'Goodbye, Farewell, and Amen'

By Mary DeTurris Poust

For the past few years, OSV Daily Take has been my blogging home away from home, and I have Pope Benedict XVI to thank for it. And John Norton. Back in 2008, when the pope made his visit to New York, John asked me to make the trek from my home near Albany to my old stomping grounds in NYC to cover the event as a blogger. It was an amazing few days, and an experience that later blossomed into my stint as a regular blogger here.

I want to thank John Norton and Greg Erlandson for giving me the opportunity to have a voice here, and for letting me cover just about any topic that comes to mind without constraint. It's been a fun ride, but I've realized -- for a few reasons -- that the time has come for me to move on.

Mainly, I'm gearing up for the publication and promotion of two new books this fall. In November, Alpha (a division of Penguin USA) will publish "Everyday Divine: A Catholic Guide to Active Spirituality," and, in December, Ave Maria Press will publish "Cravings: A Catholic Wrestles with Food, Self-Image, and God." I hope I'll be able to pop back in toward the end of the year to share some information on these two topics, which are so much a part of my life and my spirituality these days.

My busy schedule isn't the only factor in my leaving, however. Over the years, my writing has shifted quite a bit. I started as a Catholic journalist almost 30 years ago, focusing on news and feature stories. I've been writing for OSV Newsweekly for almost 20 years, many of them as a senior correspondent or contributing editor. But in recent years my writing has followed the trajectory of my spiritual life, moving away from headline-making hard news and toward introspective spiritual pursuits. I hope to be able to delve more deeply into that writing over at my own blog, Not Strictly Spiritual.

So it is with some sadness that I leave OSV Daily Take, but I'm hoping you'll see me here as a guest blogger from time to time, and certainly you'll find me in the pages of OSV Newsweekly now and then. Thank you for being a faithful reader, for your thoughtful comments, and your interest in all things Catholic. If you would like to follow me, you can find me on Facebook, Twitter (MaryDTP), at my own website, and at Not Strictly Spiritual.

Although I didn't have as long a run as M*A*S*H, a favorite TV show of mine, it seems appropriate to end with the title of that series' finale: "Goodbye, Farewell, and Amen."

Learning to find the 'magic' in the mundane

My most recent Life Lines column: 

By Mary DeTurris Poust

I was on the train this weekend, heading to Manhattan from my home near Albany, lost in the music on my iPod and the crossword puzzle in my lap, when I looked up for a moment. There, sliding by my window, was the Hudson River, dotted with a couple of kayaks and a lone fisherman, all set against a backdrop of the Catskill Mountains. For the briefest second, the scene took my breath away.

So often when I think of beautiful scenery, I imagine the majesty of the Rocky Mountains or the pounding surf of the Atlantic Ocean or the natural beauty of some other far-off place that requires a flight, maybe even a passport. But on this particular Sunday morning, I was reminded of an awesome reality: I am surrounded by natural beauty right where I am right now. And so are you, no matter what the view from your current window.

I am lucky enough to live in a place edged by mountains on three sides – Adirondack, Berkshire, Catskill. Whenever I return home from a trip in almost any direction, I feel my breathing slow and my shoulders relax as soon as “my” mountains come into view. But lately I’m starting to realize that even without the mountain backdrop, my everyday life is filled with small moments of natural beauty, from the bleeding heart flowers hanging just so from a delicate branch in my backyard bed to the yellow finch sitting quietly on the birdfeeder to the raindrops tapping against the leaves of the oak trees that tower over our house. Even a butterfly flitting through a mall parking lot can be cause for celebration, if we can learn to look at the world with the eyes of wonder. Not sure how to do that? Think about how a 4-year-old sees things, and then try to do the same.

The afternoon of my Amtrak aha! moment, I was sitting in a Broadway theater watching Mary Poppins with my daughter’s Girl Scout troop, when the little girl in front of me – caught up in the dazzling scenery stunts – looked up at her mom and said, “Is she really magical?” I couldn’t help but smile at her innocent joy and wish I could recapture that feeling for myself, although I came pretty close as I smiled from ear to ear when Mary Poppins “flew” overhead at the end of the show.

In our stress-filled modern lives, it’s easy to get caught in a place somewhere between worry and dread, a mental state where we’re constantly waiting for the other shoe to drop. I have to admit that even as I headed out for what promised to be a fabulous day with my daughter, there was a part of me that wished I could just skip it, not because I don’t like to have fun but because I felt anxious about all the things I “should” be doing instead. Sometimes I get so focused on what’s coming up that I miss what’s happening now.

