The Good Catholic Life

Today’s host(s): Scot Landry and Fr. Chris O’Connor Today’s guest(s): Joshua Phelps, Associate Director of the Office of Pastoral Planning for the Archdiocese of Boston Church in the 21st Century Webcasts on Demand Today’s topics: Cardinal Seán on “The Eucharist: The Center of Catholic Life” Summary of today’s show: In a speech that goes from Papua New Guinea to Flannery O’Connor, Cardinal Seán O’Malley says we have a crisis of absenteeism from Sunday Mass and calls for a renewed vigor from disciples to invite Catholics to return to the Eucharist. Scot Landry, Fr. Chris O’Connor, and Joshua Phelps consider the Cardinal’s recent speech at Boston College and unpack its implications for the Church today as we face this crisis. 1st segment: Scot welcomed Fr. Chris back to the show. He also welcomed Joshua Phelps back to the show. Two weeks ago, Cardinal Seán gave an address called “The Eucharist: The Center of Catholic Life” to members of the Boston College community as part of their Church in the 21st Century program. The Cardinal begins by telling a story, which he often does in talks and homilies. When I was in the seminary, our Provincial, Fr. Victor, wrote a letter to Rome in which he said that our mission in Puerto Rico was flourishing and that our Province was prepared to take on a second mission. He said that he wanted the most difficult mission in the world. The response was lightening quick saying that we should open a mission in the Highlands of Papua New Guinea. The guardian, Fr. Fermin Schmidt, from the Capuchin College in Washington was named the first Bishop and friars were sent. Three of my classmates went. It was reported back to us that when the friars landed in a field, the natives who had never seen Europeans or an airplane were quite curious. They asked if the plane was a male or a female. They said if it was a female they wanted an egg. Many years later a young friar I ordained who was working in Papua New Guinea came to see me on his home visit. He had glorious pictures of smiling natives, with bones in their noses, feathers in their hair and little else in the way of clothing. He announced proudly, “This is my parish council.” I was particularly intrigued because one of my own pastors had just told me that his parishioners were not ready for a parish council. In the same vein, at World Youth Day in Cologne, Pope Benedict addressed the Bishops of Germany at the seminary. He referred to his native country, Germany “as a mission land.” This is true for so many places in the Western World including our own beloved country, where secularism and de-Christianization are gaining ground. The Holy Father said, “So many people do not know God. They do know Christ. There is a new form of paganism, and it is not enough for us to strive to preserve the existing flock.” We need to find new ways of bringing the Gospel to the contemporary world, of proclaiming Christ anew and of implanting the faith. As Pope Benedict said, we are not here just for “the existing flock.” We must be a missionary Church. Fr. Chris said it’s a reminder to everyone that every single member of the church is called to be a missionary by virtue of their baptism. The cardinal sets up a contrast between Papua New Guinea and the United States. It’s a reminder to us that there needs to be a missionary spirit in all of us and a return to radically proclaiming the Gospel. The fact that Pope Benedict this past year opened a new Holy See office for the New Evangelization, which means not simply evangelization to far-reaching missionary lands, but to Europe and the United States where Christianity is almost taken for granted. Scot said it’s to re-evangelize those who have been baptized Catholics. Scot said you don’t think of Boston as a place where a new form of paganism is gaining ground. Most people would think of Boston as very Catholic. Josh said Boston is very culturally Catholic. He said people often think of the new evangelization as new methods, it’s really about a new target of evangelization. While people may have heard the name of Jesus, they may not have heard the message of Christ in a while. Scot said the when the Holy Father talks about the New Evangelization, he says the content of our effort is not a bunch of information about theChurch, it’s the person of Christ. If you’re not receiving Christ in the Eucharist every Sunday, you’re not in deep relationship with him. Fr. Chris said the Cardinal will mention being part of the family, part of the vine. He said Pope Benedict uses the image of stained glass windows: from the outside you can’t experience their beauty. You must come into the Church to see the beauty. Similarly, in order to know and love Christ, you have to be part of his body, which is the Church. Josh said the image of the Papua New Guinea parish council, it is a picture of zeal for building up the kingdom of God in our communities. It’s no surprise that people who get Jesus, get the Church. Our task is to turn consumers into disciples and disciple-makers. We need to prepare men and women who witness to the faith and to not send people into the witness protection program. As the U.S. Bishops wrote in Go and Make Disciples: “Every Catholic can be a minister of welcome, reconciliation, and understanding to those who have stopped practicing the faith. In the new millennium, business as usual is not enough. We must be a team of missionaries, moving from a maintenance mode to a missionary one. Scot said we talk a lot in the Church about moving from maintenance to mission. Fr. Chris said we can get comfortable with the status quo, forgetting that our churches should be overflowing with people. During Mass, when he sees out the open doors of the church and sees car driving past, he often wonders if they know what is happening in the church. He prays for greater recognition of the importance of the Eucharist to the world. The cardinal often tells priests and seminarians that they are called to be fishers of men, not keepers of the aquarium, seeking out disciples. Josh said the new paganism is shorthand for many of the things people are placing as foremost in their lives, including consumerism and materialism. We see how popular holidays become for the trappings, not for the meaning they have. The Church is not offering entertainment, but an encounter with the divine. Scot said he thinks the consumers as “what do I get?” where the disciple asks “How do I give? How do I respond to what I have received?” True disciples seek to give away what they have received. We must ask ourselves, what does it mean to live in a culture of unbelief - a culture which does not even know it does not believe because it still lives on the residue of Christian civilization? As Hauerwas has expressed it so well: “the church exists today as resident aliens, an adventurous colony in a society of unbelief. As a society of unbelief, Western culture is devoid of the sense of journey, of adventure, because it lacks belief in much more than the cultivation of an ever shrinking horizon of self-preservation and self expression.” Scot said the message is that the Church used to be the primary culture in which Massachusetts once operated, where most people were Catholic and if not Catholic, at least faithful religious believers. Now we are aliens in this culture. Fr. Chris said the Christian is the salmon swimming upstream against the currents of secularism. He’s reminded how some people recently tried to organize a public rosary on public property in Upton, the town’s initial response was to deny that right. As Catholics we can’t be abrasive about our faith, but we need a confidence about our faith, that what we believe is true. Scot quoted Archbishop Timothy Dolan that Catholic belief is proposed, not imposed. Too often militant secularists take the solitary example of the angry or extreme Catholic and say that’s how all Catholics are. The way we present our faith as an invitation than if it’s imposed. Josh said there’s a reason why the Church talks about the family as the domestic church. It’s virtually impossible to be a parent without being generous. you see how much you receive in being generous to your children. How said it is to think that there is a Western society that loses sight of life as a journey. The Eucharist is where you get the food for that journey. Scot said there is a growing hedonism in society, which seeks pleasure as the greatest good and pain as the greatest evil. Raising kids isn’t easy and difficult, even though there is much love. Hedonists only want pleasure without pain. They view others for what they can give, not because they have inherent value. 2nd segment: Scot picked up where he left off in the Cardinal’s talk: To be a faithful disciple of Jesus Christ in the Catholic Church is much more than a head trip. It is a way of life together, the whole person is engaged in the process. Education for this journey must therefore be experiential, personal, engaging and life-giving. We learn discipleship the way we learn a language, by being part of a community that speaks that language. Our young Catholics must be mentored in the faith by others, either peers or older Catholics who are walking the walk. Scot said he’d never heard that way to pick up faith is like the way we pick up language. Fr. Chris said Christ called us to love the Lord with all our heart, mind, and soul. You don’t learn a language by yourself. It takes a community. Similarly, it takes a community to raise us in faith. It takes apostles, priests, religious educators, parents, and neighbors. Confirmation sponsors are often those in their lives who witnessed to them in the faith and became good examples. Blessed John XXIII has a great quote: “Lord, let me live my life in such a way that when people see me they say, if this is the servant, how much greater must the master be?” The Holy Father describes the university’s privileged task to unite the two orders of reality that too frequently tend to be placed in opposition as though they were antithetical: “the search for truth, and the certainty of already knowing the font of truth.” The Catholic community needs our institutions of higher learning to be venues of evangelization and faith formation. In the past there is often been the presumption that young people come to our universities fully catechized and initiated into the life of the Catholic community; and therefore, the best way to serve them was to expose them to a highly speculative theology and to present the Church’s Magisterium as simply another option. Today I hope it is obvious to all of us that young Catholics often lack a sound catechetical formation. I am comforted that when I meet with the six presidents of Catholic colleges in the archdiocese, they all assure me that although there is much religious illiteracy, they have never experienced a generation more open to the faith. Therefore I urge all of our Catholic colleges and universities to provide our Catholic students with the opportunity to learn about their faith and to receive a sound catechetical formation, that presents the church’s teachings and traditions enthusiastically and accurately. Nothing is sadder than when in our own institutions, those who have the responsibility of teaching the rich theology of our church present the Magisterium in a dismissive and condescending way and fail to recognize the profound philosophical and theological traditions that are part of the treasury of Catholicism. Josh said he was someone who came to college lukewarm in his faith and graduated with a greater zeal, so it is possible to go through the university and come to a greater experience of Christ. His conversion came in a class that walked him through an explanation of the Catechism of the Church and it was the farthest thing from a dry experience. Scot asked Fr. Chris to explain what the Magisterium is: The Pope and the bishops who share the teaching, governing, and sanctifying role in the Church as handed down from the apostles. Scot said we trust that the Holy Spirit preserves the teaching of the Church in the areas of faith and morals, so we know who to follow when there is a dispute over what is true. Fr. Chris reminds the academic community that true