Bishop Trautman of Erie Still Fights For Dumbed Down English in the Liturgy

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From Rocco at Whispers in the Loggia
Bishop Donald Trautman of Erie, PA, head of the U.S. Bishops' Committee on the Liturgy, whose death was incorrectly reported (perhaps wishfully?) by L'Osservatore Romano a few weeks ago has been in the vanguard of those fighting the Vatican and the Pope who want the English translation of the Liturgy to be faithful to the Latin original. The Bishop apparently wants the translation to be understandable to Catholics with fourth grade reading comprehension.

The chair of the US bishops' Committee on the Liturgy and (concurrently) first critic of the Holy See's increased interest in the mechanics of English-language worship over recent years, Trautman -- who already released one such prominent critique this year in the pages of The Tablet -- launches his most blistering salvo to date on the revised renderings of the Roman Missal in tomorrow's edition of America.

Here's but a sampling:

What will the person in the pew hear and comprehend? Will the words “prefiguring sacrifices of the Fathers” and “born ineffably of the inviolate Virgin,” for example, resonate with John and Mary Catholic? [How 'bout Juan and Maria, for that matter, too?] Is this prayer intelligible, proclaimable, reflective of a vocabulary and linguistic style from the contemporary mainstream of U.S. Catholics? [All contemporary Catholics, or just the 50% or so who bother to go to Church?] Is the liturgical language accessible to the average Catholic and our youth? Does this translated text lead to full, conscious and active participation? [Are there Liturgical Dance instructions in the G.I.R.M?] I think not.

This prayer is not an isolated example. While the latest ICEL [International Commission on English in the Liturgy.] translations for the proper of the saints and the commons are improved, we still encounter the following: “O God, who suffused blessed John with the spirit of mercy” (Collect for March 8) and “Cyril, an unvanquished champion of the divine motherhood” (Collect for June 27) and odd expressions like “What you have charged us to believe will taste sweet to the heart” (Collect for April 21). Does the heart “taste?”

All liturgy is pastoral. If translated texts are to be the authentic prayer of the people, they must be owned by the people and expressed in the contemporary language of their culture. [Do the "people" get to vote? How 'bout voting for bishops?] To what extent are the new prayers of the Missal truly pastoral? Do these new texts communicate in the living language of the worshiping assembly?... [Is this "worshiping assembly" the one that is addicted to "The Simpsons", "The Sopranos" and "American Idol" or the one that is found in Perpetual Adoration Chapels once or more a week?]

Will the priest and people understand the words of Eucharistic Prayer 2: “Make holy these gifts, we pray, by the dew of your Spirit”? [He has this obsession that American Catholics will leave in droves when confronted with the three letter word, "dew."] This translation was among the top 10 texts that the U.S. bishops in their consultation considered most problematic, but still ICEL did not change it.

In the new missal you will hear awkward phrases like “We pray you bid.” [Also you find there "Our Father, Who art in Heaven" and "Hail Mary, full of grace"] This is not American English. Ponder these concrete examples and judge for yourself.

What happened to the liturgical principles of the “Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy”? The council fathers of Vatican II stated: “Texts and rites should be drawn up so that they express more clearly the holy things which they signify; the Christian people, as far as possible, should be able to understand them with ease and to take part in them fully, actively and as it befits a community” (No. 21). Note the words “with ease.” This is the norm, the expressed wish in the constitution. This is a prerequisite that calls not just for the accuracy of translated texts but for the easy understanding of those texts.....

[Let's see; how 'bout: "Dad in Heaven, you are holy; long live your rule; we will obey your laws on earth and in Heaven; give us our food, forgive our mistakes when we forgive people who hurt us, don't be a bad example for us and protect us from bad people. I guess that's about it." That should be clear enough for the fourth graders in the pew.]

Liturgical translations must communicate. If liturgical language is divorced from the reality of culture, communication is impossible. [Boy, that's a lot of four and five syllable words. And just what does "liturgical" mean, any?]

What is missing in the present moment, unfortunately, is the voice of liturgical scholars and the voice of the laity, the assembly.

If the language of the liturgy is inaccessible, how can liturgy catechize and convey the reality of the living, risen Son of God in the Eucharist? If the language of the liturgy is a stumbling block to intelligibility and proclaimability, then the principle lex orandi, lex credendi is severely compromised. If the language of the liturgy does not communicate, how can people fall in love with the greatest gift of God, the Eucharist?

[Speaking as one from the pew, up near the Pharisees, I wonder why we send priests to school for 8 or more years of study of Philosophy and Theology? Do you suppose it might be so that they can impart to us "intelligibility and proclaimability?"]

Church of God, judge for yourselves. Speak up, speak up! [Woof, Woof!]

Holy Communion via the Internet?

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Brazil's Roman Catholic bishops are at loggerheads with the Pope over plans to use the internet to reach out to a younger generation.

As Benedict XVI addressed 40,000 youths in Sao Paolo yesterday on the first day of his tour of Brazil, the country's Catholic leaders said that the Church had to embrace new technology to win back worshippers from the burgeoning evangelical movement.

They want remote communities and younger worshippers to be able celebrate Mass live over the internet. Celebrants would take communion by placing unleavened bread in front of their computer monitors to be consecrated. [...Ayyyy yaaaiiiiiii yiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!] Whether it be "celebrants" or "communicants", in this uneducated blogger's opinion, it wouldn't be even remotely licit. Of course it might work in the Anglican "church", the birthplace of most 20th century modernist heresies.

However, the Pope has already dismissed the idea. In Sacrementum [sic] Caritatis, a document on the Eucharist which he issued in February, Benedict insisted that communion over the internet, or any other media, had "no spiritual value".

The Vatican said yesterday that internet Mass was "no substitute" for going to church, but seemed prepared to turn a blind eye to the practice.

"I am sure internet Mass already exists," said Father Federico Lombardi, the papal spokesman. "I believe it is a way of involving more people, but it is obviously important to keep going to church and to personally participate. This is part of church life and the internet cannot replace it."

The Vatican is aware of the need for the Church to embrace new ways of engaging worshippers and the Pontifical Council for Social Communication has instructed priests not to "shy away" from using the internet as a means of communication. Vatican Radio now offers podcasts and gave Benedict an iPod to listen to them.
[....Snip] UK Telegraph

Father Z's Insider's Report (from Rome?) on the St Agnes Successful Campaign

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Read it here at his blog What Does The Prayer Really Say?

Pioneer Press version

StarTribune Version

The Catholic Spirit Version

One assumes that there were some
happy boys at St Agnes H.S.
yesterday, too.

Imperial Catholics Pick and Choose (and Omit) the Peace and Justice Agenda For Us

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More and more often on Catholic campuses, left-wing Catholics are hiding their own ideological preferences behind the mantra “Catholic social thought.” To listen to them, you would think that the Catholic social ethic has four main emphatic tenets and five great silences. The four emphases are: (1) pacifism and nonviolence; (2) legal limits on the income of the rich; (3) the extension of the social welfare state for the poorest 12 percent of the American population (about forty million people), until all are lifted by government grants above the poverty line; and (4) the elimination of the death penalty in the thirty-some states that still allow it.

