11-5-14 Full Paper - North Country Catholic

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20 Back pew
N ORT H CO U N T RY C AT HOL IC
N O V. 5 , 2 0 1 4
The Diocese of Ogdensburg
INSIDE
THIS ISSUE
Pope: evolution
doesn’t push aside
God l PAGE 13
Archbishop responds
to woman’s suicide
plan l PAGE 14
Volume 69, Number 24
NORTH COUNTRY
CATHOLIC
NOV. 5 2014
Pope: ‘don’t be bad Christians’
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The way
Christians behave can either
help and inspire others, or
turn them away from ever
following Jesus, Pope Francis
said.
"How many times we've
heard in our neighborhoods,
'Oh that person over there always goes to church, but he
badmouths everyone, skins
them alive.' What a bad ex-
Simpler
living at a
higher level
ample to badmouth other
people. This is not Christian," the pope said at his
weekly general audience in
St. Peter's Square Oct. 29.
Causing scandal and being
a bad example turn people
off, making them think, "Hey,
if that is being Christian, I'll
be an atheist.' That's because
our witness is what makes
people see what it is to be a
Christian," he said.
The pope continued a series of talks on the nature of
the Catholic Church, focusing on the visible and spiritual reality of the church.
The visible church can be
seen in its many parishes,
Christian communities and
organizations as well as in its
people, like the pope, priests
and religious men and
women all over the world, he
said.
But the church -- the body
of Jesus -- is also bigger than
that because it is made up of
the countless men and
women who are baptized
and "who believe, hope and
love," as well as offer "relief,
comfort and peace" in the
Lord's name, Pope Francis
said.
POPE
FRANCIS
Calls for efforts
to ‘annihilate’
ebola virus
WE APPRECIATE OUR PRIESTS
Father Bryan D. Stitt,
diocesan director of vocations, offers a unique reflection on vocations after his
first experience with the
sport of curling:
“As Vocations Director, I
try to help young people do
something similar with their
lives: live more simply and
on a higher level.
“In a world of abundant
complications: disease and
war, financial instability and
broken relationships, addictions, compulsions, and sin,
the call of the Lord stands in
striking simplicity: ‘Follow
Me,’” he writes.
FULL STORY, PAGE 6
From Ireland
to Ogdensburg
Father Patrick O’Reilly, a native
of Ireland, looks back on his life as a
priest in the Diocese of Ogdensburg
FULL STORY, PAGE 9
CNS PHOTO/PAUL HARING
PHOTO BY BETTY STEELE
Bishop Terry R. LaValley and priests of the diocese are shown at the 2014 Chrism Mass during which the bishop revealed the
priorities for the Diocese of Ogdensburg. Among the priorities, determined after a yearlong discernment process, is “creating a
culture of vocations.” In this issue, published during the Nov. 2-9 Vocation Awareness Week, the North Country Catholic offers
support for the vocation of the priesthood with its annual Priest Appreciation issue.
Pope Francis covers a child with a
hood during his general audience in
St. Peter's Square at the Vatican Oct.
29.The pope pleaded for the international community to take stronger
coordinated steps to "annihilate" the
Ebola virus.
OPEN OUR HEARTS: Bishop’s Fund supports vocations, seminarians.... p. 10
2 Diocesan Life
NORTH
COUNTRY
CATHOLIC
Box 326
Ogdensburg, N.Y. 13669
USPS 0039-3400
BISHOP TERRY
R. LAVALLEY
President
REV. JOSEPH A. MORGAN
Vice President
SR. JENNIFER VOTRAW, SSJ
Secretary-Treasurer
MARY LOU KILIAN
Editor/
General Manager
Publish 45 issues per year:
Weekly except
every other
week beginning the end
of May
through August and skipping one week in December
by the Diocese of
Ogdensburg.
622 Washington Street, Ogdensburg, N.Y. 13669.
Editorial Office:
622 Washington Street,
Ogdensburg, N.Y. 13669.
Telephone:
(315) 608-7556
E-mail:
news@northcountry
catholic.org
Entered at the
Post Office:
Ogdensburg, NY
13669 as
Periodical Postage.
Subscription:
For one year:
In-Diocese Rate: $27
Outside of Diocese Rate: $30
Matters for publication
should be
addressed to
PO Box 326
Ogdensburg, NY 13669
and should be received by
Thursday prior to
publication.
Paper is printed each
Monday;
dateline is Wednesday.
Member, Catholic Press
Association.
POSTMASTER:
Send address changes to
North Country Catholic,
PO Box 326
Ogdensburg, NY
13669-0326
N O V. 5 , 2 0 1 4
The universal call to holiness
cations in our diocese these
days.
When Bishop LaValley
proclaimed the Pastoral
Vision of the Diocese of
Ogdensburg at this
year’s Chrism Mass, he
listed three priorities
meant to strengthen
the family of faith in
the North Country.
Priority number one
is “creating a culture of
vocations.”
In his Follow Me column on page 3, the
bishop writes, “Is there
anything more important in
our local Church today than
creating a culture of vocations
in the North Country? The
ability of our Church to provide a culture so that vocations
might flourish is a telling indicator of our vitality and sustainability”
Throughout the month of
November, we will explore vocations in the pages of the
North Country Catholic.
The first issue of November,
this week, focuses on the
priesthood as we present our
annual Priest Appreciation
issue, timed to coincide with
the National Vocations Awareness Week, Nov. 2-9.
My favorite part of this paper
has to be the advertisements
which feature personal messages to many of our priests
who sometimes might be unaware of the incredible influence they have on our lives.
The final November paper
will celebrate consecrated life
as we join in the official opening of the Year of Consecrated
Life on the First Sunday of Advent.
In between, we will look at
the vocations of single life,
marriage and the diaconate
with personal reflections from
experts who live them.
Stay tuned… we’ll make November a month to remember!
A PASTOR’S PERSPECTIVE
The Pontifical Mission Societies of the
Diocese of Ogdensburg, Inc.
The Society for the Propagation of the Faith
Sr. Mary Ellen Brett, SSJ, Director
622 Washington St., Ogdensburg, NY 13669
(315) 393-2920; fax 1-866-314-7296
mbrett@rcdony.org
For sharing the
‘Joy of the Gospel’
From the Director’s Desk
Sister Mary Ellen Brett, SSJ,
Diocesan Mission Director
In reflecting upon Pope Francis’ Apostolic Exhortation
“The Joy of the Gospel”, I call to mind the joy that I experience from our priests who join Bishop LaValley in ministering to us in the North Country.
We appreciate our priests
Looking back on the family synod
I followed the proceedings of
the recent Synod on the Family
at the Vatican very carefully. I
have such high hopes for this
Synod – hopes for our Catholic
Church as so many good
things were discussed.
As you may already know,
there will be another session of
this Synod next fall. I am hoping that there will be extensive
discussions, even debates, during this coming year.
Personally, I believe that the
discussions at the Synod and
the statement that was issued
by the Synod were excellent
and meaningful.
The purpose of this Synod
was not about changing any
teachings of the Church –
rather it was about the Catholic
Church’s attitude toward certain groups.
The Synod considered the
many challenges of the
Church’s approach to “family” –
to “marriage” – to “finding ways
for the Church to reach out
with love and concern to the
families.”
The over powering spirit of
the Synod is Jesus – Jesus’ attitude toward others, toward
family, an attitude of love and
tenderness.
Jesus approached others
with patience and mercy.
Jesus will be the guide for the
Synod and for the Catholic
Church as it continues
throughout its efforts to deal
with the challenges of family
life.
My hope is that this Synod
will develop a more welcoming
Spirit for our Church. Our
Catholic Church has not always
been so welcoming. Too many
times the Catholic Church has
driven away many who truly
longed to be involved with the
Church.
I remember well when I was
young that our Church was
very harsh toward those who
were divorced, even though
their status as a Catholic has
never changed.
I know only too well they
were made to feel uncomfortable by Catholics, even by
Catholic leaders. Many
thought they were excommunicated. They, of course, were
not but, because of this some
simply left the Catholic
Church.
I have even noticed that even
today there is confusion about
this. I do hope all of you realize that a divorced person is
not restricted by our Church
from sacraments.
I know that the divorced and
remarried are instructed not to
receive Holy Communion without an annulment.
Pope Francis has formed a
committee to study and make
recommendations for streamlining the annulment process.
I know well it can be a complicated process.
The Synod has begun a discussion of the concern that
these couples cannot receive
Holy Communion.
I also know that often, because these couples have carefully followed all the Church’s
regulations as they prepared
their marriage, their hope for
an annulment is impossible.
Yet, they stay faithful to the
Church – and to being a
Catholic.
They want to remain involved in their parish – even
though they cannot receive
Holy Communion.
I pray that we can do something for them. Now, I must
admit that some couples sim-
news 19
OBITUARIES
EDITOR’S NOTE
This month that opens with
All Saints’ Day seems a perfect
time to remember that
all of us are called to be
saints.
Holiness is not just
meant for Father or Sister. The directive that
we strive towards holiness came to each of us
on the day we were
baptized.
Our various vocations follow later as we Mary Lou
figure out how God
Kilian
wants us to live out
that holiness in our
own lives.
We’re hearing a lot about vo-
N O V. 5 , 2 0 1 4
ply decided to just leave the
Catholic Church.
So, I am pleased that this
Synod is considering the situation of the divorced and remarried.
I truly hope that this Synod
will develop a possible solution to allow these couples to
return to the sacraments. My
prayer is that this will be settled – and soon.
I have known as a pastor
many couples - divorced and
remarried – who were truly
great parishioners, raising their
children Catholic yet, accepting the Church’s restriction on
receiving Holy Communion.
They long to – yet, they are
faithful to their Church – they
follow all the rules.
One other welcoming concern that the Synod has discussed. The Synod discussed
the welcoming of homosexuals
to the Catholic family. The
Synod says in their final statement, “Men and women with
homosexual tendencies must
be accepted with respect and
sensitivity.” Our Church should
be welcoming.
I would think that the Synod
would like us to put a large
sign over all Catholic
Churches: “All are welcome, All
are welcoming.”
I see evidence of this joy as our priests together with our
parishioners embark upon new paths. I admire the trust of
our priests as they move forward in openness to the Holy
Spirit in proclaiming the Gospel through the shared diocesan vision in our home mission.
We have a wonderful opportunity to join our priests in
prayer and action and to renew our own faith and visit our
neighbors so that together we may find our home in Christ,
renew faith, nurture hope, and discover love.
I thank Bishop LaValley and our priests for their prayers
and financial support of Mission Appeals through the Society for the Propagation of the Faith and Missionary Projects
of the Diocese of Ogdensburg.
I congratulate the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart on the
75th Anniversary of their founding for serving us in our
diocese as well as for their ventures for advancing the kingdom of God in less industrial lands. God bless our diocesan
priests who served in Mollendo, Peru, in their missionary
zeal as they continue to hear about the fruits of their labor
while there.
How blessed we are today as priests from India, Indonesia
and the Philippines share their evangelizing spirit as they
journey with us in our shared diocesan vision!
“Challenges exist to be overcome! Let us be realists, but
without losing our joy, our boldness and our hope-filled
commitment. Let us not allow ourselves to be robbed of
missionary vigor! (“The Joy of the Gospel”) - Pope Francis.
Please remember “The Society for the Propagation
of the Faith” when writing or changing your Will.
Alexandria Bay - Charles Richard Snow,
87; Funeral Services Oct. 25, 2014 at St.
Cyril's Church; burial in St. Cyril's Cemetery.
Morrisonville – Doris Emma (Martineau)
Collins, 76; Funeral Services Oct. 29, 2014
at St. Alexander’s Church; burial in parish
cemetery.
Brownville - William James Whalen, 81;
Funeral Services Nov. 6, 2014 at the Immaculate Conception Church; burial in
Brownville Cemetery.
Morrisonville - Shirley M. (Trombley)
LaBarge, 89; Funeral Services Oct. 30,
2014 at St. Alexander's Church; burial in
parish cemetery.
Brushton - Lucia E. (Bombard) Pelkey, 93;
Funeral Services Nov. 1, 2014 at St.
Mary's Church.
Norfolk - Harry S. "Dusty" Ryan, 81; Funeral Services Oct. 30, 2014 at Church of
the Visitation; burial in Visitation Cemetery.
Brushton – Michael L. Tavernia, 60; Funeral Services Oct. 25, 2014 at St. Mary’s
Church; burial in Sand Hill Cemetery,
Dickinson.
Chateaugay - Teresa (LaBarre) Carter, 88;
Funeral Services Oct. 30, 2014 at St.
Patrick's Church; burial in St. Patrick's
Cemetery.
Hammond - Darlene V. (Cullen) Amyot,
Peter's Church; burial in St. Cyril's Cemetery, Alexandria Bay.
North Bangor - Gerard L. D'Amour, Sr., 90;
Funeral Services Nov. 3, 2014 at St. Augustine's Church; burial in parish cemetery.
Ogdensburg – Teresa M. (Gagnon) Bray,
61; Funeral Services Oct. 28, 2014 at the
Allen-Nichols Funeral Home; burial in
Purmont Cemetery.
Ogdensburg – Benjamin E. Duprey, 72;
Funeral Services Oct. 30, 2014 at the
Frary Funeral Home; burial in Notre
Dame Cemetery.
Lowville – Rosemary Matuszczak Andre
Ripp, 87; Funeral Services Oct. 30, 2014 at
St. Peter’s Church; burial in Lowville Rural
Cemetery.
Ogdensburg – Raelyn Kline, 49; Funeral
Services Oct. 29, 2014 at Notre Dame
Church; burial in Notre Dame Cemetery.
Lyon Mountain - Carol L. (Pageau) Blaine,
Bernard's Church; burial in St. Bernard's
Cemetery.
Peru - Anna M. (Judware) Rivers, 89; Funeral Services Oct. 29, 2014 at the Hamilton Funeral Home; burial in Schuyler Falls
Cemetery.
Malone - Frederick C. Brixius, 86; Funeral
Services Oct. 31, 2014 at St. Joseph's
Church; burial in St. Joseph's Cemetery.
Massena – James F. George, 82; Funeral
Services Oct. 28, 2014 at St. Mary’s
Church; burial in Calvary Cemetery.
Mooers Forks - Loretta E. (Gamache)
Poissant, 88; Funeral Services Oct. 30,
2014 at St. Ann's Church; burial in St.
Ann's Cemetery.
Plattsburgh – Theresa Montana, 90; Funeral Services Oct. 29, 2014 at St. Peter’s
Church; burial in parish cemetery.
Plattsburgh - Doris Oakes, 90; Funeral
Services Oct. 31, 2014 at the Brown Funeral Home; burial in Whispering Maples
Mausoleum.
Port Henry - Dorothy M. Kinns Valenti, 68;
Patrick's Church; burial in Gerald B. H.
Solomon Saratoga National Cemetery,
Schuylerville.
Sciota - Dale E. Deso, 70; Funeral Services
Oct. 31, 2014 at St. Louis de France
Ticonderoga – Dorothy M. (Bordeau)
Osier, 78; Funeral Services Oct. 31, 2014
at St. Mary’s Church; burial in St. Mary’s
Cemetery.
Ticonderoga – Ervin E.“Wally” Walraven,
80; Funeral Oct. 27, 2014 at St. Mary’s
Church; burial in St. Mary’s Cemetery.
Watertown - Robert William Lyman, 70;
Reed & Benoit Funeral Home; burial in
North Watertown Cemetery.
18 around the diocese
Carthage – An Advent mini retreat for
men who wish to further their love and
understanding of the Catholic faith will
be held, sponsored by K of C #291
Date: Dec. 6
Time: 9:30 a.m. to 12
Place: St. James Church.
Features: A day of inspiration with
guest speaker Father Mark Reilly. Mass at
9:30 will be followed by fellowship and
refreshments.
Lake Placid – The Annual Christmas
Bazaar and Craft fair to be held.
Date: Dec. 6
Time: 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Place: St. Agnes School
Features: Vendor space is available $45
-$55 per space. There are toys, gifts,
crafts, wreaths, trees, holiday plants,
baked goods, raffle and silent auction
Contact: Kathleen at 518-523-3771 or
at info@stagneselementary.com
ELECTION NIGHT HAM DINNER
CLINTON
CHRISTMAS DINNER
BUS FOR LIFE
Plattsburgh - Time to sign up for the
2015 Lake Champlain Bus for Life.
Schedule: Meet at St. Peter’s Church in
on Jan. 21 at 7:15 p.m. for the Jan. 22
March For Life. Arrive in Washington,
D.C. early morning on Jan. 22; Free Time
in the morning . Rally and March start at
noon on The National Mall; Meet at St.
