October 26, 2012 - Roman Catholic Diocese of Harrisburg

Transcription

OCTOBER 26, 2012
VOLUME 48, NUMBER 20
INSIDE:
Page 5: Lancaster Catholic students mourn loss
of friend
Page 8: LeSean McCoy returns to McDevitt
Page 13: Matthew 25 Collection will assist
needy in our diocese
Pages 14-23: Voters’ Guide
One Body, One Family In Faith
Bishop McFadden
Gathers High
School Seniors to
Open Year of Faith
By Jen Reed
The Catholic Witness
Bishop Joseph P. McFadden told
some 850 diocesan high school seniors invited to the diocese’s opening Mass for the Year of Faith that he
brought them together to show them
they’re not alone in their faith.
“Look around. There are other
young people like yourselves who
are called by the Lord to embrace our
faith,” he told the seniors, who along
with several hundred other faithful,
filled Holy Name of Jesus Church in
Harrisburg for the Oct. 11 Mass.
“We are one body, one family,” the
bishop said. “We come from different schools, yes, but as we come together today, we come really as the
sons and daughters of God.”
Filling most of the pews in the
church, the seniors came by bus from
CHRIS HEISEY, THE CATHOLIC WITNESS
seven schools – Bishop McDevitt,
More
than
800
diocesan
high
school
seniors
gathered
for
the
diocese’s
opening
Mass
for
the
Year of Faith at Holy Name of
Delone, Lancaster Catholic, LebaMore YEAR OF FAITH, page 12
Jesus Church in Harrisburg Oct. 11. Bishop Joseph P. McFadden told the students he brought them together for the Mass to
show them they’re not alone in their faith.
A woman holds a
banner honoring St.
Kateri Tekakwitha as
pilgrims gather for a
canonization Mass
celebrated by Pope
Benedict XVI in St.
Peter’s Square at the
Vatican Oct. 21.
CNS/PAUL HARING
Pilgrims Flock to Rome
to Celebrate Their New Saints
By Cindy Wooden
Catholic News Service
Wearing Native American beads and feathers, Hawaiian leis, classic Filipino shirts, or
German dirndls, Catholics from around the
globe gathered in St. Peter’s Square to celebrate the recognition of seven new saints.
One of the pilgrims who came to celebrate
the canonization of St. Kateri Tekakawita
Oct. 21 was Blessed Sacrament Father Dana
Pelotte, twin brother of the late Bishop Donald
E. Pelotte of Gallup, N.M., the first American
Indian bishop of the United States.
“I think the canonization will have a tremendous spiritual effect on the native peoples – I
really do. Being a native person has so much
spiritual beauty,” and the canonization of Kateri, the first indigenous saint of North America,
will strengthen that, said the priest, whose father was of Abenaki descent.
Attending a reception sponsored by the U.S.
Embassy to the Holy See in the Vatican Museums’ garden Oct. 19, Father Pelotte was constantly approached by American Indian pilgrims who told him of their love for his brother
and how pleased he would be by the canonization. “I know he’s here in spirit with us today,”
Father Pelotte told each one of them.
Archbishop Charles J. Chaput of Philadelphia, a member of the Prairie Band Potawatomi Tribe, told Catholic News Service that he
and his fellow Native American Catholics have
been praying for St. Kateri’s canonization for a
very long time.
The saint was born to an Algonquin Christian
mother and a Mohawk father, who died when
she was young. She resisted strong pressure
from the Mohawks to abandon her faith, so she
could be considered a model for those facing
religious persecution, the archbishop said.
St. Kateri, who died in 1680 at the age of
24, also is a model for the new evangelization,
Archbishop Chaput said. “She was a young,
vibrant member of her community, but she was
different from the rest of them because of her
unique personal relationship with Jesus Christ,
which is what sanctity is generally about – it’s
about taking Christ seriously in a personal
way, in a way that goes beyond where most of
us go.”
Clarence “Boogie” Kahilihwa and Gloria
Marks were two of nine patient-residents who
came to the canonization from Kalaupapa, Hawaii, where the new St. Marianne Cope ministered among people with Hansen’s disease,
which is commonly called leprosy.
More NEW SAINTS, page 2
2 - THE CATHOLIC WITNESS, OCTOBER 26, 2012
Faith and Life
New Saints
Continued from 1
Kahilihwa said St. Marianne left as
her legacy “how she felt toward humanity,” and that her message is “never underestimate” the value of person,
no matter what their sickness is; “and
don’t be afraid to challenge the unchallenged and down low.”
“I could have gone out a long time
ago, but I chose to stay” to help care
for older members of the community,
he said.
Kahilihwa also said part of St. Marianne’s legacy is the affirmation that
there is no such thing as “a leper,” because leprosy “is a disease, not a person.”
Marks, like Kahilihwa, came to
Rome in 2009 for the canonization
of St. Damien de Veuster of Molokai,
who founded the Kalaupapa community and who later was among those
cared for by St. Marianne.
“I’m really proud because [there are]
two of them from the same county, the
smallest county in Hawaii,” she said.
“Those two put Hawaii on the map. So
it’s very, very important to us.”
U.S. citizens and residents also
turned out in large numbers for the
canonization of St. Pedro Calungsod, a
Philippine teenager and catechist who
was martyred in 1672 in Guam, which
is a territory of the United States.
At a thanksgiving Mass Oct. 22 at
the Altar of the Chair in St. Peter’s
Basilica, Archbishop Anthony Sablan
Apuron of Agana, Guam, called St.
Pedro a wonderful model for Catholic
youth. “May it never be said that we
who had the privilege of witnessing
the canonization of San Pedro did not
make it heaven!” he told the pilgrims,
who included many young people.
The archbishop, who concelebrated
CNS/PAUL HARING
The banners of seven new saints hang from the facade of St. Peter’s Basilica for a canonization Mass led by Pope Benedict
XVI St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican Oct. 21. Among those canonized were two North Americans – St. Kateri Tekakwitha,
an American Indian born in upstate New York who died in Canada in 1680, and St. Marianne Cope, who worked with leprosy
patients on the Hawaiian island of Molokai.
the Mass with retired Cardinal Ricardo
Vidal of Cebu, Philippines, composed
a song in honor of St. Pedro 12 years
ago on the occasion of the youth’s beatification. Archbishop Apuron sang it
during the homily, demonstrating that
he, too, saw the martyred saint as a
model.
“San Pedro proclaimed his faith
using human means to attract the
Chamorros (native people of Guam)
through the use of visual aids, putting
the doctrines and teachings to music
so as to enable the natives to learn the
doctrines of the Church more easily,”
Archbishop Apuron said.
Discalced Augustinian Father Alex
Remolino, a Philippine priest working
in Rome, said that in addition to being
a model for youth, “St. Pedro is a patron saint of our emigrants.”
St. Pedro left the Philippines to work
with the Jesuits in Guam, and he carried his faith with him, just as many
Philippine emigrants do today when
they go abroad to study or work, he
said.
“Faith is part of our DNA,” Father
Remolino said. “Wherever we go, we
bring the Gospel. It’s not just part of
our culture, but part of our character.”
(Contributing to this story were Carol Glatz and Francis X. Rocca.)
Remembering All Souls
Photographer’s Note:
By Chris Heisey
This image taken in the Harrisburg Cemetery captures the infrared spectrum of light that is invisible to the human eye. It’s light
beyond the red frequency on the
color chart, and it’s this absorbed
radiation which green-colored
foliage so importantly consumes
for us every day. And this type of
photograph highlights the growing paramount importance of
trees, foliage and grass to sustaining life on this magnificently
created planet. Concrete, asphalt
and buildings merely bounce the
unseen radiation to our bodies
and warm our atmosphere.
Harrisburg Cemetery graces
the bluffs above the state capitol
where more than 40,000 are buried, many dating back more than
300 years. These graves of Revolutionary War veterans prove
the price Pennsylvanians paid in
gaining independence from Great
Britain 230 years ago.
OCTOBER 26, 2012, THE CATHOLIC WITNESS - 3
Local Church News
Will You Help a
Seminarian Become a
Priest for Our Diocese?
Since 2004, the number of Harrisburg seminarians has tripled in size. This
year, 41 men are discerning and studying for the Diocese of Harrisburg. The
average annual cost to fund a seminarian is $40,000. As the numbers of seminarians grow, the cost to educate them drastically increases. These men, who
may be your future priests, need your help. Please consider offering your
financial assistance toward our next generation of priests. We have prayed for
an increase of priestly vocations and our prayers are being answered. Please
help. For more information, contact the Office of Vocations at 717-657-4804.
A Profile on Joshua Cavender
The thing that excites me the most is being able to administer the sacraments, most
specifically celebrating Mass, hearing confessions, and anointing the sick. Basically, it
is acting as an instrument of Christ and it is
something that is both terrifying and exciting at the same time.
What do you most look forward to in
serving the Church and her people?
In the life of service of the priest, it is being able to bring Christ to people in a very
intimate way that I look forward to the most.
Being able to comfort a suffering or dying
person as only Christ can is an incredible
ministry.
Prior to studying for the Diocese, I received a degree in Engineering Physics
from Juniata College. During this time I
was a teaching assistant for an introductory
physics lab for five semesters and thoroughly enjoyed the teaching aspect of it. I am not
sure how often the physics or mathematics
aspect of my degree will be used, but teaching is an important aspect to the ministry of
the priest.
Describe your prayer life, and how that
has assisted you in your formation.
Prayer is fundamental to my formation.
God talks in very quiet whispers so it is necessary to get as close to Him as possible and
to quiet the noise of the world. Going to daily Mass, praying the Liturgy of the Hours,
making a daily holy hour, and having devotions to Mary and the saints have been the
Catholic Charities Come and See Dinner
Mark your calendars now for the annual Catholic Charities Come and See
Dinner. The event will take place on Monday, November 19 at the Cardinal
Keeler Center in Harrisburg. A reception and auction begins at 5 p.m. followed
by a demonstration at 6 p.m. and dinner at 7 p.m. The guest presenter will
be Father Leo Patalinghug, an accomplished writer and popular conference
speaker, who will provide an entertaining demonstration that evening. Father
Leo is the author of Grace Before Meals: Recipes for Family Life. He has
been featured in various national media outlets and also competed on the
Food Network’s hit show “Throw Down with Bobby Flay,” where he defeated the world renowned chef in a steak fajita cooking competition. For
more information, contact Christopher Meehan, Catholic Charities Director
of Development, at 717-657-4804 or cmeehan@hbgdiocese.org.
‘Beginning Experience’ Weekends for
Those Suffering the Loss of a Spouse
What excites you about
the priesthood?
What gifts, talents or abilities do you
feel you can bring to the priesthood?
Save The Date:
A native of St. Peter
Parish in Elizabethtown
Studying at Mount St. Mary’s
Seminary in Emmitsburg, Md.,
Second Year of Pre-Theology
reason I have been able to find the silence in
which the Lord speaks to us and find a joy
filled relationship with Him.
The Beginning Experience Team for the Harrisburg Diocese has booked
two upcoming weekends, Nov.9-11 2012, and April 26-28 2013. The weekends will take place at Camp Hebron, located at 957 Camp Road in Halifax.
Beginning Experience weekends are an approved Roman Catholic program
designed for those suffering the loss of a spouse through death, divorce or
separation. Hundreds of persons have been helped to move towards successful, productive, happy lives by attending one of these weekends. Check the diocesan Web site at www.hbgdiocese.org and visit the “Marriage and Family” link in the “Family Life” menu, or check www.beginningexperience.org. Information can also be obtained by contacting the Harrisburg
Beginning Experience Team at 717-512-2718 or harrisburgbe@gmail.com.
The weekend is led by persons who have lost a spouse through death or
divorce and are trained in facilitating a weekend. Each Beginning Experience
Team is certified by the International Beginning Experience Organization.
A number of persons have indicated interest in attending a weekend. Please
get your application in so that the team can adequately plan for those who
want to take advantage of this program of support, healing and encouragement. A weekend is often most helpful after about six months following a
loss of a spouse or marriage. Many have attended a weekend after a much
longer period has elapsed and found the weekend most helpful. Grief has no
schedule. Please contact the Team to explore when a weekend might be most
helpful to you.
How has the financial support of
the people of the diocese specifically
helped you in your formation?
To say that seminary formation is inexpensive is far from the truth. It is only
through very generous donors that I have
been able to spend my time in seminary. It
was these donors that have enabled me to
have the most fulfilling and joyous time of
formation at Mount St. Mary’s and I cannot
express enough gratitude for their generosity.
October 27 – Confirmation for Dauphin Deanery at St. Margaret Mary Church,
Harrisburg, 10 a.m.; Blessing of Graves of Christian Brothers, Ammendale, Md.,
4 p.m.
October 28 – Dedication of Our Lady of Refuge Mission, Doylesburg, 8:30
a.m.; Confirmation for Northumberland Deanery at Holy Angels Church,
Kulpmont, 2 p.m.
October 29 – LARC Day of Dialogue, Cardinal Keeler Center, Harrisburg.
October 30 – Blessing of Morning Star Offices, Harrisburg, 10 a.m.; Solemn
Closing of Forty Hours, St. Joseph Church, Lancaster, 7 p.m.
October 31 – Neumann Scholarship Presentation, Our Lady of Lourdes
Regional School, Coal Township, 11:30 a.m.; Confirmation, Coal Township
Prison, 1:30 p.m.
November 1 – Mass and Pastoral Visit, Lancaster Catholic High School, 10 a.m.
November 2 – All Souls Day Mass, Cardinal Keeler Center, Harrisburg,
11:30 a.m.
November 4 – Knights of Columbus Memorial Mass, St. Patrick Cathedral,
Harrisburg, noon.
November 5 – Confirmation for Northern Deanery at Sacred Heart of Jesus
Church, Lewisburg, 5:30 p.m.
November 6 - Solemn Closing of Forty Hours, St. Rose of Lima Church,
York, 7 p.m.
November 7 – Confirmation for Adams Deanery at Immaculate Heart of
Mary Church, Abbottstown, 5:30 p.m.
November 8 – St. Thomas More Society Annual Dinner, Allenberry Resort, 6 p.m.
November 9 – Diocesan Catechetical Conference Mass, Cardinal Keeler
Center, Harrisburg, 9:15 a.m.
October 28: What does Bishop Joseph P. McFadden have to say about the Year of
Faith? Tune in to this week’s edition of Catholic Perspective. The bishop shares his
hopes and thoughts on this important year in an interview. He hopes that all Catholics
will reflect on what our faith is about, and has recommended that our parishes use the
‘Catholicism’ video series by Father Robert Baron for this. Listeners will hear more
from how he feels we can all be and live as the people of God.
Why do bad things happen to good people? This week in his Perspective on the
Faith, Father William Weary offers a teaching moment based on that old question.
Those who tune in will hear the Catholic teaching on why evil in general exists in the
world and how we can understand it and endure it with faith and hope.
Our vocation story this week focuses on Father Frank Karwacki, pastor of Our
Lady of Mount Carmel Parish in Mount Carmel. He talks about his religious family
upbringing that included other career choices and several personal setbacks before he
entered the priesthood later in life. He shares how a prayer group was able to develop
his private spirituality that enabled him to realize his call to the priesthood.
Catholic Perspective is produced in cooperation with the Office of Communications of the Diocese and WHFY AM 720. The program is heard Mondays at noon
and Sundays at 3 p.m. on WHYF AM 720 and on Sunday mornings on WLANAM 1390, Lancaster at 7:30 a.m.; WHYL-AM 960, Carlisle, at 8 a.m.; WHVR-AM
1280, Hanover, at 8 a.m.; WKOK-AM 1070, Sunbury, at 6:30 a.m.; WIEZ-AM 670,
Lewistown, at 8 a.m.; WWSM-AM 1510, Lebanon, at 7 a.m.; and WWEC-FM 88.3,
Elizabethtown, at 9:30 a.m. It is also available online at www.OldiesRadio1620.com
at 6:30 a.m. and at www.WISL1480.com on Sunday at 11 a.m. or for download at
www.hbgdiocese.org.
Catholic Commentary
Life Matters: Pornography and Our Call to Love
robs himself (or herself) more and more of
the opportunities to learn from difficulties
and to grow in character. This cycle is reinforced by shame. Many make comparisons
of themselves to others (“I must somehow
be lacking”) and therefore remove themselves from relying on God and others for
support. Shame makes an individual more
vulnerable to continue using pornography
as solace from pain.
By Daniel Spadaro
Special to The Witness
We are created with a desire to love
and be loved. We long to be known, understood and accepted for who we are.
Ultimately, God alone is capable of such
perfect knowledge and love. Yet, authentic
intimacy in marriage offers a glimpse of
this happiness, at least in a finite way.
Pornography, in contrast, distracts us
from our call to love. When we are preoccupied with pornography, our mind and
heart easily lose sight of what holds real
value, including those who are close to us.
Instead, we start to view others through a
lens of self-gratification. No one intends
to trade his or her need for real love with
a cheap thrill. It subtly slips away as one
becomes distracted and disconnected from
self, others, and the reality that one’s mind
and heart are changing. When someone is
hooked on pornography he or she can lose
the ability to be captivated by love.
Impact on Youth
Some parents think, “This will never
happen to my child,” but young people
are particularly vulnerable to exposure to
pornography. The Internet has greatly increased this vulnerability, mainstreaming
access into the homes and bedrooms of
American families. A broad-based 2009
survey of American youth ages 8-18 found
that 84 percent have Internet access in their
homes and 33 percent in their bedrooms.
In one survey of college students, 93 percent of young men reported that they were
exposed to online pornography before age
18. Another study found that by the time
they reached the young adult years (1826), 86 percent of young men and 31 percent of young women on college campuses
reported that they have accessed pornography to some extent. These data certainly
heighten the concern that our youth have
the potential to become addicted to pornography.
Teenagers are influenced by online pornography at a time in their lives when they
need healthy messages about human sexuality and the body. Research indicates that
the average age of first exposure to online
pornography is approximately 14 to 15.
Teens experience a heightened awareness
of their bodies as they grapple with their
sexual desires and the importance of their
peer relationships. Teens are exploring the
world and testing how they measure up or
fit in. They often introduce each other to
sexual images in a social context. A teen’s
initial encounter with pornography is often
unwelcome, but boys are more likely to
later seek it out. Sexual desire, like our appetite for certain foods, can be conditioned
through experience. It creates a road map
that can start to drive desires and patterns
of arousal. Pornography is not a normal
part of healthy exploration. It creates a
fantasy world without the risks that exist
in real relationships. It can often create a
sense of shame that youth connect to their
sexuality. Some will move on, but generally those who became addicted started
when they were teens or preteens.
The Impact of Pornography on Marriage
A number of studies have found a correlation between pornography and an unhappy marriage. One study discovered
that those who watched X-rated movies
were 25 percent more likely to become divorced and 65 percent more likely to have
an affair. In 2008 researchers found that
18- to 26-year-olds reported significant
correlations between acceptance and use
of pornography and “desires for delaying
marriage, financial independence between
spouses and lower levels of child centeredness.” One married man recalled his experience:
“My life almost fell apart. My wife found
out that I had been struggling with lust and
pornography. I lost her trust and almost
lost our marriage. It was at that breaking
point, when I realized that I couldn’t put
my life back together on my own. A trusted
group of peers challenged me to regain
control of my life, to remain accountable
to them and to God, and to return to a life
of purity.”
