Office for Social
           Ministry

        e-link 

      The Diocese of
          San Diego
 


858-490-8323            #20 04/7/04 
 

Dear OSM e-link Member,

Nineteen new members were added since e-link Bulletin #19 went out on March 16th.  We've reached 658.  That's about one new member per day.  Welcome aboard new members!  We hope you will find e-link both informative and motivational.

Speaking of motivation, our sincere hope is that, in the spirit of building a culture of life, each e-link member will do two things, 1) make the phone calls requested in the advocacy section below (in this bulletin the call is to the offices of both U.S. Senators from California) and 2) attend one meeting or gathering every other month (that's only six per year).  Your presence will make a real difference!

Thank you all for caring about those who are threatened or marginalized.

May God truly bless your Easter celebrations!

 

Wednesday, April 7, 2004

OSM e-link - Bulletin #20

Table of Contents:

Reflection on the Catholic Community Behind Bars and Those Who Serve Them - by Jim Walsh.  It's long, but it's very good!

Key Upcoming Gatherings/Projects (please join us if at all possible)
          - Last call for the Annual Catholic Lobby Day in Sacramento, Tuesday, April 27, 2004
          - Crucial vote on the Living Wage - Rules Committee meeting Wed., April 21, 8:00 a.m.
          - Stations of the Cross in Downtown San Diego on Good Friday, April 9, 8:30 a.m.
          - Washing Feet for Justice in support of Head Start Workers, Thur., April 8, 2004
          - CoSA rally in support of DREAM Act set for Saturday, April 17, 2004
         
Updates from the Office for Social Ministry
          - Detention Ministry Training to prepare 40 new volunteers in April of 2004
          - Happy Hour at the Hall - janitors and people of faith celebrate workplace justice

Advocacy Feedback
          - Kent reports on call to Sen. Feinstein on the Growers/Farm Workers Pact, S. 1645

Advocacy Request
          - Call Senators Feinstein and Boxer to register disapproval on votes against the Unborn
             Victims of Violence Act, HR 1997.

Web and e-mail-based Resources
          - Re-link to the GE web site for their 30 second 4D ultrasound commercial - still amazing!

Local and Regional Events/Gatherings/Projects
          - Most Precious Blood Parish respect-life group to sponsor rosary vigils at local abortion
            provider on April 10, 14, and 17.

Article/Statement for January 21, 2004
          - Statement of Bishop Thomas Olmsted, Phoenix, on the "I'm Catholic but..." syndrome

 

Remarks from Jim Walsh

The Catholic Community Behind Bars and Those Who Serve Them

Detention ministry is such a polite, delicate term.  The word detention implies that someone is being “detained”.  Like, “I’ll be detained for a while…” or “sorry I’m late, I was detained” (for 25 years to life)!  It’s true, there are “INS Detention Centers”, but Detention Ministry is really all about caring for people who are in jail, in prison.

Most people in jail or prison probably deserve to be there.  Statutorily or otherwise, they need to be removed from society for a while.  The idea behind jail or prison is that the person is taken out of circulation, held against her or his will, so the law can be fulfilled.  Their relationships with the outside become difficult, if not impossible, to maintain.  Or their relationships disappear altogether. Their “freedom” is taken away.  This is what we imagine happens when someone is “sent to jail”.

But here is what else happens… the vast majority of prisoners initially suffer from extreme anxiety, fear of the unknown… where are they sending me, what’s going to happen next, when do I eat, where do I go to the bathroom, how long will I have to listen to this incessant cursing, this seemingly non-human background noise, yelling and screaming from cells?  Many become depressed.  I’m in here with murderers and rapists and all I did was…?  What happened to the victim of my offense?

Will the people in here hurt me, rape me, kill me?  And if someone comes after me, what should I do?   I need my spouse, my kids, my Mom, my Dad, my lawyer, my probation officer.  Oh my God, what’s going to happen to me… to them... to my victim?

