Cardinal DiNardo: Religion and Morality Essential Parts of a Freedom-Loving Society

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Religion and Morality Essential Parts of a Freedom-Loving Society

STATEMENT FOR RESPECT LIFE MONTH

Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo
Archbishop of Galveston-Houston, former "Bishop of Sioux City, IA
Chairman, Committee on Pro-Life Activities
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops

September 26, 2011

This October the Catholic Church throughout the United States will observe Respect Life Month, an annual tradition now in its fortieth year.

Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo Releases Statement for October 2011, Respect Life Month

Beginning on October 2, 2011—Respect Life Sunday—Catholics across the nation will join together to witness to the inherent equality and transcendent value of every human being.

In countless liturgies and events we will give thanks to God for the gift of human life, and pray for his guidance and blessings on our efforts to defend the most vulnerable members of the human family.

We will voice our opposition to the injustice and cruelty of abortion on behalf of those victims whose voices have been silenced. At the same time, we will remind the living victims of abortion—the mothers and fathers who grieve the loss of an irreplaceable child—that God’s mercy is greater than any human sin, and that healing and peace can be theirs through the sacrament of reconciliation and the Church’s Project Rachel Ministry.

The theme chosen for this year’s Respect Life Program is I came so that all might have life and have it to the full. In this brief explanation of his mission (cf. John 10:10), Jesus refers both to our hope of eternal life, to be restored through his death and resurrection, and to our life in this world.

By following Jesus’ new Commandment of unselfish love, our lives can be richly fulfilling, and marked by joy and peace. In contrast, treating others as either means or obstacles to one’s self-serving goals, while never learning to love generously, is an impoverished way to live.

Viewing life as a “zero sum” game, in which advancing one’s interests requires putting aside the needs of others, can lead to callous unconcern for anyone who is especially weak, defenseless, and in need of our help. The unborn child, the aging parent who some call a “burden” on our medical system, the allegedly “excess” embryo in the fertility clinic, the person with a disability, the cognitively impaired accident victim who needs assistance in receiving food and water to live—each today is at risk of being dismissed as a “life unworthy of life.”

Jesus’ promise of “life to the full” is especially poignant today, when our culture and sometimes our government promote values inimical to the happiness and true good of individuals and society. We face increasing attempts to expunge God and religious discourse from public life. This promotes the dangerous proposition that human beings enjoy no special status by virtue of their God-given humanity. Some now even seek to eliminate religiously motivated people and organizations from public programs, by forcing them to violate their moral and religious convictions or stop serving the needy.

The same forces, aided by advertising and entertainment media, promote a selfish and demeaning view of human sexuality, by extolling the alleged good of sexual activity without love or commitment. This view of sex as “free” of commitment or consequences has no place for openness to new life. Hence contraceptives are promoted even to young teens as though they were essential to women’s well-being, and abortion defended as the “necessary” back-up plan when contraceptives fail. And fail they do. Studies report that most women seeking abortions were using contraception in the month they became pregnant. Again and again, studies show that increasing access to contraception fails to reduce rates of unplanned pregnancies and abortions.

Both these trends—a distorted view of sexuality and a disdain for the role of religion—are exhibited by the Department of Health and Human Services’ recent decision on the “preventive services” to be mandated in virtually all private health plans under the new health care law. The Department ruled that such mandated services will include surgical sterilization and all FDA-approved contraceptive drugs and devices—including the abortifacient drug “Ella,” a close analogue to the abortion pill RU-486.

The decision is wrong on many levels. Preventive services are aimed at preventing diseases (e.g., by vaccinations) or detecting them early to aid prompt treatment (e.g., screening for diabetes or cancer). But pregnancy is not a disease. It is the normal, healthy state by which each of us came into the world. Far from preventing disease, contraceptives can have serious health consequences of their own, for example, increasing the risk of acquiring a sexually transmitted disease, such as AIDS, increasing the risk of breast cancer from excess estrogen, and of blood clots that can lead to stroke from synthetic progestin. Mandating such coverage shows neither respect for women’s health or freedom, nor respect for the consciences of those who do not want to take part in such problematic initiatives.

The “religious employer” exemption offered by the Department is so extremely narrow that it protects almost no one. Catholic institutions providing health care and other services to the needy could be forced to fire their non-Catholic employees and cease serving the poor and vulnerable of other faiths—or stop providing health coverage at all. It has been said that Jesus himself, or the Good Samaritan of his famous parable, would not qualify as “religious enough” for the exemption, since they insisted on helping people who did not share their view of God.

All these misguided efforts to foster false values among our youth, to silence the voice of moral truth in the public domain, and to deprive believers of their constitutionally-protected right to live according to their religious convictions, must be resisted by education, public advocacy, and above all by prayer.

The founders of our nation understood that religion and morality are essential to the survival of a freedom-loving society. John Adams expressed this conviction, stating:

“We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion. Our Constitution was made for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate for the government of any other.”

Catholics must not shrink from the obligation to assert the values and principles we hold essential to the common good, beginning with the right to life of every human being and the right of every woman and man to express and live by his or her religious beliefs and well-formed conscience.

As Pope Benedict XVI reminded us last year in one of his Ad Limina addresses to visiting bishops, “a society can be built only by tirelessly respecting, promoting and teaching the transcendent nature of the human person.” That common nature transcends all accidental differences of age, race, strength, or conditions of dependency, preparing us to be one human family under God.

During this Respect Life Month, as we celebrate God’s great gift of life, let us pray and reflect on how each of us might renew our commitment and witness to “respecting, promoting and teaching the transcendent nature of the human person,” thereby shoring up the foundations of a society sorely in need of this guidance. Courageous Priest

Cardinal Di Nardo Establishes Traditioinal Parish in Houston, TX

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Wonderful news for the faithful of the largest city in the great state: a full Parish, exclusively dedicated to the Traditional Roman Liturgy (the "Extraordinary Form" of the Roman Rite), is to be established by the Archbishop of Galveston-Houston, Cardinal DiNardo, as foreseen by Summorum Pontificum, art. 10. Cardinal DiNardo was formerly the Bishop of Sioux City, IA.

The future Parish will be staffed with priests of the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter (FSSP), who begin celebrating daily Mass in the diocese already on September 4; their page adds: "A beautiful 40 acres parcel of land has been donated for this new Traditional Latin Mass Parish [near Breen and Fairbanks N. Houston - see Google Maps for surroundings] which will eventually have a full parish complex including a traditional style church, rectory, parish hall with room for a retirement facility, retreat house, and possibly a parish school."

Thanks be to God, and congratulations to Cardinal DiNardo, to the faithful of Houston and surrounding areas, and to the state of Texas, which will now host three personal parishes dedicated to the Traditional Mass (the first one being Mater Dei, in the Diocese of Dallas, and the second one St. Joseph the Worker, in the Diocese of Tyler). Rorate Caeli

Sioux City: Guidelines for Reception of Communion and EMHC's

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Guidelines and Norms for
the Distribution and Reception of Holy Communion
Under both Kinds

and

Extraordinary Ministers
of Holy Communion

Bishop R. Walker Nickless, Sioux City. IA, has issued a long document for his parishioners on the reception of Holy Communion and on the use of Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion. It may be found here.

