CATHOLIC - colsdioc.org · Investiture of the Equestrian Order ... ceived the Rite of Candidacy: TERRANCE ACOX ... con of the Altar. He also does a won-

C A T H O L I C

A journal of Catholic life in OhioD I O C E S E O F CO L U M B U S

D E C E M B E R 2 0 , 2 0 0 9FOURTH WEEK OF ADVENT

VO L U M E 59 : 1 1W W W.C TO N L I N E .O RG

KNIGHTS HAVE DEFENDED CHRISTIANS IN THE HOLY LAND

FOR MORE THAN 900 YEARS

Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem

2 Catholic Times December 20, 2009

The Editor’s Notebook

By David Garick, Editor

Bishop Frederick F. Campbell, D.D., PhD. ~ President & Publisher David Garick ~ Editor ([email protected]) Tim Puet ~ Reporter ([email protected]) Alexandra Keves ~ Graphic Design Manager ([email protected]) Deacon Steve DeMers ~ Business Manager ([email protected]) Jodie Sfreddo ~ Bookkeeper/Circulation Coordinator ([email protected]) Mailing Address: 197 E. Gay St., Columbus OH 43215 Editorial Staff Telephone (614) 224-5195 FAX (614) 241-2518 Business Staff Telephone (614) 224-6530 FAX (614) 241-2518

Copyright © 2009. All rights reserved.Catholic Times is the of cial newspaper of the Catholic Diocese of Columbus, Ohio. It is published weekly 48 times per year with exception of two weeks following Christmas and two weeks in July. Subscription rate: $25 per year.ISSN 0745-6050 Periodical Postage Paid in Columbus, Ohio

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CATHOLICFront Page photo:Knights process out of the Cathe-dral of the Most Blessed Sacrament in Detroit following this year’s Mass of Investiture of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepul-chre of JerusalemCT photo by Barbara Garick

Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem

O little town of BethlehemHow still we see thee lie

Above thy deep and dreamless sleepThe silent stars go by

Yet in thy dark streets shinethThe everlasting Light

The hopes and fears of all the yearsAre met in thee tonight

We all know that tune well. We hear it often at Christmas time and it al-ways touches us. Our thoughts often turn to the place of Christ’s birth and the surrounding countryside where he lived and preached. Two thousand years later the Holy Land remains a place of special importance to Chris-tians. But it is hardly a place of peace. In fact, that little bit of land east of the Mediterranean Sea has never been a place of peace. Wars and occupying armies have been a fact of life in the Holy Land forever. God has always promised that a time

will come when peace will reign in the Holy Land. The prophet Isaiah said, “For the law will go forth from Zion and the word of the LORD from Jeru-salem. And He will judge between the nations, and will render decisions for many peoples; and they will hammer their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not lift up sword against nation, and never again will they learn war.”We yearn for that day. Each of us

has a responsibility to contribute to that peace. This week Catholic Times takes a look at a group of men and women who stepped forward and made an oath to devote themselves to the protection of Christians in the Holy Land and to the promotion of the peace that Isaiah spoke of. They are

the Knights and Ladies of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem.A little dis-

claimer here. Since 2005 I have been a Knight of the Holy Sepulchre myself. So I am hardly an unbiased observer where this group is concerned. But I believe that as you read the stories that begin on page 10 you will grasp the reasons why the members of this special or-der are so committed to providing aid and comfort to the dwindling popula-tion of Christians in the Holy Land. It is a tragedy that in the place where Christianity was born, less than two percent of the population is Christian. The descendants of the original fol-lowers of Christ are suffering. They have been forced to abandon their homes because of being caught be-tween warring factions of Jews and Muslims and because of a lack of ac-cess to jobs and housing.It is imperative that we provide our

Christian brothers and sisters in the Holy Land with the schools, housing and job opportunities they need so that they do not need to leave the land of their birth to seek a normal life. It would be a tragedy if the magni cent churches and holy sites in Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Nazareth and Galilee were reduced to dusty museums with-out the living stones of the Christian population that created and nurtured them. Please join the Knights and Ladies of the Holy Sepulchre in the words of Psalm 122, “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem. May they prosper who love you. May peace be within your walls.”

Fourth Week of Advent

The Diocesan Pastoral Council has elected Jake Tawney of the Marion Deanery as its chairman for 2010. The council also chose Carol Engler

of the Center-South Columbus Dean-ery as rst of cer and Lew Campbell of the Lancaster-Fair eld-Hocking Deanery as second of cer at its meet-ing on Saturday, December 5. They will be installed at the council’s next meeting on Saturday, February 20.The 16-member council consists of

one lay member from each of the dio-

cese’s 14 deaneries, a representative from the Diocesan Council of Catho-lic Women, and a representative of the Diocesan Presbyteral Council, which includes the priests who are deans of each deanery.The pastoral and presbyteral coun-

cils are two of several consultative bodies to Bishop Frederick Camp-bell, who serves as president of both councils. There also are councils of deacons and members of religious orders, a nance council, a project review committee, and the Bishop’s

BY TIM PUETReporter, Catholic Times

Members of the Diocesan Pastoral Council are (left to right), rst row: Mary Kay Hum-mel, Veronica Garrity, Jacinta Hooker, Nancy Plescia, and Susan McCullough; second row: Chuck Taylor, Carol Engler, Nancy Montgomery, Father G. Michael Gribble, Jake Tauney, Bill Neutzling, Lew Campbell, Ellen Weilbacher, executive secretary, and Fred VanOrder. Not pictured are Linda Baughman, Russell Stone, and Robin Rokisky CT photo by Ken Snow

DIOCESAN PASTORAL COUNCILCHOOSES NEW OFFICERS

See OFFICERS, Page 7

By Lori CrockOn December 12th, 2009, Bishop

Frederick F. Campbell, in the name of the Diocese of Columbus, formally ac-cepted 12 men as Diaconate Candidates in formation at St. Joseph Cathedral. This group of 12 candidates was select-ed from 36 Inquirers and then from 18 formal Aspirants.

Please pray for these men who re-ceived the Rite of Candidacy:

TERRANCE ACOXSt. Peter in Chains, Wheelersburg

JOHN BARBOURSt. Francis DeSales, Newark

TIMOTHY BIRIESt. Vincent de Paul, Mt. Vernon

JEFFREY CARPENTERSt. Bernadette, Lancaster

JOSEPH CIACIURASt. Paul the Apostle, Westerville

REED HAUSERSt. Peter, ChillicotheJOSEPH KNAPKESt. Patrick, LondonJOHN MALONE

St. Andrew, ColumbusJoseph Meyer

Church of Resurrection, New AlbanyChristopher Reis

St. Catharine of Siena, ColumbusDouglas Saunders

St. Brendan the Navigator, HilliardTodd Tucky

St. Mary, DelawareThe process of discerning the perma-

nent diaconate includes the following stages.

Inquiry Men initially inquire with Deacon

Frank Iannarino, diocesan director for The Of ce of the Diaconate. The men must be high school graduates, practic-ing Catholics with the support of their pastor; if married, the man must have a valid marriage and the spouse must be a practicing Catholic; if single, the man must agree to stay single and take a vow of celibacy before he can be ordained.

During the Inquiry stage, the men at-tend classes and seminars, including: Lay Ministry Workshop; The History of the Columbus Diocese; Introduction to the Old and New Testament; Ecclesi-ology; Introduction to Theology, or an introductory course on The Catechism of the Catholic Church; Philosophy;

and Theology of the Diaconate. The formal inquiry can last for as long as it takes to help the men prepare to be-come aspirants.

Aspirancy After the period of formal Inquiry,

the men are assessed and a group is invited into the Aspirancy stage of formation. Bishop Campbell and the Diaconate Screening Board consider the needs of the diocese as they select aspirants with no set number admitted. In 2008, 18 of the 36 Inquirers were invited into Aspirancy.

Requirements for aspirants include: submitting a formal application, agree-ing to psychological testing, along with his spouse, meeting with a spiritual direc-tor, attending discernment workshops primarily on the Social teachings of the Catholic Church, and praying the Divine Of ce in the morning and evening.

Candidacy After the Aspirancy stage, Bishop

Campbell and the Diaconate Screening Board select a number of men for Can-didacy. During this stage, candidates are still discerning the call to the dia-conate and they begin an intense three-year period of coursework at the Pon-ti cal College Josephinum focused on the four pillars of development: human, intellectual, spiritual, and pastoral.

Wives of the candidates are welcome to attend any of the courses and the couples also have their own workshops

and retreat. Involvement and support by wives and family members is an impor-tant part of the deacon formation pro-cess and the Church is respectful of the needs of the family and the candidates’ employment responsibilities.

Formation at the Pontifical College

JosephinumCandidates meet for classes every

other Saturday at the Ponti cal College Josephinum; once a quarter they spend an entire weekend in classes taught by a variety of clergy and laity. The candi-dates also attend seminars each quarter and a retreat each summer.

Deacon Iannarino coordinates the diaconate formation program and men-tors the men in all stages of formation. “It is my role to nd out how they best learn and help to implement that.” Dea-con Iannarino teaches all the liturgical practicums and the Homiletics course. He schedules guest teachers who are outstanding spiritual, pastoral, and aca-demic theologians.

Bishop Campbell teaches the candi-dates about the role of the: Deacon of the Word, Deacon of Charity and Dea-con of the Altar. He also does a won-derful seminar for the candidate and his wife about how The Sacrament of Marriage and Holy Orders complement each other through the diaconate.

The diocese incurs the cost of candidate formation classes, vestments, and hous-ing and food costs incurred during for-mation. The men incur the cost of books.

Lector and AcolyteAfter one year as candidates, the men

are instituted into the liturgical ministry of lector. After the second year, the men are assigned to serve in a parish other than their own and they are instituted into the liturgical ministry of acolyte.

OrdinationThe candidates who complete the for-

mation will hopefully be called to re-ceive Holy Orders in late 2012 or early 2013 at the discretion of the bishop. The deacons serve and are directed by their local Bishop.

One month before ordination, the candidates sign a letter petitioning the Bishop that they wish to be ordained. They also must present their Oath of Freedom and Profession of Faith to a priest who is designated as the Bish-op’s delegate.

With recommendation from the Bish-op’s delegate, the candidates are pre-sented for the Sacrament of Holy Or-ders. At ordination, hands are laid on by the Bishop, the candidates are vested as ordained deacons, and they are present-ed with the Book of the Gospel.

Post-OrdinationFor three years following their ordina-

tion, the newly-ordained deacons gather for quarterly workshops with many of their classmates and brother deacons. Deacons are assigned to a parish and/or diocesan ministry and give their service freely to the Church.

December 20, 2009 Catholic Times 3

Bishop Campbell Accepts 12 Candidates into Deacon Formation

Bishop Campbell poses with the men who have begun the process of becoming Permanent Deacons in the Catholic Church. FIRST ROW (L to R): Deacon Doug Mould (Chairman of Diaconal Council), Jeffrey Carpenter, Chris Reis, John Malone, Jr., Joe Meyer, Tim Birie, Doug Saunders, Deacon Frank Iannarino (Director, Of ce of the Diaconate); SECOND ROW (L to R); Deacon Frank Sullivan, Reed Hauser, Joe Ciaciura, John Bar-bour, Bishop Frederick Campbell, Joe Knapke, Terry Acox, Todd Tucky, Fr. Shawn Corcoran (Chancellor), Fr. Charles Klinger CT photo by Ken Snow


PRACTICAL STEWARDSHIPBy Rick Jeric

Fun Did you listen last week? Better still, did you hear anything? It is usually easy to listen, once we set aside the time. The dif cult part is in the hearing. God has so much to say, but it is in His whisper that we hear, not in a startling shout. Whether we consider ourselves “too busy” or not, it is the solitude and quiet time that presents a great challenge. We might ask ourselves how we can properly listen and hear. We must not only take the time to be quiet and experience the silence, but we must make the effort to schedule the time, and be sure that it happens. What a simple, yet profound way in which to prepare for the Nativ-ity. Plan, schedule, solitude, silence, listen, and hear. We welcome Jesus Christ into our hearts, minds, and souls each and every day of our lives. Christmas offers us the opportunity to recall the great mystery of the Incarnation, and to renew our baptismal call to live a life lled with the peace and love that can only exist because of the birth of this child. And Advent leaves us well prepared.

