st. anthony messenger september 2014

ST.ANTHONYST.ANTHONYST.ANTHONYST.ANTHONYST.ANTHONYST.ANTHONYST.ANTHONYST.ANTHONYMessengerMessengerMessengerMessengerMessenger

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Simple Ways to ShareYour Faith

Holiness and Humor

From Pain to Purpose

Praying Artist

THE POPE’S RIGHT-HAND MAN

Big Stone GapBest-Seller to Big Screen

SEPTEMBER 2014 • $3.95 • FRANCISCANMEDIA.ORG

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—Karl Lagerfeld

FEATURES

14 The Pope’s Right-Hand ManCardinal Oscar Rodriguez Maradiaga leads PopeFrancis’ advisory council on Church reform.And, by the way, he has a Franciscan habit.By John Feister

22 Simple Ways to Share Our FaithEvangelization is not a strong suit for manyCatholics. Here are some practical steps to remedy that.By Martin Pable, OFM Cap

36 Why So Serious?We’re overworked and overstressed. Sister AnneBryan Smollin shows us how laughter can boostour spirits.By Christopher Heffron

42 From Pain to PurposeThe death of their son drove this couple toestablish a place of comfort for others whogrieve.By Jerri Donohue

48 The Praying ArtistPainter Stephen B Whatley reveals the redemptive spirit that shapes his life and art.By Erin Brierly

COVER STORY

30 Big Stone Gapon the Big ScreenAdriana Trigiani’s best-selling novel reflects herfaith. The book is now a major motion picture.By Beth Dotson Brown

C O N T E N T S ❘ SEPTEMBER 2014 ❘ VOLUME 122/NUMBER 4

DEPARTMENTS

2 Dear Reader

3 From Our Readers

4 Followers of St. FrancisIgnatius Maternowski,OFM Conv.

6 Reel TimeCalvary

8 Channel SurfingOprah’s Master Class

10 Church in the News

20 Live WellSleep and Rest

28 EditorialA Compassionate Nation

40 The Spirit of FrancisStripping Off Worldliness

54 Ask a FranciscanFew Pro-life Homilies

56 Book CornerAlmost Home

58 A Catholic Mom Speaks‘Because I Said I Would’

60 At Home on EarthKiss the Flowers

61 Backstory

ST.ANTHONYMessengerON THE COVERAshley Judd, as Ave MariaMulligan, heads up an all-starcast in the film adaptation ofBig Stone Gap.

Photo by Antony Platt

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2 ❘ September 2014

Every Friday afternoon at 3 p.m., several Friars Minorand many pilgrims assemble in the courtyard of a Mus-lim school in Jerusalem’s Old City to begin the Stationsof the Cross. That school is built on the probable site ofthe Fortress Antonia, where Pontius Pilate condemned

Jesus to death, and near the Dome of the Rock mosque.Across the street from the school is the Studium Biblicum Francis-

canum, a graduate school founded in 1924 for Scripture study. It con-tains a chapel for the second station (Jesus accepts his cross). Sevenother stations are commemorated along the Via Dolorosa (SorrowfulWay) until the group reaches the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, wherethe last five stations are celebrated.

In the year 400, the pilgrim Hegeria reported that she had partici-pated in a procession in Jerusalem to commemorate Jesus’ passage toCalvary. The number of stations varied over the years until 1731 whenPope Clement XII fixed it at 14, allowing all churches to have them.

Since the days of Ottoman rule, a kawas (official hired by the Chris-tians) has accompanied the pilgrims. The friars use a portable loud-speaker for outdoor stations. Franciscans have promoted the Stations ofthe Cross devotion around the world.

Our new column on Pope Francis and St. Francis of Assisi beginson page 40. For more on it, see this month’s “Backstory” on page 61.

ST.ANTHONYPublisher/CEO

Daniel Kroger, OFM

Chief Operating OfficerThomas A. Shumate, CPA

Editor in ChiefJohn Feister

Art DirectorJeanne Kortekamp

Franciscan EditorPat McCloskey, OFM

Managing EditorSusan Hines-Brigger

Associate EditorChristopher Heffron

Assistant EditorDaniel Imwalle

Editorial AssistantSharon Lape

AdvertisingFred Limke

PrintingKingery Printing Co.

Effingham, IL

ST. ANTHONY MESSENGER (ISSN #0036276X)(U.S.P.S. PUBLICATION #007956 CANADAPUBLICATION #PM40036350) Volume 122,Number 4, is published monthly for $39.00 ayear by the Franciscan Friars of St. John theBaptist Province, 28 W. Liberty Street, Cincin-nati, Ohio 45202-6498. Phone (513) 241-5615.Periodicals postage paid at Cincinnati, Ohio,and additional entry offices. U.S. POSTMAS-TER: Send address changes to: St. AnthonyMessenger, P.O. Box 189, Congers, NY 10920-0189. CANADA RETURN ADDRESS: c/o AIM,7289 Torbram Rd., Mississauga, ON, CanadaL4T 1G8.

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September 2014 ❘ 3Fr anciscanMedia.org

A Question of DirectionRemembering St. Anthony Messengerand the salesman who came to thehouse when I was a youngster, I sub-scribed for myself and my fourgrown children. As the saying goes:“Nothing stays the same.”

First, it was the June 2013 article“Sister Simone Campbell: Nun onthe Bus,” surely a group pushing theChurch envelope. In the “Church inthe News” section of St. Anthony Messenger, you report that the Vati-can bluntly rebuked the LeadershipConference of Women Religious(LCWR). Then, in the “St. Hildegardof Bingen: 12th-Century Feminist”article, you interview a former presi-dent of LCWR.

I question the direction that St.Anthony Messenger is going. It doesn’tlook good to me. In my opinion, youare not doing a good job separating

the lambs from the goats. TheChurch needs unification, not diver-sification.

Dan O’ConnorMystic, Connecticut

Absolutely Outstanding!I have two words about Alicia vonStamwitz’s article, “St. Hildegard ofBingen: 12th-Century Feminist,” inSt. Anthony Messenger’s July issue:absolutely outstanding!

Do I hear a hint of women inCatholic ministry? They wereinvolved in St. Paul’s writings! Whata great idea! Someone a long timeago said this: “Stronger than all thegreat armies is an idea whose timehas come.” That time is now!

Upon reading the “Church in theNews” section, I have a commentregarding the blunt language voicedby Cardinal Gerhard Müller and histroubles with reforming the LCWR.Cardinal Müller: Why don’t you joinPope Francis and help him reformthe Vatican?

Jim HahnArlington Heights, Illinois

Morals at the MoviesChristopher Heffron’s July article,“Hollywood and Holiness,” didachieve the goal of discussing moral-ity (or lack thereof) in today’s popculture. However, Mr. Heffron hasmissed the fact that movies with positive or religious messages forChristian audiences are making astrong comeback.

Just look at the Kendrick brothers’movies (Facing the Giants and Coura-geous). Also, Fireproof, Heaven Is ForReal, God’s Not Dead, and Son of Godare movies that had great theatricalsuccess. I think that this is a signalthat there is a large interest bytoday’s public in movies that demon-strate strong moral values.

Barbara LynchEuless, Texas

Stop Promoting the Gay LifestyleI have always tried to be a goodCatholic and abide by what the Bibleteaches us. So I was really disap-pointed with St. Anthony Messengerfor allowing Christopher Heffron’sarticle “Hollywood and Holiness” to be published, since it references Ang Lee’s 2005 film Brokeback Mountain.

I have no problem with gay peopleas long as they keep it to themselves.The more you promote the gaylifestyle, the more they want. Nowthey have equated marriage betweenman and woman to that of man andman, and woman and woman. Ibelieve that anything supporting gaypeople should be kept out of Cath-olic magazines.

Would you not agree that there isplenty of hypocrisy within theCatholic Church? Pope Francis re-acted to this topic to Brazilianreporters in 2013 by saying, “Whoam I to judge?” He should have fol-lowed that up with what the Scrip-tures teach.

Jerry R. VillaCarlsbad, New Mexico

Justified Disobedience?Your July issue makes me fear foryour reputation. The “Book Corner”column featured a review of thebook Why the Catholic Church MustChange, which claims the Church’steaching on abortion, homosexual-ity, and women’s ordination shouldchange.

In Alicia von Stamwitz’s article,“St. Hildegard of Bingen: 12th-Century Feminist,” Sister JoanChittister, former head of the LCWR,said that St. Hildegard’s disobedienceof her bishop was justified. Is theLCWR’s defiant attitude toward theVatican justified as well?

Richard FisterElsmere, Kentucky

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StAnthonyMessenger.org4 ❘ September 2014

ather Ignatius Maternowski was theonly Catholic chaplain to die on D-Day. Last June, Provincial James

McCurry, OFM Conv., praised Father Mater-nowski, a confrere, for exemplifying “good-ness and self-sacrifice above the call ofduty,” reported Catholic News Service.

Father Ignatius died in Gueutteville,France, on June 6, 1944, after being shot bya German sniper. He had parachuted withthe 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment ofthe 82nd Airborne Division.

After Army Captain Maternowski landedsafely, he began searching for a building thatcould be used as a field hospital. He foundone that was soon overcrowded withwounded soldiers. Wearing chaplain insigniaand a Red Cross armband, he sought out aGerman counterpart to see if they could setup a larger field hospital to treat thewounded from both sides. Father Ignatiuswas shot on his return from that mission.

During a commemorative ceremony inGueutteville, Father McCurry, head of OurLady of Angels Province (formed from theunion of Immaculate Conception and St.Anthony of Padua Provinces) recalled the

chaplain’s love for charity, as well as free-dom and justice. “His quiet heroism is thestuff of legend,” said Father McCurry.

Father Ignatius was only 32 at the time ofhis death. Born in 1912 in Holyoke, Massa-chusetts, he was in the first graduating class(1931) from St. Francis High School in AtholSprings, New York. He entered the Order ofFriars Minor Conventual in 1932 and wasordained six years later. He ministered oneyear as an assistant pastor and three years asa missionary preacher.

Originally buried near Utah Beach, FatherIgnatius was reburied four years later in hisprovince’s section of Mater Dolorosa Ceme-tery in South Hadley, Massachusetts. He wasposthumously award a Purple Heart. St.Francis High School has set up a memorialto Father Ignatius.

Bishop R. Richard Spencer, AuxiliaryBishop of the Archdiocese for the MilitaryServices, gave the invocation at a June 6 cer-emony attended by President François Hol-lande, President Obama, and many otherworld leaders. The bishop celebrated Massthe next day at the American cemetery atNormandy’s Omaha Beach.

Father IgnatiusMaternowski, OFMConv.

Friar-Chaplain Was ‘Quiet Hero’

F O L L O W E R S O F S T . F R A N C I S

S T O R I E S F R O M O U R R E A D E R S

A few months ago, we had guests from western Canada visitingus in New York City before boarding a cruise ship for further trav-els. Upon arrival, while taking the subway from the airport to ourhouse, they left their most crucial bag, containing all the traveldocuments, phones, and personal items, on the train. Everyone,including me, considered the bag gone.

Although I was among the doubters, I started to pray to St.Anthony, repeating my prayer throughout the day. The next day,I got a call from a man whose wife got the bag from a pair oftourists who found it on the train.

Among the travel documents there was my telephone numberwritten, just in case. I was ecstatic, and I knew right away whowas behind it. So I smiled and just said, “Thank you, thank you,St. Anthony.”

—a reader from New York City

Learn more about St. Anthony and shareyour story of how he helped you at AmericanCatholic.org/Features/Anthony.

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Travelingwith St. Anthony

Members of the new Our Lady of AngelsProvince serve in parishes, schools, nursing,and many other ministries in the UnitedStates, Costa Rica, and Ontario, Canada.One friar recently served as a military chap-lain, and another friar is a contract chaplainat Langley AFB in Hampton, Virginia.

The Archdiocese for the Military Services(AMS) was established in 1985. Already in1917, Cardinal Patrick Hayes of New YorkCity was appointed as head of chaplains.

This archdiocese is responsible for all USCatholic chaplains for the 1.8 millionCatholics at 220 military installations of theArmy, Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, andCoast Guard. Approximately 25 percent ofthe military is Catholic, but only eight per-cent of the chaplains are Catholic priests.AMS also coordinates Catholic chaplains in153 VA medical centers.

(The Conventual Friars came to theUnited States in the 1850s to care for Polishimmigrants in Texas. Immaculate Concep-tion Province was established in 1872 inSyracuse, New York. St. Anthony of PaduaProvince began in 1906.)

—Pat McCloskey, OFM


Passports as we know themdid not exist in Anthony ofPadua’s time. If they had, hiswould have been fairly full.

Born as Fernando in Portu-gal, he changed his name toAnthony when he became aFranciscan. He ministered fora short time in Morocco.When he worked in Italy,that country did not have anational government. Thesame is true for his work inFrance.

Anthony was linked to Padua only in the lastyear of his life. Following Jesus in the spirit ofFrancis of Assisi stretched Anthony’s worldtremendously. –P.M.

To learn more about Franciscan saints, visit AmericanCatholic.org/Features/Saintofday.

Wide Horizons ST. ANTHONY OF PADUA

S T . A N T H O N Y B R E A DThe National Shrine of St. Anthony is located in Cincinnati, Ohio.Consecrated in 1889, it includes a first-class relic of St. Anthonyand serves as a center for daily prayer and contemplation.

The Franciscan friars minister from the shrine. To help them intheir work among the poor, you may send a monetary offeringcalled St. Anthony Bread. Make checks or money orders payableto “Franciscans” and mail to the address below.

Every Tuesday, a Mass is offered for benefactors and petitionersat the shrine. To seek St. Anthony’s intercession, mail your petition to the address below. Petitions are taken to the shrineeach week.

To post your petition online, please visit stanthony.org, whereyou can also request to have a candle lit or a Mass offered; oryou may make a donation to the Franciscans or sign up toreceive a novena booklet.

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K JASPER, OFM

Send all postal communication to: St. Anthony Bread1615 Vine St.Cincinnati, OH 45202-6498

Click here for more information about thisprovince and the Archdiocese for Military Services.

Digital

Extras

StAnthonyMessenger .org6 ❘ Sep tember 2014

Father James Lavelle (Brendan Gleeson) ishearing confessions in his small parishchurch on Ireland’s west coast. A manbegins to speak on the other side of thescreen and tells of horrific abuse he sufferedas a child at the hands of a priest yearsbefore. The man tells an innocent FatherLavelle that he is going to kill him on Sun-day and to meet the man at the shore.

Father Lavelle talks it over with his bishop(David McSavage), and they agree that theman was not making a formal confession, soit’s OK to speak about it. Father Lavelleknows who the man is and asks the bishopif he should report this threat to the police.But the bishop, strangely, tells the priest thatit is entirely up to him.

Father Lavelle, who was ordained after hiswife’s death, must also deal with a growndaughter, Fiona (Kelly Reilly), who arrivesfrom a rehab clinic in London, as well as hisparishioners’ problems which range fromdomestic abuse to adultery. Lavelle mustface his growing fear when his beloved dogis killed and left on his doorstep, and thechurch burns down. Each day brings him

inexorably closer to his personal Calvary. He tries to run away, but returns.

Calvary, written and directed by JohnMichael McDonagh, is a profound, darkparable of innocence and trust betrayed.While screen violence is always regrettable,here it makes visible the violence againstbody and soul perpetrated on childrenwhose innocence has been—and continuesto be—stolen through the horrors of sexualabuse.

Gleeson’s Father Lavelle is a good manand totally believable, as is the victim whocannot find peace. The main themes of thefilm are faith and forgiveness. Calvary isworthy of Oscars.Not yet rated, R ■ Graphic violence and sexual references.