They won’t let me communicate with my friends.  My family won’t talk to me. I haven’t had anyone visit me in the eight months I’ve been here.  And I just had my 17th birthday yesterday. I have an 18-month-old baby. Who’s taking care of him?

I know the guards hate me.  I’d rather be dead than in here.  Some inmate has been trying to convince me to worship Satan.  Other inmates fight about Scripture interpretations.  They tell me I’m going to hell for what I believe.  I don’t know what to believe.  Does God know I’m here?  I don’t deserve all this, no matter what I did.

I’ve cracked the cell door open a bit for you.  I just shared a brief compilation of a FEW of the things that inmates have shared with me and those things that I have observed in jails and prisons. 

 “May the groans of the prisoners reach you; by your great strength save those who are condemned to death.”  Psalm 79:11

 “The cowering prisoners will soon be set free; they will not die in their dungeon, nor will they lack bread.”  Isaiah 51:14 

What did Jesus have to say about this?  From Luke 4, “He unrolled the scroll and found the passage where it is written: ‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me; therefore he has anointed me.  He has sent me to bring glad tidings to the poor, to proclaim liberty to captives, recovery of sight to the blind and release to prisoners, to announce a year of favor from the Lord.’  Rolling up the scroll he gave it back to the assistant and sat down. And all in the synagogue had their eyes fixed on him. Then he began by saying, ‘Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.’”

“I was in prison and you visited me…” Matthew 25:36

Should we be working to release everyone from jail?  Of course not.  How does God bring freedom to captives today?  Through us!  By praying for prisoners, by writing to them, by visiting them they can find freedom in God in a new and merciful way.  That’s what Detention Ministry is.

There are over 20,000 incarcerated men, women and youth in our diocese in 23 separate “detention facilities”, jails and prisons.  Let’s say that 8,000 or 9,000 of them have been baptized Catholic. That’s a huge parish!  There are about 175 active Detention Ministry volunteers in our diocese.  Most of them spend an hour or two in a jail once or maybe twice a month.  175 seed sowers planting seeds along someone’s path, hoping it falls upon good earth. And hoping that while Christ provides the light, someone else will fertilize, someone else will prune.

Bishop Brom will celebrate Easter Mass with the men in R. J. Donovan State Prison in Otay Mesa.  Will you pray for him, the prisoners and the prison staff?  Paul told us to “Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.” Hebrews 13:3

I’m not naïve enough to think that an article like this will “recruit” droves of new volunteers to the ministry.  But if these words plant a seed in your consciousness, if they move you to say a prayer for the boys and girls, women and men who are caught in the profane, dehumanizing agony of “detention”, it will have served its intent. If you want to talk about it, my number is 858-490-8375 and my email is jwalsh@diocese-sdiego.org

Then someone came and said, "Look! The men you put in jail are standing in the temple courts teaching the people."  Acts 5:25

San Diego, Pray for us.
Our Lady of Refuge, Pray for us.
 

 Key Culture-of-Life Gatherings/Projects
 

Number 1:

LAST CALL FOR CATHOLIC LOBBY DAY   
As of today, 28 parishioners have registered for the trip.  That leaves 2 open spots for our diocesan Catholic Lobby Day trip to Sacramento  -  Join Bishop Cordileone, the OSM staff (Linda, Jim, Jo and Kent), and 30 other parishioners at the 6th annual Catholic Lobby Day on Tuesday, April 27, 2004, at the Capitol in Sacramento. 

 

Auxiliary Bishop Salvatore Cordileone will lead our Catholic Lobby Day 2004 delegation to the State Capitol.  With nearly 1000 other Catholics in Sacramento, we will learn more about issues, celebrate our faith with a morning Mass, rally to show legislators our seriousness, and lobby our own state legislators.  To receive a registration form or to register by phone or e-mail:
 

call 858-490-8323
or e-mail jbrower@diocese-sdiego.org. 