Merely on the terrain of social ethics, this creed is notable for (a) its silence about ending abortion (forty-eight million since 1973); (b) its silence about federal funding for embryonic stem cell research and cloning; (c) its silence about the fourfold increase in violent crime since 1965—committed disproportionately against the poor; (d) its silence about the sixfold increase in father-abandoned families (chiefly among the poor); and (e) its silence about the horrific oppression of Muslim peoples around the world, including the daily assaults on their dignity by secret police, and the normal, regular abuse of their individual rights. We might call these the five silences. But there are others, too. Michael Novak at First Things

Bible Readings for May 9

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"Daily Bread" from the Dominican "Preachers' Exchange"

Wed., May 9: Acts 15:1-6; John 15:1-8

If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask for whatever you want and it will be done for you.

For the next three days we will hear about one of the first dissensions in the church, resolved at what is called the Council of Jerusalem. The question concerned the necessary requirements for a Gentile to become a Christian. Should they, in fact, first be Jews — that is circumcised and bound to the old law? This was a major fork in the road for the early church and it would be interesting to fantasize what would have happened had the Apostles taken the other road. There are perhaps such significant questions before our church today. I am thinking of divorced people who seek entrance into the church, the question of married priests, the question of the role of women. All of these are questions of “cult meets culture” and require discernment, humility, and courage. For the church and the leaders of the church as we discern the path that will lead us all to the kingdom of God.

Hosannas Ring Throughout Frogtown; St Agnes Raises $3 Million and adds 67 students!

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An uncertain future for St. Agnes High School in St. Paul has been transformed into the bedrock of a better tomorrow, school and archdiocese officials said this afternoon.

In the 19 days since school officials told their community that the future of the high school was in doubt because of mounting debt and declining enrollment, the school has raised more than $3 million and added 67 new students.

To the raucous cheers and screams of a packed gymnasium, the Rev. John Ubel said St. Agnes' future is secure for next year and "hopefully many, many more." StarTribune

Father Z's Full Report from May 9

Catholic Higher Education Commencement Speakers Dramatically Becoming More Orthodox

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No Catholic Schools in Minnesota or its neighboring dioceses received "unfavorable mention" this year from the Cardinal Newman Society.

The number of scandalous commencement speakers and honorees on Catholic campuses this spring appears to have declined dramatically compared to previous years, the Cardinal Newman Society (CNS) announced today.

For the past nine years CNS research has identified invited commencement speakers or honorees at Catholic colleges who have taken public positions contrary to Catholic values or teaching.

In 2006, CNS research uncovered problems at 24 colleges with speakers or honorees who publicly advocated for abortion rights, embryonic stem-cell research, physician-assisted suicide, homosexual marriage, women's ordination or other issues contrary to Catholic values.

By contrast, this year CNS has so far only had to alert the presidents of 11 Catholic colleges to problems with 12 commencement speakers or honorees. CNS also commended 14 colleges for honoring Vatican leaders, bishops and leading Catholic thinkers including University of Notre Dame philosopher Ralph McInerny and Rev. Richard John Neuhaus of First Things.

CNS is urging the presidents of the 11 colleges to withdraw the invitations their schools have extended to honorees who have publicly advocated positions contrary to Catholic values. Already Bishop Salvatore Matano of Burlington, Vermont, has assured CNS that he will not attend commencement ceremonies at nearby St. Michael's College, which will honor journalist Cokie Roberts and Vermont Gov. Jim Douglas on May 17.

The CNS research department has identified the speakers and honorees at most U.S. Catholic colleges, and CNS researchers are confident the final tally of problematic invitations will be significantly reduced from previous years as most of the colleges that have not yet announced speakers and honorees have not had problems in the past.

"This is a very hopeful sign that more Catholic college leaders are embracing Pope John Paul II's vision for faithful Catholic higher education," said Patrick J. Reilly, President of the Cardinal Newman Society. "What a fitting legacy for this likely saint!"

The Cardinal Newman Society has been working for 14 years toward the renewal of Catholic colleges and universities according to Ex corde Ecclesiae, the 1990 Catholic higher education guidelines issued by the late Pope John Paul II.

In June 2004, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops approved the statement "Catholics in Political Life," which mandated: "The Catholic community and Catholic institutions should not honor those who act in defiance of our fundamental moral principles. They should not be given awards, honors or platforms which would suggest support for their actions."

In 2005, CNS identified 19 problematic commencement speakers and honorees, including two contenders for U.S. President in 2008. The protest led Marymount Manhattan College in New York City, which hosted Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton as its commencement speaker and honoree, to declare itself no longer Catholic. It also prompted Cardinal William Keeler of Baltimore to refuse to attend Loyola College's commencement ceremony featuring former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani.

2007 Colleges and Problematic Commencement Speakers/Honorees (to date)

College of Mount Saint Joseph (Ohio): Hamilton County Coroner O'Dell Owens (commencement speaker & honorary degree), May 12
Owens is a pioneer and nationally known expert of in vitro fertilization, a practice opposed by Catholic teaching. Owens established an infertility program at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, where he achieved Cincinnati's first pregnancy from a frozen embryo and first conception and delivery through in vitro fertilization.

College of Saint Mary (Nebraska): Roberta Wilhelm, Executive Director of Girls Inc. of Omaha (commencement speaker), May 20
Girls Inc. supports "a woman's freedom of choice" and opposes "restrictions of reproductive choice." As part of its "health and sexuality' core education program for girls, the organization argues that "girls need and have a right to…effective methods of contraception."

Loyola University New Orleans (Louisiana): NAACP Chairman Julian Bond (commencement speaker & honorary degree), May 12
In 2004, when the Catholic University of America rejected a campus NAACP affiliate because of the national organization's support for abortion rights, Bond declared: "[W]e are pleased to join those insisting on a woman's right to control her own body." On behalf of Planned Parenthood, Bond has deplored efforts "to deny Americans their constitutional right to freedom of choice." He marched in a 2004 abortion-rights demonstration in Washington, D.C., declaring that the NAACP has supported the pro-choice movement since 1968.

Marian Court College (Massachusetts): U.S. Rep. John Tierney (commencement speaker), May 12
Tierney has received a 100 percent rating from NARAL, indicating a consistent pro-abortion voting record. He opposed a ban on homosexual "marriages."

Marquette University (Wisconsin): Former Wisconsin Secretary of State Vel Phillips (honorary degree), May 20
Last year Phillips was a leading opponent of a proposed constitutional amendment to prevent recognition of homosexual "marriage." She chaired the 2004 campaign of pro-abortion U.S. Rep. Gwen Moore and helped her secure substantial funding from EMILY's List, which supports pro-abortion female candidates.

Ohio Dominican University (Ohio): Boston College theology professor Rev. David Hollenbach, S.J. (commencement speaker & honorary degree), May 12
Hollenbach has acted shamefully as a Catholic theology professor, publicly opposing the U.S. bishops' implementation of the mandatum, a Canon Law requirement that theologians pledge to teach authentic Catholic doctrine. Hollenbach has publicly questioned Catholic teaching that abortion is always sinful, wrongly comparing judgments about abortion to prudential judgments about war and the death penalty. Last year he rejected concerns about Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice's pro-abortion views while leading a protest against her Boston College commencement speech because of her support for the Iraq War. In 1991, Hollenbach defended Georgetown University's official support for a student pro-abortion club, despite vocal opposition by Cardinal James Hickey of Washington.

