The Good Catholic Life

Today’s host(s): Scot Landry and Fr. Mark O’Connell Links from today’s show: Cardinal Dolan’s address to Pope Benedict and the College of Cardinals Today’s topics: Cardinal Dolan’s address to the College of Cardinals Summary of today’s show: Last week, the day before the consistory at which he was to be made a cardinal of the Catholic Church, Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York was asked to address the College of Cardinals and Pope Benedict XVI on the topic of the New Evangelization. Scot Landry and Fr. Mark O’Connell walk the listeners step by step through the Cardinal’s 7-step strategy for evangelization, which he peppered with many practical—and often witty—observations that itself demonstrates his call to be joyful, confident, and knowledgeable when witnessing to the beauty of a relationship with Jesus Christ in His Church. 1st segment: Scot and Fr. Mark discussed the week. Fr. Mark had an emergency last week that caused him to miss the show because he had to have a root canal. They discussed about three priests who have died recently. Fr. Mark said he went to the funeral today for Fr. Ed O’Flaherty, a Jesuit who worked for many years as director of the ecumenical office for the Archdiocese among other ministries. There were many priests and bishops at the funeral. Fr. Bill Burckhart also died this week. He was the founder of the permanent diaconate and also worked with Fr. Mark on the Clergy Funds. Fr. Jim Curtin also died, who Fr. Mark recalled him as someone who was always happy to see you. Today they will be discussing a talk given by Cardinal Timothy Dolan before the consistory in which Pope Benedict made new cardinals last week. It was highly unusual for the keynote address of the meeting to be given by one of the new cardinals. 2nd segment: Cardinal Dolan began his address: It is as old as the final mandate of Jesus, “Go, teach all nations!,” yet as fresh as God’s Holy Word proclaimed at our own Mass this morning. I speak of the sacred duty of evangelization. It is “ever ancient, ever new.” The how of it, the when of it, the where of it, may change, but the charge remains constant, as does the message and inspiration, “Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow.” We gather in the caput mundi, evangelized by Peter and Paul themselves, in the city from where the successors of St. Peter “sent out” evangelizers to present the saving Person, message, and invitation that is at the heart of evangelization: throughout Europe, to the “new world” in the “era of discovery,” to Africa and Asia in recent centuries. We gather near the basilica where the evangelical fervor of the Church was expanded during the Second Vatican Council, and near the tomb of the Blessed Pontiff who made the New Evangelization a household word. We gather grateful for the fraternal company of a pastor who has made the challenge of the new evangelization almost a daily message. Yes, we gather as missionaries, as evangelizers. Fr. Mark said the Pope chose evangelization as the key topic for all the cardinals of the world. We are all called to remember that we are also evangelizers through our baptism. Scot said the cardinal then talks about the re-evangelization of Catholics as complementary to evangelization to non-Catholics. HE then continues after that: The acclaimed American missionary and TV evangelist, Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen, commented, “Our Lord’s first word to His disciples was ‘come!’ His last word was ‘go!’ You can’t ‘go’ unless you’ve first ‘come’ to Him.” A towering challenge to both the missio ad gentes and the New Evangalization today is what we call secularism. Listen to how our Pope describes it: Secularization, which presents itself in cultures by imposing a world and humanity without reference to Transcendence, is invading every aspect of daily life and developing a mentality in which God is effectively absent, wholly or partially, from human life and awareness. This secularization is not only an external threat to believers, but has been manifest for some time in the heart of the Church herself. It profoundly distorts the Christian faith from within, and consequently, the lifestyle and daily behavior of believers. They live in the world and are often marked, if not conditioned, by the cultural imagery that impresses contradictory and impelling models regarding the practical denial of God: there is no longer any need for God, to think of him or to return to him. Furthermore, the prevalent hedonistic and consumeristic mindset fosters in the faithful and in Pastors a tendency to superficiality and selfishness that is harmful to ecclesial life. (Benedict XVI, Address to Pontifical Council for Culture, 8.III.2008) Scot said to re-evangelize anybody we need to come to Jesus ourselves. Fr. Mark said Vatican II commissioned lay people especially to be evangelizers in the secular world. He said he spends most of his time with other Catholics. It’s Catholics in the pews who meet non-Catholics in their daily life. But we can’t keep our Catholic life separate from the rest of life. Scot said most people in our own country most people have heard of Jesus Christ, even if they don’t believe in him or act on the belief in him. We need a re-evangelization, what the Church calls the New Evangelization. Cardinal Dolan said evangelization and re-evangelization are motivated by the same seven points he’s about to describe. Actually, in graciously inviting me to speak on this topic, “The Announcement of the Gospel Today, between missio ad gentes and the new evangelization,” my new-brother-cardinal, His Eminence, the Secretary of State, asked me to put in into the context of secularism, hinting that my home archdiocese of New York might be the “capital of a secular culture.” As I trust my friend and new-brother-cardinal, Edwin O’Brien — who grew up in New York — will agree, New York — without denying its dramatic evidence of graphic secularism — is also a very religious city. There one finds, even among groups usually identified as materialistic — the media, entertainment, business, politics, artists, writers — an undeniable openness to the divine! The cardinals who serve Jesus and His Church universal on the Roman Curia may recall the address Pope Benedict gave them at Christmas two years ago when he celebrated this innate openness to the divine obvious even in those who boast of their secularism: We as believers, must have at heart even those people who consider themselves agnostics or atheists. When we speak of a new evangelization these people are perhaps taken aback. They do not want to see themselves as an object of mission or to give up their freedom of thought and will. Yet the question of God remains present even for them. As the first step of evangelization we must seek to keep this quest alive; we must be concerned that human beings do not set aside the question of God, but rather see it as an essential question for their lives. We must make sure that they are open to this question and to the yearning concealed within. I think that today too the Church should open a sort of “Court of the Gentiles” in which people might in some way latch on to God, without knowing him and before gaining access to his mystery, at whose service the inner life of the Church stands. This is my first point: we believe with the philosophers and poets of old, who never had the benefit of revelation, that even a person who brags about being secular and is dismissive of religion, has within an undeniable spark of interest in the beyond, and recognizes that humanity and creation is a dismal riddle without the concept of some kind of creator. A movie popular at home now is The Way, starring a popular actor, Martin Sheen. Perhaps you have seen it. He plays a grieving father whose estranged son dies while walking the Camino di Santiago di Compostella in Spain. The father decides, in his grief, to complete the pilgrimage in place of his dead son. He is an icon of a secular man: self-satisfied, dismissive of God and religion, calling himself a “former Catholic,” cynical about faith … but yet unable to deny within him an irrepressible interest in the transcendent, a thirst for something — no, Someone — more, which grows on the way. Yes, to borrow the report of the apostles to Jesus from last Sunday’s gospel, “All the people are looking for you!” Fr. Mark said it’s easier to ignore someone who’s hostile to religion, but we have to want to reach out to them. Even the most hardened heart has a spark within them. This is what makes them curious, what makes them want to talk about it, even if they are completely opposed to the Church. We can use that spark to reach out to them. Scot said he knows people who are far from faith who were touched by the movie “The Way” that the cardinal gives a very strong endorsement to. Fr. Mark notes how the media is intrigued by and really likes Cardinal Dolan as the face of the Church in the US. … and, my second point, this fact gives us immense confidence and courage in the sacred task of mission and New Evangelization. “Be not afraid,” we’re told, is the most repeated exhortation in the Bible. After the Council, the good news was that triumphalism in the Church was dead. The bad news was that, so was confidence! We are convinced, confident, and courageous in the New Evangelization because of the power of the Person sending us on mission — who happens to be the second Person of the Most Blessed Trinity – because of the truth of the message, and the deep down openness in even the most secularized of people to the divine. Confident, yes! Triumphant, never! What keeps us from the swagger and arrogance of triumphalism is a recognition of what Pope Paul VI taught in Evangelii Nuntiandi: the Church herself needs evangelization! This gives us humility as we confess that Nemo dat quod not habet, that the Church has a deep need for the interior conversion that is at the marrow of the call to evangelization. Scot said Cardinal Dolan gets his reservoir of confidence from the fact that he knows he’s proclaiming truth, Jesus Christ. Fr. Mark said that in order to evangelize you have to be confident in the faith and in the message. A third necessary ingredient in the recipe of effective mission is that God does not satisfy the thirst of the human heart with a proposition, but with a Person, whose name is Jesus. The invitation implicit in the Missio ad gentes and the New Evangelization is not to a doctrine but to know, love, and serve — not a something, but a Someone. When you began your ministry as successor of St. Peter, Holy Father, you invited us to friendship with Jesus, which is the way you defined sanctity. There it is … love of a Person, a relationship at the root of out faith. As St. Augustine writes, “Ex una sane doctrina impressam fidem credentium cordibus singulorum qui hoc idem credunt verissime dicimus, sed aliud sunt ea quae creduntur, aliud fides qua creduntur” (De Trinitate, XIII, 2.5) Fr. Mark said some people come to religion looking for warm fuzzy feelings, but it only lasts so long. In the Catholic faith, we encounter God who became Man, who died on the cross, who chased coin changers, who was kind to Mary Magadalene and was a real human being, not a theory. 3rd segment: The cardinal’s fourth point is that because Jesus is the truth, then catechesis is critically linked to evangelization. Yes, and here’s my fourth point, but this Person, Jesus, tells us He is the truth. So, our mission has a substance, a content, and this twentieth anniversary of the Catechism, the approaching fiftieth anniversary of the Council, and the upcoming Year of Faith charge us to combat catechetical illiteracy. True enough, the New Evangalization is urgent because secularism has often choked the seed of faith; but that choking was sadly made easy because so many believers really had no adequate knowledge or grasp of the wisdom, beauty, and coherence of the Truth. Cardinal George Pell has observed that “it’s not so much that our people have lost their faith, but that they barely had it to begin with; and, if they did, it was so vapid that it was easily taken away.” So did Cardinal Avery Dulles call for neo-apologetics, rooted not in dull polemics but in the Truth that has a name, Jesus. So did Blessed John Newman, upon reception of his own biglietto nominating him a cardinal warn again of what he constantly called a dangerous liberalism in religion: “… the belief that there is no objective truth in religion, that one creed is as good as another … Revealed religion is not a truth, but a sentiment, a taste … ” And, just as Jesus tells us “I am the Truth,” He also describes Himself as “the Way, and the Life.” The Way of Jesus is in and through His Church, a holy mother who imparts to us His Life. “For what would I ever know of Him without her?” asks De Lubac, referring to the intimate identification of Jesus and His Church. Thus, our mission, the New Evangelization, has essential catechetical and ecclesial dimensions. This impels us to think about Church in a fresh way: to think of the Church as a mission. As John Paul II taught in Redemptoris Missio, the Church does not “have a mission,” as if “mission” were one of many things the Church does. No, the Church is a mission, and each of us who names Jesus as Lord and Savior should measure ourselves by our mission-effectiveness. Over the fifty years since the convocation of the Council, we have seen the Church pass through the last stages of the Counter-Reformation and rediscover itself as a missionary enterprise. In some venues, this has meant a new discovery of the Gospel. In once-catechized lands, it has meant a re-evangelization that sets out from the shallow waters of institutional maintenance, and as John Paul II instructed us in Novo Millennio Ineunte, puts out “into the deep” for a catch. In many of the countries represented in this college, the ambient public culture once transmitted the Gospel, but does so no more. In those circumstances, the proclamation of the Gospel — the deliberate invitation to enter into friendship with the Lord Jesus — must be at the very center of the Catholic life of all of our people. But in all circumstances, the Second Vatican Council and the two great popes who have given it an authoritative interpretation are urging us to call our people to think of themselves as missionaries and evangelists. Fr. Mark said he liked that the cardinal talks about being uncompromising about telling the truth. He makes a point to say to teens or RCIA candidates or anyone else he addresses that he’s not afraid of their questions, that the Church can justify its teaching or it’s not the truth. Then when he can back it up, that’s real evangelization. Scot said we need to understand what evangelization is and God’s gives us the tools to understand the faith. We are all called to be evangelizers to whomever God puts in our path. Fr. Mark said the message of Vatican II that opened the door to evangelization and to reading the Bible is still being taught today. Many people still don’t feel comfortable reading the Bible or talking about the faith. Scot’s personal favorite of these 7 strategies is the next. When I was a new seminarian at the North American College here in Rome, all the first-year men from all the Roman theological universities were invited to a Mass at St. Peter’s with the Prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy, Cardinal John Wright, as celebrant and homilist. We thought he would give us a cerebral homily. But he began by asking, “Seminarians: do me and the Church a big favor. When you walk the streets of Rome, smile!” So, point five: the missionary, the evangelist, must be a person of joy. “Joy is the infallible sign of God’s presence,” claims Leon Bloy. When I became Archbishop of New York, a priest old me, “You better stop smiling when you walk the streets of Manhattan, or you’ll be arrested!” A man dying of AIDS at the Gift of Peace Hospice, administered by the Missionaries of Charity in Cardinal Donald Wuerl’s Archdiocese of Washington, asked for baptism. When the priest asked for an expression of faith, the dying man whispered, “All I know is that I’m unhappy, and these sisters are very happy, even when I curse them and spit on them. Yesterday I finally asked them why they were so happy. They replied ‘Jesus.’ I want this Jesus so I can finally be happy. A genuine act of faith, right? The New Evangelization is accomplished with a smile, not a frown. The missio ad gentes is all about a yes to everything decent, good, true, beautiful and noble in the human person. The Church is about a yes!, not a no! Scot said this is a homily the cardinal could have given in a parish, but he was giving this to all the cardinals and the pope. Fr. Mark said he relates to the admonition to smile. He studied in Rome and a lot of priests and nuns he saw on the street were awfully grumpy. We have to have joy in our Christianity or no one will be attracted to it. Scot said he loves that the cardinal was very practical in just telling people to smile. Fr. Mark said his father has been telling him since the day he was ordained that he needs to smile wherever he speaks or celebrates Mass. And, next-to-last point, the New Evangelization is about love. Recently, our brother John Thomas Kattrukudiyil, the Bishop of Itanagar, in the northeast corner of India, was asked to explain the tremendous growth of the Church in his diocese, registering over 10,000 adult converts a year. “Because we present God as a loving father, and because people see the Church loving them.” he replied. Not a nebulous love, he went on, but a love incarnate in wonderful schools for all children, clinics for the sick, homes for the elderly, centers for orphans, food for the hungry. In New York, the heart of the most hardened secularist softens when visiting one of our inner-city Catholic schools. When one of our benefactors, who described himself as an agnostic, asked Sister Michelle why, at her age, with painful arthritic knees, she continued to serve at one of these struggling but excellent poor schools, she answered, “Because God loves me, and I love Him, and I want these children to discover this love.” Fr. Mark said at Fr. O’Flaherty’s funeral this morning, it was recalled that Mother Teresa said when you spend your time judging, there is less time for loving. The way to love is service. How do you have an effective youth group? Teach them to serve. Show them the joy of someone who receives this service. Scot said in our actions we will converts to Christ. Words matter, but so do our acts. Fr. Mark said the lesson of the Missionaries of Charity is you never know who’s watching us. Joy, love … and, last point … sorry to bring it up, … but blood. Tomorrow, twenty-two of us will hear what most of you have heard before: “To the praise of God, and the honor of the Apostolic See receive the red biretta, the sign of the cardinal’s dignity; and know that you must be willing to conduct yourselves with fortitude even to the shedding of your blood: for the growth of the Christian faith, the peace and tranquility of the People of God, and the freedom and spread of the Holy Roman Church.” Holy Father, can you omit “to the shedding of your blood” when you present me with the biretta? Of course not! We are but “scarlet audio-visual aids” for all of our brothers and sisters also called to be ready to suffer and die for Jesus. It was Pope Paul VI who noted wisely that people today learn more from “witness than from words,” and the supreme witness is martyrdom. Sadly, today we have martyrs in abundance. Thank you, Holy Father, for so often reminding us of those today suffering persecution for their faith throughout the world. Thank you, Cardinal Koch, for calling the Church to an annual “day of solidarity” with those persecuted for the sake of the gospel, and for inviting our ecumenical and inter-religious partners to an “ecumenism of martyrdom.” While we cry for today’s martyrs; while we love them, pray with and for them; while we vigorously advocate on their behalf; we are also very proud of them, brag about them, and trumpet their supreme witness to the world. They spark the missio ad gentes and New Evangelization. A young man in New York tells me he returned to the Catholic faith of his childhood, which he had jettisoned as a teenager, because he read The Monks of Tibhirine, about Trappists martyred in Algeria fifteen years ago, and after viewing the drama about them, the French film, Of Gods and Men. Tertullian would not be surprised. Thank you, Holy Father and brethren, for your patience with my primitive Italian. When Cardinal Bertone asked me to give this address in Italian, I worried, because I speak Italian like a child. But, then I recalled, that, as a newly-ordained parish priest, my first pastor said to me as I went over to school to teach the six-year old children their catechism, “Now we’ll see if all your theology sunk in, and if you can speak of the faith like a child.” And maybe that’s a fitting place to conclude: we need to speak again as a child the eternal truth, beauty, and simplicity of Jesus and His Church. Sia lodato Gesu Cristo! (May Jesus Christ always be praised.) Scot said it’s interesting he ends with being willing to suffer and die for our faith and the cardinals need to lead in that. Fr. Mark said we hope that we don’t have to die, but we always have to be ready, especially when God himself died on the cross. He liked how Cardinal Dolan plugged Of Gods and Men, which Fr. Mark also found inspiring. It’s about monks in Algerian who have to decide whether to leave their monastery in a war-torn area. Scot said even in the presence of the College of Cardinals, Dolan cracked jokes and he’s sure the cardinals enjoyed this address. Fr. Mark said he remembers as a child having a Jewish neighbor who asked him why he believes in Jesus and he said, “I don’t know.” Since then he’s had better answers, but at least they had the conversation. 4th segment: Now as we do every week at this time, we will consider the Mass readings for this Sunday, specifically the Gospel reading. This is the last Sunday before the beginning of Lent. Second Reading for February 24, 2012, First Sunday of Lent (1 Peter 3:18-22) Beloved: Christ suffered for sins once, the righteous for the sake of the unrighteous, that he might lead you to God. Put to death in the flesh, he was brought to life in the Spirit. In it he also went to preach to the spirits in prison, who had once been disobedient while God patiently waited in the days of Noah during the building of the ark, in which a few persons, eight in all, were saved through water. This prefigured baptism, which saves you now. It is not a removal of dirt from the body but an appeal to God for a clear conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers subject to him. Gospel for February 24, 2012, First Sunday of Lent (Mark 1:12-15) The Spirit drove Jesus out into the desert, and he remained in the desert for forty days, tempted by Satan. He was among wild beasts, and the angels ministered to him. After John had been arrested, Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming the gospel of God: “This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.” Fr. Mark said on Ash Wednesday we heard the priest say Repent and believe in the Gospel. It may be a short proclamation, but it’s very true. It is everything. Scot said we have heard this many times so we shouldn’t take it for granted. We need to internalize this in every way in our lives. We shouldn’t put off acting now during this Lent to re-prioritize anything that separates us from God. We don’t know when our death will come. How can we re-order our lives so we can have a closer relationship with God. Fr. Mark said even if you’ve already had a bad beginning to Lent, there’s still time to start again. He added that it should be challenging. It it’s too easy it may not be enough to really change us. Scot talked about the service at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross this Sunday called the Rite of Election in which people who are preparing to enter the Church at Easter are welcomed.

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: Lent begins; fasting; new cardinals; Catholic Press Month; local news Summary of today’s show: Scot Landry and Susan Abbott sit with Greg Tracy during Thursday’s news roundup while Fr. Roger Landry flies to the Holy Land. The beginning of Lent is the big story of the week, including free fasting bread from a local baker, as well as the consistory that created 22 new cardinals, including two from the US; Msgr. James Moroney’s new column on the Mass prayers for Lent; a behind-the-scenes look at how The Anchor comes together each week; and more local news. 1st segment: Scot welcomed Susan to the show on the second day of Lent. Scot said Susan is preparing for the Catechetical Congress on March 24 at Boston College High School. They have a couple dozen workshops planned in English plus more in Spanish and Portuguese. There will be hundreds of attendees. Scot said today is Fr. Roger Landry’s birthday and thus Susan said it is also Scot’s birthday. Scot said Fr. Roger is leading a pilgrimage to the Holy Land and Scot’s wife and son are on the trip along with Scot and Fr. Roger’s parents. They left for the Holy Land today. Scot said Fr. Edward O’Flaherty, the director of the office for ecumenical affairs, died this week. He and Susan worked very closely over the past 10 years. Scot said he’d been sick for several months. 2nd segment: Scot and Susan welcome Greg to the show today. Scot said the big news this week is the beginning of Lent. They discussed their Lenten resolutions. Greg said he is giving up fresh-baked bread for Lent. In his house, they have fresh bread four or five days a week in his house. Susan said she gave up Diet Coke for Lent last year and never went back to it. She went from 32 ounces per day to one or two cans per week. “Lent should time of grace, defeating temptation, pope says,” Cindy Wooden, CNS, 2/22/12 Pope Benedict’s remarks at the General Audience on Ash Wednesday, 2/22/12 Program #0236 for Tuesday. February 14, 2012: Andy LaVallee Scot said the Pilot has a front-page story on Andy LaVallee of LaVallee’s Bakery Distributors, who we had on The Good Catholic Life, going more in-depth on the fasting breads that his company is providing free of charge this Lent. These are breads that are all-natural and more nutritious so that people don’t become more hungry while fasting. Most breads make you more hungry, making fasting more difficult, whereas these breads satisfy. It’s a great story of a Catholic businessman seeing some aspect of the faith and taking it to the next level, using his business to help people live their faith. Scot then discussed Pope Benedict’s remarks on Ash Wednesday about Lent being tied to Jesus’ 40 days in the desert and Israel’s 40 years in the desert. Susan recalled the Gospel passage in which the angels ministered to Jesus at the end of the temptations in the desert and the Holy Father says the angels are there to minister to us as well. New in the Pilot is a column by Msgr. James Moroney, who will be rector of St. John Seminary in July, in which he writes about the new prayers of the Liturgy. This week is the opening prayer for the First Sunday of Lent. Greg said Msgr. Thomas McDonald used to do a similar column some years ago, until he passed away. They hope to do this during Lent and Advent. Scot said he’s heard priests say that they are glad that the new prayers bring back the treasures of the Liturgy that we haven’t had for so long. Grant, almighty God, through the yearly observances of holy Lent, that we may grow in understanding of the riches hidden in Christ and by worthy conduct pursue their effects Susan quoted from the column: The observances of holy Lent are just such outward signs: for when I fast from food and from vengeance and from anger and from hate, I grow in understanding of the riches hidden in Christ: Christ who graciously showers me with mercy and peace and love. The observances of holy Lent are outward signs. When I go to the Stations of the Cross on Friday night, or to confession on Saturday afternoon, when I pray an extra fifteen minutes at the end of each day, I grow in understanding of the riches hidden in Christ: Christ who fills my heart with his hope and strength and a clear vision of his love for me. 3rd segment: Scot said last Saturday Pope Benedict XVI made 22 new cardinals, including two from the United States and one from Canada. “Pope creates 22 new cardinals, including three from U.S., Canada”, Cindy Wooden, CNS, 2/18/12 “New US cardinals share quips, serious reflections”, Cindy Wooden, CNS, 2/18/12 They discussed why the Catholic News Service lumps together Canadian and American news, i.e. “The Pope created three cardinals from the US and Canada.” Greg said Catholic News Service is also used in many Canadian Catholic newspapers so they have tried to broaden their coverage. Scot said much of the coverage focused on Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York. In a great honor for Cardinal Dolan, he was asked to give a keynote address to all of the cardinals of the world the day before the consistory. A lot of the secular press asked whether that made Cardinal Dolan high on the list as papabile. He told a reporter that what he really aspires to is becoming a saint. “As grateful as I am for being a cardinal,” he told reporters later, “I really want to be a saint. I mean that, but I have a long way to go.” Susan noted that both Cardinal Dolan and Cardinal Edwin O’Brien, grandmaster of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulcher of Jerusalem and former archbishop of Baltimore, stressed in their remarks that this is not a personal honor, but a call to greater service to the Church. Scot said the Holy Father told the cardinals that they also have to be prepared for martyrdom, giving their lives for the faith. 4th segment: Scot said the Anchor this week celebrates Catholic Press Month by providing a front-page story about how the newspaper is produced behind the scenes. It shows how much work goes into making a 24-page paper every week. Susan said when she was in college she worked as a copy editor at the Boston Globe on weekends and find it hasn’t changed much since then. Greg found it enlightening to see how others do the same work and to see how similar their work is. Scot said the Anchor goes to press on Tuesday afternoon and they get started on the next week’s paper the next day. Greg said the Pilot goes to press on Wednesday between 5 and 6pm and drops in the mail by 10 or 11am on Thursday so it arrives in parishes on Saturday. He said Wednesdays are difficult days. Putting the paper together is like fitting pieces of a puzzle and by Wednesday you have to start fitting things in every little space. Scot said about 1/3 of the paper is local news, 1/3 is advertising, and about 1/3 comes from Catholic news services. Greg added that the number of pages of the newspaper comes from the amount of advertising, which leaves you the “news hole” to fill. He said local content comes from news stories and opinion pieces and columns. They are often asked to give more local content, but they also have a mission to help the people in the archdiocese get exposed to Catholic news beyond the borders of the Archdiocese. A recent study shows that the only Catholic publication that most Catholics see is their diocesan newspaper. The panel discussed the life and death and service of Fr. William Burckhart. Greg noted an anecdote that Fr. Burckhart and his sister were the impetus behind the change in Massachusetts from handicapped license plates to handicapped placards, which allows the person to park in a handicapped space whatever car they are in. Scot mentioned the announcement of new appointments of two pastors. Fr. Edward Doughty will become Pastor of St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Medford, effective March 1, and Fr. Mark Ballard will become Pastor of St. Mary of the Annunciation Parish in Melrose. Also in the Anchor this week is a profile of the “Catholicism” TV and DVD series by Fr. Robert Barron, which Scot called the greatest long form presentation of the faith in broadcast media.

