The Good Catholic Life

Summary of today’s show: On our Thursday show, Scot Landry, Fr. Roger Landry, and Gregory Tracy considered the news headlines of the week as they appear in The Pilot and The Anchor newspapers, including the upcoming Fortnight 4 Freedom, including a televised town hall with Cardinal Seán; A celebration of marriage anniversaries at Holy Cross Cathedral; honoring decades of service by two priests; Dozens receiving catechetical certificates from the Theological Institute for the New Evangelization; Major reassignments of pastors in Fall River; and the World Meeting of Families in Milan last week and the next one in Philadelphia in 2015. Listen to the show: Subscribe for free in iTunes Today’s host(s): Scot Landry 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 4 Freedom; Renewal of marriage vows; Theological certificates; Priest assignments in Fall River; World Meeting of Families 1st segment: Scot welcomed Fr. Roger and Gregory to the show. Susan is not available today. Scot said they’re taping the show on Thursday morning because this afternoon is the annual convocation of all the priests of the Archdiocese with Cardinal Seán. Greg said Cardinal Seán always genuinely seeks feedback fom his priests on his priorities and initiatives. Scot said Bishop Richard Malone, most recently of Portland, Maine, and recently reassigned to Buffalo, NY, will speak at the convocation. He recently went through major pastoral reorganization of his diocese in Maine and will offer insights. Scot said the first topic is that Cardinal Seán will host a televised town hall meeting for the Fortnight for Freedom on June 25 at 8pm on CatholicTV. Scot and Dr. Angela Franks will appear on the panel. Greg said it will be very interesting to see how people will be able to pose questions to Cardinal Seán and the panel. Questions will be submitted via Facebook, Twitter, and email. [CatholicTV](http://www.catholictv.com] Fortnight 4 Freedom BostonCatholic.org/Freedom Fr. Roger said the US bishops are trying to accomplish what they learned from Pope John Paul II: It’s not enough just to talk about something, but we have to add prayer to education. In Poland, their fight for freedom from Communism, including much public prayer in addition to other kinds of civil action. Pope John Paul II continued that in his papacy, narrowly focusing the attention of the Church on something important through prayer. The US bishops hope for an intense two-week period of liturgical prayer that includes some great saints related to the idea of religious freedom. He said we shouldn’t have to choose between being a good Catholic and a good American. Scot said this is definitely appointment television or radio. People can watch it on CatholicTV on cable or online on CatholicTV’s website or listen live on WQOM. Also in the Pilot this week is a story about 175 couple who were celebrating their 25th or 50th wedding anniversaries this past weekend at Holy Cross Cathedral during a Mass with Bishop Dooher. Greg said this is a great sign of the gift of Christian marriage. He said the cathedral was filled with many families and they showed the gift of life that these marriages created. Fr. Roger said it’s a reminder of the vows these couples have made to one another in their sacrament strengthens us all in our fidelity to our faith. He said long-lived couples give him the advice on how they stayed together so long. He recalled one couple who said the secret was that they really trusted each other. Another story is about the certificate program at the Theological Institute for the New Evangelization and the graduation of 115 people who spent many, many weekends studying their faith either for personal enrichment or to become catechists in their parishes. Greg said this is related to the Master of Arts in Ministry program that we talked about last week. That is a degree program, while this is a certificate. Only about 10 people per year graduate from MAM, but the certificates bring dozens of more people into parishes with this formation. Angela Franks described the coursework of the certificate programs. “The certificates are designed to provide an affordable yet intensive experience of the fullness of the faith. They cover the entire catechism and provide this essential foundation for further growth in the faith.” she said. Angela Franks said the focus on the catechism is critical to the program. She said the catechism provides definitive source for learning the teachings of the Church. “What we find is that a lot of students have been relying on other people relying them what the Church reaches, which is fine, but when you access the catechism you really have it from the horse’s mouth. You have the explanation of the Catholic faith from the Catholic Church itself. Our students, after they go through the course, I felt very empowered.” she said. Fr. Roger said this is what Pope Benedict XVI intends for the Year of Faith. Dioceses have been encouraged to set up these kinds of institutes of instruction and formation. He said the Archdiocese is setting a standard for what should be occurring everywhere. The Pope has said that religious freedom depends on an engaged, articulate laity bringing the truths of the faith to the public square. Fr. Roger said it would be worth any sacrifice for listeners because knowing your faith is the most important part of our lives. Theological Institute for the New Evangelization Also in the Pilot, are two profiles of priests who provided many deuces of service. Msgr. William Roche, 90, served 30 years at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross, was a paratrooper in US Army and the OSS, the predecessor of the CIA, during World War II. Fr. Patrick McLaughlin has recently accepted senior priest/retirement status after 51 years of service. He’s served in Peabody and Brockton and in Bolivia in the St. James Society. He’s been at St. Joseph’s in Medford since 1976. In the Anchor, lots of stories about priestly assignments this week. In Boston, assignments of priests are done on a rolling basis. In other dioceses, including Fall River, they do them all at once around the first of July. Fr. Roger has received a new assignment. He aid this is an unprecedented number of moves, including 21 pastors being reassigned in some way, because 5 pastors are retiring, with 5 taking their places, and then musical chairs to cover everything. On June 27, Fr. Roger is moving from St. Anthony in New Bedford to become pastor of a new parish in Fall River, St. Bernadette, which is made up of the merger of two previous parishes, Immaculate Conception and Notre Dame. Fr. Roger said he’s disappointed it’s happening at the same time as the Fortnight 4 Freedom, which makes it more difficult to concentrate on this event at the same time they’re moving. Scot said it can be compared to leaving an old job and going to a new job, but it’s also the move of a physical residence. But these aren’t just co-wrokers, they are people whose souls Fr. Roger has cared for. Fr. Roger said the Lord is calling him to preach the Gospel in another place, which is like when Jesus told the people of Capernaum that he had to go and preach to others. He aid he will very much miss the people of St. Anthony’s, especially the kids for whom he’s been the only pastor they’ve ever known. But if a priest is good at his task, he will have prepared people to focus not on himself, but on Jesus. Priests will come and go, but Jesus Christ is working through every priest. Fr. Roger said there are 90 parishes in Fall River and over one quarter of the pastors are moving. Next week, they will publish the changes in parochial vicars and they will have almost no parochial vicars left in parishes as they become pastors and hospital chaplains. Scot noted that there is an ordination Saturday at St. Mary’s Cathedral in Fall River. Jason Brilhante will be ordained. He discerned his vocation while he was in college. He prepared for the priesthood at St. John Seminary. Fr. Roger said during their interview Jason couldn’t contain the joy he felt at his imminent ordination. Fr. Roger said the ordination of a priest is a shot in the arm to all priests who are laboring in the vineyard. He said another priest will be coming back from Rome after finishing up an advanced degree there so Fall River will be getting two reinforcements. Scot said the ordination will be broadcast on CatholicTV. Scot said the World Meeting of Families took place in Milan last week, which included one million people at the final Mass. At the end of the event, Pope Benedict announced that the next meeting will take place in 2015 in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. Greg said he’s planning to go with his family. It will be a great sign for this country of hope for marriage and family. “Pope opens possibility of US visit, says faith builds strong families”, Catholic News Service, 6/4/12 Scot said Philadelphia has many challenges. The situation in the Church there is like what it was in Boston in 2004. They’re undergoing a trial of a prominent priest in connection to the sex abuse crisis, plus all the pastoral reorganization they’re undergoing. Scot said he was surprised that they were chosen at this time. Fr. Roger said the Pope is going because of the struggles in Philadelphia, to support Archbishop Chaput, and because of the place of Philadelphia in American history, including the Declaration and Constitution, which outlines our religious liberties. Fr. Roger thinks it’s going to be enormous, maybe not 1 million people, but people will be trying to get there like in 2008 when the Pope came tot he US last. Fr. Roger said he was surprised too. He’s really praying that the Holy Father can make it to 2017 as a German on the throne of St. Peter on the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation so he can explain how the differences of that time can be understood as misunderstandings of the Catholic faith. Fr. Roger asked the listeners of The Good Catholic Life to pray for the Holy Father’s health and vigor. Scot said the Holy Father will be 88 in 2015 and a multi-city schedule on that trip would be difficult to plan for at this time. Fr. Roger said unlike John Paul II, they’ve been trying to conserve Pope Benedict’s energies while he’s traveling so the odds are slim he’ll go any other place. Greg speculates that it would be someplace close to Philadelphia, like New York or DC. Also in the Anchor this week is a story about a defeat of a bill to ban sex-selection abortions on May 30. Scot said it’s ironically shocking to him that women’s organizations are okay with sex-selection abortion that predominately affects unborn girls. Fr. Roger shows the hypocrisy that they’re not standing up for women’s rights by not standing up for the young women being executed simply for being women. He noted that the only Massachusetts representative who voted in favor of this bill was Rep. Stephen Lynch. He said every listener should ask themselves if their representative thinks it’s okay to kill little girls for being girls, do they actually represent our interests and the good of the human race? The real War on Women is being waged by the abortion business. “Sex-selection abortion ban draws majority support but fails in House”, Catholic News Agency, 6/1/12 “For most of us ‘it’s a girl’ is cause for enormous joy, happiness, and celebration,” said Rep, Chris Smith (R-NJ.). “But in many countries, including our own, it can be a death sentence.” Scot noted the US is one of the only developed countries that hasn’t banned this practice. Greg said when it comes to issues of abortion that things that would make sense in any other context, like parental consent for medical procedures, when it has to do with abortion, anything goes. Scot said studies show that sex-selection abortion is indeed happening in the United States. Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) argued thaI the bill is necessary to “give baby girls the same chance at life as baby boys.” She said that it is “hypocrisy” to call oneself “pro-woman” while supporting the abortion of a girl based on her gender. “Since when did America subscribe to the idea that males are worth more than females?” she asked.

