The Good Catholic Life

Today’s host(s): Scot Landry and Fr. Chris O’Connor Today’s topics: Pope Benedict’s visit to Germany Pope Benedict’s apostolic journey to Germany on the Vatican website Summary of today’s show: Scot and Fr. Chris read two very different addresses from Pope Benedict XVI in his visit to Germany last week, to the Parliament and to young people. To Parliament he called them to remember that the root of law is a respect for human rights and dignity born out of the natural law. To young people, he called them to live as saints, joy-filled and reflecting the light of Christ; not dour, boring, and naïve caricatures of unhappy and unsmiling and far apart from us. 1st segment: Scot and Fr. Chris talked about the ailing Red Sox and whether more prayers in New England are going up to God for them. They also discussed how the seminarians at St. John Seminary get involved in sports. Fr. Chris said they have formed four intramural teams and will compete for the Rector’s Bowl. He said it’s important because exercise clears our heads and helps us to think and pray better. It’s also good competitive spirit and fosters community. In October, they also have a softball tournament versus the seminarians at Blessed John XXIII Seminary, who the St. John’s seminarians affectionately call the Relics. There was also recently the Family Day at St. John’s. Fr. Chris celebrated the Mass and saw how prayer works. Seven or eight years ago there were just 28 men and today there are more than 80. At this family day, the refectory was filled with family of all kinds. Scot said most priests describe their family experience as their first seminary, which makes it so difficult for the men whose parents aren’t supportive of their vocation. Scot said Pope Benedict went home to his native Germany over the past half-week. He’s been writing for years about the crises of Europe losing its Christian roots. Scot thinks it’s a highlight for the Pope to be able to go to his homeland and address these issues. Fr. Chris said Pope Benedict carried important messages back with him. Scot noted that Pope John Paul’s first return to Poland after his election was described as nine days that changed the world. Perhaps this is Pope Benedict’s five days that changed Europe. 2nd segment: Scot said the Pope’s most significant address in Germany was reflections on law to the German Parliament. Address of Pope Benedict to the German Parliament Scot said he was pushing back against any kind of secularism that tries to minimize the importance or place of faith in society. At this moment I turn to you, distinguished ladies and gentlemen, not least as your fellow-countryman who for all his life has been conscious of close links to his origins, and has followed the affairs of his native Germany with keen interest. But the invitation to give this address was extended to me as Pope, as the Bishop of Rome, who bears the highest responsibility for Catholic Christianity. Fr. Chris said the Pope made clear that he is coming as the Vicar of Christ, St. Peter’s successor, and he had something to share with the leaders of this powerful nation. Scot said Americans can imagine the Pope standing in the well of the House in Congress addressing the same audience as the State of the Union. He began with a reflection from the Book of Kings: In the First Book of the Kings, it is recounted that God invited the young King Solomon, on his accession to the throne, to make a request. What will the young ruler ask for at this important moment? Success – wealth – long life – destruction of his enemies? He chooses none of these things. Instead, he asks for a listening heart so that he may govern God’s people, and discern between good and evil (cf. 1 Kg 3:9). Through this story, the Bible wants to tell us what should ultimately matter for a politician. His fundamental criterion and the motivation for his work as a politician must not be success, and certainly not material gain. Politics must be a striving for justice, and hence it has to establish the fundamental preconditions for peace. Naturally a politician will seek success, without which he would have no opportunity for effective political action at all. Yet success is subordinated to the criterion of justice, to the will to do what is right, and to the understanding of what is right. Success can also be seductive and thus can open up the path towards the falsification of what is right, towards the destruction of justice. “Without justice – what else is the State but a great band of robbers?”, as Saint Augustine once said. We Germans know from our own experience that these words are no empty spectre. We have seen how power became divorced from right, how power opposed right and crushed it, so that the State became an instrument for destroying right – a highly organized band of robbers, capable of threatening the whole world and driving it to the edge of the abyss. To serve right and to fight against the dominion of wrong is and remains the fundamental task of the politician. At a moment in history when man has acquired previously inconceivable power, this task takes on a particular urgency. Man can destroy the world. He can manipulate himself. He can, so to speak, make human beings and he can deny them their humanity. How do we recognize what is right? How can we discern between good and evil, between what is truly right and what may appear right? Even now, Solomon’s request remains the decisive issue facing politicians and politics today. How do we determine what is right from what appears right? What is the foundation of law? Fr. Chris said you can see where Pope Benedict is going already. There are three major arguments in philosophy: Truth vs. opinion, nature vs. convention, appearance vs. reality. Those are the arguments Pope Benedict is setting up here. Scot also noted that the Holy Father references the evil of the Nazis that Germans remain very aware of. He also said so clearly: Man can destroy the world and manipulate humanity. Fr. Chris said Pope Benedict is making clear to politicians that their role is not to do what is expedient or popular but to do the common good by upholding the dignity of every human person. For most of the matters that need to be regulated by law, the support of the majority can serve as a sufficient criterion. Yet it is evident that for the fundamental issues of law, in which the dignity of man and of humanity is at stake, the majority principle is not enough: everyone in a position of responsibility must personally seek out the criteria to be followed when framing laws. For most laws, the sense of the majority is a fine basis for what makes a good law. But on the fundamental issues of life and the dignity of the human person, majority rule is not sufficient. Fr. Chris said the truth must prevail, even if everyone is doing something other than the truth. Pope John Paul II in his encyclical Fides et Ratio makes it clear that truth is not built on consensus. Every person has a conscience and if it’s properly formed and working, then it can lead us to the truth. Scot said our Declaration of Independence affirms that we have inalienable rights that come from God, not the state. How do we recognize what is right? In history, systems of law have almost always been based on religion: decisions regarding what was to be lawful among men were taken with reference to the divinity. Unlike other great religions, Christianity has never proposed a revealed law to the State and to society, that is to say a juridical order derived from revelation. Scot said the Pope is comparing it to Sharia law in Muslim societies, where civil law is religious law. Christianity has never proposed that. Fr. Chris said Christianity proclaims the truth and leaves the creation of laws to politicians. Instead, it has pointed to nature and reason as the true sources of law (common sense) – and to the harmony of objective and subjective reason, which naturally presupposes that both spheres are rooted in the creative reason of God. Christian theologians thereby aligned themselves with a philosophical and juridical movement that began to take shape in the second century B.C. In the first half of that century, the social natural law developed by the Stoic philosophers came into contact with leading teachers of Roman Law.[2] Through this encounter, the juridical culture of the West was born, which was and is of key significance for the juridical culture of mankind. This pre-Christian marriage between law and philosophy opened up the path that led via the Christian Middle Ages and the juridical developments of the Age of Enlightenment all the way to the Declaration of Human Rights and to our German Basic Law of 1949, with which our nation committed itself to “inviolable and inalienable human rights as the foundation of every human community, and of peace and justice in the world”. Fr. Chris said he is making clear that law has to involve reason and has to be explained to people in ways they can understand. If it’s not explainable to people or violating the common good, it creates chaos and tension within the community. Scot said advocacy of human rights doesn’t just have its basis in Christian theology, but in natural law which predates the Church. 3rd segment: Scot said Pope Benedict is so forceful on this issue, not just because he thinks it undermines Christianity, but that it will also destroy society as a whole. The idea of natural law is today viewed as a specifically Catholic doctrine, not worth bringing into the discussion in a non-Catholic environment, so that one feels almost ashamed even to mention the term. Scot said for almost two millennia, when the Church taught something that came through common sense and the natural law, it was never seen as specifically Catholic. Now secularists claim that any reference to natural law is code for Christianity. Pope Benedict is drawing a clear distinction. Fr. Chris said so many people tell us to leave our faith at the door to the public square, but Pope Benedict says natural law is beyond religion. Scot said natural is based on “nature”. Scot gave the example that saying traditional nuclear families are ideal for raising children is natural law, not Christian theology. Let me outline briefly how this situation arose. Fundamentally it is because of the idea that an unbridgeable gulf exists between “is” and “ought”. An “ought” can never follow from an “is”, because the two are situated on completely different planes. Scot said “is” is how things are and “ought” is how things should be. Fr. Chris said what is (truth) versus how man takes it (convention). Scot said the “ought” is what are our values and where do we want to go as a society. When there is no objective values to build on, how can any decision stand? There are always belief systems in place in the public square and today it’s often atheism that’s antagonistic toward any theistic belief system. Fr. Chris said Cardinal Seán recently said in the early Church we fought over big theological ideas. Today we find ourselves battling against ideas over what it means to be human and what it means to be free. The Holy Father talks about positivism, a philosophy that says we don’t need God, but that man will always be better and do good. [T]he positivist understanding of nature has come to be almost universally accepted. If nature – in the words of Hans Kelsen – is viewed as “an aggregate of objective data linked together in terms of cause and effect”, then indeed no ethical indication of any kind can be derived from it. Fr. Chris said this way of thinking claims that people do bad things because they are hardwired for it and we just need to find the right chemical to fix it. A positivist conception of nature as purely functional, as the natural sciences consider it to be, is incapable of producing any bridge to ethics and law, but once again yields only functional answers. The same also applies to reason, according to the positivist understanding that is widely held to be the only genuinely scientific one. Anything that is not verifiable or falsifiable, according to this understanding, does not belong to the realm of reason strictly understood. Hence ethics and religion must be assigned to the subjective field, and they remain extraneous to the realm of reason in the strict sense of the word. Where positivist reason dominates the field to the exclusion of all else – and that is broadly the case in our public mindset – then the classical sources of knowledge for ethics and law are excluded. This is a dramatic situation which affects everyone, and on which a public debate is necessary. Indeed, an essential goal of this address is to issue an urgent invitation to launch one. Scot said the Holy Father seeing the roots of how thinking develops over time, the foundations of what makes us what we are will undergo fundamental deterioration if we don’t discuss how reason goes into making good law in these democracies. Fr. Chris noted that it was Nietzche’s philosophy of the Super Man that influenced Hitler to launch the Third Reich. Marxism and Nietzchism are positivist philosophies that see Christianity and all religion as the enemy. Positivists say to live now in this life because their is no afterlife. At this point Europe’s cultural heritage ought to come to our assistance. The conviction that there is a Creator God is what gave rise to the idea of human rights, the idea of the equality of all people before the law, the recognition of the inviolability of human dignity in every single person and the awareness of people’s responsibility for their actions. Our cultural memory is shaped by these rational insights. To ignore it or dismiss it as a thing of the past would be to dismember our culture totally and to rob it of its completeness. The culture of Europe arose from the encounter between Jerusalem, Athens and Rome – from the encounter between Israel’s monotheism, the philosophical reason of the Greeks and Roman law. This three-way encounter has shaped the inner identity of Europe. In the awareness of man’s responsibility before God and in the acknowledgment of the inviolable dignity of every single human person, it has established criteria of law: it is these criteria that we are called to defend at this moment in our history. He has called Europe to defend those criteria. The idea that God created us gave rise to the concept of human rights and inviolable dignity before the law. Fr. Chris said we live in positivism where we go along and forget where we came from, the principles that formed our nation-states. He’s saying Don’t forget your roots, who made you, and where you come from. Pope John Paul in Fides et Ratio said, Reason and faith are the two lungs of one body and both are essential to every human person, because both have come from God. Scot said the Church doesn’t tell us just to blindly accept teaching, but to internalize it and think it through, asking God’s help so we can embrace the teaching because it’s true, not just because someone in authority says so. Fr. Chris said our faith can withstand any approach of reason. It’s a natural part of reason to come to understanding. 4th segment: Scot said Pope Benedict’s address to the youth has garnered the most attention in the Catholic world. Address of Pope Benedict XVI during the vigil with young people, September 24 Dear friends, again and again the very notion of saints has been caricatured and distorted, as if to be holy meant to be remote from the world, naive and joyless. Often it is thought that a saint has to be someone with great ascetic and moral achievements, who might well be revered, but could never be imitated in our own lives. How false and discouraging this opinion is! There is no saint, apart from the Blessed Virgin Mary, who has not also known sin, who has never fallen. Dear friends, Christ is not so much interested in how often in our lives we stumble and fall, as in how often with his help we pick ourselves up again. He does not demand glittering achievements, but he wants his light to shine in you. He does not call you because you are good and perfect, but because he is good and he wants to make you his friends. Yes, you are the light of the world because Jesus is your light. You are Christians – not because you do special and extraordinary things, but because he, Christ, is your life, our life. You are holy, we are holy, if we allow his grace to work in us. Scot said this address is extremely down to earth in comparison. It’s a wonderful, warm address that we’re all called to be saints and tells us how to live holiness by letting Christ shine through and joy-filled, in the world and connected, not boring and naïve. Fr. Chris said he captures sanctity. We’re called to be saints, which means to enjoy the beatific vision in heaven with God our Father. Every saint has a past and every sinner a future. Pope Benedict reminds us of the great mercy of Christ. Scot said many modern saints, including those might be canonized at some point, in their biographies you see them desire to tell the whole story, warts and all, to show how often they turned back to the mercy of God. The saint knows they don’t fall less than others; they just recognize that God picks them up each time. Fr. Chris recalls in the biography of St. Therese of Lisieux how there was a sister in the convent who drove her crazy, but she showed so much love to the nun that she believed that Therese loved her best. Saints are called to take the hand of the Lord, cling to it and walk as He does. Dear friends, this evening as we gather in prayer around the one Lord, we sense the truth of Christ’s saying that the city built on a hilltop cannot remain hidden. This gathering shines in more ways than one – in the glow of innumerable lights, in the radiance of so many young people who believe in Christ. A candle can only give light if it lets itself be consumed by the flame. It would remain useless if its wax failed to nourish the fire. Allow Christ to burn in you, even at the cost of sacrifice and renunciation. Do not be afraid that you might lose something and, so to speak, emerge empty-handed at the end. Have the courage to apply your talents and gifts for God’s kingdom and to give yourselves – like candlewax – so that the Lord can light up the darkness through you. Dare to be glowing saints, in whose eyes and hearts the love of Christ beams and who thus bring light to the world. I am confident that you and many other young people here in Germany are lamps of hope that do not remain hidden. “You are the light of the world”. Where God is, there is a future! Amen. Scot said Pope Benedict would say the same to all of us: Dare to be saints. Fr. Chris said don’t be afraid to make sacrifices and renunciations. We can never outdo God in his generosity, love and goodness. All He asks is that we live in him and follow him. Scot said the crisis of faith in the Church is because we don’t have enough saints, average everyday person who turns to God each day asks to be his vessel. With just a few saints in Boston we would change the perception of the Church in society. Scot noted how so many people at the Celebration of the Priesthood last week said that priests’ holiness have inspired them to live a deeper faith.

