New Pastoral Letter Many Cultures, One Church Between pages 8 and 17

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1 IN THIS ISSUE: Bishop s Conversation A Papal Letter to Seminarians See Page 2 Catholic Schools Week Jan. 30-Feb. 5 See Pages 6, 7 and 8 New Pastoral Letter Many Cultures, One Church Between pages 8 and 17 Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Permit 309 Amarillo, TX Volume 71, No. 1 Serving Catholics in the Texas Panhandle - Roman Catholic Diocese of Amarillo January 16, 2011

2 2 West Texas Catholic Bi s h o p s Co n v e r s a t i o n January 16, 2011 WTC: Pope Benedict XVI has written a letter to seminarians. Could you tell us more about this letter and where the pope is speaking to all of us throughout the letter. Bishop Zurek: Pope Benedict has written a very interesting and personal letter reminding seminarians of their obligation in this privileged time that we call seminary formation. You are absolutely correct that I want to share this letter with everyone because I believe it is addressed indirectly to all of us. Every Catholic Christian should be concerned with it. Seminarians do not come from a vacuum; they come from our Catholic families. Therefore, the message is very poignant and apropos for all of us. Pope Benedict begins by reminding us that in 1944, when he was drafted for service into the German military, which at that time, was Nazi Germany the company commander asked the young men what they really planned to do in their future, meaning post-military service. Josef Ratzinger, as he was known at that time, simply answered that he wanted to become a Catholic priest. The commander retorted that he ought to look for something else because in the New Germany priests are no longer needed. That often reminds me of the experiences of many of my classmates whose families actually disowned them upon ordination to the priesthood. It also reminds me of an aunt who said, when I told my family I was going to the seminary, Why do you want to do that? You have all these bright possibilities. You could make lots of money. She eventually came around and was grateful that I became a priest. Our seminarians face these challenges today as they make the decision to enter the priesthood. Today the Pope reminds us that situations have changed since Nazi Germany or communist Europe. However, too many people still think that the Catholic priesthood is not the job for the future that it belongs to the past. What is so beautiful with our own seminarians and many around the world is that they have still decided to enter seminary. In spite of the negative objections and opinions, they are in formation today. I think that they realize, as we in church ministry realize, that people will always have a need for God. People realize that in this age of technology and great globalization in the world, technology does not have the answers. People will always need God who reveals Himself in Jesus Christ. As St. Paul wrote in his Letter to the Romans, people know through instinct and reason that God exists. The Pope commented that God has created every one of us and knows us all. God is so great that He has time for even the little things of our lives. Scripture says Every hair of your head has been numbered. That is how involved God is in our lives. God is alive and needs us to serve Him and bring others to Him. It is important to be a priest and to help people define and know the great mystery of life and death itself. The Pope has made some comments I would like us to reflect on as we prepare to celebrate the Month of Prayer for Vocations in January. First, anyone who wants to become a priest must first be a Man of God. In Scriptures, a Man of God is a term given to a prophet, a person set aside for something special in God s mind. The man of God also knows God well through prayer, Scripture and service. The Pope reminds us that God is not an abstract hypothesis or theory; He is not some stranger who left the scene after the Big Bang. God sent His Son Jesus so that through Jesus we might see the Face of the Father Himself. Pope John Paul II often reminded us that young people do not want to learn what Jesus taught; they do not want to know the teachings of the Church; they first want to see Jesus. The Pope reminds the seminarians that as much as every Christian should be the Face of Christ, the priest and the seminarian must be that in a unique way. The priest is not just the leader of an association but the one who forms communio, that special relationship between the Trinity and the community of the baptized. He reminds us to listen to God in the Scriptures, to pray and reflect on them, to bring all our joys, hopes, troubles, failures and thanksgivings before God for His blessing. The second point the Pope makes is that Jesus is not simply the Word, but the Word become Flesh and so continues to exist among us through the Sacraments. We can touch Christ and He can touch us especially through the Eucharist where we are given that super substantial life-giving Bread that unites us to Himself. The Pope also points out that the Sacrament of Penance is so important for the world, not only for seminarians but for all Catholics. Even though some may want to say they will just commit the sin again tomorrow or the day after, many ask why do they have to go to confession? The Pope reminds us to continue to press forward in the grateful awareness that God always forgives us without the indifference to abandon altogether the struggle for holiness and for self-improvement. God forgave us even for our future sins so He can bestow grace on us now, and to help us to be united with Him always. The Pope urges us, especially the seminarians, not to give up popular piety or religiosity which used to be prevalent and is found today more among the Oriental immigrants and those who come from a Latin background. Through piety, faith enters the heart which shapes the life and emotions in the community. Popular religiosity can truly strengthen us as the People of God. This would include Prayer in the home, before and after meals, and some prayer offered together as a family. We expect the seminarians to study and to learn the theology. In fact all of us need to know the teaching of the Church. How else can we form our consciences and know Christ closely and be the leaven in the dough, be the light to the world, the salt in the earth. We learn theology not only to know what the teaching is but to be able to answer those questions which come from our non- Catholic friends or even from our Catholic friends who are not so strong in the faith. We can give rational answers which will help them to grow in their own faith. The final point the Holy Father made is that today our seminarians come from an entirely different spiritual continent, meaning from different spiritualities, belonging to different groups such as Focolare, Communion and Liberation, Neo- Catechumenate. Each seminarian because he has been fired up by the group believes that is the only way. In the seminary they learn to integrate all of this and to see the beauty and the necessity of these different spiritualities. The same can be said about all Catholics. There is no single spiritual or secular culture that reigns. All of us together make up the great mosaic of the Face of God. We are called to show forth the Face of God to the world through our own living of the Gospel, through our own communion among different cultures and different spiritualities. We give the country and society in which we live a new harmony and unity and do away with the polarization that raises its head periodically. Please pray for our seminarians. Please pray to the Lord for more vocations to the Priesthood and to the Consecrated Life for the service of our local church. Publisher: Bishop Patrick J. Zurek Editor-in-chief: Chris Albracht Spanish Editor: Ramón Saldaña The West Texas Catholic is published 20 times per year. The mission of this publication is to assist the Bishop of the Diocese of Amarillo in educating and informing the Church of Amarillo. Subscription rates are $15 a year. The West Texas Catholic welcomes your letters, articles, church bulletins and captured photos, preferably in a digital JPEG format. Letters must be signed and include your mailing address and telephone number; however, only the letter writer s name and city will be published. is the preferred method of receiving information and photos. The contact information for The West Texas Catholic has changed; please note the following changes: address: westtexascatholic@gmail.com Fax: Phone: ext. 112 Mailing address: The West Texas Catholic P.O. Box 5644 Amarillo, TX The publisher and editor-in-chief reserve the right to reject, omit and edit any article, letter or advertising submitted for publication. 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3 January 16, 2011 Guest Column: Public Prayer By Stephanie Frausto As I write this it s Dec. 28, the Feast of the Holy Innocents. Our group has stepped out of the office and prayed a rosary to end abortion at the Women s Wellness Center on Arden Road. It was a bit cool but we had a ray of light beaming down upon us as we prayed for most of the time we were there. His presence was felt, as was the presence of the Holy Innocents, both of years ago, and of those in our present day. We re often asked why we go out and publicly pray on the sidewalks.the bottom line: prayer is powerful! Prayer is what enables the ministries to accomplish what it does. The awareness alone profoundly works with God s grace, allowing those passersby to be touched. We do not judge, we do not condemn; we stand in His presence in His love, enabling His mercy and forgiveness. Many times we have been approached by one who has had an abortion and is grateful for our presence. The connection is made and the Holy Spirit does the rest. Eventually our prayer is that they too receive the forgiveness and mercy from God Himself and deem themselves worthy as His child, once again. Some folks stop and ask what s going on when we explain what these facilities represent, they are grateful for being informed and reassure us that they will pray for our perseverance. Then there are those whom we hold even closer in our prayers those who are angry and disappointed that we are there. We pray harder for these individuals, above all that God s peace is made known to them by His Truth, that they may one day soon be set free. Our presence is out of obedience and love. Saturday, Jan. 22 will mark the 38th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court making abortion legal with the Roe v Wade decision. If you are passionate about the life of the unborn and share the zeal many in the Diocese of Amarillo have about life, then join us at 10:30am for Mass at St. Mary s Church, 1200 South Washington, followed by a walk to the former Planned Parenthood location (now Texas Panhandle Family Planning) at 15th and Taylor. Go to our website www. prolifeamarillo.com or call me at for more details. Stephanie Frausto is the director of Respect Life Ministries for the Diocese of Amarillo. Letters are always welcome to The West Texas Catholic. Please keep letters to 200 words or less. Letters can be sent to P.O. Box 5644, Amarillo, Letters can also be faxed to or ed to westtexascatholic@gmail.com. All letters must include a name, address and a daytime phone number. FUNERAL HOME INC. Lo c a l Bishop s Schedule SATURDAY, JAN am, Pro Life Mass, St. Mary s Church, Amarillo, followed by walk to the former Planned Parenthood location (now Texas Panhandle Family Planning) THURSDAY, FEB. 3 10:30am, Catholic Schools Week Mass, St. Anthony s Church, Hereford FRIDAY, FEB. 4 9am, Catholic Schools Week Mass, St. Mary s Church, Amarillo SATURDAY, FEB. 5 10am, World Youth Day Meeting, Franciscan Sisters of Mary Immaculate Convent, Amarillo 4pm, Mass, Consecrated Life Day, Franciscan Sisters of Mary Immaculate Convent, Amarillo SUNDAY, FEB. 6 10am, Mass, Vietnamese Lunar New Year, Our Lady of Vietnam Church, Amarillo, followed by celebration at the former SOS Building The next issue of The West Texas Catholic will be dated Sunday, Feb. 6. The deadline for stories, items, photos and advertisements is Thursday, Jan. 27 at noon Amarillo The third in a series of In-Service weekends conducted by RENEW Intl. resulted in more than 400 people participating in sessions in all four deaneries of the Diocese of Amarillo and at the Bishop DeFalco Retreat Center. The sessions were led by RE- NEW Intl. assistant director Sister K a t h l e e n (Kass) Collins, SFCC and Sister Marenid Fabre, O.P. There was a lot of excitement in the diocese at our sessions, said Sister Kass. This was the training for the small community leaders, for the men and women who are going to work with each of the small communities in their parishes. It was heartwarming to see so many people take time out of their weekend to join us. Sister Kass said the presence of Bishop Patrick J. Zurek at all the sessions made the weekend that much better. I m encouraged by the excitement that I experienced, she said. It was nice to see Bishop Zurek at all the sessions in the deaneries and at the Bishop DeFalco Retreat Center. He thanked the people for their attendance and dedication and they were thrilled. For some people, it was the first time they d been in his presence. Those I talked to said Bishop Zurek s attendance made the training sessions more personable. To have that thank you and that connection between what we re doing in forming these small Christian communities and the Diocesan Assembly is a good thing. What s the next step, Sister Kass? The parishes will begin their faith-sharing session the first West Texas Catholic 3 More Than 400 Participate In Third RENEW In-Service Weekend week of Lent (March 6), and will do the first six weeks of Why Catholic, she said. The first six weeks of faith sharing will finish by Holy Week, so they ll be free during Holy Week to participate in their parishes activities. We at RENEW Intl. r e c o m m e n d that the final six weeks of the course be offered in the fall. There are some parishes and groups that are looking to keep their groups together inbetween those sessions. What we recommend is the RENEW Intl. publication Prayer Time (Oremos in Spanish) that focuses on the Sunday readings. It s a book that has 52 sessions that can be used whether small groups want to meet weekly, once or twice a month in between sessions. The book is put together just like the faith-sharing sessions in Why Catholic, so it will be a familiar routine for them. Sister Kass will return to the Diocese of Amarillo the weekend of Friday, Sept. 9 to Sunday, Sept. 11 for a faith enrichment workshop entitled Why Catholics Pray, lifting up that theme of prayer. I will lead the people through some different types of prayer experiences that they may not be familiar with, she said. Everyone in the Diocese of Amarillo is invited to take part in this workshop, which will be offered in all four deaneries of the diocese. I m very happy to see the pastors supporting our efforts. They re promoting it from the pulpit and encouraging people in their parishes. I m excited by the enthusiasm I ve seen so far. For more information on RE- NEW Intl., go online to Our locally owned funeral home is not associated with Schooler-Gordon, owned by Service Corporation International, Houston, Texas

4 4 West Texas Catholic Sacred Heart Cathedral January 16, 2011 The interior (Pre-Vatican II) of Sacred Heart Cathedral, Amarillo. A photo from the Ordination Mass of the late Monsignor Francis A. Smyer, Sacred Heart Cathedral, Amarillo, circa Oct (WTC photo courtesy of Monsignor Harold Waldow) Editor s Note: In preparing for the erection of St. Mary s Church, Amarillo, to Cathedral status on Friday, March 25, The West Texas Catholic begins a series of stories on the cathedral churches of the Diocese of Amarillo. Our first story is on the first cathedral, Sacred Heart Cathedral, Amarillo. Amarillo The story of Sacred Heart Cathedral has been told many times in the 75-year history of the West Texas Catholic. It s a story that begins with a young priest, frail in health, but strong and genial in spirit. His name was Father David H. Dunn. He arrived in the Texas Panhandle in 1900, appointed pastor of St. Mary s Church, Clarendon, and its missions. In 1902, the general consensus was that Amarillo, thanks to its central position and its possibilities as a crossroads for various railroad lines, would become the leading town of the Texas Panhandle. In August 1902, Father Dunn decided to build a church in Amarillo. Beginning with $400 out of his pocket, Father Dunn began a fund drive. On March 17, 1903, ground was broken at Fourth and North Polk for Sacred Heart Church. The 48 by 24 foot building was opened for services nearly five months later on Aug. 2 and was dedicated on Oct. 18. After 1905, Amarillo developed into the leading town of the Texas Panhandle. By 1909, Father Dunn began thinking seriously about building a new church. Sacred Heart Church purchased two lots at the corner of Ninth and Taylor streets at a cost of $5,000. Seven years after the purchase, ground was finally broken for the new Sacred Heart Church, which was built at a cost of $18,000. The new church was of red brick with white trimmings, in modified Romanesque style. The total outlay of the church, including the cost of the lots, was $23,000. When the church was sold in 1973, the purchase price was $250,000. Father Dunn, unfortunately, would not have the opportunity to celebrate Mass in the new Sacred Heart Church. After falling ill on the first Friday of September 1916, he died on Oct. 3 at the age of 47. His funeral on Oct. 5 was the first Mass in the new church, presided by Dallas Bishop Joseph Patrick Lynch. As a mark of respect, businesses in Amarillo March 7, 1956, during the Mass of Installation for then-auxiliary Bishop John J. Morkovsky at Sacred Heart Cathedral, Amarillo. Note the television camera on the left for KGNC- TV (now KAMR-TV) and the cathedra for Bishop Lawrence J. FitzSimon, also to the left. closed their doors during Father Dunn s funeral. After the death of Father Dunn, Father Bart O Brien became the administrator of Sacred Heart Church. The church was formally opened for services in January The church was blessed and dedicated by Bishop Lynch on April 13, In 1922, construction began on a rectory for the church. When finished, the two-story building which contained a basement cost $16,000. By 1926, there were 14 parishes, 30 missions, 11 stations, nine schools, 12 diocesan priests and 12 priests from religious orders serving in the Catholic Church in the Amarillo area. On Aug. 3, Pope Pius XI issued a decree creating the Diocese of Amarillo. The new diocese was comprised of an area 400 miles long and nearly 200 miles wide. Sacred Heart Church, Amarillo, was named the first cathedral for the new diocese. On April 26, 1927, Bishop Rudolph A. Gerken, was consecrated first Bishop of Amarillo at a Mass at Sacred Heart Cathedral in Dallas. The following day, Bishop Gerken was installed as Bishop at Sacred Heart Cathedral in Amarillo. For nearly the next 48 years, Sacred Heart Cathedral would serve the people of the Diocese of Amarillo. Four successors to Bishop Gerken, Bishops Robert E. Lucey, Lawrence J. FitzSimon, John J. Morkovsky and Laurence M. DeFalco, would be installed at Sacred Heart Cathedral. In 1974, the property was sold to First National Bank of Amarillo. On Jan. 19, 1975, the final Mass at Sacred Heart Cathedral was celebrated by Bishop DeFalco and priests of the Diocese of Amarillo, with an overflow crowd in attendance. The scene at the final Mass, as reported in the pages of The West Texas Catholic, was a bit sad, but beautiful. The Marian Mass in D minor, composed and directed by Joseph E. Martin, was sung by the newly-named St. Laurence Cathedral Choir and former members of the Sacred Heart Choir. The Coat of Arms for the Diocese of Amarillo, Bishop Lawrence M. DeFalco, center, ascends his Episcopal throne June 13, 1963 during his installation Mass at Sacred Heart Cathedral, Amarillo. He is escorted by Archbishop Robert E. Lucey, the second Bishop of Amarillo, who was Archbishop of San Antonio and Monsignor John A. Steinlage, who served at Sacred Heart Cathedral from 1945 to Alamo Catholic High School students presented a reading of The Cathedral Story and Monsignor Francis A. Smyer gave the homily. A reception followed the Mass, but when all was done, the workman came and stripped away the interior and removed the windows.

