Thanks to Danny Scalise for This Quote from an Article in the Wall Street Journal That Reflects My Own Feelings! JHF I Am a Seminarian for the Archdiocese of St
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FOR INSPIRATION QUOTES Thanks to Danny Scalise for this quote from an article in the Wall Street Journal that reflects my own feelings! JHF I am a seminarian for the Archdiocese of St. Louis. Most men rise at 5:30 a.m. and go to the chapel for an hour of silent prayer before we celebrate the Liturgy of the Hours and mass together. Many of these prayers are offered for all those who suffer, especially the victims of abuse. Although the clouds of scandal seem to loom over the entire church, I see clearly the light of grace shining through in the formation I am receiving. Why would someone enter the Catholic clergy now? It guarantees that one will be dealing with fallout from the sins of an older genera-tion. The answer is simple. We take Christ’s words seriously that the Eucharist is his body and blood. We love Jesus Christ, and we love people, so we want to bring Christ into their lives. He alone can heal the wounds inflicted by former clergy, and he needs men to carry out his mission and to bring his healing presence in the Eucharist into people’s lives. words of Archbishop Oscar Romero before he was murdered while celebrating Mass. "You can tell the people that if they succeed in killing me, that I forgive and bless those who do it. Hopefully, they will realize they are wasting their time. A bishop will die, but the church of God, which is the people, will never perish." ARTICLES Pope Francis visits Pope-Emeritus Benedict XVI at his residence in Vatican City the evening before the canonization of Pope Paul VI who made Benedict a cardinal At the canonization Mass, Pope Francis used a chalice, pallium & pastoral staff belonging to Pope Paul VI and wore the blood-stained cincture (rope belt) that Archbishop Oscar Romero was wearing when he was shot dead as he celebrated Mass. The homily Óscar Romero was delivering when he was killed. https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2018/10/12/homily-oscar-romero-was-delivering-when-he-was-killed I’m a sexual assault survivor. And a conservative. The Kavanaugh hearings were excruciating. https://www.vox.com/first-person/2018/10/15/17968534/kavanaugh-vote-supreme-court-sexual-assault-christine-blasey-ford Chile abuse survivors say pope’s iron fist offers glimmer of hope https://cruxnow.com/church-in-the-americas/2018/10/17/chile-abuse-survivors-say-popes-iron-fist-offers-glimmer-of-hope/ Catholic Clergy Should Elect Its Own Bishops https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/16/opinion/catholic-church-pope-francis- mccarrick.html?action=click&module=Opinion&pgtype=Homepage Archbishop Viganò Responds to Cardinal Ouellet's Letter with New Testimony http://www.ncregister.com/blog/edward-pentin/archbishop-vigano-responds-to-cardinal-ouellets-letter-with-new-testimony Young Jesuit grad at the synod: justice for migrants is personal https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2018/10/12/young-jesuit-grad-synod-justice-migrants-personal This week we commemorated Blessed Father Jerzy Popieluszko (1947-1984). He was the chaplain of the Solidarnosc movement. He celebrated Masses for the Homeland, which attracted thousands of people each month. He always stressed non-violent resistance against communists who murdered him on October 19, 1984. A car accident was set up to kill Jerzy Popiełuszko on 13 October 1984 but he evaded it. The alternative plan was to kidnap him; it was carried out on 19 October 1984. The priest was beaten to death by three Security Police officers: Captain Grzegorz Piotrowski, Leszek Pękala, and Waldemar Chmielewski. They pretended to have problems with their car and flagged down Jerzy Popiełuszko's car for help. Jerzy Popiełuszko was severely beaten, tied up and put in the trunk of the car.[3] The officers bound a stone to his feet and dropped him into the Vistula Water Reservoir near Włocławek from where his body was recovered on 30 October 1984.[4] News of the political murder caused an uproar throughout Poland, and the murderers and one of their superiors, Colonel Adam Pietruszka, were convicted of the crime. More than 250,000 people, including Lech Wałęsa, attended his funeral on 3 November 1984. Despite the murder and its repercussions, the Communist regime remained in power until 1989. The pastor and members of Saint Agnes Parish in Shepherdstown, WV shared two letters they wrote after their shared reflections on current events in the life of our Church. Shepherdstown is located along the Potomac River in the eastern panhandle of WV, east of Martinsburg. It is also the parish to which our former parishioners, Skip and Joan Garten, now belong. TO: Archbishop Christophe Pierre Cardinal Blase Cupich Apostolic Nuncio for the