March 20, 2009 - Issue #6
Local News | Opinion/Editorials | Letters to the Editor
Local News
Archbishop backs parental consent bill
Says measure can safeguard pregnant teens
Anchorage Archbishop Roger Schwietz strongly supports a state bill that would acknowledge a parent’s right to be informed and involved when their under-age daughter considers aborting her baby.
In a letter dated March 11, Archbishop Schwietz told bill sponsor, Rep. John Coghill, R-North Pole, that the proposed legislation “ultimately allows parents to be parents and be aware of the life changing situation that their often immature children become involved in.”
House Bill 35, which had three public hearings in the House Judiciary Committee this month, states that parents of girls under 17 years of age, must be informed of their daughters decision to get an abortion and they must give their consent before it can take place.
The bill would allow a girl to petition a Superior Court judge for permission to have an abortion without notifying her parents if she faces an abusive situation at home.
The bill also exempts teens who are legally emancipated, financially independent, married or serving in the military.
The bill is similar to the 1997 Parental Consent Act, which Planned Parenthood successfully challenged in court.
In a 3-2 vote, the state Supreme Court in 2007 struck down the law, claiming that it unduly infringed on a pregnant girls rights to reproductive freedom.
Chief Justice Dana Fabe wrote in the majority opinion that the state has a compelling interest to protect the health of minors but also to involve families in their decisions. Fabe’s opinion added that the state constitution would permit a law which ensures that parents are notified before their minor child gets an abortion.
The law requiring parental consent, however, was struck down because it did not “strike the proper constitutional balance between the State’s compelling interests and a minor’s fundamental right to privacy,” Fabe wrote.
Gov. Sarah Palin has repeatedly expressed her disagreement with the court’s decision, as have a number of state lawmakers.
In a Feb. 26 press conference, Gov. Palin, joined a dozen lawmakers for a press conference supporting the measure.
“Wherever you fall on the abortion issue, right or left, this legislation is about family, and it’s about parents’ rights and protecting our children, and it’s supported by legislators on both sides of the aisle,” Palin said.
However, opponents to the bill strongly opposed the measure in its first public hearing in Juneau March 9. At that meeting, all 22 people who testified were against the measure, saying it put an undue burden on girls seeking abortions.
In his March 11 letter of support, however, Archbishop Schwietz expressed the view that many advocates of the bill have also voiced, namely, that parental involvement in such a life changing decision is critical to safeguarding minors.
“Over the course of my years as a priest and a bishop, I have heard many personal stories related to the devastating effects abortion has had on women’s lives,” Archbishop Schwietz wrote. “Passage of this bill would ensure that parents are fully aware of the challenges their daughters would be facing if they did indeed go through with an abortion.”
He continued: “In any situation, if they carry the baby to term and make an adoption plan or choose to raise the baby, or if they abort the fetus, they will need counseling and parental support.”
Archbishop Schwietz also praised the legislation for including a section, which ensures that a minor may not be forced to have an abortion once she has told her parents of her pregnancy.
Supporters of the bill maintain that if it passes and is later challenged in the Supreme Court, the court could choose to strike down the requirement for consent, but leave in the requirement for notice, meaning that parents would have to be told about the abortion but wouldn’t have to give consent.
The law rejected by the Supreme Court in 2007 didn’t mention notice to parents, so that wasn’t an option.
During the Feb. 26 press conference, Coghill noted that minors have to secure parental consent in most other areas of life, but not when it comes to abortion.
“In every area of life we say, ‘You want an aspirin, you want to go on a field trip, you need parental consent to do this.’ This is the only area, because of the constitutional struggle, that we come down to where the parent has no right,” Coghill said.
On March 16, HB 35 was referred to the House Finance Committee, but has not yet come to a vote of the full House. Last year, a similar bill was held in committee and never brought to a full vote before the end of the legislative session.
In pursuit of justice and faith
Jesuit Volunteer Corps serves Alaska
“Oh, the places you’ll see!” This famous Dr. Seuss quote might serve as a recruitment ad for the Jesuit Volunteer Corps — an organization that sends college grads on a year of service and adventure far from home.
But more to the point might be the slogan, “Oh, the people you’ll meet, especially the poor.”
Molly Weber said she’s finding this true in her volunteer year with the JVC at Covenant House in Anchorage.
“I’m reminded on a daily basis how ridiculously blessed I’ve been in my life with things I’ve done nothing to deserve.”
This self-revelation is part of a JVC year, a year that Corps alumni only half-jokingly say “ruins you for life,” meaning it changes your perspective on faith and the world.
Weber is one of eight recent college grads serving in Anchorage this year with the Jesuit Volunteer Corps at places ranging from Beans Café to the Red Cross. The seven women and one man live in a modest but roomy house in a residential area of Spenard, where they’re delving into one of the core tenants of the JVC: community life.
“Our community shares, but it doesn’t mean it’s not a challenge,” said Weber.
Weber, a graduate of Loyola-Marymount University, a Jesuit school in Los Angeles, has enthusiastically gotten into the local Catholic scene. A cantor at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in Anchorage, she also attends frequent weekday Masses at Holy Family Cathedral.
Spirituality is a tenant of JVC, and one Weber wholeheartedly embraces.
“Spirituality is definitely a huge thing for me,” she said. “I wouldn’t be able to do what I do without my faith.”
The Corps, which is today an international organization, has its origins in Alaska. It was in Alaska that the Corps first developed, in the vision and foresight of the Sisters of St. Ann and Jesuits who staffed the mission schools in the Alaska Bush.
The sisters are credited with inviting the first group of young women from their colleges on the East Coast to Copper Valley High School, near Glennallen, in the late 1950s.
This event is generally regarded as the “birthday” of the JVC, which celebrated its 50th anniversary two years ago.
Marti Pausback was part of making history for the Corps in Anchorage. After the Copper Valley School was closed in the late 1960s, there were no more Jesuit Volunteers serving in the Anchorage Archdiocese until Pausback’s crew re-introduced the JVC to Anchorage in 1987. There were four volunteers in her community.
Pausback, a member of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church in Anchorage, with her kids and husband Bill Michaelson, remembers the idealism she felt when she entered right out of college.
“I grew up in Aspen, Colorado, a very affluent place,” she recalled. “I wanted adventure, I wanted to make the world a better place. And I had the idea of working with the poor.”
The Corps was a real eye-opener.
Although one may have a certain idealized image of the poor, she said, “you quickly realize you’re the same. We’re all connected. You learn about basic human dignity.”
Pausback, who volunteered at McAuley Manor, said what the Corps did for her was strengthen her awareness of social justice, which is the third Corps value.
Colleen Miller is a more recent volunteer. The 2000 graduate of Service High School went on to Gonzaga University, a Jesuit school in Spokane, and from there to service with the Corps in Birmingham, Alabama.
She worked with a housing contractor who provided assistance to people with low incomes.
“I drove this huge old orange truck and would pick up all kinds of stuff at Lowe’s,” recalled Miller. “We rehabbed houses and did new builds. I remember walking into one house where the toilet was falling through the floor, the sub-floor was so rotten.”
Miller’s parents, Tom and Cathy Miller of Our Lady of Guadalupe Church, were also Jesuit Volunteers at St. Mary’s, Alaska, in the 1970s, and her sister Jean served with the Peace Corps in Africa.
“I was excited about doing volunteer work,” said Miller, “but I wanted the community aspect that the Jesuit Volunteer Corps offered. It opened my eyes to a lot of things, and it’s a great way to meet people with similar values.”
The fourth tenet of JVC, along with social justice, spirituality and community, is simple living. Volunteers receive a small stipend along with health insurance.