[Excerpts]

II. When Communion Under Both Kinds May Be Given

Particular Law for the Diocese of Sioux City

1. Where there is a large number of faithful present and the gathering is taking place in a building or venue other than a church, Communion is to be offered only under the species of the Consecrated Host. Exceptions to this norm may be granted only with the explicit written permission of the diocesan bishop.

c.
The Norms for the Distribution and Reception of Holy Communion Under Both Kinds in the Dioceses of the United States of America states, “In practice, the need to avoid obscuring the role of the priest and the deacon as the ordinary ministers of Holy Communion by an excessive use of extraordinary minister might in some circumstances constitute a reason either for limiting the distribution of Holy Communion under both species or for using intinction instead of distributing the Precious Blood from the chalice.”[17]

a. Priests in the Diocese of Sioux City might consider using intinction or offering Holy
Communion only under the species of bread, so as to avoid such an “excessive use” of
Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion.

Particular Law for the Diocese of Sioux City

2. In parishes, chapels, and institutions in the Diocese of Sioux City, Communion under both kinds is permitted on those times specifically instructed in the ritual books, i.e. Confirmation, Ordination.

3. Communion under both forms may also be distributed at Masses on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation.

a. This should be done in such a way so as to avoid the “excessive use” of Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion. Communion may be briefly prolonged, so as to use fewer Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion.

4. Communion under both forms may be distributed at daily Masses at the discretion of the priest who is celebrating the Mass.

IV.
Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion

a. An Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion (EMHC) is one instituted as an acolyte, or one of the faithful so deputed in accordance with Canon 230, § 3.[20]

Particular Law for the Diocese of Sioux City

5. Guidelines for Selection of Candidates:

a. The Pastor shall oversee the selection of Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion.

i. Pastors are encouraged to collaborate with other parish or school staff members in recommending candidates to serve as EMHC.

ii. Once persons have been selected to serve as EMHC, the pastor shall submit these names on the proper form, with a letter of request to the Office of Worship, which will coordinate the bishop’s approval and mandate.

iii. To avoid unnecessary confusion, all requests must be made in writing to the Office of Worship on the proper form with all of the necessary information. All requests will be processed at the beginning of each month. Any requests sent in after the first of the month will be processed the following month. The letter of request must include the full name of the person requesting the permission and the type of role that the person will fulfill (school, parish Masses, homebound/hospital/nursing home).

b. EMHCs should only be selected, approved, and mandated according to pastoral need.

c. Both men and women may be chosen as EMHC, to administer communion both at Mass, and to the sick and dying. Those who are invited to serve in this ministry shall be:

· aged 18 or older (i.e., have completed their eighteenth year),

· baptized and confirmed Roman Catholics,

· regularly sharers in the Eucharist,

· of exemplary Christian character,

· committed to the faith,

· devoted to the Eucharist,

· respected by the community,

· demonstrably interested and involved in the community's life,

· in good standing according to the law of the Church,

· spiritually sound,

· and capable of adhering to all of the Church’s procedures for EMHCs.

Those chosen must make a public profession of faith and be deemed responsible to carry out the mandate entrusted to them.

d. For those who are confirmed and under age 18 to serve as an EMHC in the school setting, a special mandate can be requested. This mandate will apply only to the particular school and its Masses.

i. A principle or chaplain at the high school may request this mandate through the person’s local pastor.

a) All means should be exhausted, i.e., Catholic faculty and staff should assist as EMHC primarily, and mandates requested for those confirmed students under the age 18 only when absolutely necessary.

ii. In order to avoid a large number of persons under the age of 18, and since they will be granted the mandate to serve at school Masses only, it may be

Particular Law in the Diocese of Sioux City, (5) Guidelines for Selection, cont’d:

advisable to limit the times during school Masses that the use of these EMHC would be needed, i.e., offer Communion under one form.

e. The invitation to serve as an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion is not to be understood as a reward, but as a call to service. Parishes and communities should avoid practices in selecting Extraordinary Ministers where individuals simply volunteer themselves for this ministry.

b. Guidelines for the Use of EMHCs:

i. EMHCs may distribute Holy Communion at Mass only when the ordained ministers present are truly unable to distribute Holy Communion, or when the very large numbers of the faithful present would excessively prolong the celebration if only the ordained ministers distributed Holy Communion.[21] A brief prolongation in the distribution of Holy Communion is not a sufficient reason to have more Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion than necessary.[22]

ii. “To avoid creating confusion, certain practices are to be avoided and eliminated – especially, extraordinary ministers receiving Holy Communion apart from the other faithful as though concelebrants (they are not to enter the sanctuary until after the priest-celebrant has received communion); and the habitual use of extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion at Mass thus arbitrarily extending the concept of ‘a great number of the faithful.’”[23]

a) The time of distributing Holy Communion should be proportional to the length of the rest of the celebration.

V. Procedures During Mass

a. The EMHCs should not approach the altar before the priest-celebrant has received Communion, and they are always to receive from the hands of the priest-celebrant the vessel containing either species of the Most Holy Eucharist for the distribution to the faithful.[24]

Particular Law for the Diocese of Sioux City

6. EMHC are granted permission to consume the remaining Precious Blood from their chalice of distribution upon returning to the altar.

7. The practice of consuming the remaining Precious Blood in the place of distribution or at the credence table or in the sacristy is not permissible.

VIII. Other Functions of Extraordinary Ministers

a. Ash Wednesday

i. EMHCs may distribute ashes on Ash Wednesday according to the “Order for the Blessing and Distribution of Ashes” found in chapter 32 of the Book of Blessings.

b. Saint Blaise

i. EMHCs may also bless throats on the feast of St. Blaise (Feb. 3) according to the “Order for the Blessing of Throats on the Feast of Saint Blaise” found in chapter 51 of the Book of Blessings.

Davenport Cathedral Rector named Bishop of Rapid City

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Among the Native Americans who comprise a quarter of its faithful, the Rapid City church’s last two bishops, Bishop Charles Chaput and Bishop Blaise Cupich, were respectively known as “Rustling Wind” and “White Thunder”....

But now, the question begs itself: what will they dub a pilot?

Putting Stateside Catholicism’s longest vacancy to rest, at Roman Noon the Pope named Msgr Robert Gruss, 55 -- heretofore rector of Davenport’s Cathedral of the Sacred Heart, and a onetime vice-rector of the Pontifical North American College in Rome -- as the next head of western South Dakota’s 30,000-member diocese: one of the US church’s smallest outposts by population, sure, but a seat whose most recent occupants have gone on to enjoy significant national prominence.

A native of Wisconsin (and the second NAC #2 to be beamed up since February), the bishop-elect worked for several years as a commercial airplane pilot and flight instructor before entering seminary formation. Following his 1994 ordination (at 38) by the Iowa church’s now-retired Bishop William Franklin, Gruss spent a decade in parish work before being named Davenport's Vocations Director, then Chancellor in 2005. Two years later, he was returned to the Gianicolo -- where, not long before, he had studied -- as deputy head of the nation’s Roman seminary. Last July, the nominee came home again, this time as rector of Sacred Heart, whose three weekend Masses include one in Vietnamese.

