Dedication of the Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul

November 18, 2013, Volume VII, Number 46

DEDICATION OF THE BASILICA OF SAINTS PETER AND PAUL Monday of the Thirty-Third Week in Ordinary Time Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary – November 21, 2013 Feast of Saint Cecilia – Friday, November 22, 2013 Feast of Saint Clement I – Saturday, November 23, 2014 Feast of Saint Columban – Saturday, November 23, 2013 YEAR OF FAITH - Oct. 11, 2012, through Nov. 24, 2013 http://www.annusfidei.va/content/novaevangelizatio/en.html

Question of the Week For Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, November 24, 2013 "Jesus, remember me, when you come into you come into your Kingdom. Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise." No waiting. Today you will be with me. How would you feel if you heard Jesus say this to you? Are you ready? What do you want him to remember about you. What encounter with the Risen Christ do you remember and hope that Jesus remembers? NCCL News

A Prayer for the People of the Philippines

The rector of St. James Cathedral in Seattle had this prayer on their parish website. A violent squall came up and waves were breaking over the boat, so that it was already filling up. Jesus was in the stern, asleep on a cushion. They woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” He woke up, rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Quiet! Be still!” The wind ceased and there was great calm. Then he asked them, “Why are you terrified? Do you not yet have faith?” They were filled with great awe and said to one another, “Who then is this whom even wind and sea obey?” (Mark 4:37-41) God of power and might, we pray to you for the people of the Philippines in the wake of Typhoon Haiyan. Receive the dead into your embrace.

CL Weekly, Monday, November 18, 2013 Page 1 Comfort those who mourn them. Heal the injured. Protect the survivors. Give courage to those who have lost homes and livelihood. Strengthen the emergency workers. Open our hearts to compassion for all people. We pray in the name of Jesus the Lord. Amen.

10 Things We Want You to Know About the Catholic Faith

The Archdiocese of Indianapolis has recently completed a project for the Year of Faith that not only engaged their people but resulted in a product they all helped to create and is on their website. It is also available in Spanish and as a bookmark.

Last fall, Bishop Christopher Coyne invited all parishes to read, prayerfully reflect on and discuss the document Lumen Gentium and then hold a town meeting to surface “10 Things We Want to Know About the Catholic Faith.” Seven representatives from each of these town hall meetings gathered at Deanery meetings and chose seven persons to represent their thoughts and ideas for this question at a diocesan gathering. Ken Ogorek, who helped facilitate this process, shared this link on their website that features the final product. Check it out at 10 Things.

U. S. Bishops Select New Leadership

Archbishop Joseph Kurtz of Louisville, Kentucky, was today elected president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) during the bishops' annual fall General Assembly, underway in Baltimore. Archbishop Kurtz has served as vice president of USCCB since 2010. Cardinal Daniel DiNardo of Galveston-Houston was elected USCCB vice president.

Archbishop Kurtz and Cardinal DiNardo are elected to three-year terms and succeed Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York and Archbishop Kurtz, respectively. The new president and vice president's terms begin at the conclusion of the General Assembly, November 14.

Archbishop Kurtz was elected president on the first ballot with 125 votes. Cardinal DiNardo was elected vice president on the third ballot by 147-87 in a runoff vote against Archbishop Charles Chaput of Philadelphia. The president and vice president are elected by a simple majority from a

CL Weekly, Monday, November 18, 2013 Page 2 slate of 10 nominees. If no president or vice president is chosen after the second round of voting, a third ballot is taken between only the top two vote getters on the second ballot.

Archbishop Kurtz was born Aug. 18, 1946, and ordained a priest of Allentown, Pennsylvania, on March 18, 1972. He served as bishop of Knoxville, Tennessee, from 1999-2007 before being appointed to Louisville. Cardinal DiNardo was born May 23, 1949, and ordained a priest of Pittsburgh on June 16, 1977. He served as bishop of Sioux City, Iowa, from 1998-2004 before being appointed coadjutor bishop, then archbishop, of Galveston-Houston. Pope Benedict XVI named him a cardinal in 2007, making him the first cardinal from Texas.

The bishops also elected Archbishop George Lucus of Omaha as chairman of the Committee of Catholic Education in a 141-93 vote over George V. Murry, SJ, of Youngstown, Ohio. Archbishop Lucas, who has served as interim chair of the committee since the May 2013 death of Bishop Joseph McFadden, will begin his term at the conclusion of this week's bishops' meeting.

The bishops chose chairmen-elect of five other USCCB committees. The chairmen-elect will begin their three-year terms in one year, at the conclusion of the bishops' fall 2014 General Assembly. These were:  Coadjutor Archbishop Bernard A. Hebda of Newark, New Jersey, to the Committee on Canonical Affairs and Church Governance in a 167-70 vote over Bishop Joseph N. Perry, auxiliary bishop of Chicago.  Bishop Mitchell T. Rozanski, auxiliary bishop of Baltimore, to the Committee on Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs in a 130-105 vote over Bishop Arthur Kennedy, auxiliary bishop of Boston.  Archbishop-designate Leonard Blair of Hartford, Connecticut, NCCL Episcopal Advisor, to the Committee on Evangelization and Catechesis in a 135-98 vote over Bishop John Barres of Allentown, Pennsylvania.  Bishop Oscar Cantú of Las Cruces, New Mexico, to the Committee on International Justice and Peace in a 126-110 vote over Bishop David Malloy of Rockford, Illinois.  Bishop Edward Burns of Juneau, Alaska, to the Committee on Child and Youth Protection in a 118-114 vote over Bishop Robert Cunningham of Syracuse, New York.