5 January 16, 2011 Sa c r e d He a r t Ca t h e d r a l West Texas Catholic 5 Sacred Heart Church, Amarillo, circa The cover of the 1938 Christmas Card from Sacred Heart Cathedral, Amarillo. The final procession after the final Mass at Sacred Heart Cathedral, Amarillo on Jan. 19, Fast Facts About...Sacred Heart Cathedral, Amarillo Established: According to diocesan records, the first Sacred Heart Church in Amarillo was built in The second Sacred Heart Church was built in Priests who served Sacred Heart Church/Cathedral: According to diocesan records, Father David H. Dunn was the first priest to serve at Sacred Heart Church, serving from 1903 until his death in Other priests that served at Sacred Heart include Monsignor Bart O Brien, Father J. R. Allard, Monsignor Thomas O Brien, Monsignor A.F. Amirault, Father A.E. Robinson, Father M.G. French, Father Thomas J. Drury (first editor of the West Texas Catholic and later, the first Bishop of the Diocese of San Angelo), Monsignor John A. Steinlage, Father A.M. Bottoms, Father Edward Christian, Father James Sonderman and Father Wilmer J. Riechel. The first five Bishops of the Diocese of Amarillo served as pastor at Sacred Heart Cathedral: Bishops Rudolph A. Gerken, Robert E. Lucey, Laurence J. FitzSimon, John J. Morkovsky and Lawrence M. DeFalco. First Mass: The first Mass was also the first funeral in the new church. The Mass was for Father David H. Dunn, who built Sacred Heart Church. The Mass was celebrated by Bishop Joseph Patrick Lynch of Dallas and concelebrated by 10 other priests on Oct. 5, The church was blessed and dedicated by Bishop Lynch on April 13, Last Mass: The final Mass at Sacred Heart Cathedral was celebrated Jan. 19, 1975 with Bishop Lawrence M. DeFalco presiding and priests of the Diocese of Amarillo concelebrating. First Baptism: Henry Leslie Potter, Oct. 29, 1916, by Father Bart O Brien. Last Baptism: Samuel Perry Jr., Nov, 22, 1971, by Father Wilmer J. Riechel. First Marriage: William Moran and Louise Mchyia, on Oct. 31, 1916, witnessed by Father Bart O Brien. Last Marriage: Ferdinand Cyril Teichmann and Mary Anna Simpson on Feb. 6, 1970, witnessed by Father Wilmer J. Riechel. Last Funeral: Silas Amos, on Sept. 2, 1974, with Father Wilmer J. Riechel, presiding. Notable events that occurred at Sacred Heart Church/Cathedral include the installation Masses for the first five Bishops of Amarillo, the funeral Mass for Bishop Laurence J. FitzSimon and a Requiem High Mass Nov. 23, 1963 for the repose of the soul of President John F. Kennedy. Did You Know? All of the windows from Sacred Heart Cathedral are being utilized at St. Mary s Church, Amarillo. A handbill with all the pertinent information about Sacred Heart Cathedral, Amarillo, during the tenure of Monsignor John A. Steinlage, who served the parish from 1945 to All materials, unless otherwise noted, are courtesy of the Diocesan and WTC Archives. The series of stories on Cathedrals of the Diocese of Amarillo continues Sunday, Feb. 6 with a feature on St. Laurence Cathedral. The Mass of Erection of St. Mary s Church to Cathedral status will take place Friday, March 25 at 2pm. Further details will be released soon.

6 6 West Texas Catholic Ca t h o l i c Sc h o o l s We e k January 16, 2011 Amarillo All five Catholic schools in the Diocese of Amarillo are planning activities to note Catholic Schools Week, set for Sunday, Jan. 30 through Saturday, Feb. 5. Here are thumbnail sketches of activities planned for Catholic Schools Week and other activities planned for the remainder of the school year. Events are subject to change without notice please consult your Catholic school for additional information. Holy Cross Catholic Academy, Amarillo Catholic School Week activities at HCCA begin Monday, Jan. 31 with an academic pep rally at 3:05pm. On Tuesday, Feb. 1, induction ceremonies will take place at 7pm for new members of the National Junior Honor Society and National Honor Society. Students, faculty and staff will gather Wednesday, Feb. 2 at 11:10am at St. Joseph s Church for a School Mass offered for living and deceased Price/Alamo/ HCCA alumni. Catholic Americans on Parade will be the theme of Thursday, Feb. 3, as students will dress as famous Catholic Americans and report on their accomplishments. The week will conclude Friday, Feb. 4 with an Amarillo Bumper Sticker Contest, with the theme HCCA: A+. During Catholic Schools Week, HCCA students will take part in Catholic Trivia competition between all grade levels, according to Father Robert A. Busch, Ph.D., Superintendent of Schools for the Diocese of Amarillo and head of HCCA. Open House: Holy Cross Catholic Academy will host an Open House for all prospective students and their parents on Wednesday, Feb. 23, at 7:00pm. The Open House will include a presentation Activities Planned For Catholic Schools Week for parents on the HCCA curriculum, activities for prospective students and an opportunity to tour the school and meet with HCCA faculty members. All students in 5th through 11th grade and their parents are invited to attend. Hands-On Workshop: Holy Cross Catholic Academy will host a Hands-On FAFSA workshop Thursday, Feb. 10 from 6:30 to 8pm in the HCCA computer lab. Amarillo College personnel and HCCA Guidance Counselor Michele Papp will be available to help with questions while parents and students fill out the FAFSA online. Call Papp for more details on this workshop at Academic Honors: Three members of the Holy Cross football team were named to the TAPPS Academic All State team juniors Eli Ogas, Jordan Sapien and Salvador Sanchez. Two volleyball players were named to the TAPPS Academic All State team seniors Jordan Bromley and Erin Rosas. In order to be considered for the TAPPS Academic All State team, students must be a junior or senior and must have an accumulative grade of 90 or higher. St. Joseph s School, Amarillo St. Joseph s School will begin Catholic Schools Week activities Sunday, Jan. 30 with an 11am Mass at St. Joseph s Church. The Mass will honor the parish, parents and alumni of St. Joseph s. Students are encouraged to attend the Mass, dressed in their school uniforms. Students will also be greeting parishioners, proclaiming the Word and serving as gift bearers. After the Mass, a free Pancake and Sausage Breakfast, sponsored by the Knights of Columbus and St. Joseph s PTO will be served in the school gym. On display will be letters written by students to their parents, thanking them for choosing St. Joseph s School for their education. St. Joseph s Alumni are invited to attend Mass and the breakfast, where they will be recognized. Our Community Heroes is the theme of activities on Monday, Jan. 31. An array of community workers will talk to students about their job and its importance to the community. Students will also dress as their favorite community worker. A number of activities for the week will also begin on Jan. 31. Students will gather in the gym for a daily reading to start the school day. Students will also begin to save pocket change or paper currency in an effort to see which class can collect the most change by Friday, Feb. 4. All monies will assist the library in purchasing more books or Accelerated Reader tests. The class collecting the most money will be awarded with a pizza party. Our Faculty, Staff and Volunteer Heroes will be in the spotlight Tuesday, Feb. 1. Faculty and staff will be honored with a lunch provided by the PTO, with volunteers covering classes from 11am to 12:30pm. Volunteers will be honored with small gift baskets made by students. St. Joseph s School families are invited to attend Family Night that evening at the Don Harrington Discovery Center from 5:30 to 7:30pm. All families will be admitted free of charge, according to St. Joseph s principal Angi Seidenberger. Our Nations Heroes is the focus of activities on Wednesday, Feb. 2. Students will wear red, white and blue to honor the United States. The Marine Corps JROTC from Caprock High School will be in attendance for the Presentation of Colors, the Pledge of Allegiance and other activities. All Veterans are invited and will be recognized. There will also be a display of photos of veterans unable to attend. The public is invited to attend. Our Vocation Heroes is the theme of Thursday, Feb. 3. A priest and nun will present a short talk about the importance of vocations to the student body. Students will also collect items for care packages to be sent to the two seminarians that have been adopted by the school. Cards will also made for Bishop Patrick J. Zurek, priests, women religious and deacons of the Diocese of Amarillo. Catholic Schools Week wraps up Friday, Feb. 4, with Our Student Heroes the theme. Indoor Student Olympics will take place after Mass. Lunch will be provided in the classrooms for students, who will be dismissed for the weekend at noon. Welcome Bishop Zurek: St. Joseph s students will welcome Bishop Zurek to their campus for Mass Thursday, Feb. 10 at 8:15am. Empowerment Meeting: St. Joseph s School will also offer a Parent Empowerment Meeting Thursday, Feb. 17, beginning at 6pm. Pizza will be available for $1 a slice. Free babysitting and homework assistance will be provided. Lent 2011: A number of activities commemorating Lent will take place at St. Joseph s School. Students will participate in the Stations of the Cross weekly during the Lenten season. Kinder Preview Set: St. Joseph s School will present KinderPreview during the day Thursday, March 10. That will include an Open House that evening from 6 to 8. Testing: ITBS Testing is scheduled at St. Joseph s School Monday, March 28 through Friday, April 1. St. Mary s School, Amarillo St. Mary s School staff, at the suggestion of the parish school board, are presenting a multi-cultural appreciation to tie in with the national Catholic Schools Week theme of Catholic Schools: A+ for America. According to principal Kathi Lewis, America s schools are made up of a diverse population and St. Mary s School is no exception. We ve chosen as our school theme We All Smile in the Same Language. Bulletin boards displays in the school will represent different cultures and a student pictorial board in the church will represent the different cultures represented at St. Mary s School, according to Lewis. Catholic Schools Week activities will begin Sunday, Jan. 30, as students will be greeters and gift bearers at both the 9:15am and noon Masses. A Power Point presentation of Catholic Schools Week and St. Mary s School will be shown before all Masses that weekend. On Monday, Jan. 31, teachers will read stories to their classes representing different cultures and do a follow-up project with one of the stories. A tradition of Catholic Schools Week at St. Mary s School will continue Tuesday, Feb. 1. The Tascosa High School Freedom Singers will perform at 1pm in the school gym. This will mark the 25th year the Freedom Singers have taken part in CSW activities at St. Mary s. The group plans to perform a number of multi-cultural songs. On Wednesday, Feb. 2, students will bring foods to share with their class that represent dif- Story continues next page