Cost for the day, including airfare to Sacramento, transportation between the airport and the Capitol, and lunch is only $99.  Your parish may have an interest in subsidizing your trip if you commit to representing the parish in Sacramento.  Please inquire.
 








Schedule for Catholic Lobby Day
Tuesday, April 27, 2004


6:40 a.m.     Depart from the San Diego Airport - SW #1614
8:10 a.m.     Arrive at the Sacramento Airport
8:25 a.m.     Bus from Airport Leaves for the Capitol
8:50 a.m.     Arrive at the Capitol, Register at the Crest Theater
9:30 a.m.     Welcome and Eucharistic Liturgy
10:45 a.m.   March to the Capitol
11:15 a.m.   Rally at the Capitol (North Entrance)
11:45 a.m.   Lunch on the Capitol Lawn
1:00 p.m.     Lobby Visits to Member Assembly and Senate Offices (small groups by districts)
4:00 p.m.     Bus Leaves for the Airport (Debriefing Meeting on the Bus), Dinner at Airport
6:15 p.m.     Depart from Sacramento Airport - SW #163
7:40 p.m.     Arrive back in San Diego

Past participant remarks on Catholic Lobby Day 2003.

Mary Jo Gretsinger of the Diocesan Tribunal wrote, "I found that religion and politics do mix well. This trip is where values meet government, and it was an awesome opportunity to reach out to my elected representatives in faith." 

Join us on Tuesday, April 27, 2004!
 

Number 2: 

A Crucial Vote on the proposed San Diego Living Wage Ordinance will take place at the City Council Rules Committee Meeting on Wednesday, April 21st at City Hall.  A prayer time will take place at 8:00 a.m. in the plaza near the entrance to City Hall.  The Rules Committee meeting begins at 9:00 a.m.  Please join us for both. 


This is a make-it-or-break-it meeting for the Living Wage Ordinace.  The Rules Committee can either pass it on to the City Council or stop it in its tracks.  To the left is Rabbi Laurie Coskey, director of the Interfaith Committee for Worker Justice, speaking to the Rules Committee two months ago, where Rules Committee members voted to study the proposal.

There is a good chance that if the Ordinance is sent to the full City Council, it will pass, making this meeting perhaps the most important in the overall strategy to win decent wages for those who work for City contractors.  If ever the presence of the public was needed for meeting this is it.  Won't you join us to be a public witness for workplace justice? 

Living Wage Ordinance Vote at the San Deigo City Council Rules Committee Meeting:

Wednesday, April 21st

8:00 a.m. Prayer and Song on the Concourse Entryway
                (meet at C Street and 2nd Ave. in the passageway between
                      C Street and the Concourse Plaza)
9:00 a.m. Rules Committee Meeting
    (Rules Committe meets in the City Council Meeting Room on the 12th Floor,
       due to security and lines try to enter City Hall by 8:45 a.m.



Number 3: 

This Friday, experience the Downtown Stations of the Cross...  The Ecumenical Council of San Diego will sponsor the 13th annual Good Friday Walk with the Suffering/Stations of the Cross on Friday, April 9, beginning at 8:30 a.m. at the County Health Building, 1700 Pacific Highway in Downtown San Diego   
 

The event features a procession through the downtown area with stops at various public institutions to reflect and pray about those who are suffering today--crime victims and those in prison, domestic violence victims, those in need of affordable health care, housing, a living wage, immigrants, victims of violence from war and terrorism, the hungry, the homeless,and those diagnosed with HIV/AIDS or mental illness.
Students from University of San Diego High School will portray Jesus and the women and soldiers who followed Him to Calvary on Good Friday.  At each stop, leaders from various Christian congregations and students from local denominational  high schools will present a brief reflection and prayer.

