Slideshow of us at St Anne's
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Monday, July 26, 2010
How can parents help children stay strong in their faith?
From http://www.conversiondiary.com/2010/07/how-can-parents-help-children-stay.html
One of the tough things about being a convert to a religious belief system is that you don't have personal experience with raising children in that particular faith. I was recently talking to some fellow atheist-to-Catholic moms, and we all agreed that we feel like we're fumbling around in the dark sometimes; it's surprisingly hard to be a Christian parent and have no frame of reference for what a Christian childhood looks like.
Because of this, I've spent a lot of time soaking up wisdom from strong Christian families. For example, when I met a mother of 10 at a baby shower recently and heard that all 10 of her children (most of them grown) are devout Christians, I asked her a bunch of questions about faith and family life over plates of pastel-colored cake. When I overheard a woman at a social event remark that she and all three of her siblings have always had strong, vibrant relationships with Jesus, I struck up a conversation about how their religion played a role in their home growing up.
It's been fascinating. As I've had all these discussions, I've been looking for trends: Are there any universal themes among the families with children who have maintained a strong faith live into adulthood? Any things that stand out as being bigger factors than others?
Let me rush in with the caveats here and say that I realize that raising faith-filled kids isn't about doing this or not doing that. I don't think that I can just ape everything these other Christian parents have done and -- voila! -- all my kids will be saints. If I've learned one thing in my time as a Christian, it's that faith is about having a relationship with God, and relationships aren't about formulas and checklists. I also believe that, when children fall away from faith, in most cases it's not because their parents did something "wrong," but rather because of some confluence of forces at work in each individual person's psychological makeup and environment.
That said, I do think it would be helpful to those of us who still have young children (and especially to those of us who are also converts) to have a discussion about what the most important things are that parents can do to pave the road for their children to have a deep, lasting relationship with God. Again, there are no magic formulas, and whether each child chooses to follow the road that's been paved for him is up to him and God alone. But what can parents do to set their children up as well as possible in that department?
In my little informal study, I found three factors that almost every single family had in common:
- The parents prayed for their children to have faith
- The children saw the parents rely on God in real, concrete ways (e.g. if the father didn't get a big promotion at work he'd pray about what God wanted him to do next, express trust that God would bring good out of the situation, etc.)
- The parents and children prayed together at least occasionally
The families I talked to were surprisingly diverse in terms of the parents' outward holiness, faithfulness to church attendance, type of schools the kids went to, amount of time spent in group prayer, etc. -- yet all of them had those three factors in common. (And I should note that I'm using the plural "parents" as shorthand: I did talk to some single-parent families and families where only one parent was a believer.)
That data has given me a lot of great food for thought as I set out into this strange new territory of Christian motherhood, but I undoubtedly have a lot left to learn. I'd be interested to hear from you: What do you think are the most important things parents can do to help children stay strong in their faith?
Volunteers from hell
This appeared in the Southern Cross in July 2010 - all credit to the Souther Cross
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
The Message of Fatima in its Sorrowful Fulfilment
The Message of Fatima in its Sorrowful Fulfilment
Behold, as we stand before you, Mother of Christ, before your Immaculate Heart, we desire, together with the whole Church, to unite ourselves with the consecration which, for love of us, your Son made of himself to the Father: 'For their sake', he said, 'I consecrate myself that they also may be consecrated in the truth' (Jn 17:19). We wish to unite ourselves with our Redeemer in this his consecration for the world and for the human race, which, in his divine Heart, has the power to obtain pardon and to secure reparation. (...)
O Immaculate Heart! Help us to conquer the menace of evil, which so easily takes root in the hearts of the people of today, and whose immeasurable effects already weigh down upon our modern world and seem to block the paths towards the future!
From famine and war, deliver us.
From nuclear war, from incalculable self-destruction, from every kind of war, deliver us.
From sins against the life of man from its very beginning, deliver us.
From hatred and from the demeaning of the dignity of the children of God, deliver us.
From every kind of injustice in the life of society, both national and international, deliver us.
From readiness to trample on the commandments of God, deliver us.
From attempts to stifle in human hearts the very truth of God, deliver us.
From the loss of awareness of good and evil, deliver us.
