Sunday, auguSt 14, 2011 VO L . 6 5 N O. 0 3 3The Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time

AnnouncementsArchdiocesanChurch & SocietyDevotion & SpiritualityParishSunday Gospel & Reflection

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You must practice first, all that you desire to teach others.

INSIDE

TO K E N O F FA I T H

St. Bernardine of Siena

SUMMER 2011 EXODUS

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- In more than half of the states, Catholic offi-cials have been living for years with

mandates that health insurance plans must cover FDA-approved contraceptives in their prescription drug plans.

Seventeen of the 28 states that require contraception coverage have some sort of religious exemption for employers, but few of the exemptions are quite as narrow as the one proposed by the Department of Health and Human Services when it announced Aug. 1 that contraceptives and sterilization will be among the mandated preventive services for women under the new health reform law.

Under the proposal, only religious em-ployers meeting four criteria would be ex-empt from providing contraceptives and fe-male sterilization through their health plans. Those requirements are that the organization

"(1) has the inculcation of religious values as its purpose; (2) primarily employs persons who share its religious tenets; (3) primarily serves persons who share its religious tenets; and (4) is a nonprofit organization" under specific sections of the Internal Revenue Code.

An HHS spokeswoman told Catholic News Service that all four criteria must be met in order for the religious exemption to apply. She said the HHS exemption was based on

"the most commonly used" wording in seven states, but said she could not name the seven states involved.

Religious freedom experts say the HHS exemption could leave out faith-based social service agencies, health care providers and even Catholic schools and colleges with ma-jority non-Catholic enrollment.

Twice in the past decade, the U.S. Su-preme Court has refused to hear appeals of state court rulings that said church agencies

could not be exempt from laws requiring cov-erage of contraceptives. In 2007 it let stand New York state's Women Health and Well-ness Act of 2002; three years earlier it rejected a similar appeal by Catholic Charities of Sac-ramento of a California law requiring pre-scription coverage to include contraceptives.

But most existing state mandates often do not apply to self-insured health plans, plans under the Employee Retirement Income Se-curity Act of 1974 and plans that did not cover prescriptions at all, according to Michael F. Moses, associate general counsel for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

He called the proposed HHS exemption "the narrowest religious exemption we've ever

seen proposed in federal law," noting that it doesn't cover any individual, any religiously affiliated plan offered to the general pub-lic, any religious employer whose purpose is other than the inculcation of religious values, any religious employer that serves the public or any religious organization that doesn't pri-marily employ persons who share the organi-zation's religious tenets.

Church teaching holds that artificial contraception is sinful and prescription in-surance coverage for employees of church institutions routinely exempts coverage for birth control pills, just as employee health in-surance exempts coverage for abortion, ster-

For two weeks now, U Matuna Si Yu'os has reported the Obama Ad-ministration’s new proposed birth control insurance coverage mandate and its implica-tions for Catholic institutions. Ac-cording to pro-posed guidelines, Catholic hospitals and other Church-

affiliated organizations will be required to offer access to birth control, to include methods that involve abortion.

This week the Associated Press fi-nally gave attention to this monumental story and its implications for the Catholic Church. Because U Matuna had already reported this story and its ramifications, including in-depth commentary by Tim Rohr, our readers were already cognizant of these repercussions a full two weeks before most major media outlets in the US—to include Fox News—informed their

F R O M T H E E D I T O R ’ S D E S K

“Tragic, But Not Surprising”

Please see MISSION, Page 2 See PHOTOS, Page 2

State contraceptive mandates widespread but not as broad as HHS plan

Contraception coverage by employers is required in 28 states, with 17 of them having religious exemptions.

By Nancy Frazier O’BrienCatholic News Service

CNS GRAPHIC BY EMILY THOMPSON

Please see CONTRACEPTIVE, Page 4

Register today for the 2011 Archdiocesan Catechetical-Liturgical Conference.

Register online atarchagana.org

Sister Keehan

Summer Program Instills Faith

Parish Gives Tribute to Saint

See VBS, Page 6

See PHOTOS, Page 6

2 Sunday, August 14, 2011ARCHDIOCESAN

MATUNA SI YU’OSC A T H O L I C N E W S P A P E R

is an entity of theArchdiocesan Development Group

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Dulce Nombre Maria Cathedral-Basilica in Hagåtña.

PublisherMost Reverend

Anthony Sablan ApuronO.F.M. Cap., D.D.

