The Colorado Catholic Herald Blog

Mark your calendars for Sept. 18. Pope John Paul II’s “theology of the body” is going to be presented in a way you’ve never seen before, and at Colorado Springs’ most prominent venue — the Pikes Peak Center. You may have noticed an insert in the last issue by the promoters (this is an outside event and not a Herald or diocese-sponsored event, although Bishop Sheridan has given his blessing for it to be held in the diocese).

“Fill These Hearts — God, Sex and the Universal Longing” is being billed as “an evening of beauty and reflection on Pope John Paul II’s Theology of the Body.” Here’s more from the promotional material:

Join renowned speaker and author Christopher West and indie-folk act Mike Mangione & the Union for an evening of beauty and reflection through John Paul II’s Theology of the Body — a bold, organic and contemporary understanding of human love in the divine plan.

In a journey through art, music and spoken presentation, come to know the “whys” behind the “what” of the Catholic understanding of sexuality and how it illuminates life’s deepest questions. JP II’s Theology of the Body meets his “Letter to Artists.”

The Colorado Catholic Herald recently sat down with event producer Mark Wassmer of Furrow 24 Productions in Kansas City in our office and asked him to elaborate on the vision for the event, as well as why he selected Colorado Springs and the Pikes Peak Center for this experiment (it has only been held four other times — Houston, New York City, Milwaukee and College Station, Texas). This will mark the Western U.S. debut of “Fill These Hearts.” There is great buzz around the state for this event and only 2,000 general admission seats are available.

A story culled from this interview will appear in the next issue of the Herald.

BH

HERALD: How would you describe “Fill These Hearts,” particularly to someone who may not be Catholic (or of any faith) and does not know about the “theology of the body”?

MARK WASSMER: In an evening of “Fill These Hearts,” we explore the deepest questions of why we, as human beings, are attracted to what we’re attracted to, the reasons we feel the way we do, in short…what it really means to be human. A lot of our time is spent with the “what” of faith, the ‘whats’ of a religion and what we need to do. “Fill These Hearts” is about the “why’s” behind the ‘whats.’ It explores the deepest longings and desires of humans, and it does so through lecture and art and music… beauty. What is it about beauty that attracts us and makes us question, where does this beauty come from and what is it leading us to? (Fill These Hearts is about) truth via the way of beauty. Back in the 1960s, there was a very prophetic statement made by a man named Pope Paul VI. And I’ll paraphrase here… he said, in the age to come — and I think we’re in the age we’re referring to – hearts will be won to truth through beauty. We live in a time where truth has become relativistic and we’re overloaded with data and information and ‘what’s’. Beauty pierces us through and gets us to the “why’ and the deepest echoes of what it means to be human. Through an evening of lecture, music and art, we crack open those questions as to what it means to be human. That’s a universal question. It doesn’t matter if you’ve ever been exposed to TOB or a scholar of TOB, it’s a way to encounter it in a new way.

This event is very new and has only been held in four other cities: Milwaukee, New York City, Houston and College Station, Texas. Why did you choose Colorado Springs – and Pikes Peak Center — for the next performance?

We chose Pikes Peak Center very intentionally to allow this to be an event that anyone would feel invited and free to come to. Whether they be a practicing Catholic, non-practicing Catholic, protestant, a person of no faith community at all… we wanted to seek out neutral ground in order to present an opportunity to bring that one friend and one family member and one coworker that we’ve wanted to explore some of these questions with but never had the opportunity. That person may be reluctant to come to a Sunday service but may come to something at a neutral site. We all have that one friend where we can say, “You’re coming with me because of our friendship,” and they can come and taste and see. They’re going to have these ideas proposed to them, not imposed upon them. It’s an atmosphere of friendship and openness that explores what it means to be human in the age that we live in… to explore truth via beauty.

There were two other bedrock reasons for why we felt led specifically to Diocese of Colorado Springs: One was that Christopher’s “Body Language” column was originated and syndicated to the Catholic press from here. What also solidified the sense of being called to Colorado Springs was that the patroness of your diocese is Our Lady of Guadalupe. She is the patroness of “Fill These Hearts” and (our production company) Furrow24.  Our Lady of Guadalupe is the living, breathing icon and inspiration for ‘truth via beauty.’ Our aim with “Fill These Hearts” is that it will be a pictograph, an icon, to lead people through beauty to truth.

Where did the concept for “Fill These Hearts” come from?