From sins against the Holy Spirit, deliver us, deliver us.
Accept, O Mother of Christ, this cry laden with the sufferings of all individual human beings, laden with the sufferings of whole societies.
Help us with the power of the Holy Spirit to conquer all sin: individual sin and the 'sin of the world,' sin in all its manifestations.
Let there be revealed, once more, in the history of the world the infinite saving power of the Redemption: the power of merciful Love! May it put a stop to evil! May it transform consciences! May your Immaculate Heart reveal for all the light of Hope!"
Excerpt from the Entrustment by John Paul II of Individuals and Nations to Our Lady
Jublilee of Families, October 15, 2000. (Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith)
Behold, as we stand before you, Mother of Christ, before your Immaculate Heart, we desire, together with the whole Church, to unite ourselves with the consecration which, for love of us, your Son made of himself to the Father: 'For their sake', he said, 'I consecrate myself that they also may be consecrated in the truth' (Jn 17:19). We wish to unite ourselves with our Redeemer in this his consecration for the world and for the human race, which, in his divine Heart, has the power to obtain pardon and to secure reparation. (...)
O Immaculate Heart! Help us to conquer the menace of evil, which so easily takes root in the hearts of the people of today, and whose immeasurable effects already weigh down upon our modern world and seem to block the paths towards the future!
From famine and war, deliver us.
From nuclear war, from incalculable self-destruction, from every kind of war, deliver us.
From sins against the life of man from its very beginning, deliver us.
From hatred and from the demeaning of the dignity of the children of God, deliver us.
From every kind of injustice in the life of society, both national and international, deliver us.
From readiness to trample on the commandments of God, deliver us.
From attempts to stifle in human hearts the very truth of God, deliver us.
From the loss of awareness of good and evil, deliver us.
From sins against the Holy Spirit, deliver us, deliver us.
Accept, O Mother of Christ, this cry laden with the sufferings of all individual human beings, laden with the sufferings of whole societies.
Help us with the power of the Holy Spirit to conquer all sin: individual sin and the 'sin of the world,' sin in all its manifestations.
Let there be revealed, once more, in the history of the world the infinite saving power of the Redemption: the power of merciful Love! May it put a stop to evil! May it transform consciences! May your Immaculate Heart reveal for all the light of Hope!"
Excerpt from the Entrustment by John Paul II of Individuals and Nations to Our Lady
Jublilee of Families, October 15, 2000. (Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith)
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Beauty for Worship's Sake
Christopher W. Decker, is \ active in the Catholic Worker Movement, he teaches French at Campbell Hall School in North Hollywood, California.
There is a legend that a thousand years after the birth of Christ, Prince Vladimir of Kiev endeavored to discover which of the great religions was best. Islam forbade the use of alcohol and the Jews lived in exile. Both Latin and Greek Christianity were deemed acceptable, but the Byzantine Church in Constantinople had a liturgy and church buildings so beautiful that the Prince’s emissaries recommended that he and all his subjects become Orthodox Christians. “We knew not whether we were in heaven or on earth,” was their report concerning what they had experienced in Constantinople.
As a college student, I too was deeply moved by the beauty of the liturgy. I was not a Christian, but a student of comparative religion. As part of an assignment for a course on ritual, I attended Mass at the local Catholic parish, which also happened to be the home of the archdiocesan choir school. I heard the Mass sung, and listened to hymns that filled the church and echoed from the walls. I watched Catholics repeat the gestures and words of countless generations. More than a few times I choked on my own tears. It wasn’t long before I became a Catholic. As I walked down the aisle of the church at the Easter Vigil on my way to the death and rebirth of baptism, the litany of the saints was being chanted, and it seemed as if the words and melody formed an archway to shelter and guide me as I approached the sanctuary.
I was not surprised when I learned that Thomas Merton too had been converted, at least in part, by beauty. Nor was I surprised when a Dominican priest with whom I was working told me of his own conversion: He was sitting down to eat his lunch in a large cafeteria of some 300 people when he saw a young man on a far side of the room make the sign of the cross before beginning his meal. “And I knew right then that I had to be a priest.” Even this simple gesture could become transparent with the beauty of worship, in which we see, albeit dimly, the beauty of God Himself.