7 January 16, 2011 ferent cultures. The clergy and religious will be invited to visit classrooms to sample foods, as well as partake in homemade desserts, coffee and tea, provided by St. Mary s staff. On Thursday, Feb. 3, students are scheduled to spend the afternoon participating in games that represent different cultures. Catholic Schools Week wraps up Friday, Feb. 4 with a 9am Mass, with Bishop Zurek presiding. Various students will process into Mass carrying flags that represent different countries. Students will participate in a variety of roles during the Mass. Mardi Gras 2011: St. Mary s School will conduct its annual Mardi Gras celebration Saturday, Feb. 19, with an evening of food, gaming tables, a live band and an auction including an array of classroom projects. Tickets are $25 per person with all proceeds going to St. Mary s School. Looking ahead to next year: Pre-registration for the school year will take place Monday, April 11 to Sunday, April 30. Paperwork may be obtained in the school office beginning April 11. Contact school secretary Loretta Dougherty for more information at St. Anthony of Padua School, Dalhart The school year marks the 56th year of St. Anthony of Padua School. The school is observing Catholic Schools Week by celebrating the school s dedication in teaching the basics of education, but also the moral, social and religious aspects of a Catholic education. Catholic Schools Week activities include Silly Hat Day on Monday, Jan. 31, giving students an opportunity to creatively show off. On Tuesday, Feb. 1, it s a glimpse into the future, as students dress as what I want to be when I grow up. Wednesday, Feb. 2 is Backward Day and Thursday, Feb. 3, students will dress as their favorite character from a book. Ca t h o l i c Sc h o o l s We e k Catholic School Week Activities...from p.6 During Catholic Schools Week, St. Anthony s students will be collecting band-aids, coloring books, crayons, play doh and other craft materials for the patients at the Children s Hospital at Northwest Texas Hospital, Amarillo. Who We Are: St. Anthony of Padua School has been teaching children since At this time there are 115 students from Kindergarten through sixth grade enrolled at St. Anthony s, embracing the philosophy that these early educational years are the most critical for providing concern, support and loving guidance. It is in this atmosphere that the School aims to give the kind of love and education that takes no shortcuts when striving to provide all that is for the genuine good of each individual child. Renovation and Additions: Many new advancements are being made at St. Anthony s. New facilities are being built to house a new cafeteria and gym area. New classrooms are being added and the current facility will be completely renovated in the upcoming year. This will provide space for a new computer lab and an updated library. An annual fundraiser purchases new books and quizzes for the accelerated reader program, providing a wide variety of current reading material for the students, as well as testing material to determine their reading level. Helping Others: Students at St. Anthony s are not only receiving the best education, they are also learning the value of helping others. There are service projects throughout the school year which the students partake in such as Jump Rope for Heart, a loose change drive to raise money for charity, the Edna s Light Christmas Basket Program, a Thanksgiving canned food drive and visits to Coon Memorial Nursing Home. Our Purpose: Catholic educators have several reasons for their existence: to help form young Catholic minds, to provide reliable information about what is going on in the Church but especially to communicate the truth of Christ as taught by His Church. This is what truly makes St. Anthony s the success that it is: the teachers. The school is proud to have a faculty and staff with many years of combined experience. The faculty consists of interim administrator Karen Graff; kindgarten teacher Sister Mary Magdalene Grobe; first grade teacher Edna Marquez; second grade teacher Stacy Batenhorst; third grade teacher Charlotte Moczygemba; fourth grade teacher Barbara Kaul; fifth grade teacher Melissa Meneses; and, sixth grade teacher Erin Spangler. The staff is rounded out by Sister Mary Katherine Dorsey, Krista Johnson, Fobie Montoya, Sue Gomez, Donna Brorman, Yvonne Artho, Dorothy Kuster and Joanna McGaugh. In Conclusion: The goal of St. Anthony of Padua School is to send into the future young people with a solid, well-rounded educational background, strong morals, a genuine appreciation of the family structure and most of all, students who can preach the Word by bearing witness to it. St. Anthony of Padua School hopes to teach children to look beyond themselves and how they might personally benefit and to see the everyday miracles they can work in the lives of others for the good of society. St. Anthony s School, Hereford Activities throughout Catholic Schools Week at St. Anthony s School will focus on the national theme for Catholic Schools Week of Catholic Schools: A+ For America. The week begins Sunday, Jan. 30, with Mass at 11:15am. During the Mass, the school s Distinguished Graduate will be named. Following Mass, a Pot Luck dinner will be served in the school cafeteria. There will be various displays from students in the hallways available for viewing. A+ for America: In Our Community is theme for Monday, Jan. 31. An Open House will take place from 9 to 11am for those who serve the Hereford and Deaf Smith County area as firefighters, police officers and in emergency medical services. All City and County leaders are invited. A+ for America: In Our Students will be observed Tuesday, Feb. 1, with movies and special activities for students in the afternoon. Wednesday, Feb. 2 is A+ for America: In Our Nation day. St. Anthony s School will celebrate National Appreciation Day for Catholic Schools and participate West Texas Catholic 7 in a Special Day of Prayer during Eucharistic Adoration for the continued success of Catholic Schools across the United States. Bishop Zurek will celebrate Mass Thursday, Feb. 3 at 10:30am with the school community on A+ for America: In Our Vocations day. Students will take part in a Career Expo at 1pm in the school gym. Catholic Schools Week wraps up Friday, Feb. 4 with A+ for America: In Our Faculty and Staff day, with Mass at 8:15am and early dismissals: for 4K at 11:45am and for 5K to sixth grade at 12:45pm. A staff luncheon is scheduled at 1pm. On the Air: Students will also spend a portion of the week on the airwaves in Hereford, with daily singing at 9:40am on KPAN radio. KPAN and KNNK radio will also feature students at other times during the week. Lunch with the Students: Parents are also invited to eat lunch with their children during Catholic Schools Week. Parents are asked to call the school at by 9am on the day they plan to eat with their children. Fundraiser: The annual auction to benefit St. Anthony s School is set for Sunday, Feb. 27. Call the school at for more information or to donate items. In our office or in your home, we ll be there. We offer: Hearing Aids Amplified Phones Free Hearing Evaluations

8 8 West Texas Catholic Catholic Schools Week January 16, 2011 Holy Cross Debate: Laying The Groundwork For The Future Three freshmen members of the Holy Cross Catholic Academy, Amarillo, debate team spent part of the Christmas holidays preparing for the Jan. 8 Bobsled tournament at Friona High School. Left to right, are Father Robert A. Busch, Superintendent of Schools for the Diocese of Amarillo, head of Holy Cross Catholic Academy and debate coach, Tino Frausto, Burkleigh Henderson and Ben Bromley. (WTC Photo) Debate [dih-beyt] a formal contest in which the affirmative and negative sides of a proposition are advocated by opposing speakers. Amarillo A time-honored academic event is getting new life at Holy Cross Catholic Academy. For the first time since the 1990s, when the school was known as Alamo Catholic High School, the form of debate known as Lincoln Douglas debate is being offered at the school, according to Father Robert A. Busch, Ph.D., Superintendent of Schools for the Diocese of Amarillo, head of HCCA and debate coach. I was a high school debater and participating in debate really made a big difference to me in my life, said Father Busch. It gave me a lot of confidence in myself, it also helped me with research skills, the ability to develop arguments and the ability to be a better critical thinker. A lot of the educational accomplishments in my life I can attribute to participating in debate in high school. Holy Cross has participated in debate tournaments this school year at Caprock, Canyon/Randall, Amarillo High, West Texas A&M and Friona. During the Friona Bobsled meet on Jan. 8, HCCA debaters won three of the four top spots in the novice division. Sophomore Titus Medley won second place and freshmen Ben Bromley and Tino Frausto tied for third. Fourteen schools participated in the meet, according to Father Busch. The school is also scheduled to participate in debate tournaments on Jan. 15 in Plainview and at a tournament in Hereford on Saturday, Jan. 22. It wasn t too hard to get a debate team started, said Father Busch. The first meeting to gauge an interest in debate drew 30 students. As they discovered how much work was involved, many of them decided that they didn t have the time or it wasn t what they expected. It wasn t hard to get a group of folks initially interested. The hard thing was getting students to stick with it and actually go to a tournament and try it out and see what it was like. Five students make up the HCCA debate team, consisting of three freshmen and two sophomores. One of the freshmen is Burkleigh Henderson. I decided to try debate because it looks good on a college application and I like arguing, she said. I like to argue because it interests me. I hope to get as far as possible in the debate rounds this year and enhance my skills for next year. Logic is what piqued sophomore Teresa Houseal s interest in debate. I like the logic of putting two heads together, trying to point out the other person s flaws and win with pure logic, she said. I hope to improve my argument points. I hope to learn how to argue to see the flaws in the other person s logic. This can come in handy for my future, with business and with future interviews. What would be her ideal debate topic? Probably something along the lines of animal or environmental rights, because that s what interests me. I really don t like politics at all. Houseal is also grateful to have Father Busch as her debate coach. Father Busch definitely knows a lot more about debate than we do. He s taking us under his wing and teaching us the basics before we go in. He s a great coach. Freshman Ben Bromley agrees with Henderson that debate would look good on a college application, but said there are other reasons why he s participating in debate. I just wanted to give it a shot, and my parents persuaded me to try this, he said. They think the arguing aspect of debate might help. Is debate everything he expected? No, it s a lot scarier than I thought it would be, Bromley said. You re going against people that can talk very fast and against people that know a lot more than you do because they have more experience. I m glad that at some of these tournaments there s been a novice division, so we re getting an opportunity to compete against people who are new to debate, like we are. That evens out the playing field for us. Any goals? I want to become a better debater and hone my skills for next year. Another sophomore on the debate team is Titus Medley. He agreed with Henderson and Bromley that debate looks good on a college application, but he said being on the first Holy Cross debate team is more important to him. It s cool being on the first debate team at Holy Cross and I think that s interested a lot of us, he said. We ve never been through this before none of us have ever been a part of a debate team, so we all just thought that we d take a shot at it and just do it. How scary was your first debate? The first debate competition was a lot scarier than I thought it would be, but overall, it was really a lot of fun, it was a good experience, Medley said. What s been the hardest part about debate? The research takes up a lot of our time, but whenever you re in the room by yourself with one other person and a judge, slowing down your thoughts and collecting yourself while you re debating is for me probably the hardest part, he said. So much is rushing through my head and sometimes you don t know what to say. Medley also hopes that Holy Cross begins to build a reputation as a great debate school. We hope in the future, that as more students get involved, we ll be known in the Texas Panhandle, eventually, as a great debate school. Going into the Friona tournament, freshman Tino Frausto was the most experienced member of the team, having participated in all four tournaments and finishing as a quarterfinalist at the West Texas A&M tournament. I don t think it s going to look good on a college application until you actually accomplish something, he said. I just want to get this team off the ground, get it started and get it going. I hope we get more people interested and then develop my skills as a debater. Another aspect that has helped Father Busch in his role as debate coach has been help from his past connections in debate. It s helped that several of the other coaches in the area are Catholic, and some of them are former students from my time at the Catholic Student Center at West Texas A&M, he said. One of my former students, Lacy Venhaus, is the coach at Randall, and she s been a big help with us getting started. When I was studying in college, my major was speech communication and for a long time, I thought about becoming a high school speech coach. Many of the coaches I knew when I was a college student and worked with in my role as director of the speech and debate camp at West Texas A&M are still coaching and they ve been very helpful with our team. Father Busch said there are some disadvantages about fielding a first-year debate team. We re at a real disadvantage because nearly every other school we compete against has a debate class, where they can spend 45 or 50 minutes a day preparing and practicing. We have had to do everything after school or during home room or during the Christmas break. This includes the students learning how to debate. For the first few weeks we got together, we were trying to learn the rules of debate, and all that is involved. The easiest thing has been the enthusiasm of the students and their willingness to learn. One of the great things about debate, unlike some other activities that we can be involved in debate is one of those high school competitive activities where you don t necessarily have to be from a big school to do well, because it is so focused on individuals. You can have an individual from a real small school become the top debater in the area. Some of the winners from the tournaments we ve participated at have come from small schools. What excites me is that we have a really young team and if they all stick with it, by the time they re seniors and juniors, I hope that we ll be seen as a real threat in the area at future debate tournaments. We re already being viewed by other coaches and debaters as a team to watch out for in years to come, so that s a good thing. In the Signature at 2500 S. Coulter We have Great Gifts for Easter, First Communion, Confirmation & Baptism!!! Bibles Prayer Books Rosaries Jewelry Framed Art Dresses & Veils for 1st communion & flower girls Suits for boys 1st communion & ringbearers

9 Volume 71, No. 1 A 2nd Pastoral Letter by Bishop Patrick J. Zurek - Bishop of Amarillo January 16, 2011 E Pluribus Unum Out of many, one! Our Founding Fathers in the United States chose a beautiful motto for our country. It is better understood as out of many cultures one nation! In many ways this is our strength as citizens of the United States of America. Yet our history clearly shows that we have had our dark moments; Native Americans being forced to live in reservations and the native Africans imported into a life of slavery. We have also had our shining moments. We have welcomed peoples of every nation, color, ethnicity, race, language and culture. Many came without education or money. Yet they have carved a nitch for themselves in our American Society. E Pluribus Unum out of many a unity is created. Yet, contemporary experience in the United States betrays a nation that is divided in so many ways. We have become polarized. Unity is bantered about, but is so very difficult to achieve. There seems to be an intrinsic principle lacking or preventing this unity. There is a poem that comes to mind that I learned as a child. Something there is that doesn t love a wall! That sends the frozen-ground-swell under it, And spills the upper boulders in the sun; And makes gaps even two can pass abreast. (They say ) Good fences make good neighbors. Why do they make good neighbors? Isn t it where there are cows? But here there are no cows. Before I build a wall I d ask to know What I was walling in or walling out. Something there is that doesn t love a wall, That wants it down! (Robert Frost , Mending Wall, Poetry ) It begs the question, Is there something that doesn t love unity? Shall we leave behind the word unity and rather use an ecclesial term? The greetings used by the priest at the beginning of a liturgy are simple but very important. The greeting constitutes the assembly of the faithful as the Apostolic Community gathered for a particular Mass. It shows our continuity with the early Church. One of these greetings uses the word, communio, or communion. Presently we translate it as fellowship, but the more rich theological word is communion. The Grace of Our Lord Jesus, the Love of God the Father and the Communion of the Holy Spirit, be with you all! This greeting clearly tells us that our relationship as the faithful gathered for Mass is one of a deep communion with the Triune God which must also be reflected in our relationship with each other. In fact, this word, communio, or communion, is so rich in meaning that the early Fathers of the Church used it to describe the act of receiving of the Body and Blood of the Lord at Mass. My sense is that most of the faithful truly believe that they are entering into a very personal communion with Christ when they receive His Body. However, most may not be aware that they are actually entering into a very special relationship or communion, with all the others who are receiving His Body. It was St. Augustine who reflected that when he consecrated the bread at Mass, he was actually holding the Body of Christ in his hands. Yet, he added, when he looked up at the congregation assembled before him, he was beholding the Body of Christ there, also. He commented, What a great mystery! Communion means the fusion of existence; just as in the taking of nourishment the body assimilates foreign matter to itself, and is thereby enabled to live, in the same way, my I is assimilated to that of Jesus, it is made similar to Him in an exchange that increasingly breaks through the lines of division. This same event takes place in the case of all who communicate; they are all assimilated to this bread and thus are made one among themselves one body. (Called to Communion-Understanding the Church Today, Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, Ignatius Press, 1996, p. 37) Communion makes the Church (John Paul II, Ecclesia Eucharistia), by breaching an opening in the wall of subjectivity and gathering {the constituting of the Apostolic Community today} in which the Lord joins us to one another. (Ratzinzer, p. 37) When John Paul II became Pope, he re-introduced the Church to a theological reality that was very common to the early Church. In one of his first Encyclicals he wrote of the profound calling that man and woman have from God. He spoke of the inner life of the Most Holy Trinity, that is, of the relationship between the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. The early Fathers of the Church preached and wrote of this, also. The author of Genesis, in the First Creation Narrative, began this discussion when he wrote, God created man in His own image and likeness He created them male and female He created them. (Gen. 1:27) St. John in his Letters made the discussion even more profound when he wrote, God is Love, and he who abides in love, abides in God and God in him. (1 Jn 4:16) Hence, man and woman were created in the image of a God who revealed Himself as a community of persons who live in the mutual giving and accepting of love. St. John wrote that God is Love. Our theological reflection, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit says that in Christ, God was revealed as a Father who was so full of love, that even though He is perfect in Himself before all time began, He begat the Second Person of the Trinity. This love and its relationship to the Second Person of the Trinity is described as the love of a father for a son and the love of a son for a father. The Father loves the Son unconditionally and completely and the Son loves the Father unconditionally and completely. And, the Father accepts the love from the Son completely and unconditionally as the Son accepts the love from the Father completely and unconditionally. In other words, this love is mutual and reciprocal! Furthermore, this love between the Father and the Son is so perfect that it spirates the third Person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit, who also gives and receives this love unconditionally and completely.