Summary of today’s show: When Deacon Eric Caden discovered God while spending a summer surfing in San Diego, it began a journey that has brought him to St. John Seminary on the brink of ordination to the priesthood for the Archdiocese of Boston on June 23. Scot Landry and Fr. Chris O’Connor talk with Eric about finding God at Harvard, the awesome opportunity of seminary, and how the sudden loss of his mother confirmed his call to the priesthood. Listen to the show: Subscribe for free in iTunes Today’s host(s): Scot Landry and Fr. Chris O’Connor Today’s guest(s): Transitional Deacon Eric Caden Links from today’s show: St. John Seminary Death Comes for the Archbishop (Virago Modern Classics) Today’s topics: Transitional Deacon Eric Caden 1st segment: Broadcasting today from St. John’s Seminary in Brighton, Scot said it’s an exciting time as 6 men prepare for ordination in the Archdiocese of Boston and Deacon Eric Caden is one of them. Fr. Chris said the two most exciting days at the seminary are when they welcome new men and anytime they have an ordination, whether to transitional diaconate or priesthood. The Ordination Mass will be Saturday, June 23, at 9am at Holy Cross Cathedral. Other men who studied at St. John’s were ordained this past weekend in Springfield, Mass. Six men were ordained for that seminary. Scot and Fr. Chris said the Diocese of Springfield has been through a lot in recent years, not least of which was the tornado that hit the area almost exactly a year ago. Fr. Chris said he went to a Boston Red Sox booster luncheon and heard manager Bobby Valentine and others speak. 2nd segment: Scot and Fr. Chris welcome Deacon Eric Caden. Scot asked him about his background. Eric said he grew up in Weymouth at St. Francis Xavier Parish. He went to the parish school for elementary school and junior high. It was there he first had an idea of the priesthood. He didn’t fully understand it. In second grade, his favorite month was May because of the Marian processions and devotions. He loved the Blessed Mother. As he reflects back, he has recollections of thinking in church that this would be a wonderful thing. As he got older, he put that away as he got involved in the world. He embraced a kind of selfishness about what he wanted for his life. When he left St. Francis school, he went to Roxbury Latin, where he did well. He became more and more to think what was important was to be successful in a worldly way. Scot interjected that Roxbury Latin is an elite school in Boston. Eric said it provided good character formation. The headmaster at the time was an Anglican priest who imbued the school with Christian principles. The bar was set in terns of service to family, community, and country. He got an extraordinary education and the seeds of not being consumed with one’s own desires. In junior high and high school, Eric’s participation in his parish was mainly sunday Mass. His mother was a nurse and she would often go to a different Mass from the rest of the family. He was involved in some youth group programs, but his schoolwork didn’t leave a lot of extra time. From Roxbury Latin, Eric went to Harvard College. Having been successful in the eyes of the world, he was still searching for the point of it all. He wanted to know what it took to be happy. After his freshman year, he and his best friend decided to go to Mexico to learn to surf and got as far as San Diego. They took a car across the country and while his friend slept in the passenger seat, Eric was starved for conversation. By the fourth night, Eric was going nuts for human contact and they had stopped in Utah. They hiked to the top of a Mesa and laid out their sleeping bags under the stars. His friend was tired and didn’t want to talk, so he told Eric to go pray. Eric remembers asking, what he was talking about. Eric didn’t know what prayer was about, but to spite his friend he decided to do this. Eric walked to the edge of the cliff watching the spectacular sunset. He then introduced himself to God for a very awkward 8 minutes in which he told God all about himself. Then Eric had a realization that he wasn’t just talking to himself, that someone was listening. He didn’t know how to frame that for himself, but he had realized God was real. After they got to San Diego, Eric’s interest in faith exploded. He went to the library and got every book he could on faith, saints, the church, and so on. They’d surf during the day and then he would read it. Now at the time he’d thought that the way one became a priest was that after high school you said you wanted to be a priest and they made you one. He picked up a book by Mother Teresa and came across a passage about you may think it’s a waste of talent to serve the poorest of the poor, but no life is worth anything unless you love God in the poorest of the poor. That knocked down every wall that Eric had built in his disordered human ambition. Suddenly the idea of priesthood occurred to him. Scot asked him how his prayer life was. Eric said it had become a dialogue and a relationship was forming. When he speaks to confirmation classes that at that age he didn’t know how to pray, so he tells them to just introduce themselves and God will respond. God loves all of us and wants to be in a relationship with us. In the very little that we do, he is overjoyed and spoils his sons and daughters. Scot said think of the most loving human father and multiply it by infinity. After he returns from his summer, Scot asked if he was explicit in discerning the priesthood. Eric said he was still solidifying his faith. He got involved in a Protestant group at Harvard that would challenge him on his Catholic faith. Eric never thought of anything but being Catholic, so when asked questions, he went to research it. Over the next three years he had an amazing catechetical self-strengthening through this process. Fr. Chris asked what the questions were. Eric said they asked about sacraments, nature and grace, and more. He read Augustine and Aquinas and found the treasure and wisdom of the Church. Scot asked which books made the most difference. Eric said he had stumbled across Willa Cather’s “Death Comes for the Archbishop.” It’s roughly an historical fiction of the 19th century of the foundation of the Diocese of New Mexico. It’s about two priests who are best friends sent from France into this vast new diocese covering the western US. They encounter real historical characters, like Kit Carson and others. It’s not just a story of their friendship, but also the fruitfulness and dedication and love that is real in a priest’s life. They are transformed and come to love God and his people in new and extraordinary ways. When he read the book, he realized that this is what he wants and this solidified his vocation for him. He’d always known he wanted to love greatly, wherever that lead him. Scot asked what it was like to be Catholic at Harvard. Eric said Harvard has its own perspective on life. Because it draws people from all over with very strong backgrounds, people aren’t just passive. He found very strong groups, including a Catholic group he spent time with. As he was specifically discerning the priesthood, he was still playing rugby. In his senior year, the team made it to the national championship and lost. There was a development and growth of bonding and brotherhood. So a priest he was talking to about discerning the priesthood, he was cautioned to be careful who he talks to about the priesthood. But when he told his rugby team, every guy was enthusiastic and excited for him. One of his teammates came up to him and said, “I wish was passionate about anything as you are about this.” All of his peers were supportive, but it was only the older people were skeptical. It was the idealism of college that helped them to be excited. Eric has invited everyone he played with in rugby to the ordination, about 50 men. Some will be coming. When they come he will remind those who are Catholic that they promised to start going to church again when he became a priest. So he hopes many will come. People are invited to weddings all the time, but an invitation to an ordination is rare. Fr. Chris mentioned Eric had a minor detour at Harvard in his discernment. Eric said he took a year off after Harvard to move to Hawaii to surf on the North Shore, one of the best surfing destinations in the world. Fr. Chris said he was going to discern a little more. Eric said it was an extraordinary opportunity and strengthening of his faith. He went on his own and lived in a tent on a beach. When his father found out he was doing this, he asked him to please get one he could stand up in. He ended up in a tent he had to sleep diagonally in to fit. Eric encountered a very strong Christian community of mainly fallen away Catholics. They too had many questions so he took out every single book in the Hawaii public library system on Catholicism. He worked in a souvenir shop and surfed, so he had a tremendous amount of time to read. When that time ended, he entered St. John’s Seminary. Fr. Chris and Eric were both new to the seminary. Fr. Chris said there were only 28 men in the seminary and only 2 men from Boston entered that year. Eric said his time at the seminary was the best time of his life. Their full-time job there is to work on their relationship with God. It is a blessing and he’s so grateful for the people of God who make it possible for them to devote their time to study, prayer, and formation. This is where he could finally concentrate on developing his understanding of theology and philosophy in practical ways that are supported. At Harvard, he’d studied religion, but they didn’t have an atmosphere of faith. Every man at the seminary is in love with God and wanting to encounter him in the sacraments and in the teachings of the Church. That was so eye-opening. He’d always been a very good student and there’d been a functionary aspect to study. But at the seminary, they were probing the mystery of God and coming to know the Beloved. It was so tangible. The more he would study, there would be a profound peace, satisfaction, and fulfillment that would overcome in a real way. Scot noted that it was the deepening of the relationship with God that is different. Also, there is difference between education and formation. While they take classes at the seminary, they are being changed and formed as human beings. Eric said God is so good and loving and when we participate in grace, when we step out in faith, then if it’s not the right decision, he will let us know. It will either fit and make sense or it won’t. When you walk in the door of the seminary and sit down at the first evening prayer or Mass, it will feel right or it won’t. Eric often looks around the chapel, which is full now, and sees men of all backgrounds, personalities, and interests.He’s blown away that every man there said Yes to God. It is so humbling and inspiring. When you surf a lot, you have some ridiculous adventures. But the life in the seminary has been an adventure with God. Eric can’t stress enough to young men to trust God that he loves us so much. Fr. Chris said Eric left the seminary for a period of time. Eric said he knew God was calling him to the seminary and Our Lady had her hand in his whole life. He recalls that the Blessed Mother protected him from so many dangers growing up. He knew that his motivations in coming were stilled mixed, being there for himself as much as being there for God. Eric said he recognized he wasn’t mature enough. He said it wasn’t right, so he left and went back to Harvard to finish his pre-med requirements. He knows God was stilling moving in his life. He met the woman of his dreams, but as the relationship grew he knew he was called to the priesthood. Also during that time his mother died suddenly of a heart attack on St. Patrick’s Day. It was the most awful day of his life. Three priests showed up at the hospital, friends of his. They were dressed as priests and there was something about that uniform that touched something very primal. they prayed with the family and were with them when they got the news. Later, Fr. Bill Kelly who was there talked to him later and said it was rare to have any priest present at a death, never mind three. Fr. Bill said the Father loves Eric so much that he wanted to physically show him that in this horrible moment that God is still there, in control, and present. That opened Eric’s eyes not only to who the priest is, but how when he is present in the particular moments of people’s lives, it is a blessing and a humbling experience. Eric said the priest doesn’t love in a shallow or faceless way. He loves everyone personally and individually, like God does. When a priest brings the sacrament of anointing, in that moment he loves that particular person and brings the presence of God in that moment. Eric can hold on to this in his mother’s death. The priest is called and invited to by to be his instrument in this way. Scot said a priest is present in the biggest moments in people’s lives. Scot said in less three weeks, Eric will be Father Eric. He said his classmates are beginning to be ordained and was in the Springfield diocese going to the ordination and first Masses. As he sayt in the Mass, it all suddenly became more real what was going to happen. He’s very excited. He senses the greatness of God configuring these men. At one of these first Masses, a transitional deacon knelt and receiving the blessing from his classmate, and he started weeping at the realization of the change in his friend. Eric said he is nervous in the same way a groom might be nervous. Scot encouraged people to come to the cathedral for the ordination or watch it on CatholicTV. He said Eric will have his first Mass. Eric said his first Mass will be at 5pm at St. Mary’s Dedham on the next day at the LifeTeen Mass. LifeTeen was very influential to him. He started going there when he first entered seminary and he was so struck by the faith of those high school kids. He was so energized by the parish and the love of the teens for the Church, for priests, and God. Eric said he will certainly have a Mass of Thanksgiving at his home parish, but his sisters are still uncomfortable with Mass at that parish because of his mother’s funeral being there. Eric has also asked Fr. Chris to be the homilist at his first Mass. Fr. Chris said he doesn’t plan to be brief. Fr. Bill Kelly, Eric’s spiritual director, is also the pastor at St. Mary’s now. Scot asked when he will find out his new parish. Eric said he will get it the night before the ordination when they have dinner with the Cardinal. In Springfield, they got their assignment after Communion at the ordination Mass. Eric said the ordinandi will have a 5-day silent retreat in Milton with the Oblates before the ordination. It’s a blessing to be able to just spend time with God. He’s very much looking forward to it. Fr. Chris said the to-be-ordained also traditionally ask priests to vest them at the Mass and asked who Eric has asked. Eric asked Fr. Wayne Belschner because the first parish assignment he had as a seminarian was at Sacred Heart in East Boston. It was a very incredible time for him and it’s a beautiful and wonderful parish. He said Fr. Wayne is a great example of priest, who lives his calling remarkably. Scot said Eric would welcome listeners’ prayers. Eric said all the prayers would be most helpful and desired and wanted. During his diaconal ordination, as they processed in, he had no special feelings or feelings of being overwhelmed. So finally as they came into the sanctuary during the consecration, he was moved in his heart about what he was called to. His whole person began to feel called to that.