The students will act out the various stations at each site on the back of a flatbed truck during the reflections and prayers. The procession lasts about two and a half hours and covers two and half miles in the downtown area.  Among the sites to be visited are the County Adminstration Building, State Office Building, Horton Plaza, the Federal Building, Metropolitan Correctional Center, County Courthouse, and the pier at the end of Broadway.

Organizations invited include  the Center for Urban Ministry, Interfaith Coalition for Immigrant Rights, San Diego Organizing Project, Point Loma Nazarene University, and Interfaith Committee for Worker Justice as well as local private high schools.  For more information, phone the council offices at 619-238-0649.
 

Number 4: 

 On Holy Thursday, April 8, at Noon, in support of Head Start Workers, join us for the Washing of Feet for Justice and the Delivering of Bitter Herbs.  This Holy Week event will take place at the Urban Village Head Start offices at 3795 C Fairmont Ave.   

In March of 2003, the employees of the Neighborhood House Association (NHA) Head Start Program voted to belong to a union.  Despite all reasonable attempts to create a fair contract, more than one year later, NHA's resistance to negotiation continues.  These negotiations have been extremely disheartening to Head Start workers who continue to provide excellent service to low income families in the community while they struggle to provide the basics for their own.  They need our support.

 Thursday, April 8, 2004
12:00 Noon to 1:15 p.m.
Urban Village Head Start
3795-C Fairmont Ave.
(OK to park in 2 hr. spaces behind the library)

Sponsored by the Interfaith Committee for Worker Justice and the OSM

To the left is photo of Fr. Joseph Speiler, SJ, Pastor of Christ the King parish, washing the feet of a janitor's teenage child at an April 15, 2003 prayer gathering in support of janitors at the Equity Building in La Jolla.  More than 70 clergy and lay leaders gathered to pray and show support for the janitors on that day.   Many janitors who work two jobs just to meet the basic needs for their families took time off work to attend that prayer gathering.  This year we gather in support of struggling Head Start workers.  Please join us.



Number 5:

The Coalition of Student Advocates (CoSA) of San Diego California is organizing an event that has been broadcast as the largest rally of its kind in support of the DREAM Act and the Student Adjustment Act.  These two bills, if enacted, would allow undocumented students enter Universities and gain legal residency status in the U.S.

The DREAM Act would offer immigration relief to qualified students. Students must (1) be admitted to a four-year, two-year, or non-profit trade school; or (2) have earned a high school diploma; or (3) have obtained a GED. They must have entered the U.S. when they were under 16 years of age, lived continuously in the U.S. for at least five years and must have good moral character.

Thousands of people from all walks of life are uniting to stand up and fight against this injustice that our youth, the future of America , have been mistakenly placed in. Sadly these students are forced to face the suffering of living "illegally" in the only land they know and call their home.

This particular march is intended to step away from the traditional picket sign rally and make this event more powerful by adding "scenes" that show the struggles and stereotypes that many undocumented students face. This rally will be followed by a press conference at the Federal building.

This event will take place on Saturday, April 17th, 2004 at 12:00 p.m., beginning outside the San Diego City College library and finishing at the Federal building in downtown San Diego.

We invite all who wish to participate to join us. The more people we gather, the stronger the message we will send to congress. Spread the word, invite friends and family.

Saturday, April 17, 2004

12:00 p.m. Starting at the San Diego City College Library
                  on B Street and 14th Ave., ending at the Federal
                  Building on Broadway and Front.


Short Reports on OSM Related Issues/Events 


 Detention Ministry Training,,, 

40 New Detention Ministry Volunteers to be Trained, Plus Deacons and Diaconate Candidates Answer the Call

 

Forty Catholics who recently heard the call have decided that faith with works is alive in them. On Thursday, April 15, at 6:30 PM they will be trained at the Pastoral Center to be bringers of the Good News and proclaim the liberty of God's loving mercy to captives!  The various San Diego County facilities in which they will serve are Las Colinas Women's Facility in Santee, Juvenile Hall in Kearney Mesa, Vista Detention Facility, George Bailey Detention Facility in Otay Mesa, and the Central Jail downtown.