The following bishops were elected to the board of Catholic Relief Services (CRS): Bishop William P. Callahan, OFM Conv., of La Crosse, Wisconsin, Bishop Frank Dewane of Venice, Florida, and Bishop Cirilo B. Flores of San Diego.

The following bishops were elected to the board of the Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc. (CLINIC): Bishop Richard Garcia of Monterey, California, and Archbishop Thomas Wenski of Miami.

In November 2012, Cardinal DiNardo was elected to chair the Committee on Divine Worship for a term beginning this week. Since his election as USCCB vice president prevents him from CL Weekly, Monday, November 18, 2013 Page 3 assuming leadership of the committee, the bishops elected Bishop Arthur Serratelli of Paterson, New Jersey, to chair the committee in place of Cardinal DiNardo, beginning November 14. Bishop Serratelli was chosen in a 114-112 vote over Archbishop Allen Vigneron of Detroit. Bishop Serratelli previously chaired the committee from 2007-2010.

Newly elected USCCB president says he is rooted in simple values

The newly elected president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has been a bishop for nearly 14 years, but it's as priest, family member and social worker that he describes himself.

By way of introduction to American Catholics, Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz of Louisville, Ky., talked about his upbringing in the coal regions of northeastern Pennsylvania, of spending most of his priesthood as a social worker, and of caring for his older brother, George, who had Down syndrome, for 12 years after their mother died. George Kurtz died in 2002. He takes obvious pride in his identity as both a coal-town native and a transplanted southerner, after serving as bishop of Knoxville, Tenn., from 1999 to 2007, when he became archbishop of Louisville. In an interview with Catholic News Service shortly after his election, Archbishop Kurtz spoke of seeing the example of Pope Francis as a model for outreach, listening and collegiality. "He's asking us to go beyond what we've been doing," he said. "If it was a car, I guess we're moving in to high gear."

In October 2012 at the world Synod of Bishops on the new evangelization, he used his allotted five minutes to focus on parish observances, particularly the Rite for the Blessing of a Child in the Womb. The ceremony is a "pastoral moment of first evangelization of the child and new evangelization of the family," Archbishop Kurtz told the synod. He sees the rite as a way of "reaching out to people on the margins, especially a woman who is pregnant, especially if they're distant from Christ, distant from the church."

Picking up on themes of Pope Francis, Archbishop Kurtz said "we need to reach out, not, as the Holy Father said so well, (first) with rules and regulations -- which are appropriate if you're going to present a child for baptism -- but it should not be the first step. We should be reaching out as the first step." That rite of blessing has resonated with people in the Archdiocese of Louisville, he said, as became apparent in recent listening sessions held there. He said the rite tangibly helps affirm the central role of children in society, "not as property, not as a possession, but as a true gift of creation."

He'd like to see that approach used more broadly, perhaps with other segments of society that are marginalized. To read his comments to the bishops or to watch a short video of him speaking, please go to Archbishop Kurtz.

CL Weekly, Monday, November 18, 2013 Page 4 NCCL Representative Council Meets November 14-16, 2013

Close to fifty (50) members of the NCCL Rep Council met in Chicago to a full agenda. The meeting began with dinner and conversations about the books and authors that are stimulating their thoughts on evangelization and catechesis. Watch future editions of CL Weekly to see what catechetical leaders around the country are reading. There are more pictures available on our Facebook page. Like us at www.facebook.com/NCCLonline

US Nuncio Calls on Bishops to Be "In Tune With Their People"

Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganó, the Apostolic Nuncio to the United States, addressed the US Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) at the start of their Fall General Assembly in Baltimore, Maryland. The Italian prelate, who began his service as nuncio to the United States two years ago, expressed his gratitude to the US bishops for their hospitality, saying that his time has been “both enlightening and enrichening.”

Speaking out of “admiration, respect and loving concern for the Church in America”, Archbishop Viganó began his address recalling the words of Pope Francis on the 50th anniversary of the election of Venerable Pope Paul VI. “Paul VI knew how to witness, in difficult years, to the faith in Jesus Christ... His was a profound love for Christ, not to possess, but to proclaim him,” Pope Francis said in June.

Recalling both Paul VI and Francis’ call for an authentic witness to Christian life, Archbishop Viganó stressed that bishops need to be “in tune with their people.” When this past June I met with him in his simple apartment at the Casa Santa Marta for a fruitful discussion, he made a special point of saying that he wants 'pastoral' bishops, not bishops who profess or follow a particular ideology,” he said.

