Sending Off Marchers with Joy Will Join Forces with the Cardi- by AMANDA HUDSON Nal to Convince Pope Francis News Editor to Visit New York City
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ISSN: 0029-7739 $ 1.00 per copy THE OBSERVER Official Newspaper of the Catholic Diocese of Rockford Volume 79 | No. 7 http://observer.rockforddiocese.org FRIDAY JANUARY 24, 2014 Inside Hearing a Call? Young Observer, pg. 11 Quick News Vatican Confi rms Obama Will Visit Pope in March VATICAN CITY (CNS)—Pope Francis will meet with U.S. President Barack Obama at the Vatican March 27, the White House announced and Celebrate the Vatican confi rmed. The spring meeting would be Obama’s second visit to the Vatican as president, but his fi rst with Pope Francis, who was elected March 13, 2013. The White House said the Vatican visit would be part of a presidential trip to the Neth- erlands, Belgium and Italy. “The president looks forward to discussing with Pope Fran- cis their shared commitment Special coverage begins to fi ghting poverty and grow- on pg. 12 ing inequality,” said the Jan. 21 White House statement. (CNS photo/Lucas Jackson, Reuters) Cardinal, Mayor Want Pope to Come to NYC New York City Mayor Bill de (Photos provided) Blasio laughs with New York Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan following a meeting at the car- Bishop Holds Mass for ‘Missionaries for Life’ dinal’s residence on Jan. 13. De Blasio met with Cardinal Dolan for the fi rst time since he took offi ce, declaring he Sending Off Marchers With Joy will join forces with the cardi- BY AMANDA HUDSON nal to convince Pope Francis News editor to visit New York City. Subscribing to the Digitial ST. CHARLES—St. John Edition of The Observer? Neumann Church hosted an early-evening Mass on Jan. 19 Watch for email from No- to formally send off some of [email protected]. Open the more than 500 teens and it and follow the instructions to gain access to your adults in the Diocese of Rock- subscription. ford who took buses, trains, cars and planes to the annual This Issue Jan. 22 March for Life in Wash- ington, D.C. Bishop Malloy ............................. 2 This year’s March is on the Headliners ..................................... 3 41st anniversary of the Roe v. Nation/World ........................... 4-5 Wade Supreme Court deci- Faith Forum .................................. 6 sion that made abortion legal Viewpoints ................................... 7 in the United States. It is the For the Record ............................ 8 40th year for the March, which Media/Arts ................................ 10 has grown to include hundreds Young Observer ...................... 11 of thousands of participants. (Observer photo by Amanda Hudson) Catholic Schools Week .... 12-22 Smaller marches are held else- One group of marchers dons sweatshirts quoting Dr. Seuss: “A person is a person no matter how small.” Around the Diocese ............... 24 Continued on page 3 They wore them during their send-off Mass with Bishop David Malloy at St. John Neumann Parish, Jan. 19. 2 FRIDAY JANUARY 24, 2014 | The Observer This Month Reminds Us Catholics The Observer (ISSN 0029- 7739), is published weekly, Are Pro-life and Proud to Be So except five times a year by the Diocese of Rockford, BY BISHOP DAVID J. MALLOY 555 Colman Center Dr., P.O. Box 7044, Rockford, IL 61125 mentioned in a column two weeks know it is true. “wanted” is a pillar of love and human Phone: 815/399-4300; Fax ago that Pope Francis highlighted in How often today are items made, solidarity. 815/399-6225. his Jan. 1 Message for the World Day especially those related to technology, that To assert, and even worse, to act Periodical postage paid at of Peace his lament against offences are meant to last only a short time. It often upon a created right to destroy the most Rockford, Ill., and additional mail offices. Ithroughout the world against fundamental costs more to repair than to get a new one. vulnerable cannot be justified either by human rights, including the right to life. Items then simply become possessions faith or by reason. POSTMASTER: send address This week, we marked the 41st whose usefulness and life span we control. This week, hundreds of thousands of changes to The Observer, 555 Colman Center Dr., P.O. Box anniversary of the national tragedy and Fair enough I suppose. It’s the 21st people, many of them our nation’s youth, shame when the Supreme Court of the century, after all. 7044, Rockford, IL 61125 marched once more in Washington, D.C., United States announced that it found in But human life, and especially life in the to support the right to life. For ADVERTISING information: our founding documents the right to take womb, is not a possession. It is a gift from Contact The Observer at the the life