"The Pope has my utmost respect"

World Reacts to Pope Benedict XVI's Resignation

Cardinals, Heads of State Applaud Pontiff's 'Courageous Decision'

By Junno De Jesús Arocho Esteves

VATICAN CITY, February 11, 2013 (Zenit.org) - As news of Pope Benedict XVI's resignation spread worldwide, prelates and dignitaries from around the world reacted with surprise and support for the Holy Father's decision.

Archbishop Vincent Nichols, president of the Catholic Bishops Conference of England and Wales stated that today's announcement has "shocked and surprised everyone." However, Archbishop Nichols said that on reflection that the Holy Father's decision will be recognized as one of "great courage and characteristic clarity of mind and action."

"The Holy Father recognizes the challenges facing the Church and that 'strength of mind and body are necessary' for his tasks of governing the Church and proclaiming the Gospel," Archbishop Nichols stated in a communique released today.

"I salute his courage and his decision."

 

The president of the Catholic Bishops Conference of England and Wales concluded his statement asking all people of faith to keep Pope Benedict in their prayers.

 

"We Catholics will do so, with great affection and the highest esteem for his ministry as our Holy Father remembering with joy his Visit to the United Kingdom in 2010. Pray, too, for the Church and all the steps that must take place in the next weeks. We entrust ourselves to the loving Providence of God and the guidance of the Holy Spirit," Archbishop Nichols said.

 

Cardinal Timothy Dolan, president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) stated that the Holy Father's announcement is yet "another sign of his great care for the Church."

"We are sad that he will be resigning but grateful for his eight years of selfless leadership as successor of St. Peter," the Cardinal said in a statement released by the USCCB.

 

Highlighting moments of significance during the Supreme Pontiff's papacy, particularly the Holy Father's visit to the United States in 2008, where Cardinal Dolan noted the pastoral leadership of Pope Benedict XVI who "as a pastor feeling pain in a stirring, private meeting at the Vatican Nunciature in Washington, he brought a listening heart to victims of sexual abuse by clerics."

 

"Pope Benedict often cited the significance of eternal truths and he warned of a dictatorship of relativism. Some values, such as human life, stand out above all others, he taught again and again. It is a message for eternity," the Cardinal said.

 

Cardinal Dolan stated that Pope Benedict's resignation stands as an important moment in the faithful's lives as citizens of the world. "Our experience impels us to thank God for the gift of Pope Benedict. Our hope impels us to pray that the College of Cardinals under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit choose a worthy successor to meet the challenges present in today’s world," he said.

 

Political Leaders React to News

 

Heads of State and foreign dignitaries have noted the Holy Father's courage in announcing his resignation of the See of St. Peter.

 

British Prime Minister David Cameron sent his best wishes to the Holy Father following the announcement. "He has worked tirelessly to strengthen Britain’s relations with the Holy See. His visit to Britain in 2010 is remembered with great respect and affection. He will be missed as a spiritual leader to millions," Cameron said.

 

"If the Pope himself, after thorough reflection, has come to the conclusion that he does not have the strength any more to carry out his duties, then [he] has my utmost respect," German chancellor Angela Merkel said.

 

"He is and remains one of the most significant religious thinkers of our time."

 

Ray Flynn, the former U.S. Ambassador to the Vatican and Mayor of the city of Boston, Massachusetts released a brief statement saying that "the Church and world will miss this pious and caring priest who led during a changing society." Flynn stated that the Holy Father has stated in the past that he would serve the Church as long as God gave him the strength to fulfill his ministry.

 

"Today, Flynn said, "he kept his promise."

 

"I've known the Pope [for] many years and this act of sacrifice is consistent with the man. With the world in chaos, he is leaving to pave the way for a more energized effective leader. I am not surprised, because it was never about him, but what was always about what was best for God and the Church," Flynn said.

 

In a statement released today, Mario Monti, Prime Minister of Italy expressed his "profound respect for Pope Benedict's decision" which he regarded as "great and unexpected."

 

"I am sure that [the Holy Father's decision] been inspired by the desire to serve the Church to the end and to ensure that in the future it may have a strong leadership."

"Light of Love"

            

"Holy Humor"

DID NOAH FISH? A Sunday school teacher asked, "Johnny, do you think Noah did a lot of fishing when he was on the Ark?" "No," replied Johnny. "How could he, with just two worms." THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD A Sunday School teacher decided to have her young class memorize one of the most Quoted passages in the Bible - Psalm 23. She gave the youngsters a month to learn the chapter. Little Rick was excited about the task - but he just couldn't remember the Psalm. After much practice, he could barely get past the first line. On the day that the kids were scheduled to recite Psalm 23 in front of the congregation, Ricky was so nervous. When it was his turn, he stepped up to the microphone and said proudly, "The Lord is my Shepherd, and that's all I need to know." UNANSWERED PRAYER The preacher's 5 year-old daughter noticed that her father always paused and bowed his head for a moment before starting his sermon. One day, she asked him why. "Well, Honey," he began, proud that his daughter was so observant of his messages. "I'm asking the Lord to help me preach a good sermon." "How come He doesn't answer it?" she asked. BEING THANKFUL A Rabbi said to a precocious six-year-old boy, "So your mother says your prayers for you each night? That's very commendable. What does she say?" The little boy replied, "Thank God he's in bed!" SAY A PRAYER Little Johnny and his family were having Sunday dinner at his Grandmother's house. Everyone was seated around the table as the food was being served. When Little Johnny received his plate, he started eating right away. "Johnny! Please wait until we say our prayer." said his mother. "I don't need to," the boy replied. "Of course, you do "his mother insisted. "We always say a prayer before eating at our house." "That's at our house." Johnny explained. "But this is Grandma's house and she knows how to cook."

Homily: "Speak...the...Truth...in love"

Click here to listen to Sunday's homily.  The text is below.

“Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you”.  We saw a few signs with this Scripture quote from Jeremiah at the March for Life .  It is a very prominent verse in the pro-life movement, and rightfully so.  But, the passage is really referring to a prophetic call.  “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you”…I called you…I predestined you.  “Before you were born, I dedicated you”…I consecrated you…I set you apart to be a prophet…”a prophet to the nations I appointed you”.  God is calling Jeremiah and all of us who are baptized to be prophets…to speak for God…to speak the truth…to speak the truth in love.