Leah Nusse, recruitment and alumni coordinator for the JVC in Portland, Oregon, said there are 99 volunteers currently serving in the JVC Northwest, which comprises Alaska, Montana, Idaho, Washington and Oregon. Two Anchorage residents, Ann Gumpert of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church and Meghan Dooley of St. Benedict Church, are currently serving with the Corps.
New bishop eager to serve Juneau Diocese
PITTSBURGH — Bishop Edward J. Burns, the new head of the Diocese of Juneau, Alaska, told the congregation at his episcopal ordination Mass March 3 that he looked forward to the challenge and adventure of his assignment.
“It is a welcome challenge for me to go to the corner of this country, sent by Christ, sent by the church to proclaim God’s word and celebrate the sacraments,” he said.
“I look forward to the adventure of going to the Diocese of Juneau. I desire to come to know, to love and to serve the new people of God in that wonderful and beautiful diocese,” he said.
Surrounded by his brother priests, family and friends, he was ordained a bishop at St. Paul Cathedral in Pittsburgh by Bishop David A. Zubik of Pittsburgh. Archbishops Donald W. Wuerl of Washington and Roger L. Schwietz of Anchorage served as co-consecrators.
In Juneau the 51-year-old bishop succeeds Bishop Michael W. Warfel, who was appointed bishop of Great Falls-Billings, Mont., in November 2007. Bishop Burns will be installed in Juneau April 2.
In his homily, Bishop Zubik spoke of the unbroken succession of bishops that continues to hand down the traditions of the church. He said a bishop should be revered as a minister of Christ, as a steward of the mystery of God and as someone who has been entrusted with the task of bearing witness to the truth of God’s love.
Bishop Zubik recalled several telephone conversations he has had over the years with now-Bishop Burns each time he was appointed to a new post.
What was so important about his response, Bishop Zubik noted, was that the tone in which he responded spoke nothing of his talents, but was instead a humble response totally dependent on Jesus himself.
“The title of bishop is one of service, not of honor,” he said, in pointing out that a bishop should strive to work for others, not lord it over them.
Bishop Zubik added that a bishop must “preach the word in season and out of season” and devote himself wholeheartedly to seeking every kind of grace for those in his flock.
In his remarks to the congregation, Bishop Burns said he stood before them as a man grateful to God. He said that when he was called to leave his first parish assignment, he realized what it meant to leave those close to him.
Watch installation live The Juneau Diocese will broadcast Bishop Edward Burn’s installation live online. To view the installation April 2, visit dioceseofjuneau.org and click on “Broadcast LIVE.” |
Bishop Burns pointed out, however, that it was a letter from a second-grader in the parish school who put his plight into perspective. In essence, she told him, “you’ve got to do what you’ve got to do.”
“That young girl knew that when you’re called by the church you go,” he said.
Archbishop O’Brien praised Bishop Burns for his zealous love of the priesthood and his desire to see it strengthened.
“I think there is nothing impossible in the priesthood for Bishop Edward Burns,” he said. “Juneau will soon discover that.”
When then-Msgr. Burns was named the fifth bishop of Juneau Jan. 22, he was rector of St. Paul Seminary in Pittsburgh and director of the diocesan preordination formation department and office for vocations.
Nationally, he was executive director of vocations and priestly formation for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops from 1999 to 2008. He returned to Pittsburgh in August 2008 to become rector. He was ordained a priest for the Pittsburgh Diocese in 1983.
In all, more than two dozen bishops attended his episcopal ordination; they included Bishop Warfel, Archbishop Francis T. Hurley, who was the second bishop of Juneau, 1971-76; Cardinal Justin Rigali of Philadelphia; Archbishop Pietro Sambi, apostolic nuncio to the United States; Byzantine Archbishop Basil M. Schott of Pittsburgh; and Archbishop Edwin F. O’Brien of Baltimore.
The congregation also included more than a dozen people from the Diocese of Juneau.
Alaska priest leads medical mission to Vietnam’s poorest
Small team overcomes communist government’s obstacles
Dominican Father Francis Hung Le, pastor of Holy Family Cathedral in Anchorage, has just returned from a medical mission trip to the most remote and impoverished villages in the mountains of Vietnam.
Accompanying him were a handful of volunteers who paid their own way to help — two physicians, three registered nurses, two pharmacists and a physician’s assistant.
They brought with them leftover, unexpired medicines donated by friends and acquaintances — a supply valued at $400,000.
In just two weeks, Feb. 8-22, the small team treated 1,200 people — the poorest of the poor suffering from anemia, infections, high blood pressure, parasites and tumors.
The volunteers’ base was Hue, a village in the heart of Vietnam — 600 miles from both Hanoi and Saigon. A central site of the 1968 Tet Offensive, Hue is Father Le’s boyhood home.
In an interview with the Anchor, Father Le explained that from Hue, each day, the medical team traveled by bus to villages in the mountains on Vietnam’s northwest border with Laos. One-way, the trips took several hours.
Since the communist Vietnamese government would not permit the group to stay overnight at the Catholic parishes in the villages, the team returned at the end of each day to a hotel in Hue. Father Le’s 81-year-old mother prepared evening meals for the visitors.
Father Le said that ahead of a visit, the group contacted the Catholic parish or convent in the area, which in turn invited the area’s impoverished ill to come for a check-up by the traveling clinicians.
Father Le’s brother, Father Ignatius Hoa Le, helped organize a clinic stop at his parish, Nhat Dong.
At each site, the group set up areas for registration, a triage assessment by a nurse, an examination by a physician and a pharmacy, where medicines were dispensed.
Hundreds of the poor and sick — mostly Buddhist — lined up for the medical provisions. Less than two percent of the rural inhabitants are Catholic.
In one day, the team treated 340 people.
As the mission’s chaplain, Father Le offered Mass at the local parish everyday. And he served as interpreter and managed logistics.
Also, the group visited Nguyet Bieu shelter for women and orphanage run by the Sisters of the Lovers of the Cross. There, the sisters provide a home to pregnant mothers and their babies in need.
The work of the sisters is invaluable, said Father Le. According to the communist government’s population control policy, couples may not have more than two children. Father Le lamented that consequently, Vietnam’s abortion rate is “high.”
Helping those who suffer from such injustice and physical deprivations is “nothing new” for the Catholic Church, explained Father Le. The corporal works of mercy — such as feeding the hungry, clothing the naked and visiting the imprisoned — are “forefront,” he added.
Christians care for the “least of our brethren” because “Christ asked us to do it,” explained Father Le.
On vacations years ago, he began helping transport medicines to a clinic for the poor in Peru. In 2006, Father Le and a retired physician and parishioner from his previous parish, Holy Rosary Church in Antioch, California established Holy Rosary International Medical Mission. Since then, a group of “ordinary Catholics and friends” has traveled to several underdeveloped countries to provide medical care and support to the poor.
In Vietnam, the Catholic Church has served the needy since it first arrived in the 1600s.
“Through the last 400 years in Vietnam, the Catholic Church has always taken care of the poor and run orphanages and shelters for women,” said Father Le. As a result, he said the church has “very strong credibility” among the predominantly non-Christian Vietnamese citizens.
But for that reason, the atheist communist government perceives the Catholic Church as a threat.
“When communists took over the South in 1975,” said Father Le, “they tried to eliminate that voice from the people.”
“By its nature, there is only the state. There is no competition,” he explained.
“And so as we speak, the Catholic Church is under persecution, left and right,” he told the Anchor.
In Vietnam, the Catholic Church cannot buy land to expand or open schools. Catholics may not teach in state schools either, and “the bishop cannot assign his people without permission from the government,” Father Le noted.