Notably, Rapid's incoming captain will be welcomed by a familiar face on touching down. Much like his next Boss, the diocese’s interim administrator, Fr Steven Biegler, was formed at the NAC and ordained in his mid-30s (a year ahead of Gruss) and subsequently returned to the College, in his case as Director of Pastoral Formation from 2003-2006. Having served as chaplain to the see-city’s Catholic schools and Newman center since his return, following his election to look after things following Bishop Blase Cupich’s June 2010 transfer to Spokane, what one local called Biegler's "low key-super organized job" has garnered high reviews among his own.

As noted above, even for the diocese's small population, its last two bishops have garnered an outsize standing in the wider church even before subsequent assignments. Named to the Black Hills at age 43 in 1988, Rapid City's sixth bishop -- now-Archbishop Charles Chaput OFM Cap of Denver -- had already carved out a national reputation for media-savvy candor before getting the call to the Rockies in 1997. And not long after his 1999 appointment, Cupich's more progressive profile as a keen "conference man" and management guru began to take flight, culminating in the Omaha native's continuing stint as the US bishops' point-man on clergy sex-abuse.

In accord with the norms of the canons, Gruss' ordination and installation must take place within four months. Whispers in the Loggia


Pastor of Sacred Heart Cathedral will become Bishop of Rapid City

Monsignor Robert D. Gruss, pastor of Sacred Heart Cathedral in Davenport, will become the bishop of the Diocese of Rapid City in South Dakota.

Pope Benedict XVI has named Gruss, 55, pastor of Sacred Heart Cathedral in the Diocese of Davenport, to the position, according to a news release issued today by the Diocese of Davenport.

Bishop-designate Gruss will become the ninth bishop of the Diocese of Rapid City, which serves more than 30,000 Catholics and 82 congregations throughout western South Dakota. Thirteen percent of the total population is Catholic. Twenty-seven percent of the Catholics are Native American, and 10 percent are Hispanic.

“It is with deep humility and gratitude that I have accepted the Holy Father’s appointment as the next bishop of the Diocese of Rapid City,” Gruss said in the news release. “While it all seems a bit overwhelming at the moment, I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to serve God, the Church and the people of this diocese.”

Bishop Martin Amos of Davenport said, “As a bishop when I install a new pastor for a parish, one of the final things I say to him is ‘My brother, be a loving father, a gentle shepherd and a wise teacher.’ I pray that Bishop-designate Gruss will be that for the people of the Diocese of Rapid City….a loving father, a gently shepherd and a wise teacher. I join my prayers to the people of the Diocese of Davenport and the people of the Diocese of Rapid City for God’s blessings upon him as he begins this new ministry.”

Gruss was born on June 25, 1955, in Texarkana, Ark. He holds an associate degree in civil engineering from Madison Area Technical College, Madison, Wis., a bachelor’s in theology from St. Ambrose University, a bachelor of sacred theology from the University of St. Thomas Aquinas (Angelicum), Rome, Italy, and a master’s in spiritual theology from the University of St. Thomas Aquinas (Angelicum), Rome, Italy.

Before entering the seminary, he earned his commercial pilot’s license (instrument rating and multi-engine rating) from the Spartan School of Aeronautics, Tulsa, Okla. He worked for various companies as a charter pilot, flight instructor and corporate pilot.

Gruss was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Davenport in 1994 following his seminary formation at the Pontifical North American College, Vatican City. He also completed spiritual direction training from the Institute for Priestly Formation.

After ordination to the priesthood, he was named parochial vicar of St. Paul the Apostle Church, Diocese of Davenport. Quad City Times

Des Moines Bishop Richard Pates: Protect life and the right to follow our conscience

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The Catholic Church's position on abortion is no secret. Based on the natural law or what the framers of the Declaration of Independence identified as "self-evident truths," it's part of a defense of life that includes opposition to capital punishment and euthanasia, and limiting war. Simply, we believe that the right to life, including the life of a developing child, is basic, and that it trumps other rights - including the right to privacy. And we believe the state has an obligation to protect life.

But the church's position on the primacy of conscience may not be so well known. That position is deeply planted in our moral tradition and society's as well. St. Thomas Aquinas, the 13th century philosopher and theologian, championed the primacy of conscience. He taught that one must not only follow one's conscience, but form it correctly.

One thinks of how important the primacy of conscience has been in history, from the stands of St. Thomas More and Martin Luther King through the teachings of Mohandas Gandhi and the Nuremberg Trials after World War II. There, many Nazis were accused of following an illegitimate and evil authority instead of their consciences.

Just as the state must protect life, it must also protect the right to follow one's conscience to truly guarantee the freedom of religion promised in our constitution. That means, for instance, that hospital personnel and health-care workers must not be coerced into violating their consciences by providing abortions.

Is this a real issue? According to recent testimony before a congressional subcommittee by a spokesman for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, an ethics committee of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, which supports "abortion rights," wants "pro-life physicians to refer for abortions in a wide array of circumstances (and) to perform abortions themselves when referral is not possible." And the State University of New York at Stony Brook recently suspended eight nurses for saying they would not assist in abortions.

No matter our position on abortion, do any of us really want people - especially health-care providers - to violate their consciences?

My fellow bishops and I support, and urge all supporters of religious freedom, to back HR 3, a "no taxpayer funding for abortion" passed by the U.S. House of Representatives and now before the U.S. Senate. Besides definitively forbidding the use of federal money for abortions, it ensures that federal agencies, and state and local governments receiving federal money, don't discriminate against health-care providers who don't perform or participate in abortion because of conscience objection.

Some say current law is sufficient to prohibit abortion and protect conscience rights. But current law, including the Hyde Amendment, does so only in a piecemeal and inadequate manner. HR 3 would provide a permanent and consistent policy across federal government.

Catholics have been particularly important in providing health care, in Iowa and the U.S. especially for the poor and indigent. Catholic hospitals care for one in six patients in the U.S. each year. But this bill is not just about Catholics. Without the bill, all like-minded health-care providers will be at risk of having to decide between providing care and following their consciences. No one should be placed in that position.

I urge Iowa's Senate delegation to join the 251 members of the House of Representatives who have voted in support of H.R. 3 in protection of freedom of conscience. Des Moines Register

Bishop Richard E. Pates formerly was the Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis.

Rosary-making ministry in Davenport touches Catholics worldwide

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At The Mustard Seed, a Catholic bookstore in Iowa City, Roy and Roberta Wilsons hold knotted cord rosaries they made.

In Rome in October 2002, while waiting with Catholics from around the world for a papal Mass to begin, Roy and Roberta Wilson believed they saw the Blessed Mother’s hand at work.

As the couple passed time by making knotted cord rosaries, nearby pilgrims showed interest. Members of St. Wenceslaus Parish in Iowa City, the Wilsons tried to teach rosary making to the Catholics, many of whom didn’t speak English.

“Amazingly, they learned the quickest of any group we’d ever taught,” Roberta said. Then, she learned why.

