The Good Catholic Life

**Today's host(s):** Scot Landry and Fr. Chip Hines, pastor of St. Mary Parish, Wrentham **Today's guest(s):** Sister Terry Rickard, President of Renew International, Janet Benestad, Secretary for Faith Formation and Evangelization for the Archdiocese of Boston, and Mary Ann McLaughlin, Co-Director of the Office of Worship and Spiritual Life and Director of Arise: Together in Christ * [Renew International](http://www.renewintl.org/) * ["Our Hearts Were Burning Within Us": A Pastoral Plan for Adult Faith Formation in the United States](http://www.nccbuscc.org/education/ourhearts.htm) * [Arise: Together in Christ](http://www.bostoncatholic.org/ARISE.aspx?pid=464) * [Why Catholic?: Journey Through the Catechism](http://www.bostoncatholic.org/whycatholic.aspx?pid=464) **Today's topics:** Adult faith formation and the new program called Why Catholic? **A summary of today's show:** Scot and Fr. Chip talk with Sr. Terry Rickard, Janet Benestad, and Mary Ann McLaughlin about adult faith formation and the new program in the Archdiocese of Boston called "Why Catholic?" that will take parishioners through the Catechism. **1st segment:** Scot welcomes Fr. Chip as a substitute co-host for Fr. Matt Williams who is traveling. He has been pastor at St. Mary's for three years as of May 1. He's working hard to try some new things, bringing people closer together and bring people back to God. He also co-hosts the movie review show Spotlight with Fr. Bill Kelly on CatholicTV. He's been a big fan of movies as long as he can remember. They've completed their second season of the show. Scot said they'll be speaking today about the centrality of adult faith formation in the Archdiocese of Boston and specifically about the new program following on Arise and Catholics Come Home called Why Catholic? Fr. Chip said he's excited to hear about these programs coming from the archdiocese because not every parish has the resources to do it all on their own and re-inventing the wheel. **2nd segment:** Scot welcomes Sr. Terry and Janet to the show. Scot said most of what Renew does is helping dioceses and parishes with adult faith formation. Renew came out of the renewal of the Second Vatican Council and focuses on the methodology of small groups. They have worked in 24 countries and 160 dioceses in the US over the past 30 years. Currently they are working in 51 dioceses. Scot said there are about 176 dioceses in the US. Scot said to Janet that the US bishops wrote in a document about 10 years ago that adult faith formation is central to the mission of the Church. Janet said Bl. John Paul wrote in [Catechesi Tradendae](http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/apost_exhortations/documents/hf_jp-ii_exh_16101979_catechesi-tradendae_en.html) about this centrality for the first time. Our parishes do a good job educating and forming children, but we haven't done as well at ongoing formation for adults. Scot said he was surprised to read in the US bishops' document: >The Church wisely and repeatedly insists that adult faith formation is "essential to who we are and what we do as Church" and must be "situated not at the periphery of the Church's educational mission but at its center." While most Catholic parishes place a high priority on the faith formation of children and youth, far fewer [Catholic parishes] treat adult faith formation as a priority. Fr. Chip said it's important that we do it, but we're not doing it. We're so focused with our limited resources on forming children that we let parents and other adults slip through the cracks. He did a formation series last fall on Church history and it was sporadically attended. But that can't be discouraging because people do tell him they want such formation. We just have to find what works for them. The US bishops said well-formed adults are our next generation of catechists and other volunteers within the parish. Sr. Terry said such programs are not just informational transferral, but information for transformation of the person. At Renew they start where people are at and as people gather in the small groups, they start with prayer, then read the Word of God, and then apply it to their lives. Fr. Chip asked Sr. Terry how do you involve young parents, with everything that they have going on in their lives? She said you can't do adult faith formation without evangelization and you need evangelization strategies. The strategies of inviting are important. Part of Renew's success is that the groups can meet at any time, any day. You can have many groups with a variety of times. Scot said the US bishops' document talks about the characteristics of a spiritually mature faith: frequent reading of the word of God, sacred writings of our tradition, and the official documents of the Church; involvement in the community life and mission of the Church; personal prayer; participation in the works of justice and service to the poor; and the fulfillment of our human obligations in family and society through the active practice of love for God and neighbor. It goes on: >A living faith is a searching faith-—it "seeks understanding." Adults need to question, probe, and critically reflect on the meaning of God's revelation in their unique lives in order to grow closer to God. A searching faith leads to deepening conversion. Janet said so much of the confusion about the faith is that when people hear what the Church says about a controversial issue, they just shut down rather than to study and learn and understand. Taking seriously the practice of faith within the community and taking seriously the formation of conscience are fundamental to faith. Adult faith formation takes seriously the obligation to give answers or help people seek answers. The Church wants you to question what she says, but not to just stop there. Find the truth and be open to the truth wherever it is found. Doing this in a group is a way to help each other find their way.Sr. Terry said the methodology of the small groups is to see, judge (based on the truth of Scripture and Tradition, applying it to our lives), and then turn it into action. Scot said research tells us that those who are most engaged in the parish are those who have one of their best friends in the parish and so faith-sharing groups can nurture acquaintances into friendships and deepen friendships even more. **3rd segment:** Scot said the Bishops' document talked about six dimensions that good adult faith formations programs would include: knowledge of the faith, liturgical life, moral formation, prayer, communal life, and missionary spirit. The idea is to pick one or two at a time and grow a little bit in the different seasons of our lives. Fr. Chip said missionary spirit and communal life often get left behind. People pretty much know how to pray and people come to Mass, but when he talks about going out and proclaiming faith in what they say and what they do, they balk at that. People like to keep their faith in a box on a shelf and take it out for a time on Sundays. The Church tells us you can't do that. He talks about community all the time to stress that Church is a place to come any time. Scot said there are 5 different places for learning: in families, large groups, individual and self-study, and individual activities. Scot would add programs of the various Catholic media. Scot asked Sr. Terry why small group faith formation has proven to be so successful. Sr. Terry said when Renew was founded in New Jersey, the two priests who began it had been active in the Catholic family movement and the RCIA and both of those had been successful with small groups. If we're bringing in people through RCIA, then we want the parishes to have that same experience of small group faith-sharing. Scot said that in his professional experience as a manager, he's found that people have different learning styles and he's had to adapt to other learning styles. Sr. Terry said small-group learning is so good because our faith is communal and is essentially lived together. Renew is also exploring new media, just starting podcasts and webinars and creating a [Facebook page](http://www.facebook.com/RENEWIntl). Scot asked Janet about her hopes for Why Catholic? This will be the opportunity to get the Catechism into the hands of thousands of Catholics in the Archdiocese and the small faith-sharing groups will help people overcome their discomfort at approaching a new document. Why Catholic? begins with the last section of the Catechism on Prayer because they've found it to be most effective. Fr. Chip said the new [YouCat](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1586175165/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=pilo0e-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399349&creativeASIN=1586175165) youth catechism would be effective for adults as well as youth. Janet agreed because it gives a beautiful treatment of the topics covered by the universal Catechism. She said the new [US Catechism for Adults](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1574554506/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=pilo0e-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399349&creativeASIN=1574554506) would be suitable as well. YouCat is in a question and answer format that works well for some people. Janet said Pope Benedict wrote the introduction for YouCat and it's an explicit invitation to those who may have been away from the Church. **4th segment:** Scot welcomes Mary Ann McLaughlin to the show. Mary Ann led ARise and now leads the Why Catholic? program. Why is it a good followup to Arise. She said small groups has proven to be an essential experience to the life of the Church. She said Cardinal Sean confirms that one needs to be immersed in the community when learning the language of faith, just like immersion helps one learn a foreign language. The small community in faith-sharing gives us a place to learn that language of faith. Of course, the Church has always had small groups: Cursillo, prayer groups, Bible studies. Gathering in community is the nature of the Church. Scot asked Sr. Terry for an overview of Why Catholic? They are starting this week with informational sessions on the program for pastors and parish leaders. Similar to Arise, parishes will have teams of 8-12 people to prepare and get the word out. In October, there will be a training on implementing Why Catholic? In January, there will be a small community leader training on the first book, Prayer, which is actually the fourth pillar of the Catechism. They've found that people are open to learning about prayer and an deepening the relationship with God opens them to more. They will do six weeks in the spring and then another six weeks in the fall. In the second year, they will study the Creed. The third year, the sacramental life of the Church. The fourth year, the moral life of the Church. Scot said each of the semesters is structured as six lessons. Mary Ann said the lessons start with an opening prayer, then a reflection of a human experience, then a Scripture, then questions to jumpstart faith-sharing, then an invitation to act. The invitation to act has worked to cause people to think about what has just been prayed and taught and to ask how it works in their life. What starts individually often ends up becoming the groups asking what they can do together. Sr. Terry said each small group has about 8-12 people meeting in someone's home. There is a one trained leader. The sessions are 90 minutes. Some people do a lectionary-based prayer in between the six-week sessions. **5th segment:** Welcome back. It’s time to announce the winner of the weekly WQOM Benefactor Raffle. Our prize this week is a copy of the book “[Synergy: Science Reasons with Atheists](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1601040342/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=pilo0e-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399349&creativeASIN=1601040342),” from BrideGroomPress.com. Historian and theologian Steven Kellmeyer has assembled over 50 of the most common questions about science and faith in order to lay out the clear, concise answers you have been looking for. This week’s winner is **Ann Bouchard of Nashua, New Hampshire**. Congratulations Ann! 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 our weekly raffle of books, DVDs, CDs and religious items. We’ll be announcing the winner each Wednesday during “The Good Catholic Life” program. **6th segment:** Scot said Cardinal Sean has sent a letter to all pastors about Why Catholic? and encouraging them to take part. Scot said that Renew working with an archdiocese is able to take a good program and make it available to every parish and in many different languages for many different cultures. In Boston, for the first time they'll make the materials available in Chinese for Why Catholic? Scot asked her what the group leaders do and how they can let their pastors know they're interested. The pastor works with the pastoral council to come up with the names of people who would be willing to be leaders. The parish leader then goes to training sessions where they receive tools and support from the archdiocesan office and Renew directly. The small group leaders also go to regional training sessions. Fr. Chip asked if it's beneficial for a parish to have a professional staff be the local leader? Sr. Terry said most of the time the leaders are volunteers, but if a parish has a staff member like that, then they should be at least on the team. They don't want to overburden religious ed directors. Mary Ann said people can learn about Why Catholic by calling 617-779-3640 or by going to the website of BostonCatholic or Renew International (see above). That will conclude today’s presentation of The Good Catholic Life. For recordings and photos of today’s show and all previous shows, please visit our website: TheGoodCatholicLife.com. You can also download the app for your iPhone or Android device at WQOM.org to listen to the show wherever you may be. We thank our guests, Sister Terry Rickard, Mary Ann McLaughlin, and Janet Benestad. For our co-host, Father Chip Hines, our Production team of Rick Heil, Anna Johnson, Justin Bell, Dom Bettinelli, and George Martell, this is Scot Landry saying thank YOU for listening, God bless you and have a wonderful evening!