The GiverAfter a global disaster, the people who areleft behind are organized into sterile com-munities. They receive daily injections tosuppress their emotions so that there is nodiscord—only a superficial, bland existence

Calvary

Brendan Gleeson and Kelly Reilly are winning critical praise for their work in the Irish drama Calvary.

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New to DVDCesar Chavez

The Lego Movie

Heaven Is for Real

Moms’ Night Out

Ida

where everyone is the same. There is nosuch thing as diversity, color, music, or love.Babies are artificially conceived, born, andthen assigned to families until it is time forthem to receive their assignments for life.There is no variety: even the weather isalways the same.

Jonas (Brenton Thwaites) is about 17when he is chosen by the chief elder (MerylStreep) to be the receiver of memory fromthe Giver (Jeff Bridges). He no longer has toobey the rules. He can now experience pain.

Jonas discovers history from the Giverand learns that those who survived “theRuin” generations before gave up their free-dom in return for stability. He reads ThePlan for Sameness and realizes that he mustescape with a baby, Gabriel, whom his family had been given to nurture.

The Giver is a fine cinematic interpreta-tion of Lois Lowry’s 1993 dystopian novelfrom which newer books and films seem tobe derived, such as The Hunger Games andDivergent. Oscar winner Meryl Streep is chilling in the film. The story, directed byPhillip Noyce, deals with complex emotionsand social realities.

For a Catholic Christian audience, theo-logical themes abound, especially life,human dignity, and freedom, as well asfaith, hope, and charity. The Giver is one ofthe most meaningful films of the year.Not yet rated, PG-13 ■ Mature themes, peril, andthreatened medical execution.

When the Game Stands Tall Football coach Bob Ladouceur (Jim Caviezel)leads the De La Salle High School team ofConcord, California, that has had an 11-

season, 151-game winning streak (1992–2003). As the team prepares to go up against a formidable opposing team, CoachLadouceur deals with a heart attack and the growing unhappiness of his wife, Bev (Laura Dern), who says he doesn’t spendenough time with the family. The playersface their own family and school challengesas they learn to navigate life.

Coach Ladouceur, who started out at theschool as a religious-studies teacher, worksto build character by teaching and livingChristian virtues rather than revving upaggression and a competitive spirit. Whenone of the team members is killed, thecoach is a rock of support.

The idea of When the Game Stands Tall,inspired by Neil Hayes’ 2003 book, is betterthan its well-intentioned screen interpreta-tion. Caviezel’s Coach Ladouceur is very stoic.He doesn’t yell or badger his players. Thereis goodwill in the film, but little humor.Unfortunately, the coach’s quiet approachdoesn’t translate as well to the screen. Not yet rated, PG ■ One act of gang-related violence, smoking, some mature themes.

Sep tember 2014 ❘ 7Fr anciscanMedia .org

The Giver, which stars Oscar winner Jeff Bridges and BrentonThwaites, addresses issues such as family and personal freedom.

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Actors Michael Chiklis, left, and Jim Caviezel portray high schoolfootball coaches in the film When the Game Stands Tall.

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Catholic ClassificationsA-1 General patronageA-2 Adults and adolescentsA-3 AdultsL Limited adult audienceO Morally offensive

■ The Catholic News Service Media Review Officegives these ratings. See usccb.org/movies.

■ Find reviews by Sister Rose and others atCatholicMovieReviews.org.


Monumental MysteriesFridays, 9 p.m., Travel ChannelDid you know that Al Capone played banjo inAlcatraz’s inmate band? Or that the Leaning Towerof Pisa was nearly destroyed by Allied forces duringWorld War II? Travel Channel’s MonumentalMysteries, an entertaining and informative pro-gram, peers into the mysteries of some of theworld’s most famous structures. The result is anoften stimulating television experience.

Hosted by the affable Don Wildman, the successof this series is twofold. First, it takes a journalisticapproach to the structures and their historical sig-nificance. Second, it encourages viewers to slowdown and consider their surroundings. WhetherWildman is examining the legacy of the Egyptianpyramids or delving into the bloodied history ofour own national monuments, this series is a rompthrough some of history’s greatest mysteries.

LockupSaturdays, 9 p.m., MSNBCNot for the faint of heart, MSNBC’s Lockup is never-theless a powerhouse documentary series about lifein some of our nation’s most dangerous prisons.The field producers should be commended for put-ting the audience front and center as they peer intoprison gang politics, seemingly endless violence,and the struggle for order and peace.

Faith plays a role in this series, as inmates andthe guards who monitor them often cite prayer as asource of light in an often dark world.

UP CLOSE

Oscar winner Whoopi Goldberg is one of the personalities featuredin Oprah’s Master Class.

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Oprah’s Master ClassSundays, 10 p.m., OWNOne of the most powerful moments ofOprah’s Master Class happened in the firstseason. The late author and poet MayaAngelou looks into the camera and says inher warm but authoritative voice, “Whenyou learn, teach. When you get, give.” Thatis a timeless lesson, and this show is burst-ing with them.

Though in its fourth season, Master Classhasn’t lost any of its emotional potency. Theformat is minimalistic and deeply moving:handpicked by Oprah Winfrey herself, eachseason offers a handful of actors, athletes,journalists, and philanthropists who aremasters of their crafts. Without a moderatoror the invasive Q&A format, the masters telltheir stories directly into the camera in theirown words—every tragedy and triumph.

A recent episode featured Whoopi Gold-berg, who opened up about her struggleswith drug addiction and learning disabili-ties. Another focused on surfing legendLaird Hamilton and how he falls back onfaith to combat fear. Master Class celebratestriumph over adversity, inner strength, anda belief in a higher power.

Channel surfers should give this terrificseries a chance because, though our schooldays may be long gone, in life we neverreally leave the classroom.

© HARPO

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Philadelphia Archbishop CharlesChaput announced on July 24 thatPope Francis has accepted the offerof the US bishops to attend the Sep-tember 2015 World Meeting of Fami-lies, reported Catholic News Service(CNS). The bishops extended theinvitation to the Philadelphia meet-ing during their annual spring assem-bly, held in New Orleans this pastJune.

Speaking before his homily at theopening Mass of the TekakwithaConference in Fargo, North Dakota,Archbishop Chaput said, “Pope Francis has told me he is coming.The pope will be with us the Friday,Saturday, and Sunday of that week.”The archbishop, who is Native Amer-ican, extended the invitation to participants at the Tekakwitha con-ference, which brought togetherNative American Catholics with thegoal of reinvigorating their faith.

Along with the archbishop’s state-

ment, on July 25, Vatican spokes-man Father Federico Lombardi saidthe pope has indicated “his willing-ness to participate in the World

Meeting of Families.” According tothe Philadelphia Archdiocese, officialconfirmation of the papal visit canbe expected about six months priorto the event.

The archdiocese said in a state-ment that it is “heartened andexcited” by Father Lombardi’s com-ments. Not only will Pope Francis’visit to Philadelphia be a first forhim, but the trip will mark his firsttime in the United States since hewas elected pope in 2013.

Initiated by St. John Paul II in1994, the World Meeting of Familieswill bring together an audience fromall over the world, with its focusbeing the strengthening of the sacredbonds of family.

Agency in BaltimoreResponds to ImmigrationCrisisCatholic Charities of Baltimore, thelargest social service provider inMaryland, plans to provide aid to 50

C H U R C H I N T H E N E W S ❘ BY DANIEL IMWALLE

Pope Francis to Visit United States in 2015

10 ❘ September 2014

Pope Francis greets Archbishop Charles J. Chaput of Philadelphia, right, during his generalaudience at the Vatican March 26. The pope accepted the US bishops’ invitation to attend theSeptember 22-27, 2015, World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia.

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A woman holds her children during a Mass in Los Angeles July 20 honoring immigrants. Tensof thousands of unaccompanied migrant children have crossed the US-Mexico border.

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StAnthonyMessenger.org

On his recent album, “Hypnotic Eye,” rocker TomPetty penned a song that deals with the CatholicChurch’s sex-abuse scandal and its victims, reported theHuffington Post. The song, titled “Playing Dumb,” is abonus track on Petty’s new album, released July 29.Speaking about the Catholic Church with Billboard maga-zine, Petty said, “I’m fine with whatever religion youwant to have . . . [But] if I was in a club, and I found outthat there had been generations of people abusing chil-dren, and then that club was covering that up, I wouldquit the club. And I wouldn’t give them any moremoney.”

EWTN Global Catholic Network will open a new televi-sion studio at the Christ Cathedral in Orange, California,according to Catholic News Agency. Once known as theCrystal Cathedral, Christ Cathedral will house the newstudio by the end of 2014. Kevin Vann, bishop of the

Diocese of Orange, said that the studio will enable thenetwork to reach millions more viewers in a variety oflanguages.

EWTN is the largest religious media network in theworld, with a viewership of over 230 million televisionhouseholds spanning more than 140 countries.

World Youth Day 2016 now has an official logo,reported L’Osservatore Romano. Designed by MonikaRybczynska, the logoreflects the location ofWYD (in Krakow,Poland), as well as theyouth participating inthe event, and WYD’stheme: “Blessed arethe merciful, for theyshall obtain mercy.”

Tony Palmer, a close personal friend of Pope Francisand bishop with the Evangelical Episcopal Churches, diedsuddenly on July 20 after a motorcycle accident in hisnative United Kingdom, reported Religion News Service(RNS). Palmer had recently brought a special message toan evangelical prayer meeting in Africa from Pope Fran-cis, calling for Christian unity. Palmer met Pope Francis(then Archbishop Jorge Bergoglio) in Buenos Aires in2008, as Palmer was seeking permission to collaboratewith charismatic Catholics there.

For more Catholic news, visit AmericanCatholic.org.


NEWS BRIEFS NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL

unaccompanied immigrant childrenfrom Central America, reported CNS.In the past year, the issue of unac-companied children illegally crossinginto the United States has fueled analready-fiery immigration reformdebate.

Speaking with the Catholic Review,the archdiocesan newspaper, Cath-olic Charities executive directorWilliam J. McCarthy said, “Most ofthe responses I’ve received are fromsupporters.” In fact, the firstresponse McCarthy received was inthe form of an e-mail which was sup-portive of the agency’s decision andincluded a pledge of $200 to help thecause. Maryland Gov. Martin J.O’Malley held a meeting with 50faith leaders on July 21 to discuss

their state’s role in and response tothe crisis. With McCarthy in atten-dance, there seemed to be generalagreement among the leaders thatthe children should be connectedwith family members or with socialservice providers such as CatholicCharities.

In Los Angeles, the issue receivedspecial attention during a Mass onJuly 20 at the Cathedral of Our Ladyof the Angels. The Mass, held annu-ally, recognizes immigrants in theUnited States and their plight,reported CNS. Los Angeles Arch-bishop José Gomez presided over theMass, along with a number of bish-ops and priests. Catholics from allover Southern California attendedthe Mass, and listened to firsthand

accounts of Central Americans whohad recently crossed into the UnitedStates.

“By our kindness, let us teach ourneighbors how to be kinder. By ourhospitality, let us teach our neigh-bors how to have compassion forothers,” Archbishop Gomez said.

Pope Offers Prayers forMalaysian Airlines FlightVictimsMalaysian Airlines Flight MH17 wasshot down in eastern Ukraine onJuly 17, claiming 298 victims. Ofthose who perished, 108 were enroute to Melbourne to attend theInternational AIDS Conference, agathering for policymakers, individu-

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als with HIV, and those committedto ending the pandemic.

Sacred Heart Sister Philomene Tier-nan, on her way to Sydney, whereshe was on staff at a Catholic girls’school, was also killed.

Following the crash, the Vaticanpress office released a statement say-ing, “The Holy Father, Francis, haslearned with dismay of the tragedyof the Malaysian Airlines aircraftdowned in east Ukraine, a region

marked by high tensions. The poperaises prayers for the numerous vic-tims of the incident and for their rel-atives, and renews his heartfeltappeal to all parties in the conflict toseek peace and solutions throughdialogue, in order to avoid furtherloss of innocent human lives.”

Pope, Latin Patriarch Callfor Cessation of Violencein Holy LandAs violence has continued to inten-sify in the Holy Land, Pope Francisreached out to both Israeli PresidentShimon Peres and Palestinian Presi-dent Mahmoud Abbas to plead forpeace. According to CNS, the popepersonally contacted each leader bytelephone on July 18 to share his“very serious concerns about the cur-rent situation of conflict.” Pope Fran-cis’ calls to leaders in the Holy Landcame a day after an Israeli groundinvasion of the Gaza Strip. Accordingto a Vatican communique from July18, not only was constant prayerneeded, but “those who have politi-cal responsibilities on the local andinternational levels [should] dedicatethemselves to bring an end to allhostilities, striving to foster a truce,peace, and a reconciliation of hearts.”

According to Rome Reports on July27, referring to the conflict in theHoly Land (as well as those in Iraqand Ukraine), Pope Francis told thethousands attending the SundayAngelus, “My dear brothers and sis-ters, never resort to war! Never war! Ithink of all the children who arerobbed of their hope for a better lifeand a decent future.”

Also calling for peace was LatinPatriarch Fouad Twal of Jerusalem.Talking with CNS, Patriarch Twalsaid that the Israeli military cannotavoid harming civilians when Hamasmissiles are targeted. “We have hun-dreds and hundreds of killed people,innocent people, 80 percent inno-cent,” he said, including “mothers,children, students.”

Patriarch Twal echoed Pope Fran-cis’ plea for peace, “We ask you topray for us, pray for this peace.” A


Freed Sudanese Chris-tian Meriam Ibrahimmet with Pope Francisat the Vatican on July24, following interna-tional outcry and a har-rowing ordeal in herhome country ofSudan. According toReligion News Service,Ibrahim, who had beenimprisoned and sen-tenced to death forrefusing to renounce Christianity, gave birth to her daughter Mayawhile behind bars. Under Sudanese law, Ibrahim is considered Muslimsince her father practices Islam, despite the fact that she has practicedChristianity her whole life.

Thanks to a campaign by Christian lobby group Family ResearchCouncil and a joint effort by the United States and Italy, Ibrahim wasreleased and flown to Italy for her meeting with Pope Francis. Accord-ing to Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi, the pope“thanked her for her faith and courage, and she thanked him for hisprayer and solidarity.”

Pope Welcomes Former Prisoner

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Children in Petaling Jaya, Malaysia, hold flowers and a placard during a candlelight vigil July18 for passengers and crew of Malaysian Airlines Flight MH17.

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OME HAVE CALLED HIM the vice-pope, but Cardinal Oscar RodriguezMaradiaga is quick to dismiss that.“No, no, I’m not—no, there is novice-pope,” he tells St. Anthony Mes-

senger good-naturedly during an interview ingreater Los Angeles. “There is only one pope!”

That doesn’t mean Cardinal Rodriguez isnot at Pope Francis’ right hand. Soon afterthe pope was elected, he asked Rodriguez Mara-diaga to lead a group of eight cardinal-advisorswho would help the pope lead reforms in var-ious parts of the Church, starting with theChurch’s central governance, the Roman Curia.

The two Latin American bishops have along and close friendship. After all, CardinalRodriguez, archbishop of Tegucigalpa, Hon-duras, was once president of CELAM, the federation of South American bishops’ confer-ences. More recently, he worked closely withthe future pope—then Cardinal Bergoglio ofBuenos Aires, Argentina—at the Fifth LatinAmerican Episcopal Conference in Aparecida,Brazil, in 2007.