“A man three or four rows behind us said, ‘Praise to Our Lady of the Rosary!’ It was her feast day. So we had some help from her.”

The Wilsons believe Mary has guided them throughout the 14 years they’ve been making and donating knotted cord rosaries, which Roy said have gone to Catholics on six continents. The couple makes 1,200 to 1,300 of the devotional aids each year, and several Catholics who learned the art from the husband and wife also make and donate rosaries.

The ministry has spread further than the Wilsons imagined it would when Roy took up the craft in 1997.

That year he was on a retreat at which a fellow participant, who was often seen carrying cords, piqued his curiosity. “I had to ask, ‘What are you doing?’” The man showed Roy a rosary and asked, “Would you like to learn to make these?”

Roy, who works as a tile setter, learned. “When I got home, I had to make the rosaries; I didn’t know why. I think Our Lady was whacking me around a bit.”

As he continued crafting them, requests poured in from friends, family and fellow parishioners. Seeing he needed help fulfilling those requests, Roberta started making rosaries, too.

Since then rosaries have gone to hospitals, rest homes, mourners at funerals, residents of several foreign countries and, with the help of St. Wenceslaus’ Knights of Columbus, to U.S. troops overseas. The cord rosaries are hard to break, so they’re well suited for children and soldiers, said Roberta, a school teacher.

The most challenging request for rosaries came in 2008 from a Slovakian seminarian who met a friend of the Wilsons while in the United States. The seminarian, now Father Jan Dolny, asked for 600 rosaries for everyone who would attend his ordination Mass — just two months away. Friends and family of the Wilsons ended up helping the couple make 850 rosaries — while praying for each future recipient.

The agnostic boyfriend of one such recipient later went through the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults, Roberta said. “He was overwhelmed by the idea that someone in a different country was praying for him.”

Brother Erik Ross, a Dominican friar native to Wisconsin, also was moved by gifts of rosaries that the Wilsons sent his community in Poland in 2008. Many of the rosaries went to people whom missionary priests minister to in various countries, Br. Ross e-mailed the Wilsons. “Your generosity, and the generosity of your whole network of rosary-makers, is just astonishing… you are an example and witness to all of us,” he wrote.

Hearing such examples of how rosaries and prayers have touched people keeps the Wilsons going, Roberta said.

Roy agreed. “Realizing I can help promote the faith and bring people closer to God is my reward.”

Monica Hemingway feels similar benefits. She said that after taking a rosary-making class from the Wilsons about three years ago as she prepared for confirmation, she fell in love with the craft. “I like knowing my handiwork will be used by other people and they’ll be able to enjoy it,” said the 16-year-old member of St. Mary Parish in Iowa City. She has helped the Wilsons with rosary-making workshops at the Davenport Diocese’s youth rallies and given rosaries to family members, dinner guests and others. “It makes me feel closer to God and other people.”

At Our Lady of the River Parish in LeClaire, the rosary ministry has snowballed since the Wilsons taught a class there a couple years ago at parishioner Jennifer Hildebrand’s invitation, she said. Prayer partners for Catholics preparing for first Communion or confirmation pray with the knotted cord rosaries, then give the devotional aids to the parishioners when they receive the sacraments. Hildebrand estimates about 300 rosaries also have gone to residents of Grand Bois, Haiti, home to Our Lady of the River’s “sister parish” and where LeClaire parishioners have made mission trips.

For St. Wenceslaus parishioner Jan Dostal, knotted cord rosaries offer a way to reach out to an ill or injured Catholic. She takes them and Communion to patients at University of Iowa Hospitals. Lapsed Catholics there decline the Eucharist but seem happy to receive a rosary, she said.

She and her husband, Bill, have made the rosaries for at least a decade since taking a class from Roy. “As much as we try to pay him for his cord, he absolutely refuses,” Bill said. “He and Roberta are just so devoted to this. It‘s a wonderful cause.” Davenport Catholic Messenger

R.I.P. Bishop William H. Bullock - St. Paul - Minneapolis, Des Moines, Madison

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Eternal Rest Grant Unto Him, O Lord,

and let perpetual light shine upon him;

may his soul, and all the souls of the faithful departed,

through the mercy of God,

Rest in Peace. Amen.

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William H. Bullock, bishop emeritus of Madison, Wis., whose service to the Roman Catholic Church began with parishes in Minneapolis and Edina, then as an educator at St. Thomas Academy, has died.

Bullock, 83, died Sunday of lung cancer at a pastoral center in Madison.

Bullock's 51 years of active service to the church culminated with his mandatory retirement in 2003 after 10 years as bishop of the Madison Diocese. Previously, he was bishop of the Des Moines Diocese for six years.

At the time of his 80th birthday, Bullock told the newspaper of the Madison Diocese: "The next big thing I will do in my life is die, and I want to do that well."

Among Bullock's defining moments in Madison were the creation of an office of Hispanic ministry and authorizing construction of a Catholic Multicultural Center, which provided social services for new immigrants and the poor. He also created a diocesan sexual abuse review board, made up mostly of laypeople.

"He wanted to make sure we were doing what the Lord calls us to do, which is greeting a stranger and making a guest feel welcome," Monsignor Daniel Ganshert, who served as Bullock's assistant, told the Wisconsin State Journal.

Bullock was born in 1927 on a family farm near Maple Lake, Minn., and he turned to his rural upbringing as an icebreaker during a one-on-meeting with Pope John Paul II.

Bullock recalled saying to the pontiff, " 'Holy Father, I am quite nervous here today -- I am a simple farm boy from Minnesota and here I am in the presence of the successor of St. Peter.'

"At that moment, the Holy Father took my hand and said, 'And I am a simple peasant pope from Poland, but God wanted to use us both.' With those kind words, I was then at ease in our visit."

Bullock graduated from Annandale High School during World War II and attended what is now the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul before serving in the Navy during the war.

After the war, he graduated from the University of Notre Dame with a degree in philosophy, then entered St. Paul Seminary. His post-graduate studies took him back to St. Thomas and Notre Dame.

Bullock was ordained in 1952 at St. Paul Cathedral, then was associate pastor at St. Stephen in Minneapolis (1952-55); Our Lady of Grace in Edina (1955-56); and Incarnation in Minneapolis (1956-57).

He entered education, teaching religion at St. Thomas Academy in Mendota Heights starting in 1957 and was its headmaster from 1967 until 1971.

He returned to parish work in 1971 as pastor of St. John the Baptist in Excelsior from 1971-1980 and Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Minneapolis in 1980.

In 1980, Bullock became an auxiliary bishop for the Twin Cities archdiocese, then was appointed bishop in Des Moines seven years later.

A citation accompanying an honorary degree in 2005 from the University of St. Thomas noted of Bullock: "Your life as a priest and as a leader of hundreds of thousands of Catholics in the Upper Midwest has served both as an inspiration and a lesson for us all."

In June 2006, Bullock had an audience at the Vatican and was thrilled by the "enormous privilege to be able to shake hands with Pope Benedict XVI," noting that they were born three days apart.

