Southeast Alaska. The Easter Triduum

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1 Southeast Alaska CATHOLIC SERVING CHRIST AND CONNECTING CATHOLICS IN THE DIOCESE OF JUNEAU Living in the Image and Likeness of God HUMAN DIGNITY AND DIVINE DESIGNS A Pastoral Letter from the Catholic Bishops of Alaska MARCH 2018 VOL. 8 NO.3 (Left) Father Mike Galbraith washing the feet of a parishioner on Holy Thursday, (Center) Father Pat Travers celebrating the Easter Vigil, (Right) Father Mike Galbraith leading stations of the cross on Good Friday. The Easter Triduum BY: FATHER MIKE GALBRAITH Easter Triduum, Holy Triduum, Paschal Triduum, or The Three Days is the period of three days that begins with the liturgy on the evening of Holy Thursday and ends with evening prayer on Easter Sunday. It recalls the passion, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus, as portrayed in the canonical Gospels. The Easter Triduum begins with the Vigil of Holy Thursday. It marks the end of the forty days of Lent and the beginning of the three-day celebration of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ - Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Vigil/Easter Sunday. The Fathers of the Second Vatican Council reminded us of the extraordinary significance of the Triduum: Christ redeemed us all and gave perfect glory to God principally through his paschal mystery: dying he destroyed our death and rising he restored our life. Therefore, the Easter Triduum of the passion and resurrection of Christ is the culmination of the entire liturgical year. (General Norms for the Liturgical Year and the Calendar, # 18) The Forty Days of Lent are a time of preparation for these great Three Days, which is what Triduum means. These three days lead us to an empty tomb and an Octave, eight days, of celebrating the Resurrection. They also introduce an entire liturgical season, the Easter Season, which lasts for fifty days until Pentecost. The Catechism of the Catholic Church instructs us: Beginning with the Easter Triduum as its source of light, the new age of the Resurrection fills the whole liturgical year with its brilliance. Gradually, on either side of this source, the year is transfigured by the liturgy. It really is a year of the Lord s favor. The economy of salvation is at work within the framework of time, but since its fulfillment in the Passover of Jesus and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, the culmination of history is anticipated as a foretaste, and the kingdom of God enters into our time. Therefore, Easter is not simply one feast among others, but the Feast of feasts, the Solemnity of solemnities, just as the Eucharist is the Sacrament of sacraments (the Great Sacrament). St. Athanasius calls Easter the Great Sunday and the Eastern Churches call Holy Week the Great Week. The mystery of the Resurrection, in which Christ crushed death, permeates with its powerful energy our old time, until all is subjected to him. (CCC #1168, 1169) Continued on page 7

2 2 March 2018 The Southeast Alaska Catholic The Southeast Alaska Catholic is published monthly by the Diocese of Juneau. 415 Sixth St. #300, Juneau, Alaska USPS Publisher: Most Reverend Andrew E. Bellisario, C.M. 415 Sixth St. #300, Juneau, AK Editor: Dominique Johnson (907) , ext. 32 Editorial Board: Sr. Marie Lucek, O.P., Dcn. Mike Monagle, Dcn. Charles Rohrbacher and Fr. Pat Travers, Staff: A Host of Loyal Volunteers According to diocesan policy, all Catholics of the Diocese of Juneau are to receive The Southeast Alaska Catholic; please contact your parish office to sign up or to notify them of an address change. Others may request to receive The Southeast Alaska Catholic by sending a donation of $30. Periodical postage paid at Juneau, Alaska. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: The Southeast Alaska Catholic 415 Sixth St. #300, Juneau, AK DONATE from your smart phone! FOLLOW US ONLINE: Southeast Alaska Catholic ONLINE akseac.com In This Issue Rite of Election Page 8 Candidates prepare to enter the Church at Easter A new location for St. Vincent de Paul Thrift store Page 11 After ten years of planning, St. Vincent de Paul thrift store will relocate Biblical and Marian Gardens at the Shrine Page 12 Janis Burns Buyarski shares the story behind the gardens at the Shrine Good Friday Pope Francis asks you to be generous during the Pontifical Collection at your parish Support Christians in the Holy Land An annual collection uniting Christians around the world For more information, visit FRANCISCAN MONASTERY OF THE HOLY LAND 1400 Quincy Street N.E., Washington, D.C Church Calendar &Celebrations March 19 Solemnity of St. Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary March 25 Palm Sunday March 29 Holy Thursday March 30 Good Friday March 31 Holy Saturday April 1 Easter Sunday April 8 Divine Mercy Sunday April 9 The Annunciation of the Lord DIOCESE OF JUNEAU Address Change Please notify your parish as soon as possible of any address change, or you may contact communication@dioceseofjuneau.org Each newspaper returned to us by the Post Office costs 50. Celebrating 50 Years of Priestly Ordination On May 29, 2018 Fr. Peter Gorges will be celebrating the 50th anniversary of his ordination. If you would like to share a photo or word of congratulations in the Southeast Alaska Catholic please communication@dioceseofjuneau.org

3 The Southeast Alaska Catholic March March Letter from Bishop Andrew Bellisario, C.M. March 2018 Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ, As the Church s annual season of repentance and conversion continues, I want to bring to your attention the pastoral letter released on Ash Wednesday, by the Catholic bishops of Alaska, entitled: Living in the Image and Likeness of God: Human Dignity and Divine Designs. This pastoral letter provides the opportunity to reflect on the foundational truth, evident by both the order of nature and by divine revelation, that each one of us and every human being, is made in the image and likeness of God, and is thus possessed of infinite worth and dignity. This truth has profound implications for every aspect of the life of individuals, families and society as a whole. So many disputed questions in contemporary life, from abortion, euthanasia and the death penalty to the right ordering of sexuality, gender and marriage, as well as religious liberty, racism and immigration, turn on the true understanding of human dignity and the divine plan for human flourishing. During Lent, I invite you to prayerfully study our Church s teachings on human dignity and our participation in the divine plan. This is also an opportunity to consider how we might more effectively live and proclaim these truths in our families and society while engaging in a respectful dialogue with those who have different or conflicting views. I am pleased to print this pastoral letter in our diocesan newspaper. This pastoral letter can also be found, together with the Spanish version, on our website at dioceseofjuneau.org. May God grant us a holy and fruitful Lent! Sincerely in Christ, Bishop Andrew Bellisario C.M. As the chief shepherds of the Church in Alaska, we write to you, our brothers and sisters, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, who calls each of us to life and discipleship. On the 45th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the 50th Anniversary of Humanae Vitae, and the beginning of the Lenten season, we wish to draw hearts and minds to reflect upon the call of Jesus to live a life worthy of the call that we have received from Him. As a people dedicated to holiness, we realize that ours is a daily invitation to relationship with Jesus a call to conversion, of being transformed more and more into the person of Jesus Christ. Introduction We believe that God created all things; that all life has its origin in God (Genesis 1:1 31). It is Christ who holds all things together (Colossians 1:17). Christ breaks down the walls that divide us, and He roots out the prejudices that erode our common humanity; He makes us one (Galatians 3:28). We are a pilgrim people who continually seek the face of God in the person of Jesus Christ. When Christ began His public ministry, John the Baptist pointed Him out as the Lamb of God (John 1:35 36). Jesus called disciples to follow Him (Luke 5:1 11; Mark 1:16 20; 2:13 14; Matthew 4:18 22). Since then, Jesus has continually called other men and women to follow Him. He sends us in His name into the world to continue His mission and ministry (Matthew 28:16 20). This missionary spirit and work of Christ is our mission, the Church s mission today. Down through the ages, every generation is called to enculturate the Gospel, to proclaim the Good News to each culture in a manner that it can be heard, received, and embraced. This is our mission. This work of the Church is called Evangelization. We are called each day to set out with Jesus. He has chosen us. He accompanies us. This implies the presence of Jesus in all that we do to hold fast to Him, to know Him, to love Him, to serve Him in every relationship, in work and play, at home, in private or in public. So, what does Jesus have to say to us and to our reality today? How do we live the dignity that is ours, as sons and daughters of God, created in His image and likeness? In this pluralistic society, how do we respect one another, while at the same time be clear about the teachings of our faith? Continued on page 4

