Inside Archbishop Buechlein . 5 Editorial . 4 Question Corner . 15 The Sunday and Daily Readings . 15 Respect Life Supplement . 9 Serving the CChurchCriterion in Centralr andi Southert n Indianae Since 1960rion www.archindy.org October 1, 2004 Vol. XXXXIV, No. 1 75¢ Respect Life awards will be presented at Oct. 3 Mass By Mary Ann Wyand Parish in Indianapolis, will be recognized McCullough, formerly a member of a busy extracurricular schedule at school for facilitating a St. Mary Parish in and a part-time job. For the first time, two Archbishop number of student Greensburg, who Father Jonathan Edward T. O’Meara Respect Life Awards pro-life projects for spent many hours Meyer, associate will be presented in the same year during more than a decade, working on pro-life director of youth and the archdiocesan Respect Life Sunday including school par- projects in Decatur young adult ministry liturgy at 1 p.m. on Oct. 3 at SS. Peter and ticipation in the County even as she for the archdiocese Paul Cathedral in Indianapolis. March for Life battled a serious ill- and associate pastor The archdiocese’s annual award for dis- each January in ness for five years. of Our Lady of the tinguished service to the cause of life will Washington, D.C., A third honor, the Greenwood, Queen be presented to a longtime Catholic high and student service Our Lady of of the Holy Rosary school teacher for mentoring teenagers Gerard Striby trips to Appalachia Linda McCullough Guadalupe Pro-Life Jackie Appleman Parish in and posthumously for a woman’s dedica- to help poverty- Youth Award, will be Greenwood, is the tion to pro-life work, which she continued stricken people improve their housing presented to Bishop Chatard High School principal celebrant for the Respect Life daily until a few hours before her death. conditions. senior Jackie Appleman of St. Lawrence Sunday Mass. Roncalli High School religion teacher A second Respect Life Award will be Parish in Indianapolis, who makes pro-life At the conclusion of the liturgy, Gerard Striby, a member of St. Roch presented to the family of the late Linda projects a priority in her life in addition to See AWARDS, page 2 War on terrorism Greenwood parish receives first-class is the focus of relic of St. Francis of Assisi U.S. foreign By Mary Ann Wyand policy debate GREENWOOD—A first-class relic Editor’s note: The U.S. bishops’ of St. Francis of Assisi has found a Administrative Committee adopted new home in the Blessed Sacrament “Faithful Chapel at SS. Francis and Clare of Wyand MaryPhotos by Ann Citizenship: A Assisi Parish in Greenwood just in Catholic Call to time for the popular saint’s feast day Political on Oct. 4. Responsibility” as a The relic is a piece of bone from the blueprint on how saint’s body, which came with official Catholic social teaching should affect polit- documentation written in Latin. It is ical participation by Catholics. Here is one encased behind glass in a black and story in an ongoing Catholic News Service gold metal cross and is a gift from series about how the stands of the longtime St. Matthew parishioner Democratic and Republican presidential Robert J. Alerding of Indianapolis, candidates stack up with “Faithful who is retired, visually impaired and Citizenship.” resides at Marquette Manor. Alerding received the relic as a gift in WASHINGTON (CNS)—Just as the ter- 1966 from the late David and Mary rorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, dominated Frances Fox, friends who were members the first term of President George W. Bush, of Christ the King Parish in Indianapo- the war on terrorism is dominating the for- lis. They acquired the relic preserved eign policy issues of the 2004 presidential inside a cross during a visit to Assisi that campaign. year and gave it to him because his wife, While there is much debate about defeat- Margaret, had died in 1963 and he was ing terrorists and U.S. involvement in Iraq, raising five children alone. there has been little campaign discussion In 1951, Alerding made his profes- about fighting global poverty, solving sion as a Third Order Franciscan at the regional conflicts such as the Israeli- former Alverna Retreat Center in Palestinian struggle, combating the global Indianapolis. From late 1966 through Longtime St. Matthew parishioner Robert J. Alerding of Indianapolis talks with Father Vincent pandemic of AIDS, debt relief for poor early 1970, he served as chairman of the Lampert, pastor of SS. Francis and Clare of Assisi Parish in Greenwood, after presenting a docu- countries and international arms reduction North American Third Order Federation mented first-class relic of St. Francis of Assisi to the Johnson County