Regis College (Massachusetts): Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley (commencement speaker & honorary degree), May 20
Coakley publicly supports homosexual "marriage" and abortion rights. An advocate of embryonic stem cell research, she has opposed a state regulation barring the creation of embryos solely for research.

Saint Michael's College (Vermont): Journalist Cokie Roberts (commencement speaker & honorary degree), Vermont Governor Jim Douglas (honorary degree), May 17
Cokie Roberts, political commentator for ABC News and National Public Radio, has publicly attacked Pope Benedict XVI as "really lacking in the theological virtue of charity," "an extremely controversial choice" and "the most conservative voice of Catholicism." In her syndicated column with husband Steve Roberts, she has espoused abortion rights and ridiculed pro-lifers as "extremists." The Robertses characterized the federal ban on partial-birth abortion as "off the track" and "cynical games-playing" by pro-life activists. They have argued that the authority of the Catholic bishops has been significantly weakened, in part because of their teaching on homosexuality and contraception: "It's as if they are asking to be ignored."

Vermont Gov. Jim Douglas campaigned in all three elections for abortion rights. In March 2006 he signed a law allowing drug stores to sell the "emergency contraception" Plan B pill to minors without a prescription or parental notification.

The Graduate School, University of Notre Dame, (Indiana): Mary Sue Coleman, President of the University of Michigan (commencement speaker & honorary degree), May 19
Coleman has been a vocal advocate for embryonic stem cell research. She launched the University of Michigan's center for stem cell research, called on Michigan's state legislature to reconsider a ban on cloning and argued that creating stem cell lines from unwanted embryos is "highly ethical." She refused to cancel a course at the university teaching students "How to Be Gay" despite protests and efforts of the state legislature to cut university funding.

Villanova University (Pennsylvania): Chris Matthews, host of MSNBC's Hardball With Chris Matthews (commencement speaker & honorary degree), May 20
In his television commentary and newspaper columns, Matthews has publicly
supported abortion rights, even suggesting the validity of partial-birth abortion for severely handicapped babies.

Walsh University (Ohio): Rabbi John Spitzer (commencement speaker), April 29
Rabbi Spitzer, who is Director of Walsh University's Jewish-Catholic Institute, publicly announced support for homosexual unions and has made himself available to perform homosexual "commitment" ceremonies until such marriages are legal.


2007 Commended Colleges & Commencement Speakers/Honorees (to date)

Assumption College (Massachusetts): Ralph McInerny, Philosopher, University of Notre Dame
Ave Maria University (Florida): Rev. Richard John Neuhaus, Editor, First Things
Canisius College (New York): Bishop Edward Kmiec of Buffalo
Christendom College (Virginia): Rev. George Rutler, author & lecturer
Fordham University (New York): Archbishop Celestino Migliore, Apostolic Nuncio to United Nations
Franciscan University of Steubenville (Ohio): Archbishop Timothy Dolan of Milwaukee
Mount St. Mary's University (Maryland): Archbishop Pietro Sambi, Apostolic Nuncio to United States
St. Ambrose University (Ohio): Bishop Martin Amos of Davenport
St. Mary's College of California: retired Bishop John Cummins of Oakland
Seton Hall University (New Jersey): Cardinal Oscar Andres Rodriguez of Tegucigalpa, Honduras
Spring Hill College (Alabama): Archbishop Oscar Lipscomb of Mobile
Thomas Aquinas College (California): Archbishop Albert Ranjith, Congregation for Divine Worship
Univ. of Portland (Oregon): Archbishop John Foley, Pontifical Council for Social Communications
University of St. Francis (Indiana): Bishop John D'Arcy of Fort Wayne-South Bend

Pat Phillips of Catholic Defense League Responds to Winona Catholic-Baiter

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Pat Phillips, President of the Catholic Defense League located in Minnesota, watches out for incidents of people attacking Catholics or the Church and is always at the ready for our defense. Recently, a regular letter writer to the Winona Daily News attacked and Pat's response was printed yesterday:

Rupkey distorts Catholic teaching to promote his brand of religion

In America, at least, one can call oneself anything, Catholic, Buddhist, or whatever.

What distinguishes a Christian from others is a belief that Christ is God. What distinguishes Catholics from other Christians is a belief that Christ established a Church and gave that Church authority to speak in his name. Further, Christ guaranteed the Church that, in matters of faith and morals, its teaching would be free from error. I quote from a speech by the newly appointed coadjutor for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, the Rev. John Nienstedt.

“… The church’s own understanding of herself as being authoritatively charged under the guidance of the Holy Spirit to teach in the name of Jesus on matters of faith and morals.”
[...Snip]
The second error about Catholicism by John Rupkey has to do with homosexuality. The Church’s position regarding people afflicted with same sex attraction is crystal clear. All people, including those with homosexual attraction, are to be treated with love and respect. See the catechism of the Catholic Church paragraphs 2357-2359.
[...Snip] Read it all at the Winona Daily News

His Holiness Sent Condolences Upon Hearing of the Death of Msgr Schuler Of St Agnes.

St Agnes Catholic Church
St Paul, MN


[Put that one in the Canonization Papers File, Father Ubel]

PPD: Twin Cities Catholics expect changes under "doctrinaire" archbishop

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Bishop John Nienstedt was in a tough spot. Someone in his diocese had asked him to comment on a theology book co-edited by his predecessor, the late Raymond Lucker.

Lucker had served as a beloved bishop for 25 years in New Ulm, Minn., before his death in 2001. In the book's introduction, he wrote about "changing formulations of church teaching." Lucker believed Catholics should have a dialogue about the ordination of women and married priests and should review the church's stance on the morality of same-sex unions.

Nienstedt's brand of theology had little room for such dissent. Writing in the diocesan newsletter two and a half years after Lucker's death, he denounced the late bishop's views and warned that questioning church authority places a person "spiritually in peril of losing eternal life."

"It was a really unnecessary and deep insult to a man who had recently died, a man who had given his life to the church," recalled Thomas Roberts, editor in chief of the National Catholic Reporter ["Spokespaper" for American Catholic Dissidents]. "Just months after a person has died and you come into a diocese and declare him theologically suspect?" [How long should you wait, then?]

As members of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis are sure to discover in the months and years ahead, Nienstedt is direct. Last month, the 60-year-old Detroit native was named coadjutor archbishop, meaning he will succeed Archbishop Harry Flynn when Flynn retires next year.

Those who knew Nienstedt in New Ulm, where he was named bishop in 2001, describe him in terms ranging from "a good administrator" to "a micromanager," from "a consummate man of the church" to someone who tolerates little dissent when it comes to questions about the church's authority.

Nearly everyone agrees he is intelligent and ambitious. "I can see him appointed a cardinal," said a former lay employee of the Diocese of New Ulm.

Those familiar with the Catholic Church believe Nienstedt's selection by the Vatican is part of a trend toward more conservative leadership. After the Second Vatican Council ended in 1965, some believe the church became more tolerant of progressive or liberal approaches to some Catholic orthodoxy.

The pendulum now seems to be swinging the other way, and some see the appointment of archbishops like Nienstedt as part of that.