 

The trainers for that evening will be Jim Walsh, Asst. Director, Office for Social Ministry and Chaplain Coordinator for the San Diego County Sheriff's Department, Father John Auther and Chaplain Chuck Workman of San Diego County Probation Dept.

 

Two diaconate candidates, John Depner and Dan Powers have accepted the challenge to become volunteer Assistant Catholic Chaplains at the Vista Detention Facility in San Diego County.  They will facilitate group services and provide one-on-one spiritual visits with inmates.  They join three existing volunteer Catholic Chaplains in the Sheriff's Department facilities, Tom Erpelding, Julio Loperena, and Cliff Sumrall.
 

An additional deacon has joined Detention Ministry.  Deacon Harry Guess of Christ the King Parish will minister at the George Bailey Detention Facility in Otay Mesa.


We thank all new and current detention ministry volunteers for their faith-filled hard work in this essential but very challenging ministry. 

Might detention ministry be right for you?  If so, give us a call at 858-490-8323.



Labor and Faith Communities Celebrate a First .

Members of the Interfaith Committee for Worker Justice (ICWJ), the Janitors who now belong to Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 1877, and some of their children (photo left) took time to celebrate their new contract with Westfield Mall cleaning contractor, The Millard Group.  The new contract includes sick days, paid holidays, and vacation, all for the very first time, and a pay increase of 75 cents per hour. 

A plaque was presented to those representing the ICWJ which read, "Awarded to the ICWJ on behalf of SEIU Local 1877, in recognition of your outstanding work to bring justice for janitors at Westfield Malls, Si Se Pudo!"  After a three-year struggle on behalf of the more than 300 janitors at San Diego Westfield Malls, with prayer gatherings, presentations of bitter herbs to management, and multiple visits to each of the Westfield Malls, we did do it, together!

The next time you visit a Westfield Mall, stop a janitor and tell him or her that you are aware of their struggle for decent wages and working conditions, that you will continue to pray for their welfare, and that you appreciate the work they do.  You won't believe the smile that will come your way. 


E-link Advocacy Feedback

Kent called in support of S. 1645, the agriculture bill put forth by both growers and farm workers that will give agricultural employers a stable and legal workforce.  

S. 1645 will permit farm workers who have been employed here to be legal while they apply for permanent residency and to have legal status thereafter.  It will revise the current agricultural guest worker program and make it easier for employers to employ legal workers.  It will permit guest workers to be present without tying them to specific employers that could result in modern-day indentured servitude.

Report: The Trials and Tribulations of Making One Simple Point

On my first call to Senator Feinstein's office, I reached the office switchboard where a young man who, upon my mentioning S. 1645, wanted to put me right through to a message line where callers can leave recorded messages in support of or opposition to proposed legislation.  I quickly declined the offer and asked to speak with the aide who handles agricultural issues.  I was put through to a Kevin Lawson whose answering system was on.  I left a message asking him to return my call. 

A few days later, not having heard from Mr. Lawson, I called again.  This time I immediately asked for Mr. Lawson but again got his voice mail.  I left messages twice that day, leaving my cell phone number with him so that I would not miss his call.  None came in.  The next day, I left another message. 

Finally, today, at 7:55 a.m., I asked one of the office receptionists to verify whether Mr. Lawson was in this week.  She asked about the content of my call, and I once again mentioned S. 1645.  She indicated that Mr. Lawson did not handle agricultural issues, and that Gina Banks was the staff member I should contact.  I was put through to Ms. Banks' voice mail where I once again left my message and asked for a return call. 

As of this publication, Ms. Banks had not returned my call.  The story will continue in the next issue.

Kent Peters


 E-link Advocacy Request 

Please don't forget to report back on your advocacy experience to the OSM at reportback@diocese-sdiego.org. 