Peter’s Church in Washington at 4:45pm
for the trip home.
Cost: $25
Contact: Karen Smith at 518-566-6229
or Betty Buffett at (518) 536-6640. To
sign up for a seat on the bus or to make
a donation—please mail your check to
St. Peter’s Church 114 Cornelia Street
Plattsburgh, New York 12901. Make a
note on the memo line:“Bus for Life.”
HARVEST DINNER
Morrisonville – Harvest Dinner to be
held with turkey and all the fixings.
Date: Nov. 9
Time: Noon to 6 p.m.
Place: St. Alexander’s Parish Hall
Cost: Adults, $9; Children 6-12, $5;
under 5, Free, Take-out, $9 (Call 5185039 to order)
Features: Harvest dinner raffle drawing
at 6 p.m., country store, silent auction.
QUILTING CLASSES
Ellenburg Center – Quilting classes to be
held.
Place: Our Lady of the Adirondacks
N O V. 5 , 2 0 1 4
MEN OF FAITH
ADIRONDACK
CHRISTMAS BAZAAR/CRAFT FAIR
Plattsburgh – Annual Seton Catholic
Christmas turkey dinner is set
Date: Dec. 7
Cost: Adults, $9; Seniors (55+), $7; Children 5-12, $6; under 5, free; Take-outs, $9
Features: Adults bringing toy or food
item will receive $1 off meal. Event will
include: Basket Raffle; 50/50 drawings;
Bake Sale and Holiday Wreath Sale; Live
Entertainment.
The North County Catholic welcomes contributions to “Around the Diocese”.
Parishioners are invited to send information about activities to:
North Country Catholic, PO Box 326,
Ogdensburg, NY 13669; fax, 1-866-314-7296;
e-mail news@northcountrycatholic.org.
Alexandria Bay – Annual Election night
family style ham dinner to be held.
Date: Nov. 4
Time: 5 p.m.
Place: St. Cyril’s Church
Cost: Adults, $8.50; Children, $5; under
5, Free; take-outs, $9 starting at 4 p.m.
Contact: For deliveries call 955-5504
Items must be received in the NCCoffice by the Thursday before publication.
CONSERVING ENERGY WORKSHOP
Cost: $25 per class
Classes: Disappearing Pinwheel class:
Nov. 12, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Donna Hastings,
guest instructor.
Contact: Email thelostsheepquiltshop@gmail.com or call 518-594-3253.
Overnight accommodations available.
PRAYER OF EXAMEN
Ellenburg Center – Our Lady of the
Adirondack House of Prayer to hold a retreat day.
Date: Nov.8
Time 10 a.m. to 4
Features: Fr. Jack Downs will present
Prayer of Examen, the Ignatian method
of meditation which engages our
thoughts, imagination, emotions, and
desires. Suggested donation $25.
Contact: olaprayerhouse@gmail.com or
518-594-3253.RSVP by Nov. 1
FRANKLIN
ECUMENICAL PRAYER SERVICE
Bombay – Local Christian churches to
hold an Ecumenical Prayer Service.
Date: Nov. 23
Time: 4 p.m.
Place: St. Joseph’s Church
Features: Bring a non-perishable food
item for local food pantries.
JEFFERSON
HOLY HOURS
Adams/Henderson – Holy Hours to be
held.
Schedule: First Wednesday at St. Cecilia
6:30 p.m.: Nov. 5; Dec. 3; Jan. 7; Feb. 4;
March 4; Third Monday at St. Cecilia 5
p.m. (followed by pot luck) Dec. 15; Jan.
N ORT H C O U N T RY C AT HOL IC
19; Feb. 16; March16; Thursday at Queen
of Heaven 5:30 p.m.: Nov. 20; Dec. 18;
Jan. 22
Features: adoration following the
10:30 a.m. Mass on Wed.
SPAGHETTI & MEATBALL DINNER
Evans Mills – A Spaghetti and Meatball
dinner to be held to benefit the Indian
River Council 7471 Knights of Columbus.
Date: Nov. 8
Time: 4 p.m.
Place: St. Mary’s Parish Center
Cost: Adults, $7; Senior Citizens, $5; Children under 12, $5; under 5, free
MUSICAL MISSION
Watertown - An interfaith musical presentation in eight "acts" to benefit the
Watertown Urban Mission to be held.
Date: Nov. 14
Time: 7 p.m.
Place: Holy Family Church
Features: A free-will offering will be accepted. Refreshments. Call rectory 7822468 for info.
SPAGHETTI SUPPER
Watertown – The Altar Rosary Society of
St. Anthony’s Parish will be having a
spaghetti supper.
Date: Nov. 20
Time: 4:30 p.m. to 7
Place: St. Anthony’s Church, Msgr. Sechi
Hall
Cost: Adults, $8; Children, $4.50; under
3, Free; Sauce, $5 per quart; Meatballs,
$.75 each
Features: Take-outs begin at 4 p.m.,
please bring your own containers
Watertown - Conserving Energy as a
Way of Living Our Faith" Workshop will
be held, sponsored by the Watertown
Faith and Ecology group
Date: Nov. 15
Time: 10 a.m. to Noon
Place: Hearthside Hospitality Center at
Sisters of St. Joseph Motherhouse
Features: The Program focuses on lowcost & no-cost measures that can be
used to reduce energy consumption in
homes & churches. Presenter will be
Jerry K. Loch, D.Min. who has worked in
the field of energy efficiency for more
than ten years and has practiced extensively in Christian Ethics.
LEWIS
HOLIDAY BANQUET
Lowville – St. Peter’s Rosary Altar Society will hold their Holiday Banquet.
Date: Nov. 12
Time: 12:30 p.m.
Place: Lewis Co. Memorial VFW
Cost: $10.50
Features: A turkey dinner will be served.
Members are asked to bring a monetary
donation for the “Homeless Christmas
Tree” program at social services.
Contact: Betty Davis at 376-6731 by
Nov. 6th
ST. LAWRENCE
SESQUICENTENNIAL CELEBRATION
Colton – St. Patrick’s to have Sesquicentennial Celebration.
Date: Nov. 8
Time: 6 p.m.
Features: Msgr. Robert H. Aucoin, pastor
will be celebrant of the Mass. A recep-
tion hosted by St. Patrick-St. Paul Altar &
Rosary Society will immediately follow
Mass in the parish center.
PRAYER OF EXAMEN
Massena – The Ignatian “Prayer of Examen” program will be presented by Father Jack Downs.
Date: Nov. 12
Time: 11 a.m. or 7 p.m.
Place: Jessie Carey Room, Sacred Heart
Convent
Features: There will be five sessions at
both times with two presentations of
each session. The Ignatian method of
meditation engages our thoughts, imagination, emotions, and desires.
Contact: Please register by Nov. 10 by
calling 315-384-4143
NOV. 8 BAZAAR
Massena - St. Mary’s & St. Joseph’s to
have their Annual Bazaar.
Date: Nov. 8
Place: St. Mary’s Social Hall
Features: Fancy Goods, Cake Walk, Country Store, Ticket Central, Kids Games,
Quilt Raffle, Turkey Raffle, SKILO, Pull
Tabs, Poker and lots of food!
Contact: For more information email
stmarysr@twcny.rr.com or call 315-7640239
K OF C BRUNCH
Norfolk – The Knights of Columbus will
be sponsoring a brunch.
Date: Nov. 12
Time: 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Place: Visitation Parish Center
Cost: Adults, $7; Children under 12, $4;
Under 5, Free; Family, $18; Take-outs
available
TRIVIA NIGHT
Brasher Falls – The Brasher Falls Knights
of Columbus will hold a Trivia Night to
defray the costs of planned upgrades to
the hall.
Date: Nov. 15
Time: 7 p.m. (doors open at 6 p.m.)
Place: Knights Hall
Features: Jim Grow and his family will
emcee. The cost of the event is $100 per
team with a maximum of five players
per team. Prepay by Nov. 12 to receive
100 points to start the night. Meal of
hotdogs, hamburgers, macaroni salad
will be served. Bar will be available.
Silent auction available.
Contact: Entries may be sent to Terry
Grant, c/o Trivia Night, 32 Noblett Rd.,
Winthrop, NY, 13697. He may be reached
at 389-4116
N O V. 5 , 2 0 1 5
diocesan life 3
FOLLOW ME
Vocations Awareness Week
As you know, our diocesan Envisioning Process has
highlighted three key pastoral priorities that
the Diocese of Ogdensburg is now
focusing on for the
next five years:
Creating a Culture
of Vocations,
Strengthening Faith
Formation in Family Life, and Building Parishes with
Living Stones.
Bishop
Clearly, all three
Terry R.
priorities are intiLaValley
mately connected.
Our ability to address successfully each priority is directly related to
the attention we give to the
other two. I encourage all of
the faithful in our Diocese
to participate in your
parish’s efforts to address
these priorities and meet
the targeted goals.
Yes, there are many challenges that vocations, families, and parishes face
today. As a family of faith,
we can and we will address
these opportunities through
sustained prayer and focused action.
November 2-9, 2014 is Na-
tional Vocations Awareness
Week. Is there anything
more important in our local
Church today than
creating a culture of
vocations in the
North Country?
The ability of our
Church to provide a
culture so that vocations might flourish
is a telling indicator
of our vitality and
sustainability.
Cultivating faith
formation in our families and building vibrant parishes in our
Diocese help to create a healthy, grace-filled
environment where every
person can discern the
Lord’s will for him or her.
Each of us is called to be
holy. How we decide to live
out that call defines our vocation.
Pope Benedict XVI wrote,
“Let us not forget that Christian marriage is a vocation
to holiness in the full sense
of the word, and that the example of holy parents is the
first condition favorable for
the flowering of priestly and
religious vocations.”
During this week, we are
called to be especially aware
of our responsibility to pray
that young people will respond generously to the
Lord’s call to serve the
Church in the consecrated
life and ordained ministry.
When we recognize in a
person in our parish the
qualities necessary for the
lifestyle of a sister, brother,
deacon or priest, do we invite them to consider that
the Lord might be calling
them to such a blessed life?
To foster and to nurture
vocations means that we
enter into the lives and
hearts of people. We look
forward to sharing with
them our own experiences
of life, our vocation story. In
this way, priests, consecrated religious, deacons,
and parishioners who share
their personal vocation stories help to sensitize others
to God’s call in their own
lives.
How can we find the time,
given today’s packed family
calendars, to share such stories? Look for opportunities.
How about around the supper table? Even when we
are on the road, maybe on
the way to practice or a
game. I remember well, a casual conversation I had with
my pastor on the way home
from a CYO meeting when
he asked me if I ever considered becoming a priest.
Nov 2-9 is National Vocations
Awareness Week. Is there
in the North Country?
Personal invitation continues to be the main reason
someone chooses to consider a Church vocation.
Pope Francis underlined
the continued need to build
a culture of vocations.
He wrote: “The fraternal
life and fervor of the community can awaken in the
young a desire to consecrate
themselves completely to
God and to preaching of the
Gospel. This is particularly
true if such a living community prays insistently for vocations and courageously
proposes to its young people the path of special con-
secration.” (Evangelii
Gaudium, 2013)
May this Vocations Awareness Week provide the occasion for each of us to renew
our resolve to pray for vocations every day.
As the Holy Father wrote:
“Vocations are born in
prayer and from prayer; and
only through prayer can
they persevere and bear
fruit.” In our prayer, we
thank God for our seminarians who have responded to
the Lord’s invitation:
Michael Jablonski, Todd
Thibault, Matthew Conger
and Leagon Carlin. Let us
keep these men in our
thoughts and prayers. Drop
them a line from time to
time and offer them your
prayerful support. It is crucial to create a culture of vocations in our parishes if we
are to continue to provide
the social support needed
for each person to hear and
respond generously to God’s
call in his or her life.
Let’s do our part in supporting our seminarians and
encouraging other young
men and women to consider
the priesthood and consecrated religious life.
4 Diocesan Life
N O V. 5 , 2 0 1 4
N O V. 5 , 2 0 1 4
AT THE MOVIES
A Joy That Fills the Room
By Amanda Conklin
Contributing Writer
From the moment I met
Tom Higman (affectionately
referred to as Tom-Tom,) I
knew he would be a wonderful priest.
I worked with Tom before
he was “Father Tom” for several years at Camp Guggenheim. I was amazed by his
faithfulness to follow his
calling right out of high
school.
I was so blessed to be able
to watch him grow as a man
through his entire formation
process.
I was especially lucky to
be living outside of Philadelphia while he was studying
at St. Charles Seminary and
my husband and I often visited or had Father Higman
and Father Belina over for
dinner. Father Tom Higman
has a joy that radiates and
the source of this joy is so
clearly Christ. I don’t think
I’ve ever spent time with
him that didn’t include at
least one good belly laugh.
I’ve also never seen a
priest quite so in love with
PHOTO PROVIDED
Father Thomas Higman, parochial vicar in Saranac Lake, baptizes John Allen Conklin, son of Seth and Amanda Conklin of Gouverneur.
Here, Mrs. Conklin writes about her friend, the priest.
being a young priest!
Everything Father Tom
does is oriented towards his
vocation as a shepherd of
his flock and a representative of Christ.
Whether he is emulating a
young JPII while kayaking
with young people in our
beautiful Adirondack lakes,
or humbling himself to hear
confessions at our moving
Rachel’s Vineyard retreats,
Father Higman is leading
others to God every day.
The people of the Diocese
see the love Father Higman
has for the Church and they
truly love him in return.
This was most recently
demonstrated when Father
Tom was transferred from
entertainment 17
Malone to Saranac Lake on
assignment. I’ve never seen
so many well wishes and
sad goodbyes on Facebook
and so many excited parishioners who were ready and
proud to claim Father Tom
as their own! Sometimes I
wish that Father Tom could
teach a class to all newly ordained priests on how to
visibly embrace their vocation.
Father Higman recently
baptized our newest edition, little John Allen. I always get excited when my
child’s baptism date approaches. However, I never
expected the priest who was
baptizing him to be just as
excited as me!
As the date approached,
Father Tom reminded me
several times how excited
he was to welcome my son
into the Church and he
brought such joy to the occasion. On the day of
John's baptism, we were
running very late after realizing that we had forgotten
John's baptismal suit and I
was very distraught. Unknowingly, Fr. Tom eased
my anxiety when he sent me
a text message with a picture of the baptismal font,
chrism and candle all ready
to go with the caption: "All I
need is a baby now!"
How beautiful it would be
if every priest approached
the sacraments with this jubilation. We are very
blessed in the Diocese of
Ogdensburg to have many
devoted, faith-filled priests
who go far beyond just celebrating Mass on Sundays. In
a time when it is certainly
not easy to be a priest, let
us remember to pray for our
priests and thank them for
their complete service to
Christ and his bride, the
Church.
BEFORE I GO TO SLEEP
By Kurt Jensen
Catholic News Service
The cherished amnesia
plot gets dusted off for the
thriller "Before I Go to Sleep"
(Clarius). Writer-director
Rowan Joffe's adaptation of
S.J. Watson's novel adeptly
executes a few turns. But it
offers only one big twist.
As the result of a vicious
assault 10 years ago, during
which she sustained a head
injury, Christine's (Nicole
Kidman) memory erases
nightly when she goes to
sleep. So she begins each
day with a ritual, assisted
by photos and written reminders of "Who are you,
and where am I?"
By bedtime, she's almost
up to speed. In her dreams,
she's tormented by
glimpses of the attack. And
each morning, the cycle begins anew.
Christine's situation renders her helpless and easily
manipulated by others.
Aiding her is Dr. Nasch
(Mark Strong), a psychologist. He has Christine create
a daily video diary so she
can build a long-term "memory," carve out some independence and perhaps
recall the identity of her assailant.
Eventually, bits of Christine's past reveal themselves. She'd had an affair.
So had her husband -- with
her best friend Claire (AnneMarie Duff). Yet now her
spouse Ben (Colin Firth)
seems so kindly and attentive.
If there's a moral issue
raised in this whodunit,
which fans of the genre
should enjoy, it might be
the question of whether the
illusion of a secure exis-
tence can effectively substitute for real family love.
The film contains occasional physical violence, an
adultery theme, a few instances of profanity and
crude language.
The Catholic News Service
classification is A-III -adults. The Motion Picture
Association of America rating is R -- restricted. Under
17 requires accompanying
parent or adult guardian.
CNS PHOTO/LAURIE SPARHAM, CLARIUS ENTERTAINMENT
Nicole Kidman and Colin Firth star in a scene from the movie "Before I Go To Sleep."
