segment: Now as we do every week at this time, we will consider the Mass readings for this Sunday, specifically the Gospel reading. Gospel for the Solemnity of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist, Sunday, June 24, 2012 When the time arrived for Elizabeth to have her child she gave birth to a son. Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown his great mercy toward her, and they rejoiced with her. When they came on the eighth day to circumcise the child, they were going to call him Zechariah after his father, but his mother said in reply, “No. He will be called John.” But they answered her, “There is no one among your relatives who has this name.” So they made signs, asking his father what he wished him to be called. He asked for a tablet and wrote, “John is his name,” and all were amazed. Immediately his mouth was opened, his tongue freed, and he spoke blessing God. Then fear came upon all their neighbors, and all these matters were discussed throughout the hill country of Judea. All who heard these things took them to heart, saying, “What, then, will this child be?” For surely the hand of the Lord was with him. The child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the desert until the day of his manifestation to Israel. Scot said we tend to think of John the Baptist as preparing for way of the Lord during Advent, but we should think of him at all times because he’s always pointing us to Jesus. Fr. Walter said he was an evangelizer and it’s believed to have belonged to a spiritual sect of Judaism that was looking to reinvigorate the faith for the coming of the Messiah. Fr. Walter said it is traditional in Judaism for a boy to be named after the father or an ancestor. But we don’t know why Zecharaiah wanted to name him John. It shows the importance of names in Scripture. Jesus renamed Peter, Saul was renamed Paul. Fr. Walter said this is true today. It’s common for recovering addicts to give up the name they used while they active, they went back to their real name or a nickname they had as a kid. Scot said Popes take on a new name. Cardinal Seán grew up as Patrick O’Malley, but took on the name Seán when he became a religious. Fr. Mark said he was struck that John is about humility and his birth, which references much of the Old Testament, has lots of triumphant images. In the Gospel, John says that he must decrease while Christ increases. He was humble and our Lord was heralded through humility. Scot related that Zechariah couldn’t speak because he doubted the news from the angel Gabriel that he and his wife would have a son in their old age. Scot said the entirety of John’s life pointed to Christ.

Summary of today’s show: On our Thursday show, Scot Landry, Susan Abbott, Fr. Roger Landry, and Gregory Tracy considered the news headlines of the week, including the start of the Fortnight for Freedom; the end of Fr. Roger Landry’s tenure as editor of The Anchor; the deadline looming for Choose Life license plates; and the Vatican gaining control of the .catholic internet domain. Listen to the show: Subscribe for free in iTunes Today’s host(s): Scot Landry and Susan Abbott Today’s guest(s): Fr. Roger Landry, executive editor of The Anchor, the newspaper of the Fall River diocese; and Gregory Tracy, managing editor of The Pilot, the newspaper of the Boston archdiocese Links from today’s show: The Anchor The Pilot Some of the stories discussed on this show will be available on The Pilot’s and The Anchor’s websites on Friday morning. Please check those sites for the latest links. Today’s topics: Fortnight for Freedom; Changes at The Anchor; Choose Life license plates; Dot-Catholic 1st segment: Scot welcomed everyone to the show. Susan and Scot talked about how work in the religious education office doesn’t slow down in summer because religious educators in parishes now have more time for planning and preparations for the next year. Susan and her office also met with the Anti-Defamation League, who they work with regularly on joint educational programs. Scot said today begins the two-week Fortnight for Freedom, in which the bishops have asked everyone to pray more, study more, and act more to defend religious liberty. 2nd segment: Scot and Susan welcomed Greg and Fr. Roger to show. The first topic is the Fortnight for Freedom and Scot played the audio of a new video from Cardinal Seán for the Fortnight for Freedom, in which he asked everyone to tune in to the live, interactive town hall meeting he will lead on Monday, June 25 on CatholicTV. CatholicTV.com BostonCatholic.org/Freedom Fortnight4Freedom.org Scot said the Cardinal’s message is basically that we should not take for granted our religious liberty and we need to preserve it for future generations. Fr. Roger’s editorial this week is on the same topic and it takes readers through the main prayer for the Fortnight produced by the US Bishops conference. O God our Creator, Through the power and working of your Holy Spirit, you call us to live out our faith in the midst of the world, bringing the light and the saving truth of the Gospel to every corner of society. We ask you to bless us in our vigilance for the gift of religious liberty. Give us the strength of mind and heart to readily defend our freedoms when they are threatened; give us courage in making our voices heard on behalf of the rights of your Church and the freedom of conscience of all people of faith. Grant, we pray, O heavenly Father, a clear and united voice to all your sons and daughters gathered in your Church in this decisive hour in the history of our nation, so that, with every trial withstood and every danger overcome— for the sake of our children, our grandchildren, and all who come after us— this great land will always be “one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.” We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. The prayer begins by turning the first words of the Declaration of Independence into words of praise and thanksgiving, “O God our Creator, from Your provident hand we have received our right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” Then it describes how those rights correspond to religious duties that society must respect: “You have called us as Your people and given us the right and the duty to worship You, the only true God, and Your Son, Jesus Christ. Through the power and working of Your Holy Spirit, You call us to live out our faith in the midst of the world, bringing the light and the saving truth of the Gospel to every corner of society.” Next, it turns to prayers of petition that we might act in accordance with our God-given rights and gifts and that God will fortify us during this Fortnight to protect and promote true freedom. “We ask You to bless us in our vigilance for the gift of religious liberty. Give us the strength of mind and heart readily to defend our freedoms when they are threatened; give us courage in making our voices heard on behalf of the rights of Your Church and the freedom of conscience of all people of faith.” Then it prays for the gift of unity in the Church. Some joke that the only time the Church stands together is at the Alleluia before the Gospel. It’s now a time in which the Church needs the gift of true communion to overcome division in order to give a united witness to liberty, and turn back the threats of liberty not merely for ourselves but for all those who will come after us. “Grant, we pray, O heavenly Father, a clear and united voice to all Your sons and daughters gathered in Your Church in this decisive hour in the history of our nation, so that, with every trial withstood and every danger overcome - for the sake of our children, our grandchildren, and all who come after us - this great land will always be ‘one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.’” Fr. Roger said they’ve been praying this prayer in his own parish already and encourages every listener to download the prayer and to pray it at home and at church. Scot said on Monday, Cardinal Seán and four religious liberty experts will give brief presentations stake questions from the studio audience and those who are listening. Susan said the ingredients of good catechesis are here: prayer, study, and action. She said the town hall meeting will allow people to send in questions via Twitter and Facebook. She thinks it’s the first time this has ever happened before. She did point out that it will also be available in re-broadcasts. Scot asked Greg for his opinion of the town hall meeting as a veteran journalist. He said it is covering all forms of media: TV, radio, new media, print. Scot said the Diocese of Anchorage, Alaska, has organized a town hall meeting to bring people together to watch this town hall meeting on CatholicTV. Several parishes are also organizing gatherings to watch it as well. He said the other panelists include Dr. John Garvey, president of the Catholic University of America; Carl Anderson, Supreme Knight of the Knights of Columbus; Kim Daniels of CatholicVoices USA, and Dr. Angela Franks of the Theological Institute of the New Evangelization. Scot also mentioned that there is a great column by Dwight Duncan in both the Anchor and the Pilot this week called “Religious Freedom: Use It or Lose It.” If we won’t fight to preserve our liberties, we shouldn’t be surprised if they are eroded. What does Ihis mean? It doesn’t mean that in this country you have just the right to believe whatever you want to believe. Even in North Korea they have that right, because as a practical matter no one can force you to believe or not believe something. ‘The free exercise of religion means the ability to act on those beliefs. To practice your religion in private or in public. To proclaim your religion to others, if you wish. To spend your money in furtherance of your own religion, and not in furtherance of anyone else’s. To promote what you think is moral, and to not promote anything you think is immoral. These are all necessary consequences of the idea of religious freedom. Fr. Roger was struck how Dwight recalled Paul Revere and Rosa Parks. It’s a bit of a Paul Revere moment. Only this time it’s not the British that are coming. It’s Big Brother. Or, if you prefer, think of Rosa Parks. We can go along and sit quietly in the back of the bus, or we can stand up for human dignity and Ihe rights of conscience. When it comes to our precious heritage of religious freedom, we must either use it or lose it. Scot said this isn’t just about contraception coverage under universal health care. Just a few years ago, in the Archdiocese of Boston Catholic Charities was forced out of adoption because a new law was passed that prevented them from doing so and abiding by their conscience. Greg said on some level we say to ourselves that they wouldn’t really allow the Church to close hospitals and schools. It shows that the other side will go to almost any length to impose their beliefs. Scot said once the freedom is lost, it’s tough to regain it. The best strategy is to defend it while you still have it. Susan said she loves all of the history that Duncan covers. She particularly enjoyed this part: Of course, we want to render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s. But we must also render to God the things that are God’s. Conscience, as the voice of God within, is distinctly a resident of Our Father’s house. The top story in the Anchor this week is a story about the transition of the editorship from Fr. Roger, who has been editor of the newspaper for the past 7 years. Fr. Roger said he took over in the summer of 2005, three years after the clergy sex abuse scandals broke. There were a lot of beleaguered Catholics and lot of bad coverage of the Church in the secular media, so he wanted to pull the bushel baskets off all the very good work being done in parishes across the diocese. He wanted to show that the good news was ongoing. He also wanted to specialize in local news. He wanted to cover the whole diocese. He also replaced all the national columnists with local columnists to give the newspaper a diocesan paper. Fr. Roger said he will miss the newspaper team and the pulpit in front of 29,000 people. He won’t miss the extra 30 hours per week he spent on the newspaper. He plans to write some books and continue to be a pastor in his new parish. Fr. Roger said he already started working on research for a book about Pope John Paul II and young people. No matter how young we are, he thinks John Paul’s teaching to young people will buttress our faith. Many of his retreats are being converted into books by Catholic publishers. A book on the prayer of Pope Benedict is coming out. Fr. Roger has been asked to continue to write a column in the Anchor each week, which will be easier as a columnist than as the editor and official voice of the diocese. His successor, Fr. Rich Wilson, is a native of Quincy who worked on the Quincy Patriot Ledger. Greg said working on the Pilot was difficult for him when he first started there. He came from a marketing firm where he was used to more regular hours. He realized that it could suck up every minute of your day. People at secular newspapers keep asking how he produces a newspaper with the small staff he has. Greg said the staff is very dedicated to what they do. Susan said she still values the tactile sense of reading an actual newspaper in print, as much as she reads news online. Scot encouraged everyone to subscribe to the Pilot or Anchor to support their work. Even if you read it online, please got to their websites and make a donation. In the Pilot this week is a special edition for the ordination Mass this weekend, which includes profiles of the six men to be ordained, but also lots of information about the men celebrating their jubilees. The six men being ordained are Eric Bennett, Eric Cadin, Felipe Gonzalez, John Healey, Br. Michael Sheehan, and Adrian Milic. Scot identified them, their backgrounds, and where they will celebrate their first Masses. Scot asked Fr. Roger to point out a few things viewers should look for. Fr. Roger said the candidates laying on the floor is often very striking to observers. It symbolizes that the old man is dying so that a new man can rise in this candidate for the priesthood. It’s always very moving as all kneel and chant the litany of saints, begging for their help for the men and for all of us. It’s always important when the man’s hands are drenched in sacred oil and a special towel. For Fr. Roger one of the most powerful moments is hearing the newly ordained priest recite his part of the Eucharistic Prayer for the very first time. We will hear Christ in their voice continue the prayer of the Church. No matter how many ordinations he goes to, he never gets tired of them. Watch the Mass on CatholicTV, Saturday at 9 am. Also in the Pilot, the June 30 deadline looms for the Choose Life license plates. They need to have people sign up by the end of the month in order for them not to lose their bond. Massachusetts Choose Life license plate Another story is that the Internet controlling authority has expended internet domains beyond .com and .org. The Vatican has stepped forward to put up the money and request control over .catholic and other versions of the word in Cyrillic, Arabic, and Chinese. In a few years, anything with the .Catholic domain extension will be known as an official organization or entity of the Church. Susan said that the problem of reviewing the authenticity of websites that claim to be Catholic. So this will be for any organization that is officially listed in the Kenedy Directory in the US or other official organizations elsewhere in the world. Greg said it comes at a significant cost, $185,000 each, and $25,000 per year. He said we probably won’t see these until 2013. “Vatican set to control ‘catholic’ Internet domain”, Catholic News Service, 6/13/12 Fr. Roger can’t wait for TheGoodCatholicLife.catholic web site. Greg suggests people read the story in the Pilot about three parishes in Salem working together to form a pro-life committee. Fr. Roger suggested the article on the Fortnight for Freedom activities in parishes through the diocese of Fall River.

