Pope Says Fasting in Lent Opens Hearts to God, Hands to the Poor

Think Green 50¢ February 22, 2009 Recycle this paper Volume 83, No. 8 www.diocesefwsb.org/TODAY Serving the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend TODAY’S CATHOLIC Operation Rice Bowl Pope says fasting in Lent opens and more as Lent begins Feb. 25 Pages 11-13 hearts to God, hands to the poor BY CINDY WOODEN School mergers VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Fasting from food and Bishop makes announcement detaching oneself from material goods during Lent help believers open their hearts to God and open their Page 3 hands to the poor, Pope Benedict XVI said. The Lenten fast helps Christians “mortify our ego- ism and open our hearts to love of God and neighbor,” said the pope in his message for Lent 2009. Dignity of The papal message for Lent, which begins Feb. 25 for Latin-rite Catholics, was released Feb. 3 at the women, men Vatican. Cardinal Paul Cordes, president of the Pontifical Edith Stein Conference Council Cor Unum, the Vatican’s office for promoting and coordinating charity, told reporters that Christian addresses gender issues fasting brings together love for God and love for Page 4 neighbor. “The pope reminds us of our obligation to open our hearts and our hands to those in need,” he said at the Vatican presentation of the message. The Vatican invited Josette Sheeran, executive On fire with St. Paul director of the U.N.’s World Food Program, to help present the papal message. Lenten faith sharing “Serving the hungry is a moral call that unites peo- Page 11 ple of all faiths,” said Sheeran, whose organization relies heavily on Catholic charities and other faith- based organizations to distribute food aid. “At this time of worldwide economic challenges, let us not forget that the food and financial crises hit Examination CNS PHOTO/NANCY WIECHEC the world’s most vulnerable the hardest,” she said. The Angelotti family prays before diving into a meatless meal of baked potatoes and salad “Since 2007, 115 million were added to the ranks of of conscience at their home in Centreville, Va., Feb. 4. Parents Terry and Neil, along with their children, the hungry to create a total of nearly 1 billion people Brendan, 9, Emily, 11, and Kyle, 13, have made Operation Rice Bowl a centerpiece on the without adequate food.” Penance services family table during Lent. The nationwide alms-giving program coordinated by Catholic Sheeran said that at a time when the U.S. and other across the diocese Relief Services encourages participants to learn about hunger and poverty around the globe and then to make donations to help those most in need. POPE, PAGE 3 Page 13 Fast and abstinence WANT TO SHARE YOUR FAITH STORY? during Lent IN 50 WORDS OR LESS, atholics in the United States are obliged mended on other weekdays of Lent, allows ANSWER ONE OF THE Cto abstain from the eating of meat on Ash only one full meal a day, but does not forbid Wednesday and on all Fridays during the sea- taking some food at the other two mealtimes. FOLLOWING: son of Lent. They are also obliged to fast on — Apostolic Constitution of Poenitemini • I love the Catholic Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. Self- 111, 1 and 2. imposed observance of fasting on all week- Bishop D’Arcy has urged that, according faith because ... days of Lent is strongly recommended. to a long-standing tradition, people try to • I came back to the — U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ pas- attend daily Mass during Lent. Other tradi- toral statement of Nov. 18, 1966. tional practices, such as Stations of the Cross, Catholic Church Persons between the ages of 18 and 58 are personal prayer and visits to the Blessed because ... bound by the law of fasting on Ash Sacrament, are highly encouraged. Concrete Wednesday and Good Friday; persons 59 sacrifices, however small, for those in need • I was drawn tot he Catholic faith years of age and older are not bound to the law are strongly encouraged. All are asked to pray because ... of fasting on these days. All persons 14 years for those who are preparing for baptism or of age and older are bound to observe the law reception into the church at Easter time. All Please e-mail your responses with a jpeg of abstinence during the Fridays of Lent. are also asked to pray for more young men photo to [email protected]. The law of fasting, which obliges on Ash and women to respond to the call of the Wednesday and Good Friday and is recom- priesthood and religious life. 2 TODAY’ S CATHOLIC FEBRUARY 22, 2009 TODAY’S CATHOLIC Event stresses Catholic teaching Official newspaper