parish. Father Lampert holds treaties. for the United States and Canada. His the sacred relic, a bone fragment which is encased in glass in a black and gold cross. The U.S. bishops see all of these issues late wife also was a secular Franciscan. as an integral part of an effective world He also is a member of the People of See ELECTION, page 8 Peace Franciscan Fraternity, which meets monthly at Marian College in Indianapolis. Shortly before Mary Frances Fox died on Sept. 13, Alerding visited her and prayed at her bedside with the relic. Father Vincent Lampert, the pastor of SS. Francis and Clare Parish since 2003, said the documented first-class relic is a special gift and will be displayed under the large San Damiano cross in the chapel near another relic of St. Francis and a relic of St. Clare. “It gives us a strong connection with our patron saints,” Father Lampert said. “It’s one thing just to have a saint’s name for our parish, but when we can have something that gives us a direct contact with one of our patron saints that’s really nice.” Our Sunday Visitor’s Catholic Jesuit Brother Gebhard Frohlich of New Orleans painted these icons of St. Francis and St. Clare of Encyclopedia explains that, in Christian Assisi, which are on display in the narthex of SS. Francis and Clare of Assisi Parish in Greenwood. usage, the term “sacred relic” applies to The parish purchased the icons when Father Stephen Jarrell was pastor of the parish founded in See RELIC, page 18 1993. Page 2 The Criterion Friday, October 1, 2004 students, teachers and staff members. Roncalli High School religion Gerard certainly has been the catalyst teacher Gerard Striby, a mem- AWARDS Submitted photo continued from page 1 behind this group’s growth.” ber of St. Roch Parish in Striby said he will accept the pro-life Indianapolis, prays the rosary Servant of the Gospel of Life Diane award on behalf of Roncalli students who while an unidentified girl holds Carollo, director of the archdiocesan support the March for Life, pray outside a pro-life sign during a Central Office for Pro-Life Ministry, will recog- abortion clinics, participate in the Central Indiana Life Chain prayer vigil nize the three award recipients for out- Indiana Life Chain, help the poor in on a past Respect Life Sunday standing service in a variety of pro-life Appalachia and continue to inspire him in Indianapolis. Striby will projects. with their dedication and enthusiasm. receive the Archbishop Edward The 14th annual Central Indiana Life “The interest in these activities can be T. O’Meara Respect Life Award Chain follows the Mass at 2:30 p.m. along directly attributed to Gerard and his hard for distinguished service to the North Meridian Street in Indianapolis. work,” Weisenbach said. “While abortion cause of life during the The archdiocesan Office for Pro-Life is one of the most visible, pivotal areas for Respect Life Mass on Oct. 3 at Ministry is sponsoring a concert for youth our pro-life group, [the students] also SS. Peter and Paul Cathedral in and adults at 3:30 p.m. in the Archbishop challenge all of us at Roncalli in the areas Indianapolis. O’Meara Catholic Center Assembly Hall. of euthanasia, sacredness of the human Catholic recording artist Tony Avellana of body and the death penalty, just to name a Carmel, Ind., a member of St. Maria few. … I am very confident that our pro- joined the Decatur County Right to Life her language skills at a Crisis Pregnancy Goretti Parish in Westfield, Ind., in the life group has done a great job planting organization and helped the Decatur Center. Lafayette Diocese, will combine pro-life seeds that will bear great fruit in the years County Teens for Life promote respect for Pattie Abbott, youth ministry coordina- commentary with Christian music. There to come.” life and chastity. tor at St. Lawrence Parish, said Jackie has will be a free-will offering. Weisenbach describes Striby as “an Even after illness made it impossible devoted her high school years to promot- Striby recently began his 13th year as a outstanding role model for all in our for her to work, drive or even walk, she ing respect for the sanctity of life. faculty member in the religious studies school community. His commitment to continued to volunteer for the cause of life Abbott said Jackie has been an active department at Roncalli High School. In pro-life issues is a real gift to our school.” by organizing pro-life events from her member of the Bishop Chatard pro-life addition to teaching junior religion Teaching at Roncalli is a ministry, not a home and making telephone calls to sup- team, attended the March for Life several classes, he serves as the pro-life coordina- job, Striby said.