July 8, 2018

The Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

July 15, 2018 The Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

The Confessional is Sacrosanct

A Catholic has said he is prepared to be jailed for failing to report child sex abuse if it is revealed to him during confession. Denis Hart, Archbishop of Melbourne, insisted confession was "a spiritual encounter with God through the priest" and was "of a higher order" than criminal law. His comments came after the Australian Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse said there should be "no excuse, protection nor privilege" for clergy who failed to alert police of abuse. It recommended priests should face criminal charges for failing to report information heard during confession, one of 85 sweeping changes to the criminal justice system proposed in a report on Monday. "We understand the significance of religious confession - in particular, the inviolability of the confessional seal to people of some faiths, particularly the Catholic faith", said the report. "However, we heard evidence of a number of instances where disclosures of child sexual abuse were made in religious confession, by both victims and perpetrators. ”We are satisfied that confession is a forum where Catholic children have disclosed their sexual abuse and where clergy have disclosed their abusive behavior in order to deal with their own guilt." But Archbishop Hart, President of the Australian Catholic Conference, called for the confessional seal to remain protected by law. "Confession in the is a spiritual encounter with God through the priest," he said in a statement. "It is a fundamental part of the freedom of religion, and it is recognized in the law of Australia and many other countries. It must remain so here in Australia. "Outside of this all offences against children must be reported to the authorities, and we are absolutely committed to doing so." Asked on Tuesday if he would rather go to prison than breach the seal of confession, he told ABC Radio Melbourne: "I've said that I would. I believe that this is an absolutely sacrosanct communication of a higher order." He added: "I would go to extreme lengths outside of the confessional to make sure that the law was observed. But there are some matters which are of a higher order, things to do with God." His stance was backed by other high-profile clerics, including his Brisbane counterpart and priest and lawyer Frank Brennan, who he said he would "conscientiously refuse to comply with the law" if it was changed. Writing in the Sydney Morning Herald, Father Brennan suggested requiring clerics to report abuse allegations would make children less safe because it "may take away the one possibility that a sex offender will repent and turn himself in". But lawyer Vivian Walker, who has represented child sex abuse victims, welcomed the commission's recommendations. "I think it's about time the Catholic Church was dragged out of the dark ages," she said. "We can no longer think about sexual offending against children as some kind of forgivable sin." In its submission to the commission, the Catholic Church's Trust Justice and Healing Council argued requiring priests to disclose information heard during confession would undermine freedom of religion. “The whole concept of confession in the Catholic Church is built on repentance, forgiveness and penance,” said Frances Sullivan, the council's chief executive. "Part of this forgiveness process, certainly in the case of a child sex-abuser, would normally require they turn themselves in to the police." But the commission's report stressed: "The right to practice one’s religious beliefs must accommodate civil society’s obligation to provide for the safety of all and, in particular, children’s safety from sexual abuse. "Reporting information relevant to child sexual abuse to the police is critical to ensuring the safety of children." Australia's Parliament will decide whether to enact the changes contained in the report.

Lydia Maxine Bogner

January 19, 1923-June 27, 2018

A resident of Felton, Lydia Maxine Bogner died peacefully, surrounded by the love of her family at the age of 95 at 3:00pm on June 27, 2018 at Valley Haven Assisted Living Home.

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Pope Francis calls for a change to the Lord’s Prayer

Pope Francis calls for the Lord’s Prayer to be changed as it implies God “induces temptation. It's Satan who leads us into temptation, that's his department.” Pope Francis has called for a change to the translation of the Lord’s Prayer, as the existing translation implies God “induces temptation”. The prayer, also known as Our Father, asks God to “lead us not into temptation”. Speaking to Italy’s channel TV2000, the Pope said he believed the wording - used in English and Italian translations - should be altered to reflect that it is not God who leads humans to sin. “It is not a good translation because it speaks of a God who induces temptation,” he said. He added: “I am the one who falls. It's not him pushing me into temptation to then see how I have fallen. “A father doesn't do that, a father helps you to get up immediately. It's Satan who leads us into temptation, that's his department.” The 80-year-old also highlighted that the Catholic Church in France had already adapted the prayer, and uses the phrase “do not let us fall into temptation” instead. The Lord's Prayer, which is memorized by millions of Christians across the world, appears in the Bible. The current wording of the prayer is a translation from the Latin vulgate, before which it was translated from ancient Greek. The original text was written in Aramaic, the language historians believe was spoken by Jesus.

th Healing Mass July 18 at 6:30 PM Do you or does someone you know need to heal physically, emotionally or spiritually? Do you want to grow in your faith thru the gift of the Holy Spirit? Come to a healing mass. St. John’s has a Healing Mass on the second Wednesday of every month.

INTENTIONS FOR THE WEEK OF July 7-8, 2018 INTENTIONS FOR THE WEEK OF July 14-15, 2018 Saturday 4:00 PM + John Graham Saturday 4:00 PM + Brad Bradford Sunday 8:30 AM + Judy Ragsdale Sunday 8:30 AM + Tom Cooke 11:30 AM + Randy Moon 11:30 AM + the Special Intentions of Wednesday 8:30 AM + Celebrant’s Intention St. John’s Parishioners Thursday 8: 30 AM + Celebrants Intentions Wednesday 8:30 AM + Celebrant’s Intentions Friday 8.30 AM + Celebrant’s Intentions Thursday 8:30 AM + Celebrant’s Intentions Friday 8:30 AM + Celebrant’s Intentions

PLEASE PRAY FOR OUR ILL AND HOMEBOUND PARISHIONERS PLEASE PRAY FOR OUR ILL AND HOMEBOUND PARISHIONERS Gerard Olivo, Bryan Stow, Wanda Nyarady, Nanda Vitali. John & Vicki Aguilar, David Bogdan, Hale Howard, grandson to John and Rendell Smith, Shawn Prevost, Fr. Dick Clark, Dale Dallas, Jim and Marie Sikora, Paul Callahan

PRAY FOR THE REPOSE OF THE SOUL OF Gabrielle Bradford, John Graham, Georgia Ayers, Kay Bogner, Cliff Short, Grace Verutti, Grace DeVictoria, Bill Wagner, .Josephine Hart, Renee Bogdan, Kathryn Cline, David Toepfer, Sam Campari, Linda Baumert, Lee Brown, Guadalupe Uribe,

Karl Baumert, Randy Moon, Lydia Bogner

Church Humor - An elderly priest was talking to people after a service, when he said, "I spend a lot of time these days thinking about The Hereafter." I go into a room, or upstairs, and wonder what am I after here? "

Financial Corner SCRIPTURE STUDY Spend a little time with Christ. Understand the scriptures in Budget for May $9100 new ways as you study next Sunday’s readings with fellow Plate Collection for May $5,517.90 parishioners; 7:00 pm every Tuesday in the Fran Ragain "The Lord thanks you for your generosity" Room. Come and help others understand the scriptures.