"Based solely on Bishop Nienstedt's record in New Ulm, I believe there is a contingent of Catholics who are hoping that he will really crack down on dissenting parishes, theologians and priests in this archdiocese. There are some people who believe Archbishop Flynn hasn't been strong enough in that regard," said Janice Lynn LaDuke, a lay member of the archdiocese who writes a blog called "The Recovering Dissident Catholic."

But some priests in the archdiocese already are unhappy with the appointment.

"He's so self-righteous," said the Rev. Michael Tegeder, pastor of the Church of St. Edward in Bloomington ["Spokespriest" of the diocesan "geezer-progressive dissident" priest faction. These are the priests who for forty years have believed that future was married priests, female priests, clown priests and extemporizing priests. It really hurts them to realize that everything they stood for and preached during their entire careers, is being rejected].

"It's what (Popes) John Paul and Benedict want to see - a smaller church, a more militant church, a less-open church, a church of followers. 'Just march in step and we'll lead you to the Promised Land,' " Tegeder said. "This man is a bully, he's a spiritual bully. It's going to be that constant hectoring, and we're going to have so many demoralized people, and we're going to have so many people leaving."

Since the April 24 announcement of his appointment, the archdiocese has said, Nienstedt (pronounced NINE-stet) has been too busy for media interviews. This week, he has been in Rome.

But in an interview published Thursday in the Catholic Spirit, the archdiocese's paper, Nienstedt said he didn't view himself as a "hard-liner."

"I believe what the church believes," he was quoted as saying. "And unfortunately, in this day and age where there is such pluralism and individualism in our society, a person who believes in a creed as we do as Catholics, is somehow considered hard-line or a fanatic - a zealot, if you will - because they believe what they believe, they believe what the church believes."

OUTSPOKEN AND CONSERVATIVE

Biographical information about Nienstedt can be gleaned from his own writings and previous articles. The basics: John Clayton Nienstedt was born in Detroit, has two brothers and three sisters and says he's known since the fourth grade that he wanted to be a priest.

He has held numerous positions in the Catholic Church, spent more than 10 years at the Vatican and was an auxiliary bishop in the Archdiocese of Detroit. He likes to ski (he once wrote about inviting then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI, to go skiing), and likes hockey.

He's written that he's been "fascinated with Barbara Streisand and her musical (not political) abilities" ever since he saw her in "Funny Girl."

Friends say he's athletic and was a good basketball player as a seminarian.

"If you were under the boards with him, I'd say be very careful. He was a good shot," said Monsignor Aloysius Callaghan, rector of St. Paul's Seminary School of Divinity at the University of St. Thomas.

Nienstedt has spoken out about a number of issues, and while he has said he tries to avoid political labels like "liberal" or "conservative," most of his views can be described as conservative.

He doesn't need much prompting to express those views, either. For example, at the news conference where he was introduced as the coadjutor archbishop, a reporter asked him about the future of Catholic schools in the archdiocese.

Nienstedt said he needed to study the situation locally, then attacked what he called "the contraceptive mentality in this country." If church members want to keep parochial schools in the archdiocese open, he said, "Go home and tell your children and your grandchildren to have babies."

Elsewhere, he has written that society is "on a slide toward moral corruption," and he's said homosexuality is a disorder, a view not shared by mainstream science or medicine. He's been a leader in the campaign to get the Legislature to prohibit same-sex unions.

In his diocese paper, the Prairie Spirit, he has admonished Catholics to not see the movies "The DaVinci Code" and "Brokeback Mountain." He wrote approvingly of "The Lord of the Rings."

PASTORAL SKILLS A CHALLENGE

Some Catholics in New Ulm and locally believe Nienstedt's views stand in greater relief because he has followed Lucker and now Flynn, both considered to have taken a heavily pastoral approach to leadership.

"His conservative nature is not a problem. It is how you act that out in your life," said Paula Marti, who was editor of the Prairie Wind under Lucker.

"It's that pastoral nature, how you communicate with people and how you build relationships with people," Marti said. "That will be a huge transition for him. It's going to be very challenging for him."

She said members of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis "will be looking for his administrative skills, which I think are top-notch. His pastoral skills will need to be developing."

Some Catholics in New Ulm believe the urban Nienstedt never fully adjusted to their largely rural diocese of 68,000 Catholics. The Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis has 646,000.

"When I first met him, my first impression was, he's not a man who belongs in rural Minnesota," Vernell Wabasha, an American Indian parishioner at St. John's in Morton, Minn., said of Nienstedt. "Bishop Lucker was such a down-to-earth man. He was right with us."

Nienstedt "didn't seem to be on our level," she said.

Lucker had worked to reach out to the American Indian community in the diocese, she said. He'd often drop by the house to visit, and he participated in Indian ceremonies and rituals. Nienstedt "hasn't made the same attempts to reach out," she said.

Nienstedt will be doing double-duty for a time. While serving as coadjutor archbishop, he also will be the apostolic administrator of the Diocese of New Ulm until a new bishop is appointed. Some of the priests in the Diocese of New Ulm declined to be interviewed about him, and some who spoke on the record seemed measured in their comments.

"He does an excellent confirmation," said the Rev. James Devorak, pastor of St. Joseph Parish in Montevideo. "His homilies have been very good. He's been quite instrumental in furthering the clustering of parishes into areas. That has gone well. He's shown leadership there. He certainly is decisive."

He was decisive in dealing with Lucker's book, even going so far as to ask the Doctrine Committee of the United States Bishops' Conference to issue a statement on its theology. (The committee had someone review the book, and the review decided that while some passages lacked nuance, there were no major theological problems with the book.) [Probably a mistake. The bureaucracy of the USCCB is not my first choice for an expert on determining orthodoxy in the Catholic Church].

Nienstedt wrote in a September 2003 column that while dissent may be acceptable in a democracy, "We run into problems ... when dissent is applied to a religious creed that is divinely revealed."

And because "truth is revealed by Christ, only he can change it," he wrote in the column. Only the Catholic Church "teaches that truth in its fullness," he said.

"I believe the Roman Catholic Church is the one true church of Jesus Christ," he told the Catholic Spirit in the interview published Thursday. "I wouldn't have given up my life, I wouldn't have given up a family and a wife, if I didn't believe that." PioneerPress

More on Dr. Giancarlo Rastelli, Mayo Clinic Heart Surgeon, who may be be a Saint

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Terry-of-the-Many-Blogs but mainly at Abbey-Roads2, who is on a first name basis with 93% of the members of the Communion of Saints, also seems to be pretty familiar with those on the applicant's list.

The other day I posted on three potential saints with Minnesota connections and Terry dashed off an encyclopedic post for us on one of them, Dr. Giancarlo Rastelli.

Italian site in English

Not In My Backyard You Won't - Neighbors in Maplewood Opposed to Nun's Proposal

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Tranquil Maplewood, is again (Round 3,439) the site of controversy at City Hall.

For more than 40 years, scores of Benedictine nuns lived a quiet monastic existence in Maplewood largely unnoticed -- until they recently decided to downsize.

