Sisters welcome Magdalene report

The Magdalene laundries redress scheme, announced this week, will offer survivors enhanced state pensions and tax-free lump sums of between €11,500 and €100,000, depending on their length of stay.

 

Details of the ex-gratia scheme and supports for the women affected are published this week in the report by Justice John Quirke, President of the of the Law Reform Commission and relate to the former residents of the Magdalen Laundries; St Mary’s Training Centre Stanhope Street and House of Mercy Training School, Summerhill, Wexford.

 

The Good Shepherd Sisters issued a statement welcoming the report by  Justice Quirke. They stated they plan to continue caring for women who continued to reside with them after leaving laundries.

 

In a statement the Congregation of the Sisters of Mercy also welcomed the publication of the Report of Justice Quirke on the establishment of an ex gratia scheme and related matters for the benefit of those women who were admitted to and worked in the Magdalene Laundries.

 

“This Report is a valuable and timely follow up to the publication of the McAleese report last February,” they state.

 

The Congregation was involved with two Magdalene Homes, Dun Laoghaire and Galway, both of which were already in operation before coming under the care of the Sisters of Mercy. The home at Dun Laoghaire closed in 1963. 

 

The Laundry at the Galway home closed in 1984. Many of the women who resided at the Galway home remained the care of the sisters for the remainder of their lives.

 

The sisters stated they are committed to helping women who spent time in Dun Laoghaire or Galway to establish the period spent there so that they can avail of the proposed scheme. 

 

They have employed professionals to run their archive so that those who seek records receive an appropriate and caring response, in keeping with statutory requirements regarding the release of personal information.

 

In their statement they conclude “We particularly welcome the proposal for the establishment of a dedicated unit through which on-going support and assistance may be obtained by the women. 

 

It is suggested that the 'Dedicated Unit' may have among its functions the provision of assistance to enable women who wish to do so to meet with those members of religious congregations who have similar wishes to meet and interact. 

 

We will welcome the opportunity for such interaction mindful that all Sisters who held positions of responsibility and worked in Galway or Dun Laoghaire are now deceased.”

 

Justice Quirke recommends that the State should establish, fund, staff and accommodate a small Dedicated Unit which would provide:

 

. A helpline to assist women to obtain the health, monetary and other benefits to which they will now be entitled to.

 

. Investigative and other help and assistance in obtaining such sheltered or other housing as they may be entitled to; and educational assistance as they may be entitled to.

 

. Practical and, if necessary professional, assistance to enable those women who wish to do so to meet with those members of the Religious Orders who have similar wishes to meet and interact.

 

. Similar practical assistance to meet and interact with other Magdalen women.

 

. The acquisition, maintenance and administration of any garden, museum or other form of memorial which the Scheme’s administrator, after consultation with an advisory body or committee has decided to construct or establish.

 

Judge Quirke’s other recommendations include that the Magdalene women:

 

. should be granted access without charge to a wide range of services (GP, hospital, drugs, dental counselling etc.) i.e. an enhanced medical card;

 

. who have reached pensionable age should have an income equivalent to the State contributory pension;

 

. who have not reached pensionable age should have an income from the State of €100 per week;

 

Also that: The cash payments should be exempt from income and other taxes and should not be taken into account for means testing social welfare or other entitlements;

 

. The extension of the Nursing Homes Support Scheme Act 2009 so that persons are appointed to look after on an individual basis the best interests of Magdalene women;

 

. Any previous payments made to these women under the Residential Redress Scheme should not be taken into account.

 

Queries can be directed to: 01-476 8660, email: info@idcmagdalen.ie. Address: Restorative Justice Scheme, Department of Justice and Equality, Montague Court, 7-11 Montague Street, Dublin 2

Parishishioners are with me on journey says singing priest

A member of the singing sensation, The Priests, says that the people of his two parishes are “very much part of the journey” and when he sings,  he brings them with him.

Fr Martin O’Hagan is part of the internationally acclaimed classical music group called the Priests, made up of three Catholic priests from Northern Ireland – Fr Martin, his brother Fr Eugene and Fr David Delargy.  

The group had been singing together since they were school boys, but they hit the headlines in 2008 when they were signed up by Sony BMG and produced an album that sold millions.