Today’s host(s): Scot Landry Today’s guest(s): Fr. Edward Riley and Mrs. Lynn Kenn from the World Apostolate of Fatima World Apostolate of Fatima, Boston World Apostolate of Fatima, USA Today’s topics: World Apostolate of Fatima and the National Pilgrim Statue Summary of today’s show: Fr. Ed Riley and Lynn Kenn of the world Apostolate of Fatima tell Scot about the Pilgrimage of Prayer throughout the Archdiocese in October of the National Pilgrim Statue of Our Lady of Fatima. Each day in October, the statue blessed by Pope Paul VI, one of only five in the world, will be in a different parish. They also discussed the apparitions of Our Lady in Fatima, Portugal, in 1917 and the prayer requests she made of the world that the Church encourages us to heed even today. 1st segment: Scot said starting this Saturday, October 1 and for the whole month of October, there is a statue that will be traveling among schools and parishes in the Archdiocese. Throughout the month, thousands of people will gather during these evenings to hear Our Lady’s messages to us. He welcomed Fr. Edward Riley, the chaplain to the World Apostolate of Fatima, and Lynn Kenn, who has been involved with the World Apostolate for 32 years. At the time, as a young mother, she saw the problems of the world around her and while she wanted to do something for her children, as a mother she didn’t have time to go out and be an activist. But saw a the visit of a National Pilgrim Statue of Our Lady of Fatima at a parish and that event made her realize that prayer and the messages of Fatima were the answer. That is why today, she is encouraging all to attend the pilgrimage of prayer for the month of October. Scot said the World Apostolate of Fatima is sometimes known as the Blue Army. It was established around World War II as a response to the Soviet Red Army. Our Lady at Fatima warned of the dangers of the Soviet Union. Scot asked Lynn to summarize the messages of Fatima. She said there were 6 apparitions of Mary to three children in Fatima, Portugal, in May 1917, at the beginning of World War I. Pope Benedict XV started a novena to Our Lady for world peace on May 5 and Our Lady appeared to the children on May 13, 1917 as an answer to the prayer. Our Lady asked the children each time she appeared to pray the rosary every day. She encouraged daily prayer of the rosary as the heart of her message. She asked for the conversion of sinners and she asked for the consecration of Russia to her Immaculate Heart. Pope John Paul II completed that consecration in 1984 and the demise of Communion in Russia followed. In 1981, on May 13, the anniversary of the first apparition, Pope John Paul II was shot in St. Peter’s Square and it impelled him to find out more about Fatima. In 1929, the consecration of Russia was not done by all the bishops of the world as she asked, and so John Paul got all the bishops together again in 1984. Pope John Paul II took the bullet that struck him that day and brought to Fatima and had it placed in the crown of the statue of Our Lady there. The National Pilgrim Statue of Our Lady of Fatima will travel throughout the archdiocese in October, stopping in at least 5 parishes in each region of the Archdiocese. The statue was given to the US by the bishop of Fatima in 1967. 2nd segment: This particular statue was blessed by Pope Paul VI during his visit to Fatima. It comes to Boston about every 5 years. Lynn said they start planning a year in advance. Fr. Riley had written to Cardinal Sean in January for permission and then alerted all the auxiliary bishops. Then they started preparing in March, dividing the diocese by region among the board members of the local chapter. The board members set up a committee in each region and then worked to place the statue throughout the regions so that everyone has a chance to be able to go. Fr. Riley is on the staff of St. John Seminary now, but previously was pastor in Holbrook. He said many people are thirsting and hungering. We are a material society, so we are looking for things that affect our senses. The Church went through a phase of removing objects from churches, but people are returning to older devotions to give them something to hold or touch or see or smell. The beautiful images take you beyond the image into deeper prayer and that’s the wisdom of having this image travel throughout the Archdiocese as the personification of Our Mother who loves us. If we don’t see someone and communicate with them, we can forget them. This statue reminds us that we have a God of love who wants us to turn back to him. Scot noted that there are many Catholics of Portuguese descent and many parishes with Our Lady of Fatima statues. Fr. Riley said this particular statue was blessed by Pope Paul VI, one of only five that were sent throughout the world. The US needed to understand the love of the Gospel and that our blessed Mother has a particular role in fulfilling God’s will for us. We are hungering for truth and peace. It took the attempted assassination of Pope John Paul II for the Church to take seriously this message given to children in Fatima. Scot said more than one million and maybe even more than 10 million have prayed in front of this statue. Lynn said the evenings of prayer are left up to the pastor, but they suggest they begin about 7pm or 7:30pm, starting with Benediction, crowning of the statue, rosary, then a talk by the Custodian of the Pilgrim Statue (a person who travels throughout the country with the statue, cares for it, and gives talks with it). People bring sacramentals and the Custodian touches them to the statue. People also submit prayer petitions in a petition box and the Custodian carries them from parish to parish. Anyone is welcome to come to any of the evenings of prayer. Scot read the list of parishes and dates where the statue will be in October. Download the schedule as a PDF. 3rd segment: Fr. Ed said there also some private events, not that they’re exclusive. On October 7, Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary, they will celebrate a children’s Eucharistic holy hour at Holy Cross Cathedral. This is a worldwide phenomenon. About 450 children, mostly around 5th grade, will be coming from both Catholic schools and homeschooling families. They pray the prayers that St. Michael the Archangel taught to the children of Fatima. At the end, when they process the statue out of the church, the children will wave white handkerchief. This event is closed to the public to ensure that children will be close to the Blessed Mother. On October 20, they will have a private session at St. John Seminary for the seminarians to pray before the statue. Scot said October 13 was the last public apparition of Our Lady in Fatima in 1917. About 100,000 people saw the miracle of the sun. Fr. Ed said throughout the apparitions, Our Lady said she would confirm on behalf of the children that the apparitions were real. The muddy rain-drenched area was dried instantly by the sun appearing to come close to the apparition site. Our Lady then appeared as Our Lady of Fatima and with St. Joseph and the Child Jesus. She also appeared as Our Lady of the Holy Rosary. Fr. Ed said we gather to pray the rosary to pray for peace in our world. No other promise has been made for bringing peace to the world. 4th segment: Scot said Our Lady in Fatima asked us to consecrate ourselves to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Lynn said the Apostolate has put together some requirements for membership. One is to pray the Rosary everyday. The second is to be enrolled in the brown scapular of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel by a priest. During the pilgrimage tour, people can be enrolled in the brown scapular as a sign of personal consecration to Our Lady. She also asked for the First Saturday devotions. It’s part of the promise by the Mother of God to provide all the graces necessary salvation at the end of your life if for five consecutive first Saturdays you fulfill the requirements of the devotion. Fr. Ed said the rosary is accessible to everyone, even little children. The First Saturdays are numbered five because it is reparation for sins, particularly five sins of blasphemy against her, her images, her name, her holy initiatives, and leading children away from God. Scot said the Church doesn’t usually go to the lengths of promoting apparitions and associated devotions, so it shows how important Fatima is to the Church.

Today’s host(s): Scot Landry and Fr. Mark O’Connell Today’s guest(s): Fr. Michael Harrington, Director of the Office of Outreach and Cultural Diversity Today’s topics: Celebration of the Priesthood dinner; Priest Profile: Fr. Michael Harrington Summary of today’s show: Fr. Michael Harrington discusses with Scot and Fr. Mark the 2011 Celebration of the Priesthood dinner, a moving opportunity for the people of the Archdiocese to express their appreciation for all that their priests do and are for them; Also, Fr. Harrington’s vocation story; how priestly vocations have grown rapidly in the years he’s been working with the Vocation Office; and the readings for Mass this Sunday. 1st segment: Scot noted that at the Red Mass, Cardinal Sean gave a great homily on assisted suicide that got a lot of national press. Fr. Mark said Chief Justice Rapoza also gave a powerful talk on St. Thomas More to the Catholic Lawyers Guild. Both stories and talks are in the Pilot this week. Fr. Mark said Justice Rapoza quoted G.K. Chesterton as a great model for what was going on at the time (the 1920s) and will be an even greater model for 100 years from then. “Cardinal speaks out against assisted suicide at Red Mass”, The Pilot, 09/23/11 “Justice shares lesson of St. Thomas More at Red Mass luncheon”, The Pilot, 09/23/11 2nd segment: Scot welcomed Fr. Harrington to the show. He said 1,110 people were at the Celebration of the Priesthood dinner at the World Trade Center in Boston last night. He said he was happy to see so many people turn out to support priests and encourage them in their ministry. Fr. Mike said it was good to see so much support for priests. Scot said it was announced that the dinner raised over $1 million plus another $150,000 over the next few years to benefit the Clergy Funds for priests’ medical and retirement needs. Scot said the spirit of the night was wonderful. Fr. Mike said each presenter was so positive and highlighted how the priests of this archdiocese had done so much for them in their lives. Fr. Mike said one of the speakers, Chris Boyle, went through a list of the priests who have connected with him through his young life. He is a 7th and 8th grade theology teacher at Catholic Memorial. When Fr. Mike speaks about vocations in parishes, he encourages people to think about the many places and ways that priests have had a positive impact in their lives: marriages, baptisms, confessions, when people were sick, etc. It helps us to realize how much the priesthood means to us as Catholics. Scot said Cardinal Sean gave a very strong address. He related how a five-year-old boy once told him that he is the “communion guy” and said that it’s true that all priests are the Communion guy. Fr. Bob Reed of CatholicTV was the host of the evening. Scot said Joe D’Arrigo, executive director of the Clergy Funds, Some stats, for every 1 active priest we have, there are 10 retired priests. They also shared some charts data on the last four years of work on the Clergy Funds. Four years ago, there was a prediction the funds would run out by the end of 2011, but now the expenses for the funds have been cut without cutting benefits and revenues have been raised. They went from a $10 million deficit to a break-even budget. Fr. Mark said he wasn’t at the event because he was teaching, but he wanted to give kudos to Joe D’Arrigo. A few years ago, Fr. Mark was running the Clergy Funds, but confesses most of the priests who ran it didn’t have the expertise to do so, so he’s very grateful to Joe. Fr. Mike added that Joe is here for nothing but to serve the priests of the archdiocese. Scot said everyone who were involved did a very great job. The highlight of the night was an eight-minute video highlighting the work of some of our priests: The priests in the video were Fr. Mark Murphy, Fr. Richard Clancy, Fr. Jack Ahern, and Fr. Joseph Fagan. Scot said one of the moving parts was hearing Fr. Clancy choke up when he said it mattered in his life for people to take a few minutes and write the priest a note to thank him. the dinner started in the Year of the Priest as a way to thank priests not just for what they do, but for who they are in this special vocation in the Church. He encouraged listeners to think about saying thank you to their priest at church this Sunday. Scot emphasized that none of the priests go to the dinner to be celebrated personally, but it does make a difference to be thanked en masse. 3rd segment: Fr. Mike said he had great role models in the priesthood growing up. He had a well-known pastor, Msgr. John Carroll, who was a great witness to him. Then he had Fr. Bill Schmidt as a pastor at St. John’s in Swampscott, who had a special way of ministering to young people. Fr. Mike said he didn’t develop much of a sense of a personal vocation in his high school or college years. He said he didn’t consider his vocation very much at all. But after college, he realized he was living his life for himself and so he started to see how he could live for others. He started to teach religious education in his parish and seek out other young adults active in their faith. In his early 20s, he started to ask for the first time what God wants him to do in his life. He started to walk more closely with the Lord and as he did so the idea of the priesthood started to come clearer. Little by little, God worked on him to understand his ways are greater than our ways. He entered seminary at age 27 in 1994. In his class, he was one of the younger guys, but today men are averaging younger when they enter. After ordination, his only parish assignment so far was St. Paul in Wellesley. He said he had great priest examples there and couldn’t have asked for better pastors. The Cardinal called Fr. Mike into diocesan service in 2005 as assistant vocation director. He loved his work in the parish and he had a lot of great projects on the horizon. His term was coming to an end, but he had been told he would stay on a little longer. Then he had an unexpected call to come meet with the Cardinal. It was a surprise, but he wanted to do whatever God called him to do. It was tough to leave the parish, but he was committed to whatever the Cardinal thought best. Scot said Cardinal Sean had made a commitment to having two full-time priests in vocations office and that has born fruit with more than 70 young men in the seminary right now. It requires a lot of time and effort to create a culture of vocations. Fr. Mike said their work is only done in collaboration with all the priests of the archdiocese under the leadership of Cardinal Sean. The Cardinal sets the tone. Fr. Mike said recently there were only 27 men in residence at St. John Seminary. Today there are over 80 men in residence and more than 120 studying there total for several dioceses. Today 70 of them are studying for the archdiocese when just a few years ago there were only 45. Fr. Mike said they do many type of outreach to help men to consider what God is calling them to. They try to help them ask the question what God wants. We are so focused on what we want to be, but we need to help young people approach the much greater question. Scot said Cardinal Sean, Fr. Mike, and Fr. Dan Hennessey all rely heavily on prayer to grow vocations and are constantly asking everyone to pray for vocations. Fr. mike said Jesus gave the instruction: “Beg the Master of the harvest for more workers in the harvest.” Prayer is at the heart of vocations. They sometimes ask religious orders to pray for young men who are discerning; they have holy hours for vocations. Many parishes have prayers for vocations during Mass. Fr. Mark asked how vocations are growing in ethnic communities. Fr. Mike said they just ordained a young man from the Korean community and two more are in the seminary. They are not a huge community so having three men is an outsized contribution. They have had vocations from the Vietnamese community and other communities are beginning vocations programs. Scot asked for a profile of the types of men in the seminary and where they’re coming from. Fr. Mike