June - St. Augustine Catholic
June - St. Augustine Catholic
June - St. Augustine Catholic
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catholic<br />
<strong>June</strong> 2007 • www.staugcatholic.org<br />
<strong>St</strong>. <strong>Augustine</strong><br />
FATHER JOE p. 8<br />
the difference between<br />
venial and mortal sin<br />
Marriage Matters p. 13<br />
caring for aging parents<br />
Spiritual Fitness p. 14<br />
ridding our hearts<br />
of revenge<br />
Answering<br />
Bishop’s Message<br />
ways to increase<br />
religious vocations p.6<br />
Priests of North Florida<br />
one collar,<br />
many cultures p.16<br />
MAYO SISTERS<br />
serving migrant<br />
farm workers p.24<br />
GOD’S CALL<br />
Bishop Victor Galeone Ordains Three Men to Priesthood
A Gift<br />
That Never<br />
<strong>St</strong>ops Giving<br />
With a charitable gift annuity you can<br />
give and receive... make a perpetual gift<br />
to a diocesan parish, <strong>Catholic</strong> school or<br />
ministry that never stops giving... and<br />
receive fixed payments for life!<br />
• The transaction is easy to execute.<br />
• It provides immediate tax benefits.<br />
• A portion of your payment is tax free.<br />
• You receive guaranteed payments for<br />
life.<br />
• Most importantly, you are supporting<br />
Christ’s work in the diocese.<br />
Gift Annuity One-Life RAtes<br />
* Rates effective April 1, 2007<br />
Age Rate Age Rate Age Rate<br />
65 74 83 <br />
66 75 84 <br />
67 76 85 <br />
68 77 86 <br />
69 78 87 <br />
70 79 88 <br />
71 80 89 <br />
72 81 90 <br />
73 82 <br />
Paving the<br />
Road Ahead<br />
This is the story of a<br />
parishioner who set up a<br />
charitable gift annuity to<br />
benefit himself and his<br />
favorite diocesan ministry.<br />
A parishioner in his<br />
70’s wanted to continue to<br />
support <strong>Catholic</strong> Charities<br />
and the work they do in<br />
the diocese. His gift of<br />
$10,000 established an<br />
annuity with the <strong>Catholic</strong><br />
Foundation to benefit<br />
the <strong>Catholic</strong> Charities<br />
Endowment Fund. The<br />
annuity guarantees him an<br />
annual income, a portion<br />
of which is tax-free, as long<br />
as he lives – and entitles<br />
him to a tax deduction.<br />
At his death, the annuity<br />
principal transfers to<br />
the endowment fund for<br />
<strong>Catholic</strong> Charities where<br />
the annual income on<br />
those funds will be used to<br />
continue the Lord’s work<br />
forever.<br />
Planned giving today<br />
can build a solid groundwork<br />
for the future of our<br />
church.<br />
■ Please send a Charitable Gift Annuity illustration.<br />
■ A one-life agreement: beneficiary birthdate: / /<br />
■ A two-life agreement: beneficiaries’ birthdates:<br />
/ / and / /<br />
Name _________________________ Phone ___________<br />
Address _________________________________________<br />
City ____________________________________________<br />
<strong>St</strong>ate ___________________ Zip_____________________<br />
Amount Considered ___________ ($10,000 initial minimum)<br />
Please return to:<br />
Audrey Caudill<br />
<strong>Catholic</strong> Foundation<br />
11625 Old <strong>St</strong>. <strong>Augustine</strong> Road<br />
Jacksonville, FL 32258<br />
904-262-3200, ext. 132 or<br />
1-800-775-4659, ext. 132<br />
Email: acaudill@dosafl.com
catholic<br />
<strong>St</strong>. <strong>Augustine</strong><br />
contents<br />
<strong>June</strong> 2007 Volume XVI Issue 10<br />
The <strong>St</strong>. <strong>Augustine</strong> <strong>Catholic</strong> is the official magazine of the Diocese of Saint <strong>Augustine</strong>,<br />
which embraces 17 counties spanning northeast and north central Florida from the<br />
Gulf of Mexico to the Atlantic Ocean. The diocese covers 11,032 square miles and<br />
serves more than 164,000 registered <strong>Catholic</strong>s.<br />
Special<br />
features<br />
16<br />
9<br />
One Collar, Many Cultures Since its<br />
early beginnings, the Diocese of Saint<br />
<strong>Augustine</strong> has been richly blessed with priests<br />
willing to leave their homeland to serve the people<br />
of Florida. It began with the Spanish, French and<br />
Irish and today we have priests from countries as<br />
far away as Poland and India. – Amelia Eudy<br />
Scott Smith<br />
Bringing Christ to Migrant Farm Workers<br />
24 Three Claretian Sisters of Miami are on a<br />
mission – they are providing much needed outreach<br />
to the migrant farm workers living and working in<br />
Mayo, Fla. Learn why they answered God’s call to<br />
live a life of service. – Amelia Eudy<br />
What Happens During an<br />
Ordination? Discover the meaning<br />
behind the signs, symbols and traditions<br />
that are part of an ordination ceremony<br />
for the priesthood and diaconate.<br />
18<br />
Cover <strong>St</strong>ory: They<br />
Answered God’s Call<br />
On <strong>June</strong> 23 at 10:30 a.m., Bishop<br />
Victor Galeone will ordain three<br />
men to the priesthood. Read<br />
their profiles and say a prayer<br />
of thanksgiving as they prepare<br />
for ordination later this month.<br />
– Kathleen Bagg-Morgan<br />
On the Cover: From left, Deacons Robert Trujillo, <strong>St</strong>even Zehler and David<br />
Ruchinski. They stand before the Cathedral-Basilica of <strong>St</strong>. <strong>Augustine</strong> where they will<br />
be ordained to the priesthood on <strong>June</strong> 23. Cover Photo: Scott Smith<br />
Special<br />
Amelia Eudy<br />
what you’ll get<br />
out of this issue<br />
4 editor’s notes<br />
Called to Serve – Kathleen Bagg-Morgan<br />
5 saint of the month<br />
<strong>St</strong>. Romuald – Elizabeth Johnson<br />
6 bishop’s message<br />
Pray for a Rich Harvest of Souls<br />
– Bishop Victor Galeone<br />
7 from the archives<br />
The First Parish Mass – Michael Gannon, Ph.D.<br />
8 in the know with Father Joe<br />
What is the difference between mortal and<br />
venial sin? – Father Joseph Krupp<br />
10 theology 101 What does John mean<br />
when he calls Jesus “The Word”? – Elizabeth Solsburg<br />
12 your marriage matters Caring for<br />
Aging Parents – Deborah McCormack<br />
13 parenting journey The challenge of<br />
raising your grandchildren – Dr. Cathleen McGreal<br />
14 spiritual fitness Ridding our Hearts of<br />
Revenge – Father Bill Ashbaugh<br />
22 parish profile Queen of Peace Parish,<br />
Gainesville – Shannon Scruby-Henderson<br />
26 around the diocese<br />
28 work life Maintaining a sense of personal<br />
vision – Tim Ryan<br />
29 book reviews – <strong>Catholic</strong> News Service<br />
30 calendar of events<br />
10<br />
<strong>St</strong>. <strong>Augustine</strong> <strong>Catholic</strong> <strong>June</strong> 2007
catholic<br />
<strong>St</strong>. <strong>Augustine</strong><br />
The Magazine of the Diocese of Saint <strong>Augustine</strong><br />
Most Rev. Victor Galeone<br />
Publisher<br />
Kathleen Bagg-Morgan<br />
Editor<br />
Susie Nguyen<br />
Editorial Assistant/Subscriptions<br />
Patrick McKinney<br />
Art Director/Graphic Designer<br />
Father Bill Ashbaugh<br />
Amelia Eudy<br />
Michael Gannon, Ph.D.<br />
Shannon Scruby-Henderson<br />
Elizabeth Johnson<br />
Father Joseph Krupp<br />
Deb McCormack<br />
Dr. Cathleen McGreal<br />
Tim Ryan<br />
Elizabeth Solsburg<br />
Contributing Writers<br />
Amelia Eudy<br />
Tom Gennara<br />
Susie Nguyen<br />
Scott Smith<br />
Contributing Photographers<br />
Jonathan Sion<br />
Advertising Sales Coordinator<br />
InnerWorkings<br />
Print Management<br />
<strong>St</strong>. <strong>Augustine</strong> <strong>Catholic</strong> Website<br />
www.staugcatholic.org<br />
Diocese of Saint <strong>Augustine</strong> Website<br />
www.dosafl.com<br />
The <strong>St</strong>. <strong>Augustine</strong> <strong>Catholic</strong> is a membership publication of the<br />
Diocese of Saint <strong>Augustine</strong>, 11625 <strong>St</strong>. <strong>Augustine</strong> Road, Jacksonville,<br />
FL 32258-2060. Published monthly except January and August.<br />
Subscription rates are $15 per year. Individual issues are $2.50.<br />
Send all subscription information and address changes to: Office<br />
of Communications, 11625 <strong>St</strong>. <strong>Augustine</strong> Road, Jacksonville, FL<br />
32258-2060; (904) 262-3200, ext. 108; fax (904) 262-2398<br />
or email snguyen@dosafl.com. ©<strong>St</strong>. <strong>Augustine</strong> <strong>Catholic</strong>, Diocese of<br />
Saint <strong>Augustine</strong>. ©FAITH Publishing Service. No portion of the <strong>St</strong>.<br />
<strong>Augustine</strong> <strong>Catholic</strong> <strong>June</strong>be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise<br />
reproduced or distributed in whole or in part, without prior written<br />
authority of the Diocese of Saint <strong>Augustine</strong> and/or Faith Publishing<br />
Service TM . For reprint information or other questions regarding use of<br />
copyright material, contact the <strong>St</strong>. <strong>Augustine</strong> <strong>Catholic</strong> editorial offices at<br />
the Diocese of Saint <strong>Augustine</strong>.<br />
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editor’s notes<br />
Called to Serve<br />
T<br />
he average age of men ordained<br />
to the <strong>Catholic</strong> priesthood in the<br />
United <strong>St</strong>ates in 2007 is 35, and one<br />
out of three of them is foreign born.<br />
In addition, most entered the seminary with a<br />
college diploma, some with advanced degrees<br />
in areas such as law, medicine and education.<br />
The information was compiled by the<br />
Georgetown University-based Center for<br />
Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA)<br />
for The Class of 2007: Survey of Ordinands to<br />
the Priesthood. CARA conducts the survey<br />
annually for the United <strong>St</strong>ates Conference of<br />
<strong>Catholic</strong> Bishops’ Secretariat for Vocations and<br />
Priestly Formation.<br />
Researchers gathered information from 282<br />
seminarians, estimated to be approximately 60<br />
percent of the 475 potential ordinands (men to<br />
be ordained). These 282 seminarians include<br />
221 ordinands to the diocesan priesthood and<br />
60 to the religious priesthood. The complete<br />
survey can be found at www.usccb.<br />
org/vocations.<br />
In the Diocese of Saint <strong>Augustine</strong>,<br />
we are blessed to have three<br />
men who will be ordained to the<br />
priesthood on Saturday,<br />
<strong>June</strong> 23 at 10:30 a.m. at the<br />
Cathedral-Basilica of<br />
<strong>St</strong>. <strong>Augustine</strong>. The<br />
<strong>Catholic</strong> community<br />
is encouraged to<br />
attend the ordination<br />
Mass. Turn to page 9 for<br />
a brief backgrounder that<br />
explains the signs, symbols<br />
and traditions of an ordination<br />
ceremony in the <strong>Catholic</strong><br />
Church. It is one of the most<br />
beautiful ceremonies you will<br />
ever experience.<br />
The average age of men ordained<br />
to the Diocese of Saint <strong>Augustine</strong> this<br />
year is 38. Deacons David Ruchinski,<br />
Robert Trujillo and <strong>St</strong>even Zehler are<br />
all American-born, they have attended<br />
college and each had professional careers<br />
before entering the seminary. Turn to page<br />
18 to read their profiles.<br />
Our newest priests will join a long list<br />
of distinguished priests who have served<br />
the <strong>Catholic</strong> faithful in North Florida since<br />
by Kathleen Bagg-Morgan<br />
the late 1500s. Dr. Michael Gannon, in his<br />
column, “From the Archives,” page 7, writes<br />
about the first parish Mass celebrated in the<br />
whole of North America north of Mexico.<br />
Father Francisco López de Mendoza of Spain<br />
celebrated the Mass of Thanksgiving on<br />
Sept. 8, 1565.<br />
Spanish priests were the first to bring the<br />
<strong>Catholic</strong> faith to the indigenous people of<br />
Florida. As the <strong>Catholic</strong> population grew,<br />
Father Pedro Camps of Minorca, and Fathers<br />
Thomas Hassett and Michael O’Reilly of<br />
Ireland ministered to their needs. Bishop<br />
Augustin Verot, a native of Le Puy, France,<br />
became the first bishop of Saint <strong>Augustine</strong>.<br />
The first religious order priests to serve in<br />
Florida were the Jesuits and Franciscans, and<br />
over the years, many foreign-born priests and<br />
women religious followed. Today we have<br />
priests serving in the diocese from as far away<br />
as Viet Nam, Poland and India.<br />
And while we have reason to rejoice and<br />
be thankful for the diversity of our clergy,<br />
we need to be mindful that there is a<br />
shortage of diocesan priests and we need<br />
to nurture men and women among us to<br />
answer God’s call to serve.<br />
If you know someone that<br />
you think would make a good<br />
priest or nun – tell them. Or<br />
have them call our Vocations<br />
Office at (904) 262-3200,<br />
ext. 101 or Dominican Sister<br />
Maureen Kelley, the bishop’s<br />
Delegate for Religious at (904)<br />
264-0577 or visit vocations at<br />
www.dosafl.com.<br />
– Kathleen Bagg-Morgan,<br />
editor<br />
Corrections:<br />
The amount raised for the<br />
Red Rose Ball hosted by the<br />
<strong>St</strong>. Vincent’s Foundation, Feb.<br />
9, was incorrectly published<br />
in our April issue. More than<br />
$200,000 was raised this<br />
year. We apologize for the<br />
error.<br />
<strong>St</strong>. <strong>Augustine</strong> <strong>Catholic</strong> <strong>June</strong> 2007
saint<br />
saint of the month<br />
Saint Romuald<br />
how a duel sent him into solitude<br />
by Elizabeth Johnson<br />
A Refreshing <strong>St</strong>op<br />
books, gifts, religious items, more!<br />
Bell Tower<br />
Gift Shop<br />
(Inside the Cathedral Basilica)<br />
35 Treasury <strong>St</strong>reet<br />
Downtown <strong>St</strong>. <strong>Augustine</strong><br />
Open Daily<br />
Weekdays 9 a.m.-4 p.m.<br />
Saturday Noon-4:30 p.m.<br />
Sunday 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m.<br />
Phone for mail orders<br />
(904) 829-0620<br />
Saint Romuald<br />
Birthplace: Ravenna, Italy<br />
Feast Day: <strong>June</strong> 19<br />
Claim to fame: Born to Italian<br />
nobility, Romuald enjoyed the<br />
pleasures of his family’s wealth and<br />
position during his early years. His<br />
life shifted dramatically, however,<br />
after he watched his father kill a<br />
relative in a duel over property.<br />
Overcome with shame by his<br />
father’s actions, Romuald withdrew<br />
to the monastery of <strong>St</strong>. Apollinare<br />
to serve penance for his father’s sin<br />
as if it were his own. There, Romuald<br />
embraced the monastic life and sought<br />
an even more austere existence than<br />
the one practiced by the Benedictine<br />
monks. After several years of devoted<br />
study and prayer, he was made an<br />
abbot. But when he attempted to<br />
impose his stricter discipline on the<br />
monks, they strongly resented his<br />
reforms. Romuald left to wander the<br />
mountains in solitude.<br />