In October, the Catholic Church observes Respect Life Month, a period particularly highlighted by special liturgies and events that promote human life in all its
stages, and that call our attention to numerous life issues. Each year, the United
States Conference of Catholic Bishops publishes its Respect Life Program, which
includes a series of pro-life articles. The Catholic Witness reprints one of these
articles here. For additional information on the USCCB’s Respect Life Program,
visit www.usccb.org/about/pro-life-activities/
Neurological Impact of Pornography
Pornography is believed to function like
a “drug” that stimulates the brain. Neuroscientists point to three fundamental effects that addiction has on the brain: 1)
“desensitization,” a numbing of the brain’s
ability to experience pleasure; 2) “sensitization,” an increased sensitivity to triggers and memories related to the addictive
behavior; and, 3) “hypofrontality,” the reduced activity of the frontal brain, decreas-
OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER OF THE DIOCESE OF HARRISBURG
Most Rev. Joseph P. McFadden
Publisher
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The Catholic Witness (ISSN 0008-8447, USPS 557 120) is published biweekly
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ing impulse control and creating a negative mood. These effects remind us that
pornography robs our joy, and where there
is little joy, there is often never enough
pleasure.
Based on recent brain imaging studies,
behavioral addictions—like gambling,
food, and Internet gaming—have been
found to meet the above three criteria for
causing changes in brain circuitry. They
are related to pornography addiction in
that they are all behavioral/process addictions, as opposed to chemical addictions.
Internet pornography possesses characteristics very similar to Internet gaming addiction, and could arguably be more potent, as the object of compulsion is sexual
arousal. This explains why some who are
trying to break their addiction to pornography report having the same type of physical “withdrawal” symptoms that are experienced by those breaking an addiction to
drugs or alcohol.
Emotional Impact of Addiction
Some of the original studies of sexual
addiction found common emotional factors among the families of adult sexual
addicts. One of these emotional factors
relates to growing up in a family that was
emotionally disengaged. Thus pornography can be used as a way to feel connected and close, at least on the viewer’s
own terms. It can also become a “solution”
to dealing with stress by seeking comfort.
As this behavior continues, an individual
The Spiritual Impact of Pornography
All addictions, and in particular pornography, affect our relationship with
God, a relationship that rests largely on
the development of trust and obedience
in childhood. Whether or not we succeed
in becoming trusting and obedient greatly
impacts our openness and connection to
God. Rather than trusting real affirming
love, pornography creates a dependence
on itself for satisfaction.
Fathers have a particular role in supporting the family through their purity. As
protectors of the family, they need to guard
their own purity. If men are living purely
they will be more apt to take measures to
protect their children from the influences
of various media. Fathers struggling with
purity will be less likely to guide their family and provide leadership in the faith. As
purity affects one’s motivation and willingness to receive from God, an addicted
father will be less confident in leading his
family. “There is a connection between purity of heart, of body, and of faith” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 2518).
Our Sexual Integrity
We are created with a basic integrity, or
connection, between our mind, body and
spirit. In essence, what we think about impacts our behavior. What we choose to do
with our bodies impacts our desires and
ability to see the value of others. Our sexuality is meant to be a reminder
that we are called to love with our bodies with integrity and purity. Pornography
completely distorts this meaning. It says
that fantasy will make us happy.
A common root of pornography use is a
need to have control in our lives, yet pornography produces sexual frustration and
the desire to act out. So what we seek to
achieve from pornography in the form of
control ends up controlling and enslaving
us. But the gift of sexuality is not meant
to frustrate or enslave. It is meant to free
us in a life-long relationship of complete
giving to another.
The commitment and mutual respect
within marriage truly fosters this freedom.
It is the only context that provides a safeguard for the expression of our sexuality to
be a source of peace and joy in our lives.
(Daniel Spadaro, LPC, CSAT, a licensed
professional counselor and certified sex
addiction therapist, is founder of Imago
Dei Counseling in Colorado Springs. He
is a regular columnist for the Colorado
Catholic Herald.)
Faith and Life
Mourning the Loss of their Classmate, Friends
Recall Humorous Side of Devoted Friend
By Jen Reed
Several of Kevin Wolgemuth’s friends sit on
the couches in the Spiritual Life room at Lancaster Catholic High School.
Their heads are bowed, heavy with grief.
Just two days before, they had buried Kevin,
who died Oct. 6 in a tree-cutting accident.
He was 17.
Kevin was a senior at Lancaster Catholic, an
honors student, a Boy Scout, an altar server
and a youth group member at Holy Trinity Parish in Columbia.
He played basketball and video games, and
rooted for Notre Dame and the Phillies.
Most importantly to his buddies, he was a
great friend and upstanding person.
That’s evident from the stories his friends
share.
They remember Kevin as someone who
loved life, who enjoyed making people laugh,
who had a positive attitude and a family strong
in their faith.
“Eighth grade was my first year in Catholic
school. I was new and I hated it. But every day
when we’d see each other at football, Kevin
would talk to me,” said Evan Schnader. “That’s
what I looked forward to throughout the school
day – just going to football and talking to Kevin.”
“He was always so carefree,” Kyle Hinnenkamp pointed out. “He never wanted to stand
out. He just wanted to be the individual that he
was.”
Even in their grief, Kevin’s friends couldn’t
help but laugh as they retold stories of better
days. On this day, their humorous accounts –
some that were inside jokes about fireworks or
Star Wars – easily outweighed the heartbreaking ones.
Anthony Zangari started them off.
“I remember sitting in homeroom with him.
We’d still be half asleep, the bell would ring,
we’d walk to class and he’d always ask the
teacher, ‘Do we have study hall today?’”
“When I broke my wrist at Christmas, he
carried my books to chemistry for me,” said
Bryan Eshbach. After a beat, he added, “That
was so we could both be late for class.”
They recounted how Kevin would suddenly
go quiet during late-night online videogame
sessions – a sign that he’d fallen asleep – and
how he never missed a Notre Dame football
game.
Kevin made his friends laugh with his sarcasm. And none of them could recall ever arguing with him.
“Even if you did disagree on something,
you wouldn’t want to argue with him anyway
because he’d always say, ‘Yep, yep,’ and be
sarcastic about what you were saying,” Bryan
said. “He was always just trying to have fun.”
Luke Robinson had known Kevin since their
kindergarten days at Our Lady of the Angels
School in Columbia. They played basketball
together and participated in the re-enactments
put on by the parish’s youth group.
GEORJEAN STUDIOS, LANCASTER
Kevin Wolgemuth, a senior at Lancaster Catholic
High School who died earlier this month, is fondly
remembered as a devoted friend who enjoyed making people laugh.
“There are lots of stories we can tell about
Kevin,” he said, “but most importantly he was
a great friend.”
They say Kevin had the same sense of humor as his family: dad Bernard, mom Beth and
brothers Luke, Josh and Brett.
A few days after Kevin’s death, Anthony
skipped school and instead went to the Wolgemuth home to be with the family.
“The family had someone call the house
phone. When Mr. Wolgemuth answered the
phone, he looked at me and said, ‘It’s Mr. Fertal, your principal. He wants to talk to you.’ I
panicked a little bit and was hesitant to take the
phone, but then Mr. Wolgemuth started laughing at the prank,” Anthony said.
Listening to the boys talk about their friend,
Anne Schober, Lancaster Catholic English
teacher and longtime friend of the Wolgemuth
family, smiles through her tears.
“Kevin was the most honest, faith-filled and
humble young man you could ever meet,” she
said. “He was brought up in this family that
just believed in respect. You never heard a
bad word come out of his mouth. He always
smiled. He was awesome. As a person, that’s
who he was. And as a student, he was all that
and more.”
She laughs too as Kevin’s friends share their
funny stories.
“Their smiles are starting to come back, and
that’s great to see. I think that’s what Kevin
would want them to do,” she said.
“Every single person in this building is affected by this loss,” Mrs. Schober said.
“You’re confronted by it all the time. There’s
that empty desk, and there’s nothing you can
do about it.”
In the wake of Kevin’s passing, Lancaster
Catholic went to every length to offer sup-
port for its students. Counselors were available, teachers made themselves present to the
students, and the Spiritual Life ministry was
ready to help the school community through
the grieving process.
Kevin’s friends have also found refuge in the
Wolgemuth family these past weeks.
“The day after Kevin died, I was at their
house,” Anthony said. “A few of us were sitting outside, and we were all crying. Mr.
Wolgemuth walked out and he was the one
being strong for everyone. He told us to keep
close to God.”
The friends marvel at the strength and faith
displayed by Kevin’s family. The first day of
school after his death, his family went to Lancaster Catholic for a prayer service.
“They are so strong,” Evan said. “Being with
them makes it feel kind of like Kevin is there
too. I definitely think their strength is because
of their faith.”
Bryan mentioned Kevin’s relationships with
his brothers. “When you get Kevin, you get
all of them. If you get one, you get the other
three,” he said.
Mrs. Schober said the faith community at
Lancaster Catholic has bolstered the students
too.
“To see the entire family here with us at the
prayer service made us realize how strong
their faith is, and that in turn helped us become
even stronger,” she remarked. “How can you
not have faith when his family does?”
“Every single class, I start by asking the kids
to remember the Wolgemuth family in their
prayers, and I’ll continue that all year. It’s just
so awesome that we can do that here,” she
said. “This is where they know God is, and
where their support is.”
A difficult road still lies ahead of the Lancaster Catholic community as they continue to
mourn the loss of Kevin and to give honor to
his memory.
The school is selling sweatshirts reflecting
his passion for Notre Dame football. The design includes his initials and an adaptation of
the Fighting Irish’s motto to read, “Live Like
Kevin Today.”
And his friends are writing a rap song in the
hopes of creating a video that will feature images of Columbia. Kevin liked rap music, so
his friends played a rap song in his memory at
their recent Homecoming Dance. They laugh
at the irony and think Kevin would have too;
he never went to school dances.
Sometimes, laughter can be the best medicine.
It’s the way Kevin’s friends are choosing to
remember him now.
Asked if they’ll do anything different after
the loss of their friend, they paused for a moment and decided that, for now, they’ll just
continue to be themselves.
“We’re going to keep living the way Kevin
would have wanted us to live,” Anthony said.
World and National News
Ignorance of Faith Risks Creating
Cafeteria Catholics, Pope Says
By Carol Glatz
Ignorance of the faith puts
Christians at risk of following a
“do-it-yourself” religion, Pope
Benedict XVI said.
People need to become more
familiar with the creed because it
is there that the “Christian moral
life is planted and ... one finds its
foundation and justification,” the
pope said Oct. 17 at his weekly
general audience.
Before an estimated 20,000
people gathered in St. Peter’s
Square, the pope began a new
series of audience talks to accompany the Year of Faith, which
marks the 50th anniversary of the
opening of the Second Vatican
Council.
He said he hopes the series of
instructional talks, which is expected to run until Nov. 24, 2013,
will help people “strengthen or
rediscover the joy of faith and
realize that it isn’t something foreign to or separate from everyday
life, but is its soul.”
Pope Benedict said the widespread and dominant nature of
today’s secularism, individualism
and relativism means that even
Christians are not completely
“immune from these dangers.”
Some of the negative effects
include faith being lived “passively or in private, a refusal to
learn about the faith, and the rift
between faith and life,” he said.
“Often Christians don’t even
know the central core of their
own Catholic faith – the creed –
thereby leaving room for a certain syncretism and religious relativism,” he said. Without a clear
idea of the faith’s fundamental
truths and the uniquely salvific
nature of Christianity, “the risk
of constructing a so-called ‘doit-yourself’ religion is not remote
today.”
“Where do we find the essen-
The
Nicene
Creed
I believe in one God,
the father almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all things visible and invisible.
8
I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ,
the only begotten Son of God,
born of the Father before all ages.
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father;
through him all things were made.
For us men and for our salvation
he came down from heaven,
and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary,
and became man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate,
he suffered death and was buried,
and rose again on the third day
in accordance with the Scriptures.
He ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory
to judge the living and the dead
and his kingdom will have no end.
8
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son,
who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified,
who has spoken through the prophets.
I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic church.
I confess one baptism for the forgiveness of sins
and I look forward to the resurrection of the dead
and the life of the world to come. Amen.
©2012 CNS
tial formula of the faith? Where
do we find the truths that have
been faithfully handed down and
make up the light of our daily
life,” he asked.
He said the answer is the creed,
or profession of faith, which
needs to be better understood, reflected upon and integrated into
one’s life.
Christians need to “discover the
profound link between the truths
we profess in the creed and our
daily life” so that these truths are
allowed to transform the “deserts
of modern-day life.”
The Christian faith is not a belief in an idea or just an outlook
on life, he said, but a relationship
with the living person of Christ
who transforms lives.
That is why having faith in
God isn’t merely an intellectual
activity, but something that “truly
changes everything in us and for
us; it clearly reveals our future
destiny, the truth of our vocation
within history, the meaning of
life and the pleasure of being pilgrims heading toward the heavenly home.”
Pope Benedict said faith
doesn’t take anything away from
one’s life, rather it is what renders
life more just and humane.
Current cultural changes “often show many forms of barbarity, which hide under the guise of
victories won by civilization,” he
said. However, “wherever there
is domination, possessiveness,
exploitation, treating others as a
commodity,” and arrogance, humankind is “impoverished, degraded and disfigured.”
Faith shows that humanity
won’t find its full realization unless the human person “is animated by the love that comes from
God,” he said. The gift of faith
then finds expression in “relationships full of love, compassion,
care and selfless service toward
others.”
Bishop Calls U.S. Court’s Rejection
of Defense of Marriage Act ‘Uunjust’
The chairman of the U.S. Catholic bishops’ subcommittee on marriage described as “unjust and
a great disappointment” the decision by a federal
appeals court striking down part of the Defense of
Marriage Act, which says marriage is a legal union
of a man and a woman.
“Redefining marriage never upholds the equal
dignity of individuals because it contradicts basic
human rights,” said San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Subcommittee for the
Promotion and Defense of Marriage.
He issued a statement Oct. 19 about a 2-1 ruling
handed down a day earlier by the 2nd U.S. Circuit
Court of Appeals in Manhattan, which said the federal marriage law was unconstitutional because it
failed to give equal protection to New York spouses
in same-sex marriages.
It was the second appeals court ruling to find a key
provision of the 1996 federal law unconstitutional.
In May, the Boston-based 1st U.S. Circuit Court of
Appeals ruled in favor of same-sex couples in Mas-
sachusetts, challenging what they argued was the
discriminatory nature of the legislation.
The Defense of Marriage Act, known as DOMA,
passed with bipartisan support and was signed into
law by President Bill Clinton. It defines marriage as
“a legal union between one man and one woman as
husband and wife.”
The U.S. Supreme Court is expected this term to
take up an appeal to rulings on the Defense of Marriage Act.
There also is an appeal pending on California’s
Proposition 8, a 2008 voter-approved ban on samesex marriage. In February of this year, a three-judge
panel of the 9th Circuit affirmed a U.S. District
Court judge’s ruling that Prop 8 was unconstitutional. The panel and later the full court stayed the
ruling pending appeal. On July 31, it was appealed
to the U.S. Supreme Court.
In his statement, Archbishop Cordileone reiterated the Church’s teaching that marriage “is and can
only be the union of one man and one woman,” and
said this recognition “is grounded in our nature” and
“obliges our consciences and laws.”
“It is a matter of basic rights – the right of every
child to be welcomed and raised, as far as possible,
by his or her mother and father together in a stable
home,” he said. “Marriage is the only institution
whereby a man and a woman unite for life and are
united to any child born from their union.
“The public good demands that the unique meaning and purpose of marriage be respected in law and
society, not rejected as beyond the constitutional
pale.”
Brian Brown, president of the National Organization for Marriage, which filed arguments with the
appeals court before the Oct. 18 ruling, described
the decision as “another example of judicial activism and elite judges imposing their views on the
American people.”
He also said the ruling “further demonstrates why
it is imperative” for the U.S. Supreme Court to review pending cases against the Defense of Marriage
Act.
“The American people are entitled to a definitive
ruling in support of marriage as the union of one
man and one woman, as 32 states have determined
through popular vote,” he said in a statement.
World and National News
People Need to Believe in Miracles,
Says Woman Cured of Infection
By Carol Glatz
Though she had always believed in
miracles, Sharon Smith never dreamed
she would be the recipient of one.
Her unexplained recovery from a near
fatal infection in 2005 was the second
miracle that cleared the way for the Oct.
21 canonization of Blessed Marianne
Cope.
Smith presented Pope Benedict XVI a
relic of Blessed Marianne – a bone fragment housed in a wooden tau cross, or
T-shaped cross that is the symbol of St.
Francis, the inspiration of Mother Marianne’s congregation.
A native of Syracuse, N.Y., Smith
fainted in her home one day in 2005 and
woke up two months later in St. Joseph’s
Hospital, her body perforated by tubes
as doctors fought to keep her hydrated
and alive. She had been diagnosed with
pancreatitis, but the inflammation soon
caused an infection so severe, it ate
away part of her gastrointestinal tract.
Her doctor told her that July, “Sharon,
you’re not going to make it,” she told
Catholic News Service in Rome Oct.19.
She and about 90 others from the Diocese of Syracuse, including Bishop
Robert J. Cunningham, came to Rome
for the canonization.
Smith recalled that a friend visiting
her at the hospital was given a prayer
card of Mother Marianne and told to
pray for her intercession. Mother Marianne had been beatified by Pope Bene-
CNS/PAUL HARING
Sharon Smith, whose cure from a near fatal infection in 2005 was the miracle for
the canonization of Blessed Marianne Cope, is pictured in St. Peter’s Square at the
Vatican Oct. 19. Blessed Cope, who banner hangs at right from the facade of St.
Peter’s Basilica, was among seven new saints canonized at the Vatican Oct. 21.
dict in May 2005.
“My friends told me they prayed for
me the night before they were going to
just disconnect me” from the respirator,
“and they prayed to Mother Marianne
for me,” she said.
The next day, “I woke up in the morning and started talking,” she said.
Though she could breathe on her own,
the infection was still severe.
St. Francis Sister Michaeleen Cabral
and other members of the community
soon started praying for Blessed Marianne’s intercession.
During one visit, Sister Michaeleen
gave Smith, to pin to her hospital gown,
a bag of soil that came from Blessed
Marianne’s grave in Hawaii. Smith said
she still has the packet of dirt, which she
now keeps in her Bible.
After nearly a year in the hospital and
rehabilitation, Smith was given a clean
bill of health and released. She said her
doctor couldn’t believe she had recovered. Doctors said that places where
tissue had died had actually healed and
regenerated.
Smith said she was so grateful for the
prayers the sisters had offered her that
she decided to “pay them back” by volunteering at a home for the terminally
ill, which is run by the Sisters of St.
Francis.
“I figured I was alive for a reason,”
she said.
But Smith didn’t link her recovery to
the prayers right away. It was only during her volunteer work at the hospice
home that she unexpectedly ran into
Sister Michaeleen and another woman
who had visited her in the hospital.