DirectorReverend MonsignorJames L.G. Benavente

StaffLuz S. Oberiano

Editor-in-ChiefJeffrey L. Fitzgerald

Graphic ArtistSedrick S. Serisola

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Gospel of Jesus Christ. By offering news and commentary about

issues impacting the Catholic Church, it aims to serve as a focal point for the

expression and discussion of the Catholic faith on Guam.

Last week’s announcement of the August 13 Festal Mass for Assumption

of our Lady Church, Piti, stated that the presider and homilist for the

Mass would be Rev. Msgr. James LG Benevente. This was a misstatement on the part of U Matuna Si Yu’os. We regret

any confusion or embarrassment.

E R R ATA

viewers. We at U Matuna Si Yu'os will continue to

bring the Catholic faithful on Guam all the news that pertains to our Church and to our Catholic life on Guam. It is our task to serve you in this capacity, and we thank those who support us and give us the tools necessary to complete our mission.

As to the AP report, it cites Sister Carol Keehan, the president of the Catholic Health As-sociation, as concerned that the Health and Hu-man Services mandate requiring birth control coverage by Catholic institutions is too narrow and does not allow for a conscience clause.

This is a tragic story in itself because Sister Keehan is the person who “represented” Catho-lic health care to national media outlets during the national health care debate, declaring her organization’s support for the Obama plan. It

was noted at the time by some Catholic com-mentators that by this act, Sister Keehan was allowing for a sacrifice of the Church’s position on abortion and birth control in general in favor of some vague “general good” on behalf of the poor.

The warnings of this exact danger were dis-missed as ill-founded and opposed to progress. Now, the Catholic Health Association under her leadership has hundreds of Catholic hospitals painted into a corner.

Because she and her organization have compromised a fundamental teaching of the Catholic Faith, they find themselves at the mer-cy of those with whom they compromised. Pro-abortion groups can now rightly accuse Sister Keehan of having abandoned the position of the Church, and it will be profoundly difficult for her organization to regain its moral footing.

At best, Catholic hospitals will have to rely on the “benevolence” of an executive order or other legal interpretive instrument instead of a genuine legislative protection for Catholic hos-pitals. In other words, Catholic institutions are one step away from positively promoting some-

thing intrinsically evil, and there is very little they can do about it.

As evidence of this danger, even Sister Keehan—a great supporter of the Obama plan—is concerned.

At the risk of sounding strident, the lesson here for Guam and for the US in general is that when we Catholics compromise the central te-nets of our Faith for whatever perceived greater good we might anticipate, we lose all credibility and have no authority whatsoever to stand up publicly and defend that same Faith.

Therefore, when any legislation is intro-duced (or any referendum brought before the electorate of Guam) which is contrary to our Faith, we must stand firm against it. This is not done to be complaining or difficult. It is at the very least for our own protection.

If we do not, we will be doomed to suffer the same disappointment as Sister Keehan is sure to suffer as her organization becomes the victim of a policy that promotes the Culture of Death.

Please send all comments or questions toletters@umatuna.org

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Mission

Highlights from the 2011 Summer Exodus Camp

TOP: Participants of the 2011 Summer Exodus Camp are pictured at the Two Lovers Point lookout in upper Tumon on July 13, 2011. The youth enjoyed a summer day of riding on the trolley around the island learning about the importance of life from the moment of conception to natural death.

TOP: Fr. Jason Granado reads a gospel during the Summer Exodus activity when the youth visited the tombs of aborted babies from Guam at the Pigo Cemetary in Anigua on July 13, 2011.

RIGHT: On July 20, 2011, youth participate in a number of summer activities, including volleyball during the 2011 Summer Exodus Camp held in Asan. PHOTOS BY ASAN AND BARRIGADA CATHOLIC CHURCHES

3Sunday, August 14, 2011 SUNDAY GOSPEL & REFLECTION

ArchbishopAnthony Sablan Apuron,O.F.M. Cap., D.D.

Sisters and Brothers: The Ca-naanite woman admits hum-bly that she has no right to im-

mediate help. She agrees with Jesus’ comment

on table fellowship, but turns it to her advantage: “Yes, Lord, you are correct. As a Gentile I acknowledge the rights and privileges of Israel.

Yet, I hope some crumbs will fall from the table to the floor, so that the dogs (Gentiles) will have some-thing, too.” Jesus is won over by the woman’s faith, which is clever and persistent. Her faith breaks down the barrier, foreshadowing the full communion between the Gentiles and the Jewish believers.