Learn More The next Holy Rosary International Medical Mission is to the Philippines in February 2010. For more information, visit the Web site at hrimm.org. |
In addition, it is “very difficult to open clinics,” he said. Father Le’s sister, Dr. Thanh Tinh Le, who lives and practices in Vietnam and who took part in the recent mission, regularly treats the poor in her living room at home.
“Many organizations come into Vietnam,” noted Father Le. “But ours is different because we have a Catholic identity. We want to collaborate with the local church because we believe the local church can identify the poor better than the government.”
This trip was Father Le’s fourth medical mission to Vietnam, and the group goes prepared to pay the $600 that communist officials demand under the table at Customs.
“The need is so great in Vietnam,” he said.
For future missions, Father Le seeks more medical workers — of any denomination — to help. Particularly, he hopes to draw in ophthalmologists to treat Vietnam’s elderly population, the vast majority of whom are blinded by cataracts.
Anchorage Archdiocese launches Facebook page
The Archdiocese of Anchorage is on Facebook, one of the most well-trafficked social networks on the Internet. In February, the Facebook page was established to build “connections” especially with teens and young adults, according to Nora Ortiz-Fredrick of the archdiocese’s Office of Stewardship and Development. The archdiocese plans to post photos, links and a listing of archdiocesan-wide events, which Facebook friends can download into their electronic calendars. The Archdiocese of Anchorage is one of only a handful of other dioceses in the United States that maintain a Facebook page.
-Anchor report
Feast of St. Margaret Clitherow
On March 25, the Catholic Church celebrates the feast of St. Margaret Clitherow, the “Pearl of York,” mother and convert to Catholicism who was martyred in England in 1586. Her crime: harboring priests in her home and attending Mass there during Queen Elizabeth’s persecution of the church.
After her conversion, St. Margaret stayed home from the Protestant services, which the queen mandated all attend. For her refusal, repeatedly, she was fined — although her Protestant husband John, who was a well-to-do butcher and town official, paid the fines.
John would later say that except for her fasting and not going to church with him, he wished for no better wife.
St. Margaret maintained her faith, which led to imprisonments — sometimes for two years at a time. While in jail, she learned to read and write — and one of the couple’s children was born there, too.
Wanting to share the fullness of the faith with her children, she hired a Catholic tutor — which also was against the law.
Knowing the importance of the Mass, St. Margaret began sheltering fugitive priests. She made hiding places inside the house for the priests and their vestments and the bread and wine for Mass.
But one day, during a government crack down on prominent Catholics, the authorities searched the Clitherow house. The children’s Catholic tutor escaped in time, leaving the Clitherow and some local neighbor children, as well as one boy from abroad. The boy’s fear was evident. When the authorities threatened him with a flogging, he broke down and revealed where the vestments and bread and wine were kept.
St. Margaret was arrested and indicted. But she refused to make a plea and stand trial because she did not want her children or servants to be forced to testify. She told the court, “I know of no offense whereof I should confess myself guilty. Having made no offense, I need no trial.”
The judge and others, including Christian ministers, tried to make her confess her crimes or deny the church. But she held fast and cogently responded regarding the tenets of the faith.
Finally, the judge passed the sentence that she should be crushed to death — on the ground, under a weighted-down door — as a punishment for having “harbored and maintained Jesuits and seminary priests, traitors to the Queen’s majesty and her laws.” It is believed that St. Margaret was pregnant with her fourth child at the time.
On Good Friday, March 25, 1586, St. Margaret was led to her execution. She walked barefoot, having sent her hose and shoes to her daughter Anne, as a sign of her hope that she would follow in her steps in the faith. Eventually, Anne would become a nun and her two brothers, priests.
After 15 minutes being pressed under a heavy door, St. Margaret died on the ground at the age of 33 — as she had said, “for the love of my Lord Jesu.”
St. Margaret Clitherow was canonized by Pope Paul VI in 1970. Her home in York is visited by pilgrims to this day.
St. Margaret’s confessor wrote an account of her life, one version of which was edited by Jesuit Father John Morris in the 1877 work, “Troubles of our Catholic Forefathers.”
- Sources: “St. Margaret: Mother and Martyr,” Daniel F. McSheffery, “The Homiletic & Pastoral Review,” April 1994; newadvent.org.
Byzantine singing compared to ‘conversation with God’
Alaskan cantors relish riches of Eastern rite music
For Byzantine Catholics, the chance to participate in liturgy is an opportunity to experience heaven on earth, according to John Michalski, the cantor at St. Nicholas of Myra Byzantine Catholic Church in Anchorage.
Because of the sacredness of the Mass, almost the entire liturgy in the Byzantine rite is sung or chanted.
“This is to set the tone and speed and create an atmosphere of prayer,” Michalski said. “When the priest chants the Gospel, it is meant to do it slower to communicate clearly the message of God to everyone.”
For Doctor Ron Kichura, who cantors north of Anchorage at Blessed Theodore Romzha Mission in Wasilla, Byzantine rite music “moves like a conversation with God.”
To walk into a Byzantine church is to walk into a rich tradition, steeped in a sense of the sacred.
In the way that St. Gregory the Great influenced the Gregorian chant in the Western churches, the liturgy in the Eastern rites — including the Byzantine Catholic rite — is based primarily on the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chyrsostom throughout much of the year, and also on St. Basil’s.
“Right now as we move into the Great Fast (the Byzantine observance of Lent) our liturgy is based on St. Basil,” Michalski explained. “That liturgy is a bit longer, more somber in tone and focused on prayer.”
The more somber tone heard during the Great Fast of Lent is one of eight musical melodies that are used throughout the year, Michalski elaborated.
The melodies rise and fall in a chanting form, Kichura explained, and are sung either in monotone or with harmonization, depending on the church and the cantor. In keeping with the Byzantine tradition, the music is entirely vocal, with no musical instruments.
“We’ve had some requests (at Blessed Theodore) to do harminzations, but if we do, it’s more of an impromptu thing,” Kichura said. “It’s all acappella, that’s just a tradition for Byzantine Catholics over the centuries.”
Since the fourth century, the music has remained relatively unchanged, he added.
“Vatican II allowed the Byzantine rite to keep their liturgies and their traditions,” he said. “The biggest change is that it switched over to the vernacular, instead of Old Slavonic.”
In 2007, the Byzantine rite made some minor revisions to the translations again, releasing a new missal, Michalski said.
Apart from prayers for the pope, the Byzantine metropolitan and the bishop of the local eparchy, the liturgy of the Byzantine rite is similar in form to what one might experience in other Eastern Christian traditions, such as the Russian or Greek Orthodox Church.
Learn more For more information about the Byzantine Catholic community in Alaska, visit ak-byz-cath.org/. |
Both Michalski and Kichura emphasize the importance of getting the entire congregation to participate in the liturgical music.
“There is less of an emphasis on a choir,” Kichura said. “Rather, it is supposed to be music that everyone participates in, rather than having a choir where people don’t participate.”
“When I teach (cantors) I tell them their role is not to be a soloist,” Michalski said. “Rather, their goal is to set the tone to clearly communicate the message of God.”
Both cantors said the music is organic; the congregation picks up the music by participating in the liturgy.
“We do it naturally, you hear it every Sunday and you just do it,” Kichura said. “There is a reverence about it that people appreciate.”
Kichura has an undergraduate degree in music. For him, the goal of music — even secular — is something that should lead people to the ethereal.
“Music for me has always been a spiritual experience,” he said. “It is something that should bring you closer to God.”
Singing the liturgical prayers — especially in the slower chant form — helps people to meditate on what they are reading, Michalski said.