At that conference, many ideas were refinedthat would echo in Pope Francis’ charter exhor-

tation, “The Joy of the Gospel.” Bergoglio washead of the writing commission, notes Cardi-nal Rodriguez, and thus served as principalwriter of the council’s historic document align-ing the Church with the poor, with concern forthe environment, and with missionary zeal.Rodriguez was a member of that commission.And both, obviously, were members of theconference itself.

“We spent a lot of time together discussingand writing. And, of course, there are beauti-ful ideas [in both documents].” But, regarding“The Joy of the Gospel,” says Rodriguez ofPope Francis, “he did it by himself.”

Nonetheless, he remains a constant advisorto the pope, leading the Council of Cardinals,as we’ll see below. Yet, “all of us cardinals arehis counselors,” he insists. “He listens to thecounsels and he provokes our interventions aswell. He asks questions (and, of course, it’s alovely way of being near to him).”

The pope, no doubt, is relying on Rodriguez’sbrilliance. Somehow, between all of his atten-tion to the faithful in Honduras and now farbeyond, he finds time to exercise many talents,including as a classical pianist and a small-


B Y J O H N F E I S T E R

The Pope’sRight-HandManCardinal Oscar Rodriguez Maradiaga leads Pope Francis’ advisory council on Church reform. And, by the way, he has a Franciscan habit.

SWe all know the pope(above). CardinalRodriguez (opposite) wasasked by Pope Francis tolead an internationalcouncil of cardinalscharged to reform theCuria.

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plane aviator. He taught chemistry, physics,and music at Salesian colleges for 15 years inhis early career. He has a degree in clinicalpsychology and psychotherapy, speaks six lan-guages, and was a dean of theology.

A Salesian Franciscan?Beyond the brilliance, though, is CardinalRodriguez’s commitment to the poor. His coun-try of Honduras, where 50 percent of peoplelive in poverty, is the second poorest in Cen-tral America, and rife with violence (a key rea-

son why so many Honduran children areseeking refuge in the United States).

He has been a tireless supporter of justice forpeople in poverty, even serving, since 2007, as

president of Caritas Internationalis, a globalconfederation of 164 Catholic organizationsworking on behalf of the poor, including ourown Catholic Charities USA and Catholic ReliefServices.

“Did you know I am a Franciscan?” he asksas we walk a conference-hall corridor, lookingfor a spot to sit for a quick interview—he’s onthe move constantly, it seems. Clearly, his lovefor the poor would make him Franciscan inspirit, but, even as a Salesian, he is an officialaffiliate member of the Order of Friars Minor.“I didn’t know that the minister general hadthe privilege of affiliating me, but in 2004 hewrote me,” offering him the brown robe. “I saidyes!” he says with a smile.

“Why?” he asks, eager to tell the story.“Because Jon Bosco [the Salesian founder]wanted to be a Franciscan, and his spiritualdirector didn’t let him, because he said, ‘Youneed to be with the young,’” CardinalRodriguez recounts. “But all the time he wasa member of the Third Order [Franciscans].But I am OFM. I was given my habit and every-thing!” Rodriguez is a member of the Francis-cans because of his relationship with friars ofthe Immaculate Conception Province (NewYork City). The friars minister in Honduras,where Rodriguez has been archbishop since1993.

Cardinal Rodriguez has been in the news inrecent months for his comments on the roleof the international financial system in perpet-uating the plight of poor people worldwide.


(Below) Father JeffScheeler, OFM (left), min-ister provincial of our ownSt. John the Baptist Prov-ince, poses with CardinalRodriguez, clothed in hisFranciscan habit, at a gathering of Franciscanprovincials, whereRodriguez spoke of “theFranciscan papacy.”

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Cardinal Rodriguez is actu-ally at the pope’s left handin this October 2013photo of the new Councilof Cardinal Advisors, mostof whose members areVatican outsiders, from (lto r) Italy, Chile, India,Germany, Honduras,United States, Australia,and Congo. The purple-sashed bishop is secretaryto the council. A ninthcardinal, the Vatican secre-tary of state, was added inJuly 2014.

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His, as well as the pope’s, criticism of theworld’s economy has not been without contro-versy. At a recent speech in Washington, DC,during a Catholic University of America con-ference on Catholicism and Libertarianism,Rodriguez defended the pope’s critique ofunregulated capitalism, where the poor become“mere waste and rubbish.”

This anti-poverty expert listed plenty of sta-tistics as evidence, including the fact that 850million suffer from hunger, 2 billion lack med-icine, 1 billion lack clean drinking water, whilea minority of us live in economic well-being.

“These facts,” he says, “are the backgroundof Pope Francis’ view on the situation of thepoor in today’s asymmetric, distorted globaleconomy. This economy kills. That is whatthe pope is saying.”

Working with Pope FrancisCardinal Rodriguez’s prominent role in world-wide news, though, is as head of the pope’sadvisory council of nine cardinals. During thedays before the papal conclave, there wasmuch talk about reforming the Curia. “Andso,” Rodriguez explains, “there were proposi-tions saying that it would be necessary that thepope would have, like, a council of cardinals

who do not live in the Vatican but come fromdifferent continents. That would provideanother perspective, not only what was givenby the official channels, but also listening tothe grass roots. And this is the reason why, assoon as he became pope, he wanted to imple-ment this idea.”

It didn’t take long for the new pope to turnto his respected friend. It seems the pope hadbeen setting up this council in his own imag-ination before the conclave—Bergoglio, at leastamong the cardinals, clearly was known to bea front-runner. “I was asked by him, ‘Listen, Iam going to start this council of cardinals.Would you want to be the coordinator?’ andI said, ‘Whatever you wish, Holy Father.’ Andthis is the reason.”

The Council of Cardinal Advisors, whichincludes Boston’s Cardinal Seán O’Malley, hasmet five times since Francis became pope,including its inaugural meeting before thepapal visit to Assisi in October 2013. The widerange of topics the group is exploring includesfinancial reform of the Church’s governingbody (the Curia), the Vatican bank, limitingcareerism in the Curia, and possibly establish-ing a Congregation for the Laity. The council’sfirst major recommendations are expected in

the coming months (future meetings are thismonth, December, and February).

‘Rebuild My Church’Asked what he thinks will be the most impor-tant reform, Rodriguez tells St. Anthony Messen-ger, “The most important reform started whenhe was elected pope, choosing the name ofFrancis.” He goes on to tell a story familiar toSt. Anthony Messenger readers, how St. Franciswas “given the mission to help restore theChurch”; how, in the beginning, the Poverellothought it was about only the chapel of SanDamiano, but came to understand his mis-sion was to restore the life of the Church every-where.

“Pope Francis was elected in a time wherethere was a big, I would say, sadness in theChurch because the scandals, then theVatileaks, and then the sadness of the resigna-tion of Pope Benedict XVI,” says Rodriguez.“And so, at that moment of real depression,

Our Lord, through the HolySpirit, was given to the Churchthis new pope that is full ofenthusiasm of restoring theChurch.”

The real reformation is notchanging structures, says thecardinal, “It’s changing the

spirit inside the Church, going back to themissionary enthusiasm and especially, as ourfather Francis did, embracing Lady Poverty inorder to go to the excluded, to those who are

far from the Church, those who suffer. That’sthe way.”

Love One AnotherIt’s a way, indeed, that has captured the world’simagination. The step for Catholics every-where, says Rodriguez, is to follow the exam-ple of the pope. “When he says, ‘I want aChurch for the poor,’ it means that we cannotbe just listening to that, but putting it into prac-tice.” There are poor people everywhere, spir-itual and physical, even in “this great nation,”the United States, the Honduran observes. Wemust not close our eyes to the poor, but, rather,engage in practical acts of service.

Simple as that may seem, it is a shortcom-ing for most of us. “So many times people for-get this,” says the cardinal. “That’s why PopeFrancis is calling us to the fundament of ourfaith, which is the love of the neighbor.”

There’s time for one more question in thisshort interview between appointments for thisglobal leader. I ask him how someone evenbusier, his friend Pope Francis, gets through theday. “Well, he has the power of prayer,”observes Cardinal Rodriguez, an hour of prayerevery morning and another every evening.“He never misses that. He’s always in sym-phony with Our Lord,” says this musician.“This is the secret.”

John Feister is editor in chief of this publication. He holds mas-ter’s degrees in humanities and theology from Xavier Univer-sity, Cincinnati. His most recent book is Thank You, Sisters.

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Click here to see a PBS interview with and pagesabout Cardinal Rodriguez.

Digital

Extras

An expert on the WorldBank, Cardinal Rodriguezcalled the world financialsystem “a new idolatry” atthis June forum at Breadfor the World headquar-ters in Washington, DC.Rodriguez is president ofCaritas Internationalis.

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The real reformationis not changing structures, “it’s changing the spiritinside the Church.”

—Cardinal Oscar Rodriguez Maradiaga

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L I V E W E L L ❘ BY COLLEEN MONTGOMERY AND J IM BRENNAN

Sleep and Rest

One of my favorite things whenColleen would come home from col-lege was to make her breakfast,

though most times I’d have to wait until latemorning for her to wake. Now married and inthe workforce, she stayed over at our houserecently and told me she’d be gone before Iwoke the next morning.

“What time are you getting up?” I asked.“Five o’clock.”“Five o’clock? Is this the same young

woman who used to sleep until noon whenshe lived at home?”

Health experts agree that Americans aren’tgetting enough sleep—an important ingredi-ent to our wellness. Ilene M. Rosen, associateprofessor of clinical medicine at the Univer-sity of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School ofMedicine, says, “We want to get people tothink of sleep as important as diet and exer-cise.”

SleepRestful sleep restores the body and the mind,as well as strengthens our immune defenses,which allows us to better fight infection andillness. Studies have noted substantialamounts of tissue repair and muscle growththat occur while we sleep. Additionally, ade-quate sleep can improve our cognitive func-tion, concentration, reaction time, andretention of new information.

The optimum amount of sleep is seven toeight hours per night. Studies have linkedfewer than seven hours with serious healthissues including coronary artery disease, anxi-ety, depression, and accidents because offatigue. Lack of sleep has also been linked to ashift of hormone levels that control appetiteand cause obesity.

Listen to your body! Tiredness is a healthybody’s way of telling you it needs to restore.

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Having Trouble Sleeping?Naps should be limited to 10-30 minutes, or skip naps altogether if they interfere with nighttime sleep.

If you don’t fall asleep in 15 minutes, go to another room and do something relaxing.

Avoid electronic devices such assmartphones, high-definition televisions, or iPads near bedtime.They emit blue light waves that tellthe brain it’s time to be awake.

If you work the night shift, use window shades, sleep masks, or earplugs.

If you have sleep-related problems, tell your doctor or see a sleep specialist.


Sleeping PointersStick to a sleep schedule—even on the week-ends. Be mindful of what you eat and drinkbefore you go to bed. Overeating can causediscomfort, and drinking too much beforebedtime can lead to interrupted sleep. Avoidstimulants like nicotine and caffeine in thelatter part of the day. Alcohol may make youfeel sleepy, but it can disrupt sleep later in thenight.

Physical activity can help you fall asleepfaster and sleep more soundly, but exercisingtoo close to bedtime can energize you andkeep you awake.

A cluttered mind hinders sleep. Reducingstress by keeping organized, managing priori-ties, and delegating responsibilities helps quietthe mind at the end of the day.

Create a bedtime ritual: read, take a hotshower, listen to soft music, pray, or meditate.

RestRest rejuvenates your body and mind, regu-lates your mood, and is linked to improvedlearning and memory function. Relaxationisn’t just about resting the body, but givingthe mind a break as well. Make time duringeach day to rest.

Restful TipsSit or lie in a comfortable position. Close youreyes and breathe deeply through your nose,concentrating on a prayer. Try this for fiveminutes—optimally 15 to 20. If your mindwanders, shift your thoughts back to yourprayer.

Raise your shoulders up toward your earsand hold for five seconds. Roll one shoulder ata time, five to 10 times, and then roll bothtogether. Return to your breathing. Try thisbefore bedtime to bring yourself to a calmstate.

Jim Brennan writes about health and fitness from BucksCounty, Pennsylvania. Colleen Montgomery is a registeredclinical exercise physiologist and certified wellness coach.They collaborate on this column.

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To hear Jim Brennan’s tips on organic gardening, click thebutton on the left.

When you lie down, you need not be afraid,

when you rest, your sleep will be sweet.

—Proverbs 3:24

T IS NO SECRET that only one-third ofbaptized Catholics attend Mass on anygiven Sunday. I always say: if you hada business and you were losing two-thirds of your customers, you wouldnot just wring your hands in dismay.You would take action.

In truth, every pope since Paul VI has urgedCatholics to become more evangelizing, morewilling to share the treasure of their faith withthose who are searching for something tobelieve in and give meaning to their lives.

Pope Francis keeps telling us: the Churchmust move out of the sanctuary and into thestreets; otherwise it will become “a sickchurch.” The pope, and every conference ofbishops in the world, have called the laity tobe in the forefront of this ministry: first,because their Baptism calls them to it; andsecond, because they have the most direct andimmediate connections with those whom Jesuscalled “the lost sheep” (Mt 10:6; Jn 10:16).

Most Catholics feel incompetent to evange-lize, however. They are not sure what it means,and they don’t know how to do it. The goodnews: many are willing to learn, and the skills

can be taught. For years I have been teachinga four-hour course to lay Catholics in variousparishes on how to evangelize.

What Is Evangelization?First, we need to understand what evangeliza-tion is not. Many Catholics have stereotypicalimages of “in-your-face” evangelists: “Do youknow the Lord Jesus as your personal Savior?”“Are you saved?” Such invasive approachesare neither necessary nor helpful.

Catholic evangelization begins with livingone’s faith before talking about it. We need tobe prayerful people who nourish our faith byreading Scripture and participating in the Sun-day Eucharist. We are devoted to our families


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Simple Waysto

Share Our FaithEvangelization is not a strong suit for many Catholics.

Here are some practical steps to remedy that.

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and conscientious in our work. We treat peo-ple with dignity and respect. We share ourtime and resources with the less fortunate. Wedon’t engage in negative speech or backstab-bing. We try to create a positive and peacefulattitude in our environment. This is what PopePaul VI called “the wordless witness of yourlife.”

Next, we need to consider the people we aretrying to reach. One distinction I like to makeis between the “unchurched” and the “de-churched.” The former have never (at least asadults) been part of a church community. Theyare atheists, agnostics, and secularists who feelno need for belief in God or in anything spir-itual. The de-churched once belonged to a

church or synagogue but have dropped out.These include nonpracticing Catholics, Protes-tants, Jews, etc.

Another distinction I find helpful is between“satisfied” and “seekers.” The satisfied are eitherunchurched or de-churched, and are contentto be where they are; they want nothing to dowith religion or Church. As such, they are notreceptive to evangelization. Seekers, on theother hand, also may be either unchurched orde-churched; but they are not wholly satis-fied. They have some desire, some sense ofloss about being “spiritual loners.” This groupis most open to being evangelized. However,they almost never make the first move to con-nect or reconnect with a church. But, if some-

PHOTO BY BILL WITTMAN

Evangelizing to thedisenfranchised has more to do with actionsthan words—and thosewords shouldn’t beinvasive or in-your-face.An active faith is a livedfaith.

one extends a hand to them, they will reachfor it.

We ListenThe first step in evangelizing is nottalking, but listening. All kinds of sce-

narios can be imagined. Someone con-fides a worry about health problems. A parentis upset about a son or daughter’s behavior. Aspouse is troubled by tensions in the marriage.

Someone is worried about rumors of down-sizing in the company and possible layoffs.Someone is grieving the loss of a loved one ora broken relationship. A teen is feeling leftout of the peer group.

Instead of dispensing easy advice or piousclichés, we listen carefully and respond in anempathic, nonjudgmental manner. Perhapswe ask a few questions to clarify the situation,so that the person feels understood andaccepted.

