tlic

to thefaith of my grandmotherhome

comingparenting journey

She’s 15, he’s 18 – should they date?spiritual fitness

The meaning of the Christmas crèchework life

I lost my job – again!

The Long Island Catholic / December 2012 / www.drvc.org2

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4 from the editor This advent, let’s give the gift of faith

5 belong more deeply Getting to know who we are as a Church

6 yourlife 6 work life

I lost my job – again! 8 parenting journey

She’s 15, he’s 18 – should they date?

10 marriage matters He says: “ She wants everything

to be exactly even for the children.” She says: “I want to be fair.” What do they do?12 culture

Leftovers redeemed14 our domestic church Comfort15 catholic charities New beginnings

16 yourfaith 16 cover story

Coming home to the faith of my grandmother

25 in the know with Father Joe Why can’t we get married outside?

26 saint of the month Giving light to the blind – St. Lucy28 theology 101

What are the differences among Judaism, Christianity and Islam?

30 spiritual fitness The meaning of the Christmas crèche

37 harvesting hope The narrow door

22 yourstories 22 my story

Our Holy Redeemer catechist offers teens the ‘peace and wholeness’ she has found in Christ

33 yourcommunity 33 local news38 classifieds

contentsThe Magazine of the Catholic Diocese of Rockville Centre

December 2012 • Volume 1: Issue 1 Bishop William Murphy

PUBLISHER

Sean P. DolanASSocIAtE PUBLISHER

Richard HinshawEDItoR

Patricia MulrooneyDeacon Jack McKenna

ADVERtISING REPRESENtAtIVES

Jim Berlucchi | Michelle Sessions DiFranco | Dcn. Tom and JoAnne Fogle

| Rev. Joseph Krupp | Dr. Cathleen McGreal | Nancy Schertzing |

Sister Ann Shields coNtRIBUtING WRItERS

Tom Gennara | James Luning | Gregory Shemitz (cover) | Philip Shippert coNtRIBUtING PHotoGRAPHERS

FA I T H C a t h o l i c

Rev. Dwight EzopEDItoR AND cHAIRmAN

Patrick M. O’BrienPRESIDENt AND cHIEf ExEcUtIVE offIcER

Elizabeth Martin SolsburgEDItoRIAL DIREctoR

Jillane JobEDItoRIAL ASSIStANt

Cynthia Vandecar mARKEtING mANAGER

Patrick DallyARt DIREctoR

Lynne Hsu

Janna StellwagAbby FeldpauschGRAPHIc DESIGNERS

Michelle Hildebrandt

GRAPHIc DESIGNER/WEB mAStER

Derek MelotPRoofREADING

InnerWorkings

PRINt mANAGEmENt

The Long Island CatholicTM is a publication of The Catholic Diocese of Rockville Centre, 50 North Park Avenue Rockville Centre, NY 11570. The Long Island CatholicTM is a membership publication of FAITH Catholic and is published monthly except for February and August. To purchase a subscription, log on to www.drvc.org. If you have a change of address please call our subscriptions line, 516-594-1000. Periodicals postage paid in Rockville Centre, NY and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Long Island Catholic, PO BOX 9000, Roosevelt, NY 11575-9000. ©2012 FAITH Catholic. FAITH is a trademark of FAITH Catholic.

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Liturgical calendar: First Sunday of Advent Dec. 2 | St. Francis Xavier, priest Dec. 3 | St. John Damascene, priest and doctor of the Church Dec. 4 | St. Nicholas, bishop Dec. 6 |

table of contents

30 22


dvent is upon us, and with it, for better or worse, the season of giving.

This Advent, let’s give the gift of faith

Rick Hinshaw is the editor of The Long Island Catholic Magazine.

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Mass; she went with her, they worshipped together, and Erica witnessed the depth of her grandmother’s faith. Alexis’s parents likewise gave example by their own practice of the faith, and by learning that faith themselves so they could teach it to their children.

All Catholic parents and other adult relatives need to similarly think about how we are witnessing the importance of faith to

our children. It does little good to see to their faith formation and reception of the sacraments, if they see us not attending Mass or receiving the sacraments regularly ourselves. Our example undermines what our children are being taught.

Similarly in our communities and schools or workplaces, our example will most certainly influence the impressions others form of the Catholic faith. Do we conduct ourselves — in our treatment of others, in our business dealings, in our civic

from the editor

were in recent years brought to fruition through the support of her sister and husband. Alexis Ramsook credits her parents with sowing those seeds of faith — seeds that would, in adulthood, bring her back to active involvement in the Church — first through their own teaching, and then by seeing to it that she received a good Catholic high school education. Alexis now teaches the Catholic religion to high school students whose parents are likewise trying to give their children the gift of faith.

These are timely reminders of the wonderful opportunities we have to offer that gift to those we love. Critical to doing so, however, is our own example. We should of course utilize our Church’s formation programs to see to our children’s religious training and preparation for the sacraments; but our best teaching tool is the witness of our own faith lives. Erica’s grandmother did not just make her go to

responsibility — in ways that give witness to the truth of our Church’s teachings, and to the presence of God in our lives? Do others “know we are Christians by our love?” Or does our behavior give the impression that there is nothing in the Catholic Church that is worth their time, or worthy of their faith?

As we use this Advent season to invite inactive Catholics back, to worship and to parish life, we might also think about the witness we will give to them. Will they experience the loving welcome that Alexis did when she first visited St. Theresa of Avila parish in New Jersey? When they join us for worship, will our comportment give testament to how central the Mass is — or should be — to our lives? Do we arrive on time, dress appropriately, participate actively in prayer and song, and listen attentively to the proclamation of the Word? When we receive the Eucharist, does our prayerful reverence testify that we believe — that we know — that what we are receiving is the miraculous gift of the body and blood of Jesus Christ?

We cannot give to others what we do not have

ourselves. This Advent, as we prepare to exchange material gifts with those

we love, let’s also prepare ourselves — by first strengthening our own faith — to give to others the greatest gift we have to offer: the gift of faith in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Too often, the “spirit of giving” degenerates into a frenzied pursuit of material possessions, stripping away the joy that should permeate our preparation for Christmas.

While there is nothing wrong with lovingly exchanging material presents with those close to us at Christmas time, perhaps this Advent would be a good time to reflect on a more important gift we should always be conscious of offering to others: the gift of Faith. Especially as we begin the Year of Faith proclaimed by Pope Benedict XVI, and our diocese embarks on an effort to invite less active Catholics to “belong more deeply” to Christ and His Church, we might think about how we can help give the gift of faith to others, in our families, our parishes, communities, schools and workplaces.

Elsewhere in this inaugural TLIC magazine issue, we read the transformative faith stories of two young Catholic women, and the roles that the faith of their families played in their transformations. For Erica Boden, the seeds first planted by her grandmother, who took her to Mass every Sunday,

This Advent ... let’s also prepare ourselves — by first strengthening our own faith — to give to others the greatest gift we have to offer: the gift of faith in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

St. Ambrose, bishop and doctor of the Church Dec. 7 | Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary Dec. 8 | Second Sunday of Advent Dec. 9 | St. Damasus I, pope Dec. 11| Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe Dec. 12 | St. Lucy, virgin and martyr Dec. 13 |

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belong more deeply

This is an exciting moment for the bishop of Rockville Centre! A new initiative in the field of communications brings with it challenges we have to turn into

opportunities; but, most of all, we have a new vista with new possibilities. The Long Island Catholic newspaper has become The Long Island Catholic magazine. So I decided to change, too! My new column in the magazine will be called “Belong More Deeply.” In the last couple of years, as I have traveled around the diocese and talked to priests, parish staff and people in the pews, I have sensed that this theme has struck a chord in the hearts and minds, the hopes and the prayers, of us all. So let’s make it our own!

