Sooner Catholic Serving the People of the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City Volume 37, Number 17 * September 11, 2011 Catholic Charities Centennial Prayer O God of the ages, With every sunrise, You gift us with work for our hands. With every sunset, You grant us rest for our hearts. May the light of each new day Give us faith in things unseen, Hope for victories yet unrealized, Charity for those who struggle. May the dusk of each night Bring us dreams of a better world, Visions of our cause triumphant, Love for the sacrifices asked of us. Grant your Church yet another century of service, Or time enough to build your Kingdom. This we ask in the name of Jesus, Our Lord. Amen and Amen. By Father James Goins Inside Anniversary trip to Santiago Atitlan, Guatemala 11-15 23 Painter rescues Our Lady 2 Sooner Catholic ● September 11, 2011 Sooner Catholic Catholic Charities Annual “Put out into the Most Reverend Appeal Celebrates One deep and Paul S. Coakley lower Archbishop of Oklahoma City Publisher Hundred Years of Service your nets A once in a lifetime opportunity We do not provide these services for a Ray Dyer is rare indeed! Even rarer is an because those we serve may happen catch.” event that comes around only every to be Catholic (many are not), but Archbishop Editor Luke 5:4 hundred years. Next weekend, we because we are Catholic. Caring for Coakley begin just such an observance. The Christ in his distressing disguise Cara Koenig annual Catholic Charities Appeal, of poverty is not an option for housing for families and the elderly, Photographer/ which will be held next weekend in Catholics, but a responsibility. care for women with unexpected Special Projects parishes across the Archdiocese, “Whatever you do to the least of my pregnancies, sanctuary for homeless coincides with the 100th anniver- brothers and sisters, you do to me.” women who have no place to turn. 7501 Northwest Expressway sary of the founding of Catholic (Mt 25:40) We assist immigrants and refugees Oklahoma City, OK 73132 Charities in Oklahoma! The rich who are making a new start and The types of services which legacy of Catholic Charities in our many other services as well. (405) 721-1810 Fax: (405) 721-5210 state began with the opening of St. Catholic Charities offers in the e-mail: [email protected] Joseph Orphanage in Bethany early name of the Church have expanded We would be unable to offer Mailing Address: P.O. Box 32180 in 1912. From that time until today with the changing needs of individ- such an array of services to so many the work of Catholic Charities has uals and families over the course of of our neighbors in need without the Oklahoma City, OK 73123 continued to expand throughout our the last century. The places where generous support of our Catholic state and Archdiocese. It can only these services are offered have people. The Catholic Charities Visit us online through the continue with our generous and continued to expand as well. Annual Appeal will be held in each Archdiocesan Web Page at Today Catholic Charities provides parish of the Archdiocese over the sacrificial support. www.catharchdioceseokc.org. counseling services, emergency re- weekend of Sept. 17-18. I appeal to The many works and services of sponse and case management. you to be generous. Make a sacrifi- Catholic Charities express the care Catholic Charities offers support for cial gift. I know you will do what The Sooner Catholic (USPS 066-910) is and concern of the Catholic Church families and adoption services. We you can and I thank you for your published biweekly except for once in July for our brothers and sisters in need. provide service-enriched affordable support. and twice in December by the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City. Archbishop Coakley’s Calendar The newspaper is not responsible for The following events are part of Archbishop Coakley’s official calendar. unsolicited material. September 11 - Mass for Feast of Our Lady of LaVang, Our Lady’s Cathedral, 11:45 a.m. Copyright © 2011 Sooner Catholic September 11 - Archbishop’s Annual Picnic for Archdiocesan Staff, Catholic Pastoral Center, 5 p.m. September 12 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops Committee Meetings, Washington, D.C. Subscription rate: $20 per year for all September 13 - Archdiocesan Finance Council Meeting, Catholic Pastoral Center, 2 p.m. who are not members of the September 14 - Opening Prayer at Domestic Violence Conference, Embassy Suites, Norman, 8:30 a.m. September 15 - Mass and classroom visits, Christ the King School, Oklahoma City, 8:15 a.m. Archdiocese of Oklahoma City. September 15 - Vocations Board Meeting, Catholic Pastoral Center, 1 p.m. Periodical postage paid at Oklahoma September 15 - Meeting with Editorial Board of The Daily Oklahoman, 3 p.m. City, OK 73125. September 16 - Mass, Archdiocesan Teacher Institute, Catholic Pastoral Center, 