said most of the new men are in their 20s. They have three men who are 45. They have more men studying at Blessed John XXIII Seminary in the last few years. Most of the young men are just out of college. The work being done on college campuses are paying off in vocations. Several men come from Boston University. Three men were associated with the Life Teen ministry at St. Mary’s in Dedham. Fr. Mark said there used to be a seminary college for men about 18 years old. Fr. Mark said they’ve accepted two men just out of high school this year. They go to a formation house in Providence and will either attend Providence College or another one in Rhode Island. They’re also seeing more young men discerning a vocation in high school. Scot said on October 22, there is a big gathering put on by the Serra Club. They are having a Mass of Blessed John Paul II at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross at 10am in recognition of the Adopt-a-Priest apostolate. October 22 is the feast day of Bl. John Paul II. George Weigel will give a talk after the Mass. Scot said adopt-a-priest is a prayer apostolate. The Serra Club asks people to volunteer to pray for a particular priest every day for a year. Scot said two years ago his family was randomly assigned Msgr. Bob Deeley, our new vicar general. When he was assigned to be vicar general and Scot’s new boss, his kids said they should pray for him even more now. Fr. Mike said the Serra Club does a lot of work helping with vocations. They are having an altar server appreciation Mass soon that the Serra Club will be assiting with. 4th segment: Now, as we do every week, we look forward to this coming Sunday’s Mass readings to help us prepare to celebrate together. First Reading for September 25, 2011, 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Ezekiel 18:25-28) Thus says the LORD: You say, “The LORD’s way is not fair!” Hear now, house of Israel: Is it my way that is unfair, or rather, are not your ways unfair? When someone virtuous turns away from virtue to commit iniquity, and dies, it is because of the iniquity he committed that he must die. But if he turns from the wickedness he has committed, he does what is right and just, he shall preserve his life; since he has turned away from all the sins that he has committed, he shall surely live, he shall not die. Gospel for September 25, 2011, 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Matthew 21:28-32) Jesus said to the chief priests and elders of the people: “What is your opinion? A man had two sons. He came to the first and said, ‘Son, go out and work in the vineyard today.’ He said in reply, ‘I will not, ’ but afterwards changed his mind and went. The man came to the other son and gave the same order. He said in reply, ‘Yes, sir, ‘but did not go. Which of the two did his father’s will?” They answered, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Amen, I say to you, tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God before you. When John came to you in the way of righteousness, you did not believe him; but tax collectors and prostitutes did. Yet even when you saw that, you did not later change your minds and believe him.” Scot said imagine being on the receiving end of that admonition from Jesus. Fr. Mike said the Lord’s way is not always easy, but it’s a far cry from saying the Lord’s way is not fair. Fr. Mark said Ezekiel is writing to a community who thinks that the bad things happening to them is because of their ancestors sins, but Ezekiel said it’s their own sins that are the cause. In the Gospel, the better thing is to say yes and do it, but we give more credit to the guy who thinks about the consequences and changes his mind. We’re given fair warning by God to make the right decision. Scot said the reading brings to mind the Sacrament of Reconciliation. He had a friend who described it as hitting the reset button. Scot said he’s been both of these guys in the Gospel. in the spiritual life, it’s the ongoing conversion to conform our hearts, minds, and will to God that leads to the right way. Fr. Mike said we can all relate to the claim the Lord’s way isn’t fair. Even the saints in Scripture have said that, but they recognized that it’s not the Lord who abandoned us, but we who abandoned the Lord. Fr. Mark said he assumes Fr. Mike sees these two paths among the men who are discerning. Fr. Mike said God often calls us to expand our love, which can be hard at first. Scot wonders who is the analagous “tax collectors and prostitutes” of today that we might reject based on their past or surface appearances. It’s easy to claim we won’t be pharisaical, but we have to seriously examine whether we are being prideful or whether we really are that open to God’s will. We have to constantly examine our hearts to ensure we are open to everyone who God might be calling to follow him.

Today’s host(s): Scot Landry and Susan Abbott Today’s guest(s): Antonio Enrique, editor of The Pilot, the newspaper of the Boston archdiocese; and Gregory Tracy, managing editor of The Pilot 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: Cardinal speaks out on assisted suicide; 13 permanent deacons ordained; Fr. Roger’s editorial; Mass. bishops on casino gambling Summary of today’s show: Scot and Susan discuss the news of the week with Antonio Enrique and Greg Tracy of The Pilot, including Cardinal Seán’s homily at last Sunday’s Red Mass for the Boston Catholic Lawyers Guild in which he spoke strongly against an assisted-suicide ballot initiative in Massachusetts; the ordination of 13 permanent deacons for Boston and Cardinal Seán’s admonition for them to care for their wives, in particular; Fr. Roger Landry’s newest editorial on preventing innocent priests from becoming collateral damage to false accusations; and the Massachusetts bishops’ statement on casino gambling in the state. 1st segment: Scot wished Susan a happy birthday today. She’s been working this week, getting ready for the new religious education year. They had a workshop for new catechetical leaders yesterday. Last Sunday was Catechetical Sunday. 150 catechists gathered on that Sunday at St. Rose of Lima parish in Chelsea. Last night she attended the Bl. John XXIII National Seminary’s annual lawn party. She said it was encouraging and hopeful to see these men who have second vocations. They’ve had such diverse paths to the seminary. Two seminarians spoke and did a great job. She said there was such hope. Last night, Scot went to a screening of the new movie “The Way”, starring Martin Sheen and directed by Emilio Estevez, his son. It’s about a man who makes a pilgrimage to Santiago de Compestela in Spain. Tonight is the Celebration of the Priesthood dinner where 1,000 people gather to honor priests and raise money for the Clergy Funds to benefit the medical and retirement needs of the priests of the Archdiocese of Boston. This is the third year for the dinner. 2nd segment: Scot welcomed Gregory and Antonio to the show. He said the Cardinal had a significant homily at the Red Mass this past Sunday at the Cathedral where he addressed the Boston Catholic Lawyers Guild. Greg said the Cardinal took the occasion of the Mass to speak out strongly against an assisted suicide petition initiative in Massachusetts. He dealt with a rational argument against assisted suicide, which should persuade even those who don’t subscribe to Christian morality that it’s wrong. He noted that where assisted suicide is legal, suicide rates as a whole go up. In many cases, people end up seeing suicide as the only option and even receive the message that it’s inconsiderate not to take it. Cardinal Seán’s homily at the Red Mass The Cardinal said: A decade after Oregon’s law allowing physician assisted suicide took effect, suicide had become the leading cause of “injury death” in Oregon and the second leading cause of death among those between 15 and 34 years of age. The suicide rate in Oregon was in decline until legalizing physician assisted suicide. The suicide rate has been rising since 2000 and by 2007 was already 35% higher than the national average –without counting physician assisted suicides of seriously ill patients which Oregon law does not allow to be counted as suicides and without counting 1,000 failed attempted suicides each year. We hope that the citizens of the commonwealth will not be seduced by the language: dignity, mercy and compassion which are used to disguise the sheer brutality of helping some kill themselves. A vote for physician assisted suicide is a vote for suicide. Scot had never seen the stats, even though they don’t surprise him. Susan said the homily is so rich, you could talk about it for the whole hour. Susan said assisted suicide tells us that you don’t have to worry about working through a problem. Earlier this week, many in the Pastoral Center attended a national webinar on assisted suicide by the National Catholic Partnership on Disability. Their site has more startling statistics. National Catholic Partnership on Disability’s assisted-suicide webinar Scot said his favorite part of the homily is: When Satan tempted Jesus in the desert he based his arguments on passages from the Old Testament, which has given rise to the saying that even the devil can quote Scripture. Ironically those who advocate a strict separation of Church and State often quote Jesus words: “Render therefore unto Caesar the things that are Ceasar’s and to God the things that are God’s”. What they often mean by that is “Let’s lock God in the sacristy and let Caesar call all the shots.” That can be very perilous, especially if Caesar happens to be a blood thirsty ideologue who likes to throw people to the lions. Scot said assisted suicide opens up the possibility for some bureaucrat to decide which lives are inconvenient or expensive and should be terminated. It also leads people to feel like they should just kill themselves off. Antonio said it creates two kinds of human beings: those who deserve to live and those who don’t. It creates a burden on someone to make them feel like a burden. We are supposed to be the guardians of our brothers and sisters. But we could be saying life isn’t worth living unless you have a particular quality of life. He noted that in the Netherlands where assisted suicide is legal, the amount of money devoted to palliative care (reducing suffering) has been decreased with the expectation that people should kill themselves instead. The Cardinal also said: In the eyes of the world those who are in the last stages of life are somehow diminished in their humanity and should be eliminated. We must see them through God’s eyes and recognize that each and every person is created in his image and likeness and that we are all connected to God and to each other. We are our brothers keeper and our sister’s helper. Cain who forgot he was his brother’s keeper ended up becoming his executioner. “Thou shall not kill” is God’s law and it is written in our hearts by our Creator. We are call upon to defend the Gospel of life with courage and resolve. Your very profession [the legal profession] invests all of you with an even greater responsibility to ensure that our laws are just and that they protect the weak. The Cardinal made both a natural law argument and a scriptural one. He ended by saying don’t forget we’re Catholics and we treasure life. Greg said the Cardinal also quotes Pope Benedict XVI as saying that natural law and faith go hand in hand and we need to see these things through the eyes of faith, to defend the weakest and poorest. The Cardinal particularly mentioned that it is the role of those in the legal profession to defend the weak and poor who need just defense the most. Antonio said its important that emphasize to non-Catholics that this is not just a religious ideal, but that it’s a universal morality, like the argument against murder. Scot said the Cardinal also said the foundational principles of our country is that our human rights come from God, not government. Our Country’s democracy is based on the conviction that human rights come from God. The Declaration of Independence states that we are endowed by our Creator with the rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. In declaring this nation independence the signers of the Declaration stated that the rights cited in their claim were not simply a matter of opinion or even of belief. Rather they were God given rights that could not be taken away by any person or any government. These rights are self evident and those words were unanimously adopted. On this moral foundation, America has staked its claim for liberty. Why would we want a government that didn’t protect our right to life? Susan noted that the Cardinal then said that American Catholics weren’t trying to establish a theocracy. We are simply seeking to protect the morality of country. 3rd segment: Scot named the 13 permanent deacons ordained for the Archdiocese last Saturday. He said the Cardinal had some interesting remarks for the men in his homily. Greg said the Cardinal emphasized that deacon means “servant”. He added that deacons should never be high-maintenance. George Martell’s photos of the ordination of the permanent deacons on Flickr.com Susan said two of the deacons have connection to the religious education office and they are wonderful men. Susan liked his words: “Receive the Giospel of Christ, whose herald you have become. Believe what you read, teach what you believe and practice what you teach.” Scot said one of his favorite lines in the homily, reminding the men that deacons cannot marry if their wife dies and so the cardinal admonished them to “take good care of your wives,” to great laughter from the congregation. Antonio appreciated how the cardinal implored them to remember that they have particular obligations of service and they must continue to also serve their wives and families. Scot noted that two of the altar servers were the sons of Deacon Chris Connelly and were able to be part of the ordination ceremony. Deacon Dan Burns of the Permanent Diaconate Office said he felt like a father marrying off 13 of his children on one day. 4th segment: Last week, they discussed the first of a two-part series of editorials by Fr. Roger Landry in The Anchor, the newspaper of the Fall River diocese. The editorials talk about balancing justice for children who have been abused and protection of those who have not with the justice due to innocent priests, whether accused unjustly or not accused. “Stopping the Collateral Damage”, Fr. Roger Landry, The Anchor, 09/23/11 “Preventing Another Class of Victims”, Fr. Roger Landry, The Anchor, 09/16/11 This week, Fr. Roger focuses on one practical balancing act by Cardinal Sean in August in releasing the names of priests who had been publicly accused in Boston. On August 25, Cardinal Sean O’Malley released the names of 159 priests from the Archdiocese of Boston who were found guilty by Church or state of sexually abusing a child, laicized before or after having been accused, publicly accused of sexually abusing a child (while Church proceedings still need to be completed) or deceased after having been publicly accused of sexually abusing minors but against whom criminal or canonical proceedings were not completed. Cardinal O’Malley intentionally did not release the names of living or deceased clergy against whom allegations have not been made public, a move that has brought intense criticism from some victims’ groups. Scot noted that you need the wisdom of Solomon to strike the right balance. The pendulum has swung from not protecting the rights of the accuser to not protecting the rights of the accuser. Antonio said he was still new at the Pilot in 2002 when the crisis first broke. He believes the Church has done more than any other institution to fix this problem and restore trust. Hopefully there can be found better ways of dealing with these problems. No one can dispute that there are very few new cases today. Some in the Church today — including some victims’ rights groups — seem to have become desensitized to the harm of false accusations against Church leaders in an analogous way to how many were once insensitive to the evil and harm of the sexual abuse of minors. False accusations, some victims’ advocates say, are relatively rare; in the United States, historically less than ten percent of accusations have been demonstrated to be false. When someone is accused, they imply, there’s a 90% chance that he or she is guilty, and therefore the good