4 WWW.THERECORDNEWSPAPER.ORG COMMENTARY THE RECORD JULY 23, 2020 This unsigned editorial appeared June 25 on the website of The Catholic Register, the Toronto-based national Catholic Canadian newspaper. The funeral will be held at a future date. How often has that sentence or one similar appeared in newspaper and online obituaries over the past three months? With the arrival of COVID- 19 lockdowns in mid-March, people worldwide have been shut out from the rituals of family mourning and community prayer that are essential to the process of grieving. Apparently, it's not enough that the coronavirus has inflicted a harsh reminder of our mortal frailty. It also trespasses on the emotions that make us human. Eventually, funeral Masses will be held, and families and friends will gather in sorrow to pray for the souls of loved ones. But a tragedy of such global scale - more than 8,000 deaths in Canada alone - calls for something more. There needs to be a day, or even a week, across all the dio- ceses in Canada dedicated to Masses for the repose of the souls of all those who died during the pandemic, many of them in isolation, alone, separated from family. A time of memorial is not just for those felled by the dreadful disease, it should be for everyone who died dur- ing these months when it was impos- sible to hold a proper funeral Mass and burial. Life should not simply go on nor should there be any pretense of a re- turn to normal until, as a society, we stop and collectively honor the mem- ory of the dead by joining in prayer to make petitions on their behalf. We do this primarily for the dead, but it is also necessary for the living. We have been denied our natural pro- cess of grieving. There have been no wakes and, outside of small family circles, no hugs, no eulogies, no fu- neral Masses, no graveside prayers, no receptions - none of the typical social interactions and bereavement rituals that are central to our shared humanity. We need to remember, too, the people infected by the virus who suf- fered but survived, just as we should offer prayers of gratitude for the thou- sands of workers in all walks of life who, despite a mortal risk to their own health, kept at their jobs for our benefit. And we need to petition God's mercy for the untold thousands of people, the new poor, who lost their livelihoods, and for the business own- ers whose doors were shuttered, often forever. And remember, too, families that suffered, and in many cases, suf- fer still. As we pray, we need also to reflect on how the disease stalked jackal-like to prey disproportionately on the poor and elderly. We should seek forgive- ness for the persistent indifference that fosters these inequities and then ask for the strength and wisdom to eradicate such injustice. It is important, though, that we remember always that Christians are a people of hope. By praying for the dead, we heal. We rejuvenate emo- tionally and reclaim our humanity, awakening a spirit of hopefulness to carry on.
Honor the victims
By MARK PATTISON
Catholic News Service
WASHINGTON - While there is not enough infor- mation to declare it a trend, there are signs that some U.S. dioceses are weathering the financial upheaval wrought by the coronavirus pandemic. The improved picture, though, has not been so wide- spread as to keep some dio- ceses from seeking furloughs, pay cuts, school closings and internal reorganizations. In the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston, the de- cline in parish offertory giv- ing seems to have slowed, according to Aad de Lange, the archdiocese's chief finan- cial officer. The offertory, surprising- ly, is holding. It's going from month to month," he said. March's offertory numbers were down 20% from year-ago levels, de Lange told Catholic News Service in a July 10 phone interview. April's num- bers - the first full month where no public Masses were celebrated - were down 18% percent from the year before. May was "almost at the same level," he reported, adding the June figures were not yet available. There are 1.7 million Catholics in the southeast Texas archdiocese, which has been urging parishes to adopt some form of online giving, as churches can have only 25% of their capacity in at- tendance for public Masses. We depend on online of- fertory," de Lange said. Many parishes in the Galveston- Houston Archdiocese that did not have an online giving plan now do, he added. While an online offertory is helpful, de Lange noted, what becomes key is that the parish keep communicating with parishioners. He said his own parish gives him a wake-up call via text at 6 a.m. each morning, and sends texts twice more every day. De Lange said his next proj- ect is to get Catholic schools in the archdiocese similarly connected with their students' families. But it's not all sunshine, lollipops and rainbows. All archdiocesan lay staff and clergy took a 15% pay cut through next June. "We know a number of pastors in the parishes who didn't take any salary," de Lange said. Overall, though, "it seems to be working," he added. "I cannot look into the future, but from that perspective I am reasonably optimistic. I am an optimist by nature." In the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, the Catholic Community Founda- tion, www.ccf-mn.org, estab- lished the Minnesota Catholic Relief Fund. Within a month, according to its president, Anne Cullen Miller, the fund had raised $1.3 million, in- cluding a $250,000 gift that resulted from a 10-minute phone call. I had no one say no to me when I picked up the phone and asked for support," Miller said. The