The idea for this event first came from World Youth Day (in Sydney, 2008) where Christopher brought along Mike Mangione and his string section. There were three nights of 4,000 people each night, standing room only. It really resonated with all the attendees deeply. We saw that the teaching of the TOB, which is a dense body of work, was able to move from head to heart in a very beautiful way. And since that time, we’ve been in (four cities, including) Texas A&M with 2,200 people one week after President Obama was there and drew the same number… that we were reflecting on the things of God on a Friday night was a beautiful affirmation. Fill These Hearts will happen in only two more places in the U.S. the rest of 2010: Colorado Springs and Providence, Rhode Island. We intentionally felt led to Colorado Springs because we desired to build upon the beautiful TOB culture that has already been birthed here and exists here, and we felt called to support that— not for a one-night event but to look to be here in this region and work to build upon this culture into the future in a very intentional way.

What types of reactions have you received from this unique event?

It has been a real blessing to see people who have been deeply formed in the teaching of TOB react to TOB reflected through the Fill These Hearts evening. Even though they’re very familiar with the work, they have made comments to us that it’s like looking at the work now in Technicolor as opposed to black and white, because it’s reflected through not just their head but their heart. It has moved from being limited to academia to practicality — lived out in the way that they see the work, they see the truth of the work… truth via beauty. And in one evening, they’ve reported to us the ability to see the teaching go deeper sooner than perhaps sitting through an entire week-long immersion where some of the material that is covered might not be covered until day 3 or 4. Because we’re using beauty, we’re cracking into that in 2-3 hours. Beauty is the vehicle that allows this to happen. From people that aren’t aware of TOB at all, that one friend who came on the strength of a friendship… we’ve reported an e-mail on several occasions… one stands out. They came begrudgingly and viewing the (TOB) teaching as anti-woman, that celibacy was an insane lifestyle, that the church’s teaching on contraception is antiquated, and they reported that, after that one evening, they see the beauty of a call to a celibate life. They understand the beauty of the church’s teaching related to contraception and the dignity of the human person; and that the church is protective of woman’s dignity, not misogynistic as they previously perceived. On the spot, that person asked for information about NFP and have now reported that they are looking into the RCIA program.

We have a quote in our event storyboard that says: “Though lecture alone can speak profoundly to the intellect or to the ‘head’ of the individual, art and beauty have the power to bring the message to the ‘heart’ as well. In ‘Fill These Hearts,’ the themes of West’s presentations now come alive in color, shape and sound, giving way to a new and compelling experience of the Theology of the Body.”

What is your hope for the Sept. 18 Fill These Hearts in Colorado Springs?

The hope is that this will allow both those who are familiar with the TOB and those who are being exposed for the first time to be drawn to truth via beauty, and through that experience, it would start to open up all of the truths that we receive through beauty every day and every week in our liturgies, in the Mass and our everyday life. That they would start to recognize the echo of God, the infinite beauty in all that they see.

What age is Fill These Hearts appropriate for?

If you have a body… it’s appropriate for everybody. But I’d say teens to seniors, couples – engaged to couples celebrating their 50^th anniversary. It’s for the John Paul II generation, and that’s everybody. A huge misunderstanding is that people who think they know what TOB is or reduce it to a subset or a new phenomenon or a fad, in fact TOB is a profound body of work that does nothing more and nothing less than reflect the truth of the Gospel in what’s called an experiential way, meaning in the way we encounter life. So it is in fact the Gospel. It’s not a subset of the Gospel; (the TOB) is the Gospel. The teaching of the TOB rests squarely on … and also rests independently on natural law… the deep resonance of what it means to be human, whether you’re part of the faith community or not, rests with you. This movement was launched behind the Iron Curtain, and it has the power to transform our culture in much the same way. When (theologian and author) George Weigel said it was a theological time bomb set to go off in the 21^st century, it was not an exaggeration. It’s the same logic that brought about the end of communism, and that logic, or logos, is the Word of God and a calling to mind what it means to be human.

Can you elaborate on that?

Pope John Paul II was calling those people in Poland… they’d been beaten and downtrodden and forgot what it meant to be human. There’s that climactic point of the liturgy where it says, “Do this in remembrance of me.” We’ve gotten amnesia as a society and [the logic behind the] TOB is a calling back to what it means to be human just as it reminded the people in Poland about their human dignity; it unleashed this power that ultimately resulted in the downfall of communism. Beauty, true beauty, is a powerful weapon.

Christopher has been both praised and criticized for using current cultural references as tools in his presentations and works. “Fill These Hearts” seems to be another example of intersecting TOB with the current culture.

Some people wonder if it’s a wise idea to use cultural references to make a theological point… to which I would say, the question reveals that there’s a lack of understanding of what culture is. Culture is not something we can escape. Culture is like the water that surrounds a fish. A fish can deny that he’s in water, but it doesn’t take away the reality that the fish is surrounded by water. It just makes for an unhappy fish. Using cultural references to make a theological point is very effective. St. Paul and Jesus himself employed cultural references to help form and teach and guide people into faith. To deny its effectiveness on the basis of, I don’t like the current culture, is a like a fish denying that it’s surrounded in water.