Church is and they are all complementary. But this image is one that has become most powerful among us all these past 50 years. The image of the people of God stresses the dynamic nature of who we are. Such a “people” includes all of us as members of the one body: pope, bishops, priests and deacons, consecrated women and men, lay faithful all together. It is a mistake to think this is a title only for laity or only for a part of the people. It is all of us or it is none of us.

Chapter three tells us that the Church, in her inner being, is hierarchical by God’s own plan and Jesus’ own intention. We are not a democracy. Our head is Christ. As head, He has designated a variety of offices in the Church to lead, to sanctify and to teach the faithful, with the assurance of divine assistance. This role is one that is of the esse of the Church. And of pope and bishops, we can say that any who accepts them accepts Christ and the One who sent Christ. Anyone who rejects them, rejects Christ and the One who sent Him.

Chapter four speaks of the vast majority of the people of God, the laity. Here we encounter the dignity of all the baptized, their intimate relation to God and their various roles by which they build up the Church. Here, too, we see how their lives in family and in the world are the indispensable witness for the world to come to know God.

In chapter 5, we are called to recognize that each one of us, and all of us together, are equally called to holiness. Sanctity is the common goal of us all. No one has

an advantage over another because of office or charism. And holiness is the offer of life here and life eternal that is a gift of a loving God.

Only in chapter 6 does the Constitution speak of religious and consecrated life. Why is that? The special act of consecration to God in the Church through the vows of poverty, chastity and obedience within a religious community is a particular charism of holiness. Religious, by their lives, point to the Kingdom of heaven. They are witnesses to the “ever more” that is the offer God makes to us, the promise for life and life eternal.

As the people of God, we are on pilgrimage. Therefore chapter 7 focuses our gaze on ourselves here in this world as we journey to the next. This world is not something to be endured. It is a reality to be transformed, as we make our way in imitation of Christ, whose journey to Jerusalem brought us all salvation.

Finally the last chapter, chapter 8, turns our gaze to Mary, the Mother of the Church, that wondrous new title given to her by Pope Paul VI. She is the mother of this Church, which we are. She is our guiding star and our constant helpmate. She shows the Church the way to her Son and is the icon of what the Church is called to be.

In this Year of Faith, we are all called to deepen our understanding of our identity as Church and embrace with ever greater zeal the opportunities and the challenges of belonging more deeply to the Church and thus to the Lord and thus to one another.

This is exciting – not just for me but for us all!

Bishop William murphy is the fourth bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Rockville Centre.

and so much for us to share. Just think of what the greatest religious event of the twentieth century, The Second Vatican Council, gave us in the Constitution of the Church and the Constitution of the Church in the Modern World. These documents are two of the five principal texts of the Council. I’d like to take a moment and look just at the chapter headings of the first. In capsule form, they tell us a lot about who we are and what we are called by Jesus to become.

Chapter one centers on who we are by speaking of the mystery of the Church. We are a human organization, yes. But that historical fact says little of what the Church truly is: a sign and sacrament of communion with God and of unity of ourselves as Church that shows the way to the unity of humankind with God and one another. We are caught up in the mystery of God’s love as poured forth into us as the body of His Son on earth.

Chapter two tells us we are the people of God. There are many images of what the

After all, we all can belong more deeply to Christ, to His Church and to one another. At the heart of this are a call and an invitation. The call comes from the heart of Christ, Be holy as I am holy. The invitation is to walk with Him, talk with Him and make your personal journey not an isolated, lonely one, but one in which He walks with you and we walk together as His brothers and sisters, friends to Him and to one another as parts of His body, as members of His Church.

There are so many things to know about the Church

Getting to know whowe are as Church

St. Ambrose, bishop and doctor of the Church Dec. 7 | Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary Dec. 8 | Second Sunday of Advent Dec. 9 | St. Damasus I, pope Dec. 11| Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe Dec. 12 | St. Lucy, virgin and martyr Dec. 13 |


yourlifeYour 8-step process:1. Don’t over-spiritualize. No

demon or angel caused your job losses: They were likely the result of a combination of natural factors. Examine them. Were you well equipped for your past jobs? Were you a happy and high performer? Were your best talents and interests in play? Were you in over your head?

2. Declare war on discouragement. Memorize Psalm 23, then Psalm 20. Let these truths simmer in your soul and bolster your confidence and hope.

3. Stay the course. Refuse to entertain an exotic spiritual calling. “Doing something really radical” is not only a bad decision-making tactic, but a temptation and obstacle to true fulfillment.

4. Seize the opportunity. Success feels great, but can sugarcoat self-awareness. Failure shocks self-reflection into overdrive. Just as the unexamined

life is not worth living (Socrates), so the examined life, though sometimes troubling, is the best living. And very Catholic.

5. Ask for wisdom. Try a 30-day guaranteed prayer: The canticle from Wisdom 9:1-6, 9-11 (in the Church’s Liturgy of the Hours, Saturday morning prayer, Week Three). God cannot refuse.

6. Seek personal counsel. Recruit an insightful friend with wise worldly experience. Ask him/her to help you better understand why you lost your jobs, what strengths to lean into and weaknesses to shore up. Review the questions in step one.

7. Engage professional resources. Great services and talent/personality surveys are available – www.careersthroughfaith.org might be your perfect fit.

8. Envision your best future. Because God does. He leads by encouragement, not discouragement, inspiration, not desperation. With his grace, your short-term failures will be a springboard for long-term success.

work life

I lost my job – again!

I just lost my job again – this is the third time I’ve been laid off and I’m feeling discouraged. I’m wondering if all this means that God is calling me to do something really radical, like join the

overseas missions.

Whatever you do, don’t take a slow boat to China! If you were

dumped by a third girlfriend, would you see it as a sign to pursue the religious life? Was St. Paul called to teach the nations because he flopped as a tentmaker? Did Jesus launch His public ministry on the heels of a failed carpentry business? An overseas mission is never a fallback option to

employment setbacks. St. Augustine would say: Grace builds on nature. St. Ignatius would say: When one is in desolation, he should strive to persevere in patience … It is characteristic of the evil spirit to harass with anxiety, to afflict with sadness…It is characteristic of the good spirit, however, to give courage and strength, consolations, tears, inspirations and peace.

Q Jim Berlucchi is an educa-

tor, executive coach, speaker and author, Jim Berlucchi is the Executive Director of the Spitzer Center, whose mission is to build cultures of evangeli-zation (www.spitzercenter.org).

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St. John of the Cross, priest and doctor of the Church Dec. 14 | Third Sunday of Advent Dec. 16 | St. Peter Canisius, priest and doctor of the Church Dec. 21 | Fourth Sunday of Advent Dec. 23 | Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord Dec. 25 | Feast of St. Stephen, first martyr Dec. 26 | Feast of St. John, apostle and evangelist Dec. 27

7St. John of the Cross, priest and doctor of the Church Dec. 14 | Third Sunday of Advent Dec. 16 | St. Peter Canisius, priest and doctor of the Church Dec. 21 | Fourth Sunday of Advent Dec. 23 | Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord Dec. 25 | Feast of St. Stephen, first martyr Dec. 26 | Feast of St. John, apostle and evangelist Dec. 27


the expectations that your daughter and her friend have for their relationship? Listen to your daughter carefully as she explores her feelings. Are they part of a larger group of teens who share the same interests? Liking each other in these types of activities is different than a longing for couple-time alone with one another. Does he feel comfortable coming to your home and sharing a meal with family? Or does he encourage her to break away from the ties of parents and siblings? Consider how they met, as well. Have they been enjoying each other’s company at high school because they are both in band? Are they member of the yearbook staff or the church youth group? Or did they

meet at the mall when she was shopping and notice a physical attraction? Take the depth of their relationship into account.

Pray for wisdom when guiding your children: “She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue.” (Proverbs 31:26)

Our 15-year-old daughter is interested in an 18-year-old who also likes her. I’m a bit concerned about

the age difference – what is an OK difference in ages?