Today’s host(s): Scot Landry and Fr. Matt Williams Today’s guest(s): Domenico Bettinelli Links from today’s show: Message of His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI, for Lent 2012 “Lent, A Time to Shoulder our Christian Responsibilities” Pope Benedict’s homily for Ash Wednesday 2012 Today’s topics: Pope Benedict’s message for Lent Summary of today’s show: On Ash Wednesday, Scot Landry and Fr. Matt Williams discuss with Dom Bettinelli the message from Pope Benedict for Lent in which he calls for the renewal of the old practice of fraternal correction. We must care for our brothers and sisters enough to not remain silent in the face of choices they make that may affect their eternal salvation. Some may call it judgmental meddling, but when done with love, compassion, and within a relationship based on Christ, it can be a loving experience of God’s mercy. 1st segment: Scot and Fr. Matt and Dom Bettinelli take the opportunity of Ash Wednesday to discuss the following message of Pope Benedict for Lent 2012. Dear Brothers and Sisters, The Lenten season offers us once again an opportunity to reflect upon the very heart of Christian life: charity. This is a favourable time to renew our journey of faith, both as individuals and as a community, with the help of the word of God and the sacraments. This journey is one marked by prayer and sharing, silence and fasting, in anticipation of the joy of Easter. This year I would like to propose a few thoughts in the light of a brief biblical passage drawn from the Letter to the Hebrews:“ Let us be concerned for each other, to stir a response in love and good works”. These words are part of a passage in which the sacred author exhorts us to trust in Jesus Christ as the High Priest who has won us forgiveness and opened up a pathway to God. Embracing Christ bears fruit in a life structured by the three theological virtues: it means approaching the Lord “sincere in heart and filled with faith” (v. 22), keeping firm “in the hope we profess” (v. 23) and ever mindful of living a life of “love and good works” (v. 24) together with our brothers and sisters. The author states that to sustain this life shaped by the Gospel it is important to participate in the liturgy and community prayer, mindful of the eschatological goal of full communion in God (v. 25). Here I would like to reflect on verse 24, which offers a succinct, valuable and ever timely teaching on the three aspects of Christian life: concern for others, reciprocity and personal holiness. 1. “Let us be concerned for each other”: responsibility towards our brothers and sisters. This first aspect is an invitation to be “concerned”: the Greek verb used here is katanoein, which means to scrutinize, to be attentive, to observe carefully and take stock of something. We come across this word in the Gospel when Jesus invites the disciples to “think of” the ravens that, without striving, are at the centre of the solicitous and caring Divine Providence (cf. Lk 12:24), and to “observe” the plank in our own eye before looking at the splinter in that of our brother (cf. Lk 6:41). In another verse of the Letter to the Hebrews, we find the encouragement to “turn your minds to Jesus” (3:1), the Apostle and High Priest of our faith. So the verb which introduces our exhortation tells us to look at others, first of all at Jesus, to be concerned for one another, and not to remain isolated and indifferent to the fate of our brothers and sisters. All too often, however, our attitude is just the opposite: an indifference and disinterest born of selfishness and masked as a respect for “privacy”. Today too, the Lord’s voice summons all of us to be concerned for one another. Even today God asks us to be “guardians” of our brothers and sisters (Gen 4:9), to establish relationships based on mutual consideration and attentiveness to the well-being, the integral well-being of others. The great commandment of love for one another demands that we acknowledge our responsibility towards those who, like ourselves, are creatures and children of God. Being brothers and sisters in humanity and, in many cases, also in the faith, should help us to recognize in others a true alter ego, infinitely loved by the Lord. If we cultivate this way of seeing others as our brothers and sisters, solidarity, justice, mercy and compassion will naturally well up in our hearts. The Servant of God Pope Paul VI stated that the world today is suffering above all from a lack of brotherhood: “Human society is sorely ill. The cause is not so much the depletion of natural resources, nor their monopolistic control by a privileged few; it is rather the weakening of brotherly ties between individuals and nations” (Populorum Progressio, 66). Concern for others entails desiring what is good for them from every point of view: physical, moral and spiritual. Contemporary culture seems to have lost the sense of good and evil, yet there is a real need to reaffirm that good does exist and will prevail, because God is “generous and acts generously” (Ps 119:68). The good is whatever gives, protects and promotes life, brotherhood and communion. Responsibility towards others thus means desiring and working for the good of others, in the hope that they too will become receptive to goodness and its demands. Concern for others means being aware of their needs. Sacred Scripture warns us of the danger that our hearts can become hardened by a sort of “spiritual anesthesia” which numbs us to the suffering of others. The Evangelist Luke relates two of Jesus’ parables by way of example. In the parable of the Good Samaritan, the priest and the Levite “pass by”, indifferent to the presence of the man stripped and beaten by the robbers (cf. Lk 10:30-32). In that of Dives and Lazarus, the rich man is heedless of the poverty of Lazarus, who is starving to death at his very door (cf. Lk 16:19). Both parables show examples of the opposite of “being concerned”, of looking upon others with love and compassion. What hinders this humane and loving gaze towards our brothers and sisters? Often it is the possession of material riches and a sense of sufficiency, but it can also be the tendency to put our own interests and problems above all else. We should never be incapable of “showing mercy” towards those who suffer. Our hearts should never be so wrapped up in our affairs and problems that they fail to hear the cry of the poor. Humbleness of heart and the personal experience of suffering can awaken within us a sense of compassion and empathy. “The upright understands the cause of the weak, the wicked has not the wit to understand it” (Prov 29:7). We can then understand the beatitude of “those who mourn” (Mt 5:5), those who in effect are capable of looking beyond themselves and feeling compassion for the suffering of others. Reaching out to others and opening our hearts to their needs can become an opportunity for salvation and blessedness. “Being concerned for each other” also entails being concerned for their spiritual well-being. Here I would like to mention an aspect of the Christian life, which I believe has been quite forgotten: fraternal correction in view of eternal salvation. Today, in general, we are very sensitive to the idea of charity and caring about the physical and material well-being of others, but almost completely silent about our spiritual responsibility towards our brothers and sisters. This was not the case in the early Church or in those communities that are truly mature in faith, those which are concerned not only for the physical health of their brothers and sisters, but also for their spiritual health and ultimate destiny. The Scriptures tell us: “Rebuke the wise and he will love you for it. Be open with the wise, he grows wiser still, teach the upright, he will gain yet more” (Prov 9:8ff). Christ himself commands us to admonish a brother who is committing a sin (cf. Mt 18:15). The verb used to express fraternal correction - elenchein – is the same used to indicate the prophetic mission of Christians to speak out against a generation indulging in evil (cf. Eph 5:11). The Church’s tradition has included “admonishing sinners” among the spiritual works of mercy. It is important to recover this dimension of Christian charity. We must not remain silent before evil. I am thinking of all those Christians who, out of human regard or purely personal convenience, adapt to the prevailing mentality, rather than warning their brothers and sisters against ways of thinking and acting that are contrary to the truth and that do not follow the path of goodness. Christian admonishment, for its part, is never motivated by a spirit of accusation or recrimination. It is always moved by love and mercy, and springs from genuine concern for the good of the other. As the Apostle Paul says: “If one of you is caught doing something wrong, those of you who are spiritual should set that person right in a spirit of gentleness; and watch yourselves that you are not put to the test in the same way” (Gal 6:1). In a world pervaded by individualism, it is essential to rediscover the importance of fraternal correction, so that together we may journey towards holiness. Scripture tells us that even “the upright falls seven times” (Prov 24:16); all of us are weak and imperfect (cf. 1 Jn 1:8). It is a great service, then, to help others and allow them to help us, so that we can be open to the whole truth about ourselves, improve our lives and walk more uprightly in the Lord’s ways. There will always be a need for a gaze which loves and admonishes, which knows and understands, which discerns and forgives (cf. Lk 22:61), as God has done and continues to do with each of us. 2. "Being concerned for each other”: the gift of reciprocity. This “custody” of others is in contrast to a mentality that, by reducing life exclusively to its earthly dimension, fails to see it in an eschatological perspective and accepts any moral choice in the name of personal freedom. A society like ours can become blind to physical sufferings and to the spiritual and moral demands of life. This must not be the case in the Christian community! The Apostle Paul encourages us to seek “the ways which lead to peace and the ways in which we can support one another” (Rom 14:19) for our neighbour’s good, “so that we support one another” (15:2), seeking not personal gain but rather “the advantage of everybody else, so that they may be saved” (1 Cor 10:33). This mutual correction and encouragement in a spirit of humility and charity must be part of the life of the Christian community. The Lord’s disciples, united with him through the Eucharist, live in a fellowship that binds them one to another as members of a single body. This means that the other is part of me, and that his or her life, his or her salvation, concern my own life and salvation. Here we touch upon a profound aspect of communion: our existence is related to that of others, for better or for worse. Both our sins and our acts of love have a social dimension. This reciprocity is seen in the Church, the mystical body of Christ: the community constantly does penance and asks for the forgiveness of the sins of its members, but also unfailingly rejoices in the examples of virtue and charity present in her midst. As Saint Paul says: “Each part should be equally concerned for all the others” (1 Cor 12:25), for we all form one body. Acts of charity towards our brothers and sisters – as expressed by almsgiving, a practice which, together with prayer and fasting, is typical of Lent – is rooted in this common belonging. Christians can also express their membership in the one body which is the Church through concrete concern for the poorest of the poor. Concern for one another likewise means acknowledging the good that the Lord is doing in others and giving thanks for the wonders of grace that Almighty God in his goodness continuously accomplishes in his children. When Christians perceive the Holy Spirit at work in others, they cannot but rejoice and give glory to the heavenly Father (cf. Mt 5:16). 3. “To stir a response in love and good works”: walking together in holiness. These words of the Letter to the Hebrews (10:24) urge us to reflect on the universal call to holiness, the continuing journey of the spiritual life as we aspire to the greater spiritual gifts and to an ever more sublime and fruitful charity (cf. 1 Cor 12:31-13:13). Being concerned for one another should spur us to an increasingly effective love which, “like the light of dawn, its brightness growing to the fullness of day” (Prov 4:18), makes us live each day as an anticipation of the eternal day awaiting us in God. The time granted us in this life is precious for discerning and performing good works in the love of God. In this way the Church herself continuously grows towards the full maturity of Christ (cf. Eph 4:13). Our exhortation to encourage one another to attain the fullness of love and good works is situated in this dynamic prospect of growth. Sadly, there is always the temptation to become lukewarm, to quench the Spirit, to refuse to invest the talents we have received, for our own good and for the good of others (cf. Mt 25:25ff.). All of us have received spiritual or material riches meant to be used for the fulfilment of God’s plan, for the good of the Church and for our personal salvation (cf. Lk 12:21b; 1 Tim 6:18). The spiritual masters remind us that in the life of faith those who do not advance inevitably regress. Dear brothers and sisters, let us accept the invitation, today as timely as ever, to aim for the “high standard of ordinary Christian living” (Novo Millennio Ineunte, 31). The wisdom of the Church in recognizing and proclaiming certain outstanding Christians as Blessed and as Saints is also meant to inspire others to imitate their virtues. Saint Paul exhorts us to “anticipate one another in showing honour” (Rom 12:10). In a world which demands of Christians a renewed witness of love and fidelity to the Lord, may all of us feel the urgent need to anticipate one another in charity, service and good works (cf. Heb 6:10). This appeal is particularly pressing in this holy season of preparation for Easter. As I offer my prayerful good wishes for a blessed and fruitful Lenten period, I entrust all of you to the intercession of the Mary Ever Virgin and cordially impart my Apostolic Blessing.

