You’re not racist.

I always thought that was enough.  Oh, I knew that I had my biases and prejudices, like everyone.  But because I was conscious of them and did not treat others unfairly because of them, I wasn’t racist.

I was certain that racism was not endorsed by the Bible.  Sure enough, in James 2:8-9, we read, “However, if you fulfill the royal law according to the scripture, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself,’ you are doing well.  But if you show partiality, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as transgressors.”

I was also pretty sure that church leaders must have condemned racism.  In 2020’s “Open Wide Our Hearts,” the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops proclaimed, “Racism is evil because it attacks the inherent dignity of the human person, created in the image and likeness of God.”

So, I thought I knew what racism was, that it was inconsistent with my faith, and that I wasn’t part of the problem.

But that’s no longer enough.  I have to take the next step; I have to be an anti-racist.  All Catholics have to be anti-racists.  Each of us must be part of the solution.

If we are to end the scourge of racism in our land, we must now stand up to all words, actions, traditions, and policies that prevent people from realizing their full potential, enjoying life to its fullest, and fulfilling the “more perfect union” the Constitution calls for.

It is time to take a side, and as Catholics that must be the side of anti-racism.

Elie Wiesel knew something about racism.  Millions of his Jewish people were murdered by the Nazis because of their ethnic backgrounds.  Wiesel himself was a survivor of the Auschwitz and Buchenwald concentration camps.

“We must take sides.  Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim.  Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.  Sometimes we must interfere.  When human lives are endangered, when human dignity is in jeopardy, national borders and sensitivities become irrelevant.  Wherever men and women are persecuted because of their race, religion, or political views, that place must – at that moment – become the center of the universe” Elie Wiesel, 1986 Nobel Prize acceptance speech.

We can become the center of the universe when it comes to combatting racism.  The alternative is to do nothing, to say nothing, and allow the center of the universe to remain as it was.  As a black hole.

For more information, videos, and a Prayer to Overcome Racism, go online to www.usccb.org, the Issues and Actions tab, Racism drop-down box.

Written by: Parishioner Andrew Crane, St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church, Dignity of Life Committee Member

Jesus Christ, you traveled through towns and villages “curing every disease and illness”.  At your command, the sick were made well.  Come to our aid now amid the global spread of the coronavirus, that we may experience your healing love.

Heal those who are sick with the virus. May they regain their strength and health through quality medical care.

Heal us from our fear, which prevents nations from working together and neighbors from helping one another.

Heal us from greed, which can make us concerned only for ourselves, and hoard beyond what we need.

Heal us from our pride, which can make us claim invulnerability to a disease that knows no borders.

Jesus Christ, healer of all, stay by our side in this time of uncertainty and sorrow.

Be with those who have died from the virus.  May they be at rest with you in your eternal peace.

Be with the families of those who are sick or have died.  As they worry and grieve, defend them from illness and despair.  May they know your peace.

Be with the doctors, physician assistants, nurses, researchers and all medical professionals who seek to heal and help those affected and who put themselves at risk in the process.  May they know your protection and peace.

Be with the leaders of all nations.  Give them the foresight to act with charity and true concern for the well-being of the people they are meant to serve.  Give them the wisdom to invest in long-term solutions that will help prepare for or prevent future outbreaks.  May they know your peace, as they work together to achieve it on earth.

Whether we are home or abroad, surrounded by many people suffering from this illness or only a few, Jesus Christ, stay with us as we endure and mourn, persist and prepare.  In place of our anxiety, give us your peace.

Jesus Christ heal us. Amen.

 

Submitted by: Sr. Marla Clercx, ANG, Pastoral Leader

I am currently in diaconate formation. I continue to pray that I will be ordained as a deacon next year. Your prayers of support and strength would be most appreciated, as well.

While prayer is a huge part of formation, there is also a fair amount of classroom work involved, too. The courses have been very interesting, and I am learning so much about this beautiful Church and our mission to know, show and grow Jesus’s message of love every day of our lives.

A couple of months ago I was talking to a friend and she asked what classes I was going to take this summer. When I told her that canon law was next, she got a look on her face like I had just told her that I don’t like cheese curds. It was a cross between sadness and pity with a bit of disgust sprinkled in. Apparently, I was crossing over to the “dark side.” To be honest, I didn’t walk in to class the first night with a completely open mind. After all, it did seem to me that the only things I knew about canon law were the various ways of saying “no” that I have heard over the years.

Perhaps it would be prudent to explain what canon law is. On a very simple level, canon law is a system of laws, principles and regulations assembled and released in 1917. Before that, canon law existed in a variety of different places, including papal decretals and decrees, church documents, and many other sources dating back to the Roman Empire. The canons (laws) are intended to organize the operation of the church and to guide the members of the church toward a more loving and righteous life, while protecting the faith and theology of the Catholic Church.