If your daughter met her friend 10 years from now, then the age difference would seem insignificant.

But during adolescence, three years make a difference. monitoring activities. Your daughter and her friend are at different developmental levels. He is about to step into the adult world, whether at college, in the military or in a full-time job. Although

parenting journeyhis parents will continue to play a key role in terms of advice and support, he is going to be regulating his own behavior on a day-to-day basis. Your daughter, on the other hand, still needs to have her choices and activities monitored. Teens sometimes wonder why parents have to check up on them: “Don’t you trust me?” Although we do trust our adolescents, it is still important to make sure the choices they are making are positive ones. When it comes to your daughter’s activities, you need to know where she plans to be and what other people will be there. If a friend has a party, then it is important to know if a parent will be there, too. Your family rules about various situations and the consequences for breaking the rules need to be clear. This type of parental monitoring might seem stifling to someone who is learning what it is like to be an independent young adult, but it is exactly what a 15-year-old needs. Relationship choices. What are

Dr. cathleen mcGreal is a psychology professor and certified spiritual director.

Y O U R L I F E

Qa

She’s 15, he’s 18 should they date?

| Feast of The Holy Innocents, martyrs Dec. 28 | St. Thomas Becket, bishop and martyr Dec. 29 |

What do they do?

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he says: she says:

Deacon tom fogle and JoAnne fogle help prepare couples for marriage.

may receive more teaching time from one or both parents – because it is needed, not because of a preference. Pray about these feelings you have and share with each other how to best handle the equality of all children. When we open our hearts and let the Holy Spirit lead us to a constructive solution, our children will be the better for it. As Proverb 3:5 reminds us, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding.” Tony and Lynne need to communicate about this regularly so it does not become a hindrance to their own marriage relation-ship. Tony might consider that because Lynne experienced less affection from her parents in childhood, she may need more affirma-

tion from him. The “photos” you want your children to call to mind in years to come is how much

Mom and Dad loved each other. In doing so, the children will have an example for their own future marriages and loving memories that will stay with them forever.

your marriage matters

“ She wants everything to be exactly even for the children.”

tony says: We have three chil-dren – Lynne was a middle child and wants to make sure every-thing is exactly even. Realistically, I just don’t take as many photos as I did of the first one. And I also think different kids have different needs. This is causing trouble in our marriage.

“I want to be fair.”Lynne says: I was a middle child,

and I never felt as if my parents gave me as much attention as they did my older sister or the baby. I don’t want our children feeling that way – we really need to make sure every child is given exactly the same amount of money/time/gifts. I just don’t

believe Tony understands me.

ven if each child is given an equal amount of money/time/gifts, as Lynne is suggesting, this will not solve Lynne’s issue, because this really all boils down to love and attention, not material items. The world is full of “middle siblings” who feel the way Lynne does, and that

is unfortunate. Trying to recapture childhood and somehow “make right” the perceived wrong committed by her parents is unrealistic, and may even damage Lynne and Tony’s children in the process. Some children have a greater need for assistance from parents, because children are indi-viduals who are born with different gifts. We all have strengths and weaknesses. Even if we don’t want to admit it, parents tend to show partiality to differ-ent children based on personality, the sibling position within the family unit (first born, last born, etc.) and how the parent experienced childhood. In a perfect world, keeping it all equal is a commendable goal, but it’s not always easy or realistic. Giving equal money and gifts would actually be easy, but giving equal time might be the more difficult part, as children’s needs differ considerably. It is understandable Lynne wants all the

children to feel equally loved, since she did not feel as loved as a middle child. But one-on-one time with chil-dren, teaching them and caring for them so they can experi-ence real acceptance and happiness, is worth more than all the material things

in the world. It would be a great gift to the whole family if Tony and Lynne spent time together talking about this idea and sharing with each other what the ideal of equality really means. For example, a child who has learning disabilities

Giving equal money and gifts would actu-ally be easy, but giving equal time might be the more difficult part, as children’s needs differ considerably.

The Long Island Catholic / December 2012 / www.drvc.org10 Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph Dec. 30 | St. Sylvester I, pope Dec. 31

11Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph Dec. 30 | St. Sylvester I, pope Dec. 31

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Leftoversredeemed

Y O U R L I F E

year ago, I prepared a last minute Thanksgiving feast for my husband, kids and myself. In the end, it was a lot of food for just four people and sure enough, we had a lot of

leftovers. While I was grateful for God’s bounty, I wasn’t exactly jumping up and down at the thought of eating the same thing for the next four days. But letting even a morsel go to waste wasn’t an option, so I improvised that year and lovingly turned those mundane extras into something better.

There is beauty and joy in such things. Turning an inferior “has-been” into a shining star is somehow so fulfilling and therapeutic. As with the restora-tion of a rusty classic car or the renovation of a once-stately building, our human nature relishes the return of a forgot-ten and unremarkable outcast.

And so does our Lord. For without His redemption, our souls would be corrupt and unworthy – even worse than four-day-old turkey. But with Christ’s saving grace and redemption, our souls can be made new and perfect and desirable again. So, while Thanksgiving is a great time to pause and express our gratitude for what we have, I find that by creatively rework-ing the leftovers on the days that follow Thanksgiving, we participate in a great meta-phor for redemption. And that is what we should all be most thankful for! So when that surplus of turkey has run its course, introduce a few additional ingredients. You’ll realize that even the most unexciting left-overs can be redeemed.

michelle Difranco is a designer and the busy mom of two children.

Photography by Philip Shippert

redeemedLeftoversculture

Turkey Waldorf salad wrap (makes 2 large wraps)

3 tablespoons mayonnaise2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste2 cups leftover turkey, shredded¼ cup leftover cranberry sauce

½ cup diced apples¼ cup chopped walnuts (or pecans)

2 slices of Swiss cheese Large bunch of dark greens or spinach

Large whole wheat or white sandwich wraps

In a small bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard and extra virgin olive oil. Set salad dressing aside. In a larger mixing bowl, combine turkey, diced apples and walnuts. Add the dressing, salt and pepper. Mix until well combined. Spread 1-2 tablespoons

of cranberry sauce in center of wrap followed by a slice of Swiss cheese. Scoop half of the salad mixture over the cranberry sauce and then top off with a small handful of greens. Fold each end toward the center (over the ingredients) and then roll tightly to form the sandwich wrap.


he world is a scary place lately. I’m certain that the world always has

been scary to a certain degree, blast Eve and that apple, but as time moves on the instruments of destruction have become more sophisticated and work so much better at destroying life, families and souls.

As a mom, it is important for me to keep as much of the scary at bay as possible and to let my home become a haven for my husband and children. Whatever you may think of a woman’s role in society, we do seem better equipped to bring a sense of peace and

calm to our homes and to the lives of those who inhabit them. I think that it is part of that nurturing thing God gifted to us; we can calm fussy babies, soothe fevered brows and keep the worldwide lunacy on the other side of the door, to a certain extent at least.

As a mom living in a nice little village on Long Island, there is little I can do to make the world less scary, other than pray for those in a position to do something about it. However, I can create a pocket of peace here that comforts those who enter and restores those who need a little tranquility.

Teaching my children to pray for those in need is a first priority. Teaching them to pray for our enemies is a second. A prayerful home is a peaceful home and it is probably one of the harder things to make a priority. It’s so easy to put off praying and become consumed with the busyness of life; then, suddenly, the day is over and prayer hasn’t happened. I’ve had success pinning the prayers to different points in the day. Meals and bedtime are obvious, but a prayer while walking to the bus stop or on the way to the soccer field is a nice habit to instill and a calm

beginning to what may be a less than serene part of the day.