**Today's host(s):** Scot Landry and Fr. Chris O'Connor **Today's guest(s):** Fr. Jack Ahern, pastor of Mother Teresa Parish, St. Peter Parish, and Holy Family Parish in Dorchester * ["3 parishes to share 1 pastor," The Boston Globe, 3/24/09](http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2009/03/24/3_parishes_to_share_1_pastor/) * [Mother Teresa Parish, Dorchester](http://www.motherteresadorchester.org/) * [Friends of St. Peter's Church, Dorchester, MA, Facebook group](https://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_62654437298) **Today's topics:** Profile of Fr. Jack Ahern, the first priest in Boston in recent years to lead three parishes at once **A summary of today's show:** Scot and Fr. Chris talk with Fr. Jack Ahern, pastor of three parishes in Dorchester, one of the poorest neighborhoods in Boston, where he's already celebrated 20 funerals for murder victims this year. But there's also much hope in the three parishes with 5 churches, 17 buildings, 6 languages, and a long Catholic history. **1st segment:** Scot welcomes back Fr. Chris and asked what he's up to. They've been working to end the seminary year and get the seminarians out to the parishes they will work in this summer. Also, ordinandi are preparing for the ordination on May 21 by going on a 5-day retreat. Cardinal Sean is also looking for the right assignment for the new priests, by getting a sense of the gifts of each man from the seminary by aligning them with the right openings. The men have an hour meeting each with the clergy personnel board. The men will have a dinner the night before and each have an individual meeting with the cardinal that night when their assignment is given. Today's program is an interesting look at the priesthood in the Archdiocese of Boston with Fr. Jack Ahern who is the first pastor of 3 parishes in Boston. He has had two years working in these parishes. **2nd segment:** Scot welcomes Fr. Jack. Recounting his background, his first parish was in St. Albert's in Weymouth. His last assignment was St. Mary's in Brookline for 18 years. Now he is in Dorchester with three parishes that were five parishes until recently when two of them merged into the other three. He has been a priest for 31 years. On the day of his ordination, he received a chalice and they said, "All this and more for the priesthood," and the "and more" was so much more. He has spent a lot of time in Dorchester working on the streets, serving many people who are suffering, including recently celebrating the 20th funeral for a murder victim in his parishes this year. Fr. Chris asked what are the ways Fr. Jack is responding to the violence in the city. He said they often work with the police in the street or go with street teams from the teen center to go into the homes of gangbangers to meet with parents and see how they can help the younger kids into other activities so they don't get involved in gangs. Fr. Conway at St. Peter's has been very active as well, learning Portuguese at 71 to work with Cape Verdeans. Fr. Jack moved the parish's offices from the rectory to the teen center at St. Peter's so that the kids can see them coming and going and interact. If there's a funeral, there's the wake, the Mass, and then a counseling program after for the kids. In the summer, they run a program for the kids because the kids wouldn't be safe to leave their homes during the day. They are also helping them to become better citizens. At Mother Teresa, they are fortunate to have the [Cristo Rey High School](http://www.cristoreyboston.org/) move into a vacant school building. The students spent time during the school day working in businesses to give them experience and to help provide support for their tuition. The corporations mentor the students. Scot asked him what it's like to be pastor in the inner city and dealing with violence, crime, and fear for the safety of their kids. Fr. Jack said it's exciting to be working there as a priest because every day is different. He knows that he is where God wants him to be. He knows he's making a difference in the day to day lives of these people and the Catholic Church is the anchor of these neighborhoods. It's one of the few institutions able to gather people from the other neighborhoods of the city and from other sectors, such as police and politicians. Last summer, there was substantial programming that contributed to a summer without the violence many expected. When kids come to the teen center after school, they have a snack and they spend 2-3 hours doing homework with college student volunteers and staff. Then there are a number of fun activities until between 7:30 and 9pm, depending on age. Fr. Jack said a couple weeks ago when a teen was murdered, several of the kids at the center said they were friends with him and that if they had entered the gangs instead of joining the teen center, they would be dead too. **3rd segment:** Fr. Chris asked Fr. Jack what it's like to be pastor of 3 parishes. In some ways, the parishes are similar with the need for the sacraments, but in some ways they're different. When he came it was three parishes, five churches, 17 buildings, 6 languages, and a running $500,000 deficit. It's a challenge. The parishes have a great mix of people who have been in the neighborhood for years, but also newcomers. Many Vietnamese and Polish at Mother Theresa, Cape Verdean at St. Peter, and Spanish at Holy Family. Fr. Nguyen spends much of his time with the Vietnamese community, Fr. Conway with the Cape Verdeans, and a Capuchin who comes in to work with the Spanish. Mass is celebrated in three languages, but Fr. Jack smiles in all six. Scot asked what it's like to try to bring people together as a single community in the universal Church. Fr. Jack said on Holy Thursday all three parishes came together for one celebration at one of the churches. This year it was in four languages. This year the Cape Verdeans did the music, last year it was the Spanish community. Three priests all live together and are as different as night and day, but they all get together very well and work so well. Scot said the parishes are historic with long stories. St. Peter's is the second-oldest parish in Dorchester, founded in 1870. The only church founded in the Americas where the stone for the church was quarried from the site. First it was Irish immigrants, then Haitian, then Spanish, then Vietnamese, and now Cape Verdeans. In its heyday, 24,000 people would worship in the church each weekend. The pastor in the 1950s had a chair suitable for use by the Pope built as the presider's chair and in fact it was used for the papal Mass on Boston Common in 1979. The parishes of Dorchester have been very generous with vocations. At one time, there were three streets where every house had a vocation. St. Margaret's gave more than 250 women to the Sisters of Charity. Mother Teresa Parish is also the site of one campus of [Pope John Paul II Catholic Academy](http://popejp2catholicacademy.org/). It was founded from St. Peter's and was founded as St. Margaret's Parish. They also have a food pantry on site that feeds many families. Holy Family Parish used to have a shelter, but it was closed due to budget cuts. **4th segment:** Scot said the Pope John Paul II Catholic Academy set an ambitious goal to revitalize Catholic education in the inner city, consolidating eight Catholic schools into four campuses. The Columbia campus at Blessed Mother Teresa consolidated the three school of Fr. Jack's three parishes. He said it was an ambitious goal, but the goal has been met. There's a commitment to providing a solid Catholic education. While the schools have lost parish identities, they retain the Catholic identity. Fr. Jack said it's critical for Dorchester to have a Catholic school. It provides a great educational setting for any and all children. Educating all children serves all of society. Fr. Chris said building a more just and humane society serves the mission of the Catholic Church. Scot said Fr. Jack was honored at the Chrism Mass by his fellow priests along with Fr. Jim McCune. Fr. Jack said it was humbling, but he got it he thinks because he was "the only one fool enough to take on three parishes." the priests of Boston are a great cast of characters who serve the people day in and day out. To those who would say priests are going to be stretched to thin in the future, Fr. Jack would say that you have to be as present as possible while also allowing others who minister with you to be a stabilizing presence. While Fr. Jack moves between the parishes, there is one parochial vicar or pastoral associate dedicated to each parish, available day and night. Sharing other staff like business manager, frees up resources. There are three parish pastoral councils and three finance councils, but they do meet as a group several times a year to take stock of each other's priorities. Fr. Jack also spoke at the seminary recently. He told them that the most important part of being a priest is to be kind. People come into the church to pray and they have enough burdens so be kind and be welcoming. He learned this lesson from his first pastor who was incredibly kind. He remembers a parishioner being taken to a hospital after an accident, and after visiting the man in the hospital he went back to the home to clean up the blood of the accident so the wife wouldn't have to. **5th segment:** Fr. Jack Ahern has the distinction of being the only Right Reverend among the clergy of the Archdiocese of Boston. He wears a pectoral cross and has a special hat that he can wear that is an Eastern-rite miter. In Brookline, the Melkite-rite Catholic diocese was headquartered at this parish and the Melkite-rite leader requested permission to give him the honorific. He has the title of archimandrite. Fr. Chris said Cardinal Sean says every priest has one basic homily. What it is Fr. Jack's basic homily? He said, "God is love." Scot asked him what are his hopes for the Church in Dorchester? If the Word is preached, if the mysteries are celebrated well, if you're reaching out to the poor, the Church will grow. St. Mary's in Brookline attracted many young families and young adults. He said he was very welcoming and he offered strong homilies.

**Today's host(s):** Scot Landry **Today's guest(s):** From the College of St. Mary Magdalen in Warner, NH: Dr George Harne, president; Dr. Mark Discher, academic dean; and Tim VanDamm, vice president of advancement and admissions. * [The College of St. Mary Magdalen](http://www.magdalen.edu/) **Today's topics:** Getting a great Catholic college education **A summary of today's show:** Scot talks with Dr. George Harne, Dr. Mark Discher & Tim Van Damm of the College of St. Mary Magdalen about what it takes to find an authentically Catholic college and get a good Catholic education. Drs. Harne and Discher also discuss their individual journeys into the Catholic Church and the role that beauty and intellectual pursuit played for them. **1st segment:** Many Catholic parents and high school seniors are finalizing decisions now about where to study in college. They seek to find a place where they can learn, make lifelong friends, prepare themselves for a good career and see their virtues grow and their Catholic faith strengthened. There are so many factors involved that it can often be a difficult decision. We’ll focus on many of these questions of getting a great Catholic education in college with 3 leaders of the College of St. Mary Magdalen which is located about an hour north of Boston in the state of New Hampshire. This college is reinventing itself in many ways to meet the needs of Catholic college students today. Now I’d like to welcome Dr. George Harne, Dr. Mark Discher and Tim VanDamm. George said one thing that many do not consider when attending a college is how it will affect my soul? Catholic parents and their children should consider where they can go to get both the intellectual and spiritual formation. Scot asked what a liberal arts education means. Mark said that classically, liberal learning is for a free man, one who has the leisure for study t come to a deeper understanding of themselves, of humanity, and of God. Scot asked why someone who wants a business degree would want to study a liberal arts education. Mark said most of the presidents and CEOs of Fortune 500 companies hold liberal arts degree. Those degrees should help one to carry through an argument, to look at general perspectives, and have a general grasp of existence. It should lead to a lot of trainability and adaptability. George said the classical liberal arts are seven: four verbal and three mathematical. He has a friend in New York City who his is doing very well in the corporate world who studied rhetoric. The subjects are ordered to help one to think clearly and speak well. Most modern liberal arts education is like a salad bar where you aren't sure what you're going to get. In terms of student like on a college campus, Tim said a parent should ask whether the culture on campus will build up their children's faith that they worked so hard to bring to that point. Look at what maintains and continues what I've already started as a parent. At Magdalen, there are students who get up early in the morning to pray in adoration or at daily Mass or to pray before an abortion clinic. What are warning signs at other schools? Tim said if you see aspects against the Catholic faith: for example, gay/lesbian/transgender clubs; plays that are anti-Catholic or immoral. When parents are paying student and academic fees that support activity inimical to their faith, that's a warning sign. George said parents can start with the [Newman Guide to Choosing a Catholic College](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0978650212/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=pilo0e-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399349&creativeASIN=0978650212) by the [Cardinal Newman Society](http://cardinalnewmansociety.org/). The Society's website also keeps up with current news about what's going on at Catholic colleges. Parents should get the most current information on the colleges from the college's own websites as well. Also, call the college and talk to those working in student life. Do the faculty take the oath of fidelity? Are the dorms co-ed? Mark said the Oath of Fidelity is extended to faculty members so they can state in writing that they will not teach anything contrary to the Church's teachings. It is voluntary at Magdalen but all of the faculty at their school sign it. This is somewhat rare to get 100% voluntary compliance. Tim said at Magdalen that the staff signs it as well, so that it's not just what is being taught, but also how they live their lives. Young people are searching for truth and there is an authenticity that they are living the Catholic faith they profess to hold. Scot asked why some colleges do not encourage the Oath of fidelity. George said in some cases Catholics in the US have an inferiority complex and a desire to belong to the wider society, which inclines them to make compromises, like when some Catholic colleges might hire a superstar faculty member who dissents from some aspect of Catholic teaching. This began with the [Land O Lakes Conference](http://www.catholichistory.net/Events/LandOLakesStatement.htm) in the 1970s where leaders of Catholic colleges asserted that the bishops do not have a right to tell the schools what they can teach. Pope John Paul's ["Ex Corde Ecclesiae"](http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/apost_constitutions/documents/hf_jp-ii_apc_15081990_ex-corde-ecclesiae_en.html) was a response to that conference. At the same time, some small Catholic colleges began arising with specific identity of charism. Scot said he sees that some Catholic colleges put their academic college ahead of their Catholic college. He asked Mark if this is a function of the size of the college, whether they remain faithful. Mark said it seems to be a matter of mission and vision and intentionality of hiring. He does see that as a college grows larger, it might be tempting to want to hire more well-known, widely recognized names to impress those who give money to the college. George agreed that central to the vision should be maintaining an inherent vision of the world that comes from the source of Truth, which is God. * ["New College of St. Mary Magdalen president pledges renewal, service to Church," Catholic News Agency, 2/9/11](http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/new-college-of-st.-mary-magdalen-president-pledges-renewal-service-to-church/) * [Oath of Fidelity](http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_19880701_professio-fidei_en.html) **2nd segment:** Scot asked what happens at a Catholic college to help form 18- to 22-year-olds to graduate at 22 and go out to help strengthen the faith of others. Tim said Magdalen's goal is to give not only the best of the academic world, but also to be able to engage the culture both intellectually and spiritually. Many people can cite facts about the faith, but what they want is for the students to have a love for the Lord and want to bring it out to the culture and engage it. Scot asked how one invites students to an experience of deepening their faith? George said it must be a multi-pronged approach. At the basic level, they make the sacraments available and they model the Catholic faith for them. They are available as mentors and also pray for them. It's also important to have students who have a vibrant faith. If a student comes without a strong faith life, they want to help in a transformation through living a sacramental life and to see the faith life lived by other students and faculty and staff. They also want to motivate them to take action through the various campus activities. Scot asked George how a strong Catholic college forms the wills intellectually. George said in the medieval tradition, there was a sense that we can approach the divine through beauty, in liturgy, but also other ways. The Good, the True, and the Beautiful. For people who might balk at the Truths of the Faith, they can be brought a long distance toward the Faith through the Good of the saints and the Beauty in the Church. The vocation of the students is to be a student and so their work of study happens in a close alignment with a life of prayer. He said after Land O Lakes, there was a tendency by smaller, faithful Catholic colleges. to discard the old classical Catholic learning inherited from the Jesuits. Magdalen is trying to integrate it with the newer, 20th Century Great Books tradition, to take the best of both. Mark said at Magdalen, they're not afraid of ideas, including those in the secular culture and the wider academic sphere. They will be exposed to Marx and Freud and the like, and the students will learn how to assess them in terms of the entirety of Catholic thought. George said their students get four years of theology and catechesis and the program has been validated by the Vatican in the 1980s. The classes are built around discussion and the students are called to engage the content. Philosophy courses are integrated into other humanities for four years. They take a 5 hour philosophy and humanities class each semester. There also classes in logic, music, and grammar and others that are historically seen as supporting philosophical inquiry. Tim said spoke of where Magdalen's graduates end up. They are in all walks of life: military service, lawyers, corporate leadership. They can go into any area because they are being taught fundamentally how to think. Many are going for advanced graduate degrees as well. Scot asked where the students are coming from. Tim said a large part is homeschooled and Catholic schools. Students come from all over, including China, Nepal, and Jamaica. There are students from Alaska, Arizona, and Michigan. They are trying to grow in the Boston regional area. There are now a number of new students from New England. Tim drives from his house in Boston to the college in Warner in about 1-1/2 hours each day. **3rd segment:** Scot noted that beauty helped George's conversion experience into the Catholic Church. Growing up, he was an evangelical Protestant, but started attending an Episcopalian church in college and fell in love with the liturgy. He started to see parallels with the Catholic liturgy and asking why there were distinctions between the Episcopalian and Catholic liturgy. At a Corpus Christi celebration in Philadelphia, he experienced a Eucharistic procession and was struck by the beauty and came to believe in the Real Presence that night. That set off a Domino effect in his own mind that toppled all of the Protestant objections to Catholicism and within a year he started reading the Catechism. He discovered that most of his issues with Catholicism, he was either wrong in what he thought the Church believed or was wrong in what he believed. In the face of the Church's 2,000-year continuity, he was drawn in. Scot asked Mark about his conversion to Catholicism. He said it was a slow process from low-church Protestantism that valued Scripture alone. His conversion was more intellectual and began to realize in his graduate work, as he tried to make moral arguments, that "Bible alone (sola Scriptura)" was inadequate for that. As he was trying to develop arguments for human equality through a religious tradition and metaphysics, he found that Scripture by itself did not have a single verse espousing human equality. So if the Christian tradition supports the idea of human equality, Christianity must have an interpretative authority, i.e. the Church. He was helped in his journey by a growing relationship with the Dominicans that he knew. Tim is a cradle Catholic, but working with converts has helped him deepen his faith. Being around converts, including these very well-educated men, helps him to appreciate his faith more. There is something profound about being with these men who counter the world's claims that religion is for the uneducated. When you go looking for the truth, you can find it. What advice would George and Mark have for someone who would be wrestling with questions about God? Mark said they shouldn't give up no matter what and to be relentlessly honest in their search. George said no matter what your pace in your journey, keep going. Whatever problems the Church faces, being in full communion with the One, Holy, Catholic, Apostolic Church is a great joy. College of St. Mary Magdalen is taking rolling admissions, which means they are continually admitting new students. For those who are interested, check out their website. Everything that the school teaches is on the website. They are very transparent. They also welcome school visits. * ["Converted by Beauty," National Catholic Register, 4/1/11](http://www.ncregister.com/site/article%20/converted-by-beauty/) That will conclude today’s presentation of The Good Catholic Life. For recordings and photos of today’s show and all previous shows, please visit our website: TheGoodCatholicLife.com. You can also download the app for your iPhone or Android device at WQOM.org to listen to the show wherever you may be. We thank our guests Dr. George Harne, Dr. Mark Discher and Tim Vandamm. For our our Production team of Rick Heil, Anna Johnson, Justin Bell, Dom Bettinelli, and George Martell, this is Scot Landry saying thank YOU for listening, God bless you and have a wonderful weekend!