theology is revealing to people in new ways the same truth that has been with us as a received from Christ. The Cardinal makes it clear that the search for the Truth and the knowledge that Christ is the Truth is not a contradiction or opposed. He said the bishops are conservators of the faith, to protect the flock from any error that will lead us astray in our faith and keep the faith conserved. The Church doesn’t change with the times because what Christ gave us will always remain the same, even if we express it differently at times. As your pastor I wish to share with you the deep concern expressed so often by our priests, deacons, religious and lay leaders; namely, the crisis of absenteeism at the Sunday Eucharist. This needs to be one of the focal points of pastoral concern for all who love our church. Our Catholic colleges have the unique opportunity and I daresay a responsibility to address this problem. The Pew Study has indicated that it is in the late teens and early 20s that young Catholics will make those commitments and decisions that will affect their practice of the faith for the rest of their lives. That is precisely the demographic which is in our universities and in the military service. As an archdiocese we have tried to dedicate as many resources as possible to this demographic. We probably send more priests to be chaplains in the armed services than any other diocese in the United States - and we have sent very fine priests. I am told that there could be almost a half-million university students within the Archdiocese of Boston with a large percentage of them are Catholic. The last two years we have brought the “F.O.C.U.S. Ministry” to work in two of the universities, and our university chaplains are working very hard to make the church present on the campuses. As I am sure is the case here at BC. Scot said the Cardinal describes this as a crisis of absenteeism. Josh said in his work in pastoral planning they are discovering that people who graduate from Catholic colleges with ministry degrees aren’t going to work in parishes because they have received the personal formation during their college years to live their faith actively. Scot has always viewed people not going to Mass as an active choice. Fr. Chris said absenteeism is an active choice, not being present at some place where you should be present. This idea of absenteeism shows us that we have brothers and sisters who are absent from Mass. It is partly the responsibility of those who are present to be the missionary inviting others to come back and show them how essential Mass is. Josh said a friend who regularly skipped Mass was told that he was actively hurting the community by being absent. We build up the body of Christ by our presence. The Cardinal then shares stories of people who say why they come to Mass. When I was a seminarian, I remember reading an article in the newspaper, an interview with Flannery O’Connor, about what it was like to grow up Catholic in the South. Obviously there were very very few Catholics in those days and many prejudices against them. In this interview Flannery O’Connor talks about her best friend who was a little Baptist girl. Flannery often invited her to accompany her to mass. Finally the little girl got permission from her mom to go to Mass with Flannery one Sunday. Flannery could not wait for the Mass to be over so she could ask her little friend: “did you like it, did you like it?” The little girl said: “WOW. You Catholics really have something special. The sermon was so boring, the music was lousy, the priest mumbled the prayers in a language nobody could understand, and all those people were there!” Obviously they were not there to be entertained. I’m sure that most of them were probably there because they couldn’t live without the Sunday Mass.” Fr. Chris said Cardinal Van Thuan, the Vietnamese cardinal who was imprisoned by the Communists for many years and was tortured, regularly celebrated Mass from memory with a little scrap of bread and a little drop of wine in his hand. He said, “The Eucharist is our energy. Lights can’t work without electricity. Cars don’t run without gasoline. Why then should the Catholic without receiving the Eucharist expect to be able to function and live the way Christ is calling him.” He added another quote from Flannery O’Connor in a letter to an agnostic friend: “If the Eucharist ain’t the Body and Blood of Christ, to hell with it.” The truth is that the Catholic Church sprang up around the Eucharist. Christ commanded us, “do this in memory of me.” Ever since, we have been doing this: celebrating his Eucharist, changing bread and wine into his body and blood so that the good Shepherd can continue to feed his flock. I was pleased that this year on World Mission Sunday by chance the Gospel was the great commandment of love. I fear that often when we think of Christian charity we think only of feeding the hungry, caring for the sick and elderly, providing for the homeless and the poor. But if we truly love our neighbor we will likewise be very concerned that many people are spiritually homeless, spiritually hungry, spiritually imprisoned and spiritually sick. The church exists to evangelize, to announce the good news of God’s love and his desire that we follow him as part of his people. Discipleship is never a solo flight, but rather an adventure we live together. And at the heart of that adventure is the Eucharistic banquet where Calvary and the Last Supper become present in our lives and history. Scot said the Cardinal has often said we do a good job in Boston with the corporal works of mercy, but from a spiritual standpoint do we pray as much as we should and invite others to partake of the Eucharist, or are we too shy to say something as simple, “Would you like to come to Mass with me Sunday?” Josh said the statistics said Catholics are more generous with their money than non-Catholics in Boston, but from a spiritual viewpoint, participation in Mass is declining at about 3% per year. Scot said there are so many activities that Catholics do that connect them with Christ, but there’s only one he said to do in memory of him: The Mass. He thinks of all the people who are “spiritual, but not religious”, which means they want to pray in their own way, not the way Jesus asked us to pray. Fr. Chris said when one member of the Body of Christ is absent, the whole body suffers so it is essential that all come to the Eucharist. Typically we think of the Eucharist as that which sends us out to do the corporal works of mercy, but the Cardinal reminds us that it’s not enough to feed the hungry and clothe the naked, but we have to have a personal relationship with Christ. How can you give what you do not have? 3rd segment: In a society that is so highly individualistic, described in Professor Putnam’s Bowling Alone, where each successive generation of Americans spends more time alone, eating alone, living alone, spending hours alone before television or computer screen, we must communicate that discipleship means being part of Jesus’ family, part of the community. In a culture that is addicted to entertainment some Christian churches have turned themselves into entertainment centers. In the Eucharist we have something much more important than entertainment, we have love taken to the extreme. Our God has made a gift of himself to us as he invites us to wash each other’s feet and to make a gift of our lives to God and to others. Love taken to the extreme is the Eucharist. The Mass unites Calvary, heaven, and all of us taken together. Josh said as a parent he sometimes think of what he would do for his children and we too are children of God. Scot said the fact that the Christian life is a family adventure. Too many people are depriving themselves of so many graces that come from being part of this family and this sacrament. Fr. Chris said the typical parish church shows the richness and diversity of our faith in all the different kinds of people and what brings us together is nothing but the love of Jesus Christ himself. In talking about the washing of feet, the Cardinal is referring to Holy thursday where he washed the feet of the apostles, reminding us to serve our neighbor. We have to be connected with one another in order to be connected to God. It also shows that connection between charity and the Eucharist. Today people speak much about diversity. I don’t think there is another organization in the world that is as diverse as the Catholic Church. As some pundit once said about the church, “here comes everybody”. In reality we are over 1 billion Catholics in the world today and we come in all sizes shapes and colors, and we’re all the Church. In the archdiocese, and here at BC, more and more are arriving from all over the globe. Many of them are Catholics and we want them to feel a part of our home despite the differences of language or custom. At the Eucharist all the barriers and frontiers that divide us melt away and we’re forged into a new solidarity, a new identity in the Body of Christ. Josh said we experience that melting away of barriers every day in Boston. The Catholic community in Brockton is a great example of this, where people come from various backgrounds to worship together. For us, each Sunday is the day of the Resurrection. On that first Easter, Jesus appeared to two disciples on the road to Emmaus. The disciples were confused, hurt, full of fear and doubts. They were trying to determine what to make of Jesus death and the empty tomb. They discuss these developments with Jesus whom they did not recognize. When they reached the village they asked Jesus to stay with them. St. Luke says when they arrived at Emmaus, Jesus made as if he were going to continue on his journey. It was only the insistent invitation of the two disciples that brought Jesus to their table. I think that’s a very important detail of this Gospel. The Lord does not force himself on us, he likes to be invited into our lives. When they sat down for the evening meal, Jesus took the bread, blessed it, broke it and began to give it to them. At that point, the disciples recognize Jesus. Suddenly Jesus vanished but the bread remains. Then the disciples immediately return to Jerusalem to tell the apostles that Jesus had truly risen and appeared to them. We too live in times where many people are confused hurt and full of fear. Jesus wants to meet us in the same way he met the disciples on the road to Emmaus. Like them, we will recognize Jesus and encounter him most profoundly in the breaking of the bread at Mass. The Eucharist is the fulfillment of Jesus promise’ to be with us until the end of time. I pray that our love for the Mass and our Eucharistic amazement will increase so that our hearts will be burning within us when we hear the Sacred Scriptures proclaimed and observe the breaking of the bread. Let us do what those two disciples on the road to Emmaus did. Let us rush to tell the world that Christ is alive and that our family must gather at the Lord’s Table to experience God love, to learn our own identity and to fill our mission together. Let us say to the world: we have seen the Lord and we have recognized Him in the breaking of the bread. Scot said he loves the Emmaus story. We empathize with the disciples who were left despondent. Fr. Chris said he loves there’s a little bit of sarcasm in the man who says to Jesus, you must be the only one in Jerusalem who hasn’t heard the news. It’s in the breaking of the bread, the offering of the Eucharist, that they recognize Christ. We have to stop on our road to recognize him in the breaking of the bread and then to go out to evangelize others. Scot said it’s important for us to express to those around us that Jesus Christ is real. Josh said the disciples were dejected, they thought it was all over. It wasn’t a rational process that convinced them otherwise, but the power of the Eucharist. Scot emphasized that this wasn’t a parable, but a historical event. Jesus chose to make himself known in the breaking of the bread so we would know the best way to encounter to him. The Cardinal gave this address as a precursor to a pastoral letter he will be issuing within the next few weeks on the topic of attendance at Sunday Mass.

