The Good Catholic Life

Summary of today’s show: Fr. Darin Colarusso was an Air Force aviator serving in Korea when he heard God unexpectedly calling him to the priesthood. Now he sits down with Scot Landry and Fr. Chip Hines to talk about that call and what’s it been like to transition first to seminary life—at a time when the Church was undergoing great trials—and then into the priesthood and eventually his first pastorate. He says he has discovered the priesthood is the greatest excuse to love every person you meet. Fr. Darin also speaks about the future and his work with the archdiocesan pastoral planning commission and presbyteral council, advising Cardinal Seán on how the Church should organize herself for the next 50 years. Listen to the show: Subscribe for free in iTunes Today’s host(s): Scot Landry and Fr. Chip Hines Today’s guest(s): Fr. Darin Colarusso, pastor of St. Athanasius Parish, Reading Links from today’s show: St. Athanasius Parish Today’s topics: Pastor Profile: Fr. Darin Colarusso 1st segment: Scot welcomed Fr. Chip Hines as guest co-host for Fr. Matt Williams who is away. They discussed the recent vote in Foxboro that ended an attempt to build a casino in that town. Fr. Chip said that his parishioners were concerned about the casino in a neighboring town that they would have no say over. Scot said in the Pastoral Center today at the noon Mass they celebrated the 20 priests celebrating their 25th anniversary of the priesthood. Scot read their names on the air. Fr. Chip and Scot agreed that 25 years in service is the sweet spot of the priesthood, having served long enough to be well-known and to have plenty of experience. 2nd segment: Scot and Fr. Chip welcomed Fr. Darin Colarusso, who is pastor of St. Athanasius in Reading, which is Fr. Chip’s home parish. Scot asked about his background. Fr. Darin said he grew up in Wilmington. His parents grew up in Wilmington. When he was 18, he went to the Air Force Academy. He entered flight training and became a Weapon Systems Officer in the F-4G Wild Weasel and the F-15E Strike Eagle. When he was 30, he ended up in a one -year non-flying assignment in Korea and began to investigate his faith life. He started praying the rosary after learning about Our Lady of Fatima. One day he was praying the rosary asking for God to show him the woman to marry and it came to him to be a priest. Scot asked about growing up in Wilmington. Fr .Darin said he never went to Catholic school until seminary. He alway wanted to be a pilot from when he was 3 years old. He said his mom’s friends tell him stories about how he always wanted to fly jets. In high school, he was pretty standard college track, taking honors courses and engaging in athletics. He played golf and track and wrestling. His resume was good for the academy. He said during the Cold War, along as you were medically qualified you got a pilot slot. He washed out of the pilot slot, and ended up as a back-seater or navigator. He said in his second jet the pilot deployed the weapons while he did in his first het. He never employed weapons in combat, but only in training. He also flew in no-fly zones in the Middle East. Meanwhile, he has classmates who were in every major and minor conflict from 1988 to 2008. He was spared by Providence. He also served in Germany and was able to see Europe. He was also assigned to Nevada outside Las Vegas at Nellis Air Force Base. They could fly over the whole northern part of the state and then after hours be able to go into a major metropolitan area. Fr. Chip asked what it was like in Saudi Arabia, and Fr. Darin said it was hotter than Las Vegas. He spent 12 years active duty and 4 years in the academy. He never thought about the priesthood as a child and was never even an altar server. He also talked about the benefit of having come from the suburbs and now serving a suburban parish. Scot brought him back to the moment of hearing the call to the priesthood. Fr. Darin said he was shocked, but didn’t realize the level of prayer he’d entered into. He had been praying the rosary on his knees in his room and said the interior voice called him, “I want you to be a priest.” He said he was typical of so many men who should be considering the priesthood, helping out at the parish, reading at Mass, and the like. Chaplains often asked him, but he rejected the notion out of hand. But when he heard the voice, he knew he should test that thought. He knew if God was calling him, he would have to say yes. A few weeks later, he would say to God in prayer that he’d received so many blessings that if he wanted him to be miserable the rest of his life, so be it. From there he went on to his next assignment for the next four years. He didn’t apply to the seminary until 1998. He didn’t realize he had to leave the military to become a priest. If he’d wanted to be a lawyer or doctor, the military would send him. He thought he could go to the seminary and come back as chaplain. At the time, that wasn’t possible and he had to resign his commission. So going to the seminary was an even bigger commission, because even if he left, he would still be out of the military. There is a program now where a man can go from a military assignment to seminary as a chaplain candidate. There are a lot of guys going to the seminary now because of it. Scot asked how his friends in the service reacted. Fr. Chip guessed they were shocked. Fr. Darin said his close friends were close friends, but others would say he shouldn’t give up looking for a wife and similar reactions. But by the time he left the service, his friends were supportive. He was in seminary from 2000 to 2006. Scot asked what it was like to hit the books again. Fr. Darin said Fr. Chip once saw him driving in his Jeep Grand Cherokee on the seminary grounds with a contented look on his face. Fr. Chip said at the time, there goes a man contented with his life. Fr. Darin said he was happy to study philosophy and go to Mass every day. Scot said the clergy sex-abuse scandal broke while Fr. Darin was there and asked what it was like in the seminary at the time. Fr. Darin said originally he did have a few reservations about studying for Boston, but wanted to be local after his mother yelled at him for even thinking about going somewhere else. But when the scandal broke, he realized why God had called him. He said you don’t want every fighter pilot to be a priest, but you need a few, like you need artists and lawyers and the like in the priesthood. Fr. Darin said he was very conscious of being in a difficult scenario. He had a conversation with an academy classmate about some issues at the parish and his friend reacted that the reason for the issue is because they don’t realize that failure is not option. That was their attitude at the seminary, that even if nothing else was left, they still say Mass on a card table. He noted that at the beginning of his time, there were 100 men in the seminary plus the college seminary. At the end, there were 25 men and no college seminary. Fr. Chip recalled being there at the same time and they agreed it was a tough time. Fr. Chip said it affected him every time he drove down Commonwealth and turning onto the chancery grounds and driving past every TV satellite truck and crowds of reporters. They eventually had to block it out and focus on what they were doing. He said the rectors did a good time keeping them focused. Fr. Darin was ordained in class of 2006. In the seminary, he was assigned as a deacon to St. Francis in Dracut nd served under the first he met in the process of applying to the seminary, Fr. Bob Blaney. He also served St. Agnes in Arlington and St. Ann’s in Neponset, and he lived at Immaculate Conception in Salem for a summer while working on his hospital rotation. 3rd segment: This week’s benefactor card raffle winner is Nancy Fitzsimmons from Duxbury, MA She wins “True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin” by St. Louis de Monfort. If you would like to be eligible to win in an upcoming week, please visit WQOM.org. For a one-time $30 donation, you’ll receive the Station of the Cross benefactor card and key tag, making you eligible for WQOM’s weekly raffle of books, DVDs, CDs and religious items. We’ll be announcing the winner each Wednesday during “The Good Catholic Life” program. 4th segment: After ordination, Fr. Darin went to St. Francis in Braintree with Fr. Kevin Sepe. He was there for several years. Scot said it’s a place with a lot of young families and is very active. People still walk to church there and they have inactive and successful parochial school. It was a good assignment because he was absorbing a model for his own priesthood from Fr. Sepe. Fr. Darin said the key lessons from first assignment is just learning how to be a priest. the first and most important lesson for a new priest is that the people do want to have you as their priest. People want you to succeed and they do want to love you. They also know you’re new so they help you as well. Even now in his first assignment as pastor, when you’re talking about certain topics, he has to keep in mind that people often know what the Church’s teaching is and you have to take that into account when talking to them. You still have to be a representative of Christ and the Church. But the people know what you’re going to be teaching, so it’s about getting others to see the beauty that you’ve been able to see, say through seminary education and formation. Fr,. Chip said all priests want people to see the same thing they see in the beauty of the Church. It’s like finding something wonderful and not wanting to share it. Scot said Fr. Sepe was a great gatherer of priests, bringing them together in his own rectory. Fr. Darin said it’s important to recognize there is a cultural shift in the diocese and a lot of priests have worked out the right way to live and Fr. Sepe is one of them. Fr. Sepe is a very fraternal priest who wants the priests to be together. One priest had said that it was unusual for him to watch sports on TV with other priests in the same house, which is not the right way to live. Fr. Darin said, that being said, he lives alone at St. Athanasius, but he’s not isolated form others. After 4 years, he was named pastor of St. Athanasius in Reading. Fr. Chip, who is on the personnel board and had called Fr. Darin about the opening. At the end of the first four year assignment, priests are advised to put their names in for pastorships or other assignments. So Fr. Darin got the opening in Reading while Fr. Chip went to his parish in Wrentham. Fr. Darin said the personnel board came up with a slate of priests that they give to the Cardinal, who picks one. Scot said one of Fr. Chip’s jobs on the board is to encourage good priests to apply for openings that fit them. Fr. Chip said it was important in his mind to get some good guys to apply for his parents’ parish. He said it’s tough to get an opening and have no apply for it and then have to find men to offer it to. Scot asked what it was like to make the transition as first-time pastor. Fr. Darin said just as the slate was being decided for St. Athanasius, St. Francis in Dracut opened up. Clearly, if St. Francis had opened up earlier, he would have applied to it, but he said it all worked out as God intended. The transition was hard though, because he had lived in a good house in Braintree with other men and hadn’t been interested in leaving the assignment and serve for six or seven years. He said he felt like he needed to learn everything, having never been an altar server. He was scared, but knew that failure was not option. Scot said he would do his best and trust in God. Fr. Darin said while he was still considering the assignment, he stopped at St. Athanasius and went into the church to pray. He knelt before the tabernacle and got the feeling that God said to relax, that He will take care of everything. He felt like it was what he was meant to do. He did like the idea of going to a smaller parish as a starter place for him. Fr. Darin said there are about 1,900 registered parishioners. They have about 600-700 people coming to Mass during the school year. They are a medium-sized parish. They are distinctive for their architecture. The church was built in 1960 and has the shape of what he called a Dorito chip. He said it’s like the Air Force Academy architecture and he’s very fond of it. The other parish in Reading is St. Agnes and he said they’re working on collaboration. Fr. Stephen Rock at St. Agnes is a former Navy chaplain and he said they get along fine despite that. He said one of the joys of serving his parish is how new and different it is. He said the priesthood is the greatest excuse to love every person you meet. As a pastor, versus parochial vicar, the benefit is you come as being sent by the Cardinal and are replied upon to see to the needs of the parish and are expected to move it in a direction of improvement or maintenance if it’s going well. That process has been awesome for him. He said it’s the right size for one priest. With regard to being on the presbyteral council and the pastoral planning commission, it allows him to make St. Athanasius as a model and example parish for the future of the Archdiocese. Scot asked what it’s like to be on a commission charged with helping Cardinal Sean plan for the next 25 to 50 years. He said excellent advice has been that Fr. Darin has an opinion, but it’s not the only opinion. He said they are offering a framework that has to be modified for each local situation, which will require input from all kinds of areas within the archdiocese. He sees the dedication of the people throughout the archdiocese, including laypeople who are extremely competent in their fields and serving the Church. Fr. Darin said it’s difficult to change the culture and change course. The book is being re-written and there isn’t anything historical to fall back on.