“Fill These Hearts: An Evening of Beauty and Reflection on the Theology of the Body,” featuring Christopher West and Mike Mangione and the Union, will take place 6:30-10:30 p.m. Sept. 18 at Pikes Peak Center. For more event details and ticket information, including discounts for groups, military and students, go to www.fillthesehearts.com. All seats are general admission.

I was clearing my desk last weekend and found a transcript of a talk given by Archbishop Claudio Celli on June 4 at the 2010 Catholic Media Convention in New Orleans. Archbishop Ceili heads the Vatican’s Pontifical Council for Social Communication. As I browsed through it, I found a section I had highlighted, as I thought it addresses well the different interpretations found in the church on proper material displays of wealth and beauty. In this comment, I could not help but think of the looks of older churches versus many newer ones, as well as the “post-Vatican II” trend of liturgical vessels that were made of glass or pottery instead of precious metals. When the Church cracked down on non-precious metal vessels, I heard from some folks that the church was opulent or that it had a shallow attachment to material things — the “window dressings” of the faith, I was once told. I’ll leave it at that and let you agree or disagree…

In the past in the Church, there was a strong tradition that the vessels used for the liturgy were made with the most precious metals and jewels and that they were crafted to the highest standards. Similarly, our places of worship were built with extraordinary attention to detail and scale and they featured the greatest examples of human ingenuity in art and architecture. The basic philosophy was that only the best was good enough for God and that the greatest fruits of human achievement should give honor and praise to Him. Today we are often uneasy about such material displays of wealth and beauty, we are more conscious of the need to put material goods at the service of the poor and disadvantaged but we should never tire of the commitment to putting our gifts and talents at the service of God. In seeking to do our best, we both honor God and realize our own capacities. Doing our best means that, at times, we are working with objectively limited resources and talents but that we are realizing the fullness of their potential.

BH

This note came from O’Brien Carpet One, one of the Herald’s longest-running and supportive advertisers (and a great supporter of diocesan events):

On August 28th O’Briens Carpet One will be participating as a sponsor of the Buddy Walk for the Down Syndrome Association. Our manager of the N. Academy store has a daughter with Down syndrome and needs some buddies. For every person that becomes a fan of the O’Briens Carpet One Facebook page, or follow us on Twitter  O’Briens will donate an additional $1.00 to the Buddy Walk for Emily. I am including a letter below from Emily and if you feel called to donate more please follow the link and directions in the letter.

Hi, my name is Emily. I am 10 years old and I am going into 5th grade. I go to Woodmen Roberts School and I love recess! I always want to play on the jungle gym. I have been busy this summer going swimming and playing at the park. I like to read my books and watch movies too. This year the BUDDY WALK is on Saturday, August 28 and I hope that you can come and support me and my friends with Down syndrome. I am trying to raise money for CSDSA and I need your help. Please make your donation to CSDSA and I want to be your BUDDY. Your support helps everyone with Down syndrome. Go to our website www.csdsa.org to contribute, or make a check out to CSDSA and mail to PO Box 2364 Colorado Springs, CO 80901. Be sure to include my name, EMILY ALLEN as your buddy! Thanks

This may be the most highly anticipated show yet… Bishop Sheridan sat down in early August with his predecessor, Bishop Emeritus Richard Hanifen, for an entertaining, engaging show that touched on topics ranging from Vatican II to attending World Youth Day to their vocations stories (including memories of some pre-seminary dating experiences).

This is a very special opportunity to hear a diocese’s only two bishops sit back and discuss various faith topics. Special thanks to Bishop Hanifen for taking the time to participate in this show. We hope to have you back again.

CLICK HERE to go to the audio/video page and listen to the show. We’ve also uploaded other recent shows that focus on Natural Family Planning and Catholic Radio Network and its inaugural Priests and Seminiarians Appreciation Day that took place Aug. 9 at The Broadmoor and St. Paul Church.

This show is one of the hidden treasures of our diocese, so please spread the word and feel free to pass on the links to past shows you think will be of interest to friends and family.

NOTE: If you are having trouble getting the link to launch your media player (we use Windows Media Player here and it works fine), then you can also right-click on the listen link, download it as an .mp3 file and listen at your convenience (perhaps also burn CDs for friends and family).

BH

Posted earlier today on the Herald site:

BH

COLORADO SPRINGS. Jason Christensen has resigned as CEO and president of Catholic Charities of Colorado Springs effective Aug. 17.

The resignation was confirmed by Msgr. Don Dunn, acting president and CEO of Catholic Charities, in an Aug. 18 memo to Catholic Pastoral Center and Catholic Charities employees and in an Aug. 19 statement from Catholic Charities of Colorado Springs.