Today’s host(s): Scot Landry and Fr. Chris O’Connor Today’s guest(s): Sister Olga Yaqob and Sarah Doyle Links from today’s show: Today’s topics: Preparing for Lent Summary of today’s show: Lent starts tomorrow. How are you going to take full advantage of this season to prepare for Easter? Scot Landry and Fr. Chris O’Connor are joined by Sr. Olga Yaqob and Sarah Doyle to talk about Lenten resolutions (“What are you giving up for Lent?”), prayer, fasting (and abstinence), and almsgiving. They share practical tips and spiritual insight for approaching the penitential season with joy. 1st segment: Scot welcomes Fr. Chris back to the show and Fr. Chris said last week while in Florida he caught his first ever. It was an edible fish and they had it for dinner. He then showed how it is an illustration for the preaching of the Gospel and the notion of being fishers of men. Fr. Chris also said that “Fat Tuesday” is his patronal feast day. At the seminary, the men prepare their ethnic dishes of their heritage. The word ‘Carnival’ comes from the Latin words for “Farewell to meat.” Scot said on today’s show, we’ll be talking about preparing ourselves for Lent. Scot and Fr. Chris discussed the consistory in Rome over the weekend where Pope Benedict made new cardinals. They quoted Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York who said to those who asked if he was looking to be pope next that he was seeking a higher calling: to be a saint. 2nd segment: Scot welcomed Sr. Olga and Sarah Doyle to the show. Sarah graduated form Boston University last May and has been giving a volunteer year at the Catholic Center at BU. She’s been helping carry on the work of Sister Olga when she was there. Sr. Olga formed a new religious community, the Daughters of Mary of Nazareth, and they now have 8 young women and four more are preparing to join this summer. They are all between 18 and 30 years old. Scot also said Sr. Olga’s successor at BU, Fr. John McLaughlin, has been named a Monsignor by Pope Benedict for his work in the Archdiocese of the Military. Fr. Chris said Monsignor is an honorary title that recognizes some particularly distinguishable service. He recruited vocations for the Military Archdiocese and was the first to hold that office. The Military Archdiocese provides spiritual care for all Catholics serving in the US military services. Dioceses will co-sponsor men who are ordained in the diocese and serve for a few years before going off the military chaplaincy for up to 20 years and then return to the diocese. Scot talked about the requirements for abstinence and fasting during Lent. Abstinence means Catholics over age 14 and in good health must abstain from meat on Ash Wednesday and the Fridays of Lent. Fr. Chris said 14 years old is about the age of Confirmation and thus the person is about an adult. The reason we abstain is not that the Church has something against meat, but that we are doing some penance together. We are giving something up to set aside Lent as a different time. Giving something up is to reflect why we give it up. Christ gave his life on the cross for us as an offering and so we make an offering, we are reminding ourselves of our membership in the body of Christ and the great gift that Christ gave to us. Scot asked about vegans and vegetarians. Sr. Olga said she’s a vegetarian and so she gives up something else. Whatever we give up during Lent is a sign of love for Jesus. We are giving in return to the One who on Friday pours out his whole life to redeem us. On Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, those between 18 and up to their 60th birthday, we are asked to fast, which means to have only one full meal and up to two small meals that don’t add up to a full meal. No snacks between meals. Sarah said the freshman students at the Catholic center are just 18 and so may be fasting for the first time. The Catholic community gives them support to endure. Scot said he would play some clips from Fr. Robert Barron on the three practices of Lent: Prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. (See video linked above.) Fr. Chris commented on Fr. Barron’s practical tips on prayer. He suggested praying while driving. Fr. Chris said he knows a priest who gives up music for Lent, including in the car, and substitutes it with prayer. He recalled Pope Benedict’s World Day of Communications message that talked about silence. If we don’t hear the Word, silence is aloof, cold and barren. They go together. We need moments of silence to hear the Lord. Sarah said it’s very difficult to find silence on an urban college campus like Boston University. Students will say they don’t have time for prayer, but what in life could you take out to take time for prayer. How about five minutes in prayer before or after homework. Sister said she told someone she was excited for Lent and Ash Wednesday and someone thought she was crazy to look forward to it. Scot said Cardinal Seán describes Lent as a 40-day retreat. Fr. Chris said when we’re making Lenten resolutions, we have to be reasonable and practical in order to succeed. We don’t want to become disheartened with ourselves when we fall, but so we can pick ourselves up when we continue. They should be practical and reasonable and good for us. It’s not about the quantity of what we do, but the quality of what we do during Lent. Sr. Olga said the Holy Spirit led Jesus into the desert after His baptism. Even Jesus needed the Holy Spirit to lead him. We need to pray about our Lenten season, to ask for the grace to have a faithful, blessed, and fruitful Lenten season. Sarah said you also have to take Lent in a humble way. Have someone in your life who can hold you accountable for your Lenten resolutions. It helps you with a sanity check, if it’s something you can actually carry out. It’s not cheating to rely on your friends, on the Body of Christ. Scot said in his message for Lent, Pope Benedict that we don’t go through Lent alone. Scot said of accountability, that you go public with your goal to receive help for furthering your prayer life. Sarah said she asked a friend for suggestions on a way she could work on her goals for Lent. Scot introduced another clip from Fr. Barron on fasting. 3rd segment: Scot said to Fr. Chris that Fr. Barron defines what fasting isn’t. The purpose isn’t a diet nor is it just giving up food. If we have suppress what we gravitate toward on a daily basis, we create space for God. Fr. Chris said the passions create enmity between us because we are always responding to our passions or appetites. St. Paul said the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.We discipline ourselves so the stronger or more beautiful parts come forward. Sr. Olga said when she was at BU, she used to encourage students to fast from Facebook and spend that time in person with a friend or writes notes to a friend, in order to be attentive. She said we are going on a camping trip with Jesus in the wilderness so we need to be attentive to him. Scot said addiction might be too strong, but we can get addicted to many behaviors or activities that eventually mean we say we don’t have time for prayer. Fr. Chris said there are some things that are essential and others that can crowd into our life and separate us from Christ. We aren’t asked to give up the essentials, but to break through the habits and patterns that keep us from Christ. Fr. Chris said Fr. Barron said we aren’t Puritans, and he addressed the lifting of abstinence and fasting when St. Patrick’s Day is on a Friday in Lent. St. Patrick is patron saint of the Archdiocese of Boston and a patronal feast is a time for feasting. Scot said Lent is a time of joy as well. The readings for Ash Wednesday tells us not to look gloomy when fasting. Sr. Olga used the example of an engaged couple during the preparation for marriage, working hard to get the wedding ready, but it’s also a time to be enjoyed and to look forward to sacrament on their wedding day. If we know why we are doing what we are doing during Lent, there is so much beauty we can’t help but more joyful. The Church is giving us a whole season to work toward sainthood, so how can we not be joyful. Scot introduced a clip of Fr. Barron talking about almsgiving. He suggests the practice of responding to every request for money you receive by mail during Lent, give them something. When you see a homeless person, give them something. If you’re buying something, choose the one you like, buy the next one down, and give the difference away to the poor. 4th segment: Scot said almsgiving is a generosity of spirit. All we own is not to be used just for ourselves. We are only stewards of those gifts. Fr. Chris said all we have been given comes from God so to be generous is to imitate the Divine. We give because God has given to us. He quoted St. Vincent de Paul who said when someone asks you for something, there’s poverty there, so give. Scot said it’s a spirit of almsgiving that’s more important than how much we give. Sister Olga suggested carrying gift cards to grocery stores or a fast food restaurant to be able to give to someone who asks for help. She said almsgiving can also be service, both spiritual and corporal works of mercy. It can even be visiting a cemetery to pray the Divine Mercy chaplet for the deceased. Sarah said she and several students are going on an alternative Spring Break. They are taking a road trip to different convents to do service for the sisters, whatever they need of them. They will also be going to the National Shrine of Divine Mercy in Stockbridge, Mass.