We Share Our Own StoryI always tell people that they do notneed to have an abundance of biblical

texts handy in order to evangelize orshare their faith. If they do, so much the bet-ter. Their greatest resource, however, is theirown spiritual experience. All of us, if we thinkabout it, have had experiences when we knewwe were in the presence of God; were touched,helped, encouraged, or healed by God; werebrought up short or deeply comforted by hear-ing or reading a Scripture passage or listeningto a Christian song.

Often, the encouragement or help came

through a person; yet we were convinced it wasreally God who brought it about. That is whatwe share with the one who has opened up tous: “You know, I’ve been through somethinglike that in my own life. And what helped memost was my faith in God (or Jesus).” Then weshare briefly what happened.

Someone taught me a simple formula forthis: “Once I was . . . Then God did . . . Now Iam.” At one point in my life, I was discouraged. . . or afraid . . . or worried . . . or feeling guilty. . . or going through a heavy loss . . . or feelingdepressed. . . . We describe the situation as brief-ly and honestly as we can.

Then we respond with, “God did something(often through another person/persons). I reador heard a passage from the Bible that spoke tome powerfully about God’s love and care foreach of us. Someone listened to me and prom-ised to pray for me—and I felt a new confi-dence. I was at Sunday Mass and we weresinging this beautiful song that spoke to mepersonally, and I knew God was with me. I hadsome serious health problems and I askedfriends at church to pray for me; my doctor pre-scribed the right medication and now I’m feel-ing great.”

The beauty of this approach is its simplicityand noninvasiveness. We do not argue. Wedo not boast. We do not “talk theology.” Wedo not try to “solve the problem.” We simplyshare our experience. When finished, we givethe other person a chance to respond. Per-haps this is as far as he or she is willing to goat this point, which is fine. That person has hada good experience of being listened to and


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understood. We have given him or hersomething to think about.

We InviteIf the person seems open, wecan move to the third step. We

invite (not pressure) the other totake a next step. “What do you thinkof this?” we might say. “Have you everthought of praying about your prob-lem?” We might invite him or her to anactivity at our parish, such as a lec-ture, a Bible study, a concert, a chil-dren’s play or program, the parishfestival.

We might even invite the person toSunday Mass, especially if he or she isa nonpracticing Catholic. As part ofthe invitation, always promise to meetthe person at the church. We can’texpect people to come to a strangeplace on their own. It is wise toexchange phone numbers if possible.

Sometimes seekers will have ques-tions, like “Why does the Church do orteach this or that?” If you have theanswer, by all means give it. If not,promise that you will find out and willget back to them. Don’t be ashamed tosay, “You know, that’s a good ques-tion. I guess I’ve never really thoughtabout it. I’ll find out and get back toyou” (another good reason to exchangephone numbers or e-mails).

Initiating Faith Conversations The method I’ve described has beencalled relational evangelism. It takesplace in the context of natural situa-tions where people encounter oneanother face-to-face, often by chance.It follows a simple, three-step process:listening, sharing your faith story, in-viting. It provides an easy entrée forpeople who are seeking a spiritual con-nection.

It assumes, however, that the seekerwill initiate the conversation by shar-ing a problem or concern. Sometimesfaith sharing will require a more as-sertive approach. I have met Catholicswho do not hesitate to initiate spiritualconversations, though not in a heavy-handed way. They will say to one orseveral people, “We had a special pro-gram at Mass last Sunday,” then go onto describe it. Or, “Our church had an

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interesting speaker the other night. . . .” “Did youread that article (or watch the TV program)?”about some spiritual topic.

The purpose of these gestures is not to makeconverts or fill up our empty pews. It is sim-

ply to open doors, to let othersknow that our faith has madea positive difference in ourlives, and that God’s love andsaving help are available tothem as well. Above all, weshare our faith because it is agift entrusted to us by the Lord

Jesus. It is an act of faithful stewardship.

A Treasure to ShareWe Catholics keep hearing that we need tomove beyond our reticence and our habit ofkeeping our faith to ourselves. We are called tobe more mission-driven, more willing to risksome degree of discomfort in order to furtherthe message of Christ. But we have not been

empowered, not taught thatthere are ordinary, simple waysto share our faith.

Perhaps we have not real-ized that many people, whilenot practicing any particu-lar religion, are neverthelesssearching for some higher pur-pose, for something to believein. We need to be convincedthat our Catholic faith is atreasure that we are able toshare with such seekers.

Despite all the Church’sproblems, Catholicism contin-

ues to have an appeal, almost a fascination, formany people. This is true even of nonpractic-ing Catholics, and even with the scandals andfailures of the Church in our time. While somewant nothing more to do with the Church,many have just lost their connection. Thefaith still slumbers within them and may bereawakened.

Research has found that at least one-third ofde-churched Catholics would like to recon-nect with the Church, but they are reluctantto make the first move. They are waiting for aninvitation, or a sign that they will be welcomed.

Our lay Catholic faithful, baptized intoChrist, confirmed by the Holy Spirit, empow-ered by sharing in the Eucharist, are in a priv-ileged position to open the doors of welcome.In the words of St. Francis of Assisi: “We havebeen called to heal wounds, to unite what hasfallen apart, and to bring home those whohave lost their way.”

At the end of the Gospel of Mark, Jesus callsthe disciples together before his ascension intoheaven. First, he “rebuked them for their unbe-lief and hardness of heart” because they hadnot believed those who saw him risen from thedead. Yet he solemnly commissioned them:“Go into the whole world and proclaim theGospel to every creature” (16:14-15). Whatconfidence the Lord Jesus had in these fragilemen and women. He has not changed. He hasthe same confidence in us.

Martin Pable, OFM Cap, is a priest-psychologist who has beenactive in Capuchin ministries for many years. One of hisspecial interests is evangelization, and he has developed anumber of parish programs on this topic.

A


ANSWERS TO PETE AND REPEAT

1. There is a flower on the tree.2. The words school bus are above the

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front window of the bus.

Click here for more on evangelization.Digital

Extras

Research hasfound that atleast one-third ofde-churchedCatholics wouldlike to reconnectwith the Church,but they arereluctant to makethe first move.

CNS PHO

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E D I T O R I A L

The Statue of Liberty’s pedestal has a bronzeplaque inscribed with Emma Lazarus’ sonnetcalled “The New Colossus.” That poempraises the ideal of open immigrationembodied in America’s history. The conclud-ing lines of Lazarus’ poem read:

“. . .Give me your tired, your poor,/Yourhuddled masses yearning to breathefree,/The wretched refuse of your teemingshore./Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me,/I lift my lamp beside thegolden door!”

Far from welcoming the “poor huddledmasses” and the “wretched refuse” of theworld, though, our nation’s immigrationlaws truthfully have been selective andincreasingly restrictive, dependent upon ourlabor needs.

Reaching Crisis LevelsToday there are record numbers of childrenarriving in the United States unaccompaniedby any parent or guardian. The numbershave been growing since 2011, but are nowat a crisis point. They are expected to exceed70,000 children by the end of 2014, accord-ing to US Customs and Border Protection,with 52,000 coming from Central America.

Apprehensions of “unaccompanied alienchildren” (the official government term)increased by 92 percent compared to thistime last year. These kids come to borderentry points, not trying to evade border con-trols. They are seeking to escape the violenceof their home countries in Central America.

The United States is a compassionatenation. Most Americans seem to realize thatthere must be care and concern for theimmediate needs of these children. Whatshould the nation do?

President Barack Obama plans to sendthese children back to their home countriesas humanely as possible. To that end, herequested congressional approval for $3.7

billion in funding. He continues to proposethe following steps for immigration reform:strengthening our borders; allowing foreign-ers to earn citizenship by serving in the mili-tary, paying taxes, and obeying US laws; andstreamlining immigration processes to speedup hearings and protect families. He alsowants to crack down on employers hiringillegal aliens.

Against Our Best Instincts?Our Church leadership favors immigrationreform while recalling the right and duty ofthe government to protect its borders. PopeFrancis, in a July 14 statement, expresslyasked Americans to care for the childrenwho have crossed illegally into the UnitedStates. Yet, the pope does not claim that theUnited States should stop enforcing its bor-ders. Nor does he demand the United Statesaccept illegal immigration.

Pope Francis seeks “urgent intervention”and calls on the international community topress countries to reform their social situa-tions, by assisting them, so parents will notexpose their children to thedangers of traveling north tothe United States.

There is a humanitarianissue at stake here. Some-thing must be done; other-wise, this nation will begoing against its bestinstincts.

How can ordinary citizenshelp? First, we can supportthe many religious and secu-lar organizations trying toprovide humanitarian reliefto the children already here. Second, we can encourage just immigrationreform by urging our representatives tobreak the congressional gridlock on thisissue. We need to protect the rights and thedignity of every human being—not makepolitical points out of this crisis. After all, weare a nation of immigrants.

—Daniel Kroger, OFM

A Compassionate NationA humanitarian crisis at our borders calls forhumane attention.

Unaccompanied CentralAmerican Minors

Apprehended at Border, 2014

Salvadorans30%

Guatemalans32%

Hondurans38%

SOURCE: US CUSTOMS AND BORDER PROTECTION

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PECTATORS GATHER on asmall side street next to thetwo-story, aluminum-sidedhouse on Wyandotte Avenuein Big Stone Gap, Virginia.

Whispering threads through the crowd.They’re impressed that author Adri-ana Trigiani came home to make thefeature film of her first novel, Big StoneGap. The film is currently in post-production.

Camera crews prepare to shoot, anartisan works on adhering a sign to a Jeep door, the makeup artist waitsuntil it’s time to touch up the star.Then everyone hushes as they hear:


B Y B E T H D O T S O N B R O W N

Adriana Trigiani’s best-selling novel reflects her faith.

The book is now a major motion picture.

Big Stone GapON T HE

Big Screen

S


“Picture up . . . quiet . . . roll sound . . . action.”Actress Ashley Judd, as the story’s protago-

nist, Ave Maria Mulligan, walks out of thehouse barefoot, a letter in hand. She pauses tolook at it, then gazes into the distance. She getsinto a car and drives down a street, without say-ing a word.

“Cut.” The cast and crew reset to shoot itagain.

It’s scene four of 18 scheduled for one day’sfilming. Amid it all is Trigiani, the writer anddirector whose passion for the project is con-tagious. Trigiani extends her big, Italian wel-come with an enthusiastic smile and a touchof Southern honey. Her Catholic faith driveseverything she does, including the way she

cares for people on the set and in the town.“Faith for me is the struggle—the inherent

struggle of will—the battle between the lure ofthe things of this world, and the more impor-tant spiritual values that feed our souls and themission of taking care of one another in waysthat truly matter,” Trigiani says. The movieproject is closely connected with Trigiani’sbelief in “taking care of one another.”

A Story Is BornTrigiani is a multitalented artist who grew upin Big Stone Gap, attended St. Mary’s Collegein Notre Dame, Indiana, then moved to NewYork City to find her place in the entertainmentworld. She performed as a stand-up comedian

PHOTOS BY ANTONY PLATT

The cast of Big Stone Gapincludes (from left)Whoopi Goldberg, JohnBenjamin Hickey, JennaElfman, and Ashley Judd.The story follows the lifeof Ave Maria Mulligan(Judd) in Big Stone Gap,Virginia.

and wrote for television and film. In1985, she conceived a story about AveMaria Mulligan and her life in BigStone Gap.

Trigiani later turned thatidea into a screenplay. Heragent then encouraged herto write it as a novel. Thatnovel would be followedby a dozen more, generat-ing a worldwide fan base. “Iwas lucky to have the work

in books because that very intensefocus on story and characters only

made me look at the Big Stone Gapscreenplay with a sharper sense of howto make the film,” she says.

As she wrote, Trigiani put everythinginto place to make the feature film inher hometown. Making a film requiresa great script, director, actors, produc-ers, artisans, and money. Those piecesdidn’t easily fall into place; Trigianineeded persistence, which comes nat-urally to her.

Some Friendly HelpTrigiani’s childhood friend Jane Higginsmoved with her through some of thatpreproduction process. Higgins de-scribes the Big Stone Gap where theygrew up as a safe, family place. Whenshe read Trigiani’s first novel, she rec-ognized fictionalized versions of places(like the Mutual Pharmacy where theywent every day after school for sodas)and events from their childhood, likewhen Elizabeth Taylor came to town.

Higgins has worked in communitydevelopment for 17 years in easternKentucky, so she understands the eco-nomic difficulties people face in theregion. She saw her hometown changeafter a large coal company left.

Where Is Big Stone Gap?Big Stone Gap is situated picturesquelyamid mountains and the Powell Riverin Wise County, located in far south-western Virginia, just over the Ken-tucky border. Residents can drive toLouisville, Kentucky, in less time thanit would take them to reach the Vir-ginia coast. According to the US Cen-sus Bureau, the median income in WiseCounty is $35,120, compared to$63,636 for the Commonwealth of Vir-ginia. Twenty-four percent of thecounty’s population lives below thepoverty line.

Town manager Patrick Murphy alsoremembers the Big Stone Gap of the1970s and says the town is still a greatplace to live and raise kids. With themovie as a catalyst, he says, “I thinkwe’re on the verge of something veryspecial happening in Big Stone Gap.”

Murphy sees that “something” asan increase in tourism that could boostthe economy. “We’re trying to capturethe essence of the film and preserve


Click here for more about the movie.Click the button above for an audiointerview with author Adriana Trigiani.

Digital

Extras

Times change. Needs don’t.

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some of the places, like the booths inCarmine’s. People want to go in and sit in theone where Ave Maria sat,” Murphy says. That’swhy they’ve used $250,000 in grants to turnan old gas station—turned into a local restau-rant called Carmine’s during the filming—into a visitors’ center. They might also providetours that include some of the filming sites.

“The whole town embraced the movie beinghere,” says Murphy. “She [Trigiani]wants her hometown to benefit fromit.” During the filming, more than 100people associated with the productionstayed either in town or nearby, andpatronized its businesses.

Higgins wants to see the benefitscontinue. “Adri just kept on and onand on. I know how hard she workedto get it there,” Higgins says. “Big StoneGap owes it to Adri to capitalize onthis, and they owe it to themselves.”

Bringing the Film HomeFor Trigiani, her hometown was theonly possible place to film. “I wantedto go home in every way—as an artist,filmmaker, product of the Wise CountyPublic Schools, as a friend and daugh-ter,” Trigiani says. Her mom and her“honorary” families are there. Friendstook roles as extras. Other communitymembers made food for the crew,played instruments, donated vehiclesand props. The production relied heav-ily on their input and support.

Trigiani cites her mother, a formerlibrarian, for showing her “that beinga writer is one of the highest callings.”She says that her mother’s devotion tomaking their home beautiful, as well ashow her parents cared about design,architecture, and history, sparked some-thing artistic in her as a child.

“As I dig deeper as a writer, I wantedto be present in the place where myimagination was born—to revisit, but also torenew,” Trigiani says. “As I go on in life, I see thatplaces, backdrops, are sometimes more thanthat. They are, in specificity, where the char-acters were created, and I wanted to celebratethat. I can’t tell you what a thrill it was to seethe scenes come to life, and they were in life,as they had lived on the pages of the novel.”

Going back to Big Stone Gap to film, though,was about even more. Trigiani says, “I hope themovie brings more movie business to south-west Virginia, and I also hope that the students

are sparked to bring their storytelling to thetable—to tell their stories of the mountains andthe people that come from there.

“So far, it seems that our little movie hasgiven the town a boost; and while it wasn’t per-fect, we tried very hard to make it a positiveexperience for everyone.”

