July 11, 2008 Vol
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Inside Leading the way Youths lend a hand for parish’s new Stations of the Cross path, page 8. Serving the ChurchCriterion in Central and Souther n Indiana Since 1960 CriterionOnline.com July 11, 2008 Vol. XLVIII, No. 39 75¢ Pope asks Catholics Building community to pray for pilgrims at World Youth Day; Vatican announces Catholic Review indulgences CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy (CNS)— Pope Benedict XVI asked Catholics around CNS photo/Owen Sweeney III, Sweeney CNS photo/Owen the world to pray for the young people who will gather with him in Sydney, Australia, for the celebration of World Youth Day. To help encourage the prayers of all, the Vatican announced on July 5 that the pope had Pope Benedict XVI authorized a special indulgence for anyone who, “with a contrite spirit,” raises a “prayer to God, the Holy Spirit, so that young people are drawn to charity and given the strength to proclaim the Gospel with their life,” a Vatican decree said. Pope Benedict spoke about his July 12-21 trip to Australia when he met visitors at his summer villa south of Rome for the July 6 recitation of the Angelus. World Youth Day runs from July 15-20 in Sydney. Australian young people, he said, had been preparing for the event with a Ditas Sison, right, joins hands with a woman during Mass at St. Matthew Church in Baltimore in mid-May. Today, in a parish as diverse as St. Matthew, prayerful pilgrimage of the World Youth welcoming newcomers has become vital in bridging the racial divide. Day cross, “a silent witness of the covenant pact between the Lord Jesus Christ and the new generations.” Addressing racism requires a “The first groups of young men and women already are departing from other continents headed for Australia,” he said. new language, ministry leaders say “I invite the entire Church to feel like participants in this new stage of the great youth pilgrimage throughout the world WASHINGTON (CNS)—It doesn’t trip to East Africa, he saw how welcoming and I told parishioners we need to find a begun in 1985 by the servant of God take long for newcomers at St. Matthew the Kenyan people were wherever he way to make people feel welcome.” John Paul II,” who convoked the first Parish in Baltimore to be welcomed by visited. His needs and comfort were the Being a welcoming community took World Youth Day, the pope said. parishioners. on greater importance following a Focusing on prayers for a new outpouring At their very first Mass, first-time period in the 1980s when the of the Holy Spirit on Catholic youths around visitors are invited to stand up and St. Matthew neighborhood experienced the world, the Sydney celebration can be “a introduce themselves. After Mass, it’s not a shift in demographics. The schools at renewed Pentecost,” the pope said. unusual for parishioners to introduce St. Matthew and a neighboring suburban Jesus’ promise to send the Spirit to his themselves and personally welcome parish merged in 1988, causing many disciples remains valid for all time and will newcomers, chatting a bit about parish white families to pull their children out give his followers the strength to witness to life. It’s a tradition 13 years in the of the new Cardinal Shehan School. him and to the Gospel, Pope Benedict said. making. Newcomers, primarily blacks, filtered The pope asked everyone to join him in “We do a lot of welcoming,” said into the parish as the new school’s staff praying that the Spirit would fill the hearts Father Joe Muth, the pastor. He said the sought out new students. of young Catholics with “interior light, love act of welcoming is important in the Today, in a parish as diverse as for God and their brothers and sisters, [and parish, which is just about evenly split primary concern of his hosts. St. Matthew, welcoming has become with] courageous initiatives” to bring Jesus between black and white members. “That was such a powerful experience vital in bridging the racial gulf, to every land and every sphere of life. It was Father Muth who brought back to me,” he said in an interview with allowing the parish to build a The July 5 decree about indulgences the idea from Kenya in 1995. During his Catholic News Service. “I came back here See COMMUNITY, page 2 See PILGRIMS, page 2 St. Ann parishioners break ground for new church By Mary Ann Wyand housing development and several Father Glenn residential neighborhoods. O’Connor, pastor Next Easter, St. Ann parishioners in The land was owned and farmed by of St. Ann and Indianapolis will celebrate the the Mills family, who are Quakers, for St. Joseph resurrection of Jesus Christ as well as a several generations. It will become