As our train rattled back toward Albany at the end the day, the girls were giddy with excitement when they should have been exhausted. From the seats behind us they sang songs, took pictures, played games, and just generally infused our otherwise somber train car with energy and silliness. Every once in a while I’d look back and shush my daughter, worrying she might be bothering another passenger, but the truth is that her obvious and infectious happiness was just what the rest of us needed.

Whether you’re on a beach staring out at the ocean or in an office watching the sun set over a high-rise cityscape, there are opportunities for breathtaking joy at every turn. Look at your world with the eyes of a 4-year-old today, and you, too, may find yourself asking, “Is it really magical?” As it turns out, yes, it is. It’s magical and miraculous and magnificent, even when it’s mundane, even when it’s something you’ve seen a hundred times before. See for yourself.

Want a great job? Apply to become OSV's new web editor

As we continue to grow our online presence, Our Sunday Visitor's Publishing Division has created a new "web editor" position. This'll be someone's dream job. Is that person you or someone you know?

From the job description:

The Web Editor manages the overall editing of Our Sunday Visitor Publishing Division’s consumer-facing websites, producing content consistent with OSV’s mission, tone and voice, resulting in a positive perception of the brand and supporting the increase of web sales. 

Essential Job Functions

• In collaboration with authors and internal marketing and editorial functions, develops, edits and posts web exclusive content, ensuring appropriate editorial voice and tone, based on solid knowledge of the Catholic faith, products, and the targeted audience.

• Works in tandem with the Social Media Editor to ensure the effectiveness of a comprehensive social medial strategy and marketing techniques to increase visibility, traffic and web sales. 

• Manages strategic partnerships with Catholic media organizations and individuals to increase web sales and drive traffic to OSV websites.

• Manages user comments on OSV websites, using the feedback to make continual improvements to the sites. 

• Edits, develops and deploys email newsletters and marketing email content.

• May attend Catholic media/press events as appropriate.

For more information about the job and requirements, and to apply, go to: https://home.eease.adp.com/recruit2/?id=1229341&t=1

Vatican's new media adviser

The Vatican has hired U.S. Catholic journalist Greg Burke of Fox News as a “senior communications adviser” to help develop its message and strengthen communication.

From CNS Blog:

Anyone who has covered the Vatican has at least one story to tell (and how many GigaBytes gobbled?) about some kind of PR glitch that probably could have been prevented by a knowledgeable adviser who had the ear of those on high. 

While the Vatican has often faulted an overly secular or sensationalist media industry with making the church look bad, getting a media adviser may be a sign it has realized prevention is still the best medicine. 

The real clue the Vatican is taking the new position seriously is that it has hired a journalist who has worked in the secular media for decades. St. Louis native Greg Burke, 52, worked for Fox News the past 10 years covering the Vatican, Europe and the Middle East, and before that he was Rome-correspondent for Time magazine for 10 years. He’s well-versed in the church since he is a life-long Catholic and member of Opus Dei.

Lawsuit could compel hospital to violate beliefs

And so it begins...

According to the New York State Catholic Conference, a female employee of St. Joseph’s Medical Center in Yonkers has filed a class-action suit against both the hospital and the insurance company that administers the hospital’s self-insurance plan, claiming a right to spousal benefits for her same-sex partner to whom she is “married” under New York State law. The woman’s attorneys say the class-action nature of the suit is designed to force all such employers across the state to offer the coverage, despite any religious objections.

Here's the official statement from Richard E. Barnes, executive director of the New York State Catholic Conference:

“In 2011, when Governor Andrew Cuomo made the redefinition of marriage his top legislative priority, we warned not only that such action would have negative consequences for society, but also that it would infringe on the religious liberty of Catholic employers. Catholic teaching simply reflects what until recent years was understood universally: marriage is the lifelong union of one man and one woman.

“These warnings went unheeded, as the same-sex marriage advocates insisted that, as the bill only related to so-called ‘civil marriage,’ it would have no impact on religious institutions. The message was clear: our objections were both silly and far-fetched. Now, one year later, we have seen come to pass exactly what we warned would occur. An individual is suing a Catholic facility, attempting to use the force of law to compel the hospital (and all Catholic employers) to violate their religious beliefs. Ironically this has occurred on the eve of the Fortnight for Freedom, a time designated by the U.S. Bishops to shed light on the increasing threats to religious liberty we and other faiths are facing across the nation.