The Church herself teaches that this beauty, the beauty of the liturgy, is no accident. Nor is it merely sensory. It is metaphysical for, as the Second Vatican Council teaches, “in the earthly liturgy we take part in the foretaste of that heavenly liturgy which is celebrated in the Holy City of Jerusalem” (Lumen Gentium, #8). The eucharistic prayer makes the same point when it announces that “we sing with all the choirs of angels” — the angels who see God face to face.
There is a legend that a thousand years after the birth of Christ, Prince Vladimir of Kiev endeavored to discover which of the great religions was best. Islam forbade the use of alcohol and the Jews lived in exile. Both Latin and Greek Christianity were deemed acceptable, but the Byzantine Church in Constantinople had a liturgy and church buildings so beautiful that the Prince’s emissaries recommended that he and all his subjects become Orthodox Christians. “We knew not whether we were in heaven or on earth,” was their report concerning what they had experienced in Constantinople.
As a college student, I too was deeply moved by the beauty of the liturgy. I was not a Christian, but a student of comparative religion. As part of an assignment for a course on ritual, I attended Mass at the local Catholic parish, which also happened to be the home of the archdiocesan choir school. I heard the Mass sung, and listened to hymns that filled the church and echoed from the walls. I watched Catholics repeat the gestures and words of countless generations. More than a few times I choked on my own tears. It wasn’t long before I became a Catholic. As I walked down the aisle of the church at the Easter Vigil on my way to the death and rebirth of baptism, the litany of the saints was being chanted, and it seemed as if the words and melody formed an archway to shelter and guide me as I approached the sanctuary.
I was not surprised when I learned that Thomas Merton too had been converted, at least in part, by beauty. Nor was I surprised when a Dominican priest with whom I was working told me of his own conversion: He was sitting down to eat his lunch in a large cafeteria of some 300 people when he saw a young man on a far side of the room make the sign of the cross before beginning his meal. “And I knew right then that I had to be a priest.” Even this simple gesture could become transparent with the beauty of worship, in which we see, albeit dimly, the beauty of God Himself.
The Church herself teaches that this beauty, the beauty of the liturgy, is no accident. Nor is it merely sensory. It is metaphysical for, as the Second Vatican Council teaches, “in the earthly liturgy we take part in the foretaste of that heavenly liturgy which is celebrated in the Holy City of Jerusalem” (Lumen Gentium, #8). The eucharistic prayer makes the same point when it announces that “we sing with all the choirs of angels” — the angels who see God face to face.
Monday, July 12, 2010
Ten Facts All Catholics Should Know (but don't)
Every time I hear someone claim to be an “ex-Catholic”, a sense of sadness comes over me. In just about every case, people leave the Catholic Faith due to a lack of understanding. After all, if Catholics truly believed that they were members of the one, true Church founded by Christ (and necessary for their salvation), nobody would ever leave! In an effort to help clarify what the Catholic Church teaches, I have compiled a list of 10 important facts that every Catholic should know. More than simply Catholic trivia, these are important concepts that can help us to better understand and defend our beliefs. In no particular order, these items have been compiled based upon my work at Following The Truth and my own study of the Catholic Faith.
1. Women Will Never Be Priests – Often incorrectly lumped in with the subject of married priests, this is a doctrine that has been infallibly decided and will not change. In 1994, Pope John Paul II issued an Apostolic Letter, Ordinatio Sacerdotalis, in which he declared once and for all that “the Church has no authority whatsoever to confer priestly ordination on women and that this judgment is to be definitively held by all the Church’s faithful.” Unlike the issue of married priests (which could possibly change), women’s ordination is an impossibility that will not happen. It is not a “glass ceiling” or the Church’s attempt to hold back women. Instead, it is an infallible recognition that men and women have different roles and that Christ instituted a male priesthood.
2. Fridays Are Still Days Of Penance – Ask almost anyone and they will tell you that Catholics are no longer required to abstain from meat on Fridays throughout the year. However, the current Code of Canon Law (CIC) states that, with the exception of solemnities, “All Fridays through the year and the time of Lent are penitential days and times throughout the entire Church.” (CIC 1250) Furthermore, “Abstinence from eating meat or another food according to the prescriptions of the conference of bishops is to be observed on Fridays throughout the year unless they are solemnities.” (CIC 1251) In the United States, the bishops have declared that it is permissible to substitute some other form of penance, but we are still urged to fast from “something” in remembrance of the Lord’s death on the cross.