Turn off the screens. I know, I know, it’s difficult. As a society, we are so glued to our gadgets and media that it is hard to imagine leaving it all behind. I’m just as guilty. Consider, however, how much more peaceful our homes would be if, even for just one night a week, we locked up the technology and dimmed the lights, lit a candle and played a board game. Or read aloud or worked a jigsaw puzzle. Much of what we get from the screens is noisy, crude, unintelligent and useless, so why have it?

The world is indeed scary. It’s an unfortunate result of a 24-hour news cycle and an increasingly crass society. While creating peace in our homes as moms, we can certainly pray for those coming into public office, that they work hard to create that same peace in our world and for our children.

our domestic church

Y O U R L I F E

TComfort

mary Ellen Barrett

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any loyal Long Island Catholic readers may feel like I do – a bit saddened that the weekly newspaper that has served

our diocese so well for so long has come to an end. Yet, it is in the letting go that we make way for new life, in the form of the magazine you now hold.

Similarly, the past summer was a time of new beginnings for my husband and me. We sold the little home where we spent the past 28 years together. It of course took months of searching and mounds of paperwork. But what was surprisingly wrenching was leaving the house itself. The process of packing up all our things was a sort of emotional archaeology: every drawer and cabinet revealed some long-forgotten photo or trinket. These treasures brought laughter and tears as we relived so many memories. As hard as it was to leave, we were exhilarated by the promise of the new house, where we’d start the next chapter of our life together.

Every day at Catholic Charities, we meet people who seek new beginnings – freedom from misfortunes, mistakes or memories that might not be as pleasant as ours. Just ask the thousands we help each year get started on the long road to recovery from chemical dependence. They know starting over is a lot of hard work. Damaged relationships must be repaired, employment must be found, and independence from old lifestyles must be won. But they do start over.

We also open our doors to unwed, pregnant and parenting young women at Regina Residence. Many are no more than teenagers, already carrying enough crosses for a lifetime. We provide a safe, structured place to live, along with the

reassurance they need to begin again with their new families.

Of course, many senior citizens face anxiety about the road ahead. I think of Josephine, a resident of our senior

apartments. She and her husband lost their home as his health declined and medical bills mounted. Then she lost him. Alone and on fixed income, she was getting closer each day

to losing her apartment, but she came to us. She faced momentous change, but our

housing provided her with a safe and affordable place to live while our support services gave her courage to start anew. Through housing, senior centers and other programs, we show thousands of seniors like Josephine that their lives not only continue, but that they do so joyfully.

That hope-filled courage is our gift to each of the 58,000 people we serve every year. We encourage each of them not just to accept services, but to take heart. They are far more than “clients” or “program participants.” They are God’s own

children, created in His own image. As Pope Benedict so eloquently wrote in his apostolic letter, Porta Fidei, “It is faith that enables us to recognize Christ and it is his love that impels us to assist him whenever he becomes our neighbour along the journey of life.” The journey of life is sometimes long and difficult. But faith assures us, again and again, that endings also bring new beginnings.

catholic charities

Y O U R L I F E

MNew beginnings

Laura cassell is CEO of Catholic Charities for the Diocese of Rockville Centre.

As Pope Benedict so eloquently wrote in his apostolic letter, Porta Fidei, “It is faith that enables us to recognize Christ and it is his love that impels us to assist him whenever he becomes our neighbour along the journey of life.”

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By Nancy Schertzing | Photography by Gregory Shemitz

rowing up, I always yearned for

something more,” explains Erica Boden.

“My parents were raised Catholic, but decided

early on to broaden their faith expression. My

sister and I were raised in a Christian tradition,

but not baptized in any particular faith. I saw my

friends going to church with their families and I

always wanted that for myself.

G

coming

to the faith ofmy grandmother

home


cover story

y Grandma Helen, my mom’s mother, used to take me to Mass with her on Sundays. I loved sitting next

to her, singing the hymns and soaking in the ritual. Though I never attended any religious education classes, I never questioned that this was the faith tradition for me.

“When Grandma died, I was almost in ninth grade. My connection to the faith, although strong in my heart, eventually weakened as I went through high school and college. I went on to earn a teaching degree and master’s in education. As I pursued my master’s, I came to recognize that familiar yearning for a deeper understanding of life and faith. With support from close friends and family members, I began to consider how to fill it.

“My discernment process led me to a number of self-help books, including the Bible. My friends tease me because, when we go into book stores, they gravitate to the vampire books and I head straight to the self-help section. I love to read about how to live my life more fully, especially from books that are Bible-centered. These books remind me that the stressors we experience today have been happening to people throughout time. Turning to the parables and examples from our biblical ancestors, I can see that we’re never really alone. God is always present.

“A few years out of graduate school, I realized it was finally time to put that yearning to rest. After having seen my sister go through the Rite of Christian Initiation (RCIA), I looked to St. Agnes (Cathedral Parish, Rockville Centre), my husband’s parish, for my own RCIA experience. Unlike many other parishes, St. Agnes welcomes people into the RCIA journey on an ongoing basis. I started right after Christmas in 2009 and immersed myself in this amazing process.

“Dr. Donna Eschenauer, director of religious education, has developed an RCIA program that emphasizes Catholic traditions, ceremony and procedures, while taking us into deeper exploration and understanding of the foundations of our faith. Every day, I wanted to do something to go deeper into my faith. I attended classes and Mass, of course, but I also went to group discussions and other church-wide events. Everything from beginning to end was extra special!

“The process changed my life, and I really think that

Dr. Eschenauer is why. I wanted her to see that I was fully committed then, and I’d like her to know how much she meant to me. She is now associate dean at St. Joseph Seminary (in Dunwoodie, N.Y.), and I know she will touch the

lives of those students as deeply as she has touched mine.“At the Easter Vigil Mass in 2011, I was welcomed fully

into the Church, with my sister as my godmother and Mandy from the parish team as my sponsor. Being baptized, confirmed and taking holy Communion for the first time made it quite a night! I was so excited, and so accustomed to going to 11:15 a.m. Mass, that I got up the next morning and went right back for Mass on Easter Sunday!

“In his homily that morning, Bishop Murphy told the

‘‘M

“Becoming Catholic ... has deepened my life in ways I never expected. When I attend Mass with my husband, I reflect on the mystery of the Holy Trinity and how central it is in all aspects of our faith.”

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congregation that Jesus holds the keys to death and with His resurrection, He had unlocked the door. Thereafter, we don’t have any reason to be nervous or scared.

“I try to remember that when I think about the people dear to me who’ve gone before. Some days, I tried to feel hopeful when I thought about where they are now. Other days I pushed off the idea, not wanting to think about it. Now Bishop Murphy’s message gives me hope every day.

“Becoming Catholic has changed me in other ways. It has deepened my life in ways I never expected. When I attend Mass with my husband, I reflect on the mystery of the Holy Trinity and how central it is in all aspects of our faith. When I make the Sign of the Cross before and after prayer, for example, I recognize the mystery of God in three forms, separate but connected and all present to us now. Though I still struggle to understand it fully, the Holy Trinity has become central to all aspects of my life. This concentration helps me reconnect with my deeper self and bring my inner peace into focus.

“I also teach religious education to the third-graders of our parish. As a middle school reading teacher, I am used to handling tough questions at school. But these third-graders have surprised me by the level of questions they ask when we discuss our lessons. Their questions range from ‘What does it mean that Jesus is resurrected? Was He a zombie?’ to ‘When we die where do we go?’

“I don’t know all the answers, but I write their questions down and research them so I can respond accurately the next week. (I was good on the zombie question – no need to research that one!) In teaching them, I am learning and going deeper into my faith than I ever expected.

“Next Easter, I will celebrate my second anniversary of becoming Catholic. When I look ahead to what role my

faith will play in the rest of my life, I know I will still need to be connected to the Church – not only in my heart and mind, but also physically. Eventually, I would like to be present as an extraordinary minister of holy Communion or lector during Mass. During the week, I like coming back into the church to attend learning and discussion sessions on various aspects of our faith.