10 2 West Texas Catholic Pastoral Letter January 16, 2011 It is in the image of this Triune God, three Divine Persons, yet ONE God, that man and woman, were created! Hence, man is called to community to communitarian life to relationship with a God who is a community of Persons. Man is called to LOVE! He is called to love God and to love neighbor, as he loves himself. When a man or woman is baptized, he begins to share in this Divine Life. He is the same and yet different! He becomes a child of God, a brother/sister to Jesus and the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit. The baptized person also receives a special calling the call to HOLINESS. But, what does this mean? What does it entail? Simply put, what is holiness? Is it praying all the time? Is it being super pious? Is it just for priests, deacons and nuns? Or, is it for everyone? Obviously it is for everyone! But what is it? The prophets quote God as revealing to them, As high as the Heavens are above the earth, are my ways different from yours! (Is. 55:9) This is not a keen insight or even a brilliant observation by the prophet. It is revelation by the Father Himself. The prophet follows the quote with, Thus says the Lord! If God s ways are not our ways, then we must examine our ways. The world does not call us to go out of self to love and serve the other. The human societies and cultures in which we live, call us to be more concerned with only one person ME! Look at the conflicts and wars in the world yesterday and today now! They are caused by a greed or lust for power, material goods pitting one race, culture, country, socio-economic group or person over and against another. It wants us to accumulate material goods just for one s own use; and is actually done for the personal profit of the seller. Let us look at Jesus, His Gospel and the Church we love. All three call us to go beyond self to actually love another to be concerned about the other, even an enemy, or someone we dislike. We are called to love those different from ourselves. It is the Church, which preaches the Gospel of Christ that calls the Black, the White, the Brown, the Red and the Yellow to embrace each other to live in harmony with one another to live as ONE! All humanity is called to live in communio in a relationship that reflects and respects Trinitarian love and communion. Holiness is to strive, with the help of the Holy Spirit, to live this Trinitarian communion. Holiness is the CALL to LOVE, in the mutual giving and acceptance of it, even and especially, when the world says NO. Holiness truly calls us to go beyond self and really be concerned with the other. The Beatitudes that we read on the Solemnity of All Saints are a call to live in this world, but with our eyes and hearts set on the other world, God s world... Rather than automatically condemn or accept whatever the Right or Left condemns or vigorously promotes, the Beatitudes call us to be a discerning people. Christ and His Gospel need to be the standard for our judgment not the world! In a culture that negates God and promotes the superiority of power, education and socio-economic status, Matthew teaches, blessed are the poor in Spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. (Matt. 5:3) He is saying blessed are those who depend on God and God alone, not on themselves, their power, wealth or status. Blessed are the pure of heart. Blessed are those who do not say one thing and do another. They have no duplicity of speech. They do not attempt to deceive. Since the heart can be the seat of good or evil, a truly pure heart is one that is purged of all that could lead to sinfulness. Blessed are the merciful. Many in the Social Sciences like to say that the most difficult phrase in any language is I am sorry forgive me! Or I forgive you! Society and culture do not promote this Christ DOES!!! He does this through His own Passion and Death! This is certainly not man s practice! However, it is our Call! Blessed are the peace-makers, they shall be called children of God. Blessed are those who try to bring Trinitarian COMMUNION, ONENESS, LOVE and PEACE to the world in which they live. They are bridge-builders to God s Life and Love. They don t seek the world s concept of divide and conquer. They are ambassadors of Christ of reconciliation. Pope Paul VI wrote: If you want peace, work for justice. Benedict XVI added: If you want peace, pray for it. Blessed are those who suffer for the sake of righteousness. Blessed are those who really suffer because of sin, selfishness, greed and injustice. They cannot stand the world s promotion of the destruction of the dignity of human person. They cannot tolerate the indifference that society sees in living the life of Virtue. They seek to stop the exploitation of children or women for personal pleasure or gain. In short, blessed are those who are so immersed in the loving inner life of the Trinity that they just cannot tolerate a world that is blinded to the image of God in which man and woman were created. HOLY are those who truly suffer in Christ for the sins of humanity and long for man s ways to be different from the world and the cultures in which we live. Truly, are they HOLY who long to establish on this earth a way of life that reflects the inner life of the Holy Trinity the way of life that reflects unconditional, mutual and reciprocal Trinitarian Love. All of this must begin with me! Not long ago we were in the midst of the concern with H1N1 or Swine Flu. People were sanitizing their hands continually because of fear of contagion. There is something much more contagious than any disease that is a person who truly lives his or her FAITH. This is what made Christianity spread so quickly in the Mediterranean world after Christ s Resurrection. Be so fired up in your love of Christ, that you become contagious!! Be a witness of Christ! This is what the Saints have done. This is probably what billions and billions of people have done down through the ages. Some of these were our own relatives and friends. For this reason they are called HOLY. This is our call, too. We were created to reflect the image of God. This is what Jesus was referring to in the Gospel of Matthew. In short, be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect. (Matt. 5:48) That is, reflect your nature. Reflect the love that is in God that is God. And remember, at your Baptism you entered this Trinitarian Life. In the celebration of the Eucharist and in receiving the Body and Blood of Christ, you strengthen and make more real, this life of God within you. Simply put, you grow in Holiness! You enter into true communio a very deep relationship with God and with the all the Baptized. Keeping all of this in mind, let us apply this to the global phenomenon of the migration of peoples. Regardless of the continent, large groups of people find themselves moving from one country to another and from one culture to another. In the United States this phenomenonal movement of peoples of many cultures exists throughout the country. It is especially seen, but not limited to, the movement of Hispanic peoples. This obviously brings richness, but also a great challenge. The richness includes the sharing of the greatest values that come from the Faith, respect for human life and the dignity of the human person of one culture with another. The challenge includes the complex reality of retaining, exchanging or blending the myths, sacred symbols and values of one culture with another. As was stated earlier, through our Baptism we have been conformed to be part of the Body of Christ, the Church, existing in this world. We also become part of the Kingdom of God that will only reach

11 January 16, 2011 its perfection in the world to come. The Book of Revelation gives a description of this Kingdom: Christ, With your blood you purchased for God men of every race and tongue, of every people and nation. You made of them a kingdom, and priests to serve our God, and they shall reign on the earth. (Rev. 59c-10) While Original Sin has destroyed the unity that mankind had with God and with all other humans in the beginning, through Baptism we enter the tomb with Christ, we rise with Him and become part of the Kingdom of God. We also receive the Holy Spirit and enter into the communio of the Holy Trinity with all the baptized. The challenge that comes with the mingling of distinct cultures can also be perceived as an opportunity or a moment of Grace. It is an opportunity to re-examine our Call to Holiness and our willingness to respond with the mind and heart of Jesus Christ. It is a moment of Grace if we invite the power from on high, the Holy Spirit to inspire and animate us to reflect the image of God in which we were created. From the earliest moments of our life our enculturation into a particular society begins. This is the process by which individuals acquire the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and values that enable them to become functioning members of society. It is both a conscious and an unconscious process whereby a human person, as child and an adult, achieves competence in his culture (E. Adamson Hoebel). This is a process through which one internalized the dreams, expectations, the rules, requirements and taboos of a given society. Through enculturation one learns the symbols that are sacred in a society or state, the flag, the national or state anthem, the pledge of allegiance; the folklore, the myths and the songs and dance of that culture. Religion or worship is inherent in culture; its values make that particular culture unique. (Benedict XVI) Two of my grandparents came from Europe. My maternal grandfather came from the area of Brno, Czech Republic. He arrived in the USA at the age of three. His wife, my maternal grandmother, was born in Texas of Czech-American parents. Grandfather was enculturated in the Czech Republic and grandmother in a Tex-Czech culture. The flags they identified with were distinct. So were their national anthems. The Czech they spoke was slightly different; it evolved in the Czech Republic, but was fixated in Texas with its arrival. Their common bond was really their Catholic Faith! Practically the same could be said of the paternal side of my family. It was slightly more complicated by the addition of a third culture, German. Furthermore, this grandmother was also born in Texas with her enculturation being in the Tex-German culture. My two grandfathers had underdone their enculturation in their own countries into their native culture. However, when they came to the USA they went through the process of acculturation; the process of learning the appropriate behaviors of one s host culture. In reality they entered a new culture like a child and had to adapt themselves into the new reality. They learned the myths and sacred symbols of the USA. They learned English, accepted a new flag, a new national anthem, new national and state holidays, and slowly adapted to the new society. Their acculturation was not excessively restricted by the structures or relationships of their native society/culture. They realized they would never return to their native lands. They maintained the basic principles and values of their former society; hence, they retained their self-respect and dignity, but were still able to cope with all the challenges and opportunities of the new culture/society in the United States. Acculturation is also the letting go of that from the old culture/society which is not relevant in the new environment. My two grandmothers, on the other hand, had an additional Pastoral Letter challenge; not only did they go through their own enculturation into their respective birth cultures in the USA, but they also experienced an acculturation into the culture of their foreign born husbands when they married. My grandfathers had to become child-like and learn new ways! However, they did not sense the need to give-up their cultural habits or language; nor were they pressured to do so! My grandfathers adapted and accepted many customs and even a new language from their host country. In a sense, they had a dual identity! My grandfathers retained part of their cultural values, customs and language, but they also learned and accepted the values, customs and language of their new host culture. They did not assimilate into this new culture. Assimilation is much more thorough, all encompassing, and takes much longer. From an objective, outside view, after having been assimilated, one could not determine if that person had been born within the USA or in another country. This is not what I am speaking of here. Assimilation usually takes place with the first generation born to the immigrant family, not with the immigrants themselves. Regardless of the nature or characteristics of a host culture, perhaps, the Church is best equipped to facilitate this acculturation of the immigrant and the acceptance of the host country (USA) that is needed today. First, it appears to me that the Catholic Church is in a good position to take the leadership in this ever continuing process. There are many things that we Catholics, who were born here or who have lived here a long time and are in fact, the Host community, can do and offer today s immigrants. We can: West Texas Catholic 3 Welcome them into our parishes as the persons they are: our brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ, fellow Catholics Provide forums in which the immigrant can share their plight of leaving their homeland, uprooting their families, leaving all that is familiar and moving to a foreign land Listen to their difficulties in migrating, and the fears they experienced and still experience Realize that they are grieving the loss of all they hold dear; their culture and native country, their flag! These are the realities in which they are rooted Help facilitate their learning of the new language, English, by providing more ESL Classes in our parishes Help them to understand and celebrate our national holidays Be patient and realize that any culture usually prefers to pray to God in their native language. As imperfect as bi-lingual liturgies are, if well-done, they truly can unite a community. Often these are necessitated by the lack of priests to celebrate more liturgies on a given Sunday or are restricted by schedule for special celebrations such as Christmas Midnight Mass or the Easter Triduum Come to a realization that they do not have to give-up their native language Recognize that every cultural group in the community of the Church ought to be invited to exercise leadership, especially as members of the Parish Pastoral Council, the Finance Council and Faith Formation Communities Offer opportunities for formation and leadership development to enable them to participate in the advisory roles that exist in the Church Reach out in gratitude and appreciation for the Faith experiences, Popular Religiosity (devotions and processions), love and respect for that which is sacred and the commitment to the Church that is offered by the new cultural group The Church refers to this process as Ecclesial Integration. This means that immigrants are to be welcomed in our Church institutions at all levels. They are to be served in their language when possible, and their cultural values and religious traditions are to be respected. Beyond that, we must work toward mutual enrichment through interaction among all cultures. (National Pastoral Plan for Hispanic Ministry, # 4)

12 4 West Texas Catholic Pastoral Letter January 16, 2011 This is truly a conversion process for us; and is actually a very significant part of our Christian Faith. I also believe that our fellow Catholics who have joined us recently can do something. The immigrants can: Come to our Churches and know that they are welcomed as our brothers and sisters in Christ Realize that they have nothing to fear at our Catholic Churches not from anyone Realize that the people in our parishes are often grieving, too not the loss of a country, family or friends, but the loss of certain autonomy and becoming a minority in their own land which has always been pluri-cultural Make a concerted attempt to learn English. It will not only serve their acculturation and ecclesial integration in their new society, but it will also aid family life. {My maternal grandmother never learned English. The grandchildren, who were second generation Americans, did not learn Czech. My grandmother could never speak with her grandchildren. I would not want that to happen to the immigrants of today.} Learn to forgo the use of their national flags in public celebrations or in the Church. The guideline from our Bishops Conference strongly suggests that no national flags be displayed in Church Attempt to learn the meaning of the national holidays that are celebrated in the USA and to celebrate them with their brothers and sisters who are citizens or have permanent resident status Teach the people of the USA of their treasured values, especially in regard to Faith and family Be generous in offering themselves in the service of the Church with their particular gifts, talents, values and treasure Express their gratitude to the Host community for the blessings that they have experienced and received in their new Faith Community Being welcomed and integrated into the new Church community, may they in turn help to welcome and integrate others into the Parish This, too, requires a conversion process on the part of our immigrant brothers and sisters. From our Catholic Tradition it appears clear that both the members of the host culture and the immigrants themselves must participate in this change of heart. The recent Beatification of John Henry Cardinal Newman reminds me of one of his famous sayings; To live is to change; to be perfect is to have changed often! It is a way to continue to inaugurate the Kingdom of God in this part of the vineyard. It is also part of Call to Holiness that we have received at our Baptism. It certainly enables us to be drawn deeper and deeper into the communio with each other and with Jesus that we experience in Communion with the Body and Blood of Christ. It is our goal and destiny for which we were created to be drawn deep into the love and life of our Triune God. Christ and the Church are one body in the sense in which man and woman are one flesh, that is, in such a way that in their indissoluble spiritual-bodily union, they nonetheless remain unconfused and unmingled. The Church does not simply become Christ, she is ever the handmaid whom He lovingly raises to be His Bride and who seeks His face throughout these latter days (Ratzinger, p. 39) It is in this unity, that we seek to do God s Will! This may seem a great challenge. In the eyes of the world, perhaps even impossible; however, we are children of God. We believe in Christ s promise to be with us always through the presence of the Holy Spirit. St. Luke reminds us that all is possible with God (Lk 1:37) through the power from on High (Lk 24:49) which is the Holy Spirit. It is the Pentecost event with its vehement wind and fire of the Holy Spirit that established the Church. The origin of the Church was not the decision of men. The Church is not the product of human willing but a creature of the Spirit of God. This Spirit overcomes the Babylonian world spirit. Man s will to power, symbolized in Babel, aims at the goal of uniformity, because its interest is domination and subjection; it is precisely in this way that it brings forth hatred and division. God s Spirit, on the other hand, is LOVE; for this reason he brings about recognition and creates unity in the acceptance of the otherness of the other person: the many languages are mutually comprehensible. (Ratzinger, p. 43) The many cultures are able to embrace one another! Hence, this vertical unification, that is the participation in Trinitarian life and love, must be established for the horizontal unification, the love and respect for each human person, to become a reality. (Ratzinger, p. 76) Let us make the words of the Second Eucharistic Prayer for Reconciliation our prayer in this regard: Father, make your Church throughout the world a sign of unity and an instrument of your peace. You have gathered us here around the table of your Son, in fellowship with the Virgin Mary, Mother of God, and all the saints. In that new world where the fullness of your peace will be revealed, gather people of every race, language and way of life to share in the one eternal banquet with Jesus Christ the Lord. Amen. +Most Reverend Patrick J. Zurek, Bishop of Amarillo, Pastoral Letter: E Pluribus Unum From Many Cultures, One Church, Solemnity of All Saints, St. Laurence Cathedral, November 1, 2010