Summary of today’s show: When you really believe God’s call is to marriage and you’re still single, Emily Stimpson says it can be very painful for the single Catholic woman. Scot Landry and Dom Bettinelli talk to Emily about her new book, “The Catholic Girl’s Survival Guide for the Single Years: The Nuts and Bolts of Staying Sane and Happy While Waiting for Mr. Right”, including dealing with well-meaning advice and debunking all the myths about the single life. Listen to the show: Subscribe for free in iTunes Today’s host(s): Scot Landry and Domenico Bettinelli Today’s guest(s): Emily Stimpson Links from today’s show: The Catholic Girl’s Survival Guide for the Single Years: The Nuts and Bolts of Staying Sane and Happy While Waiting for Mr. Right Emily Stimpson at CatholicVote.org Today’s topics: The Catholic Girl’s Survival Guide to the Single Life 1st segment: Dom and Scot caught up on their weekend and discussed today’s guest, Emily Stimpson. 2nd segment: Scot welcomed Emily to the show to talk about her book: The Catholic Girl’s Survival Guide for the Single Years: The Nuts and Bolts of Staying Sane and Happy While Waiting for Mr. Right. Scot said her humanity and femininity comes across in the book. Emily said her book was her editor’s idea. She had commented to her editor in exasperation that someone should have written a survival guide to the single life. This book is most definitely about being single when you believe your vocation is to marriage. She said it wasn’t an easy book to write. Emily said she is a Catholic hack writer, like G.K. Chesterton. She writes for Our Sunday Visitor, Franciscan University’s magazine, and a lot of ghost writing. She’s written several books under other people’s names. She also blogs for CatholicVote.org. Prior to that she worked as a legislative assistant to Congressman Jim Talent and later at the Heritage Foundation. She just came back into the Church and so moved to Steubenville to study theology. In the production, she wrote that at 35 she wasn’t supposed to be single and the fact it hasn’t worked out is a constant source of heartbreak. Scot said this is a kind of new problem for women in history. Emily said there are lots of books on why people aren’t marrying. 43% of adults over 18 are not married. Over 60% of those have never been married. This is an entirely new cultural phenomenon. So why is it happening and how do we deal with it? Scot said when he was younger, there was an implied peer pressure to postpone in order to go to grad school and advance their career. Now some of his friends say they wish they didn’t listen to the advice and in the big scheme of things it would have been much better to start a family than start his career. Emily said it is a factor in the culture, but even more might be the sexual revolution. There’s less pressure to marry and more pressure to cohabitate, plus the psychological and emotional damage all that causes. Then it becomes more difficult to meet people. Scot said the concept of a single vocation was an a-ha moment for him. Emily said when people suggested the single life was a vocation for her, it was frustrating. They were trying to make her feel better, but when the desire of your heart is so completely for another thing, the idea that God would you to something else hurt. One truth is God never drags you kicking and screaming into a vocation, and you could never be ordained if you were so reluctant. Then a vocation director explained to her that there is no vocation to the single life. There can be missed vocations, but we’re all called to give ourselves spousal to someone. In her book, Emily describes the three levels of vocation: the universal call to holiness, the primary vocation (marriage, priesthood, consecrated life) and the secondary vocation (what you do as your journey toward those other two vocations.) That could be your job or other activity. But there’s to be single when you feel called to marriage is a missed vocation. Emily said vocations can come late in life too. Emily said you could use the terms spousal and providential instead of primary and secondary. The spousal way can be to God or another person. Scot said some people have said they like the chapter in which Emily talks about how choosing work flows into the primary vocation. Emily said women should always keep in mind what you believe your primary vocation is. If you’re called to marriage, take it into consideration when planning your career. So if a husband or family came along, do I want to have this debt or do I want to have a skill that will enable me to work at home? Women can tend to have the attitude of waiting for real life to begin when a husband comes along. But this is real life and God wants women to do it well. She talks about discerning God’s will and embracing that to find joy in the current moment. Scot said Emily asks the women who read this book to be very intentional in asking themselves about going on to graduate school and taking on that debt and putting themselves in a situation when they get married they can’t feel they can afford to have children for a while. Emily said she’s watched her friends struggle with this issue. They are in a tremendous state of worry often, and all of them wish they could go back and tell their younger selves not to take on the debt. It’s easy to focus on the present and the advice we’re getting at the time, but the decisions we make as a single person can have profound effects on our future selves. 3rd segment: Emily’s second chapter of her book is authentic femininity. She gives several lessons on what an authentic women in Church teaching and in her experience is. Emily said women are told so many lies in the culture about beauty, about career importance, about having children. Because they are lies, they cause unrest in the feminine soul. So she wanted to expose the Church’s teachings on femininity. She had to get over the false understandings of femininity. Scot said some myths are that men who wouldn’t be attracted to a woman who owns her own house or is extremely intelligent or other myths. Emily tried to debunk these myths through her own experience and the writing of Pope John Paul II and St. Edith Stein and others. She said when you look around at married women, you realize how silly all those myths are. All kinds of women are married. You will marry if you are being the woman God called you to be. But women can think, “I would be married if only I were …” She outlines 10 lessons that outline what women are called to be and learn. Emily said the point of submit is not to submit to controlling ex-boyfriend, but to submit to God and yield to God in every moment of the day. Gentleness is about controlling strengths. Being attentive to the people you’re with. She explains what these feminine qualities really mean. Women learn to receive help, love, counsel, compliments, attention, guests, knowledge, the grace God longs to give you. Scot said this is good advice for all of us. Emily said a lot of the lessons single women need to learn are the same lessons we all need to learn. Scot noted how many Catholic women raised to live a chaste life, then reach a certain age and unmarried and then submit to the culture and end up in serious sin with a man. We don’t have enough support in our society to help single people live chastely. Emily said sometimes women hear advice to loosen up a little in order to get a man to the altar. So she wrote about how to live chastity. If you make a compromise to get a guy to the altar, the compromises don’t stop. Love doesn’t mean asking someone to commit a mortal sin. Scot said the chapter on do’s and don’ts of dating is a list of helpful advice to give any young woman. Sometimes single women won’t have enough folks to normalize their thoughts and help them not feel alone in this. If God wants me be to married, He doesn’t want me to commit mortal sin to find a husband. Emily said we’ve picked up a lot of our expectations in dating from TV and moves and guys are very different in real life. PEople who are dating according to our culture’s norms are deeply unhappy. What the culture is doing isn’t working. Emily noted that there used to be much community interaction with people in different states in life. Singles lived with families and grandparents and the like. Emily said she has learned so much from her married friends about what it takes to be a good wife and mother. Scot said one chapter answers advice in a Dear Abby format. One question deals with the question of being childless as they get older and worry about having children. Emily said a lot of fertility problems are caused by contraception, so if you contract for 20 years and then want a child at 37, you can have problem. But where there is no contraception, many women can have multiple children past their mid-thirties, and it’s even almost a mini-fertility boom. She also discusses adoption. 4th segment: Scot said so much of the practical advice is how to have a God-centered attitude toward the situation you’re in. There’s a whole gamut of advice on how to recognize that God has given you this moment to take advantage of opportunities that come your way, from hobbies to traveling to reading to looking for ways to serve those around you. She talks about being grateful and counting blessings. Women have a special relationship with beauty, whether it’s creating a pretty blanket or redecorating your house. But it comes down to relationship with Christ. When you’re in love with him, it makes everything much more bearable. In the book, Emily addresses the advice that she should just “offer it up.” In this period of waiting when patience is important, how do you integrate offering it up. Emily said it’s very simple. If she’s really sad, just look at the cross and say, “I accept this. This is what you have for me.” The only wasted suffering is suffering we refuse. God is with us in our suffering. Scot said Emily also advises us to count our blessings. Emily said we have to cultivate a spirit of gratitude, as cheesy and hokey as it sounds. It’s easy to focus on what you don’t have, but God has given us so much. See how richly God has poured out on us, even if we haven’t yet received what we most wanted. Scot said he was stopped in the book by the statement that in some ways women are single by choice, not by chance. They own the situation because of the standards they have and the way they date. God, I trust in you, and am making choices the way you’ve taught me to. Emily said a lot of women could be married right now, but they recognized that the options they’ve had were not the right spouse. Being single longer to hold out for the right spouse is a good decision. Emily said the book is really for women from early 20’s on up. For women who want to be married, it doesn’t matter if you’re 23 or 53, if you’re not living the vocation your heart is crying out for, it can hurt just as much at any age. Scot asked what feedback she’s got from men. She said most men who read the book have liked it and they’ve received some wisdom from that for themselves. She said there is no planned sequel. She is working on a book that builds on the Theology of the Body chapter, how women can really live the theology of the Body outside of the bedroom, dressing, eating, and serving others.

Summary of today’s show: Fr. Joseph H. Casey, S.J., is a native son of Lynn, Mass., but has been a Jesuit for 75 years, a priest for 63, and he’s assisted at St. Julia Parish in Weston for 56! Scot Landry and Fr. Mark O’Connell talk with the 94-year-old Fr. Casey about how he came to his vocation, his many years teaching theology and philosophy, and his relationship with one of the pre-eminent moral theologians in the Church today, Germain Grisez. 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. Joseph H. Casey, S.J. Links from today’s show: New England Jesuits Oral History Program: Fr. Joseph H. Casey, S.J. Guiding Your Own Life On The Way Of The Lord Jesus: Liberated By The Profound Theologian, Germain Grisez Personal Vocation: God Calls Everyone by Name Germain Grisez’s website Today’s topics: Priest Profile: Fr. Joseph H. Casey, S.J. 1st segment: Scot and Fr. Mark talked about how Fr. Mark got a few people who volunteered to work in the tribunal in expert fields based on his bulletin announcements in parishes last week. He has up to 4 people volunteered. He also hired a new employee to fill an open position. Fr. Mark also talked about how Fr. Kevin Sepe, the pastor of St. Francis in Braintree, threw a barbecue for Fr. Mark’s family on Memorial Day. Today’s guest is Fr. Joseph Casey, S.J. Fr. Mark said Fr. Joe has been a key advisor and mentor for him, especially over the decade Fr. Mark has worked in the Pastoral Center. They noted that Fr. Joe has been a priest for 63 years and has been active, teaching classes up into his 80s. 2nd segment: Scot and Fr. Mark welcomed Fr. Joe Casey to the show. Fr. Joe said it’s been an inspiration to work with Fr. Mark. Scot said Fr. Casey grew up in Lynn and asked him about it. Fr. Joe said he was born in West Lynn. It was a very Catholic atmosphere. Their parish was St. Patrick’s, which had a building with a school downstairs and a church above. It was ghetto-lie, but he was very content. He attended daily Mass with his sister. Then he went to St. Mary’s Boys High School (which is now St. Mary’s High School). It was the second year it was open. Fr. Casey talked about the priests of the parish and school and how he related to them. He said he first began thinking about the priesthood when he was in grammar school with the Dominican nuns. In high school it was encouraged by the atmosphere. He did half-expect to see an angel appear to tell him to go, but it didn’t happen of course. He went on to Boston College and met Fr. Tommy Feeney. He suggested Fr. Joe enter the Jesuits. After a time, came to love the Society more after spending a week at St. Mary’s in the North End when his mother was dying at Mass. General. Fr. Mark said it was interesting that he gained his calling to the Jesuits in the novitiate. Scot said there so many religious order priests in the archdiocese and have been blessed by them. It sounds like Fr. Joe was thinking of the diocesan priesthood and it was just happenstance that God put the Jesuits in front of him and it was only then that he felt the call to the order. Scot asked about Jesuit formation. Fr. Joe said they have two years of novitiate and two years more. He did those years at Weston College, which is now Campion Center. He said there were 24 men in his class. Jesuit formation He did three years of philosophy at Weston and then went to teach at the new prep school in Fairfield. After that he went for a Master’s degree in Philosophy at Fordham. That’s where he also discovered his love of Broadway plays. Then he went back to Weston College and did four years of theology. He was ordained after the third year of theology. In the fourth year, they helped in the parishes. Fr. Mark asked him how many years he has lived in Weston/Campion. Fr. Joe started there in 1940 and with a few interruptions, including going to Rome and Belgium between 1950 and 1953, he has lived there ever since. That’s 57 years. And for 56 years, he has helped at St. Julia’s in Weston. He recalled many of the pastors who had been there over the years. In fact, Fr. Joe served as pastor for six months in the absence of Fr. McGlinchy. Fr. Joe said in the early 1960s, he was absorbed into the faculty of Boston College when Weston’s classes were sent there. He taught until he was 87 in 2004. He taught natural theology and linguistic analysis. Natural theology is what we can know about God through reason. God is intelligent because he made intelligent people. But he’s intelligent in a super-eminent way. When Fr. Joe moved into BC, he was assigned to a core course on philosophy and ethics. In doing that he used Germain Grisez’s text “Beyond a New Morality.” Fr. Joe got to know Grisez. Fr. Mark said he’s a married layman who is a moral theologian at Mount St. Mary’s in Emmitsburg, Maryland. He wrote a four-volume work called The Way of the Lord Jesus, and he would send each manuscript to Fr. Joe for him to comment on. When the Vatican had said Catholic moral theology needed to new revamped from the ground up, he set out to the work himself. He spent a whole year just outlining his work ahead of him. When he published the first volume at 791 pages, he got the Knights of Columbus to subsidize it and sold it for $35 each. He hasn’t yet published the fourth book. Scot said Fr. Joe has just published a book about Germain Grisez and claims to have read every word written by Grisez. The book is called “Guiding Your Own Life On The Way Of The Lord Jesus: Liberated By The Profound Theologian, Germain Grisez”. Fr. Mark clarified that Fr. Joe is one of the readers who helps Grisez, editing each book before it comes out. Scot asked Fr. Joe what motivated him to write a book about Grisez at 94. Fr. Joe said Grisez has had a huge impact on his spiritual life to the point where he’s requested that at his funeral a copy of Grisez’s book be in his casket. The key point is that God elected to expand the divine family by creating human beings who could become the adopted children of God, that we would be divinized. Scot said it’s wonderful to hear how a layman father of 4 deeply impacted a well-educated Jesuit priest. Fr. Joe said Grisez is a profound thinker and devoted to the Church. When he presents a position, it is always profoundly logical. Fr. Mark said Grisez is hard to read, except for a little book called Personal Vocation: God Calls Everyone by Name. Fr. Joe said this book was written in the middle of the third volume of his great work. It was co-written with Russell Shaw, a Catholic journalist. They write a history of the idea of the personal vocation, which began in the New Testament, lasted until about the 3rd or 4th century and only came back strongly around Vatican II. Fr. Mark said there are neutral choices. It’s not good v. bad, but multiple options that are neither good nor bad. We can choose the option that best serves our vocation. Scot said the sense he’s hearing that there are 3 levels of vocation: be a Christian; a state of life (marriage, religious, ordained); and personal vocation, a unique blend of skills and talents to serve God’s plan of salvation. Fr. Joe said Grisez so emphasizes this personal vocation that it’s a grave error the way we’re pushing vocations today. Have people seek their personal vocations and the priestly and religious vocations will come. Scot asked what it’s like to be serving Communion to the great grandchildren of people he served 56 years ago. Fr. Joe said it’s very comfortable. He’s still asked to give the homily on occasion and concelebrate. He never got too involved in the parish and so he was never party to any politics, which made everyone comfortable with him. Fr. Joe recalled his ordination retreat and he asked how much pastoral work he should do and the response was enough in order to keep it incorporated with his apostolic teaching. Fr. Joe has also seen Blessed John XXIII Seminary from its beginning in Weston. He said he was impressed by the many men who have come to the seminary after long careers in the secular area. Fr. Mark said it’s amazing how many diocesan priests this Jesuit has affected. He’s like a diocesan Jesuit with a split heart for both the archdiocese and the Society of Jesus. About he priesthood, Fr. Joe said it’s a glorious vocation filled with joy and awe that he can celebrate Mass. He’s recently become so aware that at Mass he’s standing with Mary at the crucifixion of Jesus. Secondly, to know that God was so condescending to our weaknesses that he gave us the sacrament of reconciliation and that God uses Fr. Joe as a conduit. Jesus tells the penitent through Fr. Joe that he forgives and loves 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. First Reading for the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, June 3, 2012 (Deuteronomy 4:32-34, 39-40) Moses said to the people: “Ask now of the days of old, before your time, ever since God created man upon the earth; ask from one end of the sky to the other: Did anything so great ever happen before? Was it ever heard of? Did a people ever hear the voice of God speaking from the midst of fire, as you did, and live? Or did any god venture to go and take a nation for himself from the midst of another nation, by testings, by signs and wonders, by war, with strong hand and outstretched arm, and by great terrors, all of which the LORD, your God, did for you in Egypt before your very eyes? This is why you must now know, and fix in your heart, that the LORD is God in the heavens above and on earth below, and that there is no other. You must keep his statutes and commandments that I enjoin on you today, that you and your children after you may prosper, and that you may have long life on the land which the LORD, your God, is giving you forever.” Second Reading for the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, June 3, 2012 (Romans 8:14-17) Brothers and sisters: For those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you received a Spirit of adoption, through whom we cry, “Abba, Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if only we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him. Gospel for the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, June 3, 2012 (Matthew 28:16-20) The eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had ordered them. When they all saw him, they worshiped, but they doubted. Then Jesus approached and said to them, “All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.” Scot asked Fr. Joe about how we can overanalyze the Trinity, which is the communion and relationship of Three Persons in love. Scot said we are called to call God “Abba” which is the equivalent of a child calling his father “daddy”. FR. Joe said it is mystery, but he always starts with Jesus, because he is easier to understand in his humanity. And Jesus tells me that there is a Father, but he is not the Father, and that he is sending the Holy Spirit. And because he trusts Jesus, he believes in the Trinity. Fr. Mark said his favorite passage on the Trinity is by Romano Guardini that we don’t want to understand the Trinity because to understand the Trinity it would limit God. Fr. joe summed up that if you understand the Trinity, then you are a heretic. The Trinity teaches us that to be a human person is to be a member of a community of persons in love.