As the class progressed, a few things began to become clearer to me. Firstly, I am now not so convinced that canons of the church are in place to make life harder and less enjoyable. The more I study, the more I am finding that one of the major guiding principles of canon law is to say “yes” as often as possible. Generally, canon lawyers and judges are constantly looking for details in situations which support the people involved. While “no” is sometimes the just answer, if there is a path to a “yes,” by default, it is the path most pursued.

Another very important point that became apparent to me is the difference between “should” and “must” in the way that we conduct our lives, sacraments, etc. In canon law terms, this roughly translates to “licit” and “valid”. Throughout canon law, there are relatively few instances of “must do’s” with severe consequences for failure to do so. In the vast majority of cases, the canons provide us with guidance toward the best way to live. Again, the purpose of the structure is to help us all live with salvation and eternal communion with God as our aim. Through scripture, tradition and divine inspiration the Church believes that we have been graced with the knowledge and wisdom to understand God’s message and to apply Jesus’s life and teachings to our lives, even today.

Perhaps, an analogy may apply here. Let’s consider taking a drive in our car. As we get into our car and start down the road, we are faced with many choices. We can abide by the speed limits or we can ignore them. We can try to get through the flooded intersection, or we can find another route. We can get behind the wheel after the party or we can hand off the keys. We can even try to beat that train through the crossing. Like the rules of the road, the canons are ours to observe and to act upon. We have the freedom of choice, but we do not have the freedom from consequences. We may be fine, we may get a small ticket or we may end up in a tragic accident. The law exists to guide us to happier, healthier lives in the hope that we will arrive home safely.

Bill Gerl, SEAS Parishioner in Diaconal Formation

I had settled into my seat by the window, grateful the aisle and center seats were open. It wasn’t a full flight, so I had room to spread out and relax.

I closed my eyes, hoping to catch a little sleep. My bliss, however, was short lived.

The pilot’s voice came over the comm, “So, uhm, here’s the situation, folks – we had a little error message pop up in the cockpit here.”

A little error message?! We’re supposed to fly 560 mph at 30,000 feet – how can any error message be little?!

He continued, “We’re not really sure what it means, so, uhmmmm… we’re going to go ahead and give it a hard shutdown and then reboot just like you would with your own laptop.”

“That’s it?” I thought. “You’re going to just reboot the airplane like it’s a video game?!”

Wouldn’t it be great to be able to simply reboot life like that once in a while? Whenever we see an error message pop up in our lives, we could engage a hard shutdown and reboot. I think I’d like that. I’m certain Michelle would like to reboot me sometimes.

Together, Christmas and New Year’s provide us with an opportunity for a spiritual and chronological reboot. Of course, even as we make resolutions and commitments to ourselves, it’s difficult to think of these as a hard restart because we haven’t actually gone through the hard shutdown part. We carry all the same anxieties, stresses, prejudices, and other baggage forward. Rather than reboot and live as the best version – the Christlike version – of ourselves, we settle for a slightly modified version. Most of our resolutions are actually just attempts to cope with or cover up all the old junk rather than truly engage renewal.

In reference to my own life, I am guilty of slapping new paint over rotted boards, and then standing back and nodding with self-approval, “There, much better.” It gets me through the day but does very little to get me to a better place. Sure, I might have dropped a few pounds, but am I living and loving as the healthiest, happiest version of me?

Nearly all of us enjoy playing the lottery fantasy game: what would you do if you won the lottery? Another popular version of the same game is mortality awareness: what would you do if you had only one month to live? If you listen to the answers most of us give, you’ll notice a subtle difference. In response to winning the lottery, we fantasize about changing things outside of ourselves such as our jobs or our homes. Many of us imagine using the windfall to put something good in the world and to fund charity work. Mostly though, we think about changing something that’s not us. In response to the mortality question, however, we are decisively more self-reflective. We talk about worrying less and loving more. We actually think in terms of a total reboot for the final stretch and living our last month the way we wished we would have lived our entire lives.

What would happen if we used this season for a reboot, if we resolve to live as though right now is the first, last, and only year we will ever live? What baggage, dead weight, and negativity would we set down and walk away from? How would we love more fully and generously than we do now? How free would we feel?

Journey well and pray always.
Peace, Deacon Steve Meyer

The season of Advent has a social justice focus. In what ways are we helping our world prepare for Christ’s coming? Celebrate the season of Advent by focusing on others in need by collecting food items for a local pantry or family in need.

How to Discuss Politics in a Dignified Way
Social Justice Essay

“So, what do you think about impeachment?”

It’s Thanksgiving, and once again we can count on Uncle Charlie to bring up politics. As we approach another contentious election year, how can we maintain our Christian dignity when disagreeing with people we care about?

A common suggestion is to avoid politics altogether, and sometimes this may be the only solution. However, a better option might be to respectfully engage in polite discussion. When polarized Americans are retreating into two separate camps with their own cable news networks, websites, and radio shows, intergroup interactions could greatly benefit society.

When a friend or relative disagrees with you, ask whether that relationship is worth it, suggests author David Olarinoye. If so, consider giving up the goal of winning the argument. If you can, make the new goal coming to a truce. In this way, you know that there will be disagreement and that you’re not going to win but you’re not going to lose either.