13 Volumen 71, Num. 1 Segunda Carta Pastoral del Obispo Patrick J. Zurek - Obispo de Amarillo 16 de Enero, 2011 E Pluribus Unum Muchos, pero uno solo! Nuestros Padres fundadores de los Estados Unidos escogieron un hermoso lema para nuestro país que es entendido como desde muchas culturas - una nación! De muchas maneras este es nuestra fortaleza como ciudadanos de los Estados Unidos de América. Nuestra historia claramente nos muestra que hemos tenido momentos oscuros; los Indios de Norte América siendo forzados a vivir en las reservas y los Nativos Africanos importados a una vida de esclavitud. También hemos tenido momentos brillantes. Hemos dado la bienvenida a personas de cada nación, color, etnicidad, raza, lengua y cultura. Muchos vinieron sin educación o dinero y aun así han labrado un nicho para ellos en nuestra Sociedad Americana. E Pluribus Unum desde muchas la unidad es creada! La experiencia contemporánea en los Estados Unidos traiciona la nación que está dividida de muchas formas. Nos hemos polarizado. Se habla de unidad de manera repetida pero es muy difícil lograrla. Pareciera que nos falta un principio intrínseco que estuviera previniendo dicha unidad. Hay un poema que viene a mi mente y que aprendí desde niño. Algo hay que no es amigo de los muros! que hincha la tierra helada y la socava, y arroja al sol las piedras desde el borde; y abre brechas por donde caben dos. (Dicen )...Buenos muros hacen buenos vecinos. Por qué hacen buenos vecinos? No es algo que tiene que ver con las vacas? Pero aquí no hay vacas. Antes de construirlo, quisiera preguntar para saber a quién incluyo, a quién excluyo. Algo hay que no es amigo de los muros, que quiere derrumbarlos! (Reparar el Muro, Poesía de Robert Frost ) El poema implora la pregunta, Hay algo a lo que no le gusta la unidad? Deberíamos olvidarnos de la palabra unidad y más bien usar un término eclesial? Los saludos usados por los sacerdotes al inicio de una liturgia son simples pero muy importantes. El saludo constituye a la asamblea de los fieles como la Comunidad Apostólica reunida para una misa en particular. Ello muestra nuestra continuidad con la Iglesia primitiva. Uno de esos saludos usa la palabra, communio, o comunión. Actualmente la traducimos como compañerismo, pero la palabra más rica teológicamente es comunión. La Gracia de Nuestro Señor Jesucristo, el Amor de Dios Padre y la Comunión del Espíritu Santo, esté con todos ustedes! Este saludo nos dice claramente que nuestra relación como fieles reunidos en la Misa es de profunda comunión con el Dios Trinitario, que además debe estar reflejada en nuestra relación del uno para con el otro. De hecho, esta palabra, communio, o comunión, es tan rica en significado que los primeros Padres de la Iglesia la usaron para describir el acto de recibir el Cuerpo y la Sangre del Señor en la Misa. Entiendo que la mayoría de los fieles verdaderamente creen que están entrando en una comunión personal con Cristo cuando reciben Su Cuerpo. Sin embargo, muchos podrían no ser conscientes de que de hecho están entrando en una relación muy especial o comunión, con todos los demás que están recibiendo Su Cuerpo. San Agustín dijo que cuando consagraba el pan en la Misa, en efecto estaba sosteniendo el Cuerpo de Cristo en sus manos. Además añadió, que cuando veía a la congregación reunida delante de él, contemplaba el Cuerpo de Cristo ahí también. Y comentó, Qué gran misterio! Comunión significa la fusión de la existencia; de la misma manera como cuando tomamos nuestros alimentos el cuerpo asimila la materia externa para sí mismo, capacitándolo para vivir, de la misma manera, mi Yo es asimilado al de Jesús, y se hace similar al de Él en un intercambio que va rompiendo de manera creciente todas las líneas la división. Sucede lo mismo en el caso de todos los que comulgan; todos ellos están asimilados en este pan y por lo tanto se han hecho uno entre ellos - un solo cuerpo. (Llamados a la Comunión-Entendiendo la Iglesia Hoy, Joseph Cardenal Ratzinger, Ignatius Press, 1996, p. 37) La Comunión hace a la Iglesia (Juan Pablo II, Ecclessia Eucharistia), abriendo una brecha en el muro de la subjetividad y de la asamblea reunida {lo cual constituye la Comunidad Apostólica-hoy} en la cual el Señor nos une unos a otros. (Ratzinger, p.37) Cuando el Papa Juan Pablo II fue elegido Papa, re-introdujo a la Iglesia hacia una realidad teológica que fue muy común para la Iglesia primitiva. En una de sus primeras encíclicas escribió a cerca del profundo llamado que hace Dios tanto al hombre como a la mujer. Habló de la vida profunda de la Santísima Trinidad, que es de relación entre el Padre, el Hijo y el Espíritu Santo. También los primeros Padres de la Iglesia predicaron y escribieron al respecto. El autor del libro del Génesis, en la Narración de la Primera Creación, comenzó la discusión cuando escribió, Dios creó al hombre a Su misma imagen y semejanza El los creó hombre y mujer El los creó (Gen. 1:27) San Juan en sus Cartas hizo la discusión incluso más profunda cuando escribió, Dios es amor, y el que habita en el amor, habita en Dios y Dios en él. (1 Jn 4:16) Por lo tanto, el hombre y la mujer fueron creados a imagen de Dios quien se reveló Así Mismo como una comunidad de personas que viven en el mutuo dar y recibir amor. San Juan escribió que Dios es amor. Nuestra reflexión teológica, bajo la dirección del Espíritu Santo dice que en Cristo, Dios se reveló como un Padre lleno de amor, y a pesar de que así mismo es perfecto antes de que todo comenzara, encarnó a la Segunda Persona de la Trinidad. Este amor y su relación hacia la Segunda Persona de la Trinidad es descrita como el amor de un padre por su hijo y el amor de un hijo por su padre. El Padre ama al Hijo incondicional y completamente y el Hijo ama al Padre incondicional y completamente también. Y El Padre acepta el amor del Hijo completa e incondicionalmente de la misma manera que el Hijo acepta el amor del Padre completa e incondicionalmente. En otras palabras, este amor es mutuo y recíproco! Por lo tanto, este amor entre el Padre y el Hijo es tan perfecto que expiran a la tercera Persona de la Trinidad, el Espíritu Santo, quien también da y recibe de este amor completa e incondicionalmente.

14 2 West Texas Catholic Carta Pastoral 16 de enero, 2011 Es en la imagen del Dios Trino, tres Divinas Personas, pero UN sólo Dios, que el hombre y la mujer, fueron creados! Por lo tanto, el hombre es llamado a la comunidad a la vida comunitaria a la relación con Dios que es una comunidad de Personas. El hombre es llamado al AMOR! Es llamado a amar a Dios y al prójimo, como a sí mismo. Cuando un hombre o una mujer son bautizados, comienzan a compartir de esta Vida Divina. Esa persona es la misma pero ahora es también diferente! Y se hace hijo de Dios, y hermano/hermana de Jesús y morada del Espíritu Santo. La persona bautizada recibe un llamado especial el llamado a la SANTIDAD. Pero qué significa esto? Y qué implica? Puesto de manera sencilla, qué es la santidad? Es orar todo tiempo? Es ser súper piadoso? Es sólo para los sacerdotes, diáconos y monjas? O, Es para cada uno? Obviamente es para cada uno! Pero Qué es? Desde la revelación que hizo Dios a los profetas estos escriben que, Tan alto como los cielos están sobre la tierra, mis caminos son diferentes a los tuyos! (Is. 55:9) Este no es un pensamiento perspicaz ni incluso tampoco una brillante observación del profeta. Esta es revelación del Padre mismo. El profeta continúa la cita con, Esto dice el Señor! Si los caminos de Dios no son nuestros caminos, entonces debemos examinar los nuestros. El mundo no nos llama a salir de nosotros mismos para amar y servir al otro. Las sociedades humanas y las culturas en las que vivimos, nos llaman a tener mayor preocupación con sólo una persona YO! Miren los conflictos y las guerras en el mundo ayer y hoy en este momento! Ellos están causados por ansia y avaricia de poder, bienes materiales oposiciones hacia una raza, cultura, país, persona o grupo socio-económico contra el otro; quieren que acumulemos bienes materiales sólo para nuestro propio uso, y lo hacen para que el vendedor obtenga más ganancia. Miremos a Jesús, Su Evangelio y a la Iglesia que amamos. Los tres nos llaman a salir de nosotros para amar al otro a cuidar del otro, incluso a un enemigo, o alguien que no nos gusta. Estamos llamados a amar a aquellos que son diferentes de nosotros. Es la Iglesia, que predica el Evangelio de Cristo quien llama a los Negros, los Blancos, los Mestizos, los Rojos y los Amarillos a abrazarse mutuamente a vivir en armonía con todos a vivir como UNO! Toda la humanidad está llamada a vivir en comunión, en una relación que respete y refleje la comunión y el amor Trinitarios. Santidad es esforzarse, con la ayuda del Espíritu Santo, a vivir la comunión Trinitaria. Santidad es la LLAMADA al AMOR, desde el mutuo dar y recibir de este amor, incluso y especialmente, cuando el mundo dice NO. La santidad nos llama verdaderamente a ir más allá de nosotros y a preocuparnos realmente por el otro. Las Bienaventuranzas que leemos en la Solemnidad de Todos los Santos son una llamada a vivir en este mundo, pero con nuestros ojos y corazones puestos en el otro mundo, en el mundo de Dios.. Antes de condenar o aceptar automáticamente lo que sea que la Derecha o la Izquierda vigorosamente condenan o promueven, las bienaventuranzas nos llaman a ser personas de discernimiento. Cristo y Su Evangelio tienen que ser el estándar para nuestro juicio no el mundo! En una cultura que niega a Dios y promueve la superioridad de poder, educación y el estatus socio-económico, Mateo enseña, bienaventurados los pobres en el Espíritu, porque de ellos es el Reino de los Cielos. (Mat. 5:3) Está diciendo que son bienaventurados todos los que confían en Dios y sólo en Dios, no en ellos mismos, su poder, riquezas o estatus. Bienaventurados los puros de corazón. Bienaventurados son aquellos que no dicen una cosa y hacen otra. Ellos no tienen duplicidad de discurso. Ellos no intentan engañar. Como el corazón puede ser la cuna para el bien o para el mal, un corazón puro y verdadero es aquel que ha sido probado de todo aquello que lo pueda dirigir hacia la maldad. Bienaventurados los misericordiosos. Muchas personas relacionadas con las Ciencias Sociales dicen que la frase más difícil de decir en cualquier idioma es lo siento perdóname! o te perdono! La sociedad y la cultura no promueven esto Cristo SI!!! Lo hace a través de Su propia Pasión y Muerte! Ciertamente que esta no es una práctica del hombre! Sin embargo, a ello estamos llamados! Bienaventurados los pacificadores, ellos serán llamados hijos de Dios. Bienaventurados son aquellos que tratan de ofrecer COMUNION Trinitaria, UNIDAD, AMOR y PAZ al mundo en que viven. Ellos son constructores de puentes de la Vida y del Amor de Dios. Ellos no buscan el concepto del mundo que dice divide y vencerás. Ellos son embajadores de Cristo y de reconciliación. El Papa Pablo VI escribió: Si quieres la paz, trabaja por la justicia. Benedicto XVI añadió: Si quieres la paz, ora por ello. Bienaventurados los que sufren en busca de la justicia. Bienaventurados aquellos que realmente sufren a consecuencia del pecado, la envidia, la avaricia y la injusticia. Ellos no apoyan la promoción que el mundo hace a la destrucción de la dignidad de la persona. Ellos no pueden tolerar la indiferencia de la sociedad con los que viven una vida Virtuosa. Ellos buscan parar la explotación de las mujeres y de los niños para el placer o la ganancia personal. En breve, Bienaventurados son aquellos que están bien inmersos en el amor profundo de la Trinidad, tanto que no pueden tolerar un mundo que está ciego de la imagen de Dios en el cual el hombre y la mujer fueron creados. SANTOS son los que verdaderamente sufren en Cristo por los pecados de la humanidad y añoran porque los caminos del hombre sean diferentes de los del mundo y las culturas en que vivimos. Verdaderamente, son SANTOS los que anhelan en crear en esta tierra una forma de vida que refleje la vida profunda de la Santísima Trinidad una forma de vida que refleje un incondicional, mutuo, recíproco y Trinitario Amor. Todo esto tiene que comenzar conmigo mismo! Hace no mucho tiempo atrás estábamos en medio de la preocupación por la gripe H1N1 o Porcina. La gente se desinfectaba las manos constantemente por el temor de ser contagiada. Hay algo mucho más contagioso que cualquier enfermedad y ello es una persona que verdaderamente viva su FE! Esto fue lo que hizo que la Cristiandad se extendiera tan aceleradamente en el mundo Mediterráneo después de la Resurrección de Cristo. Enciéndete en el amor de Cristo, de tal manera que puedas contagiarlo. Sé un testigo de Cristo! Eso es lo que los Santos hicieron. Eso es lo que probablemente billones y billones de personas han hecho a través de los años. Algunos de ellos incluso fueron nuestros propios familiares y amigos y por esta razón son llamados SANTOS. A eso estamos también llamados. Fuimos creados a reflejar la imagen de Dios. A eso fue a lo que Jesús se refirió en el Evangelio de Mateo. Sean perfectos, como su Padre del cielo es perfecto. (Mat. 5:48) Eso es, refleja tu naturaleza. Refleja el amor que está en Dios que es Dios. Y recuerden, por medio del Bautismo entraron en esta Vida Trinitaria. A través de la celebración de la Eucaristía y de recibir el Cuerpo y la Sangre de Jesús, se fortalecieron e hicieron más real, esta vida de Dios dentro ustedes. Dicho de manera sencilla, ustedes crecieron en Santidad! Entraron en verdadera comunión en una relación muy profunda con Dios y con todos los bautizados. Teniendo todo esto en cuenta, apliquemos esto al fenómeno global de las migraciones de los pueblos. Independientemente del continente, grandes grupos de personas se mueven de un país a otro y de una cultura a otra. En los Estados Unidos este fenomenal movimiento de personas de diversas culturas existe a través de todo el país. Es par-

15 16 de enero, 2011 ticularmente evidente en la comunidad Hispana pero no se limita a ella. Obviamente esto brinda una gran riqueza, pero también un gran reto. Esta riqueza incluye el compartir los grandes valores asociados a la fe, respeto por la vida y la dignidad de la persona humana de una como de otra cultura. El reto incluye la compleja realidad de retener, intercambiar o combinar los mitos, símbolos sagrados y valores de una cultura con las de la otra. Como se mencionó anteriormente, a través de nuestro Bautismo hemos sido conformados en miembros del Cuerpo de Cristo, la Iglesia, existente en este mundo. También hacemos parte del Reino de Dios que solamente alcanzará su perfección en el mundo venidero. El libro del Apocalipsis da una descripción de este Reino: Cristo, Carta Pastoral West Texas Catholic 3 una nueva cultura como niños y tuvieron que adaptarse a su nueva realidad. Ellos aprendieron los mitos y símbolos sagrados de los Estados Unidos; aprendieron Inglés, aceptaron una nueva bandera, un himno nacional nuevo, nuevos días festivos nacionales y estatales y lentamente se adaptaron a la nueva sociedad. Su aculturación no fue excesivamente restringida por las estructuras o relación con sus culturas/sociedad nativas. Ellos reconocieron que nunca podrían regresar a sus países de origen. Mis abuelos mantuvieron los principios y valores básicos de su primera sociedad; así que, conservando el respeto de sí mismos y su dignidad, fueron capaces de arreglárselas con los retos y oportunidades de la nueva sociedad y cultura en los Estados Unidos. Aculturación también es dejar ir aquello de la anterior sociedad y cultura y que no es relevante en el nuevo entorno social a donde se llega. Con tu sangre compraste para Dios hombres de toda raza, lengua, pueblo y nación. Y los hiciste un reino para nuestro Dios, y en sacerdotes que reinaran sobre la tierra. (Ap 5: 9c-10) Si bien es cierto que al principio el Pecado Original destruyó la unidad entre la humanidad y Dios y creó división entre los hombres, a través del Bautismo nosotros morimos con Cristo, resucitamos con El y nos convertimos en miembros del Reino de Dios. También recibimos el Espíritu Santo y entramos en la communio de la Santísima Trinidad con todos los bautizados. El reto que se presenta al mezclar distintas culturas puede también ser tomado como una oportunidad o como un momento de Gracia. Es una oportunidad de re-examinar nuestro Llamado a la Santidad y nuestra disponibilidad a responder con la mente y el corazón de Jesús. Será un momento de Gracia si invitamos al poder de lo alto, el Espíritu Santo, a inspirarnos y a animarnos a reflejar la imagen de Dios en la que hemos sido creados. Desde los primeros momentos de nuestra vida, inicia nuestra enculturación hacia una sociedad en particular. Este es el proceso a través del cual los individuos adquieren el conocimiento, habilidades, actitudes y valores que les permite convertirse en miembros útiles de la sociedad. Es ambos, un proceso consciente e inconsciente a través del cual, un ser humano, niño o adulto, se vuelve competente en su cultura. (E. Adamson Hoebel) Este es un proceso por medio del cual una persona internaliza los sueños, expectativas, las reglas, requisitos y tabúes de una sociedad dada. Por medio de la enculturación una persona aprende los símbolos que son sagrados en una sociedad o estado, la bandera, el himno nacional el de estado, el folclor, los mitos, las canciones y danzas de esa cultura. La religión o el culto es inherente a las culturas; sus valores hacen a esa cultura particular, única. (Benedicto XVI) Dos de mis abuelos vinieron de Europa. Mi abuelo materno vino del área de Brno, República Checa. Llegó a los Estados Unidos a la edad de tres años. Su esposa, mi abuela materna, nació en Texas de padres Checo-Americanos. Mi abuelo fue enculturizado en la República Checa y mi abuela en una cultura Checo-Texana. Las banderas con las que ellos se identificaban eran diferentes; así mismo era con los himnos nacionales. La lengua Checa que ellos hablaban era un poco diferente; se originó en la República Checa pero fue modificada a su llegada a Texas. Sin embargo, su verdadero punto de unión era su Fe Católica. Prácticamente lo mismo puede decirse de mi familia paterna. Era un poco más complicado con una tercera cultura agregada, la Alemana (mi abuela). Más aun, ella también nació en Texas y se enculturizó en la cultura Texano-Alemana. Mis dos abuelos realizaron sus enculturaciones en sus propios países y culturas de origen. Sin embargo, cuando ellos llegaron a los Estados Unidos ellos se sometieron al proceso de aculturación; que es el proceso de aprender el comportamiento apropiado de una persona nativa de la cultura que le recibe. La verdad es que ellos entraron a Mis dos abuelas, por otro lado, tuvieron un reto adicional. Ellas no solo pasaron por su propia enculturación dentro de las respectivas culturas donde nacieron en los Estados Unidos, sino que también experimentaron el proceso de aculturación al entrar a la cultura extranjera de sus esposos al casarse con ellos. Mis abuelos tuvieron que hacerse como niños y aprender muchas cosas nuevas! Sin embargo, ellos no sintieron la necesidad de dejar sus hábitos culturales o lengua nativa; ni fueron forzados a hacerlo! Mis abuelos adaptaron y aceptaron muchas de las tradiciones y aun el nuevo idioma que les ofrecía el país que les estaba recibiendo. En cierta manera, tenían doble identidad! Mis abuelos retuvieron parte de sus valores culturales, tradiciones e idioma, pero también aprendieron y aceptaron los valores, tradiciones e idioma de la cultura a la que llegaron. Ellos no fueron asimilados por esta nueva cultura. La asimilación es mucho más sistemática, más abrumadora y toma mucho más tiempo. Desde fuera y, desde un punto de vista objetivo, puede decirse que después de que una persona ha sido asimilado, uno no puede saber si esa persona ha nacido en los Estados Unidos o en otro país. Esto no es a lo que me he venido refiriendo en este escrito. La asimilación usualmente toma lugar en la primera generación nacida de una familia de inmigrante y no con los inmigrantes mismos. Independientemente de la naturaleza y las características de la cultura anfitriona, quizá la Iglesia es la mejor equipada para facilitar esta aculturación de los inmigrantes y de la aceptación por parte del país anfitrión (USA) que se necesita hoy en día. Primero, a mí me parece que la Iglesia Católica está en buena posición de tomar el liderazgo en este proceso en constante evolución. Hay muchas cosas que nosotros, los Católicos que hemos nacido aquí o que tenemos ya mucho tiempo viviendo aquí y que de hecho somos la comunidad anfitriona, puede hacer y ofrecer a los inmigrantes de hoy. Podemos: Darles la bienvenida en nuestras parroquias como a las personas que son: nuestros hermanos y hermanas en Cristo Jesús, compañeros en la fe Católica. Proveer foros en donde los inmigrantes puedan compartir sus dificultades al dejar atrás su país de origen, familia y todo aquello que aman y le es familiar. Escuchar las dificultades y los miedos que ellos experimentaron al emigrar y que aun experimentan. Darse cuenta y reconocer que ellos están sufriendo por la pérdida de todo lo que consideran muy querido; su cultura y país de origen, su bandera! Estas son las realidades en las cuales ellos están enraizados. Facilitarles el aprendizaje de la nueva lengua, proveyéndoles más clases de Inglés como Segundo Idioma (ESL) en nuestras parroquias. Ayudándoles a comprender y celebrar nuestros días de fiesta nacional. Ser pacientes y entender que cualquier cultura normalmente prefiere dirigirse a Dios en oración en su lengua nativa. A pesar de lo imperfecto de las misas bilingües, si se organizan y celebran bien, estas pueden realmente unir a una comunidad.

16 4 West Texas Catholic Carta Pastoral 16 de enero, 2011 Con frecuencia estas celebraciones litúrgicas son necesarias por la falta de sacerdotes que celebren más misas en un Domingo dado o al estar restringidas a un horario específico por ser celebraciones especiales tales como la Misa de media noche en Navidad o las del Triduo Pascual. Convencernos de que ellos no tienen por qué olvidarse de su lengua nativa. Reconocer que cada grupo cultural en la comunidad de la Iglesia ha de ser invitado a ejercer su liderazgo, especialmente como miembros del Consejo de la Pastoral Parroquial, Consejo Financiero y de Formación de Comunidades de Fe. Ofrecerles oportunidades de desarrollo en formación y liderazgo y a así capacitarlos para su participación en los roles de consejería existentes en la Iglesia. Acercarse a ellos en gratitud, valorando las experiencias de Fe, su Religiosidad Popular (devociones y procesiones), su amor y respeto por aquello que es sagrado y por el compromiso para con la Iglesia que este nuevo grupo cultural ofrece. La Iglesia se refiere a este proceso como Integración Eclesial. Esto significa que los inmigrantes deben ser bienvenidos en nuestras instituciones Eclesiales en todos los niveles. Deben ser atendidos en su lengua natal cuando sea posible, y sus valores culturales y tradiciones religiosas deben ser respetados. Más aun, debemos trabajar para lograr un enriquecimiento mutuo a través de la interacción entre culturas. (Plan Nacional Pastoral para el Ministerio Hispano, #4) Esto es verdaderamente un proceso de conversión para nosotros y es en realidad una parte muy significativa de nuestra Fe Cristiana. También creo que nuestros hermanos Católicos que se nos han unido recientemente pueden hacer algo. Los inmigrantes pueden: Venir a nuestras Iglesias sabiendo que son bienvenidos como nuestros hermanos y hermanas en Cristo. Saber que no tienen nada que temer de nuestras Iglesias Católicas de nadie. Reconocer que la gente en nuestras parroquias están viviendo un duelo también no la pérdida de un país, familia o amigos, sino la pérdida de cierta autonomía y de irse convirtiendo en la minoría en su propia tierra la cual siempre ha sido pluricultural. Hacer un esfuerzo decidido en aprender Inglés. Este no sólo les servirá en su proceso de aculturación y de integración eclesial en su nueva sociedad, sino también ayudara a la vida familiar. {Mi abuela materna nunca aprendió Inglés. Sus nietos, quienes fueron Americanos de segunda generación, no aprendieron Checo. Así que, mi abuela nunca pudo hablar con sus nietos. No me gustaría que eso le sucediera a los inmigrantes de hoy.} Aprender a renunciar al uso de sus banderas nacionales en celebraciones públicas o en la Iglesia. Las directrices a seguir dadas por la Conferencia Episcopal sugiere de manera determinante que no deben exhibirse banderas nacionales dentro de la Iglesia. Intentar aprender el significado de los días de fiesta nacional que se celebran en los Estados Unidos y celebrarlos con sus hermano y hermanas que son ciudadanos o que tienen estatus de residentes permanentes. Enseñar a la gente de los Estados Unidos de sus valores tan queridos, especialmente los referentes a la Fe y la familia. Ser generosos en ofrecerse a sí mismos para el servicio de la Iglesia con sus dones, cualidades, valores y riquezas particulares. Expresar su gratitud a la Comunidad Anfitriona (La que los recibe) por las bendiciones que ustedes han experimentado y recibido en su nueva Comunidad de Fe. Habiendo sido acogidos e integrados dentro de la nueva comunidad de la Iglesia, sean ahora ustedes, en respuesta, los que den la bienvenida e integren a otros dentro de la Parroquia. Esto, también requiere un proceso de conversión por parte de nuestros hermanos y hermanas inmigrantes. Desde nuestra Tradición Católica, parece claro que ambos, los miembros de la comunidad anfitriona y los inmigrantes mismos deben participar en este cambio de corazón. La reciente beatificación del Cardenal John Henry Newman me recuerda uno de sus famosos dichos: Vivir es cambiar; ser perfecto es haber cambiado incontables veces. Es una forma de continuar inaugurando el Reino de Dios en esta porción de la viña. Es también parte del Llamado a la Santidad que hemos recibido en nuestro Bautismo. Ciertamente nos capacita para ser llevados cada vez más profundamente dentro de esta communio de unos con otros y con Jesús y así experimentar la Comunión con el Cuerpo y Sangre de Cristo. Es nuestro objetivo y nuestro destino, aquello para lo que fuimos creados el ser arrastrados profundamente al amor y vida de nuestro Dios Trinidad. Cristo y la Iglesia son un cuerpo de la misma manera en que el hombre y la mujer son una sola carne, de tal manera que, en esta unión indisoluble de cuerpo-espíritu, ellos sin embargo, permanecen sin confundirse y sin mezclarse. La Iglesia no se hace Cristo así nada más, ella es por siempre la sierva que El amorosamente eleva y hace Su Esposa; ella busca Su rostro a través de estos últimos días (Ratzinger, p. 39) Es en esta unidad, que nosotros buscamos hacer la Voluntad de Dios! Esto podría parecer un gran reto. A los ojos del mundo, quizá imposible; sin embargo, somos hijos de Dios. Creemos en la promesa de Cristo de que estará siempre con nosotros por medio de la presencia del Espíritu Santo. San Lucas nos recuerda que para Dios todo es posible (Lc. 1:37) a través del poder de lo Alto (Lc. 24:49) que es el Espíritu Santo. Fue el evento de Pentecostés con su vehemente fuego y viento del Espíritu Santo quien fundó la Iglesia. El origen de la Iglesia no fue decisión de los hombres. La Iglesia no es el resultado de la voluntad humana sino una creación del Espíritu de Dios. Este Espíritu vence al mundo del espíritu Babilónico. El deseo de poder del hombre, simbolizado en Babel, apunta al objetivo de la uniformidad, porque su interés es dominio y sujeción y es precisamente de esta manera como ofrece odio y división. Por otro lado, el Espíritu de Dios es AMOR; por esta razón trae reconocimiento y crea unidad en la aceptación de la alteridad de la otra persona: las diversas lenguas son comprensibles mutuamente. (Ratzinger, p.43) Las culturas, por muchas que sean, son capaces de acogerse mutuamente! De ahí que, esta unificación vertical, que es la participación en la vida y el amor Trinitario, tiene que ser establecido por la unificación horizontal, el amor y el respeto por cada persona, que debe ser una realidad. (Ratzinger, p.76) Oremos al respecto haciendo nuestras las palabras de la Segunda Plegaria Eucarística por la Reconciliación: Padre, haz a la Iglesia en todo el mundo signo de unidad e instrumento de tu paz. Así como nos has reunido en torno a la mesa de tu Hijo, en compañía de María, la Virgen Madre de Dios, y de todos los santos. En ese nuevo mundo donde la plenitud de tu paz será revelada, reúne también a los hombres de toda raza, lengua y condición a compartir en el único banquete eterno con Jesucristo Nuestro Señor. Amén. +Monseñor Patrick J. Zurek, Obispo de Amarillo, Carta Pastoral: E Pluribus Unum Muchas Culturas, Una Iglesia, Solemnidad de Todos los Santos, Catedral de San Lorenzo, Noviembre 1, 2010