Speaking to CatholicIreland from his parish of Newtownards and Comber, Fr Martin compared living his ‘double life’ as parish priest and classical singer to “spinning  a dinner set -  so many things have to be put in place” but it was his parishioners and his team that  made it all possible.

“We’re juggling all the time. We’ve got a little more used to that but it’s very beneficial.”

Parishioners from the small parish of Comber are very supportive to Fr Martin in his music ministry. 

“He’s been given a talent and he needs to use that talent,” Brenda Cafolla, a parishioner from the tiny parish of Comber told CatholicIreland.  “We have a lot of negativity about priests and he’s promoting something positive about priests, he’s spreading his beautiful voice, throughout the world,”   

Last week the trio took Malta by storm, during their first performance on the island.  

In a sell out concert marking the Year of Faith, the three men sang a repertoire of Sacred music, like Ave Maria and Panis Angelicus, as well as songs by The Beatles, contemporary and classic Irish songs and some original compositions.  They were joined by Maltese soprano Gillian Zammit and a nine piece orchestra.  

Before the concert they visited the archbishop of Malta, Archbishop Paul Cremona who commented on the importance of singing in praying to and glorifying God.

Questioned about how hard it was to come down to earth after a concert, Fr Martin told CatholicIreland that he was now able to pick up the pieces of parish life very quickly.  

“You’ve been out. You’ve had a little bit of a high as regards the concert itself and its been marvellous, but I always keep  in the back of my mind, ‘Now Martin you are going back to parish life  and you’re dealing with everyday issues,’  and I can assure you that you do pick up the threads very quickly and the everyday important issues, whether it’s a family that has been bereaved,  to organising a baptism to paying the bills, to administration, to the schools  - you get back into the rhythm very quickly.”

So far the men have sung to over 100,000 people in concerts all over the world and raised millions of euro for charities - for schools in Uganda and Cambodia, for street children in Thailand and for local charities like Simon and Sightsavers in Ireland.

In July the Priests will be performing at  the Vatican, and in August they have a concert in Belgium.  Their main tour for 2013 will be to the US and Canada  from late October to early December, and over Christmas they will play a concert or two in Ireland. 

While he’s away, Fr Martin tries to organise a priest to say mass and his parish of Newtownards and Comber goes ahead. 

“We miss him when he’s away but when he’s here he gives 100%,” said Brenda Cafolla. Another parishioner, Mary Anne McKee agreed. 

“He’s away at concerts. He has to do what he enjoys as well. It’s fantastic for the parish too.”

St. Callistus Catholic Church moves to Crystal Cathedral site

On the plaza of the future Christ Cathedral, 3,000 chairs and 7,000 water bottles awaited the faithful. 

On Saturday, before Mass welcomed families from St. Callistus Church to their new home, an organizer said into the microphone: "Those sitting in the sun will get more blessings from God."

The service on the grounds once belonging to the Crystal Cathedral started on time at 4 p.m., as a parade of priests led by Bishop Kevin Vann let their words — English, sprinkled with Spanish, Tagalog and Vietnamese — embrace the multicultural crowd.

"No matter the weather, we must be here," said Rosa Maria Rosales, a 26-year member of the Garden Grove Catholic church. After lunch, she had attended the parish's farewell service at the old church, then continued on to this gathering with her friend Mary Sanchez, who cradled a 5-month-old baby.

"Hello and goodbye. Of course, we don't like to leave the old place, but look at this new place!" Sanchez exclaimed, gesturing at the wide expanse of 35 acres — nearly four times the size of the former place of worship less than a mile away.

"And look at all the people together, for the same reason. Es un milagro," she added, describing it as a miracle.

The women kept to the shade, while striped umbrellas popped open to shield those closer to the stage. 

Women sported flip-flops and stilettos, their children eye-catching in pastel sundresses. 

A grandmother offered napkins to Father Juan Navarro of St. Callistus after he rubbed sunscreen on his cheeks.

"We weren't looking for a new beginning. Suddenly, we were called," he said of the move across town. "It's a way to reflect how we will serve better."