Today’s host(s): Scot Landry Today’s guest(s): Lisa Hendey, Editor of CatholicMom.com and bestselling author CatholicMom.com A Handbook for Catholic Moms A Book of Saints for Catholic Moms Today’s topics: Author Lisa Hendey and resources for Catholic moms Summary of today’s show: Catholic moms, this show is for you. Scot welcomes Lisa Hendey, founder of CatholicMom.com and author of two books, “A Handbook for Catholic Moms” and “A Book of Saints for Catholic Moms”, which are great resources for mothers of all ages who are looking to connect with other Catholic moms, for resources for forming their kids in the faith, and for ways to spiritually nourish and refresh themselves. 1st segment: Scot said many listeners of The Good Catholic Life are Catholic moms. Today’s show is for you. Our guest is Lisa Hendey who founded for CatholicMom.com and has authored several books intended for Catholic moms. He said he also began to appreciate what his own wife, a Catholic mom, does in her role in their family. Scot welcomed Lisa to the show. He asked her how she got involved in online evangelization. Back in 1999, her kid’s Catholic school was looking for a volunteer webmaster and she volunteered. She’s since become the parish webmaster. After a little experience, she decided to start CatholicMom.com. She was looking for support from other Catholic moms, since her husband had not yet become Catholic, she was struggling to lead her family in faith. Scot said Lisa has said it took a while for her to become comfortable with being a Catholic mom after having had a career outside the home. Lisa said it’s been amazing to see the ministry of CatholicMom.com grow up. She gives and receives from that community and the website has gone beyond her own dreams of what it could be. It’s no w a team effort with over 120 volunteer contributors and members of the community come from all over the world. Scot said he was impressed by the site’s Sunday Gospel activities. As a dad, he’s struggled with what to do for his kids during the Mass and he’s found the Magnifikids publications to be helpful. He said CatholicMom.com also provides some free resources as well. Every week they use the Liturgy of the Word to create free activities related to that, all as downloadable pages. They even have resources for religious education and catechists. Lisa said about half of the people using the resources are homeschoolers and half are catechists in parishes using them instead of traditional religious education curricula, even from as far away as South American and Africa. Another popular part of the site is the blogs where they have writers all the ay from new moms, pregnant moms, all the way to grandmothers. They also have a few dads and deacons as well. They cover topics all the way from adoption to just regular parenting. There also many more sections with fun activities, music, and more. Lisa’s hope is that it’s a magazine format. Woman can come to discover new music or find a good movie. They also get prayer request through the prayer line on a daily basis. Scot asked if Lisa can quantify the growth of CatholicMom.com. She remembers when the site first started that seeing the number of hits go up by 100 was a big deal. Now they get visitors from all 50 states and 160 countries. It’s a successful site for a one-person operation run out of her home. Lisa said she is shocked and humbled at the growth and reach of the site and the plans they have for the future, especially as someone who started without skills and training in this area. Scot said it’s a lesson for all of us that sometimes God wants to lead us in a different direction in our life. Scot recalls how fruitful it was when he responded to a bulletin announcement after college to teach 7th grade parish religious education. Scot noted Lisa’s husband, Greg, wasn’t Catholic but they met at Notre Dame. Lisa said he’s always been supportive of her faith, but being exposed to his search has been an opportunity for her to ask questions about her faith herself and to understand what she wanted their domestic church to look like. Lisa said she never wanted Greg to convert just to make her happy, but to do it only for the right reasons. She’s always hearing from men and women who are in situations where there is sort of dynamic. She advises them to never stop praying for their spouse and even if they never enter into full communion with the Church, never to judge them or stop loving them. St. Monica is a great example of being faithful that God had a plan for their life. 2nd segment: Scot said he likes practical books that go to some level of depth but synthesize so many topics into a format that you can enjoy in one book. Handbook for Catholic Moms breaks down the information into 4 area: heart, mind, body and soul. He said the book talks about how Catholic woman can become “soul sisters” with other Catholic women. Lisa said it’s part of the larger theme encouraging women to care for themselves. Many women give and give, but don’t take the time they should to care for themselves spiritually. Women are wired in a special way to enjoy companionship with one another. Her spiritual nourishment comes from girlfriends she can get together with in person as well as true friendships she has developed online. Having friends to talk with and pray with when things come up in life. Scot said when Lisa moved to Fresno, she didn’t know many people so she looked to get involved in various organizations. She moved there with just her oldest son while her husband stayed behind in LA to wrap up affairs. She called the library and other community organizations to find something to do that would get her out of the house and get an opportunity to interact with others. She also looked for service opportunities where you’re sure to interact with others who have some of the same values. In the book, Lisa talks about trying to find a vibrant parish with a great Catholic environment where the liturgies are beautiful and the parish is welcoming. She said at first she was waiting for a sense of community to happen to her, but she realized she needed to make it happen by going to the parish and getting involved in a ministry. Scot said the more we give, the more we get. So many of our parishes are not all we hope for, but it will get better if parishioners step forward to fill the gaps. Talk to the pastor or parish staff and offer to start a ministry or join one. Often they’re yearning for people to offer to help. Scot said he liked the chapter on time management for moms, which begins with offering first fruits to God at the beginning of the day and making the rest of the day go better from that. Lisa said the times she’s least organized and doesn’t take the time to pray makes her days worse, not better. So she needs to take time for God when she’s the busiest. Moms look at the work they do for their families and need to be good stewards of the time God has given. Lisa said a standing prayer ritual in her house was to do morning prayer in the car on the way to school. They set the tone for the day and remember intentions for friends and family ask for intercession of guardian angels. Taking that routine of prayer and pausing for formal times during the day is an opportunity to be in conversation with God who loves us so much. Scot said he loved her idea to ask children during morning prayer if there’s anything they would like the parent to pray for during the day. Lisa said she’s found that when you ask this particular question you hear all kinds of things that they won’t share if you just ask them how their day is going. Lisa has been gratified at the response to the book. She loves hearing from women who’ve read the book and tell her that it has encouraged and helped them. 3rd segment: Now talking about “A Book of Saints for Catholic Moms”. Scot read a quote from Fr. James Martin, SJ about the book: “Every time a Catholic mother asks me what author she should read, I have a ready answer: Lisa Hendey. Her latest book is one that every mother (and father, son, and daughter too) will find accessible, inviting, and above all, useful.” Scot asked how Lisa settled on 52 of the thousands of saints to profile. She said it was difficult but they wanted to have one for each week for moms to meditate on. One of the saints is St. Katharine Drexel and Lisa wrote about how she fostered a spirit of tolerance. Lisa said she tried to carry over the same fourfold scheme from the previous book and St. Katharine was a “heart” saint. She was a pioneer in fostering the spirit of tolerance in an age when racial diversity was not as broadly accepted. Each chapter has biographical info and some lessons from their life that correspond with the theme of the chapter and a little bit of wisdom from the saint. Then each day of the week there is a daily Scripture passage and brief reflection. Throughout the 52 weeks, it covers all of the Catholic virtues. Lisa said the book is indexed in different ways to read it different ways, front to back; by the liturgical year; by the patronage of the saint; and so on. She said she also included some practical activities for the family. Another saint is St. Zita of Luca on the topic of diligence to domestic tasks. She lived in the 13th century in Italy and was a domestic servant to a wealthy family. Even in her busy life, she found time to help others. It reminds moms that they don’t have to be missionaries in Africa to do good in the world and that through diligence and frugality they can be good stewards of resources and allow the family to give back to others. Doing daily tasks with diligence and as an act of love can make them into holy acts, not just a chore. Another saint is St. Josephine Bakhita, who died in Darfur, Sudan in 1949. She was enslaved as a young girl and eventually ended up with a family in Venice, Italy. She was sent to school with the Daughters of Charity and entered the order. She is the patron of the victims of human trafficking. For Lisa, she’s also a patron in her own life of the difficult things that enslave her, those things to which she find physical or emotional addiction. So many people who deal with addiction find an enlightenment in their life like St. Josephine’s. Scot said there also male saints in the book. St. Andre Bessette is recently canonized. He came from a poor family and was orphaned young. He was the porter at a monastery in Montreal, St. Joseph’s Oratory, because he was deemed to illiterate to be a priest. He’s credited with many miraculous healings there. Scot said praying through this book for a year can help us teach our kids that heroes are not athletes and actors, but these holy men and women of God.

Today’s host(s): Scot Landry and Fr. Mark O’Connell WQOM Today’s topics: Catholic bashing in the media; Ad limina visits; WQOM and Station of the Cross fund drive; Sunday’s Gospel readings Summary of today’s show: Be vigilant and ready to give a reason for your faith, say Scot Landry and Fr. Mark O’Connell on today’s show, when they look at a front-page article in the local papers that give many anti-Catholic critics an opportunity to take potshots at the Church. Be ready and vigilant is also the theme of this Sunday’s Gospel, where we will hear about the groom who comes when he’s not expected, which tells us how Christ will come for us at the end of our lives. Will we be ready or will we be left thinking we still had time to be better Christians? 1st segment: Scot welcomed Fr. Mark back to the show. Fr. Mark is flying to Virginia this weekend where one of his assistants is getting married tomorrow. Scot said Cardinal Seán and the auxiliary bishops of Boston are in Rome this week for their ad limina visit, which is periodic visit to the Vatican to update the Holy Father on what’s going on in the diocese and he relates his particular concerns. Scot said each ministry gives lists of statistics and a report to be presented to Rome. Fr. Mark said the last ad limina was in 2004, but at the time Cardinal Seán was brand-new in Boston and didn’t present a report. Scot said the ad limina visit before that Cardinal Seán was bishop of Fall River and he brought some of the Fall River priests and seminarians, including Scot’s brother Fr. Roger Landry, to a visit with Pope John Paul II in Castel Gandolfo. Scot said Pope Benedict does these visits a little differently from Pope John Paul, and doesn’t do many one-on-one meetings with bishops. So perhaps they don’t have the opportunity to bring others with them. Scot said the Holy Father’s address to the bishops of New England should be significant because they are the first group of American bishops to see him in this round of ad limina visits. The last time he addressed the US on such a large-scale was when he visited the US in 2008. Fr. Mark said in addition to the Holy Father, the bishops will meet with officials of the various Vatican congregations and councils. They will talk about many of the issues in the dioceses as well as sharing lived experiences with the Roman officials. Scot said the bishops also bring all the prayers and intentions of the people of the local dioceses to the shrines and churches of the apostles, saints, and martyrs. Break for Fund Drive Appeal. To support the work of WQOM and The Station of the Cross, which brings programming like The Good Catholic Life, please go to WQOM 2nd segment: Scot told Fr. Mark that today’s Boston Herald had a front-page article on today’s 80th birthday of Cardinal Bernard Law, former archbishop of Boston who now lives in Rome. Scot said when you read all the comments in the article you find much Catholic bashing and that’s why it’s so important to have Catholic media. You can’t get a fair shake in the secular media. Fr. Mark said it’s not that we don’t deserve some of the criticism of the Church, but after a while it becomes too much. He said he sees a lot of errors in the reporting. The bishops in Boston aren’t going to Rome at this time for Cardinal Law’s birthday as some report, nor were the bishops of Boston summoned to Rome as if it were unusual. Fr. Mark said every single occasion is an opportunity to bash us. Scot said when the coverage is so one-sided, common sense says that they’re doing it to take shots at the Church. When the Herald devotes its front page to the Church, it gives a cue to the rest of the media in Boston. “Victims irate over Bernard Law’s 80th birthday party”, Boston Herald, 11/4/11 Scot noted we are called to forgive. The Herald has given a new forum for everyone to vent their spleen again in the comment section of the website and it gets under his skin. Catholic media gives us a chance to hear the news without being subjected to it. Fr. Mark said this seems to be over the top as an opportunity spew their venom. He also pointed out that the 80th birthday of a cardinal is significant because it means he’s no longer eligible to vote in a conclave for a pope. He also steps down from all his positions in the Vatican congregations where serves. Scot said he heard a lot of anti-Catholic stuff on some of the sports radio station, not about Cardinal Law, but about Catholics in general. If it were about any other group, it would be rejected as totally inappropriate, but as a Catholic community we haven’t said “You’ve gone too far.” It’s important we all say that this is wrong and start holding the media accountable. Break for Fund Drive Appeal. 3rd segment: Now as we do every week at this time, we will consider the Mass readings for this Sunday, specifically the Gospel reading. Gospel for November 6, 2011, the 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time(Matthew 25:1-13) Jesus told his disciples this parable: “The kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise. The foolish ones, when taking their lamps, brought no oil with them, but the wise brought flasks of oil with their lamps. Since the bridegroom was long delayed, they all became drowsy and fell asleep. At midnight, there was a cry, ‘Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’ Then all those virgins got up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ But the wise ones replied, ‘No, for there may not be enough for us and you. Go instead to the merchants and buy some for yourselves.’ While they went off to buy it, the bridegroom came and those who were ready went into the wedding feast with him. Then the door was locked. Afterwards the other virgins came and said, ‘Lord, Lord, open the door for us!’ But he said in reply, ‘Amen, I say to you, I do not know you.’ Therefore, stay awake, for you know neither the day nor the hour.” Scot said it’s well-known reading and he wonders if we understand the customs as well as those 2,000 years ago would. The groom would go to the brides home and they would all then process back to the groom’s home where the ceremony would take place. But the message is we need to be ready for Jesus to come for us. Jesus will be coming for us and will we be ready when he does? Will we have our lives in order or will we be like those who think there’s always time to get ready. There’s some things you can’t “borrow” like someone else’s personal holiness and readiness for Jesus. Fr. Mark said Matthew is writing to a community that’s saying, “I thought Jesus was coming.” The Second Reading for Sunday has Paul saying the same thing about being ready. The danger is in growing complacent. He said it applies to the Catholic bashing: Are we ready to defend our faith? Scot said don’t take for granted that there’s always time for confession. Every Saturday there’ opportunity for confession at most parishes. In the cities, there are chapels that have confessions every day. Fr. Mark said we don’t want to be “Some day” Catholics: “Some day, I’m going to say more prayers, go to the sacraments, and so on.” Break for Fund Drive Appeal.