“I urge you, my brothers, to preserve a spirit of real unity among yourselves and, of course, with the successor of Peter, trusting in the way he sees best to live out his mission to mankind. Unity expressed in a real, prayer-filled communion of mind and heart is the only way we will remain strong and be able to face whatever the future may hold for us,” Archbishop Viganó told the US bishops.

The archbishop stressed the importance that the diversity that exists in the Church does not lead to division through misinterpretation and misunderstanding. The Apostolic Nuncio recalled an article he read regarding the political situation in the US, which stated that an era of polarization began as Americans lost trust in their leaders. “Well said, since the Catholic Church will

CL Weekly, Monday, November 18, 2013 Page 5 preserve her unity and strength as long as its people have trust in their bishops,” Archbishop Viganó said. “The sheep will gather together as one; they recognize and listen to the voice of their shepherd who calls out to them, walks with them, and is ready to give his life for them.”

Concluding his address, Archbishop Viganó encouraged the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops to give a genuine witness of divine love to the faithful. “We should also ask ourselves today a question posed by Pope Francis to the Bishops of Brazil: "...are we still a Church capable of warming hearts?" Let our response be a firm and wholehearted: "Yes, we are!" Archbishop Viganó exclaimed. For the full text of Archbishop Viganó's address to the USCCB, go to Be In Tune With Your People.

U.S. Bishops Issue ‘Special Message’ on HHS Mandate

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) issued a “Special Message” at the conclusion of their fall General Assembly, November 13, in Baltimore. USCCB regulations regarding statements and publications define a Special Message as a statement, only issued at general meetings, that the general membership considers appropriate in view of the circumstances at the time. The message was passed unanimously. Click to read the full text of the Special Message.

Pope Says Purported Visions of Mary Can Lead People Away From God

Purported visions of Mary, if taken in the wrong spirit, can sow confusion and distance people from the Gospel, Pope Francis said. Curiosities distance people "from the Gospel, from the Holy Spirit, from peace and hope, from God's glory and God's beauty," said the pope. "Jesus says that the kingdom of God doesn't come in a way that attracts attention," the pope said.

Jesus answers that the "coming of the kingdom of God cannot be observed," and tells his disciples not to "run in pursuit" of signs of his second coming. "Curiosity pushes us to want to hear that the Lord is here or over there, or it makes us say, 'Well, I know a visionary who receives letters from Our Lady, messages from Our Lady,'" the pope said. But Mary is "not a postmaster of the post office sending out messages every day."

"The kingdom of God is among us," he said. "Don't look for strange things, don't seek novelties with this worldly curiosity." The spirit of curiosity is what makes people want to "take control of God's plans, of the future, of things, to know everything, take on everything," he said. "The spirit of curiosity distances us from the spirit of wisdom because it's interested only in details, news, newsy tidbits of the everyday," and is always wondering how things will unfold.

This is the "spirit of dispersion, distancing from God, the spirit of talking too much," the pope CL Weekly, Monday, November 18, 2013 Page 6 said. "This spirit of curiosity, which is worldly, brings confusion." But the "kingdom of God doesn't come with confusion," he said; it comes from the "action of the Holy Spirit, who gives us wisdom, who gives us peace." God speaks to the prophets, not with a storm, he said, but with the soft and gentle "breeze of wisdom."

A true Christian lives in this spirit, "the spirit of God who helps us judge, make decisions in harmony with the heart of God," he said. "And this spirit always gives us peace. It's a spirit of peace, love and fraternity."

Bishops OK Plan to Address Pornography in New Statement

The U.S. bishops approved the development of a pastoral statement on the dangers pornography poses to family life that would serve as a teaching tool for church leaders. Developing such a statement falls in line with an objective of the U.S. Conference of catholic Bishops' 2013-16 strategic plan to address pornography and its dangerous effects on family life. The committee planned to bring a draft to the bishops in 2015. It would be the first formal statement on pornography issued by the bishops as a body.

In presenting the case for such a statement, Bishop Richard J. Malone of Buffalo, N.Y. (and current administrator of the Diocese of Portland, Maine), the incoming chair of the committee, said that pornography poses continuing pastoral challenges for the clergy and the faithful. "The more pornography spreads, the more violent and debased it becomes and the more it exploits the men and women who are part of the industry," he explained.

Citing the explosion of pornography on the Internet and its exploitation of women, men and children, Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades of Fort Wayne-South Bend, Ind., outgoing chairman of the bishops' Committee on Laity, Marriage, Family Life and Youth, felt it was time for the USCCB to bring its moral voice to the worldwide debate. "There's a lot of concern about the increasing availability and consumption of pornography and its effect on marriages and families and on youth," Bishop Rhoades explained. "Pornography has become more pervasive than it's ever been in history.

"Pornography is having such a detrimental effect that we thought it would be good to have the bishops as a whole body address this issue. It's not been before that whole body. It's risen to that level of concern, I think," he said. Family Safe Media, an online service offering families tips for dealing with profanity, promiscuity and violence in the media, estimates that 4.2 million websites -- 12 percent of the all websites worldwide -- feature pornography. It projects that the industry generates $57 billion annually through a variety of media. More information is available at Pornography Statistics.