Summary of today’s show: Some say the Church is waging a “war on women”, but in this war, the Church is women’s defender. Dr. Angela Franks discusses with Scot Landry and Fr. Chris O’Connor the Church’s often misunderstood teachings on contraception, sexuality, and marriage, as well as the shocking roots of Planned Parenthood’s efforts to solve societal problems by making women the problem. Listen to the show: Subscribe for free in iTunes Today’s host(s): Scot Landry and Fr. Chris O’Connor Today’s guest(s): Dr. Angela Franks, Director of Theology Programs, TINE Links from today’s show: St. John’s Seminary Theological Institute for the New Evangelization Angela’s website Today’s topics: The Church’s teaching on contraception and sexuality 1st segment: Scot and Fr. Chris talked about the quiet period at the seminary as the men prepare for their final exams next week. They also talked about how Bishop Arthur Kennedy is winding down in his service as rector of St. John Seminary as he prepares to take up a grew role as Vicar for the New Evangelization for the Archdiocese. Fr. Chris and Msgr. James Moroney, who’s taking over as rector, have been visiting with vocation directors at various dioceses talking about sending them to St. John’s. Fr. Chris said the Vatican has asked the US bishops to look at the number of seminaries in the US and combine faculties and resources to make more regional seminaries. Fr. Chris also went to Cheverus School in Malden as he does every month to be with the young people and hear the wonderful understanding of their faith. The first and fourth grades held a traditional May crowning. He said they represented every continent and many different countries. Scot mentioned that today’s topic is more for adult audiences. We’ll be discussing the Church’s teaching on contraception and the current myths that are out there. 2nd segment: Scot and Fr. Chris welcomed Dr. Angela Franks to the show. Scot said Angela’s presentation at a seminar last week on Women, sex, and the Church’s teaching promoted him to ask her to be on the show. Scot asked her about the connection between Planned Parenthood and the eugenics movement. Angela said there’s a lot of misinformation out there. The eugenics movement was a big part of the contraception movement in the early 20th century. The eugenicists divided the world into the so-called fit and the so-called unfit, the latter of whom are poor, physically disabled, or in otherwise undesirable classes. They believe if you eliminate the number of unfit people, you eliminate the number of world problems. Scot said these same ideas still exist today. Angela said anytime you hear someone trying to sell you on abortion or contraception as a solution to poverty, that’s a eugenic idea. The same is true of addressing Down syndrome by aborting them. 90% of them are aborted in the womb. Angela said we have learned that you don’t solve poverty by eliminating the poor. Margaret Sanger was the founder of Planned Parenthood in 1916. She was a eugenicist and admitted in 1920 that birth control was about weeding out the unfit and eliminating “defectives”. She was also married to the belief in sexual promiscuity and an early proponent of the sexual revolution. She believed this would all liberate women. She helped internalize the idea that women are oppressed by their bodies, that fertility is a cause of women’s oppression. This puts the problem on women, rather than on the societal structures. Angela said Sanger packaged eugenics in a way that was accessible to people and became convincing, partly because she founded an institution. Most eugenicists at the time were embarrassed by her, but she’s the one we know today because she founded Planned Parenthood. Planned Parenthood today now acknowledges those embarrassing attitudes, but they point to Jefferson owning slaves as analogy. But Jefferson didn’t devote hie entire life to defending and fostering and legalizing slavery, but instead was somewhat embarrassed by it, but wrote the Declaration of Independence. Sanger was the opposite and promoted her embarrassing ideas. Today Planned Parenthood names awards after Margaret Sanger. Angela said she first started researching Sanger in high school because her textbook had a two-page canonization of her. You’d never see a treatment of a noted racist in a high school textbook in that manner. Angels said her website has many references to what Sanger said. Scot asked Angela about the Church’s teachings. Angela said in 1968, Pope Paul VI released the encyclical Humanae Vitae. There was a lot of expectation that the Pope would reverse the teaching, but when he didn’t, people were outraged and confused and since then we’ve had a few generations that don’t understand what the Church teaches. Humanae Vitae Angela said the Church pretty much stands alone saying that contraception is not allowed. What Paul VI says is that sex has two meanings: procreation and unity or babies and bonding. Not every sex act has to end in a baby or that you must have as many babies as you’re physically able to have. We’re to have responsible parenthood, which means generously accepting all the children God sends us and discerning when we might choose to avoid pregnancy at a particular time,. But that can’t be by deliberately removing the possibility of procreation because when God made sex he made it for this physiological purpose of procreation as well as the emotional and spiritual purpose of unity. We need both because they reinforce each other. Sex has its own reality we must conform to. Fr. Chris pointed out that there is a naturalness to it. The sex act is about what it is, not what we make of it. Angela said eating is an enjoyable activity, but the purpose of food isn’t just enjoying it; it’s provide nutrition, although we also want it to be enjoyable. Sex is enjoyable because God wants us to want to do it to perpetuate the race. Scot asked how to respond to atheists. Angela said the design of the human body includes a reproductive system, that this is its natural function, its end and purpose. That is its intention. Scot said a common misconception is that natural family planning is Catholic birth control. Angela said NFP is not the rhythm method. It’s a scientific method to determine whether a woman would be fertile on a particular day. It’s not Catholic birth control. People assume that only intention matters. Abstaining and sterilizing the conjugal act are different things. Abstaining is not having sex. It is moral to not have sex. People don’t want to use NFP because they don’t want to abstain from sex. Those who use NFP are stepping back from act rather than changing the act. Fr. Chris asked why contraception is wrong. Angela said if you deliberately sever the procreative possibilities with the pill, then you are tinkering with the sexual act rather than respecting it. That affects the whole tenor of the relationship. Statistics show that couples who contracept divorce at a much higher rather than those who use NFP. Fr. Chris said we become gods, determining when life begins. She said people look at her five kids and say it doesn’t work. She said it works because it opens you up to welcoming more children. You become willing to turn your life over to God and trust that his plan for fertility is better than my plan. Angela said NFP makes the couples’ decision based on the woman’s body and her cycles as opposed to the male desire. Right now for most the male desire is the dominant force in sex. But in NFP, the woman’s body and dignity is being respected. It also very much promotes communication. With the Pill, there’s no stopping to ask if this is still what they want to do, whereas NFP couples address it nearly every month. Scot said Humanae Vitae came out in 1968 and he had many predictions about what would happen if artificial birth control grew in this country and around the world. Angela said he predicted husbands would lose respect for their wives. He also predicted that human sexuality would become cheap and degraded. Husbands would be tempted to use their wives as instruments to serve their own desires. Countries would use population control programs to control their people. There would be an increase in divorce. All of this has come true. Instead of procreation and bonding, it’s now just recreation. It’s just a tool. Angela said it makes women think that the cause of their problems is their own body. Women are at war with themselves and constantly fighting who they area. Scot said contraception cheapens the way men look at women. Women can’t demand a certain kind of commitment between men and women. Angela said economists looking at the causes of steep increase of divorce in the 70s was due to contraception because everything became negotiable and marriages without children are easier to divide. She also noted that contraception fails all the time, which leads to more abortion when they’ve already decided that children are the problem. Contraception was supposed to solve child abuse, but there’s no evidence that child abuse has gone down. If anything all of these problems have increased. Teen pregnancies and abortion were supposed to have become better, but children have become seen as disposable. 3rd segment: Scot said the Health and Human Services mandate controversy has resulted in stats like the fact that 98% of Catholic women are contracepting. Angela said that’s impossible, of course, since 98% of Catholic women are having sex! The study that it comes from debunks that myth itself because it acknowledges that it’s listing women who are not trying to get pregnant, who are between 15 and 44, self-identifies as Catholic (not necessarily practicing Catholic). That doesn’t mean that all Catholic women agree. We do still need to educate many Catholics. Scot said many Catholics do still practice contraception and have pre-marital or extramarital sex. Angela said there was a general breakdown in comfort in talking about the Church’s teaching because they were scared of making people angry. We live in a culture saturated with bad sex. The Church is a witness on how to live happily. It’s not a matter of a guilt trip. It’s a call to live a better way because it might be more difficult at first, but is more fulfilling. Fr. Chris said it’s important that the beauty of the sexual act be talked about. He then asked Angela about Dr. Janet Smith, whom she’s referred to. She’s a professor of philosophy who’s been very influential in talking about the Church’s teaching. “Contraception: Why not?” by Janet Smith Janet Smith’s website Fr. Chris asked how to help someone trying to figure out how to do natural family planning. Angela said the Archdiocese of Boston has a Natural Family Planning office that offers classes. Archdiocese of Boston Natural Family Planning Office On the current topic in the news that the Church is waging a “War on Women”, Angela says she’s agree there’s a war on women, but it’s by the contraceptive culture. It’s the idea that women are the problem and we have to fix their bodies. The Church is the only one that’s fighting on behalf of women and their bodies. Scot said a lot of people want to speak for women who advocate for things the majority of women don’t support. For example, the National Organization for Women promotes abortion and contraception, whereas in many places abortion is inordinately biased against baby girls. He noted that in the Obama administration, there are plenty of people who come from this viewpoint. Angela said many of these groups aren’t speaking for women, so much as speaking for the sexual revolution, which doesn’t advance the cause of women. Some argue that it advances the cause of some men. Scot said there’s been a movement toward a New Feminism. Angela said John Paul II used this phrase. He recognized that these “pro-woman” movements are not, so we need to offer an alternative. Angela said at TINE they are forming people to make a case that the Church’s teachings are indeed pro-woman and that they help us to flourish as human beings. Fr. Chris said John Paul talks about the complementarity of the sexes and some find fault with it. Angela said the Church affirms the equality of the sexes, but yet they are different. God made us man and woman, and these bodily differences are real and help us understand the differences in the sexes that can complement each other rather than have an antagonistic approach. Ultimately each sex is called to give of themselves in complementary ways, rather than compete or act selfishly. Scot said sometimes gets boiled down to sexual freedom or abortion. He asked what are the attributes of the New Feminism. Angela said women are called to receive love and to give, according to John Paul’s teaching. In some way, we all receive God’s love and give it, but because women nurture children in their own bodies, they have a concrete understanding of this truth. He calls it the feminine genius. She said ability to receive love is not prized today. Scot said New Feminists would never support abortion, contraception, infanticide. Angela said they don’t see children or their fertility as the enemy. Why do women have to change? If society doesn’t appreciate children or fertility, maybe society is the one that needs to change. Scot said Angela also spoke about marriage, including the decrease in the number being married sacramentally. Angela said this is connected to contraception. When you have the breakdown of the ability to give of themselves, then people become afraid to make a lifelong commitment. We see that in epidemic proportions. Fr. Chris asked about the vocation of marriage. Angela said Cardinal Sean the crisis in the vocation of marriage is as severe as the crisis in the vocation of the priesthood. It is connected to this idea that we have to give of ourselves in a definitive way. If we’re never committing, we’re never setting out into the unknown to something we can’t control. In marriage, we set out with this other person and commit to doing it gather no matter how hard it gets. Scot said the increase of cohabitation leads to decrease of ability to commit. Angela said people do it to prevent divorce, but the irony might be the best way to set yourself up for divorce. They’re 50% more likely to divorce if they marry. To be a good preparation for marriage, it’s more than just living together. You have to be able to give of yourself. Yet, they can’t give fully because they keep one foot out the door: they have two sets of silverware, two television sets, and so on, all in the possibility that they might break up and move out. They develop the habit of not giving of themselves, which is the worst habit to develop for marriage. Fr. Chris said when he’s preparing a cohabiting couple for marriage, he leaves them dumbfounded when he asks what changes when they marry. There’s no sense of any further commitment or the sacramental bond uniting them. In their mind nothing has changed, but everything has changed because God is becoming a part of this. Scot said sometimes the church becomes better known for what we’re against, rather than what we’re for. Angela and her husband led an initiative to help strengthen marriage a few years ago. Mass. Catholic Marriage Archdiocese of Boston Marriage Ministries Office For Your Marriage Marriage: Unique for a Reason Scot said there are a lot great websites for couples preparing for marriage.