“When my husband and I start our family, I look forward to raising children in our faith as well. I already know I want to throw a big celebration when we baptize our babies here! And I will cherish my opportunities to attend Mass by their side.

“Becoming Catholic has changed my life in many ways – inner peace, deeper understanding, strong connections. But when I draw on my memories of attending Mass with my grandma, I wonder if, maybe, becoming Catholic just connected me with who I always was. Since those earliest days when Grandma taught me how to pray and took me to Mass, my heart has been attached to the Catholic faith. Now my life is, too.”

Erica Boden with husband Alex Cepero

The second phase of our diocesan “Belong More Deeply” initiative kicked off in October, as parishioners throughout the Church on Long Island were encouraged to begin praying, personally and specifically, for a person – family member, friend, neighbor, co-worker – whom they would like to belong more deeply to the Church.

Now, during Advent, every parish will be making a special effort to invite and to welcome people back to more active participation in the life of the Church. Here are some ways each of us can help our parish extend that invitation and welcome:• Take some of the post cards that parishes will make available, publicizing

events for the Advent Christmas season, and distribute them to family members, friends and neighbors.• Accompany someone to Mass or a parish event – do not just invite them, accompany them.• When you see a “new face” at Mass or a parish event, introduce yourself, welcome them to the parish, introduce them to other parishioners, invite them to sit with you, point out some items of interest in the bulletin, and encourage them to return!

How we can invite and welcome others to

‘belong more deeply’


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Y O U R S T O R I E S

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Our Holy Redeemer catechist offers teens the

‘peace and wholeness’ she has found in Christ

By Rick Hinshaw | Photography by Gregory Shemitz

lexis Ramsook knows what it’s like to grow distant from her faith.

“I lost my way a little,” during and after her college years, the 31-year-old Freeport native recalled. So she feels a special connection to the young people she now teaches in Our Holy Redeemer Parish’s two-year high school religious education program.

The program is designed for Catholic teens who “have never really had any kind of religious education,” she explained. “Most of them were baptized,” and a few made their first Communion, but most did not, and none had received the sacrament of Confirmation.

Now, she said, many of their parents, seeing the challenges their children are facing in their teen years, are motivated to try to give them religion, believing it will “help make them better people” as they mature into adulthood.

Alexis credits Father Douglas Arcoleo, pastor of Our Holy Redeemer Parish, with “really building up the parish,” and, in the process, “making people more aware of how important it is” to give their children a grounding in their faith.

The two-year program culminates with the students receiving the sacraments – first Communion, if they have not already done so, then confirmation. But first comes a year of faith formation, then a year of preparation for the sacraments.

Most of the students “are really starting at the beginning,” Alexis explained. She introduces the Our Father and Hail Mary, opening and closing each class with them, and encourages the students to practice them at home. “Eventually, I want to get them to the rosary,” she says.

Alexis is in her third year teaching in this program, and her fifth year overall as a

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catechist, having previously taught sixth-and seventh-graders for two years at St. Theresa of Avila Parish in Summit, N.J., when she lived there. She has seen one class at Our Holy Redeemer through its faith formation and sacramental preparation years, and will now stay with her current six students through both years as well, until they receive the sacraments.

Because many of them attend at their parents’ behest, they don’t always want to be there at first – something Alexis can relate to.

“I was always the rebellious one in my family” growing up, she said – one reason why her parents sent her to Kellenberg Memorial High School in Uniondale, where, she says, they knew she would get “more structure.

“I started in the (Brother Fox) Latin School,” the middle school at Kellenberg, she remembered. “It was a challenge at first – strict, and I wasn’t used to that. But I grew to love it,” and she is grateful that Kellenberg, along with her parents, “planted the seeds” that would later draw her back to a much more active faith life. And that is what she hopes to do for her students – plant the seeds of faith that will guide their lives in the years to come.

“I try to make it fun,” she said, utilizing various games like a Bible trivia game she facilitates with her iPad. And she occasionally prints out some “Youth Group Discussion” guides available online, to get the students more involved.

“They are pretty open, they communicate and give a lot of feedback,” she said. And, of course, given their age, the students “question everything” regarding Church teaching – “pre-marital sex, drinking, going to Mass on Sunday – especially as they get more comfortable” with the class.

“I don’t always feel I have all the answers,” Alexis acknowledges, but Father Arcoleo visits the class regularly, and Alexis encourages the students to raise these questions with him.

In addition, she uses the opportunity to teach by example. “I’ve been through it, so I can relate” to her students’

questioning, she says. “I stopped going to church for a long time,” returning when she was living and working in New Jersey and a colleague recommended St. Theresa of Avila Parish.

“She brought me back,” Alexis says of St. Theresa. Her story of how that parish’s welcome drew her back to a life of faith should offer encouragement to Catholics across Long Island, as Bishop Murphy calls us, during this Year of Faith, to become involved in inviting our less active Catholic sisters and brothers to “belong more deeply” to Christ and His Church.

Alexis explained how – after a particularly long and difficult day at work – she attended a gathering of St. Theresa of Avila’s “welcoming committee” and, as she entered the room, the group’s leader “reached out and welcomed me.” She was “26 or 27” years old at the time, she said, and “I just felt such a peace then, a peace and wholeness I had never felt before.

“I felt God wrapping his arms around me.” Engaged to be married next May – to another Kellenberg

graduate, although they did not know each other during high school – Alexis also uses her “chaste” relationship with her fiancé as an example to her students.

“It helps the girls to understand that you don’t have to have pre-marital sex to get a guy to love you,” she said. “A lot of the girls feel pressured,” among the many kinds of peer pressure that can make it hard for teens to live and to express their faith.

“It’s not cool to talk about their religion” among their peers, she noted, so she sometimes points out celebrities and athletes – like football star Tim Tebow and singer Taylor Swift – as popular public figures who lead by example in proclaiming their Christian faith.

Alexis did note that three sisters who she has taught – and who are all now active in various volunteer ministries at Our Holy Redeemer – are “very open” about proclaiming their faith, “posting things on Facebook about Jesus.”

Her own faith has undoubtedly been strengthened through teaching others, Alexis observes.

“We all kind of grow together” in the faith, she said of herself and her students. “I’m able to learn what I have to teach them. They ask so many questions – and they’re good questions – so I have to research and learn more myself.” She reads the Bible more, as well as the Catechism of the Catholic Church – “a great book,” Alexis emphasized, that helps her immensely in “teaching many of the amazing things the Church has to offer and to teach us.”

Alexis Ramsook “grows together” in the faith with her high school religious education students at Our Holy

Redeemer parish in Freeport.


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the Catholic view of marriage and more into the “private mo-ment” idea. The U.S. bishops’ website says this: “Like the other sacraments, marriage is not just for the good of individ-uals or the couple, but for the community as a whole.” And that statement takes us to our next point: As Catholics, we believe that marriage is a sacrament: a sacred moment given to us by Jesus. When you celebrate this wonderful sacra-ment, we hold it in a space that is dedicated, sacred and con-secrated. We have these three requirements because marriage is so important to us, so let’s take a look at each of them.

A dedicated space: We consider weddings so special that we recognize they should be done in a place that is set aside for them. Obviously, weddings do not need to be the only thing toward which the space is dedicated. You may point out that Las Vegas wedding chapels fill this re-quirement.

A sacred place: When we describe something as sacred, we are recognizing it as blessed by God or touched by God. Many places that are not churches also fall into this category.

A consecrated place: The Church teaches us that, some-times, we take a place (or even a person!) and set them aside from “common” use for

sacred use. This is a move-ment of the Holy Spirit from the people of God through our clergy, which culminates in a ritual where we say, “This place is special”. Your Catholic church building hits all three of these requirements and, in that, of-fers you and your fiancé a gift: a chance to start your married life together in a remarkable place – a place that is dedicat-ed, sacred and consecrated for the purpose of you two coming together and entering into a sacred union. The next time you step into your church, look around and ponder the wonder and the beauty of that building. See in it the culmination of the dreams and hopes of Catholics for many, many years. See how this space, built for worship of God, offers you something nothing else can. Hundreds, even thousands of couples have stood in that sacred and consecrated place and given themselves to each other and God, surrounded by those they love. What better place to start your life together? Enjoy another day in God’s presence!