Today’s second reading is another popular Scripture passage.  If you’ve been to a Catholic wedding, chances are you’ve heard 1 Corinthians 12.  It’s all about love.  At the heart of it, “love rejoices in the truth”.  It really is an act of love to speak the truth…to speak for God…to defend the teachings of Christ and the Church.  Where there is love, there is truth.  Where there is truth, there is love.

We need to know our stuff to speak the truth.  When I was a junior at the University of Maryland, I took a philosophy class in which we debated different moral issues.  When abortion came up, I was ready with pictures and facts on the stages of life.  I was the sole pro-life voice.  It was 30 against 1. But, I did okay because I knew my stuff.  We have tons of materials at the Newman Center to help you know the truth and speak the truth as prophets on this campus.  We have quick-hitting pamphlets on Purgatory, homosexuality, the Eucharist, etc.  You can just hand these pamphlets to people when you’re discussing teachings or issues.  If you don’t know the truth, know where to lead people to find the truth.

Finally, don’t be afraid to be a prophet.  It is tough, especially on a college campus.  But, it was very tough for Jesus and any of the prophets before you.  It was probably 30 on 1 in the synagogue or elsewhere for him.  And, speaking the truth is probably what got him killed.  But, he believed what God said to Jeremiah:  “They will fight against you but not prevail over you, for I am with you to deliver you”.  If we speak the truth, God is with us.  He is with us in the Eucharist tonight and all week to deliver us.

"Editing out the truth"

Here is a bold and spot-on commentary in an online university forum from one of our senior GW Catholics, Rosemary Holt. Well said, Rosemary.  Your courage is refreshing!

 

Editing Out the Truth

 

by The GW Patriot (gwpatriot.com)

 

The GW Patriot welcomes Opinion submissions from student leaders on campus.

Rosemary Holt, Co-President of Colonials for Life, writes:

 

‘Newspapers of record’ are few and far between these days when it comes to accurately representing the abortion issue, and the GW Hatchet is no exception. This lack of journalistic integrity on reporting on abortion among university news outlets is a threat to the future of neutral media, especially since university writers and editors go on to work for big name media outlets. If they learn that they can get away with it in college, what is to stop them from doing the same after they graduate?

 

No longer can anti-abortion activists sit back and allow these news organizations the ability to downplay and shape the abortion narrative in an attempt to determine the morality of abortion. Our efforts must begin at the university level.

 

Just as Roe v. Wade was a decision of judicial activism that overstepped the powers of the judicial branch, so too is this pro-abortion bias.

 

One cannot look at the images used or read the GW Hatchet article on the recent March for Life without feeling as though the March had equal representation of anti-abortion and pro-abortion individuals, which gives an utterly false representation of the event. The printed caption to the two images that ran with the story clearly shows bias to this as well. “Demonstrators on both sides of the abortion debate took to D.C. streets last week to stand up for their separate causes around the 40th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision.”

 

The two images printed with the story also paint a false picture of what the anti-abortion and pro-abortion movements currently look like. The pro-abortion image is young girls smiling, while the anti-abortion image is old women frowning. This picture ignores the fact that the vast majority of pro-life attendants are high school and college students. The image also ignores that Nancy Keenan, head of NARAL Pro-Choice America and the oldest abortion lobby, stepped down due to the increasing “intensity gap” between pro-abortion and anti-abortion youths.

 

The GW Hatchet is not required to applaud the pro-life movement, but they should accurately represent events as they occurred. Hundreds of thousands of individuals marched against abortion Friday January 25th and only approximately 100 individuals counter-protested. This fact was not accurately reported in the GW Hatchet article.

 

During the annual Law of Life Summit, hosted by Ave Maria Law School, Jeanne Monahan, the president of the March for Life Education and Defense Fund, said, “We don’t have to manipulate our story at all. We don’t even really have to do convincing. All we really have to do is present things as they truly are, because abortion is a profoundly unreasonable stance, to be pro-abortion.”

 

The GW Hatchet reported one thing correctly: The anti-abortion lobby is the strongest ever. Despite having the most extreme pro-abortion U.S. president in history, 2012 was a huge success in furthering human rights. We now have 27 state legislatures under complete pro-life control, 24 states are governed by pro-life governors, and last year alone there were over 200 pro-life laws passed on a state level. This year, 2013, is already proving to be another record year with Mississippi becoming the first abortion-free state since Roe v. Wade.

 

It is up to pro-life activists to engage the media on anti-abortion issues and to repeatedly demand they give an accurate and unbiased account of the truth. If we are not courageous enough to start by calling out our university’s news outlets, then we can never expect change.

 

No matter how the abortion debate is framed by the GW Hatchet or the mainstream media, this is an issue the anti-abortion movement is winning from the ground up and we will not back down until human abortion is abolished.

 

The opinions expressed in this piece are those of the author, Rosemary Holt.

This can be done

Lavish new church, meeting center to serve USC Catholics

Supporters hope the complex will become a religious and architectural landmark for the school and the neighborhood south of downtown Los Angeles.

 

 

                                                    

December 09, 2012|By Larry Gordon, Los Angeles Times

The schedule of Sunday Masses for Catholic students at USC accommodates their studying, partying and sleeping habits. Services are offered at 10:30 a.m., 7 p.m. and at 10 p.m., a popular option that is lightheartedly nicknamed the "Last Chance Mass."

Upward of 400 USC students previously attended at least one Mass a week at a now-demolished chapel just north of the university's main campus. The showing was respectable but still a small fraction of the estimated 10,000 Roman Catholic students — about a quarter of the overall enrollment — at the nonsectarian university.

Officials are expecting those numbers to rise sharply starting this week when a lavish new $29-million Catholic church and meeting center formally open their doors. Supporters also hope the complex will become a religious and architectural landmark for the school and the neighborhood south of downtown Los Angeles.

On Sunday, Los Angeles Archbishop Jose H. Gomez is scheduled to lead a Mass to consecrate the 300-seat church and inaugurate the adjacent student activity building, called the USC Caruso Catholic Center. Our Savior Catholic Church is an Italian Romanesque-style structure — designed by the team that did the Grove and the Americana at Brand shopping centers — with a 76-foot bell tower, a gold-leaf apse and huge stained glass windows depicting Bible scenes and saints.

Father Lawrence Seyer, the pastor, hopes the new complex at West 32nd and Hoover streets will help "show students that their Catholic faith is something relevant to their lives. They are growing in mind and body, but we want them to grow in spirit and recognize the important things in life such as love, truth, justice and faith."

