New Year and New Cardinals on the Feast of the Baptism of Our Lord.

These new cardinals will be among those that vote for the new Pontiff when we need one.  The choices made by the pope help us to understand more about him.  At the end of this post are his remarks on this day of baptisms and naming cardinals.

Robert Moynihan is the founding editor of Inside the Vatican magazine, a journal on Church and world affairs published every month in Rome.  His email address is http://themoynihanletters.com/.

January 12, 2014, Sunday – New Cardinals Feast of the Baptism of the Lord Pope Francis today in Rome at his noon Angelus announced the names of 19 new cardinals, 16 "electing" cardinals under the age of 80, and three "honorary" cardinals above the age of 80, and so not eligible to vote in a Conclave. The ceremony to create these news cardinals will be in Rome on February 22, Feast of the Chair of St. Peter. It will be the first Consistory to create cardinals of Pope Francis. Are there surprises? Yes, a number -- except that most of these "surprises" have been rumored for many weeks, so we cannot really consider them "surprises" at all. But the choices are different than ones that might have been made by another Pope.  Pope Francis in general has chosen "lesser-known" men (for example, a lesser known prelate from the Philippines, Orlando B. Quevedo, O.M.I., Archbishop of Cotabato) and overlooked several prelates who might normally have been "expected" to have been named cardinals, especially Archbishop Francesco Moraglia, Patriarch of Venice, originally from Genoa (he was ordained a priest by Cardinal Giuseppe Siri of Genoa). That is, Francis, by his choices, continues to give a powerful signal that he wants the Church to think less about herself -- in his signature phrase, to not be "auto-referential" -- and instead to think more about the poor and suffering in our world, to go increasingly "out of the sacristy" and into the "peripheries" to encounter those who are often forgotten and without hope. So, under Francis, we are in a period when old schemes of ecclesial power and authority, and promotion, are being set aside in favor of a new emphasis on pastoral care in support of the marginalized and the suffering. There are no Americans on the list (some had expected one or two American archbishops might be chosen). There is one from Great Britain: Archbishop Vincent Nichols of Westminster. The personal secretary of Pope John XXIII, Loris Capovilla, who is now 98, was chosen. He was present in 1959 when Pope John, at Catsel Gandolfo, asked for the Third Secrect of Fatima to be brought to him to read. Here are the names: 1. Pietro Parolin, Titular Archbishop of Acquapendente, Secretary of State. 2. Lorenzo Baldisseri, Titular Archbishop of Diocleziana, Secretary General of the Synod of Bishops. 3. Gerhard Ludwig Mueller, Archbishop-Bishop emeritus of Regensburg, Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. 4. Beniamino Stella, Titular Archbishop of Midila, Prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy. 5. Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster, United Kingdom. 6. Leopoldo Jose Brenes Solorzano, Archbishop of Managua, Nicaragua. 7. Gerald Cyprien Lacroix, Archbishop of Quebec, Canada. 8. Jean-Pierre Kutwa, Archbishop of Abidjan, Ivory Coast. 9. Orani Joao Tempesta, O.Cist., Archbishop of Rio de Janeiro. 10. Gualtiero Bassetti, Archbishop of Perugia-Citta della Pieve, Italy. 11. Mario Aurelio Poli, Archbishop of Buenos Aires, Argentina. 12. Andrew Yeom Soo jung, Archbishop of Seoul, South Korea. 13. Ricardo Ezzati Andrello, S.D.B., Archbishop of Santiago del Cile, Chile. 14. Philippe Nakellentuba Ouedraogo, Archbishop of Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. 15. Orlando B. Quevedo, O.M.I., Archbishop of Cotabato, Philippines. 16. Chibly Langlois, Bishop of Les Cayes, Haiti. The three over the age of 80: 17. Loris Francesco Capovilla, Titular Archbishop of Mesembria. 18. Fernando Sebastian Aguilar, C.M.F., Archbishop emeritus of Pamplona. 19. Kelvin Edward Felix, Archbishop emeritus of Castries. Perhaps the two most noticeable omissions are two Italians: Francesco Moraglia, Patriarch of Venice (recall that Pope John XXIII and Pope John Paul I were both Patriarchs of Venice before being elected Popes in 1958 and 1978, so Venice has been a very prominent see in the Church) and Cesare Nosiglia, Archbishop of Turin. Two other important names not on the list: (1) The Vatican Librarian, the French Dominican scholar Jean-Louis Bruguès. When he was secretary of the Vatican's Congregation for Catholic Education, had opposed then-Cardinal Bergoglio's choice to be Rector of The Catholic University of  Buenos Aires, Father  Victor Manuel Fernández, who is said to be very close to Pope Francis and one of his "ghost-writers" for papal documents; and (2) the Archbishop of Malines-Bruxelles, Belgium, André Léonard, considered a "conservative" and one of the "rising stars" in the Church in Western Europe. Here is a brief commentary on the first three choices of Pope Francis: 1. The first name on the list is that of the new Vatican Secretary of State, an Italian, Archbishop Pietro Parolin. This was a "necessary" choice, as Parolin, as Secretary of State, would (barring a complete revolution) have to be a cardinal. But this simply reinforces the idea the Francis respects and trusts Parolin — that is, that he knew already when he named him Secretary of State at the end of the summer that he would, in consequence of that, make him a cardinal. Parolin has spent his life in the service of the Holy See, first in Nigeria, then in Mexico, then in the Vatican Curia, and most recently in Venezuela as the Pope's nuncio (ambassador) there, under the difficult circumstances of the presidency of Hugo Chávez (who died on March 5, almost one year ago). So Parolin, who is fluent in Spanish, is very well-informed about the situation in Latin America today. Parolin has also, over the years, followed closely events in Vietnam, and in China. He is well-informed on Asia. Moreover, he was for a number of years the Vatican's lead negotiator at nuclear arms reduction talks in Vienna. So he understands well the situation of global armaments and their control. He has been at the forefront of Vatican efforts to approve and implement the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty. Addressing the International Atomic Energy Agency on September 18, 2006, at its headquarters in Vienna, Austria, Parolin referred to this treaty as "the basis to pursue nuclear disarmament and an important element for further development of nuclear energy applications for peaceful purposes." He said: "Since this treaty is the only multilateral legal instrument currently available, intended to bring about a nuclear weapons-free world, it must not be allowed to be weakened. Humanity deserves no less than the full cooperation of all states in this important matter." Parolin is a courteous, friendly man, very well-trained, profoundly dedicated to his work (he often works into the evening, 12-hour days), and he is exceptionally calm and balanced: key attributes for the delicate work of diplomacy, which seeks to find a way to resolve problems and disputes between contending, and sometimes unreasonable, parties. Parolin is now the key "filter" between Pope Francis and the world's diplomatic and political communities, where the worldly interests of nations and interest groups contend and clash. He has said was taken by surprise when Pope Francis named him his Secretary of State, but Pope Francis clearly trusts him and will be relying greatly on him in the months ahead. 2. The second name is that of the new head of the Synod of Bishops, also an Italian, Lorenzo Baldisseri. Pope Francis, moments after his election on March 13, famously removed his own cardinal's cap and placed it on the head of then-Archbishop Baldisseri, who was acting as the Secretary of the Conclave. Vatican watchers immediately interpreted that as a sign that Baldiserri would be made a cardinal in the Pope's first Consistory, and that has turned out to be a true forecast. Born in Pisa, Italy, Baldisseri served in the Vatican's diplomatic service in Guatemala, Haiti, Paraguay, India and -- for 10 years -- in Brazil. So Baldiserri, who speaks Spanish and Portuguese fluently (and also English), has decades of personal experience in Latin America. For the past two years, he has been the Secretary of the Congregation of Bishops, the body which studies the choices of bishops from around the world for the Latin-rite Church, so he knows well the process to choose bishops, and the more recent choices as bishops. He is also an accomplished pianist, and has played in concerts in and out of the Vatican. 