Summary of today’s show: One of the biggest initiatives in the Archdiocese of Boston is one of the least well-known. The Improved Financial Relationship Model (IFRM) changes the way parishes support the Central Ministries and gives the Central Ministries a more immediate stake in the financial health of parishes. Scot Landry talks with Denise McKinnon-Biernat and Patricia Fraser from Parish Financial Services about the IFRM and how the first parishes to participate are already seeing good fruit from their efforts. Listen to the show: Subscribe for free in iTunes Today’s host(s): Scot Landry Today’s guest(s): Patricia Fraser, IFRM Project Manager, and Denise McKinnon-Biernat, Director of Parish Financial Services Links from today’s show: Parish Financial Services at the Archdiocese of Boston Improved Financial Relationship Model Today’s topics: Improved Financial Relationship and Parish Financial Services 1st segment: Scot said one of the largest initiatives going on in the Archdiocese of Boston that listeners may not have heard about. The Improved Financial Relationship Model (IFRM) is aimed to strengthen parishes. Scot welcomed Denise McKinnon-Biernat to the show. She’s been working at the Archdiocese since 1996. She lives in Bellingham and worships at St. Mary in Franklin. That’s also Patricia Fraser’s parish. she’s worked with Archdiocese since 2008. Scot said St. Mary’s is one of the largest in the Archdiocese. They recounted some of the other very large parishes in the Archdiocese. It’s often a parish in a growing suburb with no other parishes. Scot asked Denise about Parish Financial Services. She said it was created to be a liaison between the central ministries and the parishes. They help parishes with budgets, increased giving, staffing, payroll, and any other administrative operations in a parish. They typically work with business managers, if they have one, or with the pastors. She said they’ve been working hard to create a ministerial aspect to the job of the business managers. They’ve also been working to standardize many of the functions of the parish finances, like standardizing financial software across parishes. Scot said many pastors have come to realize that they need business managers and that pastors have much more to do than manage business functions. But many of these business managers need some help dealing with issues that come up. Parish financial services often networks the business managers with each other and helps with problem solving. Tricia said pastors are so stretched in their pastoral ministry they help business managers take on the other tasks required. They organize regional meetings of business managers to share the knowledge they have gained. Scot said some business managers have worked in the Church, while others have worked successfully in corporate environments and want to serve the Church in their later years. Denise said about 60% of current managers have come up through the parish, having worked with the parish in other ways. About 40% and more now, come in as a second career. They help them apply their business acumen to the unique needs of parishes. Scot talked about the Revolving Loan Fund, which is like a church bank, where parishes deposit their reserves and parishes who have cash flow needs can get temporary help. Tricia said they recommend parishes keep 3 months of operating funds and put the rest in the loan fund where it earns interest. There are lots of reasons a parish would need a loan. Denise said they help parishes to increase their weekly giving, work with their grand annual, work with their cash flow or envelope companies or budget. They help them with their annual reporting to parishioners and may even provide a loan, particularly in the summer when everyone’s on vacation. There are also grant opportunities for parishes that are really in trouble. Scot said parishes at the other extreme, that are growing very fast, they can help them have a capital campaign and hire fundraising counsel. As parish financial services, they help parishes with funding of parish work, help them decide if they need a campaign and then help them do a survey of the potential. They also provide a bridge loan over the three to five years it takes to bring in the money from a campaign. 2nd segment: Scot said they will not talk about the Improved Financial Relationship Model. He said they first formed a committee in 2008 to address the particular problem. Denise said the Cardinal had formed the IFRC (i.e. committee) to look at the current model of support of parishes and the archdiocese. The current model was complex with all kinds of taxes and fees and pastors felt they were being nickeled and dimed and the timing was all over the place. The idea was to build a model that was simple and good for both parishes and the archdiocese. Scot said models of support evolved over time previously. The main way that parishioners helped support the Central Ministries was the Catholic Appeal, then the cathedraticum, health care ministries tax, school tax from schools without schools to schools with, audit fees, real estate and facilities fees. Scot said the issue was how to get parishes to support the ministries that help them in a way that’s simple and fair. Denise said they surveyed other dioceses and most had a simple, broad-based across the board percentage. They used that as part of their new model. They have two basic components with a set monthly bill that parishes can budget for. Scot said another problem was the inequality of the sharing across parishes. Some parishes were giving as little as 2% and as much as 36%. A little difference is understandable but that’s too much. It’s not just the poor parishes giving little and rich giving a lot. Tricia said this was one of the key sticking points with pastors. Also there was no accountability for parishes that didn’t work hard at the Catholic Appeal. This came from pastors, not the pastoral center. Scot said the committee then embarked on a long consultation process. Tricia said the IFRC committee did a great job. Many came from the parishes to give their input and as a result the model we have now is different from the proposal. They also recommended to have a voluntary pilot phase. They were afraid parishes would not embrace change, but 33 parishes came forward. Scot recalled that there had been 30 different revenue categories that parishes had including candle funds, heating fuel, Easter flowers, and the like. they needed to determine what budget items went toward their operating costs. They eventually came up with three main categories of revenue to calculate the fair share: the weekly offertory, the Grand Annual collection, and net rental income. Tricia said Grand Annual can fund special projects, but more and more it was going toward basic operating costs. Some pastors are unhappy with it being taxed because it wasn’t taxed before. Scot said some parishes had valuable locations for their parking lots or extra buildings that they rented out and made substantial income. Denise aid rental income has really taken off in the past five years and more and more parishes are becoming dependent on rental income. In fairness to parishes paying the same expenses without having rental income, they had to include it. Tricia said they do a three-year loopback average to even out spikes. They take that average and it becomes the base revenue. Once all are agreed, they multiply it by 10%. If they don’t have a school, that’s the central ministry tithe and they divide it by 12 and pay it out over 12 months. Then they use the same base revenue number and 8% becomes the Catholic Appeal assessment. The parish used to have a goal, which is usually higher, but the 8% is what the parish is accountable for bringing in. Scot said a lot of parishes from the initial phases have had Catholic Appeal far greater than the 8%. Tricia said once a parish’s pledges reaches 8%, the parish earns 50% back to the parish, which is significantly more than there used to be in the old model. Denise said in the new model was revenue neutral from the Central Ministry viewpoint. The Archdiocese isn’t taking more money out of the parishes. Now as the Archdiocese helps parishes increase revenue, the central ministry revenue goes up. And if it goes down, it’s a motivation to help the parishes. Scot said it’s not a zero-sum game, but if the parishes get more, the Archdiocese gets more. 3rd segment: Scot asked how many parishes followed for phase II? Tricia said when they went back to the presbyteral council on the first round of pilot parishes, they were sent to go back for phase II and 45 parishes signed up for that. Thus far, they have had 61 parishes volunteer for phase III and more are coming in every day. Scot said Cardinal Seán very much wanted parishes to opt-in and nearly half of the parishes have done so. Scot said many in phase II have heard and seen the results. Tricia said another critical element of the IFRM was having parishes run an increased giving campaign. And Parish Financial Services also focuses on the improved relationship model as well. The phase I parishes ran their increased giving campaigns one year ago and those 33 parishes increased by $1.3 million, or 11% overall. Parishes not involved in IFRM over the same time period had about 1% increase. (That includes parishes that ran increased offertory on their own.) Denise said they structured programs that were tailored to the parishes. They brought in fundraising consultants who got to know the parishes and went through programs fit to the parishes. Scot said many parishes hadn’t run increased offertory campaigns in five to ten years. Most experts say parishes should remind parishes every three years that expenses are rising and old parishioners might give a little more and new parishioners might show up. Many respond to the pastor laying out the facts of what the parish needs. Tricia said Phase II are running this year and early results are in that indicate that increased offertory campaigns are just as strong as phase I. These campaigns are working in suburbs and cities as well. Scot asked Tricia how the greater sharing in the Catholic Appeal is helping parishes with more money. Tricia said the 50% rebate in the first year is double what they used to get. But phase I and II parishes now realize that this is a joint fundraising effort that benefits both the parish and the archdiocese. She said at the close of the Appeal last year there was about $1 million of rebates to parishes, $850,000 went to IFRM parishes, which made up a small percentage of the total number of parishes. Scot said most of the IFRM parishes are doing much better than under the old model. Tricia warned that it is not a cure-all, but gives them the best tools to increase viability, to pay off debt. Scot said one of the best non-monetary benefits is the close working relationship between parishes and the central ministries. A pastor got up at a meeting to say that the parish had completely changed its attitude toward the Archdiocese. Scot asked Tricia how they help a new business manager. She said they begin by getting the word out, meeting in the parish with parish councils, finance council, to help them understand what the IFRM means for their parish. They walk through their numbers and show them where they’re at and the impact on the budget. They start work with the development consultants for increased offertory. The parish can also apply for an abatement to get some relief from paying for part of that tithe this year. Scot said it helps parishes that believe in the model to make the difficult transition. Denise said 11 total parishes have gone through the abatement process. Part of the process make their office part of the solution so they can identify the issues when making the budget, for instance. Abatement is about being with the parishes on the journey and helping them get to where they want to be. One pastor said the IFRM saved his life because he’s no longer stressed about the parish’s finances.

