Three new priests - Diocese of Des Moines

Transcription

THE CATHOLIC
MIRROR
The primary task of a diocesan newspaper is to “serve the truth with courage, helping the public see, understand
and live reality with the eyes of God.”
- Pope Benedict XVI, Nov. 25, 2006
Vol. 47, No. 6
Fortnight for
Freedom
emphasizes
liberties
June 21, 2013
Three new priests
By Anne Marie Cox
Staff Writer
For a second year,
the U.S. bishops plan to hold
a two-week period of prayer
and action called Fortnight for
Freedom to raise awareness of
challenges to religious liberty.
This
year’s
twoweek Fortnight for Freedom
will be June 21-July 4.
The
Diocese
of
Des Moines plans to mark
occasion with a diocesan event
on Sunday, July 7 and by
encouraging parishes to have
local events as opportunities
to inform their parishioners
of
the
ongoing
concerns
related to religious liberty.
The
diocesan
Independence
Celebration:
Pray for Life, Marriage and
Religious Liberty will be July 7
beginning with 10:30 a.m. Mass
at St. Ambrose Cathedral in Des
Moines. Immediately after Mass
there will be a holy hour to pray for
marriage, life and religious liberty
in the United States. Following
the holy hour, there will be a
reception at the Catholic Pastoral
Center across the street from
the cathedral at 601 Grand Ave.
In a letter to priests of
the diocese, Bishop Richard Pates
explained that the United States
continues to face challenges to
religious liberty including the
upcoming Aug. 1 deadline for
religious organizations to comply
with a health care mandate of
the U.S. Department of Health
and Human Services. Other
challenges to religious liberty
include court rulings on marriage
and serious issues for Catholic
adoption agencies, immigration
and
humanitarian
services.
“Through prayer, study
and peaceful public action during
the Fortnight for Freedom, we
hope to remind ourselves and
others throughout the Diocese
Continued on page 9
Photo by Kelly Mescher Collins
Photo by Mark Hommerding
Photo by Mark Hommerding
Fathers Fabian Moncada, Ross Parker and Adam Westphal (above) were ordained
to the preisthood June 7 at St. Ambrose Cathedral. Left to right: Father Moncada
blesses Archbishop Jose Octavio Ruiz Arenas, of Columbia, Bishop Richard Pates
and Bishop Emeritus Joseph Charron; Father Parker celebrates the Liturgy of the
Eucharist; and Father Westphal pledges obedience. During the homily, Bishop
Pates said: “It is a blessing that this ordination occurs on the Feast of the Sacred
Heart of Jesus. For the identity that is bestowed on each of the three, this evening,
is beautifully illustrated by their hearts becoming one with the heart of Jesus.”
Diocesan priests receive new assignments
Des
Moines
Bishop Richard Pates
has made the following
priest
assignments.
Effective July 1
Monsignor
Michael Hess, pastor
of Sacred Heart Parish
in West Des Moines,
will take a sabbatical
July 1 to Dec. 31.
Msgr. Hess was
ordained in 1971. He
served St. Michael Parish
in
Harlan
and
St.
Ambrose
Cathedral
a
before
beginning a
nearly 30year period Msgr. Hess
of service to
Dowling Catholic High
School. He served four
years as faculty and then
24 years as president. He
began serving as pastor
of Sacred Heart Parish in
West
Des
Moines in
2000. F a t h e r
D a n i e l
Siepker,
who is on Fr. Siepker
sabbatical,
will become
temporary senior associate and St. Mary in Anita.
of Sacred Heart Parish
in West Des Moines. Effective July 11
Father Siepker Father Thomas
was ordained in 1993 Coenen will
and has served in parish move from
ministry. He has served h o s p i t a l
at the following parishes: chaplaincy
Our Lady’s Immaculate in Council
Heart in Ankeny, St. Bluffs and
Patrick in Corning, St. s p e c i a l Fr. Coenen
Patrick in Lenox, Ss.
Peter and Paul in Atlantic Continued on page 12
2
The Catholic Mirror, June 21, 2013
In the Heartland with Bishop Pates
Diocesan News
www.dmdiocese.org
Insisting on religious liberty
“I am the King’s Good Servant
but God’s First”
– St. Thomas More
The following homily was presented
by Bishop Pates on June 4 at
the Catholic Health Association
Mass in conjunction with the CHA
annual assembly in Anaheim, Calif.
The
question
the
Herodians and Sadducees posed to
Jesus embraces the age-old debate
that has bedeviled relationships of
Church and civil government from
time immemorial. The response
of Jesus is classic: “Repay to
Caesar what belongs to Caesar
and to God what belongs to God.”
Jesus adroitly points out
that Caesar or the government has
its proper role to which we render
cooperation while simultaneously
God lays claim to our allegiance.
Inevitable conflict over territory
ensues. How is such to be resolved?
In the Roman empire,
the emergence of a protected
Christianity occurred with the
conversion of the emperor.
State and faith found working
accommodation
with
newly
found belief in the Christian
God by Emperor Constantine.
Historically, the balance of these
two loyalties has been rare.
The
tension
played
itself out in the Middle Ages and
Renaissance in the dramatic deaths
of St. Thomas Becket and St.
Thomas More. In modern times,
22 martyrs in Uganda died on June
3, 1886 victims of their rulers’
fierce anger.
Charles Lwanga
and
companions
reproached
King Mwanga for his cruelty and
immorality. For their heroic stand,
they underwent martyrdoms. In the
multiplicity of heroic responses to
To place an ad in the
Catholic Mirror contact
Kelly at
kcollins@dmdiocese.org
By
Bishop
Richard E.
Pates
religious oppression, St. Thomas
More’s last words ring out across
the centuries in witness to a right
understanding of the principle
enunciated by Jesus: “I am the
King’s good servant, but God’s first.”
The conflict of faith and
state remains highly charged in our
times. In formulating its teaching,
Catholic faith derives truth from
self-evident natural law and
scriptural revelation. Often times,
such teaching encounters opposition
with secular positions trumpeted by
government. Determining what
belongs to Caesar and what belongs
to God is constantly debated in the
halls of executive government, the
legislatures, courts, our churches
and schools and on Main Street.
The founders of the
United States, seeking relief from
religious oppression embedded in
European government structures,
believed religious liberty was
essential to human flourishing, a
belief they enshrined in the First
Amendment of the United States
Constitution. The guarantee of
religious liberty in effect codifies
the admonition:
“Repay to
Caesar what belongs to Caesar
and to God what belongs to God.”
Because
religion
introduces an authority that can
challenge the state’s designs, the
exercise of this freedom is billed
the first of freedoms. It is almost
inevitable that government will
move to infringe upon religious
freedom often times in what it
considers a more broadly based
protection of rights. Nonetheless,
as Vatican Council II declared
in
Dignitatis
Humanae:
“Religious freedom, … which
men demand as necessary to
fulfill their duty to worship God,
has to do with immunity from
coercion in civil society” (#1).
During the 19th and early
20th centuries, many states enacted
Blaine
Amendments,
which
discriminate against religiouslyaffiliated schools by restricting the
public aid they can receive. More
recently, the federal government
has denied contracts to highly
competent and effective faithbased agencies providing relief to
victims of human trafficking, as
well as important developmental
projects in third world countries,
because of conflict with religious
and moral objections. To its credit,
USAID sent out instructions to
country missions last year that
addressed the problem international
relief agencies had encountered.
The
situation
regarding
programs for human trafficking
victims
remains
troubling.
The
most
notable
incursion and one which yet
begs for adequate resolution is
the Health and Human Services
mandate for contraceptive and
sterilization coverage under the
Affordable Care Act.
HHS’s
mandate
violates
religious
freedom in two specific ways.
First,
the
mandate
forces actions in opposition to
one’s conscience.
Institutions
and individuals are required to
facilitate and pay for coverage
that goes against their consciences
in the form of drugs that induce
abortions,
are
contraceptive
Official
Bishop Richard Pates has made the
following appointment.
MIRROR
Bishop Richard E. Pates
Publisher
bishop@dmdiocese.org
Anne Marie Cox
Editor
acox@dmdiocese.org
Kelly Mescher Collins
Staff Writer
kcollins@dmdiocese.org
The Catholic Mirror (ISSN
0896-6869) is published
monthly for $18 per year by
the Diocese of Des Moines, 601
Grand Ave., Des Moines, Iowa
50309. Periodicals postage paid
at Des Moines.
POSTMASTER: Send changes
to THE CATHOLIC MIRROR,
601 Grand Ave., Des Moines,
Iowa 50309.
PHONE: (515)237-5046
E-MAIL: mirror@dmdiocese.org
DIOCESAN WEBSITE:
www.dmdiocese.org
Bish-
Monsignor Michael Hess six month sabbatical July 1 to December 31, 2013
Father Daniel Siepker from sabbatical leave to temporary senior associate of Sacred
Heart Parish, West Des Moines.
Effective July 11, 2013
Reverend Mr. James Houston to St. Patrick Church in Perry
Father Thomas Coenen from Hospital Chaplaincy in Council Bluffs and Special
Liturgical Ministry, Council Bluffs Region to retirement.
Father Paul Cuong Hung Nguyen, SVD with the permission of his Very Reverend
Father Provincial, Thomas Ascheman, SVD, from Parochial Vicar of Sacred Heart
Parish, West Des Moines, to Administrator, St. Patrick Parish, Perry.
Father Tan Van Tran from Parochial Vicar, Corpus Christi Parish, Council Bluffs,
to Hospital and Nursing Home Chaplaincy in Council Bluffs and Special Liturgical
Ministry, Council Bluffs Region.
Father George Komo from Parochial Vicar, St. Francis of Assisi, West Des
Moines, to pursue Military Chaplaincy in the US Army. This appointment includes a
temporary assignment and residence at Immaculate Conception Church in St. Mary’s,
Iowa, during the period of transition.
Father Guthrie Dolan from Parochial Vicar at St. Anthony Parish, Des Moines, to
Parochial Vicar, St. Francis of Assisi Church in West Des Moines.
Father Fabian Moncada Benavides, newly ordained, is assigned as Parochial Vicar
of Sacred Heart Church in West Des Moines.
Father Ross Parker, newly ordained, is assigned as Parochial Vicar at Corpus
Christi Parish and Chaplain at Saint Albert Catholic Schools in Council Bluffs.
Father Adam Westphal, newly ordained, is assigned as Parochial Vicar at St.
Anthony Parish, Des Moines.
Father David Polich from Pastor of St. Patrick Church, Perry, to Pastor of St.
Bernard, Osceola, St. Patrick, Grand River and St. Joseph, Mt. Ayr, Parishes.
Bishop Richard E. Pates
Bishop of Des Moines
religious liberty. We do so in
our outreach through education,
charities and healthcare united
with the Church under the
leadership designated by Jesus –
the Apostles and their successors.
Again
Dignitatis
Humanae states, “In all his activity
a man is bound to follow his
conscience in order that he may
come to God, the end and purpose
of life. It follows that he is not
to be forced to act in a manner
contrary to his conscience” (#3).
In my own bailiwick, I am
ever so grateful for the commitment
of Mercy Health Care System and
the leadership of the very capable
Dave Vellinga and the soon-to-be
new president Robert P. “Bob” Ritz.
It is most reassuring and supportive
for all of us to be singing on the
same note. In so doing, we serve the
broader society in the protection of
our constitutional freedoms while
delivering outstanding healthcare
with special attention to the poor.
The Catholic Church
and its allied organizations and
institutions will face opposition
and intransigence from powers
that want to see a secular morality
predominate or even improperly
exercise government authority
to force compliance.