3. The third name, Gerhard Mueller, is another "necessary" choice. Pope Benedict named Mueller head of the Vatican's chief doctrinal office, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Mueller, who is a very tall, powerfully-built man, was trusted by Benedict in part because he has been handling the editing of Benedict's collected works (Opera Omnia). Mueller has been a close personal friend of Father Gustavo Gutierrez of Lima, Peru, considered to be the "father" of Liberation Theology. Mueller met Guttierrez in 1988 and has often visited him, spending weeks in Lima in study programs. “The Latin American ecclesial and theological movement known as 'Liberation Theology,' which spread to other parts of the world after the Second Vatican Council, should in my opinion be included among the most important currents in 20th century Catholic theology,” Mueller has said. Mueller is also known for having said that the Church's position on admitting to divorced and remarried Catholics to the sacrament of Communion is not something that can or will be changed. But other German Church leaders, including Cardinal Walter Kasper, have recently gone on record saying the teaching may and will be changed. So this is one important area of discussion and potential tension in coming months, leading up to the Synod on the Family in October. The Patriarch Not Chosen There are only three Patriarchates in the Latin Church: Lisbon in Portugal, Jerusalem in the Holy Land, and Venice in Italy. (Photo: Francesco Moraglia of Venice; he was not made a cardinal) The Emeritus Patriarch of Lisbon, José da Cruz Policarpo, is a cardinal. (The current Patriarch of Lisbon is Don Manuel José Macário do Nascimento Clemente, officially referred to as Manuel III; he was appointed by Pope Francis in May 18, 2013, replacing Policarpo who was resigned due to old age, and solemnly installed on July 6, 2013 at the Patriarchal Cathedral of St. Mary Major.) Patriarch Faoud Twal of Jerusalem is not a cardinal. And, for the moment, the Patriarch of Venice, Moraglia, will not be a cardinal. Venice is referred to as the "See of St. Mark" because the relics of St. Mark were brought to Venice from Alexandria in the early 800s. (The story of St. Mark is interesting and worth recalling also because it reveals how early the Gospel of Mark probably is. We know that St. Peter went to Antioch about seven or eight years after the death of Christ, in c. 40-41 A.D., and from there traveled through Asia Minor (as mentioned in 1 Pet 1:1), arriving in Rome in the second year of Emperor Claudius (42 A.D.) as Eusebius tells us in his Ecclesiastical History (2.14.6). Somewhere on the way, Peter picked up Mark and took him as travel companion and interpreter. Mark is believed to have written down the sermons of Peter (much like a reporter), the raw material for the Gospel According to St. Mark (Eccl. Hist. 15–16), before he left Peter and went to Alexandria in the third year of Claudius (43 A.D.). If this reconstruction is accurate, the words of the Gospel of Mark were written down within 10 years of the death of Jesus. In any case, relics believed to be the body of St. Mark were stolen from Alexandria in 828 A.D. by Venetian merchants and taken to Venice. A mosaic of the event in St Mark's Basilica depicts sailors covering the relics with a layer of pork and cabbage leaves. Since Muslims are not permitted to touch pork, this was done to prevent Muslim guards from inspecting the ship's cargo too closely. “History records no more shameless example of body snatching...” as John Julius Norwich put it. And thus the relics of St. Mark came to Venice.) Moraglia was named Patriarch of Venice two years ago, in January, 20912, by Pope Benedict XVI, succeeding Cardinal Angelo Scola on the throne of St. Mark. He took up his post in March 2012. Moraglia was born in Genoa on May 25, 1953 and was ordained priest by Cardinal Giuseppe Siri on June 29, 1977. A doctor in dogmatic theology, he worked a director of the office of Culture and at the University of the Diocese of Genoa, as a professor of Christology, anthropology, the sacramentary and history of theology at the Theological Faculty of Northern Italy and as dean and professor at the Higher Institute of Religious Studies of Liguria. Moraglia was considered a "Ratzingerian," both from a theological and liturgical point of view. However, on more than one occasion, the bishop took a supportive position on behalf of unemployed factory workers. ======================== Here is the text of the Pope's remarks today: Dear brothers and sisters, hello! Today is the feast of the Baptism of the Lord. This morning I baptized 32 newborns. I thank the Lord with you for these babies and for every new life. I like to baptize children. I really enjoy it! Every child who is born is a gift of joy and hope, and every child who is baptized is marvel of the faith and a festival for the family of God. Today’s Gospel reading highlights the fact that, when Jesus received baptism from John in the Jordan River, “the heavens opened for him” (Matthew 3:16). This fulfills the prophecies. In fact, there is an invocation that the liturgy has us repeat during Advent: “O that you would rend the heavens and come down!” (Isaiah 63:19). If the heavens remain closed, our horizon in this earthly life is dark, without hope. But, celebrating Christmas, the faith has once again given us the certainty that the heavens have been opened by Jesus’coming. And on the day of Christ’s baptism we again contemplate the opened heavens. The manifestation of the Son of God on earth is the beginning of the great time of mercy, after sin had closed the heavens, making a barrier between human beings and their Creator. With Jesus’ birth the heavens are opened! God gives us in Christ the guarantee of an indestructible love. From the moment the Word was made flesh it is possible to see the heavens opened. It is possible for the shepherds of Bethlehem, for the magi from the East, for the Baptist, for the Apostles of Jesus, for St. Stephen, the first martyr, who exclaimed: “I see the heavens opened!” (Acts 7:56). And it is also possible for each one of us, if we let ourselves be invaded by God’s love! This is the great time of mercy! Do not forget it. This is the great time of mercy! When Jesus received the of baptism repentance from John the Baptist, entering into solidarity with the repentant people – he who is without and without a need to convert – God the Father made his voice heard from heaven: “This is my beloved Son. In him I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17). Jesus received the heavenly Father’s approval, who sent him precisely to share our condition, our poverty. Sharing is the true way to love. Jesus does not disassociate himself from us. He considers us brothers and shares with us. And in this way he makes us sons, together with him, of God the Father. This is revelation and the source of true love. And this is the great time of mercy! Does it not seem to you that in our time there is a need for more fraternal sharing and of love? Does it not seem to you that we all need more charity? I am not talking about that charity that contents itself with extemporaneous help and does not get involved, does not put itself into play, but that charity that shares, that takes on our brother’s hardships and suffering. What flavor life has when we let ourselves be flooded with God’s love! Let us ask the Holy Virgin with her intercession to sustain us our effort to follow Christ along the way of faith and charity, the way traced out by our Baptism. [Following the recitation of the Angelus, the Holy Father continued:]  Dear brothers and sisters, I offer all of you my cordial greeting, especially the families and the faithful from different parishes in Italy and other countries along with the associations and various groups who are present. Today I would like to address a special thought to the parents who have had their children baptized and those who are preparing for the Baptism of a child. I join in the joy of these families, I thank the Lord with them, and I pray that the Baptism of their children with help the parents themselves to rediscover the beauty of faith and to return in a new way to the Sacraments and to the community. As has already been announced, on February 22, the Feast of the Chair of St. Peter, I will have the joy of holding a consistory, during which I will name 16 new cardinals, who – belonging to 12 nations from every corner of the world – represent the profound ecclesial relationship between the Church of Rome and the other Church’s dispersed throughout the world. On the following day I will preside at a solemn celebration with the new cardinals while on February 20-21I will hold a consistory with all of the cardinals to reflect on the theme of the family. (Here the Pope gave the names in the order listed above) Let us pray for the new cardinals that, clothed in the virtues and sentiments of the Lord Jesus, the Good Shepherd, they can more efficaciously assist the Bishop of Rome in his service to the universal Church. I wish everyone a good Sunday and a good lunch. Goodbye! "Think nothing else but that God ordains all, and where there is no love, put love, and you will draw love out." --St. John of the Cross