**Today's host(s):** Scot Landry and Fr. Mark O'Connell **Today's guest(s):** Fr. John Phalen, CSC, President of Holy Cross Family Ministries * [Holy Cross Family Ministries](http://hcfm.org/) * [Congregation of Holy Cross](http://www.holycrosscongregation.org/) * [Brothers of Holy Cross](http://www.holycrossbrothers.org/) * [Family Rosary](http://familyrosary.org/) * [Family Theater Productions](http://www.familytheater.org/) * [The Story of Fr. Patrick Peyton, CSC](http://www.hcfm.org/FatherPeyton.aspx) **Today's topics:** Father John Phalen of Holy Cross Family Ministries, the Family Rosary, Family Theater, God's Children Now retreat **A summary of today's show:** Scot and Fr. Mark talk with Fr. John Phalen about praying the rosary as a family including practical tips for praying with children. They also discussed the upcoming Family Rosary day for families on June 4 at BC High and the status of the cause for canonization of Fr. Patrick Peyton, the famed Rosary Priest. Also, this Sunday's Gospel reading on the road to Emmaus. **1st segment:** Scot welcomes back Fr. Mark. Fr. Mark says in the past week he's been doing end of the academic year duties, including his last class with seminarians at St. John's for the year and last with the permanent deacon class. He teaches marriage & family and a class on the temporal goods of the Church and is just starting an introduction to canon law class. Scot said May is one of the two months of the year the Church dedicates to the Blessed Mother. (October is the other.) One of the ways we live the devotion to the Blessed Mother is the rosary. In Easton, Mass., is headquartered Holy Cross Family Ministries, founded by Fr. Patrick Peyton, known as the Rosary Priest. Fr. John Phalen, the current president of the ministry, will join us to discuss praying the rosary as a family. **2nd segment:** Scot welcomes Fr. Phalen to the show. Fr. Phalen is a past president of the Mariological Society. Scot asked Fr. Phalen why Catholics need to turn to Mary for a robust faith life. He said Mary was the first Christian and the first among the saints. If we want to conform our lives to Christ, we should go to the one who knew Him the best. She is the one who contemplated His face the most, who spent the most time with Him in her life. Here in the Northeast, we connect May with flowers, but this month we also celebrate Mother's Day, so it is appropriate. Fr. Mark asked about her role as intercessor. Fr. Phalen said Mary is a special intercessor. He said that on a trip to Uganda, he found a parish called "I Saw You" Parish. The pastor said the ground was the king's property at one time and it was forbidden trespass. When trespassers were brought before the king, the accusation was "I Saw You" and they would be condemned to death. The only person who could intercede with the king was the Queen Mother and she would sometimes intercede, asking for him to comply as a favor to her. People in the parish understood the role of Mary as intercessor by this Queen Mother role. Mary helps us by going to her Son an interceding for us with her prayer. She is like us completely, being a human being who gave birth to her savior. Scot said he recalls Fr. Peyton's saying "The Family that prays together, stays together." Why is it great for families to pray the rosary together? Fr. Phalen said the rosary's prayers are very simple: Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be. If they need the mysteries, there is simple guides available. Saying the Hail Mary over and over helps us to contemplate the mysteries. The Rosary is simple so everyone can do it. Grown adults can participate on their own level, but in the presence of other members of their family. Fr. Mark said there are many families that try and give up because of how the kids squirm. Fr. Phalen says keep trying, but do it in small bites, like just one decade at a time. Keep coming back to it. Model it as a something you want to do it and then hold it out as something they can do when they're grown up enough to do it. It's been proven that the Rosary lowers blood pressure and calms you down. But sometimes we make the perfect the enemy of the good and we expect a complete rosary right then and there. Gradually, they will become accustomed to it. Fr. Mark asked about the balance between listening to the words of the Hail Mary and reflecting on the mystery. We don't want to just whip through the words. Fr. Phalen says he's usually trying to get people to slow down and enunciate the words. As for repetition, Bishop Sheen used to say that if you love someone, you will say you love them over and over again. We're different people from moment to moment and so we're not repeating ourselves because we're saying it as a new person to a new person. I love who you are now as I am now. We also have repetition in the Mass: Lord, have mercy, Christ, have mercy, Lord have mercy. Holy, Holy, Holy. It's not enough just to say it once. Scot asked when are the best times for families to pray the Rosary together. Fr. Phalen says dinnertime is great because the family is all together, so pray before or after the meal, relating it to the meal and the unity achieved around the dinner table. Ask the children for their special intentions. Besides the spiritual benefit, the children and parents learn more about what is going on in their hearts and minds and lives. **3rd segment:** Scot asked the best way to offer intentions for family rosaries. Fr. Phalen said it will help to break up the whole rosary by punctuating each decade with specific intentions, while offering general intentions for the whole rosary. Should each family member have their own or share one rosary? Fr. Phalen said some families keep a bowl of rosaries. Others have a set of hooks with a rosary for each person. Then there's the orsary our mothers gave us: Our ten fingers. Fr. Mark asked about good sources of mysteries: Fr. Phalen said there is the book of "[Father Peyton's Rosary Prayer Book](1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=pilo0e-20&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=0898709822)". There's also his own book "[Living the Rosary: Finding Your Life in the Mysteries](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1594712646/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=pilo0e-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399349&creativeASIN=1594712646)." When he was in seminary, he would return home to visit his parents. He would spend time at night on the dock on the lake, and he would find the Glory of God in the world and receive a sense of God's presence. This moment stays with him now, especially every time he contemplates the mystery of the Transfiguration. His aim in the book is helping people connect the moments in their lives to the moments in the mysteries that will helps us in our prayer. Scot asked about the Luminous Mysteries that Bl. John Paul II offered to the Church. Fr. Phalen said one of his most profound remarks was that the Rosary marks the rhythm of life. This was from his [Apostolic Letter Rosarium Virginis Mariae](http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/apost_letters/documents/hf_jp-ii_apl_20021016_rosarium-virginis-mariae_en.html). He said that the rosary was the prayer of the laypeople. It was created in the Middle Ages in imitation of the monks' prayer the 150 Psalms of the Liturgy of the Hours. Because they couldn't read, the people needed the assistance of an image of a mystery to help them pray. In the churches and cathedrals the artwork taught the people of the moments of the lives of Christ and Mary and the saints, just like the mysteries of the rosary. So the [Luminous mysteries](http://www.ewtn.com/devotionals/prayers/rosary/luminous.htm) pick up the time from the ending of the Joyful Mysteries to the beginning of the Sorrowful Mysteries. But Pope John Paul did it in a humble way by proposing it and not imposing it so the people could take it up or leave it. But Fr. Phalen's experience is that the people do love it and are praying it. In his letter, Bl. John Paul said: >The Rosary is by its nature a prayer for peace, since it consists in the contemplation of Christ, the Prince of Peace, the one who is “our peace” (Eph 2:14). Anyone who assimilates the mystery of Christ – and this is clearly the goal of the Rosary – learns the secret of peace and makes it his life's project. Moreover, by virtue of its meditative character, with the tranquil succession of Hail Marys, the Rosary has a peaceful effect on those who pray it, disposing them to receive and experience in their innermost depths, and to spread around them, that true peace which is the special gift of the Risen Lord (cf. Jn 14:27; 20.21). **4th segment:** One of Holy Cross Family Ministries most important works is supporting the spiritual life of families. They have coming up on June 4 at Boston College High School an event from 8am to 5pm. Register at familyrosary.org. Bring family members of all ages, from the youngest on up. There are workshops planned just for the small children. There will be a track for teens led by Fr. Bob Reed of CatholicTV. There will be a Spanish-language track for the whole family. Greg and Lisa Popcak will speak to families as well. The theme is God's Children Now -- Living and Learning Together. There will also be workshops on topics such as bullying, using the Internet and more. The day will end with the Rosary and a Mass celebrated by Bishop Daniel Reilly of Worcester. * [Gregory and Lisa Popcak's ministry: Pastoral Solutions Institute](http://www.exceptionalmarriages.com/index.htm) For the last few years have taken place at Stonehill College in Easton, but they wanted to move closer to Boston to be more central. Some day they want to hold it in Fenway Park with 30,000 people praying on the field. The cost is $7 per person and $40 max per family, if registered before May 15. Price goes up to $10 each and $50 per family after May 15. Lunch is included. Fr. Phalen gave an update on the cause for canonization of Fr. Peyton. The paperwork was sent to Rome last July, the closing of the major local work. Now the Vatican is reviewing all the materials and once that is done, then possible miracles will be considered for beatification. Right now, they are looking at possible miracle, but can't say too much about it right now. Fr. Mark said the amount of work that goes into such investigations is amazing. It is very meticulous work. **5th segment:** Looking at this Sunday's readings for Mass. * [Gospel reading for Sunday, May 8: Luke 24:13-35](http://www.usccb.org/nab/050811.shtml#gospel) >That very day, the first day of the week, two of Jesus’ disciples were going to a village seven miles from Jerusalem called Emmaus, and they were conversing about all the things that had occurred. And it happened that while they were conversing and debating, Jesus himself drew near and walked with them, but their eyes were prevented from recognizing him. He asked them, “What are you discussing as you walk along?” They stopped, looking downcast. One of them, named Cleopas, said to him in reply, “Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know of the things that have taken place there in these days?” And he replied to them, “What sort of things?” They said to him, “The things that happened to Jesus the Nazarene, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, how our chief priests and rulers both handed him over to a sentence of death and crucified him. But we were hoping that he would be the one to redeem Israel; and besides all this, it is now the third day since this took place. Some women from our group, however, have astounded us: they were at the tomb early in the morning and did not find his body; they came back and reported that they had indeed seen a vision of angels who announced that he was alive. Then some of those with us went to the tomb and found things just as the women had described, but him they did not see.” And he said to them, “Oh, how foolish you are! How slow of heart to believe all that the prophets spoke! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them what referred to him in all the Scriptures. As they approached the village to which they were going, he gave the impression that he was going on farther. But they urged him, “Stay with us, for it is nearly evening and the day is almost over.” So he went in to stay with them. And it happened that, while he was with them at table, he took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them. With that their eyes were opened and they recognized him, but he vanished from their sight. Then they said to each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he spoke to us on the way and opened the Scriptures to us?” So they set out at once and returned to Jerusalem where they found gathered together the eleven and those with them who were saying, “The Lord has truly been raised and has appeared to Simon!” Then the two recounted what had taken place on the way and how he was made known to them in the breaking of bread. What strikes Scot is how sad the disciples are in the death of Jesus and how they didn't understand all that happened. Fr. Phalen said they are so down, it reminded him of Red Sox fans. They are down every year, even when their team is doing well for now. The disciples' hopes had been dashed. Then Jesus Himself criticizes them for being foolish and explains everything to them. Fr. Mark says he's truck by how an extraordinary day it was. Jesus just rose from the dead and chose to spend the day walking with two guys on the road to Emmaus. And the He explains all of Scriptures in the greatest lesson ever given. And now we don't even know both of their names. Scot said God's grace had an effect on them as Jesus spoke because their heart burned. And they didn't want it to end and invited Christ in because Christ does not force himself on us. Fr. Phalen said there is a great Eucharistic reference here as they recognize Jesus in the Eucharist, the breaking of the bread. For ourselves, after a crisis, sometimes we can say, wasn't it necessary for it happen because God knew better than I. Scot noted that going back to Jerusalem from Emmaus is 7 miles uphill and they ran it away after a long day's walk. They must have been so excited. Fr. Phalen said we can recognize Christ in our accompaniment of one another, especially gathered around the Table of the Lord, and it gives us great hope. That will conclude today’s presentation of The Good Catholic Life. For recordings and photos of today’s show and all previous shows, please visit our website: TheGoodCatholicLife.com. You can also download the app for your iPhone or Android device at WQOM.org to listen to the show wherever you may be. We thank our guest Fr. John Phalen. For our co-host, Father Mark O’Connell, our Production team of Rick Heil, Anna Johnson, Justin Bell, Dom Bettinelli, and George Martell, this is Scot Landry saying thank YOU for listening, God bless you and have a wonderful weekend!