While Jesus cannot be swayed by any claims of merit, he hearkens to the prayer of faith, expressed with humility and humor. It is faith which gives Gentiles access to heal-ing and salvation. The healing of the Canaanite woman’s daughter illus-trates that pagans are not excluded from the gifts of the messianic grace.

They will receive salvation in God’s own time not because of ethnic ori-gin but because of their faith.

May your day be filled with love and may Almighty God bless you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Mane’lu-hu, i palao’an Canaan ha atmiti na taya direcho’-na para u ma’ayuda insigidas. Kumonfotme yan i sinangan Jesu Kristo put i di-nana gi lamasa, lao ha talabira este para i minaolek-na annai ilek-na:

“Hunggan, Asaina, dinanche hao. Komu ti Hudios yu’, hu aksepta i di-recho yan pribilehun Israel siha.

Lao, manangongoku yu’ na unos kuantos ngatnan u poddong ginen i lamasa asta i tapbla, kosaki i man-gatlagu (i ti ManHudios) u guaha para siha, lokkue’.” Ginanna si Jesus ni hinenggen i palao’an, ni pikara yan ha insiste. I hinengge-na yu-mamak papa’ i estotbu, ni ha’a’atan mo’na i kabales na dinana entre i ti Manhudios yan i Manhudios na

mangilisyanu. Ya maseha ti sina si Jesu Kris-

to ma bense sa’ put meritu, ha e’ekungok i tinayuyot hinengge, ni ma sangan kon humilidat yan gra-sia ni munana’chalek. I henengge hanana’i i ti Manhudios hinemlo’ yan satbasion. I mana’homlo’ i pat-gon i palao’an Canaan hana’a’annok na i mampaganu siha ti manmari-chasa ginen i rigalun i grasian i Me-sias. Siempre u marisibi satbasion gi tiempon Yu’os ahi ti put rasan-niha sinoki put hinenggen-niha.

Ohalara ya u bula guinaiya i ha’anen-miyu ya i todu hana’sina na Yu’os infambinendisi gi na’an i Tata yan i Lahi-na yan i Espiritu Santo. Amen.

Refleksion Ibangeliu ginen Atsubispo

It is faith which gives Gentiles access to healing and salvation. The healing of the Canaanite woman’s daughter illustrates that pagans are not excluded from the gifts of the messianic grace.

Mina’ Bente Damenggo GiOtdinariu Na Tiempo Ibangheliu (Mateo 15:21-28)

Sumuha si Jesus guennao na lugat ya humanao para Tyre yan Sidon. Entonses, matto giya guiya un palao’an Canaanite ni suma-saga guennao na lugat ya inessalague’ gue’, “Asaina, Lahen David, gai’ma’ase’ nu guahu! I haga-hu mampos inatburorota ni aniti.” Lao ti ineppe as Jesus. Manmatto i mandisipulu-na ya matutuhon ma put fabot gue’ na, “U dulalak i palao’an. Sa’ sigi ha’ ha essalague’ hit.” Ilek-na si Jesus: “I matago’-hu para ayu siha i manmalingu na kinilu gi taotao Israel. Pues malak mo’na ya ha adora si Jesus ya ha faisen gue’,

“Asaina, ayuda yu’!” Lao manoppe si Jesus, “Ti dinanche para ta chule’ i nengkanno’ ginen i famagu’on ya ta na’i i ga’lagu.? Lao i palao’an ha insiste ilek-na, “Put fabot, Asaina, kun todu i ga’lagu mano-chocho ni ngatnan ni poddong ginen i lamasan i amon-niha. Ineppe gue’ as Je-sus ya ielk-na, “Palao’an metgot i hinengge-mu! U macho’gue i mina-lago’-mu. Ennao mismo na ora lumamaolek i haga-na.

academy of Our Lady of guamAugust 19: Early Dismissal, 1:45 p.m. ; Freshmen Par-

ents’ Orientation, 6 p.m.August 24: Senior Parents’ Meeting, 6 p.m.August 26: Sophomore and Junior Parents’ Meeting, 6

p.m.Please visit the school’s website at www.aolg.edu.gu or

call 477-8203 for more information.

Mark your Calendars!Liturgical Music Ministers “Sing Out” Sched-ule (Music Review of the new Mass Settings)

08/20/2011, 9AM - 11AM at St. Fidelis Friary Chapel, SinajanaSouthern Region

08/27/2011, 9AM - 11AM at St. Francis Church, Yona

All music ministers are encouraged to attend ANY (or all) of these sessions. For more information, please contact Karl Sotto at (671)688-5720.