Last year, the Diocese of Orange bought the property from Crystal Cathedral ministries, which was in bankruptcy, for $57.5 million. Workers then took on seismic upgrades and restored fountains to their original beauty.

Moving St. Callistus to its new home will mean more than just new buildings, the faithful hope. What they really wish for is plenty of new faces.

"This will be a place of welcome for people of all faiths or no faith," said Father Christopher Smith, rector at Christ Cathedral. "We want it to be a shiny example of what it means to do outreach to the poor or the marginalized."

And with more than 1.2 million Catholics in Orange County, he said the intent is to "unify the diocese itself."

"Here we will honor the human person," Smith said. "We will support the arts, music, dance, painting. We will make it a wonderful home."

"This is a gift from God," said Father Tuyen Van Nguyen, pastor at St. Callistus for 10 years. 

The parish has nearly 10,000 members, 50% of them Latino, 40% Vietnamese, and the rest white or Filipino.

"We're the very first people God chose to cross the 22 bridge," Nguyen added, alluding to the Garden Grove Freeway, "and we will work with everyone who needs us."

Come fall, students will enroll in Christ Cathedral Academy, with classes for preschoolers through eighth grade. 

Mass will be celebrated at the arboretum on the campus but not inside the former Crystal Cathedral until architectural and Catholic liturgical alterations are finished, officials said. 

That probably will be sometime in 2015.

Meanwhile, worshipers from Crystal Cathedral, now known as Shepherd's Grove, will move to the rented former St. Callistus site next month.

Changing locations doesn't affect how St. Callistus parishioner Lorna Villanueva and her Filipino family feel about their spiritual devotion. 

All three of her children participate in church activities, from altar service to liturgy readings.

"Because we are here — and it's bigger — more people will join us," she says. "The more, the better."

The Days of Impunity for Vatican Officials Are Numbered (Contribution)

Last week, for the first time ever, an international body asked questions about the Vatican’s handling of widespread and systemic rape and sexual violence. 

Last Wednesday, survivors of rape and sexual violence by Catholic priests met with members of the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) in Geneva, calling the Vatican to account for its ongoing failure to abide by the Convention on the Rights of the Child, a U.N. treaty that the Vatican long ago signed but, like the children it is designed to protect, has systematically neglected.

Wednesday’s historic meeting is the latest sign that a growing global movement is closing in on that day when Vatican officials will be held accountable for their systemic enabling of rape and sexual abuse. 

In March, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP), represented by the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR), submitted a report to the UN Committee outlining the myriad ways the Vatican is in perpetual violation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Now the CRC has called on the Vatican to report on its implementation, or lack thereof, of its human rights obligations.

The global expansion of this movement is a product of survivors’ efforts to internationalize the search for justice in response to a problem they came to understand as international in scope. As SNAP founder Barbara Blaine observed, “It’s a worldwide problem. We’re a worldwide movement.”

The first big step in the quest for worldwide accountability was the September 2011 complaint that SNAP and CCR submitted to the International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor setting out the ways in which the magnitude, scale and gravity of the offenses against children amount to crimes against humanity. 

In April 2012, we submitted additional evidence that had come to light since the first filing.

The ICC has jurisdiction over crimes against humanity, which include rape and other forms of sexual violence when committed on a widespread or systematic basis. We urged an investigation of high-level Vatican officials, including former pope Joseph Ratzinger, for overseeing and implementing policies and practices which require cover-up and which they know enable further abuse. 

This May, the prosecutor’s office responded to the request indicating that for the time being the office could not proceed further with an investigation, while leaving open the door to the possibility of pursing an investigation later on in light of future submissions by survivors or others with relevant evidence. 

The prosecutor’s office also urged efforts in national jurisdictions since the ICC is to be a court of last resort and can only operate in situations where national authorities are shown to be unwilling or unable to genuinely carry out an investigation and prosecution.

What happened between the initial filing at the ICC and the prosecutor’s recent response was astounding. 

In the wake of worldwide media coverage, SNAP was contacted by thousands of survivors and allies from more than 70 countries. In April, survivors from twelve countries and five continents gathered in Dublin for the first international conference organized by SNAP.

More survivors are finding each other, and more secrets and cases are being brought to light. 