Students who drift from religion as college freshmen often embrace it again as upperclassmen, he said, adding: "They say: 'Partying was fun but I feel empty.' "

The buildings, which surround a public courtyard, are designed to attract the attention of the thousands of student pedestrians and bicyclists who are headed to campus just a block away.

"But in the end, a building is just a building. Ultimately it is the programming and community life that will make them want to become involved," Seyer said. Besides the Masses, activities will include interfaith meals and a weekly gathering to prepare and deliver food to the homeless on skid row.

The biggest donor and the new center's partial namesake is Rick Caruso, the civic activist and shopping mall developer who created the Grove in the Fairfax district and Americana at Brand in Glendale. A 1980 alumnus with two sons enrolled at USC, Caruso gave $7.5 million to the church and center and has pledged $1 million more for programming, officials said.

So far, about $36 million has been raised in all, including $7 million for an endowment, mainly from alumni. The Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles owns and runs the complex, which is affiliated with USC's Office of Religious Life.

As an undergraduate, Caruso said, he barely noticed the previous Catholic center and instead attended Sunday Mass with his family in Beverly Hills. With USC student life more focused these days on and around the campus, he said he wanted to help create "a statement that faith is important, that Catholicism is relevant in your life however you view Catholicism."

The church has an exterior of Italian travertine, marble floors and altar and interior wooden arches reaching 50 feet. On a recent day, craftsmen from the Judson Studios in Highland Park were installing some of their final stained glass windows, each 24 feet high, illustrating the Beatitudes from Jesus' Sermon on the Mount.

Suspended over the altar is a 7-foot bronze sculpture of the crucified Christ, created by Christopher Slatoff. Along the side walls, the 14 Stations of the Cross feature original oil paintings by artist Peter Adams, who traveled to Jerusalem to research the scenes.

Caruso said he is not a fan of the starkly modern Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in downtown Los Angeles. So for the USC project, he was instrumental in hiring Elkus Manfredi Architects of Boston, the firm whose designs of the Grove and the Americana triggered much debate about re-creating historical styles.

Caruso said he wanted the church, which echoes elements of a 13th century sanctuary, to have "a feeling of permanence and solidity ... that calms you down and that allows you to contemplate, to pray and to think." Contemporary design, he said, "would not have conveyed that."

Around the country over the last decade, the trend at colleges has been to build or renovate interfaith chapels, rather than ones devoted to one denomination, according to the Rev. Lucy Forster-Smith, national president of the Assn. of College and University Religious Affairs.

At USC, in contrast, the motivation seems to be creating "a very compelling and exciting space that would be inviting to USC students" and help them become the next generation of Catholic activists, said Forster-Smith, a Presbyterian minister who is the chaplain at Macalester College in Minnesota.

Sergio Avelar, a USC senior who is leader of the campus Catholic community, said that some students may think the new complex is too ornate but that most are excited about the church's beauty and the well-appointed meeting rooms and library in the two-story center next door.

Avelar, who grew up in Los Angeles, said the facility will be especially important to the increasing numbers of USC students from other states and countries who cannot attend Mass at their hometown parishes. While the neighborhood-oriented St. Vincent Catholic Church is nearby at Adams Boulevard and Figueroa Street, and some USC students volunteer there, most prefer having a church adjacent to campus that caters to their own interests and schedules, such as that 10 p.m. Mass, he added.

Varun Soni, USC's dean of religious life and the first Hindu to hold such an office at an American university, said he expects the complex to become an important place for faith and activism in a neighborhood that already has an impressive array of Protestant, Jewish, Muslim and Hindu institutions.

"It will be a place for all students to think about their own faith and how that connects to their own lives and careers," Soni said.

Homily - "Team first"

Click here to listen to Sunday's homily.

Cardinal Wuerl's Op Ed in the Washington Post

By Donald Wuerl,

Jan 26, 2013

The Washington Post

Cardinal Donald Wuerl is archbishop of Washington.

The Catholic Church is no stranger to criticism from those who disagree with its teachings, but the petition posted recently on the White House Web site to label the church a “hate group” is beyond the pale, even in an age when an aggressive secularism seeks to marginalize the influence of religious belief.
 

The church has long been criticized as “too dogmatic.” Demands are constantly made that it change its 2,000-year-old teachings on marriage, family, sexuality, morality and other matters related to the truth about human beings. But even if others do not agree, the church understands that what it proclaims is revealed truth — the Word of God. The church’s teachings are timeless. They cannot be changed, even though adherence may be upsetting to some. That the church is built on a rock with fixed beliefs is a positive feature, both because it can withstand the shifting winds of public opinion and because of the cherished content of our faith itself, which fosters love among Catholics and non-Catholics alike.

Although these precepts may be misunderstood by many today, the fundamental vocation of the Catholic Church is to provide the witness of love and truth to the world, including offering the voice of an informed conscience. Catholics are taught to respect the fundamental, inherent dignity of every person, each made in the image of God, and to work to establish a just society. The church teaches that it is our obligation to manifest love of neighbor, to provide charitable service to others, and to promote truth, genuine freedom and authentic humanism. We work for the poor, the oppressed and the suffering, because that is what our faith teaches we must do. There is thus a positive side to being dogmatic: The teachings and works of the church advance the common good throughout civil society. Just as our dogma is constant, so is the work it commands.

The Archdiocese of Washington is the largest nongovernmental provider of social services in our area: Seventy-five programs in 48 locations offer assistance to whoever needs it, regardless of religion, race, gender, nationality or sexual orientation. Each year, more than 100,000 people in the Washington area rely on Catholic charitable organizations for housing, food, job training, immigration assistance, legal aid, dental care, mental health care, lifespan services for those with disabilities and their families and prenatal care and assistance for vulnerable pregnant women and unwed mothers.

Catholic hospitals provide millions of dollars’ worth of uncompensated care every year to our poor and vulnerable, and Catholic schools save taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars annually in per-pupil costs.

The church does not do these things for money or profit or because they’re nice to do. When the church treats the sick and injured, or feeds the hungry, or teaches, or provides assistance to those in need, it does so as an answer to the call made by Jesus Christ. We are obligated to do these and other works of mercy and to give voice to moral truth because He asks us to.