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 Diocese of Fall River WQOM The Anchor Today’s topics: Assisted suicide, 7 billion people, WQOM and Station of the Cross fund drive Summary of today’s show: Birth, death, and birth were the watchwords today as Scot Landry, Susan Abbott, and Fr. Roger Landry—live in the studio for the first time—discussed the news of the day, including the birth of Susan’s newest grandson, November as religious education month, Cardinal Seán’s strong call to leadership against physician-assisted suicide by medical professionals at the annual White Mass; and the implications of the 7 billionth child born in the world (not Susan’s grandson as far as we know). 1st segment: Scot welcomed Susan back to the show. She was away last week visiting her newest grandson in California. Last night she was at Immaculate Conception Parish in Weymouth which has a Catholics Come Home committee continuing the work of the program. She spoke on reconciliation. Scot said it’s also the first time that Fr. Roger Landry is live in the studio after eight months coming via Skype. Scot said this week in the Pilot there is a special section on religious education. Susan wrote an article on November as religious education month. In order to read all the parish programs which may meet weekly or biweekly, they have a whole month dedicated to celebrating the good work done in parishes. Susan said religious education encompasses everything from baptism through adult faith formation. Scot said there are 400 parish religious education leaders, 12,000 catechists, and over 115,000 children in religious education. Fr. Roger said Jesus once said the greatest in the kingdom of heaven are those who keep his commandments and teach others to do the same. Our catechists are the greatest in the Church because of the example they set and the leadership they provide. The seeds they plant are seeds that will change the world. Scot said he was a substitute catechist in his own parish this past week. Susan said faith begins in the home, but it can be daunting to parents whose own formation is not as solid as they want it to be. But the first step is just being at Mass with the children, even if the parents have to split going to Mass if an infant must stay at home. The best thing you can do for your kids is to give them a relationship with Jesus Christ rooted in the sacraments of the Church. Scot said those parents who don’t have a strong faith formation can supplement it by listening to Catholic radio. Break for Fund Drive Appeal. To support the work of WQOM and The Station of the Cross, which brings programming like The Good Catholic Life, please go to WQOM 2nd segment: Scot said Cardinal Seán had strong words about physician-assisted suicide when addressing doctors and other healthcare workers last weekend at the White Mass at Holy Cross Cathedral. Fr. Roger said the Cardinal is looking to medical personnel to take the lead in rejecting efforts to legalize assisted suicide. The Cardinal cited many scary statistics from Oregon, where it was legalized. It’s not just those who are terminally ill who are affected. When society says some suicide is okay, we start to see a rise in teen suicides and suicides by people who are not terminally ill. Scot said the cardinal understands the treasure of the vocation of the physician. He’s calling them to be both Catholic and physicians and calling them to honor their Hyppocratic oath which says “first, do no harm.” Susan said assisted suicide is a false compassion. She said advocates want depression to be re-defined so it would not be an obstacle to prescription of lethal drugs. Scot added that there is an effort to rename suicide to “aid in dying”. Scot said the petitioners are asking people to sign a petition to “help elderly people who are sick”. It’s dishonest and manipulative. Scot said it’s important to have Catholic radio to be able to disseminate this information. Scot said even if you sign your name to the petition under false pretenses you can’t have your name removed. It’s permanent. Fr. Roger said there are people who don’t understand the meaning of suffering or death and so when they see someone suffering from terminal illness they have no means to understand what good can come of it. Break for Fund Drive Appeal. 3rd segment: Scot said another new story this week is the birth of the 7 billionth person. he said the real story is that half of the countries in the world aren’t even having enough children to replace themselves and that population is soon going to go into a precipitous decline. Fr. Roger said this story is a litmus test for us. If we responded with horror, those people are looking at life as a leech sucking up resources as opposed to a joy to be celebrated. He said that Vladimir Putin has set a holiday in Russia for couples to stay home and conceive children because that country’s population rate is slow. Fr. Roger said the sustainable population rate is 2.1 children per family. He highlighted how 18 European countries are reporting more deaths than births, how in a generation people will not know brothers, sisters, aunts, or uncles because of so many only children. Many European countries will become predominantly Muslim because Christians aren’t having children. Break for Fund Drive Appeal. It’s time to announce this week’s winner of the WQOM Benefactor Raffle. Our prize this week is My Life with the Saints by Fr. James Martin, SJ, and Read Me or Rue It by Fr. Paul O’Sullivan, OP. This week’s benefactor card raffle winner is Ruth Casey from Roslindale, MA. Congratulation, Ruth! 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.

Today’s host(s): Scot Landry and Fr. Matt Williams WQOM Today’s topics: All Souls Day; Ad limina visits; WQOM and Station of the Cross fund drive Summary of today’s show: Are you praying for all the faithful souls in Purgatory today? Scot Landry and Fr. Matt Williams talk about All Souls Day and the Catholic approach to death. They also discuss all the bishops of New England going to Rome this week for their ad limina visits (andwhat does “ad limina” mean anyway?). Finally, we begin the WQOM Fall Fund Drive today. Will you consider supporting Catholic radio in Boston? 1st segment: Scot welcomed Fr. Matt back to the show. He said All Souls Day and All Saints Day are some of his favorite holy days. Fr. Matt said this is for all the Christian deceased to be remembered in our prayers. Fr. Matt recalled St. Augustine’s homily about the death of his mother St. Monica and how she told him that all she wanted of them after her death was to remember her at the altars of the Lord. Scot said we as a Catholic family, those on earth and in purgatory and in heaven, have bonds between us and we all need to pray for one another. Scot said today’s Mass readings are so uplifting, especially the Gospel from John: Jesus said to the crowds: “Everything that the Father gives me will come to me, and I will not reject anyone who comes to me, because I came down from heaven not to do my own will but the will of the one who sent me. And this is the will of the one who sent me, that I should not lose anything of what he gave me, but that I should raise it on the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him may have eternal life, and I shall raise him on the last day.” Fr. Matt said the focus on the reading is the resurrection and Christ’s victory over death. He said the first part of the passage is important for us to understand why we pray for the dead. The reality of purgatory is for us to be purified of ourselves. We don’t do it “My Way”, we do it God’s way. Purgatory is a gift and a mercy of God, but not something we want to aim for. We know from the mystics that in purgatory we see the presence of God, but don’t experience. It’s like smelling the most awesome meal, but unable to eat it. You know you will be with God in heaven someday, but can’t be with him yet. That is suffering. Break for Fund Drive Appeal. To support the work of WQOM and The Station of the Cross, which brings programming like The Good Catholic Life, please go to WQOM 2nd segment: Scot said the Anchor newspaper of the Diocese of Fall River has an editorial this week on how we confront death and fear of death. Scot recalled how his Uncle Sonny faced death and how he brought a joy to his family even as he approached the end. Fr. Matt said it’s beautiful to be with someone who is prepared for death at the end. It’s so peaceful and beautiful as he’s entering into a new life. Fr. Matt observed that popular culture acknowledges the existence of heaven and hell, so the question for the culture is who decides where people go. Scot then talked about how he talks to his own children about heaven and the afterlife and how we prepare ourselves for eternal life. We have to be present at Mass, be involved in adult faith formation to know our faith. Break for Fund Drive Appeal. 3rd segment:Scot said the bishops of Region 1 of the US Bishops conference are in Rome this week for their ‘ad limina’ visit. That is short for ‘ad limina apostolorum’,which means “at the threshold of the apostles”. They meet with Vatican curial officials and Pope Benedict XVI to discuss what’s going on in their dioceses, bring their concerns to Rome, and bring back the concerns of the Holy Father. They also pray for us in a special way. Fr. Matt said Rome is one of the most beautiful cities of the world with a rich spiritual history. Everywhere you turn, you find a new church with the tombs of apostles and martyrs and other saints or some other amazing element of our faith. He said having Pope Benedict as a such a holy man of God adds to that beauty of Rome.