In Australia, two commissions have been formed in response to the public outcry spurred by revelations of widespread abuse and cover-up, including reports that church officials knew about high rates of suicides and premature deaths by abuse victims but chose to remain silent.

In Ireland, which has been the site of a number of shattering revelations and inquiries, the United Nations Committee Against Torture has held the government of Ireland responsible for violating the Convention Against Torture for the cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment, including rape and sexual violence, suffered by residents of the Magdalene Laundries, institutions which were run by the Catholic church.

Whistleblowers have begun to emerge around the world. In Uganda, a lone priest has come forward with a public lettercalling sexual abuse among African priests an “open secret.”

He was suspended for his candor. 

In Australia, three bishops have decried the “systematic causes” of sexual abuse in the church and the “unchristian response to those who have suffered” and  called for an Ecumenical Council on the subject. 

In the United States, a group of priests and nuns concerned that the Church is still protecting sexual offenders banded together and recently formed Catholic Whistleblowers. 

And, of course, in February, for the first time in 600 years, a pope resigned. Regardless of what the actual reason for the resignation may have been, the Vatican could not escape questions about its handling of sexual abuse by priests norreports that former pope, Joseph Ratzinger, was concerned enough about these issues to attempt to guarantee his immunity from arrest or suit once he stepped down.

What is clear from all of these developments and those that will no doubt continue to unfold, is that the days of total impunity for Vatican officials are numbered. We still have a long way to go but the world is finally closing in. 

All of this is the result of survivors around the world breaking the silence and reclaiming their lives to protect others from this multi-faceted and deeply traumatizing harm. 

We can only hope, and must continue the work to ensure, that the courage of those tasked with doing justice will soon match the extraordinary courage of survivors.

Pope Francis: Benedict Retirement Decision Showed Courage

Pope Francis on Sunday praised his predecessor, Benedict XVI, for courageously following his conscience when he decided to retire.
 
Benedict became the first pontiff in 600 years to quit the post when he resigned in February, paving the way for Francis' election as pope two weeks later.

By lauding Benedict's surprise choice to step down, Francis put his papacy on record as supporting the move and leaving himself and future popes a possible way to leave office as the head of the Roman Catholic church.

Francis told pilgrims, tourists and Romans in St. Peter's Square on Sunday that God made Benedict understand through prayer the step he had to take.

Benedict, then 85, explained when announcing his intention to resign that he felt he didn't have the mental and physical strength to continue as pontiff.

The rare resignation dismayed some traditionalists in the Catholic church. 

But Francis praised Benedict for following his conscience "with a great sense of acumen and courage."

"We must learn to listen more to our conscience," said Francis, speaking from a window of the Apostolic Palace to the crowd in the square below. "This doesn't mean following one's own self, doing what interests me, what's convenient for me, what I like," the pope said.

 Instead, `'conscience is an interior space for listening to the truth, to good" and to God who `'speaks to my heart and helps me to discern, to understand the path I must follow, and once the decision is taken, to go forward, to remain faithful," Francis added.

`'We have had a recent marvelous example of this relationship with God in our co
nscience," Francis said, citing his predecessor's resignation.

`'Pope Benedict XVI gave us this great example in this sense, when the Lord made him understand , in prayer, what step he had to take," Francis said, `'He followed, with a great sense of acumen and courage, his conscience, that is, the will of God who was speaking to his heart."

Benedict is now living in a Vatican monastery. A theologian, Benedict has said he wants to dedicate the rest of his life to prayer and meditation.

Benedict was a longtime Vatican-based German cardinal and already elderly when elected in 2005 to succeed Pope John Paul II. 

Benedict had worked closely with John Paul, who began his long papacy in 1978 as a vigorous, athletic middle-aged man but who later was slowed by Parkinson's disease, which increasingly enfeebled him in his last years before death.

Donal McKeown says DUP views seen as 'nakedly sectarian'

The Catholic auxiliary bishop of Down and Connor has criticised the DUP over its views on integrated education.

He said the party's statements on the issue were seen by the Catholic community as "nakedly sectarian".