“As we stated when the law was passed, the so-called ‘religious exemption’ language included in the bill was insufficient to protect religious institutions. We urge the Governor and the Legislature to pass legislation immediately to provide a full religious exemption to this ill-conceived law.

“We also continue to urge other states to use New York’s experience as a cautionary reminder of the true implications of the redefinition of marriage on religious liberty.”

Fortnight for Freedom begins today

Archbishop Jose Gomez of Los Angeles offers words of inspiration and encouragement to those Catholics who will participate in the Fortnight for Freedom, which starts today and ends on July 4.

From Archbishop Gomez over at On the Square at First Things:

On June 21, the night before the Catholic Church traditionally remembers the martyrdom of St. John Fisher and St. Thomas More at the hands of King Henry VIII, American Catholics will begin a unique two-week vigil of prayer, sacrifice, and public witness for the cause of religious liberty.

The “Fortnight for Freedom” was called by my brothers in the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, and it will conclude with the ringing of bells in churches all across the country on July 4, the memorial of our country’s independence. The bishops aren’t comparing the conditions of the American church in the early 21st century with that of Catholics persecuted during the English Reformation. We’re blessed in our country with a religious liberty that, sadly, most people in the world today do not enjoy. According to the Pew Center, three out of four people worldwide live in a country where the government doesn’t protect their right to worship and serve the God they believe in.

This global context puts the Catholic Church’s current conflict with the U.S. government in some perspective. But just because believers today aren’t executed for their beliefs and are free to go to church on Sundays, that doesn’t mean freedom of religion isn’t in jeopardy in America...

Continue reading HERE.

Archbishop Chaput speaks about religious liberty at Catholic Media Conference address

Catholic journalists honed their skills Wednesday at the first day of Catholic Media Conference in Indianapolis, with master camps on topics such as boosting design skills and using video in multimedia storytelling.

The big event of the day, however, was the opening dinner featuring Archbishop Charles Chaput of Philadelphia, who spoke on the issues of religious freedom, the importance of engaging youth adults in the Faith and the state of affairs in his archdiocese. In his address, the archbishop reminded the communications professionals in attendance that liberty and happiness "grow from virtue, and virtue is grounded in religious faith."

He also pointed out that religious freedom is "an empty shell" if we don't take our faith seriously and that Catholics have been "complicit in a dullness in religious life" that has allowed those freedoms to be eroded.

The dinner was hosted by Our Sunday Visitor to celebrate our centennial. In his opening address, OSV President Greg Erlandson pointed out that the anniversary is an opportunity to show gratitude and rededicate ourselves to the mission laid out for us by founder Bishop John F. Noll "to serve the Church."

Archbishop Chaput of Philadelphia addresses the Catholic
Media Conference on Wednesday in Indianapolis.

Catholic journalists socialize before the opening dinner at
the Catholic Media Conference.

Catholic journalists learn their video editing techniques Wednesday 

afternoon at a master camp at Ball State University.

This is what a lay Catholic should look like

I was fortunate in recent months to work pretty closely with Austen Ivereigh on the American version of his fantastic book, "How to Defend the Faith Without Raising Your Voice: Civil Responses to Catholic Hot Button Issues" (OSV, $13.95).

If you're looking for ideas on Catholic self-improvement for the upcoming Year of Faith (and New Evangelization) called by Pope Benedict XVI, you could not do better than start by reading this book. (And I am not just saying that.)

For a glimpse of the vision of the engaged, intelligent, confident lay Catholic described in the book, check out this recently published knockout interview with Ivereigh over at NRO.

Here's his answer on why Catholics cannot just "live and let live," and fail to engage the culture on the neuralgic issues:

IVEREIGH: What makes an issue “neuralgic” is the apparent or real clash between what the Church says (or is heard as saying) and the values of wider society, which often turn on the “pelvic issues” — questions of sexuality. It’s what makes for news stories and dinner conversations. It’s what interests people. It’s where we find people turning towards us — often with an expression of horror — and asking us to explain ourselves. It’s where contemporary society and Church clash; it’s where Catholicism scandalizes. And that’s where, simply, the opportunity to communicate exists. Either we’re comfortable inhabiting that zone and learn to speak there, or we don’t communicate at all — or, if we do, we can’t expect to find anybody listening.