Why he is a saint: After<br />
establishing several small hermitages,<br />
he embarked on a mission to<br />
evangelize the pagans of Hungary. But<br />
his journey was interrupted by sickness.<br />
Convinced his illness was a sign that<br />
God wanted him to remain in Italy,<br />
Romuald returned to his homeland.<br />
He traveled extensively through the<br />
country’s central and northern regions,<br />
establishing hermitages and attracting<br />
disciples along the way.<br />
Best quote: In 1005, Romuald<br />
went to Val-di-Castro for about two<br />
years. When he left, he prophesied that<br />
he would return to die there alone and<br />
unaided.<br />
How he died: He built more<br />
hermitages in the mountains before<br />
retiring to his cell at a monastery he<br />
had founded in the Val-di-Castro. As he<br />
predicted, he died alone in his cell on<br />
<strong>June</strong> 19 in about the year 1027.<br />
Prayer: Dear Father, as <strong>St</strong>.<br />
Romuald searched for solitude in which<br />
to serve you, may I always make quiet<br />
time in my busy life to serve you, too.<br />
For you are the great Creator, and the<br />
one who will bring me peace. May I<br />
do your will in my everyday life, and<br />
through my deeds, show your love<br />
to others. For you are our salvation.<br />
Amen.<br />
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<strong>St</strong>. <strong>Augustine</strong> <strong>Catholic</strong> <strong>June</strong> 2007
from the bishop<br />
by Bishop Victor Galeone<br />
Pray for a Rich Harvest of Souls<br />
ishop, I have a question. We hear a lot of talk these<br />
days about the priest shortage in our country. I’d like<br />
to know what our diocese is doing about vocations<br />
“B– especially to the priesthood.”<br />
At almost all of the town hall meetings<br />
conducted during my pastoral visitations,<br />
I’ve had to respond to similar inquiries. My<br />
response has invariably been the same.<br />
Vocations – whether to the priesthood<br />
or the religious life – depend on four<br />
key factors: solid family life, good role<br />
models, invitation and prayer. Let’s<br />
examine each one.<br />
With few exceptions the Lord extends<br />
the call to serve as a priest or religious to<br />
those who have a solid family background.<br />
There are exceptions, like <strong>St</strong>. <strong>Augustine</strong><br />
and <strong>St</strong>. Paul, who both had conversion<br />
experiences prior to their call to service.<br />
But normally vocations are nourished in<br />
homes where parents deeply love each<br />
other and their children. In such homes,<br />
family prayer is the norm, whether at<br />
meals or the recitation of the rosary or<br />
scripture reading.<br />
Prospective candidates to the<br />
priesthood and religious life respond to<br />
good role models who exude joy. These<br />
role models exemplify in their lives the fact<br />
that there is no high like the high of falling<br />
in love with Jesus and sharing that love<br />
with others. Young people today crave to<br />
be challenged. If there’s a happy priest or<br />
sister in their parish with whom they can<br />
relate, they instinctively ask themselves,<br />
“I wonder if I could be like Father Tom or<br />
Sister Jean.”<br />
An invitation is the third component in<br />
fostering vocations. In the Gospels Jesus<br />
always took the initiative in calling the<br />
disciples. How important it is for a priest<br />
or sister or even a parishioner to suggest<br />
to a younger member, “I’ve been noticing<br />
you lately. Have you thought about serving<br />
the Lord as priest?” Or perhaps, “Do you<br />
think the Lord might be calling you to be a<br />
sister? I think you’d make a great one.”<br />
The fourth and most important means<br />
of resolving the vocation shortage is<br />
prayer. In fact, the only means Jesus ever<br />
identified for securing vocations was just<br />
that – prayer! “The harvest is great but<br />
the laborers are few. So pray that the<br />
Lord of the harvest will send laborers out<br />
to his harvest.” (Lk 10:2) Let’s take the<br />
Lord at his word. Let’s remember this<br />
intention every day in prayer, “Lord, bless<br />
us with good priests, brothers and sisters<br />
to help bring the harvest of souls into your<br />
Kingdom.”<br />
In stark contrast to the Lord’s solution<br />
to the vocation shortage, at times we<br />
adopt a radically different approach. I<br />
recall reading about the vocation director<br />
of the Pallotine Fathers, who back in the<br />
60s placed an ad in Playboy magazine.<br />
It generated national press coverage.<br />
Questioned about the ad, the vocation<br />
director explained without apology: “Well,<br />
Jesus mixed in with publicans and sinners,<br />
didn’t he? Besides, <strong>St</strong>. Paul, <strong>St</strong>. <strong>Augustine</strong><br />
and even Francis of Assisi are among<br />
our greatest saints – yet prior to their<br />
conversion they were sinners.”<br />
<strong>St</strong>. Ignatius of Loyola falls into the latter<br />
category. While recovering from a leg<br />
wound received in battle, he passed the<br />
time reading frivolous and suggestive<br />
novels. One day on finishing a novel, he<br />
asked his attendant to fetch him another,<br />
only to be told that all that was left were<br />
a life of Christ and some lives of the<br />
saints. Disappointed, he began reading<br />
these. He felt inspired to imitate Jesus<br />
and the saints, reasoning with himself:<br />
“What if I could do what <strong>St</strong>. Francis or<br />
<strong>St</strong>. Dominic did?” Then worldly thoughts<br />
from the risqué novels would return<br />
– which initially gave him great pleasure,<br />
only to leave him later feeling weary and<br />
depressed. Not so with the lives of the<br />
saints. He not only experienced great<br />
pleasure when he thought about living<br />
the rigorous sort of life they had lived;<br />
but even after he had stopped thinking<br />
about them, he still felt great joy. He<br />
surrendered his heart to the Lord and<br />
became the leader of a spiritual army,<br />
launching the counter-reformation.<br />
I close with three requests. For those<br />
discerning their call in life, pray this<br />
prayer every day: “Lord, let me know<br />
what you want me to do with my life.” For<br />
parents and grandparents, instead of an<br />
iPod or video game, make that birthday<br />
gift for your son, daughter or grandchild<br />
the life of one of the saints, like Blessed<br />
Miguel Pro or <strong>St</strong>. Katherine Drexel. And<br />
for all of us, do not let a single day go by<br />
that we don’t ask the Lord to send solid<br />
workers to help bring in a rich harvest<br />
of souls.<br />
<strong>St</strong>. <strong>Augustine</strong> <strong>Catholic</strong> <strong>June</strong> 2007
archives<br />
First Parish Mass<br />
by Michael Gannon, Ph.D.<br />
from the archives<br />
The Florida expedition of<br />
Admiral Pedro Menéndez de<br />
Avilés anchored off an inlet<br />
on the northeast coast of this<br />
peninsula on September 6,<br />
1565. Father Francisco López<br />
de Mendoza, fleet chaplain<br />
and soon to be first pastor<br />
of Menéndez’s settlement,<br />
described what then transpired:<br />
“Two companies of infantry<br />
now disembarked. They were well<br />
received by the natives, who gave<br />
them a large house belonging to<br />
a chief. [These were a tribe of the<br />
Timucuan nation.] It was situated<br />
near the shore of the river [months<br />
later called Matanzas River, the name<br />
it still bears today]. The brave soldiers,<br />
who had no tools with which to work the<br />
earth, accomplished the construction of a<br />
defensive fortification, and when, two days<br />
later, the Admiral disembarked, he was<br />
quite surprised with what had been done.”<br />
Father López’s description of the formal<br />
ceremonies of landing contains such vivid<br />
imagery one can easily form pictures and<br />
sound tracks in the mind:<br />
“On Saturday, the 8th of September, the<br />
Admiral landed with many banners spread,<br />
to the sound of trumpets and salutes of<br />
artillery. As I had gone ashore the evening<br />
before, I took a cross and went to meet<br />
him, singing the hymn Te Deum laudamus<br />
[O God We Praise You].<br />
“The Admiral marched up to the cross,<br />
followed by all who accompanied him, and<br />
there they all kneeled and embraced the<br />
cross. A large number of natives watched<br />
these proceedings and imitated all they<br />
saw done.”<br />
Father López does not give us a precise<br />
number of the natives present, but we<br />
do have a fairly accurate figure for the<br />
Spanish force: 500 soldiers, 200 sailors,<br />
and 100 civilian farmers and craftsmen,<br />
some with wives and children.<br />
The first Mass celebrated in <strong>St</strong>. <strong>Augustine</strong><br />
on Sept. 8, 1565. Photo is of an engraving<br />
made from a painting commissioned in<br />
France by Bishop Augustin Verot in 1875.<br />
Menéndez took formal possession of<br />
the entire peninsula in the name of his<br />
monarch King Philip II. He announced<br />
that his settlement would carry the name<br />
Saint <strong>Augustine</strong>, since it was on the feast<br />
day of Saint <strong>Augustine</strong> of Hippo (A.D.<br />
354-430), August 28 that Menéndez<br />
had made his first sighting of the Florida<br />
shoreline, at Cape Canaveral. Thus began<br />
the city and parish of <strong>St</strong>. <strong>Augustine</strong>.<br />
Father López had devised a primitive<br />
altar, probably of palm logs, and the entire<br />
Spanish community now gathered before<br />
it to celebrate a Mass of Thanksgiving,<br />
expressing gratitude for a safe arrival in La<br />
Florida after the perilous Atlantic crossing.<br />
The liturgy of the day observed the Nativity<br />
of the Blessed Virgin Mary.<br />
That liturgy was the first parish Mass<br />
to be celebrated in the whole of North<br />
America north of Mexico. When, after<br />
Mass, “Menéndez had the natives fed<br />
and dined himself,” he set in place the<br />
first community meal of Thanksgiving in<br />
the first permanent European settlement<br />
in the land, antedating the better-known<br />
Thanksgiving in Massachusetts by 56<br />
years. The meal served here was probably<br />
cocido, a stew of salted pork and garbanzo<br />
beans, laced with garlic, and served with<br />
ship’s bread and red wine.<br />
Frantizek Zvardon<br />
<strong>St</strong>. <strong>Augustine</strong> <strong>Catholic</strong> <strong>June</strong> 2007
fr. joe<br />
in the know with Fr. Joe<br />
Dear Father Joe<br />
What’s the difference between<br />
mortal and venial sins<br />
OK, first we need to establish<br />
the fact that there are a lot of<br />
different types of sin. The Bible,<br />
as well as the Catechism of the<br />
<strong>Catholic</strong> Church, is filled with examples of<br />
how we sin (as is television!) The catechism<br />
sums it all up nicely in section 1853:<br />
Sins can be distinguished according to their<br />
objects, as can every human act; or according to<br />
the virtues they oppose, by excess or defect; or<br />
according to the commandments they violate.<br />
They can also be classed according to whether<br />
they concern God, neighbor, or oneself; they<br />
can be divided into spiritual and carnal sins,<br />
or again as sins in thought, word, deed, or<br />
omission. The root of sin is in the heart of man,<br />
in his free will, according to the teaching of the<br />
Lord: “For out of the heart come evil thoughts,<br />
murder, adultery, fornication, theft, false<br />
witness, slander. These are what defile a man.”<br />
But in the heart also resides charity, the source<br />
of the good and pure works, which sin wounds.<br />
That’s a pretty helpful summary. Through<br />
it, we see that sin can be classified by what<br />
it attacks and how and why it attacks the<br />
good. We can sin by doing something;<br />
we can sin by not doing something. The<br />
catechism makes clear that our hearts are<br />
the problem, as is our abuse of free will.<br />
The cool thing is, and this is classic God,<br />
the heart is a place where hope is – as Jesus,<br />
who redeemed us, lives there.<br />
Now, in general, all sins fall into one of<br />
two categories: mortal and venial. What is<br />
the difference? The difference tends to be<br />
manifested most clearly in the consequences<br />
of our actions (or inaction!).<br />
When we commit a mortal sin, we damage<br />
our soul in a very specific way: We wound<br />
our hearts’ ability to repent and receive mercy.<br />
The damage we do is real and intense, and the<br />
One morning, a certain American senator instructed his attorney to notify him<br />
as soon as a judgment was handed down in a case concerning his involvement in an<br />
influence-peddling scheme. Early that afternoon, he received a fax: “JUSTlCE HAS<br />
PREVAILED.” “He immediately faxed back: “APPEAL AT ONCE!”<br />
catechism tells us that it takes a special initiative<br />
of mercy on God’s part to heal us. (1856)<br />
So, what are the mortal sins? Well, it’s easier<br />
to describe how a mortal sin is committed than<br />
what specific sins are mortal. Here is an easy<br />
way to remember it: C.I.A.<br />
That acronym works like this:<br />
C. Circumstance: We have to be<br />
completely free to choose to sin or not.<br />
I. Intent: We have to know that it is a sin,<br />
be free to not do it and do it anyway.<br />
A. Action: The sin needs to be of a serious<br />
matter.<br />
If we commit a sin and all three of these<br />
things are simultaneously true, then we have<br />
committed a mortal sin. The consequences<br />
are that we should not receive Communion<br />
without either going to confession or making<br />
sure that we are going to go to confession as<br />
soon as is possible.<br />
So, then, what is venial sin? Venial sin is,<br />
simply, all the rest. Venial sins are those sins<br />
that damage our hearts and souls, but still allow<br />
God’s love to live and work within us. The<br />
danger of venial sins is that they are a choice<br />
we make toward something less than God<br />
and what he wants for us. According to the<br />
catechism, venial sins also have the ability to<br />
condition us to commit a mortal sin. You know<br />
how it goes, the more we sin, the more open<br />
we are to sinning and the more difficult it is to<br />
recognize the sin and repent.<br />
I hope this is helpful; the key to all of this<br />
is to remember the power and consistency of<br />
God’s mercy. There is nothing we can do that<br />
God can’t forgive; we need to remember to ask.<br />
Enjoy another day in God’s presence<br />
– Father Joseph Krupp<br />
Send your questions to:<br />
“In the Know with Father Joe”<br />
c/o FAITH Magazine<br />
300 W. Ottawa<br />
Lansing, MI 48933<br />
Or:<br />
JoeInBlack@priest.com<br />
<strong>St</strong>. <strong>Augustine</strong> <strong>Catholic</strong> <strong>June</strong> 2007
ordination<br />
what<br />
happens<br />
during<br />
an<br />