“It helps you really feel what you are singing,” he said. “If you go slow and say the words distinctively and clearly, it helps you realize what you are here for.”
Dr. Kichura would encourage people not familiar with the Byzantine rite to come and experience it for themselves.
“It is a resource that people can tap into, even if they go to a different church,” he said. “They might find the style appealing, it may even (help) lead in their spiritual path.”
News & Notes
Young adult Lenten evening March 20
On Mar. 20 at 6 p.m., the Young Adults of Our Lady of Guadalupe Church are hosting a Lenten simple soup supper, Stations of the Cross and eucharistic adoration. All are welcome. Volunteers are needed to bring soup. For more information, contact Barbara at 868-1129 or Sister Lorraine at 248-2000 x205.
Native Mass and potluck
Especially for Native Alaskan newcomers to the Archdiocese of Anchorage, the Catholic Native Ministry sponsors a Mass and potluck dinner at St. Anthony Church every third Saturday at 5:30 p.m. The next Mass is Mar. 21. For more information, contact Pearl Chanar at 245-2024.
Day of Unborn coincides with Annunciation
March 25 is the Knights of Columbus Day of the Unborn, when Knights councils around the country organize prayer services, rosaries and Masses to help honor the unborn. St. Benedict Church and its local council will host a Day of the Unborn Mass at 9:15 a.m. For more information, contact Jim Curro at 349-3772. Mar. 25 also is the Feast of the Annunciation, marking the Angel Gabriel’s announcement to the Blessed Virgin that she would conceive and bear Jesus Christ, the Messiah. Christians celebrate Christ’s birth nine months later – on Dec. 25.
Lenten Way of the Cross outdoors
On Mar. 28, at 8:30 p.m., all are invited to pray the Stations of the Cross along the outdoor stations on the grounds of Holy Spirit Center. The Way of the Cross will be followed by a candlelit Taize prayer service and hot cocoa. The event is sponsored by St. Elizabeth Ann Seton School’s 5th-grade Girl Scout troop.
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Parish profile series Editor’s note: This is part of a series on parishes and missions in the Anchorage Archdiocese. Approximately 1,500 parishioners and 575 families. Father Daniel Joseph Hebert is resident pastor. According to Theresa Austin, director of youth ministry, Holy Cross is among the smallest parishes in the Anchorage city limits. And it is home to an extremely diverse congregation that includes parishioners of Filipino, Latino, Polish and Native Alaskan descent, “to name a few.” Holy Cross parish was established by Archbishop Francis Hurley on July 22, 1984, and Father Ernie Muellerleile served as first pastor. A cross was placed at the corner of Lake Otis and Lore Road to mark the home of the church building the parish would later construct. Begun with 30 families, the parish rolls grew to 90 families in the first six months. Mass was held at Abbot Loop School, Hanshew School, St. John Methodist Church and a storefront at the Postal Plaza at Lake Otis and Dowling Road until the church’s completion and dedication in 1993. The parish’s feast day is the Feast of the Triumph of the Cross on September 14. Holy Cross has an extraordinarily well-stocked parish library, with many religious books that parishioners may borrow. In addition, the parish has participated in a different vacation Bible school program every year for the past 20-plus years. Holy Cross parishioners visit the sick and homebound, and continuously provide support to the needy through Catholic Social Services. During Respect Life Month in October, the parish conducts a “baby drive” for Clare House; in November, they collect Thanksgiving meal items for Beans Café. By way of an Advent “giving tree,” parishioners provide necessities and toys to the poor at Brother Francis Shelter, Clare House, McAuley Manor, Charlie Elder House, Covenant House and Toys for Tots. Each month, the parish collects a large amount of food for St. Francis House — and donates clothing and household items to Bishop’s Attic thrift store. The parish sends part of its monthly stewardship collection to help support a parish in the Alaskan Bush, and last year, Holy Cross “adopted” a refugee family to help settle in Anchorage. Each week, a Holy Cross family takes home the parish’s “vocation cross” and prays for vocations to the priesthood and religious life. Also, the parish hosts adult faith formation and Scripture and Leadership Training (SALT) programs, and the youth are involved in stewardship and liturgy. During Lent, the parish prays the Stations of the Cross and prepares soup suppers. Each year, Holy Cross organizes a parish fish fry, carnival and picnic. For more information about Holy Cross Church, call 349-8388, visit holycrossalaska.net or email parish@holycrossalaska.net. |
Adoption workshop begins soon
April 17-19 Catholic Social Services is hosting a biannual adoption workshop. Attendance at one of the conferences is required for those seeking to adopt through CSS. It is open, as well, to anyone exploring the possibility of adoption. The workshop is $300 a couple. Workshop materials, lunch and snacks are included. For more information, call Liz Burke at 222-7314.
Catholic schools lead Alaska’s private school enrollment
Alaska’s Catholic schools lead the way among total enrollment in the state’s private schools. Nearly 4,000 students attend Christian or other private schools in Alaska, according to a new report from the Alaska Journal of Commerce. According to the Feb. 1 report, 3,874 students attend 21 of Alaska’s largest private schools.
The report did not include figures from every private and religious school in the state, but only those that responded to a questionnaire. Catholic schools from Fairbanks, Anchorage and Kodiak accounted for 941 students, nearly a quarter of the total private school enrollment. The report did not include the more than 60 students who attend Our Lady of the Valley Catholic School in Wasilla.
Catholic school students excel in competitions
Three student teams from St. Mary’s school of Kodiak have placed in Alaska’s Battle of the Books. The Battle of the Books is an annual, statewide competition that takes place over several months in which teams of students must read and analyze 12-15 pre-selected books. The contest is sponsored by the Alaska Association of School Librarians.
The 5th/6th-grade team of Annika Fincher, Jakob Hartt and Elizabeth Tripp placed fifth. The 3rd/4th-grade team of Baily Bass, Sandra Dorado, John Dunlop and Elizabeth Spivey placed seventh. And Amanda Blott, Catherine Le, T. L. Suacillo and Fralynne Ulatan of the 7th/8th-grade team placed ninth.
Also, St. Mary’s sixth-grader Annika Fincher has earned the top spot in the school’s science fair, with a project titled, “Going Green.” She will compete in the state’s science fair Mar. 27-29, in Anchorage.
Isabel Castro of the 7th-grade has won St. Mary’s geography bee, qualifying her for the state competition in Anchorage the first week of April.
Having won 1st place in St. Mary’s spelling bee, eighth-grader Patrick Franquelin honorably represented the school in the annual Alaska State Spelling Bee on Mar. 4 in Anchorage. He placed 40th out of 150 contestants.
Holy Rosary Academy’s 6th-grade speller Jacob Owens advanced “well into the second round” of the state spelling bee, reported Owens’ teacher Martin Haruna. Holy Rosary is a K-12 Catholic school that operates independently of the Archdiocese of Anchorage school system with permission from Archbishop Roger Schwietz.
Lenten Fish Fry Apr. 3
All are invited to Holy Cross Church’s seventh annual Lenten Fish Fry on Apr. 3 at 5:30 p.m. Fish dinners include beer-battered halibut or citrus-seasoned baked salmon and French fries, cole slaw and tartar sauce. Individual plates are $7 or $25 for a family special.
The dinners will be available for dine-in, pick-up or drive-through. Proceeds go to Holy Cross Church’s youth ministry. To order ahead of time, call 349-8388.
Good Friday Faith Walk April 10
All are invited by the Archdiocese of Anchorage to participate in annual Good Friday Faith Walk Apr. 10 through the city of Anchorage. Starting from various locations in Anchorage, the faithful walk and pray the Stations of the Cross until they convene at the Town Square to pray the final station together. For starting sites and times, call 297-7711.