Today’s host(s): Scot Landry Today’s guest(s): Victor Pap and Alexis Walkenstein Links from today’s show: Maximus Group Today’s topics: Catholic communications and public relations Summary of today’s show: Alexis Walkenstein and Victor Pap discuss with Scot Landry their work at the Maximus Group, promoting books, movies, and other media—Like The Way, There Be Dragons, and Mighty Macs— that incorporate Catholic values using a grassroots efforts among Christian communities in a way that really has never bee done before. 1st segment: Scot welcomed listeners to the show. He said there are so many good books and movies and other media being produced that the owners want to let Catholic families know about, but the Church in the US is so decentralized with thousands of parishes and schools that it’s difficult for the Church to promote and market those initiatives. The Maximus Group entered that market a few years ago as a professional promotional and marketing agency. Two local people who grew up in the Boston area have now joined Maximus in leadership positions and Scot welcomed Victor Pap and Alexis Walkenstein to the show. Alexis joined Maximus about one year ago. Scot asked her about her background. She grew up in the Archdiocese of Boston, starting in Framingham. After graduating from Regis College, she started with WHDH-TV Channel 7 as the news assignment manager and a producer. Her last big assignment was covering the death of Pope John Paul II. From there she wanted to serve the Church, which led her to the Diocese of Palm Beach, Florida, where she served as the diocesan spokesperson, for five years. She wanted to move back to Boston and after praying a novena, she was contacted by Lisa Wheeler of Maximus out of the clear blue to come work for them. Scot asked Alexis what it was like working on the Channel 7 news desk during the height of the sex abuse crisis in Boston. Alexis said you couldn’t escape it. Your faith is your whole life and your job can’t be compartmentalized from it. Being an objective journalist and a fearless witness to the faith was difficult. She had already been considering leaving secular news because of the type of news that they cover. But sometimes God puts you in a difficult place to be a light in the darkness. Scot then noted that the diocese of Palm Beach had two of its bishops resign after being accused of abusing young men. They were followed by then-bishop Sean O’Malley, who himself was followed by Bishop Barbarito, who Alexis worked for. Alexis said much of her desire to leave secular news was being tired of seeing the Church take it on the chin, but she also wanted to go on offense to proclaim the good news of the Church and bringing the Gospel to people. Scot then asked Victor about his background and how he came to work for Maximus. Victor said he grew up in Weymouth. One of his parents came from Hungary and the other from Brazil and they both fled oppressive governments. They met at the Colonnade Hotel. They settled in Weymouth where he grew up and went to Sacred Heart School. He didn’t have an interest in government. He went to Suffolk University and got an internship at the State House. He was amazed at how the process worked. His communications and journalism degree helped him understand how he could have a greater impact. He remembers a vote on junior operator requirements to limit their driving. He was struck by how his peers didn’t know how they were being affected. From there he worked in campaigns for the next 13 or 14 years and lead the group Catholic Citizenship. It was a grassroots effort of laity to work with the Mass. Catholic Conference to influence lawmakers. Victor is also on the town council in Weymouth, bringing his Catholic faith to local government. He said Catholics have to become more savvy in how we communicate with our government. Victor’s Catholic faith has always been important to him, especially after getting married and having kids. He sees his own fatherhood in relation to the Father’s relationship to us. In college, Victor was a member of a debate team and they were national debate champions among the Ivy League. There was a lot of travel and it was very stressful.He remembers one tournament at Cornell during his junior year where he was nervous and had a scholarship riding on it. He went to a chapel before his round instead of practicing. He ended up winning that round and it showed how important it is to go to prayer. 2nd segment: Scot asked Alexis about the history of Maximus Group. She said it was founded in 2005 by Robert DeBellis, Lisa Wheeler, and Matt Pinto, seeing the need for the Church to be represented after the years of the sex abuse crisis and the death of John Paul. They said the need to engage the media with the right message with the right people on the topic of the day. Through that process Maximus was born and has been growing ever since. Maximus has been building a bridge between the sacred and secular. They have many clients they represent. They are often known because of the films they represent, but there’s a lot more they do. They are even hired by entities that are secular but want to have a reach in the Church, including Walmart and Proctor & Gamble. They represent Ignatius Press. Every day is different with Maximus. Alexis said she met Victor when he was working with Newt Gingrich promoting his film “9 Days that Changed the World.” Scot said to Victor that The Passion of the Christ was very successful and marketed very differently from other big films. It was very much a grassroots effort among churches and the idea came that this was a good way to market films. Victor said it takes a lot of organization and outreach to ensure each film or project is successful. Catholics need to realize the same is true about politics. They have to be organized a in a grassroots fashion. Marketing and promotion are the same. The personal touch of reaching out to a neighbor or parishioner is important. It’s far more important than mass marketing and advertising. Scot said Maximus helped to market a new book on the changes in the Roman Missal last year by Dr. Ed Sri. This exemplifies Maximus’ relationships with parishes and dioceses and Catholic media. Alexis said so much discussion about the Mass last year helped them to put the Catholic liturgy in the secular media. They haven’t had an opportunity like this in decades. They put together a press availability with Sri and Cardinal Wuerl and a number of others as well to talk about the changes and the first question came from a rabbi which showed Alexis that they were bridging the gap. Victor said it’s challenging as a Catholic parent who enjoys books and films and the major media are putting out so many products that are antithetical to Christian values. He was struck by the movie The Way, starring Emilio Estevez and Martin Sheen, having seen those actors in other movies over the years but seeing them in a film that shares real Christian values. This made him want to be part of the Maximus Group’s work in promoting this type of media. 3rd segment: Scot said the movie The Way takes place on the Camino de Santiago del Compestela about a father following his father’s footsteps of the pilgrimage. Alexis worked on the promotion of the film, traveling with them around the country promoting it. It was very impactful. Churches turned out in force wherever they went to see this film which shows humanity seeking the divine and journeying as a community. Scot asked what led to them wanting o market this independent film in this grassroots fashion. Alexis said it speaks to their personal nature. Scot said it inspired him to want to walk the Camino in Spain as part of the ancient pilgrimage. Victor said there isn’t necessarily an appreciation for art among Victor’s generation. It allows for a form of prayer that’s different from what we’re used to it. It’s a different kind of way to affect your community and share with it. Scot said his sense is that the momentum for The Way built over time and it got a lot more public relations coverage than other films. Alexis said it was an incredible experience to be with them. They are a unique family that attracts a lot of attention all the time anyway. They were so generous with their time. The DVD is coming out on February 21 and because the movie didn’t reach every market in America, the buzz is inspiring others to want to see it too. 4th segment: Scot asked some of the other projects Maximus promoted in 2011. Films included Of Gods and Men, There Be Dragons, Soul Surfer, The Way. There many publications including Pope Benedict’s book on Holy Week, Lino Rulli’s Sinner, Teresa Tomeo’s Extreme Makeover. Scot asked if promoting 13 Days, a religious film about Fatima, and Mighty Macs, a film about a girls’ basketball team, is similar. Alexis said there is a lot of work and planning that goes into executing these projects months in advance. They have to carve out who the audience is, for example. Every project is individual. For some they’re charged with only reaching Catholic audiences, while others have them reaching every audience. Victor said he’s started his first project is a new film with Andy Garcia, who’s got a great story of his family. The film is about the role of the Mexican lay faithful during a trying time in their history in which their faith is challenged. October Baby is another film talking about how a young woman is facing some challenges in her life. Scot said he saw that October Baby was premiered at the March for Life. aLexis said it’s a story of a young woman who survived a failed abortion attempt and tries to find out who she is and her biological mother. It shows the wounds that exist and healing that needs to take place. Fr. Peter West was at the screening as well as other important lay leaders on the front lines of the pro-life movement. They were blown away by the quality of the film. She said the teens that saw the movie loved it as well. Scot said the premise of the movie sounds like the other movie Bella, which is a beautiful way to speak of the mystery of life. Victor said October Baby will be out in late March. It upholds the dignity of life, not in an abstract way, but a real human way. Alexis said they are also working on a book project written by Pope Benedict’s brother, Msgr. Ratzinger.

Today’s host(s): Scot Landry and Fr. Chip Hines Links from today’s show: Planning2012.com Today’s topics: Pastoral Planning consultations Summary of today’s show: Scot Landry and Fr. Chip Hines, the pastor of two parishes in Wrentham and Plainville, discuss the progress of the pastoral planning consultations in the Archdiocese, what the current proposals are, and the rationale behind them. They also discuss this upcoming Sunday’s Gospel reading. 1st segment: Scot welcomed Fr. Chip back to the show. Fr. Chip is now pastor of two parishes and he’s been busy with his parochial vicar on retreat. They will be discussing the progress of pastoral planning consultations, especially Phase 2, and how it’s being accepted in the Archdiocese. 2nd segment: Scot said the Pastoral Planning consultation kicked off formally in this effort to put a recommendation before groups in order to get feedback to refine a final recommendation for Cardinal Sean later this year. It started with a convocation of priests in December, sharing principles. Phase 2 was proposing parish groupings. Phase 3 is sharing it with various interest groups. Scot said back in December heard the principles which is to provide more resources for parishes and help them thrive and grow by banding together. Fr. Chip said he was interested by the proposal because it’s a unique way of going about this kind of work they are thinking outside the box. He was already pastoring two parishes so he’s on the front line of all this. He thinks there’s been a generally positive response from priests. Some may be concerned at what it means exactly, but he thinks the archdiocese is taking those concerns into account. Secondly, people are worried what it means for the jobs of those who work in parishes. Scot said some of what was share in the Phase 1 consultation was that 50 of the 291 parishes already share a pastor with another parish. Msgr. Bill Fay, co-chair of the pastoral planning commission, said it hasn’t been done looking at the macro situation of the Archdiocese, looking at the situation of the entire archdiocese. We want to get ahead of the shrinking of the available priests over the next five years. Fr. Chip said he sits on the priest personnel board and when they make new assignments they often consider whether the new pastor can take of more than one parish. That’s good, but it’s not the culture of planning that Cardinal Seán wants. Scot said Cardinal Seán is trying to make that it ties to the strategic priorities he’s put in place, including strengthening parishes as primary communities of faith. Scot said the commission on December 5 said the proposal is not a proposal to close or merge parishes. Scot said that’s been often misunderstood in secular media. It’s also not a proposal to close churches within parishes or to restructure parishes. It’s a proposal to reorganize and regroup parish staffing and how priests are organized to serve parishes. Scot said back in the 1950s parishes had pastors who already served 20 years in parishes, a senior curate, a lot of junior curates, a lot of religious sisters and then a couple of lay employees, like a maintenance man. Now many of the parish staff have become lay professionals. Scot said even if nothing was done, most priests would be pastors of more than one parish in five years. Fr. Chip said the Archdiocese is very big in the numbers of people and the number of resources, including buildings. Scot said the reason for Pastoral Service Teams is it consolidates in order to have one pastor with one team for the collaborative. Fr. Chip said the process will cause some angst, but once we’re through it, this will be great for parishes. It’s also important to note the increasing professional of parish staff members. They emphasized that this is still a proposal. One of the proposals is the Pastoral Collaborative with a Pastoral Service Team. The collaborative has one pastor, one parochial vicar, one finance council, one pastoral council. The Pastoral Service Teams consolidate services. For example, they can bring together three different DREs and they would become DRE for children, one for teens and one for adults. No one necessarily has to lose their job. This means they can focus on expanding services. It can also helps pastors move beyond the focus on administrative trivia to be free for evangelization. Key questions include how the pastors will be chosen for the new PSTs. Some criticisms have been aired in the media. On the choosing of parish staffs, people are assuming a lot of people losing their jobs, but people will have the opportunity to expand their roles. 3rd segment: Scot said there’s no perfect way to group parishes. Fr. Chip emphasized that the proposed groupings are not a done deal. The parishes were grouped by six criteria: Geographic proximity. In addition to being in the same town, they also considered sharing school systems. Combined weekly offertory of $500,000 per year. They’re looking for income for mission, not maintenance. Sufficient other income to cover remaining operating expenses. An average of 1,600 Mass attendees per weekend in the pastoral collaborative. 1,600 was chosen as the basis for parish size based on how many a pastor can serve. Current sacramental index and what kinds of sacraments involved. They discussed the unique situation of St. Paul, Cambridge wit ha parish, the Harvard Catholic student center, and the choir school so it serves essentially three different parishes. Another parish recommended as a standalone parish is St. Bonaventure in Plymouth. The town is so big and growing so fast that it makes sense that for current and projected demographics stays as a standalone parish. Most of the groupings are 2s and 3s. Some are as many as four. Eleven parishes are recommended to standalone. Fr. Chip’s two parishes are already in the proposed grouping. They will be having meetings in any case to discuss the pastoral planning process, involving as many people as possible. Even in this cluster, they will see a lot of change. They currently have two pastoral councils, two finance councils, and two staffs. Fr. Chip said there will be growing pains. He has two deacons and their roles will continue to evolve. They will have to sit down as a staff and understand how to make this work. They’ve already changed the Mass schedule so that one priest could do all the Sunday Masses if necessary. They have two 8am Masses and two 4pm Masses. They moved one Mass, cancelled another and tweaked others. A lot of the people at the parish that lost the 4pm Mass went to the other parish and now the moved Mass now has a lot more younger families coming at 5:30. Scot said there is a fear that people will stop going to Mass when you changed the schedule. Fr. Chip said it doesn’t look like he’s lost people, but just that they’re going to different parishes. He does tell them they can put their envelopes for the home parish in the other parish’s collection. Change is hard and some are upset, but that’s a small group. Most people understand we have to change. Scot said he hopes we all step back despite the changes and see how blessed we are by the number of parishes and churches and priests and deacons and religious. It’s awesome we can find a Mass within about 20 minutes in any half hour of the day on Sunday. There are people in other parts of the country who have to drive an hour to get to one possible Sunday Mass. Fr. Chip said he hopes that more people are evangelized and we end up breaking up the collaboratives eventually because they are full of people and priests. 4th segment: Now as we do every week at this time, we will consider the Mass readings for this Sunday, specifically the Gospel reading. This is the last Sunday before the beginning of Lent. Gospel for February 19, 2012, Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time (Mark 2:1-12) When Jesus returned to Capernaum after some days, it became known that he was at home. Many gathered together so that there was no longer room for them, not even around the door, and he preached the word to them. They came bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men. Unable to get near Jesus because of the crowd, they opened up the roof above him. After they had broken through, they let down the mat on which the paralytic was lying. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Child, your sins are forgiven.” Now some of the scribes were sitting there asking themselves, “Why does this man speak that way? He is blaspheming. Who but God alone can forgive sins?” Jesus immediately knew in his mind what they were thinking to themselves, so he said, “Why are you thinking such things in your hearts? Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise, pick up your mat and walk?’ But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority to forgive sins on earth” -he said to the paralytic, “I say to you, rise, pick up your mat, and go home.” He rose, picked up his mat at once, and went away in the sight of everyone. They were all astounded and glorified God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this.” Scot recalled last week’s Gospel in which Jesus cures a leper. Before curing this man, he cures the man’s soul by taking away his sins. Jesus is saying if you want to be healed, it’s more important to be healed of your sins before seeking healing for your soul. Lent is a good time to clean out that junk from our souls. Fr. Chip said sin paralyzes us and makes us stiff. God wants us to be animated in what we do.We need to look at ourselves and ask what’s holding me back, keeping me less inclined from doing something good? Scot said Jesus is surrounded by a large crowd and people who want to see Jesus do some crazy things: Hanging from trees, risking death. In this case, they open the roof and Jesus sees it for the desperate love that it is. Some people responded negatively though. They accuse Jesus of blaspheming even though the fruits of Jesus’ ministry were so clear. Jesus wants to cure their blindness that prevents them from seeing how God loves them. Fr. Chip said we still have those among us who are saying those same things. Scot said the leper last week didn’t do what Jesus told him and this paralytic does what Jesus told him to do: Pick up your mat and go home.