16 commentary
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SCRIPTURE REFLECTIONS
‘Rebuild my Church’
was told in prayer by the
This is an unusual feast
Lord, “Rebuild my Church.”
day in the liturgical calenThe Lateran repredar. It doesn’t celesents all churches.
brate a saint, or
Our present Pope
church doctrine, or
Francis is trying to
an event in the life
do the same as his
of Christ or His
namesake!
mother. It’s about a
At the same time,
church building,
we are reminded in
the Lateran Basilica
today’s second readin Rome.
ing, St. Paul reminds
This is the oldest
us that “You are the
of the four basilicas
Monsignor
Temple of God, and
in Rome, and the
the spirit of God
official cathedral for Paul E.
dwells in you.”
the Pope.
Whitmore
In the first reading
Across from the
today, Ezekiel the
Basilica is a statue of
prophet has a vision in
St. Francis. We’re told that,
from a certain angle, behind which he sees water flowing
from all sides of the temple
this statue, you can see the
basilica through the arms of in Jerusalem.
When he revealed this viFrancis.
Remember that St. Francis sion to the Israelites in exile,
NOV. 9
Dedication of the Lateran Basilica
READINGS
Ezekiel 47:1-2, 8-9, 12
1 Corinthians 3:9c-11, 16-17
John 2:13-22
they took new hope that
one day the temple, now in
ruins, would be rebuilt and
a source of prosperity for
them once again.
The Gospel of John is all
about Jesus cleansing the
Temple. As we know, Jesus
was very angry at the irreverence shown to His Father’s
House, and referred to Himself as a “temple” which
would one day resurrect
from the dead.
In our union with Jesus,
we are also temples, holy
and sacred, meant for
prayer and praise of God.
We too shall rise from the
dead. Today’s feast day reminds us of the great dignity and responsibility
every one of us has been
given--even more than the
beautiful building of St.
John Lateran that we celebrate at Mass.
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diocesan life 5
6 Diocesan Life
N O V. 5 , 2 0 1 4
By Father Bryan D. Stitt
Diocesan Vocation Director
Last week I tried the sport
of curling for the first time.
I was with a couple dozen
young Catholic Scouts from
across the diocese during
the annual Catholic Scouting
retreat, and this was our
evening activity. It was
great fun.
Curling is not as complicated as its equally icy
cousin, hockey. No pads, no
helmets, not checking, no
penalty boxes. Just two
teams sliding rocks at a target in turn with a lot of
sweeping and even more
yelling. Simple, right?
That’s what I thought until
my team of three 30-something men got beat handily
by a team of young
teenaged girls. How’d it
happen?
Well, they played this simple game at a higher level.
As Vocations Director, I try
to help young people do
on a higher level.
In a world of abundant
Father Bryan Stitt, center, tried his hand at curling during the recent Catholic scouting retreat. His team was handily beaten by a
group of young teenaged girls because, he said, they “played this simple game at a higher level.” As diocesan director of vocations, he
is encouraging young people to live more simply and on a higher level.
broken-relationships, addictions, compulsions, and sin,
striking simplicity: “Follow
Me.” We heard it recently at
Mass, didn’t we? The whole
of the law and prophets depend on this: Love of God
and Love of Neighbor. It
doesn’t get much simpler
than that. And that’s what
He calls us all to.
Since I was asked to write
on my beloved vocation to
the priesthood, I’d like to
point out how the priest’s
life stands out in its simplicity. Celibacy, obedience,
and prayer: these are the
three promises that every
priest made on his ordination day.
They stand in stark contrast to a world of very complicated sexual confusion,
the sacredness of the personal will, and lives of pragmatism.
Can we look at the three
priestly promises?
Prayer first. Each and
every Christian, by right of
his or her baptism has the
responsibility to converse
with the Lord. But priests
have solemnly promised to
pray for the Church and the
world each day. Of course
there is the celebration of
Holy Mass (normally and
ideally celebrated once
every day), but also the
praying of the Liturgy of the
Hours (in which we step
away five times a day to
pray), confession, rosary,
and personal meditation.
I heard a great example of
this last point recently.
Bishop Daniel Thomas, the
new bishop of Toledo, told
the story of when he was a
seminarian in Philadelphia.
While he was a senior in college-seminary, Pope John
Paul II came to visit the City
of Brotherly Love. Cardinal
Krol had hosted the Pope at
his residence, and afterwards related this story to
the seminarians. After bidding his host a good night,
Pope John Paul retired to his
room. But the Cardinal sure
didn’t go to sleep. (Can you
imagine doing so with the
Vicar of Christ on Earth in
your house?!?)
Around 10:30 pm Cardinal Krol decided he would
check on the pontiff to see
if his light was on. It was,
and the door was ajar. But
no Pope. “Maybe he needed
a midnight snack,” thought
Cardinal Krol. So he went to
the kitchen, but no Pope.
“He’s a great scholar, so
world/nation 15
Poverty was among synod's major concerns
Simpler life lived at a higher level
the priesthood, I’d like
to point out how the priest’s
life stands out in its
simplicity (with) celibacy,
obedience, and prayer
N O V. 5 , 2 0 1 4
maybe he’s reading in the library.” He went to the library, but no Pope. Then he
went to the chapel. The
light was on, and the door
was open just a crack.
Through the door Cardinal
Krol could see Pope Saint
John Paul II prostrate on the
ground before the Lord in
the Blessed Sacrament.
We are all called to the
simple reality of daily
prayer. Priests are to follow
the example of John Paul
who followed the example
of Christ himself. We are to
pour out ourselves in
prayer.
Second is obedience.
Obedience is often regarded as the hardest of the
promises that a priest
makes. Again, all Christians
must be obedient, but
priests are called to do so
on a whole different level.
For example, we all know
the reality of priests having
to move to different assignments. Sometimes people
see this as a cause of frustration. “Why did the
Bishop do this to us?!?”
parishioners seem to say.
But with eyes of faith, invariably we see how the
Holy Spirit was working in
and through the move.
This past May I heard one
of our recently transferred
priests express this to
Bishop LaValley. To paraphrase him: “I don’t know
what happened in [the personnel meeting], and I’m not
asking to. You see the big
picture in a way that I cannot. But what I want you to
know is that I trust you, and
trust that the Holy Spirit is
at work.”
Can I encourage you to
keep that in mind the next
time a transfer happens that
surprises or disappoints
you? In it you’ll be able to
see the simplicity of obedience lived at a higher level.
Finally we all know that
the priest promises celibacy.
Again, all Catholics are to
be chaste and pure—in
whatever vocation they
have been called to. There
is absolutely nothing impure about the free, total,
faithful, and fruitful love between a husband and wife.
But a priest foregoes marriage for the sake of the
kingdom. What does that
mean? It means that
celibacy is not just about
the simple practicality—although this is something
that is made very evident to
me whenever I’m surrounded by all my siblings,
cousins, and all their children at our chaotic family
reunions. (My life sure is a
lot simpler than theirs!)
Instead celibacy is about
living the purity and
chastity on a higher level.
Priests are to give the world
a reminder by their very
lives that there is a love “out
there” even greater than the
beautiful love between a
husband and a wife—that is
our God who is love. Our
world so desperately needs
the priests’ heroic witness
of chastity today.
Those teen-aged Scouts
showed me that curling is a
simpler game that can be
played on a higher level.
Please God, I was able to
show them in some small
way a simpler life that can
be lived on a higher level.
By Simone Orendain
MANILA, PHILIPPINES (CNS) -- Cardinal
Luis Antonio Tagle of Manila
said the Synod of Bishops on
the family was more than a
series of discussions on divorce and gay unions and
that the impact of poverty on
families, especially in Asia,
was a major concern of participants.
"Poverty is really affecting
the Filipino family in a dramatic way," Cardinal Tagle
told reporters at an Oct. 30
news conference.
The prelate explained that
while he was in Italy he was
part of a forum on families
and afterward a number of
contract workers from the
Philippines approached him
in tears. Cardinal Tagle said
one worker told him, "If it
weren't for hardship I would
never have left my wife and
children behind."
The Philippines is among
the world's top countries that
sends workers overseas.
More than 9 million Filipinos,
about 10 percent of the
Philippines population, live
overseas and about half of
them migrated for work, the
government has reported.
"Couples separate not because they're mad at each
other," the cardinal said.
"They separate because they
love their family and they
bear the pain of separation
just to find jobs elsewhere.
So we ask, 'What kind of pastoral care can we give for the
(contract) workers to remain
faithful to their families ...
and what can we do for those
left behind?'"
Cardinal Tagle pointed to
financial insecurity as a hindrance to marriage and a
burden on family life. Young
people are delaying marriage
because of a lack of jobs in
the Philippines and elsewhere and thoughts that
they could not support a
family, he said, adding that
for those who have work, the
breadwinner is focused on
hanging on to the job and
"putting the family second."
14 World/nation
'Don't give up hope':
Archbishop responds to
woman's suicide plan
By Ed Langlois
PORTLAND, ORE. (CNS) -- As a young
California woman gained national attention for her plan
to use Oregon's assisted suicide law, Archbishop Alexander K. Sample of Portland
issued a statement saying
the Oregon law puts forward
illusion and confusion.
At the start of 2014, newlywed
Brittany
Maynard
learned she had brain cancer.
A few months after she underwent two surgeries, doctors delivered the news that
the cancer had returned and
that most patients die from
such tumors in about a year.
She decided against further
treatment.
Maynard, 29, and her husband moved to Oregon, ostensibly to become legal
residents of the state and
thus able to take advantage
of its assisted-suicide law.
She had planned to take a
legal overdose after her husband's late October birthday,
on Nov. 1. Now, though, according to CBS News, she
wants to wait and see how
the disease progresses.
In an essay for CNN, Maynard said she had considered
hospice care but opted instead for assisted suicide. In
late October, she and her
husband visited the Grand
Canyon. It was the last item
on Maynard's "bucket list" of
things she said she wants to
do before she dies.
"I want to die on my own
terms," Maynard wrote in an
October blog post. She announced her plans on
YouTube and became a
spokesperson for Compassion and Choices, the pro-assisted suicide group that
emerged from the Oregon
debates of the 1990s.
Archbishop Sample said
the church stands in solidarity with people who are suffering and dying and with
those who are struggling to
find meaning in life.
"Don't give up hope!" the
archbishop wrote. "We are
with you. As friends, families
and neighbors we pledge to
surround you with our love
and compassion until the sacred moment when God calls
you home."
N O V. 5 , 2 0 1 4
N O V. 5 , 2 0 1 5
CATHOLIC
WORLD
AT A GLANCE
Pope urges prayer, international action to fight Ebola virus
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Francis pleaded for the international community to
take stronger, coordinated steps to "annihilate" the Ebola virus and help the
millions of people impacted by the disease. "As the Ebola virus epidemic worsens, I want to express my deep concern for this relentless illness that is spreading particularly on the African continent and especially among populations
that are already disadvantaged," the pope said Oct. 29 at the end of his weekly
general audience. Pope Francis offered his prayers and solidarity with the sick,
as well as with the doctors, nurses, volunteers, religious orders and humanitarian agencies working "heroically to help our sick brothers and sisters." "I ask
you to pray for them and for all who have lost their lives," the pope said. The
day before the pope's appeal, Caritas Internationalis -- the umbrella organization for Catholic charities around the world -- announced it would hold a special meeting in Rome Nov. 4 to coordinate ways to increase the work Catholic
charities are doing in response to the epidemic, especially in West Africa.
Pope Francis says Pope Benedict was a 'great pope'
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Retired Pope Benedict XVI is a perfect example of how
intellectual knowledge and scientific curiosity do not lead a person further
from God, but can strengthen their love for God and for his human creatures,
Pope Francis said. "Benedict XVI was a great pope," he said: "Great for the
power and penetration of his intellect, great for his considerable contribution
to theology, great for his love for the church and for human beings, great for his
virtues and his religiosity." Pope Francis praised his predecessor Oct. 27 at a
meeting of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences. The academicians invited Pope
Francis to unveil a bronze bust of Pope Benedict at the academy's headquarters
in the Vatican Gardens. The pope said he was pleased that the statue's face and
particularly its eyes captured the spirit, intelligence and love of Pope Benedict.
"This spirit, far from crumbling with the passing of time, will appear greater
and more powerful from generation to generation," the pope predicted.
Nuncio: 'unfair situation' in Middle East needs 'adequate response'
UNITED NATIONS (CNS) -- Peace in the Middle East "can only be sought through
negotiated settlements and not through unilateral choices imposed with the
use of force," said Archbishop Berardito Auza, the Vatican's U.N. nuncio. "The
Holy See has always followed the situation in the Middle East with great interest and concern. It has always pleaded for negotiations and dialogue among
the parties involved," said the archbishop, who heads the Holy See's Permanent Observer Mission to the United Nations. "It has always tried to do all it
could to help the victims of violence," he added in a statement to the U.N. Security Council, which held an open debate on the situation in the Middle East,
including "the Israeli-Palestinian question." "Given the rapidly deteriorating
situation in the region during these last months, Pope Francis has intensified
his efforts to push for negotiations and call all parties to respect the international humanitarian law and fundamental human rights," Archbishop Auza
said in a statement released Oct. 21. With regard to the Israeli-Palestinian situation, the Vatican has long supported "a two-state solution," he said. "Israel
and Palestine, with the vigorous support of the competent organs of the United
Nations and of the whole international community," he said, "must work toward the final objective, which is the realization of the right of the Palestinians
to have their own state, sovereign and independent, and of the right of the Israelis to peace and security."
diocesan life 7
Thank you, Father
By Suzanne Pietropaoli
Staff writer
“Thank you, Father.” Catholics of a certain age
may recall a sing-song chorus of children’s voices
(often prompted by Sister) delivering these
words with gusto. Though rather less in vogue
than it once was, this response is worth pondering. Like much of what we absorb when we are
young, these words are good and true—but the
depth of their meaning only unfolds with the
passing years.
In earliest memory, a large and unruly group of
seven year olds needed little prompting: when
the gruff Irish pastor pronounced us, after long
months of preparation, ready to receive our First
Holy Communions, the loud and unanimous
“Thank you , Father,” could hardly be contained!
On the Saturday before that great Sunday, the
same words would be whispered almost inaudibly as each one left the confessional with a
child’s sense of having been cleansed of sin.
As the years went on and horizons expanded,
that sense became more focused as one’s sins
grew weightier and the burden of them more
pronounced. No longer tallied like items on a list,
sin was now known to be woven into one’s personality and one’s actions. But the larger sins
and their heavier burden made confession more
important, and likely more fruitful. They certainly increased one’s longing and gratitude for
those precious and powerful words: “I absolve
you from your sins, in the name of the Father,
and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” Washed
clean by grace, one answers “Amen” joyfully, for
so great a gift. And to the priest through whom
this forgiveness has come, only three words are
possible. Thank you, Father.
Thank you for saying yes - on the day
of ordination and every day since to the call to make a sincere gift of yourself
in love to Christ and to the Church
How many sacramental encounters evoke this
response? To the priests who witness our wedding vows, who baptize our children, hear their
confessions, and help to form them in faith:
thank you, Father! To the priests who faithfully
visit the sick, anoint our loved ones, celebrate
their funerals and lay them to rest with the blessing of God and of the Church: thank you, Father!
To the priests who celebrate Mass with devotion,
and who feed us daily with the Eucharist, source
and summit of the Christian life: for this greatest
of gifts, we offer our everlasting gratitude.
To the priests who faithfully witness to the
love of God, and to the truth that he—and he
alone—is our life and our destiny, we are most
grateful. To the priests who endure loneliness
and criticism, yet remain steadfast in prayer and
in love: our debt is enormous. To the priests
who immerse themselves in the Word of God and
put their hearts into opening that Word to their
people: we thank you. To those priests whose
courage leads them to preach the Gospel—with
its demands as well as its rewards—in season
and out, whether convenient or inconvenient:
thank you.
Amid growing cultural chaos, some priests pay
special attention to the signs of the times and to
the people most affected by them. Not a few
priests work to strengthen marriages by personally preparing couples to live this sacrament,
which by its nature is intended to reflect the lifegiving love of the Triune God. To them, and to
priests who faithfully walk with couples when
they encounter difficulties along the way: thank
you, Father!
To those priests who affirm families, and encourage their growth in faith and in love, please
know how much your efforts are appreciated. To
those priests who hunger and thirst for holiness,
and so inspire the same in their people: thank
you, Father. Among kind and generous priests
are those who accompany, through spiritual direction, people seeking to respond more deeply
to God’s love: thank you, Father, for so tremendous a gift!