The church has made these and other indispensable positive contributions for two millennia. Indeed, the Catholic Church was essential to the formation of Western civilization as we know it. Scholars point out that it was the church that established the modern university and hospital systems. Modern-day music, art, architecture, economics, philosophy and our legal system all have their roots in the Catholic Church. Concepts such as natural rights and social equality, not to mention the idea that government and religion are separate spheres, were developed in Catholic thought. And it was Catholics supported by the church — with its dogmatic ideas that faith and reason are complementary and that the universe is orderly — who led the way in the sciences, including astronomy, cosmology, physics, chemistry, genetics, optics and seismology.

The church is dogmatic, and that is good — even if it means that the church is a sign of contradiction in the world and the object of animus and disdain. It is a positive, attractive feature that what we profess is unchanging and unchangeable — the good news of a love and truth that we are called to share with the world. It is good for Catholics and non-Catholics. Were the church to compromise its creed, if we were to simply go along with today’s secularized culture, not only would the church cease to be the church but the common good would suffer greatly.

Great news on sad anniversary

On Tuesday, the 40th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, we had a powerful night learning about healing after abortion with Fr Dan Leary and one of the ladies he has worked with, Tara.  Tara told her moving story of choosing life after having two abortions, and the healing she has received from Christ through Project Rachel and Fr. Dan. 

Towards the end of the night, I asked them what our students should say to their friends who want to have an abortion.  I was thinking of one student who has been in this situation for months; her friend has been considering aborting her child.  Our student has been a witness to life, more passively than actively.  As soon as I got out of the talk, I saw that the student had sent me the following email:

"hey so after a month of (her) just not talking to me, i just heard from her and she decided to keep the baby and give it up for adoption!"

God is doing awesome things through our students!!

Coach Lou Holtz: "Get back in the game", Catholics

                

Homily: "Party on, Jesus"

Click here to listen to Sunday's homily.

March for Life crowd bigger than Inauguration?

40th March for Life crowds could top Obama Inauguration

washingtonexaminer.com

January 10, 2013 | 2:55 pm | Modified: January 10, 2013 at 3:00 pm

 

The biggest crowds ever for the annual March for Life protest are expected to hit Washington January 25 as hundreds of thousands attend the 40th anniversary rally to protest the 1973 Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion, according to organizers.

The march, expected to attract tens of thousands more than the record 400,000 two years ago, could rival President Obama's Inauguration Day crowd, propelled by the growing youth support of efforts to overturn Roe v. Wade, which the president has embraced with open arms. Obama drew 1.8 million in 2009. Just 600,000 are expected January 21st.

One critical sign of how big the march will be: Hotels pre-booked for participants sold out a month ago while many Washington hotels report lukewarm interest for rooms during the Inauguration. In 2009, hotels sold out months in advance as an excited nation readied to welcome the first black president.

Jeanne Monahan, president of the March organizer, the March for Life Education and Defense Fund, told Secrets, "We're going to have record breaking crowds."

The events will start Thursday January 24 with a youth rally. Two new events will also take place: A Saturday 5K race and a legal summit for law students interested in abortion law. What's more, for the first time the March organizers plan to place Jumbotrons on the March route. And the March is also debuting a new website.

Monahan said that the focus will be on young supporters. "The spirit will be much more youth focused," she said. About 85 percent of marchers in the past have been students. Monahan added that the number of political speakers is being scaled back, though House Speaker John Boehner is expected to make a video address and the leaders of the congressional pro-life caucus will also speak.

The event will also herald the March founder, Nellie Gray, who died last August.

"Campus ministry has eternal value"

Clearwater, Fla., Jan 12, 2013  (CNA/EWTN News).- Archbishop Charles J. Chaput of Philadelphia offered encouragement to campus ministers this week, assuring them their mission “matters eternally because each human soul you touch is immortal.”

 “For every Rich Young Man who turns away from Christ, there's another young woman or man who longs for something more than this world can give – something deeper, richer and lasting,” he said in his Jan. 10 keynote at the Catholic Campus Ministry Association's national convention.

“A single fruitful encounter with Jesus Christ can engage the deepest aspirations and change the entire course of a young adult’s life.”

The archbishop's comments were book ended with reflections on the relationship between 16th century Saint Thomas More and his daughter Meg. The saint formed his daughter well, and she herself was a model of courage and conviction.

“The importance of forming intelligent, committed young adults, as Thomas More inspired and formed his daughter, is the same today as it was then. Because most of you here today work with young people at a decisive time in shaping the direction of their lives, you have one of the most vital missions in the Church.”

Archbishop Chaput told the ministers that despite their differences, they share one vast pastoral problem, America's post-Christian pop culture.

He said this new culture “complicates” the task of evangelization, but that despite this, “too often in the Church we’ve held on to the same institutional patterns of organization, the same methods of preaching and teaching that worked in a religion-friendly past.”

A renewal of Catholic life is “crucial” to convincing young adults to “open their hearts to the Christian faith, the archbishop maintained.

The Church must be presented to young adults “as the living presence of Jesus Christ,” he said, and “not merely as an institution or a collection of moral rules.”

Archbishop Chaput used the Gospel account of the rich young man, who was too attached to comfort to follow Christ, to critique the naiveté of the Second Vatican Council's assumption that the “visible Church would serve as a lamp, drawing the modern world out of darkness into God’s light.”

At the same time, he said that while there are many examples of the “rich young man” on campuses today, there are also young people who do yearn for truth.

“Young people want to make a difference. And therein lies our reason to hope. Regardless of distractions and obstacles, detours and traps, young people in every age do resonate with a longing for greatness, which means they can be reached,” he said.

“The idealism, striving and seeking in the hearts of so many young adults instinctively order them toward God. No matter how black the darkness is, no matter how deep the cultural confusion, no matter how ignorant persons are of the Creator who made them, young adults at their core long to give themselves to Someone higher than themselves.”

Archbishop Chaput reminded the assembled campus ministers that their task is not merely to bring young people to “religious activities,” but to “the beauty of interior silence that enables a person to hear the will of God and entrust his or her life to Jesus Christ.”

Eucharistic adoration was offered as a central means to bring young adults to the beauty of prayerful silence.

The archbishop also exhorted his listeners to count success not only in the number of persons attending activities, but with a focus on conversion of life, “a disciplined focus on the needs of others,” and “an ongoing hunger for knowing and doing God's will.”

Archbishop Chaput concluded by encouraging campus ministers to reflect the love of Christ, as did St. Thomas More to his daughter.