Now neighbors are raising a ruckus over the nuns' plans to move out of St. Paul's Monastery, which is too big for their dwindling numbers, and make way for an emergency shelter for women and children and affordable housing for seniors and families. A standing-room crowd jammed a Maplewood Planning Commission meeting on the issue in March, and city officials expect an even larger crowd to square off in the Community Center Theater before a scheduled City Council vote on Monday.

About 100 residents have submitted a petition opposing the development, saying they are concerned that the project will result in increasing traffic, decreasing property values and rising crime.

Organizers of the opposition didn't return phone calls, but their petition points out that 1,000 students are enrolled in the nearby Hill-Murray School and that the neighborhood includes "young and not so young women who enjoy walking in the evening or early morning."How responsible will you feel on the day we learn that one of us, a student or neighbor, has become a victim[?]," the petition asks. [...Snip] StarTribune

There is Beauty in Chaos

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I don't often visit the Me Monk, Me Meander blog of Father Stephanos O.S.B. very often but I was there tonight and received a message worth sharing. Somebody posted:

I was being distracted once at Sunday mass and I prayed that I wish it could be like the daily mass I attend. God told me to quit being so bigoted and find the beauty in the what I perceived to be chaos.

It doesn't matter much what they were posting about.

The Mayo Clinic Has Another Saint in the Works: Dr. Giancarlo Rastelli

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He was born in Italy, of course. Those Italians may have lost their hold on the Papacy, but they still seem to control the votes in the Communion of Saints!

Last August, I blogged on St Riccardo Pampuri, an Italian medical doctor who served for a time at the Mayo Clinic Now, I see that the cause for the canonization of another Italian, Dr. Giancarlo Rastelli, who served at the Mayo Clinic as a pioneer pediatric heart surgeon until his death in 1969 from Hodgkin's Disease, has been opened in Italy.

Giancarlo Rastelli, M.D., a Mayo Clinic physician who developed a cardiac procedure for congenital heart disease among children, is being considered for beatification, the first step toward sainthood.

The late Dr. Rastelli died of cancer in 1970 at age 36. He was educated in Italy and came to Mayo Clinic in the 1960s. He was appointed head of cardiovascular surgical research at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, at age 34. He conducted his research in cardiovascular surgery at Mayo during the 1960s and developed Rastelli 1 and Rastelli 2, procedures credited with saving numerous lives of children with heart disease. He was awarded two gold medals by the American Medical Association and did a great deal of his research while suffering from Hodgkin's disease.

In an article appearing in the official diocese newspaper, Diocese of Winona Bishop Bernard Harrington wrote that Dr. Rastelli's efforts allowed "thousands of children to live who would probably not have survived." Bishop Silvio Bonicelli of Parma, Italy, is leading the effort to have Dr. Rastelli canonized. A proven miracle must be recognized for beatification. To be a saint, a second proven miracle must be presented and verified. [...Snip] Mayo Clinic

All Celebrate a Blossoming Hispanic Culture in Sioux Falls

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Father Justin Wachs became vicar of Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic parish two years ago, armed with a remembered phrase from a high school Spanish class in Aberdeen 17 years before: "I have a date with Anita at 8:30."

It was meager preparation, both for him and for the estimated 500 or so families who make up the parish, most of whom originally came from Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Panama, Nicaragua, Puerto Rico and Colombia.

"They were very patient and kind to me with my Spanish," he says.

A week ago, Wachs celebrated first communion Masses, alternating easily between Spanish and English with the readings and delivering his sermon twice, once in each language. Afterward, he posed for photos with the communicants: girls in dazzling white dresses and boys in suits.

The occasion offered a glimpse of the way the growing Hispanic community and a dominant South Dakota culture have worked through pronounced differences and blended.

Estimates by the Sioux Falls Race Relations Task Force peg the Sioux Falls Hispanic population at 5,500....Sioux Falls Public Schools enroll 1,079 Hispanic students. They are in every school in the district, make up 8 percent to 10 percent of the elementary school student body, 6 percent of the middle school population and 4 percent to 5 percent of the high school enrollment.

Today, that community will be featured in a Cinco de Mayo parade and festival in Sioux Falls.

Emily South, who owns Sign-A-Rama on East 10th Street, was at the 2006 St. Patrick's Day parade where she ran into Lorenzo Reta-Castillo, who first slipped into this country illegally at age 14, moved to Sioux Falls in 1996, became a citizen in 2001 and with his wife, Michelle, owns Nikki's La Mexicana, next door to Sign-A-Rama.

"We can do a parade," South told him.

Cinco de Mayo is a Mexican holiday. But in the Sioux Falls celebrations, South and Reta-Castillo got the equivalent of St. Patrick's Day, where everybody is Irish. Identification with their country of origin predominates among Sioux Falls' Spanish-speaking residents, say many involved with them. But in their enthusiasm for the Cinco de Mayo events, "The people I talk to are just happy to have a celebration with some kind of Latino food and music," says Sister Janet Horstman, a Presentation Sister who works with immigrants in Sioux Falls. [...snip] Argus Leader

Nothing is Unbelievable Anymore: Animal Rights Beings Want Chimp Declared to be a "Person"

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In a case that could set a global legal precedent for granting basic rights to apes, animal rights advocates are seeking to get the 26- year-old male chimpanzee legally declared a "person." If you really want to. . . .

"Rocco the Insufferable" Pays Tribute to Abp Ireland and His "Twin Cathedrals"

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Rocco Palmo, who gossips on the Church from his seat at "Whispers in the Loggia", pays tribute today to Archbishop John Ireland, Minnesota's "Consecrated Blizzard of the Northwest", who, with his over-achieving abilities and personality was responsible for the virtually simultaneous construction of the Cathedral of St Paul and its Co-Cathedral in Minneapolis, now the Basilica of St Mary, the Immaculate Conception. More Here

The Cathedral begins its centennial celebration of the cornerstone laying on June 1 and details are beginning to be posted in The Catholic Spirit. The Basilica will begin its centennial celebrations at its annual fundraising Block Party on July 6 and 7.

Rocco, for a layperson in his early twenties, is fluent in Italian and has a remarkable amount of knowledge about Church personalities and is more often right than wrong with his facts and predictions.

Any Last Requests?

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Hey, Bloggers, Minnesota Mom found this just for you:

Cathy of Alex Scoops Ray of MN to Archbishop Nienstedt Interview with The Catholic Spirit, Responding to Pioneer Press Story!

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No comment!
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I just got my May 3, 2007 issue of the Archdiocesan newspaper, The Catholic Spirit and there is a brief interview by Maria Wiering with Coadjutor Archbishop John Nienstedt in it. I found this particular exchange interesting. Read it all at the Recovering Dissident Catholic

How do I get a Lawyer?

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More than 100 brands of pet food have been recalled since March 16 because they were contaminated with melamine. An unknown number of dogs and cats have been sickened or died after eating chemical-laced pet food. MSNBC

It sure sounds to me like my ship has come in! I should be able to sue because of all those meals that I ate off of dishes made from melamine back in the 70s! Party Time! Not sure of the date and time yet, though.

Catholic Parents OnLine has posted some talks by Father Robert Altier

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Fans of Father Robert Altier, currently serving as the pastor of the Regina Medical Center in Hastings, MN, will be happy to know that Catholic Parents OnLine has posted some talks by him at his recent CPO Retreat. I was there and blogged on it. Transcribers: Man Your Keyboards!