And to all priests, without whom the sacramental life of the Church would not be possible:
thank you for saying yes to God’s call to lay
down your life for his sheep. Thank you for saying yes—on the day of ordination and every day
since—to the call to make a sincere gift of yourself in love to Christ and to the Church. The
blessings that come to us at your hands, and
through your fatherly hearts, number as the
stars. Language limits us to that simple chorus:
Thank you, Father! But nothing can limit the
gratitude in our hearts, or our continued prayer
that God will bless you as you have blessed us.
8 Diocesan Life
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Funeral held Oct. 25 for Sr.
Eileen Marie Chambers, RSM
LAKE PLACID – A Mass of the Resurrection for Mercy Sister
Eileen Marie Chambers, 84,
was held Oct. 25 at the Reiss
Memorial Chapel in Uihlein
Living Center. Father Alan
Shnob officiated.
Burial followed at St.
Patrick's Cemetery in Brasher
Falls.
Sister Eileen Marie died
Oct. 22 at Uihlein Living Center in Lake Placid.
She was born March 27,
1930, in Winthrop, the
daughter of Paul and O. Erma
(Partlov) Chambers.
She received a bachelor's
degree in education from
Potsdam State Teachers College and a master's degree in
guidance from Plattsburgh
State.
Sister Eileen entered into
the Sisters of Mercy in 1955
and after profession, she
began her teaching career
which spanned over 45
years. She taught in the Diocese of Ogdensburg, the
Archdiocese of New York and
in New Jersey.
She is survived by two
brothers and their wives,
Gerald and Donna Chambers,
Bill and Glenda Chambers;
and many nieces and
nephews.
She was predeceased by
four
brothers,
Robert,
Bernard, Paul and Daniel.
To Report Abuse
If you have a complaint of suspected
misconduct involving diocesan
clergy, religious, employees or volunteers, contact Victims Assistance Coordinator, Terrianne Yanulavich, Adult
& Youth Counseling Services of
Northern New York, PO Box 2446,
Plattsburgh, NY, 12901; e-mail: terrianneyanulavich@yahoo.com Phone:
518-483-3261; or Father James Seymour, the Episcopal Vicar for Clergy
at 315-393-2920 , ext. 1340
Bishop’s Schedule
Nov. 5 – 12 p.m., Mass at St. Mary’s
Cathedral
12:30 p.m., Catholic Charities
Board Meeting at Wadhams Hall in
Ogdensburg
Nov. 6 – 11 a.m., Development Board
of Advisors Meeting at the Bishop's
Residence in Ogdensburg
Cathedral
Nov. 8-9 - Committee on the Protection of Children and Young People
Meeting in Baltimore, MD
Nov. 10– 13, United States Conference of Catholic Bishop’s General
Protecting God’s Children
The Diocese of Ogdensburg has
scheduled sessions for Protecting
God's Children for Adults. Pre-registration online is required in order to
participate. Participants may preregister at www.virtus.org by selecting
the registration button and following the directions. All employees and
volunteers who participate in church
sponsored activities with minor are
required to participate in this training. Further information is available
from Atonement Sister Ellen Donahue, 315-393- 2920, ext. 1440.
Nov. 6 -9 a.m., Seton Academy,
Plattsburgh
Jan. 22- 8 p.m., SUNY Potsdam
Environmental Stewardship
N O V. 5 , 2 0 1 4
world/nation 13
Pope: Evolution does not push aside God
What are we waiting for?
The fourth step in the St. Francis
Pledge is ACTION - “to change my
choices and behaviors by reducing my
carbon footprint such as being a more
energy conscious consumer and less
wasteful in my use of limited resources.”
What exactly does the term carbon
footprint or ecological footprint mean?
How does it relate to caring for God’s
creation?
By definition:
“Ecological footprint is a measure of
human demand on the Earth's ecosystems. It is a standardized measure of
demand for natural capital that may be
contrasted with the planet's ecological
capacity to regenerate. It represents the
amount of biologically productive land
and sea area necessary to supply the
resources a human population consumes, and to assimilate associated
waste.” See more on
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecological_footprint .
One way of lightening our footprint
is to be attentive to our normal habits
during one day and see what ones demand the most energy and consider, if
there are any ways that a change in behavior could reduce the demand or
eliminate it.
Choose one practice and decide to
DO for the week! Then evaluate how it
worked, or didn’t. Like the drops in the
ocean any action we choose to lessen
the consumption of our natural resources will reduce the weight of our
ecological footprint and ensure that
these will be available for all.
Rest in Peace
This week marks the anniversary
of the deaths of the following
clergymen men who have served
in the Diocese of Ogdensburg
Nov. 5 – Rev. Bernard Wyzykowski,
1969; Rev. John Michael Wyzykowski,
1969
Nov. 7 – Rev. Dennis Nolan, 1911; Rev.
William Ouellette, O.M.I, 1936; Msgr.
William, H. Brennan, 1986
Nov. 8 – Rev. Patrick McGilligan, 1828
Nov. 10 – Msgr. Francis M. Kenny,
1954; Msgr. Raphael A. Hoffman, 1968
Nov. 11 – Rev. Victor VandenHende,
1939; Rev. Edward O. Hervieux, 1947;
Msgr. Bernard E. Christman, 2012
By Carol Glatz
VATICAN CITY (CNS) - The Big Bang
theory and evolution do not
eliminate the existence of
God, who remains the one
who set all of creation into
motion, Pope Francis told his
own science academy.
And God's existence does
not contradict the discoveries of science, he told members of the Pontifical
Academy of Sciences Oct. 27.
"When we read the account
of creation in Genesis, we
risk thinking that God was a
magician, complete with a
magic wand, able to do
everything. But it is not like
that," he said. "He created living beings and he let them
develop according to the internal laws that he gave each
one, so that they would develop and reach their full potential."
God gave creation full autonomy while also guaranteeing his constant presence
in nature and people's lives,
he said.
The beginning of the world
is not a result of "chaos," he
said, but comes directly from
"a supreme principle that
creates out of love."
"The Big Bang, which today
is held as the beginning of
the world, does not contradict the intervention of the
divine creator, but requires
it," he said. "Evolution in nature is not at odds with the
notion of creation because
evolution presupposes the
creation of beings that
evolve."
Members of the academy,
many of them renowned scientists and philosophers,
were meeting at the Vatican
Oct. 24-28 to discuss "Evolving Concepts of Nature."
Science, philosophy and
religion have all contributed
to how people see the world,
how it began and what it all
means, said the introduction
to the academy's program.
Despite many scientific advances, many mysteries remain, said Rafael Vicuna,
professor of molecular genetics and molecular biology
at the Pontifical Catholic Uni-
versity of Chile. While
Charles Darwin shed light on
the origin of species, one of
the most perplexing questions is the actual origin of
life, Vicuna said.
How is it that inert, inanimate matter turned into
something living, and how is
it that the first living singlecelled organisms were still so
amazingly complex, he
asked in his talk Oct. 27.
Chemistry, biology and genetics have been able to
identify the tiniest components and basic building
blocks of living organisms,
but there is something more
than just what they are made
out of that makes them "living," he said in an interview
with the Catholic newspaper,
Avvenire.
"I can know perfectly what
a cell is made up of, but how
it works deep down, what really is the dynamism that
makes it move - that is, life I don't know," Vicuna said. "A
refrigerator and a car are
complex structures that
move, but only with an immense amount of energy
from the outside.
“Life, in its deepest
essence, remains something
that escapes us," he said.
In his talk to academy
members, Vicuna said the
laws of chemistry and
physics "do not suffice to
grasp the whole of life ... that
life is more than molecules."
Philosophy and religion
have to be careful to not
make the mistake of trying to
solve the mysteries in nature
by making God "responsible
for a natural process that escapes scientific explanation,"
Vicuna said.
An example of this, he
said, can be found in the intelligent design movement,
which accepts that life has
evolved over eons but asserts that it is so complex
that its development must
have been guided by a
supreme being or intelligent
agent.
Not only are intelligent-design proponents "denying
nature's autonomy, but they
are also revealing some degree of ingenuousness, because science has already
provided explanations for
the development" of structures they had considered to
be too complex to occur naturally, he said.
However, there is an argument for the "apparent design, order and purpose
observed in nature," he said,
which is not to be confused
with intelligent design and
the "God of the gaps."
12 World/nation
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diocesan life 9
From Ireland to Ogdensburg and back again
Coming to Ogdensburg
By Colleen Miner
Staff writer
SARANAC LAKE - Father Patrick
O’Reilly was born near the
center of Ireland, fifth in a
family of nine children.
When he retires after more
than four decades of service
as a priest of the Diocese of
Ogdensburg, he plans to return to his homeland.
Father O’Reilly grew up in
a small town 17 miles north
of Dublin, five miles from the
Irish Sea. To this day, his siblings all live in Ireland (except one brother who has
died) about an hour from
each other.
The priest, who now resides at St. Bernard’s rectory,
said he always wanted to retire back to Ireland because
there’s so much family there.
He’s delighted how everything fit into place.
“When you’re working you
have tunnel vision, you concentrate on work and not on
everything around you,” he
said. “With retirement that
tunnel is gone and you can
see the big picture. I feel
young again; it’s a whole new
beginning.”
Early years in Ireland
During Father O’Reilly’s
childhood, it was customary
for the boys to go to a religious boarding high school
and the girls, the convent.
The young man was placed
in a Salesian boarding school
which was ‘delightful with a
beautiful spirit,” he said.
“I wanted to be a priest
when I was young,” he said.
“My mother encouraged me
but wanted me to make my
own decision.”
Father O’Reilly described
his father, who died when
Patrick was 15, as a “wonderful, gentle, good-humored
example of faith.” He joined
in the family rosary each
evening, often remaining afterward to pray by himself.
“Later on at the end of high
school, I wrote in a letter
home, that I was thinking of
leaving over summer break
and not return so I could
PHOTO BY COLLEEN MINER
Father Patrick O’Reilly, a native of Ireland, offered priestly ministry in the Diocese of Ogdensburg for the past 41 years. After a retirement celebration at St. Bernard’s Church in
Saranac Lake on Sunday, he plans to return to his home country this month.
work with my hands,” Father
O’Reilly said. “Then I had an
interview where I was told by
Father Lyne of Kerry that if I
continued as a Salesian, I’d
always have a pair of boots
on my feet...My mother was
very happy that I went on to
become a priest.”
Becoming a priest
The Salesians are a teaching order and he didn’t feel
called to that ministry, so
after attending school in England and at a seminary for
late vocations, Father OReilly
was ordained June 6, 1965 at
the age of 27 in Ireland.
“Back then, there were
many priests in Ireland that
were loaned to England and
Scotland,” he said. “Yes, we
had a great supply of vocations.”
“Population was growing in
America, dioceses were dividing and bishops came
over to seminaries in Ireland,
pleading, almost crying for
vocations,” he said.
The president of the semi-
nary allowed the new priests
to pick a place for consideration. Father O’Reilly was
“keen on Australia,” but the
president of the seminary
said “no,” then he chose,
Florida but there were too
many priests already going
there. He thought of the missions in South America but
the president said it was “too
rough going” so Father
O’Reilly was given a choice:
England or America.
“The president recommended Paterson, N.J., because my uncle worked for
the Wall Street Journal,” he
said.
So, from 1965 to 1973, Father O’Reilly served as a
priest in Paterson, where he
said he was “homesick all the
time - it was fast paced, metropolitan.”
“Then one week during the
parish retreat, I had to vacate
my room to give to the
preacher and thought of my
friend in Ogdensburg, Father
Liam O’Dougherty,” Father
O’Reilly said.
Father O’Dougherty told
him there was a great shortage of priests in Ogdensburg.
“I thought it would be a good
challenge for me, to make me
work
and
Ogdensburg
blended with Ireland,” he
said. “It wasn’t as much of a
wrench.”
Father O’Reilly’s first assignment in the Diocese of
Ogdensburg was in June
1973 at St. John’s in Plattsburgh with Msgr. Farmer and
Father Mundy.
For the next 41 years, Father O’Reilly served in the
North Country Church, as assistant pastor or parochial
vicar for St. John's, Madrid;
St. Mary's, Ticonderoga; Our
Lady of Victory, Plattsburgh;
St. Joseph's Malone; St. Augustine, Peru; St. Mary’s,
Champlain Holy Family, Watertown; St. Agnes, Lake
Placid; Catholic Community
of Keeseville, and St. John’s
Plattsburgh. He also served
as administrator at St. John’s
in LaFargeville
Incardinated into the diocese in 1977, (officially becoming a priest of the
diocese,) Father Reilly also
served as a chaplain Good
Samaritan Hospital Uihlein
Mercy Center in Lake Placid.
Favorite part of life as a priest
Father O’Reilly’s favorite
part of life as a priest is offering Mass.
“It’s always amazing at
Sunday Mass, people are
truly happy when they come
to Mass,” he said. “It’s a joyful
celebration and brings great
peace to people...there is an
afterglow of Holy Communion.”
He recalls after offering
Mass in a nursing home, he
felt especially happy and
wondered how this could be
since the residents were
wheelchair bound, losing
their sight & hearing, suffering with pain.
His housekeeper said
“They give us more than we
give them.”
Father O’Reilly enjoys visiting nursing homes because
the residents “have given up
To reach Fr. O’Reilly
Bishop LaValley was the main
celebrant for Father O’Reilly’s
retirement Mass Nov. 2 at St.
Bernard’s Church in Saranac
Lake. On Nov. 17, he will celebrate his 77th birthday. Birthday
and retirement congratulations
can be sent to: Father Patrick
O’Reilly, 1 Woodview, Bellewstown, Drogheda, County
Meath, Ireland.
their clout and reach out to
affirm us, to love us and wish
us the very best in spite of
them giving up everything.”
Father O’Reilly offered
Mass for 20 years at the Uhlein Mercy Care Center in
Lake Placid.
Complete life of faith
The priest said his greatest
frustration is the ‘fall off in
Mass attendance.”
“It’s like a faucet was cut
off,” he said. “People just
stopped going to Mass.”
He believes this happened
“as a trend in society - they
didn’t want anything traditional. I was certain that faith
was a different thing but it’s
amazing the impact society
has had on faith.”
When asked what advice
he would give to those discerning the priesthood he
shared the wisdom of his K2 teacher: “Pay a visit to
chapel on the way home. Just
stop in and say Jesus, (your
name) is here.” and realize
that “God can’t be outdone in
generosity.” Being a priest, he
said, is “a complete life of
faith.”
10 Diocesan Life
N O V. 5 , 2 0 1 4
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diocesan life 11
OPEN OUR HEARTS
Bishop’s Fund supports vocations, seminarians
By Fr. Bryan Stitt
Diocesan Vocations Director
With the release of the
Mutually Shared Vision this
past April, the Vocations Office has had to turn things
up a notch.
As you probably remember, Priority Number One of
the Vision is “Creating a Culture of Vocations.” I have
served as Full-time Vocations Director of the Diocese
off and on since 2010, so
the number one priority in
my life for the past four
years has been the encour-
agement and support of vocations. But now the whole
diocese has some skin in
the game. From Father
Garry Giroux and his committee developing the Vocations Summit for September
2016 to St. Joseph Sister
Gregory Munger and her
committee forming the “We
are Called” Plan, there has
been a lot of support to the
Vocations Office.
Of course this doesn’t
mean I have been able to
back off my personal efforts. In fact, I feel as
though the Vocations Office
has had to respond to the
call of so many other “vocations directors” in the diocese.
Are we using the best
practices?
Have we developed the
best materials?
Are we dedicating enough
time to the college campuses?
Are we connected enough
to the seminarians and
women religious in formation?
Are we praying enough
for vocations?
How are we tapping into
genuine encounters with
Christ?
This has been exciting to
be a part of. Creating a culture does sound fun,
doesn’t it? We’ve developed
new holy cards with the
support of D.O.V.S. We’re
adopting new curricula resources for kids throughout
our diocese. We’ve produced
new videos—testimonies of
people sharing their vocations stories.
And in everything that
we’re doing we’re inviting
people to come to know
Jesus Christ and His loving
call in their lives.
The annual Bishop’s Fund Appeal supports the Vocations Office which this year produced three new vocations videos including one with Rachel Daly, former contributor
to the North Country Catholic. To see the videos go to Youtube.com and search for “Ogdensburg Vocations.”
These renewed efforts are
made possible through the
vision and guidance of
Bishop LaValley and the
dedication and support of
all the clergy, religious, and
faithful of our Diocese—all
of whom are living out their
respective vocations.
But besides your witness,
we also need your financial
support to make these programs happen. Without this
year’s Bishop’s Fund Appeal,
this wouldn’t be possible.