Call Senators Feinstein and Boxer on their votes against HR 1997, the Unborn Victims of Violence Act 

On March 25, the solemnity of the Annunciation, the U.S. Senate approved the Unborn Victims of Violence Act (H.R. 1997), 61-yes, 38-no, 1-not voting.  Prior to final passage, the Feinstein single-victim substitute amendment was defeated. (Feinstein's Substitute Amendment, would have codified the doctrine that such a crime has only a single victim - the pregnant woman.)

In an April 1 White House ceremony, President Bush signed into law the Unborn Victims of Violence Act (H.R. 1997), also known as "Laci and Conner’s Law." This action culminates a five-year effort working toward this goal.

In his signing remarks, President Bush noted, "As of today, the law of our nation will acknowledge the plain fact that crimes of violence against a pregnant woman often have two victims. . . .any time an expectant mother is a victim of violence, two lives are in the balance, each deserving protection, and each deserving justice."

Both Senators Feinstein and Boxer voted against the UVVA claiming that there is really only one victim and that "we are headed down a dangerous path by recognizing the unborn in law."

Please call Senator Feinstein and Senator Boxer to express your disappointment about each of their votes against the UVVA, which was, in essence, a vote against a woman and her child.

Call Senator Feinstein.  Her Washington office phone number is 202-224-3841. 

Call Senator Boxer.  Her Washington office phone number is 202-224-3553.
 

Simply let them know that you were disappointed with the way they voted.

Don't forget to report back at: reportback@diocese-sdiego.org.  Thank you all!


Web and Resources and Opportunities

Last year we featured the GE 4D ultrasound commercial in the Web section of e-link, and it received great reviews.  Since then, however, many new subscribers have come on board, and so we thought it might be time to feature that wonderful resource again.  Enjoy modern technology at its best!

http://www.gemedicalsystems.com/rad/us/4d/commercial.html

or click on the ultrasound view below:



 


 

 
New Local/Regional Events and Gatherings 

If you are planning an event that falls within the mission of social ministry, send the particulars four to five weeks in advance to the Office for Social Ministry via e-mail, osmelink@diocese-sdiego.org.  The OSM reserves the right to publish or not to publish any proposed event information.  We hope this will assist your efforts to re-build a culture of life.

1. Most Precious Blood Respect-Life group to sponsor rosary vigils at Clinica Medica, an abortion provider in Chula Vista

 The respect-life group from Most Precious Blood Church will conduct a rosary vigil outside of the Clinica Medica at 1550 Broadway, Chula Vista, on Holy Saturday, April 10, at 7:30 a.m.  Joining the group will be Fr. John Authur of Our Lady of Guadalupe in San Diego. 

The group will also sponsor a rosary vigil outside of the Clinica on Wednesday, April 14, at 9:00 a.m. and on Saturday, April 17, at 9:00 a.m.


Watch for OSM e-link bulletin #21 around Tuesday, May 4, 20

Article or Statement for Bulletin #20 

Bishop Thomas Olmsted of the Diocese of Phoenix recently stated, "Lent is the time to profess our Catholic faith with gratitude and to put every part of it into practice."  The "I am Catholic but..." response that most of us have used at one time or another to rationalize our wrongdoing should be off the table when it comes to professing the Catholic faith.  Jesus has always asked that his followers give their hearts and minds in their totality, without reservation.  In the few days we have before Easter, let us all recommit to living our Catholicism to the fullest, allowing God to shine forth in all we say and do.  We hope you find Bishop Olmsted's comments inspirational.
 

 

 

 

Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted, Diocese of Phoenix

 

 

Rebutting the ‘Catholic but…’

" I am a Catholic businessman but I don’t let the Church influence what I do at the office or in the boardroom;" but Jesus says (Mt 7:21), "Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the Kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven."

