Archive for

2010

  • Love is mission of family

    Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph
    Mt 2:13-15, 19-23
    The Church designates the Sunday following Christmas as the feast of the Holy Family, using the emphasis placed upon the birth of Jesus, and precisely the loving involvement of both Mary and Joseph in the birth and in preceding events, to present a lesson for Catholic families here and now.

    For this feast, the Book of Sirach, from the Wisdom Literature of the Old Testament, provides the first reading.

    The reading is highly practical. When the Wisdom books were written, albeit at different times and in different places, Jewish parents and elders needed to pass along to their contemporaries and to future generations a knowledge of God’s Revelation. 

    Very often, the culture around them was hostile. Of course, they always had to confront the irreligious leanings of human nature.

    This reading looks very carefully at the basic unit of society and of civilization, namely the family, calling for honor to be paid parents. Here, the egalitarian sense of the ancient Jewish writings is clear. While the father is acknowledged as head of the household, the mother is entitled to equal respect and veneration. She is in no sense a secondary figure.

    Especially, Sirach calls upon children to care for their parents when their parents are old.

    The second reading is from the Epistle to the Colossians. The first part of the reading, addressed to all disciples, admonishes followers of Christ to love one another. More than a charming platitude, this advice asks the faithful to forgive one another and to be concerned about one another.

    Then, Paul urges wives to obey their husbands, obviously a thought much influenced by the culture of the time. However, he also demands that husbands love their wives.

    This advice may seem to be little better than a truism. At the time of Paul, they would have been powerful, even revolutionary, words. Then, spouses rarely wed for love. Parents offered their daughters to the most promising suitors. In a sense, it was almost as if the father of the bride sold his own daughter to the highest bidder.

    Once married, wives often merely were toys or means to the end of parenthood or domestic tidiness for the husband.
    By urging husbands to love their wives, Paul viewed female spouses with an entirely new perspective, to their benefit.

    St. Matthew’s Gospel supplies the last reading. It is the familiar story of the flight into Egypt.

    Shrines in modern Egypt declare themselves to be the sites of the Holy Family’s respite in Egypt. In fact, by using “Egypt,” this Gospel is not as geographically precise as some might prefer. Knowledge of foreign things and places was slight if at all for most people in the 1st century AD. In Palestine, “Egypt” meant distant, unknown and pagan territory to the west.

    This is certain. Mary and Joseph took Jesus away from Palestine to escape Herod. They rescued Jesus, again being themselves the human instruments by which God’s plan of salvation was preserved.

    Reflection
    Most especially this year, since the feast occurs on the day after Christmas, the warmth and happiness of Christmas still is bright and inviting. So are the images of Mary and Joseph, who so lovingly and deliberately cared for the infant Lord.

    These readings have strong, practical lessons. Families must bond themselves in love. Parents must love children. Children must love parents. Spouses must love each other.

    Most importantly, however, no family can survive simply by loving each other. Threats await all families, not only threats from evil rulers. Families need God’s protection.

    Also clear in Matthew is that every Christian has a mission. The role of the family is to support each member’s mission, as Mary and Joseph supported the mission of Jesus.

    Posted on December 21, 2010, to:

  • New beginnings

    The holiday season, with all its rich tradition and merriment, sometimes brings with it a need to reflect on times gone by. Gathering with family and friends inspires reminiscence of old — a noble endeavor — but when you are mourning the loss of a loved one the emotional sway of grief can change the story of the past year considerably.

    In the first year of grief, we generally focus on the empty space at the holiday table or the events that occurred just a short time ago when our loved one was present with us. There is perhaps a deep longing to remember our loved one and share our grief with those with which we gather.

    Many of us have found that inviting others into our grief through ceremony works especially well during the holidays. It creates a sacred environment where all are welcome to speak of those who have gone before us, mingling unexpected laughter and necessary tears.

    My husband Trent died in September, so the holidays seemed to rush upon me with determined ferocity that first year. Though I felt I was moving in a daze, volleying between the deep heart wrenching reality of Trent’s death and mind-numbing shock, I needed to speak of him and hear his name.

    I recall that first Christmas, now 20 years past, when I asked to read a tender prayer I had written before Christmas dinner that included my gratitude for the members of my family and the ways Trent had enriched my life. I worried a bit about how it would be received, but felt compelled to offer my thoughts.

    I was delighted to note the collective sigh of relief my loved ones expressed as we sat down to our family feast following the prayer. Antidotal stories were passed along with the honey ham and sweet potato pie quite naturally then and the banter warmed my broken heart. The prayer had given them the permission they needed to speak of Trent.