What does “fun” mean to you? We have countless ways to de ne fun. We have countless ways to have fun. But how important is it, and how does it impact the way we live our lives from day to day? With the busy lives we lead, and with the stress of our many responsibili-ties, fun has become an essential ingredient for our mental health and well-being. Fun can be rest and relaxation. Fun can be a vacation. Fun can be a party. Fun can be our favorite pastime. Fun can be some dedicated, special time with our spouse, our children, or our friends. Given the end of the season of Advent, fun can certainly be Christmas. We are overwhelmed with preparations for Christmas. We go out of our way to be sure that Christmas is fun. If Christmas is not fun for us, and especially the children, then there is something amiss with our preparations.

I wonder how much fun the rst Christmas was. Probably not much fun at all. Imagine all the things that made the rst Christmas such a paradox. The mere situation in which Mary and Joseph found them-selves was scary, at best. We see a very young, pregnant girl on the back of a donkey being led through the countryside by her betrothed. They are doing their civic duty for the census. Suddenly, the baby is coming, and they must handle the whole situation themselves. I can only imagine how much fun that was. The reality of the scene was probably much different than the pristine crèches and manger set-ups we love to see at this time of year. So what did they do for fun? No one there with whom to celebrate. No excited grandparents or siblings. No phone, no texting, no Facebook, no Twitter. Many miles from anyone they knew. For fun, I imagine that they simply enjoyed and cherished the greatest gift they could ever wish for – a healthy baby boy. We know for sure that their great love and trust overcame any doubts or fears.

Our practical challenge this week is to commit to having fun this Christmas as the Holy Family had fun. Enjoy the gifts, the food, the family, and the joy. But most of all, take time to have fun with only the joy of Christmas. Set aside the internet, the phone, the texting, and the Facebook. Have some genuine, real, sacred fun with the Christ child. Face the silence and the simplicity of that rst Christmas, and love one another not for the gifts we will receive, but for the gifts we will share as the people of God.

Jeric is director of development and planning for the Columbus Diocese.

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Ohio Dominican Univer-sity has announced that Columbus City Coun-cil President Michael C. Mentel will be the key-note speaker at the 2009 Winter Commencement Ceremony scheduled for 11:00 a.m., on December 19, 2009 in Alumni Hall Gymnasium. The univer-sity will also confer a Doctor of Humane Letters, Honoris Causa to Mentel. “Ohio Dominican is proud to bestow

this honorary degree to President Men-tel who has served his community with distinction and dignity,” said ODU In-terim President Ron Seiffert. Mentel is General Counsel and Chief

Legal Of cer at ms consultants, inc., which provides engineering, architec-ture and planning services to multiple environments - from the largest ur-ban metroplexes to the smallest rural communities. In 1999, Mentel became a member of

Columbus City Council and has chaired numerous committees, including the Safety Committee. In 2007, he was elected President and is currently the Chair of the Finance as well as Rules and Reference Committees. Mentel cre-ated the position of Advocate for the Homeless and Social Services, a cabi-

net level position in the Mayors of ce to coordi-nate the protocol for all City employees to follow when they interface with a homeless individual or family. These procedures will help ensure that those in need will receive criti-cal assistance as quickly as possible, moving the

homeless from the land to stable hous-ing situations. A lifelong Columbus resident, Ment-

el’s public service includes involvement with the boards of the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, Columbus Coalition Against Family Violence, the Aquinas Scholarship endowment fund and other civic and cultural organizations. Citing his strong leadership skills and unwav-ering support for Columbus residents, the St. Stephen’s Community House has named Mentel the winner of the 2008 John Maloney Leadership Award. He was also named the 2009 Chambers and Partners Award as one of the top envi-ronmental attorneys in Ohio. Mentel graduated from Bishop Ready

High School. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Capital Uni-versity in 1984 and a Juris Doctor degree from Capital University Law School in 1987.

MICHAEL MENTEL TO ADDRESS ODU’S2009 COMMENCEMENT GRADUATES


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• Guaranteed gift to your parish at the end of your life Five members of the Environ-mental Club at Columbus St. Fran-cis DeSales High School and their adviser took part in an environ-mental service day on Saturday, Dec. 5, at Shepherd’s Corners, an environmental education center operated by the Dominican Sis-ters of Peace. They planted trees, helped weatherize water troughs, picked up rocks from a eld, and picked up trash along the side of the road running by the farm. In the top photo, club members are shown with farm manager Eric Pawlowski. In the bottom photo, students Page Binkley (left) and Lauren Panzo stand next to a tree the club planted Photos courtesy St. Francis DeSales High School

ST. FRANCIS DESALES STUDENTS ARE ACTIVE IN THE COMMUNITY

As a result of a monthlong drive, Columbus St. Francis DeSales High School donated 18,000 cans of food to the Christmas Care program of St. Stephen’s Community House. The donations will help 2,500 families during the holiday season. The canned food drive was led by a group of juniors, several of whom are pictured gathered around the donations

Danville St. Luke Church again will sponsor a four-day, three-night bus trip to next month’s March for Life, which will take place Friday, January 22, in Wash-ington, D.C.

Participants will leave the church at 8 a.m. Wednesday, January 20, ride a 47-passenger bus, and ar-rive that night at the Hampton Inn in Alexandria, Va., where they will stay each night.

A tour of Washington, guided by John Durbin of Danville, will take place during the day Thursday, January 21, with Mass at 6 p.m. at the National Shrine of the Im-maculate Conception.

Following Friday’s march, the group will depart Washington at 10 a.m. Saturday, January 23.

The cost for the trip will be $300 each for a double room, or $260 each for rooms where three or four people will be sleeping.

A $50 deposit is due by Sunday, December 20. Final payment is due by Friday, January 15.

Anyone in the diocese is invited to attend.

More information is available by contacting Father F. Richard Snoke at (740) 599-6362 or Bobbie Thomas at (740) 427-4044.

“MARCH FOR LIFE” TRIP PLANNED TO WASHINGTON D.C.

OFFICE OF LITURGYREVIEWING ADVENT

Advent began the Sunday of our Nation’s Thanksgiving holi-day weekend. During that Sunday celebration we blessed our Advent wreath in our parish, a blessing that also blessed the Advent wreaths we placed on our dining tables in our homes. We lit the fi rst candle as we began this season of preparation and anticipation and we began to await the celebration of the birth of Jesus on the Feast of the Nativity.

This season has passed quickly because there as so many other activities in which we have be-come involved. Almost four weeks long, this season deserves more of our time and focus. Be-cause there are so many other details we feel are important at this time, we may be overlooking the wonderful teachings found in our scriptures proclaimed on these Sundays.On the First Sunday of Advent

the scriptures told us that: We must be on guard for the Day which is to come when all will be fulfi lled. As we await the coming of Christ, let us love one another, observing his covenant and decrees. On the Second Sunday of Advent we were taught: The Lord has done great things, leading his people out of slavery to the glorious splendor of Jerusalem. Let us make ready the way of the Lord by abounding in love and in works of justice. And on the Third Sunday of Advent we heard: Rejoice in the Lord always! Great in our midst is the Holy One of Israel, a mighty savior. It is he whom John foretold; it is he who will baptize in the Holy Spirit.

This Sunday, the Fourth Sunday of Advent, we will hear our fi nal teaching that prepares us for the celebration of the Na-tivity of our Lord: From Bethlehem shall come one who will rule Israel. Born of Mary, the servant of the Lord, he will pro-tect and save us, offering himself once and for all in doing the Father’s will. The gospel stories proclaimed of Mary and of John the Baptist offer us models for our discerning the pres-ence of our Savior in the world.

On Thursday, the 17th, we began the O Antiphons. These antiphons refer to the seven antiphons that are recited (or chanted) preceding the Magnifi cat during Vespers of the Lit-urgy of the Hours. They cover the special period of Advent preparation known as the Octave before Christmas, Dec. 17-23, with Dec. 24 being Christmas Eve and Vespers for that evening being for the Christmas Vigil. They are: O Wisdom; O Sacred Lord; O Flower of Jesse’s Stem; O Key of David; O Radi-ant Dawn; O King of All the Nations; O Emmanuel.

Many parishes or the parishes in the denary collectively may have already offered penance services. Some will be offering a penance service this week. These services offer another oppor-tunity in our preparation for the celebration of the Nativity.

The Fourth Sunday of Advent does not mark the end of this season. There are still a few days during this week as we continue to anticipate the celebration to come. As we look to the few remaining days of Advent and as we look back over the season and the many opportunities we have had to prepare, we pray that we have taken advantage and used them wisely.


Anointing after death? Protestant belief in a catholic church?

A quick note from:

Q. The father of a friend of mine died

recently. She found him dead two days (after he died). Her family says she should have called a priest to give him the sacrament of penance and anoint him. She didn’t do so because she felt there was no point. What is the proper pro-cedure in these situa-tions? Should she have had a priest come to give him these sacra-ments? (Oklahoma)

A. I believe your friend acted wise-

ly. Sacraments are for the living, not the dead. Either or both of these sacraments should be administered, at least conditionally, only as long as there is any doubt that the person still has bodily life. (“Pastoral Care of the Sick,” No. 15. References here are to this ritual.) The church has two complementary con-cerns in the sacrament of the anointing. “It supports the sick in their struggle against illness and continues Christ’s messianic work of healing” (No. 96). These obviously affect not only the sick person

himself or herself but also family and friends who need this message of hope and comfort. This is why every ef-fort is required to pre-pare for and celebrate the sacraments of anointing, penance and Eucharist while the dy-ing person is still able to participate in them with loved ones. As the ritual points out and Catholic theology indicates: “Because of its very nature as a sign (as a sacramental action) the sacrament of anoint-ing of the sick should be celebrated with mem-bers of the family and other representatives of the Christian com-munity whenever this is possible. Then the sac-rament is seen for what it is, a part of the prayer of the church and an en-counter with the Lord” (No. 99). When this has not been possible for whatever reason, anointing of the

sick may be conferred after the person has lost consciousness. How-ever, it should never be ministered if it is clear without doubt that the individual is already dead. In this case, the priest might pray for the person, asking God’s forgiveness and for all the other gifts the church begs from God in its petitions for the dead. Canon law echoes these teachings. The sacrament of anointing is to be ministered to those who have attained the use of reason when there is any doubt what-soever that the sick per-son is in fact dead, or even whether he or she is in fact seriously ill. While the above deals more directly with the sacrament of anointing of the sick, practice re-lating to the dying is substantially the same for the sacrament of penance.

Q. My wife and I are lifelong Catholics

and don’t know much about other faiths. We were confused recently when we went to a Lu-theran funeral and heard them recite the Apos-tles’ Creed, including that they believe in the Catholic Church. How do we explain that? (Iowa)

A. Within a few de-cades after Jesus’

death, the Christian community was already called “catholic.” The Greek word “katho-likos” simply means universal, indicating, among other things, that the Christian faith is for all people, not only for certain classes or places. The Apostles’ Creed reached its present form around the year 200, so it is not strange that it includes the phrase “catholic church.” When Protestants recite the creed, they intend that original mean-ing, not as a reference to the Roman Catholic Church.

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Under the direct supervision of the Finance Director, leads accounting, payroll, and related functions within the Diocesan Finance Ofce. Provides guidance, technical assistance and consultation to members of the clergy, religious, principals, directors, and managers within the Diocese in the area of accounting policies, external nancial reporting, internal management reporting, budget preparation, tax and government regulatory compliance, treasury management and credit/collections policies. This position also oversees, manages, directs and is expected to provide leadership to the staff carrying out routine duties and responsibilities of the Finance Ofce. The ideal applicant must possess a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting or Finance; advanced degree and Certied Public Accountant is preferred; procient knowledge of nancial systems –QuickBooks, general ledger, A/R, A/P, payroll is required. The ideal applicant must also possess ve to ten years of professional experience with minimum of 7 years in leadership positions in Accounting or Finance. Passing a background screening and completion of the VIRTUS “Protecting God’s Children” course are mandatory. Salary is commensurate with experience. Benets are according to Diocesan policy. Send resume and references by December 31, 2009 to:

Dominic W. Prunte, Diocesan Director of Human Resources197 East Gay Street, Columbus, OH 43215

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Catholic Diocese of ColumbusCONTROLLER

Council, which includes the bishop, vicar general, chancellor, vice chancel-lor, and heads of the main diocesan de-partments.