According to the Catholic Charities of Colorado Springs statement, Msgr. Dunn will remain the acting president/CEO through Labor Day (Sept. 6), at which time an interim CEO will be named and a national search will be launched by the board of directors.

In an Aug. 18 post on his Cycling for Change blog, Christensen wrote that he resigned over differences with the board about the direction of the agency.

Christensen had been participating in a cross-country bicycle ride, Cycling for Change, intended to raise awareness of poverty issues across America. The ride passed through Colorado Springs on July 8 and included a stop at a celebratory event at America the Beautiful Park.

In a July 31 blog post for Cycling for Change, Christensen wrote that he was returning to Colorado Springs for health reasons and to spend more time with his family. Christensen was recently diagnosed with diabetes and wrote that his “numbers” (i.e. blood sugar levels) were out of range and that he was visiting a doctor.

In an Aug. 18 blog post, Christensen announced that he will rejoin the ride but with a new context.

“It is with some sadness that I announce I will finish the ride not as the CEO of Catholic Charities of Colorado Springs but as a private citizen in support of (Cycling for Change’s) Campaign to Reduce Poverty,” he wrote. “After lengthy discussion with the leadership of the board of directors about the direction of the agency, I concluded it was best for us to part ways. Thus, I have resigned my position as president/CEO of Catholic Charities.”

In an Aug. 19 comment to The Colorado Catholic Herald, Msgr. Don Dunn expressed thanks for Christensen’s contributions to Catholic Charities of Colorado Springs.

“We at Catholic Charities are most grateful to Jason Christensen for leading the agency for the last three and a half years,” Msgr. Dunn said. “While we honor his decision to resign for personal reasons, we are grateful for all the service he has rendered and offer our prayers for him and his family.”

In the time since Christensen arrived in March 2007, the new Marian House Soup Kitchen opened in June 2008 and the adjoining Bishop Richard C. Hanifen Center followed in March 2009. Named for the bishop emeritus of the diocese, the center houses the majority of Catholic Charities of Colorado Springs’ emergency and transition services, as well as the Marian House Community Outreach program, Marian House Client Services and several social agencies.

“The New Marian House project was an incredible effort that has become a shining example of the goodness of Colorado Springs and what the church has done for the least among us,” Christensen wrote.

Christensen also thanked Colorado Springs Bishop Michael Sheridan for his support the past three-plus years.

“Unfortunately we live in an era when our church and our bishops have been much maligned in the secular media,” Christensen wrote. “I can tell you that Bishop Sheridan stands out as one of the good guys. I am grateful to have worked with him.”

Due to the timeliness of Bishop Sheridan’s latest column, I thought we’d debut it here a little ahead of publication schedule (our issue comes out this Friday). The topic is the recent reversal of California’s Proposition 8 which would have defined marriage as between one man and one woman.

Your thoughts are most welcome.

BH

THE BISHOP’S VOICE – Aug. 20, 2010

By Bishop Michael Sheridan, S.T.D.

Often I am asked what I believe to be the greatest challenge to the church and society in general as we move into the second decade of the 21st century. I’ve thought about that question enough that I don’t even hesitate in my answer. I am convinced that we are in a battle to preserve the meaning of marriage and family life, and that battle must be won if society itself is to continue to exist. 

Of course there are many other very important concerns that we have as Catholics, not least of which are those that we call the “life” issues. We will likely still be working for an end to abortion for many years to come, and we cannot rest until respect for life has been restored. But the effort to undo marriage in our time is fairly new. It is at the top of the homosexual agenda, and it has been undertaken with a vengeance.

It would be less than true to blame the push for so-called “same-sex marriage” entirely on homosexual persons who want to “marry” someone of the same sex. Helping them in this crusade are federal judges who also want to redefine marriage by judicial fiat. Case in point: Judge Vaughn Walker, who recently struck down Proposition 8, which amended the California state constitution.

In 2008 the people of California voted by a majority of 52 percent to retain the traditional meaning of marriage, namely, that only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California. Proposition 8 amended the California state constitution accordingly. Some might say that this was quite an achievement for an otherwise liberal state. But even in California most people understood — perhaps only instinctively — that marriage is what it is, the union of one man and one woman.

Now comes Judge Walker, who has taken to himself the right to override the will of the people of California and decide unilaterally that people of the same sex have a constitutional right to marry. Judge Walker bases his decision on his belief that the amendment is unconstitutional simply because it excludes same-sex couples, and that is just not fair.

The outcry from those who see Judge Walker’s decision as another attempt to do away with marriage has been significant. Cardinal Francis George, Archbishop of Chicago and president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, was quick to assert that marriage is the bedrock of any society. Marriages can exist without society, but societies cannot exist without marriages. Cardinal George characterized Judge Walker’s overturning of the California’s Proposition 8 as “the misuse of law to change the nature of marriage.” 