Trigiani’s friend Nancy Bolmeier Fisher wentto Big Stone Gap as Trigiani was beginning

the shoot. The two met in New York City in the1980s. One of the things that bonded themthrough the years is their Catholic faith, whichBolmeier Fisher says is at the center of both oftheir lives.

“The whole time I’ve known her she’s talkedso affectionately about Big Stone Gap,”Bolmeier Fisher says. When Bolmeier Fisher sawthe reception the community gave Trigiani, sherealized the feeling was mutual. She says of thefilm, “It’s just sort of a love story between herand the community.”

PHOTO

BY ANTO

NY PLATT

PHOTO BY BETH DOTSON BROWN

(Above) Whoopi Goldbergportrays Fleeta Mullins,one of the many colorfulcharacters viewers willencounter in the movie.

(Left) Glenmary FatherJohn Rausch, seen herewith Adriana Trigiani,appears in the movie as—what else?—a priest. Formore on his experience onset, click here.

A Labor of LoveBolmeier Fisher is helping Trigiani direct thatlove into The Origin Project, a writing projectthat began with Big Stone Gap ninth gradersin the spring. “Some of my favorite momentsin school came through guest artists who camethrough, and I’m trying to keep that energy

going for our kids,” Trigiani says.For the launch, Trigiani andauthor David Baldacci, also a Vir-

ginian, spoke with the ninthgraders. The students thenwrote personal narrativepieces, and local retiredteachers volunteered to givethem positive feedback onthe work. “It’s an attempt to

get those kids to tell stories ofthe culture of this place, which

really is something,” BolmeierFisher says.

The project also can help studentsdiscover what Trigiani has learned. “We are

all born with imaginations, but is it engagedand nurtured and respected as important inlife? Is the imagination framed as integral tobeing a human being with a sense of his or herown spirit? So many parents want their chil-dren to grow up and make money, but whenthe imagination is engaged, you can makeanything.”

While Trigiani’s parents were instrumentalin sparking that imagination, it was the Glen-mary Home Missioners, her early teachers inthe faith, who strongly influenced her ideas ofliving her Catholicism. (This year, Glenmaryis celebrating the 75th anniversary of its found-ing.)

Trigiani says her faith calls her to “go wherethere is a need, that you challenge your com-

fort zones, that you relate to one another in away that is supportive and lifts up the spirit,because, really, that’s what is divine in us.

“And while it may seem that there are moreimportant pursuits, anyone who is in the busi-ness of lifting spirits should stay focused onthat.

“Faith is ultimately what every story isabout,” she says. “I mean, really and truly,faith drove Big Stone Gap because it’s about awoman who has to own her own life. She hasto have faith in the person she is so she mightfind her place in this world, and thereforetake that giant risk to love someone.” Trigianican even see God in the difficulties in gettingher film made in Big Stone Gap.

“I believe in God and I also believe in thepower of faith to transform any life, any situ-ation or any crisis, because it means that wetake the best of who we are and look into theeyes of another and work it out. The workingit out—that, too, is divine,” she says.

So she approached the hard work with loveand the knowledge that her home made herwho she is. She also approached it as a divinecalling.

“The imagination is the creative center of thesoul. I believe all art is divinely inspired. Itwould have to be. There would be no otherexplanation for the awesome mystery of cre-ativity,” says Trigiani. “I mean, once there wasnothing and now there is something—a song,a poem, a novel, or a painting. There is eithercreativity or destruction. To create is to connectto God.”

Beth Dotson Brown is a freelance writer from Lancaster,Kentucky. She is the associate director of communications andcollaboration for Promise Neighborhoods of Berea College.

A


PHOTO

S BY EDDIE KILBOURN

E

Trigiani and her friendNancy Bolmeier Fisher(back right) work with fel-low author David Baldacci(front left) on The OriginProject, a writing projectfor students in Big StoneGap.

“Some of my favoritemoments in school camethrough guest artists,”says Trigiani, pictured herewith Nancy BolmeierFisher.

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StAnthonyMessenger .org35A ❘ Sep tember 2014

Big Stone Gap, the FilmWriter Adriana Trigiani finds that, whether writing for the screen or

the printed page, God is there, even in the story of Big Stone Gap.

“I take my writing work seriously—it’s sacred, it’s coming from the

divine. I am only a conduit and that includes the hilarity, the

laughs, the foibles that may be the most godlike stuff, because we

are created in God’s image so there must be a lot of laughs in

heaven.”

In keeping with Trigiani’s good humor, there are laughs in the

movie. Actors Whoopi Goldberg and Jenna Elfman, both known for

their comedy work, are among a cast that includes Virginian Patrick

Wilson, John Benjamin Hickey, Ashley Judd, Judith Ivey, and Jane

Krakowski.

The story focuses on the town’s unmarried pharmacist, Ave

Maria Mulligan, who makes a life-changing discovery about her

family history. That discovery alters the way the people she grew

up with see her, as well as how she sees herself. As Ave Maria strug-

gles to figure out who she is and where she belongs, the town and

its eccentric characters welcome Elizabeth Taylor for a disastrous,

yet hilarious, visit. Amid the comedy of the town, Ave Maria also

tries to make sense of two possible romances in her life.

PHO

TO B

Y AN

TON

Y PL

ATT

Ashley Judd told the Los Angeles Times that her work on Big Stone Gap“brought me back to that unfiltered joy of the creative process.”

Digital

Extras Big Stone Gap on the Big Screen ❘ BY BETH DOTSON BROWN

Sep tember 2014 ❘ 35BFr anciscanMedia .org

Digital

Extras Big Stone Gap on the Big Screen ❘ BY BETH DOTSON BROWN

Three hours across the mountains from his

humble abode in Stanton, Kentucky, Glenmary

Father John Rausch became a film actor for a

day. He had his own starred dressing room and

makeup artist that made him feel like he was

“Big Hollywood.” Rausch, who served the

Glenmary parish in Norton, Virginia during his

first ministry assignment in 1973 and 1974,

was the parish priest of the Trigiani family.

Through the years, he’s kept in touch Trigiani

daughter Adriana. That made him her choice

to play the role of a priest in the film.

Although the film production atmosphere

contrasted to his daily routine, it did connect

with his longtime work as a social justice advo-

cate. “To me, filming in Big Stone Gap was a

justice issue,” he says, referring to the eco-

nomic challenges of the Wise County, Virginia

town. Like many mountain towns, after coal

mining diminished, other businesses didn’t

flood the region to replace the lost jobs. “Real

economic development is going to have to

bubble up from what’s already there,” Rausch

says.

Rausch was impressed with Trigiani’s perse-

verance that made filming in Big Stone Gap

possible. He lauds her willingness to take less

of a profit so she could return to the place

where the story was born. “She returned to

give thanks to this area where she comes

from,” he says. “I want to affirm that.”

It wasn’t only Trigiani with whom Father

Rausch found a spiritual and justice connec-

tion. He talked with actress Whoopi Goldberg

about Pope Francis and the needs of children

in the United States. He listened to actress

Ashley Judd share her passion for social justice

that she puts into action by supporting women

who are victims of sexual slavery.

While the off-camera conversations came

easily for Rausch, so did the onscreen work. His

role was as a Catholic priest saying a prayer at

the bedside of the dying Ave Maria Mulligan,

played by Judd. He wanted to represent the

priesthood well. “I felt very good doing that

scene. When I was praying the Our Father, I

was sincerely praying,” he says, noting that he

was even able to remember and use the Latin

version.

Although he’s back in his Kentucky hills, not

those of Hollywood, he’s still telling stories of

his big screen debut and of his friend Adri’s

dedication to a place that helped make her

who she is.

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Father John Rausch is more than a movie consultant.The Glenmary priest is a longtime social-justice advocate and former parish priest of the Trigiani’s.

A Glenmarian Goes “Big Hollywood”

F ANYBODY HAS THE RIGHT to be joy-less, it’s Job.

Consider this: in the breadth of 42chapters, he is tested by God to the brinkof mental and physical collapse. He’srobbed of his wealth, his family, his

health, and any semblance of mental calm. Theentire book is an exercise in drama and trauma.But even in the face of terrible loss, Job holdsfast to his joy: “Once more will he fill yourmouth with laughter, and your lips with rejoic-ing” (8:21). Talk about resolve.

We may not face trials as extreme as this OldTestament figure, but 21st-century living canbe a drag. A brief scan of an online news siteyields these depressing headlines: “FBI SeekingMore Victims of Serial Child Molester,” “11-Year-Old with Autism Kept inside Dog Cage,”“Iraq Insurgency Has New Rising Star.” Lifeisn’t easy.

The stresses in our personal lives are notthe stuff of national news, but they can stillweigh down our spirits. How can we find calmin the chaos? Serenity in the stress?

Anne Bryan Smollin, CSJ, has devoted herlife to finding answers to those questions. Sheis an international speaker on wellness andspirituality, and the author of Tickle Your Soul:Live Well, Love Much, Laugh Often and GodKnows You’re Stressed: Simple Ways to RestoreYour Balance, both from Sorin Books. She alsohas a doctorate in counseling psychology fromWalden University. But beyond her impres-sive credentials, Sister Anne is disarminglyfunny.

When she sat down with St. Anthony Messen-ger at our booth in Anaheim, California, dur-ing the Los Angeles Religious EducationCongress in 2013, her wit and wisdom drew acrowd. By the end of our interview, 15


B Y C H R I S T O P H E R

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Why SoSerious?

We’re overworked and overstressed. Sister Anne Bryan Smollin shows us how

laughter can boost our spirits.

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passersby stood captivated. The many peopleto whom she spoke a day earlier at the Con-gress were in stitches. Sister Anne is funny,yes, but her message is no joke.

Good and Bad StressAccording to a recent survey by the AmericanPsychological Association, 72 percent say theirstress levels have increased in the last fiveyears. The top sources of stress include money,work, the economy, family responsibilities,relationships, and personal health. We can bea high-stress culture. So how do we cope?

“Some stress is good for us—like deadlines,”Sister Anne says. “It's the distress that we reallyhave to deal with. Because if we don’t dealwith it, it deals with us. And then you open upyour body to diverticulitis, colitis, migraineheadaches, heart attacks, cancer.”

Sister Anne suggests we become more intune with our bodies and our behavior. Understress, some people eat more—others not at all.We tend to drive faster, sleep less, and lash outat friends and family. But life is about choices,Sister Anne says. And sometimes our choicesincrease those stresses.

“Look at the behaviors in your life. Andthen ask, ‘What are the things that feed myheart and soul?’ We need to get in touch withour choices. So then we are being responsiblefor ourselves and taking care of ourselves. Itdoesn’t mean all the stress won’t be there, butit’s a different way of handling it. And thenwhat happens is we keep that sense of bal-ance in our lives. We find the joy and the hap-piness. We trip over it!”

Sometimes, though, stress and anxiety findus regardless of our choices. Difficult cowork-ers, cantankerous neighbors, intolerable rela-tives—all of whom can be tough to avoid—canwreak havoc on our spirits. Sister Anne callsthese people “crazymakers,” and says theyshould be handled with caution.

“We have research right now that says ifyou hang around enough negative people,you’re going to be physically ill,” she says.“What we don’t want are these crazymakers todecide for us how we’re going to act, howwe’re going to think, where we’re going tospend our time. And we don’t have to let themin our minds. We don’t have to rent out thatspace in our minds to people.”

Self-protection is crucial, Sister Anne asserts.“Create barriers so that we don’t let certain peo-ple in our own space. Difficult people can dodamage. They’re toxic. It’s not healthy. We’renot going to erase all the negative people. Allwe can do is choose how we will interact withthem and how we respond to them.”

Holy LaughterA significant part of Sister Anne’s ministryinvolves the healing power of laughter, andthere’s a good bit of scholarship behind it.According to the Mayo Clinic, laughter hasbeen shown to fill our bodies with oxygen-richair, ease tension in our muscles, and boost ourimmune systems. A good laugh can also giveour souls a lift, but first we have to lighten up.

“We take ourselves too seriously, and that’sthe opposite of what the Gospel message is,”Sister Anne says. “We walk around like the


Anne Bryan Smolin, CSJ, isa counselor and a bit ofa comedian, too. For yearsthis popular author andlecturer has told people to lighten up and laughoff the little things. Two ofher popular titles on thetopics of silliness andstress are pictured above.

top sources of

Stress■ Money■ Work■ The economy■ Family

responsibilities■ Relationships■ Personal

health

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whole world is on our shoulders. Even atchurch, people don’t look happy. We don’tlook at each other. We’re not connected witheach other. And yet that’s what it’s all about.”

The Bible is filled with references to joy.Ecclesiastes tells us there is a time to laugh. TheBook of Proverbs maintains that a “glad heartlights up the face.” In the Psalms we’re told thatit’s pleasing to God when we “shout for joy.”Jesus himself was a source of positivity. “I chal-lenge all of us to go through the New Testa-ment,” she explains. “Tell me you wouldn’twant to hang around Jesus. It was a time filledwith good, healthy, positive energy.”

Joy is portable, and Sister Anne never leaveshome without it. She recalls a story of a recent

flight when her plane wasgrounded on the tarmac foralmost three hours. Connect-ing flights would be missed.The agitation and exhaustionamong travelers were palpable.But she refused to buy in tothe negative—an easy pitfallfor many of us. Sister Anne and

a married couple seated next to her ended upentertaining the whole plane. Tensions grad-ually eased. Joy won.

“You can take a bad situation, and you can

find a way to deal with it. God puts humor inour lives. There’s energy that comes from it. Itconnects people,” she says.

Sister Anne’s blueprint for a balanced life iseffective—and relatively painless. She eatsproperly (despite the occasional lapse, sheadmits), and she gets enough sleep. Exercise isimportant, as is prayer. But it’s also about atti-tude. We choose how we behave. We are thecreators of the energies we put out into theworld.

“We choose our attitude,” she says. “If youchoose to be negative, that’s not healthy foryou or anybody else. It drags you down. Whatwe look for we find. Our minds are powerfulthings. So you’ll look for negative people.You’ll look for negative situations. That’s whatyou’re going to find.”

Joy Is ContagiousIt teeters on cliché anymore, but an attitude ofgratitude is essential for a healthy life. SisterAnne recommends a simple exercise each nightbefore we lay head to pillow.

“Before you go to bed at night—and youhave to do this every night for the rest of yourlife, by the way—sit on the side of your bed andthink of five things that you’re grateful forthat happened during the day. Go to bed. Next


Click here for more onSister Anne Bryan Smollinand her ministry ofhumor.

Digital

Extras

© ALVERA/DREAMSTIME

Laughter relieves tension,oxygenates the blood, andhelps us cope with every-day stresses. But a goodlaugh can also lifts ourspirits. “It’s medicine forthe soul,” Sister Annesays. “It keeps us bal-anced. It keeps ushealthy.”

Fr anciscanMedia .org

night, do the same thing. By the third night,you’re sleeping better. After that, you startwaking up more positive,” she says.

What that does is condition our minds toseek out joy. Our awareness changes. Overtime, our attitudes lighten. We can becomemore joyful people.

“When we’re grateful, we open up ourhearts, and our attitudes are much more pos-itive,” she says. “We have to make consciouschoices to surround ourselves with positiveattitudes—to be people of gratitude. Those arechoices. And if you make healthier choices,what we’re doing is really and truly living outthe joyful Gospel message.”

Sister Anne also stresses that we’ve lost focuson the here and now—where life happens.Many of us are either locked in the past or toofocused on the future.

“People don’t know how to live themoment,” she says. “We’re living yesterday.‘Why did I say that?’ ‘If only I didn’t.’ ‘MaybeI should have.’ But we can’t change yester-day. We don’t have a lot of power with tomor-row either. We can hope for it, but there’s notone of us who are truly assured of it. All wehave is now. And when we slow ourselvesdown to the now, we grab that energy.”

