Dedication of St. John Lateran

If you were to ask 100 people the following question: What is the name of the Pope's main church in Rome? I would guess the 100 people would answer: St. Peter's Basilica. WRONG!

Survey says, "St. John Lateran."

Remember, St. Peter's Basilica is technically not in Rome, but in Vatican City, a sovereign city-state within Italy. St. John's is the Cathedral Church for the Diocese of Rome and since the Pope is the Bishop of Rome, his main church is St. John Lateran (aka the Lateran).

American Catholic tells us: The first basilica on the site was built in the fourth century when Constantine donated land he had received from the wealthy Lateran family. That structure and its successors suffered fire, earthquake and the ravages of war, but the Lateran remained the church where popes were consecrated until the popes returned from Avignon in the 14th century to find the church and the adjoining palace in ruins.

Pope Innocent X commissioned the present structure in 1646. One of Rome’s most imposing churches, the Lateran’s towering facade is crowned with 15 colossal statues of Christ, John the Baptist, John the Evangelist and 12 doctors of the Church. Beneath its high altar rest the remains of the small wooden table on which tradition holds St. Peter himself celebrated Mass. Today, the church celebrate's it's dedication.

Unlike the commemorations of other Roman churches (St. Mary Major, Sts. Peter and Paul), this anniversary is a feast. The dedication of a church is a feast for all its parishioners. St. John Lateran is, in a sense, the parish church of all Catholics, for it is the pope's parish, the cathedral church of the Bishop of Rome. This church is the spiritual home of the people who are the Church.

The church is truly magnificent. My wife and I visited St. John's last year. Incidentally, a little Franciscan fun fact. When St. Francis was seeking papal approval for is order of lesser brothers, he visited Pope Innocent III at St. John Lateran.

Initially, Innocent did not approve. The following day, Innocent reported he had a dream of Francis holding up a tottering Lateran. He then approved Francis' order of lesser brothers. Today, commemorating that event, there is a statue of Francis and his companions across the street looking at the Lateran.

Woman Rabbi finds herself tangled in an Interfaith web

Rabbi Susan Talve probably had no idea what she was getting herself into when she provided hospitality for a group of dissident women claiming to be ordained Catholic priests.

National Catholic Reporter : Two Catholic women are being ordained by Roman Catholic Womenpriests here Nov. 11, prompting outrage from Catholic officials -- outrage that, surprisingly, is directed less at the women aspiring to the Catholic priesthood, or at the movement ordaining them, than toward a rabbi who agreed to host the event.

The women to be ordained are Elsie Hainz McGrath, a retired writer and editor for a Catholic publishing house, and Rose Marie Dunn Hudson, a former teacher. Bishop Patricia Fresen, who was for many years a Dominican nun, ordained the women as deacons Aug. 12 and will perform the ceremony here. The women are among a growing number of deacons, priests and bishops ordained in the Roman Catholic Womenpriests movement. Based on responses to formal invitations, Hudson said organizers are expecting 300 to 400 to attend.

Noting that ordaining women is forbidden by Catholic canon law, St. Louis Archbishop Raymond Burke wrote to Rabbi Susan Talve, senior rabbi at Central Reform Congregation -- the synagogue host -- urging her to revoke her offer of hospitality. Meanwhile, the director of the archdiocesan Office of Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs, Fr. Vincent A. Heier, has excoriated Talve for her role, likening it to a Catholic pastor inviting a Holocaust denier to speak, and describing Talve’s action as a major setback to the area’s strong, hard-won Jewish-Catholic relations.

The president of the St. Louis Rabbinical Association, Rabbi Mark Fasman finds it inappropriate for a synagogue to host an event no Catholic parish would allow and, though stressing that he speaks only for himself, acknowledged that among rabbis he is not alone. He is worried that what should be a Catholic issue -- whether women can be ordained -- will provoke a backlash against Jews.

Responding to Catholic concerns, the Jewish Community Relations Council released a statement Oct. 26 distancing itself and other Jewish congregations from Talve’s decision, stressing that Judaism is non-hierarchical and congregations are autonomous. “It is our hope that an isolated act on the part of a single congregation will not be allowed to disrupt the long tradition of continued dialogue and mutual respect between our Jewish and Roman Catholic communities,” the statement said.