Make yourself be heard, share the facts and statistics, and ask the other person to provide their sources of information. And let the other person do the same thing. Be a good listener. And remember that you will not convince someone that they are wrong and you are right.

Most people want to solve the same problems; they just have slightly different solutions. Seek out ideas that you both agree with. And keep it about the ideas – don’t make it personal. As Eleanor Roosevelt once said, “Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people.”

So when Uncle Charlie wants to talk politics on Thanksgiving, pass the gravy, and don’t necessarily pass on the opportunity to understand each other’s point of view just a little bit more.

Authored by Andrew Crane, parishioner of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish, Dignity of Life Committee

Dear Fellow Pilgrims,

Following the shootings in El Paso and Dayton last weekend, public discourse took its predictable trajectory. There was an outpouring of heartfelt empathy for the victims, their families, and their communities. There was gratuitous outrage by politicians. There were impassioned calls for reform in gun laws, matched by impassioned calls to arm more people with more guns. Each time we go through this, we argue about the best ways to address the symptom (gun violence) while we go on spreading the disease (hatred).

Let’s stop pretending that all the ugliness going on in the world is the fault of democrats or republicans or guns or immigrants or Trump or Islam or Wall Street or Amazon. Just stop. All of us, every single one of us, is capable of feeling hatred and directing it toward another person, especially toward someone who is not like us. And the problem is that we’re all doing it all the time. Just spend five minutes on social media – or any media for that matter – and you’ll see it. The deadly virus called hate has reached epidemic proportions (thank you, Internet), so why do we continue to feign shock when it claims more victims? Hate is merely doing what hate does – it kills. And every time any of us spews more hatred into the world, we are spreading the disease.

This virus cannot be stopped with gun laws, or political rhetoric, or border walls. There is only one thing that defeats hatred: love. And it works every time. Every time. Jesus was not ambiguous on this point. Love your neighbor as yourself. Love your enemy. Love one another as I have loved you. He said it again and again. He lived it day after day. When confronted with hatred, he went to the cross in the name of love rather than respond with more hatred.

We can do the same. We can choose love over hate. We can choose love over division. We can choose love over politics. We can choose love over fear. What’s holding us back?

Journey well and pray always.

Peace,
Deacon Steve Meyer

We have more leisure than any people before in the history of the world, and we need it because, for many of us, our lives are so hectic and tiring. Fortunately, for most of us, there’s a different pace in summer. Many of us take breaks from our usual routines. We tend to enjoy more hospitality in summer as our spirits are especially receptive to God’s deep desire for us to know divine love. We see long-lost friends, go to family reunions, and may even travel. We see how beautiful life can be, and how God breaks into our world with signs of love for us.

Keeping Sunday holy throughout the year is a good habit to cultivate. Like summer celebrations and special occasions, Sunday can be used to take a break from the daily grind, worship God, relax in his presence, and find refreshment as we prepare for the week ahead.

Instead of thinking it a duty to keep holy the Sabbath (Sunday), view it as a gift from God. Treasure it as a source of renewal and restoration. Jesus wants to spend unhurried, leisurely time with us so that he can minister to us. Let him provide you with the grace you need to accomplish all that he is calling you to do in the next six days. Sunday is an invitation to celebrate Jesus’ resurrection with our parish family at Mass. It’s also an invitation to reconnect with family and friends, enjoy some recreation, or to just curl up with a good book. Embrace the gift of Sunday.

Excepts adapted from J.S.Paluch, and The Word Among Us

In early September, Bishop David Ricken published an “action steps to accountability” report in which he listed ways the Diocese of Green Bay would commit to addressing the clergy sexual abuse crisis. Since that report was published, Bishop Ricken attended a series of listening sessions across the diocese. He’s responding to questions from those listening sessions via open letters to the faithful. Herewith are those letters.

Click Here for Part One through Four of Responding to Questions

 

In follow up to the *present crises facing the church, Bishop David L. Ricken, Diocese of Green Bay, Wisconsin, reaffirms his full-hearted commitment to ensuring that all people will be safe within our church. He has issued “Action Steps to Accountability” plus several departments of the diocese have followed up with their procedures and processes, i.e. Vocation Director, Safe Environment Coordinator, Chair of the Independent Review Board, and Victim Assistance Coordinator. Those documents follow herewith.

*stemming from accusations about Archbishop Theodore McCarrick and the release of the grand jury report from the State of Pennsylvania (August 2018)

“Jesus, as our life, is calling us to this moment of conversion, cleansing and purification in our church so that disgrace may be transformed into the grace of a new heart, new beginnings and, especially to those harmed by sexual abuse, abundant life…We ask the assistance of the Holy Spirit to bring healing to victims and survivors, and to bring health to the entire church.” ~Bishop David Ricken

 

In light of the call for more accountability on the part of bishops, Bishop Robert Morneau voluntarily withdrew from public ministry. His letter, and Bishop David Ricken’s acceptance letter, follow herewith.