of unborn children. It is a good God, bearing the face of His son, as Pope Each year, that march is marked not by address above or call 815/399- moment for us to examine how Pope Francis reminds us. angry, in-your-face, slogans, but by happy, 4300; fax 815/399-6225, Francis is guiding our Catholic response to We know that since 1973, our country smiling, positive young people, many of E-mail: rbergman@ rockforddiocese.org. abortion. has been ripped apart by the abortion whom went to Mass the night before, or Right from the start of his pontificate, debate. Countless politicians, even that very morning. Those young people Send NEWS information to The Pope Francis has highlighted his concern Catholics who first gained office by are a call and a reminder about how to live Observer at the address or fax for the unborn and for the elderly, that is, supporting this most basic human faith as Pope Francis is urging us to do. number above; send e-mail to Observer@rockforddiocese. for respect for life at its earliest stages and right, have subsequently “pivoted” Make January your own “Right to Life org; or fill out a form at http:// at its final stages. to accommodate the pro-abortion Month.” Renew your commitment to observer.rockforddiocese.org/ Speaking to Catholic Medical argument, often piously asserting their respecting human life at all its stages in contact-us. Associations, the pope said, “Every child personal conviction for life, but voting your heart and in your prayer. who, rather than being born, is condemned to the contrary. Arguments have been Subscription rate $28.00 per Don’t be shy about talking about it. year (48 issues); Canadian unjustly to being aborted, bears the face acrimonious and unending. And 55 million Heck, even put a bumper sticker on your and Pan American $29; other of Jesus Christ, bears the face of the Lord, of us have died before birth as a result. car. And why not contribute money or foreign: surface mail $37, air who even before he was born, and then But Pope Francis, in his Message for time to the pro-life movement? There are mail $97; single copies $1. just after birth, experienced the world’s the World Day of Peace, has once again so many opportunities. The Observer Online digital rejection. … And every elderly person, chosen not to argue but to remind us of subscriptions are also available. even if he is ill or at the end of his days, our better selves, called forth by Christ. So many have died. Many mothers and bears the face of Christ. They cannot His whole message was on the theme fathers quietly grieve over a decision that Staff — they would take back if they could. Others be discarded, as the ‘culture of waste’ of “fraternity,” analyzing what builds Publisher: suggests! They cannot be thrown away!” up human solidarity, and what tears it are wondering where to turn for support in “A culture of waste,” a culture that down. Respect for the life of each of our their time of crisis. They need to see in us Most Reverend David J. Malloy the love and joy and forgiveness of Jesus. discards what is not new or perfect. That brothers and sisters, not insisting upon Associate Publisher: seems to sum up one of the Holy Father’s their physical perfection or upon their This month reminds us that as Catholics Msgr. Eric Barr concerns about modern society. And we timeliness of arrival or whether they are we are pro-life and proudly so. Editor: Penny Wiegert Passing On and Guarding the Faith News Editor: Amanda Hudson Features and Multimedia The Editor: Sharon Boehlefeld Pope From homilies Jan. 12, Sistine Chapel; Jan. 6, Vatican Basilica Circulation/Proofreading: on ... Susan Sabrowski, Keith a child to baptize, or a grand- important ones here. deceived by appearances, by Ludolph, Ronald Bergman child. Such is the chain of faith! what the world considers great, (CNS photo/Claudio Peri, pool via Reuters) And now, with this awareness Accounting: Jill Bonk What does this mean? I would of being transmitters of the wise and powerful. We must Client Services: Ronald Jesus did not need to be bap- like to tell you only this: you are faith, let us continue with the not stop at that. It is necessary Bergman tized, but the first theologians those who transmit the faith, the rite of baptism. to guard the faith. say that, with his body, with his transmitters; you have a duty Today this is of vital impor- Production and Web divinity, in baptism he blessed to hand on the faith to these tance: to keep the faith. We Administrator: Gary Haughton all the waters, so that the wa- On the feast of the Epiphany, children. It is the most beauti- must press on further, be- Contributing Writers: Bishop ters would have the power to ful inheritance you will leave to as we recall Jesus’ manifesta- yond the darkness, beyond Emeritus Thomas G.