Bishop’s InterviewThanksgiving and Advent. See Page 2

IN THIS ISSUE:

Providing ComfortSt. Thomas Shawl Ministry. See Page 7

Come TogetherUnity Mass at St. Joseph’s. See Page 12

Volume 69, No. 15 Serving Catholics in the Texas Panhandle - Roman Catholic Diocese of Amarillo November 15, 2009

Non-Profit Org.U.S. Postage

PAIDPermit 309

Amarillo, TX

Leading Off

See “Bishops,” p. 3

Beaumont, TX (CNS)—”We hope and pray that our soldiers do not die on the battlefields. Then something like this happens on one of our bases by a fellow sol-dier,” said Bishop Curtis J. Guil-lory of Beaumont about the Nov. 5 shootings at the Fort Hood Army base in Texas that left 13 dead and another 30 wounded.

“What happened today is a tragedy. Our prayers are with those who are affected and their families, and I pray for comfort and healing of those who were shot,” he said.

The base, about an hour north of Austin, is in the Austin Dio-cese. Monsignor Michael Mulvey, Austin’s diocesan administrator, said in a Nov. 6 statement: “All of us are in shock by the horrors of yesterday’s tragedy at Fort Hood. Our prayers and tears go out to the victims and their families. I have spoken with the Archdiocese for the Military Services and to Arch-bishop (Timothy P.) Broglio, and I have offered the services of the Diocese of Austin.”

Suspected in the shooting at the base is Maj. Nidal Hasan, 39, the Muslim, Virginia-born son of Jordanian immigrants who was scheduled to go soon on his first deployment to the Middle East.

Providence, R.I. (CNS)—Providence Bishop Thomas J. Tobin asked U.S. Rep. Patrick Kennedy, if as a Catholic, he re-ally understands what it means “to be a Catholic.” He questioned if Kennedy could really describe himself as Catholic since his stance on abortion was “unaccept-able to the church” and “scandal-ous to many of our members.”

Bishop Tobin made the com-ments in his “Without a Doubt” column in the Nov. 12 issue of The Rhode Island Catholic, his diocesan newspaper.

He was responding to an Oct. 29 letter Kennedy sent to the bishop in which he stated: “The fact that I disagree with the hier-archy of the church on some is-sues does not make me any less of a Catholic.”

“Well, in fact, Congressman, in a way it does,” the bishop wrote. “Although I wouldn’t choose those particular words, when someone rejects the teachings of the church, especially on a grave matter, a life-and-death issue like abortion, it certainly does dimin-ish their ecclesial communion, their unity with the church.”

Bishops To Weigh Test-Tube To Deathbed Issues, Finish Work On MissalWashington(CNS)—Life is-

sues from the test tube to the deathbed are on the agenda for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ fall general assembly.

The meeting in Baltimore, which begins Monday and runs through Thursday, also will in-clude what the bishops hope will be their final consideration of action items related to the Ro-man Missal and debate and vote on a lengthy document offering support to married couples and affirming that true marriage can only involve a man and a wom-an.

The meeting agenda also will feature a preliminary report on the causes and context study on clergy sexual abuse of minors conducted by the John Jay Col-lege of Criminal Justice and a report by the National Religious Vocation Conference on a recent study of religious vocations.

The bishops will hear the final presidential address by Cardinal Francis E. George of Chicago, who is beginning the third year of his three-year term as USCCB president, and will choose chair-men-elect for five committees.

A draft document prepared by the Committee on Pro-Life Ac-tivities looks at the issue of re-productive technologies, saying that although the Catholic Church shares the pain of married couples facing “unanticipated childless-ness,” some reproductive tech-nologies “are not legitimate ways to solve” infertility problems.

The 22-page document, “Life-Giving Love in an Age of Technology,” is designed as a companion to the bishops’ 2006 statement, “Married Love and the Gift of Life,” which urged Catho-lic couples to reject the use of ar-tificial contraception and to learn how natural family planning can benefit the marital relationship.

Like the earlier document, “Life-Giving Love in an Age of Technology” is in a question-and-answer format, with a short intro-duction.

“Some solutions offered to in-fertile couples do justice to their dignity as individuals and as a couple, and to the full human dig-nity of their child, by helping their marital act to be life-giving,” the draft document says. “Others are morally flawed efforts to replace the marital act that are not worthy of the tremendous gift God offers

Bishop Patrick J. Zurek, left, joins hands with Samuel Majak Atak of St. Joseph’s Church, Amarillo, in a show of unity during Bishop Zurek’s homily at a Unity Mass at the parish Nov. 1. Read more about the Mass on page 12. (WTC Photo)

Amarillo—Preparations con-tinue for the 2009 Multicultural Diocesan Celebration of Our Lady of Guadalupe, set for Sun-day, Dec. 6.

The theme of this year’s cel-ebration is “One Church, One America, One Family,” according to Father Hector J. Madrigal, pas-tor of St. Joseph’s Church, Ama-rillo, who is chairing this year’s event.

Activities begin with a 2pm procession from Our Lady of Guadalupe Church at 1210 East 11th Street to the Amarillo Civic Center at 401 South Buchanan. Scheduled to lead the procession are the Knights of Columbus, Cortes Guadalupanas and dioc-esan matachines groups.

“We’ve added a new wrinkle to this year’s festival, with the addi-tion of parish floats,” said Father Madrigal. “We’re inviting parish-es to construct a float with a life scene of the apparitions of Our Lady of Guadalupe. This is a way to visually teach the story of Gua-dalupe. One parish for example will focus on Juan Diego’s uncle who is in bed dying. In the story Our Lady of Guadalupe tells Juan Diego that there is no need for a priest, ‘for his health is restored at this moment.’ Others will focus on Juan Diego’s visit to Bishop Fray Juan de Zumarraga.”

The procession will also fea-ture a tall image of Our Lady

of Guadalupe. Once the image arrives at the Civic Center, Fa-ther Madrigal said several of the newly ordained priests of the dio-cese will carry the image on their shoulders to the altar.

Activities at the Civic Center will begin with a prayer of dedi-cation to Our Lady of Guadalupe, followed by a trilingual liturgy in English, Spanish and Dinka. After the liturgy pan dulce and choco-late will be served, which will include serenades to Our Lady of Guadalupe.

“We have invited several groups in the Diocese of Amarillo to serenade Our Lady in their na-tive language,” said Father Mad-rigal. “This diocesan celebration will truly be one of diversity and unity for our diocese and is open to all the faithful,” he said. The celebration is scheduled to con-clude at 5pm.

Our Lady of Guadalupe is in-voked by the universal church as Patroness of the Americas. In 1531, a “’Lady from Heaven” appeared to Juan Diego, a poor Indian, in Mexico. She identified herself as the Mother of the True God.

She told Juan Diego where he could pick roses in December and instructed him to take them to the bishop as a sign that he carried a message from God’s mother.

When Juan Diego opened his cloak and let the roses fall to the

Multicultural Celebration To Honor Our Lady Of Guadalupeground as a sign to the bishop, a far greater sign appeared. The miraculous image of Our Lady of Guadalupe was imprinted on his tilma.

The tilma is a cloak made of poor quality cactus-derived cloth, which should have deteriorated in 20 years, but shows no sign of de-cay 477 years later and defies sci-entific explanations of its origin. The image is preserved to this day in the Basilica of Guadalupe in Mexico City, and is sought out by 10 million pilgrims each year.

The miraculous appearance of Our Lady of Guadalupe prompted the conversion to Christianity of some 6 to 9 million native North Americans within 20 years.

For more information on the diocesan celebration for Our Lady of Guadalupe, contact Father Madrigal at St. Joseph’s Church, 355-5621.

The Diocesan Pastoral Center will close at noon Wednesday, Nov. 25 for the Thanksgiving holidays.

The DPC will reopen Mon-day, Nov. 30 at 9am.

Bishop Patrick J. Zurek and the DPC staff wish ev-eryone a safe, blessed and Happy Thanksgiving

West Texas Catholic2 NOVEMBER 15, 2009Bishop’s interview

Diocesan Assembly Prayer  Intent ions

*The goal of the prayer intentions is to identify our brothers and sisters throughout the Diocese and unite in prayer each week as we ask the Holy Spirit to guide each parish’s growth in understanding of what it means to be a local Church in communion with the Universal Church.

For inspiration and guidance of the Holy Spirit as St. Teresa of Jesus Parish, in Friona of the South  Deanery, continues to pray and prepare for the Diocesan Assembly. -Weekend of November 15th  For inspiration and guidance of the Holy Spirit as St. Joseph's Parish, in Amarillo of the Central  Deanery, continues to pray and prepare for the Diocesan Assembly. -Weekend of November 22nd For inspiration and guidance of the Holy Spirit as St. Patrick's Parish and Our Mother of Mercy Parish, in Shamrock and Wellington of the East  Deanery, continues to pray and prepare for the Diocesan Assembly. -Weekend of November 29th

WTC: Hard to believe as fast as this year has gone by, Bish-op Zurek, we are approaching Thanksgiving and the Season of Advent. Thanksgiving is some-thing that we seem to take for granted in this country. When you think about it in the big pic-ture, we should celebrate Thanks-giving everyday; we should be grateful for every blessing we’ve been given.

Bishop Zurek: That is true. However, human as we are, it seems important to target certain days, certain times always to give preeminence to help us really to remember the depth of the grati-tude we should have.

When I was a student in Rome, our professors and the Roman people, who would gather at the seminary for Thanksgiving, they found it absolutely amazing that America, who they thought was quite pagan in a sense, could set aside through the government one day to give thanks to Almighty God. They were just amazed at that!

I always like to go back to St. Paul’s Letter to the Romans; he clearly states there that the great sin of the Romans, and in a sense of humanity, is that “God made Himself known to humanity. Since the creation of the world the invisible reality, God’s eternal power and divinity, have become visibly recognized through the

things He has made.” Therefore, “it is inexcusable,” Paul says, “that they do not glorify God as God or in particular they do not give Him thanks.” Paul sees that lack of thanksgiving as probably the greatest sin. God is in our midst constantly through creation; His fingerprint is on everything. We should all give thanks; all Paul’s letters begin with “thanks”. That we as a government have set aside a day and the Church has re-ally grasped this;

We have a liturgy for it now, special prayers in the Mass, a special Preface that recounts, not the passage of our people across the ocean to arrive here, but goes back to the time of Moses and the pilgrimage from Egypt through the Red Sea, through Sinai, to the Promised Land. For many people around the world, this is the Promised Land because of the freedoms we share. It is a won-derful day; I thank God that we have this day and that so many people, even of other denomi-nations, have taken this on as a day in which they decide this is a Liturgical Day, a day when we gather as God’s People and say one big’ thank you’, that hope-fully extends through the year.