Natural Family Planning instructors’ course
A certification program for the Billings Ovulation Method of Natural Family Planning will be held May 15-18. The program will recertify current teachers and begin the process those wanting to become teachers. There are 19 CEUs offered for this training. For more information, call Pam Albrecht at 333-8843 or Rachael Fogal at 770-0444.
Archbishop’s Calendar Mar. 19-27, USCCB meetings, Washington, D.C. and Baltimore Mar. 28, 6:30 p.m., AFACT Native organizing meeting on school issues and potluck, St. Anthony Church Mar. 29, 8 a.m., 10:30 a.m., 12:15 p.m., Masses, St. Benedict Mar. 30, 6:30 p.m., Leadership dinner with pastors for Annual Appeal, St. Benedict Mar. 31, 10:30 a.m., Pastoral day, Holy Spirit Center Mar. 31, 7 p.m., Chrism Mass, Holy Family Cathedral Apr. 1-3, Installation of Bishop Edward J. Burns, Juneau
Note: Events are in Anchorage unless noted. Community Calendar Mar. 20, 6 p.m., Young adult Lenten soup supper, Stations of the Cross, adoration, Our Lady of Guadalupe Church Mar. 21, 5:30 p.m., Native Mass, St. Anthony Church Mar. 25, 9:15 a.m., Day of the Unborn Mass, St. Benedict Church Mar. 27, 7 p.m., Christ in the City eucharistic adoration, Holy Family Cathedral Mar. 27, 7 p.m., Lumen Christi/Holy Rosary Academy spring play, Grant Hall, APU Mar. 27, 7 p.m., Theology and Brew talk on “The Path of Conversion to the Catholic Church,” Sal’s Diner, Soldotna Mar. 28, 12 p.m., Annual consecration to Our Lady and reception, St. Benedict Church Mar. 28, 5:30 p.m., Young adult Mass, dinner and photo scavenger hunt, Our Lady of Guadalupe Church
Note: Events are in Anchorage unless noted. |
Young adult Mass, dinner and scavenger hunt
Our Lady of Guadalupe Church, the area’s young adults are invited to Mass Mar. 28 at 5:30 p.m., followed by pizza and a “photo scavenger hunt.” Attendees are asked to bring a digital camera and cell phone. For more details, contact Sister Lorraine at 248-2000 x205 or Barbara at 868-1129 or schaefbauer@acsalaska.net. Also, musicians and choir members wishing to help at the Mass should contact Will Triplett at willtriplett@acsalaska.net. Music practice will take place Mar. 23 and 26 at 6:30pm in the church.
Catholic clubs in area colleges
The Cardinal Newman Club provides devotional and service opportunities for college students at UAA and APU. In addition to hosting Masses on campus, the students take part in charitable projects in the community, for instance helping at Beans Café. According to UAA Cardinal Newman Club president and sophomore Natalia Balaban, the UAA group hopes to organize Bible studies and carpools to eucharistic adoration. The UAA group meets every Friday at noon at the Student Union. Additionally, the APU group meets Fridays at noon, at the Atwood building cafeteria. For more information on the UAA club, contact uaa_cardinalnewmanclub@hotmail.com; for more on the APU club, contact Diana Stanley at dstanley@alaskapacific.edu.
March is Trisomy Awareness Month
Governor Sarah Palin has proclaimed March as “Trisomy Awareness Month” – with the hope of raising awareness about the chromosomal condition that results in Down syndrome.
More than 90 percent of unborn babies diagnosed with Down syndrome are aborted.
But in the Feb. 25 proclamation, Palin – whose infant son Trig has Down syndrome –observed that “the life of every child is precious, regardless of the number of chromosomes he or she may possess.”
Palin lauded efforts to help people with Down syndrome “achieve their full potential.”
According to the National Down Syndrome Society, there are 400,000 people in the United States living with the developmental disabilities of Down syndrome.
Chrism Mass set for Mar. 31
All are invited to the annual Chrism Mass on Mar. 31 at 7 p.m. at Holy Family Cathedral. At the Mass, Anchorage Archbishop Roger Schwietz will bless the chrism or holy oil used by archdiocesan parishes throughout the year for anointings of the sick, confirmations and baptisms. Many of the priests of the archdiocese will be in attendance.
Papal call for unity and humility has application for our church in Alaska
Recently, Pope Benedict XVI wrote a personal letter to all of us bishops regarding the Jan. 21 lifting of the excommunication of the four men ordained bishops by Archbishop Lefebrvre in 1988 (see page 2).
These men belong to a group established by Archbishop Lefebvre, which calls itself the Society of St. Pius X. Adherents of this group have been noted for refusing to accept the validity of the Second Vatican Council and of the Magisterial teaching of the popes since that time. The pope’s recent letter is truly extraordinary — personal and humble — as well as honest in his sharing of his intentions and reactions.
In his explanation of the Jan. 21 decision, the pope makes a distinction between dealing with an individual penalty (such as the lifting of the excommunications of four individual bishops) and an institutional reality (the status of the Society of St. Pius X itself).
Lifting the excommunications of the four bishops, the pope said, was made possible once they had recognized, in principle, the pope and his authority as pastor. Pope Benedict then makes the distinction between the disciplinary level and the doctrinal level.
The lifting of the excommunications (disciplinary action) was an act of mercy, inviting the four bishops to come back to unity with the church. These bishops have not yet fulfilled the requirements for this step. On the doctrinal level, the Society of St. Pius X remains without any canonical status in the church. That means that its ministers do not exercise legitimate ministries in the church.
In referring to his personal motivation for taking this action regarding the four bishops, the pope speaks of his deeply felt desire to work for the unity of the church. With this in mind he wished to extend a gesture of mercy to the four bishops.
The pope also reiterates his priorities as chief shepherd, beginning with the “overriding priority to make God present in this world and to show men and women the way to God.”
It is clear in his letter that the pope was surprised and hurt by the extreme reaction to his Jan. 21 decision, in which some people accused him of questionable motivations.
“I was saddened by the fact that even Catholics who, after all, might have had a better knowledge of the situation, thought they had to attack me with open hostility.”
This avalanche of protests, the pope comments, indicates the existence of a “bitterness” within our community, where wounds are “deeper than those of the present moment.”
Pope Benedict outlines steps he is taking to avoid the mistakes and misunderstandings surrounding the excommunication lifting, but invites us, more importantly, to reflect on where we are as a faith community.
The pope invites us to question where mercy and forgiveness have gone. As he says, “at times one gets the impression that our society needs to have at least one group to which no tolerance may be shown; which one can easily attack and hate. And should someone desire to approach them — in this case the pope — he too loses any right to tolerance, he too can be treated hatefully, without misgiving or restraint.”
Something to think about.
Here in the Great Northwest, the mission expressed by Pope Benedict of showing men and women the way to God is, I believe, likewise compromised by the way we treat one another in the church.
In an area where a high percentage of the people are unchurched, we ourselves, by our own judgmentalism based upon the arrogant conviction that we know what God wants for his church, can be ineffective as evangelizers.
Too often we are guilty of the pope’s accusation: “Their disunity, their disagreement among themselves, calls into question the credibility of their talk of God.”
I remind all on both ends of the spectrum of believers what our pope warns us: “The church’s teaching authority cannot be frozen in the year 1962 — this must be quite clear to the Society (of St. Pius X). But some of those who put themselves forward as great defenders of the Council also need to be reminded that Vatican II embraces the entire doctrinal history of the Church. Anyone who wishes to be obedient to the Council has to accept the faith professed over the centuries, and cannot sever the roots from which the tree draws its life.”