4 4 March 2018 Pastoral Letter: Continued from page 3 How do we live with integrity of faith, while at the same time respect others who choose to live by a different set of values? Dignity and Sanctity of Every Human Life Most of the issues we face in our time today must be properly grounded in the biblical truth that all life comes from God. The order of nature is founded upon God s love and fruitfulness. The order of grace by which we are redeemed flows from the One and Same Living God, through the person of Jesus Christ, and the grace and power of the Holy Spirit. Nature and grace are two essential lenses for viewing the demands of our times. Since all human life is created by God and bears His image and likeness, all life is sacred. This divine origin of human life is the source of human dignity. St. Catherine of Siena, in a conversation with God, expressed this truth in these words: Why did you so dignify us? With unimaginable love you looked upon your creatures within your very self, and you fell in love with us. So, it was love that made you create us and give us being just so that we might taste your supreme eternal good (The Dialogue, #13). The Church further teaches: God shows no partiality (Acts 10:34; cf. Romans 2:11; Galatians 2:6; Ephesians 6:9), since all people have the same dignity as creatures made in His image and likeness (cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church [CCC], #1934). Human life is sacred precisely because its origin is from God, is sustained by God, and is ordered to return to God. This biblical understanding is the basis for the Church s teaching that all life, from conception to natural death, is sacred and holds an inherent dignity that must be protected. Human life participates in divine life by grace. Thus, every child conceived in the womb deserves protection and has a right to be born. Every elderly person, as well as anyone living with a disability or terminal illness deserves love and respect for his or her dignity, even in suffering. No matter what difficulties or sufferings any human life embraces and endures, it is valued and always sacred. For these reasons, the Church, and we her members are called to work for an end to abortion and the death penalty. We are also called to resist legislative efforts that would allow the taking of any human life by medically prescribed suicide. Our Christian understanding of the dignity and sanctity of human life also informs our self-understanding and reverence for our lives. This understanding also makes it clear that life must be respected as a gift, but a gift that is not ours to own outright, but one that must be in keeping with God s desire and design for humanity. Knowledge of the sacredness of life helps us to live with respect for self. We are stewards, not owners, of the life God has entrusted to us. It is not ours to dispose of (CCC, #2280). Our body is a temple of the Lord, and in relationship with Christ, we learn to grow in virtue and self-discipline. For you have been purchased at a price. Therefore, glorify God in your body (1 Corinthians 6:15 20). Everyone is responsible for his life before God who has given it to him. It is God who remains the sovereign Master of life (CCC, #2280). Alaska has the second highest number of suicides per capita. This alarming loss of human life is a call for us to be mindful of the many people who are suffering, whether psychologically, physically or from personal hardships, who deserve our attention, compassion, understanding and accompanying presence. It also calls each of us to redouble our efforts in being attentive to and caring for those who might be suffering and contemplating suicide. There also are many in our society today who struggle with various forms of addiction, from drugs to alcohol to pornography. There are various reasons underlying these addictions, such as different forms of trauma or chemical imbalances. Competent treatments for these addictions are available and necessary. At the same time, because the human person is an integrated whole of body, mind, and spirit, every person can find comfort in the knowledge that no matter how imperfect we may be, we are still loved by God, and each life always carries the dignity of being a child of God. The indwelling of God s Holy Spirit and the grace that is ours through Baptism in the Risen Christ provides an interior grace and fortitude by which we can find healing, wholeness, and peace. Human dignity and sanctity of life recognized as flowing from divine origins has implications in our relationships with others. Each of us is called to live with humble dignity, while at the same time recognizing this same dignity in every other member of the human family. St. Pope John Paul II, in his farewell address when he came to the United States in 1987, spoke to the importance of each person in the human family: For this reason, America, your deepest identity and truest character as a nation is revealed in the position The Southeast Alaska Catholic you take towards the human person. The ultimate test of your greatness is in the way you treat every human being, but especially the weakest and most defenseless ones. Every human person no matter how vulnerable or helpless, no matter how young or how old, no matter how healthy, handicapped or sick, no matter how useful or productive for society is a being of inestimable worth created in the image and likeness of God. This is the dignity of America, the reason she exists, the condition for her survival yes, the ultimate test of her greatness: to respect every human person, especially the weakest and most defenseless ones, those as yet unborn (Detroit, September 19, 1987). Our culture and society suffer greatly today from violence, division, indifference to the poor, homelessness, and racism. Millions of refugees have left native lands where it has become too hostile to live. The life and example of Jesus call us to help heal the wounds of our brothers and sisters, to be agents of reconciliation. We are to put into action the Beatitudes (Matthew 5), the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20), and the categories by which, in the end, we each will be judged. From this teaching of Jesus, the Church derives the Corporal Works of Mercy: Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry, and you gave me food. I was thirsty, and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me. Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me (Matthew 25:34 36; 40). A fully informed conscience respects not only God, self, and neighbor, but also the entirety of God s creation. In his encyclical, Laudato Si, On Care For Our Common Home, Pope Francis teaches us the importance of living in right relationship with God, each other, and with all of creation. Quoting St. Pope John Paul II, Pope Francis teaches: Authentic human development has a moral character. It presumes full respect for the human person, but it must also be concerned for the world around us and take into account the nature of each being and of its mutual connection in an ordered system. Accordingly, our human ability to transform reality must proceed in line with God s original gift of all that is (Laudato Si, no. 5). Human life and God s creation that sustains life are gifts. As the farmer is attentive to the laws of nature to reach the full potential yield of his fields and flocks, so the human person fully flourishes when he or she is attentive to the natural laws the Creator has written in each human heart. Religious Freedom Today, there are growing secular efforts to distance ourselves and our values from any notion of God and to eliminate any ultimate moral truths. Rather, a dictatorship of relativism prevails, which says each person will determine what is true and what is not. This clearly leads to a situation in which we are living today, where such contrived truths conflict with each other, betraying the Continued on page 5

