St. Vincent de Paul

Saint Vincent de Paul was born around 1580 of poor parents in a village in France. He was schooled by Franciscan Fathers, studied theology at the university, and was ordained a priest in 1600. Throughout his life, he had a special place in his heart for the poor.

Father Vincent founded the first conference of charity for the assistance of the poor. He led missions for peasants, joined by other Parisian priests. Nearly everywhere, following most of his missions, a conference of charity was founded for the relief of the poor. With the conferences, St. Vincent instituted open retreats for laymen as well as priests; today it is estimated that in the last 25 years of St. Vincent's life, more than 800 persons attended his retreats annually. These retreats powerfully infused a Christian spirit among the masses. His zeal for souls knew no limit; all occasions were to him opportunities to express it.

When he died at the age of 80, the poor of Paris lost their best friend and a benefactor unsurpassed in modern times. The feast day of the Apostle of Charity, as he is known, is Sept. 27th, and he is the patron of charitable societies. At his death he was the director of eleven seminaries. Vincent was canonized by Clement XII in June 1737.

The legacy of St. Vincent de Paul lives on in charitable societies formed throughout the world. The St. Vincent de Paul Society is an international Roman Catholic organization dedicated to tackling poverty by providing direct practical assistance to anyone in need. It was founded in 1833 by Frederic Ozanam, a University student, and a small group of friends who were challenged to assist the poor of Paris. They chose to call their group the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, based on the exemplary charitable life led by Vincent. The Society now numbers nearly 950 thousand members in 132 countries worldwide, whose members operate through conferences, dedicating their time and resources to help those in need in their community.

Risen Savior's St. Vincent de Paul Society is actually a combined effort with our sister parish, Prince of Peace. To support their efforts, we have a 2nd collection on the first Sunday of every month. The members of our society are also behind our annual Christmas Wish List, which further serves the poor in our community, particularly the children, by providing them with needed clothing. This is one of our "Love Your Neighbor" initiatives for December, and one that Risen Savior has been sponsoring for more than 20 years. Through our participation, we continue the good work of St. Vincent de Paul.

Catholic Relief Services

Last month, we celebrated the 100th anniversary of Catholic Charities USA and all they do as the largest private network of social services organizations in the country. Another organization that Catholics can claim and take pride in is Catholic Relief Services. Catholic Relief Services, or CRS, was founded by the U.S. Catholic Bishops in 1943, originally to serve World War II survivors in Europe. Since then, CRS has expanded to more than 100 countries on 5 continents.

The mission of CRS is to assist impoverished and disadvantaged people primarily overseas, working in the spirit of Catholic Social teaching to promote the sacredness of human life and the dignity of the human person. Although their mission is rooted in the Catholic faith, CRS serves people based solely on need, regardless of race, religion, or ethnicity.

So how does Catholic Relief Services serve all of God’s people? CRS and its partners work with the poorest farm families and communities, as well as with communities suffering from HIV and AIDS and victims of manmade and natural disasters in 34 countries worldwide. CRS promotes and supports access to quality basic education for all. Education programs have been implemented in Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Middle East, and Eastern Europe. In the Philippines, CRS helped identify and train local leaders in basic health services.

From earthquake and hurricane-ravaged Haiti to flood-plagued Pakistan to toxic-waste covered Hungary, CRS is there to lend a helping hand.

CRS complements its humanitarian work with policy analysis and advocacy to address root causes of poverty and conflict. They examine the issues that impact the safety and well-being of poor and vulnerable people worldwide, and work with the USCCB to develop public policy positions. In other words, they are advocates, giving voice to those who have none and working to change unfair policies.

While U.S. parishes have a special collection once a year in March to benefit Catholic Relief Services, there is now another way you can join in their efforts. It’s called Celebration Gifts, and it is one of our December “Love Your Neighbor” initiatives. For that person in your life who doesn’t need another “thing,” consider making a donation to CRS on their behalf to mark special occasions. You can find information about it in our December Ministry Monthly and on our website, but the procedure is simple: you pick the occasion and gift amount, and go to the CRS website. CRS will send a beautiful e-card with your personal message. It is a gift with the potential to make a difference in the lives of our brothers and sisters worldwide.

Singing & St. Cecilia

According to the U.S. Catholic Bishops, “God has bestowed upon his people the gift of song.” In the document about music titled Sing to the Lord, the bishops go on to say that “God, the giver of song, is present whenever his people sing his praises.”

“A cry from deep within our being, music is a way for God to lead us to the realm of higher things. As St. Augustine says, “Singing is for the one who loves.” Music is therefore a sign of God’s love for us and of our love for him...By its very nature song has both an individual and a communal dimension. Thus, it is no wonder that singing together in church expresses so well the sacramental presence of God to his people.”