Bishop Donal McKeown said the DUP leader Peter Robinson had implied the Catholic Church was blocking moves towards integrated education.

But the DUP chair of Stormont's education committee said the bishops should "come in to the 21st Century".

Mervyn Storey said Bishop McKeown was "on the wrong side of the argument" and needed to listen to views within the Catholic community.
 
'Blame'

In his interview, Bishop McKeown claimed that Mr Robinson had suggested that "certain vested interests, by implication the Catholic Church, were the ones who were blocking movements towards that (integrated education)".

"That certainly was perceived in the Catholic community as nakedly sectarian - talking about reconciliation, but ultimately saying the fault is with the Catholics, they really are the ones who are to blame and, specifically, the Catholic Church," the bishop added.

"I suppose at the present time, kicking the Catholic Church really won't lose you too many votes in many places."

The bishop made his comments during a discussion on BBC Radio Ulster's Sunday Sequence programme.

He was also critical of both the DUP and Sinn Féin over plans for a shared future.

He claimed it was in the interests of both parties to maintain division.
 
'Apartheid'

Bishop McKeown is not the first senior clergyman in the Catholic Church to criticise Mr Robinson's stance on integrated education.

In 2010, the leader of the Catholic Church in Ireland, Cardinal Sean Brady, said the DUP leader had created "distrust and suspicion" by describing the Northern Ireland education system as a "benign form of apartheid".

In a major speech in 2010, Mr Robinson said that while he had no objection to church schools, he objected to the state funding them.

At the time, his remarks were also criticised by the Council for Catholic Maintained Schools (CCMS) and the head of the Catholic Principals Association in Northern Ireland. Dr Seamus Quinn.
 
'Resentment'

On Sunday, Mr Storey said: "I think that what the bishop needs to do is listen to his own community, see what is happening within his own community and recognise that the apartheid in terms of educational provision cannot continue and we need to get a resolution.
"I think that that's where the bishops, rather than protecting their own silo, need to come into the 21st Century, the DUP MLA added.

Bishop McKeown's interview was broadcast just days after the US President, Barack Obama, criticised segregated education in Northern Ireland, during his visit to Belfast ahead of the G8 summit.

Mr Obama told an audience of young people at the Waterfront Hall: "If towns remain divided - if Catholics have their schools and buildings, and Protestants have theirs; if we can't see ourselves in one another and fear or resentment are allowed to harden - that too encourages division and discourages co-operation." 

'Political problem'
Bishop McKeown said: "I do get annoyed about this notion that Northern Ireland is divided only into Catholics and Protestants - it's 15 years since the Belfast Agreement.

"After a long period when politicians weren't even sitting in the same building together, there actually was the churches working together, who in many ways provided the fabric that held society together. 

"The Good Friday Agreement recognised that it was essentially a political problem that we have here," the bishop added.

Pope: we must listen more to our conscience as Benedict XVI does, not to whatever suits or pleases us

"We must learn to listen more to our conscience. Be careful however, this does not mean we must follow our ego, do whatever interests us, whatever suits us, whatever pleases us . . .," Pope Francis told the tens of thousands of pilgrims gathered in St Peter's Square for the Angelus.

The pontiff was inspired by today's Gospel (Luke, 9:51-62), which shows Jesus taking the "steadfast decision to journey to Jerusalem" in order "to complete his mission of salvation."

"From that moment," the pontiff added, "after the steadfast decision, Jesus goes straight to the finish. Even to the people he meets who ask him if they can follow him, he clearly says what the conditions are: not having a permanent abode; detaching themselves from human affections, [and] not giving in to nostalgia for the past."

"But Jesus also said to his disciples, charged with preceding him in his journey to Jerusalem to announce His coming, not to impose anything. If they do not find people willing to host him, they should proceed further, move on."

Speaking ad-lib, the pontiff added, "Jesus is humble; he never imposes. If you want, follow him; He never imposes. "

"All this makes us think. It tells us, for example, the importance that, even for Jesus, conscience had: listening in one's heart to the Father's voice and follow it. Jesus, in his earthly life, was not, so to speak, "remote-controlled". He was the Word made flesh, the Son of God made man, and at one point took a steadfast decision to go up to Jerusalem for the last time; a decision taken in good conscience, not on His own but together with the Father, in full union with Him!  He decided in obedience to the Father, deeply attuned and intimately listening to his will. For this reason, the decision was steadfast for it was taken together with the Father. And in the Father, Jesus found the strength and the light for his journey."