WTC: What are you person-ally grateful for on this Thanks-giving 2009?

Bishop Zurek: I am always grateful just about for everything.

Primarily I am grateful for my Faith, for this great country that allows freedom, freedom that for the most part, when lived well, is glorious. I am very grateful for being Bishop of the Diocese of Amarillo. This has given me a wonderful opportunity to minister to many people. I am grateful for my priests, the religious, my dea-cons, for all the laity who make up this wonderful diocese.

WTC: We turn from Thanks-giving now to the Advent Season. It seems, from my perspective, we have forgotten that Advent is a preparatory season to welcome the Christ Child. Do you dis-agree? Please elaborate.

Bishop Zurek: In Advent we always celebrate the preparation. Theologically, in the first part of Advent, we really look forward to the Second Coming of Christ; it’s all about coming. All the read-ings are geared towards that dur-ing the first part of Advent. It’s only when we get to the 17th of December, that the focus is on the First Coming of Christ, to re-member His birth at Bethlehem, the importance of the Incarnation, when “He became one of us”. As our Eastern Catholic Churches say, “So that we could become like God.” We sometimes forget the in-between ‘coming’ of which St. Bernard reminds us. In be-tween the First and the Second Coming there is the ‘Coming of

Christ to the Christian every day of our lives’. I would love our people to become more conscious of the fact that when our hearts are open, are sinless as we can possibly be in this human life, the Lord constantly wants to walk with us, to come into our lives as into a tabernacle to help us affect His Will by the love we have for one another.

WTC: Do you have any ad-vice for the faithful in preparing for Advent?

Bishop Zurek: Absolutely. We always say we don’t have time. My immediate response is that we make time for what we wish to do. Many will do a lot with shopping; that’s a given. Many will do a lot in planning and baking for parties and gatherings. They will be going to gatherings. Is it too much to ask of our dear people who have baptized, conse-crated with the Gift of the Spirit in that Baptism, to make time for daily prayer? That is the prepa-

ration we need: Sunday Eucha-rist, maybe daily Eucharist when we can, but above all to pray to-gether.

We have a wonderful custom in the use of the Advent Wreath. Many parishes furnish the prayers for the Advent Wreath or they can be found on the internet. You just need to buy four candles, even one will do if you can’t afford four. When your family gathers around the table, make a concerted ef-fort to gather in prayer, the most perfect preparation for the Lord’s Coming. Each day is a perfect preparation for the celebration of the Lord coming at Christmas and even for the preparation of His Coming at the end.

I wish everyone a very Blessed Thanksgiving and that they can gather to give thanks for what they have and who they are. I also wish that they make Advent a time of prayerful watching and prayerful waiting for His Com-ing. “Lord Jesus, COME!”

Eighty-nine years of service to the Church was represented Nov. 8 at St. Mary’s Church, Amarillo, when Bishop Patrick J. Zurek, center, celebrated Mass with Monsignor Cal Stalter, left and Monsignor Harold Waldow, right, on the occasion of their birthdays. Monsignor Stalter turned 85 on Nov. 8, while Monsignor Waldow recently celebrated his 70th birthday. (WTC Photo)

Rome (CNS)—Pope John Paul II lives on “because he has remained in people’s hearts,” said Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, prefect of the Congregation for Bishops.

“The light of his teaching and example was not extinguished with his death,” the cardinal said during a conference to present a new book on the late pope’s leg-acy.

Monsignor Slawomir Oder, postulator of Pope John Paul’s sainthood cause, also spoke at the conference Nov. 4 at the parish of Rome’s Polish community.

Asked about a date for the be-atification of the pope, who died in 2005, Monsignor Oder said the Congregation for Saints’ Causes is studying the case and he could not guess when they will finish.

“I can tell you that we are fol-lowing all of the procedures fore-seen for these cases. Everything is moving at a natural rhythm. I understand many people want this to happen sooner, but as Pope Benedict told us: ‘Do it quickly, but do it well.’ And this is what we are doing,” Monsignor Oder said.

Rome’s mayor, Gianni Ale-manno, told reporters in late Oc-tober that he expects the beatifi-cation to take place in Rome in 2010, and he said the city govern-ment would work with the Vatican to facilitate the visit of a massive group of people expected to come for the ceremony.

Asked if Alemanno knew something concrete, Monsignor Oder said, “I think he was ex-pressing the desire we all have in our hearts.”

“It’s difficult to make any pre-diction at this point, but one can always express a desire. Obvious-ly the desire is that the beatifica-tion would take place soon. If this desire is accompanied by prayer, perhaps it will be fulfilled,” Mon-signor Oder said.

The conference marked the launch of a new book about Pope John Paul’s lasting impact on the church and the world. Written by Gian Franco Svidercoschi, the book is titled Un Papa che non Muore: L’Eredita di Giovanni Paolo II” (literally, A Pope who Does Not Die: The Legacy of John Paul II) and is available in Italian and in Polish.

Cardinal: John Paul II’s Legacy Lives On

West Texas Catholic 3LocaL/nationaLNOVEMBER 15, 2009

Bishop’s ScheduleSUNDAY, NOV. 15-THURSDAY, NOV. 19

USCCB Meetings, BaltimoreSATURDAY, NOV. 21

10:00am-2:00pm, Central Deanery Diocesan Assembly Gathering, St. Mary’s Church, AmarilloSUNDAY, NOV. 22

1:00pm, Mass, Inauguration of Hispanic Ministry, St. Joseph’s Church, AmarilloTUESDAY, DEC. 1

10:00am-12:30pm, Presby-teral Council Meeting, Chancery, AmarilloSATURDAY, DEC. 5

5:30pm, Installation Mass, Father Gregory Bunyan, Sacred Heart of Jesus Church, SpearmanSUNDAY, DEC. 6

2:00-5:00pm, Diocesan Gua-dalupe Procession and Celebra-tion, Amarillo Civic Center

to husband and wife by calling them together as spouses and par-ents.”

Also up for debate by the bish-ops is a proposed revision to the directives that guide Catholic heath care facilities, which would clarify that patients with chronic conditions who are not immi-nently dying should receive food and water by “medically assisted” means if they cannot take them normally.

“As a general rule, there is an obligation to provide patients with food and water, including medically assisted nutrition and hydration for those who cannot take food orally,” says the revised text of the “Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services” proposed by the U.S. bishops’ Committee on Doc-trine.

“This obligation extends to pa-tients in chronic conditions (e.g., the ‘persistent vegetative state’) who can reasonably be expected to live indefinitely if given such care,” the new text adds.

Deleted from the directives would be a reference to “the necessary distinctions between questions already resolved by the magisterium and those requiring further reflection, as, for exam-ple, the morality of withdrawing medically assisted hydration and nutrition from a person who is in the condition that is recognized by physicians as the ‘persistent vegetative state.’”

With five votes on the English

Bishops...from p. 1translation and U.S. adaptations of the Roman Missal, the bishops hope to conclude nearly six years of intense and sometimes conten-tious consultations. Each section of the missal must be approved by two-thirds of the USCCB’s Latin-rite membership and will then be sent to the Vatican for “recogni-tio,” or confirmation.

While awaiting Vatican ap-proval of all sections of the mis-sal, the U.S. church will begin “a process of catechesis,” said Msgr. Anthony Sherman, execu-tive director of the USCCB Of-fice of Divine Worship, “so that everyone is ready to move along when we get the final text from the Vatican.”

The final five units of the mis-sal are: the proper of saints, a col-lection of specific prayers to each saint included in the universal liturgical calendar; the commons, a collection of general prayers for celebrating other saints; the Ro-man Missal supplement; the U.S. propers; and U.S. adaptations to the Roman Missal.

The 57-page proposed pastoral letter on marriage is to be issued in hopes of reversing what the bishops call “a disturbing trend” toward viewing marriage as “a mostly private matter” with per-sonal satisfaction as its only goal.

The letter, called “Marriage: Life and Love in the Divine Plan,” is another component in the bish-ops’ National Pastoral Initiative for Marriage, which began in No-vember 2004.

Vatican City (CNS)—People should not look upon immigrants as problems, but as fellow broth-ers and sisters who can be valu-able contributors to society, Pope Benedict XVI said.

The migration of peoples rep-resents a chance “to highlight the unity of the human family and the value of welcoming, hospitality and love for one’s neighbor,” he said Nov. 9.

The pope spoke during an au-dience with participants of the Sixth World Congress on the Pas-toral Care of Migrants and Refu-gees taking place Nov. 9-12 at the Vatican.

The pope underlined the dra-matic difficulties many migrants face in their efforts to survive or improve living conditions for themselves and their families.

“The economic crisis, with the enormous growth in unemploy-ment, diminishes the possibilities of employment and increases the number of those who aren’t able to find even unsteady work,” he said.

The economic divide between industrialized and poor countries continues to grow, he said, and many people have no choice but to leave their homeland in search of a living -- even if it means ac-cepting inhuman working condi-tions and experiencing great dif-ficulties fitting in someplace new with different language, culture and rules.

Many immigrants today are fleeing “humanly unacceptable” living conditions, but they are not finding “the reception they hoped for elsewhere,” said the pope.

Globalization means that working for the common good must extend beyond national bor-ders, he said. True development comes through solidarity, address-ing the unequal distribution of the world’s resources, “dialogue between cultures and respect for legitimate differences,” he said.

The pope said today’s phe-nomenon of world migration can offer that needed opportunity to meet new cultures, foster under-standing between peoples, build peace and promote development that benefits all nations.

Christians must be open to lis-tening to the word of God who calls people to imitate Christ in caring for others and to “never be tempted to despise and reject peo-ple who are different,” he said.

Conforming one’s life to Christ’s means seeing every man and woman as a brother or sister, children of the one God, he said.

This sense of brotherhood leads to being caring and hospi-table toward others, especially those in need, he said.

“Every Christian community that is faithful to Jesus’ teachings cannot but feel respect and con-cern for all people ... especially for those who find themselves in difficulty,” he said.

Pope: Immigrants Can Make Important Contributions To Society

The next issue of The West Texas Catholic will be dated Sunday, Dec. 6.

The deadline for stories advertisements and other

submissions is Nov. 25.

West Texas Catholic4 November 15, 2009LocaL/internationaL

Thanks for reading The West Texas Catholic

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GET YOUR SHOTSProtect yourself by getting all your flu shots. You need both the seasonal flu shot as well as the new H1N1 shot.

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STAY HOMEIf you get sick, stay home until you’re well so you don’t spread more germs. Steer clear of others who are sick. 

Stopping the flu is up to you.