5 The Southeast Alaska Catholic March Pastoral Letter: Continued from page 4 notion that individuals can define truth. Truth is something to be discovered by reason not defined by choice. The cultural trends of relativism and secularism are eroding the basic understandings, which have been outlined above, concerning the true origins of human dignity and the sanctity of human life. What also flows from the dignity of the human person is the right to religious freedom. As we know, this, too, has come under threat in recent years. The Fathers of the Second Vatican Council taught: the right to religious freedom has its foundation in the very dignity of the human person as this dignity is known through the revealed word of God and by reason itself. It is in accordance with their dignity as persons that is, beings endowed with reason and free will and, therefore, privileged to bear personal responsibility that all men should be at once impelled by nature and bound by a moral obligation to seek the truth, especially religious truth. They are also bound to adhere to the truth, once it is known, and to order their whole lives in accord with the demands of truth. However, men cannot discharge these obligations in a manner in keeping with their own nature unless they enjoy immunity from external coercion as well as psychological freedom. Therefore, the right to religious freedom has its foundation not in the subjective disposition of the person, but in his very nature. In consequence, the right to this immunity continues to exist even in those who do not live up to their obligation of seeking the truth and adhering to it, and the exercise of this right is not to be impeded, provided that just public order be observed (Dignitatis Humanae, no. 2). This truth that all human life has its origins in God s creative love also shapes our understanding of human sexuality. As with all human understanding, we look to the Creator for a proper appreciation of the gift of human sexuality. A whole and healthy life is an integrated life of body, mind, and spirit. Thus, each life is also integrated into our life in God living in the image and likeness of God. Let us return once more to the beginning: God created mankind in His image; in the image of God He created them; male and female He created them (Genesis 1:27). In essence, God is love, a communion of persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. To be created in God s image and likeness gives the human person a participation in the Divine life, as well as a call to live this vocation of love in our human relationships. There is within this vocation both a capacity for love and an obligation to love. Human sexuality is a gift, as well as a powerful, mysterious complexity of affection, emotion, and passion, all lived out in the body, which is marked by a complementarity male and female. By nature, this complementarity is ordered to conjugal love of husband and wife in marriage and in the flourishing of family life. Marriage and Family Within the physical love of husband and wife resides the power of life and love, and it is ordered to the purity and fruitfulness of the love of the Creator, and it participates in the same. At the same time, married couples are strengthened in their love for each other. The Church teaches that marriage is a natural institution, willed by God at the beginning of creation, and elevated by Jesus to a sacrament among the baptized, which can only be lived by a man and a woman. Jesus calls us to this original design of God when He said: Have you not read that from the beginning the Creator made them male and female and said, For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh? So, they are no longer two, but one flesh (Matthew 19:4 6). This fundamental belief regarding marriage is something that we, as Catholics, and others not only hold as sacred, but recognize as a truth accessible to the light of reason. Yet, it is one critical tenet of our faith, and even more a truth of human nature and the natural moral law, that has been redefined by the culture and the US Supreme Court (Obergefell v. Hodges ruled that marriage can no longer be defined as between one man and one woman.). Such cultural shifts have consequences, as Pope Francis teaches: No one can think that the weakening of the family as that natural society founded on marriage will prove beneficial to society. The contrary is true: it poses a threat to the mature growth of individuals, the cultivation of community values and the moral progress of cities and countries. There is a failure to realize that only the exclusive and indissoluble union between a man and a woman has a plenary role to play in society as a stable commitment that bears fruit in new life (Pope Francis, Amoris Laetitia (AL), no. 52). We want to support and strengthen the Church s understanding of marriage and family. We recognize the tensions that exist in our culture today, and our responsibility as the Church to support married couples and families. As bishops, we wish to acknowledge and express our gratitude for the sacrifices married couples make to live the fullness of love. The family as the domestic Church is a transformative institution in the midst of the world as an agent that brings forth the Kingdom of God. Chastity Every person is called to live a life that respects the sacred dignity of the body. Chasity is a virtue that integrates one s sexuality within the dignity of person as created in the image and likeness of God. This entails the development and discovery of the inner unity of the body and spirit. The Catechism teaches: Sexuality, in which man s belonging to the bodily and biological world is expressed, becomes personal and truly human when it is integrated into the relationship of one person to another, in the complete and lifelong mutual gift of a man and a woman (CCC, #2337). Within marriage, husbands and wives are called to cultivate their love for one another in a manner that builds up their life together, and the conjugal love they share, being open to new life, brings forth children into their family as children in the family of God. In addition to the vocation to marriage, all are called to a chaste love. To live in this manner honors God and expresses our belief and understanding that we are created in God s image and likeness. What we do in the body and with the body matters in our relationship with God, as well as our relationships with others. Such a chaste love and life requires self-mastery, which is a training in human freedom (CCC, #2339). The human person created in the image and likeness of God is created for relationships. This means that we are created for love, and chastity helps us to live our various states of life with integrity. Many live out their vocation of marriage, others as single, celibate persons, while still others are called to a life of virginity and celibacy in consecrated life as priests and religious, which allows them to give themselves to God alone. At the heart of our relationship with Christ is the call to make a gift of self to others, for this is the heart of love, the good of another. Such progress in chastity often includes failures and sinful choices. This, too, marks our humanity. However, through perseverance and grace, in making a free choice for authentic love, we pursue the moral good and grow in the light and truth of human love. True human joy and contentment can only be found in faithfully living according to the natural law, the moral law of the Creator. We are enriched and advance in holiness by knowing the teachings of Christ and His Church and humbly striving to live according to the desires and designs of God. We do ourselves and others a disservice when we fail to live and witness to what we have come to know is true. Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity In an act of divine love, God created the human person as male and female and declared them good. Being created in His divine image, men and women are holy, sacred, and beautiful. Continued on page 6

6 6 March 2018 The Southeast Alaska Catholic Pastoral Letter: Continued from page 5 In marriage, God gives them to one another in their unique sexuality as male and female as a sacred, natural gift that the Church has always declared good. The good of conjugal love is directed towards the greater good of conceiving new life and increasing the couple s intimate union as husband and wife. With the human person and human sexuality properly viewed in relation to the Creator, we better understand why we believe that physical, sexual expression is reserved to the sacred marriage bond. Considering the growing acceptance of people who live different lifestyles, namely as couples in same-sex unions, it is important for us to have a clear understanding of God s designs for the sacred, ordered use of human sexuality. Today, there is also a growing number of people who propose to choose their own gender identity and suggest that the categories for various identities are numerous. While a small percentage of people wrestle with their sexual identity, we cannot dismiss God s creation of the human person as male or female. God is the creator. God takes the initiative. Pope Francis gives some clear guidance in the following reflection: Yet another challenge is posed by the various forms of an ideology of gender that denies the difference and reciprocity in nature of a man and a woman and envisages a society without sexual differences, thereby eliminating the anthropological basis of the family. This ideology leads to educational programs and legislative enactments that promote a personal identity and emotional intimacy radically separated from the biological difference between male and female. Consequently, human identity becomes the choice of the individual, one which can change over time. It is a source of concern that some ideologies of this sort, which seek to respond to what are at times understandable aspirations, manage to assert themselves as absolute and unquestionable, even dictating how children should be raised. It needs to be emphasized that biological sex and the socio-cultural role of sex (gender) can be distinguished, but not separated. It is one thing to be understanding of human weakness and the complexities of human life, and another to accept ideologies that attempt to sunder what are inseparable aspects of reality. Let us not fall into the sin of trying to replace the Creator. We are creatures, and not omnipotent. Creation is prior to us and must be received as a gift. At the same time, we are called to protect our humanity, and this means, in the first place, accepting it and respecting it as it was created (AL, no. 56). What God creates is good. With this pastoral letter, we wish to invite a closer examination of the human person and human sexuality from God s perspective, wisdom, and love. Let us not be too quick to embrace cultural trends. In the Letter to the Romans, St. Paul recognized how the people of his time made such errors, They exchanged the truth of God for a lie and revered and worshiped the creature rather than the creator (Romans 1:25). While we affirm the Church s teaching on the proper use of our human sexuality, we wish to acknowledge the challenging complexities involved for individuals. The Catechism teaches that we are not to discriminate against those who have homosexual tendencies. They must be accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity. Every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided (CCC, #2358). Men and women with same-sex attraction, and others who identify differently than their biological identity, as human persons with dignity, have a right to a life free from unjust discrimination, for example in employment and housing. Today there is growing confusion about what it means to be male or female, with young people being taught that they can choose their own gender identity. This does not help those who really struggle, and it is another example of a relativistic mentality. By acknowledging that they are not to suffer unjust treatment, we are not compromising on any principle of our doctrine. In fact, we are exercising the social doctrine of the Church, which calls us to respect and to dialogue with others who hold different opinions. While we do not agree with such lifestyles and do not condone immoral behaviors, we recognize them as brothers and sisters, our sons and daughters, who are deserving of our love and respect. At the same time, we ask for their love and respect in return for us and our beliefs. Some in the Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual, Transgender (LGBT) community are advancing an ideology, others are simply trying to carve out some space where they can live their lives with more normalcy. Some are trying to live their lives in accord with our Church s understanding of the human person and of marriage, while others are seeking to take advantage of a newly found acceptance and are wrongly attempting to restrict our religious beliefs, portraying them as something discriminatory or even hateful. But, we, as Catholics, have no alternative motives or hidden agendas. We simply must give witness to the news of Jesus Christ, both in good times and in bad. In so doing, we seek only to love and serve all those with whom we share a common humanity, a common dignity. Conclusion Beloved, we are God s children now; what we shall be has not yet been revealed. We do know that when it is revealed we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. Everyone who has this hope based on Him makes himself pure, as He is pure (1 John 3:2 3). Every age has its challenges, and ours is no different. What is essential is that we keep our eyes fixed on Christ (Hebrews 12:2) to find our way. He is at the helm of the ship in these turbulent times, a consolation to each human soul, a protector and guide of the universal Church. Though surrounded by the world, we are not of the world, and we need always keep in mind that we are more than mere mortals, more than mere flesh. In Christ, God has forged a bond and union with us. Our human nature is infused with grace; what is natural and good is now strengthened by supernatural grace. And, by use of sound reason and true faith, we find our way home. We can discover the designs and desires of the Creator and learn to live and love in Christ Jesus. the highest norm of human life is the divine law eternal, objective, and universal whereby God orders, directs and governs the entire universe and all the ways of the human community by a plan conceived in wisdom and love. Man has been made by God to participate in this law, with the result that, under the gentle disposition of divine Providence, he can come to perceive ever more fully the truth that is unchanging. Wherefore every man has the duty, and therefore the right, to seek the truth in matters religious in order that he may with prudence form for himself right and true judgments of conscience, under use of all suitable means (Second Vatican Council, Dignitatis Humanae, #3). Our truest identity is our life in Christ. We are called to live an integrated faith life, in public and in private. Such a life is achieved through interior conversion, through a struggle within the human heart. It is there that we are called to a humility before God the Father; to a docility to the Holy Spirit, the Wisdom of God; to a receptivity of Jesus Christ, who is God s Holy Word (Ephesians 4:20 24). The same humility and docility is necessary for the formation of human conscience. Too often today, people diminish the teaching of the Church, thinking it is just one more voice among many. This tendency fails to recognize that the Church is both human and divine. Jesus Christ established the Church. He poured out the Holy Spirit at the first Pentecost to sustain and nourish the Church to be its impulse and guiding light. Jesus promised to remain with us until the end of time. When we look to the challenges of our times and wrestle with the social and cultural issues of our day, it is helpful to recall the history of humanity, especially the history of salvation. Continued on page 7

