Archbishop Casey: the Gentle Shepherd the Righteous Among

The D enver C atholic R egister VOL LXVl NO. 12 MARCH 20, 1991 Colofado*s Largest Wecfciy 24 PAGES 25 CGMTS Archbishop Casey: the gentle shepherd Editor’s note: The following is the text of the homily given by Archbishop J. Francis Stafford at a Mass cel ebrated March 13 at Immaculate Conception Cathedral in commemoration of the fifth anniversary of the death ‘I must speak out. of Archbishop James V. Casey of Denver. To remain silent would My dear brothers and sisters in Christ: The forty days of l.em are a pilgrimage for us. A peo go against everything I ple who walked in darkness have seen a great light. To believe.’ gether we are in haste to reach that light. Together we hurry to exalt in that light. Together we are in pil — Archbishop James V. Casey grimage, at once guided by the light as the Israelites were guided at night by the pillar of fire on their Exodus, and at the same time, yearning desperately to possess the light, to pos.sess the light of all nations, to possess Christ. his will to let the cup of suffering pass from him. It was Unlike those condemned in today’s Gospel, we are will the Father’s will to call a faithful servant and shepherd ing to come to Christ to possess his life. Indeed we has home to Him. ten with his grace and forgiveness. Archbishop Casey was a private person; he found the Today is the fifth anniversary of the death of one of public dimension of his ministry a cross. But his own our fellow pilgrims who hastened to possess the light of knowledge of himself allowed him to feel the suffering Christ. It is the anniversary of the death of James V. of others as his own. No one who came to know him Ca.sey, my immediate predecessor, the fifth bishop and had a better friend or advocate. second Archbishop of Den\^. He was for the Church He found attention in prayer difficult in the last in northern Colorado, from 1967 until his death in 1986, months of his life and he found deeper consolation in the gentle shepherd. And he never ceased to lead us in the Liturgy of the Hours, which he prayed faithfully, l a- those 19 years to Christ — to the cross of Christ so as ther Benedict Groeschcl in his book “ Spiritual Passages’’ to enjoy forever the glory of his resurrection. notes that as we near union with God and when we are Archbishop Casey had an intense devotion to the unable to pray the Spirit of God prays instead of us. Lord’s resurrection, as witne.ssed by his choice of a title This renewed encounter of Christ in the desert is diffi for his Cathedral in Lincoln, Nebraska, where he served cult, and Archbishop Ca.sey found it so. Like Bishop as bishop prior to his appointment as Archbishop of George Evans, his friend and auxiliary bishop. Arch Denver, and for the first parish he founded in Denver, bishop Casey found solace in the suffering of Christ and the Church of the Risen Christ. This devotion for the through Christ’s passion in the glory of the cross. resurrection always characterized his quiet prayer and his Unbeknown to most people, he regularly visited those confidence in the Lord’s power to save. He knew inti who were in difficulty. Especially at Christmas he visited mately the power of the Eucharist, and in his last illness Archbishop James V. Casey Jam** Baca/OCFI Photo many of the poor and brought the light of Christ to found himself, like Christ calling on the Father if it be Continued on page 4 The Righteous Among the Nations’ By Charlene Scott The young monk’s first exposure to hatred of the Jews Register Staff was in Frankfort, where he saw “ insulting signs” that ’/ was once a little child. said “ Jews equal Judas” and “ Jews out!” and “ Here Three years ago. Jews are not welcome.” That child who longed for other worlds. “ It shocked me and it revolted me,” Father Bruno But I have learned to hate. wrote years later in his recollections of that day, when I am a grown-up person now, he also came upon an elderly Jewish man in the street I have known fear. ’ who was “ stooped and hiding his face with his hand” (from the book ‘...I never saw another butterfly, ’ C hil while bullies pushed him and threw him into the gutter. dren’s Drawings and Poems from Terezin Concentration “This overwhelmed me — this contempt, this ar Camp, 1942-1944.) rogance, this cruel stupidity,” the monk wrote in his memoirs. “ All of this was intolerable to me.” The nephew of a Benedictine monk who saved more And so began Father Bruno’s special mission to save than 300 Jewish children from death camps like Terezin the Jews. In May of 1940, Germany invaded the Low during World War II was honored in Denver by the Jew Countries: Holland, Belgium, Luxembourg and France. ish community March 12 as a “ Righteous Gentile.’’ Belgium was fortunate. The German general in charge Tribute was paid to Dr. Michel Reynders and his fam of the occupation was not a Nazi, nor was he in sym ily for their Christian heroism during the Holocaust. pathy with Nazi goals. A member of Christ the King Parish in Denver, Dr. “Conditions were tolerable,” recalled Dr. Reynder, Reynders, a pathologist, was a teenager in Belgium when who was born in Belgium. “ Belgium Jews were not hurt his uncle. Father Bruno Reynders, began to help the for a year.” hunted Jews of that country. By the end of 1942, however, the Wannsee Confer “ My uncle entered the monastery at a young age: 18,” ence proclaimed the “ Final Solution,” that is. Hitler’s Dr. Reynders recalled. “ He was an extremely devout goal of genocide for the Jewish race. man, but a bit of a maverick in his personality.” “ This is when the Belgium Jews began to suffer great The monk’s devotion and his personality were used by ly,” Dr. Reynders remembered. “There were 70,000 God during a dark hour of Belgium’s history. Dr. Reyn Jews at that time in Belgium. Probably 40,000 were tak ders noted. en out of the country, and 28,0(X) never came back.” “ My uncle and a group of other monks had founded Seated at his dining room table with his uncle’s me a priory to study ecumenical relations among groups mentos spread before him. Dr. Reynder’s fingered a yel such as the Orthodox Russians, Greeks and other nation low star that had been given to the monk by one of the alities,” he said. “So my uncle traveled extensively in Jews whom the monk rescued. Germany before the war, and he saw what was happen “The infamous yellow star,” Dr. Reynders mused. “ It ing to the Jews.” Father Bruno Reynders Continued on page 4 Lenten r^ectlon DACCW president Called to Joy PAGE 3 PAGE 5 PAGE 7 2 — March 20, 1991 — Denver Catholic Register The 1991 Archbishop’s Catholic Appeal ‘A gift from the heart is all that is needed’ (Elditor’s note: This is the first in a series of arti tion in Catholic schools and the importance of pro He explained that a telephone follow-up to be used cles reporting on the structure, implementation and viding assistance to schools in need. at the conclusion of parish appeals will ask non progress of the 1991 Archbishop’s Catholic Appeal, The vital area of vocations and the need to assist participants to comment on areas of personal con the annual request of every family to contribute to between 30 and 40 men presently studying or plan cern which can be addressed by their parish. The the support of more than 50 ministries provided by ning to begin seminary training this fall. “ The Arch results of the telephone survey will be forwarded to the local church in the 24 counties of the Archdio diocese of Denver is blessed in having a substantial each parish. cese of Denver.) number of candidates for the priesthood,” said Fa The questions to be asked have been prepared by Following seven group meetings with pastors to ther Hoffmann. He also noted that the local church Msgr. Lawrence St. Peter, Father Ken Koehler and develop goals acceptable to all, and eight group now has 114 permanent deacons with 28 additional Father Bob Kinkel, clergy chair for the Archbishop’s training sessions for parish teams throughout the candidates in preparation for spiritual and ministe Catholic Appeal. archdiocese, the Archbishop’s Catholic Appeal rial services to the Catholic people. According to Bill Bannon of Bannon Associates, moved into group dinners over last weekend at which The new parish rebate program which will return consultant to the archdiocese and an expert in Cath Archbishop J. Francis Stafford thanked those who 50 percent o f all funds collected in excess of its tar olic fund raising across the country, the use of offered to provide leadership in their parishes. get.’ telemarketing techniques to evangelize and provide In a letter to all pastors. Archbishop Stafford last Father Hoffmann urged his audience to pray for outreach to Catholics not presently involved in par week noted that the goal for the 1991 appeal, guidance on how each individual and family can par ish activities is unique to the Archdiocese of Denver $3,241,200, represents a non-mandatory target of ticipate fully in the Archbishop’s Catholic Appeal, and a “ first” in Catholic appeals in the United 12.25 percent of the reported annual offertory of challenged all to give generously so that the goal may States.

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