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: The Obama administration’s contraception mandate, plus local stories Summary of today’s show: The biggest news of the week concerns the Obama administration’s so-called compromise for religious groups on the mandate that health insurance plans cover contraception for employees. Scot Landry, Susan Abbott, Fr. Roger Landry, and Greg Tracy review and comment on editorials in the Pilot and the Anchor as well as reaction from bishops and opinion columnists to the rule and the general attitude toward religious liberty found in this administration. Also, other local stories, including an obituary for Fr. Robert McAuliffe, grants to local parishes from the national St. Vincent de Paul society, iPads for a Catholic high school, and Fr. Robert Barron’s Catholicism airing on TV locally. 1st segment: Scot and Susan caught up on their day. Susan was at a meeting in the southern end of the archdiocese in Halifax. Her big news is that she just flew in from Los Angeles where her newest grandson was baptized last Sunday. 2nd segment: Scot said both the Pilot and the Anchor have editorials on the mandate from the Dept. of Health and Human Services requiring contraception coverage in health insurance plans. Fr. Roger’s editorial covers President Obama’s “unaccommodating accommodation”. Fr. Roger said Obama said religious organizations won’t have to pay premiums for contraception, but the insurers will provide it for free, but this is just an accommodating trick. The reality is that these costs will be covered by higher premiums. The US bishops’ main concerns were all neglected in this so-called compromise: respect for religious liberty and consultation with religious groups . The Obama administration did not consult with the affected religious institutions at all. The bishops aren’t just trying to get an exemption for the institution, but that Catholic business owners shouldn’t be forced to violate their own consciences either.Scot said Catholic businessmen have told him that they hoped the bishops would defend all Catholics, not just dioceses and parishes and explicitly Catholic organizations. The bishops are asking Catholics to call the White House (202-456-1111), representatives and Senators. They should ask Congress to pass the Respect for Rights of Conscience Act (HR 1179, S 1467). Susan said we have discussed before that there is a difference between the freedom to worship and freedom of religion and our country is built on the wider principle of freedom of religion. Also, the Church serves more than just Catholics. We don’t ask people whether they’re Catholic and hungry; we just ask if they’re hungry. Scot noted how Boston Bruins goalie Tim Thomas has been criticizing the mandate and standing up for the rights of all religious people. Greg talked about his editorial in the Pilot this week, which says that many Church health insurance plans are self-insurance plans. The editorial notes there is much confusion about the policies and statements being thrown about by partisans on this issue. We use the term “health insurance” very loosely; even the President did in his remarks last week. But we don’t all have the same kind of insurance plans. Scot clarified that consumer-marketed insurance plans are regulated by states, that is the individual consumer buys the plan. But most large employers choose to self-fund or self-insurance their healthcare benefits. In this case the the employer decides it’s cheaper to pay the bills as they come in as opposed to keeping a pile of cash set aside. These companies contract third-party insurance companies to process claims from doctors and patients and then bill the Archdiocese. In the Archdiocese of Boston, the archdiocese self-insurers, but employees have Tufts Health Plan cards. When the companies self-insure, they don’t have insurance plans that are covered by state regulations. The Archdiocese does not buy insurance from Tufts or Blue Cross/Blue Shield or another company. Thus these self-funded plans are only subject to federal law. Scot said Catholic organizations have also chosen to self-fund to avoid onerous state mandates. This is why the HHS mandate is so important: Here then is the rub: the new HHS mandate is a federal law and therefore it applies to all plans whether self-funded or insured. For the first time, self-funded health benefit plans find themselves being required to offer specific benefits. In creating a federal contraception requirement, the Obama Administration has not only shut the exit door for health plans, but locked it. The new federal healthcare law is the first time the federal regulations require insurers to cover specific procedures. The editorial will be available through a link in the Weekly Email from Cardinal Sean and the Pilot. You can subscribe to the newsletter here. Fr. Roger said last August, the US bishops formed a committee on religious freedom because they saw that this HHS mandate is not a unique incursion on religious freedom, but is part of a general pattern. The Obama administration has tried in other ways to curtail religious freedom to a very, very narrow idea. They have excluded Church groups from giving aid to victims of human trafficking. They’ve threatened to end government contracts with Catholic Relief Services because they won’t offer abortions. 3rd segment: Scot said Archbishop Chaput has blasted this “compromise” as “insulting”. “The HHS mandate, including its latest variant, are belligerent, unnecessary and deeply offensive to the content of Catholic belief,” he wrote in a Feb. 12 Philadelphia Inquirer column. “Any such mandate would make it morally compromising for us to provide health care benefits to the staffing of our public service ministries.” “We cannot afford to be fooled – yet again – by evasive and misleading allusions to the administration’s alleged ‘flexibility’ on such issues. The HHS mandate needs to be rescinded.” Bishops Renew Call to Legislative Action on Religious Liberty “Obama’s revised HHS mandate won’t solve problems, USCCB president says”, Catholic News Service, 02/14/12 “Archbishop Chaput blasts administration’s ‘insulting’ mandate revision”, CNA/EWTN News, 2/11/12 “HHS and Soft Totalitarianism”, George Weigel, First Things, 2/15/12 “Religious leaders, academics rebuff Obama’s contraception policy change”, CNA/EWTN News, 2/14/12 Scot and Fr. Roger discussed the difference between rescinding and revising the mandate. Rescinding the provisions means no one would be required to finance this immoral practice. Archbishop Timothy Dolan also commented. We bishops are pastors, we’re not politicians, and you can’t compromise on principle,” said Cardinal-designate Dolan, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. “And the goal posts haven’t moved and I don’t think there’s a 50-yard line compromise here,” he added. “We’re in the business of reconciliation, so it’s not that we hold fast, that we’re stubborn ideologues, no. But we don’t see much sign of any compromise,” he said. “What (Obama) offered was next to nothing. There’s no change, for instance, in these terribly restrictive mandates and this grossly restrictive definition of what constitutes a religious entity,” he said. “The principle wasn’t touched at all.” … “My brother-in-law, who’s a committed Catholic, runs a butcher shop. Is he going to have to pay for services that he as a convinced Catholic considers to be morally objectionable?” he asked. Susan said the article also speaks enthusiastically of the Respect for Rights of Conscience Act, introduced by Rep. Jeffrey Fortenberry, R-Nebraska. They then turned to discussion of a column by Michael Pakaluk, in which he says that government is enshrining the idea that sex and procreation are intrinsically separated. Scot noted that the claim that 98% of Catholics use contraception is bogus, even on the face of it. Greg said Pakaluk points out that before 1930, every Christian denomination held that contraception was immoral and in 1931 the Anglican Church opened the door to a very small possibility of the permissibility of contraception and that created a slippery slope. Scot said George Weigel’s column in the Anchor discusses the soft totalitarianism of the mandate. As the administration has demonstrated in its international human rights policy, it regards religious freedom as a kind of privacy right: the right to freedom of worship, which the administration seems to regard as analogous to any other optional, recreational activity. No serious student of religious freedom, however, takes the redefinition of religious freedom as freedom-to-worship seriously. For if that redefinition were true, there would be “religious freedom” in Saudi Arabia, so long as the “worship” in question were conducted behind closed doors. And that is manifestly absurd. … It is no exaggeration to describe that cast of mind as “soft totalitarianism”: an effort to eliminate the vital role in health care, education, and social service played by the institutions of civil society, unless those institutions become extensions of the state. So the state isn’t actually taking over everything, but the government is engaging in aggressive coercion. Fr. Roger said totalitarianism is where the state takes away all rights and its powers are unlimited. The HHS mandate says if you’re going to have health insurance, you have to violate your conscience or shut down or pay a fine of $2,000 per year for each employee. Fr. Roger said this is how the most repressive governments in history started their totalitarianism. Pope Benedict said in his White House visit that freedom must be won anew and defended by every generation. Scot notes the Pilot column by Jaymie Stuart Wolfe in which she says that opponents of religious institutions don’t aim to undermine faith, but to exercise power over life from conception to natural death. She said the Catholic Church is the prime opponent of the mindset that sees the human being as a tool to be used or a burden to be discarded. Susan said when you start saying every person is worthy of respect and made in the image and likeness of God, think of all the things that flow from that, what rights those persons have from conception to natural death. Scot then read from Kevin and Marilyn Ryan’s column in the Pilot titled “Why do they hate us so?” They describe many examples of anti-Catholicism in politics and media and says it’s hard to figure out why we provoke such hostility. The good news is that we are standing up for the right things, but unlike early Christians, we modern Catholic are falling down in our witness. We aren’t practicing our faith enough to be inspiring witnesses to our fellow citizens. Greg said this is part of the New Evangelization. The Church needs to figure out how to be a witness to the modern world. Scot noted other stories in the Pilot and the Anchor, including an obituary for Fr. Robert McAuliffe and the National St. Vincent de Paul Society providing grants to several parishes to help the poor. On the grants they went to the parishes to ask how even small grants will go a long way to helping those in need. Another article was about how Cardinal Spellman High School in Brockton is moving to teaching using iPads for every student. Also the Catholicism series by Fr. Robert Barron is airing on CatholicTV. Fr. Roger encouraged listeners to watch this series, either on DVDs, perhaps in their parish faith formation groups, or on TV. Fr. Barron not only does a great job explaining the faith, but also shows us by taking us to the great shrines and places of Catholicism throughout the world. Susan noted that parishes can also get study guides and other supplemental materials.