Pope Benedict is passionate about what’s being called the “new” evangelization, whose concern is to re-propose, in fresh and positive ways, the Church’s faith and teaching to post-Christian societies that think they know Christianity and have rejected it. Think of a person waving a hand over his face, saying, “Yeah, yeah, we know what the Church has to say on that one” — that’s what modern society is like. You engage people with that attitude by being surprising, by showing how they don’t, in fact, know what the Church says. Then, when you’ve got their attention, you can then tell the real story — the story they thought they knew but in fact didn’t. It’s what in Catholic Voices and in the book we call “reframing.” And it works. We have plenty of examples of radio and TV interviews in which the presenter says to the Catholic Voice: “Now that’s surprising. Tell me more.” The Church’s critic turns out to be dull and dogmatic — performing a role that is almost scripted in its predictability — while the Catholic Voice is fresh, dynamic, and compelling. 

Why engage? Because we care — about others, about society, about the common good. And because we think the public conversation is poorer without us.

Read it all.

Centennial Moment: Catholic Media Conference

Our Sunday Visitor continues its centennial celebrations this week at the June 20-22 Catholic Media Conference in Indianapolis. On Wednesday evening, OSV will host a dinner at the conference to honor its 100th anniversary. Archbishop Charles Chaput of Philadelphia will be the keynote speaker. OSV is a gold sponsor of the conference.

It is only fitting that OSV is so involved in promoting the importance of Catholic media and developing the skills of Catholic journalists and communications professionals. In doing so, we follow in the footsteps of founder Archbishop John F. Noll. 

Through his role as secretary of the National Catholic Welfare Council, Bishop Noll helped launch Catholic News Service and "the Catholic Hour" on NBC radio. He also played a pivotal role in the development of the Catholic Press Association. In 1953, Archbishop Noll was honored by the Catholic Press Association with a special plaque thanking him for his "monumental contributions" to the Catholic press.

Check back for pictures and news from the conference, which will feature a great mix of presenters and panelists, including Brandon Vogt, Elizabeth Scalia, Deacon Greg Kandra, Catholic Relief Services CEO Carolyn Woo and Archbishop Claudio Celli, president of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications. You can also follow the happenings on Twitter. Just search on the #CMC12 hashtag.

Remembering 'a good man'

Sister Mary Ann Walsh, RSM, over at the USCCBlog, provides some good food for thought in her post today, "God in the Din Around Us." What starts as a mini-review of A Good Man, Mark Shriver's book about his late father, Sargent Shriver, becomes a thoughtful reflection on Sargent Shriver's Catholic faith, the separation of Church and state, religious liberty, and more:

Amidst political rancor it is refreshing to read Mark Shriver’s A Good Man, about his father Sargent Shriver, founding head of the Peace Corps. Sarge was unapologetically Catholic without wearing religion on his sleeve. He rooted his life in prayer and attended Mass daily.

His marriage to Eunice Kennedy made him part of the Kennedy clan, where at times philandering seemed to signify the good life. Yet no hint of scandal touched Sarge. And at his funeral after hearing more than one person speak of Sarge as “a good man,” the scandal plagued Bill Clinton looked down on the coffin and said, “Every other man in this church feels about two inches tall right now.”

Sarge reflected a grace-filled life and maintained a contemplative vision. He saw God in a sunrise, in his wife, and in his children and grandchildren. In the glitz of Kennedy campaigns, he was the calming presence. In the devastation after the assassination of President Kennedy, he was the man behind the funeral that made a mourning country one nation under God.

Continue reading HERE.

Centennial moment: Sacred Heart devotion

The feast of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, celebrated today, held a special place in the heart of Our Sunday Visitor’s founder, Archbishop John F. Noll.  He loved the devotion to the Sacred Heart, and spread it throughout the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend, Ind. He performed enthronement ceremonies in the homes of his relatives and enthroned the Sacred Heart in the Our Sunday Visitor pressroom.

The statue of the Sacred Heart enthroned by Archbishop Noll remains at Our Sunday Visitor today, greeting visitors who come to the east entrance of its building in Huntington, Ind.

Archbishop Noll at the original enthronement of Our Sunday Visitor's
pressroom in 1950.

Sacred Heart statue as it appears today at Our Sunday Visitor.

Updated: Catechism now available in free online format

The Catechism of the Catholic Church is now available at the website of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in a format identical to an e-book. Currently only available in English, it can be found at www.usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/what-we-believe/catechism/catechism-of-the-catholic-church/index.cfm.