“Our job is live what we preach, and to preach...the good news of Jesus Christ to the young adults we serve. God loves us with the tenderness and zeal of a father. We need to reflect that same love to others. No one is immune to the power of being loved, least of all the young.”

Homily - "Healing oppression"

Click here to listen to Sunday's homily.

New Evangelization with Catholic Apps

This is cool...a former GW grad student sent this to me and others on a group email:


"New Evangelization with Catholic Apps"


In order to evangelize others we must be evangelized ourselves. We must have knowledge of true self, the reflection of God's image, through the light of the Church, in order to live a life of authenticity, a life that attracts those around us to start questioning God's Love. My point is, we only can do this through growing in our faith, and I stumbled upon a developer's website with a bunch of Catholic apps containing talks from Archbishop Fulton Sheen to Cardinal Newman, to general Catholic Teachings. I figured to share with all. May it come in handy.

http://www.catholicmp3vault.com/

Spectacular gift for a priest!

Many people who try to get a gift for their priest(s) at Christmas struggle with ideas for appropriate and useful presents.  In the parishes, food (especially goodies) is most popular and, of course, well-received.  In campus ministry, donations are the most welcomed gift!  Donations...to the ministry, of course (donations to my golf game are a distant second...distant).

Check out this gift from Amy (campus minister) and Dave (her fiance).  It is a small collage of pictures in a black frame with an incredible quote about the priesthood...it is spectacular!  I love this gift not because of the pics (although some made me laugh out loud), but because of the giver's love of the priesthood.  For a priest, receiving any gift from people is meaningful for the same reasons that gifts are meaningful to anyone.  But in a special way, a gift to a priest is an indirect sign of people's love for and faith in Christ through him.  And, when that present is a direct sign of the giver's love for and faith in Christ (through the priesthood or the Church or the Eucharist or Mary, etc.), then it blows away the priest as this one blew me away.  Thank you, Amy and Dave!

       

"Superman and Christmas"

Last week, I made a 5 day retreat at the Franciscan Monastery in DC.  Canon law requires priests to make a (5 day minimum) retreat every year.  Happy to follow that law! It was a fruiftul and restful time with the Word of God.  My spiritual director suggested that I listen to the recordings of one of Archbishop Fulton Sheen's retreat for priests.  I did and man, was I rewarded.  I have listen to Fulton Sheen before, but it had been a while.  He was so good as a teacher and communicator.  His cause for canonization is well under way.

For those who have smart phones, I recommend getting the app, "Fultonsheen.com".  It has a library of many, many Sheen talks.  The whole library costs just $8.99.  For GW Catholics, the Newman Center will reimburse your expense for the library.  It is worth it because Archbishop Sheen is probably the best and most inspiring teacher of the Catholic faith the United States has ever seen or heard.     

Here is a video of Sheen on Christmas.  A Blessed Christmas to all!!  Christ is born!!





                  

Hopefully, a fruitful interview

Praise God for the opportunity to speak to Channel 9's Bruce Johnson on TV last Saturday about faith in the wake of a tragedy like the Connecticut shootings.  Thank you, GW Catholics, for your witness, especially Brooke Talbot who I referenced in the interview (the student from Newtown); it really helped answer some of his tough questions.  Hopefully, the interview was fruitful.

Click here to view it.

Homily - "Rejoice in life"

Click here to listen to Sunday's homily.

Rest in peace, Dr. Panke

Dr. William Panke, the father of former GW Newman Center chaplain Monsignor Rob Panke, passed away last evening. Plans have not yet been finalized. However, the wake is tentatively scheduled for Wednesday evening, and the funeral on Thursday morning.  Please pray for the soul of this great man and for Mrs. Panke, Msgr. Panke, and their wonderful family.

"Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him.  May his soul and all the souls of the faithful departed through the mercy of God rest in peace.  Amen".

Prayer Vigil tonight

Prayer vigil outside of Newman tonight at 8:45 pm.  All members of the GW community are invited to pray for the victims of the awful Connecticut tragedy today.

Beautiful scene / getting ready

                       

A student's prayer (during exams)

Happy Feast of Our Lady (of Guadalupe)!



A STUDENT'S PRAYER (By St. Thomas Aquinas)

Come, Holy Spirit, Divine Creator, true source of light and fountain of wisdom! Pour forth your brilliance upon my dense intellect, dissipate the darkness which covers me, that of sin and of ignorance. Grant me a penetrating mind to understand, a retentive memory, method and ease in learning, the lucidity to comprehend, and abundant grace in expressing myself. Guide the beginning of my work, direct its progress, and bring it to successful completion. This I ask through Jesus Christ, true God and true man, living and reigning with You and the Father, forever and ever.
Amen.

Homily - "I absolve you of your sins"

Click here to listen to Sunday's homily.

Saturday HDO (Holy Day of Obligation)!

Tomorrow is a HDO (Holy Day of Obligation), celebrating the Feast of the Immaculate Conception.  Masses at Newman are: 1) Friday, 4:30 Vigil, and 2) Saturday, 12 noon. 

As we have been saying about this feast, it celebrates the conception of Mary, not Jesus (his conception is celebrated on March 25, the Feast of the Annunciation). 

"I desire you to know who I am"

Many GW Catholics have told me they do not know Mary, but want to know more about it her.  Mary wants you to know who she is. When she appeared in Mexico in 1521, she said to St. Juan Diego (who represents all of us in the Americas), "I desire you to know who I am".  Below is an incredible video about Mary, Our Lady of Guadalupe, with the description of her apparition.  Get to know Mary!







Our Lady of Guadalupe

Mesoamerica, the New World, 1521: The capital city of the Aztec empire falls under the Spanish forces. Less than 20 years later, 9 million of the inhabitants of the land, who professed for centuries a polytheistic and human sacrificing religion, are converted to Christianity. What happened in those times that produced such an incredible and historically unprecedented conversion?

In 1531 a "Lady from Heaven" appeared to a humble Native American at Tepeyac, a hill northwest of what is now Mexico City.

She identified herself as the ever virgin Holy Mary, Mother of the True God for whom we live, of the Creator of all things, Lord of heaven and the earth.

She made a request for a church to be built on the site, and submitted her wish to the local Bishop. When the Bishop hesitated, and requested her for a sign, the Mother of God obeyed without delay or question to the Church's local Bishop, and sent her native messenger to the top of the hill in mid-December to gather an assorment of roses for the Bishop.