Singing is one of the primary ways that the assembly of the faithful participates actively in the liturgy. The people are encouraged to sing and reminded that “The quality of our participation in such sung praise comes less from our vocal ability than from the desire of our hearts to sing together of our love for God.” In other words, ignore all those people who told you that you can’t sing – you can and should because God wants to hear you sing!

Saint Cecilia is recognized as the patron saint of music, especially church music, because as she was dying a martyr’s death, she sang to God. It is also written that as the musicians played at her wedding, she “sang in her heart to the Lord.” St. Cecilia was born in the 2nd or 3rd century A.D., although the dates of her birth and martyrdom are unknown. A religious romance telling the love story of Saint Cecilia and Valerian, a pagan who later converted to Christianity, appeared in Greece during the 4th century A.D., and there is a biography of St. Cecilia dating from the 5th century A.D. Her feast day is celebrated on November 22nd, and musical tributes in honor of St. Cecilia are common this time of year. In our own parish, our combined choirs will present a St. Cecilia concert next Sunday, November 21st at 3:00 PM right here in the church, and you are all invited to attend and sing along.

Those choirs who faithfully lead us in sung prayer every Sunday understand that the most important function of music in the Mass is to unite us in a common act of worship. It is a unifying element that continually calls us to worship as one Body in Christ.

Visiting the Imprisoned

In the Last Judgment story in Matthew 25, Jesus uses the analogy of a shepherd separating the sheep from the goats. The righteous sheep say, “Lord, when did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?” The king replies, “Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.”

In this parable, Jesus gives a clear command to those who would be his followers: visit those in prison. The author of the Letter to the Hebrews admonishes us to “Be mindful of prisoners as if sharing their imprisonment.” (Hebrews 13:3)

How can we respond to Jesus’ call to visit those in prison?

Those who visit the imprisoned tend to be either family or friends, and chaplains. Most visitors need special permission, so one cannot simply get up in the morning and say: “Today I’m going to visit prisoners.” Consequently, prison visitation remains a fairly rare occurrence for most people.

While our legal system deals with the criminal aspect, the Church takes an active role in a more important element, that of conversion. Prison ministry can have profound effects in the lives of prisoners as well as others affected by crime. It is, first of all, an opportunity to help the prisoner understand his or her actions, since often there is denial of wrongdoing. Comprehensive prison ministry recognizes that families of prisoners as well as the victims and their families must be ministered to; their pain cannot be dismissed. But the main goal of ministry to the incarcerated is salvation. Prisoners can experience a deeper, more expansive freedom, even while incarcerated, if they welcome the gospel of Jesus Christ into their lives. Volunteers in the Archdiocese of Santa Fe provide religious education, caring visits, or pastoral counseling.

When it comes to the families of prisoners, the most affected population is the children. These families have special challenges and issues that can be addressed so both parents and children can continue their relationships.

While many of us are not called to prison ministry, we can support those who are. Our Love Your Neighbor drive for November is collecting new toys for the Bernalillo County Metropolitan Detention Center’s Annual Christmas Party for families. The celebration is organized for children whose parents are incarcerated at BCMC. Since the parents cannot leave to shop for their children, the toys and games we donate become the “store” for them. Just as buying and donating peanut butter is “feeding the hungry,” our donation of toys makes us part of “visiting the imprisoned.”

Mixing Religion and Politics

It’s the end of October, and you know what that means: late at night, comfortable at home, you may be startled by the doorbell. As you open your door, you will be confronted by a scary sight: no, not children trick-or-treating for candy, but politicians looking for your vote!

In any given campaign year, we are bombarded with commercials, billboards, radio announcements, internet pop-ups, and signs in our neighbors’ yards telling us to vote for this candidate or that. Even here at our parish, in spite of our pastor’s protests, pamphlets have been placed on cars in the parking lot every Sunday for weeks.

What’s the deal? Shouldn’t we be keeping religion and politics far, far apart? Isn’t there supposed to be a separation of church and state?

A misconception among many Christians is that we must keep our faith life apart from our secular life. In truth, participation in political life on the part of Catholics and all Christians is vital, necessary, and essential. This is the bishops’ message in the document Faithful Citizenship. We are all bound by our baptismal call to go out into the world, preaching Jesus’ message of salvation, love, and compassion.

For Catholics, keeping faith separate from other parts of our lives is impossible. Our faith is an integral part of who we are. We come to Mass every Sunday and are transformed by both the Word of God and the Body and Blood of Christ. That transformation is not something that can be turned off and on, depending on whether you are at church or in the voting booth.