United States Congregation for Bishops 3339 Massachusetts Ave NW Archdiocese of Chicago Washington, DC 20008 835 N. Rush Street Chicago, Illinois 60611 Cardinal Marc Ouellette Prefect of the Congregation for Bishops Archbishop William E. Lori Palazzo della Congregazoni Apostolic Administrator 00193 Roma 1311 Byron Street Piazzo Pio XII, 10 PO Box 230 Wheeling, WV 26003 Dear Archbishop Pierre, Cardinal Ouellette, Cardinal Cupich, and Archbishop Lori: St. Agnes Church is one of the first Catholic communities in the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston, located in Shepherdstown, the oldest town in West Virginia. We can trace our history to the mid to late 1700s. Yet, we have had a resident pastor only since 1980. For more than two centuries, this small Catholic community was served by circuit-rider priests, such as Fr. Denis Cahill and Fr. Demetrius Gallitzin, the priests teaching at Mount St. Mary’s Seminary in Emmitsburg, and pastors who served neighboring parishes. In the 1970’s, we began to experience a small influx of Catholics who moved here, some due to lower housing costs compared to nearby metropolitan areas, some wishing to retire in a rural area yet close to the metro area, and some wanting to be close to family and friends. In 1983, we had only 50 parish families, today we have close to 550 parish families. As with so many parishes today, we struggle to retain our youth and young families. We share our story because we, like many West Virginia parishes, have changed dramatically over time. And so have our pastoral needs changed. This is a watershed moment for the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston. The new bishop appointed to lead our diocese through the turbulent times ahead must be a person with unique gifts and skills, sensitive to the needs, challenges, and gifts of the people. We believe the situation is serious enough that those making the decision need to take time and not make a hurried decision to simply fill an empty See. Even though there has been no request for our input as a parish community, we trust that you will seriously consider what we offer, for we write to you out of a genuine concern for our diocesan church. Our hope is that the parishes and the people from across the state could be inspired to offer their unique perspectives as well. Very much inspired by the ministry of our Holy Father Pope Francis, we believe that the Holy Spirit is truly alive in the church and prompts us to voice what we see as the important qualities in a new bishop. The Catholic church in West Virginia needs a bishop who: • is a man of prayer, centered in the gospel word and in the life of Christ • lives simply rather than in princely style, seeks to serve rather than be served, is willing to take on the “smell of the sheep” • pledges to be truthful, transparent, and caring • strives to be a pastor rather than an administrator • is committed to the ongoing reform begun by the Second Vatican Council • is committed to a spirit of collaboration where the leadership of lay men and women is welcomed at all levels of the church • respects the experience, insights, and knowledge of the people of the diocese • has, or is willing to develop, experience in rural ministry, and is committed to continuing the tradition and message of the Appalachian pastoral letters, that are so unique to life in West Virginia • follows Pope Francis’ commitment to social, economic, and ecological justice in word and in action. • prophetically proclaims the fulness of the church’s social teaching on local, regional, national, and global issues of concern and urges his clergy to preach the same • partners with ecumenical and community groups at the grassroots to expose and rectify the root causes of poverty, unemployment, and ecological destruction • has an awareness that the state and the church in West Virginia are in an economic transition, moving toward a new Appalachia • is young and energetic, able to travel and willing to be among the people • is inclusive of all races, gender identities, ethnicities, and sexual orientations Our church desperately needs transparency. The disclosure of years of cover-up has destroyed the trust of so many Catholic laity. The selection of a new bishop provides an opportunity to shine a light on a process that, in the past, has been secretive at best. We ask that these steps toward transparency be seriously considered. 1. In our diocesan newspaper, The Catholic Spirit, publish a description of the process of selecting a bishop. Who is consulted? How are candidates selected and screened? How many candidates are there? Who are the individuals, the decision makers in the process? To what extent are the laity involved? 2. We ask that the Presbyteral Council and the Parish Pastoral Councils be invited to submit their recommendations for the qualities they would like to see in a new bishop.