Summary of today’s show: Our panel of Scot Landry, Susan Abbott, Gregory Tracy, and Domenico Bettinelli looked at the headlines of the week on Thursday, including a special Pentecost vigil Mass with Cardinal Seán and members of ecclesial movements and ethnic communities; 10 new graduates of the Master of Arts in Ministry program at TINE; the Archdiocese is looking for a new director of pastoral planning; Fr. Gerry Dorgan retires after 21 years as pastor; a native son becomes Bishop of Buffalo; and more Americans are self-identifying as pro-life. Listen to the show: Subscribe for free in iTunes Today’s host(s): Scot Landry and Susan Abbott Today’s guest(s): Gregory Tracy, managing editor of The Pilot, the newspaper of the Boston archdiocese; and Domenico Bettinelli of Pilot New Media 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: Special Pentecost Mass; Master of Arts in Ministry; Seeking Pastoral Planning Director; New Buffalo bishop; More pro-life; Vatileaks 1st segment: 2nd segment: “New ecclesial movements and realities join cardinal for Pentecost Vigil,” The Boston Pilot “Ten receive Masters of Arts in Ministry degrees,” The Boston Pilot Those receiving Master of Arts in Ministry degrees are: Marika Donders, of Keene, N.H. Linda Russo of Watertown Chad Puclowski of Hanover David Gilpin of Quincy Kathleen T. Riordan of Milton Kay Kociuba of Wellesley Susan Horne (Tierney) of Needham Kristin Campbell of Medford Marie (O’Connor) Sweeney of Melrose Jeff Volkers of Goshen, N.H. “Archdiocese begins search for Pastoral Planning Director,” The Boston Pilot “Father Thomas F. Murray, 81,” obituary, The Boston Pilot “Danvers pastor Father Dorgan granted senior priest status June 5,” The Boston Pilot Program #0092 for Friday, July 15, 2011: Fr. Gerry Dorgan 3rd segment: “Pope appoints Maine’s Bishop Malone to Buffalo,” The Boston Pilot “Pope appoints North Dakota bishop to Denver, Maine bishop to Buffalo” “In 2012, more Americans identify as Pro-Life”, The Anchor/CNA Project Rachel Boston Archdiocesan Pregnancy Help “Pope deplores ‘VatiLeaks’ scandal, prays for quake victims”, Catholic News Service “Business acumen: How one Swiss Guard found inspiration in late pope,” Catholic News Service The Pope & The CEO: John Paul II’s Leadership Lessons to a Young Swiss Guard “New organization mobilizes lay Catholics for public square”, The Anchor/CNA

Summary of today’s show: The family that prays together, stays together and local families can put that maxim into practice on Saturday at the Family Rosary Retreat. Sr. Terry Rickard, Beth Mahoney, and John Monahan of Holy Cross Family Ministries share with Scot Landry the plans for the day at Cardinal Spellman High School in Brockton to bring families together in prayer and inspire and encourage them to make a commitment to family prayer in the future. Sr. Terry also reveals plans for a new parish small-group program on the Blessed Mother due out this fall in time for the Year of Faith as a collaboration between HCFM and Renew International. Listen to the show: Subscribe for free in iTunes Today’s host(s): Scot Landry Today’s guest(s): Beth Mahoney, Sister Terry Rickard, and John Monahan Links from today’s show: FamilyRosary.org Holy Cross Family Ministries Family Rosary Retreat 2012 Video of the 2011 Family Rosary Retreat Program #0042 for Friday, May 6, 2011: Fr. John Phalen, CSC, of Holy Cross Family Ministries Family Theater Renew International Today’s topics: Family Rosary Retreat 1st segment: Scot welcomed everyone to the show. Fr. Matt is away today. Today, we’re talking about the importance of the rosary and the upcoming family rosary retreat in Brockton at Cardinal Spellman High School on Saturday from 8am to 5pm. Beth Mahoney is mission director for Holy Cross Family Ministries. She said this will be the third annual retreat. The format is to keep the families together. They’ll gather in worship, watch a film on Fr. Peyton, split into English and Spanish tracks with speakers, Q&A, then a panel discussion. They’ll pray the rosary together followed by Mss with Bishop Dooher. Scot said previously they had a kids track and adults track. Beth said they wanted to remain faithful to Fr. Peyton’s admonition that families that pray together, stay together. Few programs keep the whole family together. Cardinal Spellman welcomed them into their school this year and the theme is “Closest Neighbors, Trustworthy Friends, Brother & Sisters: Living the Beatitudes Together in Christ”. Scot said the theme for ARISE in the Archdiocese of Boston is Arise, Together in Christ, which means we are making the journey together. Sr. Terry said when we say together in Christ, it’s such an important response to individualism in our culture. The personal relationship with Christ takes place in the heart of the Church. The Christian life is first and foremost lived within the family. Sr. Terry will speak on Mary as Mother of God and the first disciple. She sees the Word and obeyed it. We recall our natural family and our spiritual family through baptism. Sr. Terry said in the Gospel of Luke we see Mary become a primary character in the Gospel. She is the first to hear the word of the Angel and then says, “Let it be done to me according to your Word.” As her discipleship unfolds, she hears the Word and then goes to her cousin Elizabeth to share the Word. She is the first evangelizer. Scot said it must be challenging to craft the keynote address to appeal to the whole family. Sr. Terry said the use of story is the most powerful way to cur across age groups. She hopes to enflesh this word by using both personal and other stories. John said the retreat goes to the core of the HCFM mission, reaching out to families. This is what attracted John. He recalled how important it was for Fr. Peyton, who founded the HCFM. John recounted how Fr. Peyton founded his ministry in upstate New York and it has spread around the world to reach millions. Scot said he can’t think of any other local family retreat like this, to spend some time together in a prayerful environment. Beth said the family regret encourages them to see the presence of God in everything they do, in every way they live the beatitudes for others and for the family. She said over the past three years she has noticed many new faces each year. She hears from families who say they realize for the first time that they are not alone in the difficulties of family prayer. The families also learn about the many resources available to help them pray, whether books or videos or websites. Sr. Terry said many families are pulled in a lot of directions. They hope to share many action steps to share faith together. She said in the programs done by her Renew International, like ARISE and Why Catholic, they are directed mainly to adults, but they try to include many resources for the adults to take back to their families. She said events like this help families join with other families and reenergizes them to live their faith more fully in their day to day life and hopefully make a commitment to make these practices a habit. Beth said if families can only come for part of the day, the setup allows for people to jump in where they can. The donation is $10 per person, up to a max of $50 per family. It includes lunch. They can register online all the way up to the morning of or even at the door. John said an event like this can help families see how they can work together. It lets them consider who they are, what prayer means and how the rosary can work for them. When you see other families do it, it becomes more natural. 2nd segment: This week’s benefactor card raffle winner is Lynn O’Connor from Bedford, MA. She wins a Rosary Activity Set for children by Holy Cross Family Ministries and a CD: Roses for Mary by Quiet Waters Productions. 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. 3rd segment: Scot said one of the fruits of collaboration between Renew and HCFM is a program on the Blessed Mother in time for the Year of Faith. It involves small groups that connect personal experience with the faith of the Church and moves to some kind of commitment in our lives. Fr. John Phalen is the author of the program. HCFM has produced a rosary video that shows athletes and other celebrities witnessing to their faith and then praying a decade of the rosary. This will be part of the program. Archbishop Kurtz of Louisville gives an introduction in which he talks about his relationship with the Blessed Mother and how it led to his priesthood. John said the video is called Rosary Stars and it will be part of the retreat this weekend. The individual reads from Fr. Peyton’s prayer book and then reflect on that. More about the stars on the video can be found at the Family Theater website. Beth said the rosary was a prayer for the domestic church, for families. All members of the family can pray the rosary. In the educational component of family prayer, the children become the catechists for the family. The children encourage the parents to pray the rosary. On the other hand, she encourages parents to start in a simple way. Start with just the basic six or seven prayers and delve into the importance of our Blessed Mother to our lives. Scot said it’s helpful to use a booklet that’s often available. John quoted Fr. Peyton said a world at prayer is a world at peace and that begins in family prayer. He said Beth is very much in demand to speak on the rosary and family prayer. He named the three big awards Beth has been given for her work of spreading the message of family prayer. Scot asked Sr. Terry about her hopes for the new program. She said they want people to learn about Mary and how she is relevant today for us, particularly on Mary in Scripture. Also, how to learn how to pray to Mary. People often ask for help learning all the prayers of the rosary. They also offer a book by Fr. Thomas Mooney on praying the family rosary. She also said HCFM also has a great app for iPhones and iPads. Family Rosary’s Mobile Rosary Scot asked Sr. Terry how the Why Catholic program is doing in the Archdiocese of Boston. She said it’s doing well. There are almost 100 parishes involved. Those small groups were together for 3 years and have now committed to four more years. They just had meetings throughout the archdiocese for the program. At each meeting, they had a priest-leader, lay leader, and a lay participant talk about best practices. Scot said Why Catholic is a journey through the Catechism. Each year focuses on one of the four pillars of the Catechism. Why Catholic? Scot emphasized that people can join in any time and many new parishes are also joining in as well. He aid a group of Chinese-speaking Catholics that very much wanted the curriculum to be available in Chinese and worked with Renew International to translate it. Sr. Terry said Boston was the first archdiocese to use Arise and from the beginning Cardinal Seán wanted it available to everyone so they translated it into 7 languages. They have several hundred people involved in the Chinese language version. Now they are coordinating a translation into Vietnamese and the Powerpoints and handouts for training of leaders has been done. Beth said HCFM said they just had a contest on prayer and 5th grader from St. John the Evangelist in Canton won it this year. Next year, the theme will be Joy to the World on the joyful mysteries. The contest is open to the whole country and about 40,000 entered this year. They have a family retreat planned at the University of Notre Dame in August. They are also organizing a pilgrimage to Ireland in September with Fr. Phalen. They will visit the Fr. Peyton Center in Mayo and the shrine of Our Lady of Knock. On Monday, Beth, Fr. Phalen and Fr. John Phelan will be leaving for the International Eucharistic Congress in Dublin.