Bishop Vasa: 'Remember, rejoice, return': A final goodbye to Father Eric Freed

Bishop Vasa's brother priest from his diocese, Father Eric Freed, was brutally murdered on New Year's Day.  Here is a newspaper article sharing Father Freed's funeral mass. 

Rest In Peace dear Father. 

 Will Houston/The Times-Standard

Posted:   01/07/2014 02:33:14 AM PST | Updated:   2 days ago

Hundreds of mourners gathered at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Eureka on Monday to attend their last Mass in the presence of the late Rev. Eric Freed of St. Bernard Catholic Church in Eureka.    Before the ceremony began, attendees consoled each other with embraces while others knelt in prayer.

After the opening prayer and readings, Bishop Robert Vasa spoke to the congregation as he had done the night before during a vigil at St. Bernard Catholic Church.    ”Each time we gather, it seems that the grief becomes a little more manageable,” Vasa said. During his homily, Vasa said that the community would share the grief of Freed's “untimely death,” but said that his teachings would still remain.  

”The torch is passed to all of you,” Vasa said. “Do not lose faith, do not lose hope. The examples and teachings Father Eric gave you, these too remain.”   As a way to begin after such a loss, Vasa told the congregation to utilize a characteristic that Freed exuded on a daily basis.   ”The commission here in Eureka is to love with the same joy that he possessed contagiously,” Vasa said.

Dance Farrell, who read scripture during the funeral Mass, said in an interview that Freed's joy in living was what brought everyone together.  "The one thing that he focused on more than anything else was the idea of joy,” Farrell said. “That joy that he brought is the reason all these people are here. Because he lived and shared that joy in a very real way.”

After the Mass ended, a funeral procession followed the hearse to St. Bernard's Cemetery. Mourners had the chance to say their final goodbyes -- some with a simple flower laid upon the casket while others fell to their knees and wept.   A reception was held after the burial where the many mourners were able to share their memories of Freed.  

Maria Homen said she first met Freed in 2001 when he was administrator of St. Mary's Catholic Church in Arcata.  "He was a friendly, nice priest who was really nice to talk to” Homen said. “I'm really shocked that this happened to him.”   For Homen, Freed's ability to connect with his parishioners made a lasting impression on her.  "He was able to explain the sermons and their meaning very well,” she said. “And he was really good with kids.” 

Arcata resident Diana Cavinta said Freed was very close to her family, even attending her daughter's second birthday.  "He was part of our family, our family life and religious life,” she said. “He was a wonderful person to everyone. It didn't matter if you were Catholic or a non-believer.”     Like Homen, Cavinta initially met Freed in Arcata and chose to follow him when he left to the Newman Center at Humboldt State University in 2006 and again when he moved to St. Bernard in Eureka. She even gave up her lunchtime jogs to go attend Freed's noon sermons.   Like many who knew Freed, Cavinta said she is having a difficult time coming to terms with his death.  "He sacrificed himself,” she said. “If he had to pick, instead of seeing someone else suffer, he would volunteer and take it. That's the only way I can justify it.”  

Vasa told the congregation that their grief will eventually pass, which will give them the chance to live as Freed did.   ”Remember, rejoice, return,” Vasa said. “We must do that.”

from Bill Diss: Fired from Benson High School in Portland

Dear Friends for Life and Purity,

I think many of you have heard that the school board, in a very strange manner, voted to dismiss me on December 16, 2013.  A bit of a strange Christmas present.  Life Legal Defense Fund will be assisting me along with the law firm of McKanna Bishop Joffe, LLP.  I do appreciate the prayers of everyone.  Please pray for my family and pray for those persecuting me.

It is my opinion that many administrators at Portland Public Schools will do everything to keep Planned Parenthood on the campuses.  I do not think that the district cares how much money they have to spend to keep Planned Parenthood and the philosophy of Planned Parenthood at the campuses of the district.

One of the board members, Bobbie Regan sits on the advisory board of the “mercy killing” organization Compassion & Choices of Oregon along with former Planned Parenthood Columbia Willamette CEO David Greenberg.  I would imagine others support other anti-life activities in the area.

The following was released by Life Legal Defense Fund on December 17, 2013:

Portland Public Schools Terminate Employment of Pro-Life Teacher

Posted on December 17, 2013 by Staff

 

Portland, Oregon: On Monday, December 16, 2013 the school board for the Portland Public School District voted to terminate the teaching contract of Bill Diss, a teacher who has been an outspoken opponent of Planned Parenthood. Mr. Diss experienced censure in his teaching career beginning in 2007 when he publicly opposed the building of a new Planned Parenthood abortion clinic in downtown Portland. The current action follows Mr. Diss’ opposition to being forced to facilitate presenters from the Teen Outreach Program (TOP), a program administered by Planned Parenthood, coming into his tutorial session to recruit students.

“Bill Diss is a well qualified teacher with a track record of success,” states Dana Cody, President and Executive Director of Life Legal Defense Foundation. “As the circumstances surrounding this termination demonstrate, Mr. Diss has done nothing that would merit being fired from his job. LLDF will pursue every possible avenue in defending Mr. Diss’ rights in this matter, and hopes to see his rights ultimately protected despite PPS’ actions.”



Background: Bill Diss has taught Technology, Math, Computers and Electronics at Benson High School since 2002. He has also taught several classes at the community college level. He is highly regarded in his abilities and his success both by students themselves, by their parents, and fellow teachers. Mr. Diss is the only teacher in the state of Oregon who has been certified as qualified to teach college level computer science to high school students for dual credit. His initiative and hard work have attracted outside grants to Benson opening up even greater opportunities for Benson students. For the first five years at Benson High, Mr. Diss was rated as proficient or better, with numerous positive compliments in his reviews. Mr. Diss’ methodology and teaching style has remained substantially the same in all his years of teaching.

The positive reviews took a dramatic change for the worse, however, when Mr. Diss began to speak out in opposition to the building of a new Planned Parenthood facility in downtown Portland. Mr. Diss was involved in opposition activities on his own time, and did not bring his political or religious convictions into his instruction in the classroom. Nonetheless, he began to experience complaints about his political activities from school administrators, and his teaching came under sudden, rigorous scrutiny. Complaints, negative evaluations, letters of reprimand and formal meetings became a regular part of Mr. Diss’ life at school for as long as he engaged in outspoken, public opposition to Planned Parenthood.