“They said, ‘Oh my God are you that
woman that we saw dying?’ And I said,
‘Yes,’ I took it kind of lightly,” she recalled.
But they urged her to go visit Sister
Mary Laurence Hanley, who championed Mother Marianne’s cause for
sainthood for nearly 40 years. The nun
died in December 2011.
“You’ve got to tell Sister Mary Laurence your story. You’re our second
miracle,” the women told Smith. “And
I said, ‘I’m your what!?’”
“Like I said, I believe in miracles, I
just never thought I’d be one,” she said
with a laugh.
“I feel that’s a welcoming thought
for people to believe that a miracle can
truly happen.”
Pushing the Envelope?
Religious Image Stamps Part of Holiday Tradition
By Carol Zimmermann
When the U.S. Postal Service unveiled its new
Christmas stamp Oct. 10 featuring an image of the
Holy Family fleeing to Egypt, there was no uproar
about religion in the public square, or in this case,
rectangle.
“We didn’t get a single phone call or email from
anyone who took exception to the stamp,” Roy Betts,
a spokesman for the Postal Service, said Oct. 11.
“And with the speed with which people can respond
today, they would have if they wanted to,” he added.
He said he thought people were more concerned with
other things such as the presidential election.
He also said the post office doesn’t “really get comments” about the holiday stamps in general, most
likely because of the diversity of stamps – besides
stamps with Christian imagery, there are those that
commemorate Kwanzaa, Hanukkah and Muslim festivals.
As an aside, he said one year the Postal Service inadvertently left out the image of its Eid stamp – commemorating the Muslim festivals of Eid al-Fitr and
Eid al-Adha – from a poster about its holiday stamps.
The Postal Service heard about it, and then some, and
within 24 hours, he said, new posters were displayed
that included all the holiday stamps.
As he put it: “People are passionate about this [issue].” But right now, he added, “they’re not complaining.”
The diversity in stamps, which may have quelled
the naysayers, is fairly new. The first U.S. Christmas
stamp debuted in 1962 with a wreath, two candles
and the words “Christmas 1962.” Four years later the
postal service issued what became more of the traditional Christmas stamp featuring a Renaissance painting of the Madonna and Child.
By contrast, the other holiday stamps took longer to get their corner of the market. The Hanukkah
stamp marking the eight-day Jewish festival of lights
CNS/U.S. POSTAL SERVICE
One of the official holiday stamps issued by the U.S.
Postal Service features a silhouette of the Holy Family fleeing to Egypt. The image, released Oct. 10, is a
change from the portrayal of Madonna and child featured on the Christmas stamp for close to 50 years.
debuted in 1996. The Kwanzaa stamp for the AfricanAmerican holiday first appeared in 1997 and the Eid
stamp was not issued until 2001.
Charles Haynes, a senior scholar at the Freedom Forum’s First Amendment Center, told Catholic News Service in an Oct. 11 email that stamps with religious im-
ages aren’t a problem “as long as the government is
acknowledging a variety of religious and nonreligious
communities at various times of the year.”
“The fact that religious – including explicitly Christian – symbols are in the mix raises no First Amendment issue – but simply reflects our diversity,” he said.
Haynes noted that Christian symbols on stamps
should only be allowed if a variety of other faiths are
represented. “Government may not privilege one faith
over others,” he added.
When the traditional Christmas stamp stood alone,
it faced at least one sticky situation. In 1995, a Postal
Service advisory committee voted to replace the traditional Madonna and Child stamp with a Victorianera angel. This vote stirred such negative reaction
that even then-President Bill Clinton got into the fray,
prompting an immediate reversal.
Marvin Runyon, postmaster general at the time,
said the Madonna and Child stamp would stay, at least
while he was in office, because it “occupied an important place” for so many years and was “meaningful to
so many Americans.”
This year’s Christmas stamp does not feature the
traditional Madonna and Child image but instead a silhouette of the Holy Family on their flight into Egypt.
At the stamp’s unveiling at Washington National
Cathedral, the Rev. Gary Hall, the Episcopal cathedral’s dean, said the stamp’s image has its own universal message.
He said the “story of this new family forced to leave
their home” can remind people to care for those who
are marginalized: “the poor, the elderly, the immigrant, and the refugee.”
He also said the image of the Holy Family “embarking for an unknown land” is a reminder that “we
are in God’s hands and we trust in God to guide our
journey.”
If that isn’t to one’s liking, the Postal Service has
plenty of other options, from its popular angel stamps
to those without any religious undertones: the forever
evergreens and pine cones.
Catholic Sports Report
McDevitt’s Alec Werner
leads the 2012
undefeated version of
the Crusaders onto the
“Rock Pile” beside
Shady McCoy’s
retired jersey.
McCoy Returns
By Chris Heisey
All season the Crusaders of Bishop McDevitt have
been honoring their glorious past as they have invited
back players, coaches and other supporting cast members who have helped make McDevitt field a hallowed
place of memories.
The Crusaders are undefeated this year at the “Rock
Pile” and seem destined to finish the regular season unblemished.
This past Saturday, the Crusaders welcomed back one
of their all-time greats, LeSean McCoy, who now dazzles as a running back on Sundays for the Philadelphia
Eagles. Prior to the game against Red Land, whom the
Crusaders beat 42-21 to go to 8-0, the number 20 worn
by McCoy during his playing days from 2001-2005 was
retired. Only he and another NFL great, Ricky Watters,
have had their jerseys retired by McDevitt.
“I am honored to be here,” McCoy said. “It is so special and a familiar feeling to walk out on this field.”
When McCoy was a senior, the tailback fractured his
ankle in a game at McDevitt Field against rival Harrisburg.
EMILY M. ALBERT, THE CATHOLIC WITNESS
York Community Helps Former Basketball Great Fight Cancer
By Chris Heisey
The Fighting Irish of York Catholic girls’
basketball program has had tremendous
success in the last seven seasons, and it is
easy to forget that prior to this amazing run
of league, district and state championships,
ROBERT J. CHADDERDON, ELBE PHOTOGRAPHY
Ian Shelley, right, blocks a shot in the 3
on 3 tournament.
the program endured hardship and a sea- to help offset her families’ expenses as she
son where they did not win a single game. and her family travel to Johns Hopkins UniThey win and lose in a gracious manner, versity Hospital in Baltimore for treatments.
and it seems it’s never about the individual She just recently underwent surgery and is
player, but rather the team, the program, considered cancer free; however, she faces
the school. That tradition continues as the another round of intensive chemotherapy in
Fighting Irish family has had to confront the coming months along with another surgia serious medical condition for one of its cal procedure, according to her father, Mike
former players.
Weaver, who is an assistant coach for the
On Oct. 13, the York community came girls’ team at York Catholic.
together for a 3 on 3 basketball 80-team
Many former York Catholic players retournament and All-Star Alumni Game to turned home from college to participate in
support Amanda Weaver – a 2007 graduate the fundraiser, as well as did many of Amanof York Catholic, who was diagnosed with da’s former foes that she competed against
stage 3 colorectal cancer
in the York County region.
after completing her first
As soon as Amanda is
year of graduate studies
well enough, she will return to her studies in Hartin Physical Therapy at
ford, her father said.
the University of HartIf you are interested in
ford where she played
purchasing photos from
college basketball. The
the event, please see ontall, agile forward enline http://elbephoto.zedured the losing seasons
nfolio.com/weaverfever.
at York Catholic before
All proceeds will benefit
helping the Fighting Irish
Amanda. Donations to the
win state championships
Weaver family can also be
in 2006 and 2007.
made through York Unity
Dubbed Weaver Fever,
Sports who organized
the tournaments were
the successful fundraiser.
held at York College CHRIS HEISEY, THE CATHOLIC WITNESS Their address is 3540
and more than $30,000 Amanda Weaver playing in the Pebble Ridge Drive, York,
was raised for Amanda state championship in 2007.
PA 17402.
ROBERT J. CHADDERDON, ELBE PHOTOGRAPHY
Marley Klunk and Kelly Rhein battle for
a loose ball. Rhein played with Weaver
at York Catholic.
Young Church in Action
Lebanon Catholic Band Small in Number but Big on Success
By Jen Reed
Lebanon Catholic School is impressing the
marching band community this season.
With just 14 band members – eight musicians and six color guard performers – they’re
putting on a show that captures audiences with
entertaining music and precise movement
right out of the gate.
With their Western-themed show, the band
lassoed first place in a recent Cavalcade of
Bands competition at Warwick High School.
They’re one of the smallest bands in the Independence Division, which includes groups
with up to 39 members.
The numbers game hasn’t hampered the
marching Beavers, though, who are led this
year by interim director Scott Root. The Campus Minister at Trinity High School in Camp
Hill, Mr. Root has more than 20 years of experience with Lebanon Catholic’s band. He
marched in the band as a student there and has
served as its director and assistant director.
This summer, he stepped in when the band
was in need of a director.
“When I first saw those 14 kids, I saw their
potential. Yes, there are limitations but I don’t
look at the limitations. I look at what we have.
We have 14 kids who want to work hard and
give their best,” he said.
A positive outlook and dogged determination are mentalities that band members have
bought into from day one.
“Our ultimate goal is to be successful,
but we don’t measure success by wins or by
scores. We measure it by how we’ve met our
potential, and how we’ve become better musicians and marchers,” Mr. Root said.
The band dedicates its practices – three
PHOTO COURTESY OF JOE STACHURA
The 14-member Lebanon Catholic School marching band – including six seniors
who’ve offered guidance and encouragement to younger members – captured
first place in a recent Cavalcade of Bands competition and continues to work on
its strengths as the season progresses.
hours twice a week, and every other Saturday
– to an eight-week season of competition performances.
Their Western theme features four horns in
the wind section and a four-member drum line
performing the theme from “Bonanza,” “The
Ballad of Billy the Kid,” “Wanted Dead or
Alive” and “The Magnificent Seven.” Color
guard members help add to the action and ambience.
“We’ve received a lot of positive comments
this year from judges and from members of
other bands who have said they can’t believe
what we’re doing with the numbers we have,”
Mr. Root noted.
“But like everybody else, we work hard as a
marching band that wants to do well,” he said.
“We don’t focus on attitudes like, ‘You only
have 14 kids,’ ‘You don’t have a tuba player,’
‘You only have six in the color guard,’ or
‘Your drum line is small.’ All those things are
distractions. We look at what we have and how
we can make it the best it can be.”
While many might consider their number as
a weakness or limitation, Mr. Root views it as
a strength.
“It’s helped us to build a family unit. Part of
the dynamic that makes the Lebanon Catholic
band special is that, because we’re so small,
we’re very much like a family,” he said. “They
view each other as brothers and sisters, and I
think they work that much harder because of
the relationship.”
Support from the parents has been tremendous, too. They willingly re-adjusted to meet
practice schedules when Mr. Root came on
board, and have pitched in to help transport
and provide meals for band members.
As the marching band season draws to a
close – the Cavalcade of Bands Championships will be held Nov. 11 at Millersville University – Mr. Root wants the Lebanon Catholic
band to continue to work hard, to exceed its
potential.
“I don’t want them to rest on the fact that
they’ve won a competition,” he said. “Ultimately, I want them to look back on this experience years from now and realize the adversity they overcame and how unique and special
this band was.”
York Catholic’s Cemetery of the Innocents
Simon and Jude
first century
October 28
Crosiers
Listed among the Twelve Apostles in the New Testament, Simon
is “the Canaanite” to Matthew and Mark and “the Zealot” to Luke;
Jude is “Thaddeus” to Matthew and Mark, “Judas of James” to Luke,
and “Judas, not Iscariot” to John. After Pentecost, they disappear.
However, according to Eastern tradition, Simon died peacefully in
Edessa, while Western tradition has him evangelizing in Egypt, then
teaming up with Jude, who had been in Mesopotamia, on a mission
to Persia, where they were martyred on the same day. Simon is
the patron saint of tanners; Jude is the patron of desperate causes,
possibly because early Christians would pray to him, with a name
evoking Judas Iscariot, only when all else failed.
Students from the Respect for Life club at York Catholic High School have installed
a Cemetery of the Innocents as part of the National 40 Days for Life Campaign that
runs from Sept. 26-Nov. 5. A total of 750 crosses were placed on the front lawn of
York Catholic as a memorial to the more than 3,700 babies lost to abortion each
day in the United States. After school on Nov. 6, the Respect for Life Club will
be praying a rosary for life on a balloon rosary, which will then be released. Please
join us in praying for an end to abortion and for a renewed respect for all life in our
nation. PHOTO COURTESY OF YORK CATHOLIC
Saints
World Youth Day,
July 20-29 2013
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
‘Go and make disciples of all
nations’ - Matthew 28:19
Bishop Joseph P. McFadden invites you to join him
and our Holy Father at World
Youth Day 2013 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The spiritual pilgrimage
will include a two day retreat experience in
Guadalupe, Mexico, and the World Youth Day activities in Rio
de Janeiro, Brazil. The Diocesan group will be limited to 200
pilgrims within the ages of 16-17 (youth) and their parish group
leaders and chaperones; young adults ages 18 (high school graduates)-35; priests, seminarians and consecrated individuals. For
information on this wonderful spiritual pilgrimage, please contact the Office for Youth and Young Adult Ministry at 717-6574804 ext. 327, or oyyam@hbgdiocese.org, or visit our Web site
at www.hbgdiocese.org/youngchurch.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF YORK CATHOIC HIGH SCHOOL
Local Church News
The names of the following deceased
persons have been submitted by their
parishes:
BERWICK – St. Joseph: Rose Lauer.
CAMP HILL – Good Shepherd: Gerald
Hartman, Constance Mattson.
CARLISLE – St. Patrick: Glen A. Bannon.
CHAMBERSBURG – Corpus Christi:
Sonja Crider, Dr. George Layman, John
Lowe, Richard Schnoor, Lyle Thompson,
Sr.
COAL TOWNSHIP – Our Lady of Hope:
Helen Christiano, Edward McIntyre,
Rosemarie Picarelli, Stanley Shervinski.
COLUMBIA – Holy Trinity: Kevin
Wolgemuth; St. Peter: George Seibert, Sr.
CONEWAGO – Sacred Heart: Barbara
Noel.
CORNWALL – Sacred Heart of Jesus:
Dorothy Frenock, Frank C. Karinch.
ENOLA – Our Lady of Lourdes: Theresa
M. DePuy.
HANOVER – St. Joseph: Raymond E.
Cleary, Sadie Giordano, Betty L. Smith.
HARRISBURG – Cathedral Parish of
St. Patrick: Margaret “Marge” Danner;
St. Catherine Labouré: Mary Topper; St.
Margaret Mary: Augustus Catalano.
HERSHEY – St. Joan of Arc: John
Moran, Norman Sobotor.
KULPMONT – Holy Angels: August
Witowski, Nellie Zenuch.
LEBANON – Assumption BVM: Janice
Daub, Patricia A. Edwards, Irene Farrell,
Jean L. Fisher, Mary Galassi, Eleanor
Heilman, Helen P. Leedy, Antonio Mannino, William Showers, Thomas Walker,
Mary Yorkoski.
LYKENS – Our Lady Help of Christians:
Frances Perseponko.
MCSHERRYSTOWN – Annunciation
BVM: Jerry L. Groft, Sr.
MECHANICSBURG – St. Elizabeth Ann
Seton: Eileen Rothaupt.
MIDDLETOWN – Seven Sorrows BVM:
Ellen Hydrick, Mary Salensky, Theresa
Tomec.
MILLERSVILLE – St. Philip the
Apostle: Julia M. Johnson, Russell Street,
Thelma L. Zoretic.
MOUNT CARMEL – Divine Redeemer:
Loretta Ann Snyder; Our Lady: Mary
Balog, Regina Smith.
NEW CUMBERLAND – St. Theresa:
Emma Deutsch, Peter Juliana.
NEW FREEDOM – St. John the Baptist:
Audrey A. Forton.
NEW OXFORD – Immaculate
Conception BVM: Garry R. Sponseller.
SELINSGROVE – St. Pius X: Robert
Underhill.
YORK – St. Joseph: Paul E. Boldizar,
Angela R. Raineri; St. Patrick: Kristine
Shue; St. Rose of Lima: Mary Jo Kinard.
Please pray for the following
clergy who died in November during the past 25 years:
Father Joseph Braubitz, 1988
Father Martin Zarkoski, 1992
Father Michael F. Barrett, 1996
Father Thaddeus Strzelec, 2005
Father Paul Rindos, 2011.
Sister Mary Joanne McKelvey
Immaculate Heart of Mary Sister Mary
Joanne McKelvey died in Camilla Hall,
Immaculata, Pa., on Oct. 8. She was 93.
Born Mary Ann McKelvey in Holtwood,
Pa., she entered the Congregation of the
Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart
of Mary in 1947 from St. Catherine of Siena Parish in Quarryville. She received a
Bachelor of Science degree from Millersville State Teachers College and a Master
of Science in Library Science from Drexel
University. Sister Mary Joanne taught or
was a librarian in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and in the Diocese of Arlington.
The funeral Mass was celebrated at Camilla Hall on Oct. 11. Burial was in Immaculata Cemetery.
Sister Margaretann Guiton
Christian Charity Sister Margaretann
Guiton died at Holy Family Convent in
Danville on Oct. 11. She was 65.
A native of Morristown, N.J., she entered
the Congregation of the Sisters of Christian Charity at Mallinckrodt Convent in
Mendham, N.J., after graduation from high
school. She earned a Bachelor of Science
degree in physical therapy from St. Louis
University and joined the physical therapy
staff at Divine Providence Hospital in Williamsport, Pa., and Holy Spirit Hospital
in Camp Hill for many years. She went o
Holy Family Convent in 1999 for community service and served as organist at the
convent.
The funeral Mass was celebrated Oct. 15
in the Holy Family Convent chapel. Burial
was in St. Joseph Cemetery, Danville.
Sister Catherine Kemper
Christian Charity Sister Catherine Kemper died at Holy Family Convent in Danville on Oct. 15. She was 94.
Born in Baltimore, she entered the Congregation of the Sisters of Christian Charity at Mallinckrodt Convent in Mendham,
N.J., in 1932. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in education from Misericordia College in Dallas, Pa., and a Master’s
from Catholic Universityof America.
Sister Catherine taught at schools in the
Archdiocese of Philadelphia, and in the
Dioceses of Scranton and Allentown. She
also frequently held the office of principal, vice-principal and superior in several
schools and convents.
In 1995, she moved to the Motherhouse
in Mendham as registrar and treasurer
of Assumption College for Sisters. She
moved to Holy Family Convent in 2006 for
clerical work in the business office.
in the Holy Family Convent chapel. Burial
was in St. Joseph Cemetery, Danville.
Sister Miriam Eckenrode
Holy Cross Sister Miriam Eckenrode, a
native of Lancaster, died Oct. 6 at the age
of 99.
Born Mary Griffitts Eckenrode, she
entered the Congregation of the Sisters
of the Holy Cross in 1936 and continued
teaching in senior high schools in the east.
She served in Lancaster in 1973 and was
in various ministries at St. Anthony of
Padua School for 12 years and then with
Conestoga View Nursing Home and Reading on Radio for the blind. She retired to
St. Mary’s Convent, Notre Dame, Ind., in
2004.
in the Church of Our Lady of Loretto, St.