Summary of today’s show: Our regular Thursday panel looks at some of the top stories of the week from the headlines of the Pilot and Anchor newspapers, including the 5th annual Eucharistic Congress held in the North End of Boston last weekend, including a Eucharistic procession through the streets on Saturday night; the opening of First Communion season with quotes from communicants expressing nervous excitement; and the visit of Havana’s Cardinal Jaime Ortega to a Harvard forum in Boston that made an international stir. 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 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: Eucharistic Congress, First Communion, Cuban cardinal in Boston 1st segment: Scot and Susan talked about the seminar they attended today on Women, Sexuality, and the Church’s teachings. The speakers tackled some of the controversial Church teachings that are often misunderstood. The speakers are authors of the book “Women, Sex, and the Church,” including Erika Bachiochi, who was on The Good Catholic LIfe last year to talk about the book, and Dr. Angela Franks, Katie Elrod, and Sister Sara Butler, MSBT. Program #0018 for Friday, April 1, 2011: Erika Bachiochi Scot said on the front page of the Pilot today is an article about the Eucharistic Congress that took place in the North End last weekend. Gregory Tracy said it was the fifth year for this congress. The highlight of the congress is the Saturday evening Eucharistic procession through the streets of the North End. On a Saturday night, the North End is full of people out for dates and revelry and dining. Scot said the slideshow by George Martell is phenomenal. Eucharistic Congress in photos Eucharistic Congress slideshow Scot said his favorite part was the talk by Damon Owens. “How ofren do we frame our retreats as getting away from it in order to rejuvenate to get back to it, where the reality is getting back to the job, getting back to our responsibilities? But every once in a while we have to back up and catch our breath,” he said. He said favoring the toil of this world over the contemplation of the gift Christ offered the world in the Eucharist is like holding a preference for exhaling over inhaling. He said in his struggles with the idea of always working hard, he had trouble finding stillness when he did adoration with his wife. “I love you Lord but I got to do something for you. I got ro do something period,” he recalled thinking. With time, he said he realized the need for balance between serving God in action and loving Him in adoration. Scot said that was like a bolt to the heart for him. People who work for the Church are often busy with the work and need to remember to step back and pray. Susan said that’s why integrating prayer into daily life is important. It is both/and, not either/or. We can adore the Lord by serving Him in what we do each day in addition to praying before the Blessed Sacrament. Break for fund drive banter. Make a gift to support Catholic radio in the Archdiocese of Boston on WQOM. 2nd segment: Scot introduced a front-page story in the Anchor this week about youngsters getting ready for First Communion. Scot noted that most parishes begin First Communion ceremonies this weekend and Susan said they continue throughout May. Susan noted her favorite quotes of the children from the story. “I feel excellent about receiving First Communion,” he said. “I’m looking forward to getting a blessing and having a good life.” Susan said while we don’t diminish the importance of the First Communion, this is about the second and all the following communions. There should be a lifetime of communions. Scot quoted Mother Teresa who told priests to celebrate each Mass as if it were his first, his last, or only Mass he’ll celebrate and that’s how we should receive Communion. Do we act like we truly believe it’s the Body and Blood of Christ. Scot said his own daughter made her First Communion last month. Greg said he and his wife had made their First Communion every other since 2000 and will continue until 2017. His son will receive his First Communion on Mother’s Day. He said his son is nervous about having to go up to and do one of the prayers of the faithful. He noted how recently his son has been watching his parents every week at Communion during Mass and thinking about his upcoming First Communion. On the other hand, people can take it too far, making it like a little wedding and concentrating too much on the clothes and gifts instead of the Eucharist. Scot said what he does love about doing it big for First Communion is that it’s one of the top three biggest days in their life at this point after birth and baptism. Susan said everyone in the church, whether they have a child or not, loves to see First Communions. Susan noted there are no private sacraments, they all have a communal effect. Scot said when he’s old and grey what he’ll remember is the sacramental celebrations. Break for fund drive banter. Make a gift to support Catholic radio in the Archdiocese of Boston on WQOM. 3rd segment: Scot said Cardinal Jaime Ortega of Havana, Cuba came to Boston to give a public talk. There are not many cardinals in the College of Cardinals and Cardinal Ortega’s been a cardinal for several decades. His talk occurred at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard. Greg said a number of local universities had invited Cardinal Ortega to come speak as a followup to the Pope’s visit to Cuba. He also spoke at Boston College and at colleges in other countries. One talk was a light talk on what it’s like to live in Cuba and in the evening he participated in a forum that included Cardinal Seán. His remarks at the forum were more pointed and he spoke about the hope of the Cuban people for the Pope’s visit. He said it was very important that they were allowed to bring a statue of Our Lady of Charity, the patroness of Cuba, to every town, which was quite unusual in this heavily Communist country. Greg said the cardinal had strong words for the exile community in Miami, who Scot said criticizes the Church in Cuba for not being strong enough critics of the Castro regime. the cardinal said the Church is not political. “Now that the Church is expanding and gaining footing in Cuba, there is likely going to be added criticisms from those on the outside,” [Mario Paredes] said in an April 27 the telephone interview with The Pilot. “The fact that [Cardinal Ortega] doesn’t criticize the regime directly is seen as his collaborating with the regime, which is untrue,” Paredes said. “The Cardinal is doing what he is supposed to do,” he continued, noting that the cardinal’s role is “to bring people to faith, to call on collaboration in rebuilding Cuba, to bring Cubans to reconciliation.” “It’s very hard for people to understand his role,” he said. Susan said Cardinal Seán’s blog has some pictures of the forum. Greg clarified a point in the article about an incident when 13 protesters were removed from a church in Havana before the Pope’s visit. They said they were protesting in favor of freedom, but the cardinal called them “former delinquents,” which was the same language the Castro regime used. This was one of the reasons Cardinal Ortega was criticized by the exile community. Scot said they were trying to disrupt a very delicate situation that takes years to plan and many negotiations. Greg said he sympathizes with those who want greater change in Cuba. His sense from Cardinal Ortega is that he feels squeezed between a rock and hard place. Cardinal Sean’s Blog: Welcoming Cardinal Ortega of Havana Break for fund drive banter. Make a gift to support Catholic radio in the Archdiocese of Boston on WQOM.

Summary of today’s show: Three priests from Northern Ireland–two brothers and a childhood friend–share their musical talent as the musical group The Priests, and have recorded two albums, the first of which went to number 1 in Ireland and other countries. The Priests will be performing on Monday, May 7, in Boston and Scot Landry interview Fr. Eugene O’Hagan on the challenge of being simultaneously a parish priest and a touring recording star, and what was in the water of their childhood village that brought the three young boys not just to the priesthood together, but musical stardom as well. Listen to the show: Subscribe for free in iTunes Today’s host(s): Scot Landry Today’s guest(s): Fr. Eugene O’Hagan of The Priests Links from today’s show: The Priests Today’s topics: The Priests, a classical musical group of 3 priests from Northern Ireland 1st segment: Scot said today is the one-year anniversary of the dedication of the radio studio to the newly beatified Pope John Paul II. Today is also a celebration of Catholic radio on WQOM. Scot and Rick Heil talked about the value and importance of Catholic radio. Today is a fund drive for WQOM and he encouraged listeners to keep Catholic radio on the air. 2nd segment: Scot welcomed Fr. Eugene O’Hagan to the show. Fr. Eugene is a pastor in Northern Ireland, but he is part of a touring group of musical priests called The Priests. They will be in Boston on May 7. The three priests are Fr. Eugene, his brother Fr. Martin O’Hagan, and Fr. David Delargy. They discussed some of the American locations they’ve already visited on the tour. Neither of the O’Hagans have been to Boston although Fr. David has. Scot asked how three parish priests find the time to record music and gon on a several week tour in the US. Fr. Eugene said it takes planning well in advance. They had the good grace and help of their fellow priests and parishioners. They’re taking it out of their annual vacations. Many parishioners feel very involved by following along with their travel on the website. Scot said he senses that the priests have not just their vocation, but also an avocation to music. Fr. Eugene said it came from their appreciation for the gift of music that the Church has encouraged in their lives from their time as seminarians. When they began their journey to the priesthood, the seminary recognized that it be could for them to develop their musical talents and encouraged them to do so. Over the years, they’ve always been involved in music to encourage others to take part in worship. They made their first album in 2008 and saw it as part of Pope John Paul II’s call to put out into the deep of the culture. They will be performing at the Wilbur Theatre this coming Monday. Break for fund drive banter. Make a gift to the 2012 Spring Fund Drive. Two listeners who donate this hour were to win a pair of tickets to The Priests at the Wilbur Theater. 3rd segment: Scot said the album rose to number 1 in Ireland and a number of other countries. In the US it got to 66. He asked Fr. Eugene what it says about the beauty of Church music’s resonance with young people today. Fr. Eugene said they had the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra performing and they performed one part in St. Peter’s Basilica, which helped a lot. He said they sang traditional hymns that reached Catholic and non-Catholic alike. There are still lots of people looking for the spiritual and this musical contribution was a form of gentle evangelization. It got people curious about who these priests were and whether they were really or good or just a PR stunt. Scot noted that the royalties for concerts and CD sales go to their charitable foundation. Fr. Eugene said they fund educational projects, including ones in Uganda, Thailand, and Cambodia. He said the actual work is done by the Mercy Sisters and Jesuits who are working in those areas. They also support Sightsavers International, who help the blind. They are conscious of supporting Catholic organizations, but not just exclusively Catholic ones. Break for fund drive banter. Make a gift to the 2012 Spring Fund Drive. Two listeners who donate this hour were to win a pair of tickets to The Priests at the Wilbur Theater. 4th segment: Fr. Eugene talked about many of the amazing venues in which they’ve performed, like St. Albert’s Hall in London. Scot asked how his parishioners react to having a priest who has such a large international profile. Fr. Eugene said today when priesthood is in the press so much, some good and some bad, they are in a position to present a different side of the priesthood than what people perceive it to be. He said they acknowledge the challenges of the priesthood, but all priests try to live their vocations to the best of their ability. They are able to do it through the support of their parishioners. They all recognize it’s a hugely important opportunity. Scot asked how these three men, two brothers and their childhood friend, all from the same village were able to have such musical talent that blossomed in their priesthood. He said they were blessed to have encouraging parents, teachers, priests, and in the seminary. He noted their musical teacher, a religious sister, who was a dynamo of enthusiasm who got them all involved in music. They were blessed to have received that encouragement from those put in their lives at the right time, to fulfill themselves to the best of their ability and to reach their potential. He says concertgoers will experience humanity, Irish site, and banter. People often tell them they look happy and comfortable onstage and they start the concerts by making the audience equally comfortable. An old music teacher told them there’s no reason to go on stage if they look like it’s a burden. Break for fund drive banter. Make a gift to the 2012 Spring Fund Drive. Two listeners who donate this hour were to win a pair of tickets to The Priests at the Wilbur Theater.