Shortly after the beginning of the 2012-2013 school year, presenters with the Teen Outreach Program (TOP) came to Mr. Diss’ tutorial classes to give a presentation recruiting students for the TOP program. When presenters entered the tutorial, Mr. Diss, consistent with District policy, asked for identification. He was handed a card that identified the presenters as employees of Planned Parenthood. This knowledge surprised Mr. Diss, and caused him serious emotional distress due to his well-known personal religious convictions and his years of work to oppose that organization. He expressed his dilemma to Benson Principal, Carol Campbell at the time and asked to be excused from being present for the presentation due to his religious convictions. His request was denied. He was told that he would be required to be present for the TOP presentation. Through the remainder of the school year during which he taught, Mr. Diss continued to have to deal with Planned Parenthood staff as they administered the TOP program.

Simultaneous to his request not to be involved with TOP, Mr. Diss’ teaching came under renewed censorial review. Mr. Diss accepted the input from school administration, but the year proved to be extremely stressful, including numerous classroom observations and meetings with school administration. On March 19, 2013 school administrators summarily demanded that Mr. Diss leave the school premises and not return—placing him on paid administrative leave. Mr. Diss was told to leave the school and was escorted off the premises by a police officer. This unnecessary show of force is symbolic of the animus faced by Mr. Diss throughout the year.

Again Thank you and God Bless You,
Bill Diss
503-334-6183

CCHD Names to Remember: Where are the Catholic Values?

Day labor site feels lack of support

Catholic Sentinel photo by Ed Langlois Men at day labor center try to stay warm while waiting for work. Ed Langlois Of the Catholic Sentinel Organizers of a Portland center for day laborers say support from city officials has waned. That is complicating a capital campaign meant to fund a permanent building on the site. The center, on city-owned land amid industry at Northeast Martin Luther King and Everett, is run by Voz Workers' Rights Education Project. In part with funding from the Catholic Campaign for Human Development, Voz gives workers a dry and central place to wait for employers to find them. The center also prevents wage fraud and other shady deals, which were par for the course when laborers stood on various corners around the city. When the site opened, the city offered a five-year lease. After that agreement expired in March, the Portland Development Commission offered only a month-by-month arrangement and said Voz could be asked to leave with six months notice. Leaders of Voz say the precarious standing has made it difficult to secure funders for a plan to construct better buildings. Romeo Sosa, executive director of Voz, says he has asked PDC to list the property in the name of Voz so that funders will have confidence. He does not want to buy the land or have it donated — just listed with the Voz name. (VOCAL: It is very bold of Mr. Sosa) "We want a permanent building," says Sosa, comparing the shed-like enterprise to larger and sturdier centers in Seattle, Los Angeles and Baltimore. More professional offices would not only be more humane for workers, but would attract more employers, he explains. The Seattle day labor center received $2 million in public funding and includes rooms for English and computer classes, a waiting area and a kitchen. Baltimore's center is housed on a donated mansion.  "Voz has done a lot of good work down there," says Valerie Chapman, pastoral administrator of St. Francis Parish, where Voz has offices.  "The place provides dignity for workers. They don't get caught out in the rain." Chapman recalls that the initiative was favored by business owners and residents of the neighborhood, who saw it as a way to prevent various corners from springing up as crowded day labor sites. "Month-to-month makes it really complicated for planning," says Chapman, who has also worked with the city on St. Francis Dining Hall, which provides free meals to people in need. "Funders need to know they will be around." Chapman says PDC is giving a mixed message: send potential funders to us for assurance, but also, we can have you leave the site with only six months notice. Portland gave $200,000 to Voz to start the center and has given $25,000 annually since, charging only $1 per year in rent.  (WHY do they need Catholic money?) "We have made it abundantly clear that our support is in place," says Shawn Uhlman, PDC spokesman. Uhlman says the commission has no intention of asking Voz to leave the property. Patrick Quinton, PDC’s executive director, has invited Voz to send potential donors to him to be reassured. Uhlman says PDC will do what it can to help if Voz wants to purchase the property, but does not simply sign over city-owned parcels. The 2013 market value of the land tops $360,000 — well out of the reach of Voz. The value has tripled since 2000 as industry has picked up in inner Northeast. Selling the parcel could mean a boost to the PDC, which is trying to reduce its land holdings. The original agreement between the city and Voz said the non-profit would work toward building a more permanent center on city site or elsewhere. The center was created with backing of former Mayor Tom Potter. The office of current Mayor Charlie Hales had not offered comment as of press time. "Support is not as strong as it used to be," Sosa concludes. "We feel the city sees it as us against them instead of us together. They say they support us, but we don't feel that." Sosa says if the center closes, day laborers will head back to the corners. (VOCAL: There is no movement forward for this organization.  It is a political movement and for Catholics, which all of the players say they are, disregards the Mind and Heart of Christ with pro-Abortion and pro-homosexual factors involved in VOZ)

Guest Post “Partisan Political Activity” : CCHD California Style

“Partisan Political Activity”
HOW Strictly D0
We Define It?
by William Snear

While doing research for a ZOGS article on ACORN. l became aware of the Catholic Campaign for Human Development`s operational design. Most of the approximately $9 million it collects every 

year is dispensed to community organizations.

 Not community organizations like the Boys and Girls Clubs, but community organizations like ACORN. CCHD gave over $7 million to ACORN organizations before declaring it ìneligble for in 2008.

I have continued to be concerned that in the parishes I attend, there is no straightforward disclosure on Collection Sunday of CCHD`S modus operandi. So most of the congregation thinks that

CCHD is a conventional Catholic charity.

My concern recently spiked when I accidentally discovered the role that PICO California played in the campaign to pass California's Proposition 30 which raised the top state income tax rate on high earners to 12.3 percent. 

PICO California is a member of the PICO National Network, one of the largest networks of community organizations. The California unit comprises 19 faith-based affiliates.

ln the 2011-2012 grant year, CCHD gave 115,470,130 in grants to 12 of those 19 organizations. The affiliate in my diocese, San Bernardino's Inland Congregations United Change (ICUC) received $50.000.

I was surprised to learn that PICO California was teamed up with the Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment (ACCE). the successor group to ACORN, in a massive effort

to pass Proposition 30. 

Even more surprising PICO Califomìa. which depends on offerings from good hearted worshipers. had contributed $259,000 to the campaign for Proposition 30.

Naturally. l wondered if any of that money was contributed to PICO California by lCUC. SO. I called Verne Schweiger. the staffer at the Diocese of San Bernardino's Office of Social Concerns

who manages CCHD matters and asked him to investigate. 

When we spoke again. he declined to disclose whether ICUC had contributed to the Proposition 30 campaign, but he did tell me that any such contributions would be a matter of public record.

l said that it would be unethical for the CCHD to collect funds under the guise of helping the poor if some of that money is going to political efforts. particularly something like Proposition 30.

He replied that there was no problem. because lCUC was not involved in partisan political activity. which would disqualify them from CCHD funding. Further his review of the ICUC audit had shown

that the $50.000 grant was spent tirely for the purpose described in its grant application` and ICUC does not support any initiative contrary to Catholic teaching.