obtained by releasing all names outweighs the evil that might come to a few. Such proportionalistic reasoning, however, fails to consider adequately the harm done to the ten percent or more who are falsely accused of something as hideous as child abuse. No one would ever want to see the reputation of a living or deceased father, mother, beloved teacher, coach, athlete, actor, president or other public official destroyed by the actual or posthumous reporting of an untrue allegation of sexually abusing kids. A good reputation earned by a lifetime of virtue should never be able to be annihilated simply by the bringing of an accusation, because the accusation may be false or frivolous; with people we care about, we would justly demand that before such an allegation be publicized it would need to be substantiated. The same principle of fairness must reign within the Church. This isn’t a lack of sensitivity or concern for victims of sexual abuse, but a just principle to prevent making another class of victims. Some in our society have begun to awaken to the reality of false accusations of the sexual abuse of minors and the often irreparable harm that comes through them. In a powerful June 15 Boston Globe article entitled “Collateral Damage,” columnist Brian McGrory wrote about the case of Boston priest Fr. Charles Murphy, who was falsely accused not once but twice of sexual abuse. Scot said Fr. Murphy “died of a broken heart.” Susan said she knew people who were heartbroken for Fr. Murphy when he was accused twice. She said she doesn’t know the answer here, but it seems the presumption of innocence is being trumped by concerns for child safety. She said it seems we should find a better way. A quicker process would seem to be the way to fix it. As the Church prepares in 2012 to mark the tenth anniversary of public part of the sexual abuse crisis and the Church’s response to it in Dallas, it is time for Church faithful and leaders to begin to achieve a yet unrealized Solomonic balance between the rights of accusers and accused. This will ensure that in the Church’s understandable zeal to bring healing to those who have suffered sexual abuse and prevent children from suffering similar harm in the future, we not lump the good in with the bad by treating all accusations, both true and calumnious, as worthy of publication until at least a minimal standard of veracity and substantiation has been established. Antonio said the fear of scandal was what brought us to the scandal in the first place. The Church even in the 90s tried to fix this problem to avoid scandal when it became public. Unfortunately, it created this explosion despite the good intentions behind it. In order to solve these problems, the Church settled with victims but required them to be quiet about it. He noted that after 1993, priests who had credible accusations were not put back into parishes. Nevertheless when it did become public, trust was shattered. Maybe as we approach the 10th anniversary and people regain confidence that the Church is not hiding anything, we can modify our approach. Scot said with 10 years experience we should see how unfair it is for a press release to go out on any accusation, no matter how credible. In some places in the world, it’s not just the priest’s reputation which would be in danger, but his very life. Susan noted that there is difference between transparency and trumpets. 5th segment: Scot, Susan, and Antonio discussed the details of the Mass. bishop statement on casino gambling legislation. Susan noted with humor that the bishops spent some time distinguishing between bingo and casino gambling, but it is true that people lose much more at casinos than in church bingo. Scot said he was startled by the crime statistics about how violent crime rises in a 50-mile radius around casinos when they open. Massachusetts Catholic bishops’ statement on expanded gambling legislation Naturally, the state is searching for new ways to increase revenue and create jobs aimed at meeting these difficult challenges and to bring about economic stimuli. However, expanded gambling in the form of slot parlors and casinos is an illusory solution to this complicated problem. If anything, expanded, predatory gambling will only add to the need for state assistance in the Commonwealth. The gambling industry can threaten local business and change the entire make-up of communities. If Massachusetts were to pass the proposed gambling legislation and open the door for casinos and slot parlors in our state, it could diminish our rich heritage and history as a Commonwealth. There is too much at stake for Massachusetts to open the door to expanded gambling.

Today’s host(s): Scot Landry and Fr. Matt Williams Today’s guest(s): Br. Rahl Bunsa, General Superior of the Brotherhood of Hope, and Fr. Ted Psemeneki Brotherhood of Hope “Hope on Campus” on CatholicTV Brotherhood of Hope on Facebook Today’s topics: The Brotherhood of Hope Summary of today’s show: Br. Rahl and Br. Ted of the Brotherhood of Hope sit down with Scot and Fr. Matt to tell them about their small religious order’s very big mission in Catholic campus ministry in Boston that reaches out to more than 60,000 Catholic college students across the city. They also play selections from the Brotherhood’s music CDs and discuss a TV show produced by the Brotherhood called “Hope on Campus”. 1st segment: Scot welcomed back Fr. Matt. He offered him a congratulations on his Name Day because today is the Feast of St. Matthew the Apostle. Fr. Matt said he loves the Caravaggio image of St. Matthew being called by Jesus. It’s a beautiful interplay of darkness and light, with Matthew being called out of the darkness and into the light. Jesus’ finger in the painting recalls the image of God’s finger touching Adam’s in Michaelangelo’s Sistine Chapel. Fr. Matt said the consolation of Matthew a sinner being called by God is that God knows what he’s getting into when he calls us. It’s not our qualifications that concern God, but who we are. Scot said his uncle, Frank Cluff of Lowell, died last night at 73. He was able to spend time with him last night and was inspired by this holy man prepare for death. He told Scot’s brother, Fr. Roger Landry, to tell others in his funeral homily to encourage people not to fear death. Scot related his story that 21 years ago his uncle was within days of death because he couldn’t get a kidney transplant. He had coffee with a friend and told him it might be their last opportunity to be together. That afternoon, the friend’s 21-year-old son died in a car accident and it turned out his son was a perfect match for the kidney. May the souls of the faithful departed rest in peace. Today’s guests are from the Brotherhood of Hope, who specialize in campus ministry across the country, and a new citywide campus ministry they’ll be starting at Cardinal Sean’s urging. 2nd segment: Scot welcomed Br. Rahl and Br. Ted. He said Br. Rahl was one of the first members of the order when it began 31 years ago. It started out of lay communities in Michigan and New Jersey. There were five brothers at first in 1980 and now there are a little more than 20. Their main work is in campus ministry, but also men’s ministry, youth work, service trips to Tanzania, and some seminary work. Br. Rahl first encountered the Brotherhood when he was studying at Seton Hall University. He was impressed at how they were just good guys to be around. He had just discerned that God wasn’t calling him to the priesthood and he had thought God was calling him to marriage. But a brother asked him to consider this call. Scot said even growing up in a very Catholic community, you don’t encounter religious brothers as often as you see religious sisters, unless you are connected to particular ministries, like schools. Br. Rahl said in the beginning the order created a painting company to support itself. The men had to shift from their secular jobs to other kinds of jobs as they transitioned to full-time ministry. Their first applied ministry was as campus ministry at Rutgers. Br. Rahl said Br. Ted was among the first new members to come from Rutgers. Br. Ted was an engineering student at Rutgers. Since high school, he’d been attending church on his own. By his sophomore year, he’d connected to the Brotherhood and experienced a life change and the indwelling of Christ within him. A certain loneliness was gone. He’d never felt a calling to the priesthood, but on a visit to a monastery he felt God’s call. One of the brothers told him that he’d been waiting for God to give Br. Ted a call and that gave him the confidence. Fr. Matt noted that they are the first group of consecrated brothers on the radio show. He asked them to explain what a consecrated brother is. Br. Ted said we look at Jesus who became our brother to us so we could be adopted by the Father. They imitate Christ the brother who came to lead people to the Father and to be adopted. Br. Rahl added that in imitating JEsus, they take vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience and then live in community with a common mission together, like Jesus and the Apostles. That’s in the nature of a brotherhood. Scot noted that it’s their presence in the Church and commitment to the vows in the community is itself a sign of the new evangelization. It is a sign to the world. Scot asked them to explain the difference between Hope and an optimism or natural hope. Br. Rahl said the theological virtue of hope means that through the indwelling presence of Christ we receive through baptism, Hope recasts the whole of reality so we understand the truth of God’s promises as heaven-focused, but earth-rooted. When we intercede for one another or bring the Gospel to others, that’s an exercise of the virtue of hope. Scot described their logo, which incorporates a cross and anchor. Br. Ted said their hope is anchored in heaven and gives a confident expectation of heaven. There is also an M to signify Mary at the foot of the cross. Br. Rahl said while they were ministering at Rutgers, they received an invitation from the bishop in Tallahassee to minister at Florida State University, which is their largest campus ministry. Later, during an impromptu visit by Cardinal Bernard Law who happened to stop by their house he got to know them. In 1995 they were asked to come up to Boston where they did some ministries. In 2000, they started at Boston University and in 2005, at Northeastern University. They live at St. Catherine of Genoa in Somerville. Nine of them live there. So currently they are ministering at Florida State, Rutgers, and Northeastern. Scot first encountered the Brotherhood of Hope through their Advent retreats for men. Those men Scot met there became the team that organized the Boston Catholic Mens’ Conferences. He asked them how they felt the call to focus their ministry on campus ministry. Br. Rahl said many of the brothers experienced their call to holiness while at college and it seemed to make sense to minister to young people at a critical point in their lives. They see very encouraging fruit in campus ministry. 3rd segment: It’s time to announce the winner of the weekly WQOM Benefactor Raffle. Our prize this week is Crossing the Goal: Playbook on the Virtues and Crossing the Goal: Playbook on Our Father, both by Danny Abramowicz, Peter Herbeck, Curtis Martin and Brian Patrick. This week’s winner is Joanne and Robert Massey from Chelmsford, MA. Congratulations, Joanne and Robert! If you would like to be eligible to win in an upcoming week, please visit WQOM.org. For a one-time $30 donation, you’ll receive the Station of the Cross benefactor card and key tag, making you eligible for WQOM’s weekly raffle of books, DVDs, CDs and religious items. We’ll be announcing the winner each Wednesday during “The Good Catholic Life” program. 4th segment: Scot noted that Br. Ted wrote and performed the song just played during the break. Br. Ted said the Brotherhood of Hope creates Advent music CDs because no one really creates Advent music CDs. Advent is a natural topic for the Brotherhood because of Advent’s relation to hope. Scot noted that Br. Rahl just completed 11 years of ministry at Boston University. Cardinal Seán asked the Brotherhood to expand their ministry to cover many more campuses in Boston through a new initiative called H.U.B. (Hope for Undergraduates in Boston), based at Northeastern University, but reaching out to 60,000 Catholic college students. Br. Rahl said they have seen so much fruit from their campus ministry over the past 11 years at both BU and Northeastern that Cardinal Seán to expand their ministry to schools which don’t have the resources for campus ministry, like Wentworth, Mass. College of Pharmacy, Berklee, Wheelock, Simmons and many more. Br. Rahl said they are just beginning their program. It’s going to be an organic process. They are working with students to train them to reach out to their peers, to lead Bible studies, to invite others to Mass. Over the next year, they will be working to get to know administrators and staff at these schools as well. He’s encouraged the Cardinal has confidence in them and asked for prayers from listeners in their work. Fr. Matt said he’s heard people say that a critical area of focus for the Church is college campus ministry because it is crucial for the Church to connect people at that age to connect with the life of the Church. He asked what challenges the Brotherhood is facing on campuses now. Br. Ted said it’s a key time to be reaching out to an age group that is mature enough to make good decisions while they’re making lifelong decisions. On one hand they have time, but on the other they’re busy, so that’s the first challenge. There are also a lot of options for students. When a freshman settles in, they are bombarded by all that they can get involved with: clubs, sports, and other organizations, most of which demand far less than the Church does. Br. Ted said they have come to realize that they have to challenge the students and ask something of them, to make it seem worthwhile through sacrifice and hard work. The students are also bombarded by a lot influences, including sex and drugs and drinking. Sometimes, the universities don’t help with those issues. Many of the students are lonely or depressed or stressed for the first time. Scot asked how many of the students involved with the Brotherhood connect with them right away versus those who come along later. Br. Ted said there is a good mix of how people come to them. If people come and get involved early, they tend to stick it through. Br. Rahl said many of them, as their relationship with Christ deepens, they want to tell their friends and start inviting them to programs. The Brotherhood create experiences that connect with what’s going on on campus. For example, they have intramural sports teams that compete with other campus organizations. Br. Ted said they offer card and games nights, minor competitions, lots of food (barbecues and dinners), but the primary end is to bring them to Mass. They also do a Wednesday night gathering called A New Life with prayer and a talk to challenge them in their faith. Br. Rahl told a story of a Texas Hold-Em tournament where one of the students who wasn’t Catholic, but was a good card player, won and eventually has become very involved in his faith and inviting others to be involved. Scot asked them how they minister to students in the midst of a hook-up culture. Br. Ted said he sees even good Catholic church-going students who live a double life, involved both kinds of culture. They try to teach them about self-control and not objectifying others. Br. Rahl said as they connect with Christ it becomes more than just growing in natural virtue, but also in the Gospel virtues. He said one of the universities they work at offers a yearly sex week, which promotes the hook-up culture. The Brotherhood provides a counter-culture and encourages the students that they don’t have to be slaves to it. Br. Ted notes that it’s not all on the brothers, but that the students who are already living the life of faith and are the best witnesses for Christian love and chastity. Scot noted that the Brotherhood of Hope is mainly supported through donations of those who want to make an impact on college campuses. People can make donations at their website at BrotherhoodofHope.org. CatholicTV also came to the Brotherhood of Hope a few years ago to film a 13-part series called Hope on Campus. People can watch the shows right from their website.