Today’s host(s): Scot Landry and Fr. Matt Williams Today’s guest(s): Miriam Marston Links from today’s show: Miriam Marston’s site Miriam’s Facebook page Miriam’s music for purchase on Amazon Today’s topics: Catholic musician Miriam Marston Summary of today’s show: Miriam Marston has been singing and playing music since she was a young girl and now uses her gift along with what she has learned in her theological studies to express the beauty of the Catholic faith through beautiful music. Scot Landry and Fr. Matt Williams listen to the music and discuss with Miriam the meaning of her music and how she was inspired to write it. 1st segment: Scot and Fr. Matt talked about how Fr. Matt and his colleague Steve Colella made a presentation to a committee at the US Bishops’ Conference on the topic of the New Evangelization and the bishops’ document on the topic. 2nd segment: Scot welcomed Miriam Marston to the show. He said he’s worked with her in her capacity in her job at the Theological Institute for the New Evangelization. Miriam said she assists with the day to day administrative duties for the Master of Arts in Theology and non-degree certificate programs. Miriam grew up in Alexandria, Virginia, and attended the College of William and Mary. She ended up in Boston by way of England. She had moved there after college for a couple of years and her sister asked her to move near her in Boston. She arrived in Boston on St. Patrick’s Day. Her sister was temping for Fr. Mark O’Connell and that’s how she ended up working at the Archdiocese. It was Boston’s weather that initially had worried her about moving here, but the charms of the city overcame that. she worked for two years in the Office of Canonical Affairs and then left to study for her Master’s degree at Boston College. Miriam’s parents met in a choir in France. Her mother was a professional singer of Renaissance music. She learned to play the piano as a girl and wrote her first song when she was 10. The second song she ever wrote was called Nostalgia, but at 10 years old she’s not sure what she was nostalgic about. She went to Catholic school until going to college and her music gave her a way to ask deeper questions. Music allowed her a way to unpack these questions that connected to her faith. When she was 19, Miriam recorded an all-piano CD and then recorded a second CD about 18 months ago, “The Luggage of an Optimist”. She’s also released a new song in January called “Juliette.” It was the quickest she’d ever written a song, at all once in one sitting at the piano. The name of the song came first. It refers to an unborn child. It’s written from the perspective of the child in the womb and then at the end switches to the perspective of a womb who’s had an abortion wondering how to fill the void in her life. The storm of the song is meant to convey the pain of abortion. Juliette The sound of water always lulled her to sleep, like the gentlest waves you could imagine. And she dreamed all of the purest dreams untouched by the madness outside her. And one day when the storm broke, the ocean spoke no more. And all the dreams ended there, inside where, alas there was a dreamer alive there. The sound of conversation stirred her awake, with all the comfort of a long awaited embrace. But they were only words deciding her fate without her thoughts and her perspective. And one day when the storm broke the ocean spoke no more. And all the dreams ended there inside where, alas there was a dreamer alive there. And one day when the storm ends our knees will bend for the unnamed. And is it freedom on display as some say, or gone astray, replacing the day with evening. “With all the emptiness locked inside maybe this thing will satisfy. With all the unwritten lullabies, maybe this love will sanctify.” Scot, Fr. Matt, and Miriam discussed the lyrics. Miriam said she loves the ocean as a calming, beautiful place. The storm breaking over the ocean represents something going wrong. The dreamer points to the potential of the unborn child who never had a chance. Miriam said the image of the baby sleeping in the mother’s womb conveys the sweetness and security of being able to sleep there in a safe place. Then it turns to the daydreams of the child’s potential future. Then she is awakened with the hope of comfort, but instead hearing words deciding her fate. Miriam said this is the most tragic line. The baby can’t understand what is said, so these words about killing her were comfort for her because she didn’t know. Fr. Matt recalled Cardinal Seán’s words that the womb is the most dangerous place in America today. Miriam said she doesn’t use the word abortion, in part because the child has no category to process it. They would only have images, the word would be unthinkable. Then the third verse switches to the mother’s perspective. The mother says the baby is unnamed, but Juliette is named in eternity. “Our knees bend” is also a call to all of us that we have a responsibility as well. The next line discusses the so-called freedom of choice, but is it a true freedom to kill someone? It is a freedom gone astray. Miriam said the reaction to the song has been overwhelming positive. The song made the rounds on Facebook and people have had very thoughtful responses, sometimes very unexpected. 3rd segment: It’s time to announce this week’s winner of the WQOM Benefactor Raffle. Our prizes this week are the books, “Priest: Portraits of Ten Good Men Serving the Church Today and Striving to Serve Him Faithfully” by Michael S. Rose, and “The Leadership of Jesus”, by MSGT Michael M. Cutone, US Army Special Forces. This week’s benefactor card raffle winner is Fr. James DiPerri, from Waltham, MA. Congratulations, Fr. DiPerri! 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 asked Miriam about her last album’s title, “Luggage of an Optimist”. It’s the second chapter title of G.K. Chesterton’s book “Man Alive”. It’s more about hope than it is pie-eyed optimism. Postcard See how every notion takes on new life under the moon, And the silence stands at my shoulder, keeps me frozen in this room. And lifted up from deeper thoughts, I am waiting for His move. But on the other side He smiles, as He waits for me to choose. Because I haven’t learned His name, or maybe haven’t learned it right, But I hear He’s got a thing or two To say about this fight. Because I haven’t felt the same, and I think I would have liked All the things He said I could have had If I’d let Him in my life. See how everyone points to all the sad times they never choose. What their memory doesn’t tell them, They make up to fit their mood. And woken up from bitter ways, I am calm but still unsure. And focused on those better days, I am standing at this door. Because there’s no one left to blame, And I’m pushing past the lies, And I see that this is far beyond anything that just sounds nice. And the truth is never tame, and I really think it’s time That I turned to face the Word I ran away from at the first sign. And He said He so loved the world, And He said He so loved the world… That He came to stay here. And I believed what He said when He said that He’d descend In my life, in my mess, as my best friend. And I believed what He said when He said that He would send All His love like a postcard from my best friend. Miriam said she doesn’t want to trivialize the love of Christ by connecting it to a postcard, but she’s trying to show that it is so very personal for each of us. She was inspired to write the song while meditating on John 3:16. Scot asked Miriam how she writes songs. She said it’s almost always at the piano with a notebook. She scribbles furiously as the inspiration comes quickly and she tries to capture the ideas. She does it by ear, not writing the music. Another song off the album is about the prophet Simeon who saw Jesus at a few weeks old as he was brought to the temple by Mary and Joseph. Simeon There was a man in the city and everyone thought him just a little odd. They passed him on his knees, his arms outstretched, As if waiting for a consolation. But on the edge of something new, he sensed that he had things to do And so lived a life of anticipation. Here is the moment he’s been waiting for All of his life; Rushing and wishing and racing towards A graceful moment when he’d finally see what faith becomes. He saw them enter by the front door, and he didn’t need any more proof that it was time To take the child in his arms, and looking up to heaven, Thanked his God for this chance. He told the mother of the days that would come and any other Would have turned away to run. But she kept in her heart all the words that she’d heard Because she had hope and all those good things in her son. So he was free to go, To go in peace with what he’d seen there. And with his last breath he thought How we were in the best of hands, and at that he smiled. Miriam sees Simeon as a model of faith and that’s why she brings us into it at the end. He’s been waiting all his life and we’ve been waiting all our lives. We have the responsibility of testifying to Jesus the way Simeon did. She said Simeon also had a sense of gratitude for this gift. We cant take the gift of faith for granted. Scot said he pictures Simeon having the grace of a happy death, knowing that all that he’d believed was true and could now see the Father’s face. Fr. Matt said Simeon is a man who trusts in God’s unconditional fidelity. Simeon is a man of hope and a beautiful testimony. Miriam said it’s also not passive, living in the spirit of hope.

Today’s host(s): Scot Landry Today’s guest(s): Andy LaVallee, Catholic businessman and owner of LaVallee’s Bakery Links from today’s show: LaVallee’s Bakery Distributors Live the Fast.com LaVallee’s Fasting Breads on Facebook Massachusetts Catholic Business Association “Boston bakery distributor practices ‘Charity in Truth’”, The Boston Pilot, 2/3/12 “A Revolutionary Way to Feed Bodies and Souls”, The Spirit of St. Francis Andy LaVallee: Profile of A Catholic Business Leader Today’s topics: Profile of Catholic businessman Andy LaVallee Summary of today’s show: Local Catholic businessman Andy LaVallee llives his faith 24/7, bringing his Catholic values into LaVallee’s Bakery Distributors, which provides high-quality breads to feed the poor and homeless; puts employees, customers, and vendors above the bottom line through Gospel values; and has now started a new initiative providing free nutritious bread to anyone who wants to fast for Lent (LiveTheFast.com). In addition, Andy helped found the Massachusetts Catholic Business Association, bringing together Catholics in all fields and walks of life to pray, learn their faith, and join in fellowship on a regular basis. 1st segment: Scot wished all the listeners a happy St. Valentine’s Day. He discussed today’s topic of living the social gospel in how we conduct all our affairs, including our business life. Our guest is Andy LaVallee, owner of LaVallee’s Bakery in Waltham, which gives its first rate bread to many of the food pantries in the area and how he has made the Gospel central to his work. Andy said it’s a 35-year-old family-owned business. They bring in products from all over the world, cakes, cookies, breads and distribute them to top hotels and restaurants. Most of the products come from vendor partners all over the world. He grew up in Charlestown in the busing era. He found a job at a bakery to keep himself out of trouble. After about eight years, his wife was pregnant with their first son, so he bought a station wagon for a few hundred dollars and started delivering bread on the way home. LaVallee’s had a different vision of who they wanted to be, to have top-level service. Their breakthrough was delivering to the Château and Nocera restaurants. Andy said you have to be totally committed if you’re self-employed and through the first 15 years he put in a lot of long hours. The turning point was in 1997, when he was leaving Mass and Fr. Rodney Kopp asked him to teach CCD to confirmation age boys. He promised to do it for one year and ended up doing it for 13 years. He learned a lot about Catholic social values and how to treat people. It transformed how he lead the company and gave him the idea of servant leadership. He said in the beginning, he went to Mass, but had no other faith life. He said he’s a Triple type-A personality so he attacked teaching CCD in the same way and wanted to make sure he was teaching these kids the right thing. Andy said the first thing to know is God’s love and how his grace and mercy works in us. He used examples from their own lives to explain the Church’s teachings. By recognizing how blessed we are by God and we are created with a purpose makes us want to reciprocate for what we have been given and to find out what our mission is. He wanted to be an example of these teachings, not just for the CCD classes, but also for his own family. He had an interview with a young man for a driver’s job. They’d had trouble keeping drivers working for them. At the end of the interview, he asked him why he wanted to work there. The man said God had told him he wanted him to go work at LaVallee’s. That told Andy that he wanted to run his company that way. Instead of living by the spreadsheet, they wanted to live by the truth of the dignity of every human being. The way that works is that you have to show the love of God through your actions in all your business dealings. Vendors and customers can then trust you. He also continually focuses his people on the values of the dignity of the human being. Be more concerned with the people first and everything else will happen if you live by the rules God gave us. He doesn’t call his drivers “drivers”, they call them customer guardians. They set up a special program to teach them that their job is to watch over their customers, be the best teammate they can be, and be a step above everyone else delivering to business in Boston. That has led to double-digit growth in this economy. Not everyone is Catholic. Only about 50% are. But they all understand the Christian values and know they are treated better than any place else. They pay their health insurance. They allow employees to bring their newborns to work with them rather than send them to daycare. When you walk into LaVallee’s, you see the LaVallee’s logo and an portrait of Pope John Paul II, who is the example of servant leadership. Everyone in business wants to climb to the top of pyramid. But to be a success, you have to invert the pyramid. You have to support everyone who trusts in you and believe in you. How did Christ build the Church we are today? By being a servant-example to all. It’s so much easier to do it this way because you just live according to these teachings. When you finish a task, you say you’ve done the best you can and leave the rest up to God. There is a whole process in forming other managers in the company to this model. Lead by example and walk through the ideas with them on a day by day basis. Scot asked when Andy realized he had a responsibility to provide high-quality breads to the poor and homeless. Andy said in meetings with vendors, there would be cases and cases of product that get thrown out because they don’t meet a particular customer’s standards. They take that high-quality bread to shelters throughout Boston. On one Thanksgiving day, you would find the same exact bread on the tables at the Ritz Carlton as found on the tables at St. Francis House right out the back door of the hotel. Andy’s accountants complain about the cost, but they are building spiritual equity, not to mention gaining a positive response from others who want more of that bread. A few years he founded with some others an organization called the CEO Council on Hunger to provide high-quality foods to the poor and homeless. 2nd segment: Andy has started a website called LivetheFast.com, which discusses breads created for fasting. He said bread and water is the best fast: water is cleansing and bread represents the Eucharist. But 90% of the breads in supermarkets would accelerate your appetite that would prevent you from completing the fast by making you hungry: sugars, preservatives, etc. Jesus fasted and taught his disciples to fast, but no one has tried this commercially. Families used to make their own breads at home to fast. They’re doing this commercially all-natural, whole wheat, unbleached, no preservatives, and providing nutrition to maintain the fast all day. He has selected from among 600 products for his best fasting bread. It is an artisan roll, handmade, but with different flavor profiles. The cranberry multi-bread pecan is good for breakfast. The ancient grain bread is a soaked grain so it’s easier. They have a nut grain and even a white/whole wheat mix for kids. Once you sign up for the Lenten challenge at the website, they will also provide some great books and other resources to help you live the fast. He learned through this discovery of fasting breads, during all the apparitions of Our Lady, she has recommended we fast and pray. Andy was on a pilgrimage to Medjugorje a few years ago. In the middle of the night he heard some Italian women singing the rosary outside his window so he got up to pray with them. He had been fasting on Wednesdays and Fridays and the idea of fasting breads came to him and the idea stayed with him. He went back to Medjugorje five months later and researched their fasting practices. They use similar breads as he’s making. They use a spelt flour that’s hard to get in the US, but almost everyone fasts when they are there. Andy intends to provide the breads to anyone who wants to live the fast. Got to LivetheFast.com, sign up for the Lenten challenge, and they will provide the breads throughout Lent. Put them in your freezer, take one out before going to work and heat it up in the oven for a few minutes, take a bottle of water and go. When he’s fasting, his focus level is entirely different. He’d read that when you fast, you lose energy and look different, but he wanted to make the breads nutritious and not lose energy. But his prayer life remained focus and he doesn’t get too many lows. If someone signs up for the fasting challenge, people will be able to pick up the breads in various places and at different times. There will enough for a few weeks at a time, but you can come back for more for all of Lent. Cardinal Seán recently called us to pray and fast with regard to the Health and Human Services mandate so this can be part of that. Scot asked if Andy has internal projections on how much they’re going to be giving out. Andy said they don’t have projections, but he’s hopeful it will be very popular. 3rd segment: Andy has been asked to speak at St. Mary, Waltham, after Masses about the value of fasting and he’s hoping they get a lot of parishioners who want to take the Live the Fast challenge. A few years ago, Andy and some other Catholics formed the Mass. Catholic Business Association. Andreas Widmer is a friend and mentor to Andy and helped him found it. He got the idea while driving home one day from a Legatus meeting. He wrote a whole business plan for it and then presented it to Andreas. He said he’d been thinking of the same thing. The mission is to come together once per month, be centered around the Eucharist, and then have reflections after Mass and silence. They build the reflections around the liturgical calendar. It’s a great example of what they’re trying to do in the community. Scot said Legatus is also for Catholic businessmen, but it tends to be for CEOs and other’s running businesses, while Mass. Catholic Business Association is for everyone. Andy said they get guys in suits from the financial district and landscapers in jeans and boots, all praying together before the Lord. Their tagline is “Where faith and business meet.” They’ll be meeting at St. Francis Chapel at the Prudential Center. They had more than 60 present at their last Mass and they meet after Mass at Champions. One of the priests from St. Clement Eucharistic Shrine will celebrate Mass. It was the OMVs who suggested the move from South Boston to the business center of Boston at the Prudential Center. When they moved last month, they had 12 new people. They consistently hear from them that they never thought they’d find an organization like this. Scot said you can feel lonely because you don’t know other people at your workplace who share your faith. The next meeting is March 7 at 5:45pm with Mass at 6pm, reflection at 6:30pm, silent meditation and then dinner and fellowship from about 7pm to 9pm. Andy said the reflections are given by one of the members of the group. they give a School of Prayer, taking either the liturgical calendar or readings for the day and bringing into their daily lives, their work or family or community. There is no cost to be a member. It’s men and women and the ages range from college age all the way up to their 70s. There are great opportunities to mentor. And it’s everyone from the janitor to the CEO.