After some intensive inquiry. I located the pertinent public records. PICO California established its own Proposition 30 campaign committee. ICUC did not contribute to the $259.90() that PICO California contributed. Worse`ICUC made an individual contribution of $54.000 to the PICO California Committee for Proposition 30 - $4,000 more than the grant it received from CCHD. The Orange County Congregation Community Organization contributed $90,000... $50,000 more than its CCHD grant.

Total 2012 contributions to the committee were $671,516. In addition to PICO Califomia's $259,000, 11 of the19 affiliated community organizations contributed $357,492 (which includes$206,992 from 5 of the 12 groups that received recent CCHD grants). The balance of $55,124 was contributed by others.

For many. the argument that campaigning for Proposition 30 did not constìtute partisan political activity is a hair-splìtting hedge. lt's true that it involved a ballot measure, not only sponsored

candidates, but Proposition 30 was Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown`s initiative. and support and opposition were more clearly divided along party lines than for most ballot measures.

The elephant in the grant office is why Catholics never should have donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to organizations that had hundreds of thousands of dollars available for Proposition 30: Catholic schools would have been better recipients.

It is the undeniable right of these groups and their supporters to contribute and campaign. though perhaps not at the same time they are receiving CCHD money. But it is certainly the right of people in the pews to know that their sacrificial giving supported an organization that spent almost $0.7 mil-

lion campaigning against the preference that many of the givers expressed on their own ballots. 

Honesty remains the best policy even in church.

Bill Snear is a dentist who lives in California. 

Contact him at billsnaer@verizon.net,)

Hearing Update from Bill Diss

Dear Brothers and Sisters for Life, Purity and Healing, Every good endowment and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. (James 1:17, RSV, Courtesy of Harmony Media) Hearing Details: I wanted to thank everyone who came to the hearing on Thursday, November 14, 2013.  I wish I could say it better but thank you so much.  There were probably 150 people.  They configured the room with some very big chairs and extra tables.  The room had a capacity of over 90, but they only let 47 people into the room. I wanted to thank my son and daughter who were so helpful.  My son called every day last week and many times, "Dad how can I help you?"  My daughter made up the nice big posters that were in the hearing room. I suspect there will be more hearings both with the district and in the courts.  I do encourage all to keep praying and please bring cameras, video cameras and recorders if the event is public.  It would be nice to have a recording or pictures from last Thursday.  The district did make a recording and hopefully we will get a copy.  Most meetings and hearings at public schools are public and thus can be recorded. The district placed a policeman at the door and then the head lawyer from the district stood by the door to prevent more people from coming in the room or from standing by the room.  She was joined by another school attorney who spoke against me and yet another school attorney who sat by the hearing officer. The district also blocked the elevators so that more people could not stand by the room.  All of the people then went back to main floor and prayed.  I think the magnitude of people praying at the headquarters from the district was yet again God outdoing the devil.  I thought of the following incidents through history. Devil's Act God's Act Adam and Eve fall to sin. The world is sent a savior. Joseph thrown in well. Joseph saves his brothers. Woman caught up with sin. A pharisee gets a lesson in true love. If any of you who were stopped by the head lawyer, Jollee Patterson, you may want to email her at jpatters@pps.net.  It would be interesting to hear her response on why they picked that room and why it was configured so that so few people were allowed in the room. I want to thank all who were praying around the world.  It was very hard to sit through the statements by Stephanie Harper, an attorney for the district, and then the statements by Frank Scotto, regional director, Carol Campbell, the past principal of Benson, and Jeandre Carbone and Barry Phillips vice principals of Benson.  District contact information is found at on the front page of the website http://www.pps.k12.or.us/ and clicking on Directory on the top left by News | Directory. The Oregonian repeated some of Mr. Scotto's remarks that when he observed me he found that I was militaristic.  His observation notes certainly did not indicate this.  He mentioned how I thanked students for their work and his only negative comment was when I exclaimed, "Listen Up." A vice principal from Benson also came and testified against me for some warnings I gave to a student in 2009.  When this same administrator found himself unassigned in 2011, I wrote a letter of recommendation for him.  Such is life.  I have heard that many who were chanting "Hosanna in the Highest" when Jesus came to Jerusalem were also there a few days later to chant, "Crucify him!" Special thanks to Mr. Davis a fellow teacher and Ms. Koenig the union representative who testified on my behalf.  Ms. McKanna, the lawyer hired by the district, also did a fine job.  She questioned many of the district actions especially all of the times that they have stopped me from working with children on basic math facts.  She questioned me on the effectiveness of time tables and I read the following from a student. In fact when I started I didn't know much but with the extra help you provided me I can now say my multiplication tables as fast as my name and much more.  For once I'm proud of myself. The crowd clapped and was reprimanded from Sascha Perrins.  He works for the district and was the hearing officer. The next step is for Sascha Perrins to make a decision.  Next week I will also be working on the grievances that we filed. I did make a closing statement and that is at the end of the email. Again and again thank you all for your prayers and for all who came last week.  There were many friends, students, parents and many I did not know. Please continue to pray and especially for those working in the school district.  There is an old saying, "When you go to bed with the dogs, you wake up with the fleas."  When one goes to bed with Planned Parenthood, as the schools in Portland and Salem have done, I do not know what you wake up with. Donations I wanted to thank all at Christ the King Church in the Clackamas area for their nice donation to help our outreach.  I think many of you know that Therese and others give out baby supplies, funds and information to many people going into Planned Parenthood.  We have tried to put on the heart of Christ and now mothers are holding babies near their hearts and not uncontrollable anguish. Our Hispanic ministry is doing very well and we have spoken at six churches in the area.  We could sure use a laptop so that our group can display videos.  Maybe someone out there is thinking of buying a new laptop and now you have a good place to donate your old laptop.  I also got a request from one of our helpers who was recently in a car wreck.  Does anyone have an older car they would like to donate or a contact for us? Closing Remarks at the Hearing:  I wanted to thank you all for being here this evening.  I looked at the thousands of students at Benson as my own children.   I loved them, I prayed for them, I laughed with them, I cried with them, I sang with them, I danced with them, I cheered with them, I cheered for them and yes I pushed them to levels that they thought they were insurmountable and uncomfortable. I had some motivational signs in the classroom and one stated: Did you bring your A game today? Some had their A game every day and some struggled every day. In 2007 a proud young man wrote me: I'm not to sure if you'll remember me but I was in you algebra class your first year at Benson and well I'm finally going to continue my education with Math being the foundation of my career in Finance and economics at UCLA. You may know all ready but You are without a doubt the best teacher Many have come across. I sit and review my notes which always state your quote "write out the original problem" which I often laugh at thinking back to your class.  The reason I'm writing you is because I wanted to say thank you for leaving "call-la-rada" (your home state) to in the end teach many like myself.  I have more fun with math than ever and that I will always remember you as my favorite teacher and your class. Thank you Mr. Diss In 2003 that young man had trouble finding his A game, but we worked together. Four years later he found his A Game. That folks is what it is all about! Again thank you and God Bless all of you.   God Bless you, Bill Diss Precious Children of Portland 503-334-6183   .



Mike Wallace Interviews Margaret Sanger (1957)

 

Guest Post from Pro-Life Action of Oregon

Here is a guest post.  N.B. (note well) that the Archdiocese of Portland's Office of "Life", Justice and Peace needs to represent a true understanding that it is a lack of promoting Divine Justice to save unborn babies and not economic justice that is the answer. This office gives monies to pro-abortion groups and that works against the the ultimate justice to succeed: Divine. VOCAL
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OPINION

Dear Pro-Life Friends,

Pro-Life Action of Oregon is dedicated to ending all abortion, no exceptions, no compromises.  In this context, I'm calling your attention to two recent developments.