Ordination?<br />
Call from the bishop and<br />
1 presentation, where a notary<br />
testifies to candidates’ readiness.<br />
2<br />
3<br />
4<br />
5<br />
6<br />
7<br />
Election by the bishop<br />
and the consent of the<br />
people.<br />
The homily is preached by the<br />
bishop.<br />
Candidates being ordained deacons<br />
with the intention of later being<br />
ordained priests, commit to celibacy.<br />
The candidates are examined by<br />
the bishop as to their resolution and<br />
willingness to serve the people of God.<br />
The promise of<br />
obedience is given.<br />
The candidates then prostrate<br />
themselves on the floor while<br />
the Litany of the Saints is sung.<br />
The prostration is a symbol of their<br />
death to their former lives and their<br />
8<br />
9<br />
10<br />
rising into a new Spirit-filled and<br />
resurrected life in the risen Christ<br />
– who came among us not to be<br />
served, but to serve. The Litany of<br />
the Saints calls them down upon the<br />
candidates as the cloud of witnesses<br />
who will support and sustain them<br />
in their new lives as deacons.<br />
The most solemn moment of the<br />
ordination is the laying on of<br />
hands. This is done<br />
in silence, the bishop<br />
laying both hands<br />
on the head of each<br />
ordained.<br />
With the candidates kneeling<br />
before the bishop, he extends<br />
his hands over them and prays<br />
the Consecratory<br />
Prayer, calling down<br />
the Holy Spirit upon<br />
them to join them<br />
into the Spirit-filled<br />
humanity of the risen Christ.<br />
Newly ordained deacons are<br />
then vested with the stole and<br />
dalmatic. The dalmatic<br />
is a symbol of service to<br />
God’s people. English<br />
monarchs wear dalmatics<br />
when they are crowned. The<br />
original dalmatics were woven<br />
from white Dalmatian wool.<br />
11<br />
12<br />
13<br />
14<br />
Newly ordained priests are<br />
then vested with the stole and<br />
chasuble. The stole was<br />
the symbol of office worn<br />
by civil magistrates in<br />
the time of Constantine.<br />
The chasuble was an outer festive<br />
garment worn by Roman men on the<br />
occasion of great celebrations and<br />
festivals.<br />
The hands of the newly ordained<br />
priests are anointed<br />
with chrism, the holy<br />
oil that permeates them<br />
with the presence of the<br />
anointed, the Christ.<br />
Newly ordained deacons receive the<br />
Book of Gospels from the hands of the<br />
bishop, who tells them:<br />
“Receive the Gospel of<br />
Christ, whose herald you<br />
are. Believe what you<br />
read, teach what you<br />
believe, and practice what you teach.”<br />
Newly ordained priests receive a<br />
chalice and a paten, charging them<br />
to imitate the Christ<br />
who gave us his body<br />
and blood at the Last<br />
Supper on the night<br />
before he died.<br />
The kiss of peace is<br />
given by the bishop<br />
to each of the newly<br />
ordained priests or<br />
deacons.<br />
The bishop and the newly ordained<br />
continue with the eucharistic part of<br />
the Mass.<br />
It is noteworthy that in the chronological<br />
development of the church, deacons were<br />
the first to be ordained by the apostles.<br />
Subsequently, presbyters were ordained to<br />
represent their bishops (successors to the<br />
apostles) in parishes to which they were sent<br />
by their bishops.<br />
For more information on vocations<br />
visit us online at: www.dosafl.com<br />
<strong>St</strong>. <strong>Augustine</strong> <strong>Catholic</strong> <strong>June</strong> 2007
t h e o l o g y 1 0 1<br />
theology 101<br />
by Elizabeth Solsburg<br />
This year, the <strong>St</strong>. <strong>Augustine</strong> <strong>Catholic</strong> is exploring<br />
Christology – the study of Jesus Christ. We<br />
asked several eminent seminary professors<br />
some questions about Jesus. Their answers<br />
are enlightening and thought-provoking.<br />
Meet the<br />
professors<br />
Who is Christ? a year-long conversation with theologians<br />
Father Acklin Father Muller Father <strong>St</strong>evens<br />
Father Thomas Acklin is a monk of <strong>St</strong>. Vincent Archabbey in Latrobe, Pa.<br />
He is a graduate of Duqesne University, <strong>St</strong>. Vincent Seminary, The <strong>Catholic</strong><br />
University of Louvain and Pittsburgh Psychoanalytic Institute.<br />
Father Earl Muller is The Bishop Kevin M. Britt Professor of Theology/<br />
Christology at Sacred Heart Seminary in Detroit. He formerly taught at Marquette<br />
University in Wisconsin.<br />
Father Gladstone <strong>St</strong>evens is on the faculty of <strong>St</strong>. Mary Seminary<br />
in Baltimore.<br />
Jesus<br />
as the<br />
Why is that one<br />
of his titles? How is he<br />
present?<br />
QSAC: What does John mean<br />
when he calls Jesus “the<br />
Word”? How is that relevant<br />
to us?<br />
Father <strong>St</strong>evens: There are so<br />
many ties to the Old Testament<br />
in this. The Jewish people<br />
became a nation after the<br />
Exodus, but it took more than<br />
just this event. The absence of<br />
slavery is not freedom. People<br />
need a shape, a form for their<br />
lives. The Torah did this for the<br />
Israelites – it gave them the<br />
Word. The giving of this word<br />
establishes the people. The<br />
Jewish imagination moved from<br />
that experience to the recognition<br />
that everything came from the<br />
word, debar. We are not created<br />
out of God’s struggle with<br />
demonic forces, not a people<br />
theologian<br />
of the month<br />
Athanasius of<br />
Alexandria<br />
(c. 298-373)<br />
Athanasius<br />
was the<br />
patriarch of<br />
Alexandria in the<br />
fourth century.<br />
He is famous<br />
for his defense<br />
against the heresy<br />
of Arianism<br />
which some<br />
theologians believe<br />
almost prevailed.<br />
Athanasius<br />
countered Arius’<br />
teaching that there<br />
was a time when<br />
God existed, but<br />
Jesus did not.<br />
Athanasius<br />
attended the<br />
Council at<br />
Nicea, where the<br />
famous creed<br />
was developed,<br />
and he is one of<br />
the doctors of the<br />
church.<br />
Athanasius is<br />
the first person<br />
to identify the<br />
canon of the<br />
New Testament<br />
as being the 27<br />
books we use<br />
today.<br />
Athanasius<br />
was originally<br />
buried in<br />
Alexandria; his<br />
body was then<br />
transferred to Italy.<br />
In 1973, Pope<br />
Shenouda III<br />
(Coptic Orthodox<br />
Church) met with<br />
Pope Paul VI, and<br />
Athanasius’ relics<br />
were restored to<br />
Egypt.<br />
10 <strong>St</strong>. <strong>Augustine</strong> <strong>Catholic</strong> <strong>June</strong> 2007
Heresy!<br />
Arianism: Jesus not human or divine<br />
This is the granddaddy of the early church’s heresies about the nature<br />
of Jesus Christ. It was pervasive, with a huge following – some scholars think it<br />
almost carried the day. Arianism is a system of thought based on the teachings of<br />
Arius of Alexandar. Arius believed that God the Father embodied the only true divine<br />
nature. He was too pure to appear on earth – and so he created Jesus as the first<br />
and best of all things in the cosmos. Like the adoptionists, Arius held that the Son<br />
was not of the nature of the Father, he was adopted. Some of his followers also<br />
believed that the Son created the Holy Spirit in the same way.<br />
This heresy occasioned the first great ecumenical<br />
council, that of Nicea, in 325, where Arianism was<br />
condemned. Its chief opponent was <strong>St</strong>. Athanasius. The<br />
statement of beliefs that was developed at Nicea is recited the<br />
world over at Sunday Mass – it is called The Nicene Creed.<br />
built on the body of a slain dragon, but rather the loving creation of<br />
God’s spoken word. Whenever God speaks, he creates something<br />
John makes<br />
it particularly<br />
clear that the Word is<br />
the son who comes<br />
from the father. This<br />
is the mystery<br />
of the Trinity –<br />
God is, in himself, a<br />
communion of love.<br />
new. When he speaks to a prophet, that<br />
person becomes a prophet. The word<br />
from which everything came is not an<br />
impersonal word – it is the Word, the<br />
son of God.<br />
Father Acklin: There are three<br />
personifications of God in the Old<br />
Testament: word, wisdom and spirit.<br />
They are not yet fully revealed as<br />
persons. The Word, as we find out<br />
in John’s Gospel, is the son of God.<br />
Through him all things are made. In the Old Testament, the<br />
spirit of the Lord descends upon a prophet or king. But in the<br />
New Testament, it is revealed that the Holy Spirit and Jesus are<br />
individual and divine persons. John makes it particularly clear that<br />
Bible Quiz<br />
Judge, prophet, composer.<br />
Who am I?<br />
I am one of the famous<br />
Judges of Israel (you<br />
know, the ones the<br />
book in the Bible is<br />
written about) and<br />
I was famous for my<br />
prophecies. I called<br />
forth General Barak<br />
to lead the Israelites<br />
in battle against the<br />
opposing general,<br />
Sisera. But I<br />
knew Barak<br />
what does that<br />
symbol mean?<br />
Fish<br />
The fish is<br />
probably the<br />
oldest symbol<br />
used by the<br />
early Christians.<br />
The symbol<br />
derives from<br />
the letters of the<br />
Greek word for<br />
fish, ichthys, which<br />
are the first letters<br />
of the statement,<br />
Iesous Christos<br />
Theou Yios (Jesus<br />
Christ, Son of<br />
God, Savior).<br />
wouldn’t be responsible for the final<br />
victory – another Israelite took care<br />
of that while Sisera slept.<br />
My song is one of the oldest<br />
parts of the Bible, and I think it’s<br />
beautiful poetry.<br />
Unlike judges today, who<br />
have to sit in stuffy robes in a<br />
stuffier courtroom, I delivered my<br />
judgments beneath a palm tree in<br />
Ephraim. And, oh, yes, sometimes<br />
I am called the “mother of Israel.”<br />
Who am I?<br />
Answer: Deborah<br />
the Word is the son who comes from the<br />
Father. This is the mystery of the Trinity<br />
– God is, in himself, a communion of love.<br />
Our one God is a communion of three<br />
individual hypostases. There are three<br />
individual divine persons, whose selfgiving<br />
love to each other is totally given<br />
to the other in their respective ways: the<br />
Father eternally begetting, the Son eternally<br />
begotten and returning all to the Father, the<br />
Spirit saying nothing he does not hear from<br />
the Father and Son. The interpenetrating<br />
love is so total that they are perfectly one.<br />
Father Muller: This particular<br />
identification of Jesus only occurs in the<br />
prologue of John’s Gospel. It contains the<br />
echoes of the Old Testament’s constant<br />
refrain: The word of the Lord came to<br />
Jeremiah, to Isaiah, to all the prophets.<br />
If you look at the Septuagint, the Greek<br />
for that Old Testament experience is<br />
translated as, “The word became.” It’s that<br />
language that John picks up<br />
in his Gospel. In saying<br />
this, I differ from what<br />
some older scriptural<br />
exegetes saw: an infusion<br />
of Hellenistic philosophy.<br />
I think John is<br />
summarizing and<br />
integrating the<br />
Old Testament<br />
in his reference<br />
to the Word.<br />
“The Word<br />
became flesh”<br />
is an interesting<br />
statement, because<br />
the first mention of<br />
flesh in Scripture<br />
is the story of<br />
Adam and Eve<br />
– “flesh of my flesh<br />
and bone of my<br />
bone.” It’s as if<br />
John is saying that<br />
Jesus entered<br />
into a nuptial<br />
relationship with<br />
his people.<br />
Elizabeth Solsburg<br />
esolsburg@faithpublishingservice.com<br />
<strong>St</strong>. <strong>Augustine</strong> <strong>Catholic</strong> <strong>June</strong> 2007 11
your marriage matters<br />
by Deb McCormack<br />
romance<br />
The couple<br />
that prays<br />
together …<br />
When going to<br />
church, we may<br />
not always be<br />
mindful of how<br />
our marriage<br />
sacrament is<br />
alive to others. If<br />
possible, avoid<br />
sitting in the pew<br />
as “bookends”<br />
separated with<br />
your children<br />
between the two<br />
of you. Sit next<br />
to each other,<br />
side-by-side.<br />
Hold hands as<br />
you pray and<br />
sing together.<br />
money<br />
Acquaint<br />
yourself with<br />
your finances<br />
Both partners<br />
in a marriage<br />
should know<br />
the ins and<br />
outs of the joint<br />
finances. Make<br />
sure you know<br />
what’s in your<br />
accounts, what<br />
your household<br />
debts are, and<br />
where all the<br />
important papers<br />
are. Consider<br />
a folder labeled<br />
“important<br />
stuff” containing<br />
account<br />
numbers,<br />
passwords<br />
and insurance<br />
information.<br />
Dawn and Sam have been<br />
married for 15 years. They<br />
have three children under<br />
the age of 14. Sam’s mother<br />
is widowed and has some health<br />
problems – Sam wants her to move in.<br />
I want my<br />
mother to move in<br />
Sam says: My mom is a diabetic<br />
and I worry about her living alone<br />
now that my dad is gone. I believe<br />
families should stick together and take care of each<br />
other, so I’d like her to live with us. We have room,<br />
as long as two of the kids share. This is my mother<br />
we’re talking about; I can’t believe Dawn doesn’t<br />
understand why we should ask her to move here.<br />
I don’t<br />
Dawn says: Sam’s mom is not<br />
an invalid, and could live on her<br />
own quite easily. And we hardly<br />
have any time to ourselves as it is, after we’ve taken<br />
care of the kids. I know Sam loves his mother, but she<br />
is not the easiest woman to get along with, believe me.<br />
I don’t think I can deal with two women in the same<br />
household.<br />
He said<br />
She said<br />
what do they do?<br />
Intergenerational caretaking<br />
is becoming a<br />
hot topic in many<br />
families. We have all heard about the<br />
“sandwich generation,” those who<br />
have elderly parents and are still<br />
caring for children.<br />
In a family, the core unit is the<br />
marriage – it is the heart and stabilizing<br />
force. Couples should prioritize this<br />
important relationship always. This is<br />
easier said than done. Often, we take<br />
our spouse for granted and assume<br />
he or she is self-sufficient. In caring<br />
for elderly parents, we always need to<br />
talk to our partners and listen to their<br />
thoughts, feelings and needs.<br />
So, first and foremost, Sam needs<br />
to listen to Dawn’s concerns: What are<br />
the problems and challenges she sees?<br />
What are the benefits? How will this<br />
decision impact their home life and their<br />
Deb McCormack<br />
12 <strong>St</strong>. <strong>Augustine</strong> <strong>Catholic</strong> <strong>June</strong> 2007
children? Sam can talk about<br />
his concerns for mom and his<br />
feelings now that his father is<br />
not there to care for her. I would<br />