3. The Bible Is A Catholic Book – Did you ever wonder how the Bible came into being? A little known, but easily documented fact is that the books of the Bible were compiled by the Catholic Church. For many years after Christ ascended into Heaven, there was debate about which scriptural writings were inspired by God. The canon of Scripture (the books of the Bible) was first formally decided at the Synod of Rome in 382. This decision was upheld at the Councils of Hippo (393) and Carthage (397). At these Catholic Church councils, the same 46 Old Testament and 27 New Testament books that appear in today’s Catholic Bibles were declared to be inspired by God. As a side note, approximately 1200 years after this decision was made, Martin Luther and the Protestant reformers removed 7 books from the Old Testament. As a result, most Protestant Bibles are still missing these 7 books.
4. The Mass Is The Same Sacrifice As Calvary – The biggest mistake that many Catholics make is treating the Holy Mass as “just another church service”, similar to those held by other religions. In the Mass, Christ’s Sacrifice on the Cross is made present, its memory is celebrated and its saving power is applied. The Council of Trent teaches that Christ left a visible sacrifice to His Church “in which that bloody sacrifice which was once offered on the Cross should be made present, its memory preserved to the end of the world, and its salvation-bringing power applied to the forgiveness of the sins which are daily committed by us.” When we attend Mass, we are mystically transported to Calvary, where we can unite ourselves with the Lord’s Sacrifice to the Father!
5. Annulments Are Not Catholic Divorces – Unlike the legal process known as “divorce” (in which a marriage is terminated), a declaration of nullity (annulment) states that a valid marriage never existed. This decision is based upon the finding that on the day that marriage vows were exchanged, some essential elements were lacking. This process is completely in conformity with the Catholic teaching regarding the indissolubility of marriage. Incidentally, the granting of an annulment does not render children illegitimate.
6. In Vitro Fertilization Is Morally Unacceptable – Many Catholics suffering from infertility utilize this process in the hopes of conceiving children, while remaining unaware that the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) declares it “morally unacceptable”(CCC 2377). In the Vatican Instruction, Donum Vitae, the Church states “…in conformity with the traditional doctrine relating to the goods of marriage and the dignity of the person, the Church remains opposed from the moral point of view to homologous ‘in vitro’ fertilization. Such fertilization is in itself illicit and in opposition to the dignity of procreation and of the conjugal union, even when everything is done to avoid the death of the human embryo.”
7. There Is No Salvation Outside Of The Catholic Church – Originally stated by St. Cyprian, the Latin axiom “Extra Ecclesiam nulla salus” reminds us that there is no salvation outside of the Catholic Church. This dogma was declared at the Fourth Lateran Council and is a source of confusion for Catholics and non-Catholics alike. According to the Catechism, all salvation comes from Christ the Head through the Church which is His Body. It does not mean that non-Catholics cannot achieve salvation. Individuals who are unaware that the Catholic Church is the one, true Church may still achieve salvation through the merits of the Church, despite their lack of knowledge.
8. In An Emergency, Anyone Can Baptize – Although the ordinary ministers of Baptism are bishops, priests and deacons, anyone can baptize in an emergency, even a non-baptized person. This extraordinary decision can be attributed to the necessity of Baptism for salvation and the Church’s desire to make it readily available to all.
9. Hell And Purgatory Still Exist – Contrary to the belief of many Catholics, the Church still teaches that “the souls of those who die in a state of mortal sin, descend into hell, where they suffer the punishments of hell, eternal fire” (CCC 1035) Furthermore, “all who die in God’s grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified, are indeed assured of their eternal salvation, but after death they undergo purification, so to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven.” (CCC 1030) This purification process, formally declared by the Church at the Councils of Florence and Trent, is known as Purgatory.
10. Catholics Don’t Worship Mary And The Saints – Many Catholics are confused about the role of the Blessed Mother and the Saints. Should we pray to Mary and the Saints or should we go “right to the top” and pray to God? In a nutshell, the Catholic Faith teaches that we must worship God alone. Mary and the Saints are to be honored, not worshipped. However, their intercession can be extremely powerful and emulating their virtues can put us on the road to Heaven.