Today’s host(s): Scot Landry and Fr. Chris O’Connor Today’s guest(s): Fr. Robert O’Grady, Managing Director of the Pilot Catholic Directory The Diocese of Manchester, New Hampshire Today’s topics: The Appointment of Bishops, specifically Bishop Peter Libasci to Manchester, NH Summary of today’s show: Fr. Robert O’Grady discusses with Scot and Fr. Chris yesterday’s appointment of Bishop Peter Libasci as the 10th bishop of the Diocese of Manchester and then they talk about just how a priest or bishop’s name ends up on the Pope’s desk for appointment to the high office in the Church and just what role the bishop plays in the life of the Church. 1st segment: Scot welcomed Fr. Chris. He went tomato picking this weekend in New Hampshire with many of the parishioners from Sacred Heart Parish in East Boston, who were mainly Italian. They brought 160 pounds of tomatoes back with them. It was a great experience for a city kid. These tomatoes will be canned and will last until next September. He also attended the ordination of 13 permanent deacons for the archdiocese at the cathedral. He was impressed by the number of priests who came to show how they’ve already established great relationships with the priests of the archdiocese. Cardinal Sean joked that there’s nothing worse than a high maintenance deacon. He also reminded them that when their wives die, they will remain celibate for the rest of their lives so he told them to take very, very good care of their wives. The new deacons are David A. Brooks, Christopher Z. Connelly, Paul David Coughlin, Joseph Bryère Guerrier, Geoffrey W. Higgins, Joseph J. Hopgood, Cheonil Kim, Paul Michael Kline, Howard C. League, Vincent James Leo, Timothy John Maher, Thomas L.P. O’Donnell, Jr., and Kevin J. Winn. Scot said his mom attended the first Mass for one of the deacons at her parish in Lowell. Fr. Chris said that the 13 men have gone to 13 very different parishes throughout the Archdiocese and are already involved in very good work. Today, on the show, Fr. Robert O’Grady will talk with Scot and Fr. Chris about the process of appointing new bishops, especially the appointment yesterday of Bishop Peter Libasci for Manchester, New Hampshire. His installation Mass will be on December 8. 2nd segment: Scot welcomed Fr. O’Grady to the show. Scot said bishops’ appointments are announced at noon Rome time, which is 6am here. Bishop Libasci was auxiliary bishop in the Diocese of Rockville Centre, New York, in Long Island. He was a priest for his whole career, a parochial vicar and pastor. He said he was surpsied to be named bishop the first time. He’s very low-key and humble and self-effacing. He’s also biritual, which means that he has permission to celebrate the Liturgy in the Ruthenian Byzantine rite of the Catholic Church as well as the Latin-rite. He’s also been the vicar of the eastern region of Long Island, which includes the Hamptons and the North Fork, the wealthiest and toniest part of the Long Island. However, Bishop Libasci said the area includes many blue-collar towns and Indian reservations, so it’s not just the rich and powerful. Someone noted he had twice as many people in his region as he will have in his new diocese. Bishop Libasci is the 10th bishop of Manchester. He was introduced by his predecessor Bishop McCormack. Scot said it’s good to know that Bishop McCormack hasn’t lost his Boston accent after 13 years in New Hampshire and the Long Island accent of Bishop Libasci will take some getting used to. Scot said he likes the passion he heard in his first reactions as he drove up to his new home. Scot said you can’t help but be impressed by the beauty of New Hampshire as God’s country. But also the description of the mills as a place where people spent so many of their lives, seeking a better life for their families. Fr. Chris said he captured both sides of New Hampshires, places of work where so many Catholic supported their families and the natural beauty. You can tell it will be an important part of his ministry to ensure that the faith continues to pass on. Fr. Bob said they also have St. Anselm’s College, a top Catholic college, and Dartmouth, one of the Ivy League, which brings great variety to the diocese, which he wouldn’t have had on eastern Long Island. Manchester has 90 full parishes as well as missions, totally 126 worship sites. There are 86 active diocesan priests. Also many religious, including the Benedictines of St. Anselm. The total Catholic population is about 300,000 Catholics. Scot noted in his prepared remarks, the bishop started by saying: When in 2007, I was told that I was chosen to be an Auxiliary Bishop for the Diocese of Rockville Centre, I was overwhelmed at the thought that anyone knew that I even existed. And now, four years later, I have been called, yet again, but now to be the Bishop and Shepherd of the Church, the Household of Faith in, what will be for me a new home, a new family, a new beginning in Grace. Fr. Chris said this is the first chance the people of New Hampshire to encounter their new shepherd. He also noted that the bishop quoted the Baltimore Catechism on why God created us. He made a clear point that the tradition of our faith needs to be passed on by parishes and families. After his prepared remarks, Bishop Libasci took some questions from the local press. (See the video above) He started by responding to the challenges he sees as the bishop of Manchester. He said his first challenge is to listen and learn. Scot said that it’s remarkable humility. By hearing he will come to know what the Catholic community sees as their challenges. Fr. O’Grady said a bishop usually gives a new pastor the advice to not make any big changes for a year. Bishop Libasci is saying the same thing; he has to learn what it is he’s inheriting, what he has responsibility for. Scot said the parishioners need to know that he loves them, that he knows them, before they will follow his lead. The great leaders are those who people want to follow and who they trust. Fr. Chris said he’s also echoing Lumen Gentium from Vatican II where bishops are told to consult with the laity to know their needs and concerns and the laity need to let the bishop know their needs and concerns. He was also asked at the press conference how he plans to continue the healing process from the sexual abuse crisis. Scot said he takes away from his response that Bishop Libasci cares for all those affected, not just the victims, but also the innocent priests and the people in the pews. Fr. Chris said you could hear compassion in his voice and a desire not to run from the question. He said, Together, we will work through this. Fr. Chris said you can’t have extraordinary expectations right off the bat. Fr. O’Grady said he noticed that after the press conference he went to a Catholic high school, a food bank, and a convent of religious sisters, then a dinner with priests of the diocese. He went to get a flavor of the diocese right away. 3rd segment: Scot said the appointment of bishops is a long process. It starts with the surfacing of names. There are ecclesiastical provinces throughout the country. There will be one metropolitan archdiocese, which here is Boston, and then suffragan dioceses, which in New England are Portland, Manchester, Burlington, Bridgeport, Hartford, Fall River, Springfield, Worcester, and Providence. Once per year the bishops meet to discuss priests who would be worthy bishops. Before that bishops can consult within their diocese for those names. By canon law, they are required to do that one on one with others, not in group meetings, in order to maintain confidentiality and so that those whose names are considered and not appointed aren’t embarrassed by that. Fr. O’Grady said a bishop told him that it was amazing how the names which were submitted individually seemed to come up so often. At the provincial meeting, there is a secret and confidential discussion of the names as well as which offices they’d be good at, like diocesan bishop or auxiliary bishop. An auxiliary might have a particular language gift or a talent in a particular ministry. So often it’s a need that motivates. In a diocesan bishops’ case, they agree on a list of three names, called a terna, which is sent to the nuncio in Washington, DC, who modifies the lists or submits as is to the Congregation of Bishops, which does the same, and then it goes to the Pope who can select from the list or choose someone else. Fr. Chris said that with the death of Archbishop Pietro Sambi, the nuncio in the US, who died this past summer, the work of selecting names would generally stop. Scot said the work in the particular case of Manchester would have been completed at the nuncio’s level some time ago. Bishop McCormack had submitted his resignation 13 months ago which would have initiated the process. At each stage of the process, they consult with those who might know the priest, ask for feedback confidentially. The nuncio will sometimes consult with other bishops. Scot said that since Bishop Libasci wasn’t in our province, his name would not have been on the list sent from the provincial meeting. Fr. Chris said this a historic moment for New England because this is the first diocesan bishop Pope Benedict has picked here in New England. It shows what Pope Benedict is looking for here in this region. Pope Benedict has been appointing as bishops good parish priests who’ve stood the test of time, as opposed to say, seminary rectors or canon lawyers. Scot added they’re not just pastoral administrators, but good evangelizers who can truly lead. Scot said also consulted are previous bishops of the diocese being filled, the president of the bishops conference, and for archdioceses, all the bishops of the country. They also send out confidential questionnaires to 20 or 30 people who would know the prospective bishop. Fr. O’Grady said those who fill out the questionnaire aren’t even supposed to say they’ve seen it. It would include parish staffs who’ve worked with him, other priests who know him, and those work in the diocese. Scot said someone might know he’s a great priest, but they know he just wouldn’t be a great bishop for whatever reason. Scot said at every stage of the process there is a terna, a list of three names: from the province, from the nuncio, from the Congregation of Bishops. Fr. O’Grady said there’s a long tradition of the terna. He also said that the notion of the Holy Father appointing all the bishops of the world directly is only about 150 years old. Before that they were elected, like the Pope is now, and sometimes were selected by royalty. Fr. O’Grady said Bishop John Carroll, the first bishop in the US, was elected by the priests of the diocese, which included the whole US and was only about 12 or 13 priests. Fr. Chris said even today the Holy See does consult with governments before appointing bishops. Fr. O’Grady said Archbishop Timothy Broglio of the Military Archdiocese recently went to Argentina to visit with the administrator of the military archdiocese there. They haven’t been without a bishop for three or four years because the Argentine government has approval over the bishop for the military chaplaincy. He said when Cardinal O’Connell was made archbishop in Boston, in 1904 the bishops of the province sent a terna of three names to the nuncio, two bishops and a priest who were protégés of Archbishop Williams. But then Cardinal O’Connell was appointed instead. He noted that it shows why confidentiality is important because now everyone will question why O’Connell was appointed and the others weren’t. Scot said we talk about this because the bishops are the successors of the apostles and so much in a diocese occurs because a bishop says it’s so. Bad bishops can do tremendous harm to a diocese and good bishops can do tremendous good. Scot asked Fr. Chris to explain the three elements of the Office of Bishop. There is the teaching role. It is the bishops’ job to ensure the truths of the faith are passed on. Vatican II calls them conservators of the faith. They need to conserve the tradition. The second task is the sanctifying office. Priests are in a sense auxiliaries to the bishop. In the early Church, it was the bishop who administered all the sacraments and who knew the faithful by name. As the Church grew it became impossible for the bishop to do it all alone, but even today priests share in the ministry of their bishop. It is the sacraments that the bishop sanctifies the people and helps them to become holy. The third office is governance. As shepherd and head, it is the bishops’ job to ensure the Church runs well and is administered well. A part of that is the selection of pastors for parishes and those who will run agencies and ministries. The bishop ultimately makes the decisions yea or nay on the many missions of the diocese. Fr. O’Grady said in the Sacrament of Holy Orders, the bishop receives the fullness of Holy Orders. Priests are ordained twice, to diaconate and to priesthood. The bishop is The priest in the diocese and has the fullness of his office. Fr. O’Grady quoted Pope John Paul II who said you can’t do one of the three offices with the others: you can’t govern without teaching, you can’t sanctify without governing.