Even though the now can be difficult, Godputs moments of joy in our lives each day.We just have to pull our blinders off and lookfor them.

“I think there are little things that God putsin our day that help us see that we can have asense of humor. Little surprises,” she says.

Joy can also start with us, too. It can beginwith something as effortless as a smile.

“A smile—that’s the beginning of laugh-ter,” she says. “The benefit of smiling is that itlights up the frontal part of our brains, andthat’s connected to memory. I always tell peo-ple if you walk into a room and forget whyyou’re there, stand still and smile. You’re goingto remember because your brain is going tolight up.”

Sister Anne says joy and laughter pay divi-dends. “It’s medicine for the soul and it’s con-tagious,” she says. “It benefits everybody, notonly the person that you’re with, but you getthe benefit, too. It’s the way we open up ourspiritual worlds to each other—simply withthat gift of laughter.”

Christopher Heffron is the associate editor of this publication,a columnist, and the manager of its digital edition. He holdsa BA in English and communication arts from Mount St.Joseph University.

A

Sister Anne’s Quick Tips for a Joy-Filled LifeStaying positive and joyful are achievable goals, says Anne Bryan

Smollin, CSJ. Here she offers four easy guidelines to consider.

Surround yourself with positive people. Negative

thinking clogs the brain. Don’t hang around negativity.

A smile is the way we send a blessing to each

other. If you smile at someone, even a stranger, he or she

is going to smile back.

Look at people. We don’t keep eye contact anymore.

What we do is we turn around and stare at the floor or

the piece of paper in our hand or a smartphone.

Learn to laugh at yourself. Recognize that when you

trip, it’s not the end of the world. Sometimes we give up

so much energy that we don’t see how we might be able

to keep that joy and laughter.

© JASON STITT/FOTOLIA

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A glad heartlights up the face.—Proverbs 15:13

40 ❘ September 2014 StAnthonyMessenger.org

On March 13, 2013, Pope Franciscaught the world’s attention bychoosing St. Francis of Assisi as his

patron. He quickly showed what that meansfor him: riding the bus with the cardinalsback to the Domus Sanctae Marthae (wherehe has chosen to live) and paying his ownbill at the hotel where he stayed before theconclave. A few months later, he carried asmall bag onto the plane for his trip toWorld Youth Day in Rio de Janeiro.

On October 4, the pope visited Assisi and,in effect, explained how St. Francis inspireshim. Among his audience were the eight car-dinals who had completed the first of sev-eral meetings to advise him about thereform of the Roman Curia and the gover-nance of the worldwide Church.

At the bishop’s residence, in the roomwhere Francis stripped himself of the clothesprovided by his father, Pope Francis told agroup of poor people assisted by Caritas:“The Christian cannot coexist with the spiritof the world, with the worldliness that leadsus to vanity, to arrogance, to pride. And thisis an idol; it is not God. It is an idol! Andidolatry is the gravest of sins!”

Pope Francis continued: “And we all muststrip ourselves of this worldliness: the spiritopposing the spirit of the Beatitudes, thespirit opposing the spirit of Jesus. Worldli-ness hurts us. . . . Spiritual worldliness kills! It

kills the soul! It kills the person! Kills theChurch!

“It is God’s strength that supported Fran-cis’ renunciation,” said the pope. It was arenunciation of the spirit of the world, “thecancer of society and the enemy of Christ.”

(The pope’s homily outside the Basilica ofSt. Francis and his other talks in Assisi thatday are available through the “pastoral visit”section at vatican.va.)

Pat McCloskey, OFM, is Franciscan editor of this publica-tion. His newest book, Peace and Good, will be published byFranciscan Media in November.

A

T H E S P I R I T O F F R A N C I S ❘ BY FATHER PAT McCLOSKEY, OFM

Stripping Off Worldliness

Newly elected Pope Francisreturned to the residencewhere he stayed beforebecoming pontiff andinsisted on paying the bill,despite now effectivelybeing in charge of thebusiness, the Vatican said.

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Click here for videoclips of Pope Francis’visit to Assisi.

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Francis used his father’s moneyto repair San Damiano, a dilapi-dated church outside Assisi.Pietro sought justice from thebishop. Francis said, “From nowon I can freely say ‘Our Fatherwho art in heaven,’ not ‘fatherPietro Bernardone,’ to whombehold, I give up not only themoney, but all my clothes too”(2 Celano 12).

Francis ReturnsEven His Clothes

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HRISTI TRIPODI was heading down the driveway of Cornerstoneof Hope, a bereavement center in Independence, Ohio, when shenoticed an elderly man stumbling toward the parking lot, tearsstreaming down his face.

Christi climbed out of her vehicle and approached the strangersaying, “You just look like you need a hug.”

“I hugged him, and he sobbed in my arms,” Christi recalls. When he regained his composure, the man confided that his wife had died

three months before. Without her, the widower said he had no reason to live. Christi understood the man’s despair, and she drew on her own heartache when

she answered him.


B Y J E R R I D O N O H U E

The death of their son drovethis couple to establish a place of comfort for otherswho grieve.

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“I know that you feel that way, but Godstill needs you here,” Christi replied. “He needsyou! You cannot give up.”

Christi and her husband, Mark, believe thatrecovering a sense of purpose helps the griev-ing to heal. Their own lives bear witness to this.They founded Cornerstone of Hope.

An Unimaginable LossThe Tripodis met when both were students atOhio State University. Mark immediately wasdrawn to Christi’s smile. For her part, Christithought Mark resembled a younger, slimmerversion of the actor Sylvester Stallone.

“What attracted me the most was probablyhis sense of humor,” Christi says. “He couldturn any day of mine that was difficult. He canstill turn any day that is tough and make melaugh.”

The two wed when Mark completed a degreein engineering. Before long, the Tripodisseemed to be living the American dream. Markhad a rewarding job, and the couple settled intoa lovely home. Their family grew to includedaughters Taylor and Francesca, and a son,Bobby. Not only were the Tripodis happy withtheir life, they were aware of their blessings.

Then, on Mother’s Day 2000, the couplerushed 3-year-old Bobby to the emergencyroom when he spiked a fever. The next day,their precious little boy succumbed to bacte-rial meningitis.

The lively preschooler’s sudden, unexpecteddeath plunged his parents into a bottomless pitof grief.

“We really wanted to die. We were on ourknees. The pain was so bad. And having tothink about dealing with it another day, andwake up in the morning, . . . who wants to?”recalls Christi.

Well-meaning individuals urged the coupleto pull themselves together for their two sur-viving children.

“But I couldn’t even get out of bed,” Christisays. “For months, I would say, I was out of it.”

She credits her mother and sister for help-ing care for 5-year-old Taylor and toddlerFrancesca during the dark months after Bobbydied. Still, Taylor was late for school 21 days.

Nor did the kindergartner receive much sup-port as she mourned.

Taylor had a 15-minute visit with the schoolcounselor, who then lent the child booklets

about grief that were 20 years old. Christi bris-tles at the memory of that incident.

“Our daughter had lost her best friend andwas returning home to parents who were awreck,” Christi says.

In Search of ComfortRight after Bobby died, Mark and Christisought individual counseling. Ten weeks later,they switched to a monthly support group.Month after month, new participants wouldrelate the story of their loss to the previousmembers, who then felt obliged to share theirown tragedy.

The Tripodis found comfort in being withothers who empathized with their suffering,but they eventually realized grief is an ongo-ing process—a slow journey. Simply repeat-ing the details of Bobby’s death did not movethem forward. The support group, which wasnot professionally led, was not enough to helpthem heal.

“There was no structure to offer hope. Notools to give you hope,” Mark remembers.

The infrequent meetings posed a problem,too. Christi pleaded for relief during the longweeks between sessions. She yearned for a

to Purpose

(Opposite page) In 2000,Christi and Mark Tripodisuffered the unimaginableloss of their 3-year-old sonBobby.

(Above) A statue outsideCornerstone of Hopeembodies Matthew 19:14:“Let the children come tome, and do not preventthem; for the kingdom ofheaven belongs to such asthese.”

place where she could go to findsome respite from her intensesorrow.

Even as they mourned, theTripodis realized others struggledto find sufficient help in copingwith the loss of a loved one.

“We put it on our shoulders—on top of our grief—that this can’t happen toanyone else; this can’t happen anymore,” Marksays. “We want to be the last couple to feel thisexhaustion to find ample grief support.”

On a MissionThe Tripodis vowed to establish a nonprofitbereavement center that would be open sixdays a week. There was no such facility neartheir home in northeast Ohio, and so, in thesummer of 2001, Mark and Christi flew toPortland, Oregon. There, at the Dougy Centerfor grieving children and families, theyattended a how-to seminar on setting up a

bereavement center. The couplelearned about fund-raisingtechniques, developing a boardof directors, and overseeing vol-unteer programs.

Seeking advice, Mark andChristi also visited two similarorganizations, Erin’s House inFort Wayne, Indiana, and Ele’s

Place in Lansing, Michigan. Because they would hire only licensed coun-

selors, social workers, and art therapists forthe facility they envisioned, the Tripodis trav-eled to another bereavement center, the Car-

ing Place in Pittsburgh, to learn about staffing. Christi and Mark poured time and energy

into research and planning, convinced thattheir mission to establish a bereavement cen-ter was God’s will.

“He was calling us to do something specialin our son’s memory,” Mark says.

But even as they progressed with the proj-ect, the couple seemed stuck in other ways.

“We weren’t in a positive place of healing,”Mark admits. “We were still spiritually mal-nourished.” Mark thinks he sometimes actedselfishly or made poor decisions as he tried toalleviate his misery.

Christi says her response to their loss was nobetter. For a while she wandered numbly in afog of grief.

“I wasn’t even concerned about [Mark’s]grief, my children’s grief,” she says.

A Spiritual AwakeningAlmost 18 months after Bobby died, Christi’smother gave the grieving parents a brochureshe had picked up in a nearby church. Itdescribed the Apostolate for Family Consecra-tion, an international organization that nur-tures the spiritual lives of Catholic families inthe tradition of St. Louis de Montfort.


Christi and Mark Tripodiare pictured here withseven of their eight chil-dren. God’s gentle call,and the Tripodi’s opennessto it, resulted in the foun-dation of Cornerstone ofHope in Independence,Ohio.

Click here for more information on Cornerstoneof Hope and grief.

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“She said, ‘This is what you need,’” Markrecalls.

The couple promised to attend a confer-ence weekend at the apostolate’s central Ohiolocation. That decision changed their lives.

“For me and for my wife, we felt we were onthe road to Emmaus when we went there,”Mark says. “I went there with grief and sinand poor coping skills.”

Even though the Tripodis faithfully attendedSunday Mass, Mark had not received the Sacra-ment of Reconciliation since his wedding,years earlier.

“It was a turning point,” Mark says of thelong confession he made during that weekend.He unburdened himself, and then listenedwith an open heart and mind as the priest“walked through the Gospels” and discussedthe Eucharist, confession, and the meaningof Christ’s death.

Mark, who had graduated from Catholicelementary and high schools, realized he helda superficial grasp on his faith.

“When my son died, I had basic second-and third-grade questions,” Mark recalls.Because of his transformative confession, herecognized the significance of Christ’s deathand resurrection to his own life.

Meanwhile, when Christi went to confes-sion, she, too, experienced a sense of reliefand hope. She had not blamed God forBobby’s death, but she found comfort in thepriest’s reassurance that God allowed thetragedy to happen—but he did not cause it.

Christi says the weekend reminded her thatheaven is the ultimate goal of all believers.

“I wanted to live for the here and now,”

(Far left) A festive atmo-sphere—complete withbooths, crafts, demonstra-tion tables, and even a raf-fle—greets visitors at anopen house atCornerstone of Hope.

(Left) Visitors check outLisa’s Butterfly Treehouse,dedicated in memory ofLisa Kurtz Luciano. TheTreehouse offers a thera-peutic space in a beautifulnatural setting.

The Petitti Family PrayerGarden provides a quietand reflective place forthose grieving to receiveindividual counseling,pray, meditate, or just getsome much-needed alonetime.

PHOTO

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RIETER

Christi says of her life before Bobby died. “Ididn’t even want to think about heaven. I did-n’t want to think about death.” After the apos-tolate weekend, she and Mark had a newgoal—for their family to eventually be reunitedwith Bobby in heaven. Christi realized theyneeded to make God the center of their lives.

Healing at LastBack home, as the Tripodis continued to exam-ine and embrace their faith, they graduallyaccepted Bobby’s death.

“Probably 90 percent of our healing was thefaith component,” Mark says. “What helped usreally was establishing a relationship with OurLord.”

Christi agrees.“I’m not saying we didn’t have faltering

times again,” she says, “or days when it wasreally difficult.” But she is certain they handledtheir pain better after the conference weekend.

Enduring changes resulted from the cou-ple’s renewed commitment to their faith.Christi read books by Catholic authors—ahabit she has kept—and she often gives copiesto others who mourn. Daily prayer became apriority for both Christi and Mark.

“We weren’t praying throughout the week,”Mark says of their life before then. “It was justthe one hour on Sunday.”

The couple also availed themselves of fre-quent confession, and they began to pray therosary as a family every Sunday, and on week-days whenever possible.

At the same time, Christi and Mark real-ized that God has expectations for each of hischildren, and they rediscovered purpose intheir lives.

“Whatever your role in life is, as a husband,father, grandparent—even child or sibling—ifyou’re in a state of grace, you just offer upthose daily tasks to the Lord,” Mark says.

Reaching Out to OthersAs they proceeded on their grief journey, theTripodis also moved forward with their proj-ect to found a nonprofit, nondenominationalbereavement center. By 2003, they had raisedthe funds necessary to open Cornerstone ofHope, which helps the bereaved of all reli-gions, and believers and nonbelievers alike.

The Tripodis chose the center’s name fromEphesians 2:20: “built on the foundation of theapostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus him-self as the cornerstone.”

Cornerstone’s mission statement, too,describes its faith base: “Guided by Christian


Expanding the Organization’s ReachDina Parmertor found help at Cornerstone of Hope after a teen gun-

man killed her son and two other students in a school shooting in

Chardon, Ohio, in February 2012.

“Making the decision to attend the support group was an

extremely hard decision, but was ultimately the best decision,”

Parmertor says. “The group taught me the tools for coping with the

loss of my son, Danny.”

Thousands of other grieving men, women, teens, and children

have turned to the bereavement center since it opened in 2003.

Each week about 400 people attend private counseling, support

groups, workshops, or special events in the homey, Victorian-style

building in Independence, Ohio. Fees are based on income; nobody

is turned away because of inability to pay.

The facility also responds to emergency situations off-site, such as

operating a satellite office at St. Ambrose Parish in Brunswick, Ohio,

following a car accident that killed four teenagers in 2012.

Cornerstone of Hope’s many other services include:

■ a school crisis team to help students, faculty, and staff cope

with deaths within the school community;

■ weekend retreats for people whose loved one died in military

service;

■ day camp providing grief support to inner-city children who

lost a relative or caregiver;

■ numerous support groups, including one designed specifi-

cally for families of murder victims, another for relatives of sui-

cides, and yet another for those whose loved one died by

accidental overdose;

■ training for volunteers in church-sponsored bereavement

ministries;

■ low-cost workshops for therapists, social workers, and nurses.

Cofounder Christi Tripodi says Cornerstone’s goal is to “make life

possible again” for those who mourn. “We are not feeding the poor.

We are not clothing the naked,” she says.

“But spiritually, we [the bereaved] have broken souls. What’s really

worse than losing somebody you love so much?”

values of compassion and service, we welcomeand serve all seeking support.”

