June 24, 2005 Vol

Inside Archbishop Buechlein . 5 Editorial . 4 Question Corner . 13 Sunday and Daily Readings . 13 Serving the ChurchCriterion in Central and Souther n Indiana Since 1960 CriterionOnline.com June 24, 2005 Vol. XXXXIV, No. 37 75¢ U.S. bishops revise documents dealing with sexual abuse CHICAGO (CNS)—As they have been officials: a correction of a typographical clergy sex abuse victim groups, abortion norms for seminary admissions and semi- at every U.S. Catholic bishops’ meeting error, the addition of a missing canon law opponents, gay rights advocates who nary formation. since June 2002, clergy sexual abuse of reference and two minor editorial changes oppose Church teaching on homosexual- Reflecting the increased awareness of minors and the protection of children from intended to clarify the meaning of the text. ity, women’s ordination advocates, and the horror of child sexual abuse, the new such abuse were a significant part of the The revised charter and norms are to members of Voice of the Faithful and program for the first time explicitly orders June 16-18 meeting in Chicago of the take effect for five years. other groups who have been calling for the rejection of any seminary applicant U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. While several other abuse-related items greater openness and accountability by and expulsion of any seminarian who has Major items on this June’s agenda were were also on the bishops’ agenda, they Church officials. molested a child or shows inclinations to approval of revisions of the 2002 “Charter also took time to approve other documents Documents the bishops approved dur- do so. for the Protection of Children and Young and projects, vote on financial matters, ing the meeting included a new Program It also devotes extra attention to ensur- People” and the related “Essential Norms” discuss the growing phenomenon of lay of Priestly Formation, a statement in sup- ing that seminarians are well-rounded implementing the charter legislatively. ecclesial ministry and celebrate the port of Catholic schools, a statement on human beings as an integral part of The bishops adopted those documents 100th anniversary of the Catholic Church missions and a statement committing achieving their mature commitment to by respective votes of 229-3 and 228-4. Extension Society. themselves to mutual support and correc- chaste celibacy before ordination. For the As a legislative text, the norms still As the bishops met inside Chicago’s tion in implementing the child protection first time, it explicitly addresses questions need Vatican approval. But Vatican rejec- Fairmont Hotel or gathered on June 15 for charter. All were adopted by overwhelm- of sexual orientation, saying that when the tion seemed quite unlikely since the final a pre-meeting Mass at Holy Name ing margins. Vatican publishes its expected norms on version approved by the bishops had only Cathedral, on the streets outside various The new Program of Priestly Formation the admission of homosexually oriented four minor variations from the draft demonstrators picketed and held press will replace the 1992 edition of that pro- men to the seminary or priesthood, jointly developed by U.S. and Vatican conferences. Among them were leaders of gram if the Vatican approves it. It sets See BISHOPS, page 7 Youth learn Cause for canonization of Blessed that leadership Mother Theodore Guérin moves forward flows from Second miracle passes being obedient scrutiny of medical Submitted photo commission to Christ By Brandon A. Evans By Brandon A. Evans The cause for the canonization of One of the focal points of the Catholic Blessed Mother Theodore Guérin may Leadership Conference, held from have just passed its most difficult June 13-17 at Marian College in phase. Indianapolis, was to teach youth how to be Andrea Ambrosi, the postulator for followers of Christ. the cause, recently reported to the arch- About 30 high school youth turned out diocese and the Sisters of Providence for the annual conference, which seeks to of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods that the help them learn how to be leaders not only second miracle attributed to Blessed among their peers but also in parish life in Mother Theodore Guérin has been general. unanimously recognized by a five-per- In explaining leadership in Church life, son medical commission as a cure Father Robert Robeson, director of the arch- unexplainable by medical science. diocesan Office of Youth and Young Adult Only a simple, three-person majority Ministry, said that the leadership of those in was needed to move the cause along. the parish flows from the leadership of a The investigation into the miracle, pastor or parish life coordinator, whose which began in early 2003, is a neces- leadership