October 29, 2007
We hear it so often at Mass that it is easy for our minds to wander during the Eucharist Prayer. But did you ever realize how the prayer is really a prayer from us? The Eucharist Prayer is not a prayer to Christ. Rather, it is a prayer from us and from Christ to God the Father. For example, when the prayer recites “we offer…” it means that we ourselves, along with Christ, are doing the offering.
That’s pretty powerful. These are not simple statements to ignore. The Eucharistic Prayer calls us to join with Christ and, in a very active way, ask God the Father to accept our very own offerings, however imperfect or unprepared we may feel for such a big step.
Next time you are at Mass, listen carefully to the Eucharist Prayer. And pray with your heart that God will accept what we bring to the table.
For additional words on the Eucharistic Prayer, click on the US Bishops’ overview of the Eucharist Prayer. For a more indepth look, see some excellent books on the Mass. These books are available for purchase from the ActiveParishioner.com website.
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October 23, 2007
For the month of November 2007, the following Catholic organizations are hosting national conferences:
- NATRI – National Association for Treasurers of Religious Institutes (11/6-9/2007 in Orange, CA)
- NFCYM – National Federation for Catholic Youth Ministry (11/8-10/2007 in Columbus, OH)
- USCCB – US Conference of Catholic Bishops (11/12-15/2007 in Baltimore, MD)
- NADDCM – National Association of Diocesan Directors of Campus Ministry (11/13-15/2007 in Baltimore, MD)
Details for these and future conferences can be found in the ActiveParishioner.com Calendar.
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October 18, 2007
Socially responsible investing is an approach to financial investments whereby you examine the values and principles of your investments to see if they match your own personal values. Some investment companies offer mutual funds that they deem to be “socially responsible.”
If you are Catholic, however, and really want to look at your investments by aligning them with Catholic values, where do you start? One good place is a set of guidelines issued by the US Bishops in 2003. This document, Socially Responsible Investment Guidelines, was originally developed by the bishops as the framework for how the US Bishops’ Conference (US Conference of Catholic Bishops) invests its own funds.
The principles and policies from this document are excellent and can be applied to any investment, whether it’s your own personal funds or that of a parish or diocese.
Strategies include 1) Do no harm, 2) Active corporate participation, and 3) Promote the common good.
Investment policies focus on specific areas relevant to today’s financial arena. These include protecting human life; promoting human dignity; reducing arms production; pursuing economic justice; protecting the environment, and encouraging corporate responsibility. The document gives many details for these areas, as well as relevant church teaching on each topic.
Next time you plan to buy a stock or reevaluate your portfolio, or if you serve on a parish or diocesan finance council, check out these guidelines before making your investment decision.
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October 12, 2007
If you are a priest and also a pilot, you may want to consider joining the National Association of Priest Pilots (NAPP). Started in 1963, this organization gathers priest-pilots from around the world. Most members are from the US. A special effort is made to support members using airplanes for their missionary work. The organization makes periodic donations to worthy causes in the area of ministry and flight.
Annual conventions are held in various places. In 2006 members met in Oshkosh, WI. In 2007, they met in Denver, CO. The 2008 Convention will be held in Savannah, GA. Regional gatherings are also scheduled. Sharing similar interests is a plus for members.
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October 10, 2007
I recently attended an excellent meeting co-sponsored by the Cuban Bishops and US Bishops to dialogue about pastoral ministry. This gathering which has been going on for many years includes bishops, laity, and priests from Cuba and from the US.
Of special interest was the relatively new website of the Cuban Bishops’ Conference. The website may seem typical given all of the Bishops’ Conferences around the world which have websites. What is amazing, however, is that the majority of the population in Cuba is still not allowed access to the internet, yet they contribute to the website.
Click on the tab labeled “Nosotros Hoy” and you will be able to read reports of what is currently going on in each diocese in Cuba. The people who submit the reports, however, never have the opportunity to actually view the site; yet they are faithful in sending their updates. Currently the site has about 7,000 visitors — all from outside Cuba.
The Cuban website, all in Spanish, includes a history of the Catholic Church in Cuba, a pastoral plan for the Church, a liturgical calendar identifying the patron saints of the various dioceses, a map of the dioceses, the structure of the bishops’ conference, and information on Pope John Paul II’s visit to Cuba.
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October 5, 2007
Medical research often comes up with new technologies that have the potential to help patients with illnesses or injuries that previously had no treatment. As these technologies advance, questions arise as to the theological and moral implications of the new treatments.
Stem cell research is one such example. Of course there is no mention of stem cell research in the Bible. So with these and other new developments, what the Church does is apply the Catholic tradition and its principles to the new situation in order to assess the moral and theological implications. Often this is a dialogue since new technologies are continually evolving as is our knowledge of science and human life.
Catholic teaching recognizes the dignity of all human life, including that of an unborn embryo. Because of this, the secular media has often mistakenly portrayed the Catholic Church as being against all stem cell research. This is not the case.
The Catholic Bishops in Michigan recently developed an excellent 12 minute video titled The Science of Stem Cells: Finding Cures and Protecting Life explaining the Catholic position.
Two types of stem cells exist – adult stem cells and embryonic stem cells. Using adult stem cells does not harm the person who donated them. These stem cells can be extracted from places such as bone marrow and umbilical cord blood. Using embryonic stem cells destroys the embryo in the process. The Catholic Church is against embryonic stem cell use since it destroys a human life. But the Church supports adult stem cell research. This distinction is often not mentioned by the media.
Adult stem cell research is already in use in human research and is leading to improvements in human life. This is not the case for embryonic stem cell research which can claim no successes to date.
Additional background papers, including peer-reviewed articles, are available from the Michigan Catholic Conference’s website.
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October 3, 2007
When someone says they are Catholic, most people automatically assume they mean Roman Catholic. But did you know that there are other rites and churches within the Catholic Church? The Archdiocese of Anchorage has put together a helpful list of all of the Catholic Churches & Rites. All of these are in communion with the Pope. Bet you can’t name all 22 Churches and 8 Rites!
In addition to the Roman rite which we commonly know as Roman Catholic, the other rites are: Armenian, Byzantine, Coptic, Maronite, East Syrian, West Syrian, and Ethiopian.
Within the Roman rite there is one church — the Latin Church. The rite with the most churches is the Byzantine Rite which has 13 churches including the Ukrainian Church and the Melkite Church.
If you have the opportunity to participate in a Mass in one of these other churches, you will be amazed at both the similarities and the differences. For example, in many of the Eastern Churches, God as mystery is emphasized. This becomes apparent with the use of screens and icons.
Getting to know Catholics of other rites helps us to understand how we truly are one, universal, Catholic Church, while still honoring and respecting the many differences in our cultures and liturgical traditions.
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