Mark, who earned a master’s degree in busi-ness administration, leads the organization asits executive director. And although she is nowthe busy mother of eight children, Christicontinues to serve on its board.

The Tripodis believe it was God’s plan thatthey comfort the grieving and provide “a placeto give them hope in despair.” Following thiscall helped Christi and Mark to recover fromtheir son’s death. They encourage others tochoose a form of service, too.

“I don’t want people to give up,” Christisays. “I want them to do the will of the Lordand try to serve him.”

While they turned their pain into purpose,the Tripodis acknowledge their tragedychanged them forever.

“I have such a passion for making sure mychildren know why we believe what webelieve,” Christi says.

“Grief never ends,” Mark says. “You mightsay, ‘Well, that’s depressing.’ But my wife andI always say Bobby’s death wasn’t a one-timechange that happened. His death continues tochange me to this very day . . . how we raise ourkids; how important our faith is now to us; therosary.”

“God was always calling us,” Mark says.“But I guess we heard him in our brokennessfinally.”

Jerri Donohue is a freelance writer from Brecksville, Ohio. Sheis a longtime and frequent contributor to the Catholic Uni-verse Bulletin, the newspaper of the Diocese of Cleveland, andhas written other articles for this magazine.

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(Far left) Connie andStephanie Ward work onan art therapy projecttogether. Since it can behard to put grief intowords, art provides a safeand constructive outlet forchildren.

(Left) Stephanie Ward usesphotos as part of her arttherapy project.

Misty Ramos (left) leadsan art therapy session atCornerstone of Hope.Volunteer Sarah Vallerhelps 8-year-old LoganHarris work on a project.Particularly effective withchildren, art therapyemploys creativity to aidin the painful and difficulthealing process.

MID THE STAID opulence of Buck-ingham Palace’s lavish interiorshangs a piece of art like no other.It’s an architectural view of the

palace, a painting ablaze with tints of flamingyellow and smoky blue, kindling a luminosityreminiscent of Monet’s Houses of Parliament.Brave and brash, this is art that outstrips RoyalCollection standards like Vermeer and Hol-bein in its vivacity and daring.

The artist behind the work, British expres-sionist Stephen B Whatley, has achieved amastery of color and light which has gainedhim accolades not only in the secular press, butalso from private collectors (including many

luminaries of the British stage and screen).Across the Atlantic, Whatley’s exuberant stylehas won him an ardent following of Americandevotees. Yet the story behind the creation ofhis art is far different from what might beexpected. As Whatley takes up his brush andfaces the prospect of a blank canvas, he findsthe challenge of making that first mark over-whelming—making him feel as though he hadnever painted before. For Whatley, the cre-ative process is a spiritual purgation.

Divine Push to Create“I totally depend on God and prayer,” explainsWhatley. “At the beginning of any painting,


The Praying Artist

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there’s this enormous buildup. I . . . am renderedpowerless. We’re so often told in Scripture thatfear is negative and that we should have no fearif we trust in God—but it seems a necessary partof my creative process. Through that fear, I amdivinely pushed to look to God for direction.I am at the foot of the cross, with my headcompletely bowed. That is [my] personal jour-ney.”

After more than three turbulent decades ofspiritual searching, Whatley, 48, was receivedinto the Catholic Church at Easter 2011. Whilehe is keen to express his absolute dependenceon prayer throughout all his work, his artistictributes to Jesus, Mary, and the saints reveal

most intensely the divine push of his self-emptying creative process.

Like the soul in The Dark Night of St. Johnof the Cross, Whatley, as an artist, makes thedescent into emptiness before ascending,through prayer and self-offering, to the heightsof spiritual inspiration. This almost Pente-costal ecstasy results in an innovative andexpressionistic iconography, dazzling withprismatic light and raised to a mystical dimen-sion by the addition of sublime detail.Teardrops glisten upon the tender counte-nance of the Blessed Virgin; the seraphic smilesof the saints complement the sorrowful yetheartfelt gaze of Christ.

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(Far left) Fueled by aheart set afire by thedivine, artist Stephen BWhatley paints on locationin Wales. From commis-sioned paintings ofBuckingham Palace andthe Tower of London toecstatic iconography,Whatley’s works are daz-zling expressionistic mas-terpieces.

(Left) Transcendent andever-sincere, Whatley’sdepiction of the SacredHeart of Jesus hints at thepain that drives the artist’screativity.

As an expressionist, Whatley describes his artas existing within a “limit-push-ing,” emotionally charged par-adigm. Yet the real genius ofhis religious work rests in itsability to capture God’s emo-tional response to us, the view-ers. His paintings becomewindows through which we

gaze into heaven, and heaven smiles back.“It’s all passion,” remarks Whatley, as he

discusses the creation of these modern icons.“There are great moments of joy, a particularcolor or mark suddenly drawing the paintingtogether. On the day when I felt inspired topaint Pope Francis, I was extremely tired, and[the painting] took a lot of prayer. Toward theend, . . . I felt quite upset—I wasn’t sure I hadcaptured him. I prayed, ‘Please, Holy Spirit,intercede for me.’ I suddenly picked up a brushand pushed some blue along the side of [thepope’s] face, and it was like this sudden burst


Pope Francis is an excellentexample of Whatley’s cre-ative process. The passionthat propels his work for-ward is unpredictable, andcompletion of the work“took a lot of prayer.” Inthe end, though, theintercession of the HolySpirit gently urged theartist along the right path.

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of direction. . . . I knew the painting was com-plete.”

The voice of this soft-spoken artist becomesanimated with candid fervor as he goes on torecount other instances of divine intercessionduring the painting process. While painting St.James, Whatley became frustrated by his fail-ure to capture the apostle’s compas-sionate spirit. Relying wholeheartedlyon prayer, he took a risk, grabbed apalette knife, and scraped the face ofthe saint off the canvas, hoping tosoften the somewhat hardened coun-tenance in a second attempt. Knowingthat the entire painting might bedestroyed if he were unable to holdthe composition together, Whatleybegged the Holy Spirit to come uponhim and direct him.

Suddenly, “seized with a charge ofenergy,” the left-handed artist “graspedbrushes with both hands,” applyingeach stroke in a “completely new way.”The result—a far gentler and moreimpassioned rendering of the greatapostle. As he recalls this incident,Whatley’s voice intensifies, evidencethat the artist’s ability to portray thedivine arises directly from his ownexperience of the presence of God.

Conversion Prompted by PainWhatley’s Christian faith didn’t comeeasily. It’s the product of a strenuouspassage through grief and artistic evo-lution. His mother’s sudden death in a

car accident in 1981 left Whatley, then 16,bereft. He speaks of the “great gulf” of death,which he learned could only be bridged by love

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(Far left) The deep faithand humility of St. Clare ofAssisi is brought to life inthis painting by Whatley.

(Left) In addition to hisreligious images, such asthis one of St. James,Whatley has painted por-traits of big names such asDame Judi Dench and SirIan McKellen.

and faith. Whatley’s conversion revealed thatsuffering is not only a necessary element of thecreative process, but also a transfiguring forcefor healing. Thus, his paintings graduallyemerge from darkness into the light of hopeand life.

“In the early years, I didn’t think I would getthrough [the suffering]. The heartbreak was sogreat . . . but [I found] art school was . . . ther-apeutic.” Even so, healing proved a slowprocess as Whatley discovered in art an outletfor his grief.

“I had this ability to paint in a photographicway, and people would be impressed, but Ifelt empty. I knew that I had to find anotherway to express myself in order to survive thatpain. . . . That is how my work evolved.”

At the same time, Whatley moved frompencil to the more fluid mediums of charcoaland oils, and in doing so, experienced arenewal that allowed him to create “muchmore felt works.”

Crediting the loss of his mother as the cat-alyst for his own emergence as an artist, What-ley understandably speaks with profoundgratitude for his gift of sharing the grace ofhealing with others.

“I have so many people who reach out to meand say, ‘When I saw your work, you restoredhope in me—you’ve given me such joy.’ It isthrough prayer that I am given the ability toreach to that deeper spiritual level. Eventhough part of me died when I lost my mother,it didn’t block the love that’s in my heart. The

color and the joy [in my paintings] come pre-dominantly from prayer, but [also] from thelove in my heart. Ultimately, love is the thing,the great thing.”

Love pours itself out in incandescent raysthrough Whatley’s paintings, particularly in hisrenditions of the Mother of God. For instance,his boldly textured Our Lady of Guadalupe is afiesta for the eyes, alive with a sense of divinevisitation and maternal warmth. The paintingreflects the artist’s deep attachment to theBlessed Virgin, who represents for him thepersonification of the beauty of truth and “agreat instructress in the faith.”

Art as Message of HopeHope is the recurrent theme throughout all ofWhatley’s work. The artist refuses to becomejaded by past trials. Instead, his own personalhistory of suffering has become the vehiclefor an advocacy of Christian hope.

In a world in which art too often becomesa vehicle for cynicism, Whatley’s paintingsshine forth as light-filled visions, fired by thehope with which the human soul strainstoward the transcendent. As we discover alongwith this prayerful artist the Christian free-dom to rejoice while allowing suffering tobecome a process of conversion, let us hopethat Whatley’s art will continue to create asacred space for healing.

Erin Brierly, like Stephen Whatley, is a convert to the Catholicfaith. She’s the author of several articles for UK-based maga-zines Novena and Soul Gardening, a mothering journal. Brierlylives with her husband and daughter in Conyers, Georgia.

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(Right) This image of OurLady of Lourdes is just onepiece of a vast collection.Whatley’s work has beenfeatured in publicationssuch as The DailyTelegraph, TIME magazine,and The New York Times.

(Far right) Vibrant andfestive, Our Lady ofGuadalupe is a testamentto the artist’s reverence for“a great instructress in thefaith.”

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What explains the absence of posi-tive instruction from the pulpitregarding the pro-life stance by theCatholic Church? I do not recall onesermon or discussion by a priest dur-ing a weekend Mass about why theChurch believes that the decision oflife over abortion is the only selec-tion that a Catholic can make.

Although Catholic organizationssuch as the Knights of Columbus dotake a positive stand on this issue,why don’t the bishops and parishpriests?

I suspect that most people in theUnited States (Catholics and non-Catholics) know what the Catholic

Church teaches about the respectdue to unborn life. In fact, approxi-mately half the people in this coun-try agree that there should be somerestrictions on abortion, but they donot agree on which restrictionsshould be backed by law.

Unfortunately, many US Catholicsseem to reflect the common mis-conception that respect for life fromconception to natural death is an au-thoritarian and undemocratic belief.

Would more frequent preachingon this topic change Catholicminds? Perhaps it would, but I doubtit. You could encourage priests atyour parish to preach on this moreoften. I think the present situation

flows more from hearts that needconverting to the Lord’s ways, thanfrom minds that need changing toreject the country’s conventionalwisdom that a respect for privacytrumps all other issues in this discus-sion. Pro-life issues often occur inthe general intercessions at Mass.

In his 1979 book Aborting America,the late Bernard Nathanson, MD,explains how people favoring abor-tion manipulated public opinion tocreate a right to abort, a procedurethat he performed an estimated60,000 times before he recognizedthat he was denying a basic right to ahuman being, not to some mass oftissue. Five years later he directedand narrated The Silent Scream, a doc-umentary about abortion. The pro-life movement led him in 1996 tobecome a Catholic.

A good homily helps listenersunderstand God’s self-revelation inScripture and in the faith commu-nity; it helps them see their lives asGod sees them. Then they makewhatever choices will better reflecttheir dignity as people made inGod’s image and likeness.

I understand a good homily ashelping people move forward ontheir faith journey. Trying to shamepeople into making morally goodchoices will not work in the longrun. At least, that’s not the strategythat Jesus used in his preaching.

Response Much AppreciatedYour answer “Did Those BishopsSin?” (June 2014) provided a greatcourse in corporate apologetics.

My faith was formed by the Mari-anist community 60 years ago. Ican’t walk away from what I believe,but I certainly am not impressed by

A S K A F R A N C I S C A N ❘ BY FATHER PAT McCLOSKEY, OFM

Few Pro-life Homilies

If a Catholic does notwant a formal funeralMass when he or shedies, what would aCatholic gravesidecommittal ceremony belike?

The Order of ChristianFunerals (in use in theUnited States since1989) has separate sec-tions for use with

adults or with children. They follow the same format, but haveadjustments based on the age of the person being buried.

The rite opens with a welcome given by the presider (usually apriest or a deacon). After a short Scripture verse, there is a prayer tobless the place of committal. Another prayer for the actual commit-tal precedes intercessions, the Lord’s Prayer, a concluding prayer,and a final blessing.

In the situation you describe, a longer Scripture reading couldreplace the short biblical verse. A 1997 appendix includes prayersfor the committal of cremated remains.

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Fr anciscanMedia.org September 2014 ❘ 55

what I have seen from the US bish-ops’ conference.

The flock “knows its shepherd”just as surely as the shepherd knowshis own. I wrote my bishop a letter,similar to the one referenced in yourcolumn, expressing my concerns. Hewrote back that he would “pray forme.” No other discussion.

I won’t waste my time anymore. Ithink it’s evident when the shepherddoesn’t care, the flock soon followssuit.

To refresh readers’ memories, Iresponded then to questions aboutbishops who had been negligentregarding protecting children frompedophile priests, bishops who maynot have consulted their people lastfall regarding the Holy See’s ques-tionnaire to prepare for the October2014 synod of bishops on the family,and whether a bishop or priest not inthe state of grace can perform thefunctions of his office.

We believe in Jesus in a muchmore solid way than we believe inany human being. We trust thatpopes, bishops, priests, etc., are act-ing as conscientious shepherds—until we have clear evidence to thecontrary.

On the flight back from Israel onMay 26, Pope Francis spoke withreporters for more than an hour. Oneof them said that in all localchurches there are norms thatimpose a serious moral and oftenlegal duty to cooperate with localcivil authorities regarding the sexualabuse of minors by clergy. Thereporter continued, “What wouldyou do in the case of a bishop whoclearly did not respect, didn’t follow,these obligations?”

Pope Francis responded that threebishops were then under investiga-tion by the Church. One had alreadybeen convicted, and his punishmentwas being decided. “There is no spe-cial treatment,” the pope said. “Theabuse of minors is truly a horriblecrime. . . . We know that it is a seriousproblem everywhere, but my con-cern is about the Church.

“A priest who does this betrays the

body of the Lord because this priest issupposed to lead the boy or girl, thisyoung man or woman, to holiness.And these young people, these chil-dren are trusting . . . and theninstead of leading them to holiness,he abuses them. And this is extremelyserious! . . . You are supposed to leadthem to holiness, and you create alifelong problem for them.”

The pope added that he wouldsoon celebrate a Mass at his resi-dence for several persons who hadbeen abused; then he would meetwith them and with Cardinal SeánO’Malley, a member of the recentlyestablished commission responsiblefor addressing such abuse.

On July 7, that Mass was cele-brated and a meeting was held withsix people who had been abused byCatholic clergy.

Jesus’ betrayal by Judas did notdestroy the faith of all other Chris-tians, but obliged them to give theirfaith in him a clearer and more con-sistent expression.

Individual shepherds in the

Catholic Church have betrayed thepeople entrusted to their pastoralcare, but the Divine Shepherd neverwill. Your Catholic faith is batteredbut still intact.

People may escape human justice,but no one can escape divine justice.

No Statue of Mary?Must every Catholic church have astatue of the Blessed Mother? Irecently visited one that did not.