Today’s host(s): Scot Landry Today’s guest(s): Fr. Michael Medas, Director of Clergy Personnel Clergy Personnel Office of the Archdiocese of Boston Today’s topics: Priest Profile: Fr. Michael Medas; How a priest gets assignments Summary of today’s show: Fr. Michael Medas shares with Scot his many and varied assignments, from parishes to deaf ministry to military chaplaincy and now the clergy personnel office. Fr. Medas also explained the detailed 48-step process that goes into assigning a priest to a parish. 1st segment: Today’s guest is Fr. Michael Medas of the Clergy Personnel Office. We’ll be discussing how priests get assigned to new positions and who gives input to the assignments. But first, Scot offered congratulations to the 13 new permanent deacons ordained by Cardinal Seán at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross on Saturday. Deacons Jim Leo and Kevin Wynn were our guests on The Good Catholic Life a few weeks ago. Photos of the ordination are at http://www.flickr.com/bostoncatholic. Fr. Medas’ office also assigns deacons as well as priests. It’s an exciting time for his office, he said. Scot said most of the deacons participated in their first Masses on Sunday along with their first homilies. Fr. Medas said a key element of the diaconate is the ministry of preaching. Fr. Michael was ordained in 1988. Scot asked him how he came to discern the call to priesthood. Fr. Michael said is experience of the call was unique. When he first entered the seminary after high school, he found many of his fellow seminarians mentioned a priest who said something in their life or saw a particular quality in them in the context of the Church. A number of his classmates mentioned the influence of religious sisters in their schools. But for Fr. Michael, it was a quiet experience. His family would go to Mass and he would feel a quiet attraction to the ministry of the priest. He was thinking of law enforcement or a medical vocation at the time, but a quiet voice told him maybe priesthood was possible for him. He entered the seminary thinking they were going to kick him out. There was a priest his parish, Fr. Bill Shea, OMI, who gave a homily once about having dinner with a married friend who’d wondered whether he should have considered the priesthood. At the time, he thought that he didn’t want to look back in his old age wondering if he should have considered the priesthood. So he entered the seminary, still planning on another career, waiting for them to decide he should leave. Fr. Michael said his time in the seminary was divided into undergraduate and graduate years and he finally discerned that calling at the end of his undergrad years. It was still a quiet confirmation, a feeling that it felt right and fit him. It was still very challenging to be conformed to God’s heart, mind, and will, but it still felt comfortable. Fr. Michael grew up in Bridgewater and it at the time it was still quite rural with many dairy farms. It was a small town with good family values. Two aspects of the parish that influenced him was the great preaching at Masses that helped him understand that Christ is present in the Eucharist. It is interesting to him that so many who are responding to vocational calls today, that the Eucharist was so central to them. They also had First Friday devotions with Eucharistic exposition all day. As altar servers, they were called to participate. He said the core of what called him to ask if this was what God was asking him to do, was that he had such a great understanding that the Eucharist is Jesus. He knew that whenever he was seeking Christ, he could find him in the Eucharist. As a priest, he wants to continue to share it as gently and firmly as those parish priests. 2nd segment: Fr. Michael’s first assignment was at St. Patrick’s in Watertown, which had many older folks who built the parish and continued to support it. It had a grammar school and high school. Also, being close to Boston, it was a Catholic parish where younger people working in Boston started to locate. Scot said it’s a beautiful big church and still going strong. CatholicTV has its headquarters in the former convent right behind the parish. Fr. Michael said part of our Catholic life is how older members can share faith with the newer folks, while newer folks share energy and vibrancy with the older folks. After that, Fr. Michael went to St. Theresa Parish in Billerica. It is a very vibrant family community. There were 2,000 kids just in religious education alone. There were 3,000 people at Mass every weekend. He recalls how the traditions of the faith were passed on within families from one generation to the next. In 1994, he was invited to prepare himself through study to lead the Office of the Deaf Apostolate. The Clergy Personnel office had sent out a survey to priests listing a series of non-parish ministries to see if they’d be interested. Fr. Michael checked off deaf ministry. When Fr. Michael was in the last four years of seminary, the deaf community came to the seminary with the hopes of attracting the interest of some future priest to work with them. He remembers sitting in the back of the chapel and the Scripture was proclaimed. A seminarian read the Word and a deaf person sat next to him signing the Word. He thought to himself that the Word became flesh and dwelt among us in the signing. We have a different access to understand God’s Word. After meeting with a priest in 1994 who worked in the deaf apostolate, he prayed about God’s will for him. Fr. Michael went to Gallaudet University in DC to learn American Sign Language. It is a university specifically for deaf people. It is a place where the language is learn, but also the culture of the deaf is experienced. He earned a degree in social work there and then led the Deaf Apostolate for close to a decade. On the weekends when he celebrated Mass for hearing communities, he’d lose his voice because he stopped using it during the week serving deaf Catholics. He would travel more than 450 miles per week visiting deaf people throughout the Archdiocese, helping them with pastoral needs. Scopt said Fr. Sean Carey is the only deaf priest in the Archdiocese and when he celebrates Mass, it helps Scot to appreciate the Mass more. Fr. Michael shared a story of Fr. Shawn’s vocation. He had been with the deaf community praying for a vocation from the deaf Catholic community. They had received a statue of Our Lady from the Archdiocese and each family in the deaf community would bring that statue home and pray every evening at dinner time that God would send them such a vocation. About two years later, Sean Carey stepped forward. Fr. Michael said God can call anybody because it’s not about the individual, but it’s about God’s ability to work around our sinfulness and weakness. If you hear the Word of God calling you to discernment, it can be a quiet call not a lightning bolt. He said as a priest learning sign, celebrating Mass, he has to consider carefully what the Church means by the words of the Mass as well as the words as themselves. It was a deepening of the understanding of Mass and it also slowed him down in celebrating the Mass. It was a great gift. He still celebrates Mass in American Sign Language about once per month. It’s not always with the deaf community. Often if he goes to Mass with a lot of kids, he will pray the Eucharist prayer in Sign. Many children today learn some signs in school and at home so it’s somewhat familiar and they are often intrigued. After the deaf apostolate, he was assigned to chaplaincy with the Air Force Reserves and then the Air National Guard. Fr. Michael said there’s an even greater shortage of priests within the military communities. There is a sacrifice for a diocese to send a priest to the military, but they are serving people from our own communities who are already serving us in dangerous, life-threatening jobs. Scot said the Archdiocese of Boston has always been a leader in encouraging priests to consider military service. Fr. Michael said many years the bishop of the military archdiocese asked the dioceses to pledge 3% of their priests to the chaplaincy. When people are in harm’s way, they want the comfort of the sacraments, especially the comfort of Jesus in the Eucharist. He served at Hanscom Air Force Base in Bedford. He also served at the National Security Agency, Maguire AFB in New Jersey, and the Air Force Academy. He has served at the academy for three summers now. He said he wishes every American could meet the young men and women who attend the academy. The chapel there seats 350-400 people and overflows when they come for a time of prayer, seeking to serve their country in the context of serving God. In some ways, his reserve service takes up his regular vacation time. The obligation is two weeks anytime during the year, particularly during the summer, and two days per month. When he finished a prior assignment to the one he is in now, he thought he’d be going back to parish ministry and so he switched to the Air National Guard so that he would have more stability. His ANG assignment is actually in Rhode Island because if their need for a chaplain in North Smithfield, Rhode Island. Prior to this assignment, Fr. Michael was Director of Pastoral Formation at St. John Seminary. He said it was a privileged moment in his seminary formation to just be in the seminary, but then to be called back, knowing how important seminary formation is for the lives of parishioners. He was pleased to have some role in that, particularly in pastoral formation, to help the men develop their skills for the parish. 3rd segment: One of the most important duties of a bishop is to prayerfully discern the assignment of priests to parishes. Fr. Michael coordinates the process that provides the options for Cardinal Seán to choose from. Scot said Fr. Michael’s predecessor, Fr. Bob Deehan, once made a presentation that listed 48 steps for assigning a priest. He was shocked at how detailed the the process was. Fr. Michael has been in the job for a little more than a year. Scot asked for an overview of the process. Fr. Michael said the people in his office give great assistance and play an important role, especially Ruth Cox who has been in the office many years and knows every priest. When a parish becomes open, the Cardinal makes an announcement in the Pilot that the present pastor is leaving the parish and moving to a new assignment. The Personnel office contacts the old pastor to create a parish profile, including all the projects, goals, and hopes of the parish for now and the future as well as the current state of the parish. At the same time, priests of the Archdiocese would be bringing the assignment to prayer and putting their name forward to be considered. Within two to three weeks, Fr. Michael will respond to contacts from interested priests and give them the results of the parish profile. The priests will also be in touch with the outgoing pastor. Scot asked if others could nominate priest they think will be good for the parish. Fr. Michael said parishioners do give their input through the parish profile compiled by the outgoing pastor. Another priest can nominate a priest by telling Fr. Michael why a particular priest would be a great fit. Occasionally, a pastor will invite Fr. Michael to meet with the parish pastoral council or parishioners to speak to them in person. It puts people’s names and voices behind the parish profile. Scot said regional bishops assist Cardinal Seán with relationships with pastors and vicars forane, pastors within those regions who also work with the bishops. Fr. Michael said the bishops and vicars are helpful for considering the needs of a particular town or region or parish cluster when assigning a pastor. Once the process has begun and the Clergy Personnel Board— nine priests who are elected by ordination years and are responsible for knowing the priests in their year-groups— meets and considers those who’ve written in, those whose names have been put in, and every single priest in the Archdiocese. They consider the profile and have lots of discussion, discernment, and prayer. They come up with a list of names for the Cardinal, but first they bring the list to the regional bishop for him to weigh in. They always try to have a list of three names of priests who would be a good next fit. As the Cardinal reviews the three names, Fr. Michael explains the strengths of the three men. Scot asked when nominated priests find out they’ve been nominated. Fr. Michael said when a priest nominates another, Fr. Michael tells him he should talk to that priest so that when Cardinal Seán asks the priest to be the next pastor, it won’t be a surprise and if there’s a reason not to become pastor they will know it ahead of time. Scot said Cardinal Seán sometimes chooses a name that wasn’t on the list, but for the most part the Cardinal is understanding of the process of all the work that goes into compiling the list. There’s so much work into understanding the parish and the priests who’ve applied. But the Cardinal is the bishop and the Cardinal has the grace of his office for the Lord to work. There may also be particulars that the Cardinal knows as the bishop, that others might not. Fr. Michael said the Cardinal has a personnel board too with the vicar general, Fr. Michael, and the secretary of pastoral life and leadership. At the end of the meeting, Fr. Michael’s task is to call the priest that Cardinal Seán has selected. If the priest didn’t know he was being considered, very often he wants to speak to his spiritual director first. There’s a respectfulness on the part of Cardinal Seán for God’s working in the priest’s life. If he accepts the assignment, then it all starts all over again if the priest was already a pastor. Scot said typically there’s a couple of months before the pastor takes on the new assignment in order to allow him to wrap up his previous ministry and for the new parish to prepare. Fr. Michael’s office also assigns parochial vicars to prepare them to be pastors someday. How many assignments should a young priest have before becoming a pastor. They hope for two assignments of 3 years apiece. The first assignment they are transitioning from seminary, living with a pastor. In the second assignment they learn how to be a pastor. But today, they are finding that even within 4 years or in one recent case, less than 4 years, they are becoming pastors. Some pastors are particularly good at forming parochial vicars and being mentors. The younger priest sees from his mentor how to live out his priesthood. Scot said many priests today are second-vocation priests ordained after a long professional career. They still need to transition to the priesthood, to stop seeing things through his old profession and to see it through the eyes of his priesthood.

