March 2, 2007 Vol

Celebrating a saint Batesville Mass honors St. Theodora, page 11. Serving the ChurchCriterion in Central and Southern Indiana Since 1960 CriterionOnline.com March 2, 2007 Vol. XLVII, No. 20 75¢ Biblical scholars Bearing fruit reject filmmakers’ College seminarians gain pastoral skills through program claim about By Sean Gallagher tomb of Jesus College campuses on Saturday JERUSALEM (CNS)—Catholic biblical mornings are ordinarily quiet places. Photo by Katie Berger scholars and an Israeli archaeologist Students might not stir from their dorm rejected rooms until close to lunchtime at best. filmmakers’ claim But by 7 a.m. every third Saturday of that a tomb the month, Aaron Thomas, a third-year uncovered nearly seminarian at Bishop Bruté College 30 years ago in Seminary at Marian College in Jerusalem is the Indianapolis, is already at nearby burial site of Jesus St. Michael the Archangel Church and his family. preparing for the monthly Helpers of Dominican God’s Precious Infants pro-life Mass. Father Jerome Assisting with the eucharistic liturgy, Murphy-O’Connor, sponsored by the archdiocesan Office for a biblical archae- Amos Kloner Pro-Life Ministry, is part of Thomas’ ologist and expert supervised ministry. in the New Testament at the French “He meets me at seven o’clock to set Biblical and Archaeological School of up [and] unlock the church,” said Servant Jerusalem who was interviewed for the film of the Gospel of Life Sister Diane two years ago, said he did not believe there Carollo, director of the pro-life office and was any truth to the claim. Thomas’ ministry supervisor. “It is a commercial ploy that all the “He learns that service means much media is playing into,” he told Catholic more than just appearing [at] the altar. News Service on Feb. 27. We both do grunt work [together].” Amos Kloner, an Israeli archaeologist This is the first academic year that the who wrote the original excavation report on college seminary, now in its third year, the site for the predecessor of the Israel has had an organized supervised ministry Antiquities Authority, called the claim program. “nonsense.” The program is a component of the “In their movie, they are billing it as college seminary’s pastoral formation of ‘never before reported information,’ but it its seminarians, which is integrated with is not new. I published all the details in the three other spheres of priestly Antiqot journal in 1996, and I didn’t say it formation—intellectual, human and was the tomb of Jesus’ family,” said spiritual. Kloner, now a professor of archaeology at “It’s really [supposed] to give them Israel’s Bar-Ilan University. an experience of ministry,” said Father “I think it is very unserious work. I do Robert Robeson, rector of the scholarly work ... based on other studies,” seminary. he said. “They’re sort of in the formative Toronto filmmaker Simcha Jacobovici stages of developing skills for ministry. Aaron Thomas, a third-year seminarian at Bishop Bruté College Seminary at Marian College in and Oscar-winning Canadian director So it’s supposed to help them gain an Indianapolis, participates in the annual March for Life in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 22. As part of James Cameron announced at a press experience of ministry and to get some his supervised ministry, Thomas served as a co-bus captain on the archdiocesan pilgrimage. conference in New York City on Feb. 26 feedback on how they’re doing, on what that by using new technology and DNA their strengths are, but also on some of Program for Priestly Formation calls for only extend beyond waking up early on studies they have determined that among the things that they need to work on.” third-and fourth-year college seminarians to Saturday mornings. the 10 ossuaries—burial boxes used in Father Robeson said that Bishop Bruté be involved in such formal ministry Earlier this semester, Thomas helped biblical times to house the bones of the College Seminary has not had a programs. Bishop Bruté College Seminary lead the archdiocesan pilgrimage to the dead—found in the cave by Kloner in 1980 supervised ministry program until now only now has its first third-year class. annual March for Life in Washington. are those of Jesus, his brothers, Mary, for a couple reasons. “This year’s supervised ministry for me During the fall semester, Thomas had another Mary whom they believe is Mary First, establishing all the various has been a great example of what the to balance taking 21 credit hours of Magdalene, and “Judah, son of Jesus.” programs needed for a seminary has taken priesthood is all about, namely sacrifice,” said classes and carry out his obligations to The documentary film by Jacobovici a lot of