    After quiet reflection during the end of year festivities, there naturally follows the hopeful anticipation of things yet to be. Many of us rally to start afresh with the coming of the new year. We hear from loved ones, “Let it go, it’s a new year.” But how do we find a new beginning when grief has a strong hold that renders us ill equipped to look to the future?

    I have learned that finding a new beginning is not necessarily about immediate change. I’ve tried imposing those customary resolutions on what I thought I needed to achieve on my grief journey each year — cleaning out my husband’s cherished belongings, removing my wedding rings, crying only once a week. These goals gave me direction, but as the weeks and months of my early grief progressed, they were rendered flat and uninspired.

    There is a time to move forward and a time to be still. Each step we take on our journey of grief is a new beginning. Each step is part of an evolution toward healing and living fully again.

    Experiencing my grief in all its fury and solitude, and allowing myself to follow my heart as to the changes that would occur naturally or by choice created the healing that I worked toward. Looking back was, for me, part of the healing. And so too was waiting for the right time to accomplish my grief work.

    In the end it’s not really so much about letting go, but more a “moving along” with the need to reconcile the loss into our lives. Each new year does bring the promise of some new beginning. And for those in mourning that can be the healing of a heart.

    Posted on December 21, 2010, to:

  • The Holy Family of Nazareth

    As we approach the end of 2010, it is good to recall the blessings of the past year. It has been my first year as Bishop of Fort Wayne-South Bend and I have so many reasons to be thankful. This is a wonderful diocese. I have enjoyed visiting all over the diocese, celebrating liturgies, teaching and preaching, and meeting so many devout faithful. I have visited 49 of our parishes in the past 11 months and look forward to visiting the remaining 32 in the coming year. I have visited all of our Catholic colleges, universities, and high schools, as well as five of our 39 grade schools. These pastoral visits are my favorite activities as your bishop. Thank you for your kindness and hospitality on these visits! I especially thank our wonderful priests for their generous welcome.

    On the last Sunday of the year, we celebrate the Feast of the Holy Family of Nazareth. On this beautiful feast of the Christmas season, we fix our gaze on Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. We adore God who chose to be born of a woman, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and to enter this world in a way like every one of us, as a baby. By so doing, he sanctified, made holy, the reality of the family. He filled the family with divine grace and revealed the vocation and mission of every family.

    The Holy Family of Nazareth is the prototype of every Christian family, the true model of a Christian home. The Son of God came into the world surrounded by the love of Mary and Joseph. The Holy Family radiated with loving harmony and peace. Our families are called to imitate the example of the Holy Family.

    Sadly, family life today is sometimes marred by disharmony and division. But even in situations of family discord, the Holy Family can give people hope. Invoking the protection of Mary and Joseph and the grace of our Lord Jesus, families can be strengthened and renewed. But this requires faith. It requires openness to God’s grace and cooperation with that grace. God must have a prominent place in the home of every truly Christian family and be the center of every home.

    All human beings were created in the image and likeness of God, created for love. Complete human fulfillment only comes about when we love, when we make a sincere gift of ourselves to others. Where do we learn to do this? In the family! The family is the privileged setting where every person learns to give and receive love. When this does not happen, there is much suffering. This is why the Church is so constant in her insistence on the importance of good, healthy marriages and strong family life.

    In God’s plan, the family is based primarily on a deep interpersonal relationship between husband and wife, sustained by mutual affection and understanding. Through the sacrament of marriage, husbands and wives receive abundant help from God. Marriage brings with it a true vocation to holiness. No human authority, no state, no government, no court has the right to redefine marriage. The family, founded on marriage, is a unique good for children, who are meant to be the fruit of the love of their parents, of their total and generous self-giving. The great Pope John Paul II tirelessly repeated that the good of the person and of society is closely connected to the healthy state of the family. Marriage and family are the indispensable foundation for society and culture.

    We can find in the Holy Family of Nazareth the values and teachings which today are more indispensable than ever to give human society sound and stable foundations. The Son of God, Jesus, was born and grew up in a human family. This is how he encountered humanity. In his life spent at Nazareth, the child, and later adolescent and then young man, Jesus, honored his mother and father. He remained under their authority. He is an example for every child and young person of respect, obedience, and love for one’s parents.

    Mary and Joseph are models for every parent. They taught Jesus by word and example. In them, Jesus came to know the full beauty of faith, of love for God and neighbor, as well as the demands of justice, which are totally fulfilled in love. From his parents, Jesus learned that it is necessary first of all to do God’s will. It is vitally important today that parents educate their children in obedience to God’s will. Parents have a great and holy responsibility: to hand down the faith to their children. Parents are indeed called to be the first heralds of the faith to their children. Parents have the duty to love and respect their children as sons and daughters of God. They have an irreplaceable task in the formation of their children in accord with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

    We read in the Gospel that in his home at Nazareth, “Jesus advanced in wisdom and age and favor before God and man.” Let us pray that families today may be places where children grow, not only physically, but also spiritually, in faith and love, in wisdom and grace.