fund had raised $1.5 million - then the death of George Floyd while in police custody happened in Minne- apolis. The foundation estab- lished a second fund called Neighbors in Need to help those directly affected by "the social unrest in our commu- nity," Miller said. That fund, she added, has had sever- al $10,000 gifts, plus one of $30,000. Miller said some contri- butions are being held back in case unexpected expenses crop up in a new school year. We'll probably keep it up and open through the fall and to the end of the calendar year," she added. "If we deplete the fund entirely, we'll deplete the fund entirely and keep on fundraising." In the Archdiocese of Washington, some measures of a comeback are going bet- ter than expected, according to Joseph Gillmer, executive director of development. An archdiocesan "parish support initiative" "helped parishes get their online giv- ing improved and get it for parishes that didn't have them," Gillmer said. The archdiocesan website set up a "landing page" that would allow a visitor to make a contribution to any of its parishes. I thought we might raise $100,000 that would come through the archdiocese," Gillmer told CNS. "There were 9,000 people who clicked on that landing page, and based on the average gifts that we've received ... it looks like $1 million worth of impact in toto." A sepa- rate fund for needy parishes in the archdiocese generated $200,000 in contributions. "I was mind-blown at the gener- osity," he said. What it tells me is that those who did not lose their job and were able to sup- port their church, they came through in a big way. We hear, anecdotally, great things are happening in the parishes, too." As for the archdiocese it- self, revenues were down 25%-35% in April, "and that has improved," Gillmer said. We're not sure exactly where it is now, because the num- bers are always a month or two behind, but we're at the low 20s at this point, maybe a little better. We haven't re- bounded all the way." One unexpected bright spot, according to Gillmer: The number of donors giving to the annual archdiocesan appeal is up 5% over 2019. A multidiocesan effort launched by #IGiveCath- olic had raised more than $170,000 by mid-July, accord- ing to Julie Kenny, the orga- nization's national program director. #IGiveCatholic, www. igivecatholic.org, had limited its fundraising to a "giving day" during which donors can give to dioceses, schools, and other Catholic minis- tries, mostly in mission areas. When COVID hit and we started seeing all the dioces- es, including my own, (saying) we're not going to be having public Masses,' that immedi- ately sprung to my mind the necessity for online giving," Kenny said.
Dioceses are weathering pandemic's financial upheaval
Sunday Scripture reading, July 26, 2020: Priceless treasure
JEM SULLIVAN
Antiques Roadshow" is a long running popular public television program that moves across Ameri- can cities in search of local treasures. Each episode is a journey into the local his- tory of one American city revealed through various antiques brought before the keen eyes of the show's art experts, historians and ap- praisers. There's an air of excite- ment as guests wait to dis- cover whether their cher- ished antiques are in fact valuable or have little or no worth. Small and large items that were carefully pre- served or simply forgotten are brought into the spotlight to be evaluated. To the delight of some, their antiques are discovered to be expensive or priceless treasures worth hundreds, even millions of dollars, sev- eral times more than their purchase price. Even if an antique is found to be worth- less, the sentimental value of the object often outweighs its monetary worth. The enduring popularity of this television program shows there is a treasure hunter in all of us. We love to find a bargain value, a good deal or a long lost treasure. We may find these treasures in our attics, base- ments, yard sales, antique stores or among our personal and family belongings. And finding a treasure or discov- ering its real value brings delight. In today's Gospel, Jesus compares the kingdom of heaven to a treasure buried in a field, that a person finds and hides again. Then out of joy, he sells all he has to buy the field. And again, Jesus says that the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant searching for fine pearls. When he finds one pearl of great value, he sells everything he owns to buy the one treasured pearl. God desires to transform our life. And faith invites us to live in friendship with God and neighbor. Faith is an in- valuable gift, a spiritual trea- sure and pearl of great price. In today's first reading, the Lord appears to Solo- mon in a dream saying, "Ask something of me and I will give it to you." As king of Is- rael, Solomon is at a pivotal moment and God's question invites reflection on what he values the most. Solomon realizes that riches, power, fame and all the material goods of this world do not compare with the gift of understanding God's ways and knowing right from wrong. Solomon discovered wis- dom as a treasure of sur- passing value. And God was pleased with Solomon's re- quest for wisdom and made this promise to him, "I give you a heart so wise and un- derstanding that there has never been anyone like you up to now, and after you there will come no one to equal you." What am I searching for? What do I treasure the most in life? Discovering the trea- sure of God's word today we pray, "speak to me, Lord." Reflection Questions: What do you treasure most in life? How is faith a treasure beyond compare?