Summary of today’s show: For three years, Fr. Israel Rodriguez has been the first and only priest ordained from Redemptoris Mater Archdiocesan Missionary Seminary, but this weekend he will be joined by Felipe Gonzalez. Scot Landry and Fr. Matt Williams talk with Fr. Israel, as well as Fr. Tony Gonzalez and Tom Noe, about the Seminary and the NeoCatechumenal Way, the ecclesial movement that is the spiritual engine of the seminary, as well as the missionary focus of the group that sends fired-up Catholics door-to-door in their neighborhood and around the world to share the Good News of Jesus Christ. Listen to the show: Subscribe for free in iTunes Today’s host(s): Scot Landry and Fr. Matt Williams Today’s guest(s): Fr. Tony Medeiros, Fr. Israel Rodriguez, and Tom Noe Links from today’s show: Redemptoris Mater Archdiocesan Missionary Seminary Today’s topics: NeoCatechumenal Way and Redemptoris Mater Seminary 1st segment: Scot welcomed everyone to the show and noted that there are two big events in the Archdiocese this weekend. The ordination Mass is Saturday and the big gala dinner to benefit Redemptoris Mater Seminary is Sunday. Scot said Fr. Matt hasn’t been on the show in a while so he and Scot caught up. He said the Office for the New Evangelization of Youth and Young Adults is planning for the Middle School Harbor Cruise coming up as well as the Middle School and High School leadership retreats coming up this summer. He suggested people check out the office’s website. Office for the New Evangelization of Youth and Young Adults Scot noted that Deacon Eric Cadin who will be ordained this weekend will celebrate his first Mass at the Life Teen Mass at St. Mary’s Parish in Dedham, the Mass Fr. Matt celebrated for several years. He said youth ministry enervates the priest and his priesthood. He also said having a newly ordained priest there can be the nudge for a young man to consider the priesthood. Fr. Matt said they have had many seminarians assigned to the parish over the years, which is a twofold blessing for both the seminarian and for the young people, who are encouraged to consider their own vocations from God. 2nd segment: Scot and Fr. Matt welcomed Fr. Tony Medeiros, rector of Redemptoris Mater Seminary; Tom Noe, who is coordinator of the Neocatechumenal Way in the archdiocese. Tom said he grew up in Stoughton and works at St. Patrick’s in Brockton. Also he welcomed Fr. Israel Rodriguez, who was the first priest ordained from Redemptoris Mater. He said his first assignment was in Immaculate Conception in Marlborough, which was a trilingual parish—English, Spanish, and Portuguese. Then he was transferred to St. Patrick’s in Lawrence, a large parish with a large Hispanic population. Fr. Israel is from Granada, Spain, and is one of 12 children in his family. Scot said many of the priests from Redemptoris Mater Seminary serve worldwide and come from the Neocatechumenal Way. Fr. Tony said there are 86 Redemptoris Mater seminaries around the world. They are preparing almost 3,000 men. In Boston, they have 20 men, 15 in the house and 5 in mission, from 11 different countries. Fr. Matt asked about the Neocatechumenal Way. Tom said it started around the start of the Second Vatican Council with a Spanish artist, Kiko Arguello, who gathered others around him who were searching for truth. He found the answer in the Church. Fr. Tony noted that when John Paul II was a very young priest in 1947, he wrote a theological treatise on the importance of the catechumen ate for the 20th century. He had seen the effects of atheistic communism trying to wipe out the faith and saw how a return to the way of the early Church in initiating into the faith would combat that. Scot said one of things distinctive about the NeoCatechumenal Way forms people not just in their faith, but also forms them to be missionaries. Tom said one enters the community, there’s no expectations put on you. Most people are looking for answers. What’s important is Word, Liturgy, and Community. This is the basis of the NeoCatechumenal Way. This is lived out in small communities, because you can only really get to know people intimately in a small group. The Word of God is proclaimed and prepared by a member of the community who talks about what the Word means to them, but after an official presentation by the priest. They also have particularly intimate experiences of the faith. Tom said it happens in such a way that people’s lives start to change. He recounted the story of his own marriage, where he and his wife were nominal Catholics at the time of their marriage ended up having a crisis in their marriage. At that time, they were told that the answers they were looking for would be found in Christ. They start going to the catechesis, then entered the community. Scot asked Fr. Tony about the blending of diocesan priesthood with missionary zeal. Fr. Tony said all the men in the seminary are ordained as diocesan priests, but they still have the idea of being sent out by the Lord into the world. This sense is strongly ingrained in the Way, including in the laypeople. All of these men have to be willing to go where the Cardinal sends them. Perhaps in the future, they could be sent somewhere else in the world to minister at the Cardinal’s request, like in the Society of St. James. Scot asked Fr. Israel how this missionary heart enters into the way he serves as a priest. Fr. Israel said anyplace can be a mission. He looks around at the families, the problems, especially in Lawrence. He began to visit families, going door to door, sometimes accompanied by seminarians or sacristans. People are grateful to see the priest to give a word of encouragement or hope, even if they don’t go to church. The fact that the Church is looking for the lost sheep is a sign of love. Many people will come back or even just start a conversation about baptizing children or the like. He finds a lot of joy in that kind of mission in the streets. This Saturday, Fr. Israel will have Fr. Felipe Gonzalez join him as another priest ordained from Redemptoris Mater. Felipe had served 4 years on mission in India and Pakistan and other places. He’s very down-to-earth said Fr. Israel. Fr. Tony said Felipe comes from California where he grew up. He said Felipe’s experiences have all prepared him for this ministry. Fr. Matt asked if Felipe visiting the foreign missions was part of his seminary. Fr. Tony said it is part of the seminary formation. Felipe started his seminary formation that the seminary in London, then went on his itinerancy for four years and then he was sent to Boston to provide maturity and experience to the men in formation here. Fr. Tony said at the second year of theology, the men are pulled out of St. John Seminary, where they are doing their academics, and sent to the missions where they serve with a priest and an itinerant family for three or four years. Fr. Matt asked how they and the families are prepared to be sent out on itinerancy. Fr. Tony said it is the Way. the seminaries are a shoot from the tree of the Way, which is a school for the missions, in whatever way they will live it out. Sometimes it is local and door to door and other times it is going very far away. The door-to-door ministry provides a presence and visibility in the community, where people begin to look for and ask for them. Tom said the the Way teaches them to be Christian, to have inside of you Christ’s victory over death. The Church announces the Good News that death is overcome, and they bring this with them into the world. The members of the Way are given a formation in Scripture and Catechism to be able to share it. Eventually at one point some members of the community are identified as catechism, who are people who show evidence of a particular ability and charism for sharing the faith. When identified, they can be sent as part of a team to another parish to found a community there. Scot asked Fr. Israel what it’s like to go thousands of miles away from his home to place he’s never been to serve potentially for the rest of his life. Fr. Israel said it’s like a wonderful adventure. Wherever you are, you set down roots. Scot asked Tom how the Way helps celebrate the ordination of one of their own. Tom said they are already part of a NeoCatechumenal Way community. Felipe is part of a community in Framingham and they are providing all kinds of logistical support, to take care of Felipe and his family coming into town this weekend. Scot said the Ordination Mass will be at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross this Saturday at 9am. 3rd segment: This week’s benefactor card raffle winner is Josephine Muller from Gloucester, MA She wins 2 items for children: A Glory Stories CD: “Be Not Afraid, the Story of Blessed John Paul II” and the “Gospel Champions” computer game. If you would like to be eligible to win in an upcoming week, please visit WQOM.org. For a one-time $30 donation, you’ll receive the Station of the Cross benefactor card and key tag, making you eligible for WQOM’s weekly raffle of books, DVDs, CDs and religious items. We’ll be announcing the winner each Wednesday during “The Good Catholic Life” program. 4th segment: Scot said big way to fund the operations of Redemptoris Mater Seminary is the upcoming Gala Dinner. It is the third annual dinner. Fr. Tony said it’s the main annual fundraiser for the seminary. In the first year they honored Cardinal Sean and John McNeice. Last year, they honored Archbishop Pietro Sambi, the late apostolic nuncio who passed away just a month later after the event. They also recognized Jack Shaughnessy. Shaugnessy and McNeice have been big supporters of the seminary. Scot said Cardinal Sean has a missionary heart. Fr. Tony told the story of meeting Bishop Sean when he was bishop of Fall River and learning of the missionary heart of the Cardinal. He has the heart of a shepherd who has been assigned a portion of the flock and serves them in that place. Scot said both Pope Benedict and Pope John Paul II have both been very big supporters of these new ecclesial movements within the Church. Fr. Tony said it’s an expression of the teaching of the Second Vatican Council which continues to unfold. Scot asked who this year’s honoree is. Fr. Tony said they invited Rabbi David Rosen, one of the most prominent rabbis in the world who lives in Israel. He’s director of inter religious dialogue for the AJC. He’s most famous for his role as head of the commission of diplomats which negotiated full diplomatic relations with the Holy See. He was very close to Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI. One of the great gifts of the Council to the Church is the renewal of the centrality of the Word of God to faith. After the Reformation, the pendulum swung to highlighting the importance of the sacraments to detriment of the Word of God. Now the Second Vatican Council brought the emphasis back to Scripture. He hopes that Rabbi Rosen’s visit and the inter religious dialogue, it will encourage Catholics to re-discover the Jewish roots of our Catholic faith. Fr. Tony said both Israel and the fathers of the Council have come to understand that the Church has a mission in the world, to serve humanity through what we have inherited. Fr. Tony said they have close to 400 people coming to the dinner on Sunday. People who want to support the seminary can contact Fr. Tony through the seminary’s webpage on the Archdiocese’s website. (Link above.)