The pope ends with a commentary on Galatians 5:13-15. It is a text he addressed on the Roman Feast of Our Lady of Trust, while he was thinking about writing this letter to the bishops. Referring to Paul’s warning: “If you bite and devour one another, take heed that you are not consumed by one another.”
Then the pope asks the questions: “Should we be surprised that we too are no better than the Galatians?”
Perhaps the circumstance of the past couple months — surrounding the lifting of the excommunications — gives us in the church pause to examine our own behavior toward one another.
I can end in no better way than with the closing words of Pope Benedict: “May the Lord protect all of us and guide our steps along the way of peace. This is the prayer that rises up instinctively from my heart at the beginning of this Lent, a liturgical season particularly suited to interior purification, one which invites all of us to look with renewed hope to the light which awaits us at Easter.”
The writer is the Archbishop of Anchorage.
Catholic schools celebrated service during week-long celebration
GUEST COLUMN
St. Paul wrote to the Ephesians, Jesus has gifted “some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up” (Ephesians 4:12). Such preparation and building is certainly taking place at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Elementary School and Lumen Christi High School in Anchorage.
During Catholic Schools Week, January 26-31, students and staff demonstrated this year’s theme of “Celebrate Service” through various activities. Kindergartners prepared sandwich wraps for Kids’ Kitchen. First grade students gathered gently used stuffed animals and books to donate to children temporarily residing in Clare House. Third and fourth graders traveled to Horizon House and entertained the residents with a singing celebration.
Older students at St. Elizabeth described what they like about their school in written essays and younger students used a picture format to share their ideas. Second graders focused their attention on being “well-rounded” Christians and studied ways to serve the community.
Lumen Christi students collected and donated six large boxes of canned and boxed food, as well as paper products, to support St. Benedict Catholic Church’s outreach program. They also sent thank you letters to Lumen Christi’s school board, noting the board’s support throughout the year.
On the staff side, Lumen Christi’s staff handed out “attention” slips instead of “detention” slips. Through these slips, staff recognized students for their positive role-modeling during the school day.
The week-long celebration ended with students from St. Elizabeth and Lumen Christi celebrating a “Day of Sharing.” Students from both schools had previously spent weeks collecting specific items for six organizations within the Anchorage area. Friday morning, the two schools worked together to sort and organize all donated items and arranged “kits.” Brother Francis Shelter received cold weather kits. Clare House and AWAIC Shelter received kitchen starter kits. Covenant House received cold weather and toiletry kits. Kids’ Kitchen received over two hundred sandwich wraps. Horizon House requested welcome kits and Valentine decorations for their residents, and students were happy to accommodate them.
As students ate a meager meal of soup and bread, several representatives from the local organizations spoke briefly about their respective group and how donations help them serve others. The day of sharing culminated with one final celebration. Mass was celebrated by Anchorage Archbishop Roger Schwietz with St. Elizabeth and Lumen Christi students attending, along with staff and parents.
The success of our Catholic Schools Week, especially our “Day of Sharing,” would not have been possible without the generous donations of time and treasure made by staff, students and family at St. Elizabeth and Lumen Christi. With such support, students served others, thus building up the Body of Christ.
The writer has one child who attends St. Elizabeth Ann Seton and another who attends Lumen Christi High School.
For what are you willing to die?
Occasionally, you see television programs that ask people to do daring things like motorcycle jumps, parachute plunges from bridges, jungle searches for some for some hidden prize or other such weird projects.
Well, let me ask you another odd question: What would you be willing to die for?
Most folks would say, “Well, I hope I never have to answer to that.” Or you might say: “If my house was on fire and my kids were inside, I’d risk my life to save them. I’d even risk my life to save my old black lab hunting dog.”
Happily, of course, situations like that rarely arise or if they do arise, we have high praise for the person(s) who took the risk.
There are indeed folks who are willing to risk their lives practically every day: Policemen, firemen and women, soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan, young adults who volunteer to travel to countries with politically unstable governments.
Another group of people who are willing to give up their lives for a cause are those who love their country. Think of the monks and people of Tibet who for years have been struggling for freedom. Once a country loses its freedom, it loses its very identity.
The Scriptures: Jeremiah 31:31-34 Hebrews 5:7-9 John 12:20-33 |
There are others, of course, who are willing to take their lives and the lives of others for radical causes: Think of the Muslim extremists, for instance, who tie explosives around themselves and ignite them, killing dozens of people at one time.
People in Ireland have also died at the hands of the Irish Republic Army. People in Spain by the Basque Separatists (ETA). All I can say is that this is misguided patriotism. Nonetheless, it must take tremendous courage for such people to dress in ammunition and blow themselves up. There must be more worthy causes than that.
At the same time, it occurs to me that people over a span of time have chosen to die for religious causes more than for any other.
Christians believe that Jesus died for us. It is a tenet of our Christian faith that through Jesus’ suffering, death and resurrection we are saved. I confess that I do not know precisely what “dying for our salvation” means. As close as I can come to answer, that is to say that Jesus struggled through his entire adult life to bring life to people by his word, by his miracles of healing and by his very person. As an ultimate sign of his life-saving work for us, he was willing to die for all humankind.
I also think of Jesus’ death as a living sign or model of how we are invited to live for others. Wrapping oneself in explosives and blowing oneself up for the sake of others is obviously not an answer. Yet, in some sense we are called on to sacrifice something for others in a model that resembles Jesus’ life and work. This could also be called a “sacrifice” in a relative sense, a giving up something of ourselves and our life for the sake of others.
Think of the efforts mothers endure to bring new life into the world, the hard work parents do to sustain their families. Yes, I realize these examples are not equal to the suffering and death of Jesus. But, of course, God is not calling all of us to literally die for others. But there are ways of dying for others. In all of this we can say that Jesus is our model.
So, now we are back to the original question: For what are you willing to die?
The writer formerly served the Anchorage Archdiocese as director of pastoral education. He now lives in Notre Dame, In.
This is the ‘Lent of Peter’
This may be the year of St. Paul, but for me, it’s the Lent of Peter.
Peter’s a unique character in Scripture. Few people have their foibles and their missteps so prominently displayed in the Gospels as does Peter. Depending on the translation, Jesus calls him “an obstacle” or a “stumbling block.” (Mt 16:23)
And “bumbling” is a word other writers often use to describe this fisherman who had just returned from a failed fishing expedition when Jesus came along, borrowed his boat and then invited him on the great journey of his life.
Yes, a failed fishing expedition — the Gospel writer wouldn’t even create a good fish story to introduce the guy who would later be dubbed “the Rock.”
By the time the Gospels were written, Peter had become a legendary figure, a leader, a courageous martyr, so it’s fascinating that the Gospel writers present him in all his humanness. And what a gift to us, that the Gospels show us a real person, a person who led the burgeoning Christian community, yet was so like us.
And the fact that later, Paul, Peter and the other disciples had their strong disagreements about how the new Christian community should look also gives us hope.
But why should sin and disagreement bring us hope? It reminds us that this church we love is made up of different people, cultures and ideas and that right from the get-go it hasn’t been smooth sailing.
How many times have I criticized others with whom I don’t agree in this church?
The transformation of the man called a “stumbling block” into the man referred to as “the Rock” wasn’t just Peter’s doing. Peter, like all of us, had to ultimately surrender his will to Christ’s.
Imagine how the three denials in the courtyard must have haunted Peter, even after he knew he’d been forgiven. But Peter did some embarrassingly petty things, too. After Jesus corrected him about needing his feet washed, Peter offers his whole body to be cleaned.