Mary’s, Notre Dame, Ind.
Bishop McDevitt to Host Alumni and Friends Event
Graduates and friends of Bishop McDevitt High School in Harrisburg are invited to relive
their memories with friends and classmates at 2200 Market Street.
Alumni & Friends 18 years and older are invited to join us Nov. 17 from 6-11 p.m. for
the event. Tickets are $45 in advance, and $60 after Nov. 7. A limited number of tickets will
be sold at the door.
Free shuttle provided by Unique Limousine from the Civil War Museum. There will be
music throughout the ages by Giovanni ’94, a Buffet Dinner by Mike ’83 & Kim True, The
Brixius Dessert Buffet (donations needed), Ice-cream sodas, a sports bar, beer and wine, and
a photo-booth. McDevitt memorabilia auction and an alumni merchandise sale.
If you have any questions or would like to purchase your tickets, contact Rita
Fulton at 717-236-7973 ext 445 or rfulton@bishopmcdevitt.org or our visit the school at
www.bishopmcdevitt.org or on facebook.
Local Parishioner Receives
De Sales Alumni Achievement Award
At Homecoming weekend on Sept. 29, Tom Blaisse was awarded the De Sales University Alumni Achievement Award which
recognizes an outstanding member of the De Sales community
whose achievements have stretched beyond campus and inspired
others along the way. The award is given annually to an alum with
a strong commitment to the University, family, community, and
profession.
Mr. Blaisse graduated from De Sales University (formerly Allentown College) in 1975 with a BA degree in Theatre & Speech.
He also holds a MA in Counseling Psychology from Rider University. During his varied career, Mr. Blaisse has been a stand out high
school teacher, a Training Director (HERCO), a top-rated seminar
leader (Franklin Covey Co. (1989- 2000) and a published author
(Stepping Up to the Plate); poet (We Are Climbers, All) and composer/lyricist of 13 Contemporary Christian songs produced under the title, Manifest the Glory of God (1997.) In
2011, he recorded a solo Holiday CD album titled It’s Christmas.
Mr. Blaisse is President of TFB Consulting, a full service Human Resources Development company which he founded in 2004. He is a member of the National Speaker’s Association, and the American Society for Training and Development. Formerly a board member of Bishop McDevitt High School, Mr. Blaisse also served as the Director/Producer of
the McDevitt Annual Spring Musical (2006-2010.) He is presently on the board of Broadway Classics Theater and is staring in their new musical production of A Christmas Carol
(Scrooge) which opens on Nov. 16 at the Harrisburg Mall.
Mr. Blaisse is a Eucharistic Minister at St. Catherine Laboure Parish in Harrisburg and
a member of the Knights of Columbus (3rd degree.) He was Vice-Chairman of the Parish
Council (1994-1997) and, as an Eagle Scout himself, was Cub Master for the parish Cub
Pack (1997-1998.) He grew up in Drexel Hill, Pa and graduated from Msgr. Bonner High
School. He and his wife, Roberta (from Pittsburgh) are the proud parents of three successful
McDevitt grads: Matt ’03, Michael ’06 and Beth ’10.
St. Joan of Arc Parish
Holds Public Rosary Rally
On Oct. 13,1917, the Blessed Mother appeared
to the children at Fatima, Portugal, when the miracle of the sun took place, which was witnessed by
more than 70,000 people. On the 95th anniversary
of the event, St. Joan of Arc Parish in Hershey,
held a Prayer Rally at The Chocolatetown Square
in Hershey, PA, led by pastor, Father Michael Rothan, along with more than 9,076 Public Square
Rosary Crusade Rallies across the nation. In Hershey, some150 attendees publicly prayed
to God by meditating on the life of Jesus through
Our Lady’s Rosary, among other prayers and Marian hymns. The intention of the prayer service was
for our nation’s peace and healing due to the many
threats against religious freedom, for the sanctity
of all human life and that more Godliness will prevail for our country’s future. As bright as the day,
there was an abundance of cheer and happiness
among the participants to express this opportunity
in a free nation. Cookie Sale Works to Break the Cycle of Hunger
Imagine if by eating cookies you could also be providing life-sustaining nourishment to children in Haiti who, due to poverty, battle hunger and starvation each and every day. That’s the
driving force behind the 15th Annual Cookie Sale to Combat World Hunger.
“This simple sale gives children in Haiti a chance to not only nourish their bodies but also
their minds since the hunger relief programs are affiliated with schools. The proceeds from the
Cookie Sale helps meet their basic needs and gives them the chance at a better life,” said Lisa
Landis of Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Parish in Lancaster, which participated in last
year’s sale.
In 2011, close to 40 churches and organizations in the Harrisburg, Lancaster, Lebanon and
York areas teamed up to sell over 17,000 pounds of cookies. One hundred percent of the proceeds from The Cookie Sale to Combat World Hunger went to Cross International’s Hunger
Relief Program in Haiti which provided 1,242,000 meals.
Churches in the Harrisburg Diocese are invited to join The Cookie Sale ranks in 2012! The
Cookie Sale is once again facing the challenge of rising food costs which not only affects the
U.S. market, but also affects those in Haiti. “Reaching this year’s goal to match or exceed the
1,242,000 meals will only be possible with the participation of more organizations!” said Jennifer Weber, one of the Cookie Sale coordinators and a member of St. Joseph Parish in Lancaster.
“We are looking for more churches and organizations to help us sell cookies. Sell just one cookie
tray and you are providing a meal for 243 children in Haiti!”
If you would like to join The 15th Annual Cookie Sale to Combat World Hunger, or you would
like more information, please call Jennifer at 1-866-COOKIE-9 or send an email to jenweber@
TheCookieSale.com. Together…We Make A Difference.
Compiled by Jen Reed
Spiritual Offerings
A pro-life Mass will be celebrated Nov. 3 at 8 a.m. at Our Lady
of the Blessed Sacrament Church in Harrisburg by Father Paul Fisher,
pastor.
Mass with prayers for healing will be celebrated Nov. 6 at
7:30 p.m. at St. Theresa Church in New Cumberland by Father Dwight
Schlaline. For information, call Mary Ann at 717-564-7709 or Loretta at
717-737-7551.
The next Caelorum at St. Joan of Arc Church in
Hershey will be held Nov. 7 at 7 p.m. Come and experience the
power of Eucharistic Adoration and praise & worship music. A reception will be held immediately afterward in the cafeteria. For more
information, call 717-583-0240.
Education, Enrichment & Support
Discovering Christ is an exciting program designed to help
men and women encounter the person of Jesus Christ and accept his
invitation to know him in a personal relationship. Come and share a free
meal, listen to a dynamic presentation and explore answers with others
in small groups on basic questions of purpose, faith and life. The first
four session dates are Oct. 30, Nov. 13 and 20, and Dec. 4. Our Lady
of Hope, Coal Twp. and St. Patrick, Trevorton will host this free program
Tuesday evenings on the above from 6:15-9 p.m. Sessions alternate
between parishes, with the first one at Our Lady of Hope. To register:
call Our Lady of Hope: 570-648-4432 or St. Patrick: 570-797-8251.
Deadline for first session is Oct. 26.
The Notre Dame Club of Harrisburg is sponsoring a lecture by Father Ronald J. Nuzzi, Senior Director of the Mary Ann Remick
Leadership Program Alliance for Catholic Education at the University
of Notre Dame. The lecture will be at Trinity High School in Camp Hill
Oct. 30 at 7 p.m. in the auditorium. Father Nuzzi will speak on, “Why
Catholic Schools Matter.”
A bereavement support program will be offered by the
Holy Spirit Hospital Pastoral Care Department on Wednesdays Oct.
31-Dec. 5. Two sessions to choose from: 1-2:30 p.m. or 6:30-8 p.m.
“Journey from Grief to Healing” will be presented by certified chaplains.
Call 717-763-2118 or 771-972-4255 to register.
Adult education: Join us at the Xavier Center in Gettysburg on
Wednesday evenings Oct. 31 and Nov. 7 and 14 when Dr. Steven
Smith offers a series exploring the Gospel of St. John. Dr. Smith is on
the faculty of Mount St. Mary’s Seminary where he teaches Sacred
Scripture. His classes will be held from 7-8:30 p.m. All are welcome!
Contact John Knowles, Adult Education Coordinator, with any questions
at 717-677-4420.
Dr. Patricia McCormack, IHM, will share the expertise she
has gained from years of study and classroom experience, as well as
the “best practices” of hundreds of parents, during a presentation at St.
Joseph Church in Mechanicsburg Nov. 11 from 7-9 p.m. Dr. McCormack
is an educator, author, and nationally-renowned speaker. Her session
will offer an emphasis for parents of middle and high school students.
Childcare available. No charge, but free-will donations welcome. RSVP
to Mary Vukelich at 717-766-9433.
“Sanctity of Life: A Catholic Perspective on End
of Life Issues” will be presented by Carolanne Hauck Nov. 14 at
7 p.m. at St. Peter Parish Center (lower level) in Columbia. She will
address advance directives, nutrition and hydration during the end of
life process, and Hospice care options. Light refreshments after the
presentation. No RSVP required. For information, call 717-684-7070.
St. Cyril Spiritual Center in Danville will host a reflection
morning, “The Road to Damascus – Paths to Conversion” by Robert
Kurland Nov. 17 from 10 a.m.-noon with an offering of $25 by the registration deadline of Nov. 9. Call 570-275-0910 or visit www.sscm.org.
An Introduction to Centering Prayer Workshop will be
held Nov. 17 from 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m. at St. Joseph Church in Mechanicsburg. Based in the Christian contemplative heritage, Centering Prayer
is a method of response to God’s invitation to enter into loving intimacy
and ever-deepening relationship. The practice prepares us to be open,
available, and present to God’s action and presence within. It facilitates
a process of interior transformation initiated by God as we consent to
divine union. There will be six follow-up sessions. Cost is $25. Participants should bring a brown bag lunch. For information, or to RSVP,
contact Carolyn Yankovitz at 717 258-4216 by Nov. 10. “Advent: Sacred Time, Sacred Space” will be offered
Dec. from 9:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. at the St. Cyril Spiritual Center in
Danville. This season of hopeful waiting is a time to pause and reflect
on the amazing invitation to sacred transformation and new life. We
are invited during this Advent Season, like Joseph, to place our faith
and trust in God’s plan for us. Sister Maria DeMonte, OP, will be the
presenter. Offering of $40 includes full dinner. Call 570-275-3581 or visit
www.sscm.org.
Retreats & Pilgrimages
A 24-hour silent, directed retreat will be offered by Sister Jean Marie, SSCM, at St. Cyril Spiritual Center in Danville from
7 p.m.-7 p.m. Nov. 9-10, with an offering of $90 by the registration
deadline of Nov. 1. Stay for the silent directed weekend from Nov.
9-11 with an offering of $155 by Nov. 1. Call 570-275-0910 or visit
www.sscm.org.
A new fall retreat will be held at St. Cyril Spiritual Center,
Danville, Nov. 14 from 9:30-11:30 a.m., “Contemplate the Year of
Faith – The Call to Holiness.” The morning of prayer is an opportunity to pray and reflect on our faith with a renewed spirit. There will be
time to visit the sacred sites on the grounds. Sister Maria DeMonte,
OP will be the presenter. Call 570-275-3581 or visit www.sscm.org.
Fall Festivals & Christmas Bazaars
St. Catherine Laboure Parish in Harrisburg will hold
its Oktoberfest Oct. 27 from 7:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Bavarian Breakfast
from 7-11 a.m., German Smorgasbord Grille from 11 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
(takeout available), a German Beer Garden and tailgate party featuring
the Notre Dame football game at 2 p.m. Children’s activities from 10
a.m.-4:30 p.m. include a Halloween costume parade with prizes at
1p.m. Theme basket raffles, crafts, and music by “The Polka Quads.”
Call 717-564-1321 or visit www.sclhbg.org.
Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish in Marysville will
have an indoor craft fair and bazaar Oct. 27 from 8 a.m.-1 p.m.
St. John the Baptist in New Freedom will hold a vendor
night Oct. 27 from 6-9 p.m. in the parish hall. Wine tasting, beer
sampling and light hors d’oeuvres.
St. John Neumann Parish in Lancaster will hold its
holiday craft bazaar Nov. 2 from 9 a.m.-8 p.m. and Nov. 3 from 9
a.m.-noon. Handcrafted items, Christmas decorations, ornaments,
angels, Santas, floral decorations, chance tree and more. Raffle ofhandcrafted items, gift certificates, theme baskets and items donated
by parish members. Kitchen open Friday from 9-10:30 a.m., 11 a.m.-1
p.m., and 5-7 p.m. Call 717-569-8531.
A Christmas Bazaar will be held Nov. 2 at Our Lady Help of
Christians Church (social hall), Lykens, from 9 a.m.-7 p.m. Crafts,
baked goods, jewelry, games of chance and the kitchen will once
again be serving delicious homemade food.
St. Vincent de Paul Parish in Hanover will hold a
Christmas Bazaar in the gym Nov. 3 from 8 a.m.-1 p.m. Raffle room,
30 vendors, bake sale. Kitchen open for breakfast and lunch. St.
Vincent’s will also feature its new location of its thrift and gift shop in
the basement of the old school.
Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish in Abbottstown is
holding their Holiday Bazaar Nov. 3 from 8 a.m.-1 p.m. Breakfast and
lunch will be served.
Holiday Craft Fair sponsored by the Corpus Christi Council of
Catholic Women will be held Nov. 3 from 8 a.m.-3 p.m. at the Corpus
Christi Parish Center, Chambersburg. Hand sewn items, crafts,
jewelry, home decor, baked goods, A & B Religious Shop and more.
Enjoy lunch and a dessert from 10:30 a.m.-2 p.m. For information,
contact Kathy at 717-352-7354.
The CCW of Assumption BVM Parish in Lebanon
will hold their Christmas bazaar Nov. 3 from 8 a.m.-2 p.m. in the parish center. Fall and Christmas crafts, themed baskets, jewelry, baked
goods, candy, harvest table, chance booth and more. Lunch includes
beef BBQ, egg rolls, soup, hotdogs and sauerkraut.
A Thanksgiving and Christmas bazaar sponsored by
the Annunciation BVM School Home Association will be held Nov.
3 from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. in the gym. Free childcare, home crafts, filled
baskets, raffle items, baked goods, a 50/50 drawing and vendors.
Visit www.abvmschool.org or call 717-637-3135.
St. Anthony of Padua Parish in Lancaster will host
its Christmas Bazaar, “Frosty Frolic,” Nov. 10 from 8 a.m.-2:30 p.m.
in the cafeteria at Resurrection Catholic School. All items for sale
were either made or donated by parishioners or local businesses.
Food, crafts, holiday decorations, gifts, wreaths, jewelry and sweets/
desserts. Children’s Shopping Room and raffles for prizes including
themed gift baskets, a handcrafted coffee table, photographs, gift
certificates, etc. Music by accordionist Cody McSherry.
St. Joseph Parish in Hanover will host its annual Holiday
Bazaar Nov. 10 from 8:30 a.m.-2 p.m. and Nov. 11 from 8 a.m.-noon.
Baked goods, Granny’s attic, Cookie Lee Jewelry, Pampered Chef,
Mary Kay and a large variety of crafts. Call the parish at 717-6375236.
Gift fair and holiday bazaar. Share the Love Nov. 10
from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. at Saint Francis Xavier Center, on Table Rock
Road, Gettysburg. Fair Trade gifts, coffees, teas, chocolates, holiday
gifts, baked goods, holiday craft items, and religious articles. Original
packaging and gently used gifts, local vendors on hand. Fair Trade
Cafe with organic coffees and teas. Raffle for themed gift baskets.
Call 717-677-7466 or visit www.sfxpccw.org.
The Saint Anne’s Retirement Community Auxiliary
in Columbia is sponsoring a Bazaar and Craft Show Nov. 16
from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and Nov. 17 from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. at St. Anne’s
Retirement Community in Columbia. Handcrafted items and seasonal
decorations, St. Anne’s note cards, baked goods table, craft vendors.
Lunch of chicken corn soup, hot dogs, BBQ, cold drinks, and coffee.
Donations of baked goods may be brought to the Retirement Community Nov. 15 or 16.
The annual Christmas Bazaar at St. James Parish
in Lititz will take place Nov. 16 from 4-8 p.m. and Nov. 17 from 8
a.m.-7 p.m. Crafts, wreaths, floral arrangements and knitted items,
white elephant sale, children’s room with Santa, bake sale, basket
raffle, silent auction, 25 cent bingo, grab bag, fish bowl and a raffle
for fabulous prizes. St James Café open Friday evening. Saturday’s
menu includes light breakfast options, soups, sandwiches, homemade pierogies and salads at lunch and a ham/turkey dinner in
the evening. For information, call 717-626-5580.
St. Paul the Apostle Parish Council of Catholic
Women in Annville present a Holiday Bazaar Nov. 17 from 8
a.m.-2 p.m. Craft Corner featuring hand crafted wooden articles,
jewelry, sewn, crocheted and knitted items, Christmas decorations,
wreaths, ornaments and more. The Sweet and Bake Shoppe with
homemade chocolates and confections, cakes, pies and cookies, jams, jellies and biscotti. The Café dishes up fresh made clam
chowder, minestrone and chicken corn noodle soups, meatball subs,
hamburger BBQ and hot dogs with kraut. Call 717-867-1525 for
information.
The Sacred Heart Home and School Association in
Conewago will hold its Christmas Craft Show and Bazaar Nov. 17
from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. on the historic grounds of the Conewago Chapel.
Hand crafted art and craft vendors, independent consultants, homemade baked goods, silent auction, raffles, food and Santa. There will
be a $1 donation at the door for a local person in need. A few spaces
remain for quality crafters. Contact the school for information.
Events & Fund-Raisers
Trinity High School in Camp Hill has been selected as
the host site for the third annual “Wreaths for a Reason” event, a
fundraiser for Shalom House, a place for homeless women and children in Harrisburg. The student-made wreaths will be displayed in the
cafeteria of the school Oct. 27 from 8 a.m.-3 p.m. The public will have
an opportunity to bid on individual wreaths in a silent auction. For
more information, contact Janet Quigley at 717-761-2228 or jquigle@
trinityhs.k12.pa.us.
A Year of Faith concert will be held Oct. 28 at 7 p.m. at St.
Joseph Church in Danville. Concert organist Phil Maue will perform,
along with the parish music ministry.
Join Harrisburg Catholic Elementary School at
Friendly’s at the High Pointe Commons parents for a fundraising
event Oct. 31 from 6-8 p.m. A percentage of all sales during that time
will benefit the school. Kids may come in costume.
St. Francis Xavier Parish in Gettysburg will host its
First Friday Dinner Nov. 2 from 5-7 p.m. at Xavier Center. November
menu will feature Kennie’s Boneless Pork Loin, Sauerkraut, mashed
potatoes, string beans, macaroni and cheese, Philly cheese steak
hot pockets along with beverages and dessert. Selections vary each
month. Adults $8, seniors and high school students $6, children K-8
$4, children under 5 free. Take-outs available. For info, call 717-3344048.