**Today's host(s):** Scot Landry and Susan Abbott **Today's guest(s):** Gregory Tracy, Managing Editor of The Pilot newspaper, and Father Roger Landry, Executive Editor of The Anchor newspaper. * [The Pilot](http://www.pilotcatholicnews.com) * [The Anchor](http://www.anchornews.org) **Today's topics:** Catholic reaction to Osama bin Laden's death; wrap-up of Bl. John Paul's beatification; followup on MariaTalks.com; Apostolic Nuncio coming to Boston; Pope Benedict teaching us to pray **A summary of today's show:** Scot, Susan, Gregory, and Fr. Roger consider how Catholics should react to Osama bin Laden's death, then switch gears to give a last look at the beatification of Bl. John Paul. In local news, the Mass. bishops spoke out on a controversial website, but the Governor refuses to act; the Pope's representative the US is coming to Boston; and Pope Benedict begins a new teaching series on prayer. **1st segment:** Scot welcomes Susan. She said last said Sunday a grandson received First Communion and this Saturday a granddaughter will receive First Communion at another parish. Bringing a child to the table of the Lord is best thing a parent can do for a child. For Mother's Day, Scot asked her about her children and grandchildren: She has three daughters and 5 grandchildren locally and a son and another grandchild on the West Coast. **2nd segment:** * [Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2302-2317: On Just War and Safeguarding Peace](http://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/__P81.HTM) * ["What is Just War?," Colin B. Donovan, STL, EWTN.com](http://www.ewtn.com/expert/answers/just_war.htm) * ["Vatican says bin Laden's death cause for reflection, not rejoicing," John Thavis, Catholic News Service](http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/1101730.htm) Scot welcomes Gregory and Fr. Roger to the show. First thing Monday morning, Scot saw the news about Osama bin Laden and it became clear to him that he wasn't sure how we're supposed to respond as American Catholics. On the one hand, we're happy he was no longer able to hurt innocents, but some of the celebrations seemed out of hand. Fr. Roger said that as a Catholic we're called to love even our enemies. In the case of a mass murderer, it's very hard. In terms of those who want to harm the innocent, all those who have a duty to protect others need to do what's possible to carry out that mission. If bloodless means are insufficient, then legitimate authority may use lethal force. If he had been imprisoned by the US, could he have been able to carry out harm just by his existence. Scot asked Gregory what he thought of the Vatican's statement that "in the face of a man's death, a Christian never rejoices"? Gregory said it's a question of rejoicing in his death. We can rejoice because the world is safer, but we cross a line when we celebrate the fact that someone had to die. If it's necessary to sue deadly force then so be it, but it's always a regrettable choice. Even Blessed John Paul II used to say that only if there's another reasonable way to make society safe, then death is a possibility. Susan said there was a lot to process in the news. She heard the news on Sunday night after having watched videos on the beatification and it was an odd juxtaposition. She had a sense of relief at the world being safer, but she goes back to Matthew 5:43 in which Christ calls us to love our enemy. Scot reviewed the three conditions for an act within war to be morally justified: >First, the act must be good in itself. The use of force to obtain justice is morally licit in itself. Second, it must be done with a good intention, which as noted earlier must be to correct vice, to restore justice or to restrain evil, and not to inflict evil for its own sake. Thirdly, it must be appropriate in the circumstances. An act which may otherwise be good and well motivated can be sinful by reason of imprudent judgment and execution. > >In this regard Just War doctrine gives certain conditions for the legitimate exercise of force, all of which must be met: > >"1. the damage inflicted by the aggressor on the nation or community of nations must be lasting, grave, and certain; > >2. all other means of putting an end to it must have been shown to be impractical or ineffective; > >3. there must be serious prospects of success; > >4. the use of arms must not produce evils and disorders graver than the evil to be eliminated. The power of modern means of destruction weighs very heavily in evaluating this condition" [CCC 2309]. The other big question of debate on this news has been whether the White House should release the photos of Osama's body. Fr. Roger said an important component of leadership is the virtue of prudence and making good judgment. Some people want photos for absolute proof of Osama's death, but had Obama released the photos it could have poured fire on Muslim sentiments and created violence. On the other hand, if someone wants to think conspiratorially, there's no proof that will ever be sufficient. So it's not clear any good would be done by releasing them and it's very clear that there would be harm. Scot said when we thinks of places where Christians are a persecuted minority, their prayers were answered when the president didn't release the photo. Susan said there would be no good result by releasing the photo. Gregory said he could see where the ground could laid for conspiracy theories and just because you can release a photo doesn't mean you should. He uses that same judgment as a newspaper editor. There's even still people who don't think men have walked on the moon, so it would do nothing useful. Scot said as a Catholic Christian, if we're rejoicing at the world being a safer place, that's good, but if we're rejoicing at our revenge being completed on Osama, that's too much, even though that's a natural human response. Susan said that section in the Gospel of Matthew says we must be perfect as our Father is perfect and we're called to be better than our human inclinations. **3rd segment:** * ["Crowds pack Vatican for Pope John Paul II's beatification ceremony," The Pilot/CNS, 5/6/11](http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/1101725.htm) * [Pope Benedict's homily for the beatification Mass](http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/homilies/2011/documents/hf_ben-xvi_hom_20110501_beatificazione-gpii_en.html) * ["Cardinal Dziwisz: I must rediscover John Paul II," The Pilot/Zenit, 5/4/11](http://www.zenit.org/article-32439?l=english) Scot said we've talked a lot about the beatification, but it was a magnificent day starting with Saturday night's vigil. Susan said in the Pope's comments, you could the tremendous affection he had for his predecessor. The Pope also talked about Bl. John Paul's prayer life, which seems to be a recurrent theme in all the talk about him. Susan said Bl. John Paul was also a real mensch, a skier, a playwright, someone who worked as a miner, was theologically brilliant, someone we can all emulate. Scot said the cover photo in the Pilot this week of the immense crowd around St. Peter's is one of his favorite photos in the Pilot ever. Gregory said it shows the 1.5 million to 2 million people present. He said the ceremony brought him back to John Paul's funeral in 2005, at which he was present. It brought him back to see Pope Benedict XVI, who celebrated the funeral, to be there celebrating the beatification. The image of the casket inside St. Peter's brought back thoughts of the casket on the steps of the basilica in 2005. He was also moved by Pope Benedict talking about the way that Pope John Paul let suffering into his life. Gregory had been at many of the World Youth Days and remembers chronicling his decline over the years. Pope Benedict said John Paul became more eloquent as he become more ill. Fr. Roger said he woke at 4am on Sunday to watch the beatification and he was struck that he was watching his spiritual father receiving the greatest honor anyone ever can from God Himself. It was one of the most moving moments in his entire life and he rejoiced like he had never rejoiced before. Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz told reporters that Pope John Paul's entire life was prayer: >I am asked how many hours the Pope prayed. How many rosaries he said every day. I answer that he prayed with all his life. He always had the rosary with him, but above all he was united to God, a man of God, immersed in God. > >Though people didn't realize it, he always prayed for those who came to him, after conversations he prayed for the persons with whom he had spoken. The whole day began with prayer, meditation, and ended always with the blessing of his city, Rome. Always, when he could still walk, he went to the window; at the end, when he was very weak, he would ask "lift me" to see Rome again and to bless her. This was always the last gesture of every day to bless the people of Rome, his diocese. Fr. Roger said the cardinal was always a welcoming man as the pope's secretary, who called himself the moon to the Pope's sun. He was clearly someone who loved and admired John Paul very much. Gregory said he was also struck by this interview which spoke to his interior life. In this article, the interviewer asks about a personal memory of John Paul. The cardinal responds: >I must say that I must discover him again. Discover him and perhaps still love him more. He was a man of great spiritual wealth, all that was within him. He rarely opened himself but people felt that something was within him. And today I see the need to discover this spiritual and also intellectual profundity. I esteemed him as a father and now I esteem him as a father and as a blessed. **4th segment:** * [Massachusetts Bishops's statement about state funding of MariaTalks.com](http://www.bostoncatholic.org/Utility/News-And-Press/Content.aspx?id=20354) * [Fr. Medieros and Fr. de Nigris on The Good Catholic Life, 4/4/11](http://www.thegoodcatholiclife.com/2011/04/04/program-0019-for-monday-april-4-2011/) * [A brief biography of Archbishop Pietro Sambi](http://www.usccb.org/comm/archives/2005/05-287.shtml) * [Regis College](http://www.regiscollege.edu/) * [Announcement of the appointment of Dr. Antoinette Hays as president of Regis](http://www.regiscollege.edu/about_regis/news.cfm?nid=Antoinette%20Hays%2C%20PhD%2C%20to%20become%20the%2010th%20President%20of%20Regis%20College) Now following up to last week's topic on the MariaTalks.com website. Last Friday, the bishops of Massachusetts issued a statement about the website and outlined five problems with the site: >[...] it promotes an overall message that sexual conduct for unmarried minors is acceptable whenever it “feels right.” Additionally, the website describes abortion in misleadingly opaque terms, touting the procedure as “easier than you think,” and emphasizes ways to obtain an abortion without parental knowledge. The website fails to acknowledge that many women, especially those undergoing an abortion in their teenage years, suffer long-term negative consequences. Furthermore, the website limits the list of available resources to organizations that advocate for or provide abortion and contraception. Then end with a powerful comment: >We do not agree that the only choices available are limited to keeping the website running with tax dollars or doing nothing at all to address the problem of teen pregnancy. The state should work together with all sectors of the community, not just those with a vested interest in offering teens contraception and abortion, to find solutions that respect the dignity of young people and their capacity to make good and wholesome choices. Susan said that as a taxpayer point-of-view spending $100,000 of scarce tax dollars is insane. As a commonwealth, we should be working together for the common good and this website does not. Susan quoted one of the legislators who pointed out that the site doesn't even deal with girls who are victims of abuse, incest, or rape. She said the site sells our kids short. Gregory said Gov. Deval Patrick has said the website will stay up, allowing only modification of content. He referred the Pilot to the Department of Health for comment, which said they were interested in offering medically accurate information, which many critics dispute it offers. Scot said it's clear that they're not interested in hearing any criticism of the website. Fr. Roger wrote in his editorial this week about why they seemed to call this site "Maria" talks. Maria is now the 71st most popular name for girls in America, but when we hear it we think of the Blessed Virgin Mary and of the many Hispanic girls from strong Christian families. The choice of "Maria" seems to show they are targeting a specific demographic and some of the content seems to put the girls at odds with the theoretically strongly Catholic parents. It's quite clear that this site is written so that young girls looking at it are persuaded to think like the Aids Action Committee of Massachusetts, not with the values of their parents. Also in The Pilot this week is news that the Apostolic Nuncio to the United States is coming next Sunday to a fundraiser for the Redemptoris Mater Archdiocesan Missionary Seminary. Archbishop Pietro Sambi is being honored and is expected to make some remarks. Gregory said the archbishop keeps a fairly low profile, but he's very inspiring and we are graced to have him. Scot said the seminary is one of the three seminaries in Boston, including St. John and Bl. John XXIII (which is for late vocations). Redemptoris Mater has 18 seminarians, which equal roughly 1.3 of Boston's seminarians. Fr. Roger said the nuncio has a dual role when he's sent to a country by the Pope. Firs,t he is essentially the pope's ambassador. Second, within the Church he is the pope's representative to the local Catholic church. One of his duties is to provide the names of potential candidates for becoming bishops. He has a huge impact by prioritizing particular qualities in the priests who are promoted for eventually becoming bishops. Fr. Roger got to know him as a deacon in the Holy Land where Archbishop Sambi was the Apostolic Nuncio to the Holy Land. He is a real mensch with a great sense of humor and is always very inspiring. The gala dinner is also honoring Jack Shaughnessy, who is a wonderful local businessman who has done so much for the Church in Boston and has been a big supporter of the seminaries. The dinner will be on May 15, 5pm at Lantana's in Randolph. For details email [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]) In more news, Regis College has a new president. The local Catholic college in Weston, Mass., has appointed Dr. Antoinette Hays, who received her bachelor's degree in nursing from Boston College and received her doctorate from Brandeis. She also has a background in fine arts. Susan, who graduated from Regis, said the school's nursing program is relatively new and has taken off. Hays is the second lay leader of the college after her predecessor Dr. Mary Jane England. **5th segment:** * [We Must Learn How to Pray, says Pope](http://www.zenit.org/article-32485?l=english) * [Pope Benedict's remarks at his general audience of May 4, 2011](http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/audiences/2011/documents/hf_ben-xvi_aud_20110504_en.html) On Wednesday, Pope Benedict launched a new series of catecheses for his weekly general audiences. The topic is on prayer. Fr. Roger thinks this will be one of the more significant teaching plans of the Pope's papacy. Pope Benedict has said that the principal job of the Church in leading people to salvation is to be a school of prayer. One of the greatest privileges in life is to be able to converse with God. We don't know how long this series will go on, but it follows a five-year series he has done on the saints. Now he is embarking on teaching us a pathway to sainthood. Fr. Roger said Pope Benedict will offer the fruit of his 40-years of teaching and study, building on and amplifying what has been written before, plus new raw materials that he will synthesize and present to us. Pope Benedict said yesterday prayer is part of the human experience, not just the Christian experience and that he still hopes to learn more about prayer. Susan said he's modeling for us. Also prayer cannot be taken for granted. Gregory said the Holy Father is saying that in many ways we need to be taught how to pray. Every civilization has prayed, from cavemen on, but in Christ we have been taught to call God our Father. "That will conclude today’s presentation of The Good Catholic Life. For recordings and photos of today’s show and all previous shows, please visit our website: TheGoodCatholicLife.com. You can also download the app for your iPhone or Android device at WQOM.org to listen to the show wherever you may be. We thank our guests Gregory Tracy and Father Roger Landry. For our co-host, Father Susan Abbott, our Production team of Rick Heil, Anna Johnson, Justin Bell, Dom Bettinelli & George Martell, this is Scot Landry saying thank YOU for listening, God bless you and have a great evening!"