(1)  "THE PRESIDENT'S PITCH TO THE PEOPLE OF FAITH." -- Crisis Magazine

'This year his pitch to the religious is a little more tricky in light of the HHS mandate and other overtly secularist policies of his administration. Still, he could pull it off.  Recent polling suggests that he is on track to win the Catholic vote again.'

Search result for "Obama's Abortion Reduction Strategy".  This strategy is still in play. For those of you who are new to my alerts, back in 2008 I posted an analysis of Obama and the Catholic vote.  It may be a good time to read it again.
______________________________

(2)  Matt Cato's Liberal Views Exposed
Matt Cato - photo op.  (article link below)

Matt Cato, the Archdiocesan Director of Life, Justice and Peace, has some "abortion reduction" nuanced things to say:

• Matt Cato on the government ending abortion - "...the church has an obligation to advocate for government aid [to end abortion].  If society can remove financial pressures, that will end the reason cited for 7 in 10 abortions." (In other words, he is dedicated to Obama's "abortion reduction strategy.")
• In same article, Cato apologizes to liberal readers for being pro-life:   "I don't want anyone to think I want to limit legitimate rights, but where do we get to the point where we make individual choices for the good of a baby, for the good of the community?" Cato asks. (What is he saying, exactly??)
• "He envisions a strong Catholic-led pro-life movement, in which people are inspired to protect all life not because of politics, but because of faith."  (He is unsure of the motivation of pro-lifers!)
• FULL ARTICLE

Keep in mind that Matt Cato is in charge of your pocketbook (CCHD).

After reading the article, you can send an email to Matt Cato mcato@archdpdx.org .
Send a letter to the Sentinel sentinel@catholicsentinel.org .

Blessings,
Nina Rhea, Director
Prolife Action of Oregon

Dedicated to exposing the Culture of Death

P.S.  I've sent a message to Mr. Cato pointing out his lack of citations for his claims.  I also call him out as an Obama Catholic and ask for his correction if I'm wrong.

"The Hidden Hand Behind Bad Catholic Music" - Great insight.

  J. A. Tucker

It usually starts with the missalettes — those lightweight booklets scattered around the pews of your parish church. They contain all the readings of the Sunday Masses, plus some hymns and responses in the back. There's nothing between the covers that would offend an orthodox sense of the faith, and most of the songs are traditional by today's standards.

So, what's the problem?

Well, if your missalettes are like those issued in more than half of American parishes, they're copyrighted by the Oregon Catholic Press (OCP) — the leading Catholic purveyor of bad music in the United States. Four times a year, it prints and distributes 4.3 million copies of the seemingly unobjectionable booklets (which OCP doesn't call missalettes).

But that's just the beginning of its massive product line, where each item is integrated perfectly with the others to make liturgical planning quick and easy. To instruct and guide parish musicians and liturgy teams, the OCP prints hymnals, choral scores, children's songbooks, Mass settings, liturgy magazines (with detailed instructions that are slavishly followed by parishes around the country), and CDs for planning liturgies and previewing the newest music.

This collection of products, however, does not include a hymnal — or anything else — designed to appeal to traditional sensibilities (its Heritage Hymnal is deceptively misnamed). The OCP's experts never tire of promoting the new, rewriting the old, and inviting you to join them in their quest to "sing a new church into being" (as one of their hit songs urges). The one kind of "new" that the OCP systematically avoids is the new vogue of traditional music that has proved so appealing to young Catholics.

The bread and butter of the OCP are the 10,000 music copyrights it owns. It employs a staff of 150, runs year-round liturgy workshops all over the United States, sponsors affiliates in England and Australia, and keeps song-writers all over the English-speaking world on its payroll. In fact, it's the preferred institutional home of those now-aging "St. Louis Jesuits" who swept out the old in 1969 and, by the mid-1970s, had parishes across the country clapping and strumming and tapping to the beat.


The OCP also sails under the flags of companies it has acquired, established, or represented along the way: New Dawn Music, Pastoral Press, North American Liturgy Resources, Trinitas, TEAM Publications, White Dove Productions, and Cooperative Ministries. Every time it purchases — or assumes the distribution of — another publisher, its assets and influence grow. 

Power Without Authority

 

But while the OCP dictates the liturgies of most U.S. parishes, it has no ecclesiastical authority. It's a large nonprofit corporation — a publishing wing of the Diocese of Portland (VOCAL correction, Archdiocese of Portland) — and nothing else. It has never been empowered by the U.S. bishops, much less Rome, to oversee music or liturgy in American parishes.

The OCP's power over Catholic liturgy is derived entirely from its copyrights, phenomenal sales, and marketing genius. Nonetheless, it wields the decisive power in determining the musical culture of most public Masses in the United States. 


And once a parish dips into the product line of the OCP, it is very difficult to avoid full immersion. So complete and integrated is their program that it actually reconstructs the sense that the liturgy team has about what Catholicism is supposed to feel and sound like.

But few of those subject to the power of the OCP understand that it's the reason why Catholic liturgy so often seems like something else entirely. For example, pastors who try to control the problem by getting a grip on their liturgies quite often sense that they're dealing with an amorphous power without a name or face. That's because very few bother to examine the lay-directed materials that are shaping the liturgies. Too many priests are willing to leave music to the musicians, fearing that they lack the competence to intervene.

Meanwhile, the nature of the OCP is completely unknown to most laypeople. Many Catholics shudder, for example, when they hear the words Glory & Praise, the prototypical assortment of musical candy that was already stale about 15 years ago but which mysteriously continues to be repackaged and rechewed in parish after parish. "Here I am, Lord," "Be Not Afraid," "City of God," "One Bread, One Body," "Celtic Alleluia," and (wait for it) "On Eagle's Wings" — these all come courtesy of the OCP.

But at the publisher itself, this moldy repertoire is not an embarrassment. On the contrary, the publisher brags that Glory & Praise, whose copyright it acquired in 1994, continues to be the best-selling Catholic hymnal of all time. And what about those prayers of the faithful that seem far more politically than doctrinally correct? They're probably from the OCP, too. A new edition of its Prayer of the Faithful is printed every year. (In what is surely great news for the unrepentant, the OCP brags that the volume helpfully includes "creative alternatives to the Penitential Rite.")

Hijacking Of Catholic Truth

 

It wasn't always like this. Before 1980, the OCP was called the Oregon Catholic Truth Society. It was founded in 1922 in response to a compulsory school-education law that forced Catholics to attend public schools. Archbishop Alexander Christie got together with his priests to found the society. Its aim: to fight bigotry and stand up for truth and Catholic rights. 

In 1934, the Oregon Catholic Truth Society released a missal called My Sunday Missal. It was good-looking, inexpensive, and easy to use. It became the most popular missal ever (you can still run across it in used bookstores). 

But the rest of the story is as familiar as it is troubling. Sometime in the late 1960s and early 1970s, the Oregon Catholic Truth Society began to lose its moorings. Catholic truth had to make room for the Age of Aquarius. Thus, in the course of a single decade, a once-reliable representative of Catholic teaching became reliably unreliable. Money given to the organization to promote truth was now being used to advance a revolutionary approach to Catholic life, one that repudiated traditional forms of the faith. The only thing that did not change was the breadth of its influence: Under the new dispensation, it was still a powerhouse of Catholic publishing.

