By Catholic News Service
Diocese of St. Augustine prepares for 450th anniversary of settlement
ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. (CNS) — The Diocese of St. Augustine will join the city of St. Augustine in celebrating the 450th anniversary of the first permanent settlement of European origin in what became the continental United States. Bishop Felipe Estevez of the St. Augustine called the founding of the city providential. “The founding of St. Augustine is all about evangelization, the sharing of Christianity with the Native Americans,” he said. Conversion of the native people of Florida was an important motivation for Pedro Menendez de Aviles of Spain, who established the community in 1565. And so was commercial development, said historian Michael Gannon. “That evangelical impulse was nowhere more apparent than in his words at court, addressed to King Philip II in March 1565 when he asked for an ‘asiento’ (license) to colonize Florida,” Gannon explained. He cited the words of Menendez: “I would choose the settling of Florida before any other command or dignity that your majesty might bestow upon me.” The king responded by telling Menendez that “you will include 10 to 12 religious … so that there may be religious instruction in the said land and the Indians can be converted to our holy Catholic faith and to our obedience …”
Kentucky priest faces federal charge of accessing child pornography
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (CNS) — A Kentucky priest was arrested in Florida on a federal charge of accessing pornographic images of children online. Father Stephen Pohl, who resigned as pastor of St. Margaret Mary Church in Louisville Aug. 20, was arrested in Florida a day later. The priest was placed on administrative leave Aug. 12, when the Archdiocese of Louisville learned he was under investigation by the FBI. The action by the archdiocese means Father Pohl may not present himself as a priest, wear clerical clothing or serve in ministry. Louisville Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz said during a news conference Aug. 21 hours before the arrest that the archdiocese is cooperating with the FBI and concentrating its efforts on the pastoral care and safety of those affected. “I personally and all of our archdiocese are deeply grieved,” he said. “Our effort to provide pastoral care and especially to reach out to families has already begun and will continue.”
Baton Rouge parishes helped Katrina’s youngest and oldest victims
BATON ROUGE, La. (CNS) — After the devastating impact of Katrina, many of the most vulnerable victims — newborns and elderly from New Orleans — found refuge at parishes in the Diocese of Baton Rouge. St. Patrick Church in Baton Rouge provided one of only a few shelters in the area specifically for evacuee families of newborn babies, according to volunteers there at the time. Dr. Stephanie Cave, who practices family medicine and is a longtime St. Patrick parishioner, said the local hospital delivered as many babies as possible but could not keep them as long as they needed to be kept. Babies in stable condition, even if born premature, were sent to St. Patrick and the other baby shelters. “These tiny babies were coming into the shelter,” Cave recalled. “We went and talked to the mothers. We had a number of women who offered to help the moms who were trying to breast-feed their babies — some for the first time.” She said there were many first-time mothers who were unsure of what to do. Their difficulty was compounded by the fact they had been forced from their homes and were in an unfamiliar place sleeping on cots.
Labor Day statement: Reflection, action ‘critical’ for care of workers
WASHINGTON (CNS) — “Individual reflection and action is critical” when it comes to improving the conditions of workers in the United States and elsewhere, said Archbishop Thomas G. Wenski of Miami, chairman of the U.S. bishops’ Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development, in the U.S. bishops’ annual Labor Day statement. “We are in need of a profound conversion of heart at all levels of our lives. Let us examine our choices,” Archbishop Wenski said in the statement, dated Labor Day Sept. 7, but issued Aug. 24 in Washington. “How do we participate in this wounding of human dignity,” he asked, through choices about the clothes we wear, food we eat, and things we buy — most of which is unaffordable to the very workers who make it? Do we give a thought to this truth, that for our wants to be met, economic realities are created that cause others to live in ways that we ourselves would not?” Still, “individual effort should not stand alone.” Archbishop Wenski said. “Sufficient decent work that honors dignity and families is a necessary component of the task before us, and it is the Catholic way.”