also encourage Sam to talk to any<br />
other siblings in his family who<br />
could help ensure their mom’s<br />
safety and well-being. It’s possible<br />
that some of his brothers or<br />
sisters may feel the same worry<br />
and together they can ensure<br />
mom’s health and safety and not<br />
overburden one child/family.<br />
Having a relative move in to<br />
your household is not a decision<br />
to be taken lightly. Dawn’s<br />
concerns of getting along and two<br />
women in a household are very<br />
valid and need to be discussed<br />
thoroughly. Is there a solution to<br />
this issue that will create a winwin<br />
solution? Helping his mom<br />
at the cost of a marriage does not<br />
seem like a win-win answer. It’s<br />
important that the couple work<br />
as a team. Remember, the marital<br />
relationship is priority.<br />
Another very important step<br />
is to talk to mom. What is she<br />
thinking and feeling? Does she<br />
think she needs help? Often<br />
the elderly do not agree with<br />
their families about what should<br />
be done for them. They want<br />
to remain independent for as<br />
long as possible. Often, with<br />
a minimal amount of support<br />
from us, our loved ones can<br />
remain independent and are<br />
usually happier. The first step<br />
is to do an objective assessment<br />
of what mom needs help with.<br />
She should be included in this<br />
assessment. It is not helpful<br />
for mom to feel overlooked or<br />
ignored in this process. She<br />
will be more willing to accept<br />
needed help if she is respected<br />
in this process and this means<br />
treating her like an adult. She<br />
should make her own decisions<br />
if possible.<br />
There are many alternative<br />
answers to this issue without<br />
Sam’s mom moving in with<br />
Dawn and Sam.<br />
Email questions and comments to:<br />
marriage@faithmag.com<br />
communication<br />
Good Marriage<br />
While it’s<br />
important to<br />
do things as a<br />
couple, you also<br />
need to develop<br />
interests of<br />
your own.<br />
By spending<br />
time on your<br />
hobbies, reading<br />
or community<br />
activities, you<br />
enrich your<br />
creativity and<br />
gain something<br />
new to talk<br />
about with your<br />
spouse!<br />
time<br />
It’s about<br />
Time..!<br />
Make loving<br />
memories, not<br />
misery. Spouses<br />
make a choice<br />
each time<br />
they are<br />
together.<br />
It is either<br />
a choice to<br />
make loving<br />
memories of<br />
how God has<br />
blessed you with<br />
your spouse,<br />
or it is a choice<br />
to focus on<br />
the rough and<br />
bumpy road<br />
behind us,<br />
with us, and<br />
stretching out in<br />
front of us. God<br />
gave us a free<br />
will to make the<br />
choice. Loving<br />
memories take<br />
less effort to<br />
maintain.<br />
parenting journey<br />
Grandparents as Mom and Dad<br />
how to cope with raising your grandchildren.<br />
A time of<br />
life that was<br />
to be spent<br />
on adult<br />
pursuits<br />
suddenly<br />
becomes<br />
a time for<br />
supervising<br />
homework<br />
and giving<br />
baths.<br />
by Dr. Cathleen McGreal<br />
Astroller was positioned next to the minivan’s<br />
sliding door. I watched as a silver-haired man swung a<br />
toddler from car seat to stroller, heading quickly toward<br />
Epiphany Cathedral, diaper bag in hand. The event would<br />
have slipped quickly from memory had I not received a copy of The<br />
Florida <strong>Catholic</strong> after Mass. The issue included a story by Bishop John<br />
Nevins (retired, Diocese of Venice) saluting “all grandparents who are<br />
‘alive with love,’” especially grandparents raising their grandchildren. He<br />
asked: “What can our society do to be more helpful?”<br />
“Grand” households – In the United <strong>St</strong>ates, 4.5 million<br />
children reside with grandparents. According to Amy Goyer,<br />
coordinator of the AARP Foundation Grandparent Information<br />
Center, this number represents a 30 percent increase from the<br />
1990 Census. The National Center on Grandparents Raising<br />
Grandchildren (Georgia <strong>St</strong>ate University) notes the 10 states with<br />
the highest number of these households: California, Texas, New<br />
York, Florida, Illinois, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan and<br />
North Carolina.<br />
An unanticipated role – Grandparents become primary<br />
caregivers of their grandchildren for many reasons. Adult children<br />
may be abusing drugs or alcohol. Sometimes they are in prison.<br />
Grandparents assist young families when military parents are<br />
deployed overseas. In some cases, grandchildren are orphaned.<br />
Whatever the situation, it is normal for grandparents to grieve<br />
the loss of the expected role. Raising grandchildren involves<br />
personal sacrifice. A time of life that was to be spent on<br />
adult pursuits suddenly becomes a time for supervising<br />
homework and giving baths.<br />
Support groups – There might be feelings of<br />
guilt about long-ago parenting decisions or anger at the<br />
adult child for having been placed in this position. Legal<br />
concerns about the grandchildren’s welfare add to the<br />
stress. Many individuals find grandparent-support groups<br />
useful in order to share these common feelings and learn<br />
about available resources. The AARP website has links to<br />
find these groups and helpful information:<br />
www.aarp.org/families/grandparents. We may discover that Christ<br />
uses the hands and hearts of others to answer our prayers.<br />
Society’s help – Under some conditions, grandchildren,<br />
and even step-grandchildren, can qualify for Social Security<br />
benefits when a grandparent retires (1.800.772.1213).<br />
In 1998, the GrandFamilies House opened in Boston,<br />
providing affordable housing in 26 apartments.<br />
Intergenerational safety designs were included, such as ramps<br />
and grab bars for grandparents and child-proof outlets for<br />
grandchildren. The YWCA offers an on-site preschool and afterschool<br />
program. Many other states are building similar projects.<br />
Email questions and comments to: mcgreal@msu.edu<br />
<strong>St</strong>. <strong>Augustine</strong> <strong>Catholic</strong> <strong>June</strong> 2007 13
spiritual fitness<br />
by Father Bill Ashbaugh<br />
our parish and shared with us her journey to forgive the man who<br />
murdered her 7-year-old girl. Marietta, her husband and their five<br />
children were camping in Montana in 1973. Sometime in the middle<br />
of the night, a man slashed through the tent where the young girls<br />
were sleeping and abducted the youngest girl, Susie. The family<br />
awoke with horror to find Susie gone. A frantic search ensued to no<br />
avail. When they began searching the river for Susie’s body, Marietta<br />
“lost it.” She remembers, “I wanted to kill him with my bare hands!”<br />
That anger would have consumed Marietta, but she turned to<br />
Jesus. He knew her wounds. Marietta says, “I knew that hatred wasn’t<br />
healthy – that it would obsess and consume me. Were I to give in to<br />
that kind of mind-set, it would be my undoing. It’s not to say that it<br />
was an easy realization, because I felt absolutely justified. I had every<br />
right to feel how I did.” But she knew it was not the way.<br />
As a <strong>Catholic</strong>, Marietta says, “I was called to forgive my enemies<br />
– not to kill them. So I made the commitment to work toward<br />
an attitude of forgiveness. I promised to cooperate with God in<br />
whatever he needed to do to help move my heart from fury to<br />
Ridding our hearts<br />
of revenge<br />
One of my favorite images of Jesus is one<br />
where our risen Lord, with wounds visible,<br />
is pointing to his Sacred Heart. The heart is<br />
covered with thorns that pierce it, yet a fire<br />
of love is burning inside the heart. The thorns symbolize<br />
our sins that deeply wound Jesus. The fire is a reminder<br />
that his love is greater than our sins.<br />
I think most of us can relate to being wounded in some way<br />
by another person. Every day, our news is filled with stories of<br />
crime and human tragedy. Every day, people experience abuse,<br />
deception, broken promises, indifference, rape, theft, murder and<br />
other injustices. Deep wounds. We did not ask for them, but they<br />
are there. What do we do with them? We have a couple of choices.<br />
If we let the hurt of the wound fester, the infection of bitterness,<br />
resentment, hatred and unforgiveness can take over our lives.<br />
We will become toxic people. While being the victim of another<br />
person’s sin and crime, we end up inflicting the hurt on someone<br />
else. There is another way – the way of Jesus Christ.<br />
Not long ago, a woman named Marietta Jaeger Lane came to<br />
forgiveness … I’ve come to understand that God’s idea for us is not<br />
vengeance but restoration,” she says. “Jesus came to forgive, to heal.”<br />
One year after the abduction, the man called and spoke with<br />
Marietta for a long time. He broke down. He had so much pain<br />
inside. Eventually, the man was caught. Marietta did everything she<br />
could to fight against the death sentence for the man. She tried to<br />
speak of the man with respect, and remembered the truth that Jesus<br />
came to seek and save all people, especially the lost. He confessed to<br />
the brutal murder of her daughter, and to other murders as well.<br />
Marietta then met the man who abducted and murdered Susie. She<br />
looked into his eyes and forgave him. Later that same day, the man<br />
committed suicide. At that point, Marietta began to reach out to<br />
the murderer’s mother. In the years since, each has accompanied<br />
the other to her child’s grave. “Together, we were able to grieve as<br />
mothers who had lost their children,” says Marietta. “I hoped that<br />
it would help her to know that I had forgiven him.”<br />
Marietta continues to carry her wounds, but now they are united<br />
and transformed by the grace of Jesus Christ. Deeply wounded,<br />
Jesus still forgives. The feasts of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and<br />
Immaculate Heart of Mary – celebrated <strong>June</strong> 18 and 19 respectively<br />
– remind us of the great suffering inflicted on Jesus and Mary<br />
through sin and hatred, but even more so the mercy, forgiveness<br />
and love their hearts offer each person. They offer that mercy to<br />
and through you and me!<br />
14 <strong>St</strong>. <strong>Augustine</strong> <strong>Catholic</strong> <strong>June</strong> 2007
For our spiritual fitness this month, we<br />
will work on ridding our hearts of revenge<br />
and forgiving those who have hurt us.<br />
1<br />
Pray for the desire to forgive. When we<br />
have been hurt, forgiving the person who hurt<br />
us may be the last thing on our minds. The pain<br />
can be so great. Rage or anger can be seething<br />
through us. We want justice. We want vindication.<br />
We want revenge. But this is not the path to peace.<br />
It is not the way of Jesus Christ. The first grace<br />
we ask God for is the desire to forgive the other<br />
person. Even one step before this is to pray for a<br />
desire to forgive!<br />
Read Luke 6:32-36, Mark 11:25 and Matthew<br />
5:23-24. Pray: Dear Father, you forgive us as<br />
we forgive others. Help me, dear God, please<br />
help me! My pain is great. Help me to desire to<br />
forgive (Name) for the pain they have caused me.<br />
I know without your grace I cannot forgive them.<br />
Jesus, you suffered so much because you had the<br />
courage to love. You opened your hands in love<br />
and friendship, knowing that we would put nails<br />
through them. You forgave us and reconciled us<br />
to the Father. Jesus, help me recognize your pain,<br />
and to see in my pain a share in your suffering.<br />
Help me, Lord, to know your desire to forgive us<br />
our sins. Help me to know your love for me is the<br />
same as your love for (Name). You loved us both<br />
to die for us. Lord, I ask for a desire<br />
to forgive (Name) who has hurt me.<br />
Dear God, forgive me as I do my best<br />
to forgive (Name).<br />
Keep praying this prayer each<br />
day – even a few times a day as<br />
needed – until you receive the<br />
grace you are asking for.<br />
2<br />
Receiving the desire<br />
to forgive is a huge<br />
grace. Thank God for it and<br />
pray: Dear God, I praise you<br />
for your mercy and the desire I<br />
have received to forgive (Name).<br />
Please Father, forgive me my sins<br />
and faults. My pain is still great.<br />
Jesus, I still spend most of my<br />
time focusing on the hurt (Name)<br />
has caused me. I rarely look at<br />
how I have hurt others. Please<br />
Lord, help me to look at my own<br />
wrongdoing and repent. Then as I<br />
receive your mercy, I will be able to<br />
give your mercy to (Name). Read<br />
Matthew 7:1-5.<br />
‘‘‘‘<br />
Offering<br />
praise flows<br />
directly<br />
out of our<br />
love for<br />
God. When<br />
we praise<br />
people, we<br />
think well<br />
of them.<br />
We have<br />
a gratitude<br />
and<br />
appreciation<br />
for them.<br />
3<br />
Pray for the other person. Ask God to bless<br />
them. Dear God, you love (Name) as you love<br />
me. You want (Name)’s salvation as you want mine.<br />
You want (Name)’s happiness as you want mine. You<br />
know I do not feel much love for (Name) right now,<br />
but I do want (Name) to be happy and at peace. I want<br />
them to be filled with love. I want them to be at peace<br />
with you forever. Please Lord, bless (Name) and help<br />
them in any way they need help right now in their lives.<br />
Help them to seek you and find you. I forgive (Name)<br />
for what they have done to me. Pardon them Lord as<br />
you have pardoned my sins.<br />
4<br />
In prayer, imagine the following: You<br />
have fallen and are lying in the mud. You are<br />
embarrassed and hurt. Suddenly, you feel yourself<br />
being pulled up. You look up and you see Jesus. He<br />
brushes you off and gives you a new cloak. You see<br />
the care and compassion in his eyes. In the distance,<br />
you see another person lying in the mud, struggling<br />
to get up. It is the person who has hurt you. You see<br />
Jesus run to them and also help them up. As Jesus<br />
brushes them off, you come close. You look into Jesus’<br />
eyes and see his compassion for this person. You tell<br />
the Lord, “Jesus, I have asked you to help me forgive<br />
(Name). Please help me now.” You turn to (Name)<br />
and say, “(Name), I forgive you. I release the anger<br />
and hurt I am feeling toward you. It is off of me like this<br />
mud that Jesus has wiped away. I am no longer angry<br />
with you and want God’s peace to be with you as it has<br />
come now to me.”<br />
5<br />
Meeting with the person who has hurt you.<br />
In some cases, meeting with the person who<br />
has hurt us can bring reconciliation and healing of the<br />
relationship. In other cases, it may only help to free us<br />