From the USCCB:

“Providing the Catechism in this particular electronic format will make this foundational resource even more accessible to people,” explained Bishop John Wester, chair of the USCCB Communications Committee. “It is free to anyone who has access to the Internet.”

Available through any Internet browser, the Catechism file displays and functions as an e-book. Users can bookmark or highlight areas, see footnotes in a “light box” without leaving the original page, and search within the Catechism, including by paragraph number.

...“The USCCB is wisely using technology to serve their constituents and they are raising the bar for engaging users,” said Dave Gallerizzo, CEO of Fig Leaf Software, the interactive Web agency that partnered with the USCCB to create the e-book. “There might be some e-book readers that have a few of these features, but I doubt you can find one that offers all of these features in a single application.”

Click HERE to access the online version.

A prayer for our nation as Fortnight approaches

In anticipation of the Fortnight for Freedom, which begins June 21 and continues through July 4, Ed Mechmann of the Archdiocese of New York's Family Life/Respect Life offers a reflection on the trajectory our country seems to be on in terms of religious freedom and various "mandates" that will require Catholics to go against the teachings of their faith in order to uphold the law of the land. The Fortnight is an initiative of the U.S. bishops in an attempt to draw attention to threats to religious liberty.

From Ed Mechmann over at Fathers For Good:

Just over four years ago, my wife and I had the privilege of attending the beautiful Mass offered by Pope Benedict XVI at Yankee Stadium. Like many in the stadium, we were caught up in the power of the event – the leader of the Church around the world had come to our home town and was celebrating the Eucharist in the heart of New York. It was the pinnacle of the Holy Father’s visit to our nation, and a wonderful moment for us as Catholics.

Throughout his visit to America, the Holy Father spoke in such positive terms about our nation's legacy of freedom. At the time, it would have been easy for most Americans to overlook the significance of remarks like these:

In this land of religious liberty, Catholics found freedom not only to practice their faith, but also to participate fully in civic life, bringing their deepest moral convictions to the public square and cooperating with their neighbors in shaping a vibrant, democratic society. Today’s celebration is more than an occasion of gratitude for graces received. It is also a summons to move forward with firm resolve to use wisely the blessings of freedom, in order to build a future of hope for coming generations.

How prophetic the Holy Father has proven to be. Just a few years after that papal visit, we are faced with a panoply of threats to our fundamental religious liberty...continue reading HERE.

For more information on the Fortnight for Freedom, click HERE.

Centennial moment: Archbishop Noll and the bishops' conference

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops will meet in Atlanta Wednesday through Friday for the spring general assembly. The bishops will be discussing many important matters, including religious liberty concerns and the progress made since the 2002 Dallas Charter.

It was at a 1925 meeting of the National Catholic Welfare Conference (a precursor to the USCCB) that then-newly appointed Bishop John F. Noll became an influential leader among U.S. prelates. No sooner had he walked into the meeting than Cardinal William O'Connell of Boston signaled him to come to rostrum. The cardinal informed the new bishop that he was to become secretary of the conference.

At that same meeting, Bishop Noll was elected treasurer of the American Board of Catholic Missions. He would serve as a member of the board for 25 years, and used Our Sunday Visitor to appeal for support of the missions.

Bishop Noll biographer Ann Ball points out in her book "Champion of the Church," "Many on the NCWC would later say, 'Let Noll do it,' as a sign of their confidence in his abilities to raise funds and organize for national causes, such as the National Shrine."

Tips for a charitable approach to political discourse

By Russell Shaw
            

A prominent Republican congressman, a Catholic, says his economic proposals reflect the social doctrine of the Church. Statements from the bishops’ conference dispute that, and some faculty at Georgetown University tell the congressman he isn’t welcome there. (They aren’t known to have objected when, several weeks later, Kathleen Sebelius of ‘HHS mandate’ fame spoke at a Georgetown commencement event.)

The bishop of Peoria likens policies of the Obama administration to the anti-religious stance of the Hitler and Stalin regimes. Some faculty at Notre Dame urge the bishop to resign as a university trustee for having said so dreadful a thing. (They aren’t known to have objected three years ago when Notre Dame gave Barack Obama an honorary degree despite his pro-abortion views.)

Disturbing? Disconcerting? Symptoms of division in the nation and the Church? As a matter of fact, yes. But let’s not exaggerate. This is how Catholics, like other Americans, typically carry on in an election year.