While the above list only scratches the surface of the robust Catholic Faith, it provides a glimpse into the depth of Catholic teaching. Further explanation on these and other topics can be found by examining the Code of Canon Law and the Catechism of the Catholic Church, both of which can be found online at the Vatican website (www.vatican.va). Not only will studying the teachings of the Catholic Church enable us to better defend her when challenged, it will help us to become closer to Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who founded our Church 2,000 years ago.
Gary Zimak is the founder of Following The Truth Ministries, a lay apostolate created to assist Catholics in learning more about their Faith. He is a frequent guest on EWTN's "Son Rise Morning Show" and has appeared on Sirius Radio's "Seize The Day" with Gus Lloyd as well as several local Catholic radio shows. In addition to writing for Catholic Exchange, Mr. Zimak speaks at various parishes, updates The Catholic Truth website and posts frequently on his blog, Facebook and Twitter. He is a member of Catholics United For The Faith, an officer in the Knights of Columbus and resides in New Jersey with his wife Eileen and twin daughters, Mary and Elizabeth. They are actively involved in Sacred Heart Parish in Riverton, NJ.
1. Women Will Never Be Priests – Often incorrectly lumped in with the subject of married priests, this is a doctrine that has been infallibly decided and will not change. In 1994, Pope John Paul II issued an Apostolic Letter, Ordinatio Sacerdotalis, in which he declared once and for all that “the Church has no authority whatsoever to confer priestly ordination on women and that this judgment is to be definitively held by all the Church’s faithful.” Unlike the issue of married priests (which could possibly change), women’s ordination is an impossibility that will not happen. It is not a “glass ceiling” or the Church’s attempt to hold back women. Instead, it is an infallible recognition that men and women have different roles and that Christ instituted a male priesthood.
2. Fridays Are Still Days Of Penance – Ask almost anyone and they will tell you that Catholics are no longer required to abstain from meat on Fridays throughout the year. However, the current Code of Canon Law (CIC) states that, with the exception of solemnities, “All Fridays through the year and the time of Lent are penitential days and times throughout the entire Church.” (CIC 1250) Furthermore, “Abstinence from eating meat or another food according to the prescriptions of the conference of bishops is to be observed on Fridays throughout the year unless they are solemnities.” (CIC 1251) In the United States, the bishops have declared that it is permissible to substitute some other form of penance, but we are still urged to fast from “something” in remembrance of the Lord’s death on the cross.
3. The Bible Is A Catholic Book – Did you ever wonder how the Bible came into being? A little known, but easily documented fact is that the books of the Bible were compiled by the Catholic Church. For many years after Christ ascended into Heaven, there was debate about which scriptural writings were inspired by God. The canon of Scripture (the books of the Bible) was first formally decided at the Synod of Rome in 382. This decision was upheld at the Councils of Hippo (393) and Carthage (397). At these Catholic Church councils, the same 46 Old Testament and 27 New Testament books that appear in today’s Catholic Bibles were declared to be inspired by God. As a side note, approximately 1200 years after this decision was made, Martin Luther and the Protestant reformers removed 7 books from the Old Testament. As a result, most Protestant Bibles are still missing these 7 books.
4. The Mass Is The Same Sacrifice As Calvary – The biggest mistake that many Catholics make is treating the Holy Mass as “just another church service”, similar to those held by other religions. In the Mass, Christ’s Sacrifice on the Cross is made present, its memory is celebrated and its saving power is applied. The Council of Trent teaches that Christ left a visible sacrifice to His Church “in which that bloody sacrifice which was once offered on the Cross should be made present, its memory preserved to the end of the world, and its salvation-bringing power applied to the forgiveness of the sins which are daily committed by us.” When we attend Mass, we are mystically transported to Calvary, where we can unite ourselves with the Lord’s Sacrifice to the Father!
5. Annulments Are Not Catholic Divorces – Unlike the legal process known as “divorce” (in which a marriage is terminated), a declaration of nullity (annulment) states that a valid marriage never existed. This decision is based upon the finding that on the day that marriage vows were exchanged, some essential elements were lacking. This process is completely in conformity with the Catholic teaching regarding the indissolubility of marriage. Incidentally, the granting of an annulment does not render children illegitimate.