Similar
to a Thomas Becket or Thomas
More as well as the group of
African martyrs, we will endure
strong opposition by insisting on
repaying to God what is God’s.
May we corporately and
individually courageously hold
steadfast to: “I am the King’s
good servant but God’s first.”
op’s Schedule
THE CATHOLIC
in nature, and which sterilize.
Second, even in trying to
frame a religious exemption from
this mandate, HHS effectively
defines what is religious and
not religious in character. The
very narrow definition, both
as originally proposed and as
reframed in the most recent round
of rulemaking, denies the important
reality of faith in action. Catholic
education, Catholic charities and
Catholic health care are faith in
action.
They are expressions
of our deepest beliefs. These
ministries originate out of faith
convictions and are sustained by
the same. Our beliefs, our history
and tradition, and our personal faith
speak irrefutably of their Catholic
religious identity. In sum, these
initiatives belong to God as the
source of origin. HHS’s arbitrary
distinction between “houses of
worship” that deserve protection,
and houses of Christian caring
and healing that do not deserve
it, should not be allowed to stand.
Legislation
adopted
since Roe v. Wade has protected
religious liberty and recognized
rights of conscience in laws such
as the Church amendment and
the Weldon Amendment. Thus,
while objectionable procedures
are permitted in law, what belongs
to God is respected by not forcing
institutions or individuals driven
by conscience to participate in
their delivery or pay for them.
Seeking the balance
between the prerogatives of Caesar
and those of God continues to be
an issue of serious consequence
in our day both nationally and
internationally. Literally, in the
name of God, we of Catholic
identity are called to remain in
steadfast unity by insisting on
Sister Jude Fitzpatrick
Chancellor
Friday, June 21
Des Moines – “In the Heartland
with Bishop Pates”, Iowa Catholic
Radio Des Moines; KVSS,
Omaha, 10 a.m.
Des Moines – Committee
planning Cardinal Turkson’s
October visit to Iowa, Pastoral
Center, 11:15 a.m.
Des Moines – Dedication of St.
Monica Chapel, St. Augustin, 3
p.m.
Sunday, June 23 – Sunday, June
30
Columbia/Peru – Solidarity
visit for the U.S. Conference of
Catholic Bishops International
Justice and Peace Committee
Friday, June 28
with Bishop Pates.” Iowa
Catholic Radio Des Moines;
KVSS, Omaha, 10 a.m.
Monday, July 1
Des Moines – Vocations
Department meeting, Pastoral
Center, 7:30 a.m.
Tuesday, July 2
Des Moines – Executive
Committee meeting, Pastoral
Center, 1 p.m.
Friday, July 5
with Bishop Pates,” Iowa
Sunday, July 7
Des Moines – Fortnight for
Freedom Mass and Religious
Liberty update, St. Ambrose
Cathedral, 10:30 a.m.
Sunday, July 7 – Monday, July
22
Democratic Republic of the
Congo, Rwanda and South
Sudan – U.S. Conference of
Catholic Bishops solidarity
trip on behalf of the USCCB’s
Committee on International
Justice and Peace
Friday, July 12
Friday, July 19
Tuesday, July 23 – Wednesday,
July 31
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil – World
Youth Day and solidarity visits
with bishops of South America
on behalf of the U.S. Conference
of Catholic Bishops’ Committee
on International Justice and
Peace
3
Diocesan News
www.dmdiocese.org
Msgr. McDonnell passes away on Marian feast day
By Kelly Mescher Collins
Staff Writer
Msgr. Joseph McDonnell
passed away on Sat., June
8 at Mercy Hospice from
complications due to lung cancer.
He was 72. His funeral was June 14.
He was most recently
serving as pastor of St. Pius
X Parish in Urbandale. He
retired on Sept. 1, 2012. .
Msgr.
McDonnell
was born on Dec. 7, 1940 in
Des Moines, and attended St.
Anthony Parish growing up. He
studied at Dowling Catholic High
School, Conception Seminary
and St. Bernard’s Seminary in
Dubuque and Aquinas Institute
and School of Theology in
Dubuque. His first assignment
was assistant pastor at St. John
Parish in Des Moines, followed
by temporary associate pastor
at St. Michael Parish in Harlan.
He served as co-director
for the chaplaincy program in
the greater Des Moines area,
served team ministry in Leon
and Chariton, was co-pastor and
eventually pastor and rector at
St. Ambrose Cathedral in Des
Moines, and pastor at Sacred
Heart in West Des Moines
and St. Pius X in Urbandale.
Marilyn
Lane
of
Sacred Heart led six pilgrimage
trips to Medjurogje with Msgr.
McDonnell. But because of
declining health, he wasn’t able
to make this year’s trip. He had a
special mission for Lane, though.
“He wanted his St. Pius
ball cap [that he wore every day
on previous pilgrimages] to go
to the top of Krusevik Mountain
and put at the foot of a beautiful,
huge white cross,” Lane said.
Lane and about 30
pilgrims departed with his ball
cap just a few days after Msgr.
McDonnell died. His devotion
to Jesus and the Virgin Mary
were truly remarkable, she said.
“He was quite the
Marian priest,” she said. “It
was truly a part of his fabric.”
Msgr. McDonnell even
passed away on the Marian feast day
of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
He was instrumental
in helping Lane and co-planner
Ellen Miller get the Christ Our
Life Conference off the ground.
He was dedicated to
doing as much work as possible
for our Lord, Lane said. When
given the opportunity to retire,
Msgr. McDonnell said he
was going to keep working.
“He said, ‘Oh no – I
don’t want to retire! I’m shooting
for the 7th degree of heaven. I want
to get to the very top,” she said.
When Lane visited him
the last time before his death, it
made perfect sense when nurses
told her he was in room No. 7.
Msgr. Frank Bognanno
of Christ the King Parish has been
very close friends with Msgr.
McDonnell for years, remembering
him for his very simple life
focused on the Lord and strong
devotion to the Blessed Virgin
Mary as a sure pathway to Jesus.
“After his retirement
last September, he told our small
prayer group that it was like
being on a continuous retreat,
spending a lot of time in prayer,
meditation and spiritual reading,”
Msgr. Bognanno said. “I think
it was a wonderful preparation
for his passing to what he
would call his ‘true home.’”
He saw Msgr. McDonnell
two days before he died.
“The last thing he said to
me was ‘I’ll see you in heaven.’”
Deacon Blankenship is remembered
Deacon
Joe
Blankenship passed away on
May 14. His wife, Marian,
preceded him in death in 2011.
Deacon
Blankenship
was ordained on Feb. 14, 1988
in Council Bluffs and served at
Our Lady of the Holy Rosary
Parish. He retired in 2006.
He enjoyed giving back
to his community. He served on
the Parish Council, as an officer
for the Knights of Columbus and
an officer in the American Legion.
He also served on the school board
for Iowa Western Community
College in Council Bluffs and
as a deputy sheriff in Glenwood.
Father
Howard
Fitzgerald of Our Lady of the Holy
Rosary said it was his relationship
with Jesus that was his driving
motivation to helping others.
“Knowing the Lord,
he was willing to help others
and go out of his way to
share that faith with others.”
He was a pleasant person to be
around, Father Fitzgerald added.
“I think he always had a
smile on his face, he was always
hospitable
and
welcoming,
always greeted people and
wanted to get in conversation
with others,” Father Fitzgerald
said. “He was a very generous
person who enjoyed helping
other people in a whole variety
of ways. He enjoyed people.”
He was born in Omaha
in 1933 to Catholic parents,
and had five sisters and one
brother. He attended school
in Omaha: St. Wenceslaus
kindergarten, St. Bridget’s grade
school and South High School.
He married Marian in
1981 at Our Lady of the Holy
Rosary. They had five children
and 14 grandchildren. In his free
time, he and his wife had enjoyed
golfing and gardening together.
Deacon candidates become acolytes
Bishop Richard Pates installed permanent deacon candidates to the Ministry of Acolyte in May. Pictured above
are: (upper level l-r) Michael Carney, Randy Lynch, Dennis
Wright and Eric Bertrand; (lower level) Ed Garza, Paul Tran
and Joel Schmidt. Not pictured are Tom Hunkele and Tony
Valdez.
Wednesday, August 7, 2013
9:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m.
American Friend’s House • Cost: $25.00
(4211 Grand Avenue Des Moines, Iowa)
CItY is made possible by the Larry and Kay Myers
Interfaith and intercultural Ambassador Initiative.
Staff Writer
DMARC
INTERFAITH
YOUTH
JUSTICE
CAMP
For more information, contact the DMARC office at
515-277-6969, or info@dmreligious.org.
Des Moines Area Religious Council • 515-277-6969
3816 36th St., Ste. #202 • Des Moines, IA 50310-4710
www.dmreligious.org • www.movethefood.org
Learn about social justice in our community and
how YOU can make a difference! The day-long
camp includes:
• Tour of DMARC Food Pantry
• Tour various worship spaces
• Tour community outreach organization
• Expert speakers
• Games
• Small & large group sharing
• Prayers from various faith traditions
Registration forms are available through the
DMARC office or online. The event is facilitated
by the Center for Social Ministry, an organization
that provides poverty awareness/justice
education programming in Des Moines.
4
www.dmdiocese.org
Opinion
You matter until the last moment of your life
“You matter to the last moment of your life,
and we will do all we can, not only to help
you die peacefully, but to live until you
die.”-Dame Cicely Saunders (1918-2005),
founder of the modern hospice movement
Treatment of the sick and dying
has existed since man populated the earth.
For most of history there has been little
difference between the treatment of the
two; but as medical science advanced so
has our ability to increase the lifespan
of patients who are on the precipice
of eternity, sometimes with seemingly
endless treatments that leave patients full
of medications that have only marginal
effectiveness, or place the patient in a near
vegetative state, unable to communicate
with loved ones who wait patiently outside
the intensive care unit, hoping against
hope and urging doctors to keep trying.
In other words, focus on the
disease, even against all odds – even if
treatment holds little hope of success.
But in the 1950s a British
nurse-turned physician, who worked
with the terminally ill, began to focus on
treating people, not the disease. While
historians date the hospice movement
Take a break with
Deacon Mike
By Deacon
Mike Manno
to the 11th Century, it was not until that
English doctor’s friendship with a dying
patient that Dame Cicely Saunders
realized terminally ill patients needed a
different kind of care, one that emphasized
compassion, addressing their fears,
as well as palliative care to decrease
pain and discomfort. That revelation
spawned the modern hospice movement.
Yet for many, hospice means
giving up. They believe hospice care hastens
death since patients forgo hospitals and
are given high doses of pain medications.
Interestingly, there is some evidence that
hospice patients fare somewhat better. In
a recent study of Medicare patients, it was
found that there was little difference in the
survival time between hospice and nonhospice patients, and that for some illnesses
the survival time was longer in hospice.
People enter hospice to live, said
Rita Lepeska, director of Mercy Hospice.
They want to live where they can enjoy
their family without the cares and concerns
they might have in a hospital, where they
can do so in a family friendly facility
or through in-home hospice services.
Hospice care can also be provided to
patients in hospitals or care facilities.
“We provide nursing services for
the patient, as well as social workers for the
patient and the patient’s family,” she said.
In addition, for those at home, hospice
provides home health aids, light cleaning
services, meals, and physical therapy. “Our
goal is to allow the patient’s family to enjoy
time with their loved one freed of care
obligations as much as possible,” she said.