Today’s host(s): Scot Landry and Fr. Chris O’Connor Today’s guest(s): Domenico Bettinelli and Mother Olga Yaqob WQOM Pier Giorgio Frassati St. Rita of Cascia Blessed Jacinta and Francisco Marto St. Maximilian Kolbe Today’s topics: Our favorite saints; WQOM 1st anniversary Summary of today’s show: Who is your favorite saint? On this All Saints’ Day, Dom Bettinelli and Mother Olga join Scot Landry and Fr. Chris O’Connor to talk about some of their favorite saints, including a saint who died at the hands of the Nazis, a saint who was a mother and wife, saints who were young siblings, and a saint who was a college student who came from a wealthy and influential family. They also discussed the one year anniversary of WQOM in Boston, which began broadcasting with the Mass on Nov. 1, 2010. 1st segment: Scot welcomes Fr. Chris on All Saints Day. Today is also the one-year anniversary of WQOM in Boston. Fr. Chris said he was at Sacred Hearts in Malden at the Cheverus grammar school for the All Saints Day Mass. He went through some of the many saints that the kids are familiar and remind them that we’re all called to holiness. Their pastor, Fr. Dan Hickey, has been the pastor there for 26 years. The Cheverus school is an urban school and is very multicultural. It is named for Boston’s first bishop. Cheverus is also the name of the award given to lay leaders in the archdiocese by Cardinal Seán on the Feast of Christ the King. Cheverus School Fr. Chris said at the seminary the new tomb marker has been installed for Cardinal O’Connell after his grave was moved. He’s sure that the cardinal will receive many new prayers now that he’s located right next to the seminary instead of up on the hill and out of the way where he used to be. He was moved in mid-July and the marker has just been installed. Cardinal Seán will lead a formal service marking the move. 2nd segment: Scot welcomed Dom and Mother Olga to the show. Scot introduced a recording of Cardinal Seán’s remarks during the inaugural Mass for WQOM last All Saints Day at Holy Cross Cathedral. Scot said it was a momentous day. It was appropriate that the first words on air were those of the Mass. Scot said he has heard form many people who tell him how much the station has become a part of their daily life. Fr. Chris said he hears from prisoners in the Massachusetts prison system who listen to WQOM for inspiration and catechesis. Mother Olga said she also heard from a number of people as she travels around the area who say they heard her on this show. A mom told her she sits in the car while doing errands waiting for the last few minutes of the show to finish to hear it all. Dom said he has heard from people who say that WQOM has been an integral part of their conversion to the Catholic faith. Scot sent his thanks to the people of the Station of the Cross network who started WQOM and 24-hour Catholic radio in Boston. 3rd segment: Mother Olga said many of her students at Boston University where she was a campus chaplain had a devotion to Bl. Pier Giorgio Frassati, especially young men. Scot asked Fr. Chris how many of the men entering seminary have devotions to Bl. Pier Giorgio. Fr. Chris said walking the corridors of the seminary, you see many photos of Bl. Pier Giorgio, as well as St. George and St. Michael. 4th segment: Scot said Mother Olga wanted to offer St. Rita of Cascia as an example for moms. She was a holy wife and holy mother. She had a difficult life with suffering, but she was faithful to the Lord and to her family. She was born in Italy in 1386. She had wanted to become a religious sister, but her parents arranged a marriage for her and she obeyed. It was a difficult marriage because her husband was not devout or faithful. He was violent and mistreated her. They had two boys and she was dedicated to them and taught them to respect their father, to love him and pray for him. She prayed for her husband’s conversion everyday. At the end of his life, he was touched by her goodness and charity and had changed his heart. Unfortunately, he was murdered by enemies he had made. Her sons swore vengeance, but St. Rita prayed they would forgive them. After some time, the boys got sick and died. St. Rita approached the Augustinian order and entered the convent at age 36. She lived in the convent for 40 years. She is the patron saint of impossible cases. She was able to bring reconciliation between her husband’s enemies and her husband’s families. She canonized in 1900. Scot said many saints have difficult lives and people who are having difficulty in life can look to her. St. Rita’s shrine in Lowell is dedicated to her and the shrine is known for miracles through her intercession. 5th segment: Mother Olga said St. Rita is depicted as having been pierced by a throne because she asked Christ if she could feel the suffering of just one thorn to console Christ in his suffering. Mother Olga also has saints for children in Blessed Jacinta and Francisco Marto of Fatima. She said one day she was teaching students at Boston University about various Marian apparitions. Some children talked about Our Lady of Fatima as their favorite apparition because Our Lady talked to children like them. They were two of the three shepherd children, 10 and 11 years old, at Fatima. They are the two youngest non-martyr blessed or saints in the Church. Mother Olga told a story of how Mother Teresa used to say that sainthood is a duty we should pursue so she never demurred when people called her a living saint. When the angel appeared to the children in 1917, he taught the children several prayers that we all continue to pray today. The children at the urging of the angel began to offer small sacrifices for others for the salvation of souls. Francisco, the day before he died, asked the parish priest to bring him his First Communion. After that, Jacinta died a few months later. If children can do that, how much more can we feel responsible for the conversion of souls and sinners? They died of the influenza epidemic. Scot said they never would have known the whole world would know their story, yet they woke each day asking how they could live each day to make it holy. Mother Olga said saints truly live the Gospel where it’s no longer about me, but about God and his people. These two children teach us this example: they did it all for God and for our Lady. We are all responsible to be part of God’s plan to spread his Gospel. Fr. Chris said to see these two children in their holiness is inspiring. Scot said Fr. Mark O’Connell in his homily at Mass today said when we look in the mirror and see ourselves in all our quirkiness, we see someone called to be a saint. Cardinal Seán said in last year’s All Saints’ Day Mass that we are all called to be saints, because to be a saint is to be truly human. Andreas Widmer, a friend of the show and frequent guest, called John Paul II one of the most human persons he ever met and someone who is truly real. Fr. Chris said saints come in all shapes and styles and colors and we can find someone who appeals to us and to whom we can pray for intercession at the wedding banquet of the Lamb of God in heaven. 6th segment: Scot said one of Fr. Chris’ favorite saints is St. Maximilian Kolbe. The Franciscan church where Kolbe worked for many years is a little bronze marker that reads “Here would pray daily John Paul II” when he was a professor at the university. John Paul canonized him in 1982. He is the patron saint of prisoners, journalists, and people working in the pro-life movement. John Paul called him the patron of our difficult century. He was a missionary in Japan for a while, but he is most known for his work during World War II. He saved many Jews from the concentration camps, but he was himself sent to Auschwitz. In order to discourage prisoners from escaping, they would line up others and would choose one in 10 to kill. During one of these decimations, a father of 10 was pulled from the line and he cried out “My wife, my children.” Maximilian offered to take his place. As soon as he was placed in the starvation bunker, he started to sing hymns to Mary. He would not die, so the Nazis eventually injected him with acid to kill. At his canonization in 1982 in St. Peter’s Square, the family of the man whose life he saved were present. Fr. Chris said Kolbe teaches us that if we seek holiness there is no better person to turn to than the Blessed Mother. We pray for her intercession now and at the hour of our death, whenever that will be. Kolbe also teaches us through his sacrifice how essential it is. most of us won’t give the ultimate sacrifice as Kolbe did, but the way we sacrifice for our families, we sacrifice to care for the poor, we sacrifice to be with the Lord is an essential part of sanctity. His life is also a source of hope. When you visit Auschwitz and see the organized evil it represents, but visit his cell and see the candle burning brightly there, you realize that evil never wins ultimately. Scot said remembers when Kolbe stepped forward he said, “I am a Catholic priest. I will take his place.” He was a Catholic first, he believes in sacrificing for others. And as a priest, he learned to model his life on Christ, to be in persona Christi. There are times in our lives when we get a chance to sacrifice for us. We should think in our head: “I am a Catholic. Let me….” Mother Olga said the surest way to heaven is to turn to Mary, because no one knows or is as close to Jesus than her. All the great saints have a strong devotion to our Lady which led them closer to Jesus. The saints teach us faithfulness in that present moment and the greater reward waiting for us in heaven. St. Therese of Lisieux said we are called to live ordinary lives with extraordinary love. Scot said it’s important we don’t see the saints as just historical figures. It’s important for parents to introduce them to our saints as heroes to model their lives on. If we don’t, they will model their lives after some movie actor or musician or athlete. Fr. Chris is reminded of St. Paul who called us to finish the race. We are all on the race to heave. He said St. Theresa of Avila once prayed, “Lord, save me from those long-faced saints.” If we know Christ, there has got to be some joy in our life. Scot said as we introduce our selves and our kids to saints, we can look at the liturgical calendar and learn a little bit about saints online: NewAdvent.com, even Wikipedia.org.

Today’s host(s): Scot Landry Today’s guest(s): Fr John Hanley OMI, Eileen Wood, and Tim Francis CatholicQuest.org St William Church in Tewksbury Today's topics: St William's Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration Chapel, the Real Presence, science versus faith Summary of today's show: The Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist is something all Catholics should know and rejoice in - St William Parish is teaching Tewksbury parishioners about the it through their Perpetual Adoration Chapel. Today we focus on the events leading up to the 5th anniversary celebration of the Chapel. Fr John Hanley, who started the Chapel; Eileen Wood, who helps run the Chapel now; and Tim Francis, who will be speaking in two weeks join Scot for a discussion on how spending time with Jesus in the Eucharist can enhance our faith lives. 1st segment: Scot started the show by wishing everyone a happy Halloween, that it be safe and a good preparation for All Saints Day tomorrow. Today is also the last day to pre-register at a lower price for the WQOM Catholic Conference on Saturday December 10th. The conference will feature Brian Patrick, Fr Mitch Pacwa, Dr Ray Guarendi, Cardinal Sean, and Sister Olga Yaqob. Register Online for the WQOM Catholic Conference! Brian Patrick's Son Rise Morning Show Fr Mitch Pacwa's Ignatius Productions Dr Ray Guarendi from The Doctor is In Scot also reminded everyone that tomorrow is All Saints Day, a Holy Day of Obligation. Scot also announced that a special Mass for All Soul's Day will take place on WQOM at 2pm with Cardinal Sean. He concluded the segment by asking for prayerful support of The Station of the Cross Fund Drive that will be this week on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Your prayers and generosity help keep WQOM on the air. 2nd segment: Scot welcomed Fr John and Eileen to the program. Eileen is a parishioner at St William's in Tewksbury, and Fr John just completed 8 years as pastor at the parish. Fr John explained that when he arrived at St William's in 2003, the three previous priests had been transferred out at the same time. The popularity of adoration was rising due to ACTS retreats and other events, so he brought up the idea of a perpetual adoration chapel to the Parish Council to build on their Tuesday all-day and Friday overnight adoration programs. The Council prepared for the next 8 months to start the program - getting volunteers, making the physical space, and organizing the logistics. The decision was made to open the Chapel on the feast of Christ the King. Scot emphasized that there are only five or six perpetual chapels in the Archdiocese, making it even harder for St William's to launch it. Fr John said they recruited friends and family from the parish and all over the greater Lowell area. Eileen was involved from the beginning, having helped organize previous adoration programs. Eileen said that about 80 to 85% of the adorers are parishioners at St William. Scot asked what times are the hardest to fill - Eileen said surprisingly it isn't the middle of the night or early morning, but weekend afternoons when people might have to give up family events or travel. She said that the very first call she got when they announced the schedule was a man who wanted to reserve Thursday morning at 3am! Scot asked about the profile of the people who come in late - Fr Hanley said that some people like to wake up early, but many are late shift workers who may come at the end of their work day. Scot asked what preparations and education the Council did to recruit volunteers. Eileen said they published a long series of bulletin inserts to answer questions about what perpetual adoration is, what people do during adoration, why adoration is important, and more. One parishioner, Eileen continued, was touched by the comparison of adoration to having a private audience with your favorite celebrity. Scot observed that having a regularly scheduled appointment with Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament can help lead to a more structured and regular prayer life too. Fr John agreed, and