Peter, first among apostles, was so often first with the impetuous remark.
How many times have I been embarrassed, not just by sin, but by foolish gaffes I wish I could recant?
Peter is a guy who speaks on impulse, who jumps first, right out of a boat to walk on water, and reconsiders soon after: “Save me, Lord.”
“Save me, Lord.” Isn’t that what Lent is all about? These forty days are not my personal self-improvement plan. For as much as I try to do “better,” in the end I have to throw up my hands and say, “Save me, Lord.”
How many times have I acknowledged that that is just what the Lord is waiting for?
Peter said famously, “Leave me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.” Fortunately, Christ did no such thing, for in Peter he saw what we hope he sees in us: someone who loves him, and for all his humanness, keeps trying to get it right.
Supposedly G. K. Chesterton was asked “What’s wrong with this world?” and replied simply, “I am.”
What a great Lenten meditation that is.
I picture Peter as a big, burly guy, a little clumsy but strong. I imagine walking with him, perhaps on the same shore where later he would see the Risen Christ and not at first recognize him.
I explain to him that I would like to make Lent a time when I look at all the relationships around me and not point to what’s wrong with “them,” but rather look inside myself and ask what’s wrong with me.
I think Peter would understand that.
The writer is a stewardship and hospitality coordinator at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church in Anchorage.
What makes for a good fast anyway?
The practice of fasting has been part of our spiritual heritage since the earliest biblical times. Simply defined, fasting is abstaining from certain foods and activities in order to draw closer to God. We deny the body for a time to achieve a spiritual benefit. Fasting should only be done if one’s health allows. For example, diabetics and pregnant women should avoid fasting.
There are actually two kinds of fasts; a prolonged or “seasonal” fast and a dedicated day of fasting. Most Catholics are familiar with the idea of fasting, which is one of the hallmarks of Lent. “Giving up something for Lent” allows us to refocus our physical and spiritual energies and focus on what is truly essential. It’s one way of getting rid of “spiritual clutter.”
Also, prayer accompanied by fasting seems to have greater impact. As one spiritual writer said, “It gives our prayer teeth.”
One of the best ways of doing this is a dedicated day of fasting. This takes a bit of planning, but it is one of the most powerful means of intercessory prayer. First of all decide the purpose of your fast. For whom will you be praying and fasting and for what purpose? Who will reap the spiritual benefit of your spiritual sacrifice?
The traditional day for this in the church is on Fridays. Begin the day with a modest breakfast, i.e. don’t hit the “all you can eat” breakfast bar at the IHOP. A piece of toast, juice or coffee is enough. Skip lunch, but make sure to drink plenty of water during the day.
At about 3 p.m., you are going to feel pretty hungry. This is the “hour of power.” If you can, make a holy hour in front of the Blessed Sacrament. If your schedule does not allow this, then plan on taking a “holy coffee break” for fifteen minutes at this time. Remove all distractions. Concentrate on your prayer intention. Also, I have found that it is prudent not to schedule any sensitive appointments in the afternoon as I tend to get a little cranky when I’m hungry. Be kind to others if you also have this tendency. At 6 p.m., or at the regular dinner hour go ahead and end your fast with a normal dinner.
Finally, take the money you would have spent on food that day and give it to the poor either in cash or as a donation of groceries to a local food pantry like St. Francis House. Remember fasting that is not accompanied by prayer and the giving of alms is called a “diet” and brings only a physical benefit.
Prayer, fasting and almsgiving — these are the three hallmarks that make Lent fruitful by leading us to true reconciliation and preparing us to celebrate the joy of Easter.
The writer is pastor at St. Andrew Church in Eagle River and a lifelong Alaskan. To send Father Leo Walsh a question, e-mail him at lwalsh@caa-ak.org.
St. Paul’s correspondence to Corinthian charismatics
Editor’s note: This is part four of seven in a series about the life and teachings of St. Paul.
Paul very likely wrote seven letters to Corinth. His first letter to that community was lost — we know this because he mentions it in I Cor 5:9. The Corinthians replied to Paul — we know this because he responds “to the matters about which you wrote” starting in I Cor 7:1.
The letter, I Corinthians is actually Paul’s second letter to Corinth. Most scholars are convinced that there are five different letters put together into the canonical form of II Corinthians: (1)II Cor 2:14-6:13, 7:2-4; (2) II Cor 8; (3) II Cor 10:1-13:10; (4) II Cor 1:1-1-2:13, 7:5-16, 13:11-13 (5) II Cor 9.
Others maintain that II Corinthians is a single letter and consider the abrupt changes and inconsistencies in the letter a consequence of how Paul reacted to news that arrived from Corinth at least three times during the time he was writing.
I find Paul’s Corinthian correspondence interesting because most of the problems he addressed are similar to problems in our contemporary parishes.
The Corinthian community was exceptionally enthusiastic. They were endowed with spiritual gifts of prophecy, teaching, healing, tongues, interpretation and even administration (I Cor 1:7; 12:28ff). At the same time, they had some significant problems.
There were factions within the community; some people gave more allegiance to various preachers than to Christ (I Cor 1:11-13). There were social distinctions among the Corinthians that impacted their celebration of the Eucharist (I Cor 1:26-27; 11:17-22). There were members of the community suing other members in pagan courts (I Cor 6:1-8). There was a toleration of an incestuous relationship (I Cor 5:1-5), and some were visiting prostitutes (I Cor 6: 15-18). Some in the community did not believe in the resurrection of the dead (I Cor 15: 12-19).
Part of Paul’s instructions concerned things that the Corinthians asked him to clarify in their letter to him. They were confused about whether one should marry or not (I Cor 7:1-40). They wanted to know if it was proper for followers of Jesus to eat meat sacrificed to idols ( I Cor 8:4-13, 10:23-32).
Part of Paul’s teaching concerned things that bothered him. He did not want women prophets to exercise this charism with their heads unwrapped (I Cor 11:5-6). He also wanted every member of the community to recognize that each one had different gifts, which are essential to the Body of Christ. He told the Corinthians to recognize that love is the greatest gift and that tongues with interpretation and prophecy are for the building up of the church (I Cor 13-14).
In II Corinthians, Paul addresses a very different problem. He learned that some in Corinth had been impressed by some “super-apostles” who had arrived in Corinth and discredited him. They carried “letters of recommendation” and questioned Paul’s teaching, pointing out that he did not carry similar testimonials.
In this article, I will discuss the problem of factions, Paul’s recommendations concerning marriage, the issue of meat sacrificed to idols and the issue of the “super-apostles.”
Oratory was a major means of entertainment in the first century. Some Corinthians had favorite preachers — Apollos, Cephas and Paul each had a fan club.
Others, however recognized that the whole point was to focus on Christ. Paul distinguished between ministers and the message of Christ crucified. He calls people to realize that it was Christ not his messengers who was crucified.
It is a message that he recognized to be a stumbling block to Jews who wanted signs and foolishness to gentiles who sought wisdom. Paul maintains that Jesus Christ and him crucified” is the mysterious power of God” (I Cor 1:18-2:5).
Paul was convinced that he and many of his contemporaries would be alive when Jesus came again. His recommendations regarding marriage should be understood in light of this presupposition. His basic view was that it would be better to devote the remaining time in seeking to please the Lord rather than a wife or husband.
At the same time he also wrote that those who found it too difficult to live a celibate life should marry. It is especially interesting to recognize that Paul acknowledged that sexual desires were not confined to one gender and should be fulfilled within marriage (I Cor 7:3-5). He is concerned about men and women within a relationship.