The fracas is one that Ronald Modras, professor of theological studies at St. Louis University, finds both fascinating and profoundly symbolic. “It’s a remarkable demonstration of sisterhood,” he said. “You have women of two faiths, Catholic and Jewish, standing together against patriarchal exclusion.” He referred to Talve’s risking the ire of Catholic officials and rabbinical colleagues, both groups predominantly male, and the Catholic women’s bucking Catholic law.

Talve, founding rabbi of Central Reform Congregation, a former president of the St. Louis Rabbinical Association and herself active in interfaith affairs, is the most prominent female rabbi in St. Louis. Her urban congregation is noted for its inclusiveness and commitment to social justice. While Talve said she regrets the pain her action has caused to Catholic and other Jewish leaders, she is not backing down.

“These two lovely women who say they want to serve their community approached us. One of our core values is hospitality and providing a shelter of peace for those who are looking for a safe place. It seemed in keeping with these values, which come right from the Torah, to provide a space for them,” she said.

This isn’t the first time Heier, the archdiocesan official, has found Talve’s values misguided. “She has done a number of things in the past few years that I think are borderline in terms of sensitivity, pushing an agenda I don’t always agree with.” In this latest action, he said, “she has moved beyond the bounds.”

For Talve, the surprise is not such anger, but the number of positive responses she has received. Just as St. Louis Jews take differing stances on Talve’s decision -- she secured the unanimous vote of her board and the support of her congregation before agreeing to serve as host -- many Catholics have come forward to thank her for sharing her sacred space. “I have received dozens of letters, scores of e-mails and many phone calls from Catholics -- women religious especially -- who are in support of our hosting the ordination and understand the values that are guiding us,” she said. “It is painful and sad for me that there are people in the Catholic community who are offended by this.”

Talve, while refraining from offering an opinion on what the Catholic church should do, wishes the women well. “I understand the call of women who want to serve in this way, and I believe women have something special to give. I have experienced this in my own life.”

Some think married priests is the answer!

Allow priests to marry seems to be answer, at least from this journalist point of view to the current clergy shortage. Roger Chesley from Virgina Pilot online thinks he has the magic bullet to solve the current clergy shortage throughout the world.

"GOD BLESS OUR overworked Roman Catholic priests. Their ranks keep thinning, the pews keep filling and dioceses across the nation are scrambling to meet the needs of the faithful.
Whether it's having one priest serve several "clustered" parishes, recruiting more permanent deacons, or increasing the roles of the laity, the Catholic Church hierarchy is struggling to find the right combination to minister to an ever-growing number of parishioners. Especially in this country, single Catholic men aren't seeking the often-austere, task-laden lives of the priesthood.

In article this week by The Pilot's Steven Vegh discussed the push by the Catholic Diocese of Richmond to boost the ranks of deacons, the ordained male clergy who can administer some sacraments but cannot do all the functions handled by priests. Deacons can be married.

A suggestion, one I've mentioned before: Allow married priests. (Though I'm a married Catholic, it's not something I'd seek personally.) A majority of U.S. Catholics favors the change, according to surveys.

I know, I know, the church is not a democracy. And the priest shortage in the United States is not as acute as in other countries, such as Mexico and in parts of Asia and Africa.
Nor am I referring to the handful of priests who were married when they converted from other faiths - mainly Episcopal or Lutheran - to Catholicism. They number only about 100, said Sister Mary Ann Walsh, spokeswoman for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

But it's clear the Catholic Church needs additional help on the altar. In 1975, there were 58,900 diocesan and religious priests in the United States, according to the nonprofit Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate. Today, there are 41,449. Meanwhile, the number of Catholics has exploded, from 48.7 million in 1975 to 64.4 million today.

Priests who have left the active ministry to marry, or those married Catholics who want the option of becoming priests, could do a great service for the faith. They would gain spiritually, and they could ease the workload of current priests.

At least the possibility of married priests was discussed two years ago, shortly after Pope Benedict XVI's tenure began, during the Synod of Bishops. The advisory body grappled with the worldwide priest shortage and whether celibacy was necessary.

In the end, church policy was not altered, but "the fact that [open discussion] even happened is significant," said James D. Davidson, sociology professor at Purdue University and one of four authors of the recently released book, "American Catholics Today."