7 The Southeast Alaska Catholic March Pastoral Letter: Continued from page 6 In doing so, we recall that our reference point for life is God more specifically, Jesus Christ. Our relationship with Jesus Christ gives us hope in the knowledge that we are redeemed in His mercy. He gives direction, meaning, and purpose to who we are and all that we do. He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and He alone leads us to the Father (John 14:6). Only in the mystery of the Incarnate Word does the mystery of man take on light Christ, the new Adam, by the revelation of the mystery of the Father and His love, fully reveals man to Himself and makes His supreme calling clear (Second Vatican Council, Gaudium et Spes, no. 22). As the Bishops of Alaska, we walk with you on this pilgrimage. As shepherds and teachers, we wish to draw attention, once again, to the God who promises to remain with us, to lead and to guide us. We wish to make these words of Pope Francis our own: When God speaks to us in Jesus, He does not nod vaguely to us as if we were strangers, or deliver an impersonal summons like a solicitor, or lay down rules to be followed like certain functionaries of the sacred. God speaks with the unmistakable voice of the Father to his children; He respects the mystery of man because He formed us with His own hands and gave us a meaningful purpose. Our great challenge as a Church is to speak to men and women about this closeness of God, who considers us His sons and daughters, even when we reject His fatherhood. For Him, we are always children to be encountered anew (Address to Executive Committee of Conference of Latin American Bishops, Bogota Columbia, September 7, 2017). With this pastoral letter, we encourage all to draw closer to Christ, to continually renew their relationship with Him, so that we may seek the truth of Christ together, that we may live more fully the dignity that is ours, being created in the image and likeness of God. We each share a universal call to holiness, and the Church is profoundly holy and is called to live and express that holiness in each of her members (St. Pope John Paul II, Feb. 18, 2004). +February 14, 2018 Ash Wednesday Archbishop Paul D. Etienne, DD, STL Archbishop of Anchorage Bishop Chad W. Zielinski Bishop of Fairbanks Archbishop Roger Schwietz, OMI Archbishop Emeritus of Anchorage Bishop Andrew E. Bellisario, C.M. Bishop of Juneau The Bishops of Alaska (Left to Right), Bishop Chad Zielinski (Diocese of Fairbanks), Archbishop Paul D. Etienne (Archdiocese of Anchorage). Archbishop Emeritus Roger Schwietz, OMI (Archdiocese of Anchorage), Bishop Andrew Bellisario, C.M. (Diocese of Juneau). (Photo by Ron Nicholl) Triduum: Continued from page 1 Days of Holy Week Holy Thursday - Holy Thursday commemorates the Last Supper, where Christ lays out the model for the Eucharist or Holy Communion. During the meal, Jesus predicted the events that would immediately follow, including his betrayal, the denial of Peter, and his death and resurrection. Events of the last supper play varying roles on this day by commemorating the washing of the feet of parishioners by the celebrating priest. The Mass of the Lord s Supper commemorates the Last Supper of Jesus with his Twelve Apostles, the institution of the Eucharist, the institution of the priesthood, and the commandment of brotherly love that Jesus gave after washing the feet of his disciples. Good Friday - Good Friday commemorates the crucifixion of Jesus and his subsequent death. Commemorations are often solemn and mournful. Many denominations use Good Friday to perform the Stations of the Cross, or other commemorations of the Passion, either as a self-guided time of reflection and veneration or as a procession of statues or images of the stations. The evening liturgical celebration on Holy Thursday continues in an atmosphere of liturgical mourning throughout the next day in spite of the name Good given in English to this Friday. For Roman Catholic and Anglican Christians, Good Friday is a day of fasting. Western Catholic Church practice is to have only one full meal with, if needed, two small snacks that together do not make a full meal. Holy Saturday - Holy Saturday is the day between the crucifixion of Jesus and his resurrection. While daytime services or commemorations of the day are rare in the Western tradition, after sundown on Holy Saturday is the traditional time for the Easter Vigil. In the Catholic tradition, Mass is not celebrated on what is liturgically Holy Saturday. The celebration of Easter begins after sundown on what, though still Saturday in the civil calendar, is liturgically Easter Sunday. On Holy Saturday the Church waits at the Lord s tomb in prayer and fasting, meditating on his Passion and Death and on his Descent into Hell, and awaiting his Resurrection. The Church abstains from the Sacrifice of the Mass, with the sacred table left bare, until after the solemn Vigil, that is, the anticipation by night of the Resurrection, when the time comes for paschal joys, the abundance of which overflows to occupy fifty days. The tabernacle is left empty and open. The lamp or candle usually situated next to the tabernacle denoting the Presence of Christ is put out, and the remaining Eucharistic Hosts consecrated on Holy Thursday are kept elsewhere, usually the sacristy, with a lamp or candle burning before it, so that, in cases of the danger of death, they may be given as viaticum. Bishop Andrew Bellisario s Holy Week Schedule Holy Thursday: Cathedral of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary 7 PM Good Friday: Shrine of St. Therese 2 PM (Stations of the Cross) Cathedral 7PM (Passion) Easter Vigil: St. Paul the Apostle 8 PM Easter Sunday: Cathedral 8:30 AM

8 8 March February The Southeast Alaska The Southeast Catholic A The Rite o CATECHUME TO ENTER CHUR BY: DEACON CHARLES ROHRBACHER Bishop Andrew Bellisario, C.M. celebrated the Rite of Election at the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary on February 18th, the First Sunday of Lent. Four catechumens (unbaptized Christians preparing for Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist) Alyssa Perry, Nikolaas Reis and his son Jaxon, catechumens from the Cathedral parish and Gregory Kozeroff, a catechumen from St. Paul s parish, participated in the rite with their godparents and catechists. At the Rite of Election the godparents, catechists and the parish community affirm the faith and

9 laska The Catholic Southeast Alaska Catholic October February March f Election NS PREPARE CH AT EASTER readiness of the catechumens to receive the Easter sacraments at the upcoming Easter Vigil. Then in the presence of the Bishop, representing both the local and the universal Church, the catechumens signed their names in the Book of the Elect and were solemnly declared by him, Elect of God. During the Lenten season the Elect complete their initial conversion to Christ through the three Scrutinies on the Third, Fourth and Fifth Sundays of Lent. The minor exorcisms and prayers of the rite are intended to heal the wounds of sin in their lives as well as workings of God s grace and mercy. During Lent the Elect are also solemnly presented with the Nicene Creed and the Lord s Prayer.