“It is tragic,” the Cardinal told Catholic News Service, “that a federal judge would overturn the clear and expressed will of the people in their support for the institution of marriage. No court of civil law has the authority to reach into areas of human experience that nature itself has defined.”

What happened in California has nothing to do with fairness or equality. It has everything to do with wanting to redefine marriage so that finally it means whatever anyone wants it to mean. And let us not be naïve. If marriage can be the union of two men or two women, then logically it can also refer to polygamous unions and to other “relationships” too bizarre to be discussed here. Welcome to the dictatorship of relativism! 

Marriage has been understood in virtually every time and culture as the union of a man and woman that is ordered to the procreation of children. Marriage is not a social construct that is tied to particular cultures or times. The meaning of marriage is apparent in the very creation of man and woman as complementary beings. “Same-sex marriage” is incapable of being procreative, and thus incapable of expressing the truth of marriage. Judge Walker and his ilk would have us believe that marriage is nothing more than a generic relationship that is defined by those who enter into it. In other words, because marriage can mean whatever someone wants it to mean, it will then mean nothing.

The fiasco in California is only one salvo in what will become — I believe — the most important culture war of the immediate future. The fight to redefine marriage is primarily an effort to make homosexual behavior appear to be mainstream and thus socially acceptable. 

Marriage is God’s first gift to His creation, and it is to God that we must turn for the preservation of marriage. Now is the time to fast and pray, begging God to move the minds and hearts of all people to recognize the uniquely beautiful nature of marriage and family life.

[NOTE: On Aug. 16, after this column was written, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals issued an indefinite stay on the implementation of Walker’s ruling while the appeals court examines it.]

 

We have a slight tweak in the airing schedule for Bishop Sheridan Presents on KFEL 970 AM. All of the regularly scheduled days and times will remain the same, but new episodes will debut on the Saturday 11 a.m. airing instead of the previous Wednesday 7 a.m. slot. So until further notice, the new schedule will be:

Episode debut: Saturdays, 11 a.m.

Replays: Sundays, noon (970 KFEL and 1570 KPIO in Denver/Loveland) and Wednesdays, 7 a.m.

Don’t forget, if you live outside of the antenna range of the station, you can still listen to the shows live through an Internet stream link at www.coloradocatholicherald.com. Look for the yellow Catholic Radio button on the righthand menu. That is a good way to listen through one’s smartphone in the car or to get a clean stream at home.

Now that that the inaugural Catholic Radio Network Priest and Seminarian Appreciation Outing has come and gone (what a great day it was), we’ll resume new episodes of BSP. We’ve got two very special shows coming up this month:

* Natural Family Planning instructors Charlie and Christine McIntyre discuss NFP and the questions raised in their classes. (Scheduled to debut Aug. 14)

* Bishop Sheridan sits down for the first time with Colorado Springs Bishop Emeritus Richard Hanifen. The topic list is flexible, so tune in to find out what they will talk about. (Scheduled to debut Aug. 21)

BH

A priest celebrates Mass upon the laying of the cornerstone for the first St. Charles Borromeo church in Stratton, Colorado in 1910. (Photo courtesy of Diocese of Colorado Springs archives)

In writing my story on the 100^th anniversary of St. Charles Borromeo Parish in Stratton, I did some research into the parish’s history. It’s impressive to think about how the hierarchy and lay people collaborated to make the Catholic Church a presence even in those small Colorado towns that were little more than railroad stops 100 years ago. St. Charles, like a lot of parishes in the Diocese of Colorado Springs, has come a long way from the days when local Catholics were lucky to have a Mass in town once a month.

One of the interesting tidbits that came up in my research was that, at one time, the pastor of St. Charles had to deal with opposition from the Ku Klux Klan, a group that counts the Catholic Church as one of its biggest enemies. Not a lot of details are available, but the pastor handled it well, apparently, and the parishioners were able to continue worshipping in peace.

These days, Catholics in the United States are generally free to go to church without harassment. But the reality is that Catholics in other parts of the world face the threat of persecution every time they go to Mass. In China, for example, Catholic priests and bishops face tremendous obstacles due to government oppression, so much so that there is an underground church. In the Middle East, ethnic and political violence is threatening the small Catholic minorities that remain. The situation in some African countries is also precarious for Catholics.

Let’s give thanks for the privilege of being able to practice our faith openly, and let’s continue to pray for our persecuted brothers and sisters around the world.  

VA

A ”Prayer Vigil for Life” will take place 1-3 p.m. Aug. 1 near the new Planned Parenthood clinic location on Centennial Boulevard in Colorado Springs. The clinic offers abortions among its crisis pregnancy services.