After complying to the Bishop's request for a sign, She also left for us an image of herself imprinted miraculously on the native's tilma, a poor quality cactus-cloth, which should have deteriorated in 20 years but shows no sign of decay 480 years later and still defies all scientific explanations of its origin.

It apparently even reflects in Her eyes what was in front of her in 1531.

Her message of love and compassion, and her universal promise of help and protection to all mankind, as well as the story of the apparitions, are described in the "Nican Mopohua", a 16th century document written in the native Nahuatl language.

There is reason to believe that at Tepeyac Mary came in her glorified body, and her actual physical hands rearranged the roses in Juan Diego’s tilma, which makes this apparition very special.

An incredible list of miracles, cures and interventions are attributed to Her. Yearly, between 18 - 20 million pilgrims visit the Basilica, making it Christianity's most visited sanctuary.

Altogether 25 popes have officially honored Our Lady of Guadalupe. His Holiness John Paul II visited her Sanctuary four times: on his first apostolic trip outside Rome as Pope in 1979, and again in 1990, 1999 and 2002.

The Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe is celebrated on December 12th. In 1999, Pope John Paul II, in his homily from the Solemn Mass at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, during his third visit to the sanctuary, declared the date of December the 12th as a Liturgical Holy Day for the whole continent.

During the same visit Pope John Paul II entrusted the cause of life to her loving protection, and placed under her motherly care the innocent lives of children, especially those who are in danger of not being born.

"Satan is a 'believer'"

A student who comes to see me regularly told me about a post on Facebook that a friend of hers made and that she really liked.  She was especially moved by the last line about Satan being a believer, too.  I've heard that before, but it's just as powerful a statement about merely having faith as when I first heard it.  I don't know her friend or what her faith background is, but this simple little reflection about faith and works sounds very Catholic:


What gets you into heaven? Believing in Jesus? That's what most of us
were taught. I was thinking about this today, it kind of bugged me
lately. How sure are we that we will go to heaven or be taken up in
the rapture when Jesus comes? Some people say that the Left Behind
series is inaccurate and unBiblical because scripture does not say
that believers will be "left behind", but if you think about it, it
makes perfect sense.


Simply believing is not enough, I think we should
stop using that phrase "believing in Jesus", instead we should say
what it really means, FOLLOWING Jesus. That gives it a deeper meaning.
I "believe" in my friend Jody (one of my good friends), I "believe"
that she was born on June 3rd 1974 and lives today. Do I like or agree
with everything she says and does? Do I want to be just like her? Do I
TRY to be just like her? No. Just "believing" in her doesn't mean
much. But, if I "followed" her it would mean that I wanted to be like
her, learn what she did, and do it, listen to everything she said,
ect. I would want to give up my comforts and follow her around.

 

Faith without works is dead, we can believe all we want, but if we are
followers, we will naturally want to do those things we are commanded
to do. I have no idea what a true follower should look like, we are
all imperfect and selfish, but we need to stop teaching our kids that
"if you believe in Jesus you will go to heaven", yes the Bible says
that (John 3:16), but...what does it REALLY mean to believe? Remember,
Satan is a "believer", too and we all know we won't see him in heaven.

Homily - "Pass Judgement"

Click here to listen to Sunday's homily.

"Seven Great Qualities of a New Evangelist"

                     
                         

Homily - "Christ the King, where are you?"

Click here to listen to Sunday's homily.

Homily - "God is always in charge"

Click here to listen to Sunday's homily by Fr. Bill Gurnee, former beloved GW chaplain.

"Eucharist" = Thanksgiving

This Sunday: 

1) Mass at 7:30 with Fr. Bill Gurnee, former GW Chaplain.  Welcome back, Fr Gurnee!

2) NO 10 pm Mass.

I will be away Sunday - Wednesday, so Happy Thanksgiving to all GW Catholics and friends!!


On Wednesday night, we had another excellent "Theology on Tap".  The topic was "giving thanks" which is fitting preparation for Thanksgiving Day next week.  A small group of students and I discussed the different experiences we've had in giving thanks, not just on Thanksgivings but in general.  I mentioned the importance of giving thanks regularly and how those who do are the happiest and healthiest people in the world.  I concluded our enlightening and inspiring session with mention of the best way to give thanks as Catholics: the Mass.  This brief reflection from catholicdoors.com, while a bit outdated, sums it up well:

THE LITURGY OF THE WORD,
GIVING THANKS

The liturgy of the Eucharist refers to the part of the Mass that begins with the collection and the preparation of the altar and the bread and wine. What are we doing in these actions? Much of the answer lies in the word "Eucharist." Derived from the Greek, it means "thanksgiving."

Our thanksgiving is best expressed in the main prayer of the liturgy of the Eucharist, the Eucharist prayer. Some history of this prayer: its roots are in the Jewish tradition of meal blessings. As a devout Jew, Jesus would have prayed such blessings at meals. Early Christians (who were Jews) used them in their celebrations known as "the breaking of the bread," when they obeyed Jesus' command to "Do this in memory of me." Over time, references to Jesus and the meaning of his life, death and resurrection were incorporated into these blessings. Two of the present Eucharistic prayers we now use date from the third and fourth centuries. All follow a similar pattern. In other words, Christians have been praying this way at the Eucharist ever since there were Christians!

The Eucharistic prayer is thanksgiving for the heart of life as Christians understand it: for all of God's creation, and especially for the saving works of Christ. It is proclaimed over bread and wine, symbols of what is most basic, food and drink from the tables of ordinary people. In this context, when we are focused on the foundations of our life, we also petition God for the abundance promised at this table to be shared with the whole world, with the church, with all who seek God, and with the dead.

The prayer is an action that everyone in the church is meant to participate in: it is not "the priest's prayer." From "The Lord be with you" and the dialogue that follows, through the Great Amen, the Eucharistic prayer requires the vigorous participation of all present. We involve ourselves fully when we join our hearts to the words sung or spoken by the priest, when we assume an attentive posture, when we put aside the missalette and listen, when we sing the acclamations with full voice.

In the end, "Eucharist" is what our life as Christians is all about. Whenever we stand, in suffering or joy or confusion or routine, our life is always to be thanksgiving, always to be a sharing of God's abundance with all in need.

[Source: Sunday Bulletin, St. Paul Roman Catholic Cathedral, Saskatoon, SK, Canada; June 15, 2008]

"God help us!"