Today’s host(s): Scot Landry Today’s guest(s): Br. Lake Herman, OFM Cap; Br. Eric Lenhart, OFM Cap; Cara Annese; and Kelly Hughes of Capuchin Youth and Family Ministry Links from today’s show: Capuchin Youth and Family Ministry Capuchin Franciscan Volunteer Corps Today’s topics: Capuchin Youth and Family Ministry Summary of today’s show: After serving the youth and families of the Archdiocese of New York for decades, Capuchin Youth and Family Ministry is expanding its services to Boston. Scot Landry talks with two Capuchin brothers and two lay volunteers from the post-college service year group CapCorps about the secret to CYFM’s success and how to reach young people of today with the Gospel message to awaken and enliven their Catholic faith. 1st segment: Scot said Capuchin Youth and Family Ministries reaches out to youth, especially those who’ve fallen away. They’ve been successful in New York and want to extend their ministry to parishes in Boston. Scot asked Br. Lake about CYFM. Br. Lake said it was a retreat center established about 40 years ago in the Hudson Valley after a couple of priests and Catholic families did a Cursillo retreat to bring the same experience to youth of the area. It expanded to parish confirmation retreats and meeting young people wherever they are. Scot asked Cara if it’s similar to Cursillo in the effects on young people. She said it’s similar, but it’s also an experience of being together with people who are similar that you can bond with for life. Br. Eric said Capuchins try to balance prayer and ministry. He told a story of early Capuchins who were intensely drawn to prayer, but saw people suffering from the Plague and so turned to that ministry. So the prayer informs the ministry. Not only the friars, but also youth and families are drawn to prayer and that work. Kelly was a psychology major at Providence College and was drawn to campus ministry. It was a transformative experience and she wanted to continue after graduation. CFYM says “It’s tough, but we need to do it,” so seeing how she could grow in ministry she decided to do it. She said it’s a little easier to minister to peers in campus ministry, but with teens it needs to be more engaging and entertaining, all with the intent of making them feel comfortable, which is easier for college kids over high school kids. Scot said St. Francis is well loved by so many for his beautiful attitude. He asked Br. Lake about the Capuchin order. Br. Lake said it was a reform movement from friars who wanted an intense prayer experience. From that contemplative prayer they could go out for other kinds of ministry. They formed in a time of great social upheaval around the time of the Reformation in the 1500s. Br. Eric said the Franciscan movement was almost always on the edge of chaos, but was most effective because of it. Scot said two things stand out about Cardinal Sean who remembers going to see a Capuchin brother as a young boy and being told that the Capuchin was the happiest man alive. Also, he knew the Capuchins got the hardest missionary assignments in the world and the thought he would get send far abroad. Br. Eric was a cadet at West Point and the Franciscan retreat center was just across the Hudson River. He had some powerful retreat experiences there and saw himself conflicted about being a soldier and the requirements of the Gospel. Seeing the older friars at the retreat center, he recognized a spirit in them and he hoped to have that spirit in himself after 50 years as a Capuchin. Cara got involved in the retreat ministry because it was different for involving the family. It was about the whole life of the teen. Adult observers are allowed on the retreat to experience what the teens experience. Scot asked if the kids come knowing what they’re getting into? Cara said for the confirmation retreats, they’re coming with schools or parishes. There are usually 40 to over 100 kids. Some don’t want to be there, but many are interested and come away inspired. On other CFYM retreats, kids come to the retreat after their older siblings have gone. The Day by Day Agape retreat is a Cursillo-style retreat for younger teens. Br. Lake said Day by Day Agape was named by the teens at the time and it comes from a song in the musical Godspell. The teens lead all the major talks on prayer, Christian life, conversion, transformation, and obstacles. The spiritual directors do the more didactic, theological talks on grace, paschal mystery, sin and the sacraments. To have teens exposed to that is a powerful experience of opening their hearts to receive the love of God all around them and to see the world differently. 2nd segment: Scot asked what parents do each day for their kids to help them maintain their faith. He asked Cara to lend her expertise based on her experience with the retreats. She said CFYM starts where the teens are and what they want to do. Most teens are looking for a place to fit in and what they offer has some kind of value. They run a service week program that lets them serve the community and then reflect on it. Br. Lake said teens long for relationships, a sense of belonging. The retreats begin with community building that opens up a sense of trust among them. Kelly said as a high school student she thought that if she wasn’t a perfect Catholic, then she wasn’t a good Catholic at all. CFYM brings teens together who have the same struggles to see that none of them have the answer and no one is perfect and that gives them encouragement to continue on. Scot asked Kelly what got her to go deeper into her faith when she got to Providence College. She said she went down all the wrong avenues and got to a breaking point. At PC she found meaningful relationships with genuine joy and acceptance among campus ministry. Now she can relate to the teens because she was like them in high school. Br. Eric said one of the primary goals of CFYM was building community. To put teens in the same space that is safe to share experiences, it can let them know that things they were crazy or abnormal in themselves is in fact normal. Br. Lake said when they can be honest with their own vulnerabilities, where God has touched their lives, there is something universal about the experience of heartbreak, hope and disillusionment and God picking us up to lead us forward. Cara said sharing her story is how she shares her faith. Kelly said on a confirmation retreat its best to be honest about how you didn’t know your faith, that you didn’t pray, you doubted God and it got better. Scot said a big problem in the Church is that after kids are confirmed, so many stop practicing their faith. Br. Lake said people want to serve and use their gifts to the full. Creating programs of opportunity to serve is vital. Kelly said she started in her walk with the liturgical choir and that’s how she started with campus ministry, and then getting involved in service projects. Service is the doing that brings belief and faith. Cara found what she loves to do by seeking out opportunities to live her faith, to serve. Scot recalled Pope John Paul said young people aren’t just the future of the Church, but also the present. He asked Br. Eric what young people can do to positively affect the Church today. Br. Eric said one thing is to take ownership of their faith. They need to take ownership of their parents’ faith and letting teens lead the retreat gives them that opportunity. 3rd segment: Scot asked Br. Lake about the CapCorps program and how it compares to similar programs. Br. Lake said it’s a community of young people who want to share their faith with teens and mentor them in their faith life. It is based out of their retreat center. They work in parishes as youth ministers as well as helping at the retreat center. The CapCorps volunteers live together, pray, eat, and socialize together. It’s been going on for 16 years. Scot asked Br. Eric how he went from West Point to the Capuchins. Br. Eric said one summer he read a bunch of books about St. Francis and at the same time he met Br. Carlos. He couldn’t avoid realizing that this was an important event happening in his life. He then went on a retreat at the center. Kelly said it was a long process to determine she wanted to do a year of service after college and then another long period to sort through all the programs. She found CFYM through a retreat leader at Providence College who’d been a CapCorps volunteer. The genuine love in all aspects of the program drew her in and sustained her. Cara was also very involved in campus ministry at Assumption College and when she was graduating she knew it was important to share her faith with others. Kelly said in the beginning it was overwhelming to see the talent and faith of the volunteers she is working with and they’ve been able to come together for the retreats. Then living in community while working in separate youth groups helps them to encourage and help one another. Br. Eric said going from West Point to CapCorps was a natural progression because they both were about mission-oriented teams working to accomplish a goal. Scot asked Br. Lake what CapCorps alum go on to do after. He said they come from such varied background and college degrees so they take their experience with them into a variety of ministries in the Church. Cara said being a CapCorps volunteer changed her career path from studying speech pathology to going to graduate school for pastoral ministry at Boston College. Br. Eric said being a CapCorps volunteer at 20 years old made an impression on him, especially meeting the friars, and when he eventually graduated college, the Capuchin whisper in his ear led him to enter the order at 26. Scot asked Br. Lake why he became a brother. He said the vocation of religious brother seems least appreciated in 2012. Br. lake said his background in undergrad was electrical engineering and worked in the aerospace industry building airplane engines for Pratt & Whitney. He had friends, success in his dream job, and was in graduate school, but he still felt unfulfilled. The joy of St. Francis drew him in and he went on a Capuchin retreat, and felt called to the community. He said the life is joy amidst the chaos. You never know what who will be coming to the house, what’s for dinner, and it’s a great experience of openness to the prompting of God. 4th segment: Scot asked Kelly about the types of retreats offered by CFYM. She said they do 7th and 8th grade overnight retreats, confirmation retreats, high school class retreats (freshman, sophomore, senior), high school leadership retreats for peer ministry, Day by Day Agape retreats, college student and young adult retreats, and adult retreats for women and family retreats. Brother Lake said family retreats are at parishes with some presentations for the whole family and others that are age-specific. They take place all-day on a Saturday. They engage the whole person in activities, discussions, and topics they want to talk about and don’t know how. Cara said the retreats are equally divided between the retreat center in Garrison, NY, and in parishes. Br. Lake said they chose the Archdiocese of Boston to expand because it’s a good fit for them and there’s a need for them. There’s a Capuchin presence here already and they have CapCorps alumni at Boston College. There’s a natural convergence. Parishes who are interested in scheduling them can call to ask about scheduling (See the website for contact information). Parishes can group together with other parishes to collaborate for the retreats. They do retreats in parishes or schools as well as in the retreat centers.