personally. It depends on the response of the person<br />
who has hurt us.<br />
6<br />
Practice receiving forgiveness and giving<br />
forgiveness. We receive forgiveness by<br />
admitting our faults and saying we are sorry. The<br />
sacrament of reconciliation is a huge grace for us. Take<br />
advantage of it. Also, we can practice forgiving others<br />
every time we pray the Our Father. When you come to<br />
the part “forgive us our sins as we forgive those who<br />
sinned against us,” pause and try to forgive anyone who<br />
has sinned against you. Cultivate a forgiving heart by not<br />
bringing up past hurtful situations that you have let go.<br />
By recalling them and thinking of them again, you may<br />
be allowing revenge and bitterness to enter your heart.<br />
If this happens, repeat the above steps again and be<br />
patient. Forgiveness is a grace that can take time.<br />
Email questions and comments to: frbillashbaugh@mac.com<br />
<strong>St</strong>. <strong>Augustine</strong> <strong>Catholic</strong> <strong>June</strong> 2007 15
Mark Udry<br />
One Collar,<br />
Many Cultures<br />
In September 1954, a young and newly ordained<br />
Father James Heslin boarded a ship for a five-day<br />
voyage to the United <strong>St</strong>ates. After completing his<br />
studies at <strong>St</strong>. Patrick Seminary in Thurles, County<br />
Tipperary, Ireland, his first assignment was in the<br />
Diocese of Saint <strong>Augustine</strong>. Fifty-three years later,<br />
Msgr. James Heslin of Ireland.<br />
16 <strong>St</strong>. <strong>Augustine</strong> <strong>Catholic</strong> <strong>June</strong> 2007<br />
B y A m e l i a E u d y<br />
Msgr. Heslin retired<br />
last <strong>June</strong> at the age of<br />
76, passing on a legacy<br />
of foreign-born priests<br />
serving in the diocese.<br />
The face of this priesthood has changed<br />
from the days when Irish priests were being<br />
exported to all parts of the world, including<br />
Florida. Msgr. Heslin remembers when the<br />
diocese encompassed much of the state and<br />
Archbishop Joseph P. Hurley began inviting<br />
Spanish-speaking priests to the diocese to<br />
serve the many immigrant farm workers in<br />
the south. “There were a number of priests<br />
from Spain,” he remembers.<br />
While there are still Irish priests serving<br />
here, most are among the older clergy. Now<br />
Msgr. Heslin is observing a different kind<br />
of clergy immigration from India, Poland<br />
and several Spanish-speaking countries. “At<br />
present [the priests] seem to be doing a fine<br />
job. The people are glad to have priests from<br />
elsewhere,” he says. “We haven’t seen priests<br />
coming from Ireland in some time.”<br />
In fact, a study done by the Life Cycle<br />
Institute at <strong>Catholic</strong> University of America<br />
has found that the majority of priests born in<br />
other countries complete their seminary study<br />
in the United <strong>St</strong>ates, Asia and the Pacific. The<br />
average age of foreign-born priests serving in<br />
the United <strong>St</strong>ates is 47, and most stay in the<br />
United <strong>St</strong>ates for more than five years.<br />
In 2005, a study was conducted by<br />
the Center for Applied Research in the<br />
Apostolate (CARA) of Georgetown University<br />
for the United <strong>St</strong>ates Conference of <strong>Catholic</strong><br />
Bishops (USCCB). According to the study,<br />
more than two-thirds of all vocation directors<br />
as well as major superiors of religious<br />
congregations and rectors of seminaries<br />
responded. The study found that one in<br />
three priests ordained in 2006 was born<br />
outside the U.S., and the percent of foreignborn<br />
priests increased from 24 percent in<br />
1998 to 30 percent in 2006.<br />
Father Jan Ligeza, parochial vicar at <strong>St</strong>.<br />
<strong>Augustine</strong> Church and <strong>Catholic</strong> <strong>St</strong>udent<br />
Center in Gainesville, is one of about 47<br />
foreign-born priests serving in the diocese<br />
today. He came to the United <strong>St</strong>ates in the<br />
fall of 1998 after completing five years of<br />
seminary training in Poland. Bishop Victor<br />
Galeone ordained him in 2003.<br />
Father Jan admits experiencing “culture<br />
shock” when first arriving to the United<br />
<strong>St</strong>ates. “It wasn’t easy in the beginning to<br />
adjust,” he says in a thick Polish accent. “It<br />
was far away, very different people and very<br />
different lifestyles. There is more variety of<br />
other religions (in the U.S.). In Poland, I<br />
didn’t know anyone who wasn’t <strong>Catholic</strong>,”<br />
Father Jan observes.<br />
According to Father Jan, Poland still<br />
produces a large number of priests and<br />
many religious vocations. His home diocese<br />
encourages priests to serve in other countries<br />
around the world.<br />
“It has been a great experience for me to<br />
see different denominations working with<br />
the <strong>Catholic</strong> Church. That’s great,” he says.<br />
In turn, he is proud to share his culture<br />
with the many students at the <strong>Catholic</strong><br />
<strong>St</strong>udent Center in Gainesville, and he<br />
occasionally enjoys preparing his favorite<br />
dishes from Poland for the students at the<br />
Newman Club at the university.
“This generation of young people is the<br />
generation of Pope John Paul II (also a native<br />
of Poland). I have enjoyed sharing extended<br />
stories about myself and my roots.”<br />
Shortly after he arrived in Florida, Father<br />
Jan invited his brother, Father Kazimierz<br />
Ligeza, who was teaching in Krakow, Poland,<br />
to visit the Diocese of Saint <strong>Augustine</strong>. Father<br />
Kazimierz decided to stay and has been<br />
serving in the diocese for two years. He is<br />
Leon says it means a lot to his parishioners<br />
to have a priest who can effectively<br />
communicate with them and understand<br />
their culture.<br />
“They are newcomers to America,” he<br />
observes. “I think it is a tremendous help to<br />
make them feel at home – to celebrate Mass<br />
in their own culture.”<br />
The parish regularly recognizes the feast<br />
days of Latin American patron saints and<br />
celebrates Mass in Spanish every Sunday.<br />
Father Jhon Guarnizo, parochial vicar at<br />
Assumption Parish in Jacksonville often<br />
assists with the Spanish Mass downtown.<br />
However, many of the children are now<br />
going to confession in English, and Father<br />
Leon says he sees the Hispanic youth of his<br />
parish holding tight to their native culture<br />
but also adapting to American life.<br />
International religious order priests are<br />
After eight years of schooling in Chicago and<br />
Champaign, Ill., and South Bend, Ind., he<br />
came to the Diocese of Saint <strong>Augustine</strong> at the<br />
invitation of Bishop John J. Snyder in 1997. At<br />
present there are seven Carmelite priests from<br />
India serving in the diocese.<br />
Susie Nguyen<br />
Susie Nguyen<br />
Father Jan Ligeza of Poland.<br />
currently assigned to Queen of Peace Parish<br />
in Gainesville.<br />
The number of Hispanic <strong>Catholic</strong>s in<br />
the diocese has increased significantly and<br />
Spanish-speaking priests, like Father Antonio<br />
Leon, pastor of Immaculate Conception<br />
Parish in downtown Jacksonville are in great<br />
demand. Father Leon came to the United<br />
<strong>St</strong>ates from Spain in 1959 and 10 years later<br />
decided to stay and serve in the diocese<br />
permanently. About 100 Hispanic families<br />
are currently registered at his parish, from<br />
places like Mexico, Puerto Rico, Colombia<br />
and other Latin American countries. Father<br />
Susie Nguyen<br />
Father Antonio Leon of Spain<br />
also a strong component of priests serving in<br />
the diocese. Father Victor Narivelil, pastor<br />
of Sacred Heart Parish in Jacksonville, was<br />
ordained on April 6, 1964, in Cochin, India<br />
for the Carmelites of Mary Immaculate (CMI).<br />
Father Victor Narivelil of India.<br />
Father Victor says that priests have come<br />
from different countries to remedy the<br />
shortage of priests in various dioceses. “In<br />
countries like India there is a surplus of priests<br />
at the moment and, hence, they are here.”<br />
But for how long, he can’t say. “It will<br />
depend on the availability of local priests and<br />
the availability of priests from other countries.”<br />
Throughout his years of formation for the<br />
priesthood, Father Victor has had a chance to<br />
experience the benefits of great diversity.<br />
“The diversity (of the priesthood) really<br />
adds to the richness of our <strong>Catholic</strong> faith<br />
experience,” Father Victor observes of the<br />
multi-cultural parishes in the diocese. “Taken<br />
properly, it (the universality of our <strong>Catholic</strong><br />
faith) helps you to feel at home no matter<br />
where you are.”<br />
Clergy Serving in the Diocese of Saint <strong>Augustine</strong> at a Glance<br />
Incardinated Diocesan<br />
Priests...................................93<br />
Extern Priests* ...................29<br />
Religious Order Priests.....23<br />
Permanent Deacons..........45<br />
*Extern Priests are diocesan priests from<br />
another diocese who are living or working<br />
in this diocese.<br />
Of the diocesan priests serving in the diocese, 33% of them<br />
are between the ages of 60-69 with eligibility for retirement at the<br />
age of 70. Twenty percent of our priests are between the ages of<br />
70-79 and continue to serve.<br />
Diocesan Priests: 50-59 years of age.............................. 26%<br />
40-49 years of age...........................10.5%<br />
80-89 years of age................................. 6%<br />
Under age 40....................................... 4.7%<br />
<strong>St</strong>. <strong>Augustine</strong> <strong>Catholic</strong> <strong>June</strong> 2007 17
c o v e r s t o r y<br />
On <strong>June</strong> 23, Bishop Victor Galeone will ordain Deacons<br />
David Ruchinski, Robert Trujillo and <strong>St</strong>even Zehler to<br />
the priesthood. The ceremony begins at 10:30 a.m. at<br />
the Cathedral-Basilica of <strong>St</strong>. <strong>Augustine</strong>.<br />
All three men ordained for the diocese this year have<br />
a unique background and a personal story to tell about<br />
their vocation. After years of wondering and months<br />
of discernment, they have left everything behind<br />
to follow the Lord’s call, for at ordination they will<br />
become fishers of men.<br />
Deacon David Ruchinski, 37, was born in Warren, Ohio. The Ruchinski’s, a Polish<br />
<strong>Catholic</strong> family, adopted him as an infant through <strong>Catholic</strong> Charities. He has an older sister,<br />
Shari, who was also adopted.<br />
David was 13 years old when his mother died of colon cancer. She was just 43. David and his<br />
father had a difficult time after her death and their relationship deteriorated to the point that a<br />
separation was needed. At 16, David went to live with Sue and Dave Ashcraft, the parents of his<br />
best friend <strong>St</strong>eve and his siblings Mike, Tim and Sarah.<br />
In 1987, David graduated from high school and began attending the Pontifical College<br />
Josephinum, an international seminary in the Diocese of Youngstown. An excellent student, David<br />
graduated from the seminary in just three years at the age of 20. Due to his age, the bishop of<br />
Youngstown felt David needed one more year of formation.<br />
David decided to continue his discernment while pursuing a master’s degree in English at<br />
Ohio <strong>St</strong>ate University. He met a woman there and fell in love. After dating for two years, “I had<br />
gotten it in my head that I no longer wanted to be in the seminary – that I was ready to commit<br />
to marriage,” David said. Well so he thought.<br />
He received his master’s in 1994 and while looking for a teaching position with the<br />
Columbus <strong>Catholic</strong> Schools, David stumbled into a position that brought him to Jacksonville.<br />
Knowing that his mind wasn’t settled about becoming a priest, David’s girlfriend decided to<br />
accept a temporary teaching position in Japan. Both were hopeful the separation would help<br />
David decide if God was calling him to marriage or to the priesthood.<br />
Father Michael Houle, president of Bishop Kenny High School was in Columbus recruiting<br />
religion teachers from the Josephinum. Father Houle was the director of development at the<br />
Josephinum when David was there. He recruited David to teach English at Bishop Kenny – an offer<br />
he said he couldn’t refuse. He taught at BK from 1992 to 1997.<br />
For the next three years, David taught at Episcopal High School while also pursuing a doctorate<br />
in education from the University of North Florida, which he earned in Dec. 2001. In 2000, he<br />
accepted a position as coordinator of the New Beginnings Program at Lutheran Social Services – a<br />
program he helped developed that addressed the cultural adjustment needs of refugee teenagers.<br />
Even though his job at Lutheran Social Services was very rewarding, David said he was<br />
“motivated by a desire to be a person for others – to minister and make that part of his life.”<br />
He deepened his prayer life and soon he knew God was calling him to the priesthood and he<br />
was ready to say “yes.”<br />
He remembers everything happened quickly. In April 2002, he met with Father John Tetlow,<br />
the vocations director at the time. One month later, he learned he had been accepted as a<br />
candidate for the diocese. Bishop Galeone sent him to Rome to study at the North American<br />
College. He will return to Rome after ordination for further studies.<br />
“The whole journey – the 12 years I spent away from seminary, the 10 years I spent working<br />
full-time, and living on my own, have really been a valuable part of the process [of becoming<br />
a priest],” said David. “I am so grateful that God took me in that direction instead of going<br />
straight into the seminary.”<br />
18 <strong>St</strong>. <strong>Augustine</strong> <strong>Catholic</strong> <strong>June</strong> 2007<br />
scott smith
Answering<br />
GOD’S CALL<br />
B y K a t h l e e n B a g g - M o r g a n<br />
<strong>St</strong>. <strong>Augustine</strong> <strong>Catholic</strong> <strong>June</strong> 2007 19
scott smith<br />
Deacon Robert Trujillo, 36, was born<br />
in Elizabeth, N.J., the youngest of five boys.<br />
He was the only member of his family born<br />
in the United <strong>St</strong>ates. His parents, Ramón<br />
and Isabel, and his brothers moved to<br />
the United <strong>St</strong>ates from their homeland,<br />
Colombia, South America in 1968.<br />
A parts salesman for Avianca Airlines,<br />
Robert’s father used his contacts in the<br />
industry to secure a position with American<br />
Airlines in New York. Robert’s father lived in<br />
New York for one year before bringing his<br />
family to live in Elizabeth where he began<br />