Bishop Rhoades cited several concerns arising from pornography's pervasiveness, including children facing increasing exposure to it, addiction, and marital infidelity and divorce. "Another factor is priests reporting as confessor the growing number of those confessing pornography use," the bishop added. "Priests are seeking assistance on how to council people. There's a

CL Weekly, Monday, November 18, 2013 Page 7 growing number of women viewing it, but the vast majority is still men," Bishop Rhoades said.

Pope Francis: "Take the Grace of Baptism and Become a Light for All"

Continuing his catechesis on the Creed, Pope Francis referred to the Sacrament of Confession as a “second Baptism” that reopens the door of faith and Christian life. Reflecting on the part of the Creed that states: “I believe in one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins”, the Pope said that this reference indicates that the mission of the Church is to evangelize and to remit sins through the Baptismal sacrament.

The Holy Father divided the reference into three parts, focusing first on “I believe” which, he said, indicated the importance of Baptism. “By pronouncing these words, we affirm our true identity as children of God,” the Pope said. “In a certain sense, Baptism is the identification card of the children of God, his certificate of birth, it is the birth certificate of the Church.”

When asking by a show of hands who remembered the date of their Baptism, the Holy Father called on those present to find it out as it was an important date - “the day in which you were born into the Church.” “The day of our Baptism,” he said, “is the point of departure of a journey of conversion that lasts our whole life and which is continually sustained by the Sacrament of Penance.”

“Think of this: when we go to confess our weaknesses, our sins, we are asking forgiveness of Jesus, but we also go to renew our Baptism with this forgiveness. And this is beautiful, it is like celebrating the day of your Baptism in every Confession.” The Holy Father went onto say that the sacrament of Confession should not be viewed as torture chamber but rather as a feast that cleans “the white garment of our Christian dignity.”

Referring to the second element of his catechesis, Pope Francis stressed the importance of Baptism, calling it a cleansing of regeneration and illumination. The Holy Father explained the significance of the lit candle during the Rite of Baptism, which signifies the light of Christ that enlightens every man. ”Baptism illuminates us from within with the light of Jesus,” he said. “In virtue of this gift, the baptized are called to become “light” - the light of the faith they have received for their brothers, especially for those who are in darkness and do not perceive glimmers of light on the horizon of their life.”

“You must take the grace of Baptism, that is a gift, and become light for all!” the Pope exclaimed. The 76 year old Pontiff concluded his catechesis by emphasizing the remission of sins that stems from the Sacrament of Baptism. A newness of life is opened through the

CL Weekly, Monday, November 18, 2013 Page 8 Sacrament, thus, relieving “the weight of a negative past.” “It is a powerful intervention of the mercy of God in our life, to save us. This salvific intervention does not take away from our human nature its weakness - we are all weak and we are all sinners - and it does not take away the responsibility to ask for forgiveness every time that we err!”

Though one can only be baptized once, Pope Francis encouraged the faithful to confess regularly, which renews the grace of Baptism. “The Lord Jesus is so good and he never tires of forgiving us. Even when the door that Baptism opened to enter into the Church is closed a bit because of our weakness and our sins, Confession reopens it, because it is like a second Baptism that forgives us all and illuminates us to go forward with the light of the Lord,” he said. The text of the pope's audience remarks in English is available online at Forgiveness of Sins.

Pope Francis: God May Scold, But He Never Slaps

God's hands are never used for violence, Pope Francis said. "I can't imagine God slapping us," the pope said. "Scolding us, yes, that I see, because he does do that, but he never, ever hurts us." God shows love and tenderness, "even when he must scold us; he does it with a caress because he is (our) father," the pope said. He continued, "Let us put ourselves in the hands of God, like a child puts himself in his daddy's hands. That is a hand that is sure."

People should put their trust in God, who is reliable, loving and firm, and brings people life and healing, Pope Francis said. "Many times we hear from people who don't know whom to trust: 'I put myself in God's hands,'" which is good because it offers "maximum security," he said. "It's the security of our father who loves us very much."

"We have been in God's hands since the beginning," the pope said. The Bible gives "a beautiful image" of God fashioning man from clay with his hands -- "God the artisan," who created humanity and will never abandoned his creation. And the Bible stories show how, like a father, God accompanied his children, walking with them, holding their hands, he said. God, "our father, like a father with his child, teaches us to walk. He teaches us to take the path of life and salvation."

God also uses his hands to comfort people, the pope said. "He caresses us in times of pain" because "he loves us very much." That love came with a price when Jesus died for the sins of humanity, he said; "the hands of God are hands wounded out of love and this gives us much consolation."