The 2012-2013 Music Under The Dome concert
series at Saint Patrick Cathedral in Harrisburg begins Nov. 2 at 7:30
pm with a candlelight Vespers Service, including a performance of
John Rutter’s Requiem. Attendees will have an opportunity to come
forward and light candles in memory of their deceased loved ones. A
donation of $10 per person is collected at the door.
Lebanon Catholic School’s Athletic Association will
host a spaghetti dinner Nov. 3 from 4-7 p.m. in the school cafeteria.
Cost is $7 and includes salad, bread and drink. Desserts available for
purchase. Take-outs available.
York Catholic High School’s Athletic Association
is hosting Bingo Nov. 4 at the high school. Doors open at noon and
games begin at 2 p.m. Cost is $30 at the door. No advance tickets.
Package includes 15 paper cards. Additional strips of 3 are available
for $3 each. Two jackpots of $500 and one $1,000 jackpot. Refreshments available. For more information, call York Catholic at 717-8468871 x15.
Election Day Spaghetti Dinner will be held at St. Paul
the Apostle Parish in Annville Nov. 6. Lunch from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. and
dinner from 4-7 p.m. Cost is $8 for large, $5.50 for small and includes
spaghetti and meatballs, tossed salad, Italian bread, dessert and
choice of coffee, tea or orange drink. Carry-outs available, bring your
own container. Sponsored by the Council of Catholic Women.
Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish Council of Catholic
Women in Williamstown are having a sauerkraut dinner on
Election Day, Nov. 6 in the social hall from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. and 4-6:30
p.m. Eat-in or take-out includes sauerkraut, pork, mashed potatoes,
bread, applesauce, beverage and dessert. Tickets available for $7 and
can be obtained by contacting any council member or by Helen Shuey
at 717-647-2449 or Elaine Croft at 717-647-2628.
Divine Redeemer Parish in Mount Carmel will be holding an “Election Day” Dinner Nov. 6 from 11:30 a.m.-5 p.m. in Divine
Mercy Hall. Pork & Sauerkraut Dinner with all the trimmings: Mashed
Potatoes, Vegetable, Roll, Beverage, and Dessert. Tickets are $8 and
may be purchased by calling Diane Dallazia at 570-373-3415, Phyllis
Ficca at 570-373-5936, or at the door. “Eat-In” or “Take-Out.”
Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish in Marysville will
have a Spaghetti Dinner Nov. 8 from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. and 4-7 p.m. Tickets are purchased at the door. Cost of dinner which includes dessert:
$7 and children 6 & under eat free. Take out is available.
St. Benedict the Abbot Parish in Lebanon will host
its Annual Christmas Bazaar Nov. 10 from 8 a.m.-1 p.m. in the social
hall. Oplatki Christmas wafers available. Homemade candy includes
caramels, peanut or raisin clusters, peanut butter cups & balls. Baked
goods include nut, lecvar, and apricot rolls, poppy seed, nut, apricot &
sugar cookies. Homemade pierogies, soup (take-out available), pulled
pork, haluski, halupki, kielbasa, hot dogs, egg rolls, Spanish selections
and more. Themed baskets raffle, knit booth, small gift booth and
small white elephant table. Call 717-450-4506.
Delone Catholic High School in McSherrystown
will hold its second-annual pit beef sale in the school parking lot on
South Street Nov. 10 from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. The meals will be prepared
by Little Everett’s BBQ, with the proceeds again being donated to the
Hanover Area Council of Churches Provide-a-Lunch (PAL) program. A
meal deal that includes a sandwich, french fries and a drink costs $8.
Sandwiches cost $6 and french fries cost $2.
A Polish pottery bingo will be held in the parish center at
Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary Parish in Berwick
Nov. 11. Doors open at 12:30 p.m., game begins at 2 p.m. There will
be 20 games, door prizes and raffles. Homemade food and desserts.
Tickets are $20 and are available at the parish or by calling 570-7598113.
St. Patrick Parish in Trevorton will hold a Chinese Auction
Nov. 11. Doors open at 10 a.m., auction starts at 2 p.m. Admission is
$3. Breakfast sandwiches, varied foods, desserts, hourly raffles, kids’
grab bags, theme craft items, gift certificates and more.
Music by the “Polka Quads” and a hot lunch buffet highlight the Holiday Kickoff sponsored by Harrisburg Catholic Elementary
School Nov. 11 from 2-6 p.m. at the Saint Lawrence Lodge in Steelton.
A cash bar, door prizes, Chinese auction and more are included in
the admission price of $20 for adults, $5 for children 10 and under. All
profits benefit the school’s scholarship fund. Call Anna Marie Berry at
717-232-9600 for more information or to reserve your spot.
St. Anne Parish in Lancaster will be raffling off an original 60 year old Howdy Doody Marionette. Originally made and sold
by Peter Puppet Playthings in the early 1950’s, this vintage collectible
is in very good condition. Proceeds will benefit the St. Anne’s Church
library, which opened at the parish one year ago. The drawing will take
place on Nov. 11 at the annual parish banquet. For ticket information
or other questions, contact the parish at 717-392-2225.
The movie “October Baby” will have a one-time showing on
Nov. 12 at 6 p.m. at the Allen Theatre in Annville. This special showing
of this family film with a positive message is being sponsored by the
Pro-Life Committee at St. Paul the Apostle Parish in Annville. Tickets
are $5 and can be purchased at the door. The film is rated PG-13.
York Catholic High School students will present “Arsenic
and Old Lace” by Joseph Kesselring Nov. 17 at 7 p.m. Nov. 18
at 2:30 p.m. in the high school auditorium. Tickets are available at
the door at a cost of $5 for adults, $3 for senior citizens, and $2 for
children under 12.
Parish, School & Organization News
The Knights of Columbus of the Cathedral Parish of
St. Patrick in Harrisburg are holding a Christmas wreath sale.
The wreaths are 22 inches and assembled from fir evergreens, decorated with clusters of pine cones and a waterproof velvet bow. They
will be available for pick-up in time for the Christmas season. Wreaths
are $20. For ordering information, call the parish at 717-232-2169.
St. Joseph, York, is looking for a part-time administrative assistant. Hours are Monday-Friday, 11 a.m.- 4 p.m. The position requires
a mature, detail-oriented individual with above average keyboard
skills, excellent organization and interpersonal skills with the ability to
understand and follow instructions, as well as work independently. The
candidate should be proficient in Microsoft applications. Trustworthiness, reliability and the willingness to maintain confidentiality are
essential. Experience in office administration helpful. Qualified applicants should send their resume to Erin Maiolino, Parish Manage,r at
Maiolino@sjy.org by Nov. 2.
Faith and Life
Year of Faith
Continued from 1
non Catholic, Our Lady of Lourdes, Trinity and York
Catholic. Also in the congregation were fifth- through
eighth-grade students from Holy Name.
The students served at the Mass as lectors, musicians, cantors and altar servers. The Lancaster Catholic Concert Choir provided music ministry for the
liturgy.
“I love how the diocese comes together as a community, and so to be able to provide the music for this
Mass is just an honor,” choir member Haley Wolfe
said of the invitation that she and her schoolmates received to participate in the celebration.
“I believe that when we sing, it’s a prayer times
two, so when I hear our voices echo throughout the
church, it makes me feel closer to God,” she said.
Choir member Gwen Gemperline said she felt uplifted to be part of the diocese’s opening Mass for the
Year of Faith and honored to be part of the choir to
sing for her fellow high school seniors.
“Music has a way of bringing people together. For
me, it brings me closer to other people,” she said.
Choral Director Scott Drackley witnessed that unity firsthand as the students gathered over the course
of several weeks to rehearse for the Mass.
“Through the process of preparing for this Mass,
they’ve been brought closer together as a group,” he
said. Rehearsals helped the choir members – many
who are new this year – form a community as they
learned new Mass settings and were introduced to
chant.
Bishop Joseph P. McFadden addresses diocesan high school seniors at the conclusion of Mass. He told the
students that they’re asked to do today what Mary did 2,000 years ago – bring the Savior to the world.
“Their singing is not a performance, but a ministry,” Mr. Drackley said. “They’ve learned not just the
music, but the message that it presents.”
In his homily during the Mass, which was con-
A Knights of Columbus Honor Guard
prepares for the entrance procession at
the opening Mass of the Year of Faith
celebrated at Holy Name of Jesus Church
in Harrisburg Oct. 11.
From Holy Name’s spacious choir loft, Maria Blaszczyk joins fellow members of the Lancaster Catholic
Concert Choir in presenting the music for the Mass opening the Year of Faith.
celebrated by a number of priests from the diocese,
Bishop McFadden expressed the Church’s hope for
her people during the Year of Faith, which will be
observed through Nov. 24, 2013.
The hope, he said, is that the faithful will come to a
deeper understanding of the Catholic faith and grow
in their relationship with Christ.
He told the congregation that “our faith is not simply knowing a list of doctrinal statements or having
an academic, intellectual knowledge of the truths of
our faith, nor spending time in church on a Saturday
evening or Sunday morning.
“Rather, it is an encounter with the Living God,
who is a person who calls us to a way of life,” he said.
“This Year of Faith invites us to look again at the
tenets of our Catholic faith and to come to understand
them and how they should impact our lives,” the bishop remarked. “It is a call to really investigate what
the Church believes and teaches about God, about the
world and about our own human life. It challenges us
to look again at how God has chosen to interact with
His people and His desire to share life with us both
now and for eternity.”
Lebanon Catholic School senior Anita Witmer said
she hopes that the Year of Faith will be a time for her
to focus on her prayer life.
“I go to Mass every Sunday, but I’ve also been trying to go during the week too, like my parents,” she
said. “In my daily prayer life, I pray every morning
and at dinner time, but I’m trying to pray more during
the day.”
Her fellow classmate Bryanna Heilman served as
one of the lectors for the diocesan Mass, and was
overjoyed at being able to proclaim the Second Reading, and to re-connect there with several friends she
met from Trinity High School through a Kairos retreat.
As she caught up friends from around the diocese
before Mass began, she reflected that she hopes this
year will be one of spiritual growth for her.
“Just recently, I’ve started going to Mass more often and I’ve recognized that I’ve been getting closer
to God,” Bryanna said. “This year, I’m trying to grow
more in the faith.”
Watch the video
of Bishop Joseph P.
McFadden’s homily for the opening
Mass for the Year of
Faith online at www.
hbgdiocese.org. A
wealth of information
and resources for this
special year can also
be found there.
Matthew 25 Collection ~ November 18
Profile on
The Silence of
Mary Home
By Emily M. Albert
Family is how the residents
of the Silence of Mary Home in
Harrisburg refer to each other.
They may not be related by
blood, but they live together in
a loving community of caring
and faith.
The Silence of Mary Home
is just one of the many nonprofit organizations supported
by grants from the Matthew 25
Collection. Grants are awarded
to Church-supported programs
that provide shelter, food and
clothing.
Last year, the Silence of Mary
Home was awarded a grant in
the amount of $6,000, funds
that helped the residents that
you’ll see in this year’s Matthew 25 poster. Many of them
could not live lives of dignity
without the housing provided
by The Silence of Mary Home.
It’s a family home that serves
the chronically poor by offering
a caring, Christian environment
in one of Harrisburg’s poorest
and most crime-ridden neighborhoods.
The grant awarded to The
Silence of Mary Home helped
people with mental illness,
brothers who had a rough start
in life and were left homeless
after their parents died, and others who are down on their luck
in a very poor economy.
Those who live at The Silence
of Mary Home are welcome to
stay as long as they need. There
are no time restraints, but there
is guidance and counseling provided by Catholic Charities of
the Diocese of Harrisburg. For
some, the counseling can start
the process of healing and give
the self confidence they need
to be on their own. Still, others
may always need the help of the
family there.
The Silence of Mary Home
doesn’t just help the family in
the home; it also reaches out to
the community and provides
food and clothing for others in
need.
By contributing to the Matthew 25 Collection, you’re
helping to give families like
those at The Silence of Mary
Home a second chance. People
with no hope can know there is
a light at the end of what may
be a very dark tunnel. The Matthew 25 grants give non-profit
organizations a chance to clothe
the naked, feed the hungry, give
drink to the thirsty and provide
for the poor and sick, just as Jesus Christ did.
Silence of Mary Home
One of 29
Grant Recipients
Collection Will
Provide Food,
Clothing,
Assistance
to Those in
Our Diocese
By Jen Reed
EMILY M. ALBERT, THE CATHOLIC WITNESS
Sue Rudy, the director of the Silence of Mary Home, in the home’s lush garden.
The faces of the hungry and poor can
sometimes be hidden from our view, even
though they might be people we see every
day.
The woman who sits next to you in
church on Sunday might not be able to
pay her heating bill.
Maybe the little boy who rides the
school bus with your child goes to bed
hungry most nights.
Or perhaps the single parent who lives
next to you won’t be able to buy winter
clothes for his children because he just
lost his job.
The Matthew 25 Collection, which will
take place November 18, can help them.
Monies donated to the collection will
directly benefit those in need in our diocese.
Seventy-five percent of the monies
collected will go to the diocese to be distributed to parish-supported projects like
soup kitchens, clothing banks or food
banks. Twenty-five percent of the collection will remain in the parishes for their
support of those who need assistance.
The collection calls to mind Chapter 25
of Matthew’s Gospel, in which the Lord
calls us to the Corporal Works of Mercy,
such as feeding the hungry, clothing the
naked and visiting the sick.
Last year’s collection raised $171,500,
for grants that were given to 29 parishsupported organizations that work to help
those in our diocese. In 2010, the inaugural collection raised $88,200.
“For the past two years, the Matthew
25 Collection has been a means for us to
respond corporately to this Gospel call
by providing for the less fortunate in our
Diocese,” Bishop Joseph P. McFadden
wrote in a letter to promote this year’s
effort. “The funds received through this
collection remain in the Diocese of Harrisburg and are used to directly serve the
needy in our communities providing hope
for the poor and encouragement for those
who find themselves in need during these
difficult economic times.”
“I ask that you be generous and sacrificial in your offering,” he wrote. “The
Lord is never outdone in generosity, especially to those who find Christ hidden
in the distressful disguise of the poor. Indeed, with the eyes of faith we can see
that Christ is the one we serve and love
when we help the needy.”
The collection will take place November 18, and is being promoted through a
brochure mailed to homes, and through
a website at www.hbgdiocese.org/matthew25. Parishioners are encouraged to
either give online, or to make a check
payable to the parish through the Offertory Collection.
“As we gather with family and friends
in this season of Thanksgiving, we recount God’s many blessings,” Bishop
McFadden writes in his letter. “We give
prayerful thanks for the gifts that have
been shared with each of us. Yet, as members of the Body of Christ, we remember
that the Lord calls us to share that which
has been bestowed upon us with our
neighbors: ‘Freely you have received;
freely you are to give’ (Matthew 10:8).
2012 GENERAL ELECTION VOTER’S GUIDE
Election Resources for
Pennsylvania Catholics
The Catholic Witness presents here its Voters’ Guide in anticipation of the Nov. 6 General
Election. The guide includes information about
the views of the candidates for President, State
Attorney General, Auditor General and Treasurer, U.S. Senate, U.S. Congress, and the State
Senate and House of Representatives.
“The Catholic Church regards voting and civic
engagement as a moral responsibility,” said Dr.
Robert J. O’Hara, Jr., executive director of the
Pennsylvania Catholic Conference. “As a service to help Catholics inform their consciences
before entering the voting booth, the PCC staff
researched, surveyed and interviewed candidates about their positions on key Catholic issues. The Church neither endorses nor opposes
candidates for public office. The materials we
developed as an agency of the Church are for
informational purposes only.”
The statewide candidates answered a questionnaire and the U.S. Senate candidates also sat
for interviews with the PCC staff. The Know the
Positions of the Presidential Candidates document was compiled from policies, public statements, official websites and other resources to
set forth the candidates’ positions in their own
words. The issues are arranged in alphabetical
order for informational purposes and do not represent a complete list of issues that may be of
importance to Catholics. Materials are available
at www.pacatholic.org and www.hbgdiocese.
org.
Candidates for U.S. Congress and the State
Senate and House of Representatives were surveyed by The Catholic Witness with questionnaires developed by the PCC. The positions of
the candidates who responded to the questionnaire are published in the Voters’ Guide.
“The Church does not say ‘vote for this person or against that one.’ Each voter must inform
his or her own conscience and cast a vote accordingly. Each of us is responsible for our own
free will choices inside and outside the voting
booth,” said Dr. O’Hara.
“Further, tax-exempt entities like the Church
have legal restrictions on their election-related
communications. The law prohibits any statement that endorses or opposes any candidate for
political office or that expresses a preference for
the views of one candidate over those of another.
PCC’s election resources have always respected
that principle. Catholics are asked to prayerfully reflect on what they learn about candidates
in light of our faith as they decide for whom
they will cast their ballot,” added O’Hara. “The
PCC’s resources, the United States Conference
of Catholic Bishops’ Faithful Citizenship document, the Catechism and the Bible are all sources to be consulted.”
Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship
can be found online at www.usccb.org/faithfulcitizenship. It can also be purchased by calling
USCCB Publishing at 1-800-235-8722.
Catholics Care. Catholics Vote:
The Question of Conscience
From the USCCB Blog
“We don’t tell them who to vote
for. We don’t want to tell them
who to vote for!”
That’s what one Midwestern
bishop said following the USCCB’s November 2007 meeting
in Baltimore, where the bishops
had overwhelmingly approved
the document Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship
on political responsibility. His
comment reflected the fact that
the document, at its heart, is a
call for Catholics to get involved
in the political process, not a voting guide. It also reflected the
Church’s practice of not endorsing political parties or candidates.
Of course, this doesn’t remove the Church from the political arena entirely. A person
would have to live in a concrete
bunker to miss the fact that the
bishops have plenty of positions
on political issues and public
policy – from battles over religious freedom and the definition
of marriage to the perennial advocacy against abortion and for
immigration reform and peace in
the Middle East. Surely the bishops must have some inkling of
what issues should be important
to Catholics when they vote.
They do. But they also recognize that voting is a moral
choice. And the responsibility for
that choice ultimately falls with
the individual. To help Catholic
voters in this task, Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship
emphasizes two principles: a
well-formed conscience and the
virtue of prudence.
The bishops are quick to point
out that conscience is not the
freebie it might initially seem to
be. It’s not “something that allows us to justify doing whatever
we want, nor is it a mere ‘feeling’
about what we should or should
not do.” They call conscience
“the voice of God resounding
in the human heart” (nothing intimidating about that), something
that “always requires serious
attempts to make sound moral
judgments.”
Being a faithful citizen requires
a well-formed conscience. This
concept is so central to Church
teaching that the bishops made it
the title of their document. Form-
ing one’s conscience is an ongoing process aided by reading
Scripture, reflecting on Church
teaching, studying the issues and,
of course, praying.
Prudence is the virtue that enables people to discern the right
thing to do in specific, everyday
circumstances and then act. Like
a well-formed conscience, this
comes with some caveats. For
instance, Catholics must recognize that there are morally unacceptable ways of pursuing moral
goals (i.e. the ends don’t justify
the means). The bishops readily
acknowledge that there are different ways to respond to various
social concerns, but they also say
no one is excused from helping to
build a more just, peaceful world.