Catholics continue to foster a respect for the charism of celibacy. However, most no longer regard marriage as a fallback position for those who can’t control their sexuality and rather recognize marriage and family life as the typical lifestyle for most people.
Corinth was a city with many temples in which many animals were sacrificed on a daily basis. Only a small portion of an animal was burned as an offering to the god(s). After the priests and the person offering the sacrifice took part of the animal for a meal, the rest was sent to a meat market to be sold.
In Corinth all the meat markets were associated with a temple. Thus, most meat available for purchase was from an animal that had been used in a pagan sacrifice. Paul recognizes that these ceremonies were of no consequence but he recommends that “strong” Christians who share this view must be careful not to tempt the “weak” into eating and commit what they considered idolatry.
The most important teaching here is that one not do anything that would encourage others to do something they sense to be sinful.
Despite Paul’s teaching, it is clear that a number of “Christian Jews” did not agree. Missionaries from this group had disturbed the gentile community in Galatia. In Corinth, it appears the “super-apostles” were Christian Jews who not only challenged Paul’s credentials but also the conviction that gentiles need not follow Jewish ethnic practice.
Paul tells the Corinthians that they themselves are his letters of recommendation since, their faith testifies to his call. In II Corinthians, Paul discloses a struggle he had over this issue, and although he eventually won over the Corinthians, he did not win over his opponents in Palestine.
In these letters, Paul appeals for a collection for the church of Jerusalem (I Cor 16:1-4; II Cor 8 and II Cor 9). This collection is never mentioned in Acts. It is very likely that the collection from Paul’s churches in the Aegean was not accepted in Palestine because to do so would be to accept his understanding that circumcision, Jewish festivals and dietary rules were irrelevant.
Ultimately Paul’s position became the position of the church, but the issue was not clear for some time. Even as late as the 7th century, Ebionite continued to sense that to follow Jesus was to follow Jewish laws perfectly.
Despite all the difficulties the church has experienced over its history, some biblical scholars and church historians sense that the issue of whether Gentiles had to become Jews as followers of Jesus was the most difficult issue it ever faced.
The writer is a professor of Religious Studies and holds the Cardinal Newman Chair of Catholic Theology at Alaska Pacific University in Anchorage.
Anchor Editorial
We must embrace a youthful thirst for justice
Too often, new reports document the waning religious interest of young adults. And while there is ample reason to worry about the graying of the church, particularly in Europe and North America (see articles on pages 2-3), there is also cause for hope.
In this issue of the Anchor two articles on the front page highlight an element of Catholic faith that still profoundly resonates with young adults — helping the poor.
A major report on young adult Catholics from 2007, found that 78 percent of those, ages 18-39 years, believe that charitable efforts toward helping the poor is “essential” to their faith. It’s no secret that passion to change the world has long been a strength of young adults, just ask the Peace Corps, Doctors Without Borders and countless mission and outreach organizations across the globe. It seems that each new generation burns with a special thirst for justice.
At the same time, young adult Catholics of our own time are far less likely to attend weekly Mass or become registered with a local parish, according to a 2008 CARA report from Georgetown University. This has left dioceses across the nation wrestling with how to connect a whole generation to the life of the church.
The Jesuit Volunteer Corps and Dominican Father Francis Hung Le’s annual medical mission trip to impoverished countries might offer some clues on how to invite young adults into the profound work of the church — work that changes both the world and the individuals who labor for justice.
A group of local Jesuit Volunteers works in Anchorage at places like the Beans Café soup kitchen and the Red Cross. This band of eight young adults lives together in Christian community and upholds spirituality as a foundational tenant of their mission. Studies of former Jesuit Volunteers find that they are more likely to attend Mass and stay married later on in life (see page 9). This is social justice with a spiritual bedrock.
Similarly, Father Le’s mission trips are another shining example of paring a passion for justice with a quest for eternal matters. Last month, the pastor of Holy Family Cathedral continued his annual tradition of taking a group of medical professionals to his homeland in Vietnam to provide medical aid to the poorest of the poor. Woven between the remote medical stops were regular celebrations of the Mass and collaborative work with priests and religious sisters from Vietnam.
This is the sort of seamless garment of faith and action that could well inspire a generation of young Catholics to reconsider the faith of the saints.
In Pope Benedict XVI’s recent message for World Youth Day 2009, he explored the question of how young people might find the hope that is Christ.
To this end, the pope called young people to pray, receive the sacraments and to “cultivate love of neighbor and try to put yourselves and your human talents and professional abilities at the service of the common good and of truth…”
Youthful zeal remains. It is the duty of the church to couple this passion for justice with instruction in the faith and encounters with our Savior.
It cannot be one or the other. Religious instruction without a hand reaching to the poor rings hollow to a generation that desires justice. At the same time, social outreach without a robust spiritual backbone loses all eternal significance.
- Joel Davidson, editor
Letters to the Editor
St. Francis winner is also a loving dad
The only thing missing from the article written about John Fleming and his selfless service (“Following Jesus on every front,” Feb. 20) is mention that he is the loving father of five grown children. He is held in the highest respect by all of us, and he has been and continues to be a profound blessing to each one of us and his adoring grandchildren. He is always available when help is needed and has always given himself to us without hesitation. He is one who leads by example and is humble and gracious toward all. I love him dearly.
Brother Ruplinger was a gift
This letter is to remember Holy Cross Brother Harold Ruplinger and his gifts of ministry to our youth in the years 1980-1983. The Lord called the gentle brother home on Feb. 20. He came to Alaska with the Holy Cross Brothers at the invitation of Anchorage Archbishop Francis Hurley to do youth ministry and run St. Theresa’s Camp in Soldotna. Brother Harold had a wonderful gift of sharing art with children. They loved his classes.
I remember his willingness to go out to St. Mary Church in Kodiak, by ferry out of Homer. It was stormy already when the brothers were waiting to leave and Brother Harold got sea sick while they were tied up to the docks. But he came anyway and we had a wonderful youth retreat on Woody Island.
I pray that all who remember Brother Harold and who were drawn closer to God by his gifts will not only pray for his soul but show some of Brother Harold’s gentle reflection of God’s love to others.
Pastor of Sacred Heart Church, Seward
Contraception undermines pro-life efforts
In our “pro-life” fight against abortion, we must sincerely examine our Catholic conscience. A large majority of Catholics have succumbed to the insidious heresy against life, the contraceptive mentality, which is the genesis of abortion. When we contracept we kill even the possibility of life, opposing God’s law and the laws of nature, we are against conception and life. Not only physically are we against life but mentally, emotionally and spiritually. We essentially tell our loving Father to keep his life-creating Spirit out of our lives, our families, our world. Then at the same time we rally to fight against abortion, while possibly aborting our own babies by abortifacient artificial contraceptives. Can we be effective?
Boldly we’ve dissented from Christ’s truth, spoken through his Vicar, when he said contraception is intrinsically evil in “Humane Vitae.” And again in “Familiaris Consortio” when the pope said contraception leads not only to a positive refusal to be open to life but also to a falsification of the inner truth of conjugal love.
Our church is the guiding beacon of truth, the moral compass for the world to look to in troubled times. She has moral power and conviction to persuade all arenas. We have a grave obligation to bear witness to the church’s teachings. We must diligently and indefatigably work to stop the use of contraception among Catholics if we will have any effect on abortion. Yet, alas, silently we placate the hedonistic apathy of her ranks allowing them to be mindlessly imprisoned by the diabolic heresy of contraception, thus life diminishes, teen abortion becomes reality (“Teen abortion rates increase for Alaska, Feb. 20) and lust and death spread rampantly. As the church goes so goes the world.
Anchorage
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