10 10 March 2018 The Southeast Alaska Catholic Seven Holy Women March is Women s History Month, which inevitably leads (me at least) to seven holy women: Felicity, Perpetua, Agatha, Lucy, Agnes, Cecilia, and Anastasia. Their names, lives, stories and example deserve to be much better known and celebrated by Roman Catholics. Fortunately for us, their names and memory are embedded in ancient and venerable Eucharistic Prayer I, (also known as the Roman Canon). Until the liturgical reforms of the Second Vatican Council added three others, the Roman Canon was the sole Eucharistic Prayer of the Roman Church. These seven women are mentioned in the second of two groupings of intercessory prayers. The first, before the institution narrative, is for the Church, the Pope, the local Bishop, certain members of the living and for all who are assembled. Then follow a list of saints particularly venerated by the Church of Rome, beginning with the Blessed Virgin Mary, asking that through their merits and prayers, all gathered may be defended by God s protecting help. The second intercession is for the dead, followed by a petition asking God to give to all present some share and fellowship with the apostles and martyrs, followed by a list of saints (including seven women martyrs), and concluding by asking that God admit us, we beseech you, into their company. Felicity and Perpetua Feast Day March 7th Perpetua, a free woman with a young son, and Felicity, a pregnant slave girl, with three other companions were arrested and condemned to death because they were Christians. They were sentenced to be killed by wild animals in the arena in the North African city of Carthage in 203 AD. The account of the martyrdom has survived. To try to intimidate her, Perpetua s child was taken away from her while she was in prison. Felicity, after a difficult labor and mistreatment by her jailers, gave birth to a girl while in prison (which was adopted by a fellow Christian.) In the arena, before being killed, they exchanged the kiss of peace, so that, as the account of their martyrdom states, their martyrdom might be perfected with the rite of peace. [To read the full account of their martyrdom, see: Thomas J. Heffernan, The Passion of Perpetua and Felicity. Oxford University Press, 2012.] ROHRBACHER Along the Way Deacon Charles Rohrbacher St. Agatha Feast Day: February 5th Agatha was a virgin martyr from the Sicilian town of Catania who was martyred in a third century persecution of Christians in that city. Little else about her is reliably known. Traditionally she was a young woman from a noble family who rejected the repeated marriage proposals of a magistrate of consular rank because she was already espoused to Christ as a virgin. He attempted to intimidate her by charging her with being a Christian (a capital offense). When she proved resolute in her faith, he had her consigned to the public brothel in an unsuccessful attempt to break her will. She was then tortured, including having her breasts cut off. Because of her mistreatment she died in prison. She is the patron saint of women with breast cancer. St. Lucy December 13th Lucy was martyred in Syracuse in Sicily, during the persecution of Diocletian in the early fourth century. Little else about her is reliably known. Tradition has it that she brought bread to the persecuted Christians of Syracuse who had taken refuge in the caves outside of the city, wearing on her head a wreath of candles to find her way in the dark. She was reportedly miraculously protected when confined in the public brothel in an attempt to violate her virginity. She was put to death with a sword thrust to the throat. Probably because her name Lucia is suggestive of light, she is the patroness of those with ailments of the eyes and sometimes her images show her holding two eyes in a dish. Agnes January 21st Agnes was martyred in Rome in 304 AD and buried at the cemetery on the Via Nomentana soon afterwards. A young girl of twelve or thirteen, she refused to consider marriage and had consecrated herself to God. When the persecution broke out she offered herself for martyrdom and resisting all threats and attempts to intimidate her, was put to death with a sword stab to the throat. Agnus in Latin means lamb and on her feast day each year two lambs whose wool will be used to weave the pallium are solemnly blessed in Rome. (The pallium is a woolen woven band with crosses conferred on metropolitan bishops (archbishops) that signifies their bond of unity with the Bishop of Rome. She is the patron saint of young girls, virgins and the survivors of sexual abuse and assault. St. Cecilia November 22nd Cecilia was a young woman from a patrician family martyred in Rome in the second or third century and buried in the cemetery of St. Callistus. Beyond that, very little is reliably known about her. Tradition has it that despite her desire to live out her life as a virgin she was married by her family to a young pagan man from a noble family. While listening to the musicians playing she sang in her heart to the Lord and renewed her vow. Her husband agreed to honor her consecration and through her influence he and his brother were baptized. All three were martyred. Cecilia was mortally wounded by the sword but survived for three days during which she preached the faith and gave away her possessions to the poor. The church of Santa Cecilia is in the Trastevere neighborhood of Rome. She is the patron saint of musicians St. Anastasia December 25th Very little for certain is known about Anastasia (from the Greek word for resurrection, except that she was from Rome and was martyred in Sirmium (in present day Serbia) in 304 during the persecution of Diocletion. She was reputedly a healer and an exorcist and is often represented holding a jar of anointing oil. The basilica named after her, at the foot of the Palatine hill, is one of the titular churches of the city (assigned to a cardinal). Prior to the Second Vatican Council, the Mass commemorating St. Anastasia was the second of the three Masses celebrated at Christmas. Eastern Christians invoke her intercession for deliverance from poisons and other harmful substances.

11 The Southeast Alaska Catholic March St. Vincent de Paul s Ten Year Dream BY: DAN AUSTIN Many readers now know that after 25 years, the St. Vincent de Paul Society, Juneau Thrift Store will soon move to a new and better location a few blocks away. After nearly 38 years in business, Valley Auto Parts will be closing its doors on June 1. Owner Jeff Pilcher, is retiring from business and has sold the landmark building at the corner of Glacier Highway and Shell Simmons Drive, the store s location for 19 years, to the St. Vincent de Paul Society. Pilcher, who arrived in Juneau at the age of 13 with his family in 1959, noted that retirement and the sale of the building was a difficult decision. Trying to sell any business during this Alaska Recession is extremely difficult, so when the folks at St. Vincent de Paul made an offer to purchase the building, I decided it was a good time to retire. More than anything, I appreciate all the fine businesses and customers and employees I ve come to know in the last 38 years. The Society and its Board of Directors have held on to this dream for more than a decade. Our store staff and volunteers have worked hard, and hoped, and waited for this day for a very long time. Many generous donors, large and small, have contributed to make the dream a reality. Our only regret is that long-time volunteer, store manager and Board Member, Ida Barnack is not with us to see this day. Her stubborn devotion to Juneau s needy, and to the store as a resource to meet that need, is the main reason the dream was not allowed to die. It will be wonderful to offer the public a better, brighter, and more convenient shopping experience and we expect to add many enhancements that will help the store evolve its 21st century identity. All that being said, it is important to focus on the purpose of the Thrift Store. The store is simply an instrument, one tool by which the spirit of family and the generosity of the community can be converted into tangible benefit for the less fortunate. Whether it is the empowerment that comes with being able to purchase an item at a price affordable to those of most meagre means, or the cash generated by the sale of donated goods, the result is the same. The St. Vincent de Paul Society does not profit from this business. We do not accumulate comfortable reserve accounts to carry us through a rainy day. Because, for the poor, it rains about every day. 100% of the cash generated beyond the cost of operations goes to support our mission of helping with material and spiritual charity for EVERYONE. EVERYONE. REGARDLESS. This is how we understand the Gospel. No one leaves St. Vincent de Paul hungry or hopeless. That is our business model. The Society has always stretched to try to do more. Many are unaware that we own or manage six separate affordable housing sites scattered from Douglas to the Valley. On any given evening, 132 households will have a safe and decent place to live because of our donor family. All of these depend on Thrift Store sales, donations and the affordable rents paid by tenants to stay open. Many might likewise be surprised to know that less than 15% of our operating funds come from either government or private foundation grants. Simply, 85% of our revenue comes from the hard working people of Juneau and the kindness and the generosity of our friends and neighbors. More than half of our income comes from the Thrift Store and donations. What is important about this model is that the funding generated by donations and store sales, (unless restricted by the donor) is discretionary. Our philosophy is that as much funding as possible should go to those we serve. We freely spend our income on food for the hungry, medicine to those in need, or to help pay electric and home heating utilities to those who are cold as well as rent assistance to prevent evictions. This is where your generosity is given back to God, as they are your neighbors here in Juneau. Truly I tell you, whatever you did for these least of my brothers and sisters, you did this for me. Thousands of our family have donated items to the store, or joined us on the annual Friends of the Poor Walk, or helped with Thanksgiving, the Adopt-A-Family program, or just made simple and unexpected donations that invariably kept the wolf from the door. Local businesses, foundations, churches, bankers, and often, folks very much on the edge themselves have slipped whatever they could afford, anonymously, under our door. I ve seen volunteers and staff moved to tears by the selfless giving of someone we know to be very much in need themselves. That is the quickening of the Christ Spirit within us. That is family. Please consider helping your family by shopping at our store, volunteering, ( , ext. 4, info@svdpjuneau. org) or simply by making an affordable donation of any size (at our store or office, 8617 Teal St., or at svdpjuneau.org). We would like to share the blessing with you. Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord. And let perpetual light shine upon them. And may the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen. National Shrine of St. Therese Columbarium (907) ext. 24 cell - (636) Living and Sharing the Joy of the Gospel Southeast Alaska Catholic Conference September 28-30, 2018 Considering Priesthood in the Diocese of Juneau? Please contact: Rev. Edmund J. Penisten, Vocation Director P. O. Box 245 Klawock, AK vocations@dioceseofjuneau.org Phone: (907) DIOCESE OF JUNEAU, OFFICE OF VOCATIONS