Hospice care is available for
anyone with a terminal illness who has
been given six months or less to live. But
moving to hospice, whether a facility
or in-home, does not mean the patient
must die or give up hope. With “some
frequency” patients do get better, stabilize
and are discharged, she said. And in
some instances, their physician may
suggest a new treatment and the patient
is discharged from hospice to pursue it,
and if it fails, they can be re-admitted.
The average daily case load for
in-home services is 65. In the Johnston
facility, director Dee Dee Kennedy reports
that its average population is 11, although
they have 13 beds. She also reports that
some in-facility patients are discharged
when their condition stabilizes to the point
that they are no longer considered terminal.
Hospice service is not just for
the patient. Its focus is as much on the
family as the patient. For example, some
hospices offer caregivers a needed respite
and offer follow-up services after death.
Most hospice care is covered
by Medicare.
Information can be
obtained from your family physician,
hospital social worker, or by calling
any hospice facility for information.
Deacon Mike Manno serves St.
Augustin Parish in Des Moines.
Highlights from the legislative session
It’s time for the annual edition
of our newsletter covering the highlights
of the 2013 Iowa legislative session from
the perspective of the Iowa Catholic
Conference. The session convened on Jan.
14 and adjourned “sine die” on May 23.
The ICC plans its legislative
advocacy with several committees
comprised of staff members from the
four dioceses. The committees propose
legislative concerns for the bishops’
approval and help us get the word out
in the Catholic community about how
parishioners can impact issues at the capitol.
Following
last
November’s
elections, the Democrats controlled the
Iowa Senate by a 26-24 margin and the
Republicans had a 53-47 edge in the
House. Surprisingly the chambers agree on
several big pieces of legislation including
health care for low-income people,
property tax cuts and education reform.
Let’s take a look at the
session through the lens of the
social
teaching
of
the
Church.
Education
One of our goals is to encourage
the state to provide parents with the
resources to choose the school their
children will attend. I talk with many
parents who would like to choose a
Catholic school for their children, but
they think they just can’t afford it.
One of the ways our state already
helps lower-income parents to make
this choice is through the School Tuition
Organization tax credit. Donors who give
to scholarship funds can take 65 percent
of their gift amount off of their Iowa
income taxes! This helps the STOs raise
money for scholarships. After months
of consideration, on the final day of the
session the legislature approved House
File 625, which contains an increase
in the STO tax credits statewide from
$8.75 to $12 million. The bill also makes
the tax credits for donors available to
additional types of business corporations.
An education reform bill, House
File 215, wound its way through the
legislature before approval in the final
days of the session. We supported a
few specific provisions found in House
File 215, including an optional system
for posting teaching opportunities and
the availability of “Teach Iowa” grants
for qualifying new teachers in Catholic
schools. The bill also makes it possible for
Capitol Comments
By
Tom Chapman
nonpublic schools to be accredited by an
approved independent accrediting agency
rather than the state board of education.
Senate File 452, the standing
appropriations bill, on final passage
included a needed increase in funding
for
transportation
of
nonpublic
school students, from $7 to $8.6
million.
This
money
reimburses
public schools or parents, depending
on who provides the transportation.
We were pleased that a cut in
funding for Area Education Agencies was
reduced from $20 to $15 million, and
that public schools will receive a bump
in funding to help teach students for
whom English is not their first language.
Family Life
The ICC successfully opposed
House Study Bill 11. It proposed to
essentially eliminate the waiting period
before a divorce. We believe that a
waiting period can give both parties the
opportunity to really consider the impact of
divorce and help insure that all issues have
time to be addressed. Every attorney I’ve
spoken with has told me that some couples
reconcile during the divorce process.
Further, as has been shown, women and
children often suffer economically and
in other ways after a divorce. This is
properly a concern of the state. There
is still a provision in the Iowa Code for
granting a divorce decree more quickly
on grounds of “emergency or necessity.”
As in the past few years, the
ICC supported an amendment to Iowa’s
Constitution that recognizes marriage only
as a union of one man and one woman.
However, the proposal did not advance in
either chamber. The U.S. Supreme Court
is expected to rule later this month on the
constitutionality of the federal Defense of
Marriage Act as well as Prop 8 in California,
which defined marriage only as between
a man and a woman. Next year’s effort
depends in part on what the court does.
The Iowa Catholic Conference
opposed Senate Study Bill 1068,
which would legalize casinos to
offer poker over the Internet. The bill
did not advance out of committee.
Pro-Life
supports the protection of human life and
dignity as a foundational principle. We
oppose abortion, no matter the method.
However, since abortions do
take place, we believe the informed
consent and safety of the women involved
should be among our concerns, as well
as limiting the number of abortions as
much as possible. Many people don’t
realize that in Iowa, abortion is legal
throughout pregnancy for any reason.
During the session the ICC
supported House File 173, which would
outlaw “webcam” abortions. House
File 173 required a physician to be
physically present during an abortion
but did not interfere with other practices
of telemedicine. HF 173 passed out of
subcommittee but did not advance further.
Here in Iowa, it has proven
difficult to pass abortion-restriction
legislation when 1) A great majority of
Democrats oppose further regulation;
and 2) a few Republicans will not
vote for restrictions on abortions or
regulation of clinics because they
believe it is legitimizing legal abortion.
The conference supported House
Study Bill 205 and Senate File 267, which
would have offered tax credits to donors
to a nonprofit organization doing research
in regenerative medicine. We support such
research when it is done in an ethical way
without destroying embryos. As drafted
the legislation would help raise money for
the John Paul II Medical Research Institute
in Coralville. The bills did not advance.
Social Concerns
One of our priorities has been
to support state initiatives that would
make health care more readily affordable
to all Iowans, including immigrants and
their children. The Iowa bishops said
in their recent statement, “It is in this
spirit we reiterate our Catholic tradition
that teaches that health care is a natural
human right, essential to protecting
human life and dignity.” According to the
Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the
Church (447) “inadequate measures for
guaranteeing basic health care” are among
the causes that contribute to poverty.
Generally speaking the ICC
position was to support expanding
Medicaid as a step in the right
direction, and encourage improvements
in the governor’s alternative plan.
One of the positive aspects of the
2013 legislative session was the lack
of legislation that would make it more
difficult for immigrants who are here
illegally to support their families.
Regarding the issue of payday
loans, the ICC also supported Senate File
450. It passed out of the Senate Ways and
Means Committee but it went no further.
encouraged the legislature to modify
the sentencing possibilities of a minor
who commits first-degree murder. We
support the possibility of a sentence
other than “life without parole.” The
underlying principle is that we shouldn’t
treat minors as if they were adults.
Tom Chapman is the executive director of
the Iowa Catholic Conference, the public
policy arm of the Catholic Church in Iowa.
Letter to the Editor
To the Editor:
A big thank you to all the
people who helped me celebrate my
70th birthday and 44th anniversary
of ordination. The many party gifts,
cards, presents and your taking time
to come to the many celebrations were
deeply appreciated and humbling.
You have all been a source of
love and hope for me for many years
at YTM, CYC, the Wherehouse, TEC,
BDCC and all the others. Never think
that I don’t think of you often.
Love and thanksgiving to God for you
all,
Father Tom DeCarlo (Fr. Tank)
Johnston
5
www.dmdiocese.org
Opinion
A Year of Faith
Home reflections on the Second Vatican Council
In the 1960s, the Second
Vatican Council snatched a Spiritan, Rev.
John Daily, from St. John’s School at Alor
as a ‘Peritus’. That set in motion a series
of changes. Rev. Gerald T. Ryan became
our ‘Acting Principal’. Then Rev. John
Fitzpatrick, a famous school master, took
over. When Rev. Daily returned to Nigeria
he became the rector of a major diocesan
seminary, “The Bigard Memorial.”
In his wake were rumors of lots
of upcoming changes that would later
become the outstanding hallmarks of that
recent council: more liturgical roles for
women, indigenization of the liturgy in
language and music, experimentations
in religious orders, and sharing of the
truth with other religions. In short, it
sounded like opening the windows of
the church to let in a lot of fresh air.
Year of Faith
Father
Felix Onuora
It began during my
student years at Alor and ended while I
discerned my vocation to the priesthood. I
studied the documents as a part of my course
work. It was fun memorizing the titles each
document and the theologians behind them.
Of course, there was some
confusion
between
freedom
and
license in the pursuit of these changes.
Overnight, virtually all aspects of our
so called traditional pagan culture
were ripened for baptism and openly
invited into the liturgy. Nonetheless,
doubt and suspicion reigned for a while.
But the church did not disintegrate.
Gradually, the acceptance of the changes
and experiments gained momentum.
In the seminaries, the emphasis
on Latin gradually diminished but did not
disappear completely. Local instruments
were permitted in the liturgy. The Latin
text of the Breviary still stayed on for a
while. The speculation on the possibility
of the implementation of a married
clergy in the Latin rite turned out later
to be a mere figment of the imagination.
So many years later, the Church is
now facing a totally different set of crisis
and perhaps in dire need of another Vatican
Council. Some want the next council
to focus on the laity or the presbyterate
just as the Second Vatican Council was
said to have focused on the episcopate.
In this year of faith, we must try to
utilize the instruments of the social media
in order to stay in tune with the signs of the
times. We know that the young shall grow.
Hence attention to our youth must be of
paramount importance as they become the
leaders of tomorrow. Now is a period of
‘adjustments’ as we envision the future.
Father Felix Onuora is pastor of the
following parishes: St. Patrick in
Dunlap, Holy Family in Mondamin
and Sacred Heart in Woodbine.
Christ in person is all God needs to say
Last month, we looked at the
proclamation of Scripture at Mass, and
how the Pentecost liturgies exemplify
some of the “rich fare” of sacred Scripture
called for by the Second Vatican Council.
Once the word of God has been proclaimed
in the midst of the assembly (one way in
which we experience Christ’s presence at
Mass), we take time for that word to be
broken open in the homily.
Priests and deacons are charged
with the roles of “preaching and teaching”
the word of God. Luke’s account of Jesus
reading a passage from Isaiah in the midst
of the worshiping assembly is striking in
the way it evokes images of our Sunday
worship: “Rolling up the scroll, [Jesus]
handed it back to the attendant and sat down,
and the eyes of all in the
Lift Up Your Hearts
Kyle
Lechtenberg
synagogue looked intently at him.
He
said
to
them,
‘Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in
your hearing.’”
-
Luke 4:21 (NAB)
That may be the shortest homily
ever given! When the Word-Made-Flesh
is there in human form, perhaps not much
needs to be said. Christ in person is all that
God needs to say. This is the conclusion of
the passage heard at the Chrism Mass and
is preceded by Isaiah’s proclamation that
God has anointed to walk with the poor in
solidarity and compassion (see Luke 4:1621, quoting Isaiah).
We, on this side of the Resurrection
of Jesus Christ, know his presence in many
ways. In the homily, the minister uses his
own experiences, the Christian tradition,
the current cultural situation, and many
other factors to help the assembly piece
together three aspects of God’s voice: how
God has spoken in the past, how God is
speaking in this present moment, and how
God is calling us to respond to that word.
Christian liturgy is not historical reenactment or a literary study of old texts. In
the New Testament Letter to the Hebrews
(4:12), we hear, “Indeed, the word of God is
living and effective, sharper than any twoedged sword, penetrating even between
soul and spirit, joints and marrow, and able
to discern reflections and thoughts of the
heart.” In the homily, Christ’s presence in
the Word of God is applied to our lives, so
that all of us, God’s holy people, can claim
our baptismal identity and call to walk
with the poor in solidary and compassion.
Kyle Lechtenberg is director of the
diocesan Office for Worship and welcomes
comments or questions at (515) 237-5046
or klechtenberg@dmdiocese.org.