Great news! We now have several of the CPO Award Winning TV shows on DVD and recent inspiring talks on CD by Father Robert Altier from our Luncheon and Retreat.

For more information please go Here.



God bless you and yours,
Colleen

Fargo Monsignor honored for military service!

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Monsignor Brian Donahue, vicar general for the Catholic Diocese of Fargo and pastor of parishes in Kindred, N.D., and Wild Rice, N.D., will be recognized Friday for his service as a military chaplain in the North Dakota Army National Guard.

The “Answering the Call” presentation will be at 1 p.m. at St. Benedict’s Catholic Church in Wild Rice, and includes Maj. Gen. David Sprynczynatyk, Chaplain (Col.) Jeff Franko and the Most Rev. Samuel J. Aquila.

Donahue, 51, is retiring from military service after 20 years. He served in active duty during the Persian Gulf War and Operation Iraqi Freedom, and in 2005 was awarded the Bronze Star medal for his service as battalion chaplain in Iraq. He was ordained a priest in 1983.

There will be a barbecue lunch and tours of the church from noon to 1 p.m. Reservations are required for the lunch. Call the church at (701) 588-2488. Fargo InForum

The Armed Forces of the United States Needs More Catholic Chaplains, badly!

The Archdiocese of St Paul and Minneapolis needs more Monsignors with some red on their cassocks and surplices, badly!

Katherine Kersten: On the subject of indispensables, there's St. Agnes

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At this time of year, you stop counting the pro sports teams, big corporations and malls that claim to be irreplaceable Minnesota institutions, and so entitled to hefty public subsidies. But the hungry crowd at the Capitol doesn't include one truly indispensable institution -- St. Agnes High School, a landmark in St. Paul's Frogtown neighborhood since 1938.

St. Agnes is a victim of the financial and enrollment squeeze that is hitting inner-city Catholic schools around the country. Eighty-five percent of its 200 high school students and 220 K-8 students receive tuition assistance, and in recent years the parish that operates the schools has incurred a debt of more than $1 million in subsidizing them.

On May 8, a decision will be made to close the high school unless something dramatic happens to improve the financial situation, says the Rev. John Ubel, St. Agnes Church pastor and school superintendent. The grade school will stay open.

Is St. Agnes worth saving? Star Tribune

Happy Centennial to You, Dear Cathedral, Happy Centennial to Yooooooooouuuuuuu!

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The Catholic Spirit, newspaper of the Archdiocese of St Paul - Minneapolis is chronicling the centennial celebration of the construction of the Cathedral in St Paul in the year 1907. See the following articles with even more to follow:

"A statement in stone' Impossible, some said. Too grandiose. Too costly - especially for poor immigrant families struggling to start a new life in a new land. But St. Paul's first archbishop, John Ireland (1838-1918), had a vision of a shining church upon a hill. Naysayers aside, the powerful prelate would allow nothing to obstruct that vision from materializing. Thursday, May 03, 2007 Archbishop Ireland sought cultural, racial diversity for Cathedra

Cathedral rector looks to future as well as past

A grateful niece inherited the Cathedral "crumb' and its history

Lino Rulli and "Generation Cross' to air new episode in honor of Cathedral

Fireworks to cap first day of centennial celebration

Urban Renewal in a Parish (Part I)

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Cathy of Alex, who blogs at Recovering Dissident Catholic, speaking from the experience of having been a member of several urban parishes, speculates on what "modern liturgical innovations" might do to the elderly and the immobile who cannot easily change their parish; or don't want to. Pray for them.

Imagine you are an elderly Catholic widow who has lived in your urban home for 50 years. You enjoy it because it's comfortable to you, your garden looks nice, you are close to a grocery store and your doctor's office. You smile at the memories of all the children you raised; who went to the Catholic school down the street. Your late husband is buried in the Catholic cemetery 3 blocks away-close enough for you to visit for prayer and flowers. The house is paid for. You are not wealthy but you are independent and financially comfortable. You don't have any serious health issues though you cannot drive due to some eyesight issues. But, it's fine, you are on a busline. Your grandkids visit on occasion. You can walk to daily Mass and receive the Sacraments at your Catholic parish down the street. The same parish you were wed in, your husband's funeral Mass was in, and that your children received their Sacraments of Initiation in.

Sure, some of your old friends have died or moved away. Yes, registrations and attendance at your parish and its school is falling because fewer of the people moving into the area are Catholic or practicing Catholics.

Eventually, your Pastor of many years retires. You look forward to the new Pastor with the usual slight apprehension but you've seen many new Priests come to this parish over your decades of faithfulness. You will be just fine. Your parish will be just fine.

You go to daily Mass one day and discover that Father Hip-Hop Side Your Head has decided to do away with daily Mass because it's not worth his time setting it up for only a handful of people. He has better things to do with his free time like: oh, working on his book about the "Errors of Every Council Before Vatican II" and working with his architect buddy on how to get rid of all the statues in the church as well as totally modernizing the Sanctuary. Read the entire post here.

It Makes Me Want To Holler! What? Progress!

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Cathy of Alex, who blogs at Recovering Dissident Catholic, blogs today on the issue of those folks in inner cities who are unable to move when progress occurs in their parish. That has been in the news recently and probably will be again tomorrow.

Imagine you are an elderly Catholic widow who has lived in your urban home for 50 years. You enjoy it because it's comfortable to you, your garden looks nice, you are close to a grocery store and your doctor's office. You smile at the memories of all the children you raised; who went to the Catholic school down the street. Your late husband is buried in the Catholic cemetery 3 blocks away-close enough for you to visit for prayer and flowers. The house is paid for. You are not wealthy but you are independent and financially comfortable. You don't have any serious health issues though you cannot drive due to some eyesight issues. But, it's fine, you are on a busline. Your grandkids visit on occasion. You can walk to daily Mass and receive the Sacraments at your Catholic parish down the street. The same parish you were wed in, your husband's funeral Mass was in, and that your children received their Sacraments of Initiation in.

Sure, some of your old friends have died or moved away. Yes, registrations and attendance at your parish and its school is falling because fewer of the people moving into the area are Catholic or practicing Catholics.

Eventually, your Pastor of many years retires. You look forward to the new Pastor with the usual slight apprehension but you've seen many new Priests come to this parish over your decades of faithfulness. You will be just fine. Your parish will be just fine.

You go to daily Mass one day and discover that Father Hip-Hop Side Your Head has decided to do away with daily Mass because it's not worth his time setting it up for only a handful of people. He has better things to do with his free time like: oh, working on his book about the "Errors of Every Council Before Vatican II" and working with his architect buddy on how to get rid of all the statues in the church as well as totally modernizing the Sanctuary. Read it all

Yesterday was "Blogging About Disablism Day"

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Sister Edith, Professor of Sociology at the College of St Scholastica in Duluth who blogs at Monastic Musings didn't miss it. I did. Here's what she had to say about it:

Can a Person with a Disability Hear a Call to Religious Life?

[A post for Blogging Against Disablism Day]

In the Church, we hear often about the shortage of vocations to religious life and the priesthood. Most dioceses and many parishes hold prayer vigils, Come-and-See programs, urge parents, teachers, religious ed leaders - everyone - to speak positively and openly to young people about religious vocations. Because of the shortage, people in middle age (like me) and older are accepted into religious life - I know one Benedictine who was 72 the day she made her perpetual monastic profession.