17 January 16, 2011 Pope, Vatican Secretary Of State Mark Anniversary Of Haiti Earthquake Vatican City (CNS) Pope Benedict XVI offered his prayers and solidarity to the people of Haiti, encouraging them to build new civil and social structures as they reconstruct buildings and the country s infrastructure one year after a massive earthquake. Marking the first anniversary of the quake Jan. 12 with a telegram read by an envoy, Pope Benedict said he hoped international financial aid and volunteer assistance would continue, but he also said he hoped the Haitian people will be the chief protagonists of their present and their future. The papal envoy to Haiti, Cardinal Robert Sarah, president of the Pontifical Council Cor Unum, was taking part in events marking the anniversary of the quake, which left about 230,000 people dead and more than a million homeless. In his telegram, the pope told the people of Haiti, The time has come to rebuild not only material structures, but especially the civil, social and religious coexistence of the country. The anniversary also was commemorated in Rome where Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the Vatican secretary of state, celebrated Mass Jan. 12 with members of the diplomatic corps accredited to the Vatican and with Haitians living in Italy. The cardinal told ambassadors from around the world that the pope counted on their countries to promote and carry forward every useful initiative that would contribute to the full rebirth of Haiti. During the evening Mass at the Basilica of St. Mary Major, Cardinal Bertone said God, working in and through the church, has not abandoned the people of Haiti and is not deaf to the anguished cries of the many families who have lost everything: homes, savings, jobs and lives. A concrete and visible response passes through the solidarity of all the sons and daughters of the church, a solidarity that cannot be limited to the initial emergency, but must become an ongoing, concrete project, he said. Pope: Purgatory A Process, Not A Place Vatican City (CNS) Purgatory is like a purifying fire burning inside a person, a painful experience of regret for one s sins, Pope Benedict XVI said. A soul stained by sin cannot present itself to God, the pope said Jan. 12 at his weekly general audience. The pope spoke about purgatory in an audience talk dedicated to the life and mystical writings of St. Catherine of Genoa, a 15thcentury married woman who ran Genoa s largest hospital. Married at age 16 to an older man with a gambling problem, she initially lived a very worldly life, the pope said, but after about 10 years, she was struck by the emptiness of her life, especially in comparison to the greatness of God s love. She began a life of purification, which, for a long time, made her experience constant pain for the sins she committed and pushed her to impose penances and sacrifices on herself to demonstrate her love to God, the pope said. Although she is the author of a Treatise on Purgatory, Pope Benedict said, she never received specific revelations about purgatory or the souls that are being purified there. Rather, her deep prayer and focus on the conflict between human sin and God s love led her to understand how logically a person who has sinned would not be worthy to be in the presence of an all-loving, all-perfect God, the pope said. Pa p a l/lo c a l WYD Delegates Meet Feb. 5 Amarillo Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life? will be the theme of the next meeting for the delegation from the Diocese of Amarillo planning to attend World Youth Day in Madrid. The meeting will take place Saturday, Feb. 5 from 10am to 5pm at the Franciscan Sisters of Mary Immaculate Convent, 4301 NE 18th. Bishop Patrick J. Zurek will lead the meeting, which will include a potluck lunch at noon and Mass, according to Oscar Guzman, diocesan youth director. Our delegates are getting excited about World Youth Day, said Guzman. This meeting is for all pre-registered participants and anyone else interested in knowing more about World Youth Day In other diocesan youth news, appointed parish youth representatives and/or registered Covenant Teen members are invited to attend a meeting Sunday, Jan. 30. Activities begin with Mass at 10am at Our Lady of Vietnam Church, 2001 North Grand, followed by lunch at 11am in the library at the Franciscan Sisters of Mary Immaculate Convent, 4301 NE 18th. Training will be conducted from 1 to 5pm, with the theme Times of Change. For more details about these events, Guzman at oguzman@amarillodiocese.org or call him at , ext Amarillo All catechists in the Diocese of Amarillo are encouraged to attend one of five courses on the Sacraments of Initiation, being offered in February and March, according to Sister Janet Abbacchi, SSND, coordinator of the Diocesan Office of Faith Formation. The Sacraments of Initiation course is the fourth in a series of courses for the Faith Formation Basic Course, said Sister Janet. This series began in the fall of 2009 with Introduction to the Scriptures, followed by Prayer The Four Types of Prayer and last fall, the third class in the series dealt with Morality, she said. The schedule for the courses on the Sacraments of Initiation are: Saturday, Feb. 12, 9:30am to 12:30pm in the Central Deanery at St. Mary s Church, 1200 South Washington in Amarillo. Presenting the course in both English and Spanish will be Monsignor Harold Waldow; Saturday, Feb. 19, 9:30am to 12:30pm in the South Deanery at St. Anthony s Church. 115 N 25 Mile Avenue in Hereford. The West Texas Catholic 17 Sacraments Of Initiation Course To Begin Feb. 12 English portion will be presented by Father John Valdez, while Deacon Leo Ramos will present the course in Spanish; Saturday, March 5, 10:00am to 1:00pm in the North Deanery at Sts. Peter and Paul Church, 10th and Maddox, Dumas. Monsignor Harold Waldow will be the presenter in both English and Spanish; and, Saturday, March 12, 9:30am to 12:30pm in the East Deanery at St. Vincent de Paul Church, 810 West 23rd in Pampa. Father Francisco Perez will be the presenter. There is no charge for this course, said Sister Janet. All catechists in the Diocese of Amarillo are expected to attend one of the four courses. We ask that participants bring a Bible, pen and pad and choose a date that is convenient to them. For more information, please contact your parish DRE or Sister Janet Abbacchi, SSND, coordinator of the Diocesan Office of Faith Formation at the Diocesan Pastoral Center, , ext 113. There is also information on the Diocese of Amarillo website, The West Texas Catholic: The Audio Version Fridays at noon, Saturday mornings at 11 and Sunday afternoons at 1 on your Catholic radio station, St. Valentine s Radio 1360AM, KDJW

18 18 West Texas Catholic Lo c a l January 16, 2011 Anthony, Abbott ( ) Feast Day: Jan. 17 The dates above are correct, not a typographical error. This St. Anthony lived to be 105 years old! Born in Egypt, St. Anthony is honored as the founder of Christian monasticism. His parents died when he was 20 and left him a sizable estate, but one morning at Mass he heard the words of the Gospel, Go and sell what United Catholic Appeal Steward Saints you have and give the money to the poor, as if the words were directly specifically at him. He sold his possessions, left his younger sister in the care of some goodhearted neighbor woman and began to live a solitary, ascetic life. He later moved to the desert, where, except for a couple of visits to Alexandria, he remained, living a life of mortification and prayer. His obvious holiness and total consecration to God drew others to him, and he helped and guided many who chose to embrace his austere lifestyle. May the example of this solitary friend of God inspire us to reorder our priorities and put God first in our lives, too. Steward Saints, from the book Steward Saints for Every Day, written by Sharon Hueckel 1999 the National Catholic Stewardship Council. End Of Year Appeal Nets Over $32,000 Amarillo Figures released by the Diocesan Office of Development and Stewardship shows that more than $32,000 was raised in the End of Year Appeal for Our campaign was the most successful appeal yet, said Kim Richard, diocesan Director of Development and Stewardship. More than $16,000 was given to the Diocesan Seminary Burse Fund, which helps cover the costs of tuition, room and board, meals and books for the seven young men who are currently studying to one day become priests of our diocese. Richard said that over $10,000 was received from generous donors to assist in the purchase of new technology and equipment for Holy Cross Catholic Academy, Amarillo. The total cost of that project is $50,000, she said, and the support received during our End of Year appeal will help bring this project to fruition in time for the school year. Other monies received from the appeal went to operational and tuition assistance for HCCA, the Diaconate Office and miscellaneous ministries as specified by donors. Please continue to pray for Vocations to the Priesthood and Religious Life for the Diocese of Amarillo City Parish Parish Quota Pledged Amount Amount Paid By Parishioners By Parishioners Amarillo St. Laurence Cathedral $43,827 $26,662 $13,744 Amarillo Our Lady of Vietnam $8,416 $8,510 $8,510 Amarillo Blessed Sacrament $19,839 $28,690 $10,800 Amarillo Our Lady of Guadalupe $29,868 $29,996 $12,182 Amarillo St. Francis of Assisi $9,544 $7,214 $5,884 Amarillo St. Hyacinth's $26,129 $38,445 $23,005 Amarillo St. Martin de Porres $11,112 $11,512 $2,720 Amarillo St. Joseph's $27,357 $30,605 $16,512 Amarillo St. Mary's $129,576 $141,151 $84,156 Amarillo St. Thomas the Apostle $119,104 $148,241 $103,024 Booker St. Peter's $2,901 $6,623 $1,373 Borger St. John's $31,449 $33,665 $16,316 Bovina St. Ann's, Bovina $10,250 $10,250 $6,027 Cactus Our Lady of Guadalupe $6,234 $2,830 $1,470 Canadian Sacred Heart $7,865 $11,300 $4,065 Canyon St. Ann's, Canyon $42,780 $45,263 $28,708 Childress Holy Angels $7,280 $4,325 $3,603 Clarendon St. Mary's $3,034 $2,760 $1,900 Dalhart St. Anthony's $36,165 $38,813 $29,258 Dimmitt Immaculate Conception $11,398 $12,961 $5,507 Dumas Sts. Peter and Paul $31,137 $20,194 $12,929 Friona St. Theresa's $9,941 $9,941 $2,650 Groom Immaculate Heart $14,121 $16,150 $12,295 Gruver Cristo Redentor $2,191 $6,388 $1,368 Happy Holy Name $2,128 $2,145 $1,295 Hart St. John's $5,312 $7,692 $2,842 Hereford St. Anthony's $51,545 $58,975 $42,490 Hereford San Jose $28,774 $39,473 $8,985 Kress St. Paul's $2,702 $2,436 $681 Memphis Sacred Heart $4,580 $2,522 $1,762 Nazareth Holy Family $27,448 $28,161 $17,701 Pampa St. Vincent de Paul $41,012 $48,245 $26,745 Panhandle St. Theresa's $8,986 $9,444 $7,319 Perryton Immaculate Conception $15,922 $20,538 $11,048 Quitaque St. Juan Diego $1,497 $1,525 $1,220 Shamrock St. Patrick's $7,006 $8,925 $7,850 Silverton Our Lady of Loreto $2,234 $2,748 $1,238 Spearman Sacred Heart $15,376 $15,971 $7,210 Stinnett St. Ann's $1,426 $1,650 $955 Stratford St. Joseph's $5,004 $5,715 $3,716 Sunray Christ the King $2,791 $3,765 $1,655 Texline St. Mary's $2,035 $4,165 $3,095 Tulia Church of the Holy Spirit $14,083 $12,779 $5,074 Turkey St. Elizabeth Ann Seton $794 $1,173 $1,143 Umbarger St. Mary's $8,733 $12,745 $8,910 Vega Immaculate Conception $9,768 $14,330 $11,920 Wellington Our Mother of Mercy $2,764 $3,190 $2,501 Wheeler St. Mary's $3,160 $3,788 $2,478 White Deer Sacred Heart $7,219 $3,151 $3,151 Diocesan Anon $2,608 $800 $913,817 $1,010,348 $591,790 Annual Catholic Campus Minisries Fundraiser Set For Feb. 5 Amarillo Tickets are still on sale for the annual benefit auction for Catholic Campus Ministries. The event will take place from 6pm to midnight Saturday, Feb. 5 at St. Thomas the Apostle Church, 4100 South Coulter. Advance tickets are on sale for $25, according to Father Dan Dreher, CCM chaplain and executive director, who said tickets at the door will run $35 each. The evening includes dinner, music provided by Young Country and a live and silent auction. A number of vacation packages will be auctioned off throughout the evening, A raffle drawing will also take place, with a chance to win $1,500 and a two-night stay in Las Vegas or San Antonio. Tickets for the raffle are $10 each and are also on sale. Based in Canyon, Catholic Campus Ministries serves the campuses of West Texas A&M University in Canyon and Amarillo College. Donations continue to be accepted at this time for both the live and silent auctions. For more details about the annual benefit auction for Catholic Campus Ministriesor to assist CCM in its mission, please call Father Dreher or Betty Aragon at the Catholic Student Center at West Texas A&M University at

