March 23, 2001 Vol

Inside Archbishop Buechlein . 4, 5 Editorial. 4 Question Corner. 9 TheCCriterionriterion Sunday & Daily Readings. 9 Serving the Church in Central and Southern Indiana Since 1960 www.archindy.org March 23, 2001 Vol. XXXX, No. 23 50¢ The first national Catholic lay ministry symposium is held in Indianapolis By Jennifer Del Vechio hearing questions about how lay eccle- fession, such as youth ministers, music “We’ve taken for granted that piece, sial ministers lived their spiritual lives ministers or others in parish and out- but we are also forming people for min- The first national symposium to dis- and how the Church could help them reach ministries. istry, and it should be part of the pro- cuss the spiritual formation of lay eccle- with their spiritual formation needs. There are at least 30,000 lay ecclesial grams,” she said. sial ministers is being held in “While we have the tradition of cler- ministers in the nation, LeBeau said. The symposium will try to answer Indianapolis this week. ical and consecrated religious [spiritual At issue is how lay ministers form questions about how lay ministers pray, Lay ministry leaders from across the formation], lay ministers don’t have the their spirituality and how colleges and how they envision God and how they country are attending the symposium, same structure in their lives and support certified diocesan programs can be talk about their ministry, Le Beau said. which runs March 22-24 at the Westin for that formation,” LeBeau said. designed to help them in their spiritual “We believe to be authentic ministers Hotel. Saint Meinrad School of The issue is important as more lay formation. you need an authentic relationship with Theology is hosting the conference. people take on responsibilities that used While it is a given that seminarians God,” she said. The idea for a national symposium to be done only by priests or religious. have spiritual formation classes, lay Many dioceses, including the Archdio- began when Dr. Dorothy LeBeau, lay The symposium is aimed at people ministry also needs that component, cese of Indianapolis, have programs for formation dean for Saint Meinrad, began who have chosen lay ministry as a pro- LeBeau said. See SYMPOSIUM, page 2 Speaker discusses improving work Letting go of the hate between males and Two men talk about how the females in the Church CHICAGO (CNS)—Improved collabo- murder of their daughters taught ration among women and men in the Catholic Church must start with moving them to oppose capital punishment Wyand MaryPhotos by Ann the site of decision-making out of the rectory or other locations closed to women, a By Mary Ann Wyand loved which somehow was not speaker told a national gathering of damaged in the explosion that women March 12. SAINT MARY-OF-THE- destroyed the federal building Leodia “Lee” Gooch, program manager WOODS—The execution of nearby. for evangelization and parish outreach in Timothy McVeigh on May 16 at the Grief-stricken, he asked himself, the Human Rights Office of the Archdio- U.S. Penitentiary in Terre Haute “What does Bud Welch need to do cese of St. Louis, spoke on the second day “won’t bring Julie Marie Welch to move on?” of a three-day meeting in Chicago. back or any of the 167 others” killed And then, Welch said, he realized The meeting was convened by the U.S. in the April 19, 1995, bombing of that only forgiveness leads to recon- bishops’ Committee on Women in Society the Alfred P. Murrah Federal ciliation and healing. and in the Church to consult with some Building in Oklahoma City, Bud That realization led him to speak 150 women holding diocesan leadership Welch said. out against the death penalty during positions. Suzanne Magnant, chancellor “When we take Tim McVeigh more than 1,500 speeches in the of the Archdiocese of Indianapolis, out of his cage to kill him, we will United States and in other countries. attended the conference. end up with a staged political “I finally figured out that if we “When Catholic schools started getting event,” Welch said. “It will do noth- were to execute either one [Timothy lay teachers, the religious had to learn not ing more or less for society, and it McVeigh or Terry Nichols], that to have a faculty meeting in the convent certainly won’t bring me peace.” would be an act of vengeance and over breakfast,” Gooch said. And as women Welch talked with Providence rage,” Welch said, “and vengeance received leadership posts in U.S. dioceses sisters and Saint Mary-of-the- and rage are the very reasons that and parishes, “decisions no