A priest friend of mine sent me the following article with his own preface to it.  What struck me about the article was that there was no mention of the Gospel.  It is all about what the political strategy of the bishops should be.  God help any Catholics who reduce bishops to political figures only, especially those who do it publicly.  The primary role of bishops is to teach the Gospel.  Their strategy should be to teach, defend, and spread the Gospel most effectively!

 

 

"If you want to really understand the profound challenges we face in the Church with regards to authentic formation of Catholic conscience and with regards to communicating the authentic teachings of the Catholic Church, you have to read (and study) the article below by Thomas J. Reese, SJ, University Fellow at the Woodstock Theological Center at Georgetown University. He is part of the Jesuit intelligentsia that is forming the best and brightest young Catholics and the leaders of tomorrow - God help us! I must warn you, it will not be an easy read. The article should have the disclaimer – 'Abandon hope [and reason] all ye who enter here', you're about to enter into a very dark place!

Here is the Georgetown website that gives more insight into the man who was former editor-in-chief of America magazine which has more than 45,000 readers (imagine the reach of this man's influence): http://woodstock.georgetown.edu/fellows/thomas-reese.html ".

------------------------------------------------------------------
 

Thomas J. Reese | Nov. 11, 2012

USCCB Fall 2012

As the bishops gather in Baltimore this week for their annual meeting, they, like everyone else in the country, will be talking about last week's election. The U.S. Catholic bishops took a beating at the polls. Not only was President Barack Obama re-elected despite their attacks on him, the bishops also lost on state referendums on same-sex marriage.
 

Like all Americans, the bishops have a constitutional right to participate in the political process. They can debate the issues, criticize candidates and publicly express their views. They can even endorse candidates as long as they don't do it on church property and don't use church funds in supporting a candidate or party. In fact, they can even run for president, as did the Rev. Pat Robertson and the Rev. Jesse Jackson. The U.S. Constitution does not forbid this; Roman Catholic canon law forbids it.

But what is constitutional is not always effective or prudent. Clearly, the political strategy of the bishops is not working. A majority of Catholics voted for Obama, and gay activists won every referendum. The Missouri and Indiana Republican senatorial candidates, who took the toughest positions on abortion, were also defeated when the Republicans were expected to win these races.

So where do the bishops go from here? Some of the bishops will blame Catholic pro-abortion-rights politicians and urge excluding themfrom Communion. The nuns, priests and theologians who urged voters to consider a wide range of justice issues will also be blamed. These bishops will see no need for a change in political strategy. "The bishops need to be tougher; dissidents need to be punished; full speed ahead!"

Many bishops, who stayed quiet during the election, are tired of the notoriety the political bishops invite. They prefer their parishes be free of partisan politics. But since the media have trouble covering silence, the political bishops get all the ink and airtime. This makes it look like these bishops are speaking for all bishops.

Hopefully, behind closed doors, some bishops will acknowledge that the current strategy is not working and ask, "Is there a better way? Is there a plan B?" Here I am writing as a political scientist, not as a priest or theologian. I am not challenging church teaching; I am questioning political strategy.

The first step in plan B should be listening. The bishops need to listen to those Catholic voters who ignored their advice and find out why. The whole premise behind "No Child Left Behind" is that when students fail, it is not always their fault. Teachers need to examine how they teach so students can learn. Bishops need to listen.

Second, any new strategy needs to be realistic. Granted the current political situation, what is possible? Political strategy cannot ignore data. In the last election, Republicans ignored poll data and truly believed they would win the presidency and the Senate. The great wave of Republican voters never appeared.

What are the data the bishops need to examine?

First, it is clear there is an approaching tsunami of young voters who will eventually make same-sex marriage legal in most states of the union. The likelihood of stopping this tsunami is very low. As the older opponents of gay marriage die, they are replaced by younger voters who havefriends who are gay. This is a new world. If you know you are going to lose a fight, you want to fight in a way that does you the least amount of damage.Tactics that enrage their opponents will make it more difficult for the bishops to get the exemptions they desire under this new reality.

For example, after the bishops spent $1 million fighting gay marriage in Massachusetts, it was not surprising that gay activists fought exempting Catholic foster care and adoption services from serving gay couples. They saw it as political payback. Ultimately, the bishops may be forced to treat same-sex couples the same way they treat divorced and remarried couples whose marriages are not approved by the church. The church does not like these marriages, but they are acknowledged as legal under civil law.

Second, despite all efforts by the bishops and by anti-abortion activists, the country is just as divided on abortion today as it was decades ago. Public opinion polls show people do not like abortion, butthey do not want to make it illegal. No one has come up with a strategy to change the public's mind. Even if Roe vs. Wade were overturned, abortion would still be legal in most of the country. Those living in a state where it is illegal could easily drive to a state where it is legal.

If making abortion illegal is an impossible dream in the current political environment, what is plan B? Plan B has to be working with politicians of any stripe, including pro-abortion-rights politicians, in supporting programs that will reduce the number of abortions.

The bishops must reach out to all politicians and groups who are willing to support programs that help women keep and raise their children. It is possible to agree with politicians on some things and disagree with them on other things. Simply aligning the church with Republican politicians, who promise to do something about abortion but then cut programs that help women, is a failed strategy. Instead of making things better, it makes them worse.Plan B means returning to the consistent ethic of life promoted by the bishops in the past.

Some bishops will reject such a strategy as pragmatic and not prophetic. But we live in an imperfect world. Granted the impossible dream of making abortion illegal, then the moral imperative is to do everything possible to reduce the number of abortions.

The bishops also need to put aside tactics that are counterproductive. Using excessive rhetoric, like comparing the president to Adolf Hitler or Joseph Stalin or accusing the administration of waging war on religion, makes it difficult to form coalitions to reach achievable goals.

Banning pro-abortion-rights Catholic politicians or Catholic voters from Communion is counterproductive. Such banning is not the official position of the church, but enough bishops are doing it (and few bishops are criticizing the practice) that many see it as church policy. Any time you have to use power rather than persuasion in a political debate, you have lost. It also reinforces seeing abortion as a Catholic issue based on faith rather than a human rights issue based on reason.

Banning pro-abortion-rights politicians and gay-marriage supporters from Catholic universities is also counterproductive. It makes the bishops look weak rather than strong. It tells the world that the bishops think their arguments are so weak they cannot allow students to hear their opponents. Any strategy based on censorship rather than persuasion has failed before aword is spoken. The church should be on the side of free and open debate because "Catholic tradition maintains," in the words of Benedict XVI, "that the objective norms governing right action are accessible to reason, prescinding from the content of revelation."