And then there’s the fact that
voting is essentially the most
morally imperfect act one can
ever engage in within the politi-
Election
Materials Online
In the Catholic Tradition, responsible citizenship is a virtue, and participation in political life is a moral obligation. This includes exercising
the right of voting. To help Catholics develop well-formed consciences
to aid them in addressing political questions, a wealth of election materials, including candidate positions and voter resources, can be found
online via the websites of the Diocese of Harrisburg, the Pennsylvania Catholic Conference and the United States Conference of Catholic
Bishops. Visit www.hbgdiocese.org, www.pacatholic.org or www.usccb.org for voter education materials.
cal process. The moral certainty
of principle gets boiled down into
these messy, unreliable things
called candidates, who are prone
to contradictions and swayed
by public opinion. Nor does the
voter have the luxury of saying,
“I’ll take Candidate A’s positions
regarding human life, but Candidate B’s positions on human dignity.”
In the face of this, it would be
difficult to blame the bishops for
throwing up their hands and saying to lay Catholics, “You figure
it out!” However, the truth is not
a surrender of responsibility, but
rather a recognition of it.
Holding up conscience and
prudence in the political process
sends the message that the bishops take the U.S. Catholic faithful seriously by giving them this
challenge. It recognizes that they
play a unique role in the ongoing
interplay between Church and
society and that no one, not even
the bishops, can do it for them.
(This article is reprinted from
the USCCB Blog at www.usccbmedia.blogspot.com/. The blog is
maintained by the Media Relations staff of the U.S. Conference
of Catholic Bishops and features
commentary, documents and other resources related to the work
of the Conference, the bishops’
priorities, the Catholic Church
and society in general.)
SEPTEMBER 2012
REPUBLICAN
Former Governor
MITT ROMNEY
While governor, Romney filed legislation to reinstate capital punishment in
Massachusetts and “make the death penalty available for the most heinous
of crimes.” In his April 28, 2005, letter to the legislature, he stated the
proposed death penalty statute would be “as narrow and as foolproof as
humanly possible” and provide “protections to the accused while at the same
time offering an appropriate punishment for the most atrocious murders.”
Romney’s proposal, entitled “A Chance for Every Child,” states, “A Romney
administration will expand the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program,
offering more students a chance to attend a better school and providing a
model of parental choice for the nation.”
As governor, Romney vetoed a bill to fund human embryonic stem
cell research. Regarding research on unimplanted embryos created for
reproductive purposes, Romney stated in a 2007 debate, “It’s fine for that
to be allowed, to be legal. I won’t use our government funds for that.” His
campaign website states, “Stem cell research is a great scientific frontier, and
it must be pursued with respect and care... Quite simply, America cannot
condone or participate in the creation of human life when the sole purpose
of its creation is its sure destruction.”
Of the Supreme Court’s Hosanna-Tabor decision, Romney said, “Fortunately
that was struck down by the court 9-0. We are very fortunate [to have
people] who are willing to stand up for religious tolerance and religious
liberty and the First Amendment of this Constitution in this country.”
In a Feb. 2012 op-ed, Romney wrote regarding the HHS mandate of his
“strenuous objection to this liberty- and conscience-stifling regulation.” He
stated, “On day one ... I will eliminate the Obama administration rule that
compels religious institutions to violate the tenets of their own faith.”
These comments, policies and statements are snapshots from each candidate’s public career and campaigns. The research was conducted using
www.whitehouse.gov, www.barackobama.com and www.mittromney.com, as well as other websites. The platforms of the political parties can
be viewed at www.democrats.org and www.gop.com. The underlined text indicates a hyperlink to the source. Go to www.pacatholic.org to
view these links.
In the recently decided U.S. Supreme Court Hosanna-Tabor case, the Obama
administration’s Equal Employment Opportunity Commission argued against
a Lutheran school’s right to a ministerial exemption from the Americans with
Disabilities Act. The exemption recognizes religious institutions’ constitutional
right to choose who is hired or retained to do religious work. The Supreme
Court rejected the administration’s argument 9-0.
In Jan. 2012, the Obama administration’s Department of Health and
Human Services (HHS) issued a mandate that all employers – except for
a limited group of religious employers – must provide health insurance
coverage for contraception, sterilization and abortion causing drugs.
Many religious institutions, including Catholic hospitals, K-12 schools,
universities, and charities, are not exempt.
FREEDOM OF RELIGION
Obama’s 2009 Executive Order revoked previous presidential directives that
limited federally funded experimentation on human embryonic stem cells.
His order expands eligible federally funded research to all stem cell lines,
including those derived from human embryos created for research purposes.
EMBRYONIC STEM CELL RESEARCH
A 2011 statement from the Executive Office of the President stated, “Private
school vouchers are not an effective way to improve student achievement.”
The Obama administration “strongly opposes expanding the D.C.
Opportunity Scholarship Program and opening it to new students.”
EDUCATIONAL CHOICE
In his 2006 book Audacity of Hope (pgs. 57-58), Obama wrote, “While the
evidence tells me that the death penalty does little to deter crime, I believe
there are some crimes – mass murder, the rape and murder of a child – so
heinous ... that the community is justified in expressing the full measure
of its outrage by meting out the ultimate punishment. On the other hand,
the way capital cases were tried in Illinois at the time was so rife with error,
questionable police tactics, racial bias, and shoddy lawyering, that 13 death
row inmates had been exonerated.”
DEATH PENALTY
At a 2011 debate, Romney said he is “firmly pro-life…and I believe in the
sanctity of life from the very beginning until the very end.”
ABORTION
On the anniversary of Roe v. Wade in 2012, Obama said, “I remain
committed to protecting a woman’s right to choose and this fundamental
constitutional right.”
President
BARACK OBAMA
DEMOCRAT
In keeping with its mission, the Pennsylvania Catholic Conference (PCC) aims to educate and inform Catholics about a wide range of issues.
The information listed here has been compiled from policies, public statements, official and campaign websites and other resources to help
voters inform their consciences before heading to the voting booth. The issues appear here in alphabetical order for informational purposes
only and do not represent a complete list of issues that may be of importance to Catholics. The PCC neither supports nor opposes any
candidate for public office. The underlined text below indicates a hyperlink to the source. Go to www.pacatholic.org to view these links.
Know the Positions of the Presidential Candidates
PAGE 1 OF 2
According to his campaign website, Romney’s strategy “will be to end Iran’s
pursuit of a nuclear weapon, eliminate the threat of Iranian nuclear terrorism
against the United States and our allies, and prevent nuclear proliferation
across the Middle East.” According to the website, his strategy includes four
parts: a credible military option, a fifth round of tougher sanctions, support
for the Iranian opposition, and a commitment to the on-time completion
of a fully capable missile defense system.
In May 2012, Romney said, “I do not favor marriage between people of
the same gender, and I do not favor civil unions if they are identical to
marriage other than by name. My view is the domestic partnership benefits,
hospital visitation rights, and the like are appropriate but that the others are
not.” According to his website, as president he would “not only appoint an
attorney general who will defend the Defense of Marriage Act – a bipartisan
law passed by Congress and signed by President Clinton – but he will also
champion a Federal Marriage Amendment to the Constitution defining
marriage as between one man and one woman.”
Published by the Pennsylvania Catholic Conference, the public affairs agency of Pennsylvania’s Catholic Bishops, www.pacatholic.org.
The issues appear here for informational purposes only and do not represent a complete list of issues that may be of importance to
Catholics. The PCC neither supports nor opposes any candidate for public office.
In a Jan. 2012 debate, Romney said of food stamps, “These programs, all
these federal programs that are bundled to help people and make sure we
have a safety net, need to be brought together and sent back to the states and
let states that are closest to the needs of their own people craft the programs
that are able to deal with their – the needs of those folks.” He said food
stamps were “certainly on the list” of programs. “Let’s get the money back
to the states the way the Constitution intended and let states care for their
own people in the way they feel best.”
POVERTY ASSISTANCE
A 2011 report from the Obama administration entitled “Creating
Pathways to Opportunity” said of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance
Program (SNAP), commonly known as food stamps, “President Obama
also enhanced and expanded the [program] to ensure that the 45 million
individuals that participate each month continued to have the means to put
food on the table. The Recovery Act investments in the SNAP program kept
an additional 3.9 million people, including 1.7 million children, above the
poverty line in 2010.”
In May 2012, Obama said,“I believe that same-sex couples should be
allowed to marry.” He said that marriage should be decided at the state
level, where people are “arriving at different conclusions at different times.”
The Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) is a law adopted by Congress that
states that, for federal government purposes, only one man and one woman
may be parties to a lawful marriage. In Feb. 2011, Obama said that his
administration will no longer defend the DOMA in court.
MARRIAGE
According to his White House website, Obama has “built a broad coalition
to pressure Iran to abandon its nuclear program, including unprecedented
sanctions by Congress, the UN Security Council, and a host of other
nations and regional bodies.” In April 2012, Obama said, “… the best way
to resolve this issue is diplomatically, and [it is] my belief that we still have
a window in which to resolve this conflict diplomatically. That window is
closing, and Iran needs to take advantage of it. But it is absolutely the right
thing to do for the U.S. government, working in concert with … the rest of
the world community, to pursue this path.”
INTERNATIONAL SECURITY
According to Romney’s campaign website, his plan to address immigration
includes: “attract more highly skilled immigrants; make the temporary worker
visa system functional; secure our borders, discourage illegal immigration
and enforce the law; cut red tape that is keeping immediate families apart.”
His plan would also give “young illegal immigrants who were brought to the
United States as children … the chance to become permanent residents, and
eventually citizens, by serving honorably in the United States military” and
would “address the 11 million illegal immigrants in America in a civil and
The Obama administration’s Department of Homeland Security issued a resolute manner that respects the rule of law.”
policy of deferred action for “certain young people who were brought to the
United States as young children, do not present a risk to national security or In response to the Obama administration’s policy of deferred action,
public safety, and meet several key criteria.”
Romney said, “With regards to these kids who were brought in by their
parents through no fault of their own, there needs to be a long-term solution
so they know what their status is.”
IMMIGRATION
The White House website states Obama’s commitment to an immigration
policy that includes: “responsibility by the federal government to secure our
borders; accountability for businesses that break the law by undermining
American workers and exploiting undocumented workers; strengthening
our economic competitiveness by creating a legal immigration system that
reflects our values and diverse needs; and responsibility from people who are
living in the United States illegally.”
As governor, Romney signed a state law creating health care coverage for all
Massachusetts citizens. As president, Romney said he would issue “waivers
to all fifty states” for the Affordable Care Act and then “work with Congress
to repeal the full legislation as quickly as possible.” He proposes to “pursue
policies that give each state the power to craft a health care reform plan that
is best for its own citizens.” According to Romney’s website, he believes
this free market can “prevent discrimination against individuals with preexisting conditions who maintain continuous coverage.”
SEPTEMBER 2012
FORMER GOVERNOR ROMNEY
HEALTH CARE ACCESS FOR UNINSURED
PRESIDENT OBAMA
Part of Obama’s Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act seeks to increase
access to health care for the previously uninsured and states that “no
American can be discriminated against due to a pre-existing condition.”
The federal health care reform plan requires nearly everyone to purchase
health insurance and imposes a tax for failure to comply.
PAGE 2 OF 2
Interview with Senator Robert P. Casey, Jr. –
Candidate for U.S. Senate
Conducted by the Pennsylvania Catholic Conference, July 23, 2012
How do your personal religious
beliefs influence your public leadership?
My work as a public official is inspired by a lot of the social teachings of the
Church. It has always been impacted that way. Whether I am remembering
when I was in North Philadelphia teaching after college as a member of the
Jesuit volunteer corps or recalling a hymn from Church, I have always had
great inspiration from my faith. That makes up part of who I am as a public
official. I am struck by the number of times when something I’ve been taught
growing up finds its way into public policy in one way or another.
How should Pennsylvania address
the needs of the poor, the elderly?
Well, I think federal policy that concerns the poor in the next couple of
years is not going to be as much about what we should do, it’s going to be
more about what we should not do. Indiscriminate cuts that might make sense
to some when looking only at the bottom line, but they don’t make sense in
terms of the impact on vulnerable people, and indiscriminate cuts really don’t
get you the true savings that you might hope to achieve.
I voted for a trillion dollars in cuts to the federal budget and I’ll vote for
more; but I am not going to vote for cuts that are mindless and indiscriminate
just because they make the numbers add up. I think you have to make an assessment between what is a good cut versus a bad cut, especially in this kind
of an economy. This doesn’t mean we can’t make programs more efficient, it
doesn’t mean we shouldn’t cut if we can.
When I was auditor general, I was really tough on public spending. I hit
public agencies really hard. Some of the work that I did all but sent people to
jail. So I know a lot about being fiscally tough. I have voted for a lot of cuts
in the past, but some of the proposals in Washington today under the guise
of dealing with fiscal challenges would be devastating. I am going to be as
vigilant about fighting against policies that take those kind of steps as much
as I am about the affirmative steps we can take.
As an underlying philosophy, if we are growing the economy and creating
jobs, everyone is better off. First and foremost we have to keep growing the
economy and keep a focus on what can we do to create jobs in the near term
and the long term. We have to make sure the economy stays headed in the
right direction and we have to be thoughtful and compassionate about the
kind of cuts that some people want to make.
One of the best anti-poverty strategies we have had for years is the Earned
Income Tax Credit. Debates are coming up about the Bush tax cuts, but it isn’t
just about what happens to millionaires, the debate should also be about what
happens to the poor.
What are your views on expanding
protection for unborn children?
For more than 15 years now I have been a pro-life Democrat. I believe
that life begins at conception and we should do everything that we can to
protect and preserve it throughout the whole continuum of someone’s life. I
do think that debates in the last couple of decades haven’t allowed enough of
a focus on where people can come together. One thing that I am proud of is
in the midst of the larger debate about the Affordable Care Act I was able to
make sure that pregnant and vulnerable women could get some direct help.
That was an unprecedented government initiative. We got $250 million dollars in that bill to support pregnant women. We also got $1.2 billion to expand
the adoption tax credit. In addition, we worked with the U.S. Conference of
Catholic Bishops to improve conscience protections. I had to push to get my
way on this and I did. We should continue to debate these issues so we can
figure out ways to get people on the same page.
Would you support a federal tax credit
program or voucher program of some nature
for businesses or individual families that would
help students attend the school of their choice?
I have always opposed that. I have always been very concerned about limited and ever shrinking tax dollars for public schools. If you divert some of
those public dollars to another venue, you are going to short change the public
schools. I say this as someone who was educated in Catholic grade schools
and I devoted a year of my life as a volunteer teacher was in a Catholic school
as well. And I have lived and benefited from and seen the results from Catholic education, whether it was from middle income kids or upper middle income kids or very poor children, but I just get concerned about the diversion
of public dollars.
How would you alleviate the concerns that
Catholics have about the new federal health care law – no
restrictions on funding abortions in community health clinics,
inadequate conscience protection for health care institutions and
providers, and limited coverage for immigrants?
There is a lot there. I worked with the staff of the U.S. Conference of Catho-
lic Bishops to strengthen the conscience provisions in the Affordable Care Act. I
also worked to include an adoption tax credit and support for pregnant women in
the act. When you take those features and the expanded reach of the coverage, I
believe and will always believe the totality of that legislation is more pro-life than
not. I support family planning because it reduced the number of abortions. However, religiously-affiliated institutions should not be forced by the government to
violate their beliefs. That is why I voted for the Blunt amendment. I appreciate
the spirit of the Administration’s announcement on contraceptives and the attempt
to satisfy concerns on both sides of this issue, but it does not go far enough to
ensure that this ruling doesn’t infringe upon conscience rights.
A typical Washington debate includes a lot of yelling, screaming and finger
pointing, but not much in the way of consensus. However, I still think the administration and its opponents are willing to work it through so that conscience
rights will be protected. We should work to protect conscience just as we have in
the past. There are plenty of ways to come together. If someone is an employee of
a particular institution and needs family planning services they should be able to
get that with funding that is not paid by the religiously affiliated institution or the
church itself. The more particular concern is self-insurance. I hope we can reach
an appropriate, reasonable accommodation without restricting conscience rights.
I said to my Democratic colleagues, we can do this one of two ways, work out
a compromise that makes sense and doesn’t violate anyone’s conscience rights,
or we play to the usual Washington game which is zero sum - you win I lose or I
win you lose. What is your position on the death penalty and why?
When I was a state official I supported it. I think it is important that we make
sure those who are accused in a capital case have adequate and competent representation. It is not an issue that arises too often under federal policy, mostly at the
state level.
What is your position on the federal Defense of Marriage Act?
Should it be overturned or should it be allowed to remain in place?
I am not a co-sponsor of the legislation to repeal it. I support civil unions, but
I think the debate on that particular bill is down the road. When it comes up for a
vote, we will certainly take a close look.
Your position on legislation to make it unlawful for employers
to discriminate based upon one’s sexual orientation.
I certainly think that we have to make sure that when someone seeks employment that they are not the victim of discrimination. I think that should be as broad
and as wide as possible. When there is a bill on the floor, we should certainly talk
more about what it will mean to religious employers. My position on the issue
would depend upon the specifics of the legislation.
Illegal immigration, what do we do about it?
When I was a new senator, I thought the best approach would be to first demonstrate that you can control the borders, and then over time you could make other
changes. But that hasn’t happened yet. I don’t really see any substantial immigration legislation passing anytime soon. Whatever administration is in power has to
decide what they can do.
I think trying to do one comprehensive immigration reform policy at one
time probably is not going to work. The first step is to be tough on the employers that violate the law and re-establish a gap in accountability that is 25 years
old. If we can do that I think then we might be able to get other reforms in place.
This issue seems to defy any kind of consensus. There is so much acrimony that
it is controversial to acknowledge children who come to this country not on their
own but by their parents for having a clean record, doing well in school and being
model citizens. There is no way to recognize them. Unfortunately immigration
reform is going to take a lot more work. A state-by-state effort to address immigration really doesn’t make sense. It has got to be a national policy.
Is there anything else that you would like to say
to the Catholic public about your candidacy?
It is a privilege to serve in the Senate and represent Pennsylvania. I feel the
obligation every day to do my best to represent the people of this state, Catholics
and non-Catholics. As an individual and as a public official I have benefited from
a number of really rich blessings. One is to grow up in a family with a mother and
a father who loved each other and were able to care and provide for us. We never
had the trauma that some families experience. Another is my Catholic education.
I benefited from the experiences of both the IHM nuns and the Jesuits, two pretty
dynamic forces. And when I was in the Jesuit Volunteer Corps my boss was an
IHM nun. They were just wonderful and still are. I have been blessed by all of that
and I hope it has enriched my public service.
Interview with Tom Smith –
Candidate for U.S. Senate
Conducted by the Pennsylvania Catholic Conference, July 9, 2012
How will your personal religious beliefs
influence your public leadership?
Well, my religious beliefs will definitely be there. That’s how I’ve
lived my life. I have never been a candidate for statewide office before so this is somewhat new to me. I will have to revert back to my
instincts and my beliefs. That has always been where I go to figure out
my problems, especially when I was in business. My religious background motivated my wife and me to adopt our children. Faith is very
important to me. My grandfather was a pastor. I’ve been a Lutheran
my whole life, I still go to the same Lutheran church in which I was
baptized, confirmed and I’m pretty sure that is where the funeral will
be, but hopefully not soon.