All support the bishop in his role as chief shepherd of the diocese. They are not rule-making bodies, but help the bishop make the decisions which are his alone under Church law.

Canon law requires a pastoral council in each diocese. Its role, according to Canon 511, is “to investigate under the authority of the bishop all those things which pertain to pastoral works, to pon-der them and to propose practical con-clusions about them.”

Guidelines adopted by the Columbus diocesan pastoral council in 2006 say the panel “shall also serve as an instru-ment of communication between the bishop and the faithful of the diocese.”

“Prayer is essential to the council’s work,” the guidelines say. “Prayer will help to remind the council of Christ’s presence and the obligation to discern the will of God in all the concerns of the diocese. Decisions and actions will take

place after prayerful discussions and by a majority of the members present.”

The council has no permanent com-mittees, but can form committees to deal with a current issue. Those committees and the council as a whole can request information as needed from diocesan agencies, deaneries, and parishes.

Pastoral councils exist only when a diocese has a bishop. As Canon 513 puts it, “When the see is vacant, the pastoral council ceases to exist.” This means that in cases where a bishop has died or has been appointed bishop of another diocese, the pastoral council does not meet until after a new bishop has been installed.

Canon 514 requires that pastoral councils meet at least once a year. In the Diocese of Columbus, such meet-ings occur more frequently, usually in October, December, February, April, and June, at the Chancery Of ce. In ad-dition, the bishop may call a meeting at any time if the need arises.

The pastoral council year begins September 1 and ends August 31. Its

members serve two-year terms, with a suggested maximum term of six years. The 14 deanery members are selected by their respective deanery councils, which consist of two members from each parish council within the deanery.

Deanery councils meet during the months when there is not a pastoral council meeting and hear reports from each parish council. Those reports are discussed and summarized in a deanery report, which is sent to each pastoral council member and the bishop in ad-vance of the pastoral council meeting.

Reports from the deanery councils form the basis for much of the pastoral council discussion. The reports usually includes information on current projects, both by individual parishes and by groups of parishes, planned collaborative activi-ties within the deanery, and a response to “homework” which the bishop gives the deaneries at pastoral council meetings.

Deanery representatives also have a chance in their reports to ask the bishop one or two questions, to which he re-sponds when the pastoral council meets.

Since his installation in 2005, Bishop Campbell has been a strong supporter of the deanery and pastoral councils and has encouraged them to take a more active role in helping him serve the dio-cese, said Ellen Weilbacher, executive

secretary to the pastoral council.“When he came here, only about half

of the deanery councils had regular meetings,” she said. “Now all but one or two meet every other month and send representatives to the pastoral council, and we’re helping the others get organized.

“The bishop also has helped get more people to participate actively in the council meetings by coming up with the ‘homework’ idea and encouraging the deanery councils to ask questions.”

Current members of the pastoral coun-cil, listed with their respective deaner-ies, are:

Carol Engler, Center-South Colum-bus; William Neutzling, Northwest Co-lumbus; Veronica Garrity, North High Columbus; Susan McCullough, North-land Columbus; Fred VanOrder, West Columbus; Jacinta Hooker, East Co-lumbus; Jake Tawney, Marion; Linda Baughman, Zanesville; Russell “Corky” Stone, Knox-Licking; Robin Rokisky, Tuscarawas-Holmes-Coshocton; Lew Campbell, Lancaster-Fair eld-Hock-ing; Nancy Plescia, Chillicothe; Mary Kay Hummel, Scioto County; Chuck Taylor, Perry County; Nancy Mont-gomery, Diocesan Council of Catholic Women; and Father G. Michael Grib-ble, Diocesan Presbyteral Council.

OFFICERS, Continued from Page 2


By Tim Puet/Catholic Times Reporter

Father Joseph Losh says being a convincing witch may have started him along the road to the priesthood.“I wanted to be a server in fth grade when I went to

Mount Vernon St. Vincent de Paul School, but the people who were doing the training didn’t think I had the skills,” he said. “That year, we put on the play ‘Hansel and Gre-tel,’ and the girl playing the witch didn’t always show up for class, so I read her lines when she was absent. She

didn’t show up on the night of the play, so I took her part.“I must have done a good job, because Msgr. Harold O’Donnell, the pastor,

complimented me and said to the teacher, ‘Why isn’t he a server?’ So I began serving and stayed with it all through high school. That was probably the rst thing that made me think about being a priest.”Father Losh, 76, was born in Danville and grew up there and in Mount Ver-

non, where he attended St. Vincent de Paul grade school and high school. He then served four years in the Navy as an electrician’s mate before studying for the priesthood at Columbus St. Charles Seminary and Mount St. Mary’s Seminary of the West in Norwood.“I was studying to be an X-ray technician,” he said. “Then I took some

vocational aptitude tests before I left the Navy. The counselor told me the tests showed I had technical ability, but it also appeared I could work very well with people. That got me thinking about being a priest again and I talked to my pastor, Father Eugene Dunn, about it. He told me he thought I had a vocation, so I went to St. Charles. “I grew up on a farm and enjoyed hunting, and Father Dunn and Father

Joseph Jerabeck, his assistant, were both hunters. That had an impact on me, because I saw you could be a priest and still do other things you enjoyed.”Father Losh was ordained on May 30, 1964, his 31st birthday, by Bishop

Clarence Issenmann. He served as associate pastor at Delaware St. Mary, Columbus Sacred Heart, Zanesville St. Nicholas, Coshocton Sacred Heart, and Grove City Our Lady of Perpetual Help churches, administrator and pastor at Wainwright St. Therese and Midvale St. Paul, co-pastor at Columbus St. Au-gustine, and pastor at LaRue St. Joseph.He now lives in the assisted living section of the Villas of St. Therese. He suf-

fers from Parkinson’s disease, but still celebrates Mass.Father Losh probably is most familiar for his work with the Columbus Charis-

matic Catholic Renewal organization, with which he remains active.“My involvement goes back to the 1970s when I was at Wainwright,” he

said. “There was a charismatic group of lay people meeting at Tuscarawas Catholic High School in New Philadelphia which needed a priest to maintain its Catholic identity. Father Ed Healy, who was part of the movement almost from the beginning, asked me to help this group, and I saw the fruits of the renewal immediately. It renewed my priesthood. “One of my rst spiritual experiences after getting involved with the renewal

came at a Mass at which I read from the part of Luke’s gospel where Jesus is in his home synagogue and reading the passage from Isaiah which says ‘The spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor, to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind.’“I can remember holding up the chalice at that Mass and it was like seeing

the Lord’s spirit,” Father Losh said. “He told me, ‘Joe, do what you’re supposed to do. Set the captives free.’ It’s been wonderful to do my job as a priest – to know some of God’s people, minister to them in times of joy and sit with them and mourn in times of loss.”

The Year of the Priest

Fr. Losh still active in renewal

HOLY FAMILY CHURCH584 W. Broad Street

Columbus, Ohio 43215

CHRISTMAS MASS SCHEDULE

DECEMBER 25 ~ CHRISTMAS DAY Thursday, December 24 ~ Christmas Vigil 5:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. (English); 12:00 Midnight Mass (Latin) Friday, December 25 ~ Christmas Day 8:00 a.m. Missa in Aurora (Latin) 9:00 a.m. Missa in Die (Latin) 11:00 a.m. Mass (English) 12:00 Noon~Mt. Carmel West

JANUARY 1 ~ FEAST OF MARY, MOTHER OF GOD Thursday, December 31 ~ Vigil Mass, the Mother of God 11:00 p.m. Mass (English) Friday, January 1, 2010 ~ Feast of Mary, Mother of God 12:00 Noon ~ Msgr. Schweitzer (in church) 6:00 p.m. ~ Latin Mass

All are welcome!

St. Timothy School’s fth and sixth grade co-ed soccer team completed an undefeated season and won the Central Ohio Youth Soccer League (COYSL) Fall 2009 Championship. Congratulations to the team and coaches!

Soccer Championship WinnersDecember 20, 2009 Catholic Times 9

LIVINGFaithCELEBRATING LIFE: THE ULTIMATE CHRISTMAS GIFT

The moment I uttered the words I knew they sounded silly: “What do you get the girl who has everything?”

Nothing, of course, suggests common sense. But the Pier 1 employee elding my question saw I wasn’t letting that pesky force stand in my way, as I milled through paper lanterns, arti cial apples and $3 bags of “mini river stones.”

She suggested the very thing I had sworn off, a bottle of wine, then pointed out a $22 walnut photo tray. This intrigued me: For someone with more pictures than walls, here was a new place to stuff snapshots.

I knew I was in a predicament, shopping for a friend who lled an entire bookshelf with Williams-Sonoma cookbooks. Years later not a dab of vegetable oil has stained their pages.

I probably should’ve ipped through Sky Mall, the airplane magazine that showcases the weirdest stuff you never knew you needed (and can’t afford): an Electronic Feng Shui Compass ($159.99), a 3-Day Talking Forecaster ($41.99), a Telekinetic Obstacle Course ($99.95). Online you can choose from 44 alarm clocks – ones with MLB and NFL scores, ones built into robots and drum sets and, for the impossible to rouse, a runaway clock that rolls around your bedroom and forces a blanket severance.

It got me thinking about the gifts we give – the things

we can wrap, tape and tie, and the intangibles that mean the most. It seems we’re beginning to make that distinction, a hard-won lesson of the recession’s tail-end. A new Consumer Reports holiday shopping poll nds that Americans are planning to cut back on spending but expect no subsequent drop in yuletide cheer. Sixty ve percent of us plan to curb holiday expenses, while 87 percent await a Christmas that is “as happy or happier than last year.”

Perhaps we’re returning to the origin of the word “gift,” which is Middle English for “talent.” It pertains to a person’s capacities, not her funds. This Advent I challenge you to determine what you are uniquely suited to give – thanks to your job, your neighborhood, your family or your skill set – and offer it to someone who could use a lift.

Looking back on 2009, I remember the gifts that took time, not twenties. The neighbor who mowed my

lawn. The Saturday morning Mom cleaned my house, readying it for company. Hugs from grandparents, voicemails I saved, emails I printed. And tucked in my journal, a stack of four thank-you notes from my soon-to-be sister-in-law, Jodie. “Thank you for the cutting board,” one reads. “But thank you especially for just being the wonderful person that you are.”

When Jodie’s dad, Denis, died last month, we were devastated. The morning of his funeral, between Ave Maria and Taps, our grief was heavy. Then we embarked on a tour of Busch Stadium, home of Denis’ beloved St. Louis Cardinals. As a teen Denis had worked as a Cardinals change boy and he later got his cousin Mickey a job there. Fifty four years later, Mickey is now the manager of stadium operations, and he led our tour.

We stepped out of the dugout and onto the eld, a Technicolor scene: green grass, red cardinals, silver Arch and blue sky. It was one of those moments when heaven hugs earth. We all could feel Denis beaming down on us.

Mickey gave us an incredible gift that day: a deeper connection to Denis. We will cherish it with each passing year. That is the ultimate Christmas gift, begun by Mary’s brave yes: to accept life, nurture it and honor it. Christina Capecchi is a freelance writer from Inver Grove Heights, Minn. Email her at [email protected].

Twenty SomethingChristina Capecchi

The calendar told me it was 8 days before Christmas. Time, I realized that I needed to really get busy, if I want-ed to make a nice Christmas for my family.

The entire previous month had been consumed with work in our newly constructed St. Martin de Porres Out-reach Mission Center. Word was spreading about our Mis-sion, where furniture and household goods are collected and given to the poor and needy.

Most days there were calls from people throughout our parish and community wishing to donate items. Many needed to be picked up, a task that falls mostly to my hus-band, Jim, and anyone he can recruit to help. Combine those calls with ones coming in daily regarding people needing help and it is easy to see how my own life often is on hold these days. The 6 weeks from November 1 to mid-December were the busiest we had been all year. I had made a list of gifts for my family weeks ago. A second list included all the baking that I have done every year for decades. And still a third list, of the ingredients I needed to get to accomplish list number 2!