Summary of today’s show: Just when you might have given up on the next generation of young Catholics, we meet Kathleen Grey and Catherine Asher, two young women graduating from Ursuline Academy in Dedham, who sit down with Scot Landry and Fr. Chris O’Connor to talk about their strong Catholic faith, which was handed on by their families and strengthened in their parishes and school, and how they hope to grow and to serve God in their bright futures. Listen to the show: Subscribe for free in iTunes Today’s host(s): Scot Landry and Fr. Chris O’Connor Today’s guest(s): Kathleen Grey and Catherine Asher Links from today’s show: Ursuline Academy Today’s topics: Conversation with young Catholic women 1st segment: Scot and Fr. Chris caught up on their Memorial Day weekends. Fr. Chris was out at Castle Island in South Boston. He said it was a great day honoring our veterans. Fr. Chris was also out at Scot’s parish, St. Agnes in Arlington, over the weekend, visiting with the priests there. Scot said his kids look up to Fr. Flatley and Fr. Graham as good role models. Fr. Chris lived at St. Agnes for a brief time after he was first ordained. They also discussed the graduation for the Master of Arts in Ministry program at St. John Seminary last weekend. Bishop Arthur Kennedy, the outgoing rector, gave the homily at the Mass and Cardinal Seán presided over the ceremonies. Fr. Chris said the participants in the program are laypeople who make sacrifices several nights every week in addition to their family and job obligations. Photos of the MAM graduation This Friday, they are having a completion Mass for those who took part in the Catechetical Certificate program. About 150 people have been participating one Saturday per month since October to learn more about their faith. Scot notes that Bishop Richard Malone, who was an auxiliary bishop in Boston and most recently Bishop of Portland, Maine, has been named bishop of Buffalo, New York. Scot said Bishop Malone is a big supporter of Catholic radio, which is good for the Station of the Cross network. Fr. Chris said Bishop Malone used to be secretary for education in the Archdiocese of Boston and is scheduled to speak at the priests’ convocation in Boston on June 7. 2nd segment: Scot welcomed Kathleen Grey and Catherine Asher to the show. He asked Kathleen about her background. She as born in Boston and they lived in Norwood and then later moved to Canton. They remained parishioners at St. Catherine of Siena Parish in Norwood. She attended St. Catherine in Siena school. She’s been an altar server and now trains younger kids as servers. The former pastor Msgr. Connie McCrae asked her to become the trainer for altar servers. When she started in 5th grade as an altar server, she didn’t know what her faith meant to her. She had learned the facts, but was interested in learning what it meant for her life. By the time she transferred to Ursuline, she realized she wasn’t going to let it go. She wanted to be involved in helping others in their faith and has since become a religious education teacher as well. Scot said teaching ninth grade catechism for anybody would be difficult, never mind a high school senior. He asked how it helped her grow? Kathleen said it’s not easy because they want to be independent and speak for themselves. They are trying to find their own voices. She told them as someone who’s seventeen teaching those who are 14 and 15, she doesn’t have a lot more knowledge than them, but that they would take the journey together. Catherine said she’s lived in Milton with her family. She attended Glover Elementary School and was involved in a French immersion program. She went to a public middle school for one year before deciding to attend Ursuline. She was a member of Girl Scouts for 10 years and has also played viola. She’s been involved in a number of extra curricular activities, including choral group, which is the liturgical choir. She also sings in the church choir at St. Elizabeth’s. Singing in the choir has been a turning point for her faith and was a way to bond with her family. Her father is musical director at the parish and her mom and three sisters also sing in the choir. Catherine said her extended family is also musical. At holidays, the whole family will sing together. For example at Christmas, they will sing carols as their dad plays the piano. Catherine said her favorite hymn is “Lead me, Lord” because it’s uplifting. It’s been anthem for her life because it’s so difficult to lead a good Catholic life. Scot asked her what led her to play the viola. She said at Christmas and Easter in the parish, they pull out all the stops and she plays the viola during Mass. Her older sister had switched from violin to viola and when she entered Ursuline, she decided to switch as well. She said it allowed her to excel in her instrument. Violin is so competitive in the musical world because there are so many violinists. As a violist she’s been able to be a leader in symphonies she’s involved in. Kathleen said her favorite hymn is “Open my Eyes, Lord”. She learned it while preparing for First Communion and the teacher taught them how to Sign it. Scot asked Kathleen why she picked Ursuline Academy. She said in sixth grade she was struggling in her academics and her parents looked at other options to help her focus her academics. The only school she looked at was Ursuline. She remembers at the open house meeting the teachers and how everyone was very welcoming. It made her want to be part of that small community. She also was glad to not have the distractions of boys and not have to worry about her appearance every day. She saw it as a way to express her faith and be proud of it. Kathleen said there are about 400 students and there are 73 seniors graduating. Fr. Chris asked about St. Angela Merici. Catherine said St. Angela lived in Italy in the 16th century. She had a vision on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. She founded a community of women to educate young women. The Ursuline Order has schools all over the world. Ursuline Academy is specifically a college preparatory school that pushes you to excel academically but also in your person, to be a right-thinking and right-acting person. Catherine said her two elder sisters went to different Catholic girls schools. Her parents strong believers in Catholic single-sex education for the education of the whole person. She decided to go to Ursuline because her third sister went there. At the time, Catherine the decision to leave her old school and go to Ursuline was difficult, but she became very comfortable at Ursuline very quickly. Scot said there are fewer single-sex schools. What does Kathleen think is the strongest reason to go to Ursuline? She said it helps you become who you are meant to be. You don’t care what other people think. There are fewer distractions. It’s a great opportunity to develop a close group of friends and to develop her faith. It’s also a great education. Fr. Chris asked what traditions Ursuline has. Kathleen said one is Mission Day, a day for girls to shop, but all the money goes to various charities. It brings community, alumnae, and families altogether. Catherine said it’s a far in the school where each homeroom becomes a store. One room is a country store. Another room is the jail where you can pay to send someone to “jail” and the person can either pay to make bail or just serve time there. Kathleen emphasized the day begins with Mass. Catherine said Serviam “I will Serve” is an integral part of the school. Everyone is required to serve a certain number of service hours each year. Catherine served at Beth Israel Deaconness Lab in Milton. Kathleen served her time in the Catholic Media Secretariat at the Pastoral Center. Kathleen said she wanted to do something connected to her faith and she’s had an interest in communications and journalism. She spent a whole month in the Pastoral Center, working with Rick Heil on The Good Catholic Life and writing a couple of articles for The Pilot. Scot asked what it’s like at the Pastoral Center. She was apprehensive at being the youngest. She made it a goal to start every day with Mass. She’d never had a job like this and so she learned a lot, whether sitting at her desk or sitting in on the show. She’s learned a lot hearing God’s message. Catherine said her classmates are working in hospitals, volunteering in local elementary schools, working with Friends of the Unborn in Quincy, volunteering with cancer patients, at the Mass. Hospital School helping children with developmental disabilities in horseback riding. Scot said what he liked about the program was that it says that their education is not complete until they’ve lived this service. Kathleen said she believes God has a plan for everything. Everything they’ve learned is not wasted and they will take it with them for their whole lives. Kathleen will be attending Emmanuel College in Boston. Her mom attend the college and she loved it. Her parents were married in the chapel there as well and they’ve stayed connected over the years. Catherine will be attending Fordham University in the Bronx. She won’t be wearing a Yankees hat on campus. She’s deferring for a year in order to study in France next year with Rotary International. She’ll be a high school student for another year in southern Normandy and living with French families. She has a desire to immerse herself in another culture and try to understand another culture. There are so many different perspectives in the world and she hopes this year will give her a better understanding of people who live in a different environment. She hopes it expands her thinking and her view of the world. Kathleen plans to study communications and journalism, with a minor in theology. Catherine plans to to double major in French and biology. 3rd segment: Scot asked Kathleen and Catherine what they would say about their peers not practicing their faith with passion. Kathleen said teens who practice their faith are a minority. It is very difficult for them to express their faith confidently and to know there is truth in it. Scot asked why they think it’s been sparked in them and how parents could help their own kids. Catherine said a great blessing for her has been adults who have led by example, including her parents and her priests. They are firm in their beliefs. She credits family dinners every night in which they discuss challenges they face every day. They talk about why the Church believes what she does, ethical issues, and how Catholics should respond. She added that adults who want their children to be active shouldn’t stop encouraging them and show them why it’s important to you that they have this faith. Encourage them to be involved in their parish in any way they can. Fr. Chris asked what excites them the most about their faith. Kathleen said the Church is constant. There are so many parts of our lives that change, but the Church always believes what she believes. Having that strong voice is important to teens. Catherine said the loving nature of the Church, no matter who you are or whatever stage, you are loved. Catherine recommended “JesusDaily” on Facebook as a daily inspiration. Kathleen admits to being new on social media and she often encourages others to move away from checking Facebook all the time because of the ways it can be negative for their lives. Scot asked what questions about their faith they’ve had. Kathleen said the question of abortion and physician-assisted suicide and generally making decisions to drink do drugs and bullying are important among her peer group. Catherine said human sexuality is a big question for teens. She had a friend who asked why the Church thinks sex is bad. She explained what the Church teaches and realized her friend had a set idea of what the Church teaches and wasn’t open to hearing anything else. Scot noted how much racier television has become in the past 25 years. Fr. Chris said compared it to visiting Rome where everyone smokes. When you get home, everything in your suitcase smells like it. In our culture we are bombarded with these messages constantly and don’t realize how much of it we’re soaking up. He said the Church has a consistent message and if only we open our eyes and ears, how blessed we will be by it. Kathleen said she hopes in college that she stays close to her faith because it keeps her joyful, and that she stays prayerful. Catherine hopes that God will lead her where He needs her to be and that she will be an instrument of His will. Scot asked Catherine why Fordham and not Holy Cross, like her parents. She said she wanted to branch out on her own a little with a little distance from her family.

Summary of today’s show: As we observe Memorial Day, we hear from a number of different voices, including the words of Fr. Paul Hurley, serving with the 101st Airborne Division; Beirne Lovely, archdiocesan general counsel who was a young Marine lieutenant during the Vietnam War; and Fr. Stephen Rock, pastor of St. Agnes in Reading who was a Navy chaplain for 34 years. Scot also talks to Mary Doorley and Michelle Huntley about a video they helped produce highlighting the service of the priests sent by the Archdiocese of Boston to serve as US military chaplains over the years and how the annual Catholic Appeal supports that ministry to servicemembers all over the world. Listen to the show: Subscribe for free in iTunes Today’s host(s): Scot Landry Today’s guest(s): Fr. Stephen Rock, Beirne Lovely, Mary Doorley, Michelle Huntley Links from today’s show: Archdiocese of the Military Services, USA Today’s topics: Memorial Day 1st segment: Scot read a column by Fr. Paul K. Hurley, a military chaplain with the 101st Airborne Division of the US Army, that appeared in the Pilot this week. “The desire that overcomes fear”, Fr. Paul K. Hurley, The Boston Pilot Twelve years of service as a Catholic chaplain in the Army have given me a deep respect for the men and women serving in the military. Though most soldiers deployed in combat zones are young (the majority under the age of 30), they are willing to lay down their lives for the sake of their friends and for their country. On one of my recent combat deployments, I was celebrating Mass in as many locations as possible to bring the sacraments to troops. Due to rugged terrain, most movements were done by helicopter. Though helicopter travel is the safest means of transportation, it often means an extended stay at a base until an aircraft for transport becomes available, or until combat operations permit travel. I’ll never forget one such time when I was stranded for several days at a small and remote Forward Operating Base (FOB) awaiting Army helicopter transport. An unexpected convoy arrived at the FOB with a very special mission. The soldiers explained that they had come from an even smaller and more remote FOB. Due to the location and isolation of their base, no Catholic priest had ever been able to reach them. After learning that a Catholic priest was at a base nearby, these soldiers had risked their lives to bring me to their location to celebrate Mass. All chaplains in the military provide counsel and care to the troops, but a Catholic priest’s primary mission is sacramental—to offer Holy Mass and confession. Though 20 percent of soldiers are Catholic, less than 6 percent of all Army chaplains are Catholic priests. More often