Publisher: Bishop Patrick J. ZurekEditor-in-chief: Chris Albracht Spanish Editor: Ramón Saldaña

The West Texas Catholic is published 20 times per year. The mission of this publication is to assist the Bishop of the Diocese of Amarillo in educating and informing the Church of Amarillo. Subscription rates are $15 a year.

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Amarillo—A group of 74 people will represent the Diocese of Amarillo Thursday, Nov. 19 through Saturday, Nov. 21 at the National Catholic Youth Confer-ence (NCYC), which is expected to draw a crowd of 23,000 attend-ees, according to Oscar Guzman, diocesan youth director.

“The NCYC is an exciting, biennial three-day experience of prayer, community, and empow-erment for Catholic teenagers and their adult chaperones,” he said. “The schedule includes general sessions and workshops address-ing a wide variety of topics as well as opportunities for recon-ciliation, daily liturgy and spe-cial activities such as concerts, a dance and comedy club. The thematic park is a unique venue incorporating traditional exhibits with interactive educational and recreational activities.”

NCYC began in 1983 follow-ing in the footsteps of its prede-cessor conference, the CYO bi-ennial national convention. In its early days, NCYC took place on a regional basis, with one session

for each coast. Combined atten-dance at the regional conferences was a few thousand. In 1991, the two conferences merged into one national event. In the mid 1990s interest in NCYC began to in-crease.

An integral part of the 2009 NCYC is the Virtual Pilgrimage, which offers an online experi-

ence of NCYC, according to Guzman. Fea-tures of the Vir-tual Pilgrimage include live streaming of general ses-

sions, and Virtual Pilgrimage Guides for both youth and adults. The Virtual Pilgrimage is online at http://www.mycatholicvoice.com/ncyc

“All NCYC participants and their supporters are urged to join the Virtual Pilgrimage to par-ticipate fully in the NCYC ex-perience,” said Guzman. “I also encourage any young people or youth groups who are not able to travel to Kansas City to partici-

pate in the NCYC spirit online. We already have groups of young people from as far away as Japan that will attend virtually. All are welcome: youth, parents, fam-ily, youth ministers and parishio-ners.”

The 74 person delegation from the Diocese of Amarillo includes 29 from Sts. Peter and Paul Church, Dumas; 20 from St. An-thony’s of Padua Church, Dalhart; nine from Sacred Heart of Jesus Church, Spearman; six from St. John the Evangelist Church, Borger; Borger; and six from Cristo Redentor Mission, Gruver. Also making the trip to Kansas City are Bailey Higgins from St. Joseph’s Church, Amarillo; Al-lison Batenhorst from St. Mary’s Church, Umbarger; Toni Morales from San Jose Church, Lockney (in the Diocese of Lubbock) and Oscar Guzman.

“I ask for your prayers that this pilgrimage will be in the hearts of the teens and adults going and that it may help us in our earthly journey until we come to be with our Lord Jesus Christ,” he said.

74 To Represent Diocese At Kansas City Youth Event

Vatican City (CNS)—Lead-ers who want to promote authen-tic human values and the future of Europe should rediscover, protect and promote the cultural and re-ligious legacy that blossomed on the continent during the Middle Ages, said Pope Benedict XVI.

Instrumental in forging Eu-rope’s Christian identity was the Benedictine monastery of Cluny in France, he said during his gen-eral audience in the Vatican’s Paul VI hall Nov. 11.

The pope continued his cat-echesis on the Christian culture of the Middle Ages by highlight-ing the monastic reform launched by the monastery of Cluny in the 10th century.

Founded during an era marked by profound social decay, po-litical instability, war and wide-spread poverty, the monastery of Cluny “represented the spirit of a deep renewal of monastic life by returning it to its original ideas” of strict observance to the Rule of St. Benedict and making the lit-urgy the center of monastic life, the pope said.

The reform “stressed the sol-emn celebration of the Liturgy of the Hours and holy Mass” and promoted the use of sacred music, art and architecture to contribute to the beauty and solemnity of worshiping God, he said.

The monks stressed the impor-tance of silence in their daily lives because they knew “that the pu-rity of the virtues they aspired to necessitated private and constant meditation,” the pope said.

The influence of Cluny quickly

spread throughout the continent, he said, and its reforms had a pos-itive impact on both the renewal of monastic life and the universal church.

Many bishops and some popes had been monks from Cluny and they took concrete action in ex-panding the spiritual renewal be-gun there, building on Cluny’s reputation for sanctity and its de-votion to evangelical inspiration and perfection.

In addition, the pope said, those connected with Cluny fought “two serious evils that afflicted the church during that period”: clerical immorality and simony -- the buying or selling of ecclesiastical offices and other sacred things.

“The celibacy of priests re-turned to being appreciated and lived and more transparent proce-dures were introduced for staffing ecclesiastical offices,” he said.

“Cluny helped forge the con-tinent’s Christian identity by its emphasis on the primacy of the spirit, respect for human dignity, commitment to peace and an au-thentic and integral humanism,” Pope Benedict said.

This “important and precious contribution” from 1,000 years ago must not be forgotten, he added.

“Let us pray that those who are concerned about authentic hu-manism and the future of Europe may know how to rediscover, value and defend the rich cultural and religious heritage” from that time, he said.

Pope: Human Values, Europe’s Future Rooted In Christianity

West Texas Catholic 5around the dioceseNovember 15, 2009

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Vega Sausage DinnerVega—Sausage with all the

trimmings will be served today (Sunday) from 11am to 2pm at the annual German Sausage Din-ner at Immaculate Conception Church. Donations will be ac-cepted for the dinner, which will go toward the building fund for a new church.

Annual Turkey DinnerAmarillo—The annual St.

Mary’s Turkey Dinner is set for today (Sunday) from 11am to 3pm at the parish Activity Center at 1200 South Washington. Tick-ets are $9 at the door for adults, while children four to twelve years old eat for $5. Take out din-ners will be available.

Gerken Lecture

Amarillo—Historian J. Mi-chael Harter, author of The Jour-ney of the Diocese of Amarillo: 75 Years on the Llano Estacado, 1926 - 2001, will present an illlus-trated lecture on Rudolph Aloy-sius Gerken, first Bishop of Ama-rillo today (Sunday) at 3pm at the Diocesan Museum and Archives Center, 2200 North Spring.

Harter earned a Master of Arts degree in History from West Tex-as A&M University in Canyon, writing his thesis on the history of the Catholic Church in West Texas from 1916 to 1933.

Harter’s lecture will be under the auspices of the Catholic His-torical Society of the Diocese of Amarillo and is open to the pub-lic, free of charge.

A special guest at the Harter lecture will be Ed Gerken of Am-arillo, nephew of Bishop Gerken.

DMAC curator Ann Weld will have a number of books, includ-ing Harter’s The Journey of Faith of the Diocese of Amarillo, on display for sale, as well as mem-bership forms in the CHS for cal-endar year 2010.

Annual dues are $20 for indi-viduals, families, parishes, and organizations. All proceeds go into the CHS Building Fund to add a much-need storage wing to the museum. Museum and CHS staffers are volunteers.

Needlepoint Tickets On SaleAmarillo—Tickets are on sale

for an opportunity to win a needle-point Santa created by Monsignor Joseph Tash, pastor of St. Thomas the Apostle Church. Tickets are $5 each and can be purchased from any member of the Altar Guild at St. Thomas. The drawing for the needlepoint Santa will take place Sunday, Nov. 22 at the 11:15am Mass. Find out more by calling the parish at 358-2461.

Annual Turkey DinnerAmarillo—St. Hyacinth’s

Church will serve up its fifth an-nual Thanksgiving Dinner Sun-day, Nov. 22 from 11am to 2pm at the church, 4500 West Hills Trail. Tickets are $8 for adults and $4 for children six to eleven. Chil-dren under five eat free. The meal will also feature a bake shop and silent auction. For more informa-

tion, call the parish at 358-1351.

Christmas LuncheonAmarillo—The Bishop De-

Falco Retreat and Conference Center will offer its annual Wom-en’s Christmas Luncheon Bake Sale Friday, Dec. 4 from 10am to 2pm. Find out more by calling the retreat center at 3830-1811.

Retrouvaille Retreat ScheduledAmarillo—Retrouvaille is a

lifeline for couples that are will-ing to reach out for help. In to-day’s society many marriages suffer from the neglect that comes from over-commitment to work, recreational activities or just an overall breakdown in communi-cation for any number of reasons. Perhaps you should take time out from your busy schedule to spend some time improving your mar-riage. Register for the next Re-trouvaille Program that will be offered Friday, Dec. 11 through Sunday, Dec. 13. Call Rob or Mary Griffith at 806-282-2500 or email retrocouple@suddenlink.net or visit the website at www.HelpOurMarriage.com.

Advent Gala Dec. 12Amarillo—The second annual

School Sisters of St. Francis Ad-vent Gala and FUN-Raiser is set for Saturday, Dec. 12 at 6:30pm in the Heritage Room of the Am-arillo Civic Center. Tickets are $100, which admits two people and includes a steak dinner. A reverse drawing will be offered for a chance to win a $7,500 Visa gift card or two free airline tickets to anywhere in the world, with a value up to $2,500. Music dur-ing the evening will be provided by Anderson, Fletcher and Key, More information can be obtained by going online to www.panhan-dlefranciscans.org or by calling Sister Mary Michael Huseman in Panhandle at 537-3182.

Thematic Retreats SetAmarillo—Thematic Dioc-

esan Retreats celebrating the Year for Priests are underway in the Diocese of Amarillo, under the guidance of diocesan youth direc-tor Oscar Guzman. The final re-treat of 2009 is scheduled Satur-day, Dec. 19 at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, Turkey, with additional retreats set for 2010. The cost is $15.00 per participant, which in-cludes two meals, a t-shirt and re-treat supplies. There is no charge for adults but it only includes the meals. Registration forms can be obtained from parish youth min-isters and can also be downloaded at www.covenantteen.com.

Nazareth Christmas Pagaent Nazareth—For the first time

in 17 years, Holy Family Church will present a Christmas Pageant Sunday, Dec. 20 and Wednesday, Dec. 23, with performances both evenings at 7:30. Learn more by calling the parish at 806-945-2616 or go online to www.hfpn.org. A story on the pageant will be featured in the Sunday, Dec. 6 is-sue of The West Texas Catholic.

St. Mary’s Life Teen CDAmarillo—The Life Teen

Ministry at St. Mary’s Church has recorded a CD, Build This Church, with all sales proceeds benefiting the new church build-ing fund. The CD will contain 15 cuts, including Holy is His Name, Heart of Worship and Mighty to Save. To pre-order a CD or for more details, contact Dr. Kevin Raef in Canyon at 655-2358 or email him at kraef@amaonline.com.