'Catholicism' Creator Likes New Media's Impact 'Way Outside' Churches

CL Weekly, Monday, November 18, 2013 Page 9 Chicago priest Father Robert Barron has a dream -- for another grand, sweeping documentary on Catholicism. It's the latest goal for the priest who more than a dozen years ago was asked to jump-start an evangelical endeavor to "invade that space" where the church's message was not often heard. "If you want to reach people who are under 40, you have to use media. Things like YouTube had just come into being and we jumped into that with two feet," said Father Barron. "If you want to find the unchurched Catholics and the secularists, you aren't going to find them by staying in church and inviting them to programs. You have to use this new means. We have to invade that space."

The author of 10 books and a weekly radio commentator, Father Barron brings to YouTube and the web a Catholic perspective on mainstream cultural events, from blockbuster movies like "World War Z" to same-sex marriage. He has posted more than 180 videos online and his viewers have topped a million. Father Barron in 2000 founded the nonprofit Word on Fire that supports his efforts to draw people to the Catholic faith through new media. According to tax records, the nonprofit in 2011 had nearly $5 million in revenue generated by his diverse teaching tools, funds that go to support the mission of Word on Fire.

Benedictine nun wins ‘Blogger of the Year’ award

A blog, created and written by a Benedictine nun in Herefordshire, was one of 15 winners in this year’s annual Christian New Media Awards, presented in London last weekend by the Premier group’s New Media Centre of Excellence. Sister Catherine Wybourne from Holy Trinity Monastery at Howton Grove Priory, who was nominated by a third party, received the ‘Best Blogger of the Year’ award of a new iPad air for her work on the www.ibenedictines.org website. This year’s competition saw 15 awards in three individual categories – Blogs, Websites, and New Media – including ‘Young Blogger of the Year’, ‘Most Inspiring Leadership Blog’, ‘Up & Coming Award’, ‘Multi-Author Blog of the Year’, ‘Best Christian Organisation Website’, ‘Most Engaging Small Church Website’, ‘Most Engaging Large Church Website’, ‘Best New or Re-designed Web Site’, ‘Accessibility Award’, ‘Innovative Use of New Media in Outreach’, ‘Christian Mobile/Tablet app of the Year’, ‘Tweeter of the Year’, ‘Most Creative Use of Social Media’, and ‘People’s Choice Award’. For a full list of Winners and finalists, visit www.nmce.org.uk/winners. Here is an excerpt from the winning blog www.ibenedictines.org. However, I accept that many people do want to use Twitter for arguing but don’t want to be bullies, so here are my five little tips for Twitter arguments. Before you begin, ask

CL Weekly, Monday, November 18, 2013 Page 10 yourself 1. Is Twitter the best place to argue your case? 2. Can you make a valid statement in 140 characters? 3. Can you argue your case without attacking/accusing/insulting another? (Courtesy does matter; so does checking one’s facts and getting them right.) 4. Are you prepared to admit you are wrong? 5. Will you recognize that not everyone is as happy to argue as you are yourself?

Pope Francis Welcomes Hundreds With Disabilities In Wheelchairs.. One By One

Pope Francis has greeted hundreds of people in wheelchairs one-by-one — part of a special gathering in which rows of seats were removed from a Vatican auditorium to make room for the disabled visitors.

The pontiff, who has made championing the downtrodden a key plank of his papacy, lamented that society tends to "hide physical fragility" and reject the disabled. He encouraged those with physical disabilities to banish any feelings of shame, and become "protagonists" in society as well as the Catholic church.

Some 600 people in wheelchairs waited to have their time with Francis during the event Saturday. He moved down the rows to greet each person, doling out hugs and kisses as well as chatting. For more pictures go to Greeting One by One.

How to Make Giving Feel Good

Elizabeth W. Dunn and Michael I. Norton wrote this article for Greater Good. Elizabeth W. Dunn, Ph.D., is an associate professor of psychology at the University of British Columbia. Michael I. Norton, Ph.D., is an associate professor of business administration and a Marvin Bower Fellow at the Harvard Business School. Their essay is adapted from their new book, Happy Money: The Science of Smarter Spending. Here are the opening paragraphs. To find out the results of how people spent their money and how happy they felt, you will have to read the whole article, go to How to Make Giving Feel Good.

Studies show giving makes people happy, and happiness makes people give--but not always. Elizabeth Dunn and Michael Norton offer three ways to help people feel good about giving.

On a fine summer morning in Vancouver, British Columbia, our graduate student Lara Aknin approached passersby with a box of envelopes and an unusual request: “Are you CL Weekly, Monday, November 18, 2013 Page 11 willing to be in an experiment?” If people said yes, she asked them how happy they were, got their phone number, and handed them one of her mysterious envelopes.

When people opened the envelope, they found a five dollar bill, accompanied by a simple note. For some of them, the note instructed:

Please spend this $5.00 today before 5pm on a gift for yourself or any of your expenses (e.g., rent, bills, or debt).

Others found a note that read:

Please spend this $5.00 today before 5pm on a gift for someone else or a donation to charity.

In addition, some people got similar envelopes, but with a 20 dollar bill rather than a five. Armed with this extra bit of cash and their instructions about how to spend it, people went on their way. That evening, they received a call asking them how happy they were feeling, as well as how they had spent the money.