"And Jesus," the pope said again ad-lib, "was free. In his dialogue with the Father, he was free. Jesus does not want Christians who are not free, who do not speak with God or are 'remote controlled'. If a Christian does not know how to speak with God, he is not free".

"So we also must learn to listen more to our conscience. Be careful however, this does not mean we ought to follow our ego, do whatever interests us, whatever suits us, whatever pleases us. That is not conscience. Conscience is the inner space in which we can listen to and hear the truth, the good, God's voice. It is the inner place of our relationship with Him, who speaks to our heart and helps us discern, understand the path we ought to take, and once the decision is made, move forward, and remain faithful."

As an example of obedience to God and conscience, Francis Pope cited a special witness, "a wonderful example," Pope Benedict XVI, whose name, when the pontiff mentioned it, elicited a long round of applause.

"Pope Benedict XVI," Francis noted, "has given us a great example in this respect. When the Lord made it clear, in prayer, what was the step he had to take, he followed, with a great sense of discernment and courage, his conscience, that is, the will of God that spoke to his heart-and this example of our father does much good to all of us, as an example to follow."

"Our Lady," he said in conclusion, "with great simplicity, listened to and meditated deep within herself upon the Word of God and what was happening to Jesus. She followed her son deep conviction with steadfast hope. May Mary help us become more and more men and women of conscience-free in our conscience, because it is in conscience that the dialogue with God is given-men and women able to hear the voice of God and follow it with decision."

After the Angelus, Francis noted that today the world is celebrating the 'Day for the charity of the Pope' in which offerings are collected for the of the pope's pastoral work. 

The pope thanked bishops and parishes, "especially the poorest ones, for the prayers and offerings that support the many pastoral initiatives and charitable activities of the Successor of Peter in every part of the world. Thank you all!"

Pope Francis: Sunday Angelus (full text)

Pope Francis prayed the Angelus on Sunday with faithful gathered in St Peter’s Square. In remarks before the traditional prayer of Marian devotion, the Holy Father spoke of the conscience as the interior space in which we can listen to and hear the truth, the good, the voice of God. 

Pope Francis praised his predecessor, Benedict XVI, as a model of docile attention to the voice of one’s conscience. 

“Pope Benedict XVI has given us a great example in this sense,” he said. “When the Lord had made it clear, in prayer, what was the step he had to take, he followed, with a great sense of discernment and courage, his conscience, that is the will of God speaking to his heart.” 

Below, please find Vatican Radio’s translation of the Holy Father’s remarks.

**********************************************************

Dear brothers and sisters,

This Sunday's Gospel (Lk 9:51-62) shows a very important step in the life of Christ: the moment in which, as St Luke writes, "[Jesus] steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem. (9:51 )” Jerusalem is the final destination, where Jesus, in his last Passover, must die and rise again, and so to fulfill His mission of salvation.

From that time, forth, after the steadfast decision, Jesus aims straight for the finish line, and even to the people he meets and who ask to [be allowed to] follow Him, He says clearly what are the conditions: not having a permanent abode; knowing how to detach oneself from familiar affections; not succumbing to nostalgia for the past.

Jesus also said to his disciples, charged with preceding Him on the way to Jerusalem to announce His coming, not to impose anything: if they do not find willing welcome, they are [simply] to proceed further, to move on. Jesus never imposes. Jesus is humble. Jesus extends invitations: “If you want, come.” The humility of Jesus is like this: He always invites us. He does not impose.

All this makes us think. It tells us, for example, the importance, even for Jesus, of conscience: listening in his heart to the Father's voice, and following it. Jesus, in his earthly life, was not, so to speak, “remote-controlled”: He was the Word made flesh, the Son of God made man, and at one point he made a firm decision to go up to Jerusalem for the last time - a decision taken in His conscience, but not on His own: ​​with the Father, in full union with Him! He decided in obedience to the Father, in profound intimate attunement to the Father’s will. 