Summary of today’s show: For the last 34 years, Fr. Joe Baggetta has served as chaplain of the Massachusetts Department of Youth Corrections, living out Fr. Edward “Boys Town” Flanagan’s dictum that there are no bad boys, just bad examples and bad environments. Scot Landry and Fr. Chris O’Connor have a conversation with Fr. Joe about how his short career as a prison guard before (and during!) seminary helped prepare him for his ministry, as well as the efforts he takes in showing unconditional love and acceptance to his kids in order to give them the childhood they have been deprived of. Listen to the show: Subscribe for free in iTunes Today’s host(s): Scot Landry and Fr. Chris O’Connor Today’s guest(s): Fr. Joseph Baggetta Links from today’s show: Cardinal Seán’s Blog on his visit with Fr. Joe at the Department of Youth Corrections Fr. Baggetta on CatholicTV’s “Going My Way” Today’s topics: Priest Profile: Fr. Joseph Baggetta 1st segment: Scot and Fr. Chris said they are 4 days away from the ordination to the priesthood of six men for the Archdiocese of Boston. Fr. Chris said they are seeing a whole bumper crop of great young men answering the Lord’s call. Fr. Chris said the men are on retreat this week with Fr. John McLaughlin in preparation. The Cardinal has a meal with the men on Friday night and then meets with them individually to give them their first parish assignments. They discussed the logistics for the event, including providing hospitality to some friends and family who are coming into town from overseas. Scot said the most moving moment for him is the first priestly blessings. Fr. Chris said for him the two moments are when the Cardinal places his hands on the ordinand’s head to call down the Holy Spirit and then when the Cardinal receives the first blessing from the priests and then kisses their hands. Scot said Fr. Baggetta is the chaplain to the Department of Youth Corrections and works to help reform youth who have been incarcerated and to help them re-enter society. Photos of the ordination will be available live this Saturday at [BostonCatholicPhotos.com] 2nd segment: Scot welcomed Fr. Joe Baggetta to the show. He asked him about growing up in the North End. His parents were born in Abruzzi and Calabria, Italy, and he was born here in the US. Fr. Joe said his parents didn’t speak very good English, so he speaks Italian. He went to school at St. Leonard’s and attended Christopher Columbus High School, both in the North End. He went to Merrimack College and it was a cultural shock for being far away from the city. It’s one of the half-dozen Catholic colleges in the Archdiocese. It’s run by the Augustinians. He’d had inklings of the priesthood, but never coalesced. When he got out of college, he worked as a prison guard at the Charles Street Jail. He said the old-timers always told the young guys that when the jail was too quiet, be careful. It was the lull before the storm. He took the job because he needed a job, not because he had a particular idea of making it a career. He spent six years there and strange as it may seem, Fr. Joe says he enjoyed it, having learned a lot about life. He saw the humanness and goodness within a majority of the inmates, while also seeing the worst part of humanity. It was a county jail, so they were being held while awaiting trial as well as men who were serving sentences of 2-1/2 years or less. Fr. Chris said the Charles Street Jail is now the Liberty Hotel, which is now beautiful. Fr. Joe sat down with historians to help provide a history of the jail in an exhibit in the hotel. Fr. Joe said there were 400-500 men in the jail when it was open. Fr. Joe felt in his heart at the time that there was a way to assist the inmates. He saw how the chaplains had men gravitate to them and he saw the faith in the inmates. Fr. Joe started doing some reading and learned there war religious orders who worked with those who had fallen onto the wayward path. Fr. Joe attended St. John Seminary where he had a great experience. On every vacation and every summer, he would continue to work at the jail. The inmates seemed to expect more mercy than justice from him. He was ordained in 1974. There were 15 men in his class and 9 continue to be in the priesthood in the Archdiocese. Scot noted that Fr. Kevin Deeley and Fr. Jerry Hogan were in his class and they continue to be great friends. Fr. Joe said the 38 years have flown by. Fr. Joe’s first assignment was St. Catherine of Siena in Norwood. The parish is massive. They had 1,500 kids in CCD, in addition to all the kids in the parochial school. Even to this day, St. Catherine’s remains a tremendous supporter of his ministry. He was then assigned as chaplain at St. Sebastian’s high school. Cardinal Medeiros called him and said he would be assigned to be Dean of Discipline. He was also going to be part-time working at the Department of Youth Services. It was the complete spectrum of teens from those who had everything to those who had nothing. But there was a common thread was that they were just kids with the same feelings and the same things they were going through in their lives. There were six priests on staff at the archdiocesan school. Scot said may consider St. Sebastian’s to be an elite high school. Fr. Chris said the St. Sebastian’s students are well-formed in the Christian life. Fr. Joe said they are often going into major fields affecting society with this good formation. Fr. Joe did double-duty for five years and has remained at Department of Youth Corrections ever since. 3rd segment: Scot asked Fr. Joe if this was the sort of ministry he asked for. Fr. Joe said he promised obedience at ordination and so Cardinal Medeiros called him to assume the position and it’s worked out very well. He’s extremely happy. He assists in changing the inner hearts of the individuals. He admires Fr. Edward Flanagan from Boys Town who said he firmly believes every child can be a productive citizen if given love, a home, an education ,and a trade. He also said that there are no bad boys, there is only bad environment, bad training, bad example, and bad thinking. In his ministry, he tries to change the bad environment, bad training, bad example, and bad thinking to give them an opportunity to be and feel loved, to give them a home environment, to give them an education and a trade. Fr. Chris said he will be visiting Boys Town this coming week. It’s an amazing place that shows the benefit of investing in youth. He said Aristotle teaches us that we learn virtue by seeing other practice it. When there isn’t virtue in our life, how will we learn it? Fr. Joe said example is tremendous. The staff at the department are excellent models of character and goodness as well as the Catholic volunteers who come in. Scot asked for an overview of the Department of Youth Corrections. Within the Commonwealth, it is separate from Youth Services. Their philosophy is that the kids are able to change. The difference from the adult program is that they do their set time. It is metric. The youth correction is not metric, but is about helping them change their heart and mind. The juvenile is committed to the Department for services until the age of 21. Some of the kids are living at home, but they are committed to the department. The majority of kids are between 13 and 21. Scot said he thinks it’s great that this state office has a Catholic chaplain committed to caring for all the children in their care. He asked what the job entails? Fr. Joe said a part is the celebration of the sacraments and religious education, but also the chaplain’s role is one of presence, to assist them, to talk to them. It’s also the corporal works of mercy so when a kid leaves and needs clothes, they get it for them; on their birthday give them a card and a gift; Christmas gifts for all; work with family to make sure the kids get a card on their birthdays and holidays. They do many things, but they do it in the name of Jesus, showing them unconditional love and acceptance. In 34 years, Fr. Joe has never asked to see a resident’s file. He doesn’t want to know why they’re there. He wants to love them unconditionally. Fr. Chris said many of the kids need that encounter with Christ. He asked what’s most effective in reaching them? Is he overwhelmed by the numbers? Fr. Joe said he isn’t overwhelmed, but understands how one can be. This was the benefit of his correctional days. That unconditional love, calling them by their first name in a place when they are always called by their last name, creates a loving, calming effect. He watches TV with them, listens to music with them, plays games with them. The majority of them have never had a childhood, so they’re trying to give them positive memories. He often receives letters that went into the adult system, thanking him for the good memories. Fr. Chris asked about the success stories. Fr. Joe said he will be walking down the street and someone will beep their horn at them, and it will be one of the kids who’s out of trouble and has a job. He got a call from California about a kid now working on the oil rigs. He comes into town and takes Father out to dinner every time. Fr. Joe recalls two kids who were afraid to go back to school in their neighborhood so he got them into Cathedral High School, where they did tremendously. After graduation, they had a contact at Gillette who pledged to send the kids to any school they could get into and so they went to Johnson & Wales to study business. They both got MBAs and went to work for major corporations. At Christmas they have their big bonuses from their employers an they now donate them to help other kids go to college. Fr. Joe said the majority of the kids he works with are Roman Catholic. Those who are not, the attitude is still unconditional love and acceptance. They are all welcome to come to Mass. All religious activities are optional. They get the same treatment as everyone else. He said the Knights of Columbus have renovated a portable building to use as a chapel. Fr. Joe wanted the youth to be able to leave the facility, which is incarceration, to go to a place of freedom. Scot said the chapel is 12 foot by sixty feet. On a weekend, Fr. Joe says 6 Masses. Fr. Chris asked if he’s seeing a second generation of kids. Fr. Joe said he’s seeing the children of those who he first started working with in his 34 years. Scot asked what the major reasons kids end up in the system. Fr. Joe said it’s like Fr. Flanagan said. It’s not totally environment though because there are many kids who come from the same background who do the right thing. That’s because the parents, guardian, grandparent is transmitting the values. If they don’t value education or value work, they’re not going to get up for school or a job. In today’s climate, gangs are the most prevalent reason for kids getting into the system. The kids don’t call them gangs. They call them family because the yard provided food, clothing, affirmation. They feel respect for who they are. Because they’re now entrenched in this and becomes such a part of their identity, if they see someone of another gang, they must retaliate. It’s difficult because the kids say they can either work for minimum wage or stand on a corner as a lookout for drug dealers and make $500 per night. In the department, they put kids of different gangs together for them to know them as a name, as a person. They also try to show them that there is more than the present, but that there is a future. Scot asked if the kids are taught trades. Fr. Joe said there is a maintenance department where they work with the maintenance people. The majority are not going to graduate from high school, so they will get jobs where they use their hands. They teach them that they are as important no matter what they do, that doctors or lawyers are not more important than they. They also teach them culinary arts and other skills. Fr. Joe said St. Anthony is one of his favorite saints because he is the patron of finding that which is lost, and it isn’t just about finding the car keys. He finds the lost souls. Also, Don Bosco and St. Vincent de Paul. It’s Don Bosco’s unconditional love and acceptance of street kids that he admires. Scot asked about the misconceptions that people have about the kids in the care of Youth Corrections. Fr. Joe said most people see these kids as throwaways, that they have no future. People have even told him that he’s wasting his priesthood. Fr. Joe said he is having an effect through the work of the Lord. These are ultimately children of God and they are our children. These kids have not had the opportunity so let’s give them the opportunity. They are children at heart, they cry at night, they hurt like other children. One kid said the only thing he wanted for Christmas was to have a family. For those who want to help, contact the Mass. State Knights of Columbus who continue to support the Chapel of Hope. He can also be reached at St. James the Great in Chinatown. Massachusetts State Council of the Knights of Columbus Photos from the 2010 Fr. Jo Baggetta’s Family Cookout

Summary of today’s show: As both a pastor and interim director of pastoral planning, Fr. Paul Soper is living out the challenges and opportunity of the landmark process for which the Archdiocese of Boston is planning. Fr. Paul joins Scot Landry and Fr. Mark O’Connell to discuss the state of the pastoral planning process that will reorganize and restructure the Archdiocese so that it can embark on the mission of evangelization with new vigor. After seven months of the most extensive consultations in the history of the Archdiocese, the pastoral planning commission is preparing for the next phase in the process and Scot, Fr. Mark, and Fr. Paul take a moment to assess where we stand now. Listen to the show: Subscribe for free in iTunes Today’s host(s): Scot Landry and Fr. Mark O’Connell Today’s guest(s): Fr. Paul Soper, Interim Director of the Office of Pastoral Planning Links from today’s show: Planning2012.com St. Albert the Great Parish, Weymouth Program #0057 for Friday, May 27, 2011: Fr. Paul Soper Today’s topics: Fr. Paul Soper on Pastoral Planning 1st segment: Scot wished Fr. Mark a happy 22nd anniversary of ordination tomorrow. Scot welcomed Fr. Paul Soper back to the show as well. He asked Fr. Mark for the highlights of his ministry. He said he became friends with Fr. Paul even before seminary when they were in undergraduate at different Boston area colleges and looking into the priesthood. They were ordained together. Fr. Paul said he also treasures their friendship, but also added all the parishes and ministries he’s served. He loves being a priest and administering the sacraments. Scot said Fr. Mark and Fr. Paul have served through many changes. He said we are in a moment of deep hope after a tough decade to begin this century. Fr. Mark said the last decade is personally significant because it corresponds with his work in canon law in the chancery and pastoral center. Fr. Paul is pastor of St. Albert the Great Parish in Weymouth. Scot asked him what other assignments he’s had. His first five years were at St. John’s in Wellesley. From there he went to Lowell, where he was half-time in campus ministry at U. Mass Lowell and half-time at St. Rita’s. Scot recalls going to the 5pm Mass at St. Rita’s. Fr. Paul said UMass Lowell they had a 10pm Mass for students. From there he went to St. Anthony’s in Revere for three years. The day he started was the merger of three former parishes. Then he was assigned to St. Alphonsus in Beverly for seven months. It was a short time but significant. It was during Reconfiguration and they looked at their situation and the situation in Beverly, they decided to be very positive about the parish closing, including building a new church in the Dominican Republic with appointments transferred from St. Alphonsus. Fr. Paul described how the people ceremoniously closed their church. Scot said at the time he remembers thinking how this was the way one should go about this difficult process. Then he was the pastor of two parishes in Dorchester. St. Williams and St. Margaret merged into Bl. Mother Teresa Parish. He said the people were wonderful, even if the finances were messy and difficult. They are now with three other parishes under a single pastor, Fr. Jack Ahern. One of the highlights was the formation of Pope John Paul Catholic Academy. His own school was about the close. They discussed the demolition of the old rectory in order to build a new gymnasium for the school. The rectory was falling apart so it needed to be done. Then Fr. Soper went to St. Albert