Short Reports on OSM Related Issues/Events

By Denis Grasska

PASTORAL CENTER  From the perspective of the Catholic Church, crime is "a violation first of all of people and relationships," said Father William R. Headley, CSSp, dean of the Joan B. Kroc School of Peace Studies at the University of San Diego.

(Photo at Left: Fr. Headley speaks at the October Restorative Justice Conference)

For that reason, he said, the Church's approach to criminal justice emphasizes the importance of "restoring broken relationships."

Father Headley made his remarks Oct. 18 at the diocesan Pastoral Center, during the 2008 Roman Catholic Restorative Justice and Detention Ministry Conference.

Sponsored by the Diocese of San Diego, the conference attracted some 160 participants, who are currently serving in detention ministry, victim ministry and victim/offender mediation in the local community. Conference participants included volunteers, team leaders and chaplains, as well as representatives of state and county detention facilities.

In his presentation, Father Headley examined the concept of Restorative Justice, an approach to criminal justice issues that has been strongly promoted by the U.S. Catholic bishops.

In 2000, the U.S. bishops dealt with the subject at length in a document entitled "Responsibility, Rehabilitation and Restoration: A Catholic Perspective on Crime and Criminal Justice."

Restorative Justice, Father Headley said, is primarily concerned with the needs of victims and the responsibility of offenders to repair the harm cause by their crimes. He said proponents believe that true justice involves bringing victims, offenders and community members together to seek healing and reconciliation.

Father Headley contrasted this view with the approach currently taken by the American criminal justice system, which is primarily concerned with violations of the law and "offenders getting what they deserve." This approach fails to address the damage that a particular crime has done to individual lives and entire communities, he said.

During his presentation, Father Headley also noted that Restorative Justice is "not necessarily an alternative to prison." He also said it is "neither a panacea nor necessarily a replacement for the legal system."

The 2008 Restorative Justice and Detention Ministry Conference began with a Mass celebrated by Auxiliary Bishop Salvatore J. Cordileone and four concelebrating priests. Mass was followed by a series of presentations and a catered lunch.

In addition to Father Headley, the list of speakers included: Bishop Cordileone; Ben Conorroe and Cyril Reinike of the San Diego Restorative Justice Mediation Program; and Sister Katie Lett, CPPS, a former educator and parish administrator now serving in detention ministry.

There was also a brief presentation by a former inmate who credits detention ministers with helping him turn his life around.

For more information on detention ministry and Restorative Justice efforts in the Diocese of San Diego, visit www.diocese-sdiego.org/restore or call Deacon Jim Walsh at (858) 490-8375.

The Southern Cross

Number 3:   Premier showing of the documentary film, "Love Lived on Death Row" was a great success at St. Thomas More Parish in Oceanside

On Sunday October 26, an audience of more than 45 gathered at St. Thomas More Parish to view the moving documentary “Love Lived on Death Row.”

This outstanding documentary film by Linda Booker details the Syriani family and their story of profound loss.  In 1990, their father murdered their mother, a crime which resulted in his death sentence.  After struggling with their hate, anger and confusion for nearly 20 years, the children collectively decided to visit their father in prison, seeking answers and perhaps closure.  Instead, they experienced amazing grace and forgiveness, re-establishing their relationships with their father, then destined for execution.  Their public struggle to save his life attracted widespread attention and is a story of the strength of compassion and the insanity of the death penalty in America.

(Photo: Jennifer Bonakdar - on right, CPF San Diego Chapter member and event coordinator, chats with Linda Booker, Producer, Writer, and Director of "Love Lived on Death Row")

Those present were visibly moved by the film, which provoked a rich discussion with the filmmaker.  Ms. Booker discussed her own relationship with the Syriani children, who have struggled to make sense of this second loss, robbing them of another parent in the name of justice despite their pleas to save his life. 

Also present was Judy Kerr, a member of California Crime Victims for Alternatives to the Death Penalty, who spoke of the murder of her brother and her work against capital punishment.  In her own words, “Justice through execution is not the justice I need and it is not the justice I want in my country or my world.”