De Profundis

 

If you've been keeping up with the OCP's latest offerings, you know that the songs from the mid-1970s don't begin to plumb the depths. The newest OCP hymnals are jam-packed with music from the 1980s and 1990s, with styles meant to reflect the popular music trends of the time. (Actually, they're about five years behind the times.)

They sail under different names (Music Issue, Journeysongs, Heritage Hymnal, Glory & Praise), but the content is similar in all of them: an eclectic, hit-and-miss bag with an emphasis on new popular styles massaged for liturgical use. (Worst choice: Spirit & Song, which "encourages the youth and young adults of today to praise God in their own style")

Some of the newer songs sound like variations on the musical themes you hear at the beginning of TV sitcoms. Some sound like Broadway-style love songs. Others have a vague Hawaiian, calypso, or blues feel. You never know what's going to pop up next.

Not all of it is terrible. In fact, there are real toe-tappers among the songs. The question to ask, however, is whether it's right for liturgy. The answer from the Church has been the same from the second century to the present day: The Mass requires special music, which is different from secular music and popular religious music. It must have its own unique voice — one that works, like the liturgy itself, to bring together time and eternity. It's a style perfectly embodied in chant, polyphony, and traditional hymnody.

The OCP revels in its ability to conflate these categories; indeed, that's the sum total of its purpose and effect. And judging from its newest new line of songs and CDs — "we just couldn't wait until our next General Catalog to tell you about it" — your parish can look forward to a variety of ska and reggae songs adapted for congregational purposes.

How It Hooks You

But let's go back to that innocent, floppy missalette. The OCP claims it has many advantages. Missalettes "make it easy for you to introduce the latest music to your parish, and changes in Church rituals are easy to implement." Thus the missalette is "always up-to-date."

It's also quite a bargain. If you buy more than 50 subscriptions to the quarterly missalette, you receive other goodies bundled inside. You'll get a Music Issue (the main OCP hymnal) to supplement the thin selection in the missalette. In addition, you'll receive a keyboard accompaniment book, a guitar book, the Choral Praise Comprehensive, a handy service binder, two annual copies of Respond & Acclaim for the psalm and the gospel acclamation, biannual copies of Prayer of the Faithful, two subscriptions to Today's Liturgy (which tells liturgy teams what to sing and say, when and how), and one master index. And the more you buy, the more you get. 

Why would you want all this stuff? Well, if you're in parish music, you'll quickly discover that the missalette has too few hymns to cover the whole season. The Music Issue seems like an economical purchase. But there's something odd about the OCP's most popular music book: There's no scriptural index. How do you know what hymns fit with what gospel reading?

No problem. Just buy a copy of Today's Liturgy, which spells it all out for you. If you want a broader selection of possible hymns, you can also order the OCP's LitPlan software or its monthly Choral Resources, which is visually more complicated than the Federal Register (but still contains no scriptural index).

If you follow the free liturgical planner closely, you'll notice you can purchase a variety of choral arrangements and special new music (copyright OCP) that match perfectly with the response, the hymnal, and the missalette (copyright OCP), which is itself integrated with the prayers of the faithful (copyright OCP) and the gospel (not yet OCP copyright). And so it goes, until you follow the complete OCP plan for each Mass, from the first "Good morning, Father!" to the last "Go in peace to love and serve others!" By making each element dependent on the next, the OCP has ensured a steady — if trapped — clientele.

Musical Gnosticism

 

But why should the liturgy team go along with this program? The average parish musical team is made up of non-professionals. Its poorly paid members are untrained in music history; they have no particular craving for chant or polyphony, which often seems quite remote to them. Most musicians in average Catholic parishes would have no idea how to plug into the rite an extended musical setting from, say, the high Renaissance, even if they had the desire to do so.

The OCP understands this point better than most publishers. In an interview, Michael Prendergast, editor of Today's Liturgy, pointed again and again to the limited resources of typical parishes. The OCP sees serving such needs as a core part of its publishing strategy; its materials keep reminding us that we don't need to know Church music to get involved.

Lack of familiarity with the Church's musical tradition would not be a grave problem if there were a staple of standard hymns and Mass settings to fall back on. But it has been at least 30 years since such a setting was available in most parishes. The average parish musician wants to use his talents to serve the parish in whatever way possible, but he's at a complete loss as to how to do it without outside guidance. The OCP fills that vacuum.

Under its tutelage, you can aspire to be a real liturgical expert, which means you have attended a few workshops run by OCP-connected guitarists and songwriters (who explain that your job as a musician is to whip people into a musical frenzy: loud microphones, drum tracks, over-the-top enthusiasm when announcing the latest hymn). These "experts" love the OCP's material because it allows them to keep up the pretense that they have some special knowledge about what hymns should be used for what occasions and how the Mass ought to proceed.

Real Catholic musicians who have worked with the OCP material tell horror stories of incredible liturgical malpractice. The music arrangements are often muddled and busy, making it all but impossible for regular parishioners to sing. This is especially true of arrangements for traditional songs, where popular chords give old hymns a gauzy cast that reminds you of the 1970s group Chicago.

The liturgical planning guides are a ghastly embarrassment. Two years ago, for example, the liturgical planner recommended "Seek Ye First" for the first Sunday in Lent ("Al-le-lu-, Al-le-lu-yah"). In numerous slots during the liturgy, OCP offers no alternative to debuting its new tunes. When traditional hymns are offered, they're often drawn from the Protestant tradition, or else the words are changed in odd ways (see, for example, its strange version of "Ubi Caritas"). The liturgical instructions are equally pathetic. On July 8 this year, the liturgical columnist passes on this profound summary of the gospel of the day: "Live and let live."
  

The Middle Way?

Nevertheless, the OCP seems to have solved a major liturgical rift affecting today's local churches. Just as every parish used to have a low-Mass crowd and a high-Mass crowd, there are now two factions in parishes: One wants more "contemporary" music of the sort seen in Life-Teen Masses— loud, rhythmic, and rockish. Another wants traditional music and sensibly asks whatever happened to the hymns of the old days. These two groups are forever at loggerheads and have been so for decades. In fact, most pastors are so sick of the dispute that they'll do anything to avoid talking about music at Mass.

This is where OCP steps in and serves as the peacekeeping moderate. After all, it's an established music publisher, and thanks to the missalette, it doesn't appear (at first) to be particularly partisan. Its literature contains enough traditional material to allow the liturgical team to claim they're sensitive to the needs of both the contemporary and traditional factions. Indeed, the OCP eschews the most extreme forms of grunge-metal Life-Teen music (though its Spirit & Song comes close). At first sight, it does appear to take the middle ground between two extremes. In truth, however, it's only slightly behind the curve of the most radical liturgical innovators — as it's always behind the curve in the popular styles it tries to imitate.

What about the other option of splitting up the Masses according to style, so that those who like traditional music can have their own Mass and the people who compose for the OCP can have theirs? Prendergast rejects this. Whether the style is traditional, contemporary, folk, or even "rock," Prendergast says, "everyone in the parish has to be exposed to it." And what if a pastor just doesn't like rock and other contemporary styles? Prendergast says, "I would talk to the [chancery's] Office of Worship about him." I asked whether that means he would turn this poor priest in to the bishop. His response: "I would try to arrange for him to attend a workshop on liturgy." 