longer could be Woods College students during Julie and the 167 others were made at the dinner table at the rectory.” two speeches on March 15 at the killed.” Much of Gooch’s talk centered on the congregation’s motherhouse near Welch’s remarks echoed Pope recent survey of women diocesan leaders Terre Haute about his spiritual John Paul II’s Lenten message that on their positive and negative experiences journey since his daughter was “forgiveness in the only way to in Church leadership and about what killed in the bombing. peace between peoples and helps or hinders their contributions. In the days, weeks and months nations.” Gooch used the term “I” to describe after the bombing, Welch said, When Welch talked about his the collective image of women in Church rage and grief nearly destroyed daughter, he smiled and even leadership that emerged from that survey. him. He started chain-smoking cig- laughed as he shared humorous “Mostly I am white,” said Gooch, who arettes and drinking heavily. memories of her faith-filled life and is African-American, “but a small part of Finally, Welch said, he decided his pride about her work as a me is Hispanic, African-American or to visit the bombing site again and Spanish interpreter for the Social Asian-American.” spend some time in reflection by Security Administration. See WOMEN, page 16 what is now called the Survivor’s “Julie was a daily communicant Tree, an elm tree that his daughter for the last few years of her life,” he said. “On the morning of April 19, she went to a 7 a.m. Mass, then went to work at 8 a.m. at the Social Security Administration. The only thing that separated the Social Security waiting room from the Ryder Truck bomb was the side- walk.” It took rescuers several days to find Julie’s body in the rubble. “A lot of people have asked me how I got through it, and it was prayer,” Welch said. “Julie’s favorite prayer was the Hail Mary, Top, Bud Welch holds a picture of his daughter, Julie, which and I said a lot of Hail Marys, but I was taken shortly before she was killed in the April 19, 1995, Paul Stevens keeps a picture of his wasn’t really praying. I was only bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Building in Oklahoma City. daughter, Cindy, inside his Bible, which saying the words. But I knew peo- Welch now campaigns for an end to the death penalty. he carries with him every day. Stevens ple all over the world were praying has dedicated his prison ministry at the [for the bombing victims and their Bottom, “I really feel that Cindy’s with me all the time,” Paul Kentucky State Prison in Eddyville to families].” Stevens said during a program titled “Two Fathers’ Stories: her memory. The Bible was a gift from Welch said he also felt he should Rage, Reconciliation and the Death Penalty” last week at inmates at the prison. See FORGIVE, page 2 Saint Mary-of-the-Woods. Page 2 The Criterion Friday, March 23, 2001 and he told her, “Honey, the three of us are in this for the rest of our lives, but we FORGIVE can make the most of it. I don’t want your continued from page 1 brother to die, and I’ll do everything that I can to prevent it.” Wyand MaryPhoto by Ann visit McVeigh’s father, Bill, at his home After leaving the McVeigh house, in western New York in September of Welch said he sobbed for a half an hour. 1998. Then he realized that he had never felt “I knew that I needed to go tell that man closer to God than he did at that moment. that I didn’t hold him or his family respon- “I don’t know where I’m going to be sible,” Welch said. “I can go all over the on May 16,” he said. “I will not be country and to Europe and Africa, and can involved in any kind of demonstration. I brag on Julie and tell you all the wonderful will not hold a sign. I will not have a can- things that she did. But every single morn- dle lighted for public demonstration pur- ing, Bill McVeigh has to face the reality poses. I may light a candle privately.” that his son is a convicted killer. What I Several months ago, Welch said, he found that Saturday morning in western agreed to appear on a television news pro- New York was a bigger victim of the gram after Timothy McVeigh’s execution Paul Stevens (left) and Bud Welch listen as St. Joseph of Carondelet Sister Joan Lescinski, president Oklahoma City bomb- and now regrets that of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College, thanks them for sharing the stories of their journeys to forgive- ing.” decision. ness after their daughters were murdered.

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