Jesus can accomplish powerful things through us
June 29 is one of my favorite
feast days of the year, the solemnity of
Ss. Peter and Paul. I love this day for a
lot of reasons, but most of all because
on this day my wife agreed to marry
me! I loved the day even before our
engagement, and in fact I proposed
marriage on June 29 because of what Ss.
Peter and Paul taught me about marriage.
I’ve always loved these two saints
because of the incredible mission Jesus
gave them to accomplish. These two men
were asked not only to lead the Church,
but to go out and convert all nations! They
were given such an incredibly important
mission, and for a young man who
Lift Up Your Hearts
Adam
Storey
loved adventure, I
admired them and hoped to emulate them.
Through discerning marriage
with my wife, I realized that it was exactly
through my marriage that I would follow
them, and so I proposed on their feast
day. While Christ didn’t call me to lead
the Church and convert nations, he did call
me to lead our domestic Church, and my
wife and I are called to evangelize each
other, our children, and those around us
daily. I learned that marriage is not for
the faint-hearted! Marriage is a vocation
of radical self-sacrifice and heroic love. It
is challenging, but when we invite Christ
into our marriages and allow him to act
through us, he can do powerful things,
just like he did with Ss. Peter and Paul.
Every person has a built-in desire
for greatness, and this makes sense when
we remember that greatness is precisely
what God created us for. The problem
comes when we try to find our fulfillment
in things that will never satisfy, such as in
our jobs, our wealth, or our social lives.
Our marriages can at times feel routine and
mundane, and instead of seeing them as
the very instrument of our sanctification,
we approach them as just another time
commitment. Ss. Peter and Paul are
reminders that we are made for greatness,
and our marriages thrive when we recognize
them as the very key to fulfilling this call!
Adam Storey is the diocesan
director of Marriage and Family Life. He
can be reached at astorey@dmdiocese.org.
Three foolproof ways to lead joyful Christian life
Editor’s Note: This speech, given at
the graduation ceremony for Dowling
Catholic High School, has been edited for
space.
I can honestly say that the past
four years at Dowling, have been the best
four years of my life. We have so many
people to thank.
Sadly, this is the last time we will
be together as an entire class. We’ve had
some great memories here, and we look
forward to making even better ones in the
future.
Now, you might be thinking how
can I lead a joyful life with this harsh
reality of life? How can I be a leader for
life centered on Christ? Well I have three
helpful, foolproof ways to lead a joyful,
Christian life. 1.) Be not afraid (trust) 2.)
Develop a friendship with God (friendship)
3.) Enjoy the beauty of God’s love (enjoy).
This can be your battle plan.
I’ve heard it said, “Nothing worth
having in this life comes easy.” So
Award Receipient
Ben
Baker
I say to you accept this challenge
and “Be Not Afraid.” This phrase is
found 366 times in the bible. This is no
coincidence. There are 366 days in a year
including leap year, and so this is God’s
daily reminder that there is no need of fear
when he is on our side.
If we have a friendship, with
God, then we cannot fail. So I implore
you to go to Sunday Mass, or if you’re
not Catholic attend a religious service or
be consistent in searching for the truth.
Develop a moral code to live by. Develop
a relationship with God. He simply wants
to be your friend, hear how you are and
how your day is going. He is desperate
for communication with you, and that is
what prayer is, a conversation between you
and God. He is so desperate that he was
willing to die on a cross. He wants you
to be happy more than anything else. So
please give an hour of your week to him.
God has blessed us with
outstanding beauty that surrounds our daily
lives. I recommend you find the beauty in
your life. Take a close look at everything
around us, from nature to our relationships.
If we were to take a close look around you
will be overwhelmed with the amount of
love that God has for us. The last quote
from the great show, “The Office,” sums
this thought up perfectly, “There’s a lot of
beauty in the ordinary things.”
So remember, trust, friendship,
enjoy. I guarantee you that if you can do
these three things, not only will you be
happy, people around you will be happy.
This is because you will be spreading the
peace of Christ.
What does Pax Christi mean? It
is a call for each and everyone us to be
the peace of Christ in others’ lives. This
is the fundamental thing that we are to
learn at Dowling Catholic. It is Dowling’s
mission to make us leaders for life,
centered on Christ.
I may have a call to the
priesthood, but my call, and your call in
baptism is to be priest, prophet and king.
We are all called to the same vocation of
sainthood.
My fellow classmates, I’m going
to leave you with seven words that I am
going to try to live by. I challenge you to
do the same: “Be not afraid to be a saint.”
Ben Baker was selected by fellow students
for the Pax Christi honor.
8
Marriage and Family Life News
www.dmdiocese.org
Des Moines couple’s advice Natural Family
on natural family planning Planning embraces
femininity naturally
With Natural Family Planning
Week July 21-27, one couple
shares their perspective.
Brendan and Rachel Egan have
been married five years and have
two children, Teresa, 3, and John
10 months. They belong to St.
Theresa Parish in Des Moines.
B r e n d a n :
Another
thing
that peaked our
interest was that
couples
who
use NFP have
a
shockingly
low divorce rate
of less than 5
percent. We want
When did you first hear
our marriage to
about NFP?
last, so we knew
Rachel: I had heard little bits it was something
about NFP throughout my life, we
wanted
and I learned some about NFP to look into.
during a Theology of the Body study at college, but I still didn’t Was it
really know how it worked. When difficult to
Brendan and I got engaged, we learn?
started asking married couples Rachel: To be
we respected for their best honest, it was a little difficult for
marriage advice, and several of us. My cycle was a little crazy
them said that NFP had been a while we were learning because
beautiful, important part of their I wasn’t sleeping much and was
marriage and that it helped foster stressed as we worked to finish
true love in their relationship. college and plan our wedding. But
NFP kept coming up, and so during the CCL class the teaching
we signed up for the Couple to couple was so helpful and gave us
Couple League (CCL) NFP class. lots of tips. We learned a lot over
time by recognizing patterns of
Brendan: I first heard about how my body worked. It became
NFP in college at St. Thomas a lot easier and we were able to
Parish in Ames when we successfully use NFP to wait to
participated in a Theology of the have children for the first year of
Body study for college students. our marriage while we were doing
service in East Timor, a developing
How did you decide
country just north of Australia. to use NFP in your
marriage? What are the best and
Rachel: We had learned the hardest parts about
benefits of using NFP for spiritual using it?
and health reasons. Between The hardest part of using NFP is
those benefits and the example keeping track of everything daily,
of many couples we knew especially with how crazy life is
who use NFP and have happy, with little kids. But once you get
thriving marriages, we knew into the habit, it becomes easy.
it was the only option for us. The best part is the
intimacy it develops in a couple.
It takes you to a deep level of
conversation quickly, and helps
you to feel very connected as
you both learn to love more
sacrificially.
Practicing
that
kind of love is God’s design for
marriage, and it is beautiful!
What advice would
you give couples who
may be interested in
learning NFP, but are
also hesitant to take the
leap?
Do it! Do some research on the
reasons why the Church says
to use NFP. Talk to couples
who have used it. Look at their
marriages, kids, and example and
see if that is the kind of quality
marriage and family you are
hoping to have. That’s what we
did and we were amazed by what
we found! NFP is a beautiful
thing and we know it will be a
blessing to your marriage.
INDEPENDENCE
CELEBRATION
Pray for Life, Marriage,
and Religious Liberty
Mass, Holy Hour, and Reception
Sunday, July 7
10:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Pray with Bishop Richard Pates at this
FORTNIGHT FOR FREEDOM event.
Most married Catholics
have heard of Natural Family
Planning in their marriage
preparation process, and know
that it is the approved method
of the Catholic Church for
responsibly spacing children.
However, many wonder how
it differs from contraceptive
devices and birth control pills.
It can seem that in both
cases the end result appears
the same: a family spaced
to best fit its needs. B
But I assure you,
NFP is different. It is different
in approach, outlook, and
freedom.
Using
NFP is
empowering and freeing in ways
contraceptives, by design, are
incapable of doing.
When secular culture
talks about sex, the message is
we need to protect ourselves and
be safe. These aren’t words of
empowerment or acceptance of
one’s natural, healthy abilities.
These are words meant to
evoke fear. The contraceptive
culture wants us to be afraid
because if we are afraid we
will look to contraception to be
saved. In this, we are teaching
our daughters to fear their
bodies, not understand them.
Natural
Family
Planning, however, works as
a form of fertility education,
embracing the natural feminine
abilities in a holistic way. A
healthy, fertile woman is not
made to hide, or shut down that
very feminine, and often very
healthy, part of her body. With
NFP she is treated with respect
and trained with a system
that promotes healing and
health. By its very nature, NFP
recognizes on a cyclical basis,
the ability for the couple to cocreate new life. Through prayer
and discernment, the couple
is able to avoid or achieve
pregnancy using a system that
is based in knowledge, not fear.
What a gift to belong
to a Church that recognizes and
affirms the truth of our bodies!
Jesus taught us that he came so
that we might have joy and life
and this is powerfully confirmed
in his teaching on sexuality.
July 21st-27th is NFP Awareness
Week.
I would encourage
people to learn more about the
truth and beauty of NFP, and to
share the good news with others.
Kristin Detloff is a
member of St. Mary’s Catholic
Church in Pella. Learn more
about the gift of NFP at her
website:
livingthesacrament.
com. To learn more about
NFP awareness week, and
NFP opportunities within the
diocese, visit our website at:
http://www.dmdiocese.org/
natural-family-planning.cfm
CELEBRACION DE
INDEPENDENCIA
Para orar por La Vida,
El Matrimonio,
y la Libertad Religiosa
Misa, Hora Santa y Recepción
Domingo 7 de Julio
10:30 a.m. a 2:00 p.m.
Oremos con el Obispo Richard Pates
en el evento QUINCENA POR LA LIBERTAD.
10:30 a.m. Mass with Bishop Pates (St. Ambrose Cathedral)
10:30 a.m. Misa con El Obispo Pates (St. Ambrose Cathedral)
11:30 a.m. Holy Hour to pray for Marriage, Life, and
Religious Liberty in our country (St. Ambrose Cathedral)
11:30 a.m. Hora Santa para orar por El Matrimonio. La Vida,
y La Libertad Religiosa en nuestro pais (St. Ambrose Cathedral)
12:45 p.m. Reception (Catholic Pastoral Center,
across the street from Cathedral, 6th and Grand)
12:45 p.m. Recepción (Centro Pastoral Católico que esta
frente a la Catedral, en la calle 6th y Grand)
SPONSORED BY THE CATHOLIC DIOCESE OF DES MOINES
PATROCINADO POR LA DIOCESIS CATOLICA DE DES MOINES
Marriage and Family Life News
Diocesan couple celebrates
70 years of marriage
Staff Writer
When Irene and Victor
Schlautman
were
married
Feb.9, 1943, it was war time.
World War II was
raging in Europe, and they
were rationing sugar and gas.
They didn’t have much.
But they had each other. And that
hasn’t changed for over 70 years.
The Schlautmans were
among six couples celebrating their
milestone anniversary on June 2
at the diocesan Anniversary Mass
at St. Patrick Church in Council
Bluffs with Bishop Richard Pates
and Father Glen Wilwerding.
Irene
said
their
ability to make it through thick
and thin can be credited to
putting God first in their lives.
“To me that’s the only
way you make it through,” she
said. “You’re always banking
back on God. You pray for so
many things, and it seems like it’s
always the best cure for anything.
Going to church is a big thing for
me – I think it’s very important.”