With a great deal of knowledge, careful planning, and conscious intent, it is possible to manufacture decent liturgies even if the OCP music is all you have. You'll have to dig to find the good hymns (10 to 20 percent in the typical OCP publications), but it can be done. It's also true that not everyone involved with the OCP wants to destroy all that has gone before. There are probably many people on its middle-aged staff who from time to time cringe at the music, just as the people in the pews do. For his part, Prendergast is sure that he thinks with the mind of the Church, and there's no reason to doubt his sincerity. 

In fact, there are periodic signs of hope. Regular readers of Today's Liturgy might have been astounded to see the recent one-page article buried in its pages that urged children be taught Latin hymns and chant. "The Second Vatican Council did not destroy the tradition of chant," said the writer, who was a student of the excellent English composer John Rutter. "We can still claim our chant heritage as part of the living Church's journey into the future." Indeed we can! But the news seems to be slow in getting around the OCP office. (The same issue contained a blast against a poor old lady who read a prayer book during Mass instead of singing goodness knows what.)

What's completely amazing about the entire OCP family is how lacking it is in self-awareness. The poor quality of contemporary Catholic music is a cultural cliché that turns up in late-night shows, Woody Allen movies, and Garrison Keillor's Prairie Home Companion. It is legendary among real musicians. Ask an organist what he thinks about today's Catholic music, and you will receive a raised eyebrow or a knowing laugh.

What You Can Do Right Now

 

The truth is that no one is happy with the state of Catholic liturgical music — least of all musicians — and the OCP is a big part of the problem. So, what can you do?

Step 1 is to get rid of the liturgical planning guides and use an old Scripture index to select good hymns that have stood the test of time (if you absolutely must continue to use the OCP's materials).

Step 2 is to rein in the liturgical managers and explain to them that the Eucharist, and not music, is the reason people show up to Mass Sunday after Sunday.

Step 3 is to get rid of the OCP hymnals and replace them with Adoremus or Collegeville or something from GIA (no, none of these is perfect, but they are all an oasis by comparison).

Update 2013  St. Joseph's Salem has St. Michael Hymnal.  A step towards Sacred Music.  It is beautiful and does not include changes in wording to have a static gender neutral meaning.

Finally, reconsider those innocuous little missalettes. These harmless-looking booklets may be the source of the trouble. Parishes can unsubscribe — accept no OCP handouts or volume discounts. There are plenty of passable missalettes and hymnals out there, and all the choral music you'll ever need is now public domain and easily downloadable for free (www.cpdl.org).

In his book, The Spirit of the Liturgy (Ignatius Press, 2000), Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger states clearly that popular music does not belong at Mass. Indeed, it's part of "a cult of the banal," and "rock" plainly stands "in opposition to Christian worship."

This is very strong language from the cardinal. And yet we know that many liturgy teams in American parishes will continue to do what they've been doing for decades — systematically reconstructing the liturgy to accommodate pop aesthetic sensibilities. The liturgy is treated not as something sublimely different but as a well-organized social hour revolving around religious themes.

It's up to you to decide the future course of your parish's liturgy: reverent worship or hootenanny. 

Despite what the OCP might tell you, you can't have both. 

J. A. Turner is the choral director of a schola cantorum and writes frequently for Crisis.

© 2002 The Morley Institute

Catholicculture.org  

Add on from Bill Diss Regarding Thursday, November 14th Meeting

Is it lawful for you to scourge a man who is a Roman, and uncondemned?” (Acts 22:25 NKJV)

Dear Friends for Life, Purity and Healing,

I wanted to thank all of you for your messages last week.  Some asked for handouts and I am including three different handouts that hopefully can be distributed and soon. 

Some asked about signs and we will have some signs.  The important thing is that the signs should reflect 1st Amendment Rights.  Some examples follow:

• Civil Rights Are Not Special Rights
• Teachers are Citizens
• We Support Rights for Teachers
• First Amendment Rights ???
• Freedom of Speech for Teachers
• Freedom of Religion for Teachers

The hearing is at 4:00 PM on Thursday, November 14, 2013 at the PPS Headquarters at 501 N. Dixon Street.  (Map)  Please, please attend and please pray.  I am not sure of my fate but I do believe that good will come out of all of this.

It is so ironic that I was the subject of many hearings in 2007 and 2008 at Benson because I told people I was a "teacher".  An administrator and the district lawyer told me I could not even state my occupation.  On the other hand the highest members of the district can say (watch video) [only 17 seconds].

Peter was therefore kept in prison, but constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church.

(Acts 22:25 NKJV)

 

God Bless You All,

Bill Diss
503-334-6183

 

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A Catholic Lament: Catholic Cemeteries

 VOCAL received this email yesterday.  This is one Oregon Catholics opinion and experience.  We are here to give people a voice for their observations that hinder our Faith.  

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You might consider posting the following, especially during November.

Thanks.

A Catholic Lament:

One could do an interesting study as to how many people the former Archdiocesan Superintendent of Catholic Cemeteries, Pat Balfe, fired, as compared with the current Superintendent, Tim Corbett.  You will find that Pat probably never fired anyone, and that Tim has fired many.

Are people now-a-days just incompetent slobs, as compared to people in the not-so-distant past?  No.  A new inhuman and diabolical attitude has arrived.  It is that people are now not considered anything but expendable throw away items.  They have lost their human dignity and value through a new way of thinking which is spread throughout corporations via Human Resources departments.  “HR” departments only seem to care about corporate profits and expansion.  Their only interest in workers is how they might be used to advance the profits and expansions of their given corporations.  They have no concern for the worker as a person.  “Human Resources” in the Portland Archdiocese works in tandem with Tim Corbett to fire, fire, fire.

This dismissive attitude toward workers certainly does not take into account the Christian understanding that a worker (a person) is a creature created in the Love of the infinite God, in His Image and Likeness, and thereby is of an infinite value, and hence cannot be treated as something to be used and discarded at a whim.

Now, let us look again at the former Superintendent of Cemeteries, Pat Balfe.  Pat was a Catholic.  Tim Corbett, the current Superintendent, is not.  There are striking differences between the two.  It is not just a matter of how efficiently a business is run.  There is more to it than that: there is the Catholic perspective, which shows great respect for the living as well as the dead.

One really cannot adequately respond in a cemetery situation, where you have people coming in, in a highly emotional and perhaps vulnerable state who needs someone to talk to about Catholic beliefs and burial practices, and not be a Catholic.  A Catholic is truly necessary for the job.  And yet, and yet…so many non-Catholics are hired for so many positions within the Portland Archdiocese!  This is part of the reason that the Faith is not being adequately transmitted. 

We truly need to hire people who are actual practicing Catholics, who have letters from their parish priests attesting to their good standing in the Church.  Catholics are needed who have a true Catholic heart and a true Catholic way of looking at things; who have a knowledge of the Faith, and a baptismal certificate.

The hiring of actual practicing Catholics in the Catholic Cemetery system is the only way to correct the abysmal situation that Human Resources and the Catholic Cemeteries are in, in the Portland Archdiocese.  This would staunch the flow of cemetery workers being fired from their jobs, and would also restore a Catholic identity and presence in the Catholic cemeteries.