So, my normal plans, to shop a couple of days, spend a day or two wrapping and decorating the packages (the part I love) and then a couple of days baking the goodies that we deliver to friends were on a very tight time-line and needing some revisions! The new plan included sending husband, Jim, on several shopping excursions, a midnight trip to a 24-hours grocery and jumping out of bed earlier

than normal. With a bit of luck, I could multi-task, wrap packages while cookies were in the oven, write cards and race back and forth from kitchen to craft area.

This plan worked for about two hours, until my back and neck said “uh huh………this is not good.” Rests became necessary. I had promised ME that I would stay OFF the computer this day. Any emails of need would have to wait. But, instead of easing into a recliner to rest, I found myself at the computer. The email list of needs was, at least, more modest than normal. Maybe things were settling down be-fore the holiday week. As I scanned down the short list, I started to shut the computer off, when I saw the last item. I read it……twice. A little girl, age 8, was still sleeping in a crib, needing a bed desperately……. one in which she did not have to curl up in order to t. My mind said put this away until there is time to deal with it, but my heart told me it was urgent. I envisioned the Holy Family feeling that same sense of urgency……….searching desperately for a proper place for their child to lay his head.

My mind drifted to our St. Martin Center, where I knew we had an adorable wicker bedroom suite, generously do-nated by a parish family. It screamed “I need a new little girl” in the worst way! It was complete with frilly white eyelet bedding, a matching dresser, lamp and a good mat-tress and box springs.

An hour later, after tracking the family through the social service agency, I spoke to the grateful mother, who asked

a friend with a pick-up to drive to our center to get the set. We made arrangements to meet that evening. I assumed just the driver and perhaps the mother would show up, so when I saw the little girl I was surprised and pleased.

The child looked around at all the used items with wide eyes….she touched things as she asked me “Is all this stuff yours?” I explained we were just holding it, until we could nd new homes for everything. I showed her the bed and she seemed unable to process what we were all doing there. When I told her the bed was for her, she began to cry. I hugged her and she clung to me and whispered “Is this bed REALLY mine?” As her wet tears slid down my neck and merged with mine, I told her that our God was SO good , and loved her so much, that he brought us to-gether for this very purpose.

The short drive home to my Christmas house, awaiting all the cherished traditions I hoped to complete, sudden-ly did not seem near as pressing. This little babe, for the rst time, had a proper bed in which to lie down. I hope she remembered what I whispered to her as we parted, …….“don’t forget to say your prayers and thank God for your new bed and all your blessings.”

May God always bless the little children.Gloria Butler is a member of St. Joseph Parish in Plain City and Director of St. Joseph’s St. Martin de Porres Outreach Mission Center

By Gloria Butler JUST ONE MORE GIFT

The Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jeru-

salem traces its origins to the rst of the nine Crusades which took place between 1095 and the end of the 13th century in an ultimately unsuccessful at-tempt to take Christian control of the Holy Land from Mus-lims, who had captured Jerusa-lem in 1070.

The order was founded by Duke Godfrey of Bouillon, a principal leader of the rst Cru-sade. The crusaders’ battle cry, “God wills it,” pronounced by Pope Urban II in 1095, remains the order’s motto today, provid-ing a link to its origins.Godfrey and a group of knights

were entrusted with the protec-tion of the religious Chapter of Canons, members of the clergy whose job it was to serve at the Church of the Holy Sepul-chre, the site of Christ’s tomb. A Christian church has existed at the site almost continuous-ly ever since the Roman em-peror Constantine recognized Christianity as a religion in the fourth century. The original church was de-

stroyed in 1009 and rebuilt in the 11th century. The restored

church has stood through nearly 1,000 years and been renovated many times, most recently in the last half of the 20th centu-ry. Today, its custody is shared by the Roman Catholic, Greek Orthodox, and Armenian Apos-tolic churches.Godfrey’s rst group of knights

and their successors protected the church for about 20 years, taking as their banner the red Jerusalem cross popularized by the crusaders. By 1113, Pope Paschal II of cially recognized their existence and purpose. Nine years later, Pope Callistus II established them as a lay reli-gious community with speci c responsibilities of guarding the Church of the Sepulchre and the city of Jerusalem in defense of Christianity.Godfrey’s crusaders succeeded

in their original objective of re-taking Jerusalem, with Godfrey being elected the city’s secular leader and serving in that posi-tion until he died there in 1100. But the Egyptian sultan Sala-din took the city back in 1187, and subsequent crusades were unable to return control of the Holy Land to Christians.The knights eventually ed to

the fortress of St. John in the city of Acre in modern-day Isra-el, where they were received by other groups of besieged crusad-ers. They remained there from 1245 to 1291, when the fortress fell, ending the Crusades. The knights scattered, but continued their works in the Mediterra-nean basin, France, Spain, and as far away as Poland.By this time, the Franciscan

friars had unof cially tak-

en custody of the holy sites which had been entrusted to the knights. Pope John XXII in 1330 named the Franciscan prior of Jerusalem custodian of the order. The pope was the nominal head of the organiza-tion, but the prior was respon-sible for all aspects of the or-der’s growth and governance, including the calling of new knights. The Franciscans con-tinue as custodians of the Holy Land’s sacred sites to this day.Pope Innocent VIII in 1489

merged the Order of the Holy Sepulchre and the Knights of Malta, an organization with a similar history which continues to exist. That union lasted only seven years, with Innocent’s successor, Alexander VI, restor-ing the two as separate groups.For the next 350 years, Fran-

ciscans of the Holy Land kept the Order of the Holy Sepulchre alive by welcoming new mem-bers, but the order remained dormant. Its modern era began in 1847, when Pope Pius IX re-stored the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem and made the patri-arch the order’s grand prior, a title he continues to hold. The pope kept the title of grand master.Pius IX restructured the order

over the next 20 years, removing the requirement that a knight of the Holy Sepulchre be invested into the order in Jerusalem. He

10 Catholic Times /December 20, 2009 December 20, 2009 /Catholic Times 11

Think of a knight, and the image that probably

comes to mind is someone in a suit of armor, riding on a horse and going out to do battle to keep the Holy Land safe for Christians.After nearly 1,000 years,

some of those knights still exist and live among us. They’ve exchanged the suits of armor for more modern attire; their vehicle of choice usually isn’t a horse, but one with plenty of horsepower; and they raise money rather than trying to raise an army. But their job of maintaining the safety of the Holy Land for Christians and those of all religions remains.About 22,000 such knights

can be found worldwide. They are members of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusa-lem, whose principal duty of protecting the Holy Land has been unchanged since

its founding in the 12th century by Godfrey of Bouillon, a leader of the rst Crusade.

The order has been part of the Catholic Church ever since, and has protection un-der canon law. Cardinal John Foley, former archbishop of Philadelphia, was appointed in 2007 as the organization’s grand master, representing the pope. Pope Paul VI in 1977 ap-

proved a new constitution for the order, which states the following reasons for its existence:“The Order relives in a

modern manner the spirit and ideal of the Crusades, with the arms of faith, of the apostolate, and of Christian charity. To this end the Order (a) fosters in its members the practice of the Christian life; (b) is zealous for the preser-vation and spread of the faith in Palestine; and (c) champi-ons the defense of the rights of the Catholic Church in the Holy Land, the cradle of the

Order.”Knights of the order must

be practicing Catholics in a state of grace and in com-munion with Rome, and must have their membership approved by the bishop of their diocese. They are in-vited to join by other mem-bers, and must take an oath of loyalty to the pope and to the Catholic Church as part of their induction.Don Brown, who shares the

duties of section represen-tative for the order for the dioceses of Columbus and Steubenville with his wife, Monica, said there are about 150 Knights and Ladies of the Holy Sepulchre in the two dioceses. Membership of the organization totals about 8,000 in the United States, including 1,200 to 1,300 in the group’s North Central lieutenancy, which includes Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Il-linois, Wisconsin, and Ken-tucky.It’s a fairly small organi-

zation by design, compared

with groups such as the Knights of Columbus, be-cause it concentrates on a speci c purpose while the K of C and other organizations are more wide-ranging.It admits men and women

on an equal basis. Much of its membership consists of married couples who, like the Browns, were inducted at the same time and share duties in the organization. The membership includes both laypersons and clergy. Brown said about a dozen

priests in the Diocese of Co-lumbus belong to the order. They are nominated by their bishop or, if they are mem-bers of a religious order, by their superior.“It’s really a great privilege

to be asked to join because belonging to the Knights is the highest honor the Church can grant to clerics and lay people equally,” said Dea-con Don Poirier of Dublin St. Brigid of Kildare Church. He and his wife, Julie, have been part of the organization

since 1998.“We are fairly unknown

and don’t look for a lot of publicity, but I like that because being part of the Knights doesn’t add the bur-den of another large agenda to what I’m already doing. Most of us are very active in the Church, and this is an ex-tension of the existing things we do,” he said. “Our main mission is to

locally contribute time,

The presence of Christians in the Holy Land is a force for peace and harmony in the region, particularly because of the education and health care they offer to all, said U.S. Cardinal John P. Foley, grand master of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem. But Christians are leaving the

Middle East in record numbers, he said during a conference December 4 in Oslo, Norway. Cardinal Foley said that “60

years ago, 20 percent of the population of the Holy Land was Christian. Now it is said that less than 2 percent of the population in the same area is Christian.” The Knights of the Holy

Sepulchre support the church in the region and the Christians who remain. Since 2000, the cardinal said, the order has given more than $50 million in assistance to Catholic, ecumenical, and interreligious initiatives, but mainly to Catholic-run schools, hospitals, and clinics. Because the Catholic health,

education, and welfare agencies help all people -- not just Catholics -- and bring Christians, Muslims, and Jews together, he said the Christian presence in the region is a “source of hope

for understanding, peace, and reconciliation.” The diminishing percentage of

Christians in the Holy Land’s population is not simply the result of Christians leaving, but is also due to the in ux of Muslims into the Palestinian territories and Jordan because of the region’s wars, he said. And, he said, “it also appears

to be a demographic fact” that Muslims in the region have more children than the area’s Christians or Jews do. Cardinal Foley said the

demographic shift seems to be a concern for Israeli authorities. “The present foreign minister

of Israel had been quoted, before he assumed his present of ce, as favoring the departure from Israel of its Palestinian citizens,” said Cardinal Foley. “Thank God that no such action has been taken, but it does contribute to a feeling of insecurity, and indeed of second-class citizenship, on the part of the non-Jewish citizens of Israel.” After his introductory remarks,

Cardinal Foley read a report on the region’s population statistics and Christian emigration prepared by Msgr. Robert L. Stern, secretary-general of the Catholic Near East Welfare Association. Msgr. Stern said that with the

exception of Israel, “there are few really reliable statistics about Middle East country populations.” However, he said, the most

reliable estimates lead to the conclusion that Christians make up 2 percent of the population of Israel; 1 percent of the population in the Palestinian territories; 2.7 percent of Syria’s population; 4 percent in Jordan; 10 percent in Egypt; and 30 percent of the population in Lebanon. One fact is clear, he said: The

percentage of Christians in the Middle East populations is declining drastically, not only because of emigration, but because Christians tend to be more educated than the majority of their neighbors, and higher levels of education tend to lead to smaller family sizes. Msgr. Stern said that unlike

Judaism and Islam, which are strongly bound to speci c holy places, Christianity is called to be universal and to exist anywhere and everywhere. “There are no geographical

imperatives to Christianity,” he said. While Christianity’s historic

roots are in the Holy Land and “there is no place so evocative to visit for Christians as the Holy Land,” if one day there were not a single Christian left in the land of Jesus’ birth, death and resurrection “it will not hurt Christianity fundamentally.” “Sadly, at the rate things are

going, we may be coming very perilously close to that,” Msgr. Stern wrote. The disappearance of the

region’s Christians would be bad for the rest of the population as well, he said. “Christianity is a bridge to the

future for the Muslim world,” he said. For example, the separation of church and state and the respect for religious freedom enshrined in the documents of the Second Vatican Council and “rooted deeply in the teachings of Jesus” are values the Muslim world must accept to be integrated into modern society, he said. Msgr. Stern also cautioned

against Middle East Christians



See KNIGHTS, Page 12

See HISTORY, Page 13

See HOLY LAND, Page 13

Knights and Ladies of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem gather for a Lenten Day of Re ection at St. Andrew Church in Columbus Photo provided by EOHSJ