Why can’t we get married outside?

Dear Fr. Joe: I recently became en-gaged and set up a meeting with our priest. We were excited about having our wedding at an outdoor chapel, but the priest said we can’t. When we

asked why he said he didn’t know! Why can’t we have an outdoor ceremony with a Catholic priest?

Getting married in the Catholic Church is a life-giving process

that can help you and your future spouse with all sorts of wonderful elements of the Catholic life and philosophy. You’ll grow in your love and knowledge of each other and of the wonders of our faith. You’ll also find that, in many Catholic churches, you’ll get some great help with planning the wedding ceremony itself. With all this information, though, sometimes the “little basics” get lost. With your question, we’ll be able to look at some of those things. For the Catholic Church, the desire is that each person within that parish see them-selves as members of a parish family. Individual priests and pastors can come and go, but the people of God who register, attend and support a parish are the engines behind it all and a major part of the reason that parish exists. The goal, hope and prayer of the Church are that, when we find our parish, we have found our spiritual

home where everyone there is, in a special and unique way, our brother or sister. Obvi-ously, everyone on earth is our brother or sister, but, in order to love more than 7 billion people as your family, you have to start within your biological family and parish family and move from there! This brings us to the idea that, when a member of our parish family gets married, it’s an event that is for all of us! We hold family events like this in our family home and all are welcome. Your marriage begins in your spiritual home, and is an opportunity for everyone in the parish to come and be strengthened and renewed by your love. This also provides you at your wedding with more people there praying for and with you – and that, my friend, is a great blessing. Most Catholics don’t realize that they are welcome to attend any wedding ceremony that happens in their parish, but they are. I think that part of the reason we’ve lost that knowl-edge, or this vision, is because we have moved further from

in the know with Father Joe

Send your questions to: “In the

Know with Fr. Joe” FAITH Magazine, 1500 E. Saginaw St., Lansing, MI 48906 Or: [email protected]

yourfaith

aQ


Giving light tothe blind St. LucyFeast day: December 13

Claim to Fame: Lucy was born into a wealthy family and from an early age wanted to devote her life to God as a virgin. Her father died while she was still young, however, and her mother desired that Lucy marry. Lucy’s mother had a change of heart, though, after visiting the relics of St. Agatha and being cured of a hemorrhage. Following this episode, she allowed Lucy to distribute the family’s money among the poor. This act angered the man Lucy was unwillingly supposed to marry and he sent her before the Roman governor of Sicily. The governor tried to sentence Lucy to prostitution, but when the time came to take her away, God’s strength filled her and the guards found her too heavy to move. Before her death, Lucy predicted the punishment of the man she was supposed to marry. She also predicted the end of the persecution of Christians, as well as the end of the ruthless emperor Diocletian’s rule.

Why she is a saint: Before her fiancée denounced her to the government, Lucy devoted her life to service of the poor, and gave away most of her family’s fortune. Later, despite being tortured under Diocletian, Lucy never denied or wavered in her faith in God. She endured persecution bravely and willingly suffered for Christ.

Best quote: Showing how important purity was to Lucy, she once said, “Those whose hearts are pure are the temples of the Holy Spirit.”

How she died: After her resistance to prostitution, the Roman governor sentenced her to death by burning at the stake. However, much to the dismay of the Roman officials, God saved Lucy from this fate. Again the governor sentenced her to die, this time by the sword. This attempt to execute Lucy succeeded, and she became a martyr of the Church.

saint of the month


Y O U R F A I T H

father Robert Schoenstene, S.S.L., is an assistant professor, Department of Biblical Exegesis and Proclamation, University of Saint Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary.

Elizabeth Nagel, S.S.D., is a professor in the Department of Biblical Exegesis and Proclamation, University of Saint Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary.

theology 101

three major religions are rooted in the Abrahamic tradition: Juda-ism, Islam and christianity. How do they differ from one another?

Recognizing the inherent limitations of speaking for another faith tradition, we can say that Judaism and Islam differ primar-ily from Christianity in

an understanding of the person of Jesus. For Christians, Jesus is the fulfillment of the Old Testament promise. Judaism and Islam simply do not recognize the divinity of Jesus. For this reason, the monotheism

practiced by Judaism and Islam is differ-ent from the monotheism of Christianity. Christianity has a Trinitarian understand-ing of the one true God because of Jesus’ divinity that is not shared by Judaism and Islam. In fact, Islam would describe Chris-tianity as a tri-theist religion, rather than a monotheistic religion. – Father Schoenstene

It is important to acknowledge the danger of being perceived as being too presumptive, simplistic or authorita-tive when attempting to speak about a faith tradi-

tion that is not one’s own. Consequently, we mention only a few basic differences

SEmInARY pROFESSORS TALk SCRIpTURE

in how these three religions interpret Old Testament texts. Though all three hold some views of the ancestor Abraham in common, they also interpret texts about him differently. For example, in Gen 12:1-3, God promises Abraham that he will be “a great nation,” “a blessing” and that “in him all the families of the earth will be blessed.” The Jewish understanding of the passage is that the “blessing” will be accomplished through Abraham’s descendants, the Jews. For Christians, Jesus and all who believe in Him also are descendants of Abraham. And Islam interprets this passage to mean that God makes Abraham an imam, or a leader of humanity, and that the “blessing” comes through Abraham himself. – Professor Nagel

What are the differences among Judaism, Christianity and Islam?

29Interview and sidebars by Doug Culp

Catechism quiz

Q: the christian tradition comprises three major expressions of the life of prayer. Vocal prayer, such as praying aloud the Our

Father, engages our senses and seeks to translate our feelings into external expression. Meditation is more a prayerful quest that involves thought, imagina-tion, emotion and desire in an effort to appropriate a subject of faith by con-fronting the realities of our own life. What is the third expression?

A: contemplative prayer. It is a gaze of faith fixed on Jesus, an attentiveness to the Word of God, and a silent love. “It achieves real union with the prayer

of Christ to the extent that it makes us share in his mystery. – CCC 2724 (See 2700 – 2719)

Vatican II

Q: What does Vatican II teach about the Church’s relation to Eastern churches not in communion with the Roman Apostolic See?

A: The Decree on Ecumenism (Unitatis Redintegratio) states that the Eastern churches hold a special position

in terms of their relation to the Church. The East and West are bound together in a communion of faith and sacramental life that extends beyond the lamentable split that occurred centuries ago over disputes about dogmatic formulations and the dissolu-tion of ecclesiastical communion between the Eastern Patri-archates and the Roman See. This makes the Church’s desire for a return to full communion all the more urgent.

Despite their separation from the Church, the Eastern churches possess true sacraments, above all – by apostolic succession – the priesthood and the Eucharist, “whereby they are still joined to us in closest intimacy.” They also have other things in common with the West: a love for liturgy, a high regard for Mary and an honored place for the saints and those Fathers of the universal Church within their ranks.

The document acknowledges how the West has, in fact, drawn from the riches of the East in terms of liturgy, spiri-tual tradition and jurisprudence. It mentions the traditions expressed in Eastern monastic life that became the source

of Latin monastic life. Catholics are actually recommended to “avail themselves more often of the spiritual riches of the Eastern Fathers, which lift up the whole man to the contem-plation of divine mysteries.” In addition, the decree points out that the basic dogmas of the Christian faith concerning the Trinity and the Virgin Mary were defined at ecumenical councils held in the East.

How would a Judaic or Islamic reading of the old testament dif-fer from a christian reading?