Island Board Christian MothersMonthly Meeting will be held on Sunday August 14 at Santa Teresita Catholic Church Rectory, beginning promptly at 1:00 p.m. All unit presidents of each parish are greatly urged to attend. For more information, please contact Ms. Diane

San Nicolas, Board President, Malojloj Parish at 828-8389.

Saint anthony Catholic School

Students must come in full official school uniform. Boys must wear long trousers.

First Day Mass of the Holy Spirit 9:00 a.m.

Official school uniforms and school jackets are available only at Royal Bics GPO.P.E. Uniforms are available at the school Business Office

School calendar, school supply listing and uniform policy information are available online. Visit website: www.stan-thonyschoolguam.org.

Parents of 8th grade graduates who no longer have siblings attending SACS may pick up their 2010/2011 SY SAT results at the school’s.

Main Office during school hours 7:30 am to 3:45 p.m.Tel: Main Office: 647-1140/Business Office: 647-1143

If you would like to include an announcement, please contact the U Matuna Si Yu’os office at (671) 989.6391 or emailnews@umatuna.org

ANNOUNCEMENTS

4 Sunday, August 14, 2011SCHOOLS

ilization and other procedures the church considers immoral.

Of even greater concern to church officials in recent years has been the fact that drugs labeled contraceptives by the Food and Drug Administration now include

"emergency contraception" drugs ella and Plan B, which can cause an abortion.

Richard Doerflinger, associate director of the U.S. bishops' Sec-retariat for Pro-Life Activities, told CNS that although the HHS an-nouncement said the contraceptive mandate does "not include aborti-facient drugs," the agency is simply denying "that a drug that can pre-

vent the survival of a new embryo before implantation is an 'abortion,' because federal law does not define abortion that way."

But, he added, "it is seen as abortion in Catholic teaching and the views of many pro-life Ameri-cans."

In addition, ella "is a close ana-log to the abortion drug RU-486 and is shown in studies to be capable of disrupting even an established (im-planted) pregnancy," Doerflinger said. "But the FDA never clearly ac-knowledged this reality when it ap-proved the drug, treating it solely as preventing pregnancy."

- - -Editor's Note: The 28 states re-

quiring that contraception cover-age be included in prescription drug plans are: Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachu-setts, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jer-sey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, West Virgin-ia and Wisconsin.

The 17 states with a religious ex-emption for employers are: Arizona, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, Mary-land, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Is-land and West Virginia.

Missouri allows any employer, religious or secular, to seek an ex-emption from the contraceptive coverage mandate. Nevada has a religious exemption for insurers.

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Contraceptive

Another electrifying school year be-gan at the Academy of Our Lady as 423 new and returning students, faculty, and staff once again filled the halls of the school with a renewed sense of spirit and camaraderie. Beginning with a faculty re-treat and the traditional Mass of the Holy Spirit, celebrated by Father Tom McGrath, the tone of the new school year was set; we are all companions in this new jour-ney we are entering together.

Welcome home, Academians, as you not only continue to celebrate your legacy of academic excellence, but as you “enter the journey of faith as the family of God.”

Enthusiasm and Excitement Mark Opening of School Year 2011-2012 for Academy of Our Lady

PHOTOS COURTESY OF AOLG

it is seen as abortion in Catholic teaching and the views of many pro-life Americans.

Richard doerflinger

5Sunday, August 14, 2011 CHURCH & SOCIETY

I don’t think he’ll reply, but I was thinking of sending a letter to Pope Benedict to see if he would consider making World Youth Day, World Family Day. Given the massive attack on the Family from every side, if there ever was a time to do something in a big way for the Family, it is now!

Actually, it wouldn’t be so much of a change as it would be the fulfillment of John Paul II’s long range plan. I was trying to find where I read this, but in one of the books about John Paul II, the author told of how the Pope had conceived of WYD as a tactical move in his effort to address the moral malaise and indifference to the Magisterium that had set in after the Council, particularly in the West.

The apathy and skepticism was par-ticularly pronounced in my generation (baby boomers), who had come of age in the era of “question every-thing” and “if it feels good, do it.” By the mid-1980’s, it had become apparent to the Pope that it would be easier for him to turn the Nile into blood than to convince us, the children of the Sexual Revolution,to leave the “flesh-pots of Egypt” and come home to Rome.

So the Pope decided to do an “end run”. WYD would give him a vehicle by which to

reach around my obstinate generation and go directly to the next. It was a rather natural choice for the Pope since he had been partic-ularly involved with young people through-out his priestly life, and in effect, WYD would allow him (through the Holy Spirit of course) to breathe new life into the Church from “the bottom up”.

Of course, World Youth Day is not a “day”, it is a movement, and is unique, as move-ments go, in that it was conceived, instituted, and energized by the Pope himself. It was an ingenious move and it worked. Today we are beginning to see great fruits from what has become the "John Paul II Generation": more vocations, increasing openness to life, desire for a traditional family, closer adherence to the Magisterium, love of the Mass, greater reverence for the Eucharist, and more.

In a sense, John Paul II, via WYD, led this Next-Generation out of the post-conciliar wilderness, crossed the Jordan, and estab-lished a beachhead in the land of the “new Spring-time” promised us by Vatican II. But now what? Sticking with the Exodus meta-phor, God didn’t bring his people across the Jordan to establish a beachhead, but to estab-lish His Family in the Promised Land.

So here we are 25 years after the first WYD. Millions of JPII generation types, fresh from their “trans-Jordan” experience, are now par-ents themselves and facing the hard reality of staying married and raising a family in a land where Canaanite hordes (a.k.a. the secular

culture) still roam. Additionally, the supply line seems to be cut: whereas one can easily find a vibrant support group or catechesis for the young, a similar find for their struggling parents is rare.

John Paul II didn’t start WYD to reconcile wayward youths, but to reconcile youths be-fore they became wayward. It worked and its working. But there is no comparable move-ment in the Church to reconcile marriages before they become wayward. And, as has been said: “As marriages go, so goes the fam-ily. As the family goes, so goes the Church. And as the Church goes, so goes society.” And we are seeing where society is going!

Certainly, troubled couples may always avail themselves to their pastors who are normally very generous with their time and efforts. But by then the marriage is usually in crisis mode and marital counseling often amounts to little more than damage control.

True, there is Marriage Encounter, Ret-rovaille, Couples for Christ, and other min-istries, and all are good, but they don’t have the status of a World Youth Day and the movement that accompanies it. And while the Church as a whole devotes great energy and resources to the movement that is WYD, movements that try to help and save mar-riages, the most critical of all institutions, are often only marginally supported.

As a matter of fact, support for couples and marriages is one of the main reasons so many Catholics join non-Catholic Christian support groups (usually a Bible study). For some reason protestant churches, in many ways, are far ahead of us in the practical ministry of addressing, in an organizational way, the daily life hurts and needs of married people. (Needless to say, many end up join-ing those churches.)

John Paul II understood the modern at-

tack on the Family probably more than any-one, which is why he devoted the first seven years of his pontificate to addressing what he knew to be the central crisis of marriage and family in what came to be known as “Theol-ogy of the Body”.

But he seems to have left it, in the words of George Weigel, a “ticking time bomb set to go off in this (the 21st) century.” In other words the Pope’s work was not accompanied by a concrete signature event the equivalent of WYD and the ongoing worldwide network of support that it spawned at every level.

I suspect that this seeming neglect was, like WYD, part of a larger strategy. Perhaps the Pope knew that the particular approach to human loving embodied in the Theology of the Body could only bear fruit in a generation that was prepared for it, and thus chose to first create that generation through his WYD operative.

If so, then it has worked as planned as there is now a generation wary of the chemi-cally, mechanically, and surgically controlled fertility of the previous generation (many of whom are still wandering on the other side of the Jordan) and are ready to embrace God’s original plan for life and love. The question now is: will they be embraced with the same fervor, commitment, support, and access to Church leadership that they came to know in a generation of World Youth Days?

I’ll let you know if I hear back from the Pope. My guess is that he’s already thought of it.

This column reflects only the views of the author and does not necessarily reflect the views of the staff and management of the Umatuna. This column can be shared via email and social media at www.themassneverends.com

ITE MISSA EST From the Mass to the Market: Engaging the world beyond the church doors

Is it time for World Family Day?

Tim Rohr

6 Sunday, August 14, 2011ARCHDIOCESAN

T he Cathedral-Basilica hosted another year of vacation Bible school fun from July 25

to July 29. This year’s program took over 50 participants on a parachut-ing adventure with their guardian angels and various saints of the church.

“We had another successful year with our students and we were happy to welcome some new fac-es,” said Krisinda Aguon, Catholic Vacation Bible School coordinator. There were over 20 new students who joined participants from previ-ous years. “This is a rewarding sign for the Bible school team.”