working for General Motors.<br />
Rev. Mr. David Ruchinski<br />
Born: July 1, 1969<br />
Place: Warren, Ohio<br />
Career: Teacher<br />
Assignment: Returns to North<br />
american College, Rome,<br />
italy for further studies<br />
Robert recalls that his family practiced their<br />
<strong>Catholic</strong> faith nominally at best. However, in<br />
the third grade, Robert’s mother insisted that<br />
he receive a <strong>Catholic</strong> education. Robert said<br />
he has fond memories of attending <strong>Catholic</strong><br />
school and being an altar server. The idea of<br />
becoming a priest was very real to him at an<br />
early age. “I remember telling Father Richard<br />
after Mass one day that I think I want to be<br />
a priest,” Robert said. He recalls the priest<br />
smiling at him and said, “If it is God’s will, it<br />
will happen in due time.”<br />
By high school Robert said he started<br />
hanging out with the wrong crowd. He said he<br />
was attracted to heavy metal music and he grew<br />
20 <strong>St</strong>. <strong>Augustine</strong> <strong>Catholic</strong> <strong>June</strong> 2007<br />
scott smith<br />
his hair long, past his shoulders. He remembers<br />
declaring himself agnostic and eventually he<br />
rejected his faith.<br />
After graduation, he attended college for one<br />
year before enrolling in the Chubb Institute, a<br />
vocational school where he learned computer<br />
programming. In 1992, at the age of 22, he<br />
was hired by United Parcel Service (UPS) as a<br />
computer programmer.<br />
It wasn’t until he was in a life-threatening<br />
car accident and recuperating for two months<br />
in a rehabilitation hospital that he started<br />
thinking about his faith again. He said he met<br />
a group of Christians that seemed to have<br />
their lives together. “They weren’t as unruly<br />
as I was and that impressed me,” he said. He<br />
began sampling other Christian churches and<br />
reading the Bible.<br />
In 1997, Robert said he was dating a woman<br />
seriously and thinking about marriage. “We<br />
decided to go to Mass together. She was <strong>Catholic</strong>,<br />
but not practicing like me,” he said. Just before<br />
Communion Robert said he remembers having<br />
a powerful conversion experience. “I felt God’s<br />
forgiveness was waiting there for me,” he said.<br />
He met with a priest afterwards, Father Beau<br />
Ardouin, who later became his spiritual advisor.<br />
Unfortunately, his girlfriend didn’t have the<br />
same conversion experience and over time their<br />
relationship ended.<br />
Rev. Mr. Robert Trujillo<br />
Born: <strong>June</strong> 22, 1970<br />
Place: Elizabeth, New Jersey<br />
Career: Computer Programmer<br />
Assignment: <strong>St</strong>. Catherine Parish,<br />
orange Park,<br />
effective July 15, 2007<br />
scott smith<br />
In 1998 Robert began seriously thinking<br />
about the priesthood again after attending a<br />
eucharistic-centered retreat in Northern Ireland.<br />
In 1999, Robert sold his house and moved to<br />
Florida to live with his parents who had moved<br />
here a year earlier.<br />
Rev. Mr. <strong>St</strong>even Zehler<br />
Born: February 7, 1965<br />
Place: Hamilton, Ohio<br />
Career: Marketing<br />
Assignment: Christ the King Parish,<br />
Jacksonville, effective<br />
July 15, 2007<br />
Shortly after, Robert explored his options,<br />
including serving for six months with the<br />
Family of Jesus Healer, a religious community<br />
in Tampa that is devoted to healing prayer and<br />
serving the poor. He said it was a wonderful<br />
experience, but he felt called to become a<br />
diocesan priest.<br />
In Feb. 2002, Robert was accepted as a<br />
seminarian for the Diocese of Saint <strong>Augustine</strong>.<br />
“The way I’ve seen my journey is that the<br />
Lord presents a door for me to step through<br />
and at first it is intimidating, but as long as I do<br />
my part and step up to the door, he opens it,”<br />
said Robert. “It has been a series of those kind<br />
of experiences. …The Lord always seems to<br />
carry me through.”<br />
Deacon <strong>St</strong>even Zehler, 42, was born<br />
in Hamilton, Ohio. His parents, Raymond and<br />
Janice still live on the family farm just outside<br />
of Hamilton. <strong>St</strong>eve has one older brother and<br />
three older sisters.<br />
<strong>St</strong>eve attended high school and college
in Oxford, Ohio where Miami University is<br />
located. He majored in communication arts and<br />
photography and he studied for one semester<br />
in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg – a branch<br />
campus of Miami University. “The study abroad<br />
literally changed my life and propelled me into<br />
the world of travel,” said <strong>St</strong>eve.<br />
Traveling has become a part of his life. <strong>St</strong>eve<br />
has participated in five International Christian<br />
Missions and visited more than 25 countries. “I<br />
find it [traveling] a way to not only experience<br />
the world and its culture, but also to see the<br />
work of God in his people,” he said.<br />
<strong>St</strong>eve said he never thought about becoming<br />
a priest as a child. In fact, he said he was<br />
heading down the opposite path hoping to join<br />
an Evangelical missionary group when a close<br />
<strong>Catholic</strong> friend, took him under her wing. “I<br />
learned right then of the spiritual power of a<br />
faithful <strong>Catholic</strong> woman,” <strong>St</strong>eve said. “The next<br />
thing I knew, I was sitting in on RCIA classes at<br />
a nearby parish to learn the <strong>Catholic</strong> faith, even<br />
though I was baptized <strong>Catholic</strong>.”<br />
<strong>St</strong>eve remembers being so hungry to learn<br />
more about the <strong>Catholic</strong> faith that he pursued<br />
a master’s in theology at Franciscan University<br />
in <strong>St</strong>eubenville, Ohio. While working towards<br />
his theology degree, <strong>St</strong>eve recalls the many<br />
people who expressed that they thought he<br />
had a calling to the priesthood.<br />
It wasn’t until 1994 when he was in<br />
Jerusalem with his spiritual mother, Babsie<br />
Bleasdell, that he remembers being open to the<br />
possibility of becoming a priest. “Babsie prayed<br />
with me in the ‘Upper Room’ in Jerusalem and<br />
said, ‘<strong>St</strong>eve, I believe God is calling you to the<br />
priesthood, and the Blessed Mother will always<br />
be with you.’” These were powerful words to<br />
<strong>St</strong>eve, but he said it took a series of events and<br />
eight years before he consented with a “yes.”<br />
<strong>St</strong>eve worked in the area of marketing<br />
for 16 years. Specifically he managed the<br />
production of advertisements and publications<br />
at Franciscan University.<br />
“Once I entered the seminary there has<br />
never been any doubt in my mind that God is<br />
calling me to serve him as a priest,” said <strong>St</strong>eve.<br />
“I love the <strong>Catholic</strong> Church, and consider it a<br />
great honor, privilege and humble blessing to<br />
be considered for the priesthood.”<br />
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If you are interested in becoming a priest<br />
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ext. 101 or email: vocations@dosafl.com.<br />
More information is also available at<br />
www.dosafl.com.<br />
<strong>St</strong>. <strong>Augustine</strong> <strong>Catholic</strong> <strong>June</strong> 2007 21
parish<br />
parish profile<br />
<strong>St</strong>ewardship is Transformational<br />
Queen of Peace Parish in Gainesville<br />
by Shannon Scruby Henderson<br />
Susie Nguyen<br />
Designed by KBJ/Associated Florida Architects<br />
and built by Charles Perry Construction, the new<br />
Queen of Peace Church seats 1,500 and was<br />
dedicated on Oct. 7, 2001.<br />
is taking the gifts<br />
that God gives us, being<br />
grateful, using them to the<br />
“<strong>St</strong>ewardship<br />
best of our abilities, and<br />
providing increase for the Lord,” says pastor<br />
Jeff McGowan. “That’s our real mission at<br />
Queen of Peace: to use everything we’ve<br />
got to draw more people toward the table<br />
of the Lord.”<br />
The overarching concept is pervasive at<br />
Queen of Peace, which bills itself as A Total<br />
<strong>St</strong>ewardship Parish. “We don’t separate the<br />
concepts of time, talent and treasure,” says<br />
Karen Milligan, co-director of stewardship.<br />
“It’s not one or the other; it’s all three.<br />
We encourage parishioners to take the<br />
time to do something for their spiritual<br />
development. Talent means finding their<br />
passion – something they’re really good at<br />
and love to do – and using it to give back.<br />
Treasure is also important, but it’s part of a<br />
total commitment.”<br />
This commitment operates at the parish<br />
level as well. “We give 10 percent of our<br />
income to other charities,” says Father<br />
Jeff. “Some are local, like Arbor House (a<br />
refuge for abused<br />
women) and<br />
Ronald McDonald<br />
House. We give<br />
to organizations<br />
like <strong>Catholic</strong><br />
Charities and the<br />
<strong>St</strong>. Vincent de<br />
Paul Society. And<br />
we have several<br />
missions in Haiti.<br />
One is a home for<br />
elderly homeless<br />
people that we<br />
built, staffed and<br />
Susie Nguyen<br />
Pastor of Queen of Peace Parish since <strong>June</strong><br />
1999, Father Jeff McGowan has been instrumental<br />
in developing a very dynamic, energetic, bright and<br />
diverse <strong>Catholic</strong> community.<br />
22 <strong>St</strong>. <strong>Augustine</strong> <strong>Catholic</strong> <strong>June</strong> 2007
maintain. We helped add a pediatric ward at <strong>St</strong>. Boniface Hospital,<br />
and we are benefactors of a clinic for infants and toddlers and their<br />
moms. Plus, working through the Hands Together Foundation in<br />
Princeton, N.J., we pay the entire faculty’s monthly salaries at an<br />
elementary school in the Cité du Soleil slum in Port-Au-Prince.”<br />
With more than 80 active ministries and a school that will<br />
include Pre-K through 8th grade in the 2007-08 school year, Queen<br />
of Peace may not be a good fit for <strong>Catholic</strong>s who like to disappear<br />
into the landscape after Sunday Mass. “We’ve been really blessed,<br />
and people are encouraged to show that,” Father Jeff says of his<br />
community that is composed largely of young professional families,<br />
many who work for the University of Florida or Shands Hospital.<br />
“Very few are needy. All are talented and energetic. Together, we<br />
have a big impact.”<br />
To help parishioners optimize their gifts, the <strong>St</strong>ewardship Office<br />
works hard to communicate needs. Ministry fairs twice a year help<br />
connect people to outreach opportunities. A Ministry Forum meets<br />
once a quarter so that all sectors of the parish can update each<br />
other on programs and goals. “Even though we’re a big community,<br />
Q u e e n o f P e a c e P a r i s h a t a g l a n c e<br />
Queen of Peace Parish<br />
10900 SW 24th Avenue<br />
Gainesville, FL 32607<br />
(352) 332-6279<br />
Email: office@queenofpeaceparish.org<br />
Website: www.queenofpeaceparish.org<br />
Pastor: Rev. Jeff McGowan<br />
Parochial Vicar: Rev. Kazimierz Ligeza<br />
Deacon: Deacon Bo Turner<br />
Parishioners: 1,800 families<br />
Academy: 265 students in grades PreK-7<br />
Principal: Sister Nancy Elder, IHM<br />
Rarely has a parish come so far in two decades as west<br />
Gainesville’s Queen of Peace <strong>Catholic</strong> Community. From a<br />
congregation of just 200 when it was founded in the spring<br />
of 1987, the parish now numbers nearly 6,000 members.<br />
Its tree-shaded campus is home to a complex of parish<br />
buildings: Walsh Hall, the Spanish mission style multi-purpose<br />
building built in 1992 that was the first church; a magnificent<br />
new church, dedicated in 2001; Queen of Peace <strong>Catholic</strong><br />
Academy; and coming soon, a Walsh Hall makeover and the<br />
final phase of the school, a $4 million wing with six classrooms,<br />
music and art rooms, a youth center, school offices and adult<br />
ministry offices.<br />
The parish was founded by Father Flannan Walsh, later<br />
assisted by Father John Patrick, a retired Air Force chaplain,<br />
and Father Paco Revilla, who pioneered the Spanish Mass.<br />
Since 1994, Father Jeff McGowan has led the community.<br />
Susie Nguyen<br />
The Rose Window, located high above the altar, contains the<br />
names of each individual parishioner. The altar was carved in<br />
Italy out of granite from Finland.<br />
we want to be cohesive,” comments Karen Milligan. “At the<br />
forums, people from each ministry hear about what’s happening<br />
and volunteer to jump in and help each other out.” The parish<br />
also publishes a Gift Inventory: an updated list of parish and<br />
community needs that may appeal to individuals who are not<br />
otherwise connected with outreach. “If somebody likes computer<br />
work, for example, or can bake cookies, or work with the poor,<br />
this is an opportunity to get started. We encourage people to<br />
start the journey and give at the level they’re able to manage right<br />
now,” says Karen.<br />
By all accounts, the efforts are working. “If I had to say one word<br />
about this parish, it would be ‘family,’” proclaims parishioner Sherry<br />
Cousins. “The people we’ve met there and the friends we’ve become<br />
close with are in many ways closer than my own family. Being involved<br />
gets you on your journey to being a better <strong>Catholic</strong>, a better person,<br />
and helps you realize who you are.”<br />
For George and Joan Weiland, founding members of the parish, the<br />
“family atmosphere” is largely due to Father Jeff and the people who<br />
work with him. “Everybody just thinks the world of him,” Joan says of<br />
her pastor. “We’re also blessed to have Father Kaz from Poland, who<br />
speaks Polish, English and Spanish and has such a beautiful voice. And<br />
our nuns – Immaculate Heart of Mary Sisters Nancy, Bea and Franziska<br />
at Queen of Peace Academy – they’re just so dear to us!”<br />
“We enjoy each other. We believe. We love our <strong>Catholic</strong> faith. It’s a<br />
very dynamic, wonderful experience of church,” says Father Jeff of his<br />
parish. “My main hope is that our young people will encounter the<br />
living Christ here, and their lives will be forever blessed. I won’t live to<br />
see it, but I pray that these kids will have good, secure lives in a very<br />
dangerous world.”<br />
Email questions and comments to: sac@dosafl.com<br />
<strong>St</strong>. <strong>Augustine</strong> <strong>Catholic</strong> <strong>June</strong> 2007 23
ultiple Protestant churches, sprawling ranches<br />
and pine forests dot the scenic two-lane road<br />
that leads travelers to the tiny community of<br />
Mayo, Fla. Located on the western edge of<br />