**Today's host(s):** Scot Landry and Fr. Matt Williams**Today's guest(s):** Charlie Cox, star of the new film "There Be Dragons"; Fr. Chip Hines, Pastor of St. Mary, Wrentham, and co-host of CatholicTV's *Spotlight*; and Dr. Karen Bohlin, head of the Montrose School in Medfield, Massachusetts* ["There Be Dragons" official website](http://therebedragonsmovie.com/)* ["There Be Dragons" on IMDb](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1316616/)* [Roland Joffe, director](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0423646/)* [Charlie Cox as "Josemaria Escriva"](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0423646/)* ["There Be Dragons" website for resources to promote & discuss](http://dragonsresources.com/)* [St. Josemaria Escriva](http://www.josemariaescriva.info/)* [Opus Dei](http://www.opusdei.us/)* [*Spotlight,* the movie review show on CatholicTV](http://www.catholictv.com/catholic-movies.aspx)* Photos from the film: Courtesy of Mount Santa Fe**Today's topics:** The new film "There Be Dragons" and its depiction of moments from the life of St. Josemaria Escriva**A summary of today's show:** Scot interviews actor Charlie Cox, who portrays St. Josemaria Escriva in the new film "There Be Dragons" and then discusses with Fr. Matt Williams, Fr. Chip Hines, and Karen Bohlin the themes of the "dragons" in our lives: Unforgiveness, selfishness, doubt, isolation, as well as the example of consistent virtue and heroism by Josemaria.**1st segment:** Scot tells Fr. Matt Williams that this is the 40th broadcast of The Good Catholic Life. Today they discussed the new movie "There Be Dragons" which has strong Catholic themes. Fr. Matt said movies are important because they help us understand culture and life situations of different people. Scot said Cardinal Seán saw a screening of the movie a few months ago and asked the movie company to get in touch with Scot to do an episode of The Good Catholic Life on it. Fr. Matt said he had a sneak peek of the movie last July at a conference in Philadelphia.During today's show, Scot gave away tickets for the movie, general passes for any showing at any theatre as well as tickets to a special premiere in Framingham tomorrow night.**2nd segment:** Scot welcomes Fr. Chip Hines, who co-hosts a move review show on CatholicTV. He also welcomed Karen Bohlin, who is hosting several showings of the movie so her students can see it. Montrose school's mission and vision are inspired by the life of St. Josemaria and the whole school community are excited by it. Karen said it will be relevant to young people because many of themes are applicable to today's culture and society. Also, because it focuses on the early lives of the protagonists and the life decisions they have to make.There Be Dragons is an epic action-adventure romance set during the turmoil of the Spanish Civil War. The story traces the lives of two young men, Josemaria Escriva (Charlie Cox) and Manolo Torres (Wes Bentley), childhood friends who are separated by the political upheaval of pre-war Spain to find themselves on opposite sides as war erupts. Choosing peace, Josemaria becomes a priest and struggles to spread reconciliation by founding the movement Opus Dei (work of God).Manolo chooses war and becomes a spy for the fascists. He becomes obsessed with a beautiful Hungarian revolutionary, Ildiko, who has joined the militia in pursuit of passion and purpose. But when Ildiko rejects him out of love for the courageous militia leader Oriol, Manolo's jealousy leads him down a path of betrayal.As personal and national battles rage, the characters' lives collide and their deepest struggles are illuminated through the fateful choices they make. Each will struggle to find the power of forgiveness over the forces tearing their lives and friendship apart.Scot played an interview with Charlie Cox that was taped earlier. Scot asked him what interested him in playing the role. He said he'd not heard of St. Josemaria before getting the script from his agent. What attracted him to the film the most was the director Roland Joffe, who directed The Mission and The Killing Fields. He was struck that Joffe was a kindhearted and generous man. Scot asked him what he did to prepare for the role as a priest who is now a saint in the Church. A few weeks before going to Buenos Aires where the movie was shot, he flew to Barcelona, Spain, where he met a historian and an Opus Dei priest to visit the places in his life, his birthplace, the seminary he attended, and then on a retreat where they talked about Josemaria and spent time living the life of a priest who would be on retreat. Walking in a cassock was one of the trickier things to learn. They spent a lot of time in meditation and prayer, praying the Rosary and doing the Way of the Cross. They helped him to become familiar with the man and his time in which he lived.Much of the film takes place during the Spanish Civil War. What does Charlie hope that people will see in his portrayal of Josemaria? He said there's no one moment in the film or even in Josemaria's life in general where you can say, "This man should be canonized." The power of the film and his life is that his life is filled with consistently selfless decisions. It's the way he faced the adversity and dealt with it that make Josemaria and extraordinary human being. What the film tries to show is that the time of the civil war was a time of confusion, anger, hatred and fear. It is a country torn apart. At one point the character of Manolo says, "I don't know who I'm fighting anymore." There was a time when the hatred was aimed at the Church and priests in particular, and to be known as a priest in Madrid would invite being shot. Charlie hopes people will see how Josemaria dealt with that time, not engaging in hatred and taking a side, but instead spread a message of love, forgiveness, and peace. Scot said there is a time for us today when we have to make "dragon" decisions. What message can we take away in the year 2011? Charlie said because it's so hard to tell a story about the Spanish Civil War, what you end up with is messy hate-fueled conflict, which is what war ends up being anyway. So the Spanish Civil War can be substituted for any conflict. In the movie, you see two characters: one makes consistently selfish, fear-based decisions for his life and the other who recognizes the temptation to make those decisions selfishly and angrily, but chooses to not do that. Scot said he takes away that there is a little bit of Josemaria in each of us and a little bit of Manolo in us. Charlie said that is exactly it: we should see a little bit of them in each of us and ask ourselves who we want to be.Scot said it is unlike typical saint movies, but it much more epic in scope. Charlie said his hope is that the film reaches everyone, who sees the story of a man who had an incredible journey and an incredible life who made a series of decisions that led to his canonization after his death. He expects the majority of the evidence to be Christians and Catholics, but there is a story and a message here for everyone regardless of religious beliefs. Even if you don't learn anything from the way he is portrayed, it is still a great story to be told and to be entertaining.Scot said there are many resources the production company built for good family conversations and good parish discussions. What are Charlie's hopes for what the movie will lead to for people? He said he thinks that Josemaria was asking for people to look inwards. Rather than look at the world and point out all the things that are wrong and all the things making you miserable, instead look inside and see if we're engaging in self-centered fear. Or are we looking to serve others and love God. Even in his life today, it's easy to feel like the victim and become miserable and depressed, but what Josemaria says is that in those moments, see what you're contributing to the world and to others and see what you might give to them.In the film, Josemaria says to his early followers: "Before trying to change the world, think about changing yourself." It's hard to do. Scot said it can lead to peace. Charlie added that if everyone lived like that, think about the kind of world we've be living in.**3rd segment:** Back live, Scot asks Karen and Chip about the interview. Karen said those who have seen the movie already, including the school's chaplain who knew St. Josemaria, say that Charlie's portrayal of him is very authentic. Fr. Chip said Charlie's face is very expressive in this performance and does a very good job. Much of acting is done through the face. Fr. Chip said one of the scenes that was well done was a birthday party and when Josemaria gets his new shoes, you see the authentic joy and the humanity of the saint comes through. Charlie Cox was able to convey the holiness and the humanity of the person.Scot said it's good to see holiness and sanctity as achievable by living in a very human way. Fr. Matt said right from the beginning when Manolo and Josemaria were just eight years old, you see how Josemaria was a boy just like us. The movie's tagline is that every saint has a past and future and you can see that in this portrayal of Josemaria. Fr. Matt said the great teaching is on the life of virtue. What we see is this life of selfless decisions.Karen said character is not just good behavior. It's about striving everyday to do everything with greater love and affection, not just to beef up a resume, but to serve others and God. They teach this in their school, that students should do everything they do with their utmost. Josemaria knows heartbreak from childhood and carries his demons with him through the movie and there's no sense that he meets God and all that goes away. She said in many ways the movie is more artistic than a traditional action drama.Fr. Matt said it's a great point that holiness and sanctity doers not remove us from the turmoil of daily life. Do the dragons of the past shape who we are or do we acknowledge them and name them and love God and move forward in holiness and sanctity.Fr. Chip said it's a key point that saints are regular people and Josemaria was certainly a regular guy. This search for holiness is everyone's quest and everyone's journey. He remarked how people often at funerals say that if they didn't have faith, they don't know how they would get through this. Some people are always looking for big giants signs, but their faith sometimes fades quickly. But the people who live a quiet solid faith often remain steadfast throughout life.Karen said she liked the way Josemaria was so loyal to Manolo throughout life. He stays in touch and reaches out to him in the most difficult moments in life. Even though Manolo rejects him, he is hurt, but says he will always be there for him. Josemaria is also a very real son and brother to his family. He evinces a love for freedom, but he also preaches forgiveness. He has an immense capacity to remain faithful to Christ's call to forgive your enemies. Joffe is taken by the those who can forgive and love under difficult circumstances.**4th segment:** It’s time to announce the winner of this week’s **WQOM Benefactor Raffle**. Our prize this week is a set of passes to the movie "There Be Dragons." This week’s winner is **Frank Lawrence from Warwick, RI**. Congratulations to Frank! If you would like to be eligible to win in an upcoming week, please visit [WQOM.org](http://www.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 our weekly raffle of books, DVDs, CDs and religious items. We’ll be announcing the winner each Wednesday during “The Good Catholic Life” program.**5th segment:** Scot asked Fr. Chip what he thought of the character of Manolo. He said it's someone you're rooting for to change himself. You can see the good Josemaria is striving for an achieving, while Manolo makes bad decisions at every turn. The actor portrayed it well. Seeing it on film, makes one think about his own life, the decisions we make, and whether we can change. Manolo never thought he could change. Scot said that everytime something bad happened to him, it just added on to the grimness he was showing.Karen said Manolo is wounded from childhood because he is never loved by his father. While he has wealth and material means, while Josemaria doesn't, he envies Josemaria's relationship with his father. He makes bad decisions as an adult, and while his conscience struggles, he doesn't see away back from the consequences. She thinks he's riddled with fear and the pursuit of happiness through power and conquest, but it doesn't satisfy.Scot said theme of the effect of fathers on sons is important here. Fr. Matt said he thinks of the scene where Josemaria's baby sister had died and he is angry at God. His father, who is in tears, embraces his son in love. There are no platitudes. It is symbolic of how Josemaria became a father to Manolo.Roland Joffe says the theme of the movie is reconciliation and how it sets us free before it sets free those we forgive. Karen said the producers have released testimonials from people who had seen the movie in Spain. One couple had been on the brink of divorce, and after the movie they sat in the theatre in tears and said the dragons were not in themselves. They agreed to not divorce after all. Another young woman had been unable to forgive her mother for a betrayal and after seeing the movie she was able to let go of the poison of the bitterness she had held against her mother. Even Joffe himself was able to reconcile with his mother as well.Scot said every character in the films deals with whether to forgive or keep themselves in their miserable state. Other dragons in the movie are selfishness, doubt, and isolation. Fr. Chip said another theme is every father in the movie through their relationships with their children helps or hinders the characters' ability to have a relationship with God our Father. Fr. Matt said forgiveness is a grace. To err is human but to forgive is divine. When people massacre your family or colleagues or priests, we cannot forgive in our humanness, but it must come from God. We must manifest faith in love to everyone, even if they're wrong. No one is free of human weakness.One of Scot's lines from the movie: "The only thing that is unforgivable is unforgiveness." The movie makes you think about the people in your life that you need to forgive, the dragons that hold you back from being the best person you can be.Scot said another theme is heroism and one of the reasons Josemaria is so inspiring in this movie. Karen said that before being heroic you must grapple with doubt. In the movie, characters wrestle with doubt about God or self or others, but what's heroic is to be reach out in faith to God. Josemaria risks his life to bring the sacraments to the people. While churches are being destroyed and priests being killed, he is hiding and celebrating underground Masses. Fr. Chip said that is one of the best scenes in the movie. Karen said Josemaria's call to his vocation is heroic.Fr. Chip said that while it's not a vocation story, it can inspire vocations because it shows the priesthood in a heroic life. Once can find the heroism of everyday life in how priests serve every day. Fr. Matt said it's doing little things with great love. Bl John Paul called Josemaria the saint of the ordinary. Josemaria shows us that that virtuous life is a happy life. Fr. Chip said the movie is re-energizing for the priestly life.That will conclude today’s presentation of The Good Catholic Life. For recordings and photos of today’s show and all previous shows, please visit our website: TheGoodCatholicLife.com. You can also download the app for your iPhone or Android device at WQOM.org to listen to the show wherever you may be. We thank our guests Father Chip Hines and Dr. Karen Bohlin. For our co-host, Father Matt Williams, our Production team of Rick Heil, Anna Johnson, Justin Bell, Dom Bettinelli, and George Martell, this is Scot Landry saying thank YOU for listening, God bless you and have a wonderful evening!