Most vocation pamphlets, though, listing the characteristics they seek in a candidate, include "good health" while a few refer to the rugged nature of the work of the community. The tacit meaning is that people with a disability that might require adaptations, limit the type of work they can do, or require special care should not apply.

Do religious orders shun the disabled? No - if a monk or nun becomes disabled, communities work very hard to continue to include them in their communal and prayer life, and find ways to enable them to participate and contribute. But - very few offer an open door to people with a disability. The Benedictines of Jesus Crucified, whose only U.S. monastery is in Branford, Connecticut, is the only one I know about.

Beginnings: Paris , France, 1930. In a number of young women coming to him for spiritual direction, Father Maurice Gaucheron, a priest on the staff of the Basilica of Montmartre in Paris recognized a call to the monastic life that, for reasons of insufficient health, remained unfulfilled. Fragile health necessarily excluded these young women from existing monasteries. Father Gaucheron believed that monastic life could and should be open to young women such as these. In illness and physical frailty he saw a means of following Jesus into the mystery of his Pasch.

Does it make sense to have only one, or a very small number of religious orders open to people with a disability? A century ago, when there was less awareness of adapting work environments, when religious life involved unimaginable feats of manual labor, when formation programs were applied like a cookie cutter to each postulant, like the army, no one thought about whether a person with a disability might have a vocation.

I wonder, though, how that can continue to be true in the 21st century. With less rigorous manual labor, many roles in communities performed on computers, and much greater availability of adaptive technologies, it seems as though that barrier should be falling. Maybe it is, and I simply haven't heard about it.

Among those I have seen enter religious life, though, there have not been any people who were blind, profoundly deaf, or unable to walk. There are always concerns, I'm sure, about assuming responsibility for medical bills - some communities are so stretched financially that elderly sisters have to use Medicaid - but should that prevent them from considering an applicant whose stable work record is evidence of her ability to contribute?

I hope that communities can, at the very least, stop putting the automatic "no" in their literature and on their web sites, and begin the conversation with applicants whom Christ might very well be sending to them. This may be a long way off, but it's worth praying for.

Click here to read more

Homosexual Hands Off Poland! Sign the petition...

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The power of the radical homosexual movement in Europe has just been shown. The European Parliament just voted to condemn Poland on what they term “homophobia.” What was Poland’s crime? The Polish Prime Minister said that Polish school children should not be subject to “homosexual propaganda.”

Polish authorities have also resisted demands from radical homosexuals that they be allowed to march in the streets. If you live in any major city you know these marches where leather boys and pedophiles march freely and disruptively through the streets.

The response of the European Parliament was to pass a resolution calling these sensible actions “hate speech” and asks competent legal authorities to take action against these officials and the government of Poland.

This is outrageous and all people of good will must stand with the Polish people against the radical homosexual movement in the European Union.

I ask you to go immediately to the petition “Homosexual Hands Off Poland” at www.c-fam.org/handsoffpoland.php.

The petitions will be delivered to the Polish authorities on Thursday, May 10. I will personally deliver them to Polish Members of the European Parliament and to members of the Polish government when I am in Warsaw for the World Congress of Families.

We only have a few days to get as many names as possible. I urge you to go to www.c-fam.org/handsoffpoland.php and sign the petition, then send this message to everyone you know. We need to deliver thousands of names of supporters from all over the world. I especially urge those in the EU countries to get this message to everyone you know. We must tell the radicals in the European Union to keep homosexual hands off of Poland!

Go to www.c-fam.org/handsoffpoland.php and sign the petition and send this email message to everyone in your address book.
Catholic Family and Human Rights Institute

Argument of the Month Club, St Augustine's, SSPaul, May 8, 6:30-9:00sh

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The Argument of the Month Club

A MEN’S FORUM FOR CATHOLIC APOLOGETICS

On Tuesday May 8th Brings to You Our Final Presentation of the Year

THE

LOSS

OF THE

SACRED!

BY THE HIGHLY RECOMMENDED:

FATHER DAN GRIFFITH

Fr. Dan Griffith graduated from William Mitchell College of Law in 1997. He was ordained a priest in 2002 for the Archdiocese and is currently the pastor of Holy Redeemer. Some of their member may be interested in questioning Father Griffith about the proposed merging of the parish with St Peter's in North St Paul

Come for the Fireworks!

Join us at 6:30pm for Social (beverages and appetizers) and Dinner at 7:00pm, Basement of St. Augustine Church in South St. Paul

Total cost for the evening is $12 at the door

There will be time for you to agree or disagree with our speaker during the Q&A, which starts immediately following dessert. But you are all encouraged to enjoy the good humor, food and fellowship. We enjoy the company of men from all different creeds and ages. Priests and seminarians get in for free but are not shown any partiality in debate. Fathers may bring their sons as long as they accompany them.

THE CHURCH PARKING LOT IS ON 5TH AVENUE, JUST PAST 3RD STREET NORTH.

PLEASE ENTER THE CHURCH BASEMENT FROM THE EAST SIDE.

FOR DIRECTIONS TO

ST. AUGUSTINE CHURCH

CALL 651-451-1212

AOTM RUNS OCTOBER - MAY ON THE SECOND TUESDAY OF THE MONTH

(NO MEETING IN DECEMBER)

www.aotmclub.com, email us at info@aotmclub.com

The Indignity of Work

Mitchell here.

May 1 is the feast of St. Joseph the Worker, where by Joseph's example we celebrate the dignity of human labor.

Unfortunately, for many in Corporate America, dignity is the last thing one finds, in an environment that sees work not as a reflection of God's greatness, nor as something to be offered to God, but merely as a tool to generate profit. Likewise, the employee is seen not as having been made in the image of God, but as a statistic, to be manipulated in whichever way possible in order to improve the bottom line.

From the Our Word blog, here's a 2004 piece on an all-too-common situation: the indignity of work.

*****

One of the challenges of being a conservative is being expected to defend the occasionally indefensible idiocy of Corporate America. A case in point is this entertaining Human Resources document given to me. For obvious reasons, both the employee and the company will remain nameless. Anyway, what we have here is a manual on career orientations, specifically a section regarding being a “balanced-oriented” employee (meaning, I suppose, that you have a life outside the workplace). The following paragraph is called “Entitlement Mentality:”

Work/life balance is not their birthright. Sorry, but the company’s shareholders probably aren’t concerned about their hobbies or outside interests. To carve out a job role that doesn’t interfere with their other life needs, they should find a way to achieve their balance that has positive (or at least neutral) impact on business results. Encourage them to be a top contributor, to stay at the cutting edge of their profession. This will give them some bargaining chips for the flexibility they crave.

Well. I’m not quite sure what bothers me most about this paragraph – the condescending nature of it, or its sheer stupidity. After trying to figure out just how to address this mess, I finally decided the best way was simply to go step-by-step.

Work/life balance is not their birthright. Sorry, but the company’s shareholders probably aren’t concerned about their hobbies or outside interests.

There is such an arrogance about this statement. Oh, I suppose technically they’re right. In my pocket copy of the Constitution I don’t see the right to a balanced life anywhere (unless it’s next to the right to privacy that guarantees you the right to an abortion).