the Diocese of Saint <strong>Augustine</strong>, it isn’t until reaching<br />
Main <strong>St</strong>reet that the <strong>Catholic</strong> presence comes into full<br />
view. An early 20th-century church, formerly used by<br />
a Baptist congregation, now serves as Our Lady of<br />
Guadalupe <strong>Catholic</strong> Mission.<br />
In 2002, the Religious of Mary Immaculate,<br />
Claretian Missionary Sisters of Miami decided to<br />
expand their outreach ministry to North Florida.<br />
Sister Margarita Gomez, superior of the Claretian<br />
Sisters in Miami, approached Bishop Victor<br />
Galeone about “establishing a new house in an<br />
area where there was a growing Hispanic<br />
presence.” She offered him the assistance<br />
of two sisters that would provide<br />
evangelization outreach to Hispanic<br />
families.<br />
“These sisters are ministering to<br />
some of the neediest of our flock<br />
– migrant workers with little or no<br />
command of English,” Bishop Galeone<br />
says. “Our diocese is deeply indebted to<br />
these dedicated women for what they<br />
have accomplished among the Hispanic<br />
community in so short a time: catechism<br />
classes, baptismal and confirmation<br />
preparation, weekly Bible studies, youth<br />
group activities, visiting the sick and<br />
conducting occasional Sunday Communion<br />
services in the absence of a priest. On my<br />
infrequent visits to Mayo, I detect the deep<br />
love and respect that our Hispanic parishioners<br />
have for these devoted sisters.”<br />
“I love the community, the simplicity of<br />
life in this little corner of the world,” says the<br />
mission’s newest addition, Sister Teresa “Tere”<br />
Gallarreta. “That’s not to say it is easy – we have<br />
a lot to do in terms of evangelization.” She came to the<br />
mission in 2005, ready to serve the needs of the people<br />
who had previously traveled to Perry, Live Oak or<br />
Branford for Sunday Mass.<br />
Although she has found her calling, Sister Tere admits<br />
that she didn’t always want to be a nun. “The calling<br />
kept coming, but I kept pushing it away.” It wasn’t until<br />
2002 when she attended World Youth Day in Rome that<br />
the message took hold. “The whole week was a dialogue<br />
with God,” she recalls. After listening to Pope John Paul’s<br />
message of “Do Not Be Afraid,” Sister Tere became open<br />
to the idea of living a religious life. “I was filled with<br />
joy at that moment,” she says. She was drawn to the<br />
Claretian Sisters because of their work with the poor.<br />
From left, Claretian<br />
Sisters Elisabet<br />
Rodriguez, Tere<br />
Gallarreta and<br />
Yolanda Nunez in<br />
front of the Our<br />
Lady of Guadalupe<br />
Mission Church in<br />
Mayo, Fla.<br />
The Monroy family proudly displays<br />
braided palms made by some of the<br />
migrant farm workers.<br />
Accompanied by Alma<br />
Huerta, Claretian Sister Tere<br />
Gallarreta (center) plays<br />
guitar as the congregation<br />
processes with palms as<br />
part of the Palm Sunday<br />
celebration.<br />
Sisters bring<br />
Christ to Hispanic<br />
Farm Workers<br />
special<br />
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24 <strong>St</strong>. <strong>Augustine</strong> <strong>Catholic</strong> <strong>June</strong> 2007
Sister Tere joined two other sisters already<br />
working in the Mayo area, Sisters Yolanda<br />
Nunez and Elisabet Rodriguez.<br />
And working closely with the sisters<br />
in their work with the migrants is Father<br />
Richard Perko, pastor of nearby <strong>St</strong>.<br />
Francis Xavier Parish in Live Oak. He<br />
celebrates a bilingual Mass on Saturdays<br />
at 5 p.m. He speaks very little Spanish,<br />
“but they love him because they see the<br />
effort he makes,” Sister Elisabet says.<br />
One of the biggest challenges,<br />
according to the sisters, is providing<br />
evangelization outreach to those not attending<br />
church in a predominantly Protestant<br />
community. On Sundays, many Hispanics can<br />
be found just down the street on the soccer field<br />
when they are not working the dairy farms,<br />
raising animals or bundling pine straw.<br />
In attempts to bring others to the mission, the<br />
sisters go on home visits and spread news of the<br />
mission by word-of-mouth. They also post flyers<br />
for upcoming events at the laundry and the store<br />
in town. “The Hispanic population has needs.<br />
We as a church are responsible (for recognizing)<br />
those needs,” Sister Elisabet says.<br />
While weekends are mainly spent at the<br />
mission, a good part of the sisters’ time during<br />
the week is spent visiting other parishes,<br />
the nearby prison and private homes within<br />
Suwannee, Lafayette and occasionally Columbia<br />
counties.<br />
Among her many duties, Sister Elisabet, a<br />
native of Cuba, visits the Mayo Correctional<br />
Institution for men two times per month. She<br />
conducts a Communion service for about 15<br />
inmates. “I felt called to come here. They needed<br />
me,” Sister Elisabet says.<br />
Uriel Posada, an eighth grade student in the<br />
confirmation class, clearly appreciates their<br />
presence. “They’re nice,” he says. “They help us<br />
with things we don’t know. They are kind to us,<br />
and we appreciate that.”<br />
Joan and Bill Harney have attended Mass at<br />
the mission for a little more than six months, and<br />
they are among the few Anglo attendees. They<br />
find the sisters’ work a great addition to their<br />
community and have grown accustomed to the<br />
bilingual services.<br />
“I think it’s fantastic,” Joan Harney says. “They<br />
blend in very well and have gotten to know the<br />
ministers and preachers in the area.”<br />
A native of Puerto Rico, Sister Yolanda was<br />
living in Del Ray Beach, Fla., when she was called<br />
to become a Claretian Sister. She had a special<br />
desire to work in ministry with the Hispanic<br />
population in this part of the state because “they<br />
are not attended to.” She wants others in the<br />
Claretian Sister Yolanda Nunez sells<br />
Mexican food at a kiosk at Pioneer Day,<br />
an annual festival held in Mayo, Fla. in<br />
October. Money raised from the sale went<br />
to benefit the mission.<br />
diocese to know what goes on in their small, yet<br />
faithful and social community.<br />
Although challenging, Sister Yolanda enjoys<br />
working to integrate the Mexican culture into<br />
North Florida. “Bringing the two cultures<br />
together, Hispanic and American, is the big<br />
challenge,” she says. “They [the Mexicans] are<br />
trying. It’s not as easy as people tend to believe.<br />
They are all trying to become part of this country,<br />
but it’s not easy.”<br />
Helping where they can, the sisters know the<br />
importance of bringing more people into the<br />
growing church community. Before the sisters<br />
arrived, many residents had already decided<br />
to gather and raise money for a church. “Now<br />
that we have this,” Sister Yolanda says, gesturing<br />
around the adjoining meeting hall, “this gives<br />
them a place to come and worship together.”<br />
On Palm Sunday in April, more than 50<br />
people gathered for Mass and procession at the<br />
mission, a testament to the tireless work the<br />
Claretian Sisters have done in the past five years.<br />
Each of them knows this is what she has been<br />
called to do, and the sisters have advice for other<br />
women considering religious life.<br />
“Know there are many different types of<br />
sisters,” Sister Yolanda advises. “If they [women]<br />
have something inside they are trying to discern,<br />
listen to that.”<br />
“Be open and consider it an option in life,”<br />
Sister Tere adds. “Be open to God’s call if that’s<br />
what he indeed is calling you to. Be not afraid.”<br />
To learn more about the Claretian Sisters call<br />
Sister Claudia Ortega at (305) 274-6148 or visit<br />
www.claretiansisters.org. For more information about<br />
religious life, contact Dominican Sister Maureen<br />
Kelly, the bishop’s delegate for Religious at (904)<br />
264-0577 or email: mkelleyop@comcast.net.<br />
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around the diocese<br />
Good Samaritan Awards 2007 jubilarians<br />
Celebrating 350 Years of Service<br />
Michele Blevins<br />
<strong>St</strong>anding from left, Father Seamus O’Flynn, Bob Wesselman, John<br />
Barger, Mitch Heinz and Bishop Victor Galeone. Seated from left, Jan<br />
Wesselman, Mary Lou Barger and Cynthia Williams.<br />
The <strong>St</strong>. <strong>Augustine</strong> Regional Office of <strong>Catholic</strong> Charities<br />
held their annual Good Samaritan Awards Dinner on April 16 in<br />
<strong>St</strong>. <strong>Augustine</strong>. Each year, <strong>Catholic</strong> Charities presents the Good<br />
Samaritan Awards to individuals in the community in recognition<br />
of their humanitarian service to others.<br />
Honorees are: John and Mary Lou Barger for their volunteer<br />
service with Community Hospice of Northeast Florida; Mitch<br />
Heinz for his work with the “Sandwich Mission”; Bob and Jan<br />
Wesselman for their work with “Missionaries of the Poor”; and<br />
Cynthia Williams, an advocate for disadvantaged youth. Father<br />
Seamus was honored with the Bishop John J. Snyder “Faith in<br />
Action” award for his many years of service to the people of the<br />
diocese.<br />
diocesan council of catholic women<br />
Faith and fellowship celebrated at convention<br />
DCCW Leadership Team members, Julie Rothery and Fran Gullman, present a<br />
check for $11,055 to Andy Duran, diocesan director of the Disabilities Ministry.<br />
26 <strong>St</strong>. <strong>Augustine</strong> <strong>Catholic</strong> <strong>June</strong> 2007<br />
Seven priests and two deacons of the Diocese of Saint<br />
<strong>Augustine</strong> received special recognition from Bishop<br />
Victor Galeone for their years of service to the church at<br />
the Chrism Mass, celebrated April 4 of Holy Week at the<br />
Cathedral-Basilica of <strong>St</strong>. <strong>Augustine</strong>.<br />
Celebrating golden jubilees (50 years of ordained ministry) are:<br />
Fathers Diego Conesa, James Corry, Joseph Finlay, Antonio Leon<br />
and Msgr. Eugene Kohls. Celebrating silver jubilees (25 years of<br />
ordained ministry) are: Fathers James Moss and Callistus Onwere<br />
and Deacons James Casapulla and Anthony Marini.<br />
Back row from left, Bishop Victor Galeone, Deacon Anthony Marini,<br />
Msgr. Eugene Kohls, Holy Ghost Father James Corry, Deacon James<br />
Casapulla and retired Bishop John Snyder. Front row from left, Fathers<br />
Joseph Finlay, Antonio Leon, Callistus Onwere and James Moss.<br />
The 77th annual Diocesan Council of <strong>Catholic</strong><br />
Women (DCCW) Convention was held April<br />
14-15 at the Jacksonville Marriott Hotel. More<br />
than 100 women from across the diocese<br />
attended the two-day conference, which included<br />
talks such as, “The How-to’s of Successful Presentation<br />
Reports,” by keynote speaker Kathy Bonner, and “Pizzazz<br />
for Council,” by Jane Carter. All talks incorporated the<br />
conference theme, He gives you the Power – Use It.<br />
At a luncheon held on Sunday, Julie Rothery and<br />
Fran Gullman of the leadership team presented a check<br />
for $11,055 to Andy Duran, diocesan director of the<br />
Disabilities Ministry, to be used for Camp I Am Special,<br />
Camp Promise and Camp Care. The money was raised at<br />
a fundraising fashion show held last February.<br />
“The purpose [the convention] is to enlighten<br />
women… to join together all the different deaneries and<br />
have fun,” said Angela Becker, president of DCCW.<br />
Susie Nguyen
children get head-start<br />
New Childhood Center Dedicated<br />
On April 24, Bishop Victor Galeone dedicated a new Early<br />
Childhood Learning Center at Holy Rosary <strong>Catholic</strong><br />
School in Jacksonville.<br />
The project<br />
is part of a five-year strategic<br />
plan of the Guardian of<br />
Dreams Foundation of the<br />
Diocese of Saint <strong>Augustine</strong>.<br />
Funds for the center<br />
were raised during the<br />
Early Childhood Excellence<br />
Campaign that was initiated<br />
in February 2004, and raised<br />
more than $2 million for<br />
construction of the building Bishop Victor Galeone, joined by more<br />
than 200 friends and supporters,<br />
and its furnishings.<br />
dedicated a new Early Childhood<br />
The 6,400 square foot Learning Center at Holy Rosary <strong>Catholic</strong><br />
complex has classrooms for School in Jacksonville, April 24.<br />
children in pre-Kindergarten<br />
(ages three and four), a Kindergarten classroom, computer lab, resource<br />
room and an after school hall.<br />
Sister of Notre Dame Darlene Siebeneck is the director of the Early<br />
Childhood Program at Holy Rosary and <strong>St</strong>. Pius V <strong>Catholic</strong> schools<br />
located on Jacksonville’s north side.<br />
Research has found that participation in intensive, high-quality<br />
early-childhood education programs can improve school readiness.<br />
Children who attend such programs are less likely to drop out of<br />
school, repeat grades, or need special education than children who<br />
have not had such experiences.<br />
<strong>Catholic</strong> School Teachers Retire<br />
Seven <strong>Catholic</strong> school teachers, with a combined service of<br />
199 years, will retire this year. Bishop Victor Galeone formally<br />
recognized the teachers at the Teacher’s In-Service Day, March<br />
9, at Sacred Heart Parish in Jacksonville.<br />
From left: Elizabeth Jimenez (40 years), Susana Suarez (24<br />
years), Carol Voelker (37 years), Betty Lou Kelliher (25 years),<br />
Bishop Galeone, Donna Wilkey (25 years), Carol Hayley (26<br />
years) and Kathy Tierney (22 years).<br />
around<br />
around the diocese<br />
Special<br />
Susie Nguyen<br />
Teri Aschilman Retires<br />
Teri Aschilman, principal<br />
of Morning <strong>St</strong>ar School in<br />
Jacksonville will retire in <strong>June</strong> after<br />
32 years of service.<br />
Teri’s career in education began<br />
in January 1970 at the Morning<br />
<strong>St</strong>ar School in Tampa while she<br />
was a student at the University<br />
of South Florida. She was hired<br />
seven months later as a speech<br />
therapist for the Morning <strong>St</strong>ar<br />
School in Jacksonville. Teri served<br />
Teri Aschilman, principal of<br />
in this position until 1975 when Morning <strong>St</strong>ar School .<br />
she became the school’s principal.<br />
When Morning <strong>St</strong>ar School was opened in the Riverside<br />
section of Jacksonville in 1956, its purpose was to provide a<br />
<strong>Catholic</strong> education for children who were physically handicapped.<br />
Today the school is located in the Arlington area of Jacksonville<br />
and specializes in providing a <strong>Catholic</strong> education for children with<br />
specific learning disabilities, attention deficit disorder, dyslexia and<br />
mild emotional handicaps.<br />