**Today's host(s):** Scot Landry and Fr. Chris O'Connor**Today's guest(s):** Rev. Mr. Ryan Rooney and Rev. Mr. Michael Wood, transitional deacons at St. John's Seminary* [Diocese of Springfield Vocations Office](http://www.myvocation.com/)* [Rev. Mr. Ryan Rooney's biography](http://www.myvocation.com/sems/rooney.html)* [Rev. Mr. Michael Wood's biography](http://www.myvocation.com/sems/wood.html)* [St. John's Seminary](http://www.sjs.edu)* [Survey of the Ordinands](http://www.usccb.org/vocations/classof2011/ordination-class-2011-report.pdf)**Today's topics:** Meeting deacons preparing the priesthood; Mary in seminarians' lives; statistics on 2011 ordinands**A summary of today's show:** Deacons Ryan Rooney and Michael Wood share their journeys to the priesthood, through challenges and triumphs. Ryan sings the Ave Maria and they discuss the importance of Mary in the lives of seminarians; finally, a look at the statistics of priests to be ordained throughout the US in 2011.**1st segment:** Scot welcomes Fr. Chris and says it must be a joy to see the transitional deacons prepare for ordination. He said the two happiest days in the seminary are when new men arrive and when they ordain men for service in the Church. They are holding their annual deacons' night when they say farewell to men being ordained. They are also holding candidacy, for men entering their First Year of theology at the seminary. Thirteen men were honored at deacons' night and about 13 entering candidacy. About half are Vietnamese and being prepared at St. John's for priesthood in Vietnam. Fr. Chris said many men got up early to watch the beatification ceremonies and the rector played a video of John Paul praying the beatitudes. They also had a May crowning of the statue of the Blessed Mother.The two transitional deacons today are for the Diocese of Springfield and will be ordained at the beginning of June. St. John's has men from Providence, Springfield, Fall River, Worcester, Manchester, as well as a Boston. Scot said it will be great for men from all the different dioceses having relationships among one another. Fr. Chris said he always reminds the seminarians to make friends in the seminary in order to have priest friends down the road.**2nd segment:** Scot and Fr. Chris are joined by transitional deacon Ryan Rooney. He got his call after his first year of high school. He'd taken a religious studies class and was shocked by the atheism of his peers. On a retreat that summer, he was prayed over and felt the power of the Holy Spirit. He felt a calling to evangelize his peers. He takes that as the moment he was called to the priesthood.His pastor and a mentor nurtured his call. They took him on other retreats, including trips to New York for Mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral. Fr. Chris said he often sees Ryan being very involved in pro-life work, including praying in front of abortion clinics and going to the March for Life in DC every year. He thinks its an important witness for the seminarians to be visible there.In his junior year in high school, he went to the Dominican Republic for social service projects, so he worked at a reformatory for boys, teaching English, alongside about 12 priests from throughout Latin America. Scot said Ryan has had a lot of suffering in his life: a disabling injury to his knee and a diagnosis of Hodgkin's disease, all in his senior year in high school. He said to God that if He had been preparing Ryan for the priesthood that everything would be okay.For ordination, he looks forward to being called Father as a spiritual father, to grow in that vocation, to be able to administer the sacraments.Right now, he's working as a deacon at St. Mary Parish in Westfield. Along with the Mass duties, he's helped form the RCIA, preached in both Spanish and English, working with Spanish prayer groups. Then there's the other more mundane duties around the parish, like shoveling snow, etc. For his First Mass, he's invited his spiritual director, Fr. Bill Kelly from St. Mary, Dedham, to preach the homily. There will also be a lot of music because he's very musical. Later in the show, he will sing the Ave Maria for us.Fr. Chris asked Ryan if there's a saint that's been a significant influence in his life. He said St. Anthony of Padua is. Like St. Anthony, Ryan's mother was at first opposed to him becoming a priest. Anthony is also his father's middle name. And Ryan went to [Franciscan University of Steubenville](http://www.franciscan.edu). He was part of the priestly discernment program called the Pre-Theologate. It had the structure of seminary life on a co-ed campus. He found his fellow students to be very supportive of his discernment.* [St. Anthony of Padua](http://www.americancatholic.org/features/anthony/)From the seminary, he's most going to miss the immediate brotherhood they've had and now they will have to make it work over long distances. His moral theology professor, Fr. Romanus Cessario, grabs your attention through his teaching style and it's been very helpful for him.**3rd segment:** Scot and Fr. Chris welcome Michael Wood. His first inkling of being a priest came about the age of 2 when he went to his cousin's confirmation. Seeing the bishop is his interesting clothes, but also his very engaging smile and demeanor, made an impression. He didn't know who he was but just that he seemed happy to be doing what he's doing. After Mass, the bishop talked to him and asked him if he wanted to be a priest. At two years old!At home, he would play act at the Mass, reading the Bible, giving his parents bread and wine, and bless them, which all these years later he realizes is the essentials of priesthood. While he later looked at other paths in his life, he came back to the priesthood in 7th grade. In the summer after sixth grade, he was diagnosed with a non-cancerous tumor in his leg. They had to take most of his hipbone to rebuild his ankle. After surgery, he was angry at God at first and spent a lot of time talking to Him. He eventually came to understand God's love. He learned to pray.Fr. Chris asked Ryan about his favorite saints. Ryan said Bl. John Paul has been a big influence, having read [George Weigel's biography](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0060732032/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=pilo0e-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399349&creativeASIN=0060732032) and going to World Youth Days. He also has a devotion to St. Gianna Molla, a doctor who was diagnosed with cancer. She was told she should abort the child, but she refused in order to protect the child and eventually died from the cancer. What fascinates him most is that St. Gianna's day to day life embraced holiness leading up to that act of holy courage.* [St. Gianna](http://www.saintgianna.org/)Scot asked him about influences. His pastor at about 3rd grade asked him before Mass one day if he'd ever considered becoming a priest. Michael said No, because he wanted to have a family and kids. The priest told him that as a priest you can have many spiritual children.He looks forward after ordination to embracing the sacramental life, but also just entering into people's lives, from the joyous to the sad moments and bringing Christ into those moments, also seeing Christ working in those people.Right now, he's working in Blessed Sacrament Parish in Holyoke, Mass. What he'll miss most from St. John's is the community of seminarians, seeing the example of others, being together day in and day out to bounce ideas off one another.**4th segment:** Now discussing the role of the Blessed Mother in the life of seminarians, especially in May, the month of Mary. Deacon Ryan sang the Ave Maria.Scot said he hoped his pastor had him sing the Exsultet, and Ryan said he did. He said he's been in choirs since 2nd grade and he's kept it up through school.Scot asked him how his devotion to the Blessed Mother helped him discern. When he was in the Dominican Republic, he remembered a big mural of Our Lady of Sorrows, which affected him deeply. When he'd gone through his illnesses and got to Franciscan University, the chapel right next to his dorm room was Our Lady of Sorrows chapel. He also participated in the Total Consecration of St. Louis de Montfort like many Steubenville graduates.Fr. Chris said the seminary architecture attests to the importance of Mary to the seminarians. Someone pointed out that the Sulpicians who built the seminary placed [a statue of Mary just outside the chapel](http://sjs.edu/About/architecture.html), to show that it is through Mary we come to Christ. The image is of Mary, Regina Cleri, Queen of the Clergy. Mary was with the apostles in the upper room, with them as the Holy Spirit came upon them. Scot asked Michael how prayer to the Blessed Mother is part of the life of the seminary. Each man in the house expresses his devotion to Mary individually. Whether it's the communal Liturgy of the Hours, where Night Prayer ends with a Hymn to Our Lady, or an individual Rosary. Fr. Chris said when Pope John Paul II was shot in St. Peter's Square, he began to pray the Hail Mary and looked for an image of Mary in the square. Because h couldn't find one, he later had an image of Our Lady placed high on a wall of the apostolic palace.Scot said people will ask why we need to believe in the Blessed Mother if we believe in Jesus. Ryan said Jesus came to us through Mary. Everything of Jesus' human nature came through Mary. She was part of His life and should be part of our life. Fr. Chris said in the Sistine Chapel's Last Judgment, in the image of the Lord judging the living and the dead, Mary is right there with her hand in Jesus' hand, interceding for us at the hour of our death, like in the Hail Mary.Scot asked Michael how much the Rosary should be part of a prayer life, in addition to all the other kinds of prayer. He said the rosary leads us to Jesus, helps us to know Him better, to experience the mysteries of His life in the life of Our Lady. Everyone needs a mother, and where some may not have a biological mother they can turn, they have a spiritual mother in Mary.Scot said typically every Saturday is dedicated to Mary as are May and October. Why has the Church dedicated two months to Mary? Fr. Chris said the Church is teaching us what's essential and important. If you desire holiness, then you must desire a friendship with the Blessed Mother. He recalls being at St. Margaret's in Dorchester as a child with the nuns practicing the Rosary with them for weeks before the May crowning, honoring Mary. She is the perfect image for the Church, faithful, in prayer, in pilgrimage to heaven. She shows us how our lives should be.**5th segment:** The Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate recently came out with a survey of priests about to be ordained to the priesthood. Some interesting statistics: 45% are ages 25-29, 27% are 30-34. In religious life, many more are in the older age bracket. Fr. Chris said this correlates with St. John's Seminary. He said Blessed John XXIII Seminary in Weston works primarily with men who are coming to the priesthood as a "second career" and later in life. The youngest priest to be ordained in the US this year is 25 and the oldest is 63.* [The Ordination Class of 2011](http://www.usccb.org/vocations/classof2011/)* [Survey of the Ordinands](http://www.usccb.org/vocations/classof2011/ordination-class-2011-report.pdf)Ryan said that at St. John's they have a seminarian in his 50s and he's a key part of the seminary life. Scot said he expects it will be helpful for vocations to have younger priests talking to young men.Scot said 70% of ordinands are born in the US and 30% outside. The biggest countries are Colombia, Mexico, Poland, Vietnam, and Philippines.Fr. Chris said there are seminarians at St. John's are from 5 continents, only Australia is missing. At the seminary every year they have an international food night to share their individual cultures. They have become amazingly ethnically diverse, even since Fr. Chris was ordained in 1998.96% of those to be ordained have at least one sibling. They are evenly distributed between oldest, middle, and youngest in birth order.The study also showed the lists of those who are most likely to encourage as well as discouragement from the priesthood. Michael said he was interested to find that non-Catholics were more supportive of the priesthood than fellow Catholics. Also 46% were discouraged from the priesthood by someone who was close to them; 51% by a parent of family member.Fr. Chris said the Cardinal says vocations is everyone's business and this is telling. Pope John Paul said it best: No priests, no Eucharist. That will conclude today’s presentation of The Good Catholic Life. For recordings and photos of today’s show and all previous shows, please visit our website: TheGoodCatholicLife.com. You can also download the app for your iPhone or Android device at WQOM.org to listen to the show wherever you may be. We thank our guests, Deacons Ryan Rooney and Michael Wood from St. John’s Seminary. For our co-host, Father Chris O’Connor, our Production team of Rick Heil, Anna Johnson, Justin Bell, Dom Bettinelli, and George Martell, this is Scot Landry saying thank YOU for listening, God bless you and have a wonderful evening!

**Today's host(s):** Scot Landry **Today's guest(s):** Cardinal Séan O'Malley, Andreas Widmer, Fr. Daniel Hennessey* [The Vatican's official tribute to Blessed John Paul II](http://www.johnpaulii.va/en/)* [The Diocese of Rome's Bl. John Paul II website](http://www.karol-wojtyla.org/En/Home%20Page.aspx)* **Today's topics:** Reflections on the Beatification of Pope John Paul II; Dedication of the radio studio to Bl. John Paul II**A summary of today's show:** Cardinal Sean, Fr. Dan Hennessey, and Andreas Widmer called in from Rome to give their own unique perspectives on the beatification ceremonies: as a cardinal, a priest, and a former Swiss Guard. They also imparted the flavor of the day, the peace and joy evident in the event even in a crowd numbering close to 2 million. Also, today, we dedicate our radio studio under the patronage of Bl. John Paul II.**1st segment:** Yesterday, on Divine Mercy Sunday, Pope Benedict XVI beatified his predecessor, the now Blessed Pope John Paul II. This holy pope was a spiritual father to all of us and an inspiration. On today’s program, we’ll receive the reflections of 3 pilgrims who are familiar to listeners here on The Good Catholic Life. Later, we’ll hear from Father Dan Hennessey, the director of Vocations for the Archdiocese, and Andreas Widmer a former Swiss Guard who now lives in Boston. Cardinal Sean now joins Scot. The Cardinal said it was exciting to be there yesterday. The crowds were enormous, and luckily there were many opportunities for people to participate in different ways. With up to 2 million people in the city, it was very challenging to get up close to the ceremony itself. Last night, the Basilica was open until 3am and there was a column of people filing past the casket of Bl. John Paul. Today there was a Mass of Thanksgiving celebrated by Cardinal Bertone. There were pilgrims from all over the world, virtually every continent. Obviously, yhr Holy Father had touched so many people's lives. No one in history had ever been seen by so many people as John Paul. This ceremony gives testimony to the connectedness that people felt with him.Scot asked what it's like to know someone he knew so well become a blessed in the Church. Cardinal Sean never thought he would grow so old that he would know two people who were beatified: John Paul and Mother Theresa. He was with the Holy Father many times as both a priest and a bishop. He was extraordinarily gifted and real grace for the Church. It's wonderful in our lifetime to have the opportunity to celebrate his ministry and his life.Scot said Pope John Paul wasn't beatified for his papacy, but for his holiness and virtues. He asked Cardinal Sean for any reflections on his holiness. Cardinal Sean said he was impressed how, in the midst of a chaos of a papal visit, wherever it was, he had the ability to concentrate and pray and be recollected. He's sure that was the source of his strength. That was evidence of just how profound his spirituality was. Cardinal Sean said it looked like the entire College of Cardinals was present and he was pleased that Pope Benedict asked all the cardinals to concelebrate. Even a number of retired cardinals in poor health came to Rome to be part of it.Scot asked how Rome was different than all the Cardinal's many trips. There were many people from all over: lots of French and Spanish, also many from Africa. Many people slept in the St. Peter's Square and along the Via della Conciliazione. Scot said he followed many of the Catholic bloggers and Twitterers who were writing during the whole night from the vigil and through the Mass. When Cardinal Sean went by the Basilica last night about 11pm and there was still a huge column. Cardinal Sean also ran into some of those attending today's Vatican meeting of Catholic bloggers, including Anna Arco of the *Catholic Herald* in London.**2nd segment:** Now joined by Fr. Daniel Hennessey from the Basilica of St. Paul-Outside-the-Walls in Rome. He attended the Saturday night vigil at Circus Maximus. He thinks there were several hundred thousand people and it was very peaceful. There was a magnificent of Our Lady and Child. There were several witness interviews, including the religious sister who was cured of Parkinson's and whose miracle was the one that allowed Bl. John Paul to be beatified.On Sunday, he had to get up very early. It wasn't easy to get through the crowds and the security checkpoints, but eventually they got through to sit in the section reserved for priests. He got to sit in front of about 90 percent of the millions who were present. As vocation director, Fr. Dan has talked to a lot of seminarians about the affect John Paul may have had on their lives. To say it was beautiful was an understatement. He believes Bl. John Paul is interceding for us for vocations right now. As a priest himself, he had a total sense of gratitude for the gift of the priesthood. God uses each person, especially priests, as instruments. He was struck how God used John Paul as an instrument to touch so many people. It seemed every person there had a personal connection with John Paul.After the Mass, there was announcement that everyone was welcome to enter the Basilica and venerate the relics. Hundreds of thousands of people started filing in. They closed it at 3am to prepare for today's Thanksgiving Mass. Because of where he was seated, Fr. Dan was able to go in within about an hour. Inside he was struck by the numbers of the infirm who were being brought in and a wide variety of people of all different age groups: families, youth groups, elderly. It was a sign of the universality of his pontificate.Fr. Dan plans to visit the Gesu church, where St. Ignatius' remains are, to celebrate Mass and then go to St. Peter's Mass again before he leaves. He said he prayed for the missionary work of The Good Catholic Life at St. Paul Outside-the-walls.