Today’s host(s): Scot Landry and Fr. Mark O’Connell Today’s guest(s): Honorable Maura Doyle, Supreme Judicial Court Clerk for Suffolk County, and Carolyn Carideo Catholic Lawyers Guild of Boston “Annual Red Mass to be held September 18”, The Pilot, 09/02/11 Today’s topics: The Catholic Lawyers Guild and the annual Red Mass Summary of today’s show: Scot is surrounded by lawyers as he and Fr. Mark welcome the Honorable Maura Doyle and Carolyn Carideo for a frank and humorous discussion of the Catholic Lawyer’s Guild, living as a Catholic lawyer in Massachusetts, and the annual Red Mass for lawyers at the Cathedral this Sunday. Also, looking at this Sunday’s Mass readings on forgiveness and the parable of the workers in the vineyard. 1st segment: Scot said Fr. Mark is the judicial vicar for the Archdiocese, but he’s also chaplain of the Catholic Lawyer’s Guild as the vicar. This weekend, the Guild has a big event. The highlight of their year is the Red Mass, which is this Sunday with Cardinal Seán at the cathedral. Scot asked Fr. Mark what similarities there are between canon law and civil law. Fr. Mark said the philosophy of law is the same everywhere and comes to the seeking of justice. But the differences between canon and civil law are very great, including the rigidity of sentencing. Where the highest law in canon law is the salvation of souls, it allows a lot of flexibility in application. We see similarities in situations where canon law is trying to do the same things as civil law, like in the governing of property. Scot said a great aspect of our country is that we are a country of laws and a people who respect the law. In eastern Massachusetts, we also have many Catholic lawyers. Our guests today are Maura Doyle and Carolyn Carideo, one an experienced lawyer and a newer lawyer. 2nd segment: Scot welcomed Maura Doyle, who is clerk of the Supreme Judicial Court in Suffolk County, and Carolyn Carideo. Maura has been involved with the guild for about 20 years. The guild started around 1987. Scot asked Maura about her experience and title. She said she is the Trial Court Clerk of the Supreme Judicial Court. It’s the oldest court of continuous existence in the Western Hemisphere and was created in 1692. It was created for the purpose of traveling to Salem to deal with the witch trials, and after it became involved in those trials they acquitted or overturned every case. This trial court had jurisdiction over the entire state for capital cases. The Clerk is an elected position and has been that way since the mid-1800s. At the time the court was becoming so busy hearing capital cases throughout the state that the State created a new superior court with jurisdiction over all capital cases, although the supreme judicial court could still hear murder cases. Prior to her service at the Supreme judicial court, she was a trial lawyer for 11 years in the federal court. She was also an adjunct faculty at Suffolk University. Carolyn has been practicing law since 2007. In 2003, after working in various industries, she went back to school for law at night at Suffolk University. She practices real estate law. She works in a family-owned real estate business. Scot asked how many of her classmates got into real estate or property law. She said not many and even she had been wary to jump out on her own in 2007 and stayed with her current job. Maura is Carolyn’s aunt and godmother and performed the swearing-in when Carolyn became an officer of the court and a member of the bar. Maura gave special attention to Carolyn at the swearing-in above all the others who were present and getting sworn in to Carolyn’s embarrassment. Maura said 3,000 people pass the bar in Massachusetts because of all the law schools. This November, Maura will have reached 30,000 lawyers sworn in during her career. Maura said the practice of law is an honorable profession, one of only three that require an oath (doctors, lawyers, and theologians), and she is troubled when she sees young lawyers minimize the accomplishment and profession. Fr. Mark said the Catholic Lawyers Guild has had a series of article in the Pilot. Two weeks ago, it was on the juror’s oath in which it was argued that the morality of the juror depends on that oath. You cannot separate religion from the oath. Maura said the attorney’s oath in Massachusetts is the oldest in the US: I (repeat the name) solemnly swear that I will do no falsehood, nor consent to the doing of any in court; I will not wittingly or willingly promote or sue any false, groundless or unlawful suit, nor give aid or consent to the same; I will delay no man for lucre or malice; but I will conduct myself in the office of an attorney within the courts according to the best of my knowledge and discretion, and with all good fidelity as well to the courts as my clients. So help me God. Maura said everyone present is required to stand during the oath because it is what you become at that moment, not something you do for a living. She said there was an effort recently to make the oath politically correct so she said no. Every lawyer going back to 1686 has made this oath. Scot noted that a few give the many a bad name and people have a generally bad idea of lawyers. What does she tell young lawyers? Maura said the Honorable Frank O’Connor would tell the new lawyers that everyone has a joke about lawyers, but everyone would also say that they want to get rid of every lawyer but one—their own. People associate lawyers with litigiousness of society, but they also do so much more than that. They advocate for the voiceless, mend relationships, try to achieve justice, help people put the pieces of their lives back together. 3rd segment: Scot asked Carolyn why Catholic lawyers should become members of the guild. She said a lot of what you might think of as your lawyer-self might make it impossible to be both. But your faith affects all of your life, including being an attorney. Even if its something that’s been fallen away from, learning to embrace their Catholicism will bring them peace and help them find the justice they’ve been trained to seek. It’s also a source of wisdom and community among people who’ve been living the same sort of life. Being Catholic is in your bones. It wouldn’t define you as apart from your peers. But if you embrace it, it can make you a better lawyer. Fr. Mark said the speaker at their banquet was John Garvey, now president of Catholic University of America. He said if you don’t bring the principles of your Catholic faith to your life as a lawyer, what are you bringing? What are you basing your morality on? Maura said she’s found newer lawyers today are very impressed with themselves. They don’t realize that civility and professionalism are important. Courtesy, respect, and civility are part of the Golden Rule. It’s important and society has often forgotten a lot of the manners and professional courtesies. A word should be your bond, but newer lawyers won’t take the word, but want it in writing to use against you later. Scot said hopefully being a Catholic makes you a better lawyer or whatever profession. Carolyn said the lawyers are also fighting against a lot of the ways TV shows and movies portray lawyers. In reality, most lawyers, even those on opposite sides of cases, have a fraternity and are friendly to one another. Maura said in the oath ceremony, she stresses that they are to be peacemakers, not hired guns. Abraham Lincoln said that a lawyer, as a peacemaker, has a superior opportunity to be a good man. Scot asked who can join the Catholic Lawyers Guild. Anyone from law school students to the most experienced lawyers can join. There isn’t a formal program yet for new laws, but there’s a wealth of experience among the membership. Fr. Mark said it’s not formal mentoring, but they do have more experienced lawyers reaching out to new lawyers serving in a high-powered work environment. As a chaplain, Fr. Mark attends Board of Directors meetings and represents the cardinal to them and ensures they remain authentically Catholic. On the Saturday of Palm Sunday each year, they have a day of reflection for the Guild. Maura said they also have a Spring lecture, and in the last couple of years it’s been at the John Adams Courthouse. It can be a variety of topics. Recently, it was a canon lawyer who spoke on the history of the Extraordinary Form of the Latin Rite, which fascinated the civil lawyers. This year was Billy Bulger talking about his new book on John Michael Curley. Maura said young lawyers have a hard time transitioning on how to live their faith within their professions without compartmentalizing them. She said it needs to be brought to their attention that there is a crossover because the laws and rights are predicated on the 10 Commandments. All of those things emanate from religious belief. Some young lawyers don’t see that. Fr. Mark said it’s good to see the judges and lawyers and new lawyers on a level playing field talking about their faith. 4th segment: Scot said this Sunday is the Red Mass, a gathering of lawyers with Cardinal Seán as celebrant. It’s at 11:30 at the Cathedral. Fr. Mark said the Mass is an ancient custom and many of the dioceses in the US have Red Masses. The biggest one is in Washington and the 9 Supreme Court justices attend, the 5 Catholics and the 4 non-Catholics as well. That’s where Cardinal Seán came to appreciate the Red Mass. The Red Mass is called that because of the vestments. It goes back to ancient times when lawyers wore red. Doctors have the White Mass. Cardinal Seán always gives a “be proud to bring your faith to work” homily. After the Mass is a banquet at the Seaport Hotel about 1pm where Chief Justice Philip Rapoza will speak. Tickets for the reception are still available at the door or they can be purchased online. Chief Justice Rapoza of the Appeals Court is a very devout Catholic, Maura said. He is Chief Justice of the Interim Appellate Court in Massachusetts. The Interim Appellate Court was created in 1972 to lessen the amount of appeals on the Supreme Judicial Court. He’s been a judge at several levels and became Chief Justice of the court in 2006. At one point he was also a special judge appointed by the United Nations to an international criminal court for crimes against humanity in the island-nation of East Timor, a former province of Indonesia. They’ve had some great speakers over the years: Helen Alvare, Justice Antonin Scalia, Gov. Casey of Pennsylvania and more. 5th segment: Now, as we do every week, we look forward to this coming Sunday’s Mass readings to help us prepare to celebrate together. First Reading for September 18, 2011, 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Isaiah 55:6-9) Seek the LORD while he may be found, call him while he is near. Let the scoundrel forsake his way, and the wicked his thoughts; let him turn to the LORD for mercy; to our God, who is generous in forgiving. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the LORD. As high as the heavens are above the earth, so high are my ways above your ways and my thoughts above your thoughts. Gospel for September 18, 2011, 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Matthew 20:1-6a) Jesus told his disciples this parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out at dawn to hire laborers for his vineyard. After agreeing with them for the usual daily wage, he sent them into his vineyard. Going out about nine o’clock, the landowner saw others standing idle in the marketplace, and he said to them, ‘You too go into my vineyard, and I will give you what is just.’ So they went off. And he went out again around noon, and around three o’clock, and did likewise. Going out about five o’clock, the landowner found others standing around, and said to them, ‘Why do you stand here idle all day?’ They answered, ‘Because no one has hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You too go into my vineyard.’ When it was evening the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Summon the laborers and give them their pay, beginning with the last and ending with the first.’ When those who had started about five o’clock came, each received the usual daily wage. So when the first came, they thought that they would receive more, but each of them also got the usual wage. And on receiving it they grumbled against the landowner, saying, ‘These last ones worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us, who bore the day’s burden and the heat.’ He said to one of them in reply, ‘My friend, I am not cheating you. Did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage? Take what is yours and go. What if I wish to give this last one the same as you? Or am I not free to do as I wish with my own money? Are you envious because I am generous?’ Thus, the last will be first, and the first will be last.” Scot asked Carolyn what jumps out to her from these. She said it seems no contracts were signed. But really, what she sees is that we need to mind our own business and not worry about what the next guy is doing. Don’t be trying to be a better Catholic than the next guy. Have your own path and mind your own faith. When you focus away from your own self, you can go astray. Maura said in the first reading it’s the idea of forgiveness that jumps out. In practicing law, just because you have an opposing counsel, they are not the enemy. You need to have forgiveness for those who oppose you. Also, don’t point out the speck in your brother’s eye, when you have a log in your own. In these days, there’s a lot of self-centeredness. Everyone thinks they’re being taken advantage of. There’s also a minimalism where people think they could have done less to get the same wage. Work is not just a burden but is a service. The parable is about how God acted and we should rejoice because God has been generous to those who have lately received his grace. Fr. Mark said God gives the answer to the Gospel in the first reading. It’s the idea of what God thinks is fair. God’s idea of fairness is God treating everyone equally. The guy who waits until 5 to get work is the weakest and least capable. But God treats them with as much respect as the strongest and most capable. Scot said in reading the parable putting ourselves in each of the roles can be revealing. If you’re the last one picked, you’re anguishing over being able to provide for your family. It teaches us to be generous and grateful.

Today’s host(s): Scot Landry and Susan Abbott Today’s guest(s): Fr. Roger Landry, executive editor of The Anchor, the newspaper of the Fall River diocese; and Gregory Tracy, managing editor of The Pilot, the newspaper of the Boston archdiocese 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: Religious womens’ jubilee; bishops mobilize against contraception; Protecting priests; incardination and the case of Fr. Pavone Summary of today’s show: Scot and Susan discuss the news of the week with Greg and Fr. Roger including the dispute between Fr. Frank Pavone of Priests for Life and his bishop; the US bishops mobilizing Catholics against violation of conscience in healthcare legislation; Fr. Roger’s editorial on protecting priests from false accusations; and women religious in Boston celebrating jubilees and over 5,000 years of combined service to the Church. 1st segment: Scot caught up with Susan this Thursday. She’s off and running with the new school year and so has religious education. This Sunday is Catechetical Sunday and most parishes will begin their programs on Sunday. Parish catechists are frontline apostles, as John Paul II called them. Scot said every parish needs more catechists and listeners should consider helping out. 2nd segment: Scot and Susan welcome Greg and Fr. Roger. Scot said the centerfold in this week’s Pilot is about religious sisters who are celebrating their jubilee anniversaries. Greg said it’s a joyous celebration to celebrate their 25th, 50th, 60th, and even 75th anniversaries of religious life. All combined all these women have given more than 5,000 years of service! The Mass took place at St. Theresa of Avila in West Roxbury, which is Susan’s parish. She said it’s a wonderful celebration. The oldest jubilarian was Sister Declan Sullivan, 93, at 75 years of service and she said it was one of the most beautiful celebrations she’s had. Bishop Dooher celebrated the Mass and praised the sisters for their service and witness. He also connected the celebration to the commemoration of 9/11 which occurred on the same day. Sister Sean Mayer of the Daughters of St. Paul was the youngest at 45 with 25 years of service. She entered the order at 14 and professed at 20. Fr. Roger said in an age where so few make commitments and where those who do don’t keep their word, these women who’ve kept these commitments are a sign of fidelity and what God is saying to us through them about the great mystery of their vocation and God’s great faithfulness to them. It is a sign that God calls each of us in our own way and their vocations are signs to us of our own eternal vocation to be with God in heaven. The Pilot article on Friday will have a complete list of the names of the jubilarians. 3rd segment: The US bishops are asking all Catholics to mobilize to contact Congress and the Dept of Health and human Services to guard our consciences on issues of contraception. Greg said the new healthcare reform law pushed by the Obama administration, health care plans must cover the abortifacient morning-after pill and contraceptives. While there is a conscience protection clause in the regulations, it is so narrowly written that Catholic hospitals, schools, and charities would be required to pay for these drugs and sterilizations. There is a public comment period for these regulations that expires at the end of this month. The bishops are urging people to register their objections at http://www.usccb.org/conscience. “Bishops aim to mobilize Catholics to guard consciences on contraception”, CNS, 09/09/11 “USCCB urges rescission of HHS contraceptive mandate, criticizes ‘inexplicably narrow’ definition of religious freedom”, USCCB, 08/31/11 Susan said we have a moral obligation to act and to let our elected officials know how we feel about this. She noted that antibiotics aren’t being made free or children’s vitamins, but these morally objectionable drugs and services are. Scot said parish bulletin announcements have been sent to parishes. Greg said that if these rules get passed, church organizations may be forced to stop offering health care benefits to employees and their families. Fr. Roger said as Christians we have to vote. He said not to worry about exactly how you word your objection because they’re just adding up Yeas and Nays. Congress is also considering a Respect for Conscience Act that would require all federal agencies to include respect for conscience in their actions and regulations. 