added that people tell him they get a sense of peace when they come to adore. Sometimes the silence and mediation or praying the rosary helps them bring their problems to the Lord, he said. Eileen said that praying in front of the Eucharist has helped her grow in her faith, but that she also hears from people who say that adoring helps them be better in their jobs. Scot said when Adoration Boston launched, they had subway ads that showed the sun as "Rays for Body," but the Eucharist in a monstrance as "Rays for the Soul." Fr Hanley said that Blessed Mother Theresa once answered the question of what she did in adoration by saying "I look at Jesus, and Jesus looks at me." Scot asked about what the fruits to the parish are from the adoration chapel. Eileen said that the community became more devoted, retreats were more full, and the parish became more of a family. She said that sometimes Catholic parishes don't follow suit of our other Christian brothers and sisters in that regard - the combination of the retreat program makes everyone more close. Fr John agreed with Eileen, and added that the community came together in their beliefs for everyone, not just those who participated in the adoration ministry. Eileen said that the adorers are everyone from high school students whose parents carpool to adoration to older parishioners and religious education students. Fr John said the biggest surprise for him was how easy it was to get late night and early morning adorers to sign up! 3rd segment: Scot asked Eileen to give an overview of the three main events that St William's is hosting to celebrate the 5th anniversary of the adoration chapel. The first event is the Vatican International Exhibit on Eucharistic Miracles - a large display of Church-approved Eucharistic miracles throughout the world. The exhibit will be in the lower church from November 12th to November 20th from 8am to 8pm. After Masses on the weekend, there will be a children's level story reading so that children can learn about the miracles on their level as well. The exhibit has 159 panels featuring many maps, pictures, and information about the miracles. The second event on November 14th, 15th, and 16th features speaker Tim Francis. Eileen said that the event will be run like a parish mission - Tim will be speaking about both Eucharistic and other miracles that science has verified but cannot explain. The third event is on Saturday, November 19th with Jesse Romero from 8am to 6:15pm, including lunch, the Angelus, chaplet of Divine Mercy, and Mass at 4pm. Jesse will be speaking at an all-day event, covering topics such as what Christ the King should mean to all of us, how to deal with loved ones leaving the Church, and the importance of the Eucharist in our lives. Eileen stressed that the events are open to all, not just to St William's parishioners. Vatican International Exhibit on Eucharistic Miracles Jesse Romero 4th segment: Tim Francis joined Scot, Fr John, and Eileen by phone. Tim said that his talks are aimed to be an evangelization opportunity to bring people back to the Eucharist - the source and summit of our Catholic faith. He said he plans to talk about several miracles that drew atheist and agnostic scientists to be faithful Catholics. Scot noted that Tim welcomes people to be skeptical of what he is saying, as long as they are not closed minded. Tim explained that asking concrete and intelligent questions are a healthy part of being skeptical, and a natural part of human curiosity. He explained that, even though information about Katya Rivas has been made very public, the people who dismiss it without watching video footage or reading the reports are not being skeptical, they just refuse to open their mind to listen to the facts. Tim and Scot talked about Tim's background - Tim said that his sales background tainted him a bit against following anything that had emotion involved. It caused him to fall away from the Church, but after his mother's death he started to come back. Tim continued, saying that the information that he will be discussing at St William's is what made him come back - the factual validation of the faith gave him the confidence he needed to make a connection with God. Fr John said that we are a sacramental people - we believe in things beyond what we can see. Our entire sacramental life is based on trusting that God is in action in our world, Fr John continued, and that miracles are God's way of reminding us that He is with us. Scot asked Tim to share an example of what he will be sharing in Tewksbury later this month. Tim said that he'll be 43 in December, and his father will be 75. When his father grew up, they didn't question their faith - for his father's generation, it's very odd that people need proof or question their faith. Tim gave the opinion that the culture of today is a very "see to believe" one. The greatest miracle we know, Tim continued, is the miracle that happens every day on the altar - when a priest consecrates a host and it becomes Jesus. If we truly appreciated this miracle, we'd be in the Church early, late, all the time on our knees worshiping. Tim related the story of a priest who was doubting the ability of God to work through him to consecrate - when he was celebrating Mass, the host turned to heart tissue and started to bleed. Tim said that before he came back to the Church, he and his wife were very caught up in the world. He said that understanding the treasure of the Eucharist has made him more compassionate and loving towards his wife and family, and to everyone around him. He said it's very important that the Eucharist, what we call the sacrament of love, turned into heart tissue in this miracle. Scot said that Pope Benedict notes that many people in society try to pit science and faith against each other - contradicting that God gave us science to support our belief in Him. If we pursue science without preconceived ideas, Scot continued, we can see God's work in all disciplines and lead us to the truth of God's love for us. Tim said much of his information sidesteps traditional arguments about God with scientists - going right to the facts of the miracles. How, for instance, can a plaster statue of Jesus bleed or weep? Science doesn't have an answer, Tim continued, and that's where faith takes over. Tim Francis' You Shall Believe Ministry

Today’s host(s): Scot Landry Today’s guest(s): Msgr. Dennis Sheehan, parochial vicar of Our Lady, Help of Christians, Newton, and associate director of the Office of Worship and Spiritual Life Our Lady, Help of Christians, Newton Office of Worship and Spiritual Life Today’s topics: Priest Profile: Msgr. Dennis Sheehan Summary of today’s show: If there’s a priest in the Archdiocese of Boston who’s worn more hats than Msgr. Dennis Sheehan, we want to meet him. Scot and Fr. Chip talk with Msgr. Sheehan about his many assignments from the Pontifical North American Seminary in Rome to Blessed John XXIII National Seminary to the Pontifical Josephinum in Columbus. After his days leading his seminaries, he stays with the student theme in shepherding St. Paul’s in Cambridge, which includes the Harvard Catholic Student Association. Today, Msgr. Sheehan provides leadership at the presbyteral council and in the archdiocesan Office for Worship. Also, on today’s show, Scot andFr. Chip discuss this Sunday’s Gospel reading and tell us why we can call our priests father. 1st segment: Scot welcomed Fr. Chip Hines back to the show as a substitute co-host for Fr. Mark O’Connell. Fr. Chip is often in the Pastoral Center on Fridays for meetings of the Clergy Personnel Board. He represents priests who were ordained in the 2000s. The board advises Cardinal Seán on appointments of priests. Scot and Fr. Chip talked about Game Six of the World Series, one of the best World Series games ever. Scot said he talked with his kids about what it was like as a Red Sox fan in 1986 to watch the ball roll through Bill Buckner’s legs in that Game Six. Both agreed that the Cardinals will likely win tonight, although they’re sympathetic to the Texas Rangers and their fans. 2nd segment: Scot welcomed Msgr. Sheehan to the show. He’s know the monsignor since he was pastor at St. Paul’s in Cambridge in the mid-1990s when Scot was graduating college. Msgr. said he was a parochial vicar at Sacred Heart in East Boston when he was first ordained. He also taught at Emmanuel College and was campus chaplain at Suffolk U at the same time. Msgr. said he studied at the North American College in Rome in Latin so he didn’t have enough Italian to be fluent at Sacred Heart. He was actually present in St. Peter’s during the opening of the Second Vatican Council. Pontifical North American College He went back to Rome on the seminary faculty in 1969. He was director of liturgy and went to San Anselmo at the Pontifical Liturgical Institute and studied nights while teaching the subject during the day. He taught at the seminary for four years. Scot said in that time, helping to form future priests in a liturgy they didn’t grow up praying, must have been a challenge. Msgr. said the liturgy was for the first time in the vernacular and celebrating the liturgy was an art in the making in those days. There were no books to consult at the time. While there he oversaw the sabbatical program for priests at the North American College, soon after it had started. Msgr. said it was a post-Vatican II enterprise, that priests had to get caught in the areas that the Church was entering. He said it was a work in the making. It included 35 priests every spring and fall from all over the United States, including American missionaries who had returned home. Hearing all the lecturers who came in to address the priests was like getting a second graduate degree. Scot said the program continues today and our own former vicar general, Fr. Richard Erikson, is there now. Msgr. said the rule of thumb was that a priest would not be admitted until he had been ordained 15 years. He said being in Rome itself was part of the formational experience. They would visit not just ruins and museums, but also meet those running various Vatican offices. They even used to take the priests to Geneva for meetings at the World Council of Churches. Today, they take the priests to the Holy Land. Fr. Chip asked how his experience in the 60s with the liturgy is helping him with the revised translations of the Roman Missal coming up. Msgr. said people should listen as the English had adopted a new style of rhetoric. He said during November, the priests of the Archdiocese will have a series of programs where they will be introduced to the rhetorical styles and new emphases of the Roman Missal. He said the current emphasis is on text, but 40 years ago they would have talked more about presence and body language and leadership. Now, they can assume much of that is known. He said one of his current topics is making liturgy a prayer for the priest. Msgr. said he hopes that the preparation doesn’t end with the First Sunday of Advent, that everyone will continue to use these revised texts as a basis for catechesis, and even richer still when people are using. 3rd segment: Scot said Msgr. has also been involved in other seminary formation. He was appointed as rector of Pope John XXIII National Seminary in Weston. At the time, he was younger than some of the seminarians he was helping prepare. (The seminary prepares men who are older and for whom the priesthood is generally a second vocation.) He said preparing men for priesthood is one of the most grace-filled experiences for every priest. Blessed John XXIII National Seminary Msgr. said back in the 1980s, the “older” priest was generally younger than today. They had a cut-off age of about 55, but now it’s considerably older with men in their 70s studying. The seminary attracts men from all over the country. After about six years, he was asked to be rector of the Pontifical College Josephinum in Columbus, Ohio. Msgr. said he thought by now that there was a plot to keep him out of the archdiocese. He said the Josephinum was founded in the 19th century forming primarily German-speaking or German-descent priests and he showed up on St. Patrick’s Day as an Irish rector of the seminary. Up until the 1940s, the house language at the Josephinum was German, with the object of providing German priests. In the 1960s, the mission moved to providing priests for missionary dioceses, especially Spanish-speaking. Pontifical College Josephinum It is called Pontifical because it is governed by the Vatican. He said the history of the relationship between German-speaking Catholics and the rest of the Church in US is very interesting. The governance by the Vatican was meant to protect and preserve the German character of the seminary. He returned to the archdiocese as director of the Office of Worship in Boston and was administrator of St. Jeanne Parish in Newton. Many of those people are now at his current parish of Our Lady Help of Christians. His work in the Office for Worship was mainly concerned with laypeople, especially musicians, for leadership roles in ministry, including lectors and Eucharistic ministers. From there, he was assigned to St. Paul’s in Cambridge, which is a territorial parish, the Harvard-Radcliffe campus ministry, and the Archdiocesan Boys Choir School. Msgr. said it was probably the most interesting ministry in the archdiocese, but it was also tremendously challenging. He was there for 11 years. He said the ministry at Harvard alone included hundreds of Catholics. St. Paul, Cambridge Boston Archdiocesan Choir School He said the choir school is a middle school that accepts musically and intellectually talented young people and it makes a singular impact on a young boy and can change the direction of his whole life. Scot said when he was a student at Harvard he bragged about the beauty of the liturgy at St. Paul’s. He said the homilies were longer than at most places. He felt it was more instructional and people wanted good preaching. Fr. Chip remarked on the regimentation of the altar servers at St. Paul’s with a quality he hasn’t seen since his seminary days. Msgr. said everyone should experience a Sunday Mass at St. Paul’s to see the full-range of how liturgy can be celebrated. Scot said being surrounded on all sides by Harvard university can be a great challenge. Msgr. said the students are amazingly responsible to outreach from the Church. Active Catholics at Harvard are committed and intelligent and they nourish and build up one another. Harvard Catholic Student Association Scot said Msgr. now wears many hats. One of his jobs is as chaplain of the Order of Malta. Msgr. said it is one of the oldest religious orders in the Church today and there are still 60 professed knights who live in religious life. The order in the Middle ages protected the Holy Land and took care of the sick. The charism of the order today is the care of the sick poor. A characteristic outreach of theirs was their response to the earthquake in Haiti a couple of years ago. For example, they took a small hospital they sponsor and enlarged it to accommodate many more patients. The American knights also take about 500 sick people to Lourdes on pilgrimage every year. It’s not just a social group, but they are a working group that embraces both men and women in membership. Photos from Cardinal Seán’s visit to the Order of Malta’s Haiti hospital in Milot Msgr. said he’s been on the Lourdes pilgrimage about six times so far. He said you can see the heart of the order in the pilgrimage, but the work of the order is so much greater. Order of Malta in Boston Msgr. also works as moderator of the presbyteral council. His job is to keep the meeting on schedule and on topic. The council is a gathering of priests representative of the whole archdiocese with Cardinal Seán and the vicar general. Archdiocesan Presbyteral Council Fr. Chip asked if it’s like herding cats, but Msgr. said it’s like watching cats get in line. Scot said his experience is that the feedback from the priests is extremely frank and open and helps shape the way we take initiatives forward. Most of the members will talk about the issues discussed with other priests and the people back in the vicariates to bring their concerns back with them. They also share the concerns of the council with the people they meet. Msgr. pointed out that the advisory board is more than just giving advice, but is very influential. 