"The idea to expand the pool of people eligible for the priesthood" has gained in intensity in recent decades, he told me by phone Thursday. "Catholics put a value on the sacrament. They see the decline of priests as a potential threat to their ability to get communion or last rites," also called anointing of the sick. Priests, not deacons, must administer the anointing and consecrate bread and wine for Holy Communion.

I might not see the change in my lifetime - the Catholic Church moves glacially. But married Catholic men should have the option of becoming priests. "

After reading the above article, I was disappointed the author mentions nothing new. What Roger and his counterparts forget, our Protestant and Jewish brethren, who allow married clergy do not have their seminaries overflowing either.

Years ago, I was dead against married priests strictly from a conservative point of view. Now, as an ordained deacon, I am still not in favor for not only traditional but practical reasons as well. In particular, the church has struggled almost 40 years in getting the diaconate to a place where families and marriages did not suffer from the demands of ministry. At the onset, believe it or not, a decent percentage of deacons were getting or have already had divorced their wives.

During my formation tenure, I have witnessed several classmates struggle with family and employment priorities. Such demands, if not properly embraced by the entire family can cause irreparable damage to one's family after ordination.

To a certain degree, because deacons have outside employment, priorities are family, employment diaconate. Realistically, it is difficult to compartmentalize these priorities. Deacons, (and I certainly do) must have understanding and charitable wives who value charitable service to the community.

I have got to believe, with married priests, the demands would be far greater and managing one's household more difficult. The church does not want to be in the business of breaking up families.

The real crisis today is not the shortage of priests but the crisis in religious and family values. When one can solve this equation, then we will start to see a reversal not only in the clergy and religious life trend but in the value of life as well.

Commemoration of All The Faithful Departed

If you have ever entered the Church of Our Savior on Park Ave and 41st street in Manhattan, your eyes are immediately drawn to the large words written across the ceiling of the high altar. “Lord it is good that we are here.”

These words were spoken by St. Peter after he witnessed the transfiguration of our Lord. It must have been a wonderful expereince, one that Peter did not want to end.

My dear friends, tonight it is good that we are here. We are gathered here in this church, united, perhaps in sorrow and sadness as we remember our family and friends who have passed away this year.

But know that as we celebrate the mystery of Christ love at every Eucharist, we are also united in faith and hope that our loved ones are now enjoying everlasting life with the Lord Jesus.

Most of us would agree that our Word is our most important asset - We rarely promise anything unless we can deliver. We are especially careful what we promise our children. They all listen very carefully to our every word and expect results when we make promises.

They will pester us to make sure we deliver.

We must also be careful what we say to adults, especially to a grieving family or friend. Often we are lost for words we greet them at a funeral home. Why? Because deep down we know that we can not magically take away their pain and suffering. Most of the time, we compromise by offering our much needed presence and support.

The same is not true when the Lord Jesus speaks. His words have meaning because he is the only one who can give us hope and offer us eternal life.

Why should we believe him?

No parent would promise their children anything if they could not keep their promises. Do you think Jesus would make a promise he couldn't keep?

Jesus knows how we feel right now.

Although the Gospels are silent on this, I am sure Jesus felt the same when his foster father Joseph died. This is a pretty safe assumption knowing that the gospels tell us how he wept when his friend Lazarus died.

The human person of Jesus felt the same pain we are feeling.

Yet we, as believers, we know that the divine person of Jesus, by his own life, death and resurrection offers humanity a chance to receive everlasting life.

Yes, we all will admit that perhaps all our loved ones, even those who were advanced in age and those who suffered with long illnesses were all taken too suddenly. Unfortunately, we can not change that.

We must find hope and consolation in the words Jesus spoke in our Gospel proclaimed this evening.

We heard him say, “Do not let your heart be troubled.”

"In my father’s house there are many dwelling places.”

“If there were not, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you?"

My dear friends, tonight, it is good that we are here. It is good that we continue to come to this place to listen more attentively to the words of Jesus, who is the way, the truth and life.

In our prayer life, we must be like children, hanging on to every word spoken by God and believing in God’s promises.

Tonight, we must commit ourselves to follow Jesus and live in faith and hope knowing that our loved ones are at peace with the Lord they most faithfully served.

Let us continue to pray for one another as we continue our journey in life, with faith in Jesus.