ACTS Retreats SetAmarillo—An ACTS (Ado-

ration, Community, Theology and Service) Retreat for teens is scheduled Thursday, Dec. 31 through Sunday, Jan. 3. An ACTS Retreat for men is set for Thurs-day, Jan. 14 through Sunday, Jan. 17 and an ACTS Retreat for wom-en will be offered Thursday, Feb. 11 through Sunday, Feb. 14. All three retreats will take place at the Bishop DeFalco Retreat Center, 2100 North Spring. Download forms at www.bdrc.org or call the retreat center at 383-1811.

Engaged Encounter DatesAmarillo—The first Engaged

Encounter retreats of 2010 are scheduled in Slaton on Friday, Jan. 15 through Sunday, Jan. 17 and in Amarillo on Friday, Feb. 19 to Sunday, Feb. 21. Cost of the retreat is $160 for couples attend-ing the Amarillo retreat and $150 for those attending the retreat in

Slaton. For additional informa-tion, contact Jerry or Agnes Bal-lard in Amarillo at 353-0907.

Rachel’s Vineyard RetreatAmarillo—The next Rachel’s

Vineyard Retreat will be offered Friday, Feb. 5 through Sunday, Feb. 7. Learn more by calling Gwen Johns at 678-4673.

NFP ClassesAmarillo—Natural Fam-

ily Planning Classes are offered throughout the Diocese of Ama-rillo in English and in Spanish. For Spanish classes, contact Delia Alarcon at 383-1041. Information on classes in English can be ob-tained by calling Dr. Faye Usala,

diocesan director of Natural Fam-ily Planning and Fertility Care at 358-2880. For classes in the South Deanery, call Mrs. Cyril Brockman in Nazareth at 806-945-2246.

Respect Life Mass and RosaryAmarillo—A special Diocesan

Mass for the intention of Respect for Life is celebrated Saturday mornings at 9:30 in Mary’s Cha-pel at St. Mary’s Church, 1200 South Washington. Following the Mass, the rosary for an end to abortion and the conversion of all abortion workers and supporters is recited on the sidewalk in front of the former Planned Parenthood center at 15th and Taylor at 10am.

Monsignor Joseph Tash, pastor of St. Thomas the Apostle Church, Amarillo, shows off the needlepoint the St. Thomas Altar Society will give away Sunday, Nov. 22 during the 11:15am Mass. (WTC Photo courtesy of St. Thomas the Apostle Church, Amarillo)

West Texas Catholic6 November 15, 2009LocaL/internationaL

Josh ElznerConception SeminaryP.O. Box 502Conception, MO 64433-0502Birthday: September 21

Carmelo MoralesPontifical North American College

00120 Vatican City StateEurope

Birthday: July 16

Arthur RodriguezAssumption Seminary2600 W. Woodlawn Ave.San Antonio, TX 78228-5196Birthday: September 12

David SchrockAssumption Seminary

2600 W. Woodlawn Ave.San Antonio, TX 78228-5196

Birthday: October 12

Scott SchwindAssumption Seminary2600 W. Woodlawn Ave.San Antonio, TX 78228-5196Birthday: July 24

Garrett MeyerJosephinum Seminary

7625 N. High StreetColumbus, OH 43235

Birthday: April 16

Oscar ImbachiConception SeminaryP.O. Box 502Conception, MO 64433-0502Birthday: December 30

Adam GonzalesConception Seminary

P.O. Box 502Conception, MO 64433-0502

Birthday: October 12

Joe LafuenteJosephinum Seminary7625 N. High StreetColumbus, OH 43235Birthday: January 17

Shane WieckConception Seminary

P.O. Box 502Conception, MO 64433-0502

Birthday: November 23

Nathan KennedyConception SeminaryP.O. Box 502Conception, MO 64433-0502Birthday: August 11

Fr. Scott RaefVocations Director

P.O. Box 1548Dalhart, TX 79022Birthday: April 22

2009-2010 SEMINARIANSRoman Catholic Diocese of Amarillo

Vatican City (CNS)—Once made in heaven, the marriage be-tween art and the church has long been on the skids. “We are a bit like estranged relatives; there has been a divorce,” said Archbishop Gianfranco Ravasi, president of the Pontifical Council for Cul-ture. Much of contemporary art walked away from art’s tradition-al vocation of representing the intangible and the mysterious, as well as pointing the way toward the greater meaning of life and what is good and beautiful, he said. And the church has spent the past century “very often content-ing itself with imitating models from the past,” rarely asking it-self whether there were religious “styles that could be an expres-sion of modern times,” he added.

Reconcilable Differences: The Church And Modern Arts

West Texas Catholic 7LocaLNovember 15, 2009

The Diocesan CalendarPlease check the diocesan calendar at:

www.amarillodiocese.org/calendar.htmlto avoid scheduling con�icts.

To have your event placed on the Diocesan Calendarclick the link on the calendar page, or e-mail

amarillodiocese@gmail.com

Pam Blatzheim, left and Norma Fix, of the St. Thomas the Apostle Prayer Shawl Ministry, visit while working during a meeting earlier this month. For more information on the St. Thomas the Apostle Prayer Shawl Ministry or to make a contribution, contact the par-ish at 358-2461. (WTC Photo)

Shawl Ministry Provides Comfort For Those In Need

Amarillo—It began as a sim-ple gift for Pat Wilcox and her husband on the occasion of their 50th wedding anniversary from St. Ann’s Church in Coppell.

“For our anniversary the parish gave both of us prayer shawls,” she said. “ I had never heard of the prayer shawl ministry. Then my daugh-ter, who is a parishioner there, was diagnosed with colon cancer, so they also gave her a shawl.

“When I came home, I thought it a wonderful ministry they had going. So I started mak-ing prayer shawls. Then a friend of mine, Marcia Kelley, said she’d also like to do that, as did

our friend Jan McCoy.”The three were the founders

and organizers of the St. Thomas Shawl Ministry, which was estab-lished in July 2008. A year later, 30 members of the group have knitted 370 shawls.

Initial funding for supplies was furnished by donations from pa-rishioners and St. Thom-as Altar Guild. The Guild continues to finance the project. It takes three skeins of Lyon Brand

Homespun yarn for each shawl. Donations for the project are ap-preciated, said Wilcox. Each of the St. Thomas Prayer Shawls are anywhere from 30 to 36 wide by

60 to 72 inches tall. The purpose of the ministry

is to provide a shawl to those in need of comfort. Special prayers are said by the knitter/crocheter at the beginning, during and at the completion of each shawl. The finished shawls are blessed and given in a gift bag with a prayer included. A Trinity cross is at-tached to each shawl.

“I started putting a Trinity Cross on each shawl at the begin-ning of this ministry,” said Wil-cox. “The Trinity Cross is God the Father holding his arms out with God the Son on the Cross and God the Holy Spirit on top of the Cross. We’ve been very blessed with donations for the Crosses, which we put on all of

our shawls.”The shawls are distributed by

the Social Concerns Committee and may be obtained by request from their office at St. Thomas Church.

Recipients include the sick, homebound, those who have lost a loved one, or anyone with a spe-cial need.

Meetings take place Wednes-day evenings at 6:30 in the parlor of St. Thomas the Apostle Church and newcomers are always wel-come, according to Wilcox.

The Prayer Shawl Ministry was founded in 1998 by Janet Bristow and Victoria Galo in Hartford, Conn., a ministry that has spread nationwide in churches and par-ishes. It’s a ministry that been

carried on from St. Thomas in the last 17 months.

“There’s been many stories of St. Thomas Prayer Shawl recipi-ents who have started this minis-try in their church,” said Wilcox. “My niece from Wisconsin re-ceived one of our shawls; she’s since started a prayer shawl min-istry at her church.

“Friends of Monsignor (Jo-seph) Tash from Frisco received a prayer shawl from us; she has begun a prayer shawl ministry at her church.”

For more information about the St. Thomas Prayer Shawl Ministry or to make a donation to assist this ministry, call the parish at 358-2461.

West Texas Catholic8 15 de Noviembre, 2009españoL

ASAMBLEA

ESCUCHEN. COMPRENDAN. PROCLAMEN.

DIOCESANA

Entrevista con el Obispo Patrick J. ZurekWTC: Parece increíble, lo rápi-

do que ha pasado este año, Obispo Zurek, ya se acercan el Día de Acción de Gracias y el Tiempo de Adviento. En este país parece que damos por hecho la acción de gracias. Viéndolo bien y por completo, debiéramos celebrar la acción de gracias todos los días; debiéramos dar gracias por cada bendición que se nos ha dado.

Obispo Zurek: Eso es cierto. Pero como humanos que somos, parece importante marcar ciertos días u ocasiones para dar preemi-nencia que nos ayude a recordar la profundidad de la gratitud que debemos tener. Cuando yo era estudiante en Roma, a nuestros maestros y a la gente romana que se reunían en el seminario para el Día de Acción de Gracias, les parecía asombroso que los Esta-dos Unidos, que ellos considera-ban tan paganos, reservaran por decreto del gobierno, un día para dar gracias a Dios Omnipotente. ¡Les causaba gran asombro! A mí siempre me gusta hacer referencia a la Carta de San Pablo a los Ro-manos en donde dice claramente que el gran pecado de los roma-nos, y en cierto sentido de toda la humanidad, es que “Dios se manifestó a la humanidad. Desde

la creación del mundo. La reali-dad invisible, el poder eterno y la divinidad de Dios se han manifes-tado visiblemente en lo que Él ha hecho”. Por eso, dice Pablo “es inexcusable que no lo glorifiquen como Dios, o en particular que no le den gracias”. Quizá Pablo ve en esa falta de gratitud, el pecado más grande, puesto que Dios está constantemente entre nosotros en la creación; su huella está en todo. Cada carta de San Pablo comienza con “gracias”. Todos debiéramos dar gracias de que por medio del gobierno hemos dedicado un día y de que la Iglesia en verdad lo ha adoptado. Tenemos una liturgia para ese día, oraciones especiales en la Misa, el prefacio no recuer-da el cruce de nuestra gente por el oceano para llegar aquí, sino que se translada al tiempo de Moisés y la salida de Egipto por el Mar Rojo, por el Sinaí y a la Tierra Prometida. Para mucha gente de todo el mundo, esta es la Tierra Prometida por las libertades que compartimos. Es un día admi-rable; doy gracias a Dios que te-nemos este día y que tanta gente, aún de otras denominaciones, han decidido que este es un Día Litúr-gico en el que nos reunimos como Pueblo de Dios para decir un gran

“gracias” que espero se extienda por todo el año.

WTC: ¿Qué agradece usted personalmente este Día de Acción de Gracias de 2009?