19 January 16, 2011 Seminary Burse Report Diocese of Amarillo Se m i n a r i a n s West Texas Catholic 19 Contributions: thru December 2010 Seminary Burse Report Diocese of Amarillo Donations in Honor/Memory of Anthony & Katherine Paschel $ Contributions: Arnold Husmann thru December 2010 $ Deceased Members of the Handing Family $ Donations Emily in Diller/Jim Honor/Memory & Emily of Pavlicek $ 4, Floyd Anthony Detten & Katherine Paschel $ Francis Arnold Husmann Diller $ Frank Deceased & Ethel Members Knabeof the Handing Family $ John Emily Casasanta Diller/Jim & Emily Pavlicek $ 4, Laura Floyd Detten Hernandez $ Miscellaneous Francis Diller $ 1, Raymond Frank & Ethel & Gladys KnabeCutshall $ Rev. John Gary Casasanta Sides $ 1, Rev. Laura Richard Hernandez Neyer $ Steve Miscellaneous & Rosalie Chontos $ 1, Terry Raymond Olay& Gladys Cutshall $ Rev. Gary Sides $ 7, , Rev. Richard Neyer $ Steve & Rosalie Chontos $ Open Burses Terry Olay $ Andrew Kershen $ 7, Anthony & Katherine Paschel Amarillo Diocesan Council of Catholic Women No. 2 $ 1, Open Burses Arnold Husmann $ 2, Arthur Andrew Hapanowicz Kershen $ Bishop Anthony Leroy & Katherine Mattheisen Paschel $ 1, Catholic Amarillo Daughters Diocesan Council of the Americas of Catholic Burse Women No. 2No. 2 $ 2, , Catholic Arnold Husmann Family Fraternal of Texas $ 1, , Catholic Arthur Hapanowicz Life Insurance, Umbarger $ Catholic Bishop Leroy Order Mattheisen of Foresters $ 1, Clementine Catholic Daughters Renner of the Americas Burse No. 2 $ 2, , Diocesan Catholic Family Committee Fraternal of 2000 of Texas $ 2, , Emily Catholic Diller/Jim Life Insurance, & Emily Umbarger Pavlicek $ 4, Floyd Catholic Detten Order of Foresters $ Francis Clementine Diller Renner $ 2, Francis Diocesan Neusch Committee of 2000 $ 2, Frank Emily & Diller/Jim Ethel Knabe & Emily Pavlicek $ 4, Fred Floyd Teichman Detten $ Holy Francis Trinity Diller $ 3, Jim Francis ToddNeusch $ Joan Frank Frost & Ethel Knabe $ John Fred Teichman Cassanta $ Josephine Holy TrinityLange Burse No. 2 $ 3, Kathleen Jim ToddColwell $ 1, Knights Joan Frost of Columbus $ 3, Marian John Cassanta McKnight and Bernard Zimmerer $ 5, Matilda Josephine Baca Lange Burse No. 2 $ Msgr. Kathleen Fred Colwell Hyland $ 1, , Msgr. Knights Kevin of Columbus Hand $ 7, , Msgr. Marian Monroe McKnight Matthiesen and Bernard Zimmerer $ 5, Msgr. Matilda Norbert Baca Kuehler $ Msgr. Pete Fred Di Hyland Benedetto $ 1, , Msgr. Peter Kevin Morsch Hand $ 4, , Msgr. Vaughn Monroe Matthiesen $ Owen Msgr. Norbert Seamans Kuehler $ 4, Patrick Msgr. Pete O'Neill Di Benedetto $ 1, Raymond Msgr. Peter & Gladys MorschCutshall $ 4, Rev. Msgr. Gary Vaughn Sides $ 2, Rev. Owen J. Seamans Arnold Carlson $ 4, Rev. Patrick Richard O'Neill Neyer $ 3, Sammy Raymond Gonzales & Gladys Sr. Cutshall $ Serra Rev. Gary Club Sides of Amarillo Burse No. 4 $ 4, , St. Rev. Anthony's J. Arnold Church Carlson - Hereford $ 3, St. Rev. John Richard the Evangelist Neyer $ 3, , Steve Sammy & Gonzales Rosalie Chontos Sr. $ Terry Serra Olay Club of Amarillo Burse No. 4 $ 4, Undesignated St. Anthony's Church and Miscellaneous - Hereford $ 3, , St. John the Evangelist $ 3, Total Open Steve Burses & Rosalie Chontos $ 74, Closed Terry Burses Olay $ 850, Total Original Undesignated Burses and Miscellaneous $ 924, , Total Open Burses $ 74, Market Value of Investments as of November 30, 2010 Closed Burses $ 850, Mission Management & Trust Co. 895, Total Original Burses $ 924, , Market Value of Investments as of November 30, 2010 Mission Management & Trust Co. $ 895, $ 895, Meet Your Seminarians Name: Adam Gonzales Age: 22 Date of Birth: Oct. 12, 1988 Hometown: Pampa Where Are You Studying? Conception Seminary College, Conception, MO The Unique Thing About Where I m Studying is Our seminary is run by the monks of Conception Abbey. They are involved in our seminary life in many ways. Many of them are our spiritual directors, administrators and professors. When Did You Receive Your Call To The Priesthood? I received my call to Priesthood at a young age. I think I was about 8 or 9 years old. I went a while really wondering whether what I was feeling was for real or just an idea put into my head by others. I left the thought of priesthood alone for a short while during middle and high school, but still felt the call. I graduated from Holy Cross Catholic Academy in May I entered college seminary in the Fall of Most Interesting Thing About The Seminary Life Life in seminary is seldom boring. Despite the seldom-changing routine of prayer, classes and various meetings, there is always something going on at the seminary. Our seminary community is made up of young men from different states and countries. Each guy contributes to the community by bringing with him his background and upbringing. Hobbies: I write poetry, study MMA (Mixed Martial Arts), enjoy reading and listening to music. I also enjoy mountain biking when the weather allows. Favorite Movie(s): Hmm this is tough I enjoy anything Disney/Pixar, psychological thrillers, and most comedies. Favorite Book(s): The Harry Potter Series, Above His Shoulders, books about psychology and criminal minds and just about any good thriller. Favorite Television Show(s): I very seldom watch television. Favorite Sports Team(s): Texas A&M (Whoop!), other than that, I don t watch much sports. Role Models: My pastor, Monsignor Harold Waldow. He has always been supportive of me and the wisdom he has shared with me has helped me to be a better Christian man. Target Date For Ordination: Not quite sure. It s not something I ve begun planning yet. Words Of Wisdom For Those Discerning Their Vocation? A favorite quote of mine from Henry David Thoreau has helped me in times when I feel afraid of following my call, especially since it is one that is not considered normal by most people my age. If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away. Henry David Thoreau Don t be afraid to march to the unique call you hear in your heart, wherever it may lead you. Pray The Rosary...Daily... Please remember in prayer the clergy of the Diocese of Amarillo who died during the month of February: Father Leo Lavoie, Feb. 3, 1978 Monsignor Stanley Crocchiola, Feb. 6, 1996 Father Elmer J. Toups, CSsR, Feb. 7, 1995 Father Michael Dermot O Brien, Feb. 11, 1978 Father William M. Hammond, Feb. 13, 1971 Deacon Richard Morris, Feb. 14, 1995 Father Francis R. Crowe, O.P., Feb. 16, 2010 Father Raymond Gillis, S.A., Feb. 20, 1988 Father Bernard Cletus McGorry, S.A., Feb. 20, 1992 Deacon Raymond Solano, Feb. 23, 2000

20 20 West Texas Catholic Es p a ñ o l 16 de Enero, 2011 WTC: El Papa Benedicto XVI escribió una carta a los seminaristas. Sírvase decirnos más sobre lo que el Papa nos dice a todos a través de esta carta. Obispo Zurek: El Papa Benedicto escribió una carta muy interesante y personal recordando a los seminaristas su deber en este tiempo privilegiado que llamamos formación en el seminario. Dices correctamente que deseo compartir esta carta con todos pues creo que en forma indirecta nos la dirige a todos. Todo cristiano católico debe tenerla en cuenta. Los seminaristas no surgen del vacío; vienen de familias católicas. Así pues, el mensaje es muy conmovedor y apropiado para todos nosotros. El Papa Benedicto relata primero que en 1944, al ser reclutado en el servicio militar alemán, que en ese tiempo era Alemania Nazi, el comandante preguntó a los jóvenes qué planeaban hacer después del servicio militar. Josef Ratzinger, así lo llamaban entonces, contestó simplemente que quería ser sacerdote católico. Irónico, el comandante dijo que debía considerar ser algo diferente porque la Nueva Alemania ya no necesitaba sacerdotes. A menudo eso me recuerda las experiencias de muchos de mis compañeros cuyas familias los desheredan cuando se ordenan al sacerdocio. También me recuerda lo que una tía dijo cuando dije a mi familia que me iba al seminario, Porqué quieres hacer eso? Tienes tan brillantes posibilidades. Podrías ganar tanto dinero. Con el tiempo cambió de parecer y sintió gratitud que yo me hice sacerdote. Nuestros seminaristas actuales encuentran estos retos cuando deciden entrar al sacerdocio. Ahora el Papa nos recuerda que las situaciones han cambiado desde Alemania Nazi o Europa comunista. Pero mucha gente aún piensa que el sacerdocio católico no es una carrera para el futuro que pertenece al pasado. Algo muy bello de nuestros seminaristas y de muchos por todo el mundo es que aún así decidieron entrar al seminario. A pesar de las objeciones y opiniones negativas, hoy están en formación. Pienso que ellos entienden, como los ministros de la Iglesia entendemos que la gente siempre necesitará a Dios. La gente entiende que La Oficina de la Coordinadora de Asistencia a Víctimas en la Diócesis de Amarillo Para expresar preocupaciones, hacer preguntas o reportar abuso sexual comuníquense con: Belinda Taylor 1615 S. Roberts Amarillo, TX Fax: Entrevista con el Obispo Patrick J. Zurek en esta época de tecnología y gran globalización mundial, la tecnología no tiene las respuestas. La gente siempre necesitará a Dios que se manifiesta en Jesucristo. Como dice San Pablo en su Carta a los Romanos, la gente sabe por instinto o razón que Dios existe. Comentó el Papa que Dios nos ha creado a todos y nos conoce. Dios es tan grande que tiene tiempo aun para lo pequeño en nuestras vidas. La Escritura dice cada cabello de tu cabeza ha sido contado. Tanto así está Dios inmiscuido en nuestras vidas. Dios vive y nos necesita para servirlo y traer a otros hacia Él. Es importante ser sacerdote y ayudar a la gente a definir y conocer el gran misterio de la vida y hasta de la muerte. El Papa hizo comentarios que me gustaría que reflexionáramos sobre ellos al prepararnos para celebrar el Mes de Oración por las Vocaciones en Enero. Primero, quien desee ser sacerdote debe ser primero un Hombre de Dios. En las Escrituras, Hombre de Dios es un término que se aplica a un profeta, una persona elegida para algo especial en la mente de Dios. El hombre de Dios también conoce a Dios bastante bien por medio de oración Escritura y servicio. El Papa nos recuerda que Dios no es una hipótesis abstracta o teoría; no es algún extraño que se alejó después de la Gran Explosión. Dios envió a su Hijo Jesús para que en Jesús viéramos el Rostro del Padre. El Papa Juan Pablo II a menudo nos recordaba que la juventud no quiere aprender lo que Jesús enseñó, no quiere aprender las enseñanzas de la Iglesia; primero quieren ver a Jesús. El Papa recuerda a los seminaristas que aunque todo cristiano debe ser el Rostro de Cristo, el sacerdote y el seminarista deben serlo en forma singular. El sacerdote no es sólo el líder de una asociación sino el que forma communio, esa relación especial entre la Trinidad y la comunidad de bautizados. Nos exhorta a escuchar a Dios en las Escrituras, a orar y meditar sobre ellas, a traer todos nuestros gozos, esperanzas, problemas, derrotas y gratitudes ante Dios para que Él los bendiga. El segundo punto que trata el Papa es que Jesús no sólo es el Verbo sino el Verbo Encarnado que aún existe entre nosotros en los Sacramentos. Podemos tocar a Cristo y Él puede tocarnos especialmente en la Eucaristía en donde se nos da ese Pan de Vida super substancial que nos une a Él. El Papa dice también que el Sacramento de la Penitencia es muy importante para el mundo, no sólo para seminaristas sino para todo católico. Aunque algunos digan que van a cometer el mismo pecado mañana o pasado, muchos preguntan por qué hay que confesarse. El Papa nos anima a seguir luchando agradecidos y conscientes de que Dios siempre nos perdona si no somos indiferentes y abandonamos la lucha por la santidad y auto superación. Dios nos perdonó hasta nuestros pecados futuros para poder darnos su gracia hoy y para ayudarnos a estar siempre unidos con Él. El Papa nos convoca, especialmente a los seminaristas, a no abandonar la piedad o religiosidad que eran tan comunes y ahora existen más entre los inmigrantes orientales o de Latinoamérica. La piedad da paso a la fe que entra en el corazón y da forma a la vida y emociones de la comunidad. La religiosidad popular puede fortalecernos como Pueblo de Dios. Esto incluye la oración en el hogar; antes y después de las comidas y oraciones ofrecidas en familia. Esperamos que los seminaristas estudien y aprendan la teología. De hecho, necesitamos todos saber la enseñanza de la Iglesia. De qué otro modo podemos formar nuestras conciencias y conocer a Cristo de cerca y ser la levadura en la masa, ser la luz en el mundo, la sal en la tierra? Aprendemos teología no sólo para saber la enseñanza sino para poder responder a preguntas de amigos que no son católicos o aun de amigos católicos de poca fuerza en su fe. Podemos dar respuestas razonables que les ayudarán a crecer en su propia fe. Por último el Papa dijo que los seminaristas de hoy vienen de un continente espiritual totalmente diferente, es decir de diversas espiritualidades; pertenecen a grupos de Foccolare; Comunión y Liberación, Neo-Catecumenado. Cada seminarista, incitado por el grupo, cree que ese es el único modo. En el seminario aprenden a integrar todo esto y a ver lo bello y necesario de estas diferentes espiritualidades. Puede decirse lo mismo de los católicos. No hay una sola espiritualidad o cultura seglar. Todos juntos formamos el gran mosaico del Rostro de Dios. Debemos mostrar al mundo el Rostro de Dios en la forma en que vivimos el Evangelio, en la comunión entre culturas y espiritualidades diferentes. Damos al país y la sociedad en que vivimos una nueva armonía y unidad y desechamos la polarización que surge periódicamente. Por favor oren por los seminaristas. Por favor oren al Señor por más vocaciones al Sacerdocio y a la Vida Consagrada al servicio de la iglesia local. Curso de Formación en la Fe Enfoque: Los Sacramentos de Iniciación Los Sacramentos son signos eficaces de la gracia, instituidos por Cristo y confiados a la Iglesia por los cuales nos es dispensada la vida divina. Catecismo de la Iglesia Católica, 1131 Amarillo Invitamos a los catequistas de la Diócesis de Amarillo a asistir a una de las cinco clases sobre los Sacramentos de Iniciación en febrero o marzo, dijo la Hermana Janet Abbacchi, SSND, coordinadora de la Oficina Diocesana de Formación en la Fe. Los Sacramentos de Iniciación son el cuarto curso en la serie Curso Básico de Formación en la Fe, dijo la Hermana Janet. La serie empezó en el otoño de 2009 con Introducción a las Escrituras, después Oración Los Cuatro Tipos de Oración y la tercera clase en la serie dscutió la Moralidad. Las fechas de los cursos sobre los Sacramentos de Iniciación son: Sábado, febrero 12, 9:30am a 12:30pm, en el Decano Central en la Iglesia de Saint Mary, calle Washington 1200 Sur en Amarillo. Monseñor Harold Waldow dará la clase en inglés y español. Sábado, febrero 19, 9:30am a 12:30pm en el Decano Sur, Iglesia Saint Anthony, calle 25 Mile Avenue 125 Norte en Hereford. El Padre John Valdez dará la clase en inglés y el Diácono Leo Ramos dará la clase en español. Sábado, marzo 5, 10am a 1:00m, Decano Norte, Iglesia de San Pedro y San Pablo, calles 10 y Maddox en Dumas. Monseñor Harold Waldow dará la clase en inglés y español. Sábado, marzo 12, 9:30am a 12:30pm, Decano Este, Iglesia de Saint Vincent de Paul, 810 Calle 23 en Pampa. El Padre Francisco Pérez dará la clase. No se cobra por este curso, dijo la Hermana Janet. Todo catequista de la Diócesis de Amarillo debe asistir a una de las clases. Les pedimos que traigan su Biblia, pluma y cuaderno y escojan una fecha que les sea conveniente. Para mayores informes acuda a su Director(a) Parroquial de Educación Religiosa o llame a la Hermana Janet Abbacchi, SSND, coordinadora de la Oficina Diocesana de Formación en la Fe en el Centro Pastoral Diocesano , ext También puede indagar en el portal de Internet de la Diócesis de Amarillo, Fiesta de Gala Mardi Gras La parroquia de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe en Amarillo tendrá su Fiesta de Gala Anual Mardi Gras, el Sábado, 5 de Marzo en el salón Khiva Shrine, calles 5 y Fillmore. Las actividades tendrán lugar de las 6pm hasta media noche. El evento es para recaudar fondos para un Centro de Actividades. El boleto de $50 incluye: cena preparada por la Taquería Rivera, baile con la música de The Hometown Boys de Lubbock, ganadores del trofeo de Tejano Music Awards y la oportunidad de ganar premios en un sorteo, inclusive una televisón moderna de 32 pulgadas. Habrá subasta en silencio y otras actividades. Para mayores informes llame a la parroquia de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe, ó a Sam Meza, Ya hemos recaudado $528,000 y nos aproximamos más a nuestra meta. Gracias por su apoyo y esperamos verlos en la Gala. Intenciones del Papa Benedicto XVI para 2011 Por favor únanse a millones de personas del mundo entero que cada día rezan por las intenciones mensuales del Papa Benedicto XVI. Desde 1844 los miembros del Apostolado de Oración se han ofrecido a Dios por la salvación de almas, la Iglesia, las intenciones de todos los Apóstoles de Oración y las intenciones del Papa. El Santo Padre nos da dos intenciones cada mes una es intención general y la otra es una intención por las misiones mundiales. ENERO El Cuidado de la Creación. Que las riquezas del mundo creado se preserven, se valúen y se hagan disponibles como un precioso don de Dios para todos. La Unidad de los Cristianos. Que los cristianos alcancen unidad plena y sean testigos de Dios como Padre de todo el mundo.