12 12 March 2018 The Southeast Alaska Catholic A Growing Ministry: The Biblical and Marian Gardens at the National Shrine of St. Therese BY: DOMINIQUE JOHNSON Those who have made a pilgrimage to the National Shrine of Saint Therese know the Shrine provides a peaceful and scenic place of retreat. In much of the beauty, there is symbolism that has biblical significance. The gardens are no different. In the spring of 1992, Janis Burns Buyarski made a personal retreat at the Shrine of St. Therese with a stay at the Post Office Cabin. At the time she was a Presbyterian deacon in Sitka, but during her retreat she felt God calling her to become a Catholic with a devotion to St. Therese. Little did she know that her passion for gardening would become a ministry that she would share with the many pilgrims who visit the Shrine each year. In the fall of 1992, Janis and her husband Ed moved to Juneau. That fall she joined RCIA and began her journey into the Catholic church. Initially, she and her husband Ed helped take care of the existing gardens in front of and beside the lodge. In 1994, the secular Carmelite group in Juneau asked if she would be interested in creating a garden at the feet of the statue of St. Therese outside the chapel. With the help of Ed, the new garden was planted. This was just the beginning of her ministry. It began to evolve, she said. When the Shrine board began working on a master facilities plan in the mid-90s a Faith, Hope and Love Garden was proposed for the new columbarium. While planning out the new garden, Janis did an internet search which led her to ideas for biblical gardens and Marian gardens. That was the turning point at which it wasn t just flowers, it was finding flowers and plants that had something to do with a story from scripture or related to Our Lady. Janis explained that biblical gardens date back to the Middle Ages, when most people couldn t read. Monks and priests would use plants to teach biblical stories, and legends of Mary. For example, peonies, were named the Pentecost rose. They received that name because they bloomed near Pentecost, which helped Christians mark the coming of the feast. Janis has planted many plants with a similar significance that bloom from the spring to fall in different gardens around the Shrine. At the Columbarium, the first garden is called The Old Testament. It has plants named after Old Testament stories, such as Jacob s ladder, burning bush and viburnum. She planted the viburnum as hedges, because the Hebrew word for paradise means a walled-in-garden, and represents the Garden of Eden (Gen 2:4). Similarly, in the book of Revelation, it ends in a garden where trees produce fruit each month and the leaves are for healing of the nations (Rev 22:2). Burns joked, In terms of bookends what more could a gardener ask for than to begin in a garden and end in a garden. For the Rosary Trail, the plants selected are based on liturgical colors and themes. To represent the Joyful Mysteries flowers in blue, white and pink were selected, based on historical paintings of Mary. On top of the rock wall are planted lilacs, which in the Marian plant tradition represent angels, especially the angel Gabriel who visited Mary at the time of the annunciation. For the Luminous Mysteries she chose yellow and white for the light or revelation of Christ. The gardens near the Sorrowful Mysteries are filled with red and purple flowers with a host of weeping plants and thorny plants to go with the passion, Janis said. The Rosary Trail ends at the Grotto that shelters a replica of Michelangelo s Pieta. She said she spent a lot of time thinking about what plants would be appropriate for the Grotto, As I prayed about it I kept seeing the image of Divine Mercy. Continued on page 16 The Toughest Marathon BY: DAN AUSTIN Suppose you are kidnapped, robbed of all your money, credit cards and personal identification. Then, you are heavily sedated and lack the cognitive capacity to remember your family, friends or even the purpose of those missing items. You find yourself on a street corner in almost any town or city in the country no friends, no family, no money, confused, angry, scared. Someone offers you a pull on a bottle and you begin a long process of self-medication to obliterate the pain and confusion. Welcome to the street. You will stumble through this house of mirrors for about 9 years. If you don t die in an alley or a dumpster, you may be lucky enough to encounter someone like one of our Navigators. They will cajole and pressure and plead with you until you actually try to take a step away from this life. Then, the work begins. Not just for you, but for all who are committed to systemic societal change. Taking that first step after being homeless, addicted and on the street is not just hard work it is like running a marathon on an empty stomach, barefoot, in the snow. First, the matter of photo I.D. You can t get into permanent supportive housing without a social security card. You can t get a social security card without getting into the Federal Building. You can t get into the building without photo I.D. Okay, so let s go down to DMV and get you a photo I.D. card. You can t get a photo I.D. card without a copy of your birth certificate. Okay, so let s go down to Alaska Vital Records and apply for a copy of your birth Certificate. If you were born in a different state, that will be $30 please with a turnaround time of a few days to weeks, depending. Now we take the copy of the birth certificate to DMV and apply for photo I.D. That will be $15 please. With I.D. in hand, we can get you into the federal building and Social Security office. At the Social Security office you wait. Then, if lucky, after just this one visit, you eventually receive a new card. Now with the social security card, we can run a criminal background check. If you haven t been convicted of manufacturing methamphetamine and you are not currently on the sex offender registration list, you have a shot at one of a few placements in Juneau supportive housing. However, you must pay either a flat $50 per month or 30% of your monthly income (if you have any) towards your rent. So, you need at least some small monthly income. You can apply for Adult Public Assistance from the State of Alaska. In most cases, you will be eligible for about roughly $270 per month once you present your physician s psychiatric evaluation and show proof of applying for a federal Social Security Disability Income (SSDI). Then, you can begin the lengthy process of applying for a permanent SSDI. It is almost inevitable that your application will at first be denied. Alaska has the highest rate of denials in the nation. Your Navigator will help you appeal. Once you have secured a regular minimum income, you can sign a lease that commits you to pay your share of the rent. That is, if you can come up with the Tenant Security Deposit, equal to one month s rent--$795. Your Navigator will work with a non-profit that provides move-in assistance. Another housing non-profit will reduce or stretch out the required deposit over time. You will come to a point where you will want to give up. Ultimately it is your decision; that at least cannot be taken away from you. If you take that first step of the marathon, the Navigator will be there when you need them. Nothing is guaranteed, but they will almost always find a way. As my friend Jose used to say, God never presents a problem without a solution. Navigators and People Centered Services are provided by St. Vincent de Paul, The Glory Hole and AWARE in part, through a generous grant from the Juneau Community Foundation. Dan Austin, General Manager St. Vincent de Paul Society, Juneau.