Obispo Zurek: Siempre doy gracias, y casi que por todo. Primeramente doy gracias por mi Fe, por esta gran nación que permite la libertad; libertad que en gran parte, al vivirla bien, es gloriosa. Estoy muy agradecido por ser Obispo de la Diócesis de Amarillo. Esto me ha dado una maravillosa oportunidad de servir a mucha gente. Doy gracias por mis sacerdotes, las religiosas, mis diáconos, por todos los fieles que forman esta diócesis.

WTC: Cambiemos del tema de Acción de Gracias al Tiempo de Adviento. A mí me parece que hemos olvidado que el Adviento es un tiempo de preparación para recibir a Cristo como Niño Dios. ¿Está usted de acuerdo o no? Por favor díganos.

Obispo Zurek: Durante el Adviento siempre celebramos la preparación. Teológicamente, en la primera parte del Adviento, esperamos la Segunda Venida de Cristo; todo se refiere a su segunda venida y todas las lec-turas hablan de eso al principio

del Adviento. Después del 17 de diciembre cambia el enfoque a la Primera Venida de Cristo; recor-damos su nacimiento en Belén, la importancia de la Encarnación, cuando “Dios se hizo como uno de nosotros”, las Iglesias Católi-cas Orientales dicen, ‘para que nosotros pudiéramos hacernos como Él”. A veces olvidamos su venida intermedia, de la cuál San Bernardo dice: Entre su Primera y su Segunda Venidas, ‘Cristo viene a los cristianos cada día de nuestras vidas’. ¡Qué gusto me daría si nuestra gente se hiciera más consciente de que cuando nuestros corazones están dis-puestos, y tan libres de pecado como pudiéramos estarlo en esta vida humana, el Señor desea an-dar constantemente con nosotros, entrar a nuestras vidas como a un tabernáculo para ayudarnos a hacer su voluntad por medio de nuestro amor mutuo.

WTC: ¿Tiene algún consejo para los fieles en preparación para el Adviento?

Obispo Zurek: En absoluto. Siempre decimos que no ten-emos tiempo, y mi respuesta in-mediata es que hallamos tiempo para lo que queremos hacer. De hecho, muchos harán muchas

compras. Muchos harán muchos planes, cocinarán para sus fiestas y reuniones. Irán a las reuniones. ¿Es demasiado pedir a la gente bautizada, consagrada con el Don del Espíritu en su Bautismo, que hallen tiempo para hacer oración diaria? Esa es la preparación que necesitamos: la Eucaristía cada domingo y quizá la Eucaristía diaria cuando sea posible, pero sobre todo debemos orar unidos. Tenemos una bella costumbre en el uso de la Corona de Adviento. En muchas parroquias se proveen oraciones para la Corona de Ad-viento o también se pueden hallar por Internet. Necesitan adquirir cuatro velas, o pueden usar una sola vela si no pueden comprar cuatro. Al reunirse en familia a la mesa, procuren reunirse en oración, es la mejor preparación para la Venida del Señor. Cada día es perfecto para prepararse a celebrar la venida del Señor en Navidad o para su venida final.

Deseo a todos un bendito Día de Acción de Gracias y que logren reunirse para dar gracias por lo que tienen y por lo que son. También deseo que hagan del Adviento un tiempo de vigilia y oración esperando Su Venida. “¡VEN, Señor Jesús!”

Amarillo—Continúan los preparativos para la Celebración Multicultural Diocesana de Nues-tra Señora de Guadalupe del do-mingo, 6 de diciembre.

El tema de la celebración de este año es “Una Iglesia, Una América, Una Familia”, según dijo el Padre Héctor J. Madrigal, párroco de la Iglesia de Saint Jo-seph en Amarillo y director del evento de este año.

Las actividades empezarán a las 2pm con la procesión de la Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe, calle 11 #1210 Este al Centro Cívico de Amarillo, calle Buchanan 401 Sur. Caballeros de Colón, Cortes Guadalupanas y grupos de matachines irán en pro-cesión con los fieles.

“Añadimos algo nuevo al fes-tival este año: carros alegóricos parroquiales”, dijo el Padre Ma-drigal. “Invitamos a las parroquias a que preparen un carro alegórico con una escena de las apariciones de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe. Esta es una forma visible de ense-ñar la historia de Guadalupe. Por ejemplo, alguna parroquia puede representar al tío de Juan Diego que está moribundo. En la histo-ria, Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe dice a Juan Diego que no necesita un sacerdote porque ‘en ese mo-mento el tío ha sanado’. Otros

pueden representar la visita de Juan Diego al Obispo Fray Juan de Zumárraga”.

La procesión también lucirá una imagen alta de Nuestra Se-ñora de Guadalupe. Cuando la imagen llegue al Centro Cívico, varios sacerdotes recién ordena-dos en nuestra diócesis llevarán a la imagen en hombros al altar.

Las actividades en el Cen-tro Cívico empezarán con una oración de dedicación a Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe y continua-rán con una liturgia trilingüe en inglés, español y dinka. Después de la liturgia se servirá pan dulce y chocolate, y habrá serenata a Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe.

“Hemos invitado a varios gru-pos de la Diócesis de Amarillo a dar serenata a Nuestra Señora en su lengua natal”, dijo el Padre Madrigal. “Esta celebración será realmente de diversidad y unidad para la diócesis, y se invita a to-dos los fieles”. La celebración terminará a las 5pm.

La iglesia universal invoca a Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe como Patrona de las Américas. En 1531, una “Señora del Cielo” se le apareció a un indio pobre de México llamado Juan Diego, y se identificó como la Madre del Verdadero Dios. Le dijo a Juan Diego en dónde podía cortar rosas

Celebración Diocesana de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupeen diciembre y que se las llevara al obispo como señal de que traía un mensaje de la madre de Dios.

Cuando Juan Diego abrió su tilma y dejó caer las rosas al suelo como señal para el obispo, apare-ció una señal aún más grande. La imagen milagrosa de Nuesta Señora de Guadalupe estaba gra-bada en su tilma.

La tilma es una manta hecha de fibras de maguey que debiera haberse deteriorado en unos 20 años, pero 477 años después, no demuestra deterioro alguno y sí desafía las explicaciones científi-cas respecto a su origen. La ima-gen se preserva en la Basílica de Guadalupe en la Ciudad de Méxi-co y 10 millones de peregrinos la visitan cada año.

La aparición milagrosa de Nuestra Señora de Gadalupe ins-piró la conversión al cristianismo de unos seis a nueve millones de indígenas de Norteamérica en sus primeros 20 años.

Para mayores informes sobre la celebración diocesana de Nues-tra Señora de Guadalupe, llame al Padre Madrigal en Saint Joseph al 355-5621.

CIUDAD DEL VATICANO (CNS)— La iglesia católica necesita debates sanos entre los teólogos para aumentar la com-prensión de la fe, pero el debate debe mantener siempre la ense-ñanza oficial eclesiástica y debe realizarse de manera que no con-funda a los fieles, dijo el papa Benedicto XVI.

Los debates teológicos del si-glo doce entre San Bernardo de Clairvaux y el teólogo francés Abelard, demuestran “la utilidad y necesidad de discusión teológica sana en la iglesia, especialmente cuando las cuestiones debatidas no han sido definidas por el ma-gisterium, que debe mantenerse como punto esencial de referen-cia”, dijo el papa.

Durante su audiencia general del 4 de noviembre el papa habló de lo que los católicos modernos pueden aprender de los debates entre San Bernardo, quien seguía la tradición teológica monástica de fe y la oración, y Abelard, quien seguía la tradición escolás-tica del uso de la razón.

Varias veces la iglesia condenó las posturas teológicas de Abelard, particularmente respecto a lo que él enseñaba sobre la Trinidad.

El papa dijo que la censura del trabajo de Abelard es recordatorio a los teólogos de dar precedencia a los principios de la fe que vie-nen de la revelación y no a las interpretaciones sugeridas por la filosofía. Cuando un teólogo se pierde en el error, el Vaticano debe intervenir al servicio de la verdad, dijo el papa.

El papa Benedicto dijo que entre las razones por las cuales

San Bernardo pidió que el papa condenara a Abelard “había una preocupación por salvaguardar a los creyentes simples y humildes, que debían ser defendidos cuando había riesgo de que ellos se con-fundieran o desviaran” por el tra-bajo de ciertos teólogos.

El papa dijo que la gente tam-bién debe recordar que al final San Bernardo y Abelard se recon-ciliaron. “En ambos prevaleció un reconocimiento de la preocu-pación que debe ser mantenida en el corazón siempre que se pre-sente una controversia teológica: es decir, para salvaguardar la fe de la iglesia y hacer que la ver-dad triunfe en la caridad”, dijo el papa. El papa dijo también que San Bernardo sospechaba de la teología escolástica porque ésta aparentaba estar abierta a cuestio-nar hasta las enseñanzas cristia-nas más básicas.

“Los temores de San Bernardo no carecían de fundamento”, dijo el papa, y añadió que la enseñan-za de Abelard sobre la moralidad era ambigua porque él insistía que las intenciones de una persona eran los criterios finales para de-terminarse si una acción es bue-na o mala. El papa describió tal posición como “una subjetividad peligrosa”.

“Como sabemos, esto es muy relevante en nuestra era en que la cultura aparenta estar marcada por una creciente tendencia hacia el relativismo ético (en el cual) solamente yo decido qué es bue-no para mí en este momento” y las acciones no son vistas como objetivamente buenas o malas, dijo el papa Benedicto.

La Iglesia Necesita Tener Debates Sanos, Realizados Con Precaución, Dice el Papa

El Centro Pastoral Diocesano cerrará al mediodía el

miércoles, 25 de noviembre, Día de Acción de Gracias.

El Centro abrirá de nuevo el lunes, 30 de noviembre

a las 9am.

El Obispo Patrick J. Zurek y el personal del Centro Pastoral desean a todos un feliz Día de Acción de Gracias de plena

bendición y seguridad.

West Texas Catholic 9españoL15 de Noviembre, 2009

Por Toda La Diócesis

En el 2005, la Conferencia Católica de Texas publicó una de-claración pastoral sobre la necesidad urgente de reformar la manera en que nuestro gobierno provee para el cuidado de la salud del pueblo. Hoy en día, cuando se debate en el capitolio el asunto del cuidado de la salud, los Obispos de Texas consideramos que nos conviene declarar una vez más nuestro deseo de que nuestros líderes nacionales trabajen unidos para llevar a cabo reformas que afirmen el respeto a la vida en el sistema nacional de salud.

Mejorar el sistema nacional de salud es responsabilidad de todos. Su Santidad, el Papa Benedicto XVI, al dirigirse al Consejo Pontificio para el Cuidado de la Salud, reiteró esta responsabilidad, afirmando que “ir en ayuda del ser humano es un deber porque es una respuesta al derecho fundamental de la persona y porque el cuidado de la persona redunda en beneficio del grupo”.