I do not claim to have an infallible strategy for the bishops, but after such a momentous defeat, it is time for the bishops to re-examine their political strategy. The current strategy is not working, and there is no indication it will work any better in the future.

[Jesuit Fr. Thomas J. Reese is a senior fellow at the Woodstock Theological Center at Georgetown University.]

Homily - "All In: St. Damien, widows"

Click here to listen to Sunday's homily by Fr. Paul from the Diocese of Honolulu who graciously brought the relic of St. Damien to our student Mass this past Sunday night.

"100 Things You Can Do to the Make the Country More Pro-Life"

Living differently: 100 Things you can do to make the country more pro-life

Homily - "Faith seeking understanding"

Congratulations to our campus minister, Amy West, who got engaged last night to Dave Kovacs....at the Newman Center!  Thanks, Dave, for allowing us to be a part of your huge moment.  We are so happy for both of you!!

Click here to listen to Sunday's homily.

Life: The Beautiful Choice

 

 

 

"They can make contributions and, above all, they can pray"

After Sandy, 'people need everything,' says Catholic Charities official

Angelo Stagnaro 
Catholic News Service, Nov. 1, 2012, New York

The damage from the wind, rain and flooding brought by Hurricane Sandy "is almost overwhelming," said Msgr. Kevin Sullivan, executive director of Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of New York.
"We're reaching out to parishes and getting them to directly assist those in critical need -- they know their own people and their neighborhoods," he told Catholic News Service on Wednesday.
Several Catholic agencies and religious communities have stepped forward to address the greatest needs of victims of the super storm.

"Reaching out to parishes and other communities and neighborhoods is imperative at this point," Sullivan explained. "The response on the parish level has been tremendous. We're also working very, very closely with several municipal, state and private agencies, including Red Cross, to figure out the best way to respond to this disaster."

When New York state and New York City were preparing for Sandy's unprecedented onslaught, emergency responders had met with Sullivan and Catholic Charities to plan how to best utilize its resources and personnel after the storm.

"We've been in conversation with dozens of governmental agencies and made sure we put our staff in place. We have a lot of social work case managers who are trained to deal with emergencies like this," the priest said.

"They know how to get greater access to available services to those in need," he said. "Many people suffering through disasters fall through the gaps. Our staff is in place to make sure that doesn't happen. We found this is the best way to work with victims in this situation."

Sandy, which made landfall Monday in New Jersey, caused flooding, power outages, downed trees and other calamities over a large swath of the East Coast and into the Midwest. As of Thursday, the U.S. death toll from the storm stood at 74 people and more than 5.6 million homes and businesses were still without power.

Cleanup and repair in New York City were going forward after the storm, but only so much could be done with more than 500,000 New Yorkers living without electricity and without the use of the nation's largest subway system.

"The greatest need is in southern Manhattan, the Long Island shore, Far Rockaway, the Bronx, large parts of Staten Island, and large parts of Brooklyn," Sullivan said. "The power outages and lack of transportation are compounding the already bad situation. These people need everything -- food, shelter, clothing, communications, medical care, legal assistance -- every conceivable need. We're doing our best."

A chief concern for Catholic Charities is making sure that services to the people it already serves on a daily basis continues unabated especially its year-round services to the homeless, children, the poor, the elderly, infirmed and disabled.

"Those who needed it were evacuated to shelters to better care for them. Sometimes there were public facilities and sometimes our own in areas unaffected by Sandy," the priest said. "Those who are most vulnerable need the most care especially those with physical and emotional challenges. Where necessary, they are evacuated to safer situations."

"We are coordinating by parishes, but the Holy Spirit is doing most of the coordinating," Sullivan
said with a chuckle.

In addition to the assistance Catholic Charities is providing, he urged lay Catholics to "reach out to their neighbors on a one-to-one basis. We are grateful for all our parishioners who are reaching out to those in need, driving neighbors to shelters and just checking up on people."

 

"If they're capable, they should volunteer at shelters. They can make contributions and, above all, they can pray. There's a lot of need. There are a lot of people who are hurting especially because of the power outages."

Sullivan said Catholics "are concerned and those who are capable of lending a hand are doing so." He told of a parishioner at St. Augustine in Ossining in Westchester County, north of New York City, "who is organizing other parishioners in going door-to-door to check up on their neighbors and the elderly in the town making sure they have everything they need."

"Our staff has already visited 17 of Staten Island's 35 parishes," the priest said. "There's tremendous need out there and throughout New York City. In fact, we're working closely with United Jewish Appeal and the Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies in making sure those in need are served."

In addition to Catholic Charities, other Catholic organizations are offering disaster relief to storm victims, including the Knights of Malta.

The Knights have "traditionally offered emergency aid, assistance, relief to those in need. We usually assist in Africa and other impoverished areas around the world just like Red Cross does," said police Sgt. Angelo A. Sedacca, 41, a Knight of Malta since 2006. "Now we're needed here in New York City in the aftermath of Sandy."

He expected that by Friday, "we'll have a better idea of what we in the Knight community are doing in response to this disaster.

"A Knight must always be mindful of "making sacrifices to help others, never saying 'no' to those in need," he told CNS.

Sedacca, his wife and their four children are members of Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in the New York borough of Queens, in the Brooklyn Diocese.

"This is the secret of life: putting God first, others second and myself last," the sergeant added. "This emergency is exceptional. I've never seen anything like this but with God's grace and love, New Yorkers will get through it."

Want to help?
Catholic Charities USA is accepting cash donations as it develops its response to the victims of Hurricane Sandy.

Donations can be made online at the Catholic Charities USA website at catholiccharitiesusa.org.
Donations also can be made by calling toll-free (800) 919-9338 or by mail to P.O. Box 17066, Baltimore, MD 21297-1066.

The Alexandria, Va.-based agency has begun working with state and local government disaster response agencies and charitable groups to meet emergency needs in communities in New Jersey and
New York devastated by the late October storm.

A statement from the agency also said that assessments were under way to determine how the agency can best respond.

Several dioceses across the United States also have initiated collections of cash and emergency supplies for East Coast storm victims. Check with your local diocesan Catholic Charities agency if you desire to provide assistance.

--Catholic News Service

Mary survives Sandy