time. Thomas, who is also a member of St. Andrew the seminary community as well as being and Cameron is to be aired on the And second, the Holy See-approved Parish in Richmond. responsible for the other tasks of his Discovery Channel on March 4 and in U.S. bishops’ fifth edition of the But the sacrificial aspects of his ministry See SEMINARIANS, page 2 See TOMB, page 10 New Bishop Chatard leader says values, faith will guide him By John Shaughnessy to Notre Dame, Sahm still faced the loss of his father, the loneliness of being away from Bill Sahm knows what it’s like to be a home and the challenge of being a walk-on teenager struggling to make sense of the football player at a school known for its great unsettling changes in life. football tradition. That’s when he met Photo by John Shaughnessy He also knows the difference that one Ara Parseghian, who was already a legendary person and a Catholic community can make head coach. to give a young person a sense of belonging. “I showed up at Notre Dame as one of The details of Sahm’s story surface when 120 football players,” Sahm recalls. “Ara he’s asked about the heroes and role models knew that my dad had just died. He knew my in his life. mother’s name, and he knew I had eight Pausing for a moment, he recalls the brothers and sisters. He was the ultimate summer after he graduated from Cathedral players’ coach. He pushed you to excel, but he High School in 1973, the summer when his cared about you, too. That meant everything to Bill Sahm discusses the future of Bishop father died. As the oldest of nine children, me. It made it bearable to be away from my Chatard High School in an office at the Sahm struggled with whether he should family at the time. Just the whole experience Indianapolis North Deanery school. continue his plan to attend the University of helped me to understand I still had a future, Notre Dame. Maybe it would be better for and if I worked hard and did the right things, celebrated as Notre Dame won the national him to stay home, to be there for his mother God would honor that.” championship. Yet he doesn’t mention that and his siblings, he thought. That football season ended at the detail as he talks about Parseghian. Instead, After his mother encouraged him to head Sugar Bowl in New Orleans, where Sahm See SAHM, page 2 Page 2 The Criterion Friday, March 2, 2007 greater than I ever had in business.” The friendship of Bill Sahm, left, and His interest in pursuing the position took Holy Cross Brother Joseph Umile SAHM Submitted photo continued from page 1 shape shortly after Holy Cross Brother Joseph has developed during the 14 years Umile announced in February 2006 that he that Brother Joseph has served as would be ending his 14-year tenure as Bishop the president of Bishop Chatard he focuses on a scared teenager and the Chatard’s president at the end of the 2006-07 High School in Indianapolis. Starting difference a coach made. school year. on July 1, Sahm will succeed That story is an important one to “Brother Joseph actually planted the seed Brother Joseph as the remember now that Sahm was recently many years ago,” Sahm says. “I was president Indiananapolis North Deanery chosen as the next president of Bishop of the Board of Regents for the first three school’s president. Chatard High School in Indianapolis, years. Every year, Brother Joseph would starting July 1. threaten to quit. He’d point at me and say, So is the story about Sahm that’s shared ‘Just hire him!’ He did it enough through the to our young students’ development.” the Christian faith,” he says. “The friends by Joseph Hollowell, the president of years that I knew he was planting a seed. All sports teams and extracurricular groups they made were from families who had Roncalli High School in Indianapolis, who “When it was announced that Brother Joe will be required to do a service project during similar values and a passion for their children was a member of the search committee for was stepping down, I began a course of their seasons, Sahm says. They will also have to have a Catholic faith experience in high Bishop Chatard’s new president. Sahm and prayer and discussion with Debbie [his to create a shared experience that develops school. And they all came out of this Hollowell both taught and coached football wife]—long hours of discussion about their spiritual life. experience with a heart for God and service.” at Roncalli in 1979. whether I should apply. I spent so much time “The student leaders will be responsible for Brother Joseph sees Sahm as the right “I told the search committee that Bill praying about it that I really felt God was determining what that is from a list provided choice at the right time for the school.

Load more