Pope Francis Welcomes Retired Pope Benedict Back to Vatican
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
May 12, 2013 Think Green 50¢ Recycle Volume 87, No. 19 Go Green todayscatholicnews.org Serving the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend Go Digital Graduation Meet the valedictorians, salutatorians of ’ Catholic high schools ODAYODAY’SS ATHOLICATHOLIC Pages 10-13 TT CC Ascension Pope Francis welcomes retired Pope Christ’s closeness to us forever Page 2 Benedict back to Vatican Action alert BY CINDY WOODEN Protect conscience rights, VATICAN CITY (CNS) — For the first time in religious liberty history, the Vatican is home to a pope and a retired Page 3 pope. Pope Francis welcomed his predecessor, retired Pope Benedict XVI, to the Vatican May 2 outside the convent remodeled for the 86-year-old retired pontiff and five aides. Pope Francis and Pope Pope at rosary Benedict entered the convent’s chapel together “for a brief moment of prayer,” said Jesuit Father Mary helps Christians grow Federico Lombardi, Vatican spokesman. Pope Benedict had been staying at the papal Page 4 summer villa in Castel Gandolfo since retiring Feb. 28. Pope Francis traveled to the villa 10 days after his election to visit, pray and have lunch with Pope Benedict; the new pope also has telephoned his predecessor on at least two occasions. Mission work In response to questions about the fact that Pope impacts student Benedict seemed to be much frailer than he was two months ago, Father Lombardi told reporters, Bishop Dwenger senior “He’s an elderly man, weakened by age, but he is not suffering from any illness.” prepares to return to Haiti In the last year of his pontificate, Pope Benedict Page 9 was seen walking with a cane on more and more public occasions; after Pope Benedict retired, Father Lombardi confirmed that he had had a pacemaker inserted before becoming pope in 2005 and had undergone a brief procedure in November The Catholic Doctor to replace the battery. While the Vatican is now home to a pope CNS PHOTO/L’OSSEVATORE ROMANO VIA REUTERS Is In Retired Pope Benedict XVI greets Pope Francis at the Vatican May 2. The 86-year-old retired pon- tiff, who had been staying at the papal summer villa in Castel Gandolfo since retiring Feb. 28, Making good decisions HISTORIC, PAGE 20 returned to the Vatican to live in a monastery in the Vatican Gardens. at the end of life Page 16 Catholic school expansion in Fort Wayne St. Joseph and St. Elizabeth Ann Seton parishes to open doors to two separate schools in fall, 2014 BY CORINE B. ERLANDSON FORT WAYNE — It is the hope that St. Joseph-St. Elizabeth School, St. Joseph Parish and St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish will be starting a new chapter in their schools and parishes in August of 2014. That is when two separate schools, St. Joseph Catholic School and St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic School, will begin the school year as two separate Catholic schools. For the past 15 years, St. Joseph-St. Elizabeth School operated as a joint Catholic school, sponsored by both St. Joseph Parish and St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish. The school received financial support from both parishes. PHOTOS BY TIM JOHNSON St. Joseph School, at left, is located at 2211 Brooklyn Ave. in southwest Fort Wayne. St. Elizabeth Ann Seton School, right, is located at 10700 Aboite Center Road in southwest Fort Wayne. EXPAND, PAGE 3 2 TODAY’ S C ATHOLIC May 12, 2013 TODAY’S CATHOLIC Official newspaper of the The Ascension: Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend P.O. Box 11169 Fort Wayne, IN 46856 PUBLISHER: Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades Christ’s closeness to us forever EDITOR: Tim Johnson NEWS EDITOR and STAFF WRITER: Kay Cozad IN TRUTH Editorial Department PAGE DESIGNER: Francie Hogan AND FREELANCE WRITERS: Michelle Castleman, CHARITY Karen Clifford, Bonnie Elberson, Denise Fedorow, Diane Freeby, Sister Margie BY BISHOP KEVIN C. RHOADES Lavonis, CSC, Jodi Magallanes, Joe Kozinski, Vince LaBarbera and Deb Wagner his Sunday we celebrate the glorious mystery of the Ascension of the Lord. Business Department The Gospel of Luke tells us that BUSINESS MANAGER: Sean McBride Twhen Jesus was taken up to heaven, the AD GRAPHICS DIRECTOR: Mark Weber disciples did him homage and returned to BOOKKEEPING/CIRCULATION: Kathy Voirol Jerusalem with great joy. Why this joy? [email protected] We might have expected them to feel aban- doned or sad at this separation of Jesus Advertising Sales from them. But no, they did not feel aban- Tess Steffen (Fort Wayne area) doned. Our Pope Emeritus, Benedict XVI, (260) 456-2824 wrote beautifully