Members of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre are joined by Franciscan Father Peter Vasko (left) and Auxiliary Bishop Thomas Paprocki of Chicago for prayer and re ection during a pilgrimage in the Holy Land Photo by Monica Brown

Knights and Ladies gather for the Palm Sunday procession in Jerusalem during a pilgrimage

Photo provided by Monica Brown

order of holy sepulchre has origins in crusades

CHRISTIANS PROMOTE HOLY LAND PEACEmodern-day knights still defend faith


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treasure, prayer, and support to the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, Fouad Twal,” said Brown, who is Franklin County ad-ministrator and has been a member of the Knights since 2000. Twal is archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Jerusalem, which covers Israel, the Pal-estinian territory, Jordan, and Cyprus.“The archdiocese operates orphan-

ages, schools, hospitals, and parishes throughout that region and is unable to support itself, especially because of the steadily dwindling number of Chris-tians in the Holy Land,” Brown said.The percentage of Christians in that re-

gion has fallen from 20 percent in 1950 to less than 2 percent today. “Christians are being squeezed out by the political, national, ethnic, and religious con icts in the area. It’s important that they retain a signi cant presence there so that their fellow Christians can have access to the places where Jesus lived,” Brown said.In 2008, the Knights raised more than

$1.5 million worldwide for speci c projects in the Holy Land. Locally, an annual autumn event known as Cradling Christianity has raised about $80,000 for the Knights’ work since it began four years ago. Brown said more than 200 people were on hand this year for the dinner and Mass.The Knights in the diocese also

sponsor an annual Mass and din-ner in support of Bishop Frederick Campbell, who is himself a Knight, and a Lenten day of re ection. A few years ago, they helped organize a divine liturgy of the Maronite Catho-lic Church and a fellowship dinner at Columbus St. Joseph Cathedral. They continue to take part in ongo-ing efforts to work with members and clergy of the Maronite, Melkite, Byzantine, and other Eastern Catholic churches within the diocese.Several area Knights said the work

of Bishop Emeritus James Grif n was

responsible for reviving the or-ganization in the diocese after a pe-riod of dormancy. Bishop Grif n credited Colum-bus businessman Robert Morosky, a longtime lay leader in the diocese, with sparking his inter-est.“Bob came to me

around 1993, I be-lieve, and told me about the Knights and their work in the Holy Land,” he said. “I was so impressed with what they were doing that I started making some calls, and found about a dozen people who said they would be glad to join the organi-zation if invited. “I became a Knight myself and was in-

ducted with that rst group. From there, it kept growing.” Knights of the Holy Sepulchre are

urged to make a pilgrimage to the Holy Land at least once in their life-time. Brown said about 40 percent of the members of the organization’s lo-cal section, including he and his wife, have done so. The Browns and several other Knights from the area began the Cradling Christianity event after com-pleting a pilgrimage in 2006 and being so inspired by what they saw that they felt they had to do something to help the Holy Land’s Christians.Foster Moffo of Columbus said he was

invited to become a Knight in 2006. “I didn’t know what I was getting into and thought this was just another organiza-tion with dues, a yearly meeting and oc-casional other events,” he said. “Then I took a pilgrimage to the Holy Land and walked in the steps of Jesus.

“It was an experience in which I felt I was losing my identity and becoming one with Christ. When I learned about the problems Christians are having in the Holy Land, my wife and I decided to put a student there through four years of college in Jerusalem. We’ve been in touch with her regularly.”Judy Alfonsi of Dublin St. Brigid of

Kildare Church was one of those on the pilgrimage which led to the Cradling Christianity event, and has been in-volved with the program ever since.“It was a life-changing opportunity,”

she said. “You can’t help but feel a connection to the churches in the Holy Land once you’ve seen them. Being part of the Knights and knowing you’re helping keep Christianity alive there is something that makes you value your faith and deepen it beyond anything

you could have imagined..”John Reiner has been a Knight for 12

years and frequently presents an intro-duction to the order to new members.“It’s an honor to belong to a group

with such a history, and I nd that the members are some of the most, giving, devout people I know, the kind who are not materialistic, and are usually the rst ones to volunteer if a pastor wants help,” he said.Father G. Michael Gribble, pastor

of Columbus St. Joseph Cathedral, a member since 2001, expressed similar sentiments. “Members of the Knights are some of the nest Catholics around when it comes to the support they have for the Church and the bishop,” he said. “Their enthusiasm has spilled over into many other ef-forts in the diocese.”

KNIGHTS, Continued from Page 11

Above: A craftsman in Bethlehem works on an olivewood sculpture. Right: Students attend a Catholic School in the West Bank. The Equestrian Order provides funds for education, housing and job creation for Christians in the Holy Land CNS photo/Michael Ammar Awad, Reuters


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CHRISTMAS DAY MASS 10:00 a.m.

encouraged the order to have an ecclesiastical and jurisdictional hier-archy so that knights could be invested and perform works of char-ity throughout the world, while retaining their emphasis on the Holy Land. Pius’ successor, Leo

XIII, of cially permit-ted the order to have women as members in 1888, but the rst “un-of cial” woman mem-ber had joined 17 years earlier.To establish its unique

identity, the order asked Pope Pius XI to change its identity as a “sa-cred and military” or-ganization. In its place, he conferred the name “equestrian,” a remind-er of the group’s origin as riders on horseback in the Crusades.

Pope Pius XII further restructured the order in 1949, relinquishing the title of grand master while remaining the ul-timate head of the order in his position as head of the Church. Cardi-nal John Foley, former archbishop of Phila-delphia, was appointed grand master in 2007, replacing Cardinal Car-lo Furno. He is the rst American to serve as grand master.Pius XII also gave

the knights the 15th-century palace of the cardinal who ultimately became Pope Julius II and was instrumental in building St. Peter’s Ba-silica. That building is their headquarters and is best-known today as the Hotel Columbus for its role housing pilgrim knights. The order also has a “mother church”

in Rome, the Chapel of St. Onofro (St. Hum-phrey), on a hill above the Vatican.Pope Paul VI in 1977

approved a new consti-tution for the order, giv-ing it protection under canon law.The Order of the

Holy Sepulchre has about 22,000 mem-bers worldwide and is one of several orders of chivalry associated with the Holy See. The best-known of the oth-er orders are the Or-der of St. Gregory the Great and the Knights of Malta. Membership in the Or-

der of St. Gregory is an honor conferred by the pope for conspicuous service to the Church and society. Columbus businessman and phi-lanthropist Robert Mo-

rosky, who was named to the Order of St. Greg-ory in 1986 by Pope John Paul II, also was instrumental in revital-izing the Order of the Holy Sepulchre in the Diocese of Columbus.The Knights of Mal-

ta also have origins in the Crusades and provide humanitarian and medical assistance worldwide. They hold permanent observer status at the United Nations, as do the Red Cross and several other multinational or-ganizations.Many other Catholic

organizations with the name “Knights” exist, most notably the Knights of Columbus, but they are fraternal groups of a general nature and are not directly associated with the Vatican.

de ning themselves as Westerners in opposition to the Arab, Muslim ma-jorities of most of their neighbors, which creates a sense of separation and foreignness. The monsignor stressed

the importance of not blaming Christians who leave in search of a bet-ter life for themselves and their families, tak-ing with them important faith and family values that they contribute to

their new communities. “Emigration isn’t nec-

essarily an evil,” he said. “But it does involve a loss. There’s a patrimo-ny and a culture that is being lost with the exo-dus of Christians.” Msgr. Stern encouraged

members of the Knights of the Holy Sepulchre and all people con-cerned about the situa-tion in the Middle East to provide material aid to the Christians in the

Holy Land and to lobby their own governments to work for peace and justice in the region. In addition, he said,

Christians outside the Holy Land must “help those who wish to mi-grate: welcome them” and help them establish themselves in their new homes.

HISTORY, Continued from Page 11

HOLY LAND, Continued from Page 11

Pray the Rosary


The Weekday Bible

Readings

MONDAYSongs 2:8-14

Psalm 33:2-3,11-12,20-21Luke 1:39-45

TUESDAY1 Samuel 1:24-28

1 Samuel 2:1,4-8 (Ps)Luke 1:46-56

WEDNESDAYMalachi 3:1-4,23-24 Psalm 25:4-5,8-10,14

Luke 1:57-66

THURSDAY2 Samuel 7:1-5,8b-12,14a,16

Psalm 89:2-5,27,29Luke 1:67-79

FRIDAY (Midnight)Isaiah 9:1-6

Psalm 96:1-3,11-13Titus 2:11-14Luke 2:1-14

SATURDAYActs 6:8-10;7:54-59

Psalm 31:3cd-4,6,8ab,16bc-17Matthew 10:17-22

FatherLawrence L. Hummer

Micah 5:1-4aHebrews 10:5-10

Luke 1:39-45 Micah was a prophet

in eighth-century BC Ju-dah. He was like the other great social justice prophet, Amos, and apparently lived near where Amos did. It was a period during

which merchants, mon-archs, and royal prophets exploited the populace. Mi-cah denounces them all. But the section we have

today looks to the future, with hope for a just leader to emerge from the ob-scure little village of Beth-lehem (“house of bread” in Hebrew) in the region of Ephrathah. Bethlehem was ve miles

south of Jerusalem. David came from Bethlehem, and the legitimacy of a king’s rule depended on his being a true descendant of David. On the other hand, many

think that “Bethlehem” was added to the text at a later period as a clari cation. Certainly Christians

found this passage useful for explaining the infancy of Jesus, especially Mat-thew (and only Matthew) who cites this passage in Matthew 2:6 when the Magi come in search of “the one born king of the Jews.” The gospel story of the

visitation of Mary to Eliza-beth (only in Luke) should be understood on a number of levels. On the purely human level,

it is the visit of two relatives who share the good news of their pregnancies. Luke records no reason for

the visit other than to note that Mary went “in haste,” which Father Joseph Fitzmyer suggests is simply the proper reaction to the heavenly sign which Mary had just received from the angel (see his Anchor Bible Commentary on Luke, page

362). I would call it a strange

reaction, but I suggest we hurry along. On another level, we have

the visit of the New Cov-enant with the Old, symbol-ized not so much by the two women, but by the sons they bear. Luke was well aware of

this by the time the gospel was written in the 80’s of the rst century. That means the leaping John in the womb becomes a symbol of some-thing far greater to come. While still in the womb, he

testi es to the greatness of the one who comes to him ... so interprets his mother, anyway. Even as many women will

interpret the kicking of their children in the womb in some way, so Elizabeth in-terprets John’s action in her own womb. There is still another level

of interpretation in which God comes to visit human-ity. Less evident, perhaps, the testimony of Elizabeth (“How does it happen to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me?”) iden-ti es the baby in Mary’s womb as “my Lord.” Thus, even before her own

son will come to prepare the way of the Lord, Elizabeth testi es in his stead to the Lordship of Mary’s son, Je-sus. The author of Hebrews

takes us in another direc-tion altogether. The focus there is on the adult Christ, although in using Psalm 40:6-8, the preparation of his body begins at his incar-nation. In the passage, the Chris-

tian re ects on the incom-plete nature of animal sacri- ces in the Old Testament. If those sacri ces had been acceptable for the forgive-ness of sins, they would not need to have been repeated. Obviously, the sacri ce of

Christ, the perfect sacri ce, is offered once for all. Thus, we continue to participate in the once-for-all sacri ce of Christ at Mass. So now on the verge of

the Christmas season, we see again how ever near is the sacri ce of Christ to our celebrations, even the cel-ebration of his birth. A blessed Christmas to

you all!

Father Lawrence L. Hum-mer, pastor at Chillicothe St. Mary, can be reached at [email protected].