La moral católica enseña que cada ser humano, desde el momento de su concepción hasta su muerte natural, tiene una dignidad innata que le merece ciertos derechos y protecciones, inclusive el derecho fundamental a la vida y el derecho a un sistema de salud accesible, el cual se deriva del derecho a la vida.

Como Obispos Católicos de Texas, esperamos que esa reforma a la legislación sea promulgada como ley. Sin embargo, debemos también expresar nuestra preocupación de que las propuestas actuales para re-formar el sistema nacional de salud que se están considerando en la Cámara de Diputados y en el Senado de Estados Unidos todavía no alcanzan el nivel de garantizar estos derechos y protecciones funda-mentales.

Una verdadera reforma del sistema de salud debe mantener políti-cas públicas duraderas que impidan el uso de fondos para el aborto y respeten las conciencias de los que proveen el cuidado de la salud. El lenguaje usado en la enmienda Capps, que es parte de varias ini-ciativas de ley que se han propuesto, no aseguran adecuadamente la protección de toda la vida humana. Además, las estructuras de costo de cualquier nuevo plan para el cuidado de la salud no deben imponer un cargo financiero excesivo para las personas y familias de ingresos ba-jos o moderados. También se deben tomar medidas para salvaguardar la salud de todos en la sociedad, incluyendo a los pobres, los ancianos y los inmigrantes. Se les debe permitir a los inmigrantes legales y a sus familias el acceso oportuno y accesible a pólizas para el seguro médico, y a la vez, ofrecer una red adecuada para los que permanecen sin seguro para la salud.

La reforma del sistema nacional de salud es una preocupación vital para nosotros en Texas, puesto que nuestro estado tiene uno de los números más altos de personas sin seguro médico en la nación. El cui-dado de la salud es un componente básico del ministerio de la Iglesia Católica. En Texas hay 43 hospitales católicos para cuidado intensivo, 8 asilos para ancianos y otras 17 organizaciones de servicio patrocina-das por católicos incluyendo el cuidado de los moribundos, la salud en el hogar, ayuda para vivir, y casas de asistencia para millones de per-sonas mayores. La Iglesia misma es un importante comprador de se-guros de salud para miles de empleados en nuestras múltiples agencias e instituciones. La Iglesia Católica en Texas aporta tanto experiencias como convicciones en el asunto de la reforma del sistema nacional de salud.

Los Obispos Católicos de Texas continuaremos apoyando la refor-ma del sistema nacional de salud de tal manera que respete la vida de todas las personas humanas al mismo tiempo que provea acceso ase-quible al cuidado de la salud para todos. Seremos un aliado dedicado en la promoción de una reforma en este tema de la vida y la muerte; pero si la forma final de la legislación no incluye un lenguaje aceptable en estas áreas, tendremos que oponernos enérgicamente. Seguiremos orando para que los líderes de nuestra nación pongan a los pobres y los más vulnerables en primer lugar, porque es sólo cuando hagan eso que nuestra nación logrará una reforma genuina del sistema nacional de salud.

Declaración sobre la Reforma para el Cuidado de la Salud

De los Obispos de la Conferencia Católica de Texas

Salchicha Alemana en VegaVega—La Iglesia Immaculate

Conception tendrá su comida de salchicha alemana con todos los complementos hoy domingo de 11am a 2pm. Como costo del pla-tillo se aceptarán donativos que se aplicarán al fondo de construc-ción de su nuevo templo.

Comida De Pavo AnualAmarillo—La comida de pavo

anual de la Iglesia Saint Mary será hoy domingo de 11am a 3pm en el salón de la iglesia ubicado en la calle Washington 1200 Sur. Los boletos de venta a la entrada cuestan $9 por adulto y $5 por ni-ños de cuatro a doce años. Habrá platillos para llevar.

Estudio Sobre El Obispo Gerken

Amarillo—El historiador J. Michael Harter, autor de The Journey of the Diocese of Ama-rillo: 75 Years on the Llano Esta-cado 1926-2001, presentará una cátedra ilustrada acerca de Ru-dolph Aloysius Gerken, el primer Obispo de Amarillo, hoy domingo a las 3pm en el Museo Diocesano y Centro de Archivos ubicado en la calle Spring 2200 Norte.

Harter obtuvo su Maestría de Artes en Historia de la Univer-sidad de West Texas A&M en Canyon y escribió su tésis sobre la historia de la Iglesia Católica en el Oeste de Texas de 1916 a 1933.

La presentación será gratuita y estará abiera al público, auspi-ciada por la Sociedad Histórica Católica (CHS) de la Diocesis de Amarillo.

Como invitado especial a la presentación, estará Ed Gerken de Amarillo, sobrino del Obispo Gerken.

Ann Weld, curadora del museo tendrá varios libros en exhibición y a la venta, inclusive el libro del señor Harter antes mencionado. También habrá oportunidad de hacerse miembro de la Sociedad Histórica para el año 2010.

La cuota anual es de $20 por persona, familia, parroquia u or-ganización. Los ingresos se dedi-carán al Fondo de Construcción de la CHS para añadir espacio al museo. El personal del Museo y de la CHS son voluntarios.

Rifa De Un BordadoAmarillo—Se venden bole-

tos para la rifa de un Santa Claus hecho por Monseñor Joseph Tash, párroco de Saint Thomas the Apostle. Las Damas del Al-tar (Altar Guild) de Saint Thomas venden boletos de $5 cada uno, y la rifa será en la misa de las 11:15 el domingo, 22 de noviembre. Para myores informes llame a la parroquia al 358-2461.

Comida De Pavo AnualAmarillo—La Comida anual

del Dia de Acción de Gracias de la Iglesia de Saint Hyacinth será el domingo 22 de noviembre de 11am a 2pm en el salón parroquial ubicado en West Hills Trail 4500.

Para mayores informes llame al 358-1351.

Gala de AdvientoAmarillo—La segunda Gala

de Adviento Anual de las Herma-nas de Saint Francis y su FUN-Raiser tendrán lugar el sábado 12 de diciembre a las 6pm en el salón Heritage del Centro Cívico de Amarillo. Mayores informes, www.panhandlefranciscans.org.

Retiros TemáticosAmarillo—Hay Retiros Dio-

cesanos Temáticos que celebran el Año del Sacerdote guiados por el director juvenil Oscar Guzmán. El último retiro de 2009 será el sábado 19 de diciembre en Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton en Turkey, y habrá otros retiros en 2010. El costo de $15 por participante in-cluye dos comidas, una camiseta y útiles del retiro. No se cobra a los adultos pero solamente in-cluye las comidas. Formularios de participación y mayores in-formes se pueden conseguir del dirigente juvenil de su parroquia o en www.covenantteen.com.

Función Navideña de NazarethNazareth—Por primera vez

en 17 años, la Iglesia de Holy Family presentará su Espectáculo Navideño el domingo 20 y miér-coles 23 de diciembre con fun-ciones a las 7:30 las dos noches. Mayores informes en la parroquia llamando al 806-945-2616 ó en www.hfpn.org.

Ordenen CDs de Life TeenAmarillo—El grupo Life

Teen Ministry de la Iglesia de Saint Mary está grabando un CD, para venta a beneficio del fondo

de contrucción del nuevo tem-plo. El CD contiene 15 piezas que incluyen Holy Is His Name, Heart of Worship y Mighty to Save. Para compras por adelan-tado o para más detalles, llamen al Doctor Kevin Raef en Canyon al 655-2358 ó escriban a kraef@amaonline.com.

Retiro Juvenil de ACTSAmarillo—Habrá un Retiro

Juvenil de ACTS (Adoración, Comunidad, Teología y Servicio) del jueves 31 de diciembre al do-mingo, 3 de enero en el Centro de Retiros Bishop DeFalco, calle Spring 2100 Norte. Obtenga so-licitud y formulario de www.bdrc.org o llame al centro de retiros al 383-1811.

Encuentro de PrometidosAmarillo—Los primeros re-

tiros del Encuentro de Prometi-dos (Engaged Encounter) del año 2010 serán en Slaton del viernes 15 al domingo 17 de enero y en Amarillo del viernes 19 al do-mingo 21 de febrero. El costo del retiro es de $160 por pareja en Amarillo y $150 en Slaton. Para mayores informes llamen a Jerry o Agnes Ballard en Amarillo al 353-0907.

Clases de PFNAmarillo—Se ofrecen clases

de Planeamiento Familiar Natu-ral (PFN) por toda la Diócesis de Amarillo en inglés y en español. Para informarse sobre las clases en español llamen a Delia Alarcón al 383-1041. Para informarse so-bre las clases en inglés llamen a la Doctora Faye Usala, directora diocesana de PFN y Atención de Fertilidad al 358-2880.

Amarillo—Una junta para discutir planes de la diocesis para asistir al Día Mundial de la Juventud (DMJ) 2011 en Madrid tendrá lugar el 16 de enero a las 6pm en el Convento Franciscano, Calle 18 Noreste #4301, informó el director juvenil diocesano Os-car Guzmán.

“Conforme se aproxima el DMJ 2011, deseamos reunir a to-dos quienes estén considerando ir a Madrid,” dijo Guzmán. “Invi-tamos especialmente a quienes ya se registraron con la Delegación

Diocesana de Amarillo”.Habrá una breve convivencia

con el tema “Hemos puesto nues-tra esperanza en el Dios Vivo,” con el Obispo Patrick J. Zurek, y además se pondrán al día los de-talles logísticos del DMJ 2011.

Guzmán recuerda a quienes se han comprometido a asistir que el depósito total de $1,050 es paga-dero en la junta del 16 de enero, y aclara que la cantidad completa es retornable hasta que la Dióce-sis de Amarillo tenga que pagar a externos.

Día Mundial de la Juventud 2011

West Texas Catholic10 November 15, 2009May they rest in peace

Please remember in prayer the clergy of the Diocese of Amarillo who died during the month of

November:Father Aram Berard, S.J., Nov. 9, 2008Father John H. Krukkert, Nov. 11, 1947

Father Joseph Gregor, C.M., Nov. 15, 1980Monsignor Richard Vaughan, Nov. 15, 2000

Father Hubert J. Halfman, Nov. 17, 1976Father Norbert Wagner, Nov. 19, 1979

Father Gerald Lynch, Nov. 25, 1979Father Ed Graff, Nov. 25, 2002

Father Francis Kaminsky, Nov. 26, 1957Father Joseph Gilligan, S.A., Nov. 26, 1987

Monsignor Peter DiBenedetto, Nov. 28, 1995Father Anthony Catalina, Nov. 30, 1968Father Jerome A. Hancox, Nov. 30, 1974

FUNERAL HOME INC.