Texting and driving: A deadly habit

Leon Neyfakh of the The Boston Globe writes that “we know we shouldn't text and drive, but our phones are programming us to do just that.” What is really interesting is how our brain works. Herein lies the value of this article. Here are some excerpts that I found most interesting. If you want to read the full article, please go to A Deadly Habit.

But there's a problem with treating the texting and driving threat as simply a matter of public awareness: Most people already know they shouldn't do it. One federal survey showed that 94 percent of Americans think it should be illegal to text while driving. Yet they persist. Among teens, who are twice as likely as adults to have extended text conversations while driving, the problem is particularly worrisome. According to one analysis, a state anti-texting law barely reduces the likelihood a teenager will text and drive.

CL Weekly, Monday, November 18, 2013 Page 12 Our phones have effectively programmed us with new habits, including a powerful urge to pull them out when we're not supposed to. That urge — to check our email, to glance at Facebook, to see who just texted us — can be as intense when we're standing in line or at dinner with our families as it is when we're driving a car. But it's only in a car that resisting it becomes a matter of life and death. In order to fight the problem, we need to understand how that urge works — and acknowledge that merely telling people texting and driving is dangerous, and punishing them for doing it, might not be enough.

Habits form when we do something so often that it becomes automatic, sometimes even compulsive or involuntary. Researchers who study the psychology of habit formation are finding that for many people, cellphone use fits this category perfectly. In a recent paper, researchers reported the results of an experiment in which 136 test subjects were given smartphones equipped with software that kept track of their usage for six weeks. The subjects pulled out their devices for very brief periods up to 60 times per day, and tended to interact with them in ways that met several definitions of habitual behavior. In diary entries, subjects indicated they were moved to pull up certain applications under the same circumstances over and over: Those who repeatedly checked their email or looked at the news, for instance, said they consistently did so when they got bored.

People whose cellphone use is driven by such automated habits are more likely to text and drive, according to a paper published earlier this year. . . . The tricky thing about fighting habitual behavior is that the brain's ability to form habits is actually one of its strengths.

Phones, however, may hold a power over our habitual behavior that we haven't fully appreciated yet. Psychologists believe habits tend to revolve around triggers. . . . But researchers who have looked closely at the way we use our mobile phones say the habits people form around the "everything boxes" in our pockets are fundamentally different: Because we use them in so many different situations, and to accomplish so many different tasks, we develop a vast range of triggers and cues associated with pulling them out and looking at them.

AT THE HEART of the texting and driving problem, according to researchers, is that people who habitually use their cellphones in daily life have a hard time stopping themselves from reacting to that multitude of triggers when they're behind the wheel. "The idea that you can just turn off all those associations when you get into the car — I just don't think it's realistic," said Stephen O'Connor, a psychologist at Western Kentucky University who recently co- authored a paper linking compulsive cellphone use to a heightened rate of crashes.

CL Weekly, Monday, November 18, 2013 Page 13 FREE Professional Development Webinar – THIS Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Ave Maria Press, in partnership with the National Conference for Catechetical Leadership, the National Association for Lay Ministry, and National Federation of Priests' Councils presents a series of free, online workshops on professional development for parish ministers. This webinar is offered on Tuesday, November 19 at 3:00 pm EDT. You can register at PDW-11-19-2013. For a complete listing of professional development webinars in this series, please visit www.avemariapress.com/webinars .

Bringing Hope to the Bereaved in Your Parish: Insights from the Seasons of Hope Approach

Presented by Donna MacLeod, Author of Seasons of Hope Guidebook: Creating and Sustaining Catholic Bereavement Groups (Season of Hope Participant's Journals) Tuesday, November 19, 2013 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM EST

Join M. Donna MacLeod, a nationally recognized hospice care and bereavement specialist and author of Seasons of Hope: Creating and Sustaining Catholic Bereavement Groups and Participant Journals, as we explore what makes the Seasons of Hope bereavement group approach truly minister to the spiritual side of grieving. This overview also highlights Seasons of Hope’s simple session format that flows with a comforting blend of prayer, commentary, scripture, reflection exercises, faith sharing, fellowship, and Catholic tradition.

SADLIER Presents FREE Webinar - Every Year IS A Year of Faith Join Sadlier and Bishop Ricardo Ramírez, C.S.B. for a free webinar presentation entitled Every Year is a Year of Faith. Choose the presentation that’s convenient for you.

CL Weekly, Monday, November 18, 2013 Page 14 To register for the English presentation on Wednesday, November 20 at 1:00 pm EST https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/804984214

To register for the Spanish presentation on Wednesday, November 20 at 3:00 pm EST EN ESPAÑOL Miércoles, 20 de noviembre de 2013, a las 3:00 p.m. ET https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/427121278 Bishop Ramirez will develop the theme of the invitation from Jesus Christ to believe and to share our faith. As baptized people we are all disciples and missionaries. When we truly believe, we cannot help but want to evangelize. The Bishop will explain the meaning of evangelization and why its challenge is so urgent in our day, and will suggest practical ways of evangelizing. A Certificate of Attendance is offered to participants. Bishop Ricardo Ramírez, C.S.B., D.D. served as the first Bishop of the Diocese of Las Cruces from 1982 until his retirement earlier this year. And although he's retired, Bishop Ramírez currently serves on several USCCB Committees including International Justice and Peace, Domestic Social Development, and the Committee on Migration, to name a few. A native of Texas, and well-known for his storytelling, Bishop Ramírez begins his retirement with his joyful spirit and a schedule that's busier than ever.