When it comes to reading the Old Testament, a Christian reading necessarily requires the lens of Christology, whether implicitly or explicitly. And yet, the Old Testament must be viewed in continuity with the New Testament, since both are of the Word. Judaism, on the other hand, does not share the belief in the Incarnate Word. The Old Testament is read not with Christ in mind, but as the earliest inspired docu-ments of their religious community through which they can see and better understand their present existence as a people. Finally, an Islamic reading of the Old Testament would be very different from both a Christian and Jewish reading. Islam thought of the Old Testament as becoming somehow defective. Therefore, any reading of the Old Testament would be a Koranic reading since Muslims believe the Koran is the true word of God that actually sup-plants the Old Testament. Put another way, if a contradiction existed between the Old

Testament and the Koran, the teaching of the Koran would be adhered to while that of the Old Testament would be rejected. – Father Schoenstene

The person of Jesus Christ and the meaning of His passion, death and resurrection are viewed differently by all three religions. For the Jewish people, Jesus cannot be divine because there is only one God, and for them His divinity presupposes the existence of two. Their Shema commands: “Hear O Israel, the

Lord is our God, the Lord is one.” (Deut 6:4)

For Islam, too, the concept of a Trinitarian God implies the existence of more than one God. Both Judaism and Islam ac-knowledge that Jesus was a great prophet, but deny His divinity. Consequently, one basic way that a Christian reading of the Old Testament differs from that of Judaism and Islam is that Christians see another level of meaning in it, namely a Christological one which interprets texts in the light of the paschal mystery. – Professor Nagel

U.S. bishops from Eastern Catholic churches concelebrate a Latin-rite Mass at the Altar of the Tomb in the crypt of St.

Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican.

Cat

holic

New

s S

ervi

ce

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Sister Ann Shields is a renowned author and a mem-ber of the Servants of God’s Love. Questions can be ad-dressed to Sister Ann Shields, Renewal Ministries, 230 Collingwood, Suite 240, Ann Arbor, MI 48103

Y O U R F A I T H

For more reflec-tions on

prayer and a fuller treatment of this topic, see my book: Pray and Never Lose Heart, available from Renewal Ministries, 230 Collin-gwood, Suite 240, Ann Arbor, MI 48103. $12.

spiritual fitness

Bow down The meaning of the Christmas crèche

he word was made flesh. The very source of life, the creator of all things, of us, sent His son in the likeness of

sinful man. The Father sent His Son in human flesh to dwell among us that we might draw near to God. Do we?

Often, I hear people say that “we will take our children to the crib and explain to them what is going on in this scene and who He is. It is so dear, so good for the children.” But what about us “world-weary” adults? What do we think when we look at the crib scene? Do we still believe? If we do, what exactly do we believe? Will we kneel before the

manger scene in church this Christmas and thank God, our Father, for what He has given us in His Son, Jesus Christ? God, the Father, gave us His only Son and that Son, Jesus, came into our world as a vulnerable, helpless infant depending on total care from hu-man beings. He made Himself utterly helpless so that we could draw near and not be afraid. God, our Father, did not want us to be terrorized by seeing His infinite majesty. So He came “in human form, being born in the likeness of men.” (Phil. 2:7)

We were made for union with God. But God will not coerce! He gave us the awe-full gift of free will so we are free to choose. We can choose to utterly reject or we can choose to draw close to that tiny infant in a cold manger, a food trough, who became like us in all things but sin so that we might more easily bow down.

Spiritual exercise:

• I would encourage you to have a manger scene in your home, beginning with Advent. Each day visit that little crèche and gaze upon this reminder that God loved you so much, He would come down to you, He would stoop so that you could gaze on Him and see Him eye to eye in order to save you from your sins and lead you home!

• this little child is your safety, your security, your Savior, the one who conquered eternal death for you! Does it take faith to believe that? Of course. So come to the crèche and kneel, bow down and ask God for faith. Maybe you will feel like a fool, but the Gospel is a paradox. It always turns things upside down and inside out.

Embracing truth will set you free. “Bow down in order to be raised up.” Unless you become like a little child, you can-not enter the kingdom of heaven. The Gospel is a paradox over and over. God turns the world’s priorities upside down and inside out

• When we bow down before that manger, we are saying, in effect: “Lord, I kneel before You. I need Your help, Your saving grace in my life. I need to grow in faith that I might be able to trust You with my life.” You may feel foolish, but God hears that prayer and will respond. Give Him the gift of your humility this Christmas, the admission that you don’t have all the answers – even that you don’t have any answers. Many things we’ve tried in life have failed, have turned to dust …

we feel empty, helpless, in need. And every time you kneel down in front of the manger during Advent, ask Him for faith – faith to believe that He is a God of love, faith to believe that He forgives your sins when you admit them and ask Him for forgiveness, faith that He knows you and loves you and wants to shepherd your life, if you will allow Him to do so.

• then, on christmas Eve, go to church and, before mass, go to the manger and offer that small baby your whole life. To begin again,follow Him or to follow Him more closely. That infant is your Savior, your Lord, your Redeemer. God paid the ultimate price for your life. His life to save yours. Bow down and accept His gift; His gift that is beyond price.

T

God, the Father, gave us His only Son and that Son, Jesus, came into our world as a vulnerable, helpless infant depending on total care from human beings. He made Himself utterly helpless so that we could draw near and not be afraid.


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local news

St. William students rally to bring enhanced technology to classrooms

SEAfoRD – Students at St. William the Abbot School rallied Oct. 5 for a school-wide send-off of more than 8,100 letters to potential sponsors seeking support for its 2012 Race for Education, a jog-a-thon to raise funds to purchase 66 iPads along with mobile iPad carts and at least 33 laptops for its computer lab. Many of these letters included personal messages from the students about the importance of enhancing educational technology in today’s classrooms.

St. William’s students had been hard

at work signing, sealing and stamping these letters and preparing them for delivery to neighbors, friends and family across the country, and as far as England, Ireland, Singapore and Hong Kong.

“We’re very excited that our 2012 Race for Education is off to such a tremendous start,” said Margaret

Grimaldi, principal. “Once again St. William’s students and families have demonstrated their community spirit and support and we couldn’t be more proud.”

As the mail carriers from the local Seaford Post Office arrived to pick up the letters, nearly 600 St. William’s students, from 18 school districts

on Long Island, cheered in a rousing send-off.

But the Race had just begun. On Oct. 25, the Race for Education was held at the school when all the students – from nursery through 8th grade – walked or jogged around a quarter-mile area for a one-hour period, cheered on by family and friends.

Long Islander among jubilarianshonored by Salesians

Father Thomas Brennan, S.D.B., a native of the Diocese of Rockville Centre, was among 15 confreres of the New Rochelle Province of the Salesians of Don Bosco who were honored Sept. 23 at the Marian Shrine in Haverstraw-Stony Point, N.Y., for milestone anniversaries on their journeys in the footsteps of our Savior and of St. John Bosco.

Father Brennan, 59, celebrated the 40th anniversary of his religious profession. Since 2004, he has been the liaison of the Salesians of Don Bosco at the United Nations, where he played a major role in securing U.N. recognition of the Salesians as a non-governmental organization (NGO). He has coordinated numerous programs and interventions on behalf of poor, marginalized and endangered young people around the globe, working with the Holy See, various other religious groups, NGOs and the embassies of various countries.

Father Brennan, the son of Paul and Elizabeth Brennan, was born in Bay Shore and baptized at St. Joseph Church in Ronkonkoma. He was confirmed at St. Lawrence the Martyr in Sayville. He entered Salesian Junior Seminary, Goshen, N.Y., in 1967 and St. Joseph’s Novitiate, Newton, N.J., in 1971. He made his first religious profession at Newton on Sept. 1, 1972. He was ordained in 1982 in Columbus, Ohio.