How should Pennsylvania address the needs of the poor,
the elderly, people with disabilities? There is a lot of talk
now about addressing the needs of the poor and
how do you think Pennsylvania should do that?
Well, the need is there; I don’t think anybody can dispute that. I am a
firm believer that God put us here to help each other through our own
actions and through the churches, things like that. If we did more of
that, it would take a lot of pressure off the state of Pennsylvania. I am
a firm believer that today, just as in bygone years, we must help people
that truly need help, first in your family, your church, your friends,
your community, and government last. We should be helping each other more than we do, in my opinion, but for those who truly need help
and there is no one there to help them, the state is duty bound to help.
What is your view on expanding
protection for unborn children?
I am pro-life. In fact, if I was honored to become the United States
Senator of Pennsylvania, I would go along very quickly with an amendment to the Constitution of the United States affirming that life begins
at conception. As I told you before, I am a very fortunate family man, I
understand what life is. It should be protected at all costs.
Would you support either a federal tax credit program
for businesses or individual families or some
type of federal voucher program that would
help students attend the school of their choice?
Number one, I am a firm believer that education is best handled at a
local and state level. The more you can keep the federal government out
of our lives, the better we are. I was fortunate to own five companies
at the height of my business career. It was an honor to support private
schooling through Pennsylvania’s tax credit program. I am all for that.
My wife was a school teacher for 38 years. Now she is retired. She was
good at what she did. And my oldest daughter is a school teacher and
head volleyball coach at a high school. But on a personal note, I can
think of nothing more cruel than to see a young child, a young student
who wants to learn but the opportunity isn’t there. We have to work on
that; we have to take care of those students.
I would rather see these questions addressed on a state level because,
in my mind, it is each individual state’s responsibility. On the state
level you can go to Harrisburg and talk to somebody; in DC it is impossible to do that. But yes, tax credits for private schools and religious
schools, absolutely.
The Catholic Church in the United States has been a supporter
of access and coverage for health care for many, many years. In
the Patient Protection and Affordability of Care Act that was just
upheld by the Supreme Court, abortions in certain circumstances
could be covered, also the law limited conscience protection and
also limited coverage for immigrants. How would you take care of
some of those issues that are really problematic?
I would vote to overturn Obamacare as it is commonly known. As a
business owner, I was covering myself and 500 people with hospitalization insurance. But it would have been a challenge for me to buy
that insurance for my employees if it was mandated that abortion be
covered. I am pro-life and those kinds of things need to change. And
from a practical standpoint, we should be very cautious about any piece
of legislation from the federal government that is 2,700 pages long. We
are still finding out what is in the bill. The bottom line is I would do
everything I could as a United States Senator to see that the Church or
any person was not mandated to support abortions with their insurance
coverage. I don’t think it is morally right.
I understand you have concerns about conscience protection. My answer to address that is similar to the one I stated before. I would like
to see Obamacare repealed in its entirety. That would eliminate those
concerns.
I will go one step further. There are ways to get more coverage for
people; it’s called the free enterprise system. Healthcare is a very important thing, but I do firmly believe the decisions on healthcare should
be made between the patient and the doctor not bureaucrats in Washington.
What is your position on
the death penalty, and why?
The death penalty is something that I take very, very seriously. It is
not right to take a life; however, there are laws of man. If someone has
been convicted of a mass murder or some heinous crime, I would support the death penalty in those rare instances. Ultimately, though, this
decision should be left to the states.
What is your position the
federal Defense of Marriage Act?
I will answer with what I believe. Marriage is between a man and a
woman. Period. That law should stand.
There is always a push to introduce legislation
that would make it unlawful for employers to discriminate based
upon one’s sexual orientation. What are your thoughts on that?
When I was an employer, I looked for the person best suited to do
the job. It mattered not to me what gender they were or what religious
beliefs they have. Sometimes we overregulate, but limited rules and
regulations for that yes, I believe in that.
I don’t see how you could force a religious institution to do that, you
have got to live by your conscience and faith. I support being able go
with your religious beliefs.
Illegal immigration,
how would you address it?
I would start off by saying legal immigration built this country, but
the word “illegal” means illegal. It is too bad that for every action there
is a reaction. The immigration laws we have on the books were not
enforced; now we have a bigger problem. If the voters want to change
the immigration laws, fine, that’s a discussion that they should have in
Congress. But illegal immigrants need to go back and apply for citizenship the correct way.
We can’t just open our borders; there has to be some semblance of
law. We have a real problem on our hands that we will have to deal
with. And it could be that we do need to change immigration law. That
is a discussion that needs to be had, and the sooner the better.
Is there anything else you would like to say
about your candidacy to the Catholic public?
I have been blessed to have seven children, eight grandchildren, our
ninth is due in October, and I am scared to death. I am very, very concerned about the direction of this country, where it is headed from a
moral standpoint and from a fiscal standpoint. If we don’t soon get this
economic problem solved there is going to be a great need for your
charity. We have to try to make things better.
United States Senate
1. What is your position on legislation that provides equitable educational benefits
to students and teachers in nonpublic schools as compared to those received by
public school students and teachers?
SMITH (R) Support*
* Education decisions are best made at the local level. However, I believe
private and religious schools should receive the same benefits as public
schools.
CASEY (D) Oppose*
* I attended and taught at Catholic schools. We can’t divert funding from
public schools.
2. What is your position on providing a federal tax credit to businesses that donate
to scholarship organizations that provide scholarships for low-income students at
private and religious schools in grades kindergarten through 12?
SMITH (R) Support
CASEY (D) Oppose
3. What is your position on legislation that would permit undocumented
immigrants who have lived in the United States for a number of years, have
worked and built equities in our country and who do not have criminal records
to register with the government and take steps to earn legal status?
SMITH (R) Oppose*
* Those who have come here illegally should not be given special
treatment over those who have come here legally.
CASEY (D) Support*
* I have supported comprehensive immigration reform with increased
enforcement.
4. What is your position on keeping current levels of poverty-focused development
assistance to reduce global poverty and increasing the percentage of gross
domestic product (GDP) contributed to foreign aid?
SMITH (R) Oppose
CASEY (D) Support
5. What is your position on keeping current levels of aid for refugees who are
fleeing from persecution abroad and providing adequate funding for the U.S.
refugee admissions and resettlement programs?
SMITH (R) Support
CASEY (D) Support
6. What is your position on legislation to prevent federal agencies and states that
receive federal funds from discriminating against health care providers who do
not perform or participate in abortions (Hyde-Weldon Amendment)?
SMITH (R) Support
CASEY (D) Support
7. What is your position on embryonic stem cell research?
SMITH (R) Oppose*
* I support stem cell research that does not involve embryonic stem cells,
such as research using adult or amniotic stem cells.
CASEY (D) Oppose*
* I support increased funding for research that does not utilize embryonic
stem cells.
8. What is your position on legislation that would guarantee comprehensive
freedom of conscience and religion for health care professionals, providers and
institutions?
SMITH (R) Support*
* I do not believe anyone should be punished for opposing abortions.
CASEY (D) Support*
* I voted for the Blunt amendment to protect religiously-affiliated
institutions.
9. What is your position on efforts to pass legislation (i.e., the Federal
Employment Non-Discrimination Act) that would make sexual orientation
and gender identity or expression protected classes that are equivalent to other
protected classes (e.g., race, religion, sex, etc.)?
SMITH (R) Oppose
CASEY (D) Support
10. What is your position on overturning of the federal Defense of Marriage Act
(DOMA)?
SMITH (R) Oppose*
* I believe that marriage is between a man and a woman.
CASEY (D) Did Not Indicate*
* I have not cosponsored legislation to repeal DOMA.
Pennsylvania Attorney General, Auditor General and Treasurer
1. What is your position on legislation that would provide direct grants to parents to
choose the schools that they believe are best suited for their children, including
nonpublic schools?
ATTORNEY GENERAL
FREED (R)
Support*
* I support allowing parents to send their children to a school of their choice.
KANE (D) Did Not Respond
AUDITOR GENERAL
MAHER (R)
Support*
*Proven voting record!
DEPASQUALE (D)
Did Not Respond
TREASURER
IREY VAUGHAN (R)
Support*
* Funding should follow students to the school chosen by their parents. I believe
that a student focus will improve education in Pennsylvania by creating competition
and driving schools, both public and private, to improve in order to attract and retain
students.
MCCORD (D) Did Not Respond
2. What is your position increased funding for Educational Improvement Tax
Credits (EITC) where the state budget includes an increase in public school
funding?
ATTORNEY GENERAL
FREED (R)
KANE (D) Support
Did Not Respond
AUDITOR GENERAL
MAHER (R)
DEPASQUALE (D)
Support
Did Not Respond
TREASURER
IREY VAUGHAN (R)
Support*
* EITC is an extremely successful and important tool in improving education in
Pennsylvania and providing educational choice for middle and low-income families.
3. What is your position on legislation requiring an ultrasound be performed on
a woman prior to abortion and that she be given the option of viewing this
ultrasound?
ATTORNEY GENERAL
FREED (R)
Support*
* I support the option, not the requirement of viewing the ultrasound.
AUDITOR GENERAL
MAHER (R)
DEPASQUALE (D)
Did Not Indicate
Did Not Respond
TREASURER
IREY VAUGHAN (R)
Support*
* Women in Pennsylvania who are seeking an abortion must have access to all the
pertinent information on how their choice will affect their unborn child; therefore,
such legislation is necessary.
4. Which statement reflects your position most accurately?
a.
I do not oppose legalized abortion.
b.
I oppose legalized abortion in all circumstances.
c.
I oppose legalized abortion, except when the life of the mother is in danger.
d.
I oppose legalized abortion, except when the life of the mother is in danger
or the pregnancy is a result of rape or incest.
ATTORNEY GENERAL
FREED (R)
KANE (D) d.
Did Not Respond
AUDITOR GENERAL
MAHER (R)
DEPASQUALE (D)
c.
Did Not Respond
TREASURER
IREY VAUGHAN (R)
b.*
* I believe that our laws should respect and protect the humanity of unborn children.
5. What is your position on amending the Pennsylvania Constitution to define
marriage as the union between one man and one woman?
ATTORNEY GENERAL
FREED (R)
KANE (D) Support
Did Not Respond
ATTORNEY GENERAL
FREED (R)
KANE (D) AUDITOR GENERAL
MAHER (R) Support
DEPASQUALE (D)
Did Not Respond
TREASURER
IREY VAUGHAN (R)
Support*
* Marriage between one man and one woman is not only the natural basis for the
family but the foundation of society. I support a constitutional amendment to protect
the institution of marriage from alternative agendas.
6. What is your position on legislation that would add state restrictions to existing
federal prohibitions concerning the hiring of undocumented immigrants or the
provision of healthcare or government services to the undocumented?
ATTORNEY GENERAL
FREED (R)
KANE (D) TREASURER
IREY VAUGHAN (R)
Support*
* We have a responsibility to the taxpayers we serve to ensure that both the laws
of our nation and the Commonwealth are enforced and that those participating in
government programs and services are eligible.
What is your position on the death penalty?
ATTORNEY GENERAL
FREED (R)
Support*
* As a prosecutor I believe that in certain situations it is an appropriate sentence for
those who have taken someone else’s life.
AUDITOR GENERAL
MAHER (R) Support
DEPASQUALE (D)
Did Not Respond
TREASURER
IREY VAUGHAN (R)
Support*
* Pennsylvania law clearly defines death penalty criteria and provides for the necessary safeguards to protect the rights of individuals. It is both a necessary and appropriate penalty for society’s most heinous crimes.
8. What is your position on restoring state funding to the Homeowners Emergency
Mortgage Assistance Program (HEMAP) which provides low-interest loans to
homeowners facing possible foreclosure through no fault of their own?
ATTORNEY GENERAL
FREED (R)
KANE (D) Support
Did Not Respond
AUDITOR GENERAL
MAHER (R) Support
DEPASQUALE (D)
Did Not Respond
TREASURER
IREY VAUGHAN (R)
Did Not Indicate*
* While HEMAP has been successful since its inception in 1983, Pennsylvania’s
current fiscal realities require leaders to make tough funding decisions in order to balance the budget. Funding for discretionary programs, like HEMAP, should be evaluated during each budget process.
Oppose
Did Not Respond
AUDITOR GENERAL
MAHER (R) Oppose
DEPASQUALE (D)
Did Not Respond
TREASURER
IREY VAUGHAN (R)
Oppose*
* I believe that it is unjust and contrary to the First Amendment to mandate that
private employers, especially religious organizations, provide benefits to which they
are morally opposed.
10.Which statement reflects your position most accurately?
Support
Did Not Respond
AUDITOR GENERAL
MAHER (R)
Did Not Indicate*
*These are two separate questions.
DEPASQUALE (D)
Did Not Respond
7.
9. What is your position on legislation requiring employers to provide employee
benefits to which they are morally opposed, for example, mandating coverage for
contraceptives or benefits to same-sex partners of employees?
a.
Religious childcare and pre-kindergarten providers should be subject to
government review of educational content.
b.
Religious childcare and pre-kindergarten providers should follow state
standards for health and safety of children, but be free to determine their
own educational content based on the teachings of their faith tradition.
c.
Religious childcare and pre-k providers should be free from government
regulation.
ATTORNEY GENERAL
FREED (R)
KANE (D) b.
Did Not Respond
AUDITOR GENERAL
MAHER (R)
DEPASQUALE (D)
b.
Did Not Respond
TREASURER
IREY VAUGHAN (R)
MCCORD (D) b.
Did Not Respond
11. What is your position on legislation that would restrict taxpayer funding of
abortion in Pennsylvania’s health insurance exchange created by the federal health
care reform law?
ATTORNEY GENERAL
FREED (R)
KANE (D) Support
Did Not Respond
AUDITOR GENERAL
MAHER (R)
DEPASQUALE (D)
Support
Did Not Respond
TREASURER
IREY VAUGHAN (R)
MCCORD (D) Support
Did Not Respond
12. What is your position on legislation that forces health care providers to provide,
pay for or refer for services contrary to their conscience for moral or religious reasons?
ATTORNEY GENERAL
FREED (R)
KANE (D) Oppose
Did Not Respond
AUDITOR GENERAL
MAHER (R)
DEPASQUALE (D)
Oppose
Did Not Respond
TREASURER
IREY VAUGHAN (R)
Oppose*
* Once again, I believe it is unjust as well as contrary to the First Amendment to
mandate that private employers, especially religious organizations, provide benefits
to which they are morally opposed.
United States Congress
DISTRICT 4
Scott Perry (R): Did not respond
Harry Perkinson (D): Did not respond
DISTRICT 5
Glenn Thompson (R): Response received
Charles Dumas (D): Did not respond
DISTRICT 6
Jim Gerlach (R): Response received
Manan Trivedi (D): Did not respond
DISTRICT 7
Patrick Meehan (R): Did not respond
George Badey (D): Did not respond
DISTRICT 9
Bill Shuster (R): Response received
DISTRICT 10
Thomas Marino (R): Did not respond
Philip Scollo (D): Did not respond
DISTRICT 11
Lou Barletta (R): Did not respond
Gene Stilp (D): Response received
DISTRICT 15
Charles Dent (R): Did not respond
Richard Daugherty (D): Did not respond
DISTRICT 16
Joseph Pitts (R): Response received
Aryanna Strader (D): Did not respond
DISTRICT 17
Laureen Cummings (R): Response received
Matthew Cartwright (D): Did not respond
20 - THE CATHOLIC WITNESS, OCTOBER 26, 2012 1. What is your position on legislation that provides equitable
educational benefits to students and teachers in nonpublic
schools as compared to those received by public school
students and teachers?
Thompson (R-5): Support
Gerlach (R-6): Support
Shuster (R-9): Oppose. Education is primarily a state and local
responsibility. Federal funding should be targeted at making our
public schools stronger.
Stilp (D-11): Continue federal law.
Pitts (R-16): Support
Cummings (R-17): Support. I believe in school choice.
2. What is your position on providing a federal tax credit to
businesses that donate to scholarship organizations that
provide scholarships for low-income students at private and
religious schools in grades kindergarten through 12?
Shuster (R-9): Oppose. Federal resources should be focused on
the public school system.
Stilp (D-11): Support. Those who make charitable donations to
schools designated as registered tax exempt institutions should
continue to receive tax deductions.
Cummings (R-17): Support. I support it under current tax code.
However, I believe in tax reform and would fight to change tax
code to the fair tax.
3. What is your position on legislation that would permit
undocumented immigrants who have lived in the United States
for a number of years, have worked and built equities in our
country and who do not have criminal records to register with
the government and take steps to earn legal status?
Thompson (R-5): Oppose. We should not reward nor encourage
those that break our laws.
Gerlach (R-6): Oppose. I support legal immigration and oppose
amnesty for illegal immigration.
Shuster (R-9): Oppose. My priorities for immigration reform are
securing our borders and enforcing our laws.
Stilp (D-11): Follow current laws. Congress must act to establish
national policy for the future of those illegally in the country.
Pitts (R-16): They have to go to the back of the line.
Cummings (R-17): Oppose. I believe we need to allow those
who came here legally to be first in line. We need to secure our
borders and then work on those here illegally. Until then, we must
implement current law.
4. What is your position on keeping current levels of povertyfocused development assistance to reduce global poverty and
increasing the percentage of gross domestic product (GDP)
contributed to foreign aid?
Thompson (R-5): Oppose. Any increased funding must address
poverty here at home first.
Shuster (R-9): Oppose. In this tough economic climate, funding
levels need to be carefully considered and evaluated.
Stilp (D-11): Support. Support poverty-focused educational and
development assistance while never neglecting our needs here at
home.
Pitts (R-16): Oppose
Cummings (R-17): Oppose
5. What is your position on keeping current levels of aid
for refugees who are fleeing from persecution abroad and
providing adequate funding for the U.S. refugee admissions
and resettlement programs?
Shuster (R-9): Oppose. We must keep our ballooning national
debt in mind when considering funding levels for all programs.
Stilp (D-11): Support
6. What is your position on legislation to prevent federal
agencies and states that receive federal funds from
discriminating against health care providers who do
not perform or participate in abortions (Hyde-Weldon
Amendment)?
Thompson (R-5): Support. I am a co-sponsor.
Shuster (R-9): Support. I have proudly and consistently
supported the Hyde Amendment.
Cummings (R-17): Support. The 1st Amendment is our
protection. Unfortunately, this administration subverts our
Congress and our Constitution. The current assault on our
freedoms is appalling.
7. What is your position on embryonic stem cell research?
Thompson (R-5): Oppose
Gerlach (R-6): Support. I support if the natural parents of the
embryo are required to consent to the use of it for research, in
writing, and certify that they would otherwise destroy or discard it.
Shuster (R-9): Oppose. I do not support embryonic stem cell
research. Adult stem cell research has shown much potential
without compromising the sanctity of life.
8. What is your position on legislation that would guarantee
comprehensive freedom of conscience and religion for health
care professionals, providers and institutions?