13 The Southeast Alaska Catholic March Stations of the Cross Led by Bishop Andrew Bellisario, C.M. Good Friday March 30 2:00 p.m. National Shrine of St. Therese, Juneau CNS News Briefs Pope adds feast of Mary, mother of the church to universal calendar VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Francis has decreed that Latin-rite Catholics around the world will mark the feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church on the Monday after Pentecost each year. The Gospel reading for the feast, which technically is called a memorial, is John 19:25-31, which recounts how from the cross Jesus entrusted Mary to his disciples as their mother and entrusted his disciples to Mary as her children. The decree announcing the addition to the church calendar was released March 3 by the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments. Pope Francis approved the decree after having attentively considered how greatly the promotion of this devotion might encourage the growth of the maternal sense of the church in the pastors, religious and faithful, as well as a growth of genuine Marian piety, the decree said. Time is now to address gun violence in comprehensive way, say bishops WASHINGTON (CNS) -- The chairmen of two U.S. bishops committees said it is long past time for the nation s leaders to come up with common-sense gun measures as part of a comprehensive approach to the reduction of violence in society and the protection of life. The U.S. Catholic bishops have advocated for such measures for decades and will continue to do so, said Bishop Frank J. Dewane of Venice, Florida, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development, and Bishop George V. Murry of Youngstown, Ohio, chairman of the Committee on Catholic Education. In the aftermath of the tragic attack Feb. 14 at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, this moment calls for an honest and practical dialogue around a series of concrete proposals -- not partisanship and overheated rhetoric, they said in a joint statement March 5. Once again, we are confronted with grave evil, the murder of our dear children and those who teach them, they said. Our prayers continue for those who have died, and those suffering with injuries and unimaginable grief. Miracles attributed to Pope Paul VI, Romero clear way for sainthood VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Francis has cleared the way for the canonizations of Blesseds Paul VI and Oscar Romero. At a meeting March 6 with Cardinal Angelo Amato, prefect of the Congregation for Saints Causes, Pope Francis signed decrees for the causes of 13 men and women -- among them a pope, an archbishop, two young laywomen and a number of priests and nuns. He recognized a miracle attributed to Blessed Paul, who, according to Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state, will be declared a saint in late October at the end of the Synod of Bishops on youth and discernment. Blessed Paul, who was born Giovanni Battista Montini, was pope from 1963 to Pope Francis also formally signed the decree recognizing the miracle needed to advance the sainthood cause of Archbishop Romero of San Salvador, martyr. El Salvador s ambassador to the Holy See, Manuel Roberto Lopez, told Catholic News Service March 7 that the news of the pope s approval took us by surprise. They told us before that the process was going well and that all we needed was the approval of the miracle, and it turns out the pope approved it yesterday, he said. Week of March 8-14 honors Catholic women religious MINNEAPOLIS (CNS) -- Events around the country are marking National Catholic Sisters Week March It s the fifth annual celebration of women religious taking place during National Women s History Month. The weeklong celebration is intended to honor the nation s 45,605 women religious and the sisters before them who founded schools and hospitals. These sisters were, and continue to be, missionaries, contemplatives, activists and spiritual leaders. To meet a Catholic sister is to be inspired, said Molly Hazelton, director of National Catholic Sisters Week based at St. Mary s University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. Shining a light on their ministries can move the masses, and that s what we re aiming to do. In a time when there isn t much good news, we need more than ever to hear stories of how they help and heal a fractured country. Women religious are hosting panel discussions, pilgrimages, dinners and retreats during the week. Many of the events are informal and local, others are formally organized, funded by 89 mini-grants of up to $1,000 each awarded by the National Catholic Sisters Week office. There is a website, org, and the week s events can be followed it on social media using #NCSW2018. Hispanic Catholics seen as the emerging voice, conscience of church PHOENIX (CNS) -- Hispanic Catholics are being called to be the ecclesial voice and conscience of the church in the U.S., said Hosffman Ospino, a leading expert on the intersection of Catholicism and Latino culture. When the Hispanic Catholic community speaks, the church speaks, he told participants in Phoenix for the Southwestern Regional Encuentro. The Colombian-born Ospino, the final keynote speaker at the gathering, is an associate professor of theology and religious education at Boston College. He is a member of the leadership team for the U.S. Catholic Church s Fifth National Encuentro, or V Encuentro, to be held Sept in Grapevine, Texas. Leading up to the national encuentro has been a four-year process of reflection and action that included parish- and diocesan-level encuentros. Regional encuentros will be going on around the country through June. The Feb regional in Phoenix drew about 480 delegates from 10 Catholic dioceses in Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming, which are in the U.S. church s episcopal Region XIII. The delegates reviewed the diocesan reports and discussed recommendations for consideration in Grapevine in September. Ospino spoke only in Spanish; there was simultaneous translation of his remarks. His topic was Bearing Fruit, on the beneficial effects of the integration of Spanish-speaking Catholics into American church life.

14 14 March 2018 The Southeast Alaska Catholic Encourage One Another (2 Cor. 13:11) A Decisive Direction BY: KATIE BENNING Years ago when I was over 40 and looking forward to the birth of our fourth son, with some fear and trembling I might add, I found some peace and joy in talking with a friend who was just slightly less than 40 but expecting her fifth girl. It brought to mind for me the tender story of Mary and Elizabeth in Luke s Gospel where Mary set out in haste (v39) to visit Elizabeth. What I imagine took place in this story is a very intimate moment as two pregnant women make haste to come together to encourage one another as they embark on this miracle and mystery that is pure gift from the hand of God. In this opening up of their lives to the miraculous conception it seems to me that they respond with tremendous love, humility and grace. Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled. (v45) Beautifully stated encouraging words! As a woman, a wife and mother, a co-worker and a friend; there is much for me to learn about my response to the events in my life and how I encourage others along the way. I don t recall that when my friend and I came together in our common bond of motherhood that we used words such as blessed are you among women but we did laugh, cry and encourage one another and agreed that we were truly blessed. So how do I prepare my heart and soul for these encounters in my life in order to nurture an encouraging and welcome environment in which then I can share some peace and joy with others? One way that I enjoy nurturing my soul is seeking out and listening to those around me here and now and those in my past who speak a word of wisdom and truth into the world. Like Mrs. Hutchinson my 8th grade English teacher for example; who encouraged me to be a little more lady-like in my speech. Love that. Because I believe that it is by filling my mind with good and encouraging words there is less room for discouraging and not so good ideas. The best way of course for me is just to take the time to pray, and meditate and abide in the Word. I beg you to keep me in this silence so that I may learn from it the word of your peace and the word of your mercy and the word of your gentleness to the world; and that through me perhaps your word of peace may make itself heard where it has not been possible for anyone to hear it for a long time. Thomas Merton Like Merton I beg to remain in the silence of prayer, meditation or devotion so that I may cling to Christ when my day might not go all that well. So as the sun slowly rises over the mountains and I slowly rise to meet a new day, I pray that it will be enough time to center my soul for all that I will face that day. Because all too soon I know I will have to put down my coffee, the talking heads on the news appear and babble incessantly, the dogs will demand a bio-break, the chickens anticipate their morning snack and my son will need to be coaxed from the cocoon of his bed to consume his breakfast, comb his hair and make the mad dash to the bus yet again. Heaven forbid if it s garbage day too! And then it continues as I zoom out onto the highway negotiating morning traffic, cruise for parking, maneuver all my stuff into the building, settle into my cubicle to contemplate spreadsheets and regulations and delve into a very different kind of contemplation of the mysteries of government spending. Whew! The day will be well on its way and will I remember that just a few short hours before I was immersed in the sweetness of inner peace and tranquility? Oh I hope so, and not only that; will I remember to carry that message into the world that day? An old song lurks in the far reaches of my memory that longs to burst forth and be heard! Where seldom is heard a discouraging word ; the third line of the chorus to Home on the Range; an old campfire song I learned growing up. Of course then you go on to sing, And where the skies are not cloudy all day. We obviously don t teach this song to our children growing up here in Southeast Alaska, because one look out the window most days and they know it just isn t going to be true another day. Anyway, reflecting on Merton s words and contemplating how a word of peace may make itself heard through me that day; that old song came back to the forefront of my mind and enveloped me in comfort much like a worn soft, favorite childhood blanket. Really, what would life be like if seldom is heard a discouraging word? I myself believe that could be truly blissful. No more road rage, no more going postal, no more hatred and violence. Maybe, maybe not. But I still believe that striving to share only encouraging words with our fellow travelers on this homeward journey could be sublime. If seldom is heard a discouraging word was the norm in my own household for example, the world would already be a brighter place. It is our call actually, in 2 Corinthians, Chapter 13, verse 11-12, St. Paul writes: Finally, brothers (and sisters), rejoice. Mend your ways, encourage one another, agree with one another, live in peace, and the God of love and peace will be with you. Greet one another with a holy kiss. So as I pause for reflection, how am I going to speak encouraging words into the lives of people who go before me today? Because honestly, I don t believe I always do a very good job of that. Just think of the possibilities for change though; in our families, our communities and world if we all did this all the time? Sublime indeed. One definition of encouragement that I found in a Google search was an expression of support or approval, or words or actions that assist or inspire someone or something. It seems like a beautiful way to live. I suppose in this day and age one should be very careful about whom you offer a holy kiss; but honestly though, I can t believe we can ever go wrong with offering each other an encouraging word. Because maybe, as Merton said, it has not been possible for anyone to hear it for a long time. Blessings on your encouraging journey. BY: DEACON STEVE OLMSTEAD Last month I introduced Pope Francis s book, Joy of the Gospel. The article focused on the Pope s invitation to all Christians to a renewed personal encounter with Jesus Christ. The joy of the Gospel comes first and foremost through a personal encounter with Jesus. Yet, as vital as this encounter is, it is not, this side of heaven, an end in itself. Pope Francis maintains that an encounter with Jesus Christ is not meant solely for one s personal salvation, but is intended to have far more reaching implications. Pope Francis writes, I never tire of repeating those words of Benedict XVI which take us to the very heart of the Gospel: Being a Christian is not the result of an ethical choice or a lofty idea, but the encounter with an event, a person, which gives life a new horizon and a decisive direction. It is this new horizon and decisive direction which Pope Francis develops throughout the Joy of the Gospel. According to Pope Francis, this decisive direction takes us beyond ourselves and our self-absorption. It leads us towards a deepening relationship with Jesus and ushers us into a joyful willingness to be involved in the lives of others, especially those who are poor, lost, wounded, disoriented and without hope and meaningful direction. This decisive direction leads all Christians to an awakening of their baptismal identities as disciples of Jesus and calls each of us to a new evangelization marked by joy. Pope Francis writes, The new evangelization calls for personal involvement on the part of each of the baptized. Every Christian is challenged, here and now, to be actively engaged in evangelization; indeed, anyone who has truly experienced God s saving love does not need much time or lengthy training to go out and proclaim that love. Every Christian is a missionary to the extent that he or she has encountered the love of God in Christ Jesus; we no longer say we are disciples and missionaries, but rather that we are always missionary disciples In your heart you know that it is not the same to live without him; what you have come to realize, what has helped you to live and given you hope, is what you also need to communicate to others. Fear is a major factor in our hesitation to get involved in the lives of others and share with them the meaning, forgiveness and purpose Jesus Christ and His Church have given to us. Thus, the Pope reminds us that we are called to cooperate with Jesus who leads us by His Spirit. The courage to share about our faith or pray with someone is first a work of God. We are called to a courageous cooperation with the Holy Spirit already at work. We love because God first loved us. We get involved with others, because God, in Jesus, deliberately chose to get involved with us to the point of death, even death on a cross. As we prepare ourselves this Lent for the celebration of Jesus decisive direction toward us and the cross, may we be open to a deepening encounter with Jesus and embrace the gift and privilege of being missionary disciples. This reminds me of a story about a man who approached a little league baseball game one afternoon. He asked a boy in the dugout what the score was. The boy responded, Eighteen to nothing we re behind. Boy, said the spectator, I ll bet you re discouraged. Why should I be discouraged? replied the boy, We haven t even gotten up to bat yet! In the Joy of the Gospel, Pope Francis seeks to encourage, challenge, and with a joyful and decisive direction compel each of us to step up to the plate and start swinging!