Nearly two centuries ago, Alexis de Tocqueville captured the messy reality of an American election in these words: “The election becomes the greatest and, as it were, the only matter which occupies people’s minds. Then political factions redouble their enthusiasm, every possible phony passion that the imagination can conceive…comes out into the light of day.”

If you think things have been bad lately, count on it — they’ll get worse before November. Count also on Catholics to do their share of bashing one another along the way.

Against this background, exhortations to civility have become a pious cliché of political discourse. Civility is good, but for people who profess to be members of the Catholic Church, fairness and even — heaven help us! — charity would be better. To that end, here are a couple of suggestions.

For one thing, it would be helpful if Catholics with partisan political commitments stopped accusing the bishops of partisanship whenever they speak up strongly against some Obama policy. It isn’t the bishops’ doing that the Democratic party officially supports legalized abortion and the Republican party officially opposes it. No Catholic prelate twisted President Obama’s arm to get him to support gay marriage. To put it bluntly, allegations of episcopal partisanship are a red herring in this context.

Among other things, the charge ignores the fact that bishops have an obligation to do their jobs as moral teachers, with the political chips falling where they may. Declaring the wrongness of abortion and upholding traditional marriage are unavoidably large parts of what that entails. But anyone who claims these are the only things bishops talk about obviously hasn’t been paying attention and doesn’t deserve to be taken seriously.

Nor is it reasonable to accuse bishops of picking on the Obama administration by putting up a fight against its plan to force Catholic institutions to cover contraceptives, sterilizations, and abortifacients under Obamacare. This, remember, was the administration’s idea, not the bishops’. Did Catholic critics expect the Church to roll over and play dead?

It would be well, too, if people professionally engaged in applying principles of Catholic social doctrine to complex issues weren’t too quick about judging others. In the case of the Catholic congressman mentioned above, Rep. Paul Ryan, his approach may or may not be right — and those who think he’s wrong are free to say so. But a Catholic legislator attempting to be faithful to the Church in an area where the correct application of principles isn’t so clear deserves some slack.

Too much to hope for in an election year? Tocqueville would probably say yes.

Crystal Cathedral renamed Christ Cathedral

Selection of the fittest

Within an estimated three to five years, new technology will allow parents to know -- via DNA blueprint -- which dominant traits their child will have, meaning abortions will inevitably rise as some parents abort their babies not only for genetic defects, which is horrific in itself, but for things as insignificant as brown eyes. Brave new world, indeed.

From the New York Times:

For the first time, researchers have determined virtually the entire genome of a fetus using only a blood sample from the pregnant woman and a saliva specimen from the father.

The accomplishment heralds an era in which parents might find it easier to know the complete DNA blueprint of a child months before it is born.

That would allow thousands of genetic diseases to be detected prenatally. But the ability to know so much about an unborn child is likely to raise serious ethical considerations as well. It could increase abortions for reasons that have little to do with medical issues and more to do with parental preferences for traits in children.

“It’s an extraordinary piece of technology, really quite remarkable,” said Peter Benn, professor of genetics and developmental biology at the University of Connecticut, who was not involved in the work. “What I see in this paper is a glance into the future.”

...The ability to sequence an entire fetal genome is likely to raise numerous issues. “There are some scenarios that are extremely troubling,” said Marcy Darnovsky, associate executive director of the Center for Genetics and Society, a public interest group in Berkeley, Calif. The tests will spur questions on “who deserves to be born,” she said.

Use of the approach could lead to an increase in abortions because some parents might terminate the pregnancy if the fetus was found to have a genetic disease. But it is also possible that parents may be tempted to terminate if the fetus lacked a favorable trait like athletic prowess.

“You could start doing things more toward the direction of positive selection,” said Dr. Stephen A. Brown, associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Vermont.

Read the full story HERE.

Centennial moment: Archbishop Noll, OSV and the Cristero War

With the recently released film "For Greater Glory" earning accolades (see OSV's story about it from the May 27 issue), many U.S. Catholics are learning about the persecution of the Mexican Church during the Cristero War.

Back in the 1920s and '30s, the war was of grave concern to Our Sunday Visitor and its founder, Archbishop John F. Noll. As biographer Ann Ball pointed out in her book "Champion of the Church," then-Bishop Noll wrote about the Mexican government's persecution of the Church regularly in the pages of Our Sunday Visitor and worked with the Knights of Columbus and the Extension Society to inform American readers of the atrocities occurring south of the border.