They
made
sure
their
kids
were
instilled
with those values as well.
“We’ve always [gone
to church] with the kids and
always prayed the rosary with
them,” she continued. “If you
do those things with them you
have it pretty well conquered.”
Father
Wilwerding
said their commitment to God
and each other is evident.
“They genuinely enjoy
each other’s company. They still get
to church and are always very faithful
and committed,” he said. “You can
just see how important the faith
is to them. It’s encouraging to see,
particularly after so many years.”
Irene said she sees
families so busy with activities
nowadays that prayer has lost its
priority. Marriage longevity has also
drastically changed. Researchers
currently estimate that 40 percent
to 50 percent of first marriages and
a higher percentage of remarriages
(an additional 10 percent to 20
percent) will end in divorce. (www.
healthymarriageinfo.org/research)
“I don’t think people
really make a commitment
anymore,” she said
Every
marriage
is
bound to have its ups and downs,
Irene said. Sticking with it is key.
“We got low on money,
things got stressful having six
kids,” she said. “As long as you
hang together you make it through.”
Adam Storey, director
for the diocesan Marriage and
Family Life Office, said the
Schlautmans are a true model
of faithfulness, especially in
today’s
disposable
culture.
“Marriages
are
an
incarnation of God’s love,” Storey
said. “The Schlautmans are a
great example of faithfulness, of
God’s love in the world and selfsacrifice. Their marriage becomes
like a billboard for the rest of us.
If you want to know what God’s
love is like, look at this couple.”
The next anniversary Mass
will be held at St. Ambrose Cathedral
at 4 p.m. on August 10. To learn
more contact Storey at 515-2375056 or astorey@dmdiocese.org.
Fortnight for Freedom continued
Continued from page 1
of Des Moines about
the importance of preserving the
fundamental right of religious
freedom,” wrote Bishop Pates.
Archbishop
William
Lori,
chair of the bishops’ ad hoc
Committee
for
Religious
Liberty, said there are three
reasons for this year’s fortnight.
-- The U.S. Supreme
Court’s expected June ruling
on marriage could have grave
implications
for
religious
freedom. The decision is
expected during the fortnight.
-- The Aug. 1 deadline
for complying with the HHS
mandate will be a month
away. “As we now know, after
extensive study and analysis of
the latest proposal, we are still far
from receiving the relief we need
through the regulatory process,”
according to memo from the U.S.
Conference of Catholic Bishops.
-- The fortnight offers
the opportunity to highlight a full
range of ongoing religious freedom
issues such as immigration,
adoption and disaster relief.
For more information
on the Fortnight for Freedom
and
the
Independence
Celebration, go to the diocesan
website
dmdiocese.org
and
click on the Religious Liberty
link in the lower right corner.
Religious liberty has been weakened
Pope Benedict XVI
spoke last year about his worry
that religious liberty in the United
States is being weakened. He
called religious liberty the “most
cherished of American freedoms.”
However, unfortunately, our
most cherished freedom is under
threat. Consider the following:
HHS
mandate
for
contraception, sterilization, and
abortion-inducing drugs.
The
mandate of the Department of
Health and Human Services forces
religious institutions to facilitate
and fund a product contrary to
their own moral teaching. Further,
the federal government tries to
define which religious institutions
are “religious enough” to merit
protection of their religious liberty.
Catholic foster care
and adoption services. Boston,
San Francisco, the District of
Columbia, and the State of
Illinois have driven local Catholic
Charities out of the business
of providing adoption or foster
care
services—by
revoking
their licenses, by ending their
government contracts, or both—
because those Charities refused
to place children with same-sex
couples or unmarried oppositesex couples who cohabit.
State immigration laws.
Several states have recently
passed laws that forbid what
they deem as “harboring” of
undocumented
immigrants—
and what the Church deems
Christian charity and pastoral
care to these immigrants.
Discrimination against
small church congregations.
New York City adopted a policy
that barred the Bronx Household
of Faith and other churches
from renting public schools on
weekends for worship services,
even
though
non-religious
groups could rent the same
schools for many other uses.
Litigation in this case continues.
Discrimination
against Catholic humanitarian
services.
After years of
excellent performance by the
U.S. Conference of Catholic
Bishops’ Migration and Refugee
Services (MRS) in administering
contract services for victims of
human trafficking, the federal
government changed its contract
specifications to require MRS to
provide or refer for contraceptive
and
abortion
services
in
violation of Catholic teaching.
Christian
students
on campus. In its over-100year history, the University of
California Hastings College
of Law has denied student
organization status to only
one group, the Christian Legal
Society, because it required
its leaders to be Christian
and to abstain from sexual
activity outside of marriage.
Forcing religious groups
to host same-sex “marriage” or
civil union ceremonies. A New
Jersey judge recently found that
a Methodist ministry violated
state law when the ministry
declined to allow two women to
hold a “civil union” ceremony
on its private property. Further,
a civil rights complaint has
been filed against the Catholic
Church in Hawaii by a person
requesting to use a chapel to hold
a same-sex “marriage” ceremony.
Is our most cherished
freedom truly under threat? Yes,
Pope Benedict XVI recognized
just last year that various attempts
to limit the freedom of religion in
the United States are particularly
concerning.
The threat to
religious freedom is larger than
any single case or issue and
has its roots in secularism in
our culture. The Holy Father
has asked for the laity to have
courage to counter secularism
that would “delegitimize the
Church’s
participation
in
public debate about the issues
which are determining the
future of American society.”
Resouce: U.S. Conference of
Catholic Bishops
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9
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Cohabitation
and
honesty
By Adam Storey
Contributing Writer
Marriage preparation
begins
long
before
marriage
is
proposed.
I learned this lesson
as a child when I encountered
my
sisters’
“wedding
binders” overflowing with
magazine cutouts of the
perfect wedding experience.
This was shocking,
and a little creepy to an 11year old, but now that I work
in marriage preparation I think
it touched on a more significant
truth. The truth is, all of us
make decisions prior to our
engagements that we’ll carry
well past our wedding days.
This fact is most
obvious in one of most common
mistakes couples make during
their
dating
relationship,
which is living together before
marriage,
or
cohabitation.
There
are
many
motivations behind cohabitation.
Couples move in together to learn
more about their partner, as a
trial run for marriage, or to save
money. These are wonderful
goals but the problem is
that
cohabitation
actually
undermines the very things
young couples want to achieve.
The Church condemns
cohabitation because it most often
involves a sexual relationship
(although even when it does not, it
can cause scandal) and pre-marital
sex is always dishonest sex. Sex
is a physical expression of the
spiritual commitment made on
the wedding day, and so outside
of this context sex is always
saying something that’s not
true. You don’t have to be an
expert to see that dishonesty
is not something to bring
into marriage, and that’s why
I always encourage couples to
either remain chaste, or reclaim
chastity, before their wedding day.
The Church’s teaching
on cohabitation is not just a
vestige of the past, but it is a
message of love that is rooted
in truth. Since this teaching is
rooted it truth, it’s interesting
to note that social research
confirms it.
Cohabitation
does not lead to happier or
more stable marriages, and in
fact, in many cases it leads to
the exact opposite. Working in
the Marriage and Family Life
Office has taught me many
things. One lesson that has been
confirmed over and over again
is the great love that motivates
all of the Church’s teaching, and
the profound wisdom behind it.
To
learn
more
about the sociological effects
of
cohabitation,
visit
slidingvsdeciding.blogspot.com.
For more information,
contact Adam Storey in the
diocesan Marriage Ministry
Office at 515-237-5056 or e-mail
him at astorey@dmdiocese.org.
10
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Priests celebrate anniversaries
Several
diocesan
priests are celebrating milestone
anniversaries
this
year.
60
years
Father Ben Kenkel
celebrated his 60th anniversary of
priestly ordination on June 4, having
been ordained in 1953. He earned
a Canon law degree and served
the diocese in administration,
education and parish ministry
before
retiring
in
2001.
Father Kenkel served
as vice chancellor shortly after
ordination and as dean of studies at Mt.
St. Bernard Seminary in Dubuque.
In parish ministry, he
served the following parishes:
St. Ambrose Cathedral and St.
Anthony in Des Moines, St.
Mary in Rosemount, St. Peter in
Council Bluffs, St. Mary in Guthrie
Center and St. Cecilia in Panora.
Congratulatory
notes
can be sent to him at: Elmcrest
Retirement Community, 2108 12th
St., Apt. 151, Harlan, IA 51537.
45 years
Father Don Bruck celebrated
his 45th anniversary of priestly
ordination on June 2, having
been
ordained
in
1968.
Father Bruck served
primarily in parish ministry
until his retirement in 2011. In
addition, he served on the faculty
of Dowling Catholic High School
and St. Joseph Educational Center
in the early 1970s. He served the
following parishes: All Saints,
Christ the King, and St. Augustin
in Des Moines; St. Patrick in
Council Bluffs, St. Peter in
Defiance, St. Clare in Clarinda, St.
Joseph in Villisca, Sacred Heart in
Bedford, St. Mary in Red Oak, St.
Thomas in Indianola, St. Mary in
Shenandoah, St. Mary in Hamburg
and Holy Rosary in Glenwood.
35 years
Father
Howard
Fitzgerald celebrates the 35th
anniversary of his ordination
to priesthood July 7, having
been
ordained
in
1978.
After ordination, he
served on the faculty of St. Albert
High School in Council Bluffs
and on a pastoral team that served
St. Mary in Panama, St. Mary in
Portsmouth and St. Boniface in
Westphalia. Father has served
parishes across the diocese
including: St. Pius X in Urbandale,
St. Peter and St. Francis Worship
Center in Council Bluffs, Holy
Spirit in Creston, St. Edward
in Afton, St. Patrick in Dunlap,
Sacred Heart in Woodbine, St.
Michael in Harlan, Ss. John and
Paul in Altoona, St. Joseph in
Earling, St. Peter in Defiance,
St. Patrick in Dunlap, Holy
Family in Mondamin and Holy
Rosary, where he serves today.
Also celebrating his
35th anniversary of priestly
ordination is Father Dan Krettek.
Father
Krettek
was
ordained in 1978 and holds a Canon
law degree. He has served in parish
ministry assists, assists the diocesan
Tribunal and has served as priest
for Emmaus House in Des Moines .
Father Krettek has served
the following parishes: St. Pius X
in Urbandale, St. Timothy in Reno,
Our Lady of Grace in Griswold,
Immaculate Conception in St.
Mary’s, Assumption in Churchville
and St. Patrick in Irish Settlement.
He currently is pastor of St. MaryHoly Cross Parish in Elkhart.
Father Krettek has also
assisted with campus ministry at
Dowling Catholic High School.
30 years
Father
Martin
Chevalier
celebrates the 30th anniversary of
his priestly ordination Nov. 26,
having been ordained in 1983.
He has served at several parishes
and in hospital chaplaincy.
Father has served the
following parishes: Sacred Heart
in West Des Moines, St. John
in Adair, St. Mary in Anita, St.
Joseph in Casey, Queen of Apostles
in Council Bluffs, St. John in
Adel, Holy Trinity of Southeast
Warren County, St. Elizabeth
Seton in Carlisle, Immaculate
Conception
in
St.
Mary’s,
Assumption in Churchville and
St. Patrick in Irish Settlement.
He has served Mercy
Medical Center as chaplain and
Carondelet Health System/St.
Joseph Medical Center in Kansas
City, Mo. He currently serves
as hospice chaplain at Grace
Hospice in Kansas City, Mo.
25
years
–
May
28
Father Michael Peters
celebrated his 25th anniversary
of priestly ordination on May 28
with a Mass of Thanksgiving.