of the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend P.O. Box 11169 Fort Wayne, IN 46856 on womanhood, sexuality, vocation PUBLISHER: Bishop John M. D’Arcy EDITOR: Tim Johnson until the end. But it means a new spring- Eucharist, in the word of God, in the people time of faith, and these are manifestations he serves and in his coworkers. It was a NEWS EDITOR and STAFF WRITER: Kay Cozad of it. It seems to come in great part from splendid evening, and I thank God again among the young. It comes in a wide-eyed for his gift of being the bishop of this dio- Editorial Department openness to the church and the traditions cese and what it affords at Notre Dame and PAGE DESIGNER: Francie Hogan NEWS and a desire to learn to pray. other places in relating to young people. FREELANCE WRITERS: Lauren Caggiano, Ann Carey, Michelle Castleman, Karen &NOTES Clifford, Elmer J. Danch, Michelle Love in the life of a bishop Edith Stein Donaghey, Bonnie Elberson, Denise BISHOP JOHN M. D’ARCY I was asked to speak on love and voca- I was also able to share a few thoughts Fedorow, Diane Freeby, May Lee tion. There were many far more distin- about Edith Stein from Sister Marie guished speakers than I in this three-day Morgan, OSF, who teaches at Marian, and Johnson, Sister Margie Lavonis, CSC, There’s always hope with the young effort, which began early Friday afternoon. has written her master’s thesis at St. Joe Kozinski and Deb Wagner There was Sister Prudence Allen, the Thomas University in Rome on this I headed west on a wintry Friday bound famous philosopher, and also the speaker extraordinary woman. Business Department for Notre Dame. The occasion was the who, not surprisingly, was probably the Drawing on sister’s thesis and a little Edith Stein Conference. You have to know BUSINESS MANAGER: Kathy Denice most significant speaker at the event, my book entitled “The Conversion of Edith the origins of this initiative. Father Richard AD GRAPHICS DIRECTOR: Mark Weber longtime friend Professor Janet Smith. Stein,” I presented a few thoughts about Warner, CSC, my good friend and head of I was given the topic, “Love and Edith Stein: philosopher, feminist, saint. BOOKKEEPING/CIRCULATION: Kathy Voirol the campus ministry at Notre Dame, [email protected] Vocation,” but “would the bishop tell us She studied under the famous Husserl, a reminded me recently that this was started how he finds love in his life as a bishop?” I German philosopher. I also spoke about the by a group of young women in response to Advertising Sales started with a text of Pope John Paul II famous exclamation of St. Therese Lisieux the V Monologues when it first was pre- from his very first encyclical “Redemptor on love, “I will be love in the heart of the Tess Steffen (Fort Wayne area) sented at Notre Dame. The young women Hominis,” where he wrote, “Man cannot church.” One of the things that brought (260) 456-2824 wanted to make a positive response, so they live without love. He remains a being that Edith Stein to the church was when in the Jeanette Simon (South Bend area) began the conference named for this is incomprehensible for himself, his life is home of a friend she picked up the autobi- (574) 234-0687 extraordinary woman, St. Theresa senseless, if love is not revealed to him, if ography of Teresa of Avila and stayed up Web site: www.diocesefwsb.org/TODAY Benedicta of the Cross (Edith Stein). I he does not encounter love, if he does not all night reading it. She was not yet recall a visit from my good friend Rabbi experience it and make it his own, if he Christian, but as she put the book down she Published weekly except the fourth Richard Saffron, now long since retired, does not participate intimately in it.” In an said, “This is truth.” Sunday in June, first and third weeks in when she was declared Blessed and beati- essay on young people, he said as a young July, first week in August and last week fied in Cologne, Germany. She was gassed priest he learned to “live human love.” He in December by the Diocese of Fort at Auschwitz, the Nazi killing camp, where said this guided him in his ministry in the Four Teresas Wayne-South Bend, 1103 S. Calhoun St., so many Jews were killed. The rabbi cor- confessional, in preaching, and in his writ- Teresa of Calcutta, Therese of Lisieux, P.O. Box 390, Fort Wayne, IN 46801. rectly was reminding me that she was killed ing; and this, of course, is the seed for his Periodicals postage paid at Fort Wayne, because she was a Jew, not because she had Teresa of Avila, Teresa Benedicta of the IN, and additional mailing office.

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