    May the Lord bless all Christian families and assist them in living their daily life in mutual love and in generosity to others, after the example of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph!

    May God bless all of you with peace and joy during this Christmas season and as we prepare to begin a New Year!

    Posted on December 21, 2010, to:

  • A look back at 2010 highlights

    By Tim Johnson

    FORT WAYNE — The Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend will view 2010 as a year of changes — a new page in the diocese’s 153-year old history.
    Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades was installed the ninth bishop of the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend on Jan. 13. Archbishop Pietro Sambi, the apostolic nuncio who is the official representative of Pope Benedict XVI, with Archbishop Daniel M. Buechlein, metropolitan archbishop of Indianapolis, escorted Bishop Rhoades to the cathedra — the bishop’s chair — and handed the new bishop his crosier — a pastoral staff of gold — thus assuming the episcopacy of the diocese.

    The day prior to the installation, a massive earthquake shook Haiti. Bishop Rhoades at his installation Mass asked that parishes of the diocese hold a collection for Haiti. This collection brought in $559,000, one of the largest collections in the diocese for disaster relief.

    Masses of thanksgiving that honored retiring Bishop John M. D’Arcy who guided and ministered the diocese from 1985-2009 marked the early weeks of January. He has taken the role of bishop-emeritus and remains active in the work of the diocese assisting Bishop Rhoades where needed.

    In January, a large contingency from the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend rallied at the national March For Life in Washington, D.C.

    Both bishops participated in the National March for Life in Washington in late January. They were accompanied by high school and college students, and the faithful in their stand for life. Holy Cross Father John I. Jenkins, president of the University of Notre Dame, also joined the bishops, the diocesan representatives and students from the university in the march.

    Bishop Rhoades quickly became familiar with the diocese beginning with visits to parishes, high schools and grade schools, colleges and universities, religious communities and Catholic institutions and organizations.

    In March, Bishop Rhoades spoke about the vocation of marriage at the Diocesan Marriage and Family Conference, coordinated by the Office of Family Life and held at the University of Notre Dame.

    Two seminarian brothers, Matthew and Terrence Coonan were ordained to the transitional diaconate by Bishop-emeritus John D’Arcy on April 25 at St. Turibius Chapel at Pontifical College Josephinum in Columbus, Ohio.

    Bishop Rhoades united South Bend’s Latino communities on June 6 with a large Corpus Christi procession.

    Later that month, on June 26, Bishop Rhoades ordained Father Andrew Budzinski into the priesthood. He was appointed as the parochial vicar at St. Vincent de Paul Parish, Fort Wayne.

    Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades dedicates the St. Anthony of Padua Church in Angola on July 10.

    Bishop Rhoades dedicated a new St. Anthony of Padua Church in Angola on July 10.

    Parishes celebrating jubilees included St. Patrick, Ligonier — 150 years. The parish marked its celebration Aug. 15. St. Paul of the Cross in Columbia City celebrated its 150th anniversary on Oct. 24. St. Adalbert Parish in South Bend observed its 100th anniversary on Nov. 7.

    A celebration Mass marked the 150th anniversary of the dedication of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception on Dec. 8.

    In October, Catholic media personality Teresa Tomeo was the host speaker of the Arise Catholic Women’s Conference at the University of Saint Francis in Fort Wayne.

    On Oct. 17, the Congregations of Holy Cross and the diocese celebrated the canonization of Brother André Bessette. Bishop Rhoades and many members of the congregation attended the canonization in Rome. St. André is the first member of the Congregation of Holy Cross to be canonized.

    The diocese bid farewell to two revered priests. Msgr. J. William Lester, an iconic priest in the diocese, died Feb. 20. Msgr. Lester served as co-rector of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception and co-chancellor of the the diocese with Msgr. James Wolf, who died Aug. 31 after a long illness.

    In staff changes, Natalie Kohrman was named the director of the Office of Spiritual Development in early January. John Gaughan retired from the Catholic Schools Office. He had worked in Catholic education for 57 years. Sister Jane Carew retired from the Office of Catechesis after directing that office for 23 years. Jason Schiffli was named the principal of Bishop Dwenger High School effective July 1. Marsha Jordan was named the associate superintendent of Catholic schools on June 14. Father Jason Freiburger was named vice-chancellor of the diocese.

    It was announced in June that Oct. 3 was inscribed as the feast of St. Mother Theodore Guérin into the Proper Liturgical Calendar of the diocese.
    Bishop Rhoades welcomed 10 Franciscan Sisters Minor to St. John the Baptist Parish in Fort Wayne and to the diocese on Oct. 2. The Franciscan Brothers Minor were embraced by the diocese and welcomed to the former St. Andrew Parish rectory. They are in the process of renovating the church.