In fear and anxiety, turn to God
ELINA S. HOLLAND
2020 has been a scary year. After months of pan- demic-induced anxiety, now the country is visibly torn by protests against racially- motivated injustices. Fear and anxiety are increasing for many of us. From clients and friends, I have heard of increases in obsessional cleaning," fear of being around others in public (including Mass), frus- trations with self, spouse and children during school- ing from home/working from home, intense anxiety about the financial impact of the COVID-19 lockdown, and now fear produced by the tangible racial tension in our country. I have been asked many times "How can I make this fear go away?" Fear is unpleasant, so many of us would rather avoid it, es- pecially Christians. In my experience, it is as if many Christians cannot say "I am afraid" without saying "But I trust God. I know he will provide/take care of me." It is as if they think admis- sion of fear is admission of a lack of trust" in God. This is understandable because many of us have received messages, both implicitly and explicitly, from other Chris- tians that if we really trusted God, we would not be afraid. But this is like a baby cry- ing and then stopping him- self, thinking "If I cry, I am showing my parents and my siblings that I do not trust Mom and Dad. This would be wrong because they are such good parents. So instead I will say that I trust them." This would hurt the child in two ways: 1) he will never know the reassurance of his parents rushing over to pick him up and 2) he will never know that his fear, irritation or sadness does not upset Mom and Dad, but rather moves them to take care of the baby's needs. Psycho- logically, this is how human beings learn to trust other people. A crying baby that experiences a warm parent looking at him with a sad expression which then turns into rocking, changing a dia- per, feeding or playing learns two things over time: "I can be seen and known" and Others can help me." When we cannot as chil- dren of God cry to him and to other people in our lives, we cut ourselves off from building psychological trust in God and others. I am not a theological ex- pert. I am trained in psy- chological sciences and its integration with a Catholic understanding of the human person. Building psycholog- ical trust in others is not the same thing as receiving faith, hope and love from God as a grace. At times, we cry out and God can choose to provide peace that transcends un- derstanding" (Philippians 4:7). However, at other times, our fear of fear or of other negative emotions keeps us from "crying" to others for help. This is a psychological ob- stacle that can be addressed through practice or working with a psychological profes- sional. As 2020 continues, it is important that we learn to tolerate our reactions so that we can better respond with love and trust. Elina S. Holland is a ther- apist with the Good Shepherd Institute of the Bluegrass, the psychological services cen- ter of the Family Renewal Project.
Seminarians and Roman collar
FATHER KENNETH DOYLE
A:
So the question is: When, in the course of his study, is it permissible for a Catholic seminarian to begin to wear clerical garb, includ- ing a Roman collar? And the answer - perhaps unfor- tunately - is this: There is no universal norm. The practice varies from diocese to diocese and from seminary to seminary. In my own time in the seminary, we didn't wear the collar until our final year of study (the same year we were ordained as deacons.) Until then, our "dress-up" clothes consisted of a black suit, white shirt and black tie. Today the practice is different, and seminarians seem to begin wearing the collar at an earlier point - in many cases, as they begin their studies in the- ology (the final four or five years before ordination to the priesthood). In some seminaries, the collar is worn even sooner, especially when the semi- narian is engaged in a min- isterial function (such as teaching religion or visiting a hospital). In the situation you mention, I don't see it as a major problem that some parishioners call the young man "Father"; he should be acting like a priest anyway, getting used to the behav- ior people expect from one called to a religious voca- tion.
Q:
We are blessed to have a seminarian assigned to our parish for the summer to assist and to learn. He is not yet an ordained priest, yet he wears the Roman collar at Mass and at meetings. This has led to some confusion, with many parishioners addressing him as "Father." Is it appropriate for him to be wearing the collar?
QUESTION CORNER A TIME TO SPEAK SPEAK TO ME LORD
EDITORIAL
Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time 1) 1 Kgs 3:5, 7-12 Psalm 119:57, 72, 76-77, 127-128, 129-130 2) Rom 8:28-30 Gospel: Mt 13:44-52 or 13:44-46
Most Rev. Joseph E. Kurtz, D.D., Archbishop of Louisville Marnie McAllister Jennifer L. Jenkins Glenn O. Rutherford President Editor Advertising Director Editor Emeritus
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