Shuster (R-9): Support. I have cosponsored legislation (HR 1179)
to protect the beliefs of healthcare providers.
Cummings (R-17): Support. Again, I will support 1st Amendment
and hold those that don’t accountable for their actions, no matter
who they are.
9. What is your position on efforts to pass legislation (i.e.,
the Federal Employment Non-Discrimination Act) that
would make sexual orientation and gender identity or
expression protected classes that are equivalent to other
protected classes (e.g., race, religion, sex, etc.)?
Gerlach (R-6): I oppose discrimination based on sexual
orientation, but undecided on extension of protection for other
classes.
Shuster (R-9): Oppose. ENDA would go too far and create
a special class of citizens. We should guarantee fairness in
employment decisions by enforcing current law.
10.What is your position on overturning of the federal Defense of
Marriage Act (DOMA)?
Gerlach (R-6): Oppose
Shuster (R-9): Oppose. I have consistently supported legislation
to define marriage as between a man and a woman.
Stilp (D-11): Oppose
Pennsylvania Senate and House of Representatives
SENATE
DISTRICT 13
Lloyd Smucker (R): Did not respond
Tom O’Brien (D): Did not respond
DISTRICT 15
John McNally (R): Response received
Rob Teplitz (D): Did not respond
DISTRICT 23
Gene Yaw (R): Did not respond
Luana Cleveland (D): Did not respond
DISTRICT 85
Frederick Keller (R): Did not respond
DISTRICT 100
Bryan Cutler (R): Did not respond
DISTRICT 86
Mark Keller (R): Did not respond
DISTRICT 101
Mauree Gingrich (R): Response received
DISTRICT 87
Glen Grell (R): Did not respond
DISTRICT 102
Rosemarie Swanger (R): Response received
DISTRICT 88
Sheryl McVitty Delozier (R): Did not respond
DISTRICT 103
Patty Kim (D): Did not respond
DISTRICT 89
Rob Kauffman (R): Response received
Susan Spicka (D): Did not respond
DISTRICT 27
John Gordner (R): Response received
DISTRICT 90
Todd Rock (R): Did not respond
DISTRICT 31
Patricia Vance (R): Did not respond
DISTRICT 91
Dan Moul (R): Response received
DISTRICT 33
Richard Alloway (R): Did not respond
DISTRICT 92
Mike Regan (R): Response received
Charles Comrey (D): Did not respond
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
DISTRICT 37
Mindy Fee (R): Did not respond
Russell Stahley (D): Did not respond
DISTRICT 41
Ryan Aument (R): Did not respond
DISTRICT 104
Susan Helm (R): Response received
Christopher Dietz (D): Did not respond
DISTRICT 105
Ron Marsico (R): Response received
Kelly Jean McEntee (D): Did not respond
DISTRICT 106
John Payne (R): Response received
Osman Kamara (D): Did not respond
DISTRICT 107
Kurt Masser (R): Did not respond
Ted Yeager (D): Response received
DISTRICT 93
Ronald Miller (R): Did not respond
Linda Small (D): Did not respond
DISTRICT 108
Lynda Schlegel-Culver (R): Did not respond
DISTRICT 94
Stanley Saylor (R): Did not respond
DISTRICT 109
David Millard (R): Response received
Daniel Knorr (D): Did not respond
DISTRICT 95
Eugene DePasquale (D): Did not respond
DISTRICT 117
Karen Boback (R): Did not respond
DISTRICT 96
Thomas Garman, Jr. (R): Response received
Mike Sturla (D): Did not respond
DISTRICT 171
Kerry Benninghoff (R): Did not respond
Christopher Lee (D): Did not respond
DISTRICT 97
John Bear (R): Did not respond
DISTRICT 193
Will Tallman (R): Response received
DISTRICT 81
Michael Fleck (R): Did not respond
DISTRICT 98
David Hickernell (R): Response received
DISTRICT 196
Seth Grove (R): Did not respond
DISTRICT 82
C. Adam Harris (R): Did not respond
DISTRICT 99
Gordon Denlinger (R): Response received
DISTRICT 199
Stephen Bloom (R): Did not respond
DISTRICT 43
Keith Greiner (R): Did not respond
John Weigel (D): Response received
DISTRICT 47
Keith Gillespie (R): Did not respond
Sarah Speed (D): Did not respond
1.
What is your position on legislation that would provide direct grants to
parents to choose the schools that they believe are best suited for their children,
including nonpublic schools?
SENATE
McNally (R-15): Support
Gordner (R-27): Oppose. I have strongly supported the EITC program and the
increased funding for it.
Weigel (D-43): Oppose. This weakens public schools – I hope to be a strong
education advocate – public and non-public.
Kauffman (R-89): Support
Moul (R-91): Support
Regan (R-92): Support
Garman (R-96): Support. Support 100%.
Hickernell (R-98): Support
Denlinger (R-99): Support
Gingrich (R-101): Support. Based on final structure/formula.
Swanger (R-102): Support. I adamantly support school choice.
Helm (R-104): Support
Marsico (R-105): Support
Payne (R-106): Support. Depends on legislative cost and restrictions if in final bill.
Yeager (D-107): Oppose. I believe public taxes should be used for public education.
Millard (R-109): Support
Tallman (R-193): Support
2.
What is your position increased funding for Educational Improvement Tax
Credits (EITC) where the state budget includes an increase in public school funding?
SENATE
Gordner (R-27): Support
Weigel (D-43): Support. I am for strong education – the recent cuts have been
savage and hurtful to children.
Moul (R-91): Support. I have already voted in support of the EITC and EISC
funding.
Garman (R-96): Support
Gingrich (R-101): Support!!!
Swanger (R-102): Support. I voted in favor of the most recent increase.
Payne (R-106): Support. I voted for this legislation.
Yeager (D-107): Oppose. It still takes public tax dollars away from public education.
3.
What is your position on legislation requiring an ultrasound be performed on
a woman prior to abortion and that she be given the option of viewing this ultrasound?
SENATE
McNally (R-15): Support. While I do not favor any measure which increases the
cost of healthcare, I would support the use of a non-invasive procedure that will
provide parents the option of receiving additional assurances regarding the health of
their child.
Weigel (D-43): Oppose. Unnecessary invasive procedure (also costly). I do not
believe it is useful in any effort to reduce abortion.
Moul (R-91): I believe the option of an ultrasound should be offered but not forced.
Garman (R-96): Support. This could save many unborn children.
Gingrich (R-101): Support. Already being done in most cases.
Swanger (R-102): Support. I am a co-sponsor of Rep. Kathy Rapp’s bill.
Helm (R-104): I would need to see the exact wording of this legislation before
stating my position.
Marsico (R-105): Did not indicate.
Payne (R-106): Support
Yeager (D-107): Oppose. I am not an advocate of abortion, but I don’t think the
government should tell a woman what she can/can’t do with her body.
Tallman (R-193): Support. Co-sponsor of HB 1077.
4.
Which statement reflects your position most accurately?
a. I do not oppose legalized abortion.
b. I oppose legalized abortion in all circumstances.
c. I oppose legalized abortion, except when the life of the mother is in danger.
d. I oppose legalized abortion, except when the life of the mother is in danger or
the pregnancy is a result of rape or incest.
SENATE
McNally (R-15): c.
Gordner (R-27): d.
Weigel (D-43): I reject oversimplified abortion positions. We can and need to do
much much more to prevent unwanted pregnancy and support a woman to care for
the child once born.
Kauffman (R-89): d.
Moul (R-91): d.
Regan (R-92): c. Although I personally believe there are better options, I don’t
think a victim of rape or incest should be denied the option to terminate her pregnancy.
Garman (R-96): d. Speaks for itself.
Hickernell (R-98): c.
Denlinger (R-99): c.
Gingrich (R-101): b.
Swanger (R-102): c. If bills were put before us for a vote, that would restrict abortion according to any of the final three options above, I would vote in favor.
Helm (R-104): c.
Marsico (R-105): d.
Payne (R-106): d.
Yeager (D-107): See above.
Millard (R-109): d.
Tallman (R-193): c.
5.
What is your position on amending the Pennsylvania Constitution to define
marriage as the union between one man and one woman?
SENATE
Weigel (D-43): Oppose. I support the right for consenting adults to marry – I believe it’s time to let them know they do not have to stay in a closet.
Moul (R-91): Support
Regan (R-92): Support. I do not oppose civil unions.
Gingrich (R-101): Support
Swanger (R-102): Support
Payne (R-106): Support. I voted for this legislation.
Yeager (D-107): Oppose. I do not feel the Constitutional Amendment is the process for this matter.
Millard (R-109): Supprt
6.
What is your position on legislation that would add state restrictions to existing federal prohibitions concerning the hiring of undocumented immigrants or
the provision of healthcare or government services to the undocumented?
SENATE
Weigel (D-43): Support Oppose. Support tougher rules on undocumented (help
them get documented). Oppose any inhumane refusal of healthcare services.
Moul (R-91): Support. All people in this country under existing federal law have
access to healthcare.
Regan (R-92): This question is unclear to me. I support strict prohibitions regarding the hiring of illegal aliens, and also believe that we should not be paying for their
healthcare.
Garman (R-96): Support. We have a difficult time taking care of our own citizens.
Gingrich (R-101): Confirmation of legal status is essential to secure adequate
funding.
Swanger (R-102): Support. I am a co-sponsor of Rep. Daryl Metcalfe’s bills which
would further restrict benefits to illegals.
Yeager (D-107): Oppose. Immigration is a federal issue.
7.
What is your position on the death penalty?
SENATE
Weigel (D-43): Oppose. It is not our role.
Moul (R-91): Support. In those instances which are heinous.
Regan (R-92): Support. Only in the most heinous of crimes.
Garman (R-96): Support. Those who commit premeditated murder deserve the
maximum penalty.
Gingrich (R-101): Oppose
Swanger (R-102): Support. But only in cases of first degree murder where there is
absolute proof of the crime, i.e. DNA evidence.
Yeager (D-107): Oppose
8.
What is your position on restoring state funding to the Homeowners
Emergency Mortgage Assistance Program (HEMAP) which provides low-interest
loans to homeowners facing possible foreclosure through no fault of their own?
SENATE
Gordner (R-27): Support. I was the prime sponsor of the bill that Gov. Corbett
signed into law that restored funding to HEMAP.
Weigel (D-43): Support. It would help strengthen the middle class.
Moul (R-91): Support. But with tighter restrictions so those receiving can demonstrate ability to pay.
Swanger (R-102): Support
Yeager (D-107): Support
9.
What is your position on legislation requiring employers to provide
employee benefits to which they are morally opposed, for example, mandating
coverage for contraceptives or benefits to same-sex partners of employees?
SENATE
McNally (R-15): Oppose
Gordner (R-27): Oppose
Weigel (D-43): Support. I would hope they would willingly offer these benefits to
their employees – it could negatively impact their workforce, local unemployment,
and the lives of their workers.
Kauffman (R-89): Oppose
Moul (R-91): Oppose. Strongly oppose – every Catholic should think about this
before casting their vote in this year’s presidential election!
Regan (R-92): Oppose
Garman (R-96): Oppose
Hickernell (R-98): Oppose
Denlinger (R-99): Oppose
Swanger (R-102): Oppose
Helm (R-104): Oppose
Marsico (R-105): Oppose
Payne (R-106): Oppose
Yeager (D-107): Oppose. I feel that without specific parameters such legislation
would be too open ended and allow abuse of the system.
Millard (R-109): Oppose
Tallman (R-193): Oppose
10. Which statement reflects your position most accurately?
a. Religious childcare and pre-kindergarten providers should be subject to
government review of educational content.
b. Religious childcare and pre-kindergarten providers should follow state
standards for health and safety of children, but be free to determine their own
educational content based on the teachings of their faith tradition.
c. Religious childcare and pre-k providers should be free from government regulation. SENATE
McNally (R-15): b.
Gordner (R-27): b.
Weigel (D-43): b. Health and safety standards – yes!
Kauffman (R-89): b.
Moul (R-91): b.
Regan (R-92): b.
Garman (R-96): b.
Hickernell (R-98): b.
Denlinger (R-99): c.
Gingrich (R-101): b.
Swanger (R-102): b.
Helm (R-104): b.
Marsico (R-105): b.
Payne (R-106): b.
Yeager (D-107): a. After the basic educational content is followed I see no reason
why additional content can’t be taught.
Millard (R-109): b.
Tallman (R-193): c. Have introduced and support legislation correcting the St.
Elizabeth decision.
11. What is your position on legislation that would restrict taxpayer funding of
abortion in Pennsylvania’s health insurance exchange created by the federal health
care reform law?
SENATE
Weigel (D-43): Support. I would not be in favor of any state supported abortion
funding.
Moul (R-91): Support. No taxpayer money should be used for abortions.
Swanger (R-102): Support. No abortions should be paid with tax dollars.
Yeager (D-107): Oppose. Given my answer to #3 – this would appear to remove
the option for the poor but not those who could afford it.
12. What is your position on legislation that forces health care providers to
provide, pay for or refer for services contrary to their conscience for moral or
religious reasons?
SENATE
McNally (R-15): Oppose
Gordner (R-27): Oppose
Weigel (D-43): Support Oppose. There are basic professional standards for all –
but not all professionals need to perform all services.
Kauffman (R-89): Oppose
Moul (R-91): Oppose
Regan (R-92): Oppose
Garman (R-96): Oppose
Hickernell (R-98): Oppose
Denlinger (R-99): Oppose
Swanger (R-102): Oppose. Forcing such services violate our Constitution with
regard to religious freedom.
Helm (R-104): Oppose
Marsico (R-105): Oppose
Payne (R-106): Oppose
Yeager (D-107): See question #9.
Millard (R-109): Oppose
Tallman (R-193): Oppose
Catholics Care. Catholics Vote:
Political Engagement
is Every Catholic’s Duty
From the USCCB Blog
“Why is the Catholic Church getting involved in politics?”
When uttered aloud, the gut-level revulsion is clearly audible in that question.
It’s a fair question, one that comes up
frequently. It’s grounded in history. People
ask, “Didn’t the Church get burned time
and again through the centuries when it
got too cozy with various medieval kings
and secular powers? Isn’t that how, at one
time, it became so corrupt that it sparked
the Protestant Reformation?”
The question comes up today, almost regardless of the issue being addressed by the
pope, the bishops or even a parish priest.
Sandra Day O’Connor once quipped that
the definition of an “activist judge” is “a
judge who disagrees with me.” Similarly,
the complaint about the Church meddling
in politics can fall conveniently along political fault lines. But there’s still something to be said for people being wary of a
Church that seems too wrapped up in secular matters and power.
The bishops recognize this and draw several key distinctions. To name a couple,
the Church’s focus is on moral principles
and how they should influence policy positions. The Church stakes out strong positions on issues, but does not endorse parties
or candidates. It recognizes that lay people
play a complementary role of more direct
involvement in politics that the hierarchy
cannot and should not play.
Pope Benedict XVI made this clear in his
first encyclical, Deus Caritas Est, stating,
“The direct duty to work for a just ordering
of society...is proper to the lay faithful. As
citizens of the State, they are called to take
part in public life in a personal capacity.”
The pope uses the word “called,” meaning not just a role, but a duty. Still one could
ask, “Doesn’t political involvement seem
kind of peripheral compared to my other
obligations to the faith like participating in
the Sacraments and helping the poor?”
In Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship, the bishops respond with a vision
of the Church providing society a great service.
“Because we are people of both faith and
reason, it is appropriate and necessary for
us to bring this essential truth about human
life and dignity to the public square,” the
bishops write. “We are called to practice
Christ’s commandment to ‘love one another’ (Jn 13:34).”
The Catechism of the Catholic Church
says it another way, that it’s necessary for
everyone to participate in promoting the
common good (#1913-15). Either way, political participation, at its best, is an expression of faith lived out in the world.
The bishops, as pastors and teachers, apply the Church’s moral voice to issues affecting human life and dignity in the public
square, and Catholics as a whole engage in
the political process through such means
as voting and, according to the bishops,
“running for office; working within political parties; communicating their concerns
and positions to elected officials; and joining diocesan social mission or advocacy
networks, state Catholic conference initiatives, community organizations, and other
efforts to apply authentic moral teaching in
the public square.”
This is a year-round deal, but not in the
sense of the perpetual campaign that poisons so much political discourse. Catholics
aren’t called to be hyper-partisans waging
a scorched Earth campaign for permanent
political dominance. In fact the bishops offer the admonition that Catholic shouldn’t
let their parties lead them to “neglect or
deny fundamental moral truths.”
Instead, Catholics are called to be leaven.
The duty of the politically-engaged Catholic isn’t just to take sides in the political debate, but to transform it.
(This article is reprinted from the USCCB
Blog at www.usccbmedia.blogspot.com/.
The blog is maintained by the Media Relations staff of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and features commentary, documents and other resources related to the
work of the Conference, the bishops’ priorities, the Catholic Church and society in
general.)
Faith and Life
Red Mass
By Chris Heisey
The annual Red Mass was celebrated at Saint Patrick Cathedral, Harrisburg, by Bishop P. Joseph McFadden on October 15. The Holy Mass
traditionally marks the beginning of
the judicial calendar and is attended
by judges, lawyers and Pennsylvania’s
elected officials. The Saint Thomas
More Society of Central Pennsylvania
plans and organizes the annual Mass
that draws several hundred to the
noontime Mass.
The homilist was Bishop Mark
Bartchak, the eighth bishop of the
Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown, whose
Episcopal ordination was in April
2011. Prior to this appointment by the
Holy Father, Bishop Bartchak served
in the Diocese of Erie, where he was
the judicial vicar.
“Jesus is the most authentic listeners of all listeners; he is also the most
authentic of story tellers and it serves
us well to listen to Him,” Bishop Bartchak said. “Jesus Christ does not
judge by appearance as we do, nor
does he judge on hearsay as we do….
In order to be full of God’s spirit in
our lives we must not be full of ourselves in any way.”
Above: Pennsylvania Lieutenant Governor Jim Cawley bows his head in
prayer during the Red Mass, which was celebrated in Harrisburg by Bishop
Joseph P. McFadden.
Right: Flanked by an image of St. Thomas More, patron of statesmen and
politicians, Bishop Mark Bartchak of Altoona-Johnstown delivers his homily
during the Red Mass held Oct. 15 at St. Patrick Cathedral.
Bishop Leads
Students in
Praying Rosary
Bishop Joseph P. McFadden prayed the
Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary from
the Bishop John Neumann Chapel at
the Cardinal Keeler Center, Harrisburg,
on October 19 via the diocesan WAN
(Wide Access Network). More than 70
classrooms from elementary schools as
well as several high schools joined the
bishop in praying the Holy Rosary.
After prayer, the bishop answered more
than two dozen questions posed by the
students and faculty. Bishop McFadden
shared that his favorite rosary was given to him by Blessed Pope John Paul
II. In addition, he told the participants
that he also wears a Pectoral Cross that
was given to him by Pope John Paul.
It is important to pray the rosary, the
bishop said, because it honors Mary
who brought Jesus into the world by her
special fiat.
CHRIS HEISEY,
THE CATHOLIC WITNESS

October 26, 2012 - Roman Catholic Diocese of Harrisburg

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