**3rd segment:** Joining Scot now from Rome is Andreas Widmer, former Swiss Guard now living in Boston. He wanted to go to Rome as a pilgrim. As a former Guard he had many privileges and many opportunities for something extra. But now he wanted to be at the beatification as himself, a pilgrim. He wanted to be with the people and a part of the whole event. He ended up standing in the square behind St. Peter's Square. Being tall, he had a good view. Even though there were 1.5 million people, the experience was one of peace and joy. Even though there was hardly space to put both feet on the crowd, there was a fraternity and peacefulness. No one pushed, no one raised their voice. It is a very deep experience of the universal Church.The weather forecast was for rain on Sunday, but it never rained all day. Instead it was blue sky and sun. In front of Andreas was a very young Franciscan who put up his hood to cover his head from the sun. There some people from Argentina, an elderly Italian couple, some Frenchmen, and of course many Poles.Andreas knew Pope John Paul very well in his life, what was it like to be there. He said that John Paul was present in the crowd. There was a jovial atmosphere. People who loved him came together and lived out his spirit.Pope Benedict has made some interesting and positive changes to the beatification ceremony. First, there was the reading of the proclamation and the Pope's approval. The picture of Bl. John Paul was unveiled and the crowd went wild. After that, they had an announcement in 10 languages asking for a prayerful atmosphere for Mass, no clapping and no banners or flags. There were several times in the Mass when it was so quiet and prayerful that he could hear the doves flying above the street.Scot asked what Communion was like. He was in a non-official section, even though there were no official tickets for the event. So he was afraid they wouldn't receive Communion. They did receive, but it took so long that the Mass was continuing on despite them. He believes there was enough for everyone.Andreas was able to venerate John Paul's casket. He said he admires the pilgrims who stood for the Mass and then stood for another 4 hours waiting to see the casket and they only get a few moments to see as they walked past. Andreas said he used his connections with the Swiss Guard to be able to pray next to the casket for a while. There were a lot of people praying, quietly. It was very reverent and quiet.Andreas is also in Rome for the annual swearing-in of the new Swiss Guards on May 6. His nephew is going to be sworn in for the Guard this year. It's also Andreas' 25th anniversary since he joined the Swiss Guard.**4th segment:** Last Tuesday on The Good Catholic Life, Dr. David Franks from St. John’s Seminary asked for our prayers as his wife Dr. Angela Franks was prepared to deliver their 5th child on Tuesday 5/3. Well, David texted me earlier today letting me know that Maximilian Joseph Franks didn’t want to wait until Tuesday. He was born at 2:27am this morning. 6 pounds, 9 ounces and 18 inches. Angela is doing well. Congratulations to David, Angela, Maximilian Joseph and his 4 older siblings in the Franks household. Pope Benedict is the first pope in 1,000 years to beatify his predecessor and it was a moving day for him yesterday.* [Pope Benedict's homily for the beatification Mass](http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/homilies/2011/documents/hf_ben-xvi_hom_20110501_beatificazione-gpii_en.html)>Six years ago we gathered in this Square to celebrate the funeral of Pope John Paul II. Our grief at his loss was deep, but even greater was our sense of an immense grace which embraced Rome and the whole world: a grace which was in some way the fruit of my beloved predecessor’s entire life, and especially of his witness in suffering. Even then we perceived the fragrance of his sanctity, and in any number of ways God’s People showed their veneration for him. For this reason, with all due respect for the Church’s canonical norms, I wanted his cause of beatification to move forward with reasonable haste. And now the longed-for day has come; it came quickly because this is what was pleasing to the Lord: John Paul II is blessed!Later on he said:>Today is the Second Sunday of Easter, which Blessed John Paul II entitled Divine Mercy Sunday. The date was chosen for today’s celebration because, in God’s providence, my predecessor died on the vigil of this feast. Today is also the first day of May, Mary’s month, and the liturgical memorial of Saint Joseph the Worker. All these elements serve to enrich our prayer, they help us in our pilgrimage through time and space; but in heaven a very different celebration is taking place among the angels and saints! Then he said:>Dear brothers and sisters, today our eyes behold, in the full spiritual light of the risen Christ, the beloved and revered figure of John Paul II. Today his name is added to the host of those whom he proclaimed saints and blesseds during the almost twenty-seven years of his pontificate, thereby forcefully emphasizing the universal vocation to the heights of the Christian life, to holiness, taught by the conciliar Constitution on the Church Lumen Gentium. All of us, as members of the people of God – bishops, priests, deacons, laity, men and women religious – are making our pilgrim way to the heavenly homeland where the Virgin Mary has preceded us, associated as she was in a unique and perfect way to the mystery of Christ and the Church. Karol Wojtyla took part in the Second Vatican Council, first as an auxiliary Bishop and then as Archbishop of Kraków. He was fully aware that the Council’s decision to devote the last chapter of its Constitution on the Church to Mary meant that the Mother of the Redeemer is held up as an image and model of holiness for every Christian and for the entire Church. This was the theological vision which Blessed John Paul II discovered as a young man and subsequently maintained and deepened throughout his life. A vision which is expressed in the scriptural image of the crucified Christ with Mary, his Mother, at his side. This icon from the Gospel of John (19:25-27) was taken up in the episcopal and later the papal coat-of-arms of Karol Wojtyla: a golden cross with the letter “M” on the lower right and the motto “Totus tuus”, drawn from the well-known words of Saint Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort in which Karol Wojtyla found a guiding light for his life: “Totus tuus ego sum et omnia mea tua sunt. Accipio te in mea omnia. Praebe mihi cor tuum, Maria – I belong entirely to you, and all that I have is yours. I take you for my all. O Mary, give me your heart” (Treatise on True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin, 266).>>In his Testament, the new Blessed wrote: “When, on 16 October 1978, the Conclave of Cardinals chose John Paul II, the Primate of Poland, Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski, said to me: ‘The task of the new Pope will be to lead the Church into the Third Millennium’”. And the Pope added: “I would like once again to express my gratitude to the Holy Spirit for the great gift of the Second Vatican Council, to which, together with the whole Church – and especially with the whole episcopate – I feel indebted. I am convinced that it will long be granted to the new generations to draw from the treasures that this Council of the twentieth century has lavished upon us. As a Bishop who took part in the Council from the first to the last day, I desire to entrust this great patrimony to all who are and will be called in the future to put it into practice. For my part, I thank the Eternal Shepherd, who has enabled me to serve this very great cause in the course of all the years of my Pontificate”. And what is this “cause”? It is the same one that John Paul II presented during his first solemn Mass in Saint Peter’s Square in the unforgettable words: “Do not be afraid! Open, open wide the doors to Christ!” What the newly-elected Pope asked of everyone, he was himself the first to do: society, culture, political and economic systems he opened up to Christ, turning back with the strength of a titan – a strength which came to him from God – a tide which appeared irreversible. By his witness of faith, love and apostolic courage, accompanied by great human charisma, this exemplary son of Poland helped believers throughout the world not to be afraid to be called Christian, to belong to the Church, to speak of the Gospel. In a word: he helped us not to fear the truth, because truth is the guarantee of liberty. To put it even more succinctly: he gave us the strength to believe in Christ, because Christ is Redemptor hominis, the Redeemer of man. This was the theme of his first encyclical, and the thread which runs though all the others.And at the end of his homily:>Finally, on a more personal note, I would like to thank God for the gift of having worked for many years with Blessed Pope John Paul II. I had known him earlier and had esteemed him, but for twenty-three years, beginning in 1982 after he called me to Rome to be Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, I was at his side and came to revere him all the more. My own service was sustained by his spiritual depth and by the richness of his insights. His example of prayer continually impressed and edified me: he remained deeply united to God even amid the many demands of his ministry. Then too, there was his witness in suffering: the Lord gradually stripped him of everything, yet he remained ever a “rock”, as Christ desired. His profound humility, grounded in close union with Christ, enabled him to continue to lead the Church and to give to the world a message which became all the more eloquent as his physical strength declined. In this way he lived out in an extraordinary way the vocation of every priest and bishop to become completely one with Jesus, whom he daily receives and offers in the Eucharist.>>Blessed are you, beloved Pope John Paul II, because you believed! Continue, we implore you, to sustain from heaven the faith of God’s people. Amen.**5th segment:** Two weeks ago a benefactor, who wishes to remain anonymous, contacted me with the interest of helping to support the expansion and reach of The Good Catholic Life program. The gift was very generous and I asked if there was a favorite saint that the benefactor would want to suggest to dedicate the studio to and the response was “Pope John Paul II.” So how we are pleased to be able to dedicate this radio studio to Blessed John Paul II. Father Matt Williams is here to lead us in the prayer of blessing and dedication. >God our Father, in your wise and loving providence you raise up men and women, outstanding in holiness, to proclaim the Gospel of your Son, Jesus Christ.>>In our generation, you chose and anointed Blessed John Paul II to be shepherd and father of your pilgrim Church on earth. >>Ablaze with the radiance of your Son, John Paul traveled to the farthest corners of the earth to bear witness to Jesus Christ, the light of the nations; in season and out of season, whether convenient or inconvenient.>>His example teaches and inspires us to “be not afraid” to walk in justice, to proclaim the Truth that sets us free, and to experience the depths of your love and mercy.>>He encouraged the Church in his address for the 34th World Communications Day in 2000 to proclaim Christ through the Media in the new millennium. He said: >“The impact of the media in today's world can hardly be exaggerated. The advent of the information society is a real cultural revolution, making the media "the first Areopagus of the modern age" (Redemptoris Missio, 37), where facts and ideas and values are constantly being exchanged. Through the media, people come into contact with other people and events, and form their opinions about the world they live in - indeed, form their understanding of the meaning of life… The proclamation of Christ must be part of this experience.>>…Naturally, in proclaiming the Lord, the Church must make energetic and skilful use of her own means of communication - books, newspapers and periodicals, radio, television, and other means. And Catholic communicators must be bold and creative in developing new media and methods of proclamation.>>…May the media give voice to Jesus himself, clearly and joyously, with faith and hope and love. To proclaim Christ in the media at the dawn of the new millennium is not only a necessary part of the Church's evangelizing mission; it is also a vital, inspiring and hope-filled enrichment of the media's message. May God abundantly bless all those who honour and proclaim his Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, in the vast world of the means of social communication.”>>Now that John Paul has crossed the threshold of hope into the heavenly kingdom, we ask you Father, through his intercession, to pour out your graces upon the Archdiocese’s efforts of evangelization, and in a particular way- this Radio Studio for The Good Catholic Life program. >>Instructed by John Paul’s teaching, we pray that we may open our hearts to the saving grace of Christ, the sole redeemer of humankind, and proclaim HIM with the power, the breath and the fire of the Holy Spirit. >>May all listeners come to know and discover the truth that they are a unique and unrepeatable gift from the heart of God. And may they discover in Jesus Christ and His Bride, the Church, the answer and remedy to their heart’s deepest questions and longings.>>Father, we ask you now to bless this Radio Studio, for your glory. United under the intercession and maternal care of our Heavenly Mother Mary, we say along with Blessed John Paul II, Totus Tuus Maria. >>We consecrate this Studio to you dear Father, through the powerful intercession of our Lady, and your servant Blessed John Paul II, and we give to you our “FIAT”-“let it be done unto me according to your Word.”>>And may almighty God bless this Radio Studio, In the Name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.>>Mary, Star of the New Evangelization – Pray for us!>Blessed John Paul II – Pray for us!Last night, Fr. Matt Williams preached a Mass on the occasion of the ending Sr. Olga Yaqob's long service in the chaplaincy at Boston University. He noted that several significant events this weekend point us to heaven: the royal wedding points us to the sacrament of marriage and the heavenly marriage banquet of the Lamb of God; the beatification of John Paul; and Sr. Olga's Mass on the feast of Divine Mercy and how that Mercy brings us to heaven.Sr. Olga spoke at the Boston Catholic Women's Conference several years ago, telling her story about coming from Iraq to now being asked by Cardinal Sean to found a new religious order.

**Today's host(s):** Scot Landry and Fr. Mark O'Connell**Today's guest(s):** Msgr. Cornelius McRae, currently Pastor of St. Catherine of Siena Parish, Norwood* ["Norwood pastor going back to Rome" (The Pilot, 4/15/11)](http://pilotcatholicnews.com/article.asp?ID=13233)* [Casa Santa Maria](http://www.pnac.org/casa-santa-maria/about-casa-santa-maria/)* [St. Catherine of Siena Parish, Norwood](http://www.stcatherinenorwood.org/)**Today's topics:** Msgr. Connie McRae's reflections on 50 years in the priesthood, his current pastorate, and his impending return to ministry in Rome**1st segment:** Scot welcomes Fr. Mark O'Connell back the program. Last Friday, Fr. Mark was at the cathedral with Cardinal Sean for Good Friday. Fr. Mark said he is looking forward to seeing the beatification of Pope John Paul II this weekend.Msgr. McRae, our guest, was a spiritual director for Scot when Scot was a seminarian for a year at the Pontifical North American College in Rome. Fr. Mark said Msgr.McRae was a close friend of Fr. Mark's uncle, Fr. David Delaney. They owned a house together with two other priests many years ago. When Fr. Mark was in Rome for four years, he lived at Casa Santa Maria, where Msgr. McRae will be serving starting in June. Those four years coincided with Msgr. McRae's previous years in Rome.**2nd segment:** Scot and Fr. Mark welcome Msgr. McRae. He recalls the wonderful days he shared in Rome with Scot and Fr. Mark and he's not unhappy with the idea of returning to Rome. Msgr. McRae remebers Fr. Mark as a toddler visiting his uncle's house at the beach. He also remembers Fr. Mark's first day in Rome. He just came off the plane and was very nervous, saying that he wasn't going to venture out the door into Rome.Scot said the Casa Santa Maria is in the heart of Rome, right near the Trevi Fountain. He asked Fr. Mark how much of an affect these four priests he knew as a child on his vocation. He remembers that they were happy in their lives and that their house was a joyful house and that had an influence this summer.This summer will mark 50 years as a priest for Msgr. McRae. The last 11 have been spent at St. Catherine of Siena in Norwood, one of the largest and busiest in the archdiocese. Msgr. said it is a parish that welcomes priests. They've had a number of priest gatherings throughout the year. He said the parish is unique and is about 120 years old. The church building celebrated its 100th anniversary this past Christmas. The people, even more than the building, are astonishing. They have two Masses during the day and they need four people distributing Communion at the morning Mass during Lent. He's trying to summarize in his own mind what it has been like. He believes there have been dramatic changes in his life as a priest. Fr. Mark said the past 10 years have been a time of great challenges in Boston and they correspond to his time in the parish. Msgr. said he recalls having to do a listening session in the parish at the beginning of the sex-abuse scandal. St. Catherine's was an island of peace where no abuse had occurred. They had a powerful experience of listening over the course of a night to the pain of the people who came to the session. He's learned that whatever shame or anger or frustration priests have felt is nothing to compared to that suffered by those who were abused.Fr. Mark said there's also been a decline in number of priests and closings of parishes in the past 10 years and he's had to guide the people in this time. Msgr. said he was aided by the people of the parish and the parishes that were closed.Scot asked what it's like to be pastor of such a large parish, where for example, there are so many first communions and so many weddings. Msgr. said once the parish had seven priests, but isn't that way now. He said it's important to have a clear vision of why they are there: They are there to assist in building and continuing to build a faith community. It's easy to create division. It's hard to build unity in the Lord. As pastor,m if you have a light schedule, you have a 12-14 hour day.One thing he will miss terribly is going out every day in the morning, meeting the schoolchildren and the parents in the yard and leading them into the school and leading them in morning prayer. This is the most important lesson: Forming a good habit of learning how to speak to God.Msgr. said the hardest part of leaving is leaving behind the people who he's come to love so much. Every Sunday, at every Mass he wasn't celebrating, he stood at the door of the church, greeting the people as they come into the church, rain or shine or snowstorm.He thinks it elementary and important to be greeting people, both enlisting their help, but also getting to know you and trust you, so they will talk to you. What kind of signal do parishes give when there is no welcome? We must be ambassadors, to be a welcoming faith community. It's not just the pastor, but everyone in the parish.He has a parishioner who runs hospitality for families after each morning Mass on Sundays. They invite families after Mass to welcome them. He also has a staff member to is working to encourage family Mass. Msgr. McRae also has a big staff to assist him in his parish.