Summary of today’s show: The Xaverian Missionary Fathers serve Christ in the missions in African and Asia, as well as at the Fatima Shrine in Holliston in the Archdiocese of Boston. Scot Landry and Fr. Chris O’Connor talk with Fr. Rocco Puopolo and Fr. Joseph Matteucig about their service in the Xaverian Missionaries in both Sierra Leone and Taiwan, as well as the initiatives they are undertaking in this country to connect American youth with their counterparts elsewhere. Listen to the show: Subscribe for free in iTunes Today’s host(s): Scot Landry and Fr. Chris O’Connor Today’s guest(s): Fr. Rocco Puopolo and Fr Joseph Matteucig Links from today’s show: [St. Guido Maria Conforti]: http://www.guidoconforti.com/ [Xaverian Missionaries USA]: http://www.xaviermissionaries.org/ Our Lady of Fatima Shrine, Holliston, MA Today’s topics: Xaverian Missionary Fathers 1st segment: Scot and Fr. Chris talked about the celebrations at the end of seminary year. The seminary years ends on May 18. They had a deacons night the other night in which they salute, toast, and roast the deacon class who is going to be ordained. There are 13 resident and 3 or 4 religious community seminarians, about 17 total. They had Fr. Jason Jalbert of the Manchester diocese came to give a talk about priesthood. Scot pointed out that the 17 are from 4 dioceses and several religious orders. Fr. Chris said the two happiest days in the seminary are opening day and ordination day. The other celebration at the seminary was for Bishop Arthur Kennedy who is ending his service as rector at St. John Seminary. Fr. Chris said they commemorated Bishop Kennedy’s distinguished service. 2nd segment: Scot and Fr. Chris welcome Fr. Joe and Fr. Rocco from the Xaverian Missionary community. Scot said there are 45 men’s religious communities in the Archdiocese and those in the metro west region are probably familiar with them. Fr. Rocco said they were found in 1895 by a young diocesan priest in Parma, Italy. He was unable to be a missionary and later became a bishop and archbishop. He founded the order under the patronage of St. Francis Xavier. He noted they are not related to the Xaverian Brothers order that runs Xaverian high school in Westwood. The Xaverians came to Holliston in 1947 after the war. His mother and grandmother assisted with the community from those early days. He became a Xaverian in order to become a missionary in Asia. He was ordained in 1977 at St. Catherine of Siena in Norwood and was sent to Africa. Fr. Joe said he is from northern Italy in the town of Udina, near what used to be Yugoslavia. He entered the Xaverians in Italy and was sent to Chicago for seminary. There was a Xaverian community just a short ride from his home in Italy. He entered while he was still in high school because he felt a strong attract not the community. Fr. Chris asked about St. Francis Xavier. Fr. Joe said he could be described with zeal, a passion for Christ, and enthused, because he wanted to share the Gospel with everyone. Francis did not start as a saint, but loved to fight and party, but when he encountered St. Ignatius of Loyola, he left his old ways and became one of the first Jesuits. Francis Died before getting to China and so the founder of the Xaverian Missionaries wanted them to complete his mission to China. The founder is St. Guido Conforti. He was born in 1865 and died in 1931. As a seminarian, he conceived of the seminary. He started the community as a vice-rector of the seminary. He sent out the first seminaries in 1899. In 1901, he became Archbishop of Ravenna, but he was only there a few years when he got very ill. He went back to Parma to die, but regained his health. He became coadjutor of Parma and then bishop until he died. He made one trip to visit his missionaries in China in 1928 and died in 1931. Fr. Joe said Guido wasn’t well known in northern Italy until recently. Fr. Chris noted he was just made a saint last October. Fr. Joe said what made him special was that he said the Xaverian Missionaries have the gift of living faith which challenges him to see God, seek God, and love God in all. Also, Guido had a dream to make the whole world one single family and we as Jesus’ disciples have to fulfill that dream. He also wanted them to be religious and missionaries. Other missionary orders do not take religious vows. They take four vows: poverty, chastity, obedience, and the missions. Fr. Rocco said he was a pastor of souls locally and a missionary globally. He was committed to helping save souls worldwide. Scot asked Fr. Rocco about the Holliston shrine. Fr. Rocco said the property used to have a high school seminary on it. Since they didn’t have parishes in this region, they wanted property to help people know they were here, It’s a Fatima shrine, because the message of Fatima is a missionary message. Scot said it’s a good visit for families with young kids. They have an outdoor rosary made of large boulders and chains. Fr. Rocco said they had an African night at their hall this past week. People came to hear the head of the Africa Social Justice Network come talk about the Africa synod that took place in Rome a few years ago. Different ethnic communities hold pilgrimages to the shrine. Fr. Chris noted the grounds are lit up with Christmas lights each December. Fr. Joe said people like to come because it’s a quiet place to pray. Fr. Joe said one of the things that attracts children is that the boulders of rosary have prayers in different languages of the world. They are soon going to start a regular outdoor language and will invite people to come forward and pray the Hail Mary in their own language. Fr. Chris asked what formation of men for the missions is like. Fr. Rocco said they hope the men can deal with diversity in a comfortable way. Working and living overseas can be uncomfortable. In formation he would often send the men to work in parish in ethnic communities very different from their own. They help them to be open and comfortable with people of different faiths, to witness to Christ and to listen to the gifts of the spirit found in people throughout the world. 3rd segment: This week’s benefactor card raffle winner is Shirley Bramante from Middleboro. She wins the CD, “The Apostle of the Rosary: Servant of God Fr. Patrick Peyton” and the booklet “The Secret of Mary” by St. Louis de Montfort. If you would like to be eligible to win in an upcoming week, please visit WQOM.org. For a one-time $30 donation, you’ll receive the Station of the Cross benefactor card and key tag, making you eligible for WQOM’s weekly raffle of books, DVDs, CDs and religious items. We’ll be announcing the winner each Wednesday during “The Good Catholic Life” program. 4th segment: Scot said Fr. Rocco served many years in Sierra Leone, Africa. Fr. Rocco said he went there as part of his graduate studies. It was a last minute switch from Indonesia. He went back to the States and right after ordination went back for six years. He did some mission work in the remote northern area of Sierra Leone. It is in West Africa near Liberia, about the size of North Caroline. It gained independence in 1961. The “blood diamond” trade has resulted in the exploitations of many people. He eventually became superintendent of schools. He came back in 1984 for 10 years and then went back, this time in the middle of a war. Charles Taylor of Liberia was trying to annex a portion of Sierra Leone that was rich in diamonds. For 10 years, Liberian-backed insurgents wreaked havoc in the country. Fr. Rocco became a staff member of the bishops’ conference that covered Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Gambia. He did a lot of work in conflict resolution and was also a national youth minister. Scot noted Fr. Rocco was shot in the course of his missionary work. He had been working with youth to empower them to reach out on a peer level. Many of these youths were being enticed into the ranks of the soldiers. As their pastoral center was being looted one day in 1988, Fr. Rocco engaged a conversation with one of these children looters. He went away and came back drunk, demanding money and other goods. He shot near him without trying to hit Fr. Rocco, but did hit him in the thigh. The 100 kids were later rounded up by the army and they were all shot. Sierra Leone Scot asked what percentage of Sierra Leone is Catholic. Fr. Rocco said the number of Catholics has increased because the Church staged during the dark days of the world. At the time, 10 percent were Christian, half of them Catholic. About 30% Muslim, and the rest animists. Fr. Chris asked about the culture. Fr. Rocco said there is no privacy. It is important to greet everyone or risk offending them. He said he couldn’t walk between the high school and the church without it taking three times as long as it should. Taiwan Fr. Joe’s primary service overseas was in Taiwan. Fr. Joe said he spent 13 years in Taiwan. He learned the language and culture in three years and had active ministry for 10 years. He said you need a musical ear and a good memory to learn the language. He gave examples of how difficult it would be. He did find that when he arrived in the country he felt at home. His teachers were very understanding and solicitous almost too a fault. They were always very positive and affirming. For three years they studied Chinese for three hours per day, then the bishop of Taipei asked him to be part of the diocesan youth office. Ninety-five percent of high school and college students coming to diocesan youth programs were non-Catholic. They felt attracted to the values of the Gospel. The goal was to show that God created them for something special. The Chinese culture emphasizes taking care of yourself and working hard. He found the youth to be extremely generous with time and talents. The students would be in school from 7:30 am to 4:30pm. Then from 5:30pm to 9:30pm they go to remedial school to review the topics of the day. They are preparing for then end of high school exams which were a lot of pressure. So they do their homework until midnight and get up at 5 or 6 pm. Yet, when there were programs, they were always willing to come out. Fr. Chris asked if the government was supportive. Fr. Joe said it was much like in the US, where you could do anything that’s allowable within the law. That contrasts with China where you have to be much more attentive. In mainland China, they work mostly with disabled children and adults. He said about 60 million people have disabilities in China. Fr. Rocco said a high percentage of people in the developing world are under the age of 15. In the majority of countries they work in, the majority of people are young people. He said there are about 800 Xaverian Missionaries. They have about 80 men in formation. Fr. Chris about the Taiwanese culture. Fr. Joe said the Chinese are very curious. People have no compunction about looking into places that we would see as private, or asking questions, but you learn that it is a kindness because they want to know you better in order to serve you better or give you a better gifts. They are also very superstitious, especially about numbers. They are also very generous. Scot said they have a program in Holliston called Global Youth Mission. Fr. Rocco said for the past 10 or 15 years they have been looking at ways to reach out to young people. The order initiated the outreach to empower youth to be active in the Church, to help them link with young people overseas. They are also working with the Office of Cultural Diversity to connect with youth immigrants from Africa and Asia to help them connect with the Church locally. Fr. Rocco said they have information on their general website and still working on a specific website for the initiative.

Summary of today’s show: The Daughters of Charity were founded in France in the 17th century as a different kind of religious community active in serving the poor and that charism continues to today, including in the Archdiocese of Boston. Scot Landry and Susan Abbott are joined by Sr. Denise LaRock to discuss her own vocation story; the story of the founding of the order and how St. Elizabeth Ann Seton brought the community to the United States; and Sr. Denise’s work helping young women discern a vocation to religious life. Listen to the show: Subscribe for free in iTunes Today’s host(s): Scot Landry and Susan Abbott Today’s guest(s): Sr. Denise LaRock, D.C. Links from today’s show: The Daughters of Charity, Emmitsburg Province The Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul West Central Province The Daughters of Charity Vocation and Discernment Website Sr. Denise’s Vocation Story Sr. Denise’s blog: The Spirit of the Daughters of Charity Today’s topics: Daughters of Charity 1st segment: Scot welcomed Susan Abbott as a co-host on Monday in addition to her usual Thursday spot. Susan talked about being in the middle of sacrament season in faith formation: first reconciliation, confirmation, and first communion. She prayed for the children and their parents. Scot said today they will profile the Daughters of Charity religious order and some great saints have been connected with the order, including St. Vincent de Paul and St. Elizabeth Ann Seton. 2nd segment: Scot and Susan welcome Sr. Denise LaRock, D.C. from the St. Louise Province of the Daughters of Charity with headquarters in Baltimore. Scot asked her about how she heard God’s call to religious life. She said she was in 7th grade in a boarding school with the Visitation Sisters. It was through the prayerfulness and generosity of those Sisters that she began to consider it. She didn’t even have the seed of faith planted until she started at the school in fourth grade. The school was in Frederick, Maryland. In high school at another boarding school she got the prompting again. Even when wasn’t thinking about religious life, she continued to go to daily Mass. Sr. Denise went to Franciscan University of Steubenville and at the end of her time there that she started seriously discerning. She looked at a lot of orders, but wrote a letter to the Daughters of Charity. She had prayed with each packet she got from each order. She began her student teaching and went to the Daughters of Charity school her brother attended to check out the order. She was attracted to the order because she wanted to serve the poor. They also ran schools, had foreign missions, and wore a habit, and all those were attractive to her. She liked that each sister was unique and different, yet so united in prayer, community, and service. The atmosphere of prayer at Steubenville was key to her hearing the call of God in her vocation. She said at Steubenville there was positive peer pressure to go to daily Mass. There was also a kind of living in community through the Franciscan University household system. She also saw many religious sisters on campus. Franciscan University of Steubenville Scot said telling your family about a religious vocation is often difficult. Sr. Denise said her foster family was supportive when she first brought it up, but they wanted her to wait some time before entering the order. She said young women don’t always get that support from their parents. She said pressure from families is often a big influence on young men and women not answering the call. Often when the parents see how happy the young women is in religious life, they come around and they even become connected to the community. Sr. Denise said she started as an elementary school school. She worked at Mother Seton Academy in Baltimore, serving very poor children. She also worked with teaching children of migrant farm workers in Florida, following the children as families moved with the harvests. she said the sisters often got involved in immigration issues. She noted how workers often were disposable, so when the harvest ended they would be harassed into leaving and being deported. She talked about the stories of some of the immigrants, talking about why people are so desperate to risk the dangers of illegal border crossings. They are desperate to raise their families, to feed them and to keep them safe from the violence in Mexico, they are willing to risk coming here. Scot said these people are our brothers and sisters in Christ. At a time when she was teaching in Georgia, she was on a retreat when the province was considering a new leadership team. The old vocation director was elected to the leadership team, so Sr. Denise said she was willing to take over the job, even though she had been preparing to go to Bolivia for a mission. She said it’s been a wonderful ministry. She notes a lot of women don’t enter the order, but it’s a blessing to see so many women on fire for the Lord. Sr. Denise has been in town for a short visit, going to some of the schools served by the Daughters of Charity, including St. Joseph in Holbrook, as well as attending parts of the Eucharistic Congress. The province covers St. Louis to the East Coast, but there are a couple of vocation directors for the province so they split up the work. She said it’s not about recruitment, so she doesn’t do the hard sell. They don’t just want bigger numbers, they want the women that God is calling. She often works with other religious communities and they work together to find the right communities for women who are discerning. Scot asked what advice she has for parents whose children are interested in religious life. She said they should have the conversation first with the child. In the Archdiocese of Boston, they can contact Sr. Marian Batho, the Delegate for Religious, to get material. Nothing takes the place of visiting the orders and having those experiences. Even for women interested in the Daughters of Charity, she encourages them to look at other communities. Susan said each community has a different charism, a different emphasis or focus. 3rd segment: Scot asked about the founding of the Daughters of Charity. Sr. Denise said the founding is unique. They started in 1633 when all sisters were cloistered. They were originally the servant girls of the parish charities. St. Vincent de Paul had been starting parish-based charities. St. Louise de Marillac had a rough life in her younger years and St. Vincent pulled her out of herself by getting her involved in the works of charity. She’s the patroness of social workers. She was a great organizer. For the servant girls, it was very hard work and there was a lot of burnout so Louise suggested they come together to live in community in prayer. Most couldn’t read or write. She was also nursing her own sick husband and she taught those skills to the young women. Today the community life and prayer are still vital, but it’s in service to the poor. A lot of the terminology of the order today is different because they couldn’t appear to be nuns without being in the cloister. Their original habit was the dress of the country girls. The “flying nun” habit grew out to he bonnet worn by the girls, after the order was disbanded during the French Revolution and came back. Other differences are that they don’t have a novitiate, but a seminary; they live in residences not convents; and they take annual vows, not permanent vows. They have to receive permission to renew their vows each year on the Feast of the Annunciation. St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Mother Seton was a convert to the faith and was invited to come to Baltimore from New York to start a school for girls. The bishops asked her to start a religious community. She was living near the Sulpicians and they knew the Daughters of Charity so, because the DC couldn’t come to the US because of Napoleon, they sent the rule of the order and they started the Sisters of Charity. Around 1850, the Sisters of Charity in the US most united with the Daughters of Charity in France. The Sisters of Charity continue today. Scot said in Boston we have Sisters of Charity of Halifax, of Ottawa, of Québec, of St. Mary, of Montreal, Nazareth in Kentucky, and more. Sr. Denise said not all of them are tied to Mother Seton. She said the Sisters of Charity federation connects many of those Sisters of Charity orders. Scot asked about all the ministries of the Daughters of Charity. Sr. Denise said they serve Christ in those living in poverty. The three big areas are healthcare, education, and social services. So they have sisters who work in hospitals and clinics, Catholic schools, after-school programs, GED and alternative education, Catholic Charities, meal programs, soup kitchens, social service work. St. Ann’s Infant and Maternity Home in Hyattsville, Maryland is for teen moms. They do prison ministry and mission work. She has some friends in Kenya, others are Magadan, Russia, and Taiwan. Scot asked if the typical sister stay in one ministry for most of her life or does she move from one to another. Sr. Denise said it’s a lot of personal discernment and discernment with the community. Much of it has to do with training and experience. She said some sisters enter already trained as doctors or nurses or teachers. Sr. Denise said over the past 5 years she’s seen a change for the positive among young people toward hopefulness. They are tired of consumerism and selfishness and they are having a sense of being called to something. Scot asked where she goes to find young women. She said it’s about relationship and connecting. There are women who come through their parish presence or ministries. She receives contacts through advertising or retreats or inquiries from the Vision Vocation Network. Scot asked how blogging has helped her work in vocations. Sr. Denise said she tries to look at different aspects of who the Daughters are, highlighting the spirit of the Vincentian communities. It’s a way to meet them online. It helps to know who it is you’re looking at. She said when young people get information on communities, they often look the same, so the blog helps to share the personality of the community. Sr. Denise said she’s never had regrets. She’s met people who’ve had regrets they didn’t check it out. The sisters are more than happy to welcome young women who are interested in checking them out without any kind of obligation. She’s met so many wonderful people and lived with so many wonderful sisters, who supported her in prayer and helped her through tough times.