The diocese thanks Teri for her dedicated service and wishes<br />
her many years of happiness in retirement.<br />
hispanic charismatics<br />
Fountain of Unity and Peace<br />
Hands were raised and the energy was high as more than<br />
400 Hispanic <strong>Catholic</strong>s met for the ninth annual Hispanic<br />
Charismatic Congress at <strong>St</strong>. Catherine Parish in Orange Park,<br />
April 21-22. The weekend included motivational talks by<br />
national speakers, a Healing Mass, confession, music, dancing and worship.<br />
Conference team leader,<br />
Chiqui Maldonado said,<br />
“We try to motivate people<br />
to lead their lives according<br />
to the Holy Spirit. We like to<br />
say, ‘We are not a movement<br />
in the church; it is the<br />
church moving.’” According<br />
to Chiqui, the congress is<br />
getting bigger each year.<br />
Named, Holy Spirit<br />
– Fountain of Unity and Peace,<br />
the conference was open to<br />
all <strong>Catholic</strong>s in the diocese<br />
Maria Astudillo and Marcela Acosta from<br />
<strong>St</strong>. Paul Parish, Douglas, Ga., raise their<br />
arms in praise and sing along with the<br />
worship music in Spanish.<br />
and beyond. Maria Astudillo and Marcela Acosta traveled from <strong>St</strong>. Paul<br />
Parish in Douglas, Ga., to attend. “We’ve come every year,” Marcela said.<br />
“We love the preaching. We love what we learn, and we can take that back<br />
and share it with others.”<br />
<strong>St</strong>. <strong>Augustine</strong> <strong>Catholic</strong> <strong>June</strong> 2007 27<br />
Susie Nguyen<br />
Amelia Eudy
in the news…<br />
diocesan highlights<br />
The Office of Liturgy for the Diocese<br />
of Saint <strong>Augustine</strong> has received a<br />
$14,000 grant for a Music Mentoring<br />
Program from the Calvin Institute of<br />
Christian Worship of Grand Rapids, Mich.<br />
“We are ecstatic about being awarded the<br />
grant,” said Father Tom Willis, director of<br />
Liturgy for the diocese. “The mentoring<br />
program we have designed will help<br />
parishes with limited resources in having<br />
a musician trained and mentored to be a<br />
true pastoral musician for the parish.”<br />
Parish leaders in liturgical music who may<br />
be interested in applying to be part of the<br />
mentoring program may contact the Office of<br />
Liturgy at the <strong>Catholic</strong> Center (904)<br />
262-3200 or email: twillis@dosafl.com<br />
for further information. Deadline to apply is<br />
July 1, 2007.<br />
. . . . .<br />
<strong>Catholic</strong> Charities service center in<br />
Lake City has been named a new regional<br />
office under the corporation. “This is the first<br />
time a regional office has been established<br />
since 1976, when the Gainesville Regional<br />
Office was formed,” said Bill Beitz, diocesan<br />
director of <strong>Catholic</strong> Charities Bureau, Inc.<br />
The Lake City Regional Office will serve<br />
Columbia, Hamilton and Suwannee Counties<br />
in North Florida.<br />
Under the direction of Suzanne Edwards,<br />
newly appointed as the Chief Operating<br />
Officer and Executive Director, the regional<br />
office will continue its food and financial<br />
assistance program, Travelers Aid services, the<br />
Homeless Drop-in Center and the Food Bank<br />
of Suwannee Valley.<br />
. . . . .<br />
Michael Gannon, Ph.D. has a new book<br />
out called, History of Florida in 40 Minutes,<br />
published by University Press of Florida, 73<br />
pages, $24.95. According to Mark Pettus,<br />
in his Florida Times-Union nonfiction book<br />
review column of April 22, “Forty minutes<br />
for a history spanning 450 years might not<br />
seem like much, but Michael Gannon has<br />
proven that 40 minutes is enough time<br />
to teach almost anyone the basic facts of<br />
Florida history.” Dr. Gannon, professor<br />
emeritus of history at the University of<br />
Florida, has authored two other books<br />
on the Sunshine <strong>St</strong>ate: The New History of<br />
Florida and Florida, A Short History.<br />
28 <strong>St</strong>. <strong>Augustine</strong> <strong>Catholic</strong> <strong>June</strong> 2007<br />
work life<br />
work life<br />
I had a great boss — he left<br />
now what?<br />
Tom<br />
worked for<br />
Ken for four<br />
years and<br />
thought he<br />
was a great<br />
boss.<br />
Tom says: Ken was my boss for about four years; he<br />
was probably the best manager I ever worked for. He<br />
was supportive, yet firm. Everyone seemed to like him;<br />
there was just something about his demeanor that drew<br />
people to him. He got things done; he was able to direct his team’s<br />
activities without being overbearing. We simply wanted to do quality<br />
work for him. He had a presence that was peaceful and inviting. He<br />
was a kind man, and people respected him. I was disappointed<br />
the day he announced he was taking early retirement. I’ve often<br />
felt that if he hadn’t retired, I’d still be working for him.<br />
The expert says:<br />
You experience these people in the<br />
workplace every once in a while.<br />
They are people to whom others<br />
are drawn; people you never hear<br />
anyone say anything negative<br />
about. They seem to peacefully<br />
go about their business and get<br />
things done without a lot of fanfare.<br />
Ken is a person who was close<br />
to achieving what is referred to in<br />
the Fifth Discipline Fieldbook as<br />
“personal mastery.” “In mastery,<br />
there is a sense of effortlessness<br />
and joyousness. This feeling stems<br />
from the ability to understand<br />
and work with the forces<br />
around you” (Art Kleiner,<br />
p 194). We all have a<br />
personal vision for<br />
our lives and career.<br />
Frustration occurs<br />
when we don’t<br />
achieve our vision<br />
quickly<br />
enough<br />
due to our<br />
current<br />
Tim Ryan<br />
circumstances. This frustration<br />
often translates into turfism, politics<br />
and power struggles because<br />
we’re trying too hard. “Personal<br />
mastery” reflects one’s ability<br />
to “have a sense of deliberate<br />
patience – with themselves and<br />
the world” (Fieldbook p 195). When<br />
this happens, there is a greater<br />
enthusiasm, which ultimately<br />
translates into tangible results.<br />
Another term we often use for<br />
people such as Ken is “salt of the<br />
earth.” That term comes from<br />
Matthew’s Gospel, in which Christ<br />
refers to us as salt of the earth. “If<br />
salt loses its flavor it is no longer<br />
good for anything” (Mt 5:13). If we<br />
allow our current circumstances<br />
to diminish our sense of purpose,<br />
vision or enthusiasm, we cannot<br />
positively change. So how do<br />
we establish and maintain our<br />
personal vision in the face of<br />
the work we do?<br />
• Base your personal vision on<br />
God’s plan of serving one<br />
another, not selfish desires for<br />
money or power.<br />
• Recognize the characteristics of<br />
personal mastery, reflect the gifts of<br />
the Holy Spirit (i.e. peace, patience,<br />
kindness, joy) and thus, pray for<br />
grace to receive those gifts.<br />
• Do not expect to achieve<br />
personal mastery overnight; trust<br />
God to guide you over time.<br />
Email questions and comments to:<br />
tryan@faithmag.com
ook review<br />
In the United <strong>St</strong>ates, the connections<br />
between religion and organized sports<br />
are, according to author William J.<br />
Baker, both complex and uneasy. Yet,<br />
at the same time, there is no doubt that the<br />
two are well nigh inseparable in the American<br />
mind.<br />
“Religion and sport<br />
especially are joined, at<br />
the altar of commercial<br />
interest,” Baker writes in<br />
Playing With God: Religion<br />
and Modern Sport. “As<br />
sports promoters seek<br />
publicity and lively<br />
attendance at their events, and<br />
as churches seek wholesome activities and<br />
a podium for their message, their marriage<br />
seems made in heaven.”<br />
Author Baker takes the reader on a<br />
fascinating and informative trek through the<br />
history of the intimacy between religion and<br />
sports in America. “The long arc of modern<br />
sport’s interaction with religion can best be<br />
viewed as a dance,” Baker concludes, “in<br />
which the terms of engagement have changed<br />
over time.”<br />
Tom Hafer, author of Faith & Fitness: Diet<br />
and Exercise for a Better World, is a registered<br />
physical therapist and<br />
certified athletic trainer. In<br />
this book, Hafer prods the<br />
reader to think of physical<br />
fitness and diet in more<br />
holistic terms, indeed, in<br />
the context of one’s faith<br />
relationship with God.<br />
“It is only by God’s<br />
grace that we are made whole,” Hafer notes.<br />
At the same time, his book admirably brings<br />
a global perspective to his discussion: “When<br />
we are disciplined with our overabundance<br />
while concerning ourselves with the poor, a<br />
redistribution of resources occurs throughout<br />
our global community. … In this new<br />
paradigm shift, wellness is no longer selfcentered,<br />
but centered on Christ and the least<br />
of these, our neighbors.”<br />
Playing With God: Religion and Modern Sport,<br />
by William J. Baker. Harvard University Press,<br />
311 p., $29.95. Faith & Fitness: Diet and<br />
Exercise for a Better World, by Tom P. Hafer.<br />
Augsburg Books, 143 pp., $14.99.<br />
Reviewed by Mitch Finley, <strong>Catholic</strong> News Service<br />
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Pre-Plan<br />
your arrangments<br />
By pre- planning your<br />
arrangements, you will spare your<br />
loved ones unnecessary emotional<br />
and financial burden.<br />
For pre-planning information,<br />
please contact the <strong>St</strong>. <strong>Augustine</strong><br />
Diocesan Cemeteries office at<br />
(904) 824-6680<br />
San Lorenzo Cemetery, <strong>St</strong>. <strong>Augustine</strong><br />
<strong>St</strong>. Mary Cemetery, Korona<br />
Diocese of Saint <strong>Augustine</strong><br />
Save your marriage!<br />
Attend a Retrouvaille<br />
Weekend. It’s like a<br />
lifeline for troubled<br />
marriages. When<br />
both spouses commit,<br />
Retrouvaille has a<br />
70% success rate.<br />
Join us for a<br />
Retrouvaille<br />
Weekends in 2007<br />
<strong>June</strong> 8-10<br />
October 12-14<br />
Call Bill or Trudy Hehn<br />
904.992.0408<br />
www.HelpOurMarriage.com<br />
calendar<br />
<strong>June</strong> 2007<br />
<strong>June</strong> 4-9<br />
SPLUNGE – A weeklong inner-city<br />
program for youth ages 15-21. Participants<br />
will stay at Immaculate Conception<br />
Parish, Jacksonville. Cost: $75. To register,<br />
call Kathy Yoakley at (904) 284-3811.<br />
Gainesville, call Joan Prado at (352)<br />
373-3627 or visit www.splungejax.org<br />
<strong>June</strong> 8-10<br />
Retrouvaille/Rediscovery –<br />
A weekend retreat for couples with<br />
troubled marriages. Friday, 8 p.m. to<br />
Sunday, 5 p.m., Jacksonville. For details,<br />
or to register, call Bill or Trudy at (904)<br />
992-0408.<br />
<strong>June</strong> 10<br />
Ministry Formation Program<br />
Certification Ceremony with Bishop<br />
Victor Galeone. Sunday, 3 p.m., Cathedral-<br />
Basilica of <strong>St</strong>. <strong>Augustine</strong>. The community<br />
is invited to the celebration.<br />
<strong>June</strong> 15-22<br />
Guided Retreat: Beatitudes of<br />
Jesus – Presenter: Oblate Father Richard<br />
M. Sudlik. Marywood Retreat Center,<br />
Jacksonville. Cost: $395-$465.<br />
Call (904) 287-2525 or visit<br />
www.marywoodcenter.org<br />
<strong>June</strong> 22<br />
Theology-on-Tap – A program and<br />
social for young adults ages 19-40. Friday,<br />
6:30 p.m. at Mudville Grille, 3105 Beach<br />
Blvd., Jacksonville. Speaker and Topic:<br />
TBA. Cost: $5 or $3 with a student ID.<br />
For details, call (904) 262-3200, ext.112<br />
or email: amcgaugh@dosafl.com<br />
<strong>June</strong> 22-24<br />
Engaged Encounter – A marriage<br />
preparation program open to couples<br />
of all faiths. Begins Friday, 7:30 p.m.,<br />
Marywood Retreat Center, Jacksonville.<br />
Cost: $280 per couple. Call (904)<br />
308-7474 or register online:<br />
www.dcfl.org<br />
<strong>June</strong> 22-24<br />
Silent Retreat –<br />
Friday-Sunday, Marywood Retreat Center,<br />
Jacksonville. Cost: $122-$162.<br />
Call (904) 287-2525 or visit<br />
www.marywoodcenter.org<br />
<strong>June</strong> 23<br />
Ordination to Priesthood –<br />
Saturday, 10:30 a.m., Cathedral-Basilica<br />
of <strong>St</strong>. <strong>Augustine</strong>. Bishop Victor Galeone<br />
will ordain Deacons David Ruchinski,<br />
Robert Trujillo and <strong>St</strong>even Zehler to the<br />
priesthood. Community is invited to<br />
attend ceremony.<br />
<strong>June</strong> 24-29<br />
Camp Risk – Marywood’s annual camp<br />
for youths in grades 7th-9th. Sunday-<br />
Friday at Camp <strong>St</strong>. John, Jacksonville.<br />
Week two is July 1-6 and Week<br />
three is July 8-13. Cost: $350. To register,<br />
call (904) 287-2525 or visit us at<br />
www.marywoodcenter.org<br />
<strong>June</strong> 25<br />
Queen of Peace Anniversary<br />
Celebration Monday, 11 a.m.-10 p.m.,<br />
<strong>St</strong>. Catherine Parish, Orange Park. Teen<br />
and young adult programs available. To<br />
register, call (386) 445-1564 or email:<br />
admin@gospafl.com.<br />
July<br />
July 7<br />
Pre-Cana - A marriage preparation<br />
program for engaged couples who want to<br />
marry in the <strong>Catholic</strong> Church. Saturday,<br />
9:20 a.m.-5:30 p.m., <strong>St</strong>. Vincent’s Medical<br />
Center, Jacksonville. Call (904) 308-7474<br />
or register online at www.dcfl.org<br />
July 13-15<br />
Worldwide Marriage Encounter - A<br />
weekend retreat experience for married<br />
couples that want to enrich their marriage<br />
by learning effective communication skills.<br />
To learn more or to register for the South<br />
Jacksonville weekend, call (800) 923-9963<br />
or visit www.geocities.com/jaxmeweb<br />
30 <strong>St</strong>. <strong>Augustine</strong> <strong>Catholic</strong> <strong>June</strong> 2007
Men on a Mission<br />
Feel called to join them? Call 1-800-775-4659, ext. 101<br />
The Diocese of Saint <strong>Augustine</strong><br />
Vocations Office<br />
. www.dosafl.com Email: vocations@dosafl.com
“We’ve got the latest<br />
equipment, and the<br />
smartest doctors around.”<br />
—Cassandra Dunn, RN<br />
Electrophysiology Lab Coordinator<br />
<strong>St</strong>. Vincent’s associates not only treat<br />
their patients like family, but they also make<br />
sure their own families get treated here.<br />
That’s because they know our facilities,<br />
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To learn more, visit<br />
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“When you’re happy doing what you’re doing,<br />
and you know you have a great<br />
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patients come first, it makes you want to give<br />
your best whenever you clock in.”<br />
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