Bullock described Benedict as "a man of great clarity and precision in his teaching and consistent in the clarity with which he preaches."

Bullock is survived by two sisters, Adelaide "Addie" and Elizabeth "Betty" Bullock. A public funeral mass open to the public will be celebrated at 11 a.m. Thursday in Madison at Our Lady Queen of Peace Catholic Church, 401 S. Owen Dr. Interment will be in Resurrection Catholic Cemetery, Madison. In lieu of flowers, memorials are suggested to the Catholic Multicultural Center through Our Lady Queen of Peace. Star Tribune

Bishop William H. Bullock, Third Bishop of Madison, Dies The Diocese of Madison sadly announces the death of Most Reverend William H. Bullock, Bishop Emeritus of the Diocese of Madison

The Diocese of Madison sadly announces the death of Most Reverend William H. Bullock, Bishop Emeritus of the Diocese of Madison. Bishop Bullock died peacefully the afternoon of Sunday, April 3rd, at the age of 83 at his residence at the Bishop O’Connor Catholic Pastoral Center in Madison. In recent weeks, Catholics in the Diocese of Madison were asked to pray for Bishop Bullock, who had only recently been diagnosed with terminal cancer. Funeral provisions are pending and an update, regarding final arrangements, will be posted as soon as they are available.

Bishop Bullock was born on April 13, 1927, in Maple Lake, Minnesota. After serving in the United States Navy during World War II he completed seminary studies and was ordained a priest for the then-Archdiocese of Saint Paul in 1952. Father Bullock undertook three parochial assignments before being named an instructor and then headmaster at St. Thomas Academy, St. Paul. Concurrent with his duties at St. Thomas, Father Bullock completed an M.A. in Liturgy and Religious Education at The University of Notre Dame and an ED.S. at St. Thomas University. From 1971-1980 he served as Pastor of St. John the Baptist Parish in Excelsior, MN and in 1980 was named Auxiliary Bishop of Saint Paul and Minneapolis. On February 10, 1987 Bishop Bullock was named by Pope John Paul II Bishop of Des Moines and on April 13, 1993 was named the third Bishop of Madison. Serving past the age of retirement, Bishop Bullock began his service as an active Bishop Emeritus on May 23, 2003.

As shepherd of the Diocese of Madison for ten years, Bishop Bullock outlined his priorities early on: encouraging increased spirituality among the priests and laity of the diocese, evaluating ways to efficiently use buildings, programs and agencies, and to build a vision for the Diocese together. Bishop Bullock, at his installation in 2003, stressed the importance of Christian love in this vision, saying: “First, loving and trusting God and second, loving our neighbor generously and without resentment. If we continue to do that, nothing will be able to separate us from the love of Christ.”

During his years of leadership of, and service to, the Diocese, Bishop Bullock established the official archives of the diocese; established the thriving St. Thérèse of Lisieux Lecture Series, as an opportunity to experience that life giving presence of Catholic Tradition, to learn more about their faith and to live charity more authentically; led the Diocese of Madison in celebrating its 50th anniversary (1996), and gave the great work started by St. Martin House a real home through formally opening the Catholic Multicultural Center (2002). His vision at the CMC is continued through the generous leadership and work of Our Lady Queen of Peace Parish, in Madison.

Bishop Robert C. Morlino often said of Bishop Bullock in life, and repeats now in his passing, that “He was an ideal predecessor for me and I could not be more grateful for that. The impact of his labors here bears fruit to this day, and I’m thankful to have known and served with him. Please pray with me that he may be granted by the Almighty those gifts which served as his three-word Episcopal Motto: Grace, Mercy, Peace.”

In lieu of flowers, memorials to the Catholic Multicultural Center through Our Lady Queen of Peace Catholic Church would be appreciated. Eternal rest grant unto him O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him. May he rest in peace.

Church O' the Day: Benedictine Altar Arrangement at the Cathedral of the Epiphany, Sioux City, IA

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...The Cathedral of the Epiphany has been going through a liturgical renewal: the return of the cassock and surplice for servers and acolytes; chanting the Mass text; Fr. Brent Lingle, parochial vicar of Cathedral and Director of Worship for the Sioux City Diocese, has begun offering the Mass in the Extraordinary Form on the second Sunday of the month; the more frequent use of incense; taking youth to the liturgical leadership conference One Bread, One Cup; youth group ends with Benediction or Night Prayer every time; both English Confirmation classes end with the Divine Office every week; the youth group has a confession night once a month; the parish is working on starting perpetual adoration; and the recent January/February announcement of communion under the form of bread alone and on more solemn occasions both forms being available. . . .

See more at Brandon Harvey's
Holy Things for Holy People blog

Catholic Sisters' history, mission revealed through exhibit in Dubuque

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The National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium and Clarke University are pleased to announce that “Women & Spirit: Catholic Sisters in America,” a traveling exhibition featuring the untold stories of the innovative, action-oriented women who played such a significant role in shaping the nation’s social and cultural landscape made its way to the museum Feb. 18 and will be on display through May 22.

“Women & Spirit” is a project of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR), which is touring the exhibition. LCWR is an association of leaders of congregations of Catholic women religious in the United States. The organization represents about 90 percent of the women religious in the United States.

“Throughout history, women religious have been known as strong leaders with an amazing ability to affect positive change in our nation,” said Clarke President Joanne M. Burrows, SC, Ph.D. “As a Catholic institution, our sponsorship of this national exhibit allows us to honor the legacy of the Sisters and their historical and present-day impact on our region of the country.”

The local segment of the exhibit features the congregations of women religious whose motherhouses are in the upper Mississippi River valley:

Congregation of the Humility of Mary (CHM)
Cistercian Nuns of the Strict Observance (Trappestines)
Discalced Carmelites (OCD)
Dominican Sisters of Sinsinawa (OP)
Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration (FSPA)
Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (BVM)
Sisters of mercy of the Americas (RSM)
Sisters of the presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary (PBVM)
Sisters of St. Benedict (OSB)
Sisters of St. Francis Clinton Iowa (OSF)
Sisters of St. Francis Dubuque, IA (OSF)
Sisters of the Visitation of Mary (SVM)

This historic exhibit is a milestone compilation of artifacts and multi-media presentations revealing a new perspective of American history with many inspiring stories. It tells the story of the Sisters of Charity who nursed both Union and Confederate soldiers during the Civil War. And, the story of Mother Alfred Moes, founder of the Rochester Franciscans, who built St. Mary’s Hospital, and convinced Dr. William Worrall Mayo and his sons to staff it. That "partnership" was the beginnings of The Mayo Clinic. There is also the story of Sister Ignatia Gavin, the “angel” of Alcoholics Anonymous, who was instrumental in the designation of alcoholism as a disease.

“As a Smithsonian affiliate, we are pleased to bring such a powerful, high-caliber national exhibit to the Dubuque area,” said Jerry Enzler, executive director of the National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium and the Dubuque County Historical Society. “This exhibit continues to broaden the many ways in which we bring historical perspective to those in the Dubuque area and the entire Midwest.”