So thank you for your
generosity.
Donations can be mailed
to: The Bishop’s Fund Appeal, PO Box 150, Ogdensburg, New York 13669. To
learn more about the Appeal
and to view the 2014
Bishop’s Fund video, please
visit the Appeal website at
www.dioogdensburg.org/de
velopment.
To learn more about the
Vocations Office go to
www.myvocation.net.
10 Diocesan Life
N O V. 5 , 2 0 1 4
N O V. 5 , 2 0 1 4
diocesan life 11
OPEN OUR HEARTS
Bishop’s Fund supports vocations, seminarians
By Fr. Bryan Stitt
Diocesan Vocations Director
With the release of the
Mutually Shared Vision this
past April, the Vocations Office has had to turn things
up a notch.
As you probably remember, Priority Number One of
the Vision is “Creating a Culture of Vocations.” I have
served as Full-time Vocations Director of the Diocese
off and on since 2010, so
the number one priority in
my life for the past four
years has been the encour-
agement and support of vocations. But now the whole
diocese has some skin in
the game. From Father
Garry Giroux and his committee developing the Vocations Summit for September
2016 to St. Joseph Sister
Gregory Munger and her
committee forming the “We
are Called” Plan, there has
been a lot of support to the
Vocations Office.
Of course this doesn’t
mean I have been able to
back off my personal efforts. In fact, I feel as
though the Vocations Office
has had to respond to the
call of so many other “vocations directors” in the diocese.
Are we using the best
practices?
Have we developed the
best materials?
Are we dedicating enough
time to the college campuses?
Are we connected enough
to the seminarians and
women religious in formation?
Are we praying enough
for vocations?
How are we tapping into
genuine encounters with
Christ?
This has been exciting to
be a part of. Creating a culture does sound fun,
doesn’t it? We’ve developed
new holy cards with the
support of D.O.V.S. We’re
adopting new curricula resources for kids throughout
our diocese. We’ve produced
new videos—testimonies of
people sharing their vocations stories.
And in everything that
we’re doing we’re inviting
people to come to know
Jesus Christ and His loving
call in their lives.
The annual Bishop’s Fund Appeal supports the Vocations Office which this year produced three new vocations videos including one with Rachel Daly, former contributor
to the North Country Catholic. To see the videos go to Youtube.com and search for “Ogdensburg Vocations.”
These renewed efforts are
made possible through the
vision and guidance of
Bishop LaValley and the
dedication and support of
all the clergy, religious, and
faithful of our Diocese—all
of whom are living out their
respective vocations.
But besides your witness,
we also need your financial
support to make these programs happen. Without this
year’s Bishop’s Fund Appeal,
this wouldn’t be possible.
So thank you for your
generosity.
Donations can be mailed
to: The Bishop’s Fund Appeal, PO Box 150, Ogdensburg, New York 13669. To
learn more about the Appeal
and to view the 2014
Bishop’s Fund video, please
visit the Appeal website at
www.dioogdensburg.org/de
velopment.
To learn more about the
Vocations Office go to
www.myvocation.net.
12 World/nation
N O V. 5 , 2 0 1 4
N O V. 5 , 2 0 1 5
diocesan life 9
From Ireland to Ogdensburg and back again
Coming to Ogdensburg
By Colleen Miner
Staff writer
SARANAC LAKE - Father Patrick
O’Reilly was born near the
center of Ireland, fifth in a
family of nine children.
When he retires after more
than four decades of service
as a priest of the Diocese of
Ogdensburg, he plans to return to his homeland.
Father O’Reilly grew up in
a small town 17 miles north
of Dublin, five miles from the
Irish Sea. To this day, his siblings all live in Ireland (except one brother who has
died) about an hour from
each other.
The priest, who now resides at St. Bernard’s rectory,
said he always wanted to retire back to Ireland because
there’s so much family there.
He’s delighted how everything fit into place.
“When you’re working you
have tunnel vision, you concentrate on work and not on
everything around you,” he
said. “With retirement that
tunnel is gone and you can
see the big picture. I feel
young again; it’s a whole new
beginning.”
Early years in Ireland
During Father O’Reilly’s
childhood, it was customary
for the boys to go to a religious boarding high school
and the girls, the convent.
The young man was placed
in a Salesian boarding school
which was ‘delightful with a
beautiful spirit,” he said.
“I wanted to be a priest
when I was young,” he said.
“My mother encouraged me
but wanted me to make my
own decision.”
Father O’Reilly described
his father, who died when
Patrick was 15, as a “wonderful, gentle, good-humored
example of faith.” He joined
in the family rosary each
evening, often remaining afterward to pray by himself.
“Later on at the end of high
school, I wrote in a letter
home, that I was thinking of
leaving over summer break
and not return so I could
PHOTO BY COLLEEN MINER
Father Patrick O’Reilly, a native of Ireland, offered priestly ministry in the Diocese of Ogdensburg for the past 41 years. After a retirement celebration at St. Bernard’s Church in
Saranac Lake on Sunday, he plans to return to his home country this month.
work with my hands,” Father
O’Reilly said. “Then I had an
interview where I was told by
Father Lyne of Kerry that if I
continued as a Salesian, I’d
always have a pair of boots
on my feet...My mother was
very happy that I went on to
become a priest.”
Becoming a priest
The Salesians are a teaching order and he didn’t feel
called to that ministry, so
after attending school in England and at a seminary for
late vocations, Father OReilly
was ordained June 6, 1965 at
the age of 27 in Ireland.
“Back then, there were
many priests in Ireland that
were loaned to England and
Scotland,” he said. “Yes, we
had a great supply of vocations.”
“Population was growing in
America, dioceses were dividing and bishops came
over to seminaries in Ireland,
pleading, almost crying for
vocations,” he said.
The president of the semi-
nary allowed the new priests
to pick a place for consideration. Father O’Reilly was
“keen on Australia,” but the
president of the seminary
said “no,” then he chose,
Florida but there were too
many priests already going
there. He thought of the missions in South America but
the president said it was “too
rough going” so Father
O’Reilly was given a choice:
England or America.
“The president recommended Paterson, N.J., because my uncle worked for
the Wall Street Journal,” he
said.
So, from 1965 to 1973, Father O’Reilly served as a
priest in Paterson, where he
said he was “homesick all the
time - it was fast paced, metropolitan.”
“Then one week during the
parish retreat, I had to vacate
my room to give to the
preacher and thought of my
friend in Ogdensburg, Father
Liam O’Dougherty,” Father
O’Reilly said.
Father O’Dougherty told
him there was a great shortage of priests in Ogdensburg.
“I thought it would be a good
challenge for me, to make me
work
and
Ogdensburg
blended with Ireland,” he
said. “It wasn’t as much of a
wrench.”
Father O’Reilly’s first assignment in the Diocese of
Ogdensburg was in June
1973 at St. John’s in Plattsburgh with Msgr. Farmer and
Father Mundy.
For the next 41 years, Father O’Reilly served in the
North Country Church, as assistant pastor or parochial
vicar for St. John's, Madrid;
St. Mary's, Ticonderoga; Our
Lady of Victory, Plattsburgh;
St. Joseph's Malone; St. Augustine, Peru; St. Mary’s,
Champlain Holy Family, Watertown; St. Agnes, Lake
Placid; Catholic Community
of Keeseville, and St. John’s
Plattsburgh. He also served
as administrator at St. John’s
in LaFargeville
Incardinated into the diocese in 1977, (officially becoming a priest of the
diocese,) Father Reilly also
served as a chaplain Good
Samaritan Hospital Uihlein
Mercy Center in Lake Placid.
Favorite part of life as a priest
Father O’Reilly’s favorite
part of life as a priest is offering Mass.
“It’s always amazing at
Sunday Mass, people are
truly happy when they come
to Mass,” he said. “It’s a joyful
celebration and brings great
peace to people...there is an
afterglow of Holy Communion.”
He recalls after offering
Mass in a nursing home, he
felt especially happy and
wondered how this could be
since the residents were
wheelchair bound, losing
their sight & hearing, suffering with pain.
His housekeeper said
“They give us more than we
give them.”
Father O’Reilly enjoys visiting nursing homes because
the residents “have given up
To reach Fr. O’Reilly
Bishop LaValley was the main
celebrant for Father O’Reilly’s
retirement Mass Nov. 2 at St.
Bernard’s Church in Saranac
Lake. On Nov. 17, he will celebrate his 77th birthday. Birthday
and retirement congratulations
can be sent to: Father Patrick
O’Reilly, 1 Woodview, Bellewstown, Drogheda, County
Meath, Ireland.
their clout and reach out to
affirm us, to love us and wish
us the very best in spite of
them giving up everything.”
Father O’Reilly offered
Mass for 20 years at the Uhlein Mercy Care Center in
Lake Placid.
Complete life of faith
The priest said his greatest
frustration is the ‘fall off in
Mass attendance.”
“It’s like a faucet was cut
off,” he said. “People just
stopped going to Mass.”
He believes this happened
“as a trend in society - they
didn’t want anything traditional. I was certain that faith
was a different thing but it’s
amazing the impact society
has had on faith.”
When asked what advice
he would give to those discerning the priesthood he
shared the wisdom of his K2 teacher: “Pay a visit to
chapel on the way home. Just
stop in and say Jesus, (your
name) is here.” and realize
that “God can’t be outdone in
generosity.” Being a priest, he
said, is “a complete life of
faith.”
8 Diocesan Life
N O V. 5 , 2 0 1 4
Funeral held Oct. 25 for Sr.
Eileen Marie Chambers, RSM
LAKE PLACID – A Mass of the Resurrection for Mercy Sister
Eileen Marie Chambers, 84,
was held Oct. 25 at the Reiss
Memorial Chapel in Uihlein
Living Center. Father Alan
Shnob officiated.
Burial followed at St.
Patrick's Cemetery in Brasher
Falls.
Sister Eileen Marie died
Oct. 22 at Uihlein Living Center in Lake Placid.
She was born March 27,
1930, in Winthrop, the
daughter of Paul and O. Erma
(Partlov) Chambers.
She received a bachelor's
degree in education from
Potsdam State Teachers College and a master's degree in
guidance from Plattsburgh
State.
Sister Eileen entered into
the Sisters of Mercy in 1955
and after profession, she
began her teaching career
which spanned over 45
years. She taught in the Diocese of Ogdensburg, the
Archdiocese of New York and
in New Jersey.
She is survived by two
brothers and their wives,
Gerald and Donna Chambers,
Bill and Glenda Chambers;
and many nieces and
nephews.
She was predeceased by
four
brothers,
Robert,
Bernard, Paul and Daniel.
To Report Abuse
If you have a complaint of suspected
misconduct involving diocesan
clergy, religious, employees or volunteers, contact Victims Assistance Coordinator, Terrianne Yanulavich, Adult
& Youth Counseling Services of
Northern New York, PO Box 2446,
Plattsburgh, NY, 12901; e-mail: terrianneyanulavich@yahoo.com Phone:
518-483-3261; or Father James Seymour, the Episcopal Vicar for Clergy
at 315-393-2920 , ext. 1340
Bishop’s Schedule
Cathedral
12:30 p.m., Catholic Charities
Board Meeting at Wadhams Hall in
Ogdensburg
Nov. 6 – 11 a.m., Development Board
of Advisors Meeting at the Bishop's
Residence in Ogdensburg
Cathedral
Nov. 8-9 - Committee on the Protection of Children and Young People
Nov. 10– 13, United States Conference of Catholic Bishop’s General
Protecting God’s Children
The Diocese of Ogdensburg has
scheduled sessions for Protecting
God's Children for Adults. Pre-registration online is required in order to
participate. Participants may preregister at www.virtus.org by selecting
the registration button and following the directions. All employees and
volunteers who participate in church
sponsored activities with minor are
required to participate in this training. Further information is available
from Atonement Sister Ellen Donahue, 315-393- 2920, ext. 1440.
Nov. 6 -9 a.m., Seton Academy,
Plattsburgh
Jan. 22- 8 p.m., SUNY Potsdam
Environmental Stewardship
N O V. 5 , 2 0 1 4
world/nation 13
Pope: Evolution does not push aside God
What are we waiting for?
The fourth step in the St. Francis
Pledge is ACTION - “to change my
choices and behaviors by reducing my
carbon footprint such as being a more
energy conscious consumer and less
wasteful in my use of limited resources.”
What exactly does the term carbon
footprint or ecological footprint mean?
How does it relate to caring for God’s
creation?
By definition:
“Ecological footprint is a measure of
human demand on the Earth's ecosystems. It is a standardized measure of
demand for natural capital that may be
contrasted with the planet's ecological
capacity to regenerate. It represents the
amount of biologically productive land
and sea area necessary to supply the
resources a human population consumes, and to assimilate associated
waste.” See more on
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecological_footprint .
One way of lightening our footprint
is to be attentive to our normal habits
during one day and see what ones demand the most energy and consider, if
there are any ways that a change in behavior could reduce the demand or
eliminate it.
Choose one practice and decide to
DO for the week! Then evaluate how it
worked, or didn’t. Like the drops in the
ocean any action we choose to lessen
the consumption of our natural resources will reduce the weight of our
ecological footprint and ensure that
these will be available for all.
Rest in Peace
This week marks the anniversary
of the deaths of the following
clergymen men who have served
in the Diocese of Ogdensburg
Nov. 5 – Rev. Bernard Wyzykowski,
1969; Rev. John Michael Wyzykowski,
1969
Nov. 7 – Rev. Dennis Nolan, 1911; Rev.
William Ouellette, O.M.I, 1936; Msgr.
William, H. Brennan, 1986
Nov. 8 – Rev. Patrick McGilligan, 1828
Nov. 10 – Msgr. Francis M. Kenny,
1954; Msgr. Raphael A. Hoffman, 1968
Nov. 11 – Rev. Victor VandenHende,
1939; Rev. Edward O. Hervieux, 1947;
Msgr. Bernard E. Christman, 2012
By Carol Glatz
VATICAN CITY (CNS) - The Big Bang
theory and evolution do not
eliminate the existence of
God, who remains the one
who set all of creation into
motion, Pope Francis told his
own science academy.
And God's existence does
not contradict the discoveries of science, he told members of the Pontifical
Academy of Sciences Oct. 27.
"When we read the account
of creation in Genesis, we
risk thinking that God was a
magician, complete with a
magic wand, able to do
everything. But it is not like
that," he said. "He created living beings and he let them
develop according to the internal laws that he gave each
one, so that they would develop and reach their full potential."
God gave creation full autonomy while also guaranteeing his constant presence
in nature and people's lives,
he said.
The beginning of the world
is not a result of "chaos," he
said, but comes directly from
"a supreme principle that
creates out of love."
"The Big Bang, which today
is held as the beginning of
the world, does not contradict the intervention of the
divine creator, but requires
it," he said. "Evolution in nature is not at odds with the
notion of creation because
evolution presupposes the
creation of beings that
evolve."
Members of the academy,
many of them renowned scientists and philosophers,
were meeting at the Vatican
Oct. 24-28 to discuss "Evolving Concepts of Nature."
Science, philosophy and
religion have all contributed
to how people see the world,
how it began and what it all
means, said the introduction
to the academy's program.
Despite many scientific advances, many mysteries remain, said Rafael Vicuna,
professor of molecular genetics and molecular biology
at the Pontifical Catholic Uni-
versity of Chile. While
Charles Darwin shed light on
the origin of species, one of
the most perplexing questions is the actual origin of
life, Vicuna said.
How is it that inert, inanimate matter turned into
something living, and how is
it that the first living singlecelled organisms were still so
amazingly complex, he
asked in his talk Oct. 27.
Chemistry, biology and genetics have been able to
identify the tiniest components and basic building
blocks of living organisms,
but there is something more
than just what they are made
out of that makes them "living," he said in an interview
with the Catholic newspaper,
Avvenire.
"I can know perfectly what
a cell is made up of, but how
it works deep down, what really is the dynamism that
makes it move - that is, life I don't know," Vicuna said. "A
refrigerator and a car are
complex structures that
move, but only with an immense amount of energy
from the outside.
“Life, in its deepest
essence, remains something
that escapes us," he said.
In his talk to academy
members, Vicuna said the
laws of chemistry and
physics "do not suffice to
grasp the whole of life ... that
life is more than molecules."
Philosophy and religion
have to be careful to not
make the mistake of trying to
solve the mysteries in nature
by making God "responsible
for a natural process that escapes scientific explanation,"
Vicuna said.
An example of this, he
said, can be found in the intelligent design movement,
which accepts that life has
evolved over eons but asserts that it is so complex
that its development must
have been guided by a
supreme being or intelligent
agent.