theGreat in February 2009. Weymouth is Fr. Paul’s hometown. At the time he’d been recuperating from an illness and the people were very accommodating. A lot of what Fr. Paul is doing now in determining what a parish is supposed to look like comes out of his experience at St. Albert. On Ash Wednesday, the parish is open for 24 hours, midnight to midnight, with big signs outside inviting people to come in. They have teams of people the entire time. Fr. Paul heard a countless number of confessions on the Ash Wednesdays. They’ve had people who haven’t been in many years. They have people come in just before midnight. Nurses going in early tend to be the first ones in and policemen returning home after shift are the last. They then invite the people to come back on Good Friday and Easter. They give them a nail on Ash Wednesday and sk them to come back on Good Friday to nail it to a large cross. Scot said often he’s thought that something innovative would be very effective. He asked where the ideas come from. Fr. Paul said they have a strong and active parish council, a creative liturgy committee that thinks about how to make the liturgies welcoming and evangelizing, open parish meetings every two months, and after every Sunday Mass and each weekday Mass, people gather in the church hall for hospitality. Fr. Mark looks at the pattern of Fr. Paul’s life and sees how the Holy Spirit has prepared Fr. Paul for this particular task in pastoral planning. Scot said when Fr. David Couturier had announced he was leaving as director of pastoral planning, Cardinal Sean asked Fr. Paul to be interim director while also remaining pastor. Scot said many priests are going to be asked to do double duty in coming decades. Fr. Paul said what he’s learned in doing these jobs apply to multi-parish ministry. He said St. Albert’s has had very strong lay leadership and the people have stepped in and filled in the gaps. Also, there have been a number of generous priests who have helped out, including other priests in Weymouth and local retired priests who are on call to help out on a moment’s notice. Fr. Paul Rafferty, retiring from St. Paul’s in Hingham, will be moving in to the parish to be in residence to help out. He said the people at the Pastoral Center have been very accommodating. Most important is unity of mission. The mission of St. Albert the Great and the mission of pastoral planning is the same mission. They’re hoping to bring together parishes with one staff supporting one parish in accomplishing one mission, although in different sites. Parishes may be very different, the mission is the same. Although the priest may be drawn to different places with different responsibilities, it’s all in service of the same mission. Scot said he found that having someone currently serving as pastor, who is in touch on a day to day basis with parishioners, as director of pastoral planning is great. From December 2011 and the priestly convocation until today has been an intense period of consultation. Fr. Paul has attended 39 out of 40 of the consultation meetings. Scot asked Fr. Paul to reflect on what he’s heard and seen. Fr. Paul said that to the best of his knowledge a process like this hasn’t happened in the archdiocese to this extent before.There was a synod of laity in 1988 of about 10,000 people over the course of a couple years and that the closest one. Fr. Paul said these weren’t always easy or short meetings, yet people turned out. Scot said the feedback was generally high-quality feedback and Msgr. William Fay said it would affect the work of the Pastoral Planning Commission. Fr. Paul said the reason they did this extensive consultation was because the Cardinal said he wanted it. That was in the mandate of the commission from the very beginning. Msgr. William Fay was chosen as the chair of the commission because this is something he has great experience in. Now that they’ve heard from everyone, it was always the intention to reflect the feedback in the proposal itself as well as the various groupings. Fr. Mark asked Fr. Paul to explain how the process of making the changes was modified. Fr. Paul said there were three alternatives: everyone on the same day; do it by region; or do it by phases with parishes going as they are ready. The feedback was overwhelmingly in favor of the phased approach. Fr. Mark said it was also originally proposed that no pastor would remain in the same parish. Fr. Paul said they changed that based on feedback as well. Almost everyone on the commission had been in favor of changing everyone because you wouldn’t want one pastor out of three to stay while the other two leave, creating an inequity in the situation of the parishes from the beginning. Then when they put it out to people, the people said No, that they trust their priests to work it out and that they are willing to work it out. People said moving everyone would create so much hurt it would drive everyone away. Fr. Paul said it’s not what the priests or people wanted. Fr. Paul said he doesn’t think he appreciated as much before how deep the appreciation for their priests and pastors is among the people. Scot said the principle now is to find the best pastor of that grouping of parishes, whether it’s a priest from the parishes or from outside.Fr. Paul said it makes a lot of sense. they have decided to just trust that process of assigning priests will find the right priests. Scot said some people say that some aren’t getting the connection between grouping parishes and the goal of better evangelization. Fr. Paul said the restructuring is only part of the pastoral plan. It doesn’t contain within itself the whole of the thrust of evangelization. For instance, Bishop Kennedy is now setting up an office focused on evangelization in the parishes. Evangelization takes place within the context of the parish. Those parishes have o be strong and have sufficient resources to be mission oriented. Many parishes barely have enough to keep the lights on, never mind have sufficient staffing. Scot said many parishes are in a survival mentality. Fr. Paul said the structures we have now were built to support 70% of Catholics coming to Mass weekly. Now it’s less than 16%. Scot said it would have been 1.3 million versus 300,000. Those 300,000 have attempted to prop up a structure built for 1.3 million people through donations and volunteerism. There are areas where parishes would stronger with better stating. There will also be the opportunity for substantial training of the pastors and pastoral teams and then of pastoral councils and finance councils in the practicalities of evangelization. He said they hope the new collaboratives will have the impetus to do that. He said they acknowledge there will be loss and grief, but there will also be excitement and excited, dedicated people are de facto evangelizing people. When a person comes to the parish, what are they looking for? They’re not looking for people who are always arguing. Unity is attractive. Fr. Mark said some of our people feel like survivors, but they need to feel like evangelizers. Fr. Paul said on Pentecost the disciples were comfortable in the upper room, but when the Holy Spirit came they went out and never went back to that room. There is a need for a fundamentally different vision. As a parish priest he spends 95% of his time with his parishioners, but in a circumstance where less than 16% are coming, does that make sense for almost all of his time to be spent with people who are coming to church. Scot said he could free himself to go out where people are congregating. Fr. Mark said that when he did weddings in a parish, he went to the reception primarily to meet people who aren’t going to church and haven’t talked to a priest. Scot said all the resources from the consultations and videos of talks are available at Planning2012.com, including materials from last week from the priests’ convocation. Fr. Paul said over the summer the commission will take everything from the consultation and craft it into a document to present to Cardinal Sean in the fall. He will bring that to others for their feedback. He could approve it or send it back for refinement. At the same time, the commission is working with auxiliary bishops and others to refine the lists of collaborating parishes. About half of the initial groupings were confirmed to be correct from the feedback in the consultations. Most of the remaining have an easy fix while the rest just need more time to think, consult, and see what happens. They’re not going to rush into anything because there’s plenty of time. Fr. Mark said the biggest difference between this and Reconfiguration was then the idea was to do it and do it quick. Scot said we’ve learned a lot of what worked and what didn’t work. All that wisdom from those lessons back then will be part of the process in the future, to have the right pace. Scot said the best idea he’s heard about evangelization was the idea of each family inviting another family to come to Mass with them. Each family can pray to be guided by the Holy Spirit to find another family at the right time with the right words. Fr. Paul said the Spirit is in the middle of the process and we have to trust. Now as we do every week at this time, we will consider the Mass readings for this Sunday, specifically the Gospel reading. Gospel for the Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time (Mark 4:26-34) Jesus said to the crowds: “This is how it is with the kingdom of God; it is as if a man were to scatter seed on the land and would sleep and rise night and day and through it all the seed would sprout and grow, he knows not how. Of its own accord the land yields fruit, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. And when the grain is ripe, he wields the sickle at once, for the harvest has come.” He said, “To what shall we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable can we use for it? It is like a mustard seed that, when it is sown in the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on the earth. But once it is sown, it springs up and becomes the largest of plants and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the sky can dwell in its shade.” With many such parables he spoke the word to them as they were able to understand it. Without parables he did not speak to them, but to his own disciples he explained everything in private. Scot said it’s one of his favorite parables. The thought of the smallest seed making one of the biggest plants is about the power of evangelization. We don’t know how many seeds we plant in life, but the Holy Spirit can bring tremendous fruit from them. Fr. Paul said it’s easy for us to overlook the mustard seed. Fr. Mark said the reading corresponds with trusting the Holy Spirit. All of us needs to be planting seeds of faith in other peoples’ hearts and our own. He said Jesus knew how to communicate best, through teaching lessons through stories. Scot said Cardinal Seán loves to start his talks and homilies with stories too and he’s very effective with it. Fr. Paul said he gets his good stories from Fr. Mark. Fr. Paul said St. Mark is his favorite of the Gospels. It’s clear and concise and every word has punch behind it.

Summary of today’s show: On our Thursday show, Scot Landry, Susan Abbott, Fr. Roger Landry, and Antonio Enrique considered the news headlines of the week as they appear in The Pilot and The Anchor newspapers, including a Mass of Thanksgiving on the 10 anniversary of the Dallas Charter; Stand Up For Religious Freedom rally; National Review Board reports to US bishops; Priests meeting on pastoral planning; Fathers for Good; and International Eucharistic Congress Listen to the show: Subscribe for free in iTunes Today’s host(s): Scot Landry and Susan Abbott Today’s guest(s): Fr. Roger Landry, executive editor of The Anchor, the newspaper of the Fall River diocese; and Antonio Enrique, editor of The Pilot, the newspaper of the Boston archdiocese Links from today’s show: The Anchor The Pilot Some of the stories discussed on this show will be available on The Pilot’s and The Anchor’s websites on Friday morning. Please check those sites for the latest links. Today’s topics: 1st segment: Scot and Susan talked about baseball to start the show and the perfect game pitched by San Francisco Giants pitcher Matt Cain. Scot said some say it was the best 9-inning pitching performance of all time. A perfect game is where a batter never reaches base, whether through walk, hit, hit by pitch or any other means. Fr. Roger said the best pitching performance was Scot’s no-hitter that he caught for Scot in senior league. Scot said Kerry Woods’ 20-strickeout, 1-hit performance for the Chicago Cubs. Antonio said he’d rather speak about the Euro 2012 Cup in soccer. He’s hoping that his native Spain will win the Euro Cup, especially since they won the last World Cup and Euro Cup. Scot said Germany is the most frequent pick among the pundits. Scot recommends the Euro Cup for those who aren’t soccer fans, but are sports fans. 2nd segment: Scot said Cardinal Sean celebrated Mass this past Sunday to mark the 10th anniversary of the charter for the protection of children. It was a Mass of Thanksgiving for all those who have worked in child protection. Susan said Cardinal Seán did a wonderful job of integrating this message with the Feast of Corpus Christi. She said the children’s choir at Our Lady Help of Christians in Newton was terrific. She said there was a sense that this was ongoing and the work would continue. Video of Cardinal Seán’s homily from the Thanksgiving Mass Photos from the Mass of Thanksgiving Scot said it’s an anniversary we wish we didn’t have to celebrate because it recalls a very dark period, but it’s important to mark such events and the progress we continue to make. Antonio said the purpose was mostly a recognition that the Church has listened and has acted in reaction to what happened. Also, to give thanks to all the volunteers who made the choice to get involved after learning of the scandal and who have implemented all these programs over the past 10 years. Scot said on the agenda of the US Bishops meeting being held in Atlanta this week was a report from the National Review Board. Fr. Roger said the secular media is only covering the Church when there’s bad news to report. This report notes the real progress made in the Church in the past decade. He said the religious freedom angle has been getting a lot of attention, with people concerned over the impact this will have on the presidential election. But the bishops have said this is not a partisan effort or has an intention to affect the election. Fr. Roger thinks this focuses Catholics in the US on religious freedom and how that will affect how they vote. National Review Board Recommendations - 2012 June National Review Board’s 10-Year Progress Report (PDF) Scot said the other big front-page story in the Pilot this week is the convocation of priests for pastoral planning. A lot of the article covers the experience of Bishop Richard Malone in the Diocese of Portland, Maine, where they implemented similar changes for the sake of shoring up evangelization efforts. Antonio said Bishop Malone said you cannot make changes in the structure of the diocese without having a focus on evangelization. Bishop Malone said this is an opportunity to evangelize both those in the Church and those who are far away from Christ. Whenever people come back to the Church, they land in the parishes, so it’s important to have a welcoming parish infrastructure. Scot said Bishop Malone’s talk, which is available on Planning2012.com along with the other main talks, has two main points: “It is so important to have the lamp of the New Evangelization shining brightly on all the aspects of this pastoral planning process.” he said. “May your work together going forward, guided by the Holy Spirit, be for you and all you serve even with the challenges and all of that what John Paul II, in ‘Novo Millennio lneunte: called an exciting work of pastoral revitalization. Think of that, pastoral revitalization, our work involving all of us.” the bishop said. And “I do want to affirm how crucial your role is. Nothing good will come of this project without the highest quality of pastoral leadership offered by each one of you.” he told the priests. Susan said his comments about the crucial role of pastoral leadership connect to the experience of parishes where there is already great collaboration among pastoral leaders. Antonio said Bishop Malone said the unity of the presbyterate was vital got moving forward. Pastoral