As part of the national exhibit, regional congregations of Sisters will present a local history component that highlights the roots of their individual congregation – each of which has a significant connection between its mission and the Mississippi River. They will also present information on their contemporary ministries.

First arriving on America’s shores almost 300 years ago, Catholic sisters altruistically built and led schools, hospitals, orphanages, colleges and other social institutions that have continued to serve millions of Americans in the intervening years. Remarkably, they created these enduring institutions at a time when most women had few, if any, professional opportunities.

“Few people are aware of the tales of the brave women who came to this country to help immigrants assimilate into the fabric of America,” said Jane Burke, SSND, executive director of LCWR. “Their heroic presence during many of the formative periods of our nation is an important part of American history and the legacy of the Sisters.”

Exhibit visitors of all ages will discover the pivotal presence of these very self-determined women at many of our nation’s dramatic turning points from the Civil War, the Depression and the Civil Rights Movement, through Hurricane Katrina. The untold stories of these unsung heroes will be recounted through rare, heretofore unseen artifacts, vivid first-person accounts, photographs, and both modern and archival video. Over the past several years, the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR) has researched the history and worked with communities of Sisters to catalog significant artifacts. The exhibit was conceived by Bob Weis Design Island and produced by Seruto & Company.

The Museum & Aquarium has received a grant award from Humanities Iowa, a state-based affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the City of Dubuque Arts and Culture grant program in support of the Women & Spirit exhibit.

For ticket information, contact the National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium.
Sioux City Catholic Globe

Abp. Thomas Gullickson, Papal Nuncius in the Caribbean, with sharp words about bishops who resist Summorum Pontificum.

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Archbishop Gullickson is originally a priest from Sioux Falls. He was born in Sioux City, Iowa, on 14 August 1950 and was ordained to the priesthood on 27 June 1976. He has a degree in Canon Law and speaks English, Italian, French and German.

Archbishop Gullickson entered the diplomatic service of the Holy See on May 1, 1985 and has been appointed successively to the Diplomatic Missions in Rwanda, Austria, Czechoslovakia, Jerusalem and Palestine and Germany.

Posted on 1 February 2011 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Father Z's Emphases and Comments.

Yesterday we saw with the help of Rorate and Messa in Latino that an Italian bishop had some things to say about other bishops who resist Pope Benedict’s visions and provisions.

Today, our friends at NLM clue us in about the remarks of a Papal Nuncius concerning bishops and others who resist Summorum Pontificum.

My emphases and comments:

In his homily for last Sunday, January 30, 2011, the Apostolic Nuncio to the Antilles Islands, H.E. Most Rev. Thomas E. Gullickson [WDTPRS has written about the Archbishop before HERE. He is an American, a priest of Sioux Falls.], Titular Archbishop of Bomarzo, had some pointed remarks about bishops resisting the implementation of the motu proprio Summorum Pontificum:

Why, even three years after the issuance of Summorum Pontificum (just to name one example), are well-meaning lay folk still treated with such great disdain by no less than bishops, bishops in communion (of heart, soul, mind and strength?) with the Successor of St. Peter when they ask for Mass in Latin? Is this anything other than blind hypocrisy (the plank!)? [This is great... this should qualify him for instant promotion....] You tolerate no small amount of bad taste, bad music and caprice, while begrudging some few a port in the storm of liturgical abuse which seems not to want to subside? [And that "few" is slowly growing larger.] Can we be after His own Heart and not just claim to be members of Christ’s Body while still acting so at odds with the example set by the Holy One of God, meek and humble of heart? Such prelates are at counter or cross purposes to the sense in which the Church wants to go; they are ignoring what the Spirit is saying to the Churches and doing so with a backhand to some who are branded common and contemptible, but certainly not in the eyes of Christ… Let me say it more clearly! My issue is with the contempt shown for an outstretched hand, contempt such as would not be shown toward someone asking for some other benefit.

When the Holy Father speaks of his will to see these two forms of the Roman Rite (ordinary and extraordinary) enrich each other, when he and others express eagerness for a recovery of the sense of the sacred in our churches and in how we worship, I am convinced that he has indicated the true nature of the rupture which has indeed occurred and needs to be mended or healed. You would think that those in communion with the Pope would seek to understand him and embrace his point of view. There is too much room for caprice and hence the need to reform contemporary Catholic worship. This is evidenced time and again, by way of one example, in the sense of helplessness many priests experience when confronted by musical groups moving into church with inappropriate repertoires, not to mention the dance and puppet troupes which should have been banished long ago. If a bishop does not want to discipline at least he can respect and foster those seeking good order. [This underscores how Summorum Pontificum was a huge gift to priests. It was the first document in a long time that actually did something concrete to help priests.]
Archbishop Gullickson has spoken out repeatedly about both the usus antiquior and the reform of the reform; have a look at his thoughts here.

He also implements these thoughts practically: In 2009, he began to exclusively celebrate Holy Mass ad orientem in the chapel of the Apostolic Nunciature in Port of Spain, Trinidad & Tobago. See his detailed explanation here.

A ‘crisis of life or death’: Des Moines Bishop Pates throws down gauntlet to late-term abortionist Carhart

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Bishop Richard Pates of Des Moines [former Auxiliary Bishop of St. Paul and Minneapolis] has not taken lightly the news that a notorious late-term abortionist is seeking to move into his backyard.

The Iowa prelate has issued a call-to-arms to local Catholics against plans by abortionist Leroy Carhart to move his business to the area.

Carhart left his longtime abortion location in Bellevue, Nebraska after the state passed a bill banning abortion after 20 weeks’ gestation. He has since aroused widespread indignation from Iowa pro-lifers with his plans to resume aborting late-term children in Council Bluffs, Iowa.

Although about 300 pro-life advocates in a city council meeting this week cheered when the council voted unanimously to ensure that a vacant lot eyed by Carhart would remain unavailable, city officials said the abortionist would likely have little trouble locating his facility elsewhere in the area, according to the Omaha World-Herald.

Bishop Pates responded to the news by urging his flock to respond with vigor against the “unspeakable possibility” of Carhart’s business flourishing nearby, recalling the worldwide Vigil for Nascent Human Life led by Pope Benedict XVI last weekend.

“This commemoration takes on special focus for the people in the city of Council Bluffs and Pottawattamie County this year insofar as late term abortionist, Leroy Carhart, has indicated his intention to set-up shop in the area to practice the taking of life of young people at a vulnerable stage,” wrote Pates.

“The good citizens of Iowa must recognize this assault on the life of our younger brothers and sisters as a crisis of life or death, for that is truly what it is. No ambiguous terminology, no word has the power to change the reality of things.”

Pates encouraged “each member of our congregations” to speak out against Carhart to the local government “in order to exercise our public responsibility of protecting the lives of the most vulnerable in our society.” He noted that parish leaders are already gathering contact information for city, county, and state officials for that purpose.

The bishop emphasized the need to support women in difficult pregnancies, including counseling and adoption services through Catholic Charities, and Gabriel’s Corner, a pregnancy counseling center in Council Bluffs. LifeSiteNew.com

"Christ Our Life", a weekend Catholic conference to enrich their “searching souls.”