Not only are intelligent-design proponents "denying
nature's autonomy, but they
are also revealing some degree of ingenuousness, because science has already
provided explanations for
the development" of structures they had considered to
be too complex to occur naturally, he said.
However, there is an argument for the "apparent design, order and purpose
observed in nature," he said,
which is not to be confused
with intelligent design and
the "God of the gaps."
14 World/nation
'Don't give up hope':
Archbishop responds to
woman's suicide plan
By Ed Langlois
PORTLAND, ORE. (CNS) -- As a young
California woman gained national attention for her plan
to use Oregon's assisted suicide law, Archbishop Alexander K. Sample of Portland
issued a statement saying
the Oregon law puts forward
illusion and confusion.
At the start of 2014, newlywed
Brittany
Maynard
learned she had brain cancer.
A few months after she underwent two surgeries, doctors delivered the news that
the cancer had returned and
that most patients die from
such tumors in about a year.
She decided against further
treatment.
Maynard, 29, and her husband moved to Oregon, ostensibly to become legal
residents of the state and
thus able to take advantage
of its assisted-suicide law.
She had planned to take a
legal overdose after her husband's late October birthday,
on Nov. 1. Now, though, according to CBS News, she
wants to wait and see how
the disease progresses.
In an essay for CNN, Maynard said she had considered
hospice care but opted instead for assisted suicide. In
late October, she and her
husband visited the Grand
Canyon. It was the last item
on Maynard's "bucket list" of
things she said she wants to
do before she dies.
"I want to die on my own
terms," Maynard wrote in an
October blog post. She announced her plans on
YouTube and became a
spokesperson for Compassion and Choices, the pro-assisted suicide group that
emerged from the Oregon
debates of the 1990s.
Archbishop Sample said
the church stands in solidarity with people who are suffering and dying and with
those who are struggling to
find meaning in life.
"Don't give up hope!" the
archbishop wrote. "We are
with you. As friends, families
and neighbors we pledge to
surround you with our love
and compassion until the sacred moment when God calls
you home."
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CATHOLIC
WORLD
AT A GLANCE
Pope urges prayer, international action to fight Ebola virus
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Francis pleaded for the international community to
take stronger, coordinated steps to "annihilate" the Ebola virus and help the
millions of people impacted by the disease. "As the Ebola virus epidemic worsens, I want to express my deep concern for this relentless illness that is spreading particularly on the African continent and especially among populations
that are already disadvantaged," the pope said Oct. 29 at the end of his weekly
general audience. Pope Francis offered his prayers and solidarity with the sick,
as well as with the doctors, nurses, volunteers, religious orders and humanitarian agencies working "heroically to help our sick brothers and sisters." "I ask
you to pray for them and for all who have lost their lives," the pope said. The
day before the pope's appeal, Caritas Internationalis -- the umbrella organization for Catholic charities around the world -- announced it would hold a special meeting in Rome Nov. 4 to coordinate ways to increase the work Catholic
charities are doing in response to the epidemic, especially in West Africa.
Pope Francis says Pope Benedict was a 'great pope'
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Retired Pope Benedict XVI is a perfect example of how
intellectual knowledge and scientific curiosity do not lead a person further
from God, but can strengthen their love for God and for his human creatures,
Pope Francis said. "Benedict XVI was a great pope," he said: "Great for the
power and penetration of his intellect, great for his considerable contribution
to theology, great for his love for the church and for human beings, great for his
virtues and his religiosity." Pope Francis praised his predecessor Oct. 27 at a
meeting of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences. The academicians invited Pope
Francis to unveil a bronze bust of Pope Benedict at the academy's headquarters
in the Vatican Gardens. The pope said he was pleased that the statue's face and
particularly its eyes captured the spirit, intelligence and love of Pope Benedict.
"This spirit, far from crumbling with the passing of time, will appear greater
and more powerful from generation to generation," the pope predicted.
Nuncio: 'unfair situation' in Middle East needs 'adequate response'
UNITED NATIONS (CNS) -- Peace in the Middle East "can only be sought through
negotiated settlements and not through unilateral choices imposed with the
use of force," said Archbishop Berardito Auza, the Vatican's U.N. nuncio. "The
Holy See has always followed the situation in the Middle East with great interest and concern. It has always pleaded for negotiations and dialogue among
the parties involved," said the archbishop, who heads the Holy See's Permanent Observer Mission to the United Nations. "It has always tried to do all it
could to help the victims of violence," he added in a statement to the U.N. Security Council, which held an open debate on the situation in the Middle East,
including "the Israeli-Palestinian question." "Given the rapidly deteriorating
situation in the region during these last months, Pope Francis has intensified
his efforts to push for negotiations and call all parties to respect the international humanitarian law and fundamental human rights," Archbishop Auza
said in a statement released Oct. 21. With regard to the Israeli-Palestinian situation, the Vatican has long supported "a two-state solution," he said. "Israel
and Palestine, with the vigorous support of the competent organs of the United
Nations and of the whole international community," he said, "must work toward the final objective, which is the realization of the right of the Palestinians
to have their own state, sovereign and independent, and of the right of the Israelis to peace and security."
diocesan life 7
Thank you, Father
By Suzanne Pietropaoli
Staff writer
“Thank you, Father.” Catholics of a certain age
may recall a sing-song chorus of children’s voices
(often prompted by Sister) delivering these
words with gusto. Though rather less in vogue
than it once was, this response is worth pondering. Like much of what we absorb when we are
young, these words are good and true—but the
depth of their meaning only unfolds with the
passing years.
In earliest memory, a large and unruly group of
seven year olds needed little prompting: when
the gruff Irish pastor pronounced us, after long
months of preparation, ready to receive our First
Holy Communions, the loud and unanimous
“Thank you , Father,” could hardly be contained!
On the Saturday before that great Sunday, the
same words would be whispered almost inaudibly as each one left the confessional with a
child’s sense of having been cleansed of sin.
As the years went on and horizons expanded,
that sense became more focused as one’s sins
grew weightier and the burden of them more
pronounced. No longer tallied like items on a list,
sin was now known to be woven into one’s personality and one’s actions. But the larger sins
and their heavier burden made confession more
important, and likely more fruitful. They certainly increased one’s longing and gratitude for
those precious and powerful words: “I absolve
you from your sins, in the name of the Father,
and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” Washed
clean by grace, one answers “Amen” joyfully, for
so great a gift. And to the priest through whom
this forgiveness has come, only three words are
possible. Thank you, Father.
Thank you for saying yes - on the day
of ordination and every day since to the call to make a sincere gift of yourself
in love to Christ and to the Church
How many sacramental encounters evoke this
response? To the priests who witness our wedding vows, who baptize our children, hear their
confessions, and help to form them in faith:
thank you, Father! To the priests who faithfully
visit the sick, anoint our loved ones, celebrate
their funerals and lay them to rest with the blessing of God and of the Church: thank you, Father!
To the priests who celebrate Mass with devotion,
and who feed us daily with the Eucharist, source
and summit of the Christian life: for this greatest
of gifts, we offer our everlasting gratitude.
To the priests who faithfully witness to the
love of God, and to the truth that he—and he
alone—is our life and our destiny, we are most
grateful. To the priests who endure loneliness
and criticism, yet remain steadfast in prayer and
in love: our debt is enormous. To the priests
who immerse themselves in the Word of God and
put their hearts into opening that Word to their
people: we thank you. To those priests whose
courage leads them to preach the Gospel—with
its demands as well as its rewards—in season
and out, whether convenient or inconvenient:
thank you.
Amid growing cultural chaos, some priests pay
special attention to the signs of the times and to
the people most affected by them. Not a few
priests work to strengthen marriages by personally preparing couples to live this sacrament,
which by its nature is intended to reflect the lifegiving love of the Triune God. To them, and to
priests who faithfully walk with couples when
they encounter difficulties along the way: thank
you, Father!
To those priests who affirm families, and encourage their growth in faith and in love, please
know how much your efforts are appreciated. To
those priests who hunger and thirst for holiness,
and so inspire the same in their people: thank
you, Father. Among kind and generous priests
are those who accompany, through spiritual direction, people seeking to respond more deeply
to God’s love: thank you, Father, for so tremendous a gift!
And to all priests, without whom the sacramental life of the Church would not be possible:
thank you for saying yes to God’s call to lay
down your life for his sheep. Thank you for saying yes—on the day of ordination and every day
since—to the call to make a sincere gift of yourself in love to Christ and to the Church. The
blessings that come to us at your hands, and
through your fatherly hearts, number as the
stars. Language limits us to that simple chorus:
Thank you, Father! But nothing can limit the
gratitude in our hearts, or our continued prayer
that God will bless you as you have blessed us.
6 Diocesan Life
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By Father Bryan D. Stitt
Diocesan Vocation Director
Last week I tried the sport
of curling for the first time.
I was with a couple dozen
young Catholic Scouts from
across the diocese during
the annual Catholic Scouting
retreat, and this was our
evening activity. It was
great fun.
Curling is not as complicated as its equally icy
cousin, hockey. No pads, no
helmets, not checking, no
penalty boxes. Just two
teams sliding rocks at a target in turn with a lot of
sweeping and even more
yelling. Simple, right?
That’s what I thought until
my team of three 30-something men got beat handily
by a team of young
teenaged girls. How’d it
happen?
Well, they played this simple game at a higher level.
As Vocations Director, I try
to help young people do
on a higher level.
In a world of abundant
Father Bryan Stitt, center, tried his hand at curling during the recent Catholic scouting retreat. His team was handily beaten by a
group of young teenaged girls because, he said, they “played this simple game at a higher level.” As diocesan director of vocations, he
is encouraging young people to live more simply and on a higher level.
broken-relationships, addictions, compulsions, and sin,
striking simplicity: “Follow
Me.” We heard it recently at
Mass, didn’t we? The whole
of the law and prophets depend on this: Love of God
and Love of Neighbor. It
doesn’t get much simpler
than that. And that’s what
He calls us all to.
the priesthood, I’d like to
point out how the priest’s
life stands out in its simplicity. Celibacy, obedience,
and prayer: these are the
three promises that every
priest made on his ordination day.
They stand in stark contrast to a world of very complicated sexual confusion,
the sacredness of the personal will, and lives of pragmatism.
Can we look at the three
priestly promises?
Prayer first. Each and
every Christian, by right of
his or her baptism has the
responsibility to converse
with the Lord. But priests
have solemnly promised to
pray for the Church and the
world each day. Of course
there is the celebration of
Holy Mass (normally and
ideally celebrated once
every day), but also the
praying of the Liturgy of the
Hours (in which we step
away five times a day to
pray), confession, rosary,
and personal meditation.
I heard a great example of
this last point recently.
Bishop Daniel Thomas, the
new bishop of Toledo, told
the story of when he was a
seminarian in Philadelphia.
While he was a senior in college-seminary, Pope John
Paul II came to visit the City
of Brotherly Love. Cardinal
Krol had hosted the Pope at
his residence, and afterwards related this story to
the seminarians. After bidding his host a good night,
Pope John Paul retired to his
room. But the Cardinal sure
didn’t go to sleep. (Can you
imagine doing so with the
Vicar of Christ on Earth in
your house?!?)
Around 10:30 pm Cardinal Krol decided he would
check on the pontiff to see
if his light was on. It was,
and the door was ajar. But
no Pope. “Maybe he needed
a midnight snack,” thought
Cardinal Krol. So he went to
the kitchen, but no Pope.
“He’s a great scholar, so
world/nation 15
Poverty was among synod's major concerns
Simpler life lived at a higher level
the priesthood, I’d like
to point out how the priest’s
life stands out in its
simplicity (with) celibacy,
obedience, and prayer
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maybe he’s reading in the library.” He went to the library, but no Pope. Then he
went to the chapel. The
light was on, and the door
was open just a crack.
Through the door Cardinal
Krol could see Pope Saint
John Paul II prostrate on the
ground before the Lord in
the Blessed Sacrament.
We are all called to the
simple reality of daily
prayer. Priests are to follow
the example of John Paul
who followed the example
of Christ himself. We are to
pour out ourselves in
prayer.
Second is obedience.
Obedience is often regarded as the hardest of the
promises that a priest
makes. Again, all Christians
must be obedient, but
priests are called to do so
on a whole different level.
For example, we all know
the reality of priests having
to move to different assignments. Sometimes people
see this as a cause of frustration. “Why did the
Bishop do this to us?!?”
parishioners seem to say.
But with eyes of faith, invariably we see how the
Holy Spirit was working in
and through the move.
This past May I heard one
of our recently transferred
priests express this to
Bishop LaValley. To paraphrase him: “I don’t know
what happened in [the personnel meeting], and I’m not
asking to. You see the big
picture in a way that I cannot. But what I want you to
know is that I trust you, and
trust that the Holy Spirit is
at work.”
Can I encourage you to
keep that in mind the next
time a transfer happens that
surprises or disappoints
you? In it you’ll be able to
see the simplicity of obedience lived at a higher level.
Finally we all know that
the priest promises celibacy.
Again, all Catholics are to
be chaste and pure—in
whatever vocation they
have been called to. There
is absolutely nothing impure about the free, total,
faithful, and fruitful love between a husband and wife.
But a priest foregoes marriage for the sake of the
kingdom. What does that
mean? It means that
celibacy is not just about
the simple practicality—although this is something
that is made very evident to
me whenever I’m surrounded by all my siblings,
cousins, and all their children at our chaotic family
reunions. (My life sure is a
lot simpler than theirs!)
Instead celibacy is about
living the purity and
chastity on a higher level.
Priests are to give the world
a reminder by their very
lives that there is a love “out
there” even greater than the
beautiful love between a
husband and a wife—that is
our God who is love. Our
world so desperately needs
the priests’ heroic witness
of chastity today.
Those teen-aged Scouts
showed me that curling is a
simpler game that can be
played on a higher level.
Please God, I was able to
show them in some small
way a simpler life that can
be lived on a higher level.
By Simone Orendain
MANILA, PHILIPPINES (CNS) -- Cardinal
Luis Antonio Tagle of Manila
said the Synod of Bishops on
the family was more than a
series of discussions on divorce and gay unions and
that the impact of poverty on
families, especially in Asia,
was a major concern of participants.
"Poverty is really affecting
the Filipino family in a dramatic way," Cardinal Tagle
told reporters at an Oct. 30
news conference.
The prelate explained that
while he was in Italy he was
part of a forum on families
and afterward a number of
contract workers from the
Philippines approached him
in tears. Cardinal Tagle said
one worker told him, "If it
weren't for hardship I would
never have left my wife and
children behind."
The Philippines is among
the world's top countries that
sends workers overseas.
More than 9 million Filipinos,
about 10 percent of the
Philippines population, live
overseas and about half of
them migrated for work, the
government has reported.
"Couples separate not because they're mad at each
other," the cardinal said.
"They separate because they
love their family and they
bear the pain of separation
just to find jobs elsewhere.
So we ask, 'What kind of pastoral care can we give for the
(contract) workers to remain
faithful to their families ...
and what can we do for those
left behind?'"
Cardinal Tagle pointed to
financial insecurity as a hindrance to marriage and a
burden on family life. Young
people are delaying marriage
because of a lack of jobs in
the Philippines and elsewhere and thoughts that
they could not support a
family, he said, adding that
for those who have work, the
breadwinner is focused on
hanging on to the job and
"putting the family second."
16 commentary
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SCRIPTURE REFLECTIONS
‘Rebuild my Church’
was told in prayer by the
This is an unusual feast
Lord, “Rebuild my Church.”
day in the liturgical calenThe Lateran repredar. It doesn’t celesents all churches.
brate a saint, or
Our present Pope
church doctrine, or
Francis is trying to
an event in the life
do the same as his
of Christ or His
namesake!
mother. It’s about a
At the same time,
church building,
we are reminded in
the Lateran Basilica
today’s second readin Rome.
ing, St. Paul reminds
This is the oldest
us that “You are the
of the four basilicas
Monsignor
Temple of God, and
in Rome, and the
the spirit of God
official cathedral for Paul E.
dwells in you.”
the Pope.
Whitmore
In the first reading
Across from the
today, Ezekiel the
Basilica is a statue of
prophet has a vision in
St. Francis. We’re told that,
from a certain angle, behind which he sees water flowing
from all sides of the temple
this statue, you can see the
basilica through the arms of in Jerusalem.
When he revealed this viFrancis.
Remember that St. Francis sion to the Israelites in exile,
NOV. 9
Dedication of the Lateran Basilica
READINGS
Ezekiel 47:1-2, 8-9, 12
1 Corinthians 3:9c-11, 16-17
John 2:13-22
they took new hope that
one day the temple, now in
ruins, would be rebuilt and
a source of prosperity for
them once again.