Planning website: Planning2012.com Fr. Roger said he wasn’t surprised that closing parishes was not very popular. A lot of hard work has gone into this. There’s no easy way to do this. You need to move slowly. He was thrilled to see how so many of the comments were incorporated into the process. He also liked to see how priests can see whether their own opinions were outliers or whether they were in the mainstream. He thinks the big picture gives hop not just to the Archdiocese of Boston, but also gives hope to other dioceses who will go through the similar effort in the future. Antonio said at the most recent meeting showed how much the commission is listening. He also notes how the tone of immediacy has been dialed back. Now they are talking about phasing in by region and having pilot parishes to observe over a longer period of time. He said it’s impressive how the people have complained about proposal to remove every pastor and have all new pastors. Scot said the idea was that if one of the parishes in a cluster kept its own pastor, there would be favoritism. But in the consultations they learned that no one liked that idea. Now the mantra is that they will find the best priest, whether a current pastor or another priest from outside. Susan said the nine key findings show that this process is not a rubber stamp and they are listening. She said she’s heard from several parishes who are willing to go forward in the pilot process. A couple of official appointments this week: Fr. Paul Clifford has been named a new pastor of St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Braintree. It’s former pastor was named Secretary for Parish Life and Leadership. This is pending Fr. Hamilton’s successor being appointed at St. John the Evangelist in Hopkinton. In Lynnfield, Fr. John Farrell at Our Lady of the Assumption has been granted Senior Priest retirement status. Also the Standup for Religious Freedom Rally took place in Boston, along with those in 160 other cities in the US, last Friday. Ray Flynn, Janet Benestad, and Don Feder were among the speakers. Fr. Roger said this is citizens taking back their country from the elites running it, like with the Tea Party and Occupy movements. It builds a certain dynamism. What has happened is that Catholics have been a sleeping giant and now recognizing that we are to be salt and light in the world. We are recovering that flavor of Catholicism that helped make our country great. Ordinary citizens are saying “this is what we stand for, this is what we believe.” Photos from the Standup For Religious Freedom Rally in Boston Links to videos of the Standup for Religious Freedom Rally speakers at bottom of this page Antonio said he was impressed by Don Feder, who is Jewish, and it was very telling about his grandfather coming to the US where he found his human rights. He talked about the dangers of the overreach of government. Susan said Don has been a friend to the pro-life movement for many years. Susan said Janet Benestad’s background was in political science and she noted that June 8 was the anniversary of the introduction of the Bill of Rights in the constitutional congress. Fr. Roger said these rallies encourage everyone to say that there’s strength in numbers. The biggest thing for the Fortnight for Freedom is for Catholics to get together and pray about this, educate ourselves within the context of history, embolden ourselves and get ready for a long-term cultural education effort. He said some Catholics on the Cape have been standing on the sides of some roads educating people about the issues. “Archbishop Lori highlights role of laity in Fortnight for Freedom”, Catholic News Agency/EWTN News Scot said the Knights of Columbus have a website called Fathers for Good. Fr. Roger said men and women need continual formation in the faith. Parishes can provide much, but not everything. One of the best organizations to form men to be real men of God is the Knights of Columbus. Fr. Roger has contributed some of this writings to Fathers for Good. He profiled it in the Anchor to educate men about this free resource and to lift up the work of the Knights to buttress them with a real fraternity that is very patriotic and helps many parishes. Fr. Roger said every man should consider becoming a Knight of Columbus. FathersForGood.org Susan noted from the article about Brian Caulfield who runs the site who spoke about the difficult birth of his son: “The first time I saw that beautiful little face lying in the incubator, I knew the great joy that God was sharing with me, and the great responsibility.” he said. “It struck me that this was for keeps - there would never be a moment for the rest of my life when I would not want to know how my son was doing, where he was going, and what I could do to help. I held him in my arms that day and walked around the neonatal unit praying softly in his ear. It was the start of a new life for me too, a life given for the good of another.” In Dublin right now is the International Eucharistic Congress. Scot said Ireland is going through tough times and he hopes the Congress will begin to create a stronger Church in Ireland. Antonio noted that so many missionaries have gone out from Ireland in the past. It’s been a beacon of hope in Europe for being stalwart in faith, but sthe sex abuse crisis has injured that. He said hopes this Congress is an opportunity for renewal. “International Eucharistic Congress starts in Dublin”, Catholic News Service, 6/11/12 “Eucharistic Congress opens with reflection on ‘treasure of the Church’”, Catholic News Agency/EWTN News, 6/11/12 Antonio said we turn to the Lord who renews, heals, and strengthens his people. Scot said we pray that publicity for the congress will renew people in their appreciation for the gift of the Eucharist. Fr. Roger said that during the Eucharistic Procession on Corpus Christi Thursday, Pope Benedict talked about the misconception that Eucharistic adoration was downplayed by Vatican II. Pope Benedict tells us we need to adore the Lord before, during, and after we receive Him. If we don’t adore the Lord, we aren’t really receiving him worthily. The connection between Communion and adoration was always meant to be there. He acknowledged that adoration is making a comeback in many places and he hopes it will continue. “Vatican II did not downplay eucharistic adoration, pope says”, Catholic News Service, 6/7/12 Fr. Roger said the more we love the Lord in the Holy Eucharist, the more we will care for every single part of the mystical body, the children of the Lord. Scot said the website Any Given Sunday is a great site with a fantastic video Why Go To Church. AnyGivenSundayProject.com 3rd segment: This week’s benefactor card raffle winner is Mary Adams from Stoneham, MA She wins Hiking the Camino: 500 Miles with Jesus by Fr. Dave Pivonka, TOR. If you would like to be eligible to win in an upcoming week, please visit WQOM.org. For a one-time $30 donation, you’ll receive the Station of the Cross benefactor card and key tag, making you eligible for WQOM’s weekly raffle of books, DVDs, CDs and religious items. We’ll be announcing the winner each Wednesday during “The Good Catholic Life” program.

Summary of today’s show: Sr. Lisa Valentini and Maureen Heil return to The Good Catholic Life to talk about the missions, mission trips by high school students, the Holy Childhood Association, and the mission group traveling from the Archdiocese of Boston to the Dominican Republic and sponsored by the Office for the New Evangelization of Youth and Young Adults. Scot Landry and Fr. Chip Hines talk with Maureen and Sr. Lisa about the amazing benefits of taking young people on mission trips for both the kids going on the trips and those to whom they are witnessing to Christ. Listen to the show: Subscribe for free in iTunes Today’s host(s): Scot Landry and Fr. Chip Hines Today’s guest(s): Maureen Heil, Director of Programs and Development for the Pontifical Mission Societies in Boston, and Sister Lisa Valentini of the Missionary Sisters of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus Links from today’s show: Program #0015 for Tuesday, March 29, 2011: Pontifical Mission Societies Pontifical Mission Societies in Boston Missionary Sisters of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, USA Province Today’s topics: Sr. Lisa Valentini and young adult mission trips 1st segment: Scot noted that the US bishops are having their semi-annual meeting, this time in Atlanta. People can follow along at USCCB.org. Scot said they’re reflecting on the 10th anniversary of the Dallas Charter for the protection of young people related to sexual abuse. The other major topic is the upcoming Fortnight for Freedom for religious liberty. Fr. Chip said he thinks the Fortnight is gaining steam and in his parish they’re making preparations. It’s also good to review the charter and see how it’s going. The Fortnight is June 21 to July 4 and all Catholics are asked to enter a period of prayer, study, and action to preserve our most cherished freedom, religious liberty. Fr. Chip recommended people see the new movie “For Greater Glory” about how people can lose their religious freedom even in a Catholic country. Scot said Cardinal Seán will be hosting a live town hall meeting on June 25 on CatholicTV and simulcast on WQOM. Viewers will be able to submit questions via Facebook, Twitter, and email. 2nd segment: Scot welcomed Maureen and Sr. Lisa back to the show. Scot asked Sr. Lisa to refresh listeners about her ministry. She is a native of a small town in Pennsylvania and grew up with one brother and four younger sisters. She said she was asked by a religious sister if she had a vocation to religious life and the idea got stuck in her head. She realized she thought if God wants it for her, it would be cool. She joined the Sister Servants of Immaculate Mary and she remembers hearing stories from sisters serving overseas and being very moved. One day, while teaching first grade she came across the statistic that one billion people have never heard about Jesus. So she asked to be sent to Peru, but she ended up in an all-girls academy for rich kids. Then she learned that the Sisters serve the rich in order to inculcate them in the service to the poor. She met with parents and told them that she would only stay in the school if she could expose their children to the service to the poor. The parents wanted this for their kids. Every week, they took the girls to the orphanages. One day, a first grade girl came to her upset. One of the kids had a ripped shirt and so the next time the little girl brought three of her shirts to one of the orphans. It was then that the other kids got the same idea. From that day on, they never came without bringing something. Sr. Lisa was in Peru for five years until she was called back to the United States. Then she was sent to work for the Holy Childhood Association in Philadelphia and her job was to go around and talk to kids about missions. She told the story of a woman who came to her door looking to get her baby baptized. She told her the priest wasn’t there, but the mother said her baby was very sick. The doctors had told her it was going to die. So she took her into the chapel and led her through the rite of baptism and she was able to baptize in an emergency because she was there as a missionary. This is the kind of story she told American kids about the missions. The kids started demanding to go on mission trips with her. During the summers in that period, she was going on mission trips and the kids wanted to go with her on the missions. She’s been going to Haiti for 21 years and knew it was too dangerous to take kids there. She was also going to Mexico at the time and so they took kids there. This year will be her 39th mission trip and it will have been hundreds of kids. In 1997, Sister transferred to the Missionary Sisters of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus because she felt called to be a full-time missionary. They went to Mexico on the mission trips until 2000 and then they switched to the Dominican Republic. Five years ago, Sr. Lisa heard from one of the families from Peru that had moved to Toronto. Three of the girls who she taught as first graders in Peru contacted her and wanted to go with her on a mission trip to the Dominican Republic. She also said among the kids on the missions, five have entered religious life, one is a priest, and four are in seminary. Scot asked Maureen how she met Sr. Lisa. She said it was when she worked for the Holy Childhood Association office in Allentown, Pennsylvania. She was always looking for missionaries to go into schools with her and talk to the kids. They’d known some of the same people in the missions as well. Sr. Lisa made herself to speak whenever she was in the country. Maureen said now that she’s in Boston she’s in this archdiocese very often as well. Scot said Holy Childhood is one of four Pontifical Mission Societies. He asked her what it is. Maureen said HCA is the junior Society of the Propagation of the Faith. It started in the 1800s when a French bishop came to the US, which was then mission territory, and traveled from New York to New Orleans and up to Canada. He went back to France wanting to bring the Catholic faith back to the US. So he went to the schoolchildren of France to pray and sacrifice a penny per month. They prayed one Hail Mary per month and they had to earn the one penny. Those donations went to the US and to China. His main concern was the babies were dying unbaptized. After only six years it went international and the first US office opened in Baltimore in 1853. Cardinal Sean has asked that HCA be in every Catholic school and religious education program. They show kids what the kids in the missions have to live with, including the poverty conditions, but mostly that they don’t know Jesus. Maureen said they went to a school this week and the kids were so excited that what they were doing as part oft he HCA was making a difference in the real lives of others. Sr. Lisa said the kids know how lucky they are to have what they do. Maureen said they know how important it is to sacrifice and pray every day. It’s not just an Advent or Lent thing. They have something in every month. One is the World Mission Rosary created by Archbishop Fulton Sheen during the month of October. They have a saint of the month every month, missionary saints that aren’t necessarily well-known. Her favorite recently was St. Mathilda, the wife of a king who died. By choosing a different son as successor and set off a war. The sons reconciled and banned mom to a monastery. There she entered a life of heroic virtue that led to sainthood, which shows how a mistake in life can be overcome to end up in canonization. Scot said Sr. Lisa is leading a pilgrimage this summer to El Factor, Dominican Republic. Sr. Lisa was stationed there in 2000 where she was principal of two pre-schools and in charge of choir and youth group. In her parish, there were no priests living there, so the sisters were the connection to parish life. She was also the only driver and so she was the ambulance. They knew that the sisters were their sisters in that town. The people are so welcoming to missionaries and it’s amazing to see the good done by the young people. There are two groups from Pennsylvania who go every year. One group is going to down on July 3. The missionaries are supports to the parish now and so they are welcomed. When they are there, they do a lot of catechesis in the mission church and some of the 20 mission chapels. The children of the area are waiting in anticipation for the mission group. They have 100 children per session. They do arts and crafts activities with the kids, sing songs, and pray with them. They will fly into the capital and take a bus for about two hours to El Factor. Five miles from there is a small city with a little supermarket. The area is the rice-growing zone and the people are simple farmers. There is no running water in the homes. They have an aqueduct now, about 8 years old, and the people fill buckets from a spigot two times per week. The also only have intermittent electricity. Scot asked if people are going hungry. Sr. Lisa said people used to have enough, but poverty is getting worse. Some families are going hungry. Generally, there are fruits that grow which can take the edge off, but it’s not complete nutrition. There is high unemployment and the educational system isn’t good. Kids often leave school to work on the farms. Sr. Lisa said they try to pair American kids with Dominican teens to do