than not, Catholic chaplains are not able to stay at one base or with one unit because the need is too great to visit troops who may not have encountered a Catholic priest in months. Despite a perilous route filled with dangers from roadside bombs or attacks, the soldiers in the convoy decided it was worth the risk to organize a mission to find a priest. These young soldiers’ hungry desire for God and Holy Communion was stronger than their fear of the dangers they faced. I was honored to travel with them, to celebrate the Eucharist, and to hear their confessions. As I geared up for the return trip to my base, I was inundated with the most meaningful and heartfelt gestures of gratitude. These young men were so thankful to have the presence of the Blessed Sacrament in their midst and have the opportunity to attend Mass and have their confession heard by a priest. I never have encountered such profound and genuine thankfulness for the gift of the Eucharist—in combat zones or at home in the U.S. These experiences crystallize how important it is for our soldiers to have access to a priest and to the sacraments. The ministry and presence of a chaplain can make all the difference for a soldier and help him or her find hope and comfort during difficult times—when a friend is wounded or killed, or when a soldier feels the loneliness that so often accompanies deployment. Away from home and loved ones for extended periods of time and living under the constant threat of attack and danger, soldiers look to a chaplain for normalcy and reminders of the love and comfort that family, friends, and faith provide. Though I’m a Boston priest, my work in the military takes me outside the boundaries of the Archdiocese of Boston to deployed troops who need the same pastoral care that is so easy to take for granted living in safety. The chaplain’s ministry helps carry out the universal mission of the Church to care for souls, and it is a ministry of which I am privileged and honored to be a part. The most important thing you can do to help this ministry is to pray. First, pray for the brave men and women who go into harm’s way in the name of freedom. Remember their families—spouses, children, parents, siblings, grandparents, aunts, and uncles—who also are making a sacrifice. Second, pray for an increase in vocations to the priesthood. We need more holy men to hear and answer the call to serve the Church as priests both domestically and abroad in the military. Finally, please pray for me, and for all priests serving in the military as chaplains. The Catholic faithful who offer their prayers renew and strengthen the work of all Catholic chaplains and this critical ministry of presence to our brothers and sisters in the military. May God continue to bless our faithful soldiers and give them the grace, hope, and strength they need to serve and protect our country and all of us. Father Paul K. Hurley is lieutenant colonel of the 101st Airborne Division of the U.S. Army. His ministry is made possible in part, by the Archdiocese of Boston’s office of clergy personnel and the vocations office, two of 50 central ministries supported by the Annual Catholic Appeal. To support the Catholic Appeal, please visit www.bostoncatholicappeal.org. 2nd segment: We will now replay two segments from The Good Catholic LIfe on Memorial Day last year, interviews with Beirne Lovely, archdiocesan general counsel who also served as a US Marine in the Vietnam War, and with Fr. Stephen Rock, pastor of St. Agnes Parish who served for many years as a U.S. Navy chaplain.* Program #0058 for Monday, May 30, 2011: Fr. Frank Pavone, Fr. Stephen Rock, Beirne Lovely Scot welcomes Beirne Lovely, general counsel for the archdiocese and a former Marine, to the show. Scot asked him about his military service. He was commissioned as a Marine officer directly from Dartmouth College in 1967, followed by six months in Marine officer training, and then directly to Vietnam. He was stationed there for 13 months, all of 1968, which was one of the worst years of the war, including the Tet Offensive. He spent his whole tour up north, including a Khe Sanh and the DMZ. He was very close to the North Vietnamese border, serving as a platoon commander in an infantry company. He became a company commander when his company commander was killed. Scot said his perception of the Marines is that they are the ones who go in first, taking on the most difficult and most life-threatening assignments. Beirne said that was true. The Marine Corps had responsibility for the northern region of South Vietnam so they primarily were facing uniformed, trained North Vietnamese Army soldiers rather than Viet Cong guerillas, so that’s a fair statement. Beirne has been out of active duty with the Marines for 40 years now. What’s it like to be a veteran on Memorial Day, remembering all those who have served and given their lives? Beirne said he lost a lot of friends in Vietnams. He arrived in Vietnam on an airplane with about 40 infantry Second Lieutenants and of those about half were killed and virtually all of the rest were wounded, so he has a special memory of service. He spends Memorial Day with other veterans in his hometown of Milton, which has services of recognition of veterans. He’s spoken at a number of memorial services. He stays in touch with them year-round. He belongs to a number of veteran organizations to gather and recall the services of others. It’s a difficult day in some respects because it reminds him of the friends he’s lost as well as the people who served with and under him who were killed. He remains close to a small cadre of friends who he survived with and periodically they gather. Every year they celebrate the Marine Corps birthday on November 10. Boston is famous for its Marine Corps birthday recognition. They have a Marine Corps luncheon with over 2000 at the Hynes Convention Center. It’s the biggest gathering of Marines in the country and often the Commandant or the assistant commandant come and speak. They have a number of Medal of Honor winners who are present. Msgr. John McDonough, a priest of Boston and former Chief of Chaplains for the Air Force (who Scot and Beirne jokingly call “the General”) and Fr. Rich Erikson, the vicar general of the Archdiocese and reserve Air Force chaplain, have attended the last couple of years with Beirne. Scot asked Beirne about the message he often delivers about the debt we all owe to those who are willing to give their lives in service to their country, particularly those who have lost their lives. The principle message he tries to send is one of respect and thanks and admiration for those who have served. This past week was recently Armed Forces Day, which honors everyone, living and dead, who have served. Memorial Day is a special time to remember those who have given the ultimate sacrifice. When he talks to young people, many of them have no idea of this reality and have not experienced this and hopefully never will. But given Iraq and Afghanistan, people are more cognizant. He tries to make them understand that people can have a special calling and sometimes we have to do what we don’t like to do. No one likes war, but someone has to fight it. Scot said Beirne served in a time when the respect for the military was low during the War in Vietnam. Beirne said during his last parade at Dartmouth College before graduating, they had to move to the stadium because there were so many protesters. He remembers having eggs thrown at him. Coming back from Vietnam, he recalls spitting at him or looking the other way or yelling at him. Quite a different experience than what troops experience today. He doesn’t hesitate to say that he thinks Vietnam was a mistake, but when one is serving in the Armed Forces, you don’t challenge your superiors, from the President on down. Scot said we may face some of the same issues today where some don’t agree with the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, which can lead to an attitude towards men and women in uniform. It seems to have gotten better, but Scot’s not sure that we still show proper appreciation for those who offer their lives in protection of our country. What’s Beirne’s sense of how we as a society, particularly in Massachusetts, appreciate our servicemen and women? He thinks we’re getting much better at it. He thinks veterans are being accorded the respect that they’re due. It’s painful for him to watch. He wasn’t a big supporter of what we did in Iraq or the strategy in Afghanistan. It’s difficult to conceive how the war will be “won”. He has friends, whose children are in the service and going back for their third, fourth, or even fifth tours. In a sense, you’re waiting for the bubble to burst. Vietnam was somewhat similar. Beirne was at Khe Sanh for 100 days. It was a famous base in a valley that was ill-situated. He remembers taking patrols out every day for 100 days and running into small-arms contact every day without exception and forcing his troops to walk through the densest of brush. Today, the young people are forced to drive on roads which they don’t have complete control over and there’s no way to combat the improved explosive devices (IED). One of Beirne’s jobs, his hardest, was when he came back from Vietnam. He was assigned to Newport naval base as executive officer of the Marine barracks over a couple hundred Marines. His job every fourth day was to make casualty calls to families of Marines who had lost a loved one. He probably did 100 of those over 3-1/2 years. That was the most painful task. There’s nothing worse than knocking on the front the door and telling a mother her son is dead. Scot said, they know as soon as they see you. It’s a very quick notification in the sense that you have to get it out: “Mr Lovely, I’m sorry to tell you that your son, Charles, was killed two days ago in the Republic of Vietnam serving his country.” It just doesn’t get any worse than that. After the notification it was his job to follow through and handle the funeral and coordinate the military honors at the funeral. Of all the things that bring him tears, he’s not ashamed to say it, is thinking about those people who gave their lives. Scot said, both for our Catholic and non-Catholic listeners, Memorial Day takes on an air of “what cookout are you going to?” using the language of celebration, not thinking of how difficult it is for someone who’s made 100 of those calls and lost so many friends. What suggestion does Beirne have for everyone, but especially Catholics? Beirne said he was not the most devout and faithful Catholic when he finished college. But he remembers in Vietnam the role of the chaplain. At Khe Sanh, you had to stay in a trench all the time. They were taking 2,500 rounds per day of heavy artillery. These chaplains were notoriously visible, which gave him a great deal of comfort. His message to people is to pause some time during the day to think about those who have worn the uniform and have made the ultimate sacrifice for their God and their country from their perspective. Scot would add to that to pray for the souls of the faithful departed, particularly those who have served in the military. Something we’re very good at in the Church is remembering those who have gone before us. If you happen to encounter someone you know has served, thank them for their service, however short or long it is. 3rd segment: Scot welcomes Fr. Rock to show. He’s pastor of St. Agnes in Reading and a former Navy, Marine, and Coast Guard chaplain. Scot said he’s retired as a military chaplain and asked him about the assignments he’s had as a Navy chaplain. Fr. Rock said he served for 34 years, the first 13 in the Reserves and the rest on active duty. He served with the Marines in Okinawa, Japan; on board the USS Long Beach out of San Diego, (which was built in Quincy); Camp LeJeune, North Carolina, with the Marines; and then Naval Air Station Sigonella in Sicily, Italy. From there he was called back to Washington to serve as personnel director for chaplains serving the Navy, Marines, and Coast Guard. “Fr. Stephen Rock named new pastor in Reading,” The Pilot, 4/13/2007 St. Agnes Parish, Reading Scot asked how many Navy chaplains are there? Fr. Rock said there were 1,100 chaplains around the world, 235 of them active duty priests. That was at the time he left he job in 1996. As he understands it now, there are less than 100 priests on active duty. “Chaplains in short supply to minister to the armed forces,” Rhode Island Catholic, 2/24/11 After that job, he assigned himself to the USS Theodore Roosevelt out of Norfolk, Virginia, an aircraft carrier with 5,000 sailors and Marines on board. From there he went back to the Marines in Okinawa and then around the world again to Naples, Italy, which gave him an opportunity to be in Rome on several occasions. For his last assignment, he returned to New England for the Coast Guard Academy in New London, Connecticut. He spent 3 great years with those young men and women. Scot asked him what attracted to being a naval chaplain when he was in the seminary. Fr. Rock said his father had a cousin who was a chaplain with the Army Air Corp in World War II and he’s sure he heard some of those stories growing up. Also growing up in Boston, he had a great love of the ocean and stories of naval history here. He wanted to be a priest in conjunction with serving the country and traveling and seeing the world. Scot asked what it was like to be a chaplain on the Roosevelt, how it’s different from being pastor of a large parish in Reading. Fr. Rock said he was the senior chaplain on the ship with two Protestant chaplains who served under him along with a couple of enlisted personnel. Their role was to provide not only for the religious needs of the men and women onboard, but also the personal needs that are the equivalent of social work. They would handle all the Red Cross messages from the US regarding a death in the family or issues back home. They became pastors for the whole trip. The difference between being a chaplain on the ship and a pastor in a parish is just the uniform. In the parish he has the collar on and on the ship he has the uniform on. Some of the sailors would refer to him as “Captain” (his rank), but most would call him “Chaps” or “Padre” or “Father”. It was always a sign of endearment. He wasn’t into the rank. He remembers a sailor telling another, “Don’t worry about his rank. He couldn’t care less about it. He’s more interested in being with us.” Fr. Rock saw that as the ultimate compliment. His responsibilities as a chaplain extended beyond the Catholics. Fr. Rock said chaplains are responsible to provide religious opportunities for everyone. So of course he would celebrate the Masses, which occurred on the Roosevelt on Saturday night, Sunday morning, and Sunday afternoon. He would also helicopter to other ships in the carrier’s task force. There was no Jewish chaplain so he would work with the Jewish community onboard to prepare lay-led services. Before they would deploy, he would connect one of them with a local rabbi for training. They would do the same for all the other faith groups as well. Scot asked if there were big difference between serving with the Navy versus serving with the Marines and serving with the Coast Guard. Fr. Rock said that one interesting difference is that there were more Catholic Marines than there