From Archbishop Sample's Last Diocese - Michigan Bishop Inaugurates Program to have Chant at all Parishes.

This story was suggested by a VOCAL reader.

Catholic World News

January 29, 2016

Bishop John Doerfler of Marquette, Michigan, has issued directions for all parishes in the diocese to institute programs that will lead to the congregation chanting the Ordinary parts of the Mass.
Following up on the work of his predecessor in Marquette, then-Bishop Alexander Sample (who is now Archbishop of Portland, Oregon), Bishop Doerfler has called for the action to carry out the vision of Vatican II, which encouraged the use of Gregorian chant and congregational involvement in the singing.

In a pastoral letter released in 2013, Bishop Sample had also called attention to the Council's directives on liturgical music, as well as similar directives from post-conciliar Pontiffs and from the US episcopal conference. "Given all of this strong teaching from the Popes, the Second Vatican Council, and the US bishops, how is it that this ideal concerning Gregorian chant has not been realized?" he asked. Bishop Doerfler said that he was taking action to realize his predecessor's ideal.
Therefore, the bishop said, all parishes in the Marquette diocese will be expected to teach chant to the faithful, and introduce the regular chanting of the Ordinary parts of the Mass. These steps, Bishop Doerfler said, "can be taken by the smallest parishes in the diocese." He ordered that all parishes have chant programs in place by the end of the year 2020.

Bishop Doerfler also announced that the diocese would prepare its own hymnal, and only music from that hymnal will be approved for use at Mass in the diocese. He said that a diocesan director of sacred music will be appointed, to help parishes instruct the faithful and prepare for the new programs.

The Archdiocese Now Serving Only Fair Trade Coffee.

Years agos, before Archbishop Sample's arrival, the second floor of the Pastoral Center had a coffee cart filled with air-pots of Starbucks coffee. (Starbucks is across the street as is Whole Foods).  There were different flavors of syrup for the coffee as well as Lindor candies wrapped in colorful paper.  Extra-sized cookies were also available.  

This was observed twice and months apart.  Others noticed the same thing so it seemed to be the norm. 

Having "Fair-trade" coffee that is more expensive, probably, shows more of a mentality of wealth and doesn't seem to put  "collection plate money" to good use.  In fact, bringing a thermos of coffee from home is more "Catholic" than using Fair trade coffee and might be more appropriate to put on the front page.   But this might be just a matter of opinion. 

Here are some links on the subject.

http://ssir.org/articles/entry/the_problem_with_fair_trade_coffee

https://www.organicconsumers.org/news/pros-and-cons-fair-trade-coffee

 http://www.explainthatstuff.com/fairtrade.html


                                   Archdiocese Serving Fair Trade Coffee

Employees at the Archdiocese of Portland pastoral center stop for a coffee break.

The Archdiocese of Portland will serve only fair trade coffee at the Pastoral Center in Northeast Portland. The move is meant to help the archdiocese live consistently with Catholic social teaching, since fair trade coffee benefits the poor and vulnerable instead of large corporations.

“Fair trade coffee supports farmers in developing countries who are socially and economically marginalized,” says Matt Cato director of the archdiocese’s Office of Life, Justice and Peace. “Fair trade guarantees that small-scale coffee bean farmers in Third-World countries achieve a fair price for their beans.”

Cato says fair trade promotes the dignity of workers by ensuring fair wages and by helping vulnerable producers maintain their livelihoods when traditional economic structures shut them out.

“Fair trade is Catholic,” Cato says. “Fair trade coffee costs a little but more, but it is the right thing to do.”
 

The Angel of Dachau: Pope Francis declares concentration camp priest a martyr

Vatican City, Jan 26, 2016 / 06:03 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Fr. Engelmar Unzeitig, a young priest with Czech roots serving in Germany and Austria, was arrested by the Nazis on April 21, 1941.
His crime? Preaching against the Third Reich from his pulpit, particularly against their treatment of the Jewish people. He encouraged his congregation to be faithful to God and to resist the lies of the Nazi regime.

As punishment, Fr. Unzeitig was sent to what has been called the “largest monastery in the world”: Dachau concentration camp, which became renowned for the number of ministers and priests within its walls.

Venerable Engelmar Unzeitig, CMM, whom Pope Francis declared a martyr last week. 

The camp housed some 2,700 clergy, roughly 95 percent of whom were Catholic priests from Poland, making it one of the largest residences for priests in the history of the Church – hence the name.
Father Unzeitig was just 30 years old, and two years ordained, when he was sent to Dachau. Born in Greifendorf, in what is now the Czech Republic, in 1911, Fr. Unzeitig joined the seminary at the age of 18 and became a priest for the Mariannhill Mission Society, whose motto is: “If no one else will go: I will go!”

While imprisoned at the camp, Father studied Russian in order to be able to help the influx of prisoners from Eastern Europe, and had a reputation at the camp as a holy man.

Treatment of the priests and ministers at Dachau was unpredictable – sometimes they were allowed to worship, at others they were severely treated. On one particular Good Friday, dozens of priests were selected for torture to mark the occasion.

For several years, Fr. Unzeitig was able to remain in relatively stable health despite the poor treatment he received. However, when a wave of the often-fatal typhoid fever swept through the camp in 1945, he and 19 other priests volunteered to do what no one else wanted to – care for the sick and dying in the typhoid barracks, an almost-certain death sentence in and of itself. He and his companions spent their days bathing and caring for the sick, praying with them and offering last rites.