Bishop Noll also established a group called Friends of Catholic Mexico to publicize the persecution, and, as a member of the National Catholic Welfare Conference (precursor to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops), he helped to draft the written position of American bishops in pushing the president of the United States for action to end the Cristero War.

Cover of a Friends of Catholic Mexico
booklet.

'The saints chase us...' Dawn Eden speaks about sexual abuse, healing, and transformation

From the June 10 issue of OSV Newsweekly, my interview with Dawn Eden, author of the newly released Peace I Give You: Healing Sexual Wounds with the Help of the Saints:

By Mary DeTurris Poust

Dawn Eden, best-selling author of “The Thrill of the Chaste,” recently spoke to Our Sunday Visitor about her newest book, “My Peace I Give You: Healing Sexual Wounds with the Help of the Saints” (Ave Maria Press, $16.95) and about her willingness to use her own experiences to help others heal wounds and achieve spiritual transformation.

Our Sunday Visitor: Writing a book about this deeply personal and painful topic requires a real willingness to be vulnerable before your readers. How did you reach that point?

Dawn Eden: Beginning to write “My Peace I Give You” was a challenge. In conversations that I had with friends and pastoral caregivers, it was painful to discuss what it was like to be a survivor of childhood sexual abuse. So how could I begin to share my experience with the whole world?

The approach I ended up taking is, in essence, the approach I recommend for healing. As I write in “My Peace I Give You,” the aim is to act from your wellness, not from your pathology. What is hardest to discuss is the problem of evil. Why does God permit it? As I wrote, I knew from my theological training and from the Catechism that the Lord never positively wills evil. He permits it only to bring forth a greater good (Catechism of the Catholic Church, No. 412). But it’s one thing to know that truth of our faith on an intellectual level, and it’s another thing to internalize it. Continue reading HERE.

Centennial moment: Archbishop Noll's priestly ordination

June is a popular month for priestly ordinations these days. It wasn't too different in the late 19^th century.

On this date 114 years ago, Our Sunday Visitor founder John Francis Noll was ordained to the priesthood at Fort Wayne's Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, which was his home parish.

Normally, young men were not ordained before they turned 24, but there was a great need for priests in the diocese. Also, Noll's mentor, cathedral rector Father Joseph Brammer, was gravely ill and worried that he would not live to see the first seminarian from his parish ordained. Consequently, the 23-year-old Noll was ordained June 4,1898. Father Brammer died two weeks later, on June 20.

Within a year, Father Noll was named pastor of St. Patrick Parish in Ligonier at age 24. His parish was 30 square miles, which he covered on foot or horseback.

Archbishop Noll during his seminary years.

LCWR: Vatican report caused 'scandal and pain'

From the Leadership Conference of Women Religious: 

The national board of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR) held a special meeting in Washington, DC from May 29-31 to review, and plan a response to, the report issued to LCWR by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

The board members raised concerns about both the content of the doctrinal assessment and the process by which it was prepared. Board members concluded that the assessment was based on unsubstantiated accusations and the result of a flawed process that lacked transparency. Moreover, the sanctions imposed were disproportionate to the concerns raised and could compromise their ability to fulfill their mission. The report has furthermore caused scandal and pain throughout the church community, and created greater polarization.

The board determined that the conference will take the following steps:

· On June 12 the LCWR president and executive director will return to Rome to meet with CDF prefect Cardinal William Levada and the apostolic delegate Archbishop Peter Sartain to raise and discuss the board’s concerns.

· Following the discussions in Rome, the conference will gather its members both in regional meetings and in its August assembly to determine its response to the CDF report.

The board recognizes this matter has deeply touched Catholics and non-Catholics throughout the world as evidenced by the thousands of messages of support as well as the dozens of prayer vigils held in numerous parts of the country. It believes that the matters of faith and justice that capture the hearts of Catholic sisters are clearly shared by many people around the world. As the church and society face tumultuous times, the board believes it is imperative that these matters be addressed by the entire church community in an atmosphere of openness, honesty, and integrity.

LCWR has approximately 1500 members who are elected leaders of their religious orders, representing approximately 80% of the 57,000 Catholic sisters in the United States. The conference develops leadership, promotes collaboration within church and society, and serves as a voice for systemic change. Created in 1956, LCWR has a history of being at the forefront of change and renewal in the US Catholic church as well as acting as a strong advocate for social justice in society.