Mary’s visit to Elizabeth has many meaningsFourth Sunday of Advent (Cycle C)

Catholic high-school ju-niors and seniors and col-lege freshmen involved in Scouting are invited to take part in a retreat which combines the atmosphere of a winter weekend get-away in the Hocking Hills with thought-provoking discussions of how being a Christian affects their daily lives.The annual Pope Pius XII

emblem program, spon-sored by the diocesan

Catholic Committee on Scouting, will take place Friday to Saturday, Jan. 8 to 10, at the Top of the Caves campground, 26780 Chapel Ridge Road, in South Bloomingville in Hocking County.The program is open to

Catholic young men and women who are mem-bers of registered Venture crews or are Boy Scouts and have earned the Ad Altare Dei program.

It includes co-ed, adult-like discussions, selected college student facilita-tors, a winter hike, a spe-cial Mass, no workbook or written requirements, and lodge accommodations. Participants will have op-

portunities to evaluate their talents and abilities in light of a possible choice of life-style, vocation, or ministry, and to share their faith with one another. Father Thomas Blau, OP, of Columbus St.

Patrick Church will serve as spiritual director.Participants will receive

the Scouts’ Pope Pius XII medal on completion of the program.

There is a $35 registration fee for the weekend. The deadline for registering is Monday, Dec. 28.To register or for more

information, contact Dana Hardin at (614) 670-4319 or (614) 722-4934.

Invitation for a weekend Scouting Retreat

... a child is bornonto us ...

“The Senate vote to table the Nelson-Hatch-Casey amendment is a grave mistake and a se-rious blow to genuine health care reform,” said Cardinal Francis George, President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. “The Senate is ignoring the promise made by Presi-dent Obama and the will of the American people in failing to incorporate longstanding prohibi-tions on federal funding for abortion and plans that include abortion.”

Bishop William Mur-phy, Chair of the bishops’ Committee on Domestic

Justice and Human De-velopment, said: “Con-gress needs to retain ex-isting abortion funding restrictions and safeguard conscience protections because the nation ur-gently needs health care reform that protects the life, dignity, conscience and health of all. We will continue to work with Senators, Representatives and the Administration to achieve reform which meets these criteria. We hope the Senate will ad-dress the legislation’s fundamental aw on abortion and remedy its serious problems related to conscience rights, af-

fordability and treatment of immigrants.”

Cardinal Daniel DiNar-do, Chair of the bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities, said: “Con-gress needs to separate facts and truth from po-litical rhetoric on abor-tion funding. Even our opponents claim they do not support federal fund-ing for elective abortions and they want current restrictions to apply. The way to settle this often misleading debate is sim-ply, clearly and explicitly to apply Hyde restrictions to all the federal funds in the legislation. That is what the House did and

what the nal bill must do. The Senate should not approve this bill in its current form.”

Bishop John Wester, Chair of the bishops’ Committee on Migra-tion, pointed out: “For many years the bishops have strongly supported accessible and afford-able health care for all. Health care must protect, not threaten, human life and dignity; respect, not violate, consciences of providers, taxpayers, and others. We believe uni-versal coverage should be truly universal, not deny health care to those in need because of where

they come from or when they arrive here. The Sen-ate proposal falls short in these areas. Immigrants deserve access to health care for their bene t and the common good of all of society. We urge Sena-tors to resist amendments that would leave immi-grants and their families behind as the nation re-forms health care. We urge Senators to support amendments that improve health-care access for im-migrants and their fami-lies and to oppose efforts that deny them access.”

Cardinal George con-cluded: “While we deplore the Senate’s

refusal to adopt the Nel-son-Hatch-Casey amend-ment, we remain hopeful that the protections over-whelmingly passed by the House will be incorpo-rated into needed reform legislation. Failure to exclude abortion funding will turn allies into adver-saries and require us and others to oppose this bill because it abandons both principle and precedent.”


THE MANY MORAL QUESTIONS IN HEALTH-CARE REFORMThe Catholic Church

in the United States has done a public service dur-ing the recent health-care debate by keeping a cru-cial proposition in play: no reform should reverse the 32-year- old national consensus that keeps the federal government out of the business of fund-ing abortions. Defend-ing that proposition will not get any easier in the weeks ahead, but it must be done.

The defense of the in-alienable right-to-life is not the only moral prin-ciple involved in the health-care debate, how-ever. There are several other such principles and social justice concerns at stake. Here are some of the most important:

• The principle of soli-darity teaches us to cher-ish a sense of responsi-bility across generations. How is that principle honored in a reform of health care that dramati-cally reduces the funding

of Medicare for senior citizens, as bills in Con-gress now do?

• The principle of cross-generational solidarity also raises grave ques-tions about the real costs of the plans that have emerged from the House and the Senate—real costs, as distinguished from the numbers being pulled out of hats on Cap-itol Hill. One experienced Catholic public-policy analyst estimates that the bill brought before the Senate will increase total federal spending by about $4.9 trillion (that’s $4.9 million million) over the next 20 years. There is no way to pay for this, even with spending reductions and tax increases. Does saddling our grandchil-dren with an Everest of debt satisfy the demands of cross-generational sol-idarity?

• The principle of sub-sidiarity teaches us to be wary of concentrat-ing too much power in

the national government. Yet the House bill that (barely) passed in No-vember puts the federal government squarely on the hook for controlling health care costs because it requires Americans to buy government-ap-proved insurance. Voters will rightly turn to their representatives and insist that the government make that insurance affordable. Thus the sea change: the U.S. government will become responsible for containing all health-care costs, which will inevita-bly involve both ration-ing and a decline in the quality of care.

Moreover, does anyone seriously propose that

a federal government incapable of producing and distributing u vac-cine ef ciently is capable of managing a national health-care system well? Subsidiarity teaches us to be deeply skeptical about af rmative answers to that question. Common sense suggests that any government, given such power, will never give it up. If we make a mess of this now, we’re stuck; ask the British and the Canadians.

• The principle of the common good teaches us to avoid public policy that destroys jobs; that moral imperative becomes even more urgent under current circumstances. The taxes

that proposed health-care reforms will impose on all but the smallest em-ployers who don’t offer health insurance, and the tax surcharge that will be laid on higher income persons who own small businesses, are both likely to discourage hiring and force layoffs. That’s bad public policy at any level of unemployment. It’s unconscionable when the unemployment rate hov-ers around 10 percent.

• The politicization of medical decisions—which will inevitably follow the kind of health- care reform now being proposed—will put new pressures on the right-to-life principle, as well as on the principles of the common good, sub-sidiarity and solidarity. Decisions that should be made by patients and doctors will be made by regulators as governmen-tal intrusion trumps mor-al and medical judgment. How this builds a free

and virtuous society, as Catholic social doctrine bids us do, is not clear.

For all its virtues, to-day’s American medical system does not afford access to needed care for some, so it fails the tests set by Catholic social doctrine. We can meet those tests and x the sys-tem’s gravest problems by working incremen-tally, testing results as we go: changing the liabil-ity laws that distort in-surance costs, reforming the insurance industry to mandate portability and coverage of pre-existing conditions, lifting the ban on interstate competition in health insurance, and covering the uninsured by tax credits and small busi-ness reforms. That would be health-care reform that satis es Catholic prin-ciples across-the-board.

George Weigel is Dis-tinguished Senior Fel-low of the Ethics and Public Policy Center in Washington, D.C.

THE CATHOLICDIFFERENCEGeorge Weigel

BISHOPS DEEPLY DISAPPOINTED BY SENATE VOTE TO TABLE NELSON-HATCH-CASEY AMENDMENT


Pray for our dead

Donald F. Flynn

Anita Kerr

Catherine V. Murphy

Father J. Daniel Schneider

Funeral Mass for Donald F. Flynn, 84, who died Thursday, Nov. 26, was held Tuesday, Dec. 1, at Columbus Immacu-late Conception Church.He was a graduate of Columbus

North High School and served in the Army Air Corps in World War II.He was the retired maintenance di-

rector at Columbus Bishop Watterson High School, where he was familiarly known as “Skip.”

He also served as commander of American Legion Post 443 and was a member of the Old North High Club and the Scioto Model “A” Club.Survivors include his wife, Elizabeth

(Lorey); sons, Stephen and Thomas (Mary); daughters, Anne Lorey, Bar-bara (Dave) Phelan, and Jane (Scott) Grissom; one grandson; and six grand-daughters.

Funeral Mass for Ani-ta Kerr, 98, who died Sunday, Nov. 22, at the May ower Nursing Cen-ter in West Yarmouth, Mass., was held Friday, Dec. 4, at Columbus Holy Cross Church.Burial was at St. Joseph

Cemetery, Columbus.She was born April 5,

1911, in New York City to Francis and Mary (Price) Vaughan.She was a graduate of

White Plains (N.Y.) High School and Packard Sec-

retarial School in New York City and attended the college of ne arts at The Ohio University.She served as an assis-

tant at Columbus St. Jo-seph Cathedral to Bishop John J. Carberry before he was appointed arch-bishop of St. Louis in 1968. She also was a secretary at Nationwide Insurance in Columbus.After moving to Massa-

chusetts to live with her daughter Anita, she at-tended St. Pius X Church

in Yarmouth.She was preceded in

death by her parents; husbands, Horace Domi-gan and Dean Kerr; son, Robert; sister, Virginia, and brothers, Frank and Robert.Survivors include daugh-

ters, Anita (William) Clancey and Virginia (Richard) Nosky; step-daughters, Mary Barr and Martha Bay; one grand-daughter; three grand-sons; and eight great-grandchildren.

Funeral Mass for Cath-erine V. Murphy, 76, of Heath, who died Wednes-day, Nov. 25, was held Wednesday, Dec. 2, at Zanesville St. Thomas Aquinas Church. Burial was at Mount Ol-

ive Cemetery, Zanesville.She was born Feb. 28,

1933, in Zanesville to Ralph and Barbara (Rock) Murphy.She was a graduate of

Zanesville Rosecrans High School and attended Cuyahoga Community College and Baldwin-Wallace College.From 1992 to 1997, she

was the bookkeeper for

Zanesville St. Nicholas Church.She spent most of her

working career in the Cleveland area, where she was accounting supervi-sor for the Davey Mc-Kee Engineering Co. for 34 years and accounting manager of the Visconsi Real Estate Management and Development Co. for six years, and was a mem-ber of the choir and Parish Council of North Olmsted St. Brendan Church.Most recently, she was

a member of Newark St. Francis de Sales Church. She also was past presi-dent of the Ladies of

Knights of Columbus Council 505 in Zanesville, a charter member of the Contemporary Business and Professional Women of Muskingum County, and a member of the Zanesville Professional Women’s Association.She was preceded in

death by her parents; brothers, Louis, Ray-mond, Bernard, Russell, and Eugene; sisters, Isa-belle Zemba and Eloise; and infants, Paul and Francis Murphy.Survivors include broth-

ers, George (Betty) and Larry (Mary Margaret).

Funeral Mass for Father J. Daniel Schneider, MM, 91, who died Saturday, Dec. 5, at St. Teresa’s Residence in Ossining, N.Y., was held Friday, Dec. 11, at Queen of Apostles Chapel in Os-sining, followed by burial at Maryknoll Cemetery.He was born Dec. 18,

1917, in Columbus, where he attended Holy Name School. He gradu-ated from St. Mary’s High School in Ruther-ford, N.J., in 1935 and received a bachelor’s de-gree in philosophy and

banking and nance from Fordham University in New York in 1939, be-ginning his studies to be a priest of the Maryknoll order in that same year.He was ordained on June

10, 1945, and worked at Maryknoll headquarters for 10 years as business manager of the order’s magazine and in its public relations department.He was a missionary to

Korea to 1955-58, head of the public relations de-partment at Ossining from 1958-62, and returned to Korea in 1962. He served

as superior of the order’s Korea region from 1967-72, then returned to the United States for two years of mission educa-tion and promotion work in St. Louis, followed by parish service at St. Eliza-beth Church in Kansas City, Mo., including 15 years as spiritual director of the Kansas City Korean Catholic community.He retired in 2001 and

moved to Ossining.Survivors include broth-

ers, Joseph, John, and Jer-ry, and sister, Jean Rogers.

Funeral Mass for Agnes D. Geist, 88, who died Tuesday, Nov. 24, was held Saturday, Nov. 28, at Columbus St. Mary Church.She was employed for many years by

St. Stephen’s Community House and was a retired employee of the Vision Service Plan.