8:30 a.m. POSTMASTER: Send address changes September 16 - Presentation of Teacher of the Year Award, Catholic Pastoral Center, 1:15 p.m. to the Sooner Catholic, P.O. Box September 17 - Opening Prayer and Welcome, Archdiocesan Catechetical Congress, Catholic Pastoral Center, 8:30 a.m. 32180, Oklahoma City, OK 73123. September 17 - Presentation of Religious Education Teacher of the Year Award, Catholic Pastoral Center, 11:45 a.m. September 17 - Mass, Archdiocesan Catechetical Congress, Catholic Pastoral Center, 12 p.m. September 18 - Young Adult Mass and Cookout, Catholic Pastoral Center, 3 p.m. September 20 - Mass at Catholic Pastoral Center, 11:30 a.m. September 20 - Good Leaders Good Shepherds Luncheon and Meeting with Priests, Catholic Pastoral Center, 12 p.m. September 20 - Archdiocesan Review Board Meeting, Catholic Pastoral Center, 3 p.m. September 21 - Priests Council Meeting, Catholic Pastoral Center, 9:30 a.m. September 22 - Mass and classroom visits, St. James School, Oklahoma City, 8:30 a.m. September 22 - Catholic Charities Board Meeting, 12 p.m. The Sooner Catholic is September 24 - Prayer Service and Reception with Benedictine Sisters, Epiphany of the Lord Church, 2 p.m. supported through the September 24 - Red Mass, Cathedral of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, 5 p.m. Archdiocesan Development Fund. September 25 - Guest Speaker at 40 Days for Life Rally, Christ the King Church, 3 p.m. September 11, 2011 ● Sooner Catholic 3 The Trojan Horse Is At The Gate By Archbishop tration. Included among these are drugs like Ella, religious affiliation and taught his followers to do Paul S. Coakley which actually cause abortions in the early weeks likewise (as in the Parable of the Good Samaritan) of pregnancy by inhibiting the implantation of would not be included under the narrow umbrella f you recall the story of the the human embryo. It mandates “education and of this so-called religious exemption. Trojan horse, you may counseling” to promote these measures among all As written, this religious exemption is too IIunderstand why there is women of reproductive capacity. narrow to protect many Catholic organizations good reason to be very Though the entire mandate is essentially from opting out of this mandate. Catholic hospitals concerned about a new federal flawed and should be rescinded, it has another very and even Catholic Charities agencies, both of which mandate that may soon take serious problem. It contains no real conscience provide services without regard for religious affilia- effect. This new federal regula- protection for those who may have moral objections tion, would not qualify for an exemption. They tion under the authority of last to participating in or paying for such plans and would be forced to provide and pay for insurance year’s health care reform act procedures. It contains such an extremely narrow coverage for procedures which violate Catholic will soon require all employers religious conscience exemption that Jesus himself moral teaching. who provide health insurance would fail to qualify! What can we do? The Department of Health plans to cover an array of preventive services and Human Services is allowing comments on this Under the proposed religious exemption, only for women that include contraceptives and female interim final rule until Sept. 30. Please take the those employers would be excused from this sterilization. time to visit the following link and register your mandate if their primary mission is the inculcation Among the very disturbing elements of this opposition before it is too late. The Trojan horse is of religious doctrine, if their employees and those mandate is the fact that it treats pregnancy as a at the gate! disease or a disabling condition, which clearly it is whom they serve are people of their own faith, and not. Secondly, it places a major focus on mandatory they are considered a church or a religious order Please take a moment to visit the following coverage for surgical sterilization and all contra- in the narrow sense. Under these very restrictive link and register your opposition: http://nchla.org/- ceptives approved by the Food and Drug Adminis- conditions, Jesus, who healed without regard for actiondisplay.asp?ID=299. U.S. Bishops: Contraception Mandate Coerces Religious Groups Washington, D.C. (CNA/EWTN quirements of the 2010 health care News) — The HHS contraception It is “an unprecedented attack on religious legislation. A 60-day comment period mandate for insurance plans is “more on the regulations began on Aug. 1. radical” than any other in the United liberty” to require that religious people and Other prominent Catholics have States and entails “nationwide coer- opposed the regulations, including cion of religious people and groups,” groups sell, broker or purchase services to Cardinal Daniel DiNardo of the U.S. bishops general counsel said Galveston-Houston.