The event was organized by the San Diego chapter of California People of Faith Working Against the Death Penalty (CPF).

Anyone who would like to schedule a showing of "Love Lived on Death Row" at his or her parish or would like to be added to the CPF mailing list and kept informed of events like this should email cpfsd@cox.net or call Kent Peters at 858-490-8324. 

Jennifer Bonakdar
 

1. Attend the San Diego "Friends of Fair Trade" monthly meeting

San Diego Friends of Fair Trade is a coalition of non-profit organizations and congregations attempting to advance the cause of fair trade.  They work to insure that all individuals who toil, both at home and around the world, to provide consumers with commodities are paid a living wage, one that can sustain a life with dignity. 

The next SD Friends of Fair Trade meeting will be on Wednesday, January 14, 2009, at 6:00 p.m. at the Open Door Book Store on 4761 Cass St., Pacific Beach - For more information please contact Carolyn Lief at fairtradesandiego@gmail.com 

 

2. Get Acquainted with Detention Ministry in the Diocese of San Diego

Join Deacon Jim Walsh each month for an Information and Training Seminar on detention ministry and restorative justice at the Diocesan Pastoral Center, 3888 Paducah Drive, San Diego, 92117

For the month of January...

The next Information and Training Seminar will take place on Thursday, January 22, 2009 from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at the Pastoral Center - Visit the web site for more information:
www.diocese-sdiego.org/restore
 
Contact Deacon Jim Walsh for reservations or questions: 858-490-8375 or e-mail Deacon Jim jwalsh@diocese-sdiego.org

 

3. North-County prayer witness at the Carlsbad Planned Parenthood Clinic

North County parishioners meet the third Monday of every month from 10:00 to 10:30 a.m. to peacefully pray the rosary in front of the Carlsbad Planned Parenthood Clinic.  The clinic is located at 1820 Marron Rd. (in the shopping center just west of Plaza Camino Real Mall).  For more information contact Jahna White of St. Margaret Parish at 760-586-6356.

4. Prayerful witness for life at two locations (7340 Miramar Road in San Diego and 15546 Pomerado Road in Poway) in San Diego County

Helpers of God’s Precious Infants weekly rosary prayer vigil from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. every Saturday and Wednesday at 7340 Miramar Road, directly above Metro Flooring in the complex with the Pyramid Building, adjacent to Carroll Road.  Prayer warriors also needed as early as 7:30 a.m. 

Call Roger Lopez 619/990-1341 for more information.
 
Second Saturday of the month:  20 decades of the Rosary are prayed in procession past 4 clinics following the 7:30 a.m. Mass, 15546 Pomerado Road, Poway.  For more information, call 858-748-2109.
 

5. St. Dismas Guild sponsors two weekly hours of prayer for the unborn in North County

Join members of St. Dismas Guild for a rosary picket at Womancare, 120 S. Craven Way, San Marcos, (across from Cal State San Marcos), Tuesdays, 9-10 a.m.

The Guild also sponsors prayer (the rosary) in front of PayLess at Mission Avenue and Escondido Blvd. 347 W. Mission on Thursdays, 10:30-11:30 a.m.  For information on these prayer vigils, call 760-751-8541. 

6. St. John the Evangelist Parish in Encinitas Pro-Life Mass and Rosary held on the first Monday of each month

The first Monday of every month is designated Pro-Life Monday at St. John the Evangelist Church, 1001 Encinitas Blvd, Encinitas.  The 8:00 a.m. Mass will be followed by a Rosary for Life.  For more information, please call Helene McIlhon at 858-756-0622.


7. Most Precious Blood Parish Rosary Prayer Vigils held on Wednesdays each week 

The Pro-Life Prayer Group from Most Precious Blood sponsors a Rosary Prayer Vigil in front of the Clinica Medica abortion facility at 1550 Broadway, Chula Vista every Wednesday at 8:45 a.m.  For more information, please call Shirley Henry at 619-420-7096 or Luis Mendoza at 619-300-5563.
 