The Long Island Catholic / December 2012 / www.drvc.org34 For more local news, visit www.drvc.org

De La Salle fifth graders experience life on the farm

For the seventh consecutive year, fifth-graders from The De La Salle School in Freeport spent a week last September experiencing farm life at Spring Brook Farm in Vermont. This working dairy farm in Reading, Vt., served for a week as the classroom for the 18 members of the class, accompanied by Mr. Rall and Mr. Donodeo. The students had numerous opportunities to grow in responsibility, experience teamwork, and witness the autumnal beauty of the Green Mountains. In addition – for the first time – the De La Salle students got to witness the delivery of a farm animal, as Madagascar, a calf, was born about 7 a.m. on Sept. 19.

One student, Ronaldo, said the week was “hard work, but fun.” Alex reported that he “had to turn the cheese wheels.” “Stacking the bales of hay” was a high point for Robert. Angel enjoyed staffing the farm’s booth at the local farmers’ market. All agreed that the food was good and enjoying eggs for breakfast that they had brought from the chicken coop and tasting maple syrup from the farm’s trees on their pancakes were

treats, as well. An entry from Chris G.’s journal caused him to be recognized as “Writer of the Week” at De La Salle.

School officials expressed their gratitude to the Farms for City Kids Foundation for covering all the expenses associated with the students’ time in Vermont. De La Salle only had to pay transportation costs.

Visit www.FarmsForCityKids.org to learn more about this program.

St. John the Baptist launchesresearch program

St. John the Baptist Diocesan High School, West Islip, launched Genesis, a new scientific research program, in September. The program was created to let students closely examine topics for which they have a passion and pursue research studies that go beyond the traditional classroom learning experience. This program affords them the opportunity to combine their natural curiosity with real world inquiry, based in the scientific method, resulting in the creation of scientifically sound research studies. The inaugural students will develop skills in using cutting-edge technology; writing, presentation and communication; project and time management;

leadership; research methodology and the application of mathematics and statistics.

“We are very excited to welcome our first group of scientific researchers into our new Genesis Program,” said

Principal Nan Doherty. “Our hope is to develop solid research skills and encourage research as a discipline as well as an inspiration into the exploration of ideas, problems and solutions for our future and our world.”

Long Beach catholicstudent council

Long Beach Catholic Regional School recently installed its 2012-2013 Student Council. Members are pictured with Principal Veronica Danca and the council’s moderator, Michael McCarthy.

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St. francis Hospital unveils first “Green ER” on Long Island

When the time came for St. Francis Hospital in Roslyn to renovate its emergency room, in addition to creating a facility with an eye on comfort, care, and state-of-the-art lifesaving tools, the hospital also saw an opportunity for environmental stewardship. After years of careful planning, St. Francis took the wraps off the Island’s first “green emergency room” with an official ribbon cutting by Bishop William Murphy – shown here with, from left, Alan D. Guerci, M.D., president & CEO of St. Francis Hospital; Peter Quick, chairman of the board of St. Francis Hospital; Lawrence E. McManus, president & CEO of Catholic Health Services (CHS); and Richard J.J. Sullivan, chairman of the board of CHS.

“We place a great deal of emphasis on the environment of care, and going green in our new ED is just a natural reflection of our commitment to the community, our patients, and the heritage of St. Francis,” said Dr. Guerci.

Dedicated as The Yvette and Joel Mallah Emergency Department, this new facility is the hospital’s first construction project fully funded by philanthropy. Donors contributed more than $8 million in support of the expansion. The total renovation dramatically improves the interior of the hospital’s emergency room, which saw a nearly 21 percent increase in visitors in the last five years. Featuring an increase of over 6,000 square feet, negative pressure private and semi-private rooms, and electrically opaquing “privacy glass” the new construction provides state-of-the-art treatment space. The eco-conscious design also includes using environmentally sustainable materials for walls and floors, expanding the hospital’s recycling program, and implementing a series of energy conserving measures to reduce electrical demand.

Statue at shrine honors founder of Little Sisters of the Poor

On Oct. 3, nearly 200 people devoted to St. Jeanne Jugan made a pilgrimage to Our Lady of the Island Shrine, Manorville, to witness the dedication of a statue erected in her honor along the shrine’s Avenue of the Saints. The pilgrims traveled from throughout the Northeast to attend the event, which was preceded by Mass, Eucharistic adoration and veneration of relics of the woman who founded the Little Sisters of the Poor in France in 1839. Visitors to the shrine included religious sisters and their lay associates, benefactors, and residents from some of the eight homes for the elderly the nuns run in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Connecticut.

The life-size bronze statue was cast in Spain and transported to Long Island after the Little Sisters of the Poor accepted an invitation from the Montfort Fathers, the shrine’s administrators, to install a statue of St. Jeanne Jugan at the shrine.

The statue “is a means of helping us to promote our foundress as a patroness of the elderly,” said Sister Constance Veit. “We want people to pray to her, especially at a time when the care and dignity of the elderly is called into question over and over.” St. Jeanne Jugan was canonized by Pope Benedict XVI in 2009.

National Night of Prayer for Life December 8

The 23rd annual National Night of Prayer for Life, which began as an outgrowth of a monthly all-night prayer vigil for life in one parish here on Long Island (Our Lady of Lourdes in Massapequa Park) is again being held on the evening of December 8 into the morning of December 9 – uniting the Feast of the Immaculate Conception with that of St. Juan Diego, and thereby invoking the Blessed Mother under the titles of The Immaculate Conception and Our Lady of Guadalupe. This year the national vigil expands on its prayer

theme of saving America from the culture of death, to also respond to the call to defend religious freedom and protect the Church from persecution.

The National Night of Prayer for Life is today celebrated in all 50 states and beyond. Once again, more than 40 parishes throughout the Diocese of Rockville Centre are participating. While the national vigil is scheduled from 9 p.m. December 8 to 1 a.m. December 9, this varies in some parishes. Call your parish to inquire about its participation.


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To get through the narrow door, we do not so much need to shed our possessions; we need to shed our illusions. Illusions are false attitudes toward life, as distinct from ideals, which are values that can help us by the way of Christ. It is these illusions, these false attitudes, that underlie our attachments to possessions, people and wealth.

One of the illusions early in life is that the good are rewarded and the bad are punished. This is simply not true. Life is unfair and can be cruel.

Another illusion is that other people will take my loneliness away. This also is not true. That other people will love me is a blessing we can hope for. But other people cannot take my loneliness away. There is a dimension to each of us that yearns for union with God. St. Augustine expressed this best when he said long ago: “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and

“S

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I see myself in a whole new light,now that I live at The Bristal.

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“Ever since selling War Bonds during WWII, I’ve always been an activist. I believe in

standing up for your rights. Though the story of my life has been a dream come true,

when I came to The Bristal, a whole new chapter opened up before me. Especially

during elections, where I help fellow residents consider candidates that value senior

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The narrow doorir, will there be only a few saved?” (Luke 13: 23) Jesus replied: “Try your best to enter by the narrow door, because, I tell you, many will try to enter and will not succeed.” (Luke 13: 24) This does not depend solely on our efforts though we clearly have responsibility here. The

answer Jesus gives is very encouraging: “For men it is impossible but not for God; because everything is possible for God.” (Mark: 10: 27) Salvation is a gift we accept; it is not something we earn.

our hearts are restless until they rest in you.” Love passionately, compassionately, and yet with a gentle grasp on life.

On a related note, this life is not all there is. It is a journey, a pilgrimage. When we expect too much from this life we are inevitably disappointed. We should enjoy this life, but not expect it to meet all our needs.

Finally, there is an illusion out there that the one who dies with the most toys wins. This is not true. The one who dies with the most toys loses. Unfortunately,

he will not find this out until he loses his life.

All Christian living is in response to God’s love and God’s action of grace in our lives. We have nothing to fear, because with God all things are possible.

May the Lord give you peace.

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