Despite his bleak circumstances, Fr. Unzeitig found his hope and joy in his faith, as evidenced in letters to his sister from the camp:

“Whatever we do, whatever we want, is surely simply the grace that carries us and guides us. God’s almighty grace helps us overcome obstacles … love doubles our strength, makes us inventive, makes us feel content and inwardly free. If people would only realize what God has in store for those who love him!” he wrote.


In another letter he wrote:

"Even behind the hardest sacrifices and worst suffering stands God with his Fatherly love, who is satisfied with the good will of his children and gives them and others happiness."

Eventually, on March 2, 1945, Fr. Unzeitig succumbed to typhoid fever himself, along with all but two of the other priest volunteers. Dachau was liberated by American soldiers just a few weeks later, on April 29.

In recognition of his heroic virtue, Fr. Engelmar Unzeitig was declared venerable by Benedict XVI on July 3, 2009.

On January 21, Pope Francis officially acknowledged Fr. Unzeitig as a martyr, killed in hatred of the faith, which opens the path for his beatification, the next step in becoming a canonized saint.

From 2011. Oregon Catholic Priest and Evangelical Minister: "Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon, why does the Archdiocese of Portland belong to this?"

2016 VOCAL. We cannot be blind to the fact that all "Ecumenical and Inter-religious" activities are with progressive churches.  There is no connection with protestant churches that support family values and not same-sex relationships.  There are no Christian churches that are pro-life included in EMO. 

With Matt Cato, our Office of Life, Justice and Peace on the steering committee of Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon, which is our "outreach" to other churches,  what are we afraid of to include Oregon Family Council churches that are very confused about the Catholics in Oregon.

Below are letters, one from a Catholic priest and one from a prominent Protestant minister from a few years ago, but things have not changed. 
                                                                +++++++++++

Dear Father and Pastor... Thank you for giving me your observations of Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon.   You represent true ecumenism.  Maybe by your words Oregon Catholics will now understand the problem.......God Bless, VOCAL


 "To Whom it may concern, (from anonymous Oregon Catholic priest),

While it would be tough for me to weigh in on an internal Catholic issue, I can have a personal opinion overall.  The biggest problem I have is that if you believe what you claim to believe, why would you put time and energy into an Organization that actively works against that belief?  EMO, clearly and unequivocally, has the position that gays and lesbians are not engaged in unnatural sexual relations, essentially they hold homosexual behavior to be OK.

Last time I looked, the Catholic Church still, and rightly so under the bible, believe homosexual behavior to be unnatural and immoral.  While many of their programs for social justice are great, the Catholic Church doesn’t need to belong to advance those noble causes they do promote.

  It is one thing to love and tolerate all sinners, it is quite another to say their sin is ok and free of consequences.  By belonging to EMO the Catholic Church is compromising their own values, for what benefit?  Whatever benefits they believe come from membership can easily be obtained other ways without giving tacit approval to the homosexual lifestyle.

 I am all for having a loving and open dialogue with other Christians about our different interpretations of scripture, but why do I have to join their organization?  Of the five (5) largest denominations in Oregon (by number of members in the State), (Catholic, Mormon, Assemblies of God and Evangelical Lutheran and Foursquare), the Catholic Church is the only one who chooses to be a member.  In looking at the statistics, the EMO, absent the Catholic Church, represents a very small minority of Oregon Church goers, about 10%.  Here is the link to that info, 

  http://www.thearda.com/mapsReports/reports/state/41_2000.asp

Paul and Peter: Icon of True Ecumenism

 The bottom line is, they have an important belief that runs counter to Church doctrine; and without the Catholic Church, they really represent a very small number of Oregon church goers.  So why get involved?"

Thank you for this forum to speak. VOCAL.

True Ecumenism in Action: A leading Evangelical Ministry leader that works across denominational lines in both Oregon, Washington and nationally made these remarks regarding Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon (EMO)

"My observations about EMO are very, very bad. They represent everything the Evangelical Church disdains, are not true followers of the Scriptures, and use them only as a useful garment to cover their truly humanistic and misguided perception of 'truth.'

They misconstrue true Biblical Theology to serve their preconceived ideas about what is right and wind up twisting and interpreting the Scriptures to agree with their humanist religious views.

They represent only a small fraction of 'Churches' in Oregon and the Evangelical Church considers them 'apostate.' We do not agree in the least with their support of 'domestic partnerships' nor granting rights to any class of people based on their sexual behavior, which EMO clearly does. 

In fact, we are appalled that Catholic Leadership, after what they have gone through in Oregon and throughout the nation, is even willing to align themselves with any group that supports the homosexual agenda. It sends the signal to any and everyone that the Catholic Church leadership has still not walked away from this sordid relationship.

For the Catholic Church to align with the EMO and in support of homosexual behavior is to deny everything that the Catholic Church teaches, and to alienate many, many Catholics from Catholic Church leadership.

It is actually to be out of step with the Pope and the Vatican, and it castes a long shadow of distrust and alienation from the Evangelical Christian world in working together on other areas of mutual interest."  

From the Holy Father's Own Words.....


Pope Benedict XVI has declared his commitment to the Second Vatican Council's Ecumenism, but has stressed a hermeneutic of continuity in Catholic doctrine so that Ecumenism never really becomes a break from the bi-millennial Church tradition.

St Peter's Square on 7 June 2006

The Virtue Continuum aka Getting Ready for Lent