catechesis for the younger kids. This is eye-opening for the Americans on the dedication to the faith. The Boston kids will also have time for leadership formation. Maureen said her son Alex went on a mission trip to the Dominican Republic with Sr. Lisa. She said it’s a leap of faith for parents to trust the kids with being out of communication for two weeks when they used to constant contact. there’s a sense of pride in watching her children choose to go on missions, especially when the idea comes from them. Fr. Chip asked what the youngest age they will take. Sr. Lisa said they have to have finished their junior year of high school because she needs to count on their maturity and also so they can get full advantage of the experience. It can’t be all about them and until about 17, they are not quite ready for that. She said the Boston kids have been on a leadership track and they have done a lot of preparation for this trip, including retreats. For her kids from Pennsylvania, she meets many times with the kids many times before the trip. She has asked them to fast for a month. In Boston, Danielle Olsen has challenged the teens to fast for 56 days prior to the trip and to go to Mass more in preparation. Maureen said this also affects the family when the child is fasting from something. Parents have to adapt to respect that choice. But when they come back, parents will see the changes both subtle and obvious: respect for others, more reverence in church, and so on. Fr. Chip asked what the spiritual fruits of the mission work later in their life? Maureen said they will be the kids who will get involved in Newman Centers or get involved in local parishes, perhaps teaching religious education. She said one parish in Virginia threw a big graduation party for college students who had been volunteering 15 hours per week at the parish. These 20 or so kids had in common going on a mission trip. Maureen said it’s the compelling stories that start in the younger kids. When they’re older they go on the trips. And as adults they retain those experiences and have stories of their own. Sr. Lisa said she has many of the kids she talks to in grade school seek her out years later and want to go on mission trips. Then in college, the kids often major in social justice majors or minor in Spanish or something related to their experience. Scot said he was moved by the Office for the New Evangelization of Youth and Young Adults’s brochure to advertise the trip. It said the cost of the trip was $1,200 per kid, but they wanted them to rise the money to go in order to involve many others so that they can participate in this mission trip. Sr. Lisa said it’s the whole Archdiocese of Boston. She said the kids are going to people to get material for crafts donated, to dentists and doctors for first aid items, and more. But no one should buy donations. People can be missionaries to give by going, but they can also go by giving. Maureen said they had the kids write to every single person they know to ask for even one dollar and they would be praying for their donors and the donors would be participants. Sr. Lisa said the mission kids have a calendar and are putting names on it of people they will be praying for. Scot said Fr. Matt described the activity of catechizing, spending times with the village people, learn the culture, spend some time at the beach, pray, grow in the relationship with Christ, and come home with unforgettable memories and stories. Sr. Lisa said they will also come home with great photos.The Dominicans love pictures and the people there treasure the photos and hang them on the walls of their homes. The people fall in love with the missionaries and ask for them by name when Sr. Lisa goes back. Sr. Lisa said the people of El Factor are amazed how the people of American spend money to go there and work hard. They know what our lives are like here and wonder they come. Maureen said the only reason is the love of Jesus. Sr. Lisa said it will be two weeks long. Maureen said the yearly HCA art competition is nationwide and involves 10,000 kids. This year two kids from Boston were among the winners.

Summary of today’s show: One of the newest faculty members at St. John Seminary is Sr. Jeanne Gribaudo, CSJ. As a member of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Boston, her roots in the area grow deep and she has served the people of the area as a parochial school teacher, a youth minister, a college professor, and even an advisor to the Mayor of Boston. Sr. Jeanne talks with Scot Landry and Fr. Chris O’Connor about growing up in Roslindale, her vocation among the Sisters of St. Joseph, her ministry, and the final homestretch toward her PhD. Listen to the show: Subscribe for free in iTunes Today’s host(s): Scot Landry and Fr. Chris O’Connor Today’s guest(s): Sr. Jeanne Gribaudo, CSJ Links from today’s show: Sisters of St. Joseph Today’s topics: Sr. Jeanne Gribaudo, CSJ 1st segment: Scot Landry welcomed Fr. Chris to the show. They are taping from St. John Seminary. The guest is Sr. Jeanne Gribaudo is a new member of the faculty at the seminary and the Theological Institute for the New Evangelization. Fr. Chris said they are planning for the ordination on June 23. Fr. Chris has been asked to be the vesting priest for Deacon Eric Bennett. They also discussed the other seminarians being ordained as well. 2nd segment: Scot and Fr. Chris welcome Sr. Jeanne to the show. She said said she grew up in Sacred Heart parish in Roslindale. They had the Sisters of St. Joseph at the school and they had a very positive influence on her life. In the sixth grade she transferred to public school, but she still had the feeling that she wanted to be a religious. When she graduated from high school she met with a vocation director. She went to Stonehill College and after 4 years there, she entered the Sisters of St. Joseph. She said the Sisters at Sacred Heart so obviously enjoyed each other. She recalled how the Sisters joked with each other and needled each other. They had a care and concern and deep faith. She saw them in church all the time. Sr. Jeanne said the charism of the Sisters of St. Joseph is unity and reconciliation. They are built on an Ignatian-Salesian spirituality. For years, they taught in the archdiocese, but they expanded to social work, outreach to immigrants, and especially human trafficking. Fr. Chris asked her to expand on that. Sr. Jeanne said the spirituality is ad extra, as opposed to ad intra. Their community life is concerned with love of neighbor and being diocesan. The order belongs to the Archdiocese in a special way. Scot said so many religious orders are worldwide, but the Sisters of St. Joseph are locally based. Sr. Jeanne said so many of the priests and laypeople approach the CSJ and ask them about other CSJ they have known. Scot said it’s similar to diocesan priests in that the CSJ stay local frost of their lives. Sr. Jeanne said there is an exception. She recalled that Cardinal Cushing sent some of the Sisters to Peru to assist with the St. James Society. On her home parish, she recalled the pastors of her childhood. She said they had six or seven priests in the rectory and they would say that the parish ran the priests, not the other way around. The parish was divided into six regions and each priest was assigned to that area. That’s how big it was. Everything in the area revolved around the church. Fr. Chris said growing up people’s parish identity was part of their whole identity. When asked, where are you from, people responded with their parish name. Sr. Jeanne said she was the youngest of four. Her brothers were altar boys and her sister was in May processions. She said we need to bring that back and that’s why the New Evangelization is so important. People need those moments to hold onto. Scot asked if it was uncommon for someone to leave parochial school to go to public school. Sr. Jeanne said her mother didn’t want to let her go to Boston Latin School, but one of the sisters convinced her. When she told her parents she was thinking of religious life, her family was supportive but wary, especially since vocations had started to go down. Extended family wasn’t as supportive in the time after Vatican II. There were some impulses in the Church that needed to have the kinks worked out. Fr. Chris noted that much of the confusion has abated, which works better for the men in the seminary. On the other hand, many major societal questions have cropped up, like assisted suicide and the like, topics they would never have worried about 15 years ago. Sr. Jeanne said when she first entered the order in 1988 as a postulant. She was there 1-1/2 years and taught English at the high school level at St. Columbkille’s in Brighton. From there she went to the novitiate at Sacred Heart in Watertown for two years. There were two novices at the time. during the first year, she entered community programs and the second year she volunteered 4 days a week somewhere. She went to Msgr. Charles Bourque and they started a Jamaica Plain CYO with all kinds of sports teams. She did all kinds of fundraising and credited Doyle’s in JP for donating tons of pizza to the kids, including every Friday during the summer. She said those are the memories the kids will remember. She began to work with local political leaders to get the gyms open for the kids. She recalled working with the then-City Council president and then acting Mayor, Tom Menino. She pestered him so much he called her Sister Relentless. Afterward, he asked her to be his city youth advisor and offered her a job. But she got advice that it wouldn’t be good to take a salary but to do it for $1 per year. She helped streamline the youth programs. She helped start the mayor’s youth council, which is juniors and seniors who represent their section of the city who meet with the mayor every 4 to 6 weeks. Scot asked what it was like to work in a political environment as a sister. Sr. Jeanne said you’d be surprised how many sisters get involved with politics at some level to get assistance for programs they’re running. She said because she wasn’t taking a salary, she felt free to speak her mind about things. It can be heady wine, she said, being invited to go to the White House to meet the president, for example. That can all be seductive and she tried to balance it with her life in Christ. Sr. Jeanne said it was a privileged place to be in, in order to speak to the mayor about matters of concern to the Church and vice versa. So often between the religious world and political world, everything is passed secondhand and thirdhand. She told a story about teaching college students and when they realize how important it is to not implicitly trust the media reporting, but to go to the original sources and find out for themselves. In addition to those assignments, Sr. Jeanne has worked at Stonehill College as assistant to the president. Since she’d been a student there before, it was fun to go back there. She’s also done a lot of fundraising. She’s very proud that she worked with Ron Burton, former New England Patriot, to start a scholarship for two students per year at the Ron Burton Training Village to go to Stonehill. They have two students from Eritrea who are freshman and junior this year at Stonehill. Scot asked about the courses she was teaching at Fairfield University and Sacred Heart in Connecticut. Sr. Jeanne said she talked to the chairs of the departments who were having her teaching courses at the colleges in which they talked about the tough ethical issues, like euthanasia, abortion, exploitation of persons. She said it’s a scary time and the students were often horrified about the way the dignity of human life is trampled today and became more and more enamored of the Church’s teachings in these areas. 3rd segment: Scot asked Sr. Jeanne about her doctorate program. Sr. Jeanne said she remembers when she first started and was told by her advisor that he couldn’t explain what it would be like, but after she would understand. Fr. Chris said he was breaking into a sweat listening to her. She discussed how much work was completed to get to her dissertation. She’s just got back the first chapter of her dissertation from one of three readers giving her feedback. She’s writing on the holiness and sinfulness of the Church. She’s focusing on six theologians who had a lot of influence on Vatican II’s document, Lumen Gentium, and how that affected John Paul II’s millennial apology. She said it was prophetic. The apology means that there are times when the members of the Church all sin and the Church composed of sinners asks for forgiveness. She said Pope John Paul II relied a lot on one of those theologians, Hans Urs von Balthasar, with a profound understanding of humanity on a journey toward God. Fr. Chris said she has to finish writing and then has to do a two-hour defense. Sr. Jeanne said hopefully it will be late fall or early spring. Scot asked what led her to study ecclessiology, the theology of the Church. Sr. Jeanne said she’s often hear people say: Jesus, yes; the Church, no. But Pope Paul VI said we can’t live that way.You can’t have one and not the other. It’s a both/and. You have to have the Church in order to have Jesus. You can’t write 260 pages without having a passion for the topic. Sr. Jeanne said we sometimes throw out the word “Church” without defining our terms. She said you can’t say the “Church is sinful” because then you are saying Christ is sinful. So we have to be very careful. Scot asked what Sr. Jeanne will be doing at St. John Seminary and the TINE program. She has started by teaching an ecclesiology course. She said the class is an evening seminar from 6-9pm with 9 students from all walks of life studying for the Master of Arts in Ministry.She’s also been asked to work on some parish outreach for the New Evangelization, helping to bring it to the parishes in a user-friendly way. Scot said the New Evangelization needs to take up a programmatic format in the parishes. Sr. Jeanne hopes that young people in the archdiocese will be involved in some contests to do something for the new evangelization. She wants to get young people excited. They discussed the Year of Faith and how it integrates the New Evangelization. One idea is to bring young people to see what the seminary is all about, not just those who might be discerning priesthood. Sr. Jeanne said we don’t talk enough about the vocation of family life and marriage. Her favorite line in the Catechism is that parents are first and best teachers of the faith. One of her great joys is when former students come to see her and tell her that they have stay involved in their faith. She also hears from current students who haven’t been practicing their faith who have started. Fr. Chris asked who her favorite saint is. She said John Henry Newman, especially his poem “One Kindly Light”. Also, St. Peter Canisius, because he did so much with religious education. With regard to parents who thinks the children are lost to the faith, Sr. Jeanne advises they don’t give up on them. Look for the right program, even if your parish doesn’t have it and you have to go to another. Look at outreach programs. Encourage your college student to do an alternative Spring Break or a year of service. Scot asked why students connect with the faith on a service project. Sr. Jeanne said it’s because they see their faith in action, helping real people. It’s not just talk, but it makes a difference. Scot asked how our families and parishes overcome sinfulness and strive toward holiness. Sr. Jeanne said her mother always used to say, There but for the grace of God, go I. There’s enough blame and judgment to go around, but we could ask what if we were in the other’s shoes. The sacraments do not depend on the holiness of any of us. That grace comes from God. We can forget the rudimentary teachings about God. Often people leave the Church because they don’t understand the teachings of the Church. Don’t get your understanding of the Church from the media. Try to read the original documents, like the Catechism of the Catholic Church or theYoucat, which is a version of the Catechism for young adults. They talked examples of people misunderstanding their status with regard to the Church, like with divorce or other matters. Don’t be afraid to find out more and talk to a priest. Fr. Chris asked the most important fact to know about the Church. Sr. Jeanne said that it is Christ present on earth. The Church makes mistakes, but it’s our way to Christ and it’s our home. Even if you’ve been away forever, you can always go home.