So what is a Catholic voter to do?

As Catholics, we believe that a well-informed conscience is essential in any political decision. We have an obligation to carefully discern the decisions we make about the future of our country. We form our consciences as we listen to and live the Gospel. Each of us, as we grow older and wiser, has the opportunity to develop our own thoughts and opinions on the issues facing our country. We also have an obligation to educate ourselves about the candidates and the impact of proposed statutes. It’s very plain: neither political party represents the fullness of the Church’s teaching of the sanctity of human life from conception to natural death. If we simply vote based on party lines or by randomly choosing candidates, we are committing a disservice to our country, to ourselves, and, more importantly, to our faith.

Our vote in any election should be the result of our careful discernment of the issues and candidates. The Catholic Church does not tell you who to vote for, but the Church does offer opportunities in forming your conscience which will help you make good decisions in the voting booth.

World Youth Day

World Youth Day is a day to celebrate youth and young adults in all of their diversity and goodness, and to encourage these young people to lead the church both now and into the future. The bishops of the United States, wanting to place full attention on the youth of our nation, voted to move the celebration in the United States from Palm Sunday, when much of the world celebrates, to the 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time, this year celebrated on October 24th. During this weekend, parishes are invited to bless their young people, involve them in all aspects of the Mass, affirm their leadership, and invite them to use their gifts in service to the church and the world.

Each year, the pope prepares a message to the young people of the world. This year's theme is based on Mark 10:17, the story of Jesus' meeting with the inquisitive, rich young man. As Jesus was setting out on his journey, recounts the Gospel of St. Mark, "a man ran up and knelt before him, and asked him, "Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" After the man assures Jesus that he has observed all the commandments from his youth, “Jesus looked upon him,” Mark tells us, “and loved him.” He then tells the young man to go and sell his possessions and give everything to the poor. The young man goes away sad because, we are told, “he had many possessions.”

Because being Christian is about responding to the Word of God, Pope Benedict’s message to the young people of the world lists some of the challenges our young people must address now: the use of the resources of the earth and respect for the ecology; the just division of goods and the control of financial mechanisms; solidarity with poor countries; the struggle against hunger in the world; the promotion of the dignity of human labor; the building of peace between peoples; and the use of social communication, like email, texting, and Facebook, to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ. The leader of our Church challenges our young people to be good stewards of their time, talents, and treasure, and to be counter-cultural when it comes to materialism. These are challenges to which all of us, but especially our young people, are called to respond to build a more just world.

As we celebrate World Youth Day, we pray for our young people. We recognize and affirm their gifts, and encourage their continued full and active participation in the life of our faith community.

Catholic Charities 100th Anniversary

On September 25, 1910, scores of people who served the poor across the country converged on the campus of Catholic University of America for the first official gathering of Catholic Charities organizations. The gathering served as a uniting force for people doing the Church’s work of charity in the United States. One of the results was the creation of Catholic Charities USA.

On September 25, 2010, Catholic Charities USA, now one of the largest associations of social service agencies in the country, celebrated its 100th anniversary. The Centennial provides an opportunity to highlight a history of providing help and creating hope for people on the margins. Catholic Charities has and will continue to advance a vision for our country in which individuals and communities have the chance to reach their full potential.

In 2008, Catholic Charities agencies provided help and created hope for 8.5 million people regardless of their religious, social, or economic backgrounds. Catholic Charities’ services strengthened families, built strong communities, responded to natural disasters, and provided food, shelter, and other basic needs.

Every Catholic can take pride in these accomplishments because Catholic Charities is a part of the Church, the body of Christ. Few partnerships have been as strong and fruitful as the one between Catholic Charities and parishes: parishes have been on the frontlines of compassion; Catholic Charities have reinforced their efforts through service and advocacy.

Recognizing the potential and responsibility of this Centennial anniversary, Catholic Charities USA is calling all parishes to continue to stand in solidarity with them in this moment of celebration and recommitment.

Back in September, for two weeks in a row, the readings from the prophet Amos and Saint Paul’s letter to Timothy reminded us that concern for the poor is at the heart of our Church teachings. In the Gospel story of Lazarus and the rich man, we learned that being a disciple of Jesus is not about random acts of kindness but about the ability to be in solidarity with those who are on the other side of “gate,” the poor. We are challenged to open our eyes to the inequities in society, and urged to love and care for those who cry out in need.

Catholic Charities carries out this love in an organized way. As we celebrate with Catholic Charities, we at Risen Savior commit to care for and stand with those on the margins, to serve those most in need, now and for the next 100 years.