" I am a Catholic politician but I don’t let my Catholicism impact on how I vote or what legislation I promote;" but Jesus says (Mt 7:26-27), "Everyone who listens to these words of mine but does not act on them will be like a fool who built his house on sand. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house. And it collapsed and was completely ruined."

" I am a Catholic physician but I don’t let my faith mold my decisions regarding abortion, contraception, or other medical practices;" but Jesus says Mt 5:37), "Let your ‘Yes’ mean ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No’ mean ‘No.’ Anything more is from the evil one."

" I am a Catholic talk show host but I don’t let the Church inhibit my right to say whatever I want on the air;" but in the Letter of James, God says (2:17) "Faith of itself, if it does not have works, is dead."

" I am a Catholic priest but I don’t let Magisterial teaching keep me from dissenting from moral or doctrinal points nor let it limit my own ‘pastoral solutions’;" but at ordination each priest professes a solemn oath, "I believe everything contained in God’s Word, written or handed down in tradition and proposed by the Church… I also firmly accept and hold each and every thing that is proposed by the Church definitively regarding teaching on faith and morals."

Lent is the time to kick the "Catholic but..." out of our own daily lives. It is the time to expunge rationalization from our minds and to root out compromise from our hearts. Lent is the time to say a determined "No" to the temptation to water down our faith for personal gain. It is the time to say a much larger "Yes" to Jesus and His Gospel of Life. Lent is the time for Totus Tuus, the time to renew our commitment to love God with all our mind and heart and strength.

The "Catholic but…" syndrome stands in direct contradiction to Jesus’ clear and unequivocal demand (Mk 8:34-36), "Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and that of the Gospel will save it. What profit is there for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life?"

The "Catholic but…" syndrome is not without precedent in history. The fact that Jesus Himself directly and frequently opposed such rationalization shows its prevalence 2000 years ago. How often we are tempted to separate what we do in Church from what we do at home, to isolate what we believe from how we vote or what we do at work or at leisure. How easily we can compartmentalize our lives, thus keeping our adherence to Christ from shaping all that we say and do. This is why the formation of conscience holds such a pivotal role in our effort to grow to full maturity in Christ.

Each Lent, the Church urges us to rekindle our love for Jesus and to take a closer look at how completely we are taking up the Cross that fidelity to Him entails. This means we need to examine our consciences, and to insure that they are formed on the solid foundation of the Gospel.

During these 40 days before the Easter Triduum, the Father shines new light upon our souls so we can discover (or rediscover) the essential connection between truth and freedom, and between faith and culture. When freedom is detached from truth, objectivity goes out the window, relativism reigns, and ethical chaos gives rise to the "Catholic but…" It becomes impossible to establish right from wrong, good from evil. The pursuit of holiness is thrown off course.

To take the time, then, during Lent to form our consciences more fully in accordance with objective truth (known from God’s Revelation and the natural law) not only brings wholeness and integrity to our personal lives; it also makes it possible for us to bring healing and reconciliation to society. Let us take advantage, then, of this Lenten season 2004 to engage seriously in the pursuit of truth and freedom. Here are some concrete suggestions for doing so:

1) Ask the Holy Spirit for His gifts of courage and understanding, humility and right judgment.

2) Consult the Catechism of the Catholic Church to find clear teaching about the moral conscience and its correct formation (See paragraphs #1776-1802).

3) Consider your own family situation, your work and your civic duties, and then ask: "Do I live my whole life as a vocation and a mission from the Lord?"

4) Carve out a few days for a spiritual retreat or at least set aside half a day to go apart from everyday life and examine, with God’s help, how you are integrating the gift of faith in all dimensions of your life.

On the first day of Lent each year, the Lord says to us through St. Paul (2 Cor 6:2), "Behold, now is a very acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation."

Now is the time to rebut the "Catholic but…" It is the time to say "Yes" when we mean "Yes," and to say "No" when we mean "No." Lent is the time to profess our Catholic faith with gratitude and to put every part of it into practice.

AMEN!