about this in the second volume of his book, Jesus of Nazareth: … the disciples do not feel abandoned. They do not consider Jesus to have dis- Web site: www.todayscatholicnews.org appeared far away into an inaccessible heaven. They are obviously convinced of a Published weekly except the fourth Sunday in June, second and fourth new presence of Jesus. They are certain…. weeks in July and August, the first, that he is now present to them in a new third and fifth weeks of September and and powerful way. They know that ‘the last week in December by the Diocese right hand of God’ to which he ‘has been of Fort Wayne-South Bend, 1103 S. exalted’ includes a new manner of his pres- Calhoun St., P.O. Box 390, Fort Wayne, ence; they know that he is now permanently IN 46801. Periodicals postage paid at among them, in the way that only God can Fort Wayne, IN, and additional mailing be close to us…… “Ascension” does not office. mean departure into a remote region of the cosmos but, rather, the continuing close- POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: ness that the disciples experience so strong- Today’s Catholic, P.O. Box 11169, Fort ly that it becomes a source of lasting joy. Wayne, IN 46856-1169 or email: [email protected]. This is the joy of today’s feast, not that Jesus has departed from the world. Christ’s MAIN OFFICE: 915 S. Clinton St., Fort Ascension means that He no longer belongs Wayne, IN 46802. Telephone (260) to the world of corruption and death that 456-2824. Fax: (260) 744-1473. conditions our life. But He did not journey BUREAU OFFICE: 1328 Dragoon Trail, off into space somewhere. He ascended to Mishawaka, IN 46544. Telephone (574) the Father. Because Jesus is with the Father 234-0687. Fax (574) 830-1042. who embraces and sustains the entire cos- CNS PHOTO/GREGORY A. SHEMITZ, LONG ISLAND CATHOLIC mos, He is close to each one of us forever. Christ’s ascent to heaven is depicted in a stained-glass window at St. Therese of Lisieux Church in News deadline is the Monday morning We can call upon Him and He is always Montauk, N.Y. The feast of the Ascension, observed May 12 this year, celebrates the completion of before publication date. Advertising within our hearing. We can inwardly draw Christ’s mission on earth and His entry into heaven. deadline is nine days before publica- near to Him. He comes to us in the sacra- tion date. ments, most amazingly in the Eucharist. Jesus is also close to us through the Holy descended upon them on Pentecost which ture. The message of Christ will have an Today’s Catholic may be reached at : we will celebrate next Sunday. impact on our world only through the wit- Today’s Catholic, Spirit, the promise of the Father. The whole Trinity is involved with us! In Luke’s The Holy Spirit is the power through ness of believers who live the Gospel in a P.O. Box 11169, Fort Wayne, IN which Jesus caused the disciples and causes convincing and faithful manner. To do so, 46856-1169; or email: Gospel, Jesus says to the disciples: Behold I [email protected] am sending the promise of my Father upon all of us, His disciples today, to experience we must listen to the Word of God, be men you. This promise of the Father is the Holy his closeness. Experiencing His closeness, and women of prayer, with lives centered ISSN 0891-1533 Spirit. That’s why Jesus did not send the knowing Him intimately through the power in the Holy Eucharist. We must be men and USPS 403630 disciples out on mission at that moment. of the Holy Spirit, we are strengthened to women who open our hearts to the gifts of He told them to wait, to stay in the city be His witnesses. This is how the Church, the Holy Spirit we received at Baptism and until they (were) clothed with power from Christ’s family, spread from Jerusalem, Confirmation. on high. This power is the Holy Spirit out- throughout Judea and Samaria, and even If our faith in the Risen Lord is alive, if poured on Pentecost. to the ends of the earth. This is how the we are close to Christ, our hearts will be We read about the event of the Church grew: through witnesses, start- full of joy and the mission of witnessing Ascension also in the Acts of the Apostles. ing with Peter and the apostles, and down to our faith will come naturally. The joy There we read that, before his Ascension, through the centuries, men and women of following Christ impels us to bring to Jesus told the disciples that they would be close to Christ, filled with the Holy Spirit, others the good news of salvation with the baptized with the Holy Spirit. He said: you people of faith living their lives as wit- courage that comes from the Holy Spirit. will receive power when the Holy Spirit nesses of the Risen Lord.