Attendees are advised to park in the King Soopers shopping center parking lot at the northwest corner of Centennial Blvd and Fillmore. Walk north up the sidewalk on the west side of Centennial. At the intersection of the private drive there will be red “Choose Life” hearts and Life Chain signs to borrow for the afternoon. Participants should stay on the Centennial sidewalk for the prayer vigil.

Organizers of the event are reminding participants that this is a quiet and peaceful prayer vigil, not a protest. The demeanor on the sidewalk should reflect a very prayerful attitude.

Parents are also advised to watch their children carefully, as Centennial is a busy road. Participants should bring a water bottle, sunscreen and a hat. Those who cannot stand for long should bring a lawn chair.

BH

Ran across this Q&A from the Culture of Life Foundation e-mail list (originally posted on www.zenit.org). Very interesting question. What are your thoughts on the response?

BH

WASHINGTON, D.C., JULY 14, 2010 (Zenit.org).- Here is a question on bioethics asked by a ZENIT reader and answered by the fellows of the Culture of Life Foundation.

Q: Can you tell us what is the latest Church teaching about couples seeking a Catholic marriage, wherein one or both of the spouses are impeded from having children by a tubal ligation and/or vasectomy? Can a priest assist at such a marriage, if he were to know about the situation? Or is it enough that he ask them to consider a reversal? Seems like these cases are becoming an epidemic, and every priest seems to be handling this question differently. — Fr. I.S. Belleville, New Jersey, USA

E. Christian Brugger and William E. May offer the following response: 

People who sterilize themselves in order to prevent conception commit a grave offense, but their condition of itself does not prevent the validity of a marriage. Catholic Canon Law teaches: “Sterility neither prohibits nor invalidates marriage” (can. 1084, no. 3). 

To contract a valid marriage, one must possess the capacity and the will to enter into a permanent and procreative-type of union. (The procreative part requires only that one be capable of having true intercourse, not that that intercourse must be fertile. More on this below.) If a priest knows that a person requesting marriage in the Church has sterilized him or herself, he should seek moral certitude that the person intends to contract a valid marriage. But if he knows the person is unrepentant, then he has a reasonable ground for questioning whether that person has a will to enter a procreative-type of union. In our judgment, he should not marry persons who say with an intractable will, “I’m sterilized and I’m not sorry.”

How can sterilized persons intend a procreative-type of union (i.e., be morally “open to life”), since knowing they are sterile they cannot intend to have children? Two things are required for openness to life. First, they must repent of the sin of sterilization. Sincere repentance undoes the moral self-determination against life that they realized in themselves when they chose to be sterilized. To repent of a serious sin such as sterilization requires sacramental confession.

Second, having repented, their conjugal acts remain “open to life” (i.e., are marital acts) insofar as they are: 1) chosen in a “human manner”; and 2) are “per se apt for the generation of a child” (canon 1061, no. 1), although the condition of sterility may make such generation impossible (or at least unlikely). The act is chosen in a “human way” insofar as it’s chosen freely (i.e., is not the result of physical or moral coercion). And it is “per se apt for the generation of a child” insofar as it is an ejaculatory act of sexual intercourse between a man and a woman, which is the kind of act from which procreation could follow if couples are fertile. (Faithful moral theologians [and canon lawyers] disagree on the question of whether an intentionally contraceptive act of intercourse [e.g., using chemicals or barriers] is “per se apt for the generation of a child.” We believe it is not.)

An external sign that a person has repented is that he or she seeks to reverse the vasectomy or ligation. A reversal is not required in order to marry in the Church. And if attempting a reversal were to cause serious burdens (e.g., grave financial difficulty or threat to health), then the attempt would not be morally obligatory. But in the absence of serious burdens, we believe a sterilized man or woman for the good of the marriage should attempt a reversal. This of course would not apply to couples who are past childbearing age.

* * *

E. Christian Brugger is a Senior Fellow of Ethics at the Culture of Life Foundation and is an associate professor of moral theology at St. John Vianney Theological Seminary in Denver, Colorado. He received his Doctorate in Philosophy from Oxford in 2000.

William E. May, is a Senior Fellow at the Culture of Life Foundation and retired Michael J. McGivney Professor of Moral Theology at the John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family at The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C.

[Readers may send questions regarding bioethics to bioethics@zenit.org. This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it The text should include your initials, your city and your state, province or country. The fellows at the Culture of Life Foundation will answer a select number of the questions that arrive.]

(c) 2010 ZENIT and Culture of Life Foundation.  Reproduction granted with attribution required.

A statue of Blessed Teresa of Calcutta at St. John Cantius Church in downtown Chicago. (Herald photo by Bill Howard)

Next month, we’ll be celebrating the 100th anniversary of the birth of Blessed Teresa of Calcutta. Part of the national remembrance includes a postage stamp by the USPS as well as the current tour around the U.S. of relics.