    Posted on December 21, 2010, to:

  • Gift helps many rediscover Catholicism

    Michelle Baker, St. John the Baptist, New Haven, business manager, in the back, and Lisa Castleman, secretary, front, open a box of Matthew Kelly’s book, “Rediscover Catholicism.” The book will be distributed at all parishes across the diocese over Christmas to encourage spiritual reading and as an evangelization means to welcome non-practicing Catholics and new members into the faith.

    By Tim Johnson

    FORT WAYNE — “This Christmas, I would like to invite you to become a student of Catholicism, so that together we can answer the questions that hold people back from fully embracing the beauty of our faith,” wrote Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades in a note to recipients of Catholic author Matthew Kelly’s book, “Rediscover Catholicism.”

    The book, which has sold over 1 million copies, was given to those who attended Christmas Masses across the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend.

    Kelly is the founder of The Dynamic Catholic Institute, which believes that millions of ordinary Catholics want to be involved in a movement that provides a game-changing strategy for the Church today. The mission of the institute is to “develop dynamic resources that inspire people to rediscover Catholicism, live with passion and purpose and bring spiritual vitality to the Church.”

    In June, The Dynamic Catholic Institute sent a letter to several households in the diocese with a letter from Bishop Rhoades inviting donors to support the book effort, “so that this Christmas we can carry out this unprecedented initiative in our diocese,” the bishop wrote. In Kelly’s letter to the households, he noted the cost of the book was $2 per copy.

    “It seems that with every passing day, people have more and more questions about Catholicism — both Catholics and non-Catholics. This is a time in history when people need, and deserve, answers to their questions,” Bishop Rhoades said in the card inside the book.

    He added: “With this in mind, I offer you this book. If we are to become students of the faith, continuous learners, I am convinced that we need to resurrect the great Catholic tradition of spiritual reading.”

    Bishop Rhoades said, “Imagine if every Catholic in our diocese read for just 15 minutes each day from a great Catholic book. Imagine the new life this would breathe into our spirituality, into our marriages and families, into our parishes and diocese … and imagine how many questions we would be able to answer about our faith for people who are hungry for answers.”

    Kelly, in an e-mail interview with Today’s Catholic, discussed the history of this evangelization project: “A couple of years ago I asked my staff to come up with their best ideas for engaging disengaged Catholics and increasing passion among practicing Catholics. They came up with this book program.

    “The idea is that more people attend Christmas Mass than any other time of year,” Kelly said, “and 30 percent of those who attend Mass at Christmas only come once or twice a year. We wanted them to leave with something that reignite their faith life.”

    Kelly said in 2008, parishes across the nation distributed 88,000 books. The following year parishes distributed 300,000.

    “This year,” he said, “more than 700,000 copies of the book will be distributed. In addition, many of the churches that (shared) ‘Rediscover Catholicism’ last year are distributing Allen Hunt’s book ‘Confessions of a Mega Church Pastor’ this year.

    “Each year we plan to distribute a new book so that parishes can continue to feed their people with great Catholic books at a low cost,” Kelly said.

    “Almost 1,000 parishes have participated in the program so far,” Kelly said of the national drive, “but under the visionary leadership of Bishop Rhoades and driven by his deep desire to feed his people and reengage disengaged Catholics, the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend will be the first diocese to undertake the program. I am so excited to see how the books impact people’s lives, and the lives of your parishes.”

    When asked how he believes “Rediscover Catholicism” will help lead the lukewarm or non-practicing Catholics back to the Church, Kelly answered, “There are two things I believe very deeply that speak to your question. The first is that people don’t do anything until they are inspired. I think this is a time when Catholics need to be inspired, and from the opening story the book seems to inspire.

    “The second,” he said, “is that people deserve answers to their questions. Catholics and non-Catholics today have more questions about their faith than ever before, and they deserve answers to those questions. I hope the book answers many questions that people have about Catholicism, and thus removes some of the obstacles that prevent them from participating more fully in the life of their parish.”

    Kelly said the book program has showed success. “It is very humbling. The book spent more than eight years continuously on the Catholic bestseller list before we began this program. So, it is always encouraging to know as an author that your work is resonating with people.
    “The program itself was not my idea. It was the idea of my staff,” he added. “And I think it was a stroke of genius. It has helped many thousands of people to come back to the Church, and that is one of the reasons we work so hard at DynamicCatholic.com.”

    Some parishes will inevitably run out of books, said Kelly who noted that anyone can request a free copy at www.DynamicCatholic.com, and just pay shipping costs.

    Posted on December 21, 2010, to: