The C150 atholicWitness · Cross. This event will replace the traditional Palm Sunday Youth Mass...

May 11, 2018 Vol. 52 No. 9

March 2, 2018 Prayer Vigil 7:00 P.M. at Holy Name of Jesus Church, Harrisburg. This will include a live enactment of the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary by young people from throughout the Diocese, similar in many ways to the Living Way of the Cross. This event will replace the traditional Palm Sunday Youth Mass and Gathering for 2018. All are welcome and encouraged to attend.

March 3, 2018 Opening Mass for the Anniversary Year 10:00 A.M. at Holy Name of Jesus Church, Harrisburg. Please join Bishop Gainer as celebrant and Homilist to begin the anniversary year celebration. A reception, featuring a sampling of ethnic foods from various ethnic and cultural groups that comprise the faithful of the Diocese, will be held immediately following the Mass.

August 28-September 8, 2018 Pilgrimage to Ireland Join Bishop Gainer on a twelve-day pilgrimage to the Emerald Isle, sponsored by Catholic Charities. In keeping with the 150th anniversary celebration, the pilgrimage will include a visit to the grave of Saint Patrick, the Patron Saint of the Diocese of Harrisburg. Participation is limited.

November 3, 2018 Pilgrimage to Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception SAVE THE DATE for this diocesan pilgrimage to the Basilica in Washington, D.C. Additional details will be forthcoming.

March 3, 2019 Closing Mass for Anniversary Year In the afternoon at Holy Name of Jesus Church, Harrisburg. Please join Bishop Gainer as celebrant and homilist for this special Mass to conclude our year-long anniversary celebration.

For more information: www.hbgdiocese.org/150

150The

CatholicWitnessThe Newspaper of the Diocese of Harrisburg

By Carol Glatz Catholic News Service

The Vatican announced that final approval would be given May 19 for the can-onizations of Blesseds Paul VI, Archbishop Oscar Romero and four others.

Pope Francis already cleared the way for their canonizations earlier this year with the publication of decrees recognizing a miracle attributed to the intercession of each one of the blesseds.

The Vatican said May 3 that an “ordinary public consistory” – a meeting of the pope with cardinals resident in Rome and invited bishops and other dignitaries – would be held May 19 to finalize the approval of six canonizations. This meeting of cardinals and promoters of the sainthood causes formally ends the process of approving a new saint.

The dates and locations for the canonization ceremonies are expected to be an-nounced shortly after the consistory.

Meanwhile, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state, has said that Blessed Paul’s canonization will take place at the end of the Synod of Bishops on youth and discernment, scheduled for Oct. 3-28.

The other men and women to be canonized include: Father Francesco Spinelli of Italy, founder of the Sisters Adorers of the Blessed Sacrament; Father Vincen-zo Romano, who worked with the poor of Naples, Italy, until his death in 1831; Mother Catherine Kasper, the German founder of the religious congregation, the Poor Handmaids of Jesus Christ; and Nazaria Ignacia March Mesa, the Spanish founder of the Congregation of the Missionary Crusaders of the Church.

High Mass for Chapel Centennial

CHRIS HEISEY, THE CATHOLIC WITNESSThe Entrance Procession is seen during a Solemn Pontifical High Mass celebrated at St. Lawrence Chapel in Harrisburg on April 24 in observation of the centennial anniversary of the chapel, currently home to the Mater Dei Latin Mass Community. See page 9 for coverage of the Mass and the Mater Dei Community.

By Mary KlausThe Catholic Witness

Despite blasts of arctic tempera-tures, icy roads and piles of snow, January in the Dauphin community tends to be cheerful, thanks to the Knights of Columbus of St. Matthew the Apostle and Evangelist Parish.

For the past five years, the Knights have turned January into a “Blast of Cash” month with a fun fundraiser that puts money in the pockets of many participants and the enriches

Blast of Cash Helps Pay for St. Matthew’s

Catholic Church in Dauphin

Final Approval Set for Canonization of

Blesseds Paul VI, Romerothe parish finances, too.

Father Paul Clark, St. Matthew’s pastor and the Diocesan Judicial Vicar, says it’s a win-win event.

“Our Blast of Cash is an easy fundraiser and is beneficial to the parish,” he said, praising the parish Knights. “We have one of the larg-est groups of Knights in the Har-risburg area. With their help, we’ve been able to pay off our new church in 3 ½ years.”

Blast of Cash involves the Knights selling 1,000 tickets for

$20 each, with three-digit numbers up to 999. Tickets are sold from Octo-ber through

More ST. MATTHEW’S,

page 3

2 - The Catholic Witness • May 11, 2018

Bishop David A. Zubik of Pittsburgh addresses a media conference

announcing the reorganization of parishes in the diocese.

By Bob De Witt Catholic News Service

After three years of discussions, Pittsburgh Bishop Da-vid A. Zubik said the 188 parishes of the diocese will be placed into 57 groupings that will eventually become new parishes.

Bishop Zubik announced the plan April 28 during a media conference, saying the effort was designed to pro-mote vibrant faith and revitalize parishes.

The announcement detailed the maximum number of weekend Masses per grouping and timelines for each grouping to work toward mergers and clergy assign-ments.

The move to groupings – part of a diocesan planning initiative called On Mission for The Church Alive! – were to take effect Oct. 15. No church closings are part of the plan’s first phase.

The groupings are expected to merge into new parishes between 2020 and 2023, however.

“No matter how the Church is structured, it is the re-sponsibility of all the faithful – bishops and priests in-cluded – to make faith, hope and love remain alive in the world around us,” he said in announcing the plan, the result of meetings and discernment that began in 2015.

“Our churches will continue to be places where local Catholics gather to be nurtured and nourished by the God who loves us. Yet, On Mission! gives us a new context and new opportunities to make ever more alive a faith that abides both within and outside of our church walls,” he said.

The decision on the grouping was read in letters sent to each parish at Masses the weekend of April 28-29. Bish-op Zubik wrote that the initiative is designed to offer a deeper relationship with Jesus and the Catholic Church to practicing and inactive Catholics, as well as those who have never been baptized.

The diocesan plan is being driven by reduced Mass at-tendance and participation in the sacraments and a de-clining number of priests.

Pittsburgh Diocese Plan Will See Number of Parishes Drop from 188 to 57

The diocese reported that since 2000, Mass attendance decreased more than 40 percent and participation in the sacraments fell 40 percent to 50 percent. Meanwhile, the number of diocesan priests available for active ministry is expected to decline from about 200 to 112 by 2025.

Launched in April 2015, the planning process invited Catholics to envision how parishes, schools and minis-tries can best respond to the changes in their communi-ties. The diocese said nearly 30,000 parishioners partici-pated in meetings and provided feedback that guided the decisions announced by the bishop.

“For three years, we have labored to discern how to

best position our local Church for the future,” Bishop Zu-bik said in the letter. “We must respond to the reality that populations have shifted, that many Catholics have drift-ed away from Mass and that we will have fewer priests.

“We need to share and mobilize our resources to draw people deeper into the faith, seek the lost and serve those in need.”

During the process, key consultative groups recom-mended that Bishop Zubik increase to 57 groupings from 48 groupings endorsed by a commission of clergy and lay leaders that initially studied Church needs.

Under the new setup, a priest who serves as admin-istrator will lead a clergy team for each grouping. An administrator has all the rights and responsibilities of a pastor but does not have a specified term to serve.

Clergy teams may include priests who are parochial vicars and parish chaplains, as well as permanent dea-cons. Priests are also being assigned as institutional chaplains to major hospitals, nursing homes, colleges, high schools and correctional institutions.

The maximum number of weekend Masses per group-ing is based on the number of priests assigned there and other factors. Under canon law, the number cannot ex-ceed three Masses per priest who has parish responsi-bilities. Priests who live at a parish, but whose duties are elsewhere, are not included in the count.

During the first year, clergy were to focus on building relationships with and among their parishioners.

“I truly believe that change can bring new life and joy,” Bishop Zubik said during his announcement. “I realize that such transformation is rarely easy, especially in the heartfelt matters of faith and parish life. I know that this change will require us – the faithful, the clergy, and my-self – to let go of some things that are precious and fa-miliar.

“I also am convinced that our clergy and faithful have what it takes to form deep and lasting relationships within their groupings and to create welcoming communities.”

(De Witt writes for Pittsburgh Catholic, the newspaper of the Diocese of Pittsburgh.)

CNS/CHUCK AUSTIN, PITTSBURGH CATHOLIC

Catholic News Service

Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of Archbishop Stefan Soroka of the Ukrai-nian Catholic Archeparchy of Philadelphia and has appointed Auxiliary Bishop Andriy Rabiy of the same archeparchy to be apos-tolic administrator.

Archbishop Soroka, 66, is resigning for medical reasons. Under Church law, a bish-op is expected to submit his resignation to the pope at age 75. His resignation was ac-cepted in accord with Canon 210 of the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches which al-lows a bishop to resign before age 75 “due to ill health or to another serious reason.”

The resignation and appointment were announced in Washington April 16 by Arch-bishop Christophe Pierre, apostolic nuncio to the United States.

Ukrainian-born Bishop Rabiy was named an auxiliary bishop for the archeparchy last August and his episcopal ordination took place in his native Lviv last September. He will remain apostolic administrator until a successor to Archbishop Soroka is appoint-ed.

Archbishop Soroka has headed the Phila-delphia archeparchy since February 2001. In addition to Bishop Rabiy, Auxiliary Bishop John Bura also serves the archeparchy.

The Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Philadelphia includes the District of Colum-bia, Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, New Jer-sey and parts of eastern Pennsylvania. It has a total Catholic population of 12,846.

“I take this opportunity to extend my heart-felt gratitude to the clergy, religious, semi-narians and laity of the Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Philadelphia,” Archbishop Soroka said in a statement. “These past 17

Pope Accepts Resignation of U.S. Ukrainian Catholic Archbishop Soroka

Auxiliary Bishop Andriy Rabiy Named Administrator

CNS/COURTESY UKRAINIAN CATHOLIC ARCHEPARCHY OF PHILADELPHIA

Pope Francis has named Auxiliary Bishop Andriy Rabiy of the Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Philadelphia to be apostolic administrator of the same archeparchy. Bishop Rabiy is pictured in an undated photo.

CNS/KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUSPope Francis has accepted the res-ignation of Archbishop Stefan Soroka of the Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Philadelphia. Archbishop Soroka is pictured in a 2015 photo.

years have been filled with many challenges and blessings, some unique in the experience of the Philadelphia archeparchy.

“Success in responding to the varying needs of the archeparchy and its parishes was achieved with the positive and hopeful participation of clergy, religious and laity enabled by the grace of God,” he continued. “Most gratifying to me was the personal journey of prayer and fraternity experienced with the clergy, religious and faithful of the archeparchy.”

Archbishop Soroka said the highlight of his ministry as the head of the archeparchy leadership was being with parishioners “and their ministers in parish liturgical celebra-

tions, visits, pilgrimages, festivals and in personal sharing.” He added “the dedication of the clergy, religious and faithful and their love for their Church” was an inspiration to him.

Born Nov. 13, 1951, in Winnipeg, Mani-toba, he was ordained a priest June 13, 1982, for the Ukrainian Catholic Archdiocese of Winnipeg at Sts. Vladimir and Olga Cathe-dral.

After his ordination, he had a number of parish assignments, while serving as a chap-lain for a couple of Knights of Columbus councils and also as chaplain for the national executive board of the Ukrainian Catholic Youth of Canada. He also was vocations di-

rector for the Winnipeg archeparchy, from 1985 to 2000. During that time, he also was vice chancellor, 1985-1994, followed by two years as chancellor.

On March 29, 1996, he was appointed auxiliary bishop for the Ukrainian Catho-lic Archeparchy of Winnipeg; his episcopal ordination was June 13, 1996. On Nov. 29, 2000, he was named to head the Ukrainian Catholic Archeparchy of Philadelphia and was installed Feb. 29, 2001.

At the national level, he has served the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops as a member of several committees: Committee for Aid to Home Missions, 2010-present; Ad Hoc Committee on Aid to the Church in Central and Eastern Europe, 2001-present; and Committee on Relations Between East-ern and Latin Catholic Churches, November 2003-2010. From 2002 to 2009, he also was a member of what is now the Committee on the Protection of Children and Young Peo-ple.

In his statement, Archbishop Soroka thanked Pope Francis, Cardinal Leonardo Sandri, prefect of the Vatican Congrega-tion for the Oriental Churches, and Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk of Kiev-Halych, Ukraine, “for their understanding and compassion.” He also thanked the pope “for the confidence he has shown in the abil-ities” of Auxiliary Bishop Andriy Rabiy in naming him apostolic administrator.

“The risen Christ greeted his apostles with the words, ‘Peace be with you!’ May the peace offered by the risen Christ charac-terize our continued love and service of our Ukrainian Catholic Church,” Archbishop Soroka said. “Let us remember one another in prayer as we seek the intercession of the mother of God in this time of transition.”

May 11, 2018 • The Catholic Witness - 3

To report suspected abuse of a minor, call the toll free PA Child Abuse Hotline:1-800-932-0313

To report suspected abuse of a minor by a church official, employee or volunteer, also please call the Diocese of Harrisburg Youth Protection Hotline:

1-800-626-1608 or email: [email protected]

Para reportar la sospecha del abuso de un menor, llame al número de teléfono gratuíto Línea de Ayuda Abuso del Niño Pennsylvania

1-800-932-0313 Para reportar la sospecha del abuso de un menor a manos de un official, empleado o

voluntario de la iglesia, también llame al número de teléfono gratuíto de ayuda diocesana: 1-800-626-1608 o envíe correo electrónico: [email protected]

COURTESY OF ST. MATTHEW PARISHThe Knights of Columbus of St. Matthew the Apostle and Evangelist Parish in Dauphin present a check in the amount of $10,000 to Father Paul Clark, pastor, from the proceeds from this year’s Blast of Cash fundraiser. In the five years of the fundraiser, the Knights have raised $50,000 for the parish.

Bishop Gainer’s Public Calendar

December. From Jan. 1 through Jan. 31, ticket holders check the Pennsylva-nia Lottery “Pick Three” number at the 7 p.m. televised nightly drawing, said Joe Rock, Grand Knight.

“If your number or a variation of it gets picked, you get paid,” he said.

For instance, a person holding number 456 would win $150 if 456 is picked. If the number is off by one, the ticket holder wins $30. If the numbers are transposed, the person wins $20. The parish notifies winners and mails out checks.

“We started this five years ago when we working on the capital campaign for our new church,” Mr. Rock said. “We wanted a way to make a lot of money with not a lot of effort.”

St. Matthew’sContinued from 1

It worked.Mr. Rock said that the Blast of Cash

is so popular that the Knights sold out of their 1,000 tickets the past few years. He said that many people buy them as Christmas gifts.

“We’ve given the church $50,000 over the last five years, helping pay off our church debt in short order,” Mr. Rock said. “We’ve also bought com-mercial appliances for our church – two convention ovens, a freezer, stain-less steel counters to work on, a new gas stove top and oven, and a stand for our commercial grill.”

Father Clark calls the Knights “a very active part of our church.” Mr. Rock agreed.

He said that St. Matthew’s Knights were chartered in 2011 with 25 mem-bers. Now, he said, the group has 75 members from ages 18 to past 90. The Knights participate in other parish fundraisers, too.

“We have fish dinners for three Fridays in Lent, every other Friday alternating with fish dinners at St. Bernadette’s in Duncannon,” Mr. Rock said. “We make fish, homemade crab cakes and homemade pierogies.”

St. Matthew Parish recently celebrat-ed the fifth anniversary of the Mass of Dedication of its new church building with a Mass and parish dinner. That evening, the Knights presented Father Clark with a $10,000 check from this year’s Blast of Cash.

“Our parish has been growing slowly but surely,” Father Clark said. “We have a strong history.”

This small but mighty parish of Dauphin and Middle Paxton Twp. residents began as an offshoot of Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament Parish in Harrisburg. In St. Matthew’s early years, a priest from OLBS would drive to Dauphin to celebrate Mass in an old one-room schoolhouse.

In 1964, St. Matthew’s bought a Presbyterian church built in the 1800s. That was the parish’s home for about 40 years. Eventually, the parish out-grew that building and began a capital campaign for the current church.

In April 2013, the late Bishop Joseph McFadden dedicated the new St. Mat-thew Church.

St. Matthew’s, a 6,212-square-foot traditional Catholic church, features vaulted wood ceilings, millwork, stained glass windows, stone veneer accents inside and out, a choir loft and a peaceful altar in front of a large cru-cifix mounted on a stone backdrop.

Father Clark says the church is beau-tiful and the parish a close-knit family. Next on the parish agenda, he said, is a “beautiful statue of St. Matthew being made for us in Italy. It will go in our outside bell tower.”

(Mary Klaus is a freelance reporter for The Catholic Witness.)

• May 13 – Celebrate the 60th Anniversary Mass for Holy Family Parish, Harrisburg, 10 a.m.

• May 15-16 – St. Charles Borromeo Seminary Baccalaureate & Concursus, Wynnewood, Pa.

• May 19 – Diaconate Ordination – St. Patrick Cathedral, Harrisburg, 10 a.m.

• May 20 – Celebrate Mass for Pentecost, St. Patrick Cathedral, Harrisburg, 9:30 a.m.

• May 21 – Celebrate Mass for the Feast of Mary, Mother of the Church, at Mary, Mother of the Church, Mount Joy, 5:30 p.m.

• May 23 – Our Lady of Lourdes Regional School Baccalaureate, Coal Township, 7 p.m.

• May 24 – Bishop McDevitt High School Graduation, Harrisburg, 7 p.m.

• May 25 – Lebanon Catholic School Baccalaureate, Lebanon, 10 a.m.; Trinity High School Graduation, Camp Hill, 7 p.m.

• May 27 – Celebrate Pontifical Solemn Mass for 10th Anniversary of Latin Mass Community, St. Joseph Church, Lancaster, 1:30 p.m.


The Catholic WitnessOFFICIAL NEWSPAPER OF THE DIOCESE OF HARRISBURG

Most Rev. Ronald W. Gainer: Publisher

Staff

Jennifer Reed: Managing EditorChris Heisey: Photojournalist

The Catholic Witness (ISSN 0008-8447, USPS 557 120) is published biweekly except Christmas/New Year and July by the Harrisburg Catholic Publishing Association,

4800 Union Deposit Road, Harrisburg, PA 17111 3710. Periodicals postage paid at Harrisburg, PA.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: The Catholic Witness, 4800 Union Deposit Road, Harrisburg, PA 17111-3710.

Telephone717-657-4804 ext. 201

FAX717-657-7673

Email: [email protected]: www.hbgdiocese.org

Yearly Subscriptions:$8.17 per family, derived from diocesan revenues from the parishes. Other subscriptions: $12.00

Moving? Send us the address label from The Catholic Witness plus your NEW address including zip code +4. Please allow three weeks for the change.

The

CatholicWitnessThe Newspaper of the Diocese of Harrisburg

Thoughtsfrom a Catholic

EvangelistSister Geralyn Schmidt, SCC

For more information: www.hbgdiocese.org/150

DIOCESAN PILGRIMAGE to the Basilica of the National Shrine of the

Immaculate Conception Washington, DC

Saturday November 3, 2018|From 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

In Celebration of the 150th Anniversary of the Diocese of Harrisburg

1868 – March 3 – 2018

Holy Eucharist Celebrated by Most Reverend Ronald W. Gainer

Eucharistic Adoration

Most Holy Rosary Prayed in languages of the Diocese in

select chapels of the shrine.

Sacrament of Penance

Free Time Lunch, Private Prayer, Conversations in Faith, Gift Shops

and Self-Guided Tour of Basilica

Buses are being sponsored by parishes and are departing from sites across the Diocese; interested pilgrims should contact

their local parish to make travel arrangements.

By Sister Geralyn Schmidt, SCCSpecial to The Witness

Some time ago, I had the wonderful opportunity to take my turn at cooking supper for the Sisters with whom I lived. I decided to make macaroni and cheese, from scratch – true comfort food. I had a simple recipe, and since the number of Sisters with whom I lived was larger than the original recipe, I had to multiply the ingredients accord-ingly.

Let’s say that my attempt to multiply the recipe was a bit overzealous. Needless to say, I had a HUGE amount remaining. As I put the leftovers away in the refrigerator, I said to myself, “Too bad that there is so much left over! I wish I could share this with someone looking for a meal.” It never ceases to amaze me how God answers prayers. Let me explain.

About two hours after sup-per, it became obvious that the furnace in the convent was not working properly. A phone call was made for a repairman, and within a short time after the call, the back doorbell rang. Thinking it was the furnace guys, I opened the door without looking through the window. To my surprise, there was a gentleman standing there in a threadbare sweatshirt asking for food. I said, “Yes! Glad that you are here!” I heated up the mac and cheese, made fresh cof-fee, gave him a bowl of salad as well as a heated roll, and then a piece of chocolate pie for dessert. I sat with him while he ate, allow-ing him to steer the conversation as I sipped a cup of coffee. Still having a bit mac and cheese left over, I packed a small container for him to take.

As I opened the door to let him go, the furnace guys came in to fix our heating problem. God did indeed answer my prayer, be-cause he was the only person who ever came knocking at our door in the ten years that I lived at that convent!

I could not help thinking of this story as I began doing re-search on our next Servant of God: Dorothy Day. She was, ac-cording to Wikipedia, “an Ameri-can journalist, social activist, and

CHRIS HEISEY, THE CATHOLIC WITNESSFlowers and greens grow in abundance outside of the St. Martin de Porres Catholic Worker House on Market Street in Harrisburg. Catholic Worker Houses are an outreach of the Catholic Worker Movement, an effort begun in 1933 by journalist Dorothy Day and philosopher Peter Maurin to promote justice and mercy.

Jubilee: The Holy GroundDorothy Day

convert. She later became a key figure in the Catholic Worker Movement and earned a national reputation as a political radical, perhaps the most famous radical in American Catholic Church his-tory. In the 1930s, Day worked closely with fellow activist Peter Maurin to establish the Catho-lic Worker Movement, a pacifist movement that combines direct aid for the poor and homeless with nonviolent direct action on their behalf. She practiced civil disobedience, which led to sev-eral arrests. …. Pope Benedict XVI used her conversion story as an example of how to ‘journey towards faith... in a secularized environment.’ Pope Francis in-cluded her in a short list of exem-plary Americans, together with Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Thomas Merton, in his address before the United States Congress.”1

“Her basic message was sim-ple: We are called by God to love one another as He loves us. … ‘Hospitality,’ she explained, ‘is simply practicing God’s mercy with those around us… ‘Christ is in the stranger, in the person who has nowhere to go and no one to welcome him. Those who cannot see the face of Christ in the poor are atheists indeed,’ she often said. She helped us understand a merciful life has many levels: There is hunger not only for food, but also for faith; not only for a place at the table, but also for a real welcome; not only for as-sistance, but also for listening; not only for kind words, but also for truthful words. There is not only hospitality of the door, but also hospitality of the face and heart. As she said, ‘We are here to celebrate Him through these works of mercy.’”2

Her legacy is very apparent to those volunteers and employ-ees who minister in the Catholic

Worker Houses in our diocese, in Harrisburg and Lancaster.

As I write these words, I can hear you say, “Gee, Sister, you took a chance with that guy ask-ing for food,” and, “There is no way I can ever do what Dorothy Day did! After all, SHE is to be a Servant of God and her virtues are heroic!” Well, these state-ments are both true. However, please re-read Day’s idea above about hunger.

I truly believe we Americans are hungry for something simple: faith that is found in the love of an individual. Wouldn’t our so-ciety be different if we took the time to look one another in the eye, respected others by our ac-tions and words, and treated eve-ryone – even the forsaken and forgotten – as members of our family that are welcomed around our tables?

This idea is simple, as simple as mac and cheese on a cold day. The challenge that I put forward to you: LIVE IT!

1https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dorothy_Day

2https://www.catholiceducation.org/en/culture/ catholic-contributions/ dorothy-day-saint-and-trouble-maker.html

(Sister of Christian Charity, Geralyn Schmidt, is the Wide Area Network Coordinator at the

Diocese of Harrisburg and the Director of Formation for Wives in the Diaconate Program. An educator for 30 years, she is re-sponsible for Professional De-

velopment Programs for every age learner. Through her presen-tations, she challenges her audi-ences to be the individual God has called them to be.)


By Joe AponickSpecial to The Witness

Supporters of Catholic radio in the Diocese of Har-risburg were treated recently to a spirited talk by veteran Catholic radio broadcaster Father Thomas Loya. The host of the long-running EWTN radio program “Light of the East” was the keynote speaker at a fundraising dinner on April 20 for Holy Family Radio, the non-profit that owns and operates WHYF AM 720. Funds are needed for the daily operation of the station as well as for a much-needed upgrade to the transmission tower and system. The sta-tion’s website, www.720whyf.com, offers more informa-tion as well as a link for donations.

The talk was inspired by the Apostolic Letter from St. John Paul II, “Oriental Lumen,” (Light of the East) issued in 1995. In that document, the pope says that we are to learn about the East-ern Churches, that the Church must learn to breathe with both lungs, East and West. According to Father Loya, there are two reasons for this: to work toward unity and to be enriched by the gifts of the Eastern Churches. He remarked that each Church, East and West, can help the other to become the best version of themselves. The result is that both Churches become stronger.

Bishop Ronald Gainer offered prayers and remarks at the fund-raiser, and Tom Russell of CBS 21 was the master of ceremonies for the evening. A recording of the talk delivered by Father Loya will be available on the on the station’s website, www.720whyf.com.

(Aponick is the Director of Communications for the Diocese of Harrisburg.)

Light of the East Shines on

Holy Family Radio

By Kelly Sankowski Catholic News Service

Bluegrass music may not be the first thing that comes to mind when people think of Dominicans, but for the 10 Dominican brothers and priests at the Dominican House of Studies in Washington D.C., who recently released their debut album, “The Hillbilly Thomists,” the two have a lot in common.

“The life of holiness is the happiest life. It is the good life,” said Brother Jonah Teller, who plays guitar on the album. “I was drawn, and I think a lot of men are drawn, by the joy the brothers exhibit ... to be living this life, to be saving our souls, to be drawing closer to Jesus, and to

‘The Hillbilly Thomists’St. Thomas Aquinas Meets Bluegrass in Best-Selling Album by Dominicans

CNS/JACLYN LIPPELMANN, CATHOLIC STANDARDDominican Brother Joseph Hagan smiles as he plays the washboard during an April 11 performance by the Hillbilly Thomists at the Catholic Information Center in Washington. At left is Dominican Father Thomas Joseph White, one of the founding members of the band, consisting of 10 Dominican friars from the Dominican House of Studies in Washington.

COURTESY OF JOE APONICKAbove: Tom Russell of CBS 21 serves as emcee during a fundraising dinner April 20 for Holy Family Radio, which operates AM 720 WHYF.

Left: Father Thomas Loya, an Eastern Catholic priest, talks with LeonaFrancis Woskowiak and Betty Girven, the founders of Holy Family Radio, at a recent benefit dinner that raised funds for the independent non-profit group that operates AM 720 WHYF. It is the only Catholic radio station in our diocese.

CNS/TYLER ORSBURNThe Hillbilly Thomists’ album cover is seen prior to the start of their show at the Catholic Information Center in Washington April 11.

do it with brothers.”Likewise, while listening to bluegrass music,

“there is a real happiness that is just drawn out of you,” he said. “So I think that we’re geared to be happy, and bluegrass lets you be happy in a really expressive way.”

That happiness was tangible as six of the Hill-billy Thomists played to a standing-room-only crowd April 11 at the Catholic Information Cen-ter in Washington. Middle-age men tapped their feet and babies clapped their hands to the tunes. The musicians laughed with each other as they created the proper setting for bluegrass music, which they said is usually played informally around a kitchen table.

Brother Simon Teller, who plays the fiddle in the new album, is Brother Jonah’s brother. They grew up in Cincinnati, attending St. Gertrude Parish, where Dominicans in the religious order’s Eastern province go for their novitiate year.

Looking through old family photos, Brother Simon found one of himself as a 13-year-old, playing the fiddle alongside now-Father Thomas Joseph White, who had begun playing the bluegrass mandolin after his novice master told all novices to take up a hobby.

Little did the 13-year-old know that he would later wear a similar white habit and again play the fiddle alongside Father White, who is now an associate professor of sys-tematic theology at the Dominican House of Studies.

Father White and Father Austin Litke founded the Hill-billy Thomists in the early 2000s. They chose the name from a quote by Catholic author Flannery O’Connor, who said: “Everybody who has read ‘Wise Blood’ thinks I’m a hillbilly nihilist, whereas … I’m a hillbilly Thomist.”

Brother Justin Bolger was a professional touring musi-cian and a sound engineer before entering the Domini-can order. Brother Joseph Hagan and others had studied music in college. Brother Simon had spent summers as a street musician in Asheville, North Carolina.

“The different skills we brought fit well together,” said Brother Joseph, who plays the drums. “Obviously, we came together primarily for God. … We aren’t just people who have skills and [who] use each other to make an album.”

Unless they are practicing for a specific gig, the Hill-billy Thomists’ schedule of playing together is pretty fluid.

“It is a true extension of our fraternal life,” Brother Jo-nah told the Catholic Standard, newspaper of the Arch-diocese of Washington.

The product of the brothers’ fun pastime has received a response that none anticipated. It was in the top 10 of the bluegrass Billboard charts for about 10 weeks, at one point reaching the No. 3 spot, and it also reached the top 20 of all albums on Amazon. People from around the

world are listening to it, reviewing it and often learning about St. Thomas Aquinas in the process, as they Google, “What is a Thomist?”

Country and bluegrass legend Ricky Skaggs stopped by the Dominican House of Studies to visit the Hillbilly Thomists and, before playing bluegrass with them, joined them for prayer and lunch.

The impetus for the album was as a fundraiser, since the album’s proceeds go to the Dominican House of Studies, but the album also is a form of preaching, said Brother Simon. The Dominicans also are known as the Order of Preachers.

The songs are “about Christ and grace and about very human things like death,” he said. The themes are found in tracks such as “What Would You Give in Exchange for Your Soul?” inviting the listener to contemplate dying and meeting God; “Poor Wayfaring Stranger,” reflecting the experience of pilgrimage; and “Leaning on the Ever-lasting Arms,” invoking an image of relying on God.

People have told the brothers that they see the album as something that they can send to their children who have fallen away from the Church or share with their non-Catholic friends, said Brother Simon. It is considered “cultural, but at the core of it is Christianity,” he said.

While the songs have deep and complex theological themes, part of the beauty of the bluegrass is its simplic-ity, said Brother Joseph.

“The lyrics are very prayerful, if not just simply prayers,” he said.

Since they take vows of obedience, Brother Simon said it is difficult to talk about the future of the band, but added, “We’re all excited to see where the Lord takes it.”


By Chris HeiseyThe Catholic Witness

Rivals are defined as “one of two or more striving to reach or obtain something that only one can possess” by Webster’s Dictionary, and they may as well give their example listing below the definition as the Uni-versity of Connecticut versus the University of Notre Dame’s women’s college basketball programs.

Clearly, these two are the most successful women’s bas-ketball programs in the past decade, with UConn having the upper hand with a recent 111-game winning streak, which was snapped last year along with its reign as national cham-pions. They had won four in a row from 2013 to 2016 and won 11 national titles since 1995, all under the tutelage of head coach Luigi “Geno” Auriemma – the fiery and autocratic floor gener-

al who’s had more success than any other basketball coach ever.

It seems you can either be in-timidated by UConn’s storied success, or you can challenge it. The latter is what Notre Dame seems to be doing every year against the Huskies. This year’s thrilling buzzer-beater overtime win over UConn in the national semifinal game on Good Friday in Columbus, Ohio, in front of a sold out arena and a sizeable television audience not only put women’s college basketball in the national limelight, but also did so the rivalry between the two programs, the rivalry be-tween the two coaches – both seemingly good for the game of basketball.

In a recent talk to the Notre Dame Club of Gettysburg in front of some 350 attendees, Notre Dame head coach Muffet McGraw reflected on her team’s recent national championship game win over Mississippi

Notre Dame’s Venerable Basketball Coach Speaks in Gettysburg

State on Easter Sunday, and her team’s exciting triumph over UConn two evenings earlier.

During a brief interview prior to speaking at the Wyndam Ho-tel in Gettysburg on April 26, Coach McGraw beamed about her team’s resilience, grittiness and perseverance. Within min-utes of conversing with her, you realize where her team gets its positive moxie.

“I think the rivalry we have with UConn is great for the game. The rivalry I have with Geno is also a great thing for women’s college basketball,” Coach McGraw said. “We both respect each other, we are both from Philadelphia, and we want to compete at the highest level. Sure that’s all good.”

In fact, both Auriemma and McGraw coached as assistants at Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia, with McGraw fill-ing Auriemma’s post after he left the Hawks in 1979. Coach McGraw played at Saint Jo-seph’s and began her college coaching career at Saint Joe’s, moving from her high school coaching career at Archbishop Carroll in suburban Philadel-phia. She played for St. Joe’s in the 70s.

While the rivalry may be great for women’s basketball, it’s not too difficult to see and detect the animus and innuendo present at post-game press conferences, especially so this year at the Fi-nal Four. That comes when two are striving for something only one can have, one suspects.

When Coach McGraw’s Fighting Irish won the NCAA national championship on April 1, it was 17 years to the day that she had won her only other NCAA title in 2001 when her Irish cut down the nets. Times were different then, and the game was too.

Coach McGraw says the re-cruiting trail is different these

days as a recruiter. “You do not find sleepers” anymore, as most top players play in national high school showcase tournaments and recruiting services list and rank potential recruits early in their high school careers. Case in point, Notre Dame just signed a high school junior from Virginia, Samantha Brunelle, considered by many to be the top recruit of the Class of 2019. UConn did not even offer her a scholarship, knowing that the battle was already lost to Notre Dame and Coach McGraw.

At Notre Dame, Coach Mc-Graw said, recruiting “great students” is still top priority for her. That’s what “makes Notre Dame, Notre Dame,” she said. In addition, she looks for play-ers who are unselfish, have fight, compete on every pos-session and show leadership. “I want leaders on my team who are not afraid, who want step up

and handle the big moments,” Coach McGraw said with a gleam in her eye.

What she will never forget about winning her second na-tional championship and grab-bing her 800th career win that same night will be the sheer joy she saw on her players’ faces. “To share in that incredible mo-ment, feel that shared joy is just something that will never leave me.”

What she looks forward to next year is “having every one gunning for us,” and seeing how her “young team” will handle that truth. “My biggest fear, and it’s a fear of all coaches when you win and reach the pinnacle, is will your team get compla-cent,” she said.

Given that her rival wants to obtain something she has and her team has, that problem seems unlikely.

Coach McGraw shares a light moment with a supporter prior to dinner. The coach says she is an avid history buff who was looking forward to spending time on the battlefield the day after her talk in Gettysburg on April 26.

CHRIS HEISEY, THE CATHOLIC WITNESSNotre Dame Coach Muffet McGraw poses with Father Michael Reid, pastor of St. Vincent de Paul Parish in Hanover, prior to the evening sponsored by the Notre Dame Club of Gettysburg. Father Reid delivered the invocation and benediction for the evening.

A rare and special production of Arthur Penn’s operetta “Rose of the Danube” will be presented in Finestra Hall at Bishop McDevitt High School in Harrisburg on June 8 at 7:30 p.m. and June 9 at 2:30 p.m. Dr. Robert Rempe, a Shakespearean scholar and former English teacher at Bishop McDevitt High School, and Kathleen Torchia Travers, founding general director of Capitol Opera Companies, Inc., will co-direct the show.

Dr. Rempe saw a production of “Rose of the Danube” in the 1950s, and has spent the rest of his adult life trying to see another production of it. Unable to locate other productions or videos of the operetta, or recordings of the music, Dr. Rempe gath-ered all the information he could find on the composer and his compositions, in the hopes that someday he could see another production of “Rose of the Danube.”

Kathleen Torchia Travers heard that Dr. Rempe (who taught at McDevitt when she was a student there) was looking for a company to produce the work, and Capi-tol Opera Harrisburg will do just that for the June shows.

Dr. Rempe and Torchia Travers will co-direct the production; costumer Keely Thompson will work her magic with the costumes. “Rose” will be sung by Alyssa Brode and Kira Kaplan; Matt Mangus will sing the tenor lead.

“Rose of the Danube” is a period piece set in the 1930s. As an operetta, it is packed full of zany operetta humor and antics.

General admission for the show is $20. Student admission (up to age 18) is $10. Purchase tickets at the door or online at www.capopera.com.

Workshop presented by the Diocesan Office of Multicultural Ministries with the Black Catholic Apostolate of the Diocese of Harrisburg.

Saturday, June 30 from 10 a.m.-3:30 p.m.Cardinal Keeler Center, Harrisburg

Special guest speaker:Rev. Canon A. Gerard Jordan, O. Praem.

Postulator for the Cause of the Servant of God, Father Augustus Tolton

Join us for a time of prayer, catechesis and inspiration, connecting the lives of six candidates for sainthood with our past

and the relevant concerns of our world today:Pierre ToussaintElizabeth LangeHenriette Delille

Julie GreeleyAugustus ToltonThea Bowman

There is no registration fee for the workshop.RSVP to: [email protected] or 717-657-4804, ext. 313.

The Suffering Servants of FaithDr. Robert Rempe, Kathleen Torchia Travers to Co-Direct ‘Rose of the Danube’

Operetta at Bishop McDevitt High School


By Chris HeiseyThe Catholic Witness

Take a swing through the museum at the Baseball Hall of Fame in the hamlet of Cooperstown, New York, and much will strike you. The bot-tom floors are filled with the game’s humble beginnings in the late 19th Century and early 20th Century, when the United States’ urban centers were becoming manufacturing and industrial hubs. But it’s the top floor that strikes the baseball aficionado all the more.

Filled with balls, bats, gloves, photos, videos and quotes, the section highlights the scores and scores of re-cords from the game’s nearly 150-year history. There is Cy Young’s amaz-ing 511 career pitching wins and the even more astonishing fact he threw 749 complete games out of 815 starts. Slugger Hank Aaron’s 755 homeruns and the video of his 715th on April 8, 1974, certainly does hit home. “Trying to get a fastball by Hank Aaron,” Hall of Fame pitcher Warren Spahn once quipped, “is like getting a sunrise by a rooster. Just doesn’t happen,” the quote reads above Aaron’s picture. Reading about Yankee Joe DiMaggio’s 56-game hitting streak in the summer of 1941 is as fascinating, as is watching Pete Rose belt a clean single to left center for his 4,192nd career hit, surpassing the great Ty Cobb’s record.

Yet arguably the most awe-inspiring record there in the corner of the room is Baltimore Oriole Cal Ripken’s streak of playing 2,632 straight games spanning from 1981 to 2001. The fact that he broke Lou Gehrig’s record of 2,130 games – a streak that many felt would stand forever – is seemingly worth our highest esteem.

It stood for 56 years until Ripken broke it on September 6, 1995, at Orioles’ Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore before 50,000 home fans who gave him a 22-minute standing ovation. Ripken volunteered to end his streak in 1997, and though he will be always remembered for “The Streak,” he also put up numbers every bit Hall of Fame worthy: 3,184 hits, 431 home runs, 1,695 runs batted in, and the win-ner of two Golden Gloves at shortstop, to name only a few. In 2007, he was elected with 99 percent of the vote, leaving one to think what he had to do to convince the other one percent.

In the Hall of Fame, whose glass ceilings allow light to spill about in haunting fashion all around the bronze plaques of hundreds of baseball’s im-mortals, you just don’t miss Ripken’s smiling relief and sobriquet “Iron Man” forged beneath his name.

In an interview with report-

Orioles’ Great Cal Ripken Muses About Love for Baseball

CHRIS HEISEY, THE CATHOLIC WITNESSCal Ripken’s Hall of Fame bronze plaque. The Hall of Fame dates back to 1939, when five of baseball’s greats were enshrined. Every last weekend in July, the village overflows with baseball enthusiasts who come to Cooperstown to welcome new inductees into the gallery.

ers – including The Catholic Witness – prior to speaking at a fund-raising dinner for York Catholic High School in March, Mr. Ripken graciously

answered questions about his streak, the current state of the game and the work he continues to do on behalf of the game he and his family have loved for generations.

“What I try and speak to is the principles and values that I brought to the ballpark every day,” he said. “The streak ironically is as strong a topic for me as it was back then.”

Mr. Ripken tends to sit back more now and be reflective about the streak, and sees it in a different light more so than when it was happening, he said. Truth is, not all players or fans of baseball viewed the streak positively. Now almost all do, given that time has passed and the nostalgia that seems to follow baseball like no other sport has seeped into our consciences. When Ripken would slump or have a few bad games, the streak was blamed for his poor play. When the team went through several rebuilding periods, it was Ripken who took heat for not giv-ing younger players a chance to grow

and gain experience. For him, it was never really about

the streak, it was about showing up at the “ballpark every day ready to do my job,” he said. “It’s not like I came to the Big Leagues and told my very successful manager, Earl Weaver, to put me in the game so I could start a consecutive game streak. Hardly,” he said. “I came trying to help my team win ball games…. The streak started because I was put in the line-up and started having success, and I played well. My managers started the streak and kept it going.”

True, but as Ripken was nearing Lou Gehrig’s mark, there is no ques-tion that he played hurt at times, and at times made extraordinary sacrifices to play in a game to keep the streak alive. The criticism seems myopic and petty today, given we are looking back, not forward, but questioning his motives seems aimed at hurting a baseball leg-end and hero to many fans. Was Lou Gehrig ever scrutinized by the press for his remarkable feats? No, the “Iron Horse” was not.

And Mr. Ripken encourages any young player today to come to the ball-park every day and help the team win.

If that means playing in 2,000-plus straight games, then he will be

there to encourage the player to break his mark. “But you do not go into a record like this thinking about breaking it; you just must let it happen over a long time.”

He stays busy these days with speaking engagements, announcing duties with TBS Sports and running his busi-ness ventures in minor league baseball and youth baseball clinics and tournaments. He’s mindful that the game is criti-cized for being “boring” by many today, and he worries that the game will continue to suffer a decline if the youth game is not designed to keep kids involved. He likes “situational baseball,” where certain base or game scenarios are played out to help all the kids on the field participate. He also would like to see stricter enforce-ment of stalling tactics by players, managers addressed in the minor leagues so when the players arrive in the Ma-jor League, their habits are different are more aimed at speeding up the game, rather than slowing it down, which hurts the game, he feels.

“It’s really about how the game makes you feel,” he said in closing. “The key is loving the game, loving play-ing, loving baseball. That’s how we grow the game.”

That’s what Cal Ripken did for 2,632 straight games, and it’s why he is in Cooper-stown with baseball’s greats whose feats strike you with time-honored awe.

Baltimore Oriole Hall of Famer, Cal Ripken


DIOCESE OF HARRISBURG

For a Lasting

RemembrancePentecost Collection

May 20, 2018

SEMINARIANS .................. $1,634,268Gifts provide room and board, tuition, discernment retreats, and summer work programs for the seminarians. Assistance is also provided for books and medical insurance.

VOCATIONS ............................$141,994Gifts fund the work of the director who coordinates vocation programs in parishes and schools. Discernment weekends are also an important part of this ministry.

PRIESTS CONTINUING FORMATION ..............................$117,200

Gifts provide for the Office for Continuing Formation of Priests, the director, and formational programs for the priests of the diocese that will assist them in their ministries.

RETIRED PRIEST & SUPPLEMENTAL MEDICAL EXPENSES ................$200,000

Gifts cover payment of extraordinary medical expenses for priests.

PRIEST STUDY ..........................$119,820Gifts provide for expenses related to graduate studies for priests who continue their formation in specific areas of ministry. Many of these priests return to a ministry directly associated with a diocesan office. These funds also cover tuition, room and board expenses, and monthly compensation for the priest.

PERMANENT DIACONATE FORMATION ..............................$203,242

Gifts provide for the expenses related to the renewal of the Permanent Diaconate Formation program. Deacons proclaim the Gospel and preach and teach in the name of the Church. As ministers of Sacrament, they baptize, lead the faithful in prayer, witness marriages, and conduct wake and funeral services.

TOTAL MINISTRIES BUDGET ..................................$2,416,524

DIOCESE OF HARRISBURG Your gift to the Pentecost Collection assists the Diocese of Harrisburg in supporting the men

who served you in the past, who serve you today,

and who will serve you in the future.

PLEASE INVEST IN OUR PASTAnnually you are asked for your prayerful and financial support for the men who have retired from the administrative duties of priesthood. These men have worked tirelessly for us and now need our help to sustain them in the twilight years of their lives.

PLEASE INVEST IN OUR PRESENTMen who serve the people of God have to be formed and prepared to take on the awesome and profound responsibility of walking a journey with His people in the presence of our Lord. Through your generosity, the formation of our priests continues through educational opportunities, spiritual direction, and retreats.

PLEASE INVEST IN OUR FUTUREOur Diocese has been blessed by a significant increase in the number of seminarians. This increase in vocations is a sign of the spiritual health and vitality of the Church in our Diocese. The cost to the Diocese for seminary education continued to rise from $931,350 to $1,354,700 this year. This collection is the primary source of funding for seminarian formation and helps to reduce, but not eliminate, this budget shortfall or deficit.

Ministries Budget


For a Lasting


May 20, 2018

















Ministries Budget


For a Lasting


May 20, 2018

















Ministries Budget

Make a Donation to the 2018 Pentecost Collection ONE-TIME GIFT

A one-time, outright gift can be made to the

Pentecost Collection at any time during the year

PAYMENT METHODS

Cash paid at your parish.Check made payable to the

Diocese of Harrisburg.Stocks and Securities.

Credit Card (Visa and MasterCard)

VISIT OUR WEBSITE

www.hbgdiocese.org/giving/ pentecost-collection

for more information or to make a donation

via Visa or MasterCard

Pentecost Col lect ion ~ May 20

“The theme for this year’s Pentecost

Collection, “For a Lasting

Remembrance,” recalls our

Anniversary Celebration and how important it is to care for those priests who have dedicated their lives to our Diocese while providing a

proper education and formation for our seminarians and

Permanent Deacon Candidates who are

the future laborers in the Lord’s Vineyard

in Central Pennsylvania.”

~ Bishop Ronald Gainer2018 Pentecost

Collection Letter


By Jen ReedThe Catholic Witness

The historic St. Lawrence Chapel in downtown Harrisburg has echoed the languages, traditions and music of genera-tions of faithful in its 100-year history, from the German-speaking Catholics for whom its parish was established, and the State Street Academy of Music for young aspiring musicians, to the Mater Dei Com-munity whose members currently call the chapel home.

On April 24, the Mater Dei Community welcomed Bishop Ronald Gainer, who celebrated a Solemn Pontifical Mass in observance of the 100th anniversary of St. Lawrence Chapel, located on State Street between Front and Second streets.

The Mater Dei Community which participates in the celebration of the Mass according to the 1962 Roman Missal, commonly known as the Traditional Latin Mass, was established on Dec. 2, 2007. The chaplain of the community is Father Gregory Eichman, FSSP, a member of the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter, a commu-nity of priests dedicated to the celebration of the sacraments using the 1962 liturgical

Pontifical Mass Marks 100th Anniversary of Historic St. Lawrence Chapel

Above: A member of the Latin Mass community receives Holy Communion during the Pontifical High Mass celebrating the 100th anniversary of St. Lawrence Chapel.

Left: Bishop Ronald Gainer, center, shows forth the Host at the Agnus Dei before Communion as Father David Franco, FSSP, left, and Father Gregory Eichman, FSSP, right, serve as subdeacon and deacon. Father Eichman is chaplain and Father Franco is assistant chaplain of the Mater Dei Community.

A banner of the Mater Dei Community is pictured inside St. Lawrence Chapel. Mater Dei, which means Mother of God, was established as a chaplaincy in the Diocese of Harrisburg by Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades on Dec. 2, 2007.

norms. Father David Franco, FSSP, serves as the assistant chaplain.

Father Eichman and Father Franco served as deacon and subdeacon, respec-tively, for the centennial Mass. Sacred ministers also included Father Gerard Saguto, FSSP, District Superior for the religious order, Father Simon Harkins, District Bursar, and Father Robert F. Shar-man, Director of the Diocesan Office of Missions and pastor of St. Bernard Parish in New Bloomfield. Seminarians from Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary in Denton, Neb., served as masters of ceremony, and priests from the Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown and seminarians from Mount St. Mary’s Seminary in Emmitsburg, Md., were in choir.

The parish of St. Lawrence was es-tablished in the mid-1800s for German-speaking Catholics in Harrisburg. It officially became a parish in 1868, with the church located on Front Street. The current church was dedicated by Bishop Philip McDevitt on April 20, 1918. Dur-ing the parish consolidations in 1995, St. Lawrence merged with St. Patrick and Sacred Heart of Jesus parishes to form the Cathedral Parish of St. Patrick. In 2003,

the State Street Academy of Music opened a two-week summer program in St. Lawrence Chapel to introduce children to music-making activities in the neo-Gothic church.

Today, there are 163 registered families in the Mater Dei Community, and Sunday Mass atten-dance there has increased from 240 to 350 in the past three years. There are 30 teens that attend its monthly Youth Group, and 30 children in the St. Tarcisius group, where Father Franco leads them in meditation. The com-munity’s Homeschool Co-op has 45 students.

“Our Youth Group and St. Tarcisius group give the children the chance to learn directly from the priests, and to develop friendships with other Catholics just like them,” noted Father Eichman.

The community also has a blossoming sacred music ministry. Last summer, they welcomed Patrick Torsell, a Music Director from Colorado, and have since formed a

CHRIS HEISEY, THE CATHOLIC WITNESSA Solemn Pontifical High Mass is celebrated at St. Lawrence Chapel in Harrisburg on April 24 in observation of the centennial anniversary of the chapel, currently home to the Mater Dei Latin Mass Community.

children’s choir which now has 39 mem-bers. An adult choir, formerly made up of men, has added women to its ranks and presents multiple-part hymns. This sum-mer, the Mater Dei Community will host a week-long Chant Camp for parish and non-parish children to learn chant and sing for Sunday Mass.

“Our parishioners’ dedication to Mater Dei is very edifying,” said Father Eich-man. “They drive 30, 45 minutes or even an hour for Mass, or to attend our Youth

Group or weekly Church History, Lives of the Saints and music courses for home-schoolers.”

“People come to Mater Dei for more than just the Latin Mass,” he pointed out. “Parents, in particular, come because they want to give their children a thorough knowledge of their faith, good friends, and in general a deep sense of the sacredness of God through the liturgy.”

(For information on the Mater Dei Latin Mass Community, visit www.MaterDeiPa.com.)


The Catholic Witness presents here responses to questions developed by the Pennsylvania Catholic Conference for can-didates for U.S. Senate and Pennsylvania Governor and Lieutenant Governor. The names of all candidates for U.S. Senate and Pennsylvania Governor and Lieutenant Governor are listed; responses from those who participated in the survey are listed

below each question.A Voters’ Guide featuring responses

from candidates for State Senate, House of Representatives and United States Con-gress appeared in the April 27 edition of The Catholic Witness. That Voters’ Guide, as well as election resources, can be found on the Diocese of Harrisburg’s website at www.hbgdiocese.org/voter-resources/

Pennsylvania Primary 2018:U.S. Senate and Governor/Lieutenant Governor

Editor’s Note: Responses from Congressman Lloyd Smucker (R-11), candidate for U.S. Congress, are also printed with the survey questions for U.S. Senate candidates. Congressman Smucker participated in the survey for the April 27 Voters’ Guide and submitted his responses before the deadline, however his responses were not published due to a computer error.

Bob Casey, Jr. (D): a.Lou Barletta (R): b. I support an improved Medicaid program that gives states the

flexibility to provide better quality care for those in need. Lloyd Smucker (R-11): b.

UNITED STATES SENATE

(Bold denotes candidates who responded to the survey)Bob Casey, Jr. (D), Lou Barletta (R), James J. Christiana, III (R), Joseph J.

Vodvarka (R)Responses from U.S. Congressional candidate Lloyd Smucker (R-11) are also

printed here because his responses were not included in the April 27 Voters’ Guide due to a computer error.

What is your position on providing a federal tax credit to businesses that donate to scholarship organizations that provide

scholarships for middle and low-income students at private and religious schools in grades kindergarten through 12?

Bob Casey, Jr. (D): Oppose. I do not support such a tax credit. Businesses can already deduct charitable contributions.

Lou Barletta (R): Support. Lloyd Smucker (R-11): Support.

Which statement reflects your position most accurately?a. I support legalized abortion.b. I oppose legalized abortion in all circumstances.c. I oppose legalized abortion, except when the life of the mother is in danger or the pregnancy is a result of rape or incest.

Bob Casey, Jr. (D): I am a pro-life Democrat, which means I am in favor of policies that support women and children before and after birth. This means making a commitment to protect programs like WIC, Pregnant Women Support Act, SNAP, Medicaid, and the Nurse-Family Partnership.

Lou Barletta (R): c.Lloyd Smucker (R-11): c.

What is your position on legislation that would permit undocumented immigrants who have lived in the United States

for a number of years, have worked and built a life in our country, and who do not have criminal records to register with the

government and take steps to earn legal status?

Bob Casey, Jr. (D): Support.Lou Barletta (R): Before we discuss what to do with people in our country

illegally we must secure our borders, end the diversity visa lottery, end chain migration, and prove to the American people that this problem will not happen again.

Lloyd Smucker (R-11): Support. Those who have broken the law must not be granted citizenship.

What is your position on efforts to pass legislation (i.e., the Federal Employment Non-Discrimination Act) that would

make sexual orientation and gender identity or expression protected classes that are equivalent to other protected classes

(e.g., race, religion, sex, etc.)?Bob Casey, Jr. (D): Support.Lou Barletta (R): Oppose.Lloyd Smucker (R-11): Oppose. Nobody should face discrimination under any

circumstances.

Which statement reflects your position most accurately?a. Congress should maintain federal funding for the Medicaid program to strengthen it as a safety-net for low-income, elderly and disabled people.b. Congress should cap federal funding and issue block grants for Medicaid giving more responsibility to the states.

GOVERNOR / LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR(Bold denotes candidates who responded to the survey)Candidates for GovernorThomas W. Wolf (D), Paul Mango (R), Scott R. Wagner (R), Laura Ellsworth (R)

Candidates for Lieutenant GovernorMichael J. Stack (D), John K. Fetterman (D), Raymond Sosa (D), Kathleen M.

Cozzone (D), Nilofer Nina Ahmad (D), Jeffrey A. Bartos (R), Kathleen Ann Coder (R), Diana Irey Vaughan (R), Peg Luksik (R)

What is your position on legislation that would provide direct grants to parents to choose the schools that they believe are

best suited for their children, including non-public schools?Paul Mango (R): Support.Diana Irey Vaughan (R): Support.Peg Luksik (R): Support.

Which statement reflects your position most accurately?a. I support legalized abortion.b. I oppose legalized abortion in all circumstances.c. I oppose legalized abortion, except when the life of the mother is in danger or the pregnancy is a result of rape or incest.

Paul Mango (R): c. I believe one act of violence does not justify another. However, building a Culture of Life requires consensus, and I would allow excep-tions as Governor.

Diana Irey Vaughan (R): b.Peg Luksik (R): c. I have no exceptions. A child is a child.

What is your position on legislation that would add state restrictions to existing federal prohibitions concerning the hiring of

undocumented immigrants or providing healthcare or government services to the undocumented immigrant?

Paul Mango (R): Support. While I support legal immigration, I strongly oppose sanctuary cities because they are dangerous, violate the law, and provide protections not afforded to all Pennsylvanians.

Diana Irey Vaughan (R): Support.Peg Luksik (R): Support. They are not undocumented, they are illegal; it is

inherently unjust to say that only some people must obey the law.

Which statement reflects your position most accurately?a. Pennsylvania should cut public spending on health and human services programs and provide greater incentives for private non-profit organizations to meet local needs.b. The state government should provide more funding for public-private partnerships that provide health and human services programs.c. Pennsylvania’s state and local governments should assume more responsibility for providing health and human services to people in need.

Paul Mango (R): a. Localities best understand the populations they serve. We must protect religious freedom and support their missions, which are more effective than Harrisburg-driven bureaucracies.

Diana Irey Vaughan (R): a.Peg Luksik (R): a. Private non-profits meet more needs more effectively for less

money.

Which statement reflects your position most accurately?a. Pennsylvania’s anti-discrimination laws for housing, employment and public accommodation should include “sexual orientation” and “gender identity or expression” as protected classes, no exceptions.b. Pennsylvania’s anti-discrimination laws for housing, employment and public accommodation should include “sexual orientation” and “gender identity or expression” as protected classes, but should contain exceptions in narrow circumstances to protect religious institutions.c. Pennsylvania’s anti-discrimination laws for housing, employment and public accommodation should include “sexual orientation” and “gender identity or expression” as protected classes, but should contain exceptions in narrow circumstances to protect religious conscience for business owners.d. Pennsylvania should not amend its anti-discrimination laws to add “sexual orientation” and “gender identity and expression” as protected classes at this time.


Second Grade students, including Lucy Kowitz, center, listen to a story told by Sister Geralyn Schmidt, SCC.

By Jen FrancisSpecial to The Witness

Our Mother of Perpetual Help School in Ephrata shared a joy-filled day with consecrated religious as they experienced a special Vocation Day on Monday, April 16. Guests included religious sisters, Redemptorist Order priests and diocesan priests.

It was an exciting and busy day for the entire school as the students in kin-dergarten through eighth grade engaged in sessions with their guests, who spoke of their special ministries in neighboring communities as well as their missionary labors. Participating guests were asked to share the story of their call to religious life, the joys of their vocation and their real life experiences so that OMPH students might better be able to explore options concerning future vocations and God’s calling in their lives.

The day began with Mass at 9 a.m. and included a general introduction of the special guests to OMPH students, followed by visits from each of the guests to several different classes. Sister Maria Thomas More Dzurnak, SS.C.M., an-swered questions from kindergarteners about her congregation’s style of dress. Sister Geralyn Schmidt, SCC, spent time in second, sixth, and eighth grades telling stories of her calling from God. Father Paul Borowski, C.Ss.R., visited grades six, second, and fourth grades. He spoke about how God speaks to us in different ways, and the importance of listening to Him. Sister Serafina Sar-nowska, OSB, talked about the importance of prayer as a conversation with God, and how Mary became Mother to us all. Sister Lucy Kawau, CPS, and Sister Anastasia Mallya, CPS, spoke about their order and how it has spread

Our Mother of Perpetual Help School Welcomes Guests for Vocation Day

worldwide since its inception in 1885. Father Brian Wayne, Vocation Director for the Diocese of Harrisburg, visited

the fourth, eighth, and sixth grade classrooms and spoke about how a voca-tion is a calling from God, not just a “job.” He shared that he did not know much about his faith when he was younger, and encouraged the students to really listen to what God is calling them to do. Father Ed Faliskie, C.Ss.R., a Redemptorist priest in Baltimore, encouraged students to find out who they are in order to reach their full potential. Sean Malloy, a worship and retreat leader, spoke about marriage as a vocation and how, as a student at OMPH School, he was guided to figure out what the Lord wanted him to be.

Father Mark Weiss stressed the importance of faith formation through our family and friends. Father Anthony Michalik, C.Ss.R., and Father Donald Bender, both graduates of OMPH School, shared stories of their time at OMPH and how important it is to listen to what God is asking you to do. Sister Mary Madonna Marie Harvath, a Bernardine Franciscan Sister, enlightened students on the vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience. Sister Mary Kay Faliskie, IHM, taught lessons on living a life of service to those in need.

As a culminating activity, guests and students participated in a game simi-lar to Chutes and Ladders, with religious trivia questions being answered by the students. Sister Geralyn led the game, with help from Father Wayne, Mr. Malloy, Father Faliskie and Sister Mary Kay. It was a truly blessed day for the children and faculty of Our Mother of Perpetual Help School!

(Jen Francis is the Director of Public Relations at Our Mother of Perpetual Help School.)

COURTESY OF OUR MOTHER OF PERPETUAL HELP SCHOOLFather Brian Wayne, Director of the Diocesan Office of Vocations, fields ques-tions from the eight-grade class at OMPH School.

Paul Mango (R): b. I believe that parents are the best decision-makers on the child care options for their children, not a bureaucrat in Harrisburg.

Diana Irey Vaughan (R): c.Peg Luksik (R): c. Our children are too important to give them to the government;

building and occupancy codes address safety concerns.

Paul Mango (R): d. I am the only candidate who would veto these bills for privacy and religious freedom concerns. We must embrace, not close, these social service agencies.

Diana Irey Vaughan (R): d. There is bipartisan agreement that “public accommodation” would include bathrooms in schools. Our religious freedom and privacy should not be infringed.

Peg Luksik (R): d. Federal law already does this.

Assuming there is money in the state budget, what is your position on increasing funding for textbooks and instructional

materials for non-public school students at the same rate as increases in subsidies for public school students?

Paul Mango (R): Support. A robust ESA (Education Savings Account) program would help ensure that all students have the necessary tools to become good citizens who are competitive in today’s global economy.

Diana Irey Vaughan (R): Support.Peg Luksik (R): (I am) always leery of more state involvement in non-public

schools; (I) do support (an) increase in EITC allowance.

Which statement reflects your position most accurately?a. U.S. Congress should maintain federal funding for the Medic aid program to strengthen it as a safety-net for low-income, elderly and disabled people.b. U.S. Congress should cap federal funding and issue block grants for Medicaid giving more responsibility to the states.

Paul Mango (R): b. Washington will never solve Pennsylvania’s problems. We must reform Medicaid ourselves to focus on innovation, transparency, prevention, and consumer-centric care.

Diana Irey Vaughan (R): b.Peg Luksik (R): b. Different states have different needs; government should be

most local possible.

What is your position on the death penalty?

Paul Mango (R): Support. I support the death penalty for the most heinous crimes, including those who kill our law enforcement officers and first responders.

Diana Irey Vaughan (R): Support.Peg Luksik (R): It is moral; it should always be the last option.

Which statement reflects your position most accurately?a. Religious childcare and pre-kindergarten providers should be subject to government review of educational content.b. Religious childcare and pre-kindergarten providers should follow state standards for health and safety of children, but be free to determine their own educational content based on the teachings of their faith tradition.c. Religious childcare and pre-kindergarten providers should be free from government regulation.


CNS/ERIN KELLER FOR THE CATHOLIC VOICEEli Hernandez looks over examples of his artwork for his children’s book “Dearest Children: A Message Inspired by Father Edward J. Flanagan” March 17 at Boys Town’s Hall of History museum in Omaha, Neb.

By Erin Keller Catholic News Service

Each illustration took up to 20 hours, often done in the middle of the night after his family was asleep.

And each was necessary for Eli Hernandez to complete his 30-page chil-dren’s book, “Dearest Children: A Message Inspired by Father Edward J. Flanagan.”

Working at night and on weekends, the project took about a year to com-plete, said Hernandez, manager of design and production in the marketing and communications department at Boys Town, the home for boys and girls in need founded by the priest more than 100 years ago.

“I borrowed from sleep to finish the project,” Hernandez told the Catholic Voice, newspaper of the Archdiocese of Omaha.

“Dearest Children” was written, he said, to help students in kindergarten through fifth grade understand the values of Father Flanagan, who cause for canonization is being considered by the Congregation for Saints’ Causes at the Vatican. The priest was given the title “servant of God” when his cause was opened.

The author hopes the book’s illustrations and message will resonate with children of all ages.

“I have always thought about writing a children’s book. As the cause of Father Flanagan sainthood progresses, I realized that was the perfect topic,” Hernandez said.

The priest was an integral part of the process as well, the illustrator said.“I would talk to him as I worked,” he recalled. “When I felt stuck, I would

go to the chapel and sit with him. I’d ask him to pray for me as I worked.” The Irish-born Father Flanagan died in 1948 at age 61.

A member of St. Margaret Mary Parish in Omaha with his wife, Carey, who teaches art at the parish school, Hernandez said the book’s title was inspired by the term Father Flanagan used to address children in his care.

Each turn of the page leads to a Father Flanagan quote brought to life through Hernandez’s illustrations, many of which are based on photos of the priest and others at Boys Town. Each quote is paraphrased in ways intended to speak to children’s hearts.

Hernandez’s four children helped by posing for some illustrations. One, for example, depicts Father Flanagan – who was frail as a boy growing up in Ireland helping his family tend sheep – with a book in one hand and a shep-herd’s staff in the other.

“Have you heard of the sickly boy from Ballymoe who became the man who realized a dream? A dream to bring healing and hope to children in need?” the text reads.

A Father Flanagan quote included with the illustration follows: “When you help a child today, you write the history of tomorrow.”

Hernandez said Father Steven Bose, Boys Town executive director, pro-vided encouragement, input and inspiration for illustrations along the way including that particular page.

“I shared my idea for this illustration with Father Bose, and he suggested I depict Father Flanagan as a shepherd boy. He reminded me that Father Fla-nagan’s father was a shepherd and that is what Father Flanagan was for the children, and continues to be for us.”

The book also provides opportunities for families to learn together.When Hernandez presented it to Erin Green, director of Boys Town Press,

she suggested that he contact Laura Buddenberg, Boys Town director of pas-toral affairs, to provide supplemental activities for the book, such as encour-aging families and children to be compassionate, make sacrifices for others and pray at meals.

“The book is a good example of beauty blending with core principles put into action,” said Buddenberg, a member of St. Leo the Great Parish in Oma-ha. “Although the book is intended for children K through five, I have had many teenagers come into my office and simply sit and look through the il-lustrations. The art speaks to all ages.”

Hernandez welcomes opportunities to talk with elementary school students about Father Flanagan and the process of creating the book.

“My hope is that this book creates the next generation of followers of Fa-ther Flanagan’s vision,” he said.

COURTESY OF RESURRECTION CATHOLIC SCHOOLResurrection Catholic School fourth-grade students stand with the book “Dearest Children” by Eli Hernandez about Father Edward Flanagan’s words of wisdom. Father Flanagan founded Boys Town in Omaha, Neb., in 1917 as a home for orphans and it still serves the needs of children and families.

By Donna WalkerSpecial to The Witness

Fourth-grade students at Resurrection Catholic School in Lancater regularly share classroom projects on social media via Twitter. With the handle @Grade4RCS,

they’ve now become part of a group sending across the United States a book about Boys Town in Omaha, Neb.

Made famous by the 1938 movie “Boys Town” starring Spencer Tracy, the story begins with Father Edward Flanagan, who opened a home for boys in 1917. Still op-erating today as a place serving the needs of children of all backgrounds, Boys Town inspired the book “Dearest Children” by Eli Hernandez.

A group of teachers who communicate on Twitter are sharing one copy of the book which they read, sign, then send to the next classroom. The book began its travels in Omaha, Neb., at St. Margaret Mary School and will be read in classrooms in New Jersey, Maryland, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and Illinois, with the list growing as it goes. Teachers share their thoughts about the book on Twitter with hashtag #Resurrec-tion School teacher Sylvia Buller said the book aligns with the lessons and discussions students have in school.

“It’s all about the good inside you, diversity and respecting others, standing up for people and accepting people with difficult problems,” she said.

In simple language for children in grades K-5, the book states a question on each page that contains a message, such as, “Have you heard we are all one people? …” The opposite page contains a Father Flanagan quote that spurs discussion. “I see no disaster threatening us because of any particular race, creed or color. …”

Author and illustrator Eli Hernandez used historical photographs from Father Flana-gan’s time and his own children’s faces to create the book’s drawings. Thumbnails of the drawings and the actual photographs are detailed in the back of the book and offer a glimpse into the man and the times in which he lived.

“Not only is the book well done, but we researched Father Flanagan and found him to be admirable,” Buller said.

In May 2017, the Vatican declared that a judicially valid case exists to make Father Flanagan a saint, but the trek toward sainthood takes years. In the meantime, the priest’s work continues in Omaha and Boys Town branches all over the world.

(Donna Walker is the Marketing Director at Resurrection Catholic School.)

Sainthood Candidate Father Flanagan Inspires New Children’s Book …

… And Resurrection Students Connect and Share it via Twitter

Resurrection Catholic School fourth-grade

teacher Sylvia Buller signs “Dearest Children”

before sending it to a classroom in Illinois as

the book travels the country, spreading the

story of the principles of Boys Town founder

Father Edward Flanagan.


Young People Recognized for Academic Success

The Diocesan Secretariat for Education recently honored a number of Catholic high school students who have been awarded the Ray Tyo St. Ferdinand Scholarship. The scholarship was founded by Mr. Ray Tyo in gratitude for his Catholic education. It is made available to students who graduate from a Catholic high school in the diocese and who wish to attend a Catholic college or university.

This year’s recipients are:Carolyn Albright –

York Catholic High SchoolDaley Ryan –

Bishop McDevitt High SchoolMorgan Fazzini –

Lancaster Catholic High School

Thomas Anthony Gamble – Trinity High School

Stephen James Gontis – Bishop McDevitt High School

Nathan Hatzfield – Lebanon Catholic High School

Stephen J. Gresh IV – Our Lady of Lourdes Regional School

Madelyn Monefour – Trinity High School, Camp Hill

Kelsey Myers – Delone Catholic High School

Julie Reichert – Lancaster Catholic High School

Oral Interpretation:1st place – Luke Fortunato,

Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Middletown2nd place – Caroline Dinello,

Holy Name of Jesus, Harrisburg3rd place – Giovanna Jiang,

St. Teresa of Calcutta, McSherrystownHonorable Mention – Gwyneth Beiter,

St. Joseph, DanvilleHonorable Mention – Sayre Kurecian,

St. Columba, Bloomsburg

Persuasive:1st place – Eve Polek,

Holy Name of Jesus, Harrisburg2nd place – Ava Lee,

Holy Name of Jesus, Harrisburg3rd place – Tye Bartlett,

Holy Name of Jesus, HarrisburgHonorable Mention – Griffith Kotlinski,

St. Francis Xavier, GettysburgHonorable Mention –

Casey Huss, St. Patrick, Carlisle

Duo Dramatic Interpretation:1st place – Alina Shannon and Morgan Pierce,

St. Columba, Bloomsburg2nd place – Anastasia Ferdock and Samantha Lauck,

St. Columba, Bloomsburg3rd place – Liz Perrotti and Alek Panchik,

St. Joan of Arc, HersheyHonorable Mention – John Robert Long

and Alex Hamer-Moreno, St. Patrick, Carlisle

Honorable Mention – Andrew Zeglen and Brooklyn Koellner,

Holy Name of Jesus, Harrisburg

COURTESY OF JIM GONTIS, SECRETARIAT FOR CATHOLIC LIFE AND EVANGELIZATION

Education Department Awards Ray Tyo Scholars

Faith Bee: Thirty-five youth participated in the annual Faith Bee at the Cardinal Keeler Center in Harrisburg on April 23. Hosted by the Diocesan Office for Evangelization and Catechesis, the Faith Bee fea-tured 35 parish-level champions who demonstrated their knowledge in such areas as the Trinity, the saints, Scripture and vir-tues. This year’s winner was Adam Rubi, center, an eighth-grader in the religious edu-cation program at St. Joseph Parish in Dallastown. Second place was awarded to Tyler Hillson, left, of St. Francis Xavier Parish in Get-tysburg and an eighth-grader at its school. Dylan Staub, right, of St. Aloysius Parish in Littlestown and an eighth-grader at St. Francis Xavier School, finished third. The winners are pictured with crucifixes from Bahret Religious Goods in Lemoyne.

Geography Bee: The annual Diocesan Geography Bee, hosted by the Dioc-esan Secretariat for Education on April 30, tested Catholic school students on their knowledge of landmarks, climates and natural land masses. The winner of this year’s competition, held at the Cardinal Keeler Cen-ter in Harrisburg, was Connor Pushart, center, of St. Theresa School in New Cumberland. Oliver Lowden, left, of St. Joan of Arc School in Hershey placed second, and Luke Gertsen, right, of St. Joseph School in York finished third.

CHRIS HEISEY, THE CATHOLIC WITNESS

Speech Contest: Dozens of students from Catholic schools in the diocese competed in the annual Speech Contest hosted by the Secretariat for Education on April 20 at the Cardinal Keeler Center in Harrisburg. The contest afforded students an opportunity to demonstrate their public-speaking skills in categories for persuasive speech, oral interpretation and duo dramatic interpretation. Presentations were evaluated by panels of judges for the selection of the top three place winners and honorable mention awardees for each category, shown in the group photo.

CHRIS HEISEY, THE CATHOLIC WITNESS

Join us for an hour of

, followed by fellowship with youth and young adults.

Worship will be in English and influenced by Hispanic/Latino culture. ALL are always welcomed!

Thursday May 17, 2018 Corpus Christi Parish, Chambersburg Begins with Holy Mass at 6:00 p.m.

Saturday August 11, 2018

Saint Joseph Parish, Hanover Begins with Holy Mass at 5:00 p.m.

Friday December 7, 2018

Iglesia San Juan Bautista, Lancaster Begins with Vigil of the Immaculate Conception at 6:30 p.m.

Sponsored by the Office of Multicultural Ministries of the Diocese of Harrisburg and Participating Parishes @HispanicHbg


The names of the following deceased persons have been submitted by their parishes. Please remember in your prayers the happy repose of these recently departed souls and the conso-lation of their loved ones.

AbbottstownImmaculate Heart of Mary:Hector MirandaDoreen Oblack

AnnvilleSt. Paul the Apostle:Gene Cowhey

BerwickImmaculate Conception BVM:George EndresJoseph Nutaitis

BloomsburgSt. Columba:Jerome L. Reinke

Camp HillGood Shepherd:Dr. John CapelloMary ConnorDr. Stephen GradyNorma Morbeto

ChambersburgCorpus Christi:John CrosbyPhyllis CrouseGeorge DeFonzoRuth FinkleyBob HasslerFrancis KrischPaul W. McKenrickEsther OrsaEdith OstermanSamuel Jacob Spiese IIIElisabeth Ward

Coal TownshipOur Lady of Hope:Virginia ChecchiWalter J. JacobsMary Varano

ColumbiaHoly Trinity:Charles BenferJudy BenferJohn HeckerMary Lou Jones

ConewagoSacred Heart of Jesus:Charles E. Glessner

DanvilleSt. Joseph: Elda KleinEmma Woll

GettysburgSt. Francis Xavier:Jean W. Sullivan

HanoverSt. Joseph:Oscar “Frank” AultDennis HartmannJanet L. KefferVivian MowryPearl E. SmithRose Ann SmithCarolyn Ann Trone

HarrisburgOur Lady of the Blessed Sacrament:C. Rodney “Rod” KochSt. Catherine Labouré:Rosalie PolanskySt. Margaret Mary:Elmer Ricci

HersheySt. Joan of Arc:Nick DiDomenicoJohn McCormick

KulpmontHoly Angels:Richard Daya

LancasterAssumption BVM:James Aten, Sr.

LewistownSacred Heart of Jesus:Michael Drozda

LykensOur Lady, Help of Christians:Rosemary MahoneyFloyd Shutt

McSherrystownAnnunciation BVM:Raymond ClinganDonald EltzMargaret Sentz

MechanicsburgSt. Elizabeth Ann Seton:Edmund A. HaleyRichard “Peter” MurphySt. Joseph:Thelma BillowTherese CatchingJoseph DuddingBernadine Keever

MiddletownSeven Sorrows BVM:Sophia MontvilleRose Rinaldo

Mount CarmelDivine Redeemer:Stella B. BrosokasJoseph L. “Shag” D’AmicoOur Lady of Mount Carmel:Mildred DonderoDavid HughesAdeline Tloczynski

New CumberlandSt. Theresa:David KalemtisWilliam T. MillerClarence PaullusIvan Schucker

New FreedomSt. John the Baptist:Giles W. Couch, Jr.Evelyn NelsonHarlan Smeigh

New OxfordImmaculate Conception BVM:Steven Bittell

SelinsgroveSt. Pius X:Judith L. Gilbert

ShippensburgOur Lady of the Visitation:Richard L. Crimbly

SteeltonPrince of Peace:William Flickinger

SunburySt. Monica:Sabina DeitrickSusan Egan

WaynesboroSt. Andrew:Carolyn KrouseDarlene Mort

Please pray for the following clergy who died in May during the past 25 years:Msgr. George Lentocha, 1997Father John Smith, 1999Msgr. Hubert J. McGuire, 2003Father John Campion, 2010Father Richard P. Waldron, 2011Bishop Joseph P. McFadden, 2013

Sister Mary René Procopio

Felician Sister Mary René Procopio died March 10 at the Felician Convent of Coraopolis, Pa., after a 33-year battle with progressive bulbar palsy, a form of ALS. She was 73.

Born Kathleen Ann Procopio, she was the daughter of Mary (Mirarchi) and Samuel Procopio of Mount Carmel, and attended St. Peter School there. She entered the Congregation of the Feli-cian Sisters in Coraopolis after gradua-tion from Our Lady of the Sacred Heart High School there in 1962.

Sister Mary René earned a bachelor of arts degree from LaRoche College in 1970 and a master’s in education from the University of Pittsburgh in 1975. She served for 15 years as an elemen-tary school teacher the Pittsburgh area. For 21 years, she was principal at three elementary schools, including Holy Spirit School in Mount Carmel from 1995-2001.

In 2001, she founded a ministry to provide an after-school program to at-risk youth in Mooncrest, an area of Moon Township, Pa., and saw the min-istry grow throughout her 16 years with it. In 2005, Sister Mary René and an-other Felician Sister began to live in the Mooncrest neighborhood to be a pres-ence among the people.

In 2017, having lost the ability to speak, Sister Mary René returned to the central convent in Coraopolis.

The funeral Mass was celebrated March 17 at noon in the Convent Cha-pel.

WilliamstownSacred Heart of Jesus:Gervis Doyle

YorkSt. Joseph:Gloria GehmanWalt KefferGary KriegerFrancis “Fritz” NicholsonMarjorie PaschkeLouie Pena, Sr.Lee McDonald

St. Patrick:Brent BittnerDr. Suzi Seale CollWilliam Fabbri

St. Rose of Lima:Doris CarrollMichael Pentz


Compiled by Jen Reed

Spiritual OfferingsPublic square Rosary rallies take place on the

squares in New Oxford, Littlestown and Hanover monthly at noon. The rally in New Oxford is every second Saturday of the month, the rally in Littlestown is every third Saturday of the month, and the rally in Hanover is every fourth Saturday of the month. For information, call Grace at 717-624-2180.

St. Theresa Parish in New Cumberland is hosting Become Fire, a three-day mission by the Franciscan Friars of the Holy Spirit. Services will be held on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday, June 3, 4, and 5 at 7 p.m. at the church. The Friars will preach all Sunday Masses at St. The-resa, St .Elizabeth Ann Seton, and St. Joseph Mechanicsburg Churches the weekend of June 2-3. Come and be set on fire by the love of God in Christ Jesus through the Holy Spirit.

Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in Abbott-stown will be holding a Healing Mass with Charismatic Prayer on June 4 at 6:30 p.m. Celebrants: Father Timothy Marcoe and Father Dwight Schlaline. Music by Fusion (IHM Youth Ministry). For more info: 717-259-7798.

Mass in the Croatian language will be celebrated May 20 at 1 p.m. with confessions at 12:30 p.m. prior to Mass, in the Prince of Peace--Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church, Steelton.

A very special night of praise and worship will be held at 7 p.m. on May 16 at St. Joan of Arc School Cafete-ria in Hershey. “Remain in Me...” Are you thirsting for more in-timacy with our Lord, Jesus Christ? Please join us for a very special night of praise and worship of our Lord the Risen King through music and song. Sponsored by the “I Thirst” Prayer Group. For more information, call Lou at 717-583-0240.

Caelorum at St. Joan of Arc Church in Her-shey will be held on June 13 at 7 p.m. Join your brothers and sisters in Christ as we praise, worship and adore our Lord Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist. Father Modestus will preside. A reception will be held immediately following the Caelorum in the cafeteria. For more information, call 717-583-0240.

Pilgrimages and RetreatsFather Larry Richards will be directing a

24-hour retreat for men at Malvern Retreat House, Malvern, Pa., on Friday, June 8 through Saturday afternoon, June 9. As a nationally recognized priest on TV, radio and print, Father Richards delivers an uplifting, dynamic retreat for men of all ages. He has chosen the theme, BE A MAN for the retreat. Three-time Grammy nominee Marty Rotella will share his gift of music and preaching as well. Register online at www.malvernretreat.com or by calling the office at 610-644-0400.

Women of Grace Annual Retreat at Malvern Retreat House July 13-15, 2018. New this year will be a Young Women of Grace Retreat on July 14. Speakers this year include Johnnette Benkovic, Kathleen Beckman and Father Philip Scott. Registration cost includes lodging and all meals. Normally a sell-out! Register at www.womenofgrace.com or www.malvernretreat.com. Questions? Contact Chris Arnold at [email protected] or 717-379-6041.

Education & EnrichmentThe next Bridges Mass and Gathering will be

held May 27 from 2-4 p.m. in the St. John XXIII Center at St. John Neumann Church, Lancaster. Bridges offers a welcom-ing environment for individuals living with a disability and their families/caregivers to attend Mass together. An hour of fel-lowship activities follows Mass. The Coffee and Conversation group meets at the same time to give support and to share ideas. This will be the last Bridges Mass and Gathering until September, so do come – everyone is welcome! For more information, contact Rosemary Denshaw, [email protected] or 717-209-2362.

Theology on Tap – Harrisburg’s next meeting will be May 17 at the Capital Gastropub. This month we will host two missionaries from the Culture Project speaking on Virtue and Social Media. The Culture Project International is an initiative of young people set out to restore the culture through the experience of virtue. Culture Project missionaries travel around the country offering presentations on the sub-jects we all care about most: human dignity, sexual integrity, and how to be fully alive. You are invited to join The Culture Project for a discussion on Virtue and Social Media. We aim to inspire young people towards the excellent use of social media in order to fulfill its intended purpose – human con-nection. Theology on Tap is for Young Adults in their 20s-30s who are interested in topics of faith and contemporary issues directly affecting their lives. Theology on Tap – Harrisburg meets every third Thursday of the month at Capital Gas-tropub. For more information and other events, visit: www.facebook.com/groups/HarrisburgTOT/

Fundraisers & EventsSt. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish in Mechanics-

burg is hosting a Bike Rodeo on Saturday, May 19, from 10 am to noon (rain date Sunday, May 20, from 1 to 3 pm). This

Community Children’s Bike Safety Event will include the opportunity to ride through an obstacle course, meet an Up-per Allen Twp. bicycle police officer, learn bike safety, have your helmet checked, and learn simple bike maintenance. Helmets and close-toed shoes are required for participation. We’ll also be accepting used bikes for donation to Operation Wildcat: Project Bike, which assists students in the Me-chanicsburg School District. For more information, contact LaDawnna at [email protected].

St. Patrick Parish in Trevorton will have a soup and sticky bun sale, May 19 and 20. Soup: $8/quart, $4/pint. Sticky buns: (home-made) $4/pan. Sticky buns must be or-dered in advance. Call 570-797-8251 (Mon-Thurs from 9-5). Pick up at the soup sale. Soup sale May 19 from 1-3 p.m., and May 20 after the 9 a.m. Mass. Variety of home-made soups. Come to St. Patrick Parish Hall for pick-ups.

Baby shower to benefit Lourdeshouse. All women of the diocese are invited. Holy Name of Jesus Parish in Harrisburg will host a celebration of life on May 16 from 7-8:30 p.m. in the parish social hall. Bring a friend and join us for an opportunity to help moms and their babies while enjoying baby shower traditions of games, prizes, homemade desserts, and good conversation. Please bring an unwrapped baby gift and a few extra dollars for chances to win a lovely basket. All newborn clothing, diapers, and basket raffle proceeds will be donated to the Lourdeshouse Maternity Home. RSVP to Angie at [email protected] or call Susan at 717-657-1977.

Maddy Wolfe, Lancaster Catholic class of 2016, will be making a stop in Lancaster with the Mount Union Concert Choir “Why We Sing” tour. The concert choir, under the direction of Dr. Grant W. Cook III, will perform May 13 at 7:30 p.m. in Assumption BVM Church. The performance, entitled “Why We Sing,” is free and open to the public and includes works by Peter Anglea, Richard Burchard, Jacob Narverud, Daniel Elder, and Dwight Bigler, among others. For more information about the concert at Historic St. Mary’s Church, contact Darin and Janice Wolfe at 717-293-7868 or [email protected].

Our Lady Help of Christians Parish Council of Catholic Women is holding a Chinese Auction on May 19 in the Parish Hall, 732 Main St., Lykens. Doors open at 11 a.m., and the auction begins at 1 p.m. Refreshments along with baked goods will be available for purchase. $5 admission at the door provides you with 25 tickets. Ad-ditional tickets will be available for gift baskets and larger items. You need not be present to win. If you are unable to attend on Saturday, the hall will be open Friday, May 18, from 6-8 p.m. for shop and drop.

Knights of Columbus Council 12250, Fair-field, is holding a Golf Tournament June 11 at the Mountain View Golf Course, Fairfield. Four hole-in-one prizes (car, golf clubs, computer, gift card), many door prizes, bever-age on the course. Lunch and awards after the tournament. Bracket scoring. Cost is $70 per player. For information, call 240-529-2491. Cut off is June 1. All proceeds support Knights of Columbus programs. Send list of players and check to Sir Bruce Kocsis, Jr., 14 Flenner Trl, Gettysburg, PA 17325.

St. Francis Xavier PCCW in Gettysburg will hold a Rummage Sale at Xavier Center, 465 Table Rock Rd., on May 26 from 8 a.m.-3 p.m. Bag sale begins at 1 p.m. Items include clothing, small household items, jewelry, books, toys, games and much more. For more information, call 717-337-1520.

St. Cecilia’s Church Festival will be held June 7, 8 and 9 at 750 State Drive, Lebanon. Meals served from 4-7 p.m.: Thursday – spaghetti; Friday – fried fish; Satur-day – chicken pot pie. Bands from 7-10 p.m.: Thursday – The Johnson Brothers Band; Friday – Galbraith, Briody & Friends; Saturday – Quickdraw. Baked goods, food court, attic treasures, bingo, games, kiddieland, bounce rides, raffle tickets and more.

St. Andrew’s Annual CCW Yard Sale will be held June 8 from 9 a.m.-5 p.m., and June 9 from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. at St. Andrew Church in Waynesboro. Household items, decor, collectibles, antiques, toys, children’s clothes, books, crafts, furniture, small appliances, jewelry, tools, etc. Something for everyone! For information, call Kathryn Osbourn at 717-352-347 or Jo Spigler at 717-977-8672.

The St. Catherine Labouré Knights of Co-lumbus Council 12811 is sponsoring a fundraiser on May 16 from 5-8 p.m. at Friendly’s Restaurant, 4601 High Pointe Blvd., Harrisburg. Proceeds will go to Pennsyl-vania ARC for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, including, autism, down syndrome, and fetal alcohol syndrome. Your support will be greatly appreciated.

The St. Anne-Neumann Travel Club from St. Anne and St. John Neumann parishes in Lancaster, will hold a Chocolate Lover’s Tour bus trip on June 27, departing from St. John Neumann Church at 7 p.m. Visits include the Purity Candy Company in Allenwood, Four Friends Winery, lunch at Le Jeune Chef Restaurant and a Susquehanna River cruise aboard the Hiawatha Riverboat in Williamsport.

Tour price is $144 per person. For more information, or to request a tour flyer, contact John Feyock at 717-569-1033.

The Knights of Columbus Msgr. George V. Lentocha Council 3501 in Middletown will host an all-you-can-eat pancake breakfast May 20 from 8-11 a.m. in Seven Sorrows School cafeteria. Adults are $5, children 4-12 are $3, and children 3 and under are free. Tickets on sale at the door, or by contacting Jim Young at 717-856-7088 or youngjd@[email protected], or Matt Sheaffer at 717-319-9065 or [email protected]. All proceeds benefit the Father Ogden Memorial Scholarship Fund.

St. Theresa School in New Cumberland will host a summer musical theater camp featuring the musical “Willy Wonka Kids.” The camp will be held for three weeks, Monday through Friday from 9 a.m.-noon from June 11-29. Sessions will include basic theater movements and techniques as well as cast parts for the musical. All students will sing and do choreography in the show. Friends and family can see the show on June 29 at 7 p.m. Camp staff includes BJ Meagher, Julie Verano and Denise Au-riemma. Open to any students who have completed grades 4-6 (and grade 3 with approval from school music teacher). Cost is $150 for one, or $250 for two students. For informa-tion, or to register, contact BH Meagher at [email protected].

The Heritage Chorale of Lancaster will present “Lux Aeterna – Eternal Light” at St. Patrick Cathedral in Harrisburg on June 3 at 4 p.m. Featuring selections “Lux Aeterna,” “Jubilate Deo,” “The Lily and the Rose,” “Be Not Afriad,” “Good News, The Chariot’s Comin’,” and more. Visit www.theheritagechorale.org for information.

Job OpeningsSt. Joseph Parish, Lancaster, is seeking a

part-time cook who will be responsible for the operation of the kitchen and dining area and for preparing, cooking, and serving meals for the priest(s) in residence. Hours may vary depending on the need (approx. 15 hours per week). If inter-ested, e-mail résumé and references to [email protected], or to St. Joseph Church, 440 St. Joseph Street, Lancaster, PA 17603, Attn: Personnel Coordinator, no later than Monday, June 4, 2018.

St. Patrick School in Carlisle is currently seeking a Preschool teacher for the 2018-2019 school year. Inter-ested candidates must have a Bachelor’s Degree in Early Childhood or Elementary Education and PA Instructional I teaching certificate. We are accepting résumés at this time. Please e-mail them to [email protected] or call 717-249-4826 for more information. The application and other information can be found at https://www.hbgdiocese.org/catholic-schools/employment-applications/.

St. John the Baptist Catholic Elementary School (Grades K -6), New Freedom, will have an opening for a full time school secretary beginning in July 2018. This is a year round position. This position requires above average keyboard skills, excellent organizational and interpersonal skills with the ability to understand and follow instructions, as well as work independently. This person should possess an overall knowledge of general office procedures, familiarity with office equipment and excellent spelling and grammatical skills. The person should be proficient in Microsoft applica-tions, most especially Word, Outlook, Publisher and Excel. Trustworthiness, reliability, willingness to maintain confi-dentiality and the ability to complete routine and delegated assignments in a timely manner are essential. If interested, please submit a cover letter and résumé to Susan Mareck, Principal: [email protected].

York Catholic High School is seeking to fill the following teaching and staff positions for the 2018-2019 school year. Director of Staff Formation, ten-month position, primarily responsible for the supervision and professional development of the faculty. Other responsi-bilities include overseeing the supervisory duties of depart-ment chairs, overseeing the hiring, mentoring, and training of all new teachers, and serving as a co-chair for the Middle States accreditation process. Library Media Specialist, ten-month position, responsible for developing and administering an integrated school library media program. Other duties include the instruction of students and collaboration with staff regarding the effective use of the media center, information and technology literacy skills, and use of equipment. English Teacher, ten-month position, to teach grades 7 through 12. Candidates with experience teaching advanced level High School English courses will be given preference. Part-time Spiritual Life Coordinator, ten-month position, for grades 7 through 12. Substitute Teachers, daily as needed throughout the school year (available immediately). For all positions, send résumé, certification (not needed for Spiritual Life), dioc-esan application, a copy of state and federal clearances, and letter of interest to Sheila Gick, Administrative Assistant, York Catholic High School, 601 East Springettsbury Avenue, York, PA 17403; 717-846-887, ext. 217, [email protected].

Submission Deadlines for Notebook The deadline for submissions for the May 25 edition

is Wednesday May 16 at 4:30 p.m. Written announce-ments should be sent e-mail to [email protected]. No ads, posters or PDFs, please.


MATTHEW EDWARD CANNON

SAMUEL EDWARD GOOD MILLER

ANDREW PHILIP ST. HILAIRE

JOSHUA ROBERT WEAVER

Saturday, May 19, 2018,10:00 a.m.

Saint Patrick Cathedral 212 State Street, Harrisburg, PA

Parking available at South Street Parking Garage

220 South Street, Harrisburg, PA

SAMUEL MILLER Friday, May 18, 7:00 p.m. Saint James Parish Lititz ANDREW ST. HILAIRE Friday, May 18, 6:00 p.m. Saint Katharine Drexel Parish Mechanicsburg

Please keep MATTHEW CANNON and JOSHUA WEAVER

in your prayers as they prepare for their Ordination.

The Diocese of Harrisburg cordially

Holy Hours Ordination to the Diaconate

By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service

Pope Francis has decreed that Latin-rite Catholics around the world will mark the feast of “the Blessed Virgin Mary,

Mother of the Church” on the Monday after Pentecost each year. This year, the feast will fall on May 21.

In the Diocese of Harrisburg, Bishop Ronald Gainer will celebrate Mass that day at 5:30 p.m. at Mary, Mother of the Church in Mount Joy.The Gospel reading for the feast, which technically is called a “memorial,” is John 19:25-31, which recounts how from the cross Jesus entrusted Mary to his dis-ciples as their mother and entrusted his disciples to Mary as her children.

The decree announcing the addition to the Church calendar was released March 3 by the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments.

Pope Francis approved the decree after “having attentively considered how greatly the promotion of this devotion might encourage the growth of the maternal sense of the Church in the pastors, religious and faithful, as well as a growth of genu-ine Marian piety,” the decree said.

Cardinal Robert Sarah, prefect of the congregation, noted in a brief commentary published the same day, that Blessed Paul VI in 1964 had formally bestowed the title of “Mother of the Church” on Mary, but that recognition of her maternal care for the Church and for believers had already spanned centuries.

“The feeling of Christian people through two millennia of history has cultivated the filial bond which inseparably binds the disciples of Christ to his Blessed Mother in various ways,” the cardinal said.

Honoring Mary as mother of the church on the day after Pen-tecost also highlights for Catholics that Mary was present with the disciples on Pentecost, praying with them as the Holy Spirit descended. Cardinal Sarah said that Mary, “from the awaiting of the Spirit at Pentecost, has never ceased to take motherly care of the pilgrim Church on earth.”

Pope Adds Feast of Mary, Mother of the Church to Universal Calendar

A statue of Mary and the Christ Child is seen in 2017 at St. Rafael the Archangel Church in Quebradillas, Puerto Rico. Mary, Mother of the Church should be celebrated this year the Monday after Pentecost, and take precedence over any other possible liturgy that day, said Cardinal Robert Sarah, prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments.CNS/BOB ROLLER

The C150 atholicWitness · Cross. This event will replace the traditional Palm Sunday Youth Mass...

Documents

Transcript of The C150 atholicWitness · Cross. This event will replace the traditional Palm Sunday Youth Mass...