She was preceded in death by her husband, William, and father, Thomas Brown.Survivors include two sons, John (Fio-

na) and Robert (Laura); one daughter, Anne (David) Sheski; four grandsons; one granddaughter; and four great-grandchildren.

Agnes D. Geist

ALFANO, Christine, 77, Nov. 30 Immaculate Conception Church, Dennison

BAUMAN, Michael J., 62, Dec. 8 St. Peter in Chains Church, Wheelersburg

BEACOM, Lewis C., 88, Dec. 10 St. John Neumann Church, Sunbury

CARDANI, Angela, 83, Dec. 1 Immaculate Conception Church, Dennison

CONDO, Thomas A., 73, Dec. 12 St. Michael Church, Worthington

COOPER, Mary E., 89, Dec. 9 St. Mary Magdalene Church, Columbus

DAVIS, Josette, 84, Dec. 4 St. Paul Church, Westerville

DURANT, Herbert L. Jr., 81, Dec. 9 St. Thomas Aquinas Church, Zanesville

DYER, Raymond E. “Eddie,” 62, Dec. 5 St. Bernadette Church, Lancaster

GAWRONSKI, Jan, 58, of Columbus, Dec. 2 St. Monica Church, Garfi eld Heights

GOFF, Wilmer S., 86, Dec. 11 St. Elizabeth Church, Columbus

GUGLIELMI, Alice, Dec. 8 St. John the Baptist Church, Columbus

GUGLIELMI, Steven B., 62, Dec. 12 St. Patrick Church, Columbus

HEIMLICH, Mary T., 82, Dec. 8 St. Mary Church, Columbus

KRAMER, Ralph J. “Pug” Jr., 92, Nov. 11 Holy Family Church, Columbus

LADD, Etta J., 67, Dec. 5 St. Mary Church, Portsmouth

LAYTON, Edward F., 74, Dec. 11 Holy Spirit Church, Columbus

PHALEN, Charles F., 82, Dec. 12 Church of the Ascension, Johnstown

PRICE, Carl G., 79, formerly of Columbus, Dec. 12 Our Lady Star of the Sea Church, North Myrtle Beach, S.C.

QUINIFF, Brian J., 50, of Columbus, Dec. 7 St. Joseph Church, Maumee

QUITAR, Iole M., 88, Dec. 11 St. John the Baptist Church, Columbus

SEDLOCK, James W., 82, Dec. 8 St. John Neumann Church, Sunbury

TIMKO, Dee A., 68, Dec. 12 Our Lady of Victory Church, Columbus

WADE, Richard, 86, Nov. 30 St. Vincent de Paul Church, Mount Vernon

WINTERS, John P., 87, Nov. 28 Immaculate Conception Church, Columbus

WOODRUFF, James D., 80, Dec. 10 St. Elizabeth Church, Columbus

WORLEY, Irene M., 91, Dec. 3 Church of the Nativity, Utica

F a x y o u r o b i t u a r i e s t o 6 1 4 - 241 - 2 51 8

DECEMBER19, SATURDAY

Life and Mercy Mass in Plain City9 a.m. Mass, St. Joseph Church, 140 West Ave., Plain City. Saturday Life and Mercy Mass, followed by rosary and confession. 614-565-8654Spanish Mass at Columbus St. Peter7 p.m., St. Peter Church, 6899 Smoky Row Road, Co-lumbus. Mass in Spanish, celebrated by Father Ervens Mengelle, IVE, of the Pontifi cal College Josephinum. 706-761-4054Latino Christmas Story at St. James the Less 7 p.m., St. James the Less Church, 1652 Oakland Park Ave., Columbus. Latino version of the Christmas story. 614-262-1179

20, SUNDAYDeadline for St. Luke March for Life Trip SignupDeadline for signup for Danville St. Luke Church trip to March for Life in Washington, from Jan. 20 to 23. Cost includes bus ride, three-night motel stay and tour of Washington. 740-599-6362Praise Mass at Seton Parish11:15 a.m., St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish, 600 Hill Road North, Pickerington. Praise Mass with contemporary music by parish’s small musical groups. 614-833-0482St. Padre Pio Secular Franciscans2:30 to 5 p.m., Parish center, Holy Family Church, 584 W. Broad St., Columbus. Franciscan Crown Rosary and Chaplet of Divine Mercy, followed by Evening Prayer, meeting and formation.Cookie 614-275-4960 St. Catherine of Bologna Secular Franciscans2:30 to 5 p.m., St. Christopher Parish Center, 1420 Grandview Ave., Columbus. Rosary followed by general meeting, ongoing formation and social.Elizabeth Bowen 614-276-1953Christmas Concert at Church of Our Lady 3 p.m., Church of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal, 5225 Refugee Road, Columbus. Christmas concert and pageant. Admission: one non-perishable food item or package of paper goods. Potluck follows. Bring a cov-ered dish. Pictures of Santa during potluck.

24, THURSDAY‘Blue Christmas’ Mass at St. Brendan7:30 p.m., St. Brendan Church, 4475 Dublin Road, Hilliard. “Blue Christmas” Mass for people for whom Christmas is not a festive occasion. 614-876-1272‘Blue Christmas’ Mass at Newman Center8 p.m., St. Thomas More Newman Center, 64 W. Lane Ave., Columbus. “Blue Christmas” Mass, a traditional Christmas Eve liturgy designed to be more quiet and re-fl ective for people who do not feel joy during the holi-day season. 614-291-4674Midnight Mass with Bishop at Cathedral11 p.m., St. Joseph Cathedral, 212 E. Broad St., Columbus. Seasonal music with the Cathedral Choir and Brass, fol-lowed by midnight Mass celebrated by Bishop Frederick Campbell. 614-241-2526

26, SATURDAYLife and Mercy Mass in Plain City9 a.m. Mass, St. Joseph Church, 140 West Ave., Plain City. Saturday Life and Mercy Mass, followed by rosary and confession. 614-565-8654

28, MONDAYMass for Seminarians, Parents at Lancaster St. Mary5 p.m., St. Mary Church, 132 S. High St., Lancaster. Bishop Frederick Campbell celebrates Mass for diocesan semi-narians and their parents, followed by dinner in church’s Spirit Center. Public is invited. Sponsored by Fairfi eld-Hocking Serra Club. Reservation deadline Dec. 20. 740-653-7789Bethesda Post-Abortion Healing Ministry6:30 p.m., support group meeting, 2744 Dover Road, (Christ the King Church campus), Columbus. 614-718-0277, 614-309-2651, 614-309-0157

Our Lady of Peace Men’s Bible Study7 p.m., Our Lady of Peace Church, 20 E. Dominion Blvd., Columbus. Bible study of Sunday Scripture readings. 614-459-2766

31-JAN. 1, THURSDAY-FRIDAYNew Year’s Retreat at Maria Stein5 p.m. Wednesday to noon Thursday, Spiritual Center of Maria Stein, 2365 St. Johns Road, Maria Stein. “Over-night With the ‘Q,’” a retreat focusing on the works of the Old Testament preacher Qoheleth, with Father Al Naseman, CPpS. Registration deadline is Dec. 23. 419-925-7625

JANUARY1, FRIDAY

St. Cecilia Adoration of Blessed Sacrament CanceledColumbus St. Cecilia Church has canceled its First Friday adoration of the Blessed Sacrament for January. It will resume on Feb. 5.Adoration Canceled at Church of Our LadyThe Columbus Church of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal has canceled its monthly First Friday Eucharistic adoration and Holy Hour. It will resume on Feb. 5. All-Night Eucharistic VigilHoly Cross Church, 205 S. 5th St., Columbus. 7:30 p.m. Mass; Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament; prayer until 11:30 p.m.; private prayer until 7:30 p.m. Saturday.All-Night Exposition at Our Lady of VictoryOur Lady of Victory Church, 1559 Roxbury Road, Colum-bus. Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament from 9 p.m. until Mass at 7 a.m. Saturday, sponsored by church’s Knights of Columbus council and Serra Club of Colum-bus.

2, SATURDAYLife and Mercy Mass in Plain City9 a.m. Mass, St. Joseph Church, 140 West Ave., Plain City. Saturday Life and Mercy Mass, followed by rosary and confession. 614-565-8654Mary’s Little Children Prayer Group 10 a.m., Mount Carmel East Hospital, 6001 E. Broad St., Columbus. Meet in chapel (Shepherds of Christ format). 614-861-4888

3, SUNDAYBilingual Mass at Columbus St. Peter7 p.m., St. Peter Church, 6899 Smoky Row Road, Colum-bus. Bilingual (Spanish and English) Mass celebrated by Father Fritzner Valcin. 614-378-8179 Compline at Cathedral9 p.m., St. Joseph Cathedral, 212 E. Broad St., Columbus. Chanting of Compline. 614-241-2526

4, MONDAYBible Study Course at St. Matthew9:30 to 11:30 a.m., St. Matthew Church, 807 Havens Cor-ners Road, Gahanna. Beginning of 10-lesson course on First Corinthians, part of Great Adventure Bible Studies series sponsored by parish adult education department. 614-471-0212, extension 1108

5, TUESDAYCatholic War Veterans Monthly Meeting7:30 p.m., American Legion Post 239, 708 Morning St., Worthington. Catholic War Veterans Post 1936 meeting. For those who served three or more months, were hon-orably discharged or are on active duty. 614-221-7601

7, THURSDAYBible Study Course at St. Matthew7 to 9 p.m., St. Matthew Church, 807 Havens Corners Road, Gahanna. Beginning of 10-lesson course on First Corinthians, part of Great Adventure Bible Studies se-ries sponsored by parish adult education department. 614-471-0212, extension 1108

8-10, FRIDAY-SUNDAYPope Pius XII Medal ProgramTop of the Caves Campground, 26780 Chapel Ridge Road, South Bloomingville. Pope Pius XII medal program for high school juniors and seniors and college fresh-men, featuring faith-sharing discussions of how being a Christian affects people’s daily lives. Spiritual director: Father Thomas Blau, OP, of Columbus St. Patrick Church. Open to Catholic members of Venture crews or Boy Scouts who have earned the Ad Altare Dei medal. Spon-sored by diocesan Catholic Committee on Scouting. Registration deadline Dec. 28. 614-670-4319 or 614-722-4934Early Interval Concerts at Josephinum8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Pontifi cal College Josephinum, 7625 N. High St., Columbus. “An English 12th Night Celebration,” featuring the Early In-terval with music of the Medieval, Renaissance and Ba-roque eras. 614-861-4569

9, SATURDAYLife and Mercy Mass in Plain City9 a.m. Mass, St. Joseph Church, 140 West Ave., Plain City. Saturday Life and Mercy Mass, followed by rosary and confession. 614-565-8654

10, SUNDAYSeton Youth Choir, Handbells9:30 a.m. Mass, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish, 600 Hill Road North, Pickerington. Church’s youth choir and handbell groups sing and ring bells at Mass. 614-833-0482St. Christopher Adult Religious Education10 to 11:15 a.m., St. Christopher Parish Center, Trin-ity School, 1420 Grandview Ave., Columbus. Discussion with Deacon David Kruse on Chapter 20, “Holy Orders,” and Chapter 10, “The Church Refl ecting the Light of Christ,” of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. 614-488-9971Cathedral Concert Series3 p.m., St. Joseph Cathedral, 212 E. Broad St., Columbus. First of three consecutive weekly concerts featuring the organ symphonies of Louis Vierne: Symphony No. 1 with Robert Wisniewski and Symphony No. 2 with Paul Thor-nock. 614-241-2526

11, MONDAYBethesda Post-Abortion Healing Ministry6:30 p.m., support group meeting, 2744 Dover Road, (Christ the King Church campus), Columbus. 614-718-0277, 614-309-2651, 614-309-0157Our Lady of Peace Men’s Bible Study7 p.m., Our Lady of Peace Church, 20 E. Dominion Blvd., Columbus. Bible study of Sunday Scripture readings. 614-459-2766

12, TUESDAYHealing Mass, Catholic Faith Rally at Maria Stein7 p.m., Spiritual Center of Maria Stein, 2365 St. Johns Road, Maria Stein. Combined healing Mass and Catholic faith rally with Father Jim Trick. 419-925-7625

13, WEDNESDAYTurning Leaves and Tea Leaves2 to 3:30 p.m., Martin de Porres Center, 2330 Airport Drive, Columbus. Turning Leaves and Tea Leaves book club with Dominican Sisters Marialein Anzenberger and Colleen Gallagher. 614-416-1910

14, SATURDAYLife and Mercy Mass in Plain City9 a.m. Mass, St. Joseph Church, 140 West Ave., Plain City. Saturday Life and Mercy Mass, followed by rosary and confession. 614-565-8654Spanish Mass at Columbus St. Peter7 p.m., St. Peter Church, 6899 Smoky Row Road, Columbus. Mass in Spanish, celebrated by Father Paul Hrezo of the Pontifi cal College Josephinum. 706-761-4054


Televised Mass for the Fourth Sunday of Advent

December 20, 2009From the Diocese of Columbus

The Sunday Mass with the Passionist Fathers can be seen at:

7 a.m. on WHIZ 187:30 a.m. on WWHO 53

11 a.m. on Cable Channel 2 (in Marion) 11 a.m. on Cable Channel 20

(on Adelphia Cable in Scioto County)The televised Sunday Mass also can be seen on Time Warner Cable Chan. 6

(Hardin County), at: 10 a.m. Immaculate Conception Church, Kenton

On EWTN (Time Warner Chan. 385, Insight Chan. 382 and on WOW Chan.