Father
Peters
was
ordained in 1988 and has served
primarily in parish ministry.
He has served at the following
parishes: St. Theresa and St.
Anthony in Des Moines, Ss. Peter
and Paul in Atlantic, St. Patrick in
Massena, St. Mary in Panama and
St. Boniface in Westphalia. He
currently serves as pastor at St.
Mary in Guthrie Center, St. Cecilia
in Panora, St. Patrick in Bayard.
Immaculate Heart in Ankeny, St.
Patrick in Corning, St. Patrick
in Lenox, Ss. Peter and Paul in
Atlantic and St. Mary in Anita.
Fr. John Harmon also
celebrates the 20th anniversary of
his priestly ordination. He plans to
celebrate with a Mass on June 30
at 11 a.m. followed by a reception.
Ordained in 1993, Father
Harmon has served at the following
parishes: Holy Trinity in Des
Moines, St. Anne in Logan, Holy
Family in Mondamin, Immaculate
Conception ion St. Mary’s,
Assumption in Churchville, St.
Patrick in Irish Settlement, St.
Bernard in Osceola, St. Patrick in
Grand River, St. Joseph in Mt. Ayr
and Immaculate Conception in
Maloy. Since 2009, he has served
at St. Pius X Parish in Urbandale.
Father Ray Higgins
also celebrates the 20th anniversary
of
his
priestly
ordination.
Father
Higgins
has
served at the following parishes:
St. Ambrose Cathedral and St.
Anthony in Des Moines, St. Patrick
in Perry, Immaculate Conception
at St. Mary’s, Assumption in
Churchville and St. Patrick in
Irish Settlement. He currently
serves as pastor at All Saints
in Stuart and St. John in Adair.
10 years
Pisut
Father
Christopher
celebrated
the
10th
anniversary of his ordination to
priesthood on June 13. . There will
be a Mass at 3 p.m. followed by a
reception on July 21 at Sacred Heart
in Chariton. He plans a combined
celebration with this parents,
who are celebrating their 50th
wedding anniversary, in August.
Father Pisut holds a
degree in Canon law and serves
as Judicial Vicar for the diocese.
In addition, he has served
in parish ministry. After ordination,
he served at St. Francis of Assisi
parish in West Des Moines.
Currently, in addition to serving
as Judicial Vicar, he serves the
following three parishes: Sacred
Heart in Chariton, St. Francis in
Corydon and St. Brendan in Leon.
20 years
Father Dan Siepker celebrates
the 20th anniversary of his
priestly
ordination
June
4,
having been ordained in 1993.
He has served at the
following parishes: Our Lady’s
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11
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Catechetical
leaders celebrate
30 years
Staff Writer
The Diocese of Des Moines
has two catechetical leaders who
have each served their parish for
the past 30 years. Though times
have changed, they have gained
wisdom and practical advice
which they offer to families.
LuAnn Baumker has
Catholic Mirror competition.qxp 5/6/2013 9:25 AM Page 1
been a catechetical leader with St.
Patrick Parish in Council Bluffs
All of Iowa’s bishops were on hand for the installation of the new Arcbishop Michael O.
for 30 years. She serves as the faith
Jackels. Archbishop Emeritus Jerome Hanus retired. (L-R) Bishop R. Walker Nickless
formation director at their parish.
of Sioux City, Bishop Emeritus Joseph Charron of Des Moines, Bishop Martin Amos of
She started out volunteering
Davenport, Archbishop Jackels and Bishop Richard Pates of Des Moines.
when her own kids were going
through the confirmation process.
She stuck with it, finding
herself
“enjoying
bringing
little ones to Christ. They were
always excited to keep learning
about Jesus,” Baumker said
She’s gained plenty
of insights along the way.
“I think children can
Barbara Bellizzi, Holy Trinity
Ben Grant, St. Augustin
pick up whether or not you
LuAnn
Baumker
of
St.
Sydney
Blanchard,
St.
Joseph’s
Sharon
Reid, St. Joseph’s
have a true relationship with
Patrick
in
Council
Bluffs
Kelly Broderick, St. Boniface
Cindy Phillips, St. Francis of Assisi
Christ, and I think that is what
affects them,” she said. “If (top) and Kathy Ecklin of St.
Randy Broich, St. Mary of Nazareth
Allyn Salz, St. Piux X
you are a true catechist, they Patrick in Lenox (bottom)
Mary
Jo
Brooks,
Sacred
Heart
Karl
Schmitz, Jr., St. Malachy’s
know that. When I am in the each celebrated 30 years
Tom Goodwin, St. Mary of Nazareth
Diana Shandri, St. Joseph’s
classroom, I try to stress that.” with their church.
Bill
Henry,
St.
Pius
X
Paul Sweeney, St. Pius X
Though the job of love with the work, especially
Jan Hogan, St. Francis of Assisi
John Wild, Christ The King
overseeing 378 kids and 50 the Catholic Youth Organization.
volunteers keeps her extremely
Tim
Hughes,
St.
Theresa’s
John
Wild,Sr., Christ The King
“I really get attached
busy, she still makes spending to the kids,” she said.
Ted Lockwood, St. Pius X
Larry Zahm, St. Pius X
time with God a priority.
Ecklin
gets
kids
“Take the time to be in involved in the community,
prayer every day if possible,” she teaching them the importance of
Funerals u Cremations u Pre-planning
said. “I’m fortunate that I work giving back and volunteerism.
for the church that does allow me
“I’m right there doing it
time to study what our church is with the kids,” she said. “We bag
u
u
and practice what we believe.” up food for kids against hunger.
It’s important to make We do different things for elderly
God a priority. But it can be in the parish, rake leaves at the
disappointing when families park, put up Christmas lights at the
don‘t make God a priority, said park, whatever need arises. We’ve
high school coordinator Jill Faust, gone to the Micah House, a place
who works closely with Baumker. for homeless people in Council
“Kids
are Bluffs. We’ve taken household
overcommitted,” Faust said. items and made meals there.”
“We’ve discovered there are a lot
She
also
teaches
of things happening on Sundays the importance of a personal
and Wednesdays, taking kids relationship
with
Christ.
away from parish life and family
“I tell them that we
life. There’s got to be priorities. all have choices to make, and
“It’s ok to say ‘no’ about sometimes we don’t make
the demands being placed on the best choices,” she said.
your families,” she continues. “But God will forgive us.”
“The church is there to support
Ecklin said that doesn’t
them and back them up.” mean we talk to God only when
Kathy Ecklin, director of we want or need something.
religious education at St. Patrick Relationships are a two-way street.
in Lenox has also served the
“Listen
to
him,”
church for 30 years, starting out she said. “Be there for him.”
as a volunteer in her daughter’s
confirmation class. She fell in
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Phoenix House expands its service area
Staff Writer
Catholic
Charities’
domestic violence and sexual
assault program, Phoenix House
in Council Bluffs, has announced
plans to expand its service area.
Starting July 1, they will offer
services to five additional counties
in the diocese: Audubon, Cass,
Shelby, Montgomery and Page
counties. They will also continue
to serve Harrison, Pottawattamie,
Mills and Fremont counties.
The
expansion
comes as a result of a change
in state and federal funding
allocations
for
programs
similar to Phoenix House.
State and federal funding
was increased this legislative
session to continue to provide
services for domestic violence
and sexual assault victims,
though funding at both the
state and federal level has been
dwindling for the last 10 years,
said Laurie Schipper, executive
director for the Iowa Coalition
Against Domestic Violence.
Diane McKee, program
manager at Phoenix House, said
the new community outreach
model they are using will help
better reach victims in their
own
communities.
Phoenix
House staff has been building
Continued from page 1
liturgical ministry in Council
Bluffs Region to retirement.
Father Coenen was
ordained in 1977. He has served
primarily in rural parishes in the
diocese. He has served at the
following parishes: Holy Spirit
Father George Komo,
who is parochial vicar at St.
Francis of Assisi Parish in
(Left) Phoenix House staff SaraAnn Lampert, outreach coordinator, and Diane McKee,
program manager, say they are excited about the expansion of services.
relationships with community
members in these counties,
including law enforcement,
medical personnel, Department
of Human Services and more.
“It
is
essential
that services are available
to people no matter where
they
live,”
McKee
said.
When
a
need
arises,
victim
advocates
will be dispatched. SaraAnn
Lampert, outreach coordinator
for Phoenix House, feels
the expansion is positive.
“I think rural areas often
get left aside,” she said. “The
regionalization of services in Iowa
has finally brought more light and
importance to serving the rural
areas. It’s going to be a really great
change and benefit to victims.”
Driving
to
the
victims and meeting them
in their own communities is
paramount,
Lampert
said.
“Some have never been
to Council Bluffs, or don’t know
how to drive in a big city and don’t
want to leave their town behind,”
she said. “Or they don’t have
the gas money or a babysitter.”
With several obstacles
West Des Moines will pursue
the
Benavides, who is
newly ordained, is
assigned as parochial
vicar of Sacred
Heart Church in
West Des Moines.
Fr.
Father Ross Moncada
Parker, who is newly
ordained, is assigned
as parochial vicar
at Corpus Christi
Parish and chaplain
at
St.
Albert
Catholic
Schools
in Council Bluffs.
Fr. Parker
F a t h e r
Adam Westphal, who
is newly ordained, is assigned as
parochial vicar at
St. Anthony Parish
in Des Moines.
Effective July 30
Father
David Polich, who Fr.
is pastor of St. Westphal
Patrick Church in
military chaplaincy
in the U.S. Army.
This
appointment
includes a temporary
a s s i g n m e n t
and
residence Fr. Komo
at
Immaculate
Conception
Church
in
St. Mary’s, Iowa, during
period
of
transition.
Father Komo, originally
of Kenya, was ordained in 2009.
Father has served several parishes
in the diocese including: Queen
of Apostles and Holy Family in
Council Bluffs and Our Lady
of Carter Lake in Carter Lake.
He also served as chaplain at St.
Albert School in Council Bluffs.
Since 2011, he
has served St.
Francis of Assisi
Parish in West
Des
Moines.
Father
Guthrie Dolan,
who is parochial
Fr. Dolan
vicar
at
St.
Anthony
Parish
in Des Moines, will become
parochial vicar of St. Francis of
Assisi Church in West Des Moines.
Father
Dolan
was
ordained
in
2011.
Father Fabián Moncada
and time involved in making
the trip to Council Bluffs, many
scrap the idea completely.
“We want to make it as
easy as possible,” Lampert said.
Phoenix House provides
a multitude of services for
victims at no cost, including
confidential, 24-hour emergency
shelter, a 24-hour crisis line, legal
advocacy, hospital response,
education
on
prevention,
finances and support groups.
Schipper said the Iowa
Coalition Against Domestic
Violence has changed their
approach
moving
forward,
making
much
better
use
of
the
dollars
available.
“Shelter
services
take nearly half of [ICADV’s]
resources,” she said. “We are
going towards more of an outreach
based, rapid re-housing model;
getting women into permanent,
safe housing right away.”
Advocates who were
normally required to stay and
staff the shelter will now be
free to travel to the victim’s
community to offer support.
For help, call 1-888612-0266, or visit www.
CatholicCharitiesDM.
org and click on Phoenix
House
to
learn
more.
Perry, will become pastor of St.
Bernard Parish in Osceola, St.
Patrick Parish in Grand River
and St. Joseph
Parish in Mt. Ayr.
Father
Polich
was
ordained in 1976.
He has served
several parishes Fr. Polich
including:
St.
