The CatholicWitness The Newspaper of the Diocese of Harrisburg August 7, 2015 Vol. 49 No. 14 World Youth Day Kickoff Heartens Young People to Set out on Pilgrimage By Jen Reed The Catholic Witness “Hail Mary” echoed through the resi- dential neighborhood situated between the Cardinal Keeler Center and Bishop McDevitt High School in Harrisburg on a hot and sunny Aug. 1, as Bishop Ronald Gainer led some 200 youth and young adults in a Rosary procession through the tree-lined streets. The young people were gathered from all points of the diocese that day, coming together as one community of believers to mark one year until the World Youth Day Mass with Pope Francis in Krakow, Poland. They assembled first at the Cardinal Keeler Center for the Sacrament of Reconciliation, praise and worship mu- sic, and Holy Mass. With backpacks and water bottles at their feet, the youth and young adults knelt on the floor of the Cardinal Kee- ler Center, giving full attention and rev- erence to the Body of Christ as Bishop Gainer elevated the Eucharist during Mass. Organized by the Diocesan Office for Youth and Young Adult Ministry, in conjunction with the annual Catho- lic Youth Experience, the gathering of- fered an opportunity for teens and their EMILY M. ALBERT, THE CATHOLIC WITNESS chaperones to begin their time of prepa- Bishop Ronald Gainer leads youth and young adults in a Rosary procession through neighborhoods between the Cardinal ration for the World Youth Day celebra- Keeler Center and Bishop McDevitt High School in Harrisburg on Aug. 1. The pilgrimage, which included a Mass, spirited tion in Poland next July 23-August 1, praise and worship music, spiritual reflection and Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, marked one year until next summer’s World Youth Day celebrations. More WORLD YOUTH DAY, page 8 Father Steffen Made Personal Cardinal Urges Senators to Back Measure Connections to Bring People to Christ to Defund Planned Parenthood By Jen Reed pub and meet with the peo- Catholic News Service He urged senators to support S. The Catholic Witness ple there. The men would 1881, a measure that would defund get to know him and seek The head of the U.S. bishops’ pro- Planned Parenthood and its affili- Father Carl Steffen was his counsel. He loved all life committee Aug. 3 urged U.S. ates. His letter followed the release the consummate teacher, people; every age and ev- senators to take the federal money in mid-July of videos of the organi- seeking as many pathways that goes to the Planned Parenthood ery background. He enjoyed zation’s officials filmed undercover as possible to connect with getting to know them. It was Federation of America and instead by a nonprofit California-based people and bring them to all a part of his ministry, fund women’s health care providers Christ. and because of that, he was that do not promote abortion. organization called the Center for Sometimes he made those a mentor to a lot of people “It has long been troubling to Medical Progress. (See page 6.) connections in the Confes- over the years,” he said. many Americans that the nation’s Planned Parenthood receives more sional; other times in the lo- Father Steffen died July largest abortion network, perform- than $500 million of its $1.3 billion cal pub. Father Carl Steffen 15 at his home in Orrtanna. ing over a third of all abortions, re- annual budget from federal and state His longtime friend, Fa- He was 85, and had been a ceives over half a billion taxpayer programs. According to 2013 data, ther Joseph Carolin, recalls how the late priest of the Diocese of Harrisburg for 57 dollars a year,” said Boston Cardinal the latest available, Planned Parent- priest would frequently distribute holy years; 27 of them served at St. Ignatius Sean P. O’Malley. hood says abortions represent 3 per- cards to people when they came to him Loyola Parish in Buchanan Valley. “This concern has rightly grown in cent of the total services its facilities for the Sacrament of Reconciliation, or The funeral Mass was celebrated by recent years,” he wrote in a letter to provide. for counsel. Bishop Ronald Gainer on July 18 at St. the senators. On Capitol Hill, a number of Re- “He would give them the cards to offer Ignatius Church, with burial in Gethse- “The most recent revelations about publicans in the House and Sen- mane Cemetery in Laureldale, Pa., on the prayer suggestions or examples of how Planned Parenthood’s willingness to ate have called for an end to fed- to pray,” Father Carolin said. Steffen Family plot. traffic in fetal tissue from