Summary of today’s show: Greg and Jennifer Willits are the hosts of the satellite radio show The Catholics Next Door and authors of a new book by the same name, in which they delve deep into what it’s like to be that “wacky Catholic family” with lots of kids and who hold to that old-time religion. In their conversation with Scot Landry, they have a lot of laughs and talk about their new web site, NewEvangelizers.com, the Gabriel Award for their Catholic sitcom, and the potential pitfalls of writing a book with your spouse. Listen to the show: Subscribe for free in iTunes Today’s host(s): Scot Landry Today’s guest(s): Greg and Jennifer Willits Links from today’s show: New Evangelizers The Catholics Next Door: Adventures in Imperfect Living The Catholic Channel on Sirius XM Today’s topics: The Catholics Next Door 1st segment: Scot welcomed Greg and Jennifer Willits to the show. Scot noted that Greg and Jennifer have been early proponents of Catholic new media and host their own satellite radio program on The Catholic Channel. Jennifer said they wrote their book to linger on aspects of Catholic living that radio doesn’t allow them to. When they were asked to write it, they didn’t have a solid idea of where they were going and the publisher gave them free rein. They decided to talk about their faith and dive deep into the big topics and not hold back. They were very transparent with their journeys living with the teachings of the Church. They tackled writing a book together. Scot said Fr. Roderick Vonhogen wrote in the foreword that these are above all “real people” who desire to share their lives in the midst of a culture where TV shows “reality” that is all but scripted. Scot asked Greg what it’s like to write a book with someone else and how they went through the process. Greg said it was the hardest part of figuring out how they were going to do it without stepping on each other’s toes or repeating what the other said. Greg said he’s sometimes over analytical. He said they’ve been cohosting their radio show for four years and their podcast before that for four or five. In that process, he’s always taken the lead of setting the outline and doing the preparation, but she said with the book that she wanted equal input. Finally, they did have the outline down and knew the topics that are most important to Catholics in general that they wanted to cover, topics that Catholics who grew up in the 70s and 80s didn’t have a firm grasp on. They knew they didn’t get the best catechesis and so they want to make someone else’s journey a little easier. It could help someone feel less alone and grow closer to Jesus. After the outline, they had to figure out the voice. They started with a combined voice of “we”, but it became difficult, especially when talking about natural family planning and ovulation and the like. So they turned to a book that had a dramatic impact on them, “Rome Sweet Home”, by Dr. Scott and Kimberly Hahn. Greg first read the book at a critical time when he was questioning whether he would remain Catholic. The book said you are exactly where you’re supposed to be, it’s good to have questions, it’s good to seek answers, and it’s okay to have doubts. So Greg and Jennifer modeled the way the Hahns wrote their book, in which they took turns talking about their journey. Greg said he believes the Holy Spirit took their book in a direction that will benefit a lot of people. Now other people are comparing the book favorably to “Rome Sweet Home.” Scot said in many ways we’re all the Catholics next door to other people who come to us with questions in the faith. The book says to be a Catholic next door is to live sincerely. We’re not perfect or experts or the best Catholics we can be, but we want to be. We recognize that others are at different places on the way and we accompany them on the way. The book wants to let people know that they are not alone in their journey in Christ. Scot said Catholics who live their faith don’t look down on others, but know they are imperfect. Jennifer said we have to realize we are Catholic 24-7, not just putting on the church-face during Mass. It’s at the bank or the grocery store or in the park. When you encounter anyone else, you have an opportunity to let your Catholic light shine. Maybe sometimes you will say the right thing, but we certainly want to strive for it everyday. She wants to encourage people not to be ashamed of being Catholic, but to be loving and charitable. Scot said the first chapter is titled “Our neighbors think we’re nuts.” In the book, they quote Ghandi who said he likes Christ, but not Christians, because Christians are so unlike Christ. The chapter ends, “we’re called to do what we can… We don’t have to be superheroes or super-saints, but we may have to be willing to be a little nutty.” Greg said that comes from a previous production in the That Catholic Radio Show video series they did on being able to be a Christian within our own home. While they were filming it, Greg had Jennifer doing a lot of weird things like dressing up in costumes so Greg wanted to dress her in a superhero costume in their backyard. The idea was that in the simple things in life, you can still be a superhero to those around her. So he started pelting her with clean pairs of kids’ underwear while she hung from the monkey bars. Their neighbor comes out in his yard, sees them, and shakes his head at them and drives away. Greg said he’s certain the neighbor thinks they’re off their rocker, but Greg still takes the opportunity to say things like “I’ll pray for you.” Scot said going to the supermarket with five kids is a silent way of living out and witnessing to faith. Jennifer said she’s proud of going out with her whole family as she knows what she must look like. People will even approach her and think she’s some kind of superhero. The trick is she delegates chores to the kids. Greg said she ends up in the backyard drinking a glass of wine. Jennifer said she often wears her Catholic T-shirts and people will sometimes approach and ask about it. Then there is an opportunity to witness to a perfect stranger. At the very least, we always witness to our children. They are always watching the good and bad. Scot asked Greg about the idea of raising our kids well and the chapter Greg wrote on fatherhood. Scot said what resonated with him the most was the four simple rules of being a dad. Greg said they are rules he tries to adhere to himself and will look back at the chapter as something the Holy Spirit wanted him to write for himself. I need to do what I can do to get myself to heaven. I need to develop a personal relationship with God; that I remain in a state of grace. I need to do whatever I can to get my wife to heaven. Do what I can to get my kids to heaven. I need to help anyone else get to heaven. Of course, the Holy Spirit is throne doing the converting while we’re just a tool for the Spirit. Scot talked about how he too is also the one who always does the driving. In the book, Greg has an analogy of the husband driving the family minivan to heaven and not leave anyone behind. Also, Greg said one of the best lessons for a Catholic dad is to love our kids mom even more than we love the kids and we need the kids to see that. Greg said with so many kids in the house, they’ve always struggled with making sure they have time together, especially in the summer when the kids are staying up later as they get older. for years they were able to sit down after 8pm bedtime. Now they are spending less time together. So now he reminds the kids how many of their friends who have parents who are separated and divorced and whether they want the parents to stay married, and then tells them to go to bed. there’s always something that needs to be done and we keep ourselves so busy that it’s easy to get lost in the world. Love is not just an emotion, but it’s an action. They have to keep reminding that we need to love in a tangible way, spending time with each other, reminding themselves of why they fell in love in the first place. It’s like exercise. If you stop, you get fat and lazy. Scot said parents see their kids as gifts from God, but the “we” time for the couple gets the less attention because it’s not as urgent and not as “squeaky a wheel” as the kids. Jennifer said their 15th anniversary was one of the most exhausting things they had done. It was a significant anniversary so they decided to include the kids in the celebration. They got a “city pass” which allows people to experience all the major attractions of Atlanta. They had three 10-hour days in the midst of the summer and they were so drained from what they had done, Greg and Jennifer felt so defeated on the last day, she wondered if they had really celebrated their marriage. So she decided to arrange a last-minute getaway for them to renew and recharge and refresh and recall the sacramental reality of their marriage. Sometimes we can forget the entire marriage and everything in it is a sacrament. Greg said at the same time, their intention to spend time with the kids was good, but they got out of balance. While the intention is good, they need to check and balance. They realized their marriage also needed some time and attention. Jennifer said parents of lots of kids know the challenge of getting away is easier said than done. Overnight childcare on short notice is pretty difficult. She was hoping God would send someone to help them on two hours notice. By the time they got home from Atlanta, they actually had everything they needed. They were already willing to be thankful for what they had on their anniversary no matter what and God gave them the extra treat. Scot said another chapter folks appreciate is how the Willitses came to terms with the Church’s teaching on contraception and how they came to live natural family planning in their own lives. They say in the book that the Church’s teaching can help strengthen a marriage. Jennifer said honestly she forgot she was so transparent in the book. She had prayed to the Holy Spirit to guide her in what she wrote and so she wrote what she thought needed to be said. She was so honest in writing about their journey to understanding, she realized she’d struggled to find the answers from the Church and had kept coming up short. she genuinely wanted to follow the teaching, but kept getting stuck in finding what the teaching is. She’s sure there are people who wonder the answers to the questions they have encountered as well. So she wrote about how she came to understand what the truth really is. The reason there is no black-and-white list of what you can do and what you can’t is because once you understand what love is and understand the theology of the body, then you have a moral guide that answers those questions for you and you can know you’re not using your spouse in the guise of loving them. Pope John Paul II in his Theology of the Body and Christopher West in his books that break that open, all the understanding came into place. She said even now they continue to struggle with the variables of who we are from day to day. Scot said if he were in charge of marriage preparation, he would make this book required reading for the couples. Scot said he was struck by a homily in church by Deacon Jack Jansen to get Greg to think about this topic in the first place. Greg said as a cradle Catholic, he knew the Church taught contraception was wrong, but his understanding ended there with a question mark. It’s wrong, but is it ever okay? There was no explanation of why. If we have a rule without an explanation, it can feel ambiguous. Even after they got married and had their first child, they sat down with a priest to understand their obligation in their openness to life. Unfortunately, the priest gave them bad advice and basically said it boiled down to conscience. But it’s about the Church’s teaching on God’s love and plan for sacramental marriage. When we use contraceptives, we not only create barriers between and our spouses, we are not wanting that person completely. You want everything except having the opportunity for God to bless you and your spouse with children. So now when they heard this deacon who has nine kids give a homily and he said it’s difficult at times, but it’s a blessing, they realized it’s okay to say sometimes it’s difficult being a parent. The deacon preached about chastity in and out of marriage. Greg had thought that in marriage all bets are off and that you can do anything. But in reality you are only free when you remove the barriers between you and your spouse. The barriers prevent access to grace. It doesn’t mean you have to have 20 children. It’s about what God plans for you and how you’re including God on a daily basis. After Mass, the deacon gave Greg a tape of a talk by Dr. Janet Smith called “Contraception: Why not?” It talks about how couples who don’t use contraception have a talk on a monthly basis about where they stand in their relationship. Deacon Jack died in 2006. Two weeks after that homily Jennifer was pregnant with their third son. Chastity has given them freedom in their marriage. Scot said a good place for any couple to start talking about contraception and NFP is this chapter in this book. Greg and Jennifer said they’ve got some great reviews and feedback on the book. Jennifer said they didn’t think people would be seeing the book as a marriage preparation book or a primer on the first 15 years of marriage. There is something for everyone in the book, whether single and struggling with Catholic identity or married with or without kids. Scot congratulated Greg and Jennifer and their friends Mac and Katherine Baron on winning a Gabriel Award for their sitcom pilot “Mass Confusion”. Greg said people are now wondering if they’re going to a second episode. Scot said now that the format has been proven, hopefully someone will step forward to fund it. Gabriel Awards Scot asked about the New Evangelizers website that Greg and Jennifer have created. Greg said its the fruition of almost 10 years of work in ministry. They have created an apostolate called Rosary Army, to make pray and give away knotted twin rosaries; That Catholic Show; The Catholics Next Door; and more. And as more and more focus is placed on New Evangelization, we are all called to be new evangelizers and so they put all their ministries under on banner with a motto of “Know your faith, live your faith, share your faith”. They give away a kit for new evangelizers. Scot said it gives people a lot of tools to deepen their faith. Jennifer said people just go to New Evangelizers and click on the Rosary Army link. From there people can order their free rosary, picking out their own colors. Catholics Next Door airs Monday through Friday 1-4pm on SiriusXM channel 129.