Wyand MaryPhoto by Ann parishes in Indian- symbolic resurrection of their small sacred ground with the completion of apolis, and parish with a new church and address. the church and attached social hall in Father Harold “Thank you, Jesus,” Father Glenn early 2009. Rightor, associate O’Connor, the pastor of St. Ann and If the 309-household parish grows as pastor, help break St. Joseph parishes in Indianapolis, said rapidly as expected at its new suburban ground for the new after the blessing and groundbreaking location in southwestern Marion St. Ann Church for the new St. Ann Church on June 29 County, Father O’Connor said, the and social hall on at the northwest corner of Mills and second phase of St. Ann’s expansion June 29 at the Mooresville roads in Decatur Township. plans will include construction of a new northwest corner “It’s a bold step,” Father O’Connor grade school and larger church. of Mills and said as he watched excited St. Ann “It’s a big leap of faith,” he said. “It’s Mooresville roads parishioners take turns shoveling dirt on been a long journey from the families in Decatur the 25-acre site adjacent to a new See ST. ANN, page 16 Township. Page 2 The Criterion Friday, July 11, 2008 Two understandings. COMMUNITY As important as it is for parishes to continued from page 1 continue to reach out to newcomers—to a certain extent, the stranger as identified by community of understanding, caring and Christ—people involved in ministering in faithful people. minority communities across the country say Perhaps St. Matthew is an anomaly. It’s it is time to go an additional step to bridge no secret that Americans—in society as the race chasm. They suggest it is time for III, Catholic Review Sweeney CNS photo/Owen well as in the pew—remain separated by white parishes seeking to build a unified race, culture and economics. faith community to actively invite people of The separation was illustrated on May 25 other races to join them. when Father Michael Pfleger, a Chicago A bold step for sure, but a necessary step archdiocesan priest, mocked Sen. Hillary for a Church that considers itself universal, Clinton of New York as the Democratic acknowledged Ralph McCloud, executive Party primary process wound down. director of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Speaking at Trinity United Church of Bishops’ Catholic Campaign for Human Christ in Chicago, he said Clinton saw Development. Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois, the party’s “[People have] to look around their faith eventual presumptive nominee, as “a black community and see who’s missing, see man stealing my show” when he entered who’s not there, and acknowledging if there the race for the Democratic nomination. are people who aren’t there, then they’re not “She wasn’t the only one crying,” added complete,” McCloud said. the priest, who is white. “There was a The U.S. bishops’ 1979 pastoral letter on whole lot of white people crying.” racism, “Brothers and Sisters to Us,” sets out At the time, Obama belonged to Trinity, the framework to address the issue in the Father Joe Muth, pastor of St. Matthew Parish in Baltimore, accepts the offertory gifts during Mass in but has since resigned his membership. Catholic Church. In it, the bishops call mid-May. Father Pfleger said on June 1, a week racism “an evil which endures in our society after his speech, that his comments and in our Church.” The document calls at times when he enters a church he is do that. The fullness of the Catholic Church concerned racism, not politics. upon Catholics to undergo conversion in approached by people asking if they can comes from the fullness of all of us,” said Nevertheless, Cardinal Francis E. George their personal lives as well as in their faith help him. “The hidden message being Deacon Miller, a lifelong human rights suspended the priest as pastor of St. Sabina communities to end racism in all its forms. ‘What are you doing here?’ ” he said. activist. Parish, an African-American parish in The bishops as a whole have been joined Vanessa Griffin Campbell, director of the He also believes the foundation for the Chicago, for two weeks, saying he found by several local bishops in their admonition. Cleveland Diocese’s Office of Ministry to Church’s action can be found in Catholic the comments politically partisan. Many have tied the issue of race to poverty African American Catholics, said she has social teaching. The key, however, he Although Father Pfleger’s comments and segregation. had similar experiences while visiting explained, is moving beyond the confines resulted in a suspension, they do reflect the In his 2003 pastoral letter, “The Sin of parishes for liturgies or special events.