15 The Southeast Alaska Catholic March We share the world with more than seven and a half billion people and each of us has the irrepressible, innate sense that we are special and uniquely destined. This isn t surprising since each one of us is indeed unique and special. But how does one feel special among seven and a half billion others? We try to stand out. Generally we don t succeed, and so, as Allan Jones puts it, We nurse within our hearts the hope that we are different, that we are special, that we are extraordinary. We long for the assurance that our birth was no accident, that a god had a hand in our coming to be, that we exist by divine fiat. We ache for a cure for the ultimate disease of mortality. Our madness comes when the pressure is too great and we fabricate a vital lie to cover up the fact that we are mediocre, accidental, mortal. We fail to see the glory of the Good News. The vital lie is unnecessary because all the things we truly long for have been freely given us. All of us know what those words mean: We sense that we are extraordinary, precious, and significant, irrespective of our practical fortunes in life. Deep down we have the feeling that we are uniquely loved and specially called to a life of meaning and significance. We know too, though more in faith than in feeling, that we are precious not on the basis of what we accomplish but rather on the basis of having been created and loved by God. But this intuition, however deep in our souls, invariably wilts in the face of trying to live a life that s unique and special in a world in which billions of others are also trying to do the same thing. And so we can be overwhelmed by a sense of our own mediocrity, anonymity, and mortality and begin to fear that we re not precious but are merely another-among-many, nobody special, one of billions, living among billions. When we feel like this, we are tempted to believe that we are precious and unique only when we accomplish something which precisely sets us apart and ensures that we will Our Ache for Earthly Immortality RON ROLHEISER, OMI Preciousness, meaning, significance and immortality are free gifts from God and we would be a whole lot more restful, peaceful, humble, grateful, happy, and less competitive if we could believe that. be remembered. For most of us, the task of our lives then becomes that of guaranteeing our own preciousness, meaning, and immortality because, at the end of the day, we believe that this is contingent upon our own accomplishments, on creating our own specialness. And so we struggle to be content with ordinary lives of anonymity, hidden in God. Rather we try to stand out, to leave a mark, to accomplish something extraordinary, and so ensure that we will be recognized and remembered. Few things impede our peace and happiness as does this effort. We set for ourselves the impossible, frustrating task of assuring for ourselves something which only God can give us, significance and immortality. Ordinary life then never seems enough for us, and we live restless, competitive, driven lives. Why isn t ordinary life enough for us? Why do our lives always seem too small and not exciting enough? Why do we habitually feel dissatisfied at not being special? Why our need to leave a mark? Why does our own situation often feel so suffocating? Why can t we more easily embrace each other as sisters and brothers and rejoice in each other s gifts and each other s existence? Why the perennial feeling that the other is a rival? Why the need for masks, for pretense, to project a certain image about ourselves? The answer: We do all of these things to try to set ourselves apart because we are trying to give ourselves something that only God can give us, significance and immortality. Scripture tells us that faith alone saves. That simple line reveals the secret: Only God gives eternal life. Preciousness, meaning, significance and immortality are free gifts from God and we would be a whole lot more restful, peaceful, humble, grateful, happy, and less competitive if we could believe that. A humble, ordinary life, shared with billions of others, would then contain enough to give us a sense of our preciousness, meaning, and significance. Thomas Merton, on one of his less restless days wrote: It is enough to be, in an ordinary human mode, with one s hunger and sleep, one s cold and warmth, rising and going to bed. Putting on blankets and taking them off, making coffee and then drinking it. Defrosting the refrigerator, reading, meditating, working, praying. I live as my Fathers have lived on this earth, until eventually I die. Amen. There is no need to make an assertion of my life, especially so about it as mine, though doubtless it is not somebody else s. I must learn to live so as to gradually forget program and artifice. Ordinary life is enough. There isn t any need to make an assertion with our lives. Our preciousness and meaning lie within the preciousness and meaning of life itself, not in having to accomplish something special. -Oblate Father Ron Rolheiser, theologian, teacher, and award-winning author, is President of the Oblate School of Theology in San Antonio, TX. He can be contacted through his website Now on Facebook Protecting our Children If you have any questions about the Diocesan Policy for working with children in ministry please contact: Victim Assistance Coordinator and Safe Environment Coordinator for the Diocese: MS ROBERTA IZZARD ext robbiei@gci.net Safe Environment Policies: National Shrine of St. Therese JUNEAU, ALASKA The world s thy ship and not thy home. St. Therese of Lisieux THE SOUTHEAST ALASKA CATHOLIC considers submissions for publication that may include: Letters to the Editor, interviews, stories, event coverage, photos and artistic response that represent a local Catholic viewpoint. Please submit content or questions to communciation@dioceseofjuneau.org, or phone ext. 32. Online at and Facebook Guidelines for Letters to the Editor: Letters to the Editor should not disparage the character of any individual but refer to issues, articles, letters and opinion pieces that have been published in the Southeast Alaska Catholic. Letters may not endorse a specific political candidate or political party. The Southeast Alaska Catholic does not publish letters that challenge established church teaching. Letters may be edited for length, taste and clarity. To inquire about submitting a guest column, contact the editor at communication@dioceseofjuneau.org. Facility reservations online at x 24

16 16 March 2018 The Southeast Alaska Catholic I understood that every flower created by him is beautiful... - St. Therese of Lisieux Shrine Gardens: Continued from page 12 So, as you face the Grotto you will see white plants to the right that signify the waters of mercy and red to the left that represent the cleansing blood of Christ. Twenty-six years since she started her ministry, Janis, Ed and many community volunteers are still working to create gardens with scriptural meaning on the grounds of the Shrine. She shared that she has struggled with whether this ministry has been for the sake of God or for herself, I think that s something every human being has to struggle with. Are the actions in the place that I m spending my time truly for the glory of God? It is for this reason that Burns has sought to keep her work at the Shrine for the last twenty-six years unpublicized, to follow the example of St. Therese of serving God in a hidden way. Now, as she has grown older, Burns wants to share the meaning of the plants and flowers she has planted in hopes that those who enjoy them will understand their significance. With the help of the Shrine s executive director, Joe Sehnert, Burns has designed interpretive signs for the different gardens that explain the meaning of each plant. The signs will be installed this summer. Burns intends to continue her ministry at the Shrine. Her next project are the garden berms around the Labyrinth. Through the summer the Shrine recruits volunteers to help maintain the gardens with their Adopt-a-Garden program. If you have experience gardening and would like to help with this ministry please contact Joe at juneaushrine@dioceseofjuneau. org or call x 24.