For this reason, then, was the decision was steadfast: because it was taken together with the Father. 

In the Father, then, Jesus found the strength and the light for His journey. Jesus was free. His decision was a free one. Jesus wants us Christians to be free as he is: with that liberty, which comes from this dialogue with the Father, this dialogue with God. Jesus wants neither selfish Christians, who follow their egos and do not speak with God, nor weak Christians, without will: “remote-controlled” Christians, incapable of creativity, who seek ever to connect with the will of another, and are not free. Jesus wants us free, and this freedom – where is it found? It is to be found in the inner dialogue with God in conscience. If a Christian does not know how to talk with God, does not know how to listen to God, in his own conscience, then he is not free – he is not free.

So we also must learn to listen more to our conscience. Be careful, however: this does not mean we ought to follow our ego, do whatever interests us, whatever suits us, whatever pleases us. That is not conscience. Conscience is the interior space in which we can listen to and hear the truth, the good, the voice of God. It is the inner place of our relationship with Him, who speaks to our heart and helps us to discern, to understand the path we ought to take, and once the decision is made, to move forward, to remain faithful.

Pope Benedict XVI has given us a great example in this sense. When the Lord had made it clear, in prayer, what was the step he had to take, he followed, with a great sense of discernment and courage, his conscience, that is, the will of God that spoke to his heart – and this example of our father does much good to all of us, as an example to follow.

Our Lady, with great simplicity, listened to and meditated deep within herself upon the Word of God and what was happening to Jesus. She followed her son deep conviction, with steadfast hope. May Mary help us to become more and more men and women of conscience – free in our conscience, because it is in conscience that the dialogue with God is given – men and women able to hear the voice of God and follow it with decision.

After the Angelus, the Holy Father had these remarks:

Dear brothers and sisters,

Today in Italy we celebrate the Day of charity of the Pope. I desire to thank the bishops and all the parishes, especially the poorest ones, for the prayers and offerings that support the many pastoral initiatives and charitable activities of the Successor of Peter in every part of the world. Thank you all!

I extend my heartfelt greetings to all the pilgrims present, particularly to the many faithful from Germany. I also greet the pilgrims from Madrid, Augsburg, Sonnino, Casarano, Lenola, Sambucetole and Montegranaro, the group of lay Dominicans, the Apostolic Fraternity of Divine Mercy in Piazza Armerina, the Friends of the Missions of the Precious Blood, UNITALSI of Ischia di Castro and the children of Latisana.

I wish you all a good Sunday!

Senator Xenophon escapes sanction for naming priest

Senate President John Hogg says he will take no action against independent senator Nick Xenophon for wrongly naming in parliament an Adelaide priest as a perpetrator of clerical sexual abuse, reports The Australian.

In a letter to Monsignor Ian Dempsey obtained by The Australian, Senator Hogg said it was not his role "to make judgments about the speeches made by senators".

He said that he had already reminded senators "to use their great power of freedom of speech responsibly" after Senator Xenophon used parliamentary privilege in September 2011 to name Monsignor Dempsey as one of three priests who allegedly abused the former head of the Traditional Anglican Communion, John Hepworth, in a Catholic seminary in the 1960s.

Senator Hogg also noted in the letter that the Senate had agreed to publish a response from Monsignor Dempsey in September, becoming the first house of parliament anywhere in the world to allow unelected people to respond on the parliamentary record.

The president's letter came in response to a formal complaint from Monsignor Dempsey, in which he had asked for disciplinary action to be taken against Senator Xenophon.

This followed a decision by South Australia's Director of Public Prosecutions to recommend no abuse charges be laid against Monsignor Dempsey, after a 19-month investigation found there was insufficient evidence for a jury to have a reasonable chance of conviction.

Exam Prayer

 

Lord Jesus, for me and all my fellow students, may we have Your help today and all the days of these exams.
May I be assured of Your friendship and the friendship of all who wish me well.

Just give me a clear mind, a reassurance that the work I've done will be enough and that I can believe in myself and my ability.

If, for a moment, that belief should fail, may I depend on those I know who are praying for me.