Our locally owned funeral home is not associated with Schooler-Gordon, owned by Service Corporation International, Houston, Texas

The Office of the Victim’s Assistance Coordinator for the Diocese of Amarillo

Direct concerns, questions, or to report sexual abuse contact:

Belinda Taylor1615 S. Roberts

Amarillo, TX 79102

806-372-1092Fax: 806-372-7869

Amarillo—O. William “Bill” Hayes, 91, passed away Oct. 30. Mass was celebrated Nov. 2, St. Thomas the Apostle Church, Monsignor Jo-seph Tash, pastor, presiding. Burial was in Llano Cemetery. Survivors include his wife, Elizabeth; five chil-dren, Lt. Col. Kemp William Hayes of Leesburg, Fla., Kerry Matthews of Waco, Susan Bray of Holyoke, Mass., Christina Chambers of New York City and Celeste High of Amarillo; six grandchildren, Russell Hayes of Tyler, Kerry Ochoa of Colorado Springs, Colo., Hannah Williamson of Schaumburg, Ill., Holly Sienicki of Goodyear, Ariz., and Katherine and Jessica High, both of Amarillo; and five great-grandchildren.

Amarillo—Edward Allen Pope, 85, passed away Oct. 29. Mass was celebrated Nov. 11, St. Mary’s Church, Monsignor Harold Waldow, pastor, presiding. Inurnment took place Nov. 13, Dallas-Fort Worth Cemetery, Dallas. Survivors include his wife, Virginia; a brother, Norman Pope of Austin; a daughter, Janace Pope Ponder and husband David of Amarillo; a daughter-in-law, Debby Pope; four grandchildren, Paige Gar-mon, Abby Mitchell, Carmen Juckett and Courtney Pope; six great-grand-children, Michael Clouse, Peyton Garmon, Madison Garmon, Shelby Garmon, Kaylee Mitchell and Jacob Juckett; nieces and nephews; and many close friends and other family members.

Amarillo—Eulice Quinones, 23, passed away Oct. 30. Mass was cel-ebrated Nov. 2, Our Lady of Gua-dalupe Church. Burial was in Llano East Cemetery. Survivors include his parents, Sergio and Margarita Quino-nes of Amarillo; two brothers, Sergio Quinones Jr. and Israel Quinones,

both of Amarillo; a sister, Iris Qui-nones of Amarillo; his grandparents, Nicolas Quinones, Maria de los An-geles G. Quinones, Pedro Tremillo and Maria Tremillo, all of Durango, Mexico; and his girlfriend, Alicia Leal of Amarillo.

Cactus—Bartola M. Diaz, 83, passed away Oct. 30. Mass was cel-ebrated Nov. 3, Our Lady of Guada-lupe Church. Burial was in North-lawn Memorial Gardens. Survivors include nine children, MaLuz Diaz, Pomposo Diaz, Juana Ledesma, Pe-tra Sarmiento, Luisa Diaz, Francisco Diaz, Bartola Avalos, Ignacio Diaz, all of Cactus, and Enedine Jimenez of Amarillo; and 26 grandchildren.

Guymon,Okla.—Clydean “Starr” Walker, 45, passed away Oct. 30. Mass was celebrated Nov. 5, St. Pe-ter the Apostle Church, Father Bill H, Pruett, presiding. Burial was in Elmhurst Cemetery. Survivors in-clude her husband, Mark; a daughter, Desiree Dakota Walker of Guymon; a son, Desmond Alan Harless of Stillwater; her father, Roy Ellard of Guymon; her mother, Venita Brogden of Dumas; two sisters, Judy Walle of Dumas and Sharon Kay Mask of Brit-ish Columbia; and a brother, William Woods of Texas.

Hereford—Ina Dominguez Tovar, 60, passed away Oct. 30. Mass was celebrated Nov. 3, San Jose Church, Father David Contreras, presiding. Burial was in Twin Oaks Memo-rial Park Cemetery, Artesia, NM. Survivors include her husband, Ra-mon; a daughter, Angel Zamora of Albuquerque, N.M.; a son, Michael Olguin of Hereford; her father, Pe-dro Dominguez of Portales, N.M.; a brother, Enrique Dominguez of Al-buquerque; a sister, Gloria Aguilar of

Clovis; and five grandchildren.

Nazareth—Virginia“Virgie”Stork Gerber, 87, passed away Oct. 31. Mass was celebrated Nov. 3, Holy Family Church. Father Ken Keller, pastor, Father Nick Gerber and Dea-con Jerome Brockman, presiding. Burial was in Holy Family Cemetery. Survivors include seven sons, Eu-gene Gerber of Keller, Rick Gerber of Austin, Carroll Gerber, Keith Ger-ber and Dan Gerber, all of Nazareth, Kevin Gerber of Plainview and Har-old Gerber of Menard, five daughters, Donna Charanza, Beverly Hill, Sand-ee Hoelting and Glenda Birkenfeld, all of Nazareth, and Tricia Rose of Canyon; 27 grandchildren; 16 great-grandchildren, five sisters, Delores Heiman and Dorothy Pohlmeier, both of Nazareth, Evelyn Hill of Lubbock, Lola Jean Bell of Grandbury and Vio-la Pohlmeier of Tulia.

Amarillo—Alvie “A.J.” Newsom, 81, passed away Nov. 3. Mass was celebrated Nov. 5, Immaculate Heart of Mary Church, Groom, Father Raj Samala, CMI, pastor, presiding. Burial was in St. Mary’s Cemetery, Groom. Survivors include his wife, Leona; three daughters, Kay Pratt and husband Cary of Claude, Linda Williams and husband Garvin of Amarillo and Bunny York of Groom; two sons, Dan Babcock and wife Re-becca of Robertson, Wyo., and Jack Cagle and wife Alison of Pampa; two sisters, Neta Ann Todd and Laraine Melton, both of Tulia; seven grand-daughters, Christi Olson and hus-band Clint of Canyon, Jo Lee Junell and husband Brandon of Amarillo, Karen Loughran and husband Sean of Rochester, Minn., Stephanie Far-ris and husband Adrian, Bobbi Shae Baskett and husband Jeremy, all of Amarillo, Chelsea Pratt of Dallas and Tifini Williams of San Antonio; three grandsons, Amos Babcock of Anchorage, Alaska, Andy York and Melissa of Colorado Springs, Colo., and David York of Amarillo; seven great-granddaughters; and five great-

grandsons.

Amarillo—Faydelle Ollinger, 77, passed away Nov. 3. Mass was cel-ebrated Nov. 6, St. Joseph’s Church, Father Hector J. Madrigal, pastor, presiding. Entombment was in Me-morial Park Cemetery. Survivors in-clude her husband, Raymond; four children, Danny Ollinger and wife Debbie, Nell Ollinger, Diane Hassler and husband J.D., all of Amarillo, and Tim Ollinger and wife Rhonda of Du-mas; seven grandchildren, Matthew Ollinger and wife Nichole, Leslie Ollinger, Joseph Mata, Melanie Mata, DeMera Ollinger, Shelby Ollinger and Holly Ollinger; her siblings, H.L. King, Annie Louise Whittekin, Ruth Mae Glass, Billye Williams, Gaynelle Bishop and Ruby Bolf; and 14 great-grandchildren.

Childress—Hector Dominguez Jr., 27, passed away Nov. 3. Mass was celebrated Nov. 6, Holy Angels

Church, Father Jim Schmitmeyer, pastoral administrator, presiding. Burial will be in Childress Cemetery. Survivors include his father, Hector Dominguez of Childress; his mother, Luz Maria Argueta of Childress; his wife, Jessica; three daughters, Nata-lie, Emily and Clarissa, all of Chil-dress; a brother, Eddy Dominguez of Washington state; two sisters, Sole-dad Dominguez of Fort Worth and Cecilia Dominguez of Childress; and his grandparents, David Dominguez of Childress and Crispin and Reina Argueta of Mexico.

Amarillo—Gilbert Morin Solis, 55, passed away Nov. 7. Survivors in-clude his wife, Joann Solis; a daugh-ter, Sylvia Solis; two sons, Gilbert Solis Jr. and wife Rachel and Steven Andrew Solis; his mother, Margaret Rubalcaba and husband Ponsiano “Pancho”; a sister, Rosie Charles; a brother, David M. Solis; 14 grand-children; and a great-grandchild.

Vatican City (CNS)—Hope and faith in eternal life give Christians strength to overcome the difficulties of daily life and the pain of death, Pope Benedict XVI said during a Mass honoring cardinals and bishops who died during the past year.

In the face of death, believers possess “the hope of immortal-ity,” the pope said during the me-morial Mass Nov. 5 in St. Peter’s Basilica.

Pope Benedict told the cardi-nals, bishops, ambassadors and faithful gathered at the basilica’s Altar of the Chair that death is “a disturbing enigma” that brings with it the “painful separation from loved ones.”

But faith “sustains us in these moments that are full of sorrow and dismay,” he said.

Faith also helps people get through all obstacles that are part of life, he said.

“There is no lack of difficulties and problems on our paths, with situations of suffering and pain, moments that are difficult to un-derstand and accept,” he said.

However, “all of this grows in value and meaning if it is con-sidered in the perspective of eter-nity,” he said. Trials borne with patience “are all to our spiritual advantage here on earth but above all in our future life in heaven,” he said.

If believers persevere in doing good works, the pope said, “our faith, purified by many trials, will one day shine in all of its glory” when it is demonstrated before Jesus.