were Catholic sailors. He’s heard different explanations, but he doesn’t know how to explain it. He said there’s a deep desire in people for a better understanding of God, and who more than those putting themselves in harm’s way. They want to know there is a God who cares and loves them. That is the same between the services. The chaplains serve as role models and to share with them not only their hardships, but also the love of God and the hope that comes from a relationship with God. Scot asked what it’s like to be at sea for long periods. Fr. Rock said it’s awesome to see the beauty of God. Being a person of faith, you try to see God everywhere in His creation. At sea, you see the ocean, the clouds, the sunrises and sunsets, and the night sky. Also the animals you find at sea. You get a whole sense of God’s creation. In 1987, he was on an Aegis cruiser coming out of the Persian Gulf through the Straits of Hormuz about midnight. The Captain told him that they would have Mass that night out on the deck between weapons mounts and they jokingly named it St. CIWS of the Sea. It was incredible in terms of the brightness of the stars and the phosphorescence of the ocean so they didn’t need any lights for the Mass. The men and women could sense that God was with them in this place in a very special way. It’s one of his best memories celebrating Mass at sea. Scot asked Fr. Rock what is like to be chaplain in the Far East during his two stints at Okinawa for himself the men interacting in a culture different from our own. Fr. Rock said it’s a blessing for our military to have assignments around the world because they are put in contact with other cultures and they don’t have a choice. When they get there, they can embrace it and go out and discover it, or they just stay on the base. For those that want to learn as much as they can, there’s a richness that opens up for them. Fr. Rock was blessed to have a priest in the local diocese, a Capuchin Franciscan from Wisconsin who’d been there since the 1950s. He was a great mentor to all the priests coming through Okinawa and he gave them a view into the local culture that was very Shinto Buddhist but also connected to the Catholic Church. The more Fr. Rock understood Shinto, it was like reading the Old Testament. He remembers being at a ceremony in a town in northern Okinawa called Nago, for the cherry blossom festival, which is a big celebration for Japan. There was a huge banyan tree in the middle of the city, in front of which was an altar covered with fruits and vegetables and other items, like sake. Of course, Fr. Rock didn’t understand Japanese, so he just had to go on what he saw was happening. But he watched them chant, beat the drum, and dance around, and then take the food on the altar and throw it up into the tree, and then take the big bottles of sake and pour them on the roots of the tree (which disappointed the Marines he was with). Later on the day, one of his chaplain friends who’d been a missionary in Taiwan before becoming a chaplain said to Fr. Rock that’s right out of the Old Testament. Wherever the patriarchs had encountered God in a special way, they would build an altar and offer sacrifice to God in honor of that visit. For the Shinto, in the ceremony they weren’t worshipping the tree, but worshipping the gods as they understood them. What they did know is that because the tree was so big and unique in Okinawa, they believed the gods as they understood them must have touched earth in this particular spot. The Franciscan missionary told him that they were able to use much of the folklore to help the people understand Christianity because of the connections to Christian understanding. The more he traveled in Asia and visited Shinto shrines, he saw the devotion of the people at them and their sense of the divine mystery. They had no understanding of it as we do, but they recognized that there was something beyond them. At these places of worship they would be present while we in the West, without our scientific way of thinking and wanting to figure everything out, have lost a lot of the sense of the sacred and the divine. The biggest difficulty for Christianity in that part of the world is the crucifixion. They can’t understand the humiliation of the cross. Fr. Rock recalls a book that said the way to the Japanese heart is through the compassion of Christ and the stories of Scripture like the Samaritan woman and the the woman with the hemorrhages. Fr. Rock said it enriched the spiritual lives of those from the West who were able to experience it. Scot asked Fr. Rock how often he brings his experiences in the Navy to his preaching at St. Agnes. He replied that it depends on what’s going on. He tries not to tell Navy stories all the time, but there are opportunities to bring his experience to a particular reading. Scot asked him to describe St. Agnes. He said it’s a busy parish with a lot going on. They have had a great foundation of faith-building in the parish. They had Fr. Arthur Flynn as pastor for 33 years and they did a lot of great spiritual development at that time. Fr. Rock wants to go from being a good parish to a great parish and move forward, improving their outreach. That’s one of the big differences from being a chaplain. On a naval base, you take care of the chapel and maintain things for two or three years or maintain the chaplaincy on a ship, and you move on to another assignment. But now Fr. Rock is close to his fourth anniversary at St. Agnes, which is the longest he’s been in one place for the last 25 years. So on the one hand, he could sit back and relax, but on the other, there’s so much that needs to be done working with all the parishioners and growing the parish. Something they’ve took on was the project related to the book, “From Maintenance to Mission,” by Fr. Bob Rivers, to be come a church that is mission-oriented. They started the process a year ago and in October they did the parish-wide survey during the homily at Mass. The surveys were sent to the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate at Georgetown, who complied the data and put it together in a report. Then they did focus groups which involved about 140 people. In February, they had a listening day at which 175 people came to the church for six hours. They were excited to be able to talk and be heard. Then in March they had a discernment day, trying to narrow down all the ideas of listening day into some practical things they could move forward with. That was another six hour day. They have another one coming up at the beginning of June that they call vision day, to lay out what they will do for the next three years in outreach. It begins a process that is Christ-centered and will be all laid out on Pentecost weekend. Scot said he will have Fr. Rock and some of his parishioners back on the show to talk about this process which could be a model for other parishes. He thanked Fr. Rock for his service to our country and as a priest here in the Archdiocese of Boston. Fr. Rock said Memorial Day is a reminder to us of the sacrifice of all who have gone before us and a good day to remember them, to pray for them, and to thank God for the gifts we have in this country of those who are willingly to go in harm’s way on our behalf. 4th segment: Scot welcomed Mary Doorley and Michelle Huntley from Boston Catholic Development Services to the show. Scot said the office has created a video honoring military chaplains from the Archdiocese of Boston. Mary said they approached Fr. Michael Medas in the Clergy Personnel office earlier this spring if they could reach out to chaplains. Those chaplains shared their stories and photos which were edited into a video that has been getting a lot of positive response. Michelle said priests serving in the military is a wonderful gift to the Church and we often don’t remember them. There are hundreds of thousands of Catholic soldiers serving overseas who need the sacraments too. Our priests lay down their lives in service for them. Scot said it’s important we’re connected through the support of these chaplains. Mary said it’s sometimes very difficult for servicemembers to receive those sacraments.When we support the Catholic Appeal, we help that ministry. Scot said the priests of the Archdiocese of Boston and their bishops have been very generous. The Archdiocese is know for generosity in serving the St. James Society, but the Archdiocese also sends many priests to the chaplains corp. Michelle said it’s shocking that people don’t know the kind of service that chaplains provide and the grace and gift that it is for our men and women in the military. Scot said he’s read testimonies from service members who can go months without seeing a chaplain and then when one comes they treasure the opportunity for the sacraments. Those priests are able to be sent from the Archdiocese because of the work of the Vocations Office and the Clergy Personnel Office and our seminaries. There are currently 12 who are actively serving as chaplains, but so many more in our parishes have experience as military chaplains. Many of these pastors in our parishes are still in the Reserves and National Guard, providing service throughout the year. There are a number of priests who are themselves veterans from before they entered seminary. Boston Catholic Appeal Mary thanked the many families who have supported the Catholic Appeal and asked those who are listening to do so if they can.

Summary of today’s show: Whether it’s in a media interview or at a Memorial Day barbecue, Catholics are often called upon to defend their faith. Scot Landry, Fr. Mark O’Connell, and Dom Bettinelli discuss Austin Ivereigh’s new book “How to Defend the Faith Without Raising Your Voice,” and especially his 10 principles of civil communication, so that all Catholics can give a good witness and avoid winning arguments at the expense of changing hearts and minds. Listen to the show: Subscribe for free in iTunes Today’s host(s): Scot Landry and Fr. Mark O’Connell Today’s guest(s): Domenico Bettinelli Links from today’s show: Catholic Voices USA Today’s topics: How to Defend the Faith Without Raising Your Voice: 10 Principles of Civil Communication Because Dom Bettinelli was a guest on today’s show, he was unable to provide the usual detailed show transcript. Please listen to the audio recording if possible or pick up the book How to Defend the Faith Without Raising Your Voice: Civil Responses to Catholic Hot Button Issues 1st segment: Scot and Fr. Mark caught up on the last two weeks. Fr, Mark recalled Msgr. Frank Strahan’s story about singing before Pope John Paul II at a moment’s notice. We heard this story when Msgr. Strahan was on the show. Program #0182 for Friday, November 18, 2011: Msgr. Francis Strahan 2nd segment: We all at some point represent the Church to our friends or families or coworkers to defend the faith. A new book by Austin Ivereigh covers these principles. Scot spent last weekend at a workshop with the author and others. Excerpts from Introduction to “How to Defend the Faith Without Raising Your Voice”: We know how it feels, finding yourself suddenly appointed the spokesman for the Catholic Church while you’re standing at a photocopier, swigging a drink at the bar, or when a group of folks suddenly freezes, and all eyes fix on you. ‘‘You’re a Catholic, aren’t you?’’ someone says. ‘‘Um, yes,’’ you confess, looking up nervously at what now seems to resemble a lynch mob. What you’ll read in these pages is the result of a group of Catholics getting together to prepare themselves for precisely these high-pressure, get-to-the-heart-of-it-quick, kind of contexts: not just around the water-cooler, but in three-minute interviews on live television. Their experience, distilled here, will help you to ‘‘reframe’’ the hot-button issues which keep coming up in the news and provoke heated discussion. We call these issues ‘‘neuralgic’’ because they touch on nerve endings, those places in the body which, when pressed, cause people to squeal. In our public conversation, they are the points which lie on the borders where mainstream social thinking inhabits (at least apparently) a different universe from that of Catholics. Touch on them, and people get very annoyed. “How on earth can you believe that?” they ask you. So while we can’t predict the news story, we can be pretty sure about the neuralgic issues. This book helps you to think through ten of the most common (and the toughest) for yourself; to understand where the criticism is coming from; and to consider how to communicate the Church’s position in ways that do not accept the presuppositions of the criticism. At the end of each of the nine briefing chapters, there are some ‘‘key messages’’ which summarise these positions—and which will hopefully help you next time you’re challenged. Ten Principles of Civil Communication Here are the ten principles which helped Catholic Voices develop the mind-set needed for this work: Look for the positive intention behind the criticism. Shed light, not heat. People won’t remember what you said as much as how you made them feel. Show, don’t tell. Think in triangles. Be positive. Be compassionate. Check your facts, but avoid robotics. It’s not about you. Witnessing, not winning. 3rd segment: 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 Pentecost Sunday, May 27, 2012 (Acts 2:1-11) When the time for Pentecost was fulfilled, they were all in one place together. And suddenly there came from the sky a noise like a strong driving wind, and it filled the entire house in which they were. Then there appeared to them tongues as of fire, which parted and came to rest on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in different tongues, as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim. Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven staying in Jerusalem. At this sound, they gathered in a large crowd, but they were confused because each one heard them speaking in his own language. They were astounded, and in amazement they asked, “Are not all these people who are speaking Galileans? Then how does each of us hear them in his native language? We are Parthians, Medes, and Elamites, inhabitants of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the districts of Libya near Cyrene, as well as travelers from Rome, both Jews and converts to Judaism, Cretans and Arabs, yet we hear them speaking in our own tongues of the mighty acts of God.” Second Reading for Pentecost Sunday, May 27, 2012 (1 Cor 12:3b-7, 12-13) Brothers and sisters: No one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit. There are different kinds of spiritual gifts but the same Spirit; there are different forms of service but the same Lord; there are different workings but the same God who produces all of them in everyone. To each individual the manifestation of the Spirit is given for some benefit. As a body is one though it has many parts, and all the parts of the body, though many, are one body, so also Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, slaves or free persons, and we were all given to drink of one Spirit. Gospel for Pentecost Sunday, May 27, 2012 (John 20:19-23) On the evening of that first day of the week, when the doors were locked, where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be with you.” When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.”