Anticipating Advent Advent begins this year on Sunday, December 1. CSJPrayer.Net is a site created and maintained by Baya Clare, CSJ. While its purpose is to facilitate imaginative, participative Christian prayer and reflection in the Ignatian tradition of the Sisters of St. Joseph, it is not an official CSSJ site, and nothing on it should be construed as an official position or policy of any congregation of Sisters of St. Joseph. You can sign up for their 2013 Online Advent Calendar via email or RSS feed on that day by signing up at Anticipating Adven.t The theme for both the daily reflections here and the weekly Advent Evensong prayer of the Sisters of St. Joseph, Saint Paul Province, will be Darkness is My Mother, a poem written in 1992 by Sister Roseann Giguere, who died in June, 2013 . Here is the first stanza of the poem. It can be read in its entirety at Darkness is my Mother. Darkness is my mother. She comforts me. Darkness is the mother of all things.

CL Weekly, Monday, November 18, 2013 Page 15 She hovered over the void at the dawn of creation and within her all things were formed. She has never been dispelled; never overcome by light. She accompanies light and welcomes light into her domain.

FREE Professional Development Webinar – Tuesday, December 3, 2013

Ave Maria Press, in partnership with the National Conference for Catechetical Leadership, the National Association for Lay Ministry, and National Federation of Priests' Councils presents a series of free, online workshops on professional development for parish ministers. This webinar is offered on Tuesday, December 3 at 3:00 pm EDT. You can register at PDW-12-3-2013. For a complete listing of professional development webinars in this series, please visit www.avemariaprss.com/webinars .

Tools for Rebuilding Your Parish

Presented by Fr. Michael White and Tom Corcoran, Authors of Rebuilt: Awakening the Faithful, Reaching the Lost, and Making Church Matter and Tools for Rebuilding: 75 Really, Really Practical Ways to Make Your Parish Better Date: December 3, 2013 Time: 3:00 p.m. EST

The process of rebuilding a parish often requires some very practical tools to make a church function smoothly. Little things can become big things and major distractions if we do not manage them correctly.

In this webinar, Fr. Michael White and Tom Corcoran, bestselling authors of Rebuilt and the new book Tools for Rebuilding, will share some of the important tools that have been most instrumental in the transformation of their parish.

Pre-Schooler Donates His Entire Piggy Bank to Help Philippines

CL Weekly, Monday, November 18, 2013 Page 16 When 6 year-old Shoichi Kondoh heard about the disaster in the Philippines, he did not think twice about giving away his childhood savings. He sacrificed his entire piggy bank to help those in need. Accompanied by his mother, Miho Kondoh, Shoichi visited the Philippine Embassy today to personally hand- over his donation of JPY 5,000 taken from his piggybank savings. Consul Bryan Dexter Lao expressed sincere gratitude to the embassy’s youngest cash donor. The amount may have been small, but the sincerity and sweetness was overwhelming.

Love Is All

Playing For Change invites you to check out their NEW playingforchange.com website - covering 10 years of recording and filming outside all over the world. Explore all that the website has to offer, and you will see a world full of love, perseverance and of course GREAT MUSIC. To celebrate the launch of the new website, they invite you to view this new Song Around The World with children across the globe performing "Love is All". Turn it up, spread it around and let's make the world a better place one heart and one song at a time. You can watch Love Is All.

Virtue Makes You Beautiful

Virtue Makes You Beautiful is a cover of a popular song by One Direction. Just listen to the lyrics.... Watch Virtue Makes You Beautiful.

Take a Seat . . . Make a Friend

This simple notion turned complete strangers into friends. It definitely gives new meaning to thinking outside the box. It is amazing what a simpler request, with the right environment, can do to engage people. This is the kind of thinking we need to utilize when we act as evangelizers. When you watch this video, you'll realize that strangers are truly friends you just haven't met yet. Don't live your life full of fear and judgment. Accept and love others. I encourage you to watch Take a Seat . . . Make a Friend

CL Weekly, Monday, November 18, 2013 Page 17 Choose to Be Kind Today

Truth comes from the mouths of babes. Listen to what this angel has to say about being kind to others. She offers us some advice worth following at .Be Kind

Notes of Thanksgiving

In full disclosure, I served with the recently retired Bishop Morneau for sixteen years while in the Diocese of Green Bay. He is ten years my elder and I always admired his wisdom. He is an avid reader and I am not surprised that he desired to write to his spiritual teachers who are quite diverse spiritual guides. These include Saint John of the Cross, Teilhard de Chardin, Evelyn Underhill, Dag Hammarskjold, Mother Teresa, Saint Peter Julian Eymard, Yves Congar, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, to name a few. You can order Notes of Thanksgiving: Letters to My Spiritual Teachers from the NCCL Amazon Bookstore.