I was in Chicago this past weekend and learned that the relics were making a stop downtown at St. John Cantius Church, so I skipped part of a music festival I was attending and pilgrimaged to the church. We had the opportunity to venerate reliquaries that contained drops of Mother Teresa’s blood as well as a strand of her hair. There was also a glass case that contained a worn pair of her sandals, as well as the cross that she received when she took her first vows as a religious and the rosary that she frequently prayed with (she had both of the latter two items on her when she died). The rosary had some medals attached to it, but it was hard to make them out — I could tell one was the St. Benedict medal. I’m sure another was a Miraculous Medal, as she was fond of giving them out. In fact, as you entered St. John Cantius Church, nuns from her order, the Missionaries of Charity, were on hand to greet you with Miraculous Medals that were pressed to Mother Teresa’s tomb before they were shipped to the U.S. They also gave out special Blessed Teresa medals in recognition of her canonization cause, as well as holy cards with a third-class relic (a snippet of cloth) embedded. The nuns also held the reliquaries as they were venerated and offered a petition basket that would be brought back to Blessed Teresa’s tomb in Calcutta.

The relics tour has not exactly been heavily promoted, and it seems that they are stopping in cities where the Missionaries of Charity operate. That said, I have not heard of any stop in Denver. It’s making its way to Texas soon so perhaps there will be a stop along the way. I’ll post an update here as soon as I hear anything.

BH

At last week’s bike rodeo at America the Beautiful Park, a representative of the non-profit organization Kids on Bikes said something that got me thinking.

His group donates new bicycles to needy kids who are trying hard in school, and he was talking about how the purpose is really to give the kids a path to independence, not just another form of entertainment. I started reminiscing about all the time I spent riding my bike growing up.

It really is true that, in previous years, bicycles gave kids more freedom to explore opportunities and grow in their knowledge of the world.

For those of us who grew up in the 1960s and 70s, bicycles allowed us to get to baseball and softball practices, summer school, the neighborhood pool and other activities. They allowed us to earn some spending money through newspaper routes and other odd jobs.

Bicycles also made life a little easier for our parents, who didn’t have to drive us everywhere we went.

In talking to friends who have children, however, the general consensus is that the world these days is not safe enough to allow our kids to ride their bikes unsupervised. No longer do children take off for two or three hours, promising to be home for dinner. This means that, until they’re old enough to drive a car, kids must now depend on their parents for transportation. Is this a good thing?

I’ve struggled with this in my own family. Recently, for example, my teenage son’s good friend and next-door neighbor moved a couple of miles away due to a divorce. He’s able to ride his bike to their home, and has done it several times, but I still wonder if I should allow him to go.

What are your thoughts?
VA

A man helps his daughter learn how to ride a bike during the Kids Bike Rodeo, part of the Freedom from Poverty celebration on July 8 at America the Beautiful Park in Colorado Springs. (Photo courtesy of Jim Myers)

By now, you’ve probably heard of the recent firestorm around Mel Gibson after audio recordings were released of him verbally assaulting his recent ex-girlfriend (with whom he had a child out of wedlock). We won’t link to it here because it’s not suitable, but it’s not hard to find.

This is the man who made what remains my favorite movie, “Braveheart,” and a film that pierced the hearts of many Catholics and Christians, “The Passion of the Christ.” He claims the Catholic faith, regularly attends the Latin Mass, and yet he is not in union with Rome; nevertheless “Passion of the Christ” is a film that Catholics in union with Rome can deeply identify with. It was clear from that film that Gibson has deeply reflected on the sacramental life.

And that is one reason why these dramatic, public moral falls are so maddening and sad. Yes, we are a church full of sinners — we have saints who were drunks and womanizers… we even have a saint who once killed Christians – and maybe Mel can somehow get right with Christ after this latest episode. But it has been obvious for some time that he fights serious demons. Mel has a history of addiction, and his behavior pattern seems bipolar in nature. Those are no excuses for how he behaved, but it does shine a spotlight on how serious conditions like those may never be cured but need to be maintained. I’d like to get the Herald’s Catholic counselor columnist Dan Spadaro’s take on this. If I can get something from Dan, I’ll post it or maybe it will be his next column.

So what do we do now with Mel? Can you still watch “Passion of the Christ” knowing what you know now of some of his actions since that film? I still find “The Passion” one of the great films in cinema history and I will watch it thanking God that Mel had it together enough at the time to make that incredible film and to pray for him and those he hurt. The Catholic faith is ultimately a journey toward redemption and mercy, right? But I digress. My main question is, what is the Catholic response for Mel in light of what has happened?