Amen

Cardinal Dolan declares St. Ann's Parish debt-free

Cardinal Timothy Dolan fanned the flames of religious fervor on Father’s Day as he officiated at a mass and debt-burning ceremony at St. Ann’s R.C. Church in Dongan Hills.


The cardinal lauded the St. Ann’s Parish family, the Rev. Joy Mampilly, pastor, and the Rev. John McCarthy, a parochial vicar, for reaching the “historic marker” of being debt-free by retiring more than $600,000 in mortgage and other financial obligations in less than three years. 

“This is a great evening; I’m very excited,” said Carol Kelleher, who led the debt elimination effort with fellow parish trustee Joe Perri, on her way into the 7:30 p.m. mass.

Concelebrants included Monsignor Peter Finn, co-vicar of Staten Island, Monsignor Richard Guastella, pastor of St. Clare’s R.C. Church in Great Kills and the Rev. Michael Reilly, principal of St. Joseph-by-the Sea High School.

“It really is a joy and an honor for me to be with you on Staten Island,” the cardinal said, adding that his visit was an opportunity to let the parishioners know “how proud I am of you, how grateful I am.”

Cardinal Dolan thanked the parishioners for their generosity and said that burning the mortgage was a “tangible sign” of their love and support for their parish and the Roman Catholic Church.

“I love St. Ann’s Parish, I love Staten Island,” the cardinal said.

The archbishop of New York who has paid many visits to the borough described how he ended up with “the earth of Staten Island” on his staff when he said mass on the rain soaked and muddy grounds of the Staten Island Irish Fair on June 8. 

ST ANN

Cardinal Dolan spoke of the parish’s patron saint who was the mother of Mary and how she was a favorite among the Irish people — especially single women praying for a husband with the saintly qualities of Joseph, the husband of Mary. 

“Your presence at St. Ann’s is a gift to us,” the Rev. Mampilly said to Cardinal Dolan.
“We are grateful for your support following Hurricane Sandy,” he continued. “You have been with us through ups and downs. You have deepened our faith and inspired our lives.”

More than 306 parish families were affected by last fall’s devastating superstorm.

Rev. Mampilly thanked his parishioners for their “generous support to the parish and the archdiocese” and noted that his flock “remained steady with unshakable faith in their hearts” despite the economic recession. “When the going got tough, you gave even more,” the pastor said to his congregation.

“Where the rubber meets the road is your generous support and enthusiasm. You followed through on your promises. You talked the talk and walked the walk.” 

A HIGH NOTE

The mass concluded on a high note with the cardinal giving the pastor a bear hug and the crowd of more than 300 parishioners responding with a standing ovation. 

“This is my idea of a Father’s Day cookout,” Cardinal Dolan said as he invited all to watch the debt burning ceremony.

“We commit this document to the flames,” intoned Anne-Louise DePalo, an attorney and parishioner, from the podium as members of the congregation filled the lawn and spilled out onto Cromwell Avenue. 

The copy of the mortgage was handed to the cardinal by parishioner Isabella DePiero.

As the church’s debt burned, the jovial cardinal, referring to the recent selection of Pope Francis, joked, “I trust it’s white smoke.” 

The cardinal then used a pun based on the Latin “Habemus Papam,”— “We have a pope” — declaring St. Ann’s parish achievement, “Non-habemus debt ... Congratulations! Hallelujah!”

The cardinal stayed until 10:30 p.m. greeting, hugging and posing for photos with parishioners at a reception afterwards in the St. Ann’s School auditorium. 

STANDING ROOM ONLY

A total of 300 parishioners won their tickets by lottery to attend the mass, but the cardinal at the last minute turned it into a standing-room-only event when he invited into the church the many onlookers who had shown up to catch a glimpse of the immensely popular spiritual leader of the archdiocese. 

When Father Mampilly took over leadership of St. Ann’s in July 2010, he inherited the debt, which included about $450,000 in a bank loan and about $150,000 in unpaid bills. 

The parish successfully used debt donation envelopes in addition to some large contributions. 

After the debt was satisfied about six months ago, the parish established an endowment fund which already has raised close to $100,000.

“This offsets any future need to go into debt again, by the grace of God,” the grateful pastor said.