Joseph, St. Anthony and Christ
the King in Des Moines. He also
served St. Michael in Harlan,
Immaculate
Conception
in
Maloy, St. Joseph in Mt. Ayr
and Holy Trinity of Southeast
Warren County. In 2000, he
studied Spanish in Bolivia. When
he returned, he began to serve
parishes with a significant number
of Spanish-speaking parishioners
including Visitation (now called
Our Lady of the Americas),
and St. Patrick Parish in Perry.
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Celebrate rural life with Mass Aug. 25
Staff Writer
This year’s Rural Life
Mass is set for Aug. 25 at 1 p.m.,
with an ice cream social to follow.
Bishop Pates will lead
the Mass and Ken Root, of the
Knights of Columbus radio
program Iowa Knight Life, and
former agricultural reporter for
WHO television and radio will
be a special guest speaker. The
event will be held at the farm
of Bob and Jo Mulvihill of St.
Patrick Parish in Irish Settlement.
Their farm is at 3108 Cumming
Road, located just five miles west
of Interstate 35 off the Cumming
Exit near Irish Settlement. .
The Mulvihills were
approached by Father Dan Kirby,
pastor of St. Patrick and St.
Joseph Parish in nearby Winterset
about hosting this year’s event.
Their farm is on a paved highway,
has plenty of space for lawn
chairs, parking and their barn
features the diocesan quilt. The
Mulvihills also live near Irish
Settlement – the same community
Blessed Pope John Paul II
visited while in Iowa in 1979.
“When Blessed Pope
John Paul II landed in the Des
Moines airport he went [straight]
to St. Patrick’s in Irish Settlement
and talked about the importance of
the land,” said Father Kirby. “And
Jo and Bob Mulvihills are hosting this year’s Rural Life Mass on their farm at 3108
Cumming Road, located just five miles west of Interstate 35 off the Cumming Exit near
Irish Settlement.
from there he celebrated Mass at farmers and all who are associated gratitude,
conservation
and
Living History Farms. Having the with agricultural production, I generosity, coupled with a
Mass in Madison County reminds want to say: The church highly healthy reliance on God.
us of the soon-to-be canonized esteems your work,” he said. “Every day the farmer
Blessed Pope John Paul II.” “Christ himself showed his is reminded of how much he
The Rural Life Mass esteem for agricultural life depends upon God,” he said.
also is a reminder of the when he described God his “From the heavens come the
importance of farmers, which father as ‘the vinedresser.’” rain, the wind and sunshine.
Blessed Pope John Paul II Blessed Pope John They occur without the farmer’s
spoke of in his homily that day. Paul II said three attitudes command or control. The farmer
“To all of you who are are appropriate for rural life: prepares the soil, plants the seed
and cultivates the crop. But God
makes it grow; he alone is the
source of life. Even the natural
disasters, such as hailstorms
and drought, tornadoes or
floods, remind the farmer of
his dependence upon God.”
Father Kirby said he
and the rest of the community
surrounding Irish Settlement and
Winterset are excited for the Mass.
“They
take
great
pride in being Iowans, and
we want to continue to foster
all that is good in rural life
and family farms,” he said.
Father John Dorton,
pastor of parishes in Panama,
Portsmouth and Westphalia, led
the Rural Life Mass in 2011 and
said it’s extremely important to
be cognizant of the role farmers
play in people’s lives, feeding not
just Iowans but the entire world.
“It is also a way of
highlighting the importance of
stewardship,” Father Dorton
said. “Stewardship involves
our relationship to the planet.
According to the book of
Genesis, God created human
beings in his own image and then
gave the world to us for our own
care and use, but not for abuse.”
And that ties in
with respect for the land
and animals by everyone.
Catholic Daughters of the Americas gains two pro-life advocates
By Mary Sue Wickham
Two members of the
Council Bluffs Catholic Daughters
Court St. Anthony #330 recently
became involved in a new pro-life
ministry of the Catholic Daughters.
Angela Shea, of St. Patrick
Parish in Council Bluffs, and Sue
Meidlinger, of Corpus Christi
Parish, are new members of the
CDA St. Anthony Court. Both serve
as board members for Gabriel’s
Corner Pregnancy Counseling
Center in Council Bluffs. Gabriel’s
Corner is a volunteer-based pro-
life pregnancy center that offers
ultrasounds, counseling, pregnancy
tests,
confidential
counseling,
parenting classes and more. The
center is supported by donations.
Gabriel’s Corner founders
Deacon Jean Plourde and his wife,
Kathy, of Corpus Christi Parish,
hold true to their mission statement.
Like the Angel Gabriel announced
in Luke’s gospel to Mary that
her child would be the savior,
Gabriel’s Corner helps mothers
understand they, too, carry a child
made in God’s image and likeness.
Shea and Meidlinger
became the pro-life resources for
the CDA because of their volunteer
experiences with Gabriel’s Corner.
For more information on
Gabriel’sCorner,gotogabrielscorner.com.
Mary Sue Wickham is a member
of the Catholic Daughters
Bishop Pates urges public discussion of U.S. use of drones
The United States’ use
of unmanned aerial vehicles, or
drones, to hunt down suspected
terrorists deserves a wide-scale
public discussion, said the
chairman of the U.S. bishops’
Committee on International Justice
and Peace. Bishop Richard E. Pates
of Des Moines, Iowa, raised a series
of ethical and moral questions
regarding the use of drones in places
such as Pakistan and Yemen in
detailed two-page letters to Thomas
E. Donilon, national security
adviser, and the chairs of several
House and Senate committees
dealing with national security,
foreign relations, intelligence
and government oversight. In the
correspondence, Bishop Pates also
called upon the U.S. officials to
“exercise leadership in advancing
international norms, standards
and restrictions” on the use of
drones and called for greater scru
tiny of their use. He suggested that
American counter-terrorism policy
should “employ non-military assets
to build peace through respect
for human rights and addressing
underlying
injustices
that
terrorists unscrupulously exploit.”
Retreat for ages 18-39 coming to Des Moines
A team of young Jesuits is
bringing its Hearts on Fire retreat
to Des Moines July 12-13 at Christ
the King Parish in Des Moines.
The
retreat
focuses
on the spiritual exercises of St.
Ignatius of Loyola and learning
practical ways to connect faith and
daily life, said Father Phil Hurley,
of the Apostleship of Prayer,
which coordinates the retreats.
The retreat is intended
for young adults, ages 18-39.
“We realized that in
a lot of dioceses and parishes,
there is something in place for
youth, meaning teenagers, but
not as much for young adults,”
said Father Hurley. Along
on the retreat will be Brian Tabor,
who has just finished his seventh
year of 12 years of formation.
His parents belong to Christ
the King Parish in Des Moines.
Classifieds
Coordinator of Multicultural
Ministry Position:
The Diocese of Davenport seeks a
Coordinator of Multicultural Ministries who serves as a delegate of the
Bishop for the ethnic communities.
Responsibilities include: coordinating the general activities of the ethnic cultures in the Diocese, providing support for parish ministry with
non-English-speaking people of the
Diocese and directing the training of
parish leadership in ethnic pastoral ministry, including catechesis,
schools, worship and outreach. Also,
coordinate Spanish and Vietnamese
language pastoral formation, as well
as the other non-English groups in
the diocese. Must be bilingual and
bicultural (Spanish/English), a practicing Catholic, degree in Theology
or related multicultural pastoral
studies preferred, experience in
catechetical work is essential.
Letters of reference and background
check will be expected. Send
resume and cover letter to Char
Maaske, 780 West Central Park Ave,
Davenport, Iowa 52804
maaske@davenportdiocese.org
Coordinator of Youth & Young
Adult Ministry Position: St. Mary
Catholic Church, a 650 family
parish in Solon, IA, is seeking a
Coordinator of Youth and Young
Adult Ministry. The position will
The retreat is sponsored
by the diocese, Christ the King
Parish, St. Theresa Parish’s young
adults and Young Catholic Adults
and Friends (also known as YCAF)
of St. Francis Parish. For more
information or to register online,
go to ApostleshipOfPrayer.org/
heartsonfire or contact April
Young at ayoung@dmdiocese.org.
be filled by one full-time or several
part time positions. The successful
candidate is an active and energetic
Catholic, passionate about the
faith and wants to creatively share
it with others. Responsibilities
include developing and overseeing
programs for K-12th grade, young
adults and young families. For a
complete job description, call the
parish office 319-624-2228 or go
to the website www.solonstmary.
org. Send resume and two letters of
reference to: Fr. James Vrba at 1749
Racine Ave. NE, Solon, IA 52333 or
email vrbaj@diodav.org. Deadline
for applications is July 1; with
anticipated hire date of August 1.
Guided/Directed Retreat
July 14 ‐ 20, 2013 During this retreat the group will gather daily for a conference. Each par�cipant will meet individually with one of the directors every day. Opportunity to join the monks for Mass and prayer. Enjoy the Center with its beau�ful grounds and artwork. Directors: Fr. Richard Reiser (St. James, Omaha), Fr. Kevin Schneider, SJ (Creighton Prep, Omaha), Renee L. O'Brien (Creighton University, ret.), Sr. Ann Marie Petrylka, OSM (St. Leo the Great, Omaha), and Fr. Thomas Leitner, OSB. Sunday, 6 p.m. to Saturday, 10 a.m.; Program Fee: $90 Rooms per night: Single Occupancy: $42.00 plus tax Double Occupancy: $34.00/person plus tax; Meals per day: $24.25 plus tax.
SAINT BENEDICT CENTER
Located 3 miles north of Schuyler, Nebraska, at Hwy. 15
P.O. Box 528 ● Schuyler, NE 68661 ● Phone: 402-352-8819 ● Fax 402-352-8884
Email: Retreats@StBenedictCenter.com ● Website: www.StBenedictCenter.com
Full-Time Director of Religious Education
Regina Inter-Parish Catholic Education Center
Iowa City, Iowa
Regina Inter-Parish Catholic Education Center has an opening for a
Director of Religious Education (DRE). This position reports to the
President with guidance from the pastors of Regina’s Tri-Parish
Religious Education Program. This position is responsible for
managing all facets of the parish religious education department and
the associated programming. This position recruits, trains, and
supervises all volunteer classroom teachers and aides, from
Kindergarten through 8th grade including any enrichment and/or
sacramental programs.
Position requirements include a minimum of a Bachelor’s degree in a
ministry related field or education with three-five year parish and/or
school experience. Strong communication and organizational skills, a
high level of computer literacy, including the use of electronic
communication methods and experience in a collaborative
environment is required. This position is only open to practicing
Catholics in good standing.
Interested applicants should email a cover letter, resume, and
reference to: lee.iben@icregina.com
14
www.dmdiocese.org
Insistiendo sobre la libertad religiosa
“Yo soy el Fiel Servidor del
Rey pero Dios es Primero”
– Santo Tomás Moro
La siguiente homilía la presentó
el Obispo Pates el 4 de Junio
en la Misa de la Asociación
Católica para la Salud (CHA
por sus siglas en inglés) con la
ocasión de la Asamblea Anual de
la CHA en Anaheim, California.
La
pregunta
que
hicieron Herodianos y Saduceos
a Jesús abarca el antiguo debate
que ha hostigado la relación
entre la Iglesia y el gobierno civil
desde tiempos inmemorables.
La respuesta de Jesús es clásica:
“Pagad a César lo que es de César
y a Dios lo que es de Dios.”
Jesús señala hábilmente
que César, o el gobierno,
tiene un papel propio al cual
debemos
ofrecer
nuestra
colaboración y que al mismo
tiempo Dios reclama nuestra
lealtad. Esto crea un conflicto
inevitable sobre jurisdicción.