Summary of today’s show: Kevin Kiley has worked for the Archdiocese of Boston for most of his adult life in what he describes as a calling to serve God and the Church. Scot Landry and Fr. Mark O’Connell talk to Kevin about his service, including managing the massive move from the chancery in Brighton to the Pastoral Center in Braintree in 2008 as well as shepherding budgets through difficult times and aiding unprecedented financial transparency. Listen to the show: Subscribe for free in iTunes Today’s host(s): Scot Landry and Fr. Mark O’Connell Today’s guest(s): Kevin Kiley, Director of Budget and Planning for the Archdiocese of Boston Links from today’s show: Finance Office of the Archdiocese of Boston Central Ministries Today’s topics: Kevin Kiley, longtime employee of the Archdiocese, Director of Budget and Planning 1st segment: Scot welcomed back Fr. Mark and asked him what he was up to last week when he was away. Fr. Mark said he was at a board of governor’s meeting for the Canon Law Society of America at the airport hotel in Baltimore. Scot said many who work at the Archdiocese serve on national boards and committees in the Church. Scot said this weekend will also be the 5th annual Eucharistic Congress for College Students and Young Adults in the North End of Boston on Friday night and Saturday morning. Also next week, there will be seminars at the Pastoral Center for priests and laity on the topic of the Church’s teachings related to Women and Sexuality. Find more about the seminars at Pilotnewmedia.com. 2nd segment: Scot and Fr. Mark welcomed Kevin Kiley to the show. Kevin has worked at the Archdiocese for 20 years when he was 25 years old and newly married. He’d worked a few jobs after college and his last job was sales. One of his clients referred him to a friend at the Archdiocese. He did work a couple of years outside the Archdiocese and came back in 2004 because he missed it. He grew up in Weymouth in St. Albert’s parish with his two older sisters. At the time he didn’t know how much his faith meant to him, until he came here to interview. His brother-in-law, Fr. Paul Hurley, who is a chaplain with the 101st Airborne, was just entering the seminary at the time. Fr. Mark said Kevin used the word “call” and a lot of people have a calling to work for the Church. Kevin said he’s seen a lot of people come and go. Even while he was away working at a for-profit company, he still helped out at St. John Seminary and had a side practice as a parish consultant, so he kept his hand in it. People are drawn to serve the Church. Scot asked Kevin what he missed during his two-year hiatus. Kevin said it’s the atmosphere, the ability to go to daily Mass. His prayer life suffered a bit because he wasn’t spending time in the moment not being here. Scot said Kevin’s worn many hats in his time. Kevin said he started as an accountant. He moved up to accounting supervisor and accounting manager and then assistant comptroller. He grew into a budget role. When he came back, he did more with the budget, and then when Jim McDonough came as chancellor in 2006, he worked in planning and projects. He worked with human resources and then the Pastoral Center project came along. He hadn’t had experience with facilities management or construction before, but he determined to form relationships with the right people. Scot said Kevin had a good handle on all the work that was needed for a massive relocation from six locations to here under budget and on time. Kevin said the Pastoral Center building had been a financial services company with 500 people working in it. Tom Flatley sold the building to the Archdiocese for $1 and when Kevin came into the building for the first time, it was obvious there was a lot of construction that was going to need to be done. They had to plan to lay out the whole building. The most challenging part was sitting down with people to determine what they need. He needed to lay out a functional workspace for each department. They brought in three buildings in Brighton, and offices in Dorchester, West Roxbury, and downtown Boston. They built a new chapel. He remembers a few times wondering how it would possibly happen. Everything that good go well went well. When they told other building managers that they would start the move and be done in a week, they got disbelieving laughter. Scot said the plan was to have everything working and open for business in one week: telephones, computers, voicemail, and so on. He recalls the reservations at moving from the center of the Archdiocese to an office park, but when people walked into the building they felt at home. Kevin said they didn’t just move, but had brand new telephone system, brand new networked printers, brand new data center and it was a lot of change at once. Everyone had a new workstation and felt like they were moving into a brand new home. It was a place to be proud of. Scot said it’s truly a center of pastoral activity because of all the conferences and activity going on here. Scot said in the first year, there 25,000 people to come through for various seminars and trainings. Kevin said the ability to gather together in the full-service cafeteria, which we’d never had, is a whole new atmosphere. Scot asked Kevin about the highlights of the project for him. Kevin said he treasured the relationships he formed, including with Paul Morin, who’d worked with Flatley for many years and came to work with us; people at W.B. Mason; Dan Guerra who was IT manager at the time, and others. The reason the building came to gather they way they did was the relationships. Everybody was on the same page with the same mission. Kevin said they had a very tight deadline with Boston College. We had to be out. Fr. Mark said until they got here, he didn’t realize how much they needed to get out of the old spaces. What makes the most difference for how we minister as a Church is the relevance. When you drive down Route 128 and see the glowing cross at night, the Church is more available. It’s a more inviting experience. That said the Brighton campus was beautiful, although the buildings on the inside were antiquated. Fr. Mark said one of the best benefits is the amount of work that gets done in the hallways and cafeteria that didn’t get done when they were in six buildings. He said there are a lot of people who come from the community to daily Mass every day. Kevin said he’s glad they were able to keep the crucifix from the old chapel. Kevin said the monthly staff meetings in the auditorium of the new building are great compared to the old Peterson Hall gatherings which occurred irregularly in a dingy atmosphere. Scot said Kevin’s current role oversees many projects in the Archdiocese. He assists the Cardinal in the allocation of resources to all the ministries. Kevin said we don’t make widgets and sell them, but rely on donations. He said the size and scope of the Archdiocese, it rivals major corporations that 1,000 people in the home office, while we have a little more than 200. Ten years ago we had 400. Then we had $40 million budget activity and now it’s $28 million. The most difficult part of the job is trying to do what needs to be done with less. Kevin said no one takes it personally when he sits down with them to talk about budgets. It’s always difficult, especially when reducing staff. Unfortunately the economy is a key driver in how the organization goes. There’s a lot of balancing scarce resources and prioritizing. No one thinks they have enough to do what they need to do. Infrastructure expenses take up a lot of resources. While they have had to cut back, a lot of cuts have come from administrative services to reduce the impact on mission services. He said if there was a $20 million Appeal it would be a lot easier. Scot said the Archdiocese is recognized nationally for financial transparency. Kevin publishes the budget annually and there is a lot of detail that wouldn’t be available anywhere else. They try to show what the Corporation Sole is comprised of and the Central Ministries. They drill down into each cabinet secretariat, give a brief description of each agency and department’s mission. It’s pretty comprehensive. Scot said many pages describe how many people work in each ministry. Scot said many offices have just one or two people. Kevin said there’s almost 300 parishes, 100 schools, and 50 affiliate organizations, but there’s a very small home office to oversee and provide support. Kevin said you have to be as transparent as you can. Scot said people don’t often understand how complex the Archdiocese is from a corporate standpoint. It is a Corporation Sole with 4 different groups in it, plus many other related entities, like iCatholic Media, of which TGCL is a part. Kevin said the Corporation Sole is the parishes and schools; self-insurance fund and risk management; a small endowment; and central operations. Within Central Operations is unrestricted operations; restricted funds, reconfiguration fund, and special collections. Unrestricted operations is the Central Ministries activity. The parish and school aspect is not centrally controlled. Kevin said the parishes and schools have done well with transparency. Kevin said he looks at about 100 different budgets, each with about 50 different line items. In the past couple of years, they implemented a new financial system called Lawson. It’s been beneficial. Part of the challenge is just trying to find the time to use the system more effectively. In the past there were more people in the Finance office dedicated to those efforts than there are now. Kevin lives in Marshfield and they have four children, three boys and a girl, from 12 years old to 17. They are parishioners at St. Christine’s. He loves being able to help out at the parish and all of our parishes need good volunteer help. He praised Fr. Tom Walsh the pastor of his parish. They then discussed what it’s like to have his wife’s brother as a priest. He recalled when his brother-in-law was a seminarian having so many of them over to the house. Kevin said Fr. Hurley has done a couple of overseas tours and just came back from Afghanistan last year, telling stories that are gut-wrenching. 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 Fourth Sunday of Easter, April 29, 2012 (Acts 4:8-12) Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said: “Leaders of the people and elders: If we are being examined today about a good deed done to a cripple, namely, by what means he was saved, then all of you and all the people of Israel should know that it was in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazorean whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead; in his name this man stands before you healed. He is the stone rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. There is no salvation through anyone else, nor is there any other name under heaven given to the human race by which we are to be saved.” Second Reading for the Fourth Sunday of Easter, April 29, 2012 (1 John 3:1-2) Beloved: See what love the Father has bestowed on us that we may be called the children of God. Yet so we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God’s children now; what we shall be has not yet been revealed. We do know that when it is revealed we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. Gospel for the Fourth Sunday of Easter, April 29, 2012 (John 10:11-18) Jesus said: “I am the good shepherd. A good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. A hired man, who is not a shepherd and whose sheep are not his own, sees a wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away, and the wolf catches and scatters them. This is because he works for pay and has no concern for the sheep. I am the good shepherd, and I know mine and mine know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I will lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. These also I must lead, and they will hear my voice, and there will be one flock, one shepherd. This is why the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down on my own. I have power to lay it down, and power to take it up again. This command I have received from my Father.” Scot said the Gospel of the Good Shepherd is where Jesus owns his decision to lay down his life for us. His favorite line is that Jesus knows us individually by name. Kevin said it’s profound and comforting. In these difficult times when people are struggling, knowing we have a shepherd who loves us is comforting. Scot said in the second reading that knowing we are God’s children is also a form of comfort. Fr. Mark said any Jewish person hearing this would recall Ezekiel, chapter 34. It speaks of the scattered sheep that God sees. He promises them a shepherd who will bring them back and they will be his. So Jesus assures us he is the fulfillment of that prophecy. We are his flock that he will lead. When the sheep see the shepherd is confident and unafraid, they will be okay. Scot said it’s easy for him to feel close to God being described as a child than being described as a sheep. Being a child is God is wonderful. In the darkest days, step back and think about what being a child of God means. He will hears and love us non-stop. Fr. Mark said Scot and Kevin both responsibilities to their own children and they know that if they are faithful, the children will feel safe. Scot said the other sheep Jesus refers to shows how he recognizes how scattered we can be and we should be one flock. Fr. Mark said a lot of people are scattered and wandering outside the flock. We have a mission to spread the Gospel that the Church is less without them. Scot said this Sunday is World Day of Prayer for Vocations. Fr. Mark said it’s amazing how many people take it seriously and make a special effort to write to priests and express love and appreciation on Good Shepherd Sunday. Scot said he loves the first reading from Acts. Peter in desperate times proclaims what his mission is. The ending may be the best verse: “There is no salvation through anyone else, nor is there any other name under heaven given to the human race by which we are to be saved.” This is why so many prayers end “in Jesus’ name.” Kevin said the rejected stone becoming the cornerstone is so profound. He feels bad to for those who don’t have faith to be able to turn to the Lord in difficult times. Fr. Mark said it’s been a difficult few years for Kevin as the budget guy. He notes how Peter was challenged in the reading too. Kevin has stood up as well to declare what needs to be done.