4th segment: Now as we do every week at this time, we will consider the Mass readings for this Sunday, specifically the Gospel reading. Gospel for October 30, 2011, the 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time (Matthew 23:1-12) Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his disciples, saying, “The scribes and the Pharisees have taken their seat on the chair of Moses. Therefore, do and observe all things whatsoever they tell you, but do not follow their example. For they preach but they do not practice. They tie up heavy burdens hard to carry and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they will not lift a finger to move them. All their works are performed to be seen. They widen their phylacteries and lengthen their tassels. They love places of honor at banquets, seats of honor in synagogues, greetings in marketplaces, and the salutation ‘Rabbi.’ As for you, do not be called ‘Rabbi.’ You have but one teacher, and you are all brothers. Call no one on earth your father; you have but one Father in heaven. Do not be called ‘Master’; you have but one master, the Christ. The greatest among you must be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled; but whoever humbles himself will be exalted.” Scot said this is a strongly worded Gospel. We most often see Jesus get angry at those who practice hypocrisy, especially among the Pharisees and Scribes. When he tells the people to do as they tell you, but not what they do, he’s saying they’re hypocrites. Scot said hypocrisy in the way we live our faith turns people off. He saw the Pharisees leading people away from an authentic faith to a cultural faith. Fr. Chip said Jesus uses the style of exaggeration in Hebrew to make a point. He points a heavy emphasis to make it understood that hypocrisy is not to be tolerated at all. Scot said Fr. James Martin, SJ, just came out with a book related to the humor related to our faith and said a lot of Jesus’ stories were meant to be funny through exaggeration. Fr. Chip said that people would have been laughing at the exaggerations of widening phylacteries and lengthening tassels. Fr. Chip said priests struggle with being authentic because they can’t give the impression of hypocrisy. For example, he’d love to have a Cadillac Escalade, but it would give the wrong impression about the life of simplicity he needs to live as a priest. Scot said it applies to all of us. We should talk the talk and walk the walk. Fr. Chip said we have to look at Scripture through the eyes of our time, in addition to the times it was written. Scot said it is often misunderstood when Jesus says don’t be called rabbi, master, or father. Is this saying priests shouldn’t be called father? No. Jesus is telling the Pharisees not to be a cult of personality where people are making idols of the man, but they should be directing people to follow our Father in heaven. Fr. Chip said on the first day of seminary, they tell the seminarians that if they’re in it for prestige and a cult of personality, they’re in the wrong place. He thinks of priests who do good work, but get caught up in themselves and their own following. One of Scot’s favorite authors today is Fr. Robert Barron with his new TV series and book, “Catholicism”. One thing he says is that people misunderstand Jesus as being meek. In this scene, think of how confrontational Jesus is in this situation and how shocking his words were.

Today’s host(s): Scot Landry Today’s guest(s): Fr. Roger Landry, executive editor of The Anchor, the newspaper of the Fall River diocese; and Gregory Tracy, managing editor of The Pilot, the newspaper of the Boston archdiocese 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: Vatican thoughts on financial crisis; Pope in Assisi; World Mission Sunday and Bl. John Paul Saturday; Profile of Cushing; Project Rachel Summary of today’s show: What is the authority of a Vatican document? It depends on what you mean by “Vatican”. Scot, Fr. Roger Landry and Gregory Tracy discuss the recent economic paper released by a pontifical council that’s making waves, not least for its comparison of Church teaching to Occupy Wall Street. They also consider Pope Benedict’s visit to Assisi today for the 20th anniversary of an interreligious peace meeting at which the Holy Father spoke in no uncertain terms about the responsibility of religions for violence done in their name. CLoser to home, Cardinal Sean celebrated World Mission Sunday and the first feast of Blessed John Paul this past weekend at Holy Cross Cathedral. Two series continued in the pages of the Pilot with a profile of the storied Cardinal Richard Cushing and an anonymous memoir of a woman who sought healing through Project Rachel. Finally, we remembered the oldest and longest-serving priest in the Archdiocese, Fr. Paul R. Francis, who died this week. 1st segment: Scot welcomed Greg and Fr. Roger back to the show. They talked about a trip that Greg and his wife took last week to Mexico for their 20th wedding anniversary. Fr. Roger has been busy leading clergy retreats in Pennsylvania and Arizona in recent weeks. He’s been doing these retreats in many places over the past few years. He preached on Pope John Paul’s Theology of Body, which is intended to help priests as they counsel and work with married couples. 2nd segment: Scot said the first story is about a document published this week by the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace. Fr. Roger said the document is significant as a study document by Catholic leaders, but it does not have the authority of papal encyclical or a teaching of the Magisterium. It’ intended to help us reflect on the moral issues involved in our examination of economic issues. It tries to applies Church teaching to economic issues, but it’s up to us to put it in its context. “Vatican officials see agreement in church teaching, Occupy Wall Street”, CNS/The Boston Pilot, 10/24/11 “Vatican council proposes a global financial authority”, CNA/EWTN News, 10/24/11 Scot said the document said there usually needs to be a mechanism that fosters the common good in global economic transactions. While it may suggest a global financial authority. This has met some criticism, including some who say it shows the Vatican is out of touch. “On Going the Way of World Government”, Mark Brumley, Catholic World Report Greg said the sentiment in the Brumley’s article may be harsh—the Church wants the poor to be protected from the unfettered effects of capitalism—in practical terms this is an idea that won’t be possible. Scot said Cardinal Turkson of the Pontifical Council said that those who are part of Occupy Wall Street and the Vatican agree in that financial institutions should be held accountable. Fr. Roger said it surprise him that the Vatican has discerned what Occupy WallStreet is about when those in the movement themselves don’t know. Scot noted that CatholicCulture.org said that people don’t distinguish the different types of pronouncements from the Vatican: When people reach the conclusion that the Vatican is talking nonsense, they do not ordinarily distinguish between the sound fundamental principles of Church teaching and the questionable economic analysis that follows. Nor do they make fine distinctions on the different levels of Church teaching authority. They conclude simply that the Vatican talks nonsense. So by reaching beyond their field of expertise, Vatican officials undermine their own teaching authority. Scot added that Occupy Wall Street in this country cannot be separated from partisan politics and so using it as an example of a broad-based movement would be off-base. Fr. Roger said that Cardinal Turkson is from Africa and has experience of multinational companies coming into the continent and taking advantage of the poor, however his experience should also tell him that turning to governments to control such things is fraught with the danger of corruption and exacerbating the problem. Scot turned to Assisi, Italy, where the Holy Father is meeting with 200 leaders of world religions for the 20th anniversary of an interreligious meeting for peace that Pope John Paul II called for the first in the mid-1980s. “Benedict a pope of seconds in Assisi”, John Allen, National Catholic Reporter, 10/26/11 “The Truth about Assisi: Never before seen words from Benedict XVI”, Sandro Magister, Espressonline.it “Assisi Gives an Encore: But Revised and Corrected”, Sandro Magister, Espressonline.it Pope Benedict called out the danger of the use of religion as a means of violence against those who do not hold to that religion. He also said militant secularism is also attacking religion as if it brings only violence. He said that militant secularism—especially in the form of socialism and fascism—have racked up a higher body count than all religious wars. At the the same time, he asked for forgiveness for the times the Church has been involved in religious violence. Pope Benedict also brought to the gathering some atheists who want peace in order to have them help the entire movement ensure that religion is always for the good of the human person. The meeting was held in Assisi because St. Francis is acknowledged by all in his sanctity and that he is still 800 years later an agent for peace worldwide. 3rd segment: Scot said this past Sunday was World Mission Sunday and Cardinal Seán celebrated Mass at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross which included people of many languages and cultures. Cardinal Seán’s homily touched on the physical and spiritual needs of the poorest in the world, and living the Great Commission of the Gospel of St. Matthew. Fr. Roger said he calls his own parishioners in New Bedford to the new evangelization. If we’ve come to experience the depth of Christ’s love, we’re going to want to share him with others. On Saturday, the Cardinal Seán also celebrated a special Mass, this one for the Adopt-a-Priest Apostolate on the occasion of the first feast of Blessed John Paul II. He quoted Loretta Gallagher who leads the effort who assured everyone that there’s no need to start a pen pal relationship with the priest, they just need to pray for them. For those who want to adopt one of the remaining priests available, go to Serra Boston’s website. After the Mass, papal biographer George Weigel spoke about John Paul’s life. One topic he discussed was that Pope John Paul witnessed to the Gospel to more people in person than anyone else in the history of the world through his many mission trips. He also talked about how keeping Christianity in the culture is important. He noted that the Polish state survived being subsumed by the Soviets though the people’s preservation of their language, literature, and way of life. 4th segment: Scot said this week is the third in a series of profiles on the bishops of Boston. This week it’s Cardinal Richard Cushing. Scot said he was surprised by some of the facts he learned, including that he was once thrown out of a school in South Boston and that he enlisted in the military but was given a medical discharge. Greg said he enjoys writing these articles because he learns so much about the bishops that he didn’t know, even for Cardinal Cushing, who is one of the most storied of our bishops. Fr. Roger said Cardinal Cushing had a strong missionary spirit that reminds him of St. Philip Neri. He said Cushing was probably frustrated when he was told he was’t going to the missions but was staying in the Society of the Propagation of the Faith, but when he became Archbishop that missionary spirit led to the founding of the St. James Society which has sent many priests to the missions. Scot also noted that this week’s Pilot includes another installment in a series of anonymous columns from Project Rachel written by a woman who had an abortion and later came to know the peace and healing of God’s mercy. He recommended those who want more information to go to the Project Rachel Boston website or call 508-651-3100. Greg noted how each of the profiles show how different each experience is for the women involved, but yet there are similarities including the external pressures they felt and the lack of choice they thought they had that forced them into this course of action. Fr. Roger said he often hears from people who tell him that they’ve done something they think God won’t forgive them for. He said it’s a wonderful experience to help them discover God’s love and mercy and forgiveness. Scot said that earlier this week the oldest and longest ordained priest in the archdiocese, Fr. Paul R. Francis, has died and his funeral was celebrated this week by Cardinal Seán.