¿Cómo podemos resolverlo?
En el imperio Romano, la
protección del Cristianismo surgió
con la conversión del emperador.
El Estado y la fe encontraron
la forma de trabajar cuando el
Emperador Constantino empezó
a creer en el Dios Cristiano.
La
tensión
surgió
nuevamente en la Edad Media y
en el renacimiento con las muertes
dramáticas de Santo Tomás
Becket y Santo Tomás Moro.
En los tiempos modernos, 22
mártires murieron en Uganda el 3
de junio de 1886 víctimas la cruel
By
Bishop
Richard E.
Pates
furia de sus gobernantes. Charles
Lwanga y sus acompañantes
reprocharon al Rey Mwanga por
su crueldad e inmoralidad. Ellos
fueron víctimas de martirio por su
posición heroica. En sus múltiples
respuestas heroicas a la opresión
religiosa, las últimas palabras
Santo Tomás Moro resuenan
a través de los siglos dando
testimonio de entendimiento
apropiado al pronunciamiento de
Jesús: “Yo soy el Fiel Servidor
del Rey pero Dios es Primero.”
El conflicto entre la fe
y el estado sigue estando muy
presente en nuestros tiempos. Al
formular sus enseñanzas, la fe
Católica se deriva de la obviedad
de la ley natural y de la revelación
de las escrituras. Muchas veces,
esas enseñanzas contradicen las
posiciones seculares que pregona
el gobierno. El determinar qué
es lo que pertenece a al César y
qué es lo que pertenece a Dios es
materia de constante debate en
las salas del poder ejecutivo del
gobierno, las legislaturas, cortes,
nuestras iglesias y escuelas y en
las calles de nuestras ciudades.
Los fundadores de
los Estados Unidos, al buscar
evitar la opresión religiosa que
caracterizaba las estructuras
gubernamentales en Europa,
creyeron que la libertad religiosa
era esencial para la prosperidad
humana, una creencia que ellos
consagraron en la Primera
Enmienda de la Constitución de
los Estados Unidos. La garantía
de libertad religiosa refleja
efectivamente la declaración:
“Pagad a César lo que es de César
y a Dios lo que es de Dios.”
Debido a que la religión
introduce a una autoridad que
puede desafiar los designios
del estado, el ejercicio de esta
libertad es declarada como la
primera de las libertades. Es casi
inevitable que el gobierno tome
acciones que violen la libertad
religiosa basándose en lo que
considera como la protección
de derechos más amplios. Sin
embargo, como lo declaró el
Concilio Vaticano Segundo en
Dignitatis Humanae:”La libertad
religiosa,… que exigen los
hombres para el cumplimiento
de su obligación de rendir culto a
Dios, se refiere a la inmunidad de
coacción en la sociedad civil” (#1).
Durante
los
siglos
XIX y XX, muchos estados
dispusieron de las Enmiendas
Blaine, que discriminan en contra
de las escuelas con afiliación
religiosa limitando la asistencia
pública que pueden recibir. Más
recientemente, el gobierno federal
ha negado contratos a agencias
religiosas, altamente efectivas y
competentes, que dan asistencia
a víctimas de tráfico de personas
así como importantes proyectos
de desarrollo en países del Tercer
Mundo, debido a conflictos
con objeciones religiosas y
morales. Hay que dar crédito a
USAID que envió instrucciones
el año pasado a misiones en los
1-800-HOMECARE
países para que atendieran el
problema que están enfrentando
las agencias internacionales
de asistencia.
La situación
respecto a víctimas de tráfico de
personas sigues siendo grave.
La intromisión más
notable y que aún requiere
una resolución adecuada es el
mandato del departamento de
Salud y Servicios Sociales (HHS)
pos sus siglas en inglés) que
exige cobertura de contraceptivos
y de esterilización bajo el
Acta del Cuidado de Salud de
Bajo Precio. El mandato del
HHS viola la libertad religiosa
en dos maneras específicas.
Primero, el mandato
está forzando acciones que
se oponen a l consciencia
personal. Las instituciones y
los individuos deben facilitar
y pagar cobertura que va en
contra de sus consciencias
por medio de medicamentos
que inducen abortos, que son
de naturaleza anticonceptiva
y que causan esterilidad.
Segundo, al tratar de
formular una excepción religiosa
en este mandato, el HHS define
qué es de carácter religioso y
qué no lo es. Una definición tan
limitada, tanto como se proponía
originalmente como cuando
se volvió a plantear en su más
reciente ronda de reglamentación,
niega la importante realidad
que tiene la fe en acción. La
educación Católica, Caridades
Católicas y Sistemas Católicos
de Salud son fe en acción. Ellos
expresan nuestras más profundas
creencias.
Estos ministerios
generan nuestras convicciones
de fe y se sostienen en éstas
mismas.
Nuestras creencias,
nuestra historia y tradición, así
como nuestra fe personal hablan
irrefutablemente de su identidad
religiosa Católica. En resumen,
estas identidades le pertenecen a
Dios como fuente de su origen.
No debe permitirse esta distinción
arbitraria que hace el HHS entre
“casas de alabanza” que merecen
esta protección y las casas
Cristianas que proveen cuidados
y salud que no la merecen.
La legislación que se
ha adoptado desde Roe v. Wade
ha protegido la libertad religiosa
y ha reconocido el derecho de
consciencia en leyes tales como
la enmienda a la Iglesia y la
Enmienda Weldon. Por lo tanto,
a pesar de que por ley se permiten
procedimientos cuestionables, lo
que pertenece a Dios se respeta
al no forzar a las instituciones
o a los individuos quienes
guiados por su consciencia
se niegan a proporcionar o
pagar tales procedimientos.
El buscar el equilibrio
entre las prerrogativas de César
y la de Dios sigue siendo un
asunto con serias consecuencias
en nuestros días, tanto nacional
como
internacionalmente.
Literalmente, en el nombre
de Dios, nosotros que nos
identificamos como Católicos,
somos llamados a unirnos
firmemente insistiendo en nuestra
libertad religiosa. Y hacemos
esto en nuestros esfuerzos de
educación, caridad y cuidados de
salud, unidos con la Iglesia bajo
el liderazgo designado por Jesús
– los Apóstoles y sus sucesores.
De
nueva
cuenta,
Dignitatis Humanae nos dice,
“el hombre tiene la obligación de
seguir su conciencia fielmente,
en toda su actividad, para llegar
a Dios, que es su fin. Por tanto,
no se le puede forzar a obrar
contra su conciencia” (#3).
En mi propio terruño,
estoy muy agradecido por el
compromiso del Sistema de
Salud de Mercy Health Car y el
liderazgo del siempre capaz Dave
Vellinga y el próximo a ser nuevo
presidente, Robert P. “Bob” Ritz.
Nos da una gran seguridad y apoyo
saber que estamos en la misma
página. Al lograr esto servimos a
la sociedad en general por medio
de la protección de nuestras
libertades constitucionales a la
vez que ofrecemos excelentes
servicios de salud con atención
especial
con
los
pobres.
La Iglesia Católica
junto a organizaciones e
instituciones con las que se ha
aliado, enfrentará la oposición e
intransigencia de los poderes que
buscan que predomine la moral
secular o que se obligue a cumplir
con el ejercicio inadecuado de la
autoridad gubernamental.
Al
igual que Tomás Becket o Tomás
Moro y como el grupo de mártires
Africanos, sostendremos una
fuerte oposición insistiendo en
que se pague a Dios lo que es de
Dios. Que podamos mantenernos
valerosamente firmes, tanto
colectiva como personalmente,
en decir: “Yo soy el Fiel Servidor
del Rey pero Dios es Primero.”
“Ustedes no me eligieron a mí; he sido yo quien los eligió a ustedes y los prepare para que vayan y den fruto y ese fruto permanezca”. ~Juan 15:16 Founder & CEO Tom Moreland is a parishioner
of St. Francis, member of Legatus, Knight
of Columbus and Knight of Malta
La Diócesis de Des Moines estará ofreciendo el programa de formación para el diaconado permanente en español, si ha sen�do el llamado a servir en este ministerio y quisiera más información sobre este programa, Comuníquese a la Ocina del Ministerio Hispano de la Diócesis de Des Moines www.spirithomehealthcare.org
Mayra Moriel de Banuelos Coordinador del Ministerio Hispano 515 237‐5011 mmoriel@dmdiocese.org Luis Salinas Coordinador del Ministerio Hispano Juvenil 515 237‐5051 lsalinas@dmdiocese.org Búscanos en Facebook: Diócesis de Des Moines Síguenos en Twi�er: @dmdiocesis 15
The Question Corner
a funeral Mass. Now some of
my friends are telling me that
it’s all right, instead, to have a
priest conduct a funeral service
in the funeral home. Which
is correct? (Richmond, Va.)
By Father
Ken Doyle
Q. I am 83 years old. All my
life I’ve been taught that when
a Catholic dies the body must
be brought to the church for
A. Your question is answered
most succinctly in the church’s
Code of Canon Law in No. 1177:
“A funeral for any deceased
www.dmdiocese.org
member of the faithful must
generally be celebrated in his
or her parish church.” So the
expectation is, and the general
policy is, that a Catholic’s funeral
rites should center around a Mass.
The dying and rising of Christ,
celebrated and represented in
every Mass, is what offers hope
to the mourners that the person
who has died will await them
in the peace of God’s presence.
The Eucharist also is the most
powerful prayer that can be
offered on the deceased’s behalf.
A priest is not permitted
to offer Mass or distribute
Communion in the “chapel” of
a funeral home, and the symbols
inside of a church, the music
of the liturgy and especially
the reception of the Eucharist,
are powerful reminders to the
bereaved that Jesus has conquered
all things, including death.
Like us on
Facebook!
facebook.com/dmdiocese
Our Lady of the Americas
Jamaica Festival
August 4, 2013 -10am to 7pm
Join Us!
The Iowans for LIFE
Annual Benefit Dinner
Saturday, July 27 at 6 p.m.
Airport Holiday Inn
6111 Fleur Dr., Des Moines
Featuring
Keynote Speaker:
Come and enjoy traditional Latin
American Culture at Our Lady of the
Americas 2013 Jamaica Festival
This festival is an excellent way to enjoy a beautiful summer day and experience the treasure of another culture.
There are cultural dances, a variety of music, a grand array
of food, and of course through out the day there are masses
(9:30am Bilingual, 12:30 & 6:00pm Spanish). The parish is
located at 1271 E 9th Street in Des Moines. See you there!
Bobby
Schindler
Of The Terri Schiavo
Life & Hope Network
*RSVP
by Monday, July 22*
Iowansforlife.org
iowansforlife@msn.com
515.255.4113/800.727.2435
Festival de la Jamaica el 4 de agosto del 2013
Comida - Bailes - Juegos para niños
Rifa de la Jamaica
Maur Hill - Mount Academy
A Benedictine, Catholic, Prep, Boarding School
Live The Faith,
Pursue The Truth,
Strive for Excellence
• 98% of graduates attend college
• Safe and supportive environment
• 5 and 7-day boarding programs
• Transfer students welcomed
Scholarships available!
MH-MA • 1000 Green St. • Atchison, KS 66002
www.mh-ma.com • (913) 367-5482 • admissions@mh-ma.com
“Love one another
as I have loved you.”
John 13:34
A Catholic Hospice serving all people according
to the directives of the Church on end-of-life care
For More Information: Des Moines 515.276.2700
Council Bluffs 712.256.9602

Three new priests - Diocese of Des Moines

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