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Conference calls Catholics to have Christ-centered lives

Thousands flocked to Des Moines to attend Christ Our Life, a weekend Catholic conference to enrich their “searching souls.”

The conference theme, From Doubt to Faith, asked Catholics to put Christ in the center of their lives. It was held Oct. 16-17 in the Wells Fargo Arena.

One of the main speakers was Cardinal Francis Arinze, who was the first African to be considered for papacy in 1,000 years.

“Christ is the center of our lives – individual life, family life, society life,” he said. “The conference proposes to us the ideal. Every one of us will try to live that ideal individually and in our families.”

Cardinal Arinze was also the celebrant for the Masses held during the conference. Concelebrating were Bishop Emeritus Joseph L. Charron [formerly Auxiliary Bishop of St Paul-Minneapolis 1989-93] and Bishop Richard E. Pates [formerly Auxiliary Bishop in St. Paul-Minneapolis, 2000-08] of the Diocese of Des Moines, Bishop R. Walker Nickless of the Diocese of Sioux City, Bishop John Quinn of the Diocese of Winona, Minn. and at least 20 priests.

Matthew Kelly, an international Catholic speaker and author, also spoke at the conference, telling fellow Catholics the church is “a sleeping giant.”

“We’ve forgotten our story,” he said. “The early Christians lived differently, loved differently and worked differently. As modern Catholics, we seem to blend in.”

Kelly said Catholics today appear to be lost and compared the Catholic faith to a treasure map.

“I think we’re failing to demonstrate the relevance of Catholicism in our modern life,” he said. “I think Catholicism is being rejected a lot because it’s old. It is old, but it’s like an old treasure map. A treasure map is valuable if it leads to treasure. If you find a treasure map, you don’t throw it away because it’s old.”

Marino Restrepo, another speaker, told the audience faith is more than just believing in a religion.

“Our homework is to learn how to love, how to forgive and giving our possessions,” he said. “Our heart will go where the treasure is. We need to be sure the real treasure is the Lord and our priorities are not earthly but heavenly.”

Restrepo is a Columbian who was raised Catholic but fell away from the church. He said his experience with being kidnapped by Columbian rebels turned him back to the faith.

“I was only interested in money, fame, pleasure and living in the fast lane,” said Restrepo. “I thought I was a good guy because I was involved in charities but I was committing a mortal sin because I was living away from God.”

In one of his talks, Kelly mentioned 10 percent of Catholics consider themselves prayerful and only one percent read a Catholic book.

“We have a lot of Catholic schools but most people after they leave don’t necessarily continue to educate themselves around their faith,” he said. “People are just not continuously in frame when it comes to faith and we have to get them there. If we don’t, the American church is in trouble.”

Cardinal Arinze pointed out most Catholics “have remained babies or dwarves in matters of religious knowledge,” yet are experts in society.

“They can navigate expertly on the internet, but they are unfamiliar with the contours of the Catholic faith,” he said. “Many young Catholics, and some not so young, can name all the footballers in the different leagues together with their coaches. But they have quite a problem naming the 12 apostles.”

One book Cardinal Arinze suggests in particular is the Catholic Catechism of the Catholic Church, which he considers a great guidebook for parents to teach their children about the faith.

“This document helps parents develop self-confidence in sharing the faith with their children,” he said. “The parents do not have to study for the doctorate in theology in the Catholic University of America before they can articulate our Catholic faith to their children. They have a readable book which guides them.”

Cardinal Arinze also said time should be set aside for prayer because it helps with spiritual warfare.

“In the battle field that is our earthly pilgrimage, we need prayer in order to continue to win victory over the devil and our weaknesses,” he said.

Kelly said having a daily spiritual routine can help Catholics become the “best versions of ourselves.”

“I essentially don’t believe the Christian life is sustainable without prayer,” he said. “I think it’s too hard to become a Christian in the world if you’re not plugging into the power source on a daily basis.”

Cardinal Arinze said attending Sunday Mass and receiving the Eucharist was also a strong weapon for faith.

“The holy Eucharist is Christ himself, not only the grace of Christ but it is Christ himself really present—God and man,” he said. “He is really more powerful than the devil. He is more powerful than our weaknesses. So if we have Christ at the center of our lives, especially if we pray, if we go to confession and if we take part at Mass and receive Holy Communion, Christ will give us strength, energy, a sense of direction and also interior peace which only God can give.”

Other speakers at the event included Magnus MacFarlane-Barrow, founder of Mary’s Meals and has been selected as one of CNN’s Heroes of 2010, Renee Bondi, a Christian music singer who became quadriplegic at 29 and Father Rick Wendell who became a priest after being pronounced dead after a work-related accident. Sioux City Catholic Globe

Three archbishops and the American Catholic future

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In the abstract, one might not think of Archbishops Thomas Wenski of Miami, Dennis Schnurr of [Sioux City and Duluth and] Cincinnati, and Jerome Listecki of [La Crosse and] Milwaukee as a natural threesome. Yet fate thrust these prelates together today, as the three Americans among 38 newly appointed archbishops from around the Catholic world who are in Rome to receive the pallium.

The pallium is a narrow band of woolen cloth which serves as a symbol of the archbishop’s office, and is bestowed by the pope each year on June 29, the feast of Sts. Peter and Paul. I’m in Rome this week, so I attended the pallium ceremony this morning and then headed up to the North American College for the traditional reception honoring the new archbishops.

Given that these three prelates were in the spotlight today, it’s worth pondering what implications for the American Catholic future are posed by the ascent of a Harley-riding champion of the downtrodden (Wenski), a consummate church insider (Schnurr), and a straight shooting, by-the-book pastor (Listecki).

At one level, there are striking similarities among the three men. All are virtually the same age (Schnurr is 62, Listecki 61, and Wenski 59). Two of the three, Schnurr and Listecki, have roots in the Midwest, and all three are the offspring of Catholic immigrants from central Europe. (Wenski and Listecki are Polish, Schnurr German.)

All three archbishops are solidly pro-life, and all three say they support the “zero tolerance” approach of the American church on sexual abuse. Each man, however, has faced criticism for his handling of the crisis from victims’ groups. Listecki in particular has faced questions since a review by the national bishops’ conference found that his former diocese of La Crosse, Wisconsin, backed accused priests in 64 percent of cases, as opposed to a national average of ten percent.

Yet there are also important contrasts among the three men, which collectively suggest that Benedict XVI is not seeking a rigid uniformity at the senior leadership level of the American church.

Wenski, who previously served as the bishop of Orlando, would likely make most top ten lists among American bishops for “most hip.” He listens to hot Cuban and Haitian music, and likes to hit the road on his motorcycle. (Asked if he had any regrets about leaving Orlando, Wenski said he’d miss the back-roads which allow him to open up the throttle. Traffic around Miami, he said, is more congested.)

Wenski is probably best known in Catholic circles for his social justice efforts, particularly his advocacy on behalf of immigrants and immigration reform. The first native of south Florida ever to serve as the Archbishop of Miami, Wenski was a young priest when he helped found a parish for Haitian immigrants in Miami. He learned Creole in the assignment, and over the years added Spanish and two African tribal languages (Ibo and Kirundi) to his repertoire.

