Called to Serve

The CatholicWitness The Newspaper of the Diocese of Harrisburg May 29, 2015 Vol. 49 No. 10 Called to Serve CHRIS HEISEY, THE CATHOLIC WITNESS Seminarians Steven Arena, Samuel Dubois, John Kuchinski, Richard Mowery and Brian Olkowski stand ready in service to the Church during the Mass of Ordination to the Diaconate at St. Patrick Cathedral in Harrisburg on May 16. Addressing the five men in his homily, Bishop Gainer remarked that “The deacon’s ministry among us is a reminder to us all that Christ came not to be served, but to serve, and that he has sent each of us to be servants according to his own heart.” See pages 8 and 9. Blessed Romero ‘Another Brilliant Star’ Belonging to Church of Americas By Rhina Guidos His homilies often pleaded for better condi- Catholic News Service tions for the poor, for a stop to the escalating violence in the country and for brotherhood Some thought this day would never arrive. among those whose divisions ultimately led to Others hoped and some always knew it would. a 12-year conflict. On May 23, the Catholic Church beatified He’s not a symbol of division but one of Archbishop Oscar Arnulfo Romero y Galda- peace, Cardinal Amato said. mez, of El Salvador, who was assassinated in In a message sent Saturday on the occasion of 1980 while celebrating Mass, just a day after the beatification, Pope Francis said that Arch- pleading and ordering soldiers to stop killing bishop Romero “built the peace with the power innocent civilians. of love, gave testimony of the faith with his “Blessed Romero is another brilliant star life.” that belongs to the sanctity of the Church of Proof of that is the shirt he died in, soaked the Americas,” said Cardinal Angelo Amato, in blood, after an assassin’s single bullet took head of the Vatican’s Congregation for Saints’ his life. Eight deacons carried the blood-stained Causes, during the ceremony in San Salvador. shirt, now a relic, to the altar in a glass case. “And thanks be to God, there are many.” Others decorated it with flowers and candles While those who persecuted him have died or during the Saturday ceremony. Several priests are in obscurity, “the memory of Romero con- reached out to touch the case and later made the tinues to live in the poor and the marginalized,” sign of the cross. Cardinal Amato said. In a time of difficulty in El Salvador, Arch- bishop Romero knew “how to guide, defend and protect his flock, remain- ing faithful to the Gospel and in com- EMILY M. ALBERT, THE CATHOLIC WITNESS munion with the whole Church,” the In honor of Memorial Day and the men and women who pope said in his message. “His ministry have given their lives in service to our country, students from St. Rose of Lima School in Thomasville – including was distinguished by a particular atten- Thomas Pokrivka, Gima Ndasi and Wyatt Wells – placed 750 tion to the poor and marginalized. And American flags on the graves of veterans at Holy Saviour at the time of his death, while celebrat- Cemetery in York. This is the fourth year that the school has been involved in the service project. See page 10. More ROMERO, page 2 The 2 - Catholic Witness • May 29, 2015 Romero Continued from 1 ing the holy sacrifice, love and reconciliation, he received the grace to be fully identified with the one who gave his life for his sheep.” The event, at the square of the Divine Savior of the World in the capital city of San Salva- dor, saw the attendance of four Latin American presidents and six cardinals including: Oscar Andres Rodriguez Maradiaga, of Honduras; Leopoldo Brenes, of Nicaragua; Jaime Ortega, of Cuba; Jose Luis Lacunza, of Panama; Roger Mahony, of the U.S.; and Italian Cardinal Ama- to, as well as Italian Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, postulator of Archbishop Romero’s cause. Their excitement couldn’t have been greater than that of those like Father Estefan Tur- cios, pastor of El Salvador’s St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church in Soyapango and na- tional director of the Pontifical Mission Societies in El Salva- dor. Before El Salvador’s conflict, Father Turcios was impris- CNS/JORGE DAN LOPEZ, REUTERS oned for defending the rights of Priests attend Archbishop Oscar Romero’s beatification Mass in the Divine Savior of the World square in San Salvador May 23. the poor. Archbishop Romero the Holy Savior, where the arch- helped free him. no need to prove a miracle for tractors, Father Turcios said, ing of priests, catechists, as well bishop is buried. He is officially “There have been people in- beatification. In general two the beatification can help oth- as massacres of unarmed civil- spired by Romero for 35 years. miracles