Summary of today’s show: Our usual Thursday panel of Scot Landry, Susan Abbott, Fr. Roger Landry, and Gregory Tracy consider the news headlines of the week, including the lawsuit filed by 43 Catholic organizations against the Department of Health and Human Services universal healthcare mandate; the attack on a parish in Acushnet for the pro-marriage message on its sign; the Vatican’s rejection of appeals related to closed parishes; the death of the dean of Boston historians; and more. 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: Catholic HHS mandate lawsuits; Parish threatened by gay activists; Church closing appeals rejected 1st segment: Scot and Susan discussed that there are many offices moving within the Pastoral Center this week, including Susan’s. Scot said the building has been occupied by Central Ministries for 4 years and now some entities related to the Archdiocese moving the Pastoral Center and also moving people who work within the same secretariat so they will be working in close proximity. Scot also said the graduation ceremony for the Master of Arts in Ministry program at St. John Seminary was last night. It was the 10th graduation and they had one DRE who received a Master’s degree. Bishop Arthur Kennedy gave the commencement address and focused on St. Augustine. Cardinal Seán presented the diplomas and gave his blessing to the 10 graduates. 2nd segment: Scot said this past Monday 43 Catholic dioceses and organizations filed a federal lawsuit against the Department of Health and Human Services for the Obamacare mandate. The most prominent dioceses are New York and Washington, DC, as well as St. Louis. [“Federal lawsuits by Catholic dioceses, groups seek to stop IllIS mandate”, Boston Pilot/CNS, 5/21/12](http://www.thebostonpilot.com/article.asp?ID=14716 “List of 43 plaintiffs in 12 lawsuits against HHS mandate,” Boston Pilot/CNS, 5/22/12 Fr. Roger said the Church has been negotiating with the Obama administration since last year to find an accommodation for religious conscience. Despite many attempts for compromise, the administration gave a phony accommodation. After a year of work, it became obvious that the Administration is obstinate in violating the First Amendment and federal law. Cardinal Timothy Dolan said they had to reluctantly file suit. Fr. Roger said Catholics should step up to support the Church in this matter. This was the last resort of the US bishops. Scot said the expectation is one of these suits will end up before the Supreme Court. The Pilot has an editorial this week called “Stop the HHS mandate”: The decision of a wide spectrum of Catholic institutions to join together in a lawsuit against the Obama administration should not come as a surprise. The HHS mandate that would force most Catholic institutions to provide contraception. sterilization services and abortive pills to employees is an unprecedented attack on the freedom of conscience and religious freedom. Furthermore. enacted in an electoral year to. reportedly. mobilize the more liberal segment of the electorate. this decision is an insult to Catholic voters. The issue at stake is not accessibility to contraception. which is widely available at very low cost. The issue for Catholics. and all people of good will, is that the government feels compelled, for no compelling reason, to force individuals and institutions to act against their conscience. If this mandate becomes effective, those advancing the most secular agendas will have a precedent to claim that, in fact, religion does not belong in the public square, opening the door to other restrictions on religious freedom. The Obama administration should make no mistake. Catholics of all political persuasions will be united on the need to defend individual freedom of conscience in front of an intrusive and unnecessary government mandate. That is at the core of Christian beliefs and even those currently nor practicing their faith know that freedom of religion is intrinsic to who we are as a people. In our opinion, the apparent political calculation that forcing this issue will benefit the president in November is risky and will backfire. Mr. President, there is still time to stop the HHS madness. Scot said the key idea is that the government feels compelled for no good reason to compel the conscience of individuals. Greg said people may not be familiar with how the government passing a law that infringes on freedom of religion will affect them. The government can restrict the practice of religion when there is a compelling public need and must be done in such a way as to have the least possible impact. Scot said in many ways, this lawsuit is unprecedented. Susan said the implications of this reaching the Supreme Court will be huge. Scot said there has been some media coverage and some prominent Catholics have come out with key reminders of why we’re doing this as a Church. Fr. Roger said one of those points is that the Department of Health and Human Services has come out with an unprecedented definition of religious groups that qualify for exemptions, which is that if we serve those who aren’t Catholic, we don’t qualify. Fr. Roger said the service of those who aren’t Catholic is a key element of our faith. The definition goes against what President Obama himself said at the National Prayer Breakfast in February in which he lauded religious groups serve others. Fr. Roger said either Obama was talking about of both sides f his mouth or HHS Secretary Sebelius violated the president’s own principles. Fr. Roger also said any exemption being talked about doesn’t protect Catholic business owners. This mandate also fits a larger pattern of the US government forcing Catholics to violate their religious beliefs on many issues, including abortion and same-sex marriage. “Franciscan University drops student health insurance plan”, Boston Pilot/CNS, 5/21/12 Scot noted the story this week that Franciscan University of Steubenville dropped its requirement for student health insurance and won’t provide it for those who want it. Scot said Cardinal Seán will host a live town hall meeting for the Fortnight for Freedom on Monday June 25 at 8pm on CatholicTV and simulcast on WQOM. He asked listeners to make an appointment and spread the word. “Poll finds most value religious freedom even when it conflicts with law”, Catholic News Service, 5/23/12 Also in the Pilot this week is a poll commissioned by the Knights of Columbus. It found that 74% of Americans value religious freedom even when it conflicts with laws. Greg said people support this principle even if the religious freedom conflict doesn’t affect them. Whether or not they personally believe, they support the right of people to live their faith as they see it appropriate. Susan said she thought the questions people could choose from were very clear cut. “This survey reveals that the American people are fundamentally dedicated to protecting the First Amendment conscience rights of everyone.” said Carl A. Anderson. supreme knight of the New Haven-based Knights of Columbus. “Allowing people to opt out of these procedures or services - which violate their faith - is the right thing to do.” he added. “It is also key to protecting the First Amendment rights of all Americans and enjoys strong public support as well.” Fr. Roger said he wants to attribute good intentions to people like Kathleen Sebelius, but it then shows the deeper problem that they believe that we can’t survive if the government doesn’t give us certain things for free. On the other hand, we could presume a cynical political motive designed to ignite a political base that hadn’t been excited about a re-election campaign. 3rd segment: Scot said the Anchor editorial is called “Lessons from Acushnet”: Prior to last Tuesday, the beautiful town of Acushnet was known mainly to residents of the southcoast of Massachusetts. Most in other parts of the Commonwealth - not to mention outside its boundaries - would have had to use atlases or the Internet to locate this charming place of bogs, farms and a world-famous golfing equipment company. That all changed on May 15 with six words placed on the rectory lawn sign facing the city’s main intersection, “Two men are friends not spouses,” placed there by the parish director of Pastoral Services in response to President Barack Obama’s May 9 newly announced support for the redefinition of marriage to embrace two men or two women. The phrase was meant to express in a succinct way the Church’s teaching that those of the same sex not only can but are called to love each other, but that that love is not meant to take on the form of romantic or spousal love (what the Greeks called eros) but rather the deep love of friendship (philia) consistent with the self-controlled and -sacrificial love (agape) that Christ Himself gave and called us to imitate. For Jesus and those who follow Him, love and truth are always united. Christ very clearly spoke about the truth of marriage when He said (Mt 19) that in the beginning God made them male and female (not male and male, or female and female) and for this reason a man shall leave his father and mother (not two fathers or two mothers) and cling to his wife (not to whomever he is sexually attracted) and the two shall become one flesh (which refers not merely to the ephemeral physical contact involved in sexual activity but to the fusion of the flesh of a man and a woman in a child, a fruit of which those of the same-sex are obviously incapable). Jesus also said that what God has joined, man must not divide, and this can be interpreted not just with regard to a particular man and a particular woman in a particular marital bond, but also to the marital communion intended in general between man and woman: The union of man and woman in marriage cannot be rent asunder to make marriage a husbandless or wifeless union. To believe in Jesus means to believe in what He taught. To follow Jesus means to seek to imitate the way He showed us how to love. St. Francis Xavier Parish was giving witness to its authentically Christian faith in the public square by reiterating the particular type of love to which those with same-sex attractions are called. Based on the media attention the six-word message garnered, however, one might have thought that instead of reiterating the Church’s teaching on the meaning of marriage and the love of friendship, St. Francis Xavier had put up a message calling for the condemnation of all those with same-sex attractions. One young woman started a Facebook campaign calling the message “hateful,” as if the six-word message had been, “The Church hates gays and lesbians.” Soon a blast got out to the wider gay community. A few picketers showed up. Others started bringing other posters. Many started calling. And, curiously, within hours all the major television stations in Boston and Providence were coming to Acushnet to do interviews and live reports about the protests to putative Catholic hate-mongering. It’s worth noting - as a commentary on the media’s coverage of the Church as well as the issues concerning gays and lesbians - that five days a week, 240 students attend St. Francis Xavier School to learn the Church’s teaching on truth and love in classrooms and on Sunday more than 800 worshippers come to hear it from the pulpit. These activities garner no media attention at all. Yet when as few as three people come to hold protest placards on the city sidewalk near a parish sign - even after the message had been changed the following day to announce the Ascension Thursday Mass schedule - television from all the major news affiliates of the two closest metropolises somehow show up. To the media’s credit, however, once journalists had arrived to cover a hyped-up story on homophobia and anti-gay hatred, they recognized, in talking with pastor Msgr. Gerard O’Connor and director of Pastoral Services Steven Guillotte, that not only was that animus totally absent, but another type of hatred - one of the most underreported forms of uncivility and bullying in our culture - was. And they reported it. They were shown various posters that had been left on the property. “Jesus freaks, come to your senses. Jesus freaks, pray for death,” said one. Another went straight after the Blessed Mother in a mockery of the angelic salutation, “Hail Mary, Virgin Whore.” Facebook and verbal messages referred to both pastor and parishioners as pederasts - a facilely-employed and relatively ubiquitous ad hominem used against Catholic ministers and believers today, especially whenever the Church speaks on human sexuality. The message that captured the journalists’ attention most was a voicemail left by an unidentified woman. In the span of 54 seconds, she somehow managed to employ 16 expletives while threatening, “Seriously, your Church should be burned,” insisting “God isn’t real,” and saying that the town of Acushnet, St. Francis Xavier Parish, and the Catholic Church and her teaching should nevertheless all go to hell. Apparently, God doesn’t exist but hell does. It didn’t take advanced degrees from Columbia school of journalism for reporters to figure out that such messages were hardly consistent with a side admonishing the Church to “Spread love, not hate,” as one poster left on the property declared. What is the larger lesson to be learned from what was really going on in Acushnet? It’s about the verbal nuclear attack that the gay movement regularly employs against the Church for her opposition to the redefinition of marriage. Whenever the Church expresses its principled objection to the redefinition of marriage - not only out of fidelity to Jesus’ teachings but out of concern for the future of our nation, because of the importance of the marriage between one man and one woman for the procreation and education of our nation’s future citizens, teachers, defenders, and leaders - she is accused of “homophobia,” “gay-bashing,” and “hatred.” This is part of a strategy directed against the Church and Christian believers that has been publicly described by various gay leaders. Notice that when President Obama, up until the “evolution” he announced on May 9, stressed his support for marriage as the union of one man and one woman, he was never accused of an irrational fear of those with same-sex attractions or of despising gays. When President Bill Clinton signed the Defense of Marriage Act in 1996, passed overwhelmingly by Democrats and Republicans in both the House and the Senate, they weren’t accused of collective antipathy toward gay fellow citizens. It’s only when Christian believers defend marriage as the union between one man and one woman that we begin to hear the accusations of hatred and homophobia. Why? The reason, gay strategists have declared in interviews, is because with politicians and citizens in general, the gay movement is trying to persuade them patiently to abandon the wisdom of the centuries about marriage and redefine its meaning as the crowning achievement of the social normalization of same-sex behavior. But since those who truly believe in Jesus and His teachings will never be persuaded of the same-sex ideal of marriage as a husbandless or wifeless institution with no intrinsic connection to children flowing from that privileged bond - and the Catholic Church in particular is seen as a bulwark against this revolution in social and sexual mores - what needs to be done is demonize and marginalize believers’ convictions altogether. Nobody, after all, likes to associate with “bigots,” especially in the politically-correct milieus of education and media that mold public opinion. In Acushnet, this strategy backfired. The real bigotry at play - against Catholic teaching and faithful Catholics- was exposed. The Church loves and welcomes those with same-sex attractions and defends them against all unjust discrimination. But the Church’s - and society’s - defense of marriage as the union of one man and one woman is not unjust discrimination, because gays do not have the right to change what marriage means and is. The “right to marriage” is not the unlimited right to marry anyone one wants. Laws rightly discriminate against certain types of attempted “marriages” in order to protect what marriage is and thereby serve the common good, and to affirm that those of the same-sex do not have the right to marry each other is not unjust discrimination any more than to say that people do not have the right to marry kids, or siblings, or another person’s spouse. It’s not hateful or homophobic to say this; rather, it’s the common sense and wisdom of the centuries, even from before the Church was founded. The truth about marriage as the union of one man and one woman, however, is also part of what the God of love has revealed. This is a message that all Catholics should confidently, charitably, and courageously proclaim from their rooftops, belltowers and parish lawns. “Acushnet parish threatened, harassed over sign opposing ‘gay marriage’”, Catholic News Agency/EWTN News, 5/18/12 Fr. Roger said this is bigger than just one parish, but points to a pattern being faced by Catholics. He said the parish was subjected to a Facebook campaign and received death threats; there were pickets outside that accosted parish employees and parishioners; and vile attacks. Every single major news station and media outlets provided blanket coverage. However, almost all of the media coverage ended up contrasting the parish’s passivity and calmness against the hatred they encountered. Fr. Roger said the only people who are called hateful toward homosexuals are Catholics and Bible-believing Christians. That’s because the activists recognize they aren’t going to change Christians’ minds so they will marginalize and demonize them so no one will want to identify with them. Fr. Roger said this was exposed by one little parish in a little town in Massachusetts. Scot and Greg discussed how the secular media did a good job and was not biased against the Church in any way. Scot said if you want to see the kind of venom that is spewed against the Church, go on to a newspaper website when any article about the Church is posted and read the comments. “Vatican rejects appeal of Scituate church relegation”, The Boston Pilot, 5/18/12\ Scot said another story concerns the Vatican’s rejection of the appeals regarding six churches in closed parishes. The appeals had opposed the relegation to profane use of the buildings. He said there has been predictable responses from the group Council of Parishes that has been riling up people across the country. Greg said in last week’s show we discussed what relegation and profane use mean. He those fighting the Archdiocese in this regard have dropped accusations that the Vatican gave Boston special treatment because of the influence of Cardinal Seán in Rome. Scot said the Archdiocese encourages people to join their fellow parishioners in their new parishes. Greg said Terry Donilon, archdiocesan spokesman, said the protesters are grasping at straws. Scot said Peter Borre of Council of Parishes threw out the rumor about Cardinal Sean throwing his influence around. “We feel we did it right procedurally, we did it right on the substance, we provided an enormous amount of information with the Vatican to back up the decision that was made, and I think they are grasping at straws and I think they are trying to create a conspiracy theory that does not exist,” [Donilon] said. Susan said the property of St. James the Great church in Wellesley has an agreement from the town of Wellesley to buy it, but that sale can’t go through until the appeals are finished. Greg said thinks the appeals will be exhausted eventually and thinks if the town does purchase the property they will be less sympathetic and merciful toward those occupying the building. He wonders how the media will cover that. Also in the Pilot this week is an obituary for Thomas O’Connor, the dean of Boston historians, who died this week at 89. He wrote several books on the history of the archdiocese. Scot said the books helped him understand so much of the background for the current issues in the archdiocese today. Fr. Roger said O’Connor helped people like us understand the roots of the trees that spread throughout this region. His funeral Mass was earlier today at St. Francis of Assisi Church in Braintree. Susan said she’s read several of his books and he spoke several times to gatherings of directors of religious education. He was really a storyteller. Greg said that as a convert to Catholicism, he found the books to be very accessible. Scot reiterated that O’Connor brought the characters he wrote about alive. Greg said the Pilot this week also covers the workshops going on around the Archdiocese for the doctor-assisted suicide education campaign. SuicideIsAlwaysaTragedy.org Fr. Roger said the Anchor profiles several priests of the Fall River diocese who have served the Church for many years. Susan highlighted the family retreat going on at the Family Rosary Retreat in Easton next month. More information will be on the Pilot’s website on Friday. We will interview organizers of the retreat on The Good Catholic Life next Wednesday. Scot highlighted a moving testimony from a Catholic chaplain serving with the 101st Airborne as we head into Memorial Day weekend.