flows from the archbishop. sary step in canonizing the 19th cen- The authority of the archbishop, as suc- tury foundress of the Sisters of cessor to the Apostles, flows from Providence—necessary because it pro- Christ—and the authority of the chief of vides evidence that she is in heaven Artist Teresa Clark of Fort Wayne, Ind., works on a two-foot-tall sculpture of Blessed Mother the Apostles, the pope, successor to Peter, interceding for us. Theodore Guérin at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods. Clark will also create a six-foot-tall replica of this also flows from Christ. It was after a thorough investigation sculpture of Mother Theodore for the Marian Garden at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the It is in obedience to Christ through the of her life and the validation of one Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C. See YOUTH, page 2 miracle that Mother Theodore was beatified in 1998. Sister Mary Ann Phelan, associate pro- “The person is not Catholic, and that Now that the miracle has been moter under Providence Sister Marie seemed to carry some weight with the approved, the cause will be put before Kevin Tighe, who is currently recovering people on the commission,” she said. It a seven-member theological commis- from surgery. speaks volumes that “a non-Catholic sion then before a 15-member commis- Notice that the second miracle had had enough faith to pray for this mira- sion made up of cardinals and arch- been approved came to the motherhouse at cle and then also to report it.” bishops. Saint Mary-of-the-Woods via e-mail, and Sister Ann Margaret said that many Then, assuming that all goes for- Providence Sister Ann Margaret O’Hara, people have felt touched by Blessed ward, all that will be left will be for the general superior, announced the good Mother Theodore, and noted that “the Holy Father to proclaim Blessed news during the daily Mass. person who experienced this particular Mother Theodore Guérin a saint in The reaction was “great joy,” said healing said that he first experienced a heaven—something that will be the Sister Mary Ann. “We all breathed a sigh sense of peace.” fruit of work dating back to 1909, of relief.” Mother Theodore “really is a woman when the cause began. Sister Ann Margaret said that part of for our time,” Sister Ann Margaret said. Her canonization would mean that the relief came from knowing for the past Her priority was not only the education public and formal devotion to the reli- two and a half years that if the medical of women, but also the improvement of gious sister could take place all over commission could find a medical explana- the role of women in all parts of soci- the world—and her name could be tion for the miracle, that the cause would ety. used in the formal eucharistic prayers. stall until another miracle was found. “She was a woman who, through her Such a way of spreading the story of Though details of the miracle have not trust in God, was able to do many Blessed Mother Theodore’s life is part been released, Sister Mary Ann said that it things for the Church in general and for of the reason why her cause has been was one of the employees of the Sisters of the Church in Indiana in particular,” worked on for so long, said Providence Providence. See SAINT, page 2 Page 2 The Criterion Friday, June 24, 2005 wrapped in brown paper, tied with a red when you are in line to be examined Model of statue ribbon, sealed with wax and topped with a for canonization there are less causes,” of Blessed SAINT Submitted photo Mother continued from page 1 special Latin document. he said. At the time, Msgr. Easton drove the “I think it is a great honor for Indiana Theodore Sister Mary Ann said. “For this diocese, package to Washington, D.C., to the office to have a saint,” Ambrosi said, “because Guérin we feel that it’s very important that they of the papal nuncio, so that it could be there are not many saints in the U.S.A. know about Mother Theodore.” delivered to the Vatican in an official My hope is that after the canonization The desire on the part of the sisters to diplomatic pouch. there will be a big celebration in the dio- spread the message of the life of Mother From there, he said, there was a cese which will bring interest among other Theodore took a big step forward in the painstaking process of verifying the docu- faiths.” past two weeks, and it was a step that ments in Rome before the merits of the Sister Ann Margaret and Msgr. Easton came unexpectedly, said Sister Ann miracle were even examined. both asked that Catholics in the archdio- Margaret—unexpected because the time- Now, he said, with the commission cese continue to pray for the success of line for this cause has been unknown.

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