Wenski has a master’s degree in sociology from Fordham, and prior to being named an auxiliary bishop of Miami in 1997 he served as the archdiocesan director of Catholic Charities. In a typical Wenski flourish, he spent the weekend before his appointment to Miami was announced joining a protest march organized by a coalition of farm workers pressing growers and supermarket chains for higher wages for tomato pickers.

During an early round of interviews with Miami media, Wenski said that immigration will continue to be a key concern in his new post.

“The present system, the lack of action, is resulting in the creation of a new underclass of people that are exploitable because they have no legal status, that are afraid of a knock on the door in the middle of the night,” he said. “If they're the victims of crimes, they're reluctant to call the police because they might pay for it with deportation.”

Wenski referred to Miami as “our nation’s new Ellis Island,” a leading port of entry for immigrants and refugees.

“These immigrants are not the problem,” Wenski said. “The problem is the antiquated and inadequate law that needs to be changed."

Cincinnati Archbishop Dennis M. Schnurr speaks at La Salle High School in Cincinnati Feb. 4. (CNS) Schnurr took a different path to the pallium, growing up in rural Iowa as one of only four Catholic boys in his hometown (two of the rest were his brothers, and the fourth was a cousin), entering the priesthood after briefly flirting with a career as a grocer, and moving swiftly into a series of prominent ecclesiastical jobs.

Known as pragmatic, hard-working, and skilled at nuts-and-bolts administration, Schnurr worked in the Vatican embassy in Washington in the mid-1980s, and was then tapped as Associate General Secretary of the U.S. bishops’ conference in 1989. When John Paul II came to Denver for World Youth Day in 1993, Schnurr was put in charge of organizing the event. The bishops obviously approved of his performance, because he was made General Secretary of the conference in 1994.

Schnurr was named bishop of Duluth, Minnesota, in 2001, and became the coadjutor archbishop of Cincinnati under Archbishop Daniel Pilarczyk in October 2008. He took over last December, when Pilarcyzk’s resignation was accepted by Benedict XVI.

In contrast to Pilarczyk’s reputation as a leader of the church’s more progressive wing, most observers see Schnurr as essentially non-ideological. Among other things, he’s expressed reservations about clergy and religious getting involved in politics. (In 2006, he withdrew an invitation for Sr. Helen Prejean to speak at an education dinner in Duluth because the famed “Dead Man Walking” activist had signed an advertisement calling for the impeachment of then-President George Bush. Schnurr said he admired Prejean’s work, but was concerned about the church seeming “partisan.”)

As bishop, Schnurr’s priorities have been characteristically practical: promoting vocations to the priesthood, strengthening marriage, and improving religious education. In Duluth he had some success with vocations, naming himself the vocations director and increasing the number of seminarians from eight to 24. In Cincinnati he’s strongly backed an ambitious fundraising effort for the local seminary which, among other things, will expand the number of apartments for seminarians from 46 to 72.

Schnurr has also pledged transparency with regard to finances in Cincinnati, saying “the more information we give people on how the money is being managed, the more confidence they have.”

For his part, Listecki grew up on the south side of Chicago, the son of a laborer at U.S. Steel, and describes his vocation to the Catholic priesthood as “womb to tomb,” meaning that he never wanted to be anything else.

Remarkably, Listecki is actually the first Polish-American archbishop of Milwaukee, despite the strong Polish element in Milwaukee’s population.

On the basis of his résumé, one could safely say that Listecki is very much at home in rules-bound, hierarchical structures: Aside from being a Catholic bishop, he’s also a civil lawyer as well as a retired lieutenant colonel in the United States Army, where he served for almost two decades as a chaplain.

So far in his episcopal career, Listecki has succeeded two men whose larger-than-life profiles, according to most observers, he didn’t quite fill: Raymond Burke, a cultural warrior and staunch conservative, who preceded Listecki in La Crosse, Wisconsin, and Timothy Dolan, a back-slapping, charismatic media darling in Milwaukee.

By consensus, Listecki is neither an ideologue in the tradition of Burke, nor a rock star like Dolan.

Certainly Listecki yields pride of place to no one in terms of defending Catholic orthodoxy. He publicly chastised House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for suggesting that Catholic teaching on the beginning of life was up for grabs, and he expressed concern when Marquette University was on the brink of hiring an openly lesbian dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, who has openly challenged official Catholic teaching on marriage and sexuality.

Listecki opposed the recent health care reform bill on the grounds that it opened the door to public funding of abortion, and advised parents not to take their children to the film “The Golden Compass” on the grounds that it “expresses hatred of Christianity and that portrays God, the church and religion as evil and oppressive, and urges children to join fallen angels in a rebellion against God.”

At the same time, Listecki has described denying communion to pro-choice Catholic politicians as a “last resort,” and acknowledged that his criticism of the decision by Notre Dame to award an honorary doctorate to President Barack Obama was mostly a gesture of support for the then-Bishop of South Bend, John D’Arcy.

Repeatedly, people with personal experience of Listecki describe him as “down to earth,” “personable” and “approachable.”

“He doesn’t seem like a terribly polarizing guy, which is a good thing,” said Emily Naczek, a Catholic school teacher in Milwaukee.

To be sure, if Listecki isn’t Burke, he also isn’t Wenski in terms of his personal investment in social justice issues.

“He’s very strong in terms of Catholic identity, basic issues of pro life, gay marriage, stem cell research,” said Ray Stroik, a retired professor and college administrator who worked on the La Crosse diocese's justice and peace commission.

“Yet he’s not doing much on social justice, or global peace,” Stroik said.

On the other hand, Listecki insists that he supports a “consistent ethic of life,” and has vigorously opposed the death penalty. Growing up in Chicago, Listecki said, taught him to appreciate the value of diversity.

In the main, Listecki said, there’s not much point in speculation about what his ultimate objectives may be.

“What you see is what you get,” Listecki said in a recent interview. “I don’t have hidden agenda. I am pretty straightforward and honest.”

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In his homily this morning, Benedict XVI told the archbishops that their connection with the papacy is a “pledge of liberty,” insulating them from the pressure of “local powers, national or international,” and assuring their “full adherence to the truth and to the authentic tradition” of the church.

Benedict also returned to a theme made familiar by the sexual abuse crisis: The greatest threat to the church, the pope said, comes not from exterior challenges but from whatever “pollutes the faith and Christian life … damaging the integrity of the mystical body, weakening its capacity for prophecy and witness, and tarnishing the beauty of its face.”

The pope said that some Catholic communities around the world are threatened by persecution or political interference, but in other places, he said, the challenges are more subtle, taking the form of “misleading doctrine” or “ideological tendencies and practices contrary to the gospel.”

The pope also said that divisions within the Christian family as “symptoms of the power of sin,” and said that Christian unity is “always to be sought and renewed, from generation to generation.” In that context, he welcomed the presence of an ecumenical delegation from the Patriarch of Constantinople, traditionally considered “first among equals” in the galaxy of Orthodox prelates. John Allen, National Catholic Reporter