8. Prayer partners are needed mornings at the office of Feliciano Rios M.D., 1079 Third Ave., suite 3, in Chula Vista - Dr. Rios will perform abortions at his medical facility in the a.m.

Please contact Luis Mendoza, a Missionary of The Gospel of Life Lay Associate, at 619-300-5563, with questions or to share interest in this prayer ministry.


9. There is a new Planned Parenthood facility located at 1685 East Main, just off the Greenfield Drive exit in El Cajon - join friends and neighbors in prayer

According to the PP website, chemical (RU-486) abortions only are done at this location - not surgical abortions.  They do refer women for abortions to their surgical center on First Ave.  Join the group each Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. and Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. Contact: Debbie 619-933-7776.


10.   The Goretti Group offers chastity prayer and speaker training monthly

Every First Friday of the month the Goretti Group will Celebrate a St. Maria Goretti Mass at Our Lady of the Rosary, 1654 State Street, at 6:15 p.m.

Every Second Monday of the month: ChasteMasters Meeting at Our Lady of the Rosary, Giovanni Room, 7:00 p.m.  -  Please join us in prayer, a roundtable discussion, and providing feedback as chastity speakers refine their talks.

For more info please visit: www.thegorettigroup.org or call David at: 619-733-8439

LIFE ISSUES FORUM                                                       December 12, 2008

Time to Stand Up for Life

By Richard M. Doerflinger

At their November 2008 general meeting, the Catholic bishops of the United States congratulated our new President-elect and urged Americans to unite in solidarity at a time of economic crisis, reminding us that “we are our brothers’ and sisters’ keepers.”  They also expressed grave concern over a looming pro-abortion agenda that could divide our nation as never before.

At the core of that agenda is a radical proposal called the “Freedom of Choice Act” (FOCA).  Despite its name, FOCA would deprive Americans of their freedom to enact almost any restraint on abortion at any stage of pregnancy.  It would overturn hundreds of current laws on conscience rights, informed consent, limits on tax-funded abortion, and parental involvement in minors’ abortion decisions.  President-elect Obama has vowed (and recently reaffirmed) that he looks forward to signing it into law.

The bishops said with one voice that they will mobilize the Catholic community to oppose this agenda.  Catholics – whether they voted against Mr. Obama because of his abortion stance, or voted for him despite that stance -- can unite in a massive grassroots campaign against FOCA, urging Congress to retain all existing federal laws that prevent government funding and promotion of abortion.

Some may see this as useless, because both chambers of Congress now have pro-abortion majorities.  But the same was true in 1993, when Bill Clinton became President.  An earlier version of FOCA was steadily moving forward in Congress, when millions of postcards signed by Catholic parishioners landed on Capitol Hill and began convincing members to back off from this radical pro-abortion agenda.  FOCA became stalled as members debated whether they really wanted to overturn all longstanding and popular laws placing any limit on abortion.  The 1994 election then brought another change in Congress, and the threat was averted for years to come.  This can happen again.

Ironically, some may think the opposite – that there is no need for a campaign, because FOCA (and perhaps the pro-abortion agenda generally) will be on the back burner for months or years while the economy and health care dominate congressional debate.  That, too, would be a mistake.  FOCA as a single bill may not come up right away.  But extending the appropriations bills that fund all federal programs will be one of Congress’s first duties in January, and new funding bills covering the next fiscal year will be written in early spring.  Many current laws on taxpayer funding, conscience rights, and other issues exist only as provisions in these bills, and could be eliminated with the stroke of a committee chairman’s pen – paving the way for the more wholesale assault of FOCA, if pro-life Americans do not voice their opposition early and clearly.

In this campaign Catholics will be fighting a specific bill, and the overall agenda that it embodies – that of knocking down the modest laws that have reduced abortions, and prevented outright government subsidies and mandates for abortion, for 35 years.  These laws must not be swept away all at once, or one at a time.  We will urge Congress not to start down this destructive path, but to serve the life, health and prosperity of all Americans, beginning with the most vulnerable.  This goal could be achieved if millions of Catholics would take a minute to sign a postcard to their elected representatives.