6. In Vitro Fertilization Is Morally Unacceptable – Many Catholics suffering from infertility utilize this process in the hopes of conceiving children, while remaining unaware that the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) declares it “morally unacceptable”(CCC 2377). In the Vatican Instruction, Donum Vitae, the Church states “…in conformity with the traditional doctrine relating to the goods of marriage and the dignity of the person, the Church remains opposed from the moral point of view to homologous ‘in vitro’ fertilization. Such fertilization is in itself illicit and in opposition to the dignity of procreation and of the conjugal union, even when everything is done to avoid the death of the human embryo.”
7. There Is No Salvation Outside Of The Catholic Church – Originally stated by St. Cyprian, the Latin axiom “Extra Ecclesiam nulla salus” reminds us that there is no salvation outside of the Catholic Church. This dogma was declared at the Fourth Lateran Council and is a source of confusion for Catholics and non-Catholics alike. According to the Catechism, all salvation comes from Christ the Head through the Church which is His Body. It does not mean that non-Catholics cannot achieve salvation. Individuals who are unaware that the Catholic Church is the one, true Church may still achieve salvation through the merits of the Church, despite their lack of knowledge.
8. In An Emergency, Anyone Can Baptize – Although the ordinary ministers of Baptism are bishops, priests and deacons, anyone can baptize in an emergency, even a non-baptized person. This extraordinary decision can be attributed to the necessity of Baptism for salvation and the Church’s desire to make it readily available to all.
9. Hell And Purgatory Still Exist – Contrary to the belief of many Catholics, the Church still teaches that “the souls of those who die in a state of mortal sin, descend into hell, where they suffer the punishments of hell, eternal fire” (CCC 1035) Furthermore, “all who die in God’s grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified, are indeed assured of their eternal salvation, but after death they undergo purification, so to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven.” (CCC 1030) This purification process, formally declared by the Church at the Councils of Florence and Trent, is known as Purgatory.
10. Catholics Don’t Worship Mary And The Saints – Many Catholics are confused about the role of the Blessed Mother and the Saints. Should we pray to Mary and the Saints or should we go “right to the top” and pray to God? In a nutshell, the Catholic Faith teaches that we must worship God alone. Mary and the Saints are to be honored, not worshipped. However, their intercession can be extremely powerful and emulating their virtues can put us on the road to Heaven.
While the above list only scratches the surface of the robust Catholic Faith, it provides a glimpse into the depth of Catholic teaching. Further explanation on these and other topics can be found by examining the Code of Canon Law and the Catechism of the Catholic Church, both of which can be found online at the Vatican website (www.vatican.va). Not only will studying the teachings of the Catholic Church enable us to better defend her when challenged, it will help us to become closer to Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who founded our Church 2,000 years ago.
Gary Zimak is the founder of Following The Truth Ministries, a lay apostolate created to assist Catholics in learning more about their Faith. He is a frequent guest on EWTN's "Son Rise Morning Show" and has appeared on Sirius Radio's "Seize The Day" with Gus Lloyd as well as several local Catholic radio shows. In addition to writing for Catholic Exchange, Mr. Zimak speaks at various parishes, updates The Catholic Truth website and posts frequently on his blog, Facebook and Twitter. He is a member of Catholics United For The Faith, an officer in the Knights of Columbus and resides in New Jersey with his wife Eileen and twin daughters, Mary and Elizabeth. They are actively involved in Sacred Heart Parish in Riverton, NJ.
Vatican is in the Red too...
The financial report released Saturday by the Holy See's press office listed revenues of euro250.18 million against expenses of euro254.28 million. Most of the expenses went to support Pope Benedict XVI's activities and Vatican offices, especially Vatican Radio.
In 2008, the Vatican was euro900,000 in the red; a year earlier it posted a euro9.06 million deficit.
The Vatican said annual donations from churches worldwide, the so-called Peter's Pence, were up significantly: In 2009, Catholics donated $82.52 million, up from $75.8 million in 2008 and $79.8 million in 2007. Leading donors were the US, Italy and France.
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