4th segment: Scot said on the front page of the Anchor this week is a story about the incardination of Fr. Andrew Johnson, a religious order priest who is becoming a diocesan priest. Fr. Roger said incardination means you belong to a diocese or religious institute or congregation. When Fr. Johnson, he was ordained into the Cistercian Order. Fr. Roger was incardinated as a priest of Fall River. Incardination is a process of moving between dioceses or between a diocese and religious order. Fr. Johnson, with the permission of his religious order, has discerned becoming a parish priest of Fall River. He is currently serving as a hospital chaplain. Scot and Susan recalled that in 2009 Fr. Ken Cannon was incardinated in the Archdiocese of Boston at a Mass at the Pastoral Center as Cardinal Seán recounted in his blog on May 15, 2009. Related to incardinations, Fr. Frank Pavone is a priest of the Diocese of Amarillo, Texas, but was originally was a priest of the Archdiocese of New York. He moved to Texas at the invitation of the previous bishop to start a pro-life priests’ group, but now the current bishop, Bishop Zurek, has asked Fr. Pavone to leave Priests for Life and return to the diocese. “Father Pavone suspended from ministry outside Amarillo Diocese”, CNS, 09/13/11 Full statement from Bishop Zurek regarding decision to suspend Fr. Pavone’s public ministry Official statement from Fr. Frank Pavone in response to bishop’s suspension order Bishop Zurek’s letter was strongly worded and accused Fr. Pavone of having an inflated ego and questioning the finances of Priests for Life. Greg said he was unaware of having seen any other public letter that was this strongly worded. He said it recalls the recent situation regarding Fr. Corapi. He did not the statement correctly saying that there cannot be a freelance priest. A priest must answer to a bishop or a religious order. He believes Bishop Zurek is trying to reassert his authority over a priest who has become a freelancer. Scot said Fr. Pavone’s response letter was respectful and responded to many of the issues raised in the bishops’ letter. Fr. Pavone has been focused on providing priestly leadership throughout his priesthood at the urging of bishops like Cardinal John O’Connor of New York. Among Bishop Zurek’s points was that Priests for Life raises $10 million per year without oversight. Fr. Pavone countered that a board of bishops oversees the organization. Fr. Roger said it’s terrible is being played out in public. He doesn’t think there is a more articulate pro-life advocate in the US and he is able to write credible and original weekly columns on this issue throughout the year. Fr. Pavone moved to Amarillo to found a religious order of pro-life priests, but that didn’t happen for various reasons. So he is still a parish priest under obedience to his bishop. Fr. Roger said it’s very unfortunate to have this compared to other celebrity priests who’ve had scandals because even Bishop Zurek’s letter doesn’t allege actual wrongdoing on the part of Fr. Pavone. Fr. Roger pointed out that the Bishop does have a right to ensure that Fr. Pavone is on the up and up with regard to his personal finances because he has a duty to shepherd his soul. The bishop may have gone overboard in his language, but Fr. Pavone has to remember that he is a priest of the diocese. Fr. Roger guesses that Fr. Pavone will eventually incardinate somewhere else under a bishop who will respect his desire to engage in pro-life ministry full-time. Susan said the bishop’s letter was very harshly worded. As is often the cause, the real loser in this is the Church’s work for the unborn. She said the CNS story says Fr. Pavone doesn’t get a salary but that Priests for Life pay for his housing expenses (about $2,000 per month) and his expenses in working for Priests for Life. Scot said some people are trying to tie this to the Corapi situation of a couple of months ago, but there is nothing to compare this with that case or of the previous case of Fr. Tom Euteneuer of Human Life International. 5th segment: Scot encouraged listeners to remember the CatholicTV telethon is coming up and asked them to tune in. Fr. Roger write an editorial in this week’s Anchor about a priest in Niagara Falls who was extorted by a drug addict who demanded money in exchange for not filing a false accusation of abuse. Fr. Roger said the priest eventually gave him all his savings, maxed out his credit, borrowed from friends, and even took money from the parish to pay off this man. It came to $90,000. Fr. Roger asked why a priest would feel so vulnerable to a false accusation from a drug addict with so many credibility problems. The answer is that any accusation, no matter how outlandish, sets in motion a series of protocols that aren’t actually in the letter of Church policy but that treat any accusation as credible. At the moment of an accusation, a priest has to leave his ministry, move out of the rectory, stop wearing his clerical clothes, and endure a press release about it. He said in many ways the same injustices that occurred prior to 2002 are now being foisted on priests. In both cases, it wasn’t the policies but a lack of adherence to policies in place. Another point is that it takes so long for these investigations and trials to occur in the Church that it leaves priests in limbo and sometimes they never resume their priestly ministry. Susan asked how long it takes to decide if an accusation is credible. We need to balance protection of the innocent victim of abuse with the protection of the innocent victim of false accusation. How can we speed up the process so these men won’t have their reputations and priestly ministries suspended. Scot said some priests say two wrongs don’t make a right. Greg agreed that the process drags slowly even though some cases are immediately not credible. On the other hand, he is torn. He started working at the Pilot just as the scandal in Boston broke and he saw how the trust of the people was broken. It’s a very difficult call to make. Fr. Roger has some ideas how to defend the full rights of accusers and the accused, to remove guilty priests as fast as possible and return innocent priests. First, there needs to be a real preliminary investigation when an accusation comes in by someone who is competent and trained to determine whether it is a truly credible and plausible accusation. Many times priests are just told they’ve been accused and not given the details of what he’s accused of. Second, a priest who maintains his innocence should be entitled to a speedy investigation by both civil authorities and ecclesiastical review board. There’s no excuse for a priest accused in 2002 to not have an answer to his circumstance today. We need to have the same outrage for false accusations of innocent priests who are hung out to dry just as we had for the abuse of children and the lack of response by the Church. Third, everything must be done to protect the reputation of a priest who has been accused but not convicted or admitted guilt. Scot said he hears similar comments from priests all the time. He said priests recognize that the pendulum needed to swing back to protection of children, but it’s swung too far.

Today’s host(s): Scot Landry and Fr. Matt Williams Today’s topics: Understanding and embracing the Cross of Christ Summary of today’s show: On this Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross, Scot and Fr. Matt confront the scandal of the Cross, explain how and why Catholics embrace the Cross of Christ as a sign of ultimate love, talk a little about the history of the feast day as well as why our cathedral in Boston is dedicated to the Cross, and then considers the prayers and readings from today’s Mass for the feast. 1st segment: Scot and Fr. Matt will talk about the power and scandal and confusion of the Cross of Christ because today is the Feast of the Exaltations of the Cross, which is important in Boston because our Cathedral is dedicated to the Holy Cross. Fr. Matt told Scot that his office has been working over the past week to plan out their schedule for the next year for youth ministry and young adult ministry. He said it’s important to step back and evaluate, to consider what you do well and what you don’t do well, to look at what they have done over the past year. Especially in youth ministry, you need to do more than just pull out what you did last year and do it again. The Holy Spirit evangelizes each generation in a new way. 2nd segment: Today we honor the holy cross by which Christ redeemed the world. Veneration of the cross began in the 4th century after the discovery of the relics of the Cross by St. Helen, mother of Emperor Constantine, on September 14, 326. In the Western Church the feast came into prominence in the seventh century — after 629, when the Byzantine emperor Heraclitus restored the Holy Cross to Jerusalem, after defeating the Persians who had stolen it. The cross is the primary symbol of our faith. Fr. Matt said we find the cross everywhere in our society, and it is the power of God made manifest, the manifestation of his love. The sacraments bring the power of the cross into the moment of grace it confers. The first prayer we learn is the Sign of the Cross. During baptism, the baby or adult is baptized with water in the Sign of the Cross. In confirmation, the oil is place on the forehead in the Sign of the Cross. And so on through the sacraments. Scot said the YouCat, a new catechism intended for youth in a question and answer format. The Cross on which Jesus, although innocent, was cruelly innocent was the place of utmost degradation and abandonment,. He chose the Cross to bear the sin of the world and bring the world back to God. God could not show his love more forcibly than allowing his son to be nailed to the cross for us. Crucifixion was the most shameful form of execution in Roman times and God entered into the most abysmal suffering of those times. Fr. Matt talked about how Jesus became a curse to redeem his people on the cross. The cross was considered to be a curse and those crucified on it to be cursed. So Christi who is sinless became cursed on behalf of all of us sinners. He was willing to suffer the most painful form of death to show us that he is the true Lamb of God willing to take away all our sins. Fr. Matt said you often realize how much faith is a gift and it takes humility to receive that gift. Fr. Matt told a story from tradition that when the Persians returned the Cross, the Emperor Heraclius carried the Cross back into Jerusalem on his back. He was clothed in costly garments and jewels. But at the foot of Calvary, he couldn’t pass onto the hill. So the bishop of Jerusalem told him that in his costly garments he was far from resembling Jesus. So the Emperor changed into penitential garb and was able to carry it to the top of the hill. In order to conform our lives to the cross, we need humility. Scot noted that Jesus told us that we have to pick up our cross to follow him as well in order to be his disciple. That’s challenging in this culture where we look at self-denial as a big deal. Fr. Matt said the saints are always reflecting on the cross, which teaches us by their witness. They always meditate on the wounds of Christ as a sign of the love of Christ. Thomas a Kempis, Imitation of Christ: “If you carry your cross joyfully, it will soon carry you.” Fr. Matt said Andrea Alberti often preaches the cross to the teens she ministers to and says, “Who doesn’t respond to love?” Evangelization always begins with love. From the love we have in ourselves, we have to introduce others to the love of Jesus. She tells them, “How much are you worth? The Precious Blood of Jesus.” Fr. Matt said the movie The Passion of The Christ was an accurate and shocking portrayal of the crucifixion of Jesus and just what he went through. Scot remembers Jim Caviezel, the actor who portrayed Jesus, talking at the Boston Catholic Mens and Womens Conference about how, even with special effects and protection, how much he suffered himself. And then he understood that Jesus suffered more than just physically, but also mentally as he considered the sins of all of us that he was carrying. In the scene where Jesus falls with the cross at his mother’s feet, you see Jesus close his eyes and hug the cross. Why? Because Jesus knew that this was the means by which he would gain for all of us eternal life with the heavenly Father. It’s a reaffirmation of his mission and why he came. Scot said on Good Friday, the central part of the service on that day is the procession where we all venerate the cross. We can venerate the cross each day as well. 3rd segment: It’s time to announce the winner of the weekly WQOM Benefactor Raffle. Our prize this week is Crossing the Goal: Playbook on the Virtues and Crossing the Goal: Playbook on Our Father, both by Danny Abramowicz, Peter Herbeck, Curtis Martin and Brian Patrick. This week’s winner is Christopher Dolan from Seekonk, MA. Congratulations, Christopher! If you would like to be eligible to win in an upcoming week, please visit WQOM.org. For a one-time $30 donation, you’ll receive the Station of the Cross benefactor card and key tag, making you eligible for WQOM’s weekly raffle of books, DVDs, CDs and religious items. We’ll be announcing the winner each Wednesday during “The Good Catholic Life” program. 4th segment: Here in the Archdiocese of Boston, the mother church is the Cathedral of the Holy Cross and it was a significant choice when the earliest priests in Boston recommended to the Bishop of Baltimore that New England’s mother church be named after the Holy Cross. Fr. Matt thinks of the thousands of priests who have been ordained in the current cathedral and all the beautiful liturgies over the past century plus, including funeral of our bishops and Holy Week liturgies. The current cathedral was inaugurated in 1875 on the Feast of Immaculate Conception, replacing the original cathedral downtown on Franklin Street. At the time, the South End was much more rural. The cathedral is longer than a football field and 12 stories high. Scot recommends listeners visit this beautiful church. Holy Cross Cathedral Fr. Matt said for those who haven’t seen the giant churches in Europe, they will be struck by the size of it compared to other churches in the US. In St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican, on the floor of the church, there are plaques in the floor marking the size of other churches in the world compared to St. Peter’s. Holy Cross is one of the churches listed in comparison. Fr. Matt said as you come down the main aisle, on the right, you see the stained glass window of St. Helen discovering the Cross in Jerusalem. Scot said there is richness in meditating on the cross in our lives, especially when doing so in the Cathedral on this feast. He said the North Transept window allows one to meditate on the resurrection of Christ and on the South side is the exaltation of the cross. In the Blessed Sacrament chapel, up until about a year ago there was a relic of the True Cross there. It was stolen about a year ago, and later returned. It is planned that it will be put back when it can be better secured. 5th segment: Scot quotes the YouCat: “Why are we expected to accept suffering our lives” and accept the cross of Jesus? Why does God permit suffering? Christians should not seek suffering, but when confronted by it, it can become meaningful for us when united with the sufferings of Christ. Human suffering becomes united with redeeming love of Christ. Fr. Matt said that if he had the answers to why there is suffering, he would write a book and make a lot of money. There is no single answer to say why anything happens for a particular reason. We have to look at the cross of Jesus Christ. There is a God who did not remain distant and removed from our human condition, but rather emptied himself, taking the form of a slave and giving himself up to be pierced for our sins. He paid a debt he didn’t owe because we owed a debt we couldn’t pay. He notes that the Holy Father writes to people in suffering that he is “spiritually close” to them. Now imagine how God is even closer to us when we are suffering. If God’s posture is to be close to us, why would he send us evil to drive us away from him? By offering up a prayer for others, to offer up our suffering for the sake of others, not only changes other, it changes ourselves, because it purifies us and helps us to avoid becoming bitter and inward-turning. Scot said one of the challenging questions is why suffering is not doled evenly. Some seem to suffer more. We are told that in the challenges we face, God will give us the grace to deal with them as long as we ask. Fr. Matt said we all know people whose suffering seems to be ongoing and continuous. We look to the Cross and the saints would rejoice in their sufferings. They would say that the Lord loves them more deeply that the Lord allowed them to share more deeply of his suffering. Every single one of us, no matter how much suffering we have, have to consider why we are here on this earth and what is our ultimate destiny. Scot quoted the hymn, “Lift High the Cross”: “Lift High the Cross, the Love of Christ proclaim, until all the world proclaim his holy name!” They then considered the prayers of the Mass today. Scot suggested that listeners take the opportunity to venerate the cross in their home tonight and embrace the cross that redeemed the world.