Judge orders release of immigrant families within 60 days
WASHINGTON (CNS) – A federal judge Aug. 21 gave the Obama administration 60 days — until Oct. 23 — to release the hundreds of immigrant mothers and children being held in locked detention centers. Central California District Court Judge Dolly Gee reiterated her order of a month earlier, in which she said a long-standing court settlement over treatment of juveniles in immigration custody is violated by the government’s policy of detaining mothers and children while they pursue asylum or other ways of remaining in the country. The administration had appealed Gee’s order, repeating many of its original arguments for why it should be allowed to detain families and saying a system is already in place to reduce how long the families are held. Gee’s response clarified some parts of her July order, and in other places criticized the government’s appeal. For instance, she said it was “speculative at best, and, at worst, fear mongering” when the government argued that her orders to release the families “could heighten the risk of another surge in illegal migration across our Southwest border by Central American families, including by incentivizing adults to bring children with them on their dangerous journey as a means to avoid detention and gain access to the interior of the United States.”
Teachers ratify contract underscoring high schools’ Catholic mission
SAN FRANCISCO (CNS) — A new labor agreement between the Archdiocese of San Francisco and the union representing teachers at the four archdiocesan high schools states that Catholic teachings must remain paramount in the classroom and that teachers are accountable for personal conduct that could negatively affect their ability to serve the Catholic mission. Marin Catholic High School president Tim Navone said the agreement, which follows months of contention that made national headlines, brings the focus back on teaching. “I am most excited that our teachers are going to be able to be fully focused without distraction on what they are going to do best, and that is teaching,” he said Aug. 20. “As an administrator, my hope and goal is they have the sole focus of educating our students.” Navone told Catholic San Francisco, the archdiocesan newspaper that he is “filled with a lot of gratitude for those on all sides. The union executive committee really worked hard.” Ted DeSaulnier, a religion teacher at Archbishop Riordan High School and a member of the executive committee of Archdiocesan Federation of Teachers Local 2240, said he felt relieved to settle a disagreement he described as “one of those perfect storms.”
Former seminarian finds silver lining from post-Katrina rescue
NEW ORLEANS (CNS) — New Orleans attorney Brandon Briscoe was a second-year pre-theology student at Notre Dame Seminary in 2005 when he took a photograph of Department of Wildlife and Fisheries workers evacuating him and 20 others from the seminary on the afternoon of Sept. 1 — three days after the landfall of Hurricane Katrina. From there, the stranded were taken to dry land. Briscoe joined the rescuers on the back of their pickup truck and was taken to Lafayette, where he rented a car to join his displaced family in Mississippi. About 40 Notre Dame seminarians, faculty, staff and guests had chosen to hunker down at the seminary during the storm for various reasons, Briscoe said. “A number of us did not realize what we were in for,” said Briscoe, who was 24 at the time. “The building is a four-story brick building with generators, so we thought we could ride out a typical storm. We had enough food in the freezers to feed 100 seminarians for a month.” They stayed for other reasons, too. Before the storm, a number of them were busy helping frail residents of a New Orleans nursing home onto evacuation vehicles. After the hurricane’s landfall, the young men were enlisted to patch the seminary’s roof and clean up water that had leaked into the basement.
Katrina odyssey brought many blessings for New Orleans priest
NEW ORLEANS (CNS) — Like many of his brother priests, Father Dennis Hayes decided to take his chances and stay put as Katrina teased the Louisiana coast, hoping the storm’s Category 5 fury would spare his parish of St. Louise de Marillac in Arabi. Surely Katrina would veer away at the last minute as so many hurricanes had done before. And even if the storm did cause some damage, thought Father Hayes, at least he would be available to his parishioners. After successfully weathering Katrina on the second floor of St. Louise’s concrete-and-steel school building — with the Blessed Sacrament, his parish’s sacramental registers and his pet dog Badooki — Father Hayes assumed the worst was over by Monday morning, Aug. 29, 2005. But that sigh of relief turned into alarm when the town of Arabi began filling up like a bathtub. “Within one hour — between about 8 and 9 a.m. — I saw the water cover all of the homes and the entire parish plant,” recalled Father Hayes, now pastor of Blessed Trinity Church in New Orleans. “In just that little bit of time the water rose from the ground to the wires of the light poles. That night I could hear cries and wailing of people for help,” he said.