Summary of today’s show: Cardinal Seán and the priests of the Archdiocese of Boston gathered on Thursday for their annual convocation at which they considered the latest news and feedback on the ongoing process of pastoral planning for the future of the Church in eastern Massachusetts. Scot Landry. Fr. Mark O’Connell, and Fr. Chip Hines listen to the compiled feedback from throughout the Archdiocese as presented to the convocation by Msgr. William Fay, chairman of the Pastoral Planning Commission, and consider what lessons have been learned, what proposals have been given support, and what might have changed. Listen to the show: Subscribe for free in iTunes Today’s host(s): Scot Landry, Fr. Mark O’Connell, and Fr. Chip Hines Links from today’s show: Boston Pastoral Planning 2012 Today’s topics: 2012 Priestly Convocation and Pastoral Planning Today’s show: Scot said earlier today he was able to go to Boston Common for the Stand Up For Religious Freedom rally, at which Janet Benestad who is the secretary for faith formation and evangelization spoke. He said people came up to him and told him how they listen to the radio show every day. One of them was Scot’s former high school teacher. Photos from the rally The rallies occurred in 160 cities around the country on today which is the anniversary of the signing of the Bill of Rights. On today’s show, they will discuss the priestly convocation that occurred yesterday that covered evangelization and an update on the process of pastoral planning. We will share clips from Msgr. Fay’s address, but first getting Fr. Chip’s and Fr. Mark’s takes on the convocation. Fr. Chip said something we learned from 2004 was the ned to listen and this process is much better at that. Fr. Mark said he looked around the room and saw a lot of priests, but then recalled how even more priests there were when he was ordained 20 years ago. This pastoral planning recognizes that if we don’t plan all the things we fear are going to happen anyway, but in a haphazard way. Scot said the first Reconfiguration was done in crisis mode. This pastoral planning is being done when we’re not in a crisis and to create the opportunity and resources for evangelization. Fr. Chip is living this out with this two parishes, hacking a parochial vicar to help instead of having the two of them each running one parish. Scot said Msgr. Fay said the commission received 8,000 pages of feedback on the proposal. 2,500 group responses were responded. These were groups of pastoral councils and the like. The general response was that they were moving in the right direction. Some responses reinforced what the commission was proposing and others changed their directions. A clip of the first takeaway from the surveys: 66% thought the pastoral plan is in general the right direction. 15% thought it was wrong direction and proposed closing parishes or seeking priests from other countries. 84% of people were clearly opposed to closing parishes. Only 7% were in favor of closing parishes. Scot said most people consulted though the plan heads in the right direction, even if they don’t agree with every single thing. Having attended some of these consultation, Scot has seen similar responses. Fr. Mark said the priests who attend the convocations are those who are generally supportive, while those who don’t go are generally not supportive of what’s going on in the archdiocese. He said it’s clear that everyone agrees that doing what we’re doing now isn’t the answer. He said getting a bunch of foreign priests wouldn’t solve the problem. Scot said the problem in many parishes is that we don’t have the resources to go out to bring back those who aren’t coming to Masses. Fr. Chip said in his experience is that some people complain about priests with accents. Regarding the status quo, Fr. Chip said that when there is an open pastorate, they have to pull a priest from another parish and then have a domino effect in filling holes. A clip from the third takeaway from the surveys: Finding the right pastor is key. When they first suggested that current pastors from a group of clustered parishes would not become pastor of the whole group. 70% of people wanted to keep their own pastor. What they did learn was that the principle they introduced— to keep parishes in the cluster from feeling slighted—was that the right man needs to be found as pastor. Scot said he’s happy with this change in attitude. He said a parish from a grouping would already be known by the parishes in that grouping. Fr. Chip said he has to be case by case as opposed to a blanket policy. In some case bringing a priest in from outside might be best. Fr. Mark said we learned the lesson in Reconfiguration in which sometimes it was best to keep a guy in place and sometimes it was best to replace him. Fr. Mark said a lot of the people in the parish are too focused on the pastors. He said that’s shortsighted because priests get reassigned all the time. They should look at macro issues of the culture and neighborhood and the like. Another clip from Msgr. Fay: The implementation has to be phased in. 68% of people wanted it to be gradual, deliberate, and organic. Start small and build, learning from best practices as they move forward. They may start with two or three clusters in a region, then step back for two or three years to learn best practices. But the hope would be after five years they’d be moving the diocese pretty well forward on this. Scot’s sense was that there was a lot of agreement among the priests for this. Fr. Chop said it makes sense to do it this way. We’re already phasing it in with 20% of parishes sharing a pastor with other parishes. Fr. Chip said he’s always known the Church has moved slowly and now we’d been moving quickly. Scot said that was the experience of Reconfiguration, a suddenness. Fr. Mark remembers the presbyteral council being asked whether to phase it in and a priest spoke up and said the bandage should be ripped off quick. That was the advice given to Cardinal Seán and now all the priests who were in the room have learned the lesson. Fr. Mark said 99% of the priests in the room were comfortable with Msgr. Fay’s style of leadership. He and Deacon Chuck Clough have led the process to take its time. The next takeaway from Msgr. Fay: Parishes have very different cultures, and not just ethnic cultures. Parishes do things differently. they learned that two parishes right next each other do things in very different ways and have done them that way for many years. Legitimate differences are to be respected and the pastor of those parishes has to be able to recognize that. While the pastor guides a group of people who have been that parish for a very long time. We need to help folks in parishes to work together to bring the best out of one another and not try to collapse differences into a flat homogeneity. Scot said each parish grouping should be treated individually. It’s good to note that parishioners that might look the same on a statistical sheet, the history and culture of those parishes can be so different they might not be a good fit when grouped together and maybe they shouldn’t be grouped differently. Scot said it’s a recognition that some of the proposed groupings need to change. But Fr. Ship said some of those groupings will need to stay and those parishes will need to find a way to work together. Parishes need to recognize they’re part of something bigger and they will need to change a bit to work together. The next takeaway: TRaining is critical. 82% said training should be integral and 72% would be willing to do the training. Scot said people are hungry for training to make sure we can accommodate cultures and understand the vision of Cardinal Sean and learn to evangelize and invite people to join us once again. Fr. Mark said this is a critical stage in the history of the Archdiocese We’re doing something different and changing our pattern. We have to make sure we’re going to do this right so we’re all formed for this new reality. Fr. Chip said Msgr. Fay also said we need to be flexible with the training, like online or other kids of options. Part of it is true leadership training. He said it’s important that it’s mandatory. Scot said a key here is leadership of change, helping people through the process of change. Everyone needs at least a refresher on that and everybody in leadership positions need to sharpen their skills in this area. Fr. Mark noted that some parishes will still standalone and even those parishes will need that training. Scot said they’re still working out what that will look like. Msgr. Fay’s eighth takeaway: there is exploratory thinking about how to bring parish and finance councils for parishes are brought together without violating canon law that each parish have its own. Scot said they need more information on the idea of a pastoral and a financial council that represents the grouping of parishes. A key is how to keep assets separate, and Scot said you have written rules on how to do this and give processes and norms. Fr. Chip said he likes to keep some things separate in his two parishes. For instance, he keeps the bills and records for two parishes in two separate places. How we do that is a good question and he hopes the training will help with that. Fr. Mark said as a canon lawyer, that the law doesn’t seem flexible and the Vatican is on our side and is working with the archdiocese to find an acceptable position. This is innovative and will help the entire country. Second, during the table discussion at the convocation, one of the pastors was concerned about having two parishes in a cluster in which one is very poor and the other is very rich where you can’t combine assets. Fr. Mark said one good thing is that people who help the better off parish will be able to help the poorer parish with how to get better. Scot speculated on a norm that would say that the parishes would pay the combined salaries of the pastoral service team based on their relative ability to pay. Fr. Mark said he can imagine a much bigger parish paying more than the other parish in the grouping. Msgr. Fay’s last takeaway: Will the new collaborative structure really strengthen parishes financially? He said those who have worked deeply in this area believe that this is true. Scot said there is concern over the notion that parishes that are struggling financially today will be better off in these groupings. Fr. Chip said the key is to have the pastors involved at the local level. Fr. Mark said the Cardinal is asking us to look at this optimistically and he’s asking us to strengthen parishes and train for evangelization to attract Catholics home and bring new Catholics. Scot aid all the problems of the Church find their root in the Mass attendance problem. If we’re able to follow Jesus’ Great Commission— Go and make disciples of all nations—live and share the faith with others, we will be much better off. Scot said the addresses by Msgr. Fay, Bishop Malone and Cardinal Seán will be posted on the Planning2012.com within the next week. Now as we do every week at this time, we will consider the Mass readings for this Sunday, specifically the Gospel reading. First Reading for the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, June 10, 2012 (Exodus 24:3-8) When Moses came to the people and related all the words and ordinances of the LORD, they all answered with one voice, “We will do everything that the LORD has told us.” Moses then wrote down all the words of the LORD and, rising early the next day, he erected at the foot of the mountain an altar and twelve pillars for the twelve tribes of Israel. Then, having sent certain young men of the Israelites to offer holocausts and sacrifice young bulls as peace offerings to the LORD, Moses took half of the blood and put it in large bowls; the other half he splashed on the altar. Taking the book of the covenant, he read it aloud to the people, who answered, “All that the LORD has said, we will heed and do.” Then he took the blood and sprinkled it on the people, saying, “This is the blood of the covenant that the LORD has made with you in accordance with all these words of his.” Gospel for the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, June 10, 2012 (Mark 14:12-16, 22-26) On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, when they sacrificed the Passover lamb, Jesus’ disciples said to him, “Where do you want us to go and prepare for you to eat the Passover?” He sent two of his disciples and said to them, “Go into the city and a man will meet you, carrying a jar of water. Follow him. Wherever he enters, say to the master of the house, ‘The Teacher says, “Where is my guest room where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?”’ Then he will show you a large upper room furnished and ready. Make the preparations for us there.” The disciples then went off, entered the city, and found it just as he had told them; and they prepared the Passover. While they were eating, he took bread, said the blessing, broke it, gave it to them, and said, “Take it; this is my body.” Then he took a cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, and they all drank from it. He said to them, “This is my blood of the covenant, which will be shed for many. Amen, I say to you, I shall not drink again the fruit of the vine until the day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.” Then, after singing a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. Scot said the feast of Corpus Christi was instituted in the 12th century. We used to celebrate the Body and Blood of Jesus on Holy Thursday but because of the focus on Good Friday and Easter, the Church wanted to have a Sunday when we focus just on the Blessed Sacrament. Fr. Chip loves the connection between Moses sprinkling the blood and Jesus giving us his blood as true drink. The Eucharist is the source and summit of everything we are as a Church. Fr. Mark said he was also struck by the juxtaposition of these two readings. When Moses does the sprinkling and the people accept to follow the covenant, then if they break the covenant they are cursed which happened. Jesus’ blood restores that covenant. Fr. Mark said his first Mass was on the Feast of Corpus Christi. He said it’s such a privilege and honor for priests to hold the Eucharist in their hands as they say “This is my Body” and “This is my Blood.” Scot says he tries to receive the Eucharist as such a way that he gives witness to those who are watching of what he believes. He asked all listeners never to take the Eucharist for granted. Receive in such a way that little kids will see that you believe. Fr. Chip said the children preparing for First Communion show such anticipation and everything about them is crying out for it, even as others come forward with their minds elsewhere.