378) at: 8 a.m. Our Lady of the Angels Monastery

in Birmingham, Ala. (Encores at noon, 7 p.m. and midnight)

From Portsmouth St. Mary, noon, on Time Warner Channel 24 in Scioto County

Daily Mass8 a.m. Our Lady of the Angels Monastery in Birmingham, Ala. (Encores at noon, 7

p.m. and midnight) See EWTN above; and on I-Lifetv (Chan. 113 in Ada, Logan, Mill-ersburg, Murray City and Washington C.H.;

Chan. 125 in Marion, Newark, Newcom-erstown and New Philadelphia; and Chan. 207 in Zanesville; 1270 AM in Marysville and 1580 AM in Columbus on St. Gabriel

Radio, rebroadcast at noon.) We pray Week IV, Seasonal Proper of the

Liturgy of the Hours

Notices for items of Catholic interest must be received at least 12 days before expected publication date. We will print

them as space permits. Items not received before this deadline may not be published.

Listings cannot be taken by phone.Mail to: The Catholic Times, Happenings, 197 East Gay St., Columbus, OH 43215

Fax to: 614-241-2518E-mail as text to [email protected]

‘Happenings’ submissions

All fund-raising events (festivals, bazaars, spaghetti dinners, sh fries, bake sales, pizza/sub sales, candy

sales, etc.) will be placed in the “Fund-Raising Guide.” An entry into the Guide will be $17.50 for the rst six lines, and $2.50 for each ad-

ditional line. For more information, call Deacon Steve DeMers at 614-224-6530 or 800-511-0584.

H A P P E N I N G S


focus onARTReviewed by Brother Jeffrey Gros, FSC Catholic News Service

For 800 years a unique meeting in Egypt between the poor man from Assi-si and Sultan Malik al-Kamil of Egypt, during the height of the Fifth Crusade, has been emblematic of Christian and Muslim approaches and understandings of one another. This volume surveys the multitude of accounts of this encounter in art, literature and hagiography. Fran-cis has become a patron of Catholic approaches to peace, prayer and recon-ciliation under the leadership of Popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI, and of interreligious dialogue in the work of such theologians as the late Jesuit Fa-ther Jacques Dupuis. However, the approaches to Chris-

tian-Muslim relations, East-West dia-logue or even Franciscan mission have

not been uniform in history. The ini-tial accounts of the encounter in 1219 are sketchy without any record of what was said in the earliest sources, and variations in the tone given to the meeting even during the life of Fran-cis. However, with history, the weight and content of the mythic event grow, are embellished and given a variety of content, depending on the tenor of the time and the creativity of the artist, narrator or polemicist. In this richly documented and at-

tractively illustrated study, the author touches on the variety of ideological, political, religious and artistic voices that have taken up the tale over the centuries and lled out its implications given their particular concerns. The rst part covers the rst two centuries, 13th and 14th, relying on the early accounts, biographies of Francis, artistic render-

ings and po-lemical use of the en-counter. In these

a c c o u n t s the role of the sul-tan varies from the wise ruler who puts pope and e m p e r o r to shame to Orien-tal des-pot. Francis’ role varies from provid-ing a paci c option to the Crusades, denouncing the Crusaders’ ineptitude and wickedness, to the saint zealous for martyrdom, who is spared to reach greater spiritual heights with the mys-tical encounter with Christ in his pas-sion which brought about the stigmata. Toward the end of this period there are mystical visions that recount a conver-sion of the sultan, realized after Francis’ death under his celestial direction. The second part of the book recounts

the variety of developments in the next six centuries. In Catholic iconog-raphy, the trial by re proposed by Francis before the sultan is a domi-nant motif. As Christian-Muslim ten-sions dominate much of Europe, the saint confronting the barbarous in del becomes a focus. During the enlightenment and its re-

action, the saint is both ridiculed and lionized in contrast to the enlightened Oriental or the benighted despot. The role of the visit in legitimating the eight centuries of Franciscan ministry in the Holy Land and its custody of the holy

places is documented in detail. The nal chapter is devoted to 20th-

century movements, including Pope John Paul’s 1986 interreligious World Day of Peace in Assisi, its annual celebration by the Community of Sant’Egidio and its gathering again at Assisi in 2002 in the wake of the trag-edy of Sept. 11, 2001. While the event itself and those who

participated in it are lost in the intrica-cies of literature, art and ideology, the enduring spiritual impact of Francis and the movement he initiated are a tes-timony to the perennial urgency of rec-onciliation, human witness and mutual understanding in the human community by conscientious religious leaders of all traditions and cultures. Brother Gros, a member of the Broth-

ers of the Christian Schools, teaches ecumenical and historical theology at Memphis Theological Seminary in Memphis, Tenn. For the 2009-10 aca-demic year, he is the Kenan Osborne visiting professor at the Franciscan School of Theology in Berkeley, Calif.

ST. FRANCIS AND THE SULTANBook review

This elegant, easy-to-use volume offers a journey of discovery into the world of art and music through a presentation of the Virgin Mary’s Magni cat prayer. Celebrating a theme that

has held a prominent place in Western culture for cen-turies, this book highlights works from such painters as Rubens, Botticelli, and Picasso and composers such as Gibbons, Mozart, and Arvo Pärt.Stunning visual and mu-

sical displays, accompa-nied by meditations and commentaries arranged

chronologically, answer one another over the course of eleven chapters to form a resplendent rose window of

Magni cats.A beautiful and af-

fordable Christmas gift, Splendors of the Magni -cat (suggested retail price: $24.95, hardcover, 128 pages) features 65 high-quality reproductions of art masterpieces, sculp-ture, and architecture, and comes with a 70-minute CD of 11 of the most re-nowned musical versions of the Magni cat from the 13th to the 20th century.

SPLENDORS OF THE MAGNIFICAT


Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan of New York prays near the tomb of Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen in the crypt of St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York after celebrating a memorial Mass for the archbishop Dec. 9. The Mass marked the 30th anniversary of the death o f Archbishop Sheen, the famed television and radio evangelizerCNS photo/Gregory A. Shemitz

Children hold up fi gurines of baby Jesus as Pope Benedict XVI leads the Angelus prayer from the window of his apartment overlooking St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican. Among the faithful there were at least 2,000 children who had brought their statues of the Infant Jesus to be blessed by the Pope, before they place them in the manager this Christmas Eve. The Holy Father told the children, “It gives me great joy to know that in your family the tradition of the Nativity Scene is still kept. But it is not enough to repeat a traditional gesture, however important. Try to live in the reality of every day what the crib is, the love of Christ, his humility, his poverty. This is what St. Francis did in Greccio: he created a living Nativity scene, to be able to contemplate and adore it, but above all to know how best to put into practice the message of the Son of God who for our sakes was stripped of everything and became a little child” CNS photo/Paul HaringCNS/Paul Haring

NEWS IN PHOTOS FROM AROUND THE WORLD


Wishing you every Joy and Blessing at Christmas and throughout the New Year

THE STAFF AT THE CATHOLIC CEMETERIES OF COLUMBUS

Rich Finn Mike Burkhardt Charles E. Weiner Janice Gerst Tim Boggs Gary Scholer Barbara Forsythe Brian Everts Bryan Thompson Mark NobleLaura Gibbs Bob Everts Steve Skinner Allen Hairston Edward Jones Jim VanHorn Kevin Kelley Theresa Bayes Joyce Kitsmiller Daniel McGlone

St. Joseph Cemetery6440 S. High St./U.S. Rt. 23 S.

Lockbourne, Ohio 43137614-491-2751

Resurrection

Resurrection Cemetery9571 N. High St./U.S. Rt. 23 N.

Lewis Center, Ohio 43035614-888-1805

Resurrection

Holy Cross Cemetery11539 National Rd. S.W./U.S. Rt. 40 E.

Pataskala, Ohio 43062740-927-4442

Resurrection

Mount Calvaryc/o St. Joseph Cemetery

614-491-2751Resurrection

Our Mother of Sorrows ChapelSt. Joseph Cemetery

In an unprecedented move designed to strengthen Vatican dialogue with North American audiences for years to come, the Ponti cal Council for Cul-ture held its rst From Sea to Shining Sea: Faith and Culture in North America Conference at Franciscan University of Steubenville. From December 2-4, 2009,

conference members gave ma-jor public addresses on faith and culture, preached at stu-dent Masses, and devoted long work sessions to mapping out a series of meetings in North America on the arts, political life, science, music, seculariza-tion, atheism, economics, and other topics.Msgr. Melchor Sanchez de

Toca y Alameda, undersecre-tary of the Ponti cal Council for Culture, presented one of two public talks—the Henkels

Lecture, “The Church’s En-gagement With Science After Darwin and Galileo: Overcom-ing Cultural Icons.”He said that over the centuries

the secular media and some members of the scienti c com-munity have portrayed Galileo and Darwin as “victims of the Church’s relentless persecution of science.” Msgr. Sanchez said the historical evidence leads to a different conclusion.In the case of Darwin and

his theory on the origin of species and evolution, San-chez said, “The indisputable facts, shown in recent re-search conducted in the ar-chives of the Holy Of ce, is that the Vatican authorities never condemned the theory of evolution.” That some of Darwin’s works were put on an index of prohibited books falls short of the “heretical la-

bel,” he said, and was in fact a prudent move, given broad skepticism toward the theory at the time from the broader scienti c community.As to the Church’s reaction to

Galileo’s theory that the earth

revolved around the sun, San-chez said that while the Church initially labeled Galileo’s theo-ry as heretical and placed him under house arrest, “As soon as the scienti c arguments grew stronger, theological resistance decreased.” The heretic label was dropped, with the Church adapting in step with scienti c analysis.He called both cases “unique”

and not representative of the Church’s ongoing relationship with science. Sanchez said the secular

scienti c community often points to the Galileo and Darwin affairs to block the Catholic Church from com-menting on euthanasia, em-bryonic stem cell research, and other contemporary bio-ethical issues. “These issues concern the totality of man as a person with immediate

consequences of an ethical nature. They can’t be com-pared to the Galileo affair.”Council for Culture members

and invited guests who partici-pated in the conference includ-ed Cardinal Daniel DiNardo of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston, Archbishop Allen Vigneron of the Archdiocese of Detroit, retired Bishop Wil-liam Friend of the Diocese of Shreveport, Louisiana, and Bishop Glen Provost of the Diocese of Lake Charles, Lou-isiana.Cardinal DiNardo, who was

born in Steubenville, preached on the evangelistic mission of St. Francis Xavier at the December 3, Mass for the University community. Arch-bishop Vigneron and Bishop Friend also celebrated Mass and gave homilies to the stu-dent body.

Ponti cal Conference at Franciscan University Strengthens Ties With North America

Documents

CATHOLIC - colsdioc.org · Investiture of the Equestrian Order ... ceived the Rite of Candidacy: TERRANCE ACOX ... con of the Altar. He also does a won-