Pope Says Hope Of Eternal Life Helps People Face Life, Death

West Texas Catholic 11LocaL/nationaLNovember 15, 2009

Seminary Burse ReportDiocese of Amarillo

Contributions: thru October 2009

Donations in Honor/Memory of Andrew Kershen 75.00$ Clarence & Mildred Betzen 5,000.00$ Francis Diller 100.00$ John Cassanta 50.00$ Mrs. Kathleen Colwell 20.00$ Msgr. Norbert Kuehler 50.00$ Other 15.00$ Sammy Gonzales Sr. 40.00$

5,350.00$

Open Burses Andrew Kershen 75.00$ Amarillo Diocesan Council of Catholic Women No. 2 1,460.33$ Arnold Husmann 475.00$ Arthur Hapanowicz 100.00$ Catholic Daughters of the Americas Burse No. 2 2,300.00$ Catholic Family Fraternal of Texas 1,724.10$ Catholic Life Insurance, Umbarger 100.00$ Catholic Order of Foresters 220.00$ Clarence & Mildred Betzen 5,000.00$ Clementine Renner 2,500.00$ Diocesan Committee of 2000 2,558.50$ Francis Diller 100.00$ Francis Neusch 300.00$ Fred Teichman 75.00$ Holy Trinity 3,402.00$ Joan Frost 25.00$ John Cassanta 50.00$ Josephine Lange Burse No. 2 233.56$ Kathleen Colwell 1,190.00$ Knights of Columbus 3,532.00$ Matilda Baca 125.16$ Jim Todd 25.00$ Msgr. Fred Hyland 1,000.00$ Msgr. Kevin Hand 1,100.00$ Msgr. Pete Debenedetto 1,667.65$ Msgr. Peter Morsch 4,373.18$ Msgr. Monroe Matthiesen 300.00$ Msgr. Norbert Kuehler 50.00$ Msgr. Vaughn 180.00$ Owen Seamans 4,020.00$ Rev. Gary Sides 485.00$ Rev. J. Arnold Carlson 100.00$ Rev. Richard Neyer 1,810.00$ Sammy Gonzales Sr. 40.00$ Serra Club of Amarillo Burse No. 4 4,510.00$ St. Anthony's Church - Hereford 3,675.00$ St. John the Evangelist 3,128.70$ Undesignated and Miscellaneous 427.83$

Total Open Burses 52,363.01$ Closed Burses 845,575.67$ Total Original Burses 897,938.68$

Market Value of Investments as of 06/30/2009Catholic Life Insurance Seminary Endowment Fund 28,767.00$ Mission Management & Trust Co. 841,731.48$

870,498.48$

Amarillo—A Couple’s Re-treat, sponsored by St. Valentine Catholic Radio (1360 AM) and TOOLS (Teams of Our Lady), is set for Friday, Dec. 4 and Sat-urday, Dec. 5 at St. Hyacinth’s Church. 4500 West Hills Trail.

The theme of the retreat is Marriage, Love and Sacrifice and will feature a keynote address by Deacon James Keating.

Activities on Dec. 4 begin at 7pm and are free to the public, according to Stephanie Frausto, Life and Family Life Director for the Diocese of Amarillo.

Registration for the Dec. 5 ses-

sion begins at 9am, with Bishop Patrick J. Zurek welcoming par-ticipants to the retreat at 10:00.

The first session begins at 10:30, followed by lunch at noon and the second session at 1:15pm. The retreat concludes with Mass at 5pm.

The retreat costs $30 a couple and is limited to 200 couples.

“Your marriage is worth one day to grow deeper in love with your spouse and your Savior,” said Frausto.

For more details on the retreat, contact Frausto at 678-4673.

Couples Retreat ScheduledAmarillo—A meeting to dis-

cuss diocesan plans for attending World Youth Day 2011 in Madrid is set for Saturday, Jan. 16 at 6pm at the Franciscan Convent. 4301 NE 18th St., according to dioc-esan youth director Oscar Guz-man.

“As we continue to move for-ward towards WYD 2011, we want to get everyone together who might be considering going to Madrid,” said Guzman. “We especially invite those already registered with the Amarillo Di-ocesan Delegation.”

The evening will consist of a short sharing with the theme “We have set our hope on the Liv-ing God,” with Bishop Patrick J. Zurek, followed by an update on the logistics of WYD 2011.

G u z m a n reminds those already com-mitted to at-tending that the total down payment of $1,050 is due

at the Jan. 16 meeting, with the un-derstanding that the total amount

is refundable until payment needs to be made by the Diocese of Am-arillo to outside parties.

The Diocesan WYD Cross continues to make its way around the diocese and is St. Ann’s Church, Canyon this month.

“We ask for prayers for all the youth of the nation and those from our diocese that are prepar-ing their hearts, souls and minds for a pilgrimage of a lifetime,” said Guzman.

For more information on WYD 2011, contact Guzman at 383-2243.

WYD 2011 Meeting Scheduled

Washington (CNS)—Cardi-nal Francis E. George of Chicago, president of the U.S. bishops, praised the U.S. House for ap-proving a reform bill that pro-vides “adequate and affordable health care to all” and “voting overwhelmingly” for a prohibi-tion on using federal money to pay for most abortions.

An amendment to ban abor-tion funding sponsored by Rep. Bart Stupak, D-Mich., and other House members passed 240-194, and led to passage of the Afford-able Health Care for America Act in a 220-215 vote.

In a statement issued late Nov. 9, the cardinal lauded the Nov. 7 vote and urged the Senate to fol-low the House’s example.

Members of the House “hon-ored President (Barack) Obama’s commitment to the Congress and the nation that health care reform would not become a vehicle for expanding abortion funding or mandates,” he said.

The U.S. Conference of Cath-olic Bishops “will remain vigilant and involved throughout this en-tire process to assure that these essential provisions are main-tained and included in the final legislation,” he said.

He said the bishops “remain deeply concerned” about health care reform as the debate now

moves to the Senate, which will now take up its own version of health care legislation. Assuming that measure passes, differences between the bills will be worked out in a conference committee and both House and Senate will have to vote again on the final version.

Cardinal George said the Cath-olic Church is concerned about how health reform “affects the poor and vulnerable, and those at the beginning and end of life.”

“We will continue to insist that health care reform legislation must protect conscience rights,” he said. “We support measures to make health care more affordable for low-income people and the uninsured. We remain deeply con-cerned that immigrants be treated fairly and not lose the health care coverage that they now have.”

“In the national discussion on how to provide the best kind of health care, we bishops do not claim or present ourselves as ex-perts on health care policy,” he said. “We are not prepared to as-sess every provision of legislation as complex as this proposal.

“However, health care legis-lation, with all its political, tech-nical and economic aspects, is about human beings and hence has serious moral dimensions,” he added.

Cardinal Praises Vote For Health Reform With Ban On Abortion Funding

St. Hyacinth’s Catholic Church5th Annual Thanksgiving Dinner

Sunday, November 22, 200911:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

4500 West Hills Trail, Amarillo, TX$8.00 for adults/ $4 for child (6 to 11)

Children 5 and under eat freeTickets available at St. Hyacinth’s office or at the door. Visit our Bake Shop and Silent

Auction. Call 358-1351 for more information.

West Texas Catholic12 November 15, 2009the Back page

Amarillo—Representing sev-eral entities, several cultures and speaking several languages while gathering under the commonality of Catholicism, parishioners at St. Joseph’s Church gathered Nov. 1 to celebrate a Unity Mass.

Why a Unity Mass?“We used the opportunity of

celebrating a Unity Mass to bring our parish together, to maintain our unity as one parish family and to bring about reconciliation between the different groups and the different entities,” said Father Hector J. Madrigal, pastor at St. Joseph’s. “It’s really more to af-firm the unity we have in our faith as Christian Catholics.”

“I am talking about the three entities here: the day care cen-ter, our elementary school and the parish. We also have three primary ethnic groups here: the Hispanic community, the An-glo community and the Sudanese community. I consider this parish very much a multi-cultural com-munity. We also have Bosnians, so we included petitions dur-ing the Unity Mass in Croatian. Since we have Filipinos, we also included Tagalog, in addition to the Spanish, English and Dinka. In some liturgies we have even had Gaelic because we have a few Irish in the parish as well.

“We are trying to include ev-eryone, to be inclusive, to recog-nize and to celebrate the fact that God is present in all of us. We reflect that presence in different cultures, languages and expres-sions of faith.”

What moved Father Madrigal the most about this Unity Mass?

“I think the presence of Bish-op (Patrick J.) Zurek as a sign of unity,” he said. “When he took the hand of Sudanese man and an Hispanic woman was probably the highlight. It was the picture of a Black person, an Hispanic person and a white person holding hands together. But more importantly it was the bishop’s words saying that it is a sign of unity that needs to be shown to the world.

“We need to show to society

that this unity can be done. I feel very privileged that here in St. Joseph’s we are consistently working at living that unity as a form of testimony to society. It’s part of our mission. Our Mission Statement begins with the state-ment that we are a Catholic Fam-ily, united in our Catholic Faith, where we welcome all God’s Children. We literally mean that we are here to embrace all God’s Children, no matter what color their skin is, what language they speak, or where they are in their Journey of Faith. We feel that is part of our mission: to reach out and to welcome, while being hospitable to all peoples. I think we’re beginning to celebrate that and live it on a regular basis in this parish.”

Father Madrigal said the Nov. 1 Unity Mass won’t be the last of its kind for his parish.

“We celebrate this once a year as a community; but it’s an every-day experience,” he said. “Every weekend we welcome people; we have a bilingual liturgy at 11:00 on Sunday, in English and Dinka. At 1:00 we have a Spanish Mass that we began this summer. It’s a sense of mission, of welcoming; the Hispanic community is be-ing trained to go out and knock on doors in the neighborhood to reach out to the people. We will not be concerned about their lan-guage or their skin color. We will go out to every household within our parish boundaries and invite them to our parish community.

“I think this is a great sign of the unity that we are seeking in the Diocese of Amarillo through the Diocesan Assembly. I know Bishop Zurek is leading us into a greater unity as a diocese. We can see that at St. Joseph Parish it is possible.

“There’s a stone in front of the altar that says ‘Unity in Christ’. Three years ago, each parishioner came forward and touched the Unity Stone as a sign of commit-ment to that unity and recognizing that it is our mission as St Joseph Parish.”

One Parish, Together In Christ

Father Hector J. Madrigal, pastor of St. Joseph’s Church, Amarillo, addresses the congregation Nov. 1 at a Unity Mass at the parish. (WTC Photo)

A special trilingual choir of St. Joseph’s parishioners performed at a Nov. 1 Unity Mass at the par-ish, under the direction of Yolanda Hernandez, left and pianist Ramon Saldana. (WTC Photo)

Speaking Out: What Were Your Impressions of the Unity Mass?

Phil SeidenbergerParish Council President

St. Joseph’s Church“It was beautiful, and it brought

so many cultures, so many differ-ent lifestyles together to show that we truly are the Body of Christ.”

Jane O’GradyChoir Member

St. Joseph’s Church“It was awesome. Just bring-

ing all the different cultures to-gether made it amazing. We were in the presence of God and Bishop Zurek did a wonderful job. It was enlightening and spiritual.”

Marco ContrerasHispanic Community St. Joseph’s Church

“It was great. Everything about the Mass was good. Every-thing was perfect and God was present.”

Sonia HigginsDirector

Impacting Teens Youth GroupSt. Joseph’s Church

“It was beautiful. It was a wonderful expression of who we are as a parish, everyday.”

Bol NgorSudanese CommunitySt. Joseph’s Church

“That was wonderful. It was wonderful because Bishop Zurek was there. It was wonderful be-cause of our choir, and how we sang together in Spanish, English and Dinka. That was so amaz-ing.”