Today’s host(s): Scot Landry and Fr. Matt Williams Today’s guest(s): Kyle Hamilton, Terry Poplava, Aaron Winn, and Eileen Herrington of Our Sunday Visitor Our Sunday Visitor Our Sunday Visitor Offertory Solutions Radius Webtools for Parishes Electronic Services for Catholics blog Pilot New Media Today’s topics: How Our Sunday Visitor serves parishes today, including good parish websites Summary of today’s show: Scot and Fr. Matt are joined by Kyle Hamilton, Terry Poplava, and Aaron Winn to discuss how Our Sunday Visitor has been serving Catholic parishes for 100 years in various areas of communications, including most recently providing excellent parish websites that are easy to create and maintain, adhere to best practices, and don’t cost a lot of money. They also talked about how the Archdiocese has partnered with Our Sunday Visitor to create a special package of content and visual designs for Boston parishes. 1st segment: Scot welcomed Fr. Matt back to the show. Fr. Matt had the honor of concelebrating at the funeral Mass of the priest who baptized him as a child. Fr. Francis would have celebrated 70 years as a priest in December. Also, the Mass for the feast day of Bl. John Paul II at the Cathedral was beautiful and George Weigel gave an excellent talk on the Holy Father. Weigel talked about how his biographies of John Paul were used in the beatification process. About 1,000 people attended. They don’t yet have a family for all of the priests in the archdiocese for the adopt-a-priest prayer apostolate just yet so anyone interested should go to the Serraboston.org site. Today at the Pastoral Center we had many parish staff come to hear about creating excellent parish websites. The goal was to expose people to best practices for websites. Scot highlighted the work of our own Karla Goncalves in assessing 243 parish websites on 68 different characteristics. 2nd segment: Scot welcomed Terry Poplava from Our Sunday Visitor and Aaron Winn from OSV’s Radius Webtools to the show. Terry said OSV works with thousands of parishes nationwide. They help parishes communicate with parishes in a way that creates involvement and engagement. They help with printed media like bulletins and offertory envelopes and with electronic media like email and websites. They wanted to offer a full package of different channels a parish can use and work with them create consistency across their messages. Aaron said little has changed with the fundamentals of communication so what makes a great website is the same as making great print media. The content of the message is the most important thing you do want to communicate. Sometimes churches put things on their website that people aren’t looking for. People want Mass times, for example, but not so interested in mission statements. Scot said in Boston 16% of our parishes don’t have websites. Nationwide that would translate to thousands of parishes and thousands more would have a poor website that doesn’t communicate that the parish is a place people want to be involved. Terry said as a Church we should be better about communications. But parishes have limited time and money and skills for this area. Parish leaders may not realize how much easier it has become to have a website. They need to put the right amount of emphasis on the importance of websites. Scot asked Aaron what makes Radius easier to use. Aaron said it has one interface to do everything on your website, not separate tools for email and blogs and calendar and so on. He gave the example of a complicated remote control or getting in a rental car and not knowing how to make anything work. That’s bad user interface. Radius’s user interface has a lot of thought behind it that it just works. It saves minutes and even hours in maintaining the website. Fr. Matt asked whether parishes have staff or volunteers who maintain the site. Terry said it’s a mix, but less often is it a staff member. Those who have a staff member dedicated to maintaining the website will have a better website. Sometimes volunteers can leave or aren’t on message. Scot describes the parish website as the virtual front door to the church and if someone came down the street and found graffiti on the building, trash on the steps, overgrown weeds, and an old sign, they might pass by. It’s the same thing for the website that looks like it’s not been updated in years. It shows the parish doesn’t take communications with its parishioners seriously. Scot asked Aaron how long it takes for a parish to get a new website. Aaron said it takes a week or two. With Radius they can have a new website in place within 15 minutes. The technology is in place to move quickly. Realistically, it takes a couple of weeks to make all the decisions, like what domain name to choose, what visual design to use, what content to post. 3rd segment: Aaron said parishioners are generally looking for practical information, like Mass times or maps and directions or staff contact. Also, not just times, but also expectations of what they’ll find. For those who might be returning to the Church, there’s trepidation in what they should expect: dress code, what is expected of kids, etc. Also interactivity: contact forms, blogs, downloadable forms. Ability to sign up for things, learn more about the faith, photos of the community, online calendars. Scot asked what OSV suggests for how parish websites can reach out to people who are new to parish or to the Church or the town they’re in. Terry referred back to the virtual front door. The first thing someone who moves to an area will first go to the parish website. Too often they don’t even have the parish address on the website. To help bring people back in, he suggests a very prominent section that asks “Are you to new?” and provides information to them in these areas. Scot suggested two parishes using Radius Webtools as examples of the Webtools in action: St. Anne, Columbus, Georgia St. Patrick, San Francisco How much time is the parish spending on maintaining the sites. Aaron said they might have worked on these daily for the first few weeks, but now they could be updating once per week. Because there is a lot of dynamic content that updates itself, the website stays fresh without requiring a lot of manual interfacing. Terry said St. Anne’s is focused on stewardship and they have a whole section of their website on the topic. As for St. Patrick’s, they wanted to appeal an Asian demographic and that is part of why they chose the the visual design they did. For thou shalt nots for parishes, Aaron said don’t bite off more than you chew. Both of these parishes put in a lot of attention on the top two pages with great images, but as you go deeper there is more text. They focus attention on the first pages you see. Thou shalt not focus on your own mindset: In the Church we understand the things we can assume, but we can’t assume people outside our parish understand our jargon or insider lingo. Ask someone from outside the site, maybe a non-Catholic, read it for clarity. Don’t use background music because it can startle or disturb the web user. Be careful in the use of Flash, because it doesn’t work well with some mobile devices. Aaron said we tend to gravitate to the newest technology, but it can take the place of good communication. Scot said Pilot New Media of the Archdiocese has partnered with Radius Webtools to offer a special package of visual designs and content templates to our parishes that meets all the goals of best practices we implement in Boston and integrates the ease of use of Radius. Terry said he loves that Boston has paid a lot of attention to the kinds of information about learning the faith and being welcoming to people interested in the Church. The goal is to drive very fine websites to all of the websites in the country, whether OSV provides them or not. OSV wants to serve the Church. They believe their products can help parishes get the best information and convey the best information and engage parishioners in the life of the Church. They hope to help parishes amplify some of things they do through printed materials in ways that you can do in print and that can be updated regularly. Scot said Pope Benedict has encouraged everyone in the Church to embrace the digital continent. “Without fear we must set sail on the digital sea, facing into the deep with the same passion that has governed the ship of the Church for two thousand years…[W]e want to qualify ourselves by living in the digital world with a believer’s heart, helping to give a soul to the Internet’s incessant flow of communication.” Scot said giving a soul to the internet is an important part of why we want to encourage parishes to go online. Fr. Matt said if we want to hunt ducks, we have to go where the ducks are. This is where people are communicating and finding out about all aspects of life. 4th segment: It’s time to announce the winner of the weekly WQOM Benefactor Raffle. Our prize this week is Made for More and . This week’s benefactor card raffle winner is David Walsh from Roslindale, MA. Congratulation, David! 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. 5th segment: Scot welcomed Kyle Hamilton to the show. Kyle is president of Our Sunday Visitor’s offertory solutions. Fr. John Francis Noll founded Our Sunday Visitor in 1912. At the time there was a lot of anti-Catholic sentiment and Fr. Noll wanted to respond to the attacks. He even offered a $10,000 reward to anyone who could prove the claims being made against the Church. In 1912, he started a newsletter and wrote a book communicating the basics of the faith. In the early 1920s, he borrowed the idea from Protestants of replacing pew tithes with offertory envelopes. About 10,000 parishes now use OSV envelopes and other services and there are about 18,000 parishes in the United States. Fr. Noll ended up being an archbishop in Indiana. Terry said Fr. Noll was pretty feisty in defending the faith. Today, OSV is about bringing your Catholic faith to life in every medium in ways that the average Catholic can understand. Scot said OSV’s book publishing is amazing, He toured the warehouse in Indiana and couldn’t believe how many books he saw. The Our Sunday Visitor national newspaper is the largest Catholic newspaper in the country. Scot contributed to the OSV book The Church and New Media: Blogging Converts, Online Activists, and Bishops Who Tweet. Brandon Vogt, author of “The Church and New Media”, on The Good Catholic Life Fr. Matt asked about the relationship to the diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend today. Kyle said the bishop is always the de facto chairman of the board, although OSV is an independent 501(c)3. Fr. Matt asked how much the mission of the Church informs the direction of OSV. He thinks they are living the work of the new evangelization. How does it inform how they work there on a daily basis. Terry said they are passionate about they do. OSV takes it’s net profits and gives them all to the OSV Institute which has an independent board that decides where to make grants that support the mission of the Church. It’s deeply ingrained in the culture of OSV. OSV Institute Scot said he sees OSV as being the same league as the Knights of Columbus in the impact they have on the Church in the United States. Scot was struck by OSV’s giving through the Institute. In 2011 so far they’ve made grants totaling more than $2.5 million. They focus on catechesis and stewardship in their grant giving. The gifts average about $20,000. They constitute seed money for specific projects. Terry said he particularly favors the support for the University of Notre Dame for a Masters degree in religious education for DREs to attend even part-time. OSV also provides materials to military bases all around the world through the Military Archdiocese. Scot said OSV Offertory Solutions helps enhance offertory, improve communications, and fosters vibrant community. They help parishes create an engagement with people, to help them find out where they fit into the ministries of the parish. Scot asked what it would look like if a parish signed up for all of OSV communications tools. Terry said they could be receiving books, the many pamphlets that provide short synopses on many topics, offertory solutions, which depends on parish communications. They often include communications from pastor and pamphlets in the mailings for the offertory envelopes. They could a parish website, an increased offertory program, a focused welcome back program for Catholics at Christmas and Easter. They can help with quarterly or monthly newsletters and state-of-the-parish reports. Scot asked Terry about the percentage of Catholics who participate in online offertory. Terry said it’s about 12% now and growing significantly. Some parishes reach 50% or more. They find that those who switch often give up to 30% or more because it’s a conscious gift and because they don’t miss giving when they are away.