abortions, eral funding of Planned Parenthood. “Sometimes, he would go to a local It was at the cemetery as friends and and to alter abortion methods not Several states also have launched loved ones gathered for any reason related to women’s investigations into the organization. for the burial on July health but to obtain more ‘intact’ or- 20 that one of the holy gans, is the latest demonstration of a In his letter, Cardinal O’Malley cards Father Steffen had callousness toward women and their added: “The Catholic Church comes distributed years ago unborn children that is shocking to to this issue from a perspective root- surfaced once again, many Americans,” he said. ed in experience. Catholic charitable Father Carolin told The The cardinal is chairman of the agencies and pregnancy help cen- Catholic Witness. U.S. Conference of Catholic Bish- ters have helped countless pregnant More FATHER STEFFEN, ops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activi- women find life-affirming alterna- page 2 ties. tives to abortion.” The 2 - Catholic Witness • August 7, 2015 Bishop Malesic Returns to Harrisburg for Mass of Thanksgiving By Jen Reed after his ordination as Bishop of The Catholic Witness Greensburg with a Mass of Thanks- giving at Good Shepherd Church in The Diocese of Harrisburg wel- Camp Hill on the evening of July 31. comed back its native son, Bishop Ed- The Mass, celebrated by Bishop ward Malesic, less than three weeks Ronald Gainer, gave diocesan faithful – including members of Holy Infant Parish in York Haven, of the Diocesan Center offices and of other parishes and organizations which then-Father Malesic had served – an opportunity to offer their prayers and best wishes to the new bishop. Bishop Malesic told the congrega- tion that he is still getting used to being a bishop, and that he will be attending this fall what is commonly known as “baby bishops’ school” – a seminar hosted every September by the Con- gregation for Bishops in Rome, which assists new bishops in better under- standing the roles they have in the lo- CHRIS HEISEY, THE CATHOLIC WITNESS cal Church. The Diocese of Greensburg’s new shepherd and Harrisburg Diocesan native He spoke modestly about his ap- Bishop Edward Malesic blesses the congregation at Good Shepherd Church in pointment, and recalled the July 13 Camp Hill at the conclusion of the Mass of Thanksgiving celebrated for him there Mass of Ordination and Installation on July 31. with humility. member today. Our lives are about Je- is privileged to know Jesus and to be “The temptation is to say that it was sus. We live our lives with Jesus. We with him at this Mass. all about me. I was front and center, give our lives for Jesus,” he continued. “How blessed we are – and one thing there is no doubt of that – but I would “He calls all of us to be his Church. that I hope to always remember is this: still prefer to be in the back pew. In the end, it was all about Jesus. It is His He calls every one of us to follow Him Being a bishop is only part of the call,” Church that he is providing for,” he and to be as holy as we can be. Every he concluded, “just like being mar- remarked. “All of us are called to pro- one of us is called to be a Christian.” ried is only part of the call, or being Bishop Edward Malesic makes the vide for the Church – but in different “God has done great things for all of a pastoral minister, or pastor. Being a Sign of the Cross on his lips before the us,” he said. “This is not just a Mass of Christian, a disciple, a follower of Je- Gospel is proclaimed during a Mass ways according to our different God- of Thanksgiving at Good Shepherd given gifts. Thanksgiving for me. It is a Mass of sus, that’s the ultimate call from Jesus Church July 31. “That’s what I want all of us to re- Thanksgiving for all of us. Each of us who says to each of us, ‘Follow me.’” example of the countless people whose Reading, and attended Reading Central to life than what you do—an occupation Father Steffen lives Father Steffen impacted over the Catholic. He went on to study at Villanova can be a way into other people’s lives, and Continued from 1 years. University for four years and at St. Je- when I think of all the lives he touched, it “As I was pulling in to the cemetery, “He was a good teacher. He was always rome’s College in Kitchener, Ontario, for is simply remarkable,” said Mrs. Cochran. a man came up to the car waving a holy kind of coaching people on what to read a year before entering Mount St. Mary’s “I had the privilege of watching him in- card that had the Prayer to St.