But look at what the words are saying. You don’t have the “right” to a balance between your home life (hereinafter referred to as “real” life) and your work life. We all suspected that most employers felt this way, but you seldom get to see it printed in black-and-white like this. The Catholic Church has always affirmed the dignity of work, as far back as “Rerum Novarum (On the Condition of Labor)” by Pope Leo XIII in 1891. And yet it’s hard to see how, when you’re confronted by an attitude like this, you can find much dignity in what you do.

For an opposing viewpoint, let’s take a look at what Pope John Paul II said regarding the dignity of work in his 1981 encyclical “Laborem exercens (On Human Work)”

But above all we must remember the priority of labor over capital: labor is the cause of production; capital, or the means of production, is its mere instrument or tool. (#12)

Yet the workers' rights cannot be doomed to be the mere result of economic systems aimed at maximum profits. The thing that must shape the whole economy is respect for the workers' rights within each country and all through the world's economy. (#17)

As Pat Buchanan once said, America needs to worship at a higher altar than the bottom line. When an employee is viewed merely as a statistic, an economic commodity, rather than a human being, then the system loses moral credibility. I’ve often thought that one of the turning points in capitalism came when we started moving away from “Personnel Department” towards “Human Resources,” turning the employee away from his personhood and instead into a resource, like a roll of Scotch tape.

To carve out a job role that doesn’t interfere with their other life needs, they should find a way to achieve their balance that has positive (or at least neutral) impact on business results.

First of all, it’s clear that in the mind of whoever wrote this atrocious paragraph, “other life needs” are optional – something that only a few of us have. Furthermore, it’s a pretty distasteful thing to have other needs, isn’t it? How dare you! Don’t you know that you should only live to work? Again, the Holy Father writes:

We must pay more attention to the one who works than to what the worker does. The self-realization of the human person is the measure of what is right and wrong. Work is in the first place "for the worker" and not the worker "for work." Work itself can have greater or lesser objective value, but all work should be judged by the measure of dignity given to the person who carries it out. (Laborem exercens, #6)

Not to this company, apparently. Let’s look at that last sentence again:

“To carve out a job role that doesn’t interfere with their other life needs, they should find a way to achieve their balance that has positive (or at least neutral) impact on business results”

Hmm, that’s what I thought it said – your work life takes primacy over your personal life, and your personal life must be adapted to cause the least possible interference with your work life.

See how easy this is? Let’s continue:

Encourage them to be a top contributor, to stay at the cutting edge of their profession. This will give them some bargaining chips for the flexibility they crave.

Boy, you have to hand it to the author – writing something like that really takes guts. The best way to achieve a balance in life is to become a workaholic! That may not be what it actually says, but let’s read between the lines. How many companies are enlightened enough to realize that “top contributor” is not synonymous with “long hours”? In response, let’s look at an excerpt from the Labor Day 2001 Pastoral Message of Bishop Michael Saltarelli, Diocese of Wilmington:

Workaholism is a specifically American form of spiritual lukewarmness rooted in the consumerism of our culture. Seeing our careers and work life as a way to holiness prevents us from turning our work into an idol that alienates us from our faith, our spouses, our families and ourselves. Workaholism results in a damaging fallout. Marriages fail or are strained. Children do not receive the attention and nurturing they need. Families experience little or no time together. Family meal times rarely occur. Family celebrations are few and far between.

Ironically, I heard of a company that recently had an internal promotion asking everyone to make a commitment to spend one day eating dinner with their family. This while the same company specializes in producing food products designed to make it as easy as possible to eat on the run without being bothered by such annoying things as “family time.” This chicken-and-egg question – whether companies are responding to or creating such needs – is something we can pick up another time.

It doesn’t have to be this way, of course, and there’s encouraging evidence that some companies are breaking out of this mold. Best Buy is in the process of rolling out a new way of looking at productivity and the workplace, as was pointed out in a November 8 Minneapolis Star Tribune article about ROWE, which stands for Results-Oriented Work Environment.

"Most employers should be able to say, 'All right, this is your job. This is the value created by your job. It is a full-time job, but if you can get it done in 25 hours well, mazel tov, congratulations,' " said Paul Rupert, a workplace flexibility consultant in Washington, D.C. "But the number of companies in which that scenario happily plays out could be counted on one hand.”

According to the author of the article, ROWE came out of Best Buy’s attempt to answer the question: How can we be the employer of choice?

Workers responded with a chorus of "We want to be trusted to do our work the way we feel is best for us, that can get the best results," said Cali Ressler, who leads work-life programs at the consumer electronics retailer. "They also said, 'We want to be able to balance our personal lives with that work.' "

This coincides nicely with the following comment from the Holy Father:

Workers not only want fair pay, they also want to share in the responsibility and creativity of the very work process. They want to feel that they are working for themselves -- an awareness that is smothered in a bureaucratic system where they only feel themselves to be "cogs" in a huge machine moved from above. (Laborem exercens, #13)

Don’t get me wrong – the employee has definite obligations to the employer, many of them found in the Ten Commandments. When you’re at work, your time belongs to the person who’s signing your check. If you’re getting paid for work you’re not doing, that’s stealing. As the Pope says, “Work remains a good thing, not only because it is useful and enjoyable, but also because it expresses and increases the worker's dignity.” And therein lies the rub. The employer has responsibilities to the employee as well, the responsibility to treat him with the dignity befitting a person, not simply a resource. Part of that dignity is to create a workplace in which the employee can deal with what it means to be a person – problems at home, problems with loved ones. Even, heaven forbid, problems in maintaining the proper balance between work and home. Bishop Saltarelli:

By contrast, workers find the connection between faith and work more difficult to make when they feel that management lacks integrity or does not respect the opinions and ideas of the workers. In those cases, people are more apt to see work as a means of economic survival and not as God's gift.

Well, why shouldn’t they? I had a boss tell me once that the only thing the company owed you was a paycheck, and that if you weren’t willing to play by those rules you were free to leave, because that’s all you owed the company as well.

In conclusion, there’s an important message here, one that, however unintentionally, this particular Human Resources document brings up: Just because the company owns your time, it doesn’t mean it owns your life or your soul. That’s a message all too often lost on Corporate America.

For the complete text of the Holy Father's encyclical, click here.

Anonymous Benefactor Gives St Agnes $500,000 in "Challenge Grant"

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An anonymous benefactor has offered a $500,000 "challenge gift" to spur others to donate and help save St. Agnes High School.

The donor, whom school officials would not name, has no official connection to the St. Paul parish or the K-12 school, said the Rev. John Ubel, the Frogtown parish's pastor and the school's superintendent.

Officials at St. Agnes have said running deficits for years and a projected enrollment drop would make the high school unsustainable and threatened it would close at the end of the school year. About 200 students now attend the high school. Lower grades would be kept open.

"This gift is not a cure-all," said Ubel, who met with the benefactor late last week. "But it's the first piece of evidence that some people are willing to make a major financial commitment. It means an awful lot to the school."

Contributions to support St. Agnes should be sent to the attention of Father John Ubel, St. Agnes Schools, 530 Lafond Ave., St. Paul, MN 55103. PioneerPress