Summary of today’s show: Our regular Thursday panel of Scot Landry, Susan Abbott, Fr. Roger Landry, and Gregory Tracy discussed the week’s headlines including the annual Co-Workers in the Vineyard conference; Emily Stimpson’s new book that gives hope to single Catholic women; keeping your kids Catholic during vacation; Clergy assignments; and concrete steps that parishes can take to promote vocations to the priesthood and religious life. 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: 1st segment: Scot and Susan caught up on their week and Susan said it’s been a difficult week for her as she’s been to the funerals of three people close to her. She talked about the hope and consolation of her faith. They also talked about the Co-Workers in the Vineyard Conference and spoke about encountering listeners to the show. Scot also discussed his recent work preparing for the next phase of the educational campaign for the effort against legalized physician-assisted suicide in the Commonwealth. He recorded some talks that will be posted on the campaign’s website SuicideIsAlwaysATragedy.com. 2nd segment: Scot said the there is an annual conference in the spring for clergy and the laity called Co-Workers in the Vineyard. Susan said what’s impressive is that whole parish staffs come to the conference together. She said the theme was excellence in pastoral leadership. The keynote speaker was Fr. Michael Keating and Msgr William Fay gave an update on the pastoral planning process. Cardinal Seán began the day with Mass. Janet Benestad gave a talk on physician-assisted suicide. Scot said that presentation will be available in a different format on the assisted suicide education website. Co-Workers in the Vineyard Conference 2012 Photo Album Susan said there was a panel discussion as well with a number of pastors. They discussed what it was like to enter a parish as a new pastor and to bring parishes together. Scot said a number of ministries support and sponsor this event. Greg tracy said they put this story on the front page because they want to raise awareness of the event and increase attendance at these types of events. It can be easy to get focused on your day to day work. Scot mentioned that there are two seminars next week on the same topic, one for clergy and the other for laity. The topic is the book Women, Sex, and the Church: The Case for Catholic Teaching. Women, Sex, and the Church seminars Fr. Roger said they have a large article in The Anchor about the book “The Catholic Girl’s Survival Guide for the Single Years” because he often hears from young faithful Catholic women on their despair at finding a good husband and remaining single in those years. He found the book to be a great book and he said Emily is a tremendous writer. “The Catholic Girl’s Survival Guide for the Single Years”, by Emily Stimpson Fr. Roger said any young woman listening to the show and is in this situation would find this book to be a great help. He said parents, friends, and priests could also read the book to understand how to help support women in these circumstances because a lot of the time we inadvertently cause pain to those in these circumstances by what we say, even when well meaning. While working on a story featuring vocations, Stimpson had spent some time talking to nuns, priests and married couples. She listened to them say, “The vocation fills the desires of your hear!.” Well. she would counter, “God never drags you kicking and screaming into any vocation you don’t wont to go into, so why would being single be called a vocation?” “We don’t want to be single; this isn’t filling the desires of my heart,” said Stimpson. Few ever cry about becoming a nun or priest or being married, she added. It wasn’t until she talked to a priest who was the vocations director for the Archdiocese of Denver that she got her answer. “He said there is no single vocation,” said Stimpson, meaning there is no vocation that does not involve the consecration of one’s self as a gift to God and others. “That was helpful in that I’m not imagining things - that makes sense to me. There’s not a lot out there explaining why it’s not a vocation.” ”There are millions of single people around going, ‘Hey! What about us?’” continued Stimpson. “So even though it’s been made clear that there is no single vocation, no one had really developed why that was the case. That’s when I realized how there was so much imprecision in how people talked about vocation. Sometimes they’re talking about vocations to holiness, or how my job is a vocation - all are using these words but not in the same way. We need to sit down and take 3 step back and define our terms, so that’s what I try to do in the first chapter.” “Women want a faithful spouse who won’t ask us to commit a mortal sin before or after marriage, and those guys are not easy to come by. We have to own the situation,” she said. “that we’ve made this choice and made the decision to shop from this very small pool of eligible men. So when you see it and own it, and there’s an explanation, that’s what helps. Being told to console ourselves for this made-up primary vocation doesn’t help women.” Susan thought the distinction that there is no vocation to the single life to be very interesting. She said she sympathizes with how difficult it is to me someone today. Fr. Roger said there will be another article next week in which she talks about practical ways women can deal with this situation and can continue to enjoy life and take advantage of their free time to do good, to focus on what they have, and make themselves attractive to potential suitors. In the Pilot, this week, Susan has a column writing about Faith Formation during vocation. The primary place for faith development is in the family where parents are their children’s first and most long-lasting religious education teachers. Parents are not alone in this work - parishes partner with parents in the faith formation of youngsters. During the summer months, when children and teenagers are not in school, families have a special opportunity to nurture the faith in family life. She had six concrete suggestions for families. She said first that we continue to go to Mass every Sunday. We don’t take a vacation from worshipping God. They can also take time to pray with their children, even if they begin with something simple like asking God to bless the dinner. They can share books on the faith and she suggested people could go to the Daughters of St. Paul store in Dedham or the Carmelite book shop in Peabody. They can go to confession together as a family. On long car rides, have a time when the electronics are off and have a conversation. She also said there are great feast days for saints in the summer. Find out the saint of the day online and talk about it. Scot further suggested taking a family day trip to a beautiful church or shrine or retreat center. Greg concurred that some of the best conversations he’s had with his kids have been on car rides, whether long or short. Susan said it’s a captive audience and Greg said it’s often one of the few times that you can be alone with the child and speak heart to heart. Fr. Roger said Susan has all the main thoughts there. He added that people might want to attend daily Mass when they can as well. He added that as families travel that they should enjoy the beauty of God’s creation because it reminds us of the Creator who has done all this for us and to thank Him for it. Scot said in the Pilot this week also was a new official announcement that Fr. John L. Sullivan was leaving as Pastor of St. Gerard Majella in Canton as of June 5 and will be accepting a new pastoral assignment. There was also the official announcement that Fr. Kevin Sepe will leave St. Francis in Braintree to become Secretary for Pastoral Life and Leadership. Also in the newspaper are four profiles of priests who will be accepting senior priest/retirement status: Fr. Richard Crowley, Fr. Henry Jennings, Fr. James Rafferty, and Fr. Francis Daley. Fr. Jennings has been at St. Joseph Parish in Somerville for 45 years, since 1966. They also note that Fr. James Rafferty was ordained in his home parish of Holy Name in Roxbury because there were 5 men from the same parish being ordained together. 3rd segment: Scot said Fr. Roger’s editorial this week is on how parishes can help promote vocations as we look forward to Good Shepherd Sunday. Fr. Roger said we need to pray for vocations first. One of the reasons for the shortage of priestly vocations is because we haven’t been praying as insistently as we ought to for the gift of new priests. The second thing we need to do is invite young people to consider it. He remembers at his home parish of St. Michael’s in Lowell, how women would approach him at 5 years old and encourage him to consider it. The third stage is to encourage our own families. There’s a tremendous example of this type of vocational soil in a superb prayer booklet published in 2007 by the Vatican’s Congregation for Clergy. Entitled “Adoration, Reparation and Spiritual Motherhood for Priests,” it lifted up as a model of the type of prayer to the Lord of the harvest that was done in the tiny village of Lu Monferrato in northern Italy. In 1881, when secularism and virulent anti-clericalism were becoming increasingly pronounced, the mothers of this tiny village of a few thousand inhabitants, conscious of the need for priestly vocations, began to gather each Tuesday afternoon for eucharistic adoration to ask the Harvest Master to send priestly laborers. They would together make the following prayer: “O God, grant that one of my sons may become a priest! I myself want to live as a good Christian and want to guide my children always to do what is right, so that I may receive the grace, O God, to be allowed to give You a holy priest!” That prayer, their fervent desire for vocations, and their home’s and parish’s great awareness of the love of God in the blessing of priestly vocations, bore more fruit than any of them could have ever imagined. In the span of a few decades, this one village parish smaller than many parishes in the Diocese of Fall River - produced 152 priestly vocations and 171 religious women to 41 different congregations. Then Fr. Roger said we’d never have a shortage of priests in any diocese if one young man from each parish entered the seminary every eight years. Many of the seminarians who start don’t get ordained so we’d have a new priest from each parish every 12 years. If a parish has 100 boys, then you’d have one vocation to the priesthood out of every 100. Scot said he has advocated in the pastoral planning process that if a parish produces regular vocations to the priesthood or religious life that should be part of the weighting of the vibrancy and strength of the parish. “Citing doctrinal problems, Vatican announces reforms of US nuns’ group”, CNS, 4/24/12 Scot said there’s been a lot of coverage of the Vatican’s decision on a leading leadership of women’s religious. Fr. Roger said the mainstream media has framed the story as old men clamping down on all religious sisters. He said he hopes it will eventually become clear that this is about ensuring the Catholicity of certain groups of religious sisters. He said this isn’t about all women religious, but the leadership of the LCWR, which has done some things in recent decades that leads many bishops wondering whether they support the Church’s teachings, including abortion, priestly ordination, healthcare, moral theology, and more. He said the great sisters who have served us over the course of time will eventually be heard and will say that this reform is what they want too. Scot said his sense is that you have the typical liberal newspapers talking a story narrative for this which is “Conservative organization continuing the ‘War on Women’”. The Church is the most pro-woman organization there is, but part of this the normal election cycle of 2012 where pro-Obama columnists stirring up sentiment against the Church. Scot believes that the request for reform probably came from women within the orders being led by the women who’ve been saying these questionable things. Greg said it’s true that this is being driven by an election year agenda framing it as a wedge issue. One way or the other, many of these pundits see the Church as anti-woman and oppressive. He said the secular press comes to the issue without a full understanding and this shows why we need a diocesan newspaper. The Pilot’s slogan is “Read the Pilot and be fully informed.” You’re not going to get the full perspective on the Church from the secular media. Similarly Greg could write an article about Wall Street, but he’s not an expert. Scot then mentioned an article in the Pilot about the rise in the number of people saying that they are atheists or nonbelievers. Under the age of 29, 25% believe themselves atheist, agnostic, or nonbeliever. Susan said she just wants to ask them how they can live without the hope that faith gives them. Scot said it’s his experience that your life won’t be fulfilled without acknowledging the fuller life of faith that extends from this world to the next.