**3rd segment:** When Msgr. McRae first went to Rome in the late 90s, the rector of the seminary was then-Msgr. Timothy Dolan (now the Archbishop of New York). He was spiritual director at the North American College. It was a very lively time, but he wanted to come back to Boston to be a pastor. The last time he'd been in a parish was in 1969. From that time, he served on the faculty of St. John Seminary and as rector of Pope John XXIII Seminary in Weston and then as spiritual director in Rome.Scot asked what it's like to serve as priest in Rome, where so many saints and martyrs have walked and where one experiences the universality of the Church. Msgr. said all the online social networking with people all over the world that people do on Facebook today is just the modern version of the global village people have experienced in Rome for hundreds of years. He looks forward to working with priests doing graduate studies in Rome. In a parish, there hasn't been a lot of time to do much studying and engaging in the world of ideas. He's looking forward to engaging people in what they are studying. Fr. Mark said Msgr. has been thinking about the spirituality of diocesan priesthood. Among other things, he says that involves in the willingness to do administration. If you are the head of a household with a family, your vocation includes taking care of the home. A priest who doesn't take care of his parish's facility and other material matters, then people won't feel comfortable and welcome. Our vicar general, Fr. Richard Erikson, often speaks of the ministry of administration, which has the word "ministry" right in the middle of it. Good administration allows the parish to be healthier and reinforce the good things people bring to the parish ministry.Msgr. said that with fewer priests, the demands are getting more and more piled on fewer people. In Rome, he will try to convince the younger priests of the need to help each other bear the burdens and joys of being priests. He says people don't have a fair sense of the priest's needs. If they have a spiritual need, they expect you to be there.Fr. Mark said the priests who arrive at the Casa in Rome are often shell-shocked at being out of a parish and back in studies, while the men who have been in Rome for a while are somewhat out of touch with being a diocesan priest. Msgr.'s role will be to keep them in touch with what it means to be a priest and to understand that their present assignment of study is as much a priestly role as being a parish priest.Msgr. said the priests in Rome have a time to pray and to think, building up a spiritual reservoir which will be tapped when they come back to do whatever the bishop is going to ask of them. That time to pray and think is not a luxury. The Church needs priests who will continue to be students to serve the people well. Scot believes we may have the most educated laity in Boston, priests need to be well-educated in order to preach effectively. Msgr. said the people of St. Catherine's are very varied and alert to what is going on around them, but at his previous parish in Belmont, he had nine Nobel Prize winners in the parish.Scot asked Msgr. what a spiritual director does. Msgr. said that every day as Christians we have to discern the Lord's will for us. To know what God wants and to do it is the source and peace of our life. He will be working with the men to look at their past and their future to know and do God's will.At St. Catherine's, he doesn't have the luxury to meet with every person, so the preaching has to help them to be able to do God's will in whatever their state in life they have now.**4th segment:** Considering the [readings for Sunday Mass](http://www.usccb.org/nab/050111.shtml) for May 1, the Second Sunday of Easter and Divine Mercy Sunday* Gospel (John 20:19-31)>On the evening of that first day of the week, when the doors were locked, where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews,Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be with you.”>>When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.”>>Thomas, called Didymus, one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples said to him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger into the nailmarks and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.” >>Now a week later his disciples were again inside and Thomas was with them. Jesus came, although the doors were locked, and stood in their midst and said, “Peace be with you.” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands, and bring your hand and put it into my side, and do not be unbelieving, but believe.”>>Thomas answered and said to him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Have you come to believe because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.” >>Now, Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples that are not written in this book. But these are written that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that through this belief you may have life in his name.Scot said the Apostles were in the room, huddling in fear, but after this encounter with Christ they had the courage to proclaim the Gospel and eventually to be martyred.This was also mainly about Thomas who had a strong skepticism, despite the testimony of his 10 brothers in the Lord. Fr. Mark said to consider that Thomas was not in the community. Sometimes when we're not with the Church, not in the community, we can become more skeptical. But when we experience the Lord in the community, in the Church, then we no longer need that proof because we've already received all that we need.Scot said Thomas might have been thinking that Jesus had let him down, by not fulfilling Thomas' expectations. When we think of being let down by the Church at times, Christ comes to us and embraces us.Msgr. McRae said there is a lot of competition this weekend for people's attention. People will be thinking of the royal wedding and of the beatification of John Paul and other things. A homily must connect people's lives with what is revealed in the Readings. Msgr. McRae pointed out that today would normally be the feast of St. Catherine and the royal wedding was chosen on this date for that reason.Fr. Mark said he will never think of this Gospel in the same way after Cardinal Sean said in his first homily in Boston to the victims of abuse that they are the wounds in the Body of Christ. Msgr. said Thomas told the apostles he would not believe until he saw the wounds and now Fr. Mark has identified those wounds.Fr. Mark also said the Christ comes in His new glorified Body. Pope Benedict has said that the resurrected Body is a like a great leap forward in human evolution. Christ does not just pass through locked doors, but also through the locked door of Death. Msgr. said the children at his parish last week drew pictures for the Stations of the Cross and some wrote prayers for the Stations and he sees that they have seen the wounds of Christ and are prepared for this Gospel on the second Sunday of Easter.Scot said there's a certain amount of Thomas in all of us and a certain amount of the other apostles. While Thomas gets a bad rap, he is the one who responds to Christ with the Act of Faith, identifying Him as God.

**Today's host(s):** Scot Landry and Susan Abbott**Today's guest(s):** Fr. Roger Landry, executive editor of The Anchor, the official newspaper of the Fall River diocese; and Gregory Tracy, managing editor of The Pilot, the official newspaper of the Boston archdiocese* [The Pilot](http://www.pilotcatholicnews.com)* [The Anchor](http://www.anchornews.com)**Today's topics:** An offensive state-funded website; pro-euthanasia billboard; local and worldwide reaction to Pope John Paul's beatification**A summary of today's show:** Scot and Susan discuss the news of the week with Gregory Tracy and Fr. Roger Landry, including an offensive, state-funded website telling teens abortion is no big deal; a new billboard in Boston advertising euthanasia; and local and worldwide reaction to the beatification of Pope John Paul II, including our hosts' and guests' personal recollections of the Pope.**1st segment:** Scot catches up with Susan. She said her parish this week confirmed 70 teens and 2 adults, giving the whole parish a spiritual high. Bishop Allue celebrated the confirmation. Scot recalls that in 1979, Susan's pastor Msgr. Helmick was in charge of the papal visit of Pope John Paul II to Boston along with Fr. James McCune. Scot has been going through the archives of the archdiocese, looking for photos of the papal visit.**2nd segment:** Scot and Susan welcome Gregory Tracy and Fr. Roger Landry to the show. On Wednesday, April 20, there was a story in the Boston Herald profiling a website called "Maria Talks" and then a column the next by Michael Graham about the site. The Pilot this week has a story on legislators who want to pull state-funding from the site. The site is partly funded by the state of Massachusetts and run by the AIDS Action Committee and is aimed to be sex education of teens. It includes graphic content on sexual activity and downplays the reality of abortion, saying it's easier than it sounds and that it's not a big deal. It also describes in great detail how to avoid telling parents about an abortion.Susan said that as a mother and a grandmother she is outraged. Massachusetts Citizens for Life sounded the alarm on this site. She recalls that while you may need parental permission to have ears pierced, there is state-funded information on how to get an abortion without parents. Susan said the information they provide is itself factually flawed.Scot said there is a bipartisan group of lawmakers asking Gov. Deval Patrick to take down the website. Fr. Landry said that while people are always telling pro-lifers not to force their morality on them, here they are forcing their immorality on us. Mis- and partial information is being peddled to young people. It's another sign for us to awaken from our slumber, They aren't just trying to force this immorality on our young people and they're trying to make us pay the bill for it. He hopes that we'll keep our vigilance up because this is just scratching the surface of the larger effort to advance the anti-life cause.NARAL Pro-Choice America calls the site "terrific". Gregory said this is abortion distortion: The normal rules of life somehow don't seem to apply when abortion is involved. Children can't bring aspirin to school, but they can get abortions without parental involvement.* [MariaTalks.com](http://mariatalks.com/index.php) **Warning: Graphic Content*** ["Site: No stigma in abortion" (Boston Herald, 4/20/11)](http://bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1332044)* ["Mass. lawmakers say sex ed website 'disgusting'" (Boston Globe/AP, 4/26/11)](http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2011/04/26/mass_lawmakers_say_sex_ed_web_site_disgusting/?rss_id=Boston.com+--+Local+news)* ["Defunding solves a problem like Maria", Michael Graham (Boston Herald, 4/21/11)](http://www.bostonherald.com/news/opinion/op_ed/view/2011_0421defunding_solves_problem_like_maria/)Another local story is a Boston billboard outside the Callahan tunnel in East Boston advertising euthanasia. The billboard is paid for by the Final Exit Network. Kris Mineau of the Mass. Family Institute said that the group is looking for low-hanging fruit to drum up support for a pro-suicide bill. Fr. Landry said that when people get to the stage of suffering when they start to think they just want to die, that's when people need more help to live, not a message that they should die. They should be told that they still have much to offer, dying with real dignity. Fr. Tad Pacholczyk of National Catholic Bioethic Center said: "All of us will ourselves invariably die, with 100 percent certainty. Acknowledging the impending arrival of death, and seeking to pass from this life at home surrounded by loved ones can be a great grace."Susan said you often hear people claim that there needs to be a quality of life, but that's the beginning of the slippery slope, if history teaches us anything. Also, she said, the last days of Pope John Paul II taught us much about suffering with dignity, teaching us to live with suffering and to die with dignity.* ["Boston billboard promotes euthanasia" (The Pilot, 4/22/11)](http://pilotcatholicnews.com/article.asp?ID=13248)**3rd segment:** Fr. Landry wrote an editorial in this week's Anchor on exactly why John Paul is being beatified. He framed it in terms of a conversation the pope had in 1995 with George Weigel as Weigel was about to write a biography of the pope. He said the only way to understand him was to understand him as first and foremost a follower of Jesus Christ, that all the fruit he had borne as pope came from the source. A beatification is not an exaltation of a papacy, but an acknowledgement that John Paul lived as a virtuous disciple and that God worked a miracle through the intercession of the pope to show that John Paul can be a model we can follow to grow in the Christian life. Scot said George Weigel writes this week about the beatification and says he worries that we will lose sight of the Pope as a man. When a saint is made, he becomes removed from everyday life and untouchable, an ideal that we can't imagine being. But we are all called to holiness and sanctification. John Paul lived in a radical way, leaning on Christ for strength and guidance, and we're all capable of living this way.Fr. Landry said the Holy Father clarified the standard by which we are to live our lives. John Paul had encountered an attitude in the world that people approach life as a pass-fail course, where we just hope to just get by and into heaven through purgatory. Instead we should strive to get that A+ and doing all the best. The odds that someone striving to get an A will instead fail is much less than someone who sets his sights low and just hopes to get by. God wouldn't call us to anything unless He was willing to give us all that we need to achieve it. John Paul said we need to take prayer seriously, we need to take Mass as the source and summit of existence, we need to be cleansed through confession, to listen to the Word of God and let it take on our flesh, to share the gift of the Word with others, and we need to reach out for God's grace that is extended to us. This is the lesson he preached and lived in his example.* Fr. Roger Landry's editorial in The Anchor on the beatification (to be posted later)* George Weigel's column in The Pilot and The Anchor (to be posted later)* ["George Weigel slams critics of John Paul II's fast track to sainthood" (Catholic News Agency, 4/25/11)](http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/george-weigel-slams-critics-of-john-paul-iis-fast-track-to-sainthood/)**4th segment:** Both The Anchor and The Pilot have testimonies from local people on the life of Pope John Paul. Many people talk about meeting the Holy Father in Rome, sometimes encountering him in his private chapel for Mass. Fr. Roger had the privilege five times. He was always struck by the intensity of his prayer, how focused he was on Jesus when all other eyes were on him. He was a living sign that Jesus Christ is alive. The same Jesus who called Peter from fishing boat called Karol Wojtyla from his home in Wadowice, Poland. Fr. Landry had the experience of preaching the Gospel of Matthew 16:18 as he stood facing Pope John Paul in a private Mass from just four feet away.On his first trip to the United States, Pope John Paul came to Boston in 1979. Susan was a member of the papal choir at the Mass. The choir was directed by then-Fr. Strahan, who composed some settings for the Mass. On the day of the Mass, it poured rain and her red robes stained her clothes underneath. In The Pilot this week, former Boston mayor and former US Ambassador Ray Flynn to the Vatican first met John paul in 1969 when he was Cardinal Wojtyla. Flynn said the result of that meeting was a changing in his outlook on life and a desire to help the poorest and the voiceless. He said that in 1979, when he was a city councilman, he and his wife helped with people who were handicapped attending the papal Mass in the rain on Boston Common.The Pilot talked briefly with Cardinal Sean before he went to Rome for the beatification. He said, "His ministry has a huge impact on the Church and the world. He was always warm and gracious. He was interested in people and energized particularly by young people."Both [CatholicTV](http://www.catholictv.com) and EWTN will have extensive coverage, including the Vigil Mass on Saturday night at 8pm and then on Sunday morning. They will also have many other features on the life of Pope John Paul II. On Monday, the first memorial Mass using the prayers for John Paul led by the Vatican Secretariat of State, Cardinal Bertone.>On Saturday, April 30, at 8 pm, CatholicTV will air a special vigil from the Circus Maximus in Rome. Join pilgrims from around the world and see a video message from Pope Benedict XVI during this broadcast on the eve of the beatification.>>On Monday, May 2 at noon & 8 p.m., CatholicTV will broadcast a special Mass of Thanksgiving for Blessed John Paul from Saint Peter’s Square. This Mass will presided over by the Cardinal Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone.The beatification Mass will air live at 2:30 a.m. Eastern time and will be re-broadcast at noon. Scot said anyone who plans to get up at 1am to watch the royal wedding tomorrow better get up early on Sunday for the beatification Mass.**5th segment:** The beatification will occur on Divine Mercy Sunday. He died six years ago on the eve of Divine Mercy Sunday. The Divine Mercy devotion was very important to him. When John Paul was in the clandestine seminary in Krakow during World War II, he worked a day job in a chemical factory. That was located across the street from the convent where St. Faustina received the messages of Divine Mercy from Jesus. As a young priest he also had a great dedication to hearing confessions, reportedly hearing each confession for up to an hour. He always said that in confession the whole Church is present for that one penitent sinner. When he was a young archbishop, he promoted the cause in the face of criticism. And as Pope he wrote an encyclical on Divine Mercy and then made St. Faustina the first saint canonized in the new millennium. At that Mass he declared the first Sunday after Easter will be known as the feast of Divine Mercy.Fr. Roger told a story of being in St. Peter's Square on that day and being approached by a young man asking to hear his confession. More and more people lined up to the impromptu confessions and Fr. Roger heard confessions for more than 2 hours. From that time on, he has had a great devotion to the Divine Mercy.