It is clear that Mel needs help, whether it’s spiritual direction, counseling, etc… He needs to embrace the sacrament of reconciliation and make right with whomever he has wronged (and don’t we all). The backlash in Hollywood is going to be severe and his megastar status likely will not bail him out this time. Let’s pray for his conversion, as well as for the mother of his recent child, that child, his wife (the divorce is not yet official from what I’ve seen) and all of his children from that marriage who must be heartbroken to see their father so lost.

When it was released in 2004, Mel revealed that it was his hand driving the nail into Christ’s hand on the cross in that famous scene from “The Passion of the Christ.” What do you think when you see that picture now?

BH

Bishop Sheridan Part 2 from OneBillionStories.com on Vimeo.

Above is the second and final part of the interview Seth DeMoor held with Bishop Michael Sheridan as a twist to the end of the bishop’s weekly radio show.

Here is the article we ran around the time of the interview. Seth appears to be getting national attention now, too, as Our Sunday Visitor recently spotlighted his story.

BH

The Colorado Catholic Herald recently sat down with Father Francisco Quezada, vicar for Hispanics and diocesan director of the Office of Hispanic Ministry, to speak to him about his longtime friendship with Archbishop Jose Gomez of Los Angeles. Father Quezada also discusses the Catholic Association of Latino Leaders, which Archbishop Gomez founded in 2006. 

CCH: When did you first meet Archbishop Gomez? 

Father Quezada: I met him the first time I attended the National Association of Hispanic Priests convention in 1988. It was the same year I was ordained, and interestingly enough it was held in Denver, where then-Father Jose Gomez would eventually be named an auxiliary bishop.

CCH: Can you describe his personality?

Father Quezada:  I would say he is a man of prayer. He is first a priest. He is very hardworking—he is zealous in his work ethic. Also, he is very self-disciplined in how he makes use of the whole day. He has a beautiful, contemplative, zealous ministry ethic.

CCH: How were you involved in helping Archbishop Gomez form the Catholic Association of Latino Leaders (CALL)?

Father Quezada: I was a member, an attendee at the first meeting at St. Malo Conference Center in 2006. It was his conception, his vision with the support of Archbishop Chaput and other bishops. (Colorado Springs Bishop Michael Sheridan) asked me to attend, and I reported to him what had transpired at the meeting. As a consequence I became a founding member.

CCH: What is the purpose behind the organization?

Father Quezada: CALL was formed to gather business people, lay Latino Catholic men and women, entrepreneurs in the workplace of everyday life, that have the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to share with the world. We try to determine if we can make a difference in the U.S. Senate, for example, or if we can make a difference in pro-life issues and other issues in society. If we are a strong presence in the church today—and Hispanics will make up the majority of the U.S. church by 2020—that has strong ramifications for a sense of Catholic responsibility as Latinos, to be a force to be reckoned with in light of the Gospel. There are several chapters. Denver has one, and I’m currently working on starting a chapter here in Colorado Springs.

CCH: What will it mean to the Latinos in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles to have an archbishop who was born in Mexico?

Father Quezada: It will have a simple and blessed significance. If you go back to the history of what then would have been called the California missions, there would have been Spanish-speaking members of the hierarchy. It’s significant because it’s kind of going back to the history of the founding of the missions. Our history has come around. Secondly, it’s a pastoral recognition by Pope Benedict XVI of the reality that in 10-15 years Hispanics will be the majority in the U.S. church. It shows that he is aware and connected to the U.S. church.

CCH: Archbishop Gomez called immigration reform the civil rights issue of our time. What did he mean by that?

Father Quezada: If I dare interpret what he said, and knowing him and his ministry, I believe what he means by saying that it is the most important civil rights issue, is that life is precious. If we are having issues understanding the beauty and value of life from the womb, we will have difficulty dealing with the simple issue of the human rights of the immigrant, who has the right to migrate from one country to another when an economic downturn makes it impossible to survive in one’s own country. This issue will suffer when we don’t have an appreciation of God-given life from the womb.

CCH: What his Archbishop Gomez’ friendship meant to you personally, in terms of being a support in your work?

Father Quezada: Two things: First and primarily, he may not even be aware that for me he is a very beautiful, good model of the priesthood. I’m not there yet, but I can aspire to it. He’s just shown a deep love for the priesthood, and it makes me love my priesthood even more. Secondly, he has, by living it, shown me how to contemplatively go about a busy day in a priest’s life, walking with God in it. That’s very difficult, to walk with God in the “busy-ness” of a pastor’s life.

I’ve seen the life of prayer that he leads, beginning each morning with Mass. The Holy Mass is something that evidently gives him sustenance for his day. This is part of the fabric of his life. “Pray for me,” are words constantly coming from his mouth. I think his coat of arms is also significant. The motto is from the Letter of St. Paul to the Hebrews: “Let us go forth with confidence to the throne of grace.”

VA