This is not a requirement, but mostCatholic churches and chapels haveat least one such statue. A

Father Pat welcomes your questions!Send them to: Ask a Franciscan, 28 W.Liberty Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202-6498,or [email protected]. All ques-tions sent by mail need to include a self-addressed stamped envelope. This column’sanswers can be searched back to April1996 at StAnthonyMessenger.org.

St. Anthony Messenger is only $39.00 for 12 monthly issues. This priceincludes our digital edition: StAnthonyMessenger.org/DigitalEdition__ YES! Please begin my subscription.

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Almost HomeHelping Kids Move from Homelessness to HopeBy Kevin Ryan and Tina Kelley John Wiley & Sons220 pages • $16.95Paperback/e-book

Reviewed by SISTER MELANIE BAIR, OSF, PhD,former teacher and principal, who served primar-ily with the poor. She is former executive directorof Boys Hope Girls Hope Cincinnati.

Covenant House is a faith-based initiativeserving homeless and runaway youth in theUnited States and Canada since 1972. The

authors of Almost Home—Kevin Ryan, presi-dent of Covenant House, and Tina Kelley,former staff writer for The New York Times—share from personal experience.

While the book champions CovenantHouse and the spectrum of programs thatare offered to homeless children who arriveat the doorstep of one of their 21 homes, italso presents other organizations that helpchildren, such as “Fatherhood Initiative,”“Youth on Their Own (Tucson),” and “Chil-dren’s Rights.” The book is well-written andinformative, supported with relevant andreliable statistics.

The moving stories shared by six youngpeople give the reader an upfront and per-sonal understanding of youth who have hadto face monumental challenges in theireffort to go beyond the effects of growing upin a toxic environment of poverty, neglect,abuse, abandonment, and drugs.

The young people in the book perseveredin their struggle, but many others did notand gave up on life itself. The authorsaddress the underlying causes of homeless-ness: poverty, inadequate education, humantrafficking, lack of health care, mentalhealth issues, and problems with foster care.Ryan and Kelley suggest ways in which thesecritical problems can be resolved.

One of the many things that struck mewas the desire of each of these six youngpeople to find their mothers and to reunitewith their families. No matter what they hadsuffered, they were ready to forgive, andwanted to “fix” their families, to belong!

To adequately address the many issuesthat are presented in this book will requirethe participation of the entire village: elders,teachers, and other child-care professionals;nonprofit organizations who serve children;churches, businesses, and government at alllevels.

Almost Home is an important read forteachers, pastors of churches, social workers,and all those who serve children, especiallythose children who live in poverty or diffi-cult circumstances, who lack stability, pre-dictable meals, and educational oppor-tunities. In fact, I would recommend thisbook to everyone.

B O O K C O R N E R ❘ BY CAROL ANN MORROW

W H A T I ’ M R E A D I N G■ Where Two Worlds Touch: A Spiritual

Journey through Alzheimer’s Disease, by Jade C. Angelica

■ Where Is Knowing Going? by John C. Haughey

■ Acting in Film, by Michael Caine

■ Never Go Back: A Jack Reacher Novel, by Lee Child

■ Monsters: The 1985 Chicago Bears and the Wild Heart ofFootball, by Rich Cohen

Michael Leach is the editor at large and publisher emeritus of OrbisBooks. He was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award from theCatholic Book Publishers Association in 2007. Leach has these fivebooks on his nightstand.

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Doors to the SacredEveryday Events as Hints of the HolyBy Bridget Haase, OSUParaclete Press176 pages • $14.99Paperback/e-book

Reviewed by ELIZABETH BOOKSER BARKLEY, PhD,the author of four books and numerous articles,of which many touch upon finding the grace ofthe present moment, such as Loving the Every-day: Meditations for Moms and Life afterDeath: Practical Help for the Widowed.

Knowing the power of a well-told story isone of the author’s gifts, so Bridget Haase’sbook is full of them: stories about a strongmountain woman “tending a fire, drawingwater at the well, pickling her gardencucumbers.” Or a six-year-old AIDS patientbuilding a Lego castle he envisions as “a partof heaven” because “when you die you go toGod’s beautiful castle.” And a subway rideroblivious to others, “humming along withhis iPad” as his feet tap out a rhythm.

Haase believes there are graces to be hadby engaging with stories—graces of redemp-tion, compassion, and strength. Throughthese 52 “hints of the holy,” she invites usnot only to read but also to “own eachstory” and be “open to its grace.” Readerscan respond personally to poignant medita-tion prompts such as “When I stand underthe stars, I sometimes feel. . . .”

Haase’s simple, poetic prayers are enrichedwith excerpts from Scripture. Sprinkledthroughout the book are succinct bits ofsaintly wisdom from the likes of St. Vincentde Paul, Fulton J. Sheen, and Mother Teresa.

As a companion on a retreat or as a guidethrough the weeks of the year, this bookdoes just what its title promises: it opensdoors to the sacred in the most ordinaryevents of life.

Fr anciscanMedia.org September 2014 ❘ 57

Being on Fire The Top Ten Essentials of Catholic FaithBy Richard G. MalloyOrbis Books191 pages • $18Paperback

This book’s back cover promises “an enjoyablejourney,” which the author delivers. The Jesuit’sTop 10, rooted in Scripture and tradition, usecontemporary culture to link Catholic roots tothe now. The 10th essential is to be happy, areminder that faith is essentially optimistic.

Catholic by ChoiceWhy I Embraced the Faith, Joined theChurch, and Embarked on the Adventureof a LifetimeBy Richard Cole Loyola Press231 pages • $14.95Paperback/e-book

Richard Cole is a poet whose memoir is humor-ous and down-to-earth. His journey towardCatholicism began with a gift certificate for aweekend at a monastery from his wife, whothought he’d like the quiet. Cradle Catholicswill follow his quest with new appreciation forthe faith they share with the author.

It’s Not the Same without YouComing Home to the Catholic ChurchBy Mitch FinleyWIPF & STOCK193 pages • $22Paperback

While this is a reissue of a book first publishedin 2003, it needs to be out there for many seek-ers already encouraged by Pope Francis toreturn to the tradition they once embraced. Nodidactic text, this is a collection of stories. Alien-ated Catholics will find their twins in its pages.

B O O K B R I E F S

Faith: Being, Becoming, Returning

Books featured in Book Corner and Book Briefs can be ordered from

St. Mary’s Bookstore & Church Supply1909 West End Avenue • Nashville, TN 37203 • 800-233-3604 www.stmarysbookstore.com • [email protected]


A C A T H O L I C M O M S P E A K S ❘ BY SUSAN HINES-BRIGGER

‘Because I Said I Would’

As a parent, I am guilty ofmaking promises that I failto keep. Promises for booksto be read, games to be

played, trips to be taken. I get busy, Iget distracted . . . the excuses go onand on. How many times have Irecited the lines from Dr. Seuss’ bookHorton Hatches the Egg: “I meantwhat I said and I said what I meant.An elephant’s faithful one-hundredpercent!”? Yet I still failed.

Then, one day, I came across aTED Talk by Alex Sheen. Sheen is thefounder of the nonprofit “because Isaid I would,” a movement thatstarted with his dad.

After finding out more about theprogram, I started to think abouthow reliable my word was. Did I fol-low through when I said I would?Not enough, I discovered. Too often Iwould promise things and not followthrough. Not only was I guilty offailing others, but I was also failingmyself.

A Eulogy Becomes a MovementSo what is the movement all about?On September 4, 2011, Alex Sheenlost his father to cancer. In hiseulogy, the younger Sheen focusedon one thing: his father’s ability toalways keep a promise. At the end ofthe eulogy, Sheen distributed smallwhite cards to those in attendance.

The cards were blank, except for thewords “because I said I would” in thelower right-hand corner. It was asimple gesture to honor his father’sshining example of integrity.

Sheen never imagined those cardswould change his life and touch thelives of many others. Nor did he real-ize that those cards would spawn asocial movement and nonprofitorganization dedicated to the better-ment of humanity through promisesmade and kept. The program hasbeen featured in People magazine, onNPR, and through various socialmedia platforms.

The premise of the program is simple. A person writes a promise

on the card—either to himself orherself, or to someone else. The cardis given to another person, and whenit is fulfilled, the card is returned as areminder that that person kept his orher promise. The organization’s web-site (becauseisaidiwould.com) offersa wide range of ways to institute theprogram in your life.

To encourage positive change andacts of kindness, the “because I said Iwould” organization sends “promisecards” anywhere in the world at no

Click the button to the left to listen to Susan’s “Marriage Moments.”


cost. Over 1,275,000 promise cardshave been sent out to over 105 dif-ferent countries! Because of the over-whelming response, Sheen left hiscorporate job and now works to pro-mote “because I said I would.”

All Kinds of PromisesSheen’s hope is that people use thecards to remember the importance oftheir word, for promises both bigand small. It could be a promise tovolunteer at a soup kitchen. Or agreeto play a game with your kids. Youcould even take on something a bit

bigger, as Garth Callaghan did.Callaghan, who has battled cancer

three times, was afraid that he mightnot be around to see his daughtergraduate. His promise was to writeone napkin note for every day ofclass his daughter Emma has untilshe graduates from high school. Hehas been writing napkin notes forEmma’s lunch box since she was inthe second grade.

Sheen has not removed himselffrom the challenge, either. He hasfulfilled promises such as getting 100tickets to Disneyland for children

with cancer and walking 245 milesacross the entire state of Ohio in 10 days to raise awareness for the victims of sexual violence (a promisehe made to Amanda Berry, GinaDeJesus, and Michelle Knight, threewomen held captive in a Clevelandhome for years).

This month, the organization willhost “because I said I would | ONE,”in Columbus, Ohio. In addition tomoving stories of human persever-ance through featured speakers,attendees will be able to share theirown promise stories. One way theycan share them is through videorecordings that will be made at theevent and then turned into a year-long YouTube series.

Thanks to his father, Alex Sheenhas learned the value of his wordand that of others. Perhaps it’s timewe all took the challenge and startedpracticing what we preach. A

These scenes may seem alike to you,

But there are changes in the two.

So look and see if you can name

Eight ways in which they’re not the same.

(Answers on page 26)

P E T E A N D R E P E A T

Do you have comments or suggestions fortopics you’d like to see addressed in thiscolumn? Send them to me at “A CatholicMom Speaks,” 28 W. Liberty St., Cincin-nati, OH 45202-6498, or e-mail them [email protected].

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CLOSE TO HOME

One of the greatest things we haveis our integrity. Alex Sheen has saidthat the promises we make don’thave to be big ones. They can alsobe small. So what would yourpromises be? You can take part inthis concept by either sending foryour 10 free promise cards ordownloading them from the orga-nization’s website.

I have challenged myself to fillout those 10 cards, distributethem, and earn them back. Forinstance, after having a hard timestaying on track with my fitnessprogram, I wrote myself a promisethat I would complete three 5K races in the coming year. I gave that cardto my workout partner for safekeeping. After my final race, she gave memy card back. It now has a place of honor with my medals.

So, I challenge you. How will you fulfill this challenge? Visit our Face-book page (St. Anthony Messenger magazine) and let us know whatpromises you’re going to keep.

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Click here to watch Sheen’sTED Talk on the “because Isaid I would” program.

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Our young son, Eli, likes to join meon the rounds of early morning farmchores. One recent morning, we

walked together to the chicken coop, handin hand. We passed one of our vegetableplots, which sported its usual late-summerweediness, and Eli spotted a number of openmorning glory flowers.

To my stubbornly pragmatic mind, morn-ing glory vines are obnoxious interlopers inour gardens and hayfields. I’d be glad to berid of them. Eli, however, was so excited bythese beautiful blue flowers that he ex-claimed, “Papa, I don’t just want to smellthe flowers. I want to kiss them!” And kneel-ing down with a theatrical flourish, he didexactly that.

In the moment, I simply laughed at thesheer comedy of his actions, and I delightedin his delight. I can think of no better wayto be reminded of the well-worn (and good)advice that we should take time to smell theroses: to savor the beauty of the naturalworld. As I’ve thought more about it,though, I’ve come to see that the wisdom ofEli’s instincts extended far beyond the levelof greeting-card sentiment.

Unlike his papa, Eli doesn’t generally filterthe natural world into categories of beautifulroses and nuisance weeds. He can see loveli-ness in both. To notice andappreciate the world’sbeauty—whether it’s a culti-vated rose or a morning gloryweed—is an important prac-tice for those of us withstrong egos and practicalminds. As we expand ourhuman footprint on theworld, it will also be moreand more necessary for us toappreciate even those land-scapes that have been radi-cally changed or damaged byour presence.

Eli didn’t simply appreciatethe morning glories as if theywere there to please him orserve him, like a consumeritem. When he stooped downto kiss them, Eli took anothercrucial step: he humbledhimself, and he gave some-thing back.

The 13th-century Sufi poetRumi once wrote that “thereare a thousand ways to kneeland kiss the ground.” Eli tookit literally, but you and Imight kiss the ground or theflowers in any number ofways: fighting to save rainforests or mountains or a watershed, andchanging whatever lifestyle and consump-tion habits that support such destruction inthe first place. As we do, we might finallyrealize that God is always kneeling down tokiss us, too.

Kyle Kramer, an organic farmer, is author of A Time to Plant:Life Lessons in Work, Prayer, and Dirt (Sorin Books).

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A T H O M E O N E A R T H ❘ BY KYLE KRAMER

Kiss the Flowers

It’s well-worn and good advice: Savor the beauty ofthe natural world. Morning glories point beyond.

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Click here to hear an interviewand explore links.

AppreciatingNature

1Many common weeds areuseful for food or medicine.Find out more at pfaf.org.

2Rain forests are often cut tocreate grazing land or growcrops for cattle. You canhelp preserve them by eat-ing less meat or seekingout sustainably raised beef.

3Can you think of a timewhen you were deeplymoved at the beauty ofGod’s creation? How mightyou include creation as aregular part of your prayer?

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If you’re a longtime subscriber, you’ll know that, every once in a while,

we introduce a new, regular column into this magazine. Sure, we’ve

got our permanent, very popular columns (departments), such as

“Followers of St. Francis,” “Ask a Franciscan,” “Reel Time,” “Channel Surf-

ing,” and more. But the editors here, from many years’ experience, know

that you readers like to mix it up. Sometimes it’s just a desire for variety,

and we’re happy to provide it. Other times there’s some celebration or

observance among Catholics worldwide. Then there is Pope Francis.

No one seems to get enough of this guy! Google News has resorted to

collecting a page of news stories a few times a day rather than barraging

subscribers with notice after notice. Of course, we editors started publish-

ing regular feature articles about Pope Francis.

He’s doing so many things that are challenging

us to live and enjoy our faith more deeply!

As the “Francis effect” persisted, we decided to

initiate a regular column, “The Spirit of Francis,”

that launches in this issue. It took us a few

months to develop our approach and to recruit

authors whom we are confident will have some-

thing new, insightful, and masterfully written to

share with you. We chose to play our strongest

hand: helping people understand how the spirit

of St. Francis inspires the spirit of Pope Francis.

So we looked for socially engaged experts on

our beloved St. Francis. We settled on a team of

two friars (Pat McCloskey, OFM, and Murray

Bodo, OFM), a Franciscan sister (Joanne Schatz-

lein, OSF), and a laywoman (Gina Loehr). Pat you’ll know from our own

pages; Murray is a prolific author and poet (Francis: The Journey and the

Dream is his most well-known), Joanne lectures worldwide on St. Francis,

and Gina wrote the new book Saint Francis, Pope Francis (Servant Books).

Murray and Joanne regularly lead pilgrimages to Assisi.

Art Director Jeanne Kortekamp called in one of her premier illustrators,

Julie Lonneman, to create a new image each month from the life of St.

Francis.

I think it’s going to be a great column! I hope you agree.

Our Newest Offering

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