Summary of today’s show: Hundreds of thousands of Catholic families now homeschool their children. Scot Landry and Fr. Matt Williams delve into the why and the how with Allison Gingras, Maureen Wittmann and Mark Schwedrt of the New England Homeschooling Conference that is taking place on May 19 at St. Monica parish in Methuen. They discuss the socialization myth, how Allison and Maureen decided to homeschool their children, and what attendees can expect at the conference. Listen to the show: Subscribe for free in iTunes Today’s host(s): Scot Landry and Fr. Matt Williams Today’s guest(s): Mark Schwerdt, Allison Gingras, Maureen Wittmann Links from today’s show: New England Catholic Homeschooling Conference Allison Gingras’ website Maureen Wittmann’s website Danielle Bean’s website Thomas More College of Liberal Arts Today’s topics: New England Catholic Homeschooling Conference 1st segment: Scot wished a happy birthday to our producer Rick Heil, celebrating his 24th birthday. Scot and Fr. Matt discussed the Eucharistic Congress taking place this weekend in the North End. He encouraged interred people to register online at http://www.eucharisticcongress.org or to show up at Sacred Heart church in the North End of Boston on Friday night and Saturday morning. 2nd segment: Scot welcomed Mark Schwerdt, who is organizing the New England Catholic Homeschooling Conference on May 19 on behalf of St. Thomas More College. He said these conferences happen all over the country and they attract people from all over the region. It will take place St. Monica’s in Methuen. There will be speakers as well as a hall full of vendors who provide resources to those who are homeschooling. Mark said this is the fourth New England conference, but it’s the first that St. Thomas More is organizing. Previously, the event was held in western Massachusetts. Mark said they chose St. Monica’s as a central location that is very accessible. He said in the future they hope for growth and probably will end up closer to Boston. Scot welcomed Maureen Wittmann of Homeschooling Connection. She encouraged parents to go to homeschooling conferences and meet face to face with other homeschoolers. There’s nothing like being with dozens of like-minded people to energize you, plus see so many curricula up close. Scot asked her what led her to homeschool her families. Maureen said in eighth grade she was out of school for six months and realized she could do all her schoolwork in a couple of hours per day. Later on she met homeschoolers and was encouraged to begin. They have seen many benefits by strengthening their family life and atmosphere. Scot asked about spending all day with kids and how to avoid stress. Maureen said you get along better with your children by being with them all day. When they are at school all day there is actress when they come home to do chores and homework and all that. In homeschooling, they have a lower pace, go to Mass a few times per week together. It’s not always smooth, but being together throughout the day improves the family dynamic. Allison Gingras said she home schools because God asked her to. She said she has a special needs child who thrives in that one-on-one environment. She added she’s happy to be at St. Monica’s parish because she’s spends a lot of time praying to her. St. Monica was the mother of St. Augustine and prayed for her son when he was far from God. Allison said St. Monica offered fasts for Augustine’s conversion, showing the quiet sacrifice of a mother. Scot asked Maureen why homeschooling stories are long stories. Maureen said it’s not something that’s the norm so you need more than one reason to do it. Homeschooling resources are more abundant today than when she started 20 years ago. She used to rely a lot on libraries and photocopies. Now new homeschoolers can be overwhelmed, Allison said the most important resource for her is her own prayer life. She spends a lot of time asking God for the plan to raise them. Then she goes to the resources. She relies on Rainbow Resource a lot for a curriculum. Rainbow Resource Scot wondered if there needs to be a kind of Catholic homeschooling Khan Academy. Maureen said at Homeschool Connections they’re creating some resources like Khan Academy with a Catholic worldview. Khan Academy Homeschool Connections Fr. Matt asked how you measure so you know your child is keeping pace. Who sets the standards? Allison said the kids don’t have to take the MCAS. She said in her town she has to meet the superintendent of schools and show her curriculum and submit progress reports. She chooses to follow the Massachusetts Frameworks. Maureen said in Michigan they have the most liberal homeschooling laws in the country. They don’t have to report anything to the government. She does track progress and now three are in college. She said she never used a science textbook and he scored a perfect score on his science ACT. When he was younger, they read a lot of literature, watched videos, got out into nature. In high school, they got involved in another kind of science team activity. Scot asked Mark what led Thomas More College to become involved in the conference. Mark said the conference came to them providentially. The school’s involvement is to minister to the families in the archdiocese. Catholic homeschoolers form a large percentage of students at the college, about 30 percent. He said they often are more prepared than Catholic and public school students. He they aren’t just good students, but wonderful people as well.Scot asked what differences they do see in the homeschoolers from others. Mark said they do come prepared for a rigorous curriculum. He said it’s also a myth that they aren’t socialized. Often they are involved in home school cooperatives. Scot asked Maureen about the socialization myth. Maureen said for her family it’s been proven to her that socialization in homeschool is equal to or superior than a site-based school. At theme, they’re used to being around adults and children of all ages. She recalls how at ease her 16-year-old son was with caring for small children. She cited studies in how home schooled children vote more, use libraries more, and are as well socialized as any others. Allison said the biggest myth is that the children won’t have as good an education without a professional teacher. She has a master’s degree in education, but she’s seen kids in school who aren’t learning as well as home schooled kids. She notes that with her own children she’s able to spend as much time as possible for them to pass topic. Fr. Matt asked about mentoring and support. Maureen said there are many people out there to help. She suggested going online and searching for a local homeschooling support group. If you sign up with a home study school, they have counselors. There are online forums and Facebook support groups. She said homeschoolers always seem excited to help each other. Maureen said 83 percent of homeschoolers do it for religious or moral reasons. They want a faith-based education primarily. It took off in the Eighties when evangelicals wanted to be able to pray in schools. As a homeschooler she can pray the rosary with her kids during the day or the Divine Mercy chaplet at 3pm. Her kids who discern a religious vocation are not dissuaded from that as being uncool, for instance.. Scot asked Allison how much benefit she gets from being able to structure her day and her family time to do more unusual activities that give a well-rounded educational experience. Allison said schooling can be 24 hours per day 7 days per week, so they can have different opportunities. They’re not tied to a school day. They can on vacation when everyone else is in school. Scot said there might be a perception that homeschool kids are jealous of going to school with all other kids. Allison said people used to give her the look that homeschooling is weird. Now she hears kids say they wish she could teach them too. All her own kids miss is school lunch, which she says is a comment on her cooking. Maureen said she hears a variety of reasons. One friend was terribly bullied in school. Sometimes it’s that her kids can be done with schooling in a few hours so they can do other projects and sports. Allison said her school system has a program where she bring her kids to play sports, They also have town sports they can join. She just has to pay the same fee the other kids pay. 3rd segment: This week’s benefactor card raffle winner is Laurie Costello from Brookline, MA She wins The “Glory” Rosary Musical DVD If you would like to be eligible to win in an upcoming week, please visit WQOM.org. For a one-time $30 donation, you’ll receive the Station of the Cross benefactor card and key tag, making you eligible for WQOM’s weekly raffle of books, DVDs, CDs and religious items. We’ll be announcing the winner each Wednesday during “The Good Catholic Life” program. 4th segment: Mark gave an overview of the conference. Danielle Bean of Catholic Digest and Faith and Family will be speaking as will Allison and Maureen. Fr. Ed Riley will speak on children and the sacraments. Fr. Dan Hennessey will talk about encouraging vocations. Mark also listed a number of different providers of homeschooling curriculum and resources: Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers, The Thomas More College of Liberal Arts, Sophia Institute Press, Teaching Textbooks, Christendom College, Seton Home Study School, Traveling Rosaries Apostolate, Crisis Magazine, The Teaching Creche, St. Benedict Religious Shop, Nancy Larson Science, Kolbe Academy Home School, Thirty-One Gifts, Catholic Homeschoolers in Massachusetts East (CHIME), Homeschool Connections, Usborne Books & More, Navis Pictures, Kosierowski Education Group, Morning Star Christian Center – a non-profit Catholic Apostolate, A Special Mother is Born, The Rooted Mind, LLC, Modern Woodmen of America, Our Lady Queen of Saints Catholic Homeschool Support Group, Reconciled to You Ministries, Danielle Bean. There’s also going to be a used book sale. Allison said it will be great to talk to the person who has used the book before in homeschooling and get a personal review. Allison said her talk will be called “Swallowed by a Whale”. She said she tried to run from God when he called her to homeschool. When God calls you to this, he will provide everything you need to do this. You don’t need a college degree or be a professional educator. She will also talk about her ministry called Reconciled to You, encouraging people to live a sacramental life and thus encourage child to live it too. Maureen’s topic will be “High School and Beyond: Yes, You Too Can Homeschool High School”. She said in her old homeschool group, about half of the parents put their kids in high school because they didn’t feel qualified or have resources. In her new city, it was rare, but they had a co-op in which they could take classes one day per week with teachers. She wants to encourage parents that they can do it. Maureen said in high school you get into deeper work and loftier subjects, but she finds it much more thrilling and interesting. She said she couldn’t teach Latin, so she hired a tutor to teach them. She said she takes her planning each week before the Blessed Sacrament in prayer. Scot said the conference sounds like it would be good for homeschoolers, but also for those who are thinking about it and even those whose kids go to school. Mark said you will find families who care about the education of their children and want to give them the best resources available. Mark said to register online at http://www.newenglandhomeschool.com/. It’s $15 per person, $25 for a married couple, and $5 for each teen. This is the preregistration rate until May 11. Pre-registering helps them to plan the conference and be prepared. It starts at 9:30 am and ends at 3:30pm followed by 4pm vigil Mass in the parish. Scot asked Allison about the greater challenges that come with homeschooling. Allison said it’s not always easy to get motivated. Her own children have followed her lead in becoming night owls. They have had trouble getting things done, but she reminds herself that everything can be educational and that they can school 365 days per year. Scot said it sounds like adjusting your own expectations. Allison said this is why its great to connect with other homeschoolers because they have often had the same obstacles and can help each other with strategies and plans. Fr. Matt asked how the time use differ in homeschool. Allison said her children tackle a little of each subject per day. Maureen said her homeschool became much less structured, but it depends on the child. She said she has children with dyslexia, ADHD, and Asperberger’s. For one she would give them many more breaks from work. Other days they would get on a roll and work on English for hours. Some parents set a schedule and teach certain subjects during certain hours. Allison said she knows people who are homeschooling as parts of groups or independently, but they all eventually connect in one way or another. She said it’s important not to feel alone in it. Maureen said you need support. You need encouragement and prayers and to be that support for others. Maureen said about there are about 2.4 million homeschooling families and Catholics are about 25% of Christian homeschoolers. She guesses it’s about 180,000 Catholic homeschooling families. And it’s growing. Scot said the Church’s teaching is that parents are the primary educators of their children. Maureen said the Diocese of Lansing has her on the school board as a homeschooler. Scot said Fr. Ed Riley is the Archdiocese of Boston’s official liaison to homeschoolers.