are needed for saint- ers understand the reality and ians – more than 70,000 died in Blessed Romero, but to others How do you think they feel right hood – one for beatification and truth that others have known all. he already is and has been “San now?” asked Father Turcios. the second for canonization. all along: Archbishop Romero Priests, bishops and cardinals Romero,” or St. Romero of the But just as he has devotees, Father Turcios said by study- “was loyal to God’s will, was wore some form of a red vest- Americas. Archbishop Romero has had de- ing Blessed Romero’s life, oth- loyal to and loved his people ment, signifying martyrdom. Father Juan J. Navarro, of tractors. ers will discover all the Gospel and was loyal to and loved the Their stoles were emblazoned Maracaibo, Venezuela, said he After his death, the Vati- truths that led him to defend life, Church,” he said. with Archbishop Romero’s epis- visited the archbishop’s burial can received mounds of letters the poor and the Church, and do One of the offertory gifts copal motto: “Sentir con la igle- place to voice the many needs against Archbishop Romero, away with untruths surrounding during the Mass May 23 was sia,” or “feel with the Church,” of his country. Food and free- his legacy. the book “De la locura a la es- also translated as “to think with Archbishop Paglia, has said. dom of expression are lacking, During the country’s civil peranza” or “From Madness to the Church.” And that affected his path to- he said, and it’s a place with a ward sainthood, which includes war that lasted from 1979 until Hope.” A document generated The ceremony culminated a similar situation to the one that beatification. But three decades 1992, some Salvadorans hid, during the peace accords that week in San Salvador that saw after his assassination, Pope buried and sometimes burned ended the country’s 12-year pilgrims, mainly from Latin led to war in Archbishop Rome- Benedict XVI cleared the arch- photos they had taken with or war. America, but also from as far ro’s time. bishop’s sainthood cause. of Archbishop Romero, because It chronicles some of the away as Singapore and many “I asked for [Archbishop In February Pope Francis it could mean others would call greatest human rights atrocities from the United States, who Romero] to intercede for our signed the decree recognizing them communists or rebel sym- committed in El Salvador dur- wanted to celebrate the occa- rights, to continue to inspire in Archbishop Romero as a mar- pathizers and put their lives in ing the conflict, including the sion. Flowers, music, tears and us the will to go forward when tyr, a person killed “in hatred of danger. killing and rape of four women happiness flowed at San Salva- the reality of life is serious,” he the faith,” which meant there is Though he still has some de- religious from the U.S., the kill- dor’s Metropolitan Cathedral of said. For 81-year-old Salvadoran Gregoria Martinez de Jimenez, the beatification marked the of- ficial recognition of something she has known all along: “We fi- nally have a saint who is one of ours,” she said as tears flowed. “He was a duplicate of Jesus,” added her daughter Maria Ele- na Jimenez Martinez, 44. Both women attended Archbishop Romero’s funeral, where smoke bombs went off and shots were fired. More than elation, they showed happiness mixed with sorrow that remains from a painful time. Jesuit Father Miguel Angel Vasquez Hernandez, of Arcatao, said the archbishop would prob- ably have felt a little taken aback with such a ceremony, which is expected to cost about $1 million and was attended by hundreds of thousands. The best way to honor him, he said, is to work for peace and justice in El Salvador, and in other parts of the world afflicted by poverty, war, violence, op- pression and economic injus- tice. The May 29, 2015 • Catholic Witness - 3 Youth Protection Program Updates to Accommodate New Requirements There have been many new pieces of legislation gram. The new State regulations will impact both How Do I Obtain My enacted over recent months changing how the Com- employees and volunteers in this area. According to Background Clearances? monwealth of Pennsylvania responds to child abuse. the recently changed State mandates, all employees The Child Abuse, PSP and FBI clearances can The Diocese commends the legislature for their work or volunteers who have direct contact with children all be applied and paid for electronically. The FBI to create a safer environment for all children in Penn- must hold clearances that are less than 3 years old. clearance also requires a fingerprint submission.

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