Reputed mafia don’s extravagant funeral raises questions in Rome
ROME (CNS) — Television programs, coffee bars, Italian Twitter accounts and the corridors of political power were abuzz Aug. 20-21 with news and commentary about the extravagance surrounding the funeral of the reputed boss of an organized crime ring in Rome. The funeral Mass for Vittorio Casamonica, 65, was celebrated at St. John Bosco Church in southeast Rome Aug. 20. His body was carried to the church in an antique gilded black hearse drawn by six black horses. When it arrived at the church, a band outside played the theme song from the film “The Godfather.” A poster hung over the entrance to the church said, “You conquered Rome, now you will conquer heaven.” Another, taped to a column alongside the entrance, proclaimed him “King of Rome” and featured a photo of Casamonica dressed in a white suit and wearing a large cross, a photo of the dome of St. Peter’s Basilica and one of the Colosseum. After the Mass, a helicopter flew over and dropped rose petals, and the coffin was transported to the cemetery in a Rolls-Royce hearse. The Vatican newspaper, L’Osservatore Romano, called the funeral a “scandal.”
Pope marks Ukraine’s independence calling for peace
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Marking the 24th anniversary of Ukraine’s independence, Pope Francis sent a letter to the nation’s president and asked Catholics to join him in prayers for peace. After reciting the Angelus prayer Aug. 23 with visitors in St. Peter’s Square, the pope told the crowds, “With deep concern I am following the conflict in eastern Ukraine, which has accelerated once again in the past few weeks. “I renew my appeal that the commitments made for achieving peace would be respected and that, with the help of organizations and people of goodwill, there would be a response to the humanitarian emergency in the country,” the pope said. The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, which is monitoring the situation in Eastern Ukraine where Russian-backed separatists are fighting national troops, has reported increasing violations of a cease-fire agreement signed in February. The United Nations estimates fighting since April 2014 has claimed at least 6,800 lives; more than 1.4 million Ukrainians are displaced within the country and another 925,000 have sought refugee outside Ukraine.
Pope urges visitors to really get to know Jesus by reading Gospels
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Pope Francis asked thousands of people gathered in St. Peter’s Square to be quiet for a moment and ponder the question, “Who is Jesus to you?” After the moment of silence Aug. 23, the pope introduced the midday Angelus prayer by asking Mary to help Christians purify their faith, removing “worldly incrustations and fears.” Commenting on the day’s Gospel reading from St. John, the pope said people were scandalized when Jesus told them he was the “bread of life” and “clearly alluded” to the fact that he would sacrifice his life for them. The people were upset, he said, because such talk did not fit in with their idea of the Messiah. They thought “he should speak and act in a way that his mission would have success immediately. They understood Jesus’ words so well that they did not want to listen to him because they were words that put their mentality in crisis,” he said. The words of Jesus challenge people’s ideas today, as well, he said.
Pope in the pews: Monsignor surprised to have Pope Francis at his Mass
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — From the time he was archbishop of Buenos Aires, Argentina, Pope Francis has said special prayers for catechists on the feast of St. Pius X, who wrote a catechism in 1908. Pope Francis celebrated a private Mass in his residence very early on the feast day, Aug. 21, but decided to pray for catechists at the tomb of St. Pius in St. Peter’s Basilica. About 70 people were sitting or kneeling at pews in front of the tomb waiting for a 7 a.m. Mass when the pope arrived, so he joined them, sitting in the front pew. According to the Vatican newspaper, L’Osservatore Romano, a basilica employee hurried to the sacristy where Msgr. Lucio Bonora, an official at the Vatican Secretariat of State, two other priests from his office and altar boys from Malta were beginning their procession to the altar. “The pope’s at the altar of St. Pius X!” the employee told the monsignor. “What do I do? Turn back?” the monsignor asked. “No, no, go ahead,” the employee told him, according to L’Osservatore.