Jesus Shock This book gets its title from the following quote in the book, "Those who meet Jesus always experience either joy or its opposites, either foretastes of Heaven or foretastes of Hell. Not everyone who meets Jesus is pleased, and not everyone is happy, but everyone is shocked." Nevertheless, one reviewer said that it “is written with compassion and an almost pastoral sense.” You can order Jesus Shock from the NCCL Amazon Bookstore.

The Life You Save May Be Your Own: An American Pilgrimage The title of Paul Elie's book The Life You Save May Be Your Own is borrowed from a short story title of Flannery O'Connor, one of the four writers discussed in his book. The other three are Thomas Merton, Dorothy Day, and Walker Percy. Elie certainly admires all four, but shows them from a human point of view. In doing so, he debunks many of the myths surrounding these four figures. He shows how hard these people had to struggle to find a path for themselves, and how they came to see struggle as an inherent quality of faith. You can purchase The Life You Save May Be Your Own: An American Pilgrimage at the NCCL Amazon Bookstore.

CL Weekly, Monday, November 18, 2013 Page 18 Saints and Me! - Christmas Series

While Barbara Yoffie has written six other books in her Saints and Me! series, this set of six books is entitled Saints of Christmas. Her first series, Saints of North America featured Kateri Tekakwitha: Model of Bravery, Damien of Molokai: Builder of Community, Juan Diego: Mary's Humble Messenger, Elizabeth Ann Seton: Mother for Man, Andre Bessette: A Heart of Strength , Rose Philippine Duchesne: A Dreamer and a Missionary, The six books in the Saints of Christmas series feature seven saints. If interested you can click on the book and order it from the NCCL Amazon Bookstore. The books are designed to be read during Advent and Christmas time with one book per week.

Martin De Porres Nicholas of Myra Lucy Francis of Assisi Mary and Joseph Gianna Beretta Molla

The Queen and the Cats: A Story of Saint Helena Calee M. Lee has taken an obscure footnote from history and turned it into a warm and vivid story for children. In the back of the book, there is a small biography of St. Helena, along with the Troparion of her Feast day and a photograph of the True Cross which St. Helena left on Cyprus centuries ago. You can order The Queen and the Cats: A Story of Saint Helena from the NCCL Amazon Bookstore.

Stone Soup As we approach Thanksgiving, I couldn’t help but share several versions of one of my favorite stories, Stone Soup.

John Muth-6:48 1- Cut - 5:53 Dancing Diablo-3:38 ASL Storytelling -12:18

CL Weekly, Monday, November 18, 2013 Page 19 And here are my favorite Stone Soup picture books which you can purchase from the NCCL Amazon Bookstore by clicking on the book title/picture.

Stone Soup Stone Soup Stone Soup The Real Story of Stone Soup Jon J Muth, Jon J.... Marcia Brown Heather Forest, Su... Ying Chang Compest...

Knowing Jesus and His Message – Conociendo a Jesus y su Mensaje This is an excellent resource. Immediately following the Learning Session on this resource at the NCCL Conference and Exposition in Cleveland, the NCCL Bookstore sold over fifteen (15) copies of the book in English and Spanish.

Based on the protocol used to evaluate elementary religion series, the book used fifteen standards for Pre-K and K through Grades 7 & 8. Included with the binder is a CD with all the materials available for duplication. This is an ideal help for any elementary catechist regardless of the series you might be using. Check out the following and use the Order Form.  PREFACE - Knowing Jesus and His Message (http://tiny.cc/nysql)  EXPLANATION - Knowing Jesus and His Message (http://tiny.cc/xuvw8)  Standards - Explained (http://tiny.cc/65wmc)  Normas y Fundamentos (http://tiny.cc/zfrg2)  ORDER FORM - Knowing Jesus and His Message (http://tiny.cc/9j0mb)

CL Weekly, Monday, November 18, 2013 Page 20 Looking For A Good Book?

Stop by the NCCL Bookstore. Purchasing books, CDs, DVDs, and other products on Amazon through the NCCL Bookstore (http://astore.amazon.com/natioconfefor-20) helps support this valuable online ministry.

If you are an on-line shopper and you frequent Amazon.com, please enter through the NCCL Amazon Bookstore as the organization benefits from every purchase you make. It’s an ideal way to support our ministry. Just go to our Home page (www.NCCL.org) and click on the Store tab or click on http://astore.amazon.com/natioconfefor-20 and it will take you directly to our bookstore. It doesn’t matter what you buy, as long as you enter through the NCCL Amazon Bookstore, we get a percentage of your purchases.

We are just building our bookstore and adding titles every day, so if you have any suggestions for books you believe should be available through our bookstore, please drop NCCL a note. All books mentioned in CL Weekly are available at the NCCL Bookstore.

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Closing Thoughts

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