The Gospel of John is all
about Jesus cleansing the
Temple. As we know, Jesus
was very angry at the irreverence shown to His Father’s
House, and referred to Himself as a “temple” which
would one day resurrect
from the dead.
In our union with Jesus,
we are also temples, holy
and sacred, meant for
prayer and praise of God.
We too shall rise from the
dead. Today’s feast day reminds us of the great dignity and responsibility
every one of us has been
given--even more than the
beautiful building of St.
John Lateran that we celebrate at Mass.
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diocesan life 5
4 Diocesan Life
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AT THE MOVIES
A Joy That Fills the Room
By Amanda Conklin
Contributing Writer
From the moment I met
Tom Higman (affectionately
referred to as Tom-Tom,) I
knew he would be a wonderful priest.
I worked with Tom before
he was “Father Tom” for several years at Camp Guggenheim. I was amazed by his
faithfulness to follow his
calling right out of high
school.
I was so blessed to be able
to watch him grow as a man
through his entire formation
process.
I was especially lucky to
be living outside of Philadelphia while he was studying
at St. Charles Seminary and
my husband and I often visited or had Father Higman
and Father Belina over for
dinner. Father Tom Higman
has a joy that radiates and
the source of this joy is so
clearly Christ. I don’t think
I’ve ever spent time with
him that didn’t include at
least one good belly laugh.
I’ve also never seen a
priest quite so in love with
PHOTO PROVIDED
Father Thomas Higman, parochial vicar in Saranac Lake, baptizes John Allen Conklin, son of Seth and Amanda Conklin of Gouverneur.
Here, Mrs. Conklin writes about her friend, the priest.
being a young priest!
Everything Father Tom
does is oriented towards his
vocation as a shepherd of
his flock and a representative of Christ.
Whether he is emulating a
young JPII while kayaking
with young people in our
beautiful Adirondack lakes,
or humbling himself to hear
confessions at our moving
Rachel’s Vineyard retreats,
Father Higman is leading
others to God every day.
The people of the Diocese
see the love Father Higman
has for the Church and they
truly love him in return.
This was most recently
demonstrated when Father
Tom was transferred from
entertainment 17
Malone to Saranac Lake on
assignment. I’ve never seen
so many well wishes and
sad goodbyes on Facebook
and so many excited parishioners who were ready and
proud to claim Father Tom
as their own! Sometimes I
wish that Father Tom could
teach a class to all newly ordained priests on how to
visibly embrace their vocation.
Father Higman recently
baptized our newest edition, little John Allen. I always get excited when my
child’s baptism date approaches. However, I never
expected the priest who was
baptizing him to be just as
excited as me!
As the date approached,
Father Tom reminded me
several times how excited
he was to welcome my son
into the Church and he
brought such joy to the occasion. On the day of
John's baptism, we were
running very late after realizing that we had forgotten
John's baptismal suit and I
was very distraught. Unknowingly, Fr. Tom eased
my anxiety when he sent me
a text message with a picture of the baptismal font,
chrism and candle all ready
to go with the caption: "All I
need is a baby now!"
How beautiful it would be
if every priest approached
the sacraments with this jubilation. We are very
blessed in the Diocese of
Ogdensburg to have many
devoted, faith-filled priests
who go far beyond just celebrating Mass on Sundays. In
a time when it is certainly
not easy to be a priest, let
us remember to pray for our
priests and thank them for
their complete service to
Christ and his bride, the
Church.
BEFORE I GO TO SLEEP
By Kurt Jensen
The cherished amnesia
plot gets dusted off for the
thriller "Before I Go to Sleep"
(Clarius). Writer-director
Rowan Joffe's adaptation of
S.J. Watson's novel adeptly
executes a few turns. But it
offers only one big twist.
As the result of a vicious
assault 10 years ago, during
which she sustained a head
injury, Christine's (Nicole
Kidman) memory erases
nightly when she goes to
sleep. So she begins each
day with a ritual, assisted
by photos and written reminders of "Who are you,
and where am I?"
By bedtime, she's almost
up to speed. In her dreams,
she's tormented by
glimpses of the attack. And
each morning, the cycle begins anew.
Christine's situation renders her helpless and easily
manipulated by others.
Aiding her is Dr. Nasch
(Mark Strong), a psychologist. He has Christine create
a daily video diary so she
can build a long-term "memory," carve out some independence and perhaps
recall the identity of her assailant.
Eventually, bits of Christine's past reveal themselves. She'd had an affair.
So had her husband -- with
her best friend Claire (AnneMarie Duff). Yet now her
spouse Ben (Colin Firth)
seems so kindly and attentive.
If there's a moral issue
raised in this whodunit,
which fans of the genre
should enjoy, it might be
the question of whether the
illusion of a secure exis-
tence can effectively substitute for real family love.
The film contains occasional physical violence, an
adultery theme, a few instances of profanity and
crude language.
The Catholic News Service
classification is A-III -adults. The Motion Picture
Association of America rating is R -- restricted. Under
17 requires accompanying
parent or adult guardian.
CNS PHOTO/LAURIE SPARHAM, CLARIUS ENTERTAINMENT
Nicole Kidman and Colin Firth star in a scene from the movie "Before I Go To Sleep."
18 around the diocese
Carthage – An Advent mini retreat for
men who wish to further their love and
understanding of the Catholic faith will
be held, sponsored by K of C #291
Date: Dec. 6
Time: 9:30 a.m. to 12
Place: St. James Church.
Features: A day of inspiration with
guest speaker Father Mark Reilly. Mass at
9:30 will be followed by fellowship and
refreshments.
Lake Placid – The Annual Christmas
Bazaar and Craft fair to be held.
Date: Dec. 6
Place: St. Agnes School
Features: Vendor space is available $45
-$55 per space. There are toys, gifts,
crafts, wreaths, trees, holiday plants,
baked goods, raffle and silent auction
Contact: Kathleen at 518-523-3771 or
at info@stagneselementary.com
ELECTION NIGHT HAM DINNER
CLINTON
CHRISTMAS DINNER
BUS FOR LIFE
Plattsburgh - Time to sign up for the
2015 Lake Champlain Bus for Life.
Schedule: Meet at St. Peter’s Church in
on Jan. 21 at 7:15 p.m. for the Jan. 22
March For Life. Arrive in Washington,
D.C. early morning on Jan. 22; Free Time
in the morning . Rally and March start at
noon on The National Mall; Meet at St.
Peter’s Church in Washington at 4:45pm
for the trip home.
Cost: $25
Contact: Karen Smith at 518-566-6229
or Betty Buffett at (518) 536-6640. To
sign up for a seat on the bus or to make
a donation—please mail your check to
St. Peter’s Church 114 Cornelia Street
Plattsburgh, New York 12901. Make a
note on the memo line:“Bus for Life.”
HARVEST DINNER
Morrisonville – Harvest Dinner to be
held with turkey and all the fixings.
Date: Nov. 9
Place: St. Alexander’s Parish Hall
Cost: Adults, $9; Children 6-12, $5;
under 5, Free, Take-out, $9 (Call 5185039 to order)
Features: Harvest dinner raffle drawing
at 6 p.m., country store, silent auction.
QUILTING CLASSES
Ellenburg Center – Quilting classes to be
held.
Place: Our Lady of the Adirondacks
N O V. 5 , 2 0 1 4
MEN OF FAITH
ADIRONDACK
CHRISTMAS BAZAAR/CRAFT FAIR
Plattsburgh – Annual Seton Catholic
Christmas turkey dinner is set
Date: Dec. 7
Cost: Adults, $9; Seniors (55+), $7; Children 5-12, $6; under 5, free; Take-outs, $9
Features: Adults bringing toy or food
item will receive $1 off meal. Event will
include: Basket Raffle; 50/50 drawings;
Bake Sale and Holiday Wreath Sale; Live
Entertainment.
The North County Catholic welcomes contributions to “Around the Diocese”.
Parishioners are invited to send information about activities to:
North Country Catholic, PO Box 326,
Ogdensburg, NY 13669; fax, 1-866-314-7296;
e-mail news@northcountrycatholic.org.
Alexandria Bay – Annual Election night
family style ham dinner to be held.
Date: Nov. 4
Time: 5 p.m.
Place: St. Cyril’s Church
Cost: Adults, $8.50; Children, $5; under
5, Free; take-outs, $9 starting at 4 p.m.
Contact: For deliveries call 955-5504
Items must be received in the NCCoffice by the Thursday before publication.
CONSERVING ENERGY WORKSHOP
Cost: $25 per class
Classes: Disappearing Pinwheel class:
Nov. 12, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Donna Hastings,
guest instructor.
Contact: Email thelostsheepquiltshop@gmail.com or call 518-594-3253.
Overnight accommodations available.
PRAYER OF EXAMEN
Ellenburg Center – Our Lady of the
Adirondack House of Prayer to hold a retreat day.
Date: Nov.8
Time 10 a.m. to 4
Features: Fr. Jack Downs will present
Prayer of Examen, the Ignatian method
of meditation which engages our
thoughts, imagination, emotions, and
desires. Suggested donation $25.
Contact: olaprayerhouse@gmail.com or
518-594-3253.RSVP by Nov. 1
FRANKLIN
ECUMENICAL PRAYER SERVICE
Bombay – Local Christian churches to
hold an Ecumenical Prayer Service.
Date: Nov. 23
Time: 4 p.m.
Place: St. Joseph’s Church
Features: Bring a non-perishable food
item for local food pantries.
JEFFERSON
HOLY HOURS
Adams/Henderson – Holy Hours to be
held.
Schedule: First Wednesday at St. Cecilia
6:30 p.m.: Nov. 5; Dec. 3; Jan. 7; Feb. 4;
March 4; Third Monday at St. Cecilia 5
p.m. (followed by pot luck) Dec. 15; Jan.
19; Feb. 16; March16; Thursday at Queen
of Heaven 5:30 p.m.: Nov. 20; Dec. 18;
Jan. 22
Features: adoration following the
10:30 a.m. Mass on Wed.
SPAGHETTI & MEATBALL DINNER
Evans Mills – A Spaghetti and Meatball
dinner to be held to benefit the Indian
River Council 7471 Knights of Columbus.
Date: Nov. 8
Time: 4 p.m.
Place: St. Mary’s Parish Center
Cost: Adults, $7; Senior Citizens, $5; Children under 12, $5; under 5, free
MUSICAL MISSION
Watertown - An interfaith musical presentation in eight "acts" to benefit the
Watertown Urban Mission to be held.
Date: Nov. 14
Time: 7 p.m.
Place: Holy Family Church
Features: A free-will offering will be accepted. Refreshments. Call rectory 7822468 for info.
SPAGHETTI SUPPER
Watertown – The Altar Rosary Society of
St. Anthony’s Parish will be having a
spaghetti supper.
Date: Nov. 20
Time: 4:30 p.m. to 7
Place: St. Anthony’s Church, Msgr. Sechi
Hall
Cost: Adults, $8; Children, $4.50; under
3, Free; Sauce, $5 per quart; Meatballs,
$.75 each
Features: Take-outs begin at 4 p.m.,
please bring your own containers
Watertown - Conserving Energy as a
Way of Living Our Faith" Workshop will
be held, sponsored by the Watertown
Faith and Ecology group
Date: Nov. 15
Time: 10 a.m. to Noon
Place: Hearthside Hospitality Center at
Sisters of St. Joseph Motherhouse
Features: The Program focuses on lowcost & no-cost measures that can be
used to reduce energy consumption in
homes & churches. Presenter will be
Jerry K. Loch, D.Min. who has worked in
the field of energy efficiency for more
than ten years and has practiced extensively in Christian Ethics.
LEWIS
HOLIDAY BANQUET
Lowville – St. Peter’s Rosary Altar Society will hold their Holiday Banquet.
Date: Nov. 12
Time: 12:30 p.m.
Place: Lewis Co. Memorial VFW
Cost: $10.50
Features: A turkey dinner will be served.
Members are asked to bring a monetary
donation for the “Homeless Christmas
Tree” program at social services.
Contact: Betty Davis at 376-6731 by
Nov. 6th
ST. LAWRENCE
SESQUICENTENNIAL CELEBRATION
Colton – St. Patrick’s to have Sesquicentennial Celebration.
Date: Nov. 8
Time: 6 p.m.
Features: Msgr. Robert H. Aucoin, pastor
will be celebrant of the Mass. A recep-
tion hosted by St. Patrick-St. Paul Altar &
Rosary Society will immediately follow
Mass in the parish center.
PRAYER OF EXAMEN
Massena – The Ignatian “Prayer of Examen” program will be presented by Father Jack Downs.
Date: Nov. 12
Time: 11 a.m. or 7 p.m.
Place: Jessie Carey Room, Sacred Heart
Convent
Features: There will be five sessions at
both times with two presentations of
each session. The Ignatian method of
meditation engages our thoughts, imagination, emotions, and desires.
Contact: Please register by Nov. 10 by
calling 315-384-4143
NOV. 8 BAZAAR
Massena - St. Mary’s & St. Joseph’s to
have their Annual Bazaar.
Date: Nov. 8
Place: St. Mary’s Social Hall
Features: Fancy Goods, Cake Walk, Country Store, Ticket Central, Kids Games,
Quilt Raffle, Turkey Raffle, SKILO, Pull
Tabs, Poker and lots of food!
Contact: For more information email
stmarysr@twcny.rr.com or call 315-7640239
K OF C BRUNCH
Norfolk – The Knights of Columbus will
be sponsoring a brunch.
Date: Nov. 12
Time: 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Place: Visitation Parish Center
Cost: Adults, $7; Children under 12, $4;
Under 5, Free; Family, $18; Take-outs
available
TRIVIA NIGHT
Brasher Falls – The Brasher Falls Knights
of Columbus will hold a Trivia Night to
defray the costs of planned upgrades to
the hall.
Date: Nov. 15
Time: 7 p.m. (doors open at 6 p.m.)
Place: Knights Hall
Features: Jim Grow and his family will
emcee. The cost of the event is $100 per
team with a maximum of five players
per team. Prepay by Nov. 12 to receive
100 points to start the night. Meal of
hotdogs, hamburgers, macaroni salad
will be served. Bar will be available.
Silent auction available.
Contact: Entries may be sent to Terry
Grant, c/o Trivia Night, 32 Noblett Rd.,
Winthrop, NY, 13697. He may be reached
at 389-4116
N O V. 5 , 2 0 1 5
diocesan life 3
FOLLOW ME
Vocations Awareness Week
As you know, our diocesan Envisioning Process has
highlighted three key pastoral priorities that
the Diocese of Ogdensburg is now
focusing on for the
next five years:
Creating a Culture
of Vocations,
Strengthening Faith
Formation in Family Life, and Building Parishes with
Living Stones.
Bishop
Clearly, all three
Terry R.
priorities are intiLaValley
mately connected.
Our ability to address successfully each priority is directly related to
the attention we give to the
other two. I encourage all of
the faithful in our Diocese
to participate in your
parish’s efforts to address
these priorities and meet
the targeted goals.
Yes, there are many challenges that vocations, families, and parishes face
today. As a family of faith,
we can and we will address
these opportunities through
sustained prayer and focused action.
November 2-9, 2014 is Na-
tional Vocations Awareness
Week. Is there anything
more important in our local
Church today than
creating a culture of
vocations in the
North Country?
The ability of our
Church to provide a
culture so that vocations might flourish
is a telling indicator
of our vitality and
sustainability.
Cultivating faith
formation in our families and building vibrant parishes in our
Diocese help to create a healthy, grace-filled
environment where every
person can discern the
Lord’s will for him or her.
Each of us is called to be
holy. How we decide to live
out that call defines our vocation.
Pope Benedict XVI wrote,
“Let us not forget that Christian marriage is a vocation
to holiness in the full sense
of the word, and that the example of holy parents is the
first condition favorable for
the flowering of priestly and
religious vocations.”
During this week, we are
called to be especially aware
of our responsibility to pray
that young people will respond generously to the
Lord’s call to serve the
Church in the consecrated
life and ordained ministry.
When we recognize in a
person in our parish the
qualities necessary for the
lifestyle of a sister, brother,
deacon or priest, do we invite them to consider that
the Lord might be calling
them to such a blessed life?
To foster and to nurture
vocations means that we
enter into the lives and
hearts of people. We look
forward to sharing with
them our own experiences
of life, our vocation story. In
this way, priests, consecrated religious, deacons,
and parishioners who share
their personal vocation stories help to sensitize others
to God’s call in their own
lives.
How can we find the time,
given today’s packed family
calendars, to share such stories? Look for opportunities.
How about around the supper table? Even when we
are on the road, maybe on
the way to practice or a
game. I remember well, a casual conversation I had with
my pastor on the way home
from a CYO meeting when
he asked me if I ever considered becoming a priest.
Nov 2-9 is National Vocations
Awareness Week. Is there
in the North Country?
Personal invitation continues to be the main reason
someone chooses to consider a Church vocation.
Pope Francis underlined
the continued need to build
a culture of vocations.
He wrote: “The fraternal
life and fervor of the community can awaken in the
young a desire to consecrate
themselves completely to
God and to preaching of the
Gospel. This is particularly
true if such a living community prays insistently for vocations and courageously
proposes to its young people the path of special con-
secration.” (Evangelii
Gaudium, 2013)
May this Vocations Awareness Week provide the occasion for each of us to renew
our resolve to pray for vocations every day.
As the Holy Father wrote:
“Vocations are born in
prayer and from prayer; and
only through prayer can
they persevere and bear
fruit.” In our prayer, we
thank God for our seminarians who have responded to
the Lord’s invitation:
Michael Jablonski, Todd
Thibault, Matthew Conger
and Leagon Carlin. Let us
keep these men in our
thoughts and prayers. Drop
them a line from time to
time and offer them your
prayerful support. It is crucial to create a culture of vocations in our parishes if we
are to continue to provide
the social support needed
for each person to hear and
respond generously to God’s
call in his or her life.
Let’s do our part in supporting our seminarians and
encouraging other young
men and women to consider
the priesthood and consecrated religious life.
2 Diocesan Life
NORTH
COUNTRY
CATHOLIC
Box 326
Ogdensburg, N.Y. 13669
USPS 0039-3400
BISHOP TERRY
R. LAVALLEY
President
REV. JOSEPH A. MORGAN
Vice President
SR. JENNIFER VOTRAW, SSJ
Secretary-Treasurer
MARY LOU KILIAN
Editor/
General Manager
Publish 45 issues per year:
Weekly except
every other
week beginning the end
of May
through August and skipping one week in December
by the Diocese of
Ogdensburg.
622 Washington Street, Ogdensburg, N.Y. 13669.
Editorial Office:
622 Washington Street,
Ogdensburg, N.Y. 13669.
Telephone:
(315) 608-7556
E-mail:
news@northcountry
catholic.org
Entered at the
Post Office:
Ogdensburg, NY
13669 as
Periodical Postage.
Subscription:
For one year:
In-Diocese Rate: $27
Outside of Diocese Rate: $30
Matters for publication
should be
addressed to
PO Box 326
Ogdensburg, NY 13669
and should be received by
Thursday prior to
publication.
Paper is printed each
Monday;
dateline is Wednesday.
Member, Catholic Press
Association.
POSTMASTER:
Send address changes to
North Country Catholic,
PO Box 326
Ogdensburg, NY
13669-0326
N O V. 5 , 2 0 1 4
The universal call to holiness
cations in our diocese these
days.
When Bishop LaValley
proclaimed the Pastoral
Vision of the Diocese of
Ogdensburg at this
year’s Chrism Mass, he
listed three priorities
meant to strengthen
the family of faith in
the North Country.
Priority number one
is “creating a culture of
vocations.”
In his Follow Me column on page 3, the
bishop writes, “Is there
in the North Country? The
ability of our Church to provide a culture so that vocations
might flourish is a telling indicator of our vitality and sustainability”
Throughout the month of
November, we will explore vocations in the pages of the
North Country Catholic.
The first issue of November,
this week, focuses on the
priesthood as we present our
annual Priest Appreciation
issue, timed to coincide with
the National Vocations Awareness Week, Nov. 2-9.
My favorite part of this paper
has to be the advertisements
which feature personal messages to many of our priests
who sometimes might be unaware of the incredible influence they have on our lives.
The final November paper
will celebrate consecrated life
as we join in the official opening of the Year of Consecrated
Life on the First Sunday of Advent.
In between, we will look at
the vocations of single life,
marriage and the diaconate
with personal reflections from
experts who live them.
Stay tuned… we’ll make November a month to remember!
A PASTOR’S PERSPECTIVE
The Pontifical Mission Societies of the
Diocese of Ogdensburg, Inc.
The Society for the Propagation of the Faith
Sr. Mary Ellen Brett, SSJ, Director
622 Washington St., Ogdensburg, NY 13669
(315) 393-2920; fax 1-866-314-7296
mbrett@rcdony.org
For sharing the
‘Joy of the Gospel’
From the Director’s Desk
Sister Mary Ellen Brett, SSJ,
Diocesan Mission Director
In reflecting upon Pope Francis’ Apostolic Exhortation
“The Joy of the Gospel”, I call to mind the joy that I experience from our priests who join Bishop LaValley in ministering to us in the North Country.
We appreciate our priests
Looking back on the family synod
I followed the proceedings of
the recent Synod on the Family
at the Vatican very carefully. I
have such high hopes for this
Synod – hopes for our Catholic
Church as so many good
things were discussed.
As you may already know,
there will be another session of
this Synod next fall. I am hoping that there will be extensive
discussions, even debates, during this coming year.
Personally, I believe that the
discussions at the Synod and
the statement that was issued
by the Synod were excellent
and meaningful.
The purpose of this Synod
was not about changing any
teachings of the Church –
rather it was about the Catholic
Church’s attitude toward certain groups.
The Synod considered the
many challenges of the
Church’s approach to “family” –
to “marriage” – to “finding ways
for the Church to reach out
with love and concern to the
families.”
The over powering spirit of
the Synod is Jesus – Jesus’ attitude toward others, toward
family, an attitude of love and
tenderness.
Jesus approached others
with patience and mercy.
Jesus will be the guide for the
Synod and for the Catholic
Church as it continues
throughout its efforts to deal
with the challenges of family
life.
My hope is that this Synod
will develop a more welcoming
Spirit for our Church. Our
Catholic Church has not always
been so welcoming. Too many
times the Catholic Church has
driven away many who truly
longed to be involved with the
Church.
I remember well when I was
young that our Church was
very harsh toward those who
were divorced, even though
their status as a Catholic has
never changed.
I know only too well they
were made to feel uncomfortable by Catholics, even by
Catholic leaders. Many
thought they were excommunicated. They, of course, were
not but, because of this some
simply left the Catholic
Church.
I have even noticed that even
today there is confusion about
this. I do hope all of you realize that a divorced person is
not restricted by our Church
from sacraments.
I know that the divorced and
remarried are instructed not to
receive Holy Communion without an annulment.
Pope Francis has formed a
committee to study and make
recommendations for streamlining the annulment process.
I know well it can be a complicated process.
The Synod has begun a discussion of the concern that
these couples cannot receive
Holy Communion.
I also know that often, because these couples have carefully followed all the Church’s
regulations as they prepared
their marriage, their hope for
an annulment is impossible.
Yet, they stay faithful to the
Church – and to being a
Catholic.
They want to remain involved in their parish – even
though they cannot receive
Holy Communion.
I pray that we can do something for them. Now, I must
admit that some couples sim-
news 19
OBITUARIES
EDITOR’S NOTE
This month that opens with
All Saints’ Day seems a perfect
time to remember that
all of us are called to be
saints.
Holiness is not just
meant for Father or Sister. The directive that
we strive towards holiness came to each of us
on the day we were
baptized.
Our various vocations follow later as we Mary Lou
figure out how God
Kilian
wants us to live out
that holiness in our
own lives.
We’re hearing a lot about vo-
N O V. 5 , 2 0 1 4
ply decided to just leave the
Catholic Church.
So, I am pleased that this
Synod is considering the situation of the divorced and remarried.
I truly hope that this Synod
will develop a possible solution to allow these couples to
return to the sacraments. My
prayer is that this will be settled – and soon.
I have known as a pastor
many couples - divorced and
remarried – who were truly
great parishioners, raising their
children Catholic yet, accepting the Church’s restriction on
receiving Holy Communion.
They long to – yet, they are
faithful to their Church – they
follow all the rules.
One other welcoming concern that the Synod has discussed. The Synod discussed
the welcoming of homosexuals
to the Catholic family. The
Synod says in their final statement, “Men and women with
homosexual tendencies must
be accepted with respect and
sensitivity.” Our Church should
be welcoming.
I would think that the Synod
would like us to put a large
sign over all Catholic
Churches: “All are welcome, All
are welcoming.”
I see evidence of this joy as our priests together with our
parishioners embark upon new paths. I admire the trust of
our priests as they move forward in openness to the Holy
Spirit in proclaiming the Gospel through the shared diocesan vision in our home mission.
We have a wonderful opportunity to join our priests in
prayer and action and to renew our own faith and visit our
neighbors so that together we may find our home in Christ,
renew faith, nurture hope, and discover love.
I thank Bishop LaValley and our priests for their prayers
and financial support of Mission Appeals through the Society for the Propagation of the Faith and Missionary Projects
of the Diocese of Ogdensburg.
I congratulate the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart on the
75th Anniversary of their founding for serving us in our
diocese as well as for their ventures for advancing the kingdom of God in less industrial lands. God bless our diocesan
priests who served in Mollendo, Peru, in their missionary
zeal as they continue to hear about the fruits of their labor
while there.
How blessed we are today as priests from India, Indonesia
and the Philippines share their evangelizing spirit as they
journey with us in our shared diocesan vision!
“Challenges exist to be overcome! Let us be realists, but
without losing our joy, our boldness and our hope-filled
commitment. Let us not allow ourselves to be robbed of
missionary vigor! (“The Joy of the Gospel”) - Pope Francis.
Please remember “The Society for the Propagation
of the Faith” when writing or changing your Will.
Alexandria Bay - Charles Richard Snow,
Cyril's Church; burial in St. Cyril's Cemetery.
Morrisonville – Doris Emma (Martineau)
Collins, 76; Funeral Services Oct. 29, 2014
at St. Alexander’s Church; burial in parish
cemetery.
Brownville - William James Whalen, 81;
Funeral Services Nov. 6, 2014 at the Immaculate Conception Church; burial in
Brownville Cemetery.
Morrisonville - Shirley M. (Trombley)
LaBarge, 89; Funeral Services Oct. 30,
2014 at St. Alexander's Church; burial in
parish cemetery.
Brushton - Lucia E. (Bombard) Pelkey, 93;
Funeral Services Nov. 1, 2014 at St.
Mary's Church.
Norfolk - Harry S. "Dusty" Ryan, 81; Funeral Services Oct. 30, 2014 at Church of
the Visitation; burial in Visitation Cemetery.
Brushton – Michael L. Tavernia, 60; Funeral Services Oct. 25, 2014 at St. Mary’s
Church; burial in Sand Hill Cemetery,
Dickinson.
Chateaugay - Teresa (LaBarre) Carter, 88;
Patrick's Church; burial in St. Patrick's
Cemetery.
Hammond - Darlene V. (Cullen) Amyot,
Peter's Church; burial in St. Cyril's Cemetery, Alexandria Bay.
North Bangor - Gerard L. D'Amour, Sr., 90;
Funeral Services Nov. 3, 2014 at St. Augustine's Church; burial in parish cemetery.
Ogdensburg – Teresa M. (Gagnon) Bray,
61; Funeral Services Oct. 28, 2014 at the
Allen-Nichols Funeral Home; burial in
Purmont Cemetery.
Ogdensburg – Benjamin E. Duprey, 72;
Frary Funeral Home; burial in Notre
Dame Cemetery.
Lowville – Rosemary Matuszczak Andre
Ripp, 87; Funeral Services Oct. 30, 2014 at
St. Peter’s Church; burial in Lowville Rural
Cemetery.
Ogdensburg – Raelyn Kline, 49; Funeral
Services Oct. 29, 2014 at Notre Dame
Church; burial in Notre Dame Cemetery.
Lyon Mountain - Carol L. (Pageau) Blaine,
Bernard's Church; burial in St. Bernard's
Cemetery.
Peru - Anna M. (Judware) Rivers, 89; Funeral Services Oct. 29, 2014 at the Hamilton Funeral Home; burial in Schuyler Falls
Cemetery.
Malone - Frederick C. Brixius, 86; Funeral
Services Oct. 31, 2014 at St. Joseph's
Church; burial in St. Joseph's Cemetery.
Massena – James F. George, 82; Funeral
Services Oct. 28, 2014 at St. Mary’s
Church; burial in Calvary Cemetery.
Mooers Forks - Loretta E. (Gamache)
Poissant, 88; Funeral Services Oct. 30,
2014 at St. Ann's Church; burial in St.
Ann's Cemetery.
Plattsburgh – Theresa Montana, 90; Funeral Services Oct. 29, 2014 at St. Peter’s
Plattsburgh - Doris Oakes, 90; Funeral
Services Oct. 31, 2014 at the Brown Funeral Home; burial in Whispering Maples
Mausoleum.
Port Henry - Dorothy M. Kinns Valenti, 68;
Patrick's Church; burial in Gerald B. H.
Solomon Saratoga National Cemetery,
Schuylerville.
Sciota - Dale E. Deso, 70; Funeral Services
Oct. 31, 2014 at St. Louis de France
Ticonderoga – Dorothy M. (Bordeau)
Osier, 78; Funeral Services Oct. 31, 2014
at St. Mary’s Church; burial in St. Mary’s
Cemetery.
Ticonderoga – Ervin E.“Wally” Walraven,
80; Funeral Oct. 27, 2014 at St. Mary’s
Church; burial in St. Mary’s Cemetery.
Watertown - Robert William Lyman, 70;
Reed & Benoit Funeral Home; burial in
North Watertown Cemetery.
20 Back pew
N O V. 5 , 2 0 1 4
The Diocese of Ogdensburg
INSIDE
THIS ISSUE
Pope: evolution
doesn’t push aside
God l PAGE 13
Archbishop responds
to woman’s suicide
plan l PAGE 14
Volume 69, Number 24
NORTH COUNTRY
CATHOLIC
NOV. 5 2014
Pope: ‘don’t be bad Christians’
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The way
Christians behave can either
help and inspire others, or
turn them away from ever
following Jesus, Pope Francis
said.
"How many times we've
heard in our neighborhoods,
'Oh that person over there always goes to church, but he
badmouths everyone, skins
them alive.' What a bad ex-
Simpler
living at a
higher level
ample to badmouth other
people. This is not Christian," the pope said at his
weekly general audience in
St. Peter's Square Oct. 29.
Causing scandal and being
a bad example turn people
off, making them think, "Hey,
if that is being Christian, I'll
be an atheist.' That's because
our witness is what makes
people see what it is to be a
Christian," he said.
The pope continued a series of talks on the nature of
the Catholic Church, focusing on the visible and spiritual reality of the church.
The visible church can be
seen in its many parishes,
Christian communities and
organizations as well as in its
people, like the pope, priests
and religious men and
women all over the world, he
said.
But the church -- the body
of Jesus -- is also bigger than
that because it is made up of
the countless men and
women who are baptized
and "who believe, hope and
love," as well as offer "relief,
comfort and peace" in the
Lord's name, Pope Francis
said.
POPE
FRANCIS
Calls for efforts
to ‘annihilate’
ebola virus
Father Bryan D. Stitt,
diocesan director of vocations, offers a unique reflection on vocations after his
first experience with the
sport of curling:
“As Vocations Director, I
try to help young people do
on a higher level.
“In a world of abundant
broken relationships, addictions, compulsions, and sin,
striking simplicity: ‘Follow
Me,’” he writes.
FULL STORY, PAGE 6
From Ireland
to Ogdensburg
Father Patrick O’Reilly, a native
of Ireland, looks back on his life as a
priest in the Diocese of Ogdensburg
FULL STORY, PAGE 9
CNS PHOTO/PAUL HARING
PHOTO BY BETTY STEELE
Bishop Terry R. LaValley and priests of the diocese are shown at the 2014 Chrism Mass during which the bishop revealed the
priorities for the Diocese of Ogdensburg. Among the priorities, determined after a yearlong discernment process, is “creating a
culture of vocations.” In this issue, published during the Nov. 2-9 Vocation Awareness Week, the North Country Catholic offers
support for the vocation of the priesthood with its annual Priest Appreciation issue.
Pope Francis covers a child with a
hood during his general audience in
St. Peter's Square at the Vatican Oct.
29.The pope pleaded for the international community to take stronger
coordinated steps to "annihilate" the
Ebola virus.
OPEN OUR HEARTS: Bishop’s Fund supports vocations, seminarians.... p. 10

11-5-14 Full Paper - North Country Catholic

Transcription

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