The volunteer-run program first started three years ago and contin-ues to gain momentum for children ages five thru sixth grade. Each grade level is taught by teacher vol-unteers and supported by young volunteers from the parish altar servers and faith formation stu-dents.

The weeklong curriculum in-cluded lessons on basic prayers, stories of the saints, music, dancing,

and recreational activities, among other things. The students were ex-tremely receptive to the lessons and expressed a deep interest in learn-ing about the role of their guardian angels.

Each morning, students were greeted by Monsignor James L.G. Benavente as they arrived for breakfast and opening activities. Soon after, Fr. Danny Ferrandiz led students in prayer and short reflec-tions to start the day.

According to Aguon, the pro-gram couldn’t survive without the support of the pastoral leadership and the physical help of the parish staff and volunteers. While plan-

ning the program is almost routine for coordinators each year, assis-tance from parish members keeps the program free for participants.

“We are continuously grateful for the

constant support of vacation Bible school and we look forward to hav-ing the program year after year in the parish.”

Next summer, participants will

board “The Vatican Express” as they learn about the popes of the church and the important role the Vatican has throughout the world. Stay tuned.

Vacation Bible School teaches children about Guardian Angels

The Cathedral-Basilica’s Vaca-tion Bible School participants gather after the program’s closing performance on July 25. This summer’s theme centered on

“Parachuting with Guardian Angels” with over 50 participants, volun-teers, and coordinators.

By John Junior M. Calvo

PHOTO COURESTY OF THECATHEDRAL-BASILICA

PARISH St. Anthony-St. Victor Parish Honors Saint

PHOTOS COURTESY OF MARTIN ESTABILLO

7Sunday, August 14, 2011 DEVOTION & SPIRITUALITY

There is a very popular prayer in Ireland and wherever the Irish traveled (meaning every-where!) called the ‘breastplate of Saint Patrick’. Breastplate in Latin is known as ‘Lorica’ and so this prayer came to be known as the ‘lorica’. This personal armor worn by the Roman soldiers on battlefield is a whole set of protecting cloth-ing, designed to ab-sorb and/or deflect slashing, bludgeoning, and penetrating at-tacks.

This powerful prayer was composed by Saint Patrick in the year 433. He was aware that there was an ambush to try to kill him and his group en route to the King's court. During the march that they chanted the ‘lorica’ and what happened bordered on the miraculous. As the druids lay in hiding, ready to kill Patrick and his companions, the inexplicable happened - their vision was al-tered. Instead of seeing reality, namely Patrick and his men, they saw a gentle doe followed by twenty fawns! So they were saved and Patrick could continue his mission.

Saint Paul himself spoke of ‘the breastplate of righteousness’. This prayer is indeed formida-ble. Here it is… “I arise today through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity, through belief in the Threeness, through confession of the Oneness of the Creator of creation.

I arise today through the strength of Christ with his Baptism, through the strength of His Crucifixion with His Burial through the strength of His Resurrection with His Ascension, through the strength of His descent for the Judgment of Doom.

I arise today through the strength of the love of Cherubim in obedience of Angels, in the ser-vice of the Archangels, in hope of resurrection to meet with reward, in prayers of Patriarchs, in predictions of Prophets, in preachings of Apos-tles, in faiths of Confessors, in innocence of Holy Virgins, in deeds of righteous men….

I arise today, through God's strength to pilot me: God's might to uphold me, God's wisdom to guide me, God's eye to look before me, God's ear to hear me, God's word to speak for me, God's hand to guard me, God's way to lie before me, God's shield to protect me, God's host to secure me: against snares of devils, against temptations of vices, against inclinations of nature, against everyone who shall wish me ill, afar and near, alone and in a crowd…

Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ on my right, Christ on my left, Christ in breadth, Christ in length, Christ in height, Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me, Christ in the mouth of every man who speaks of me, Christ in every eye that sees me, Christ in every ear that hears me… Salvation is of the Lord. Salvation is of the Lord. Salvation is of Christ. May Thy Salvation, O Lord, be ever with us. Amen.”

In Gaelic this prayer is called the Faed Fiada - Deer’s Cry. The story continues. Having been carried safe by the Lord through the ambushes prepared for them, Patrick led his companions into the king’s presence, chanting: “Let them that will, trust in chariots and horses, but we walk in the name of the Lord.”

We all need a breastplate to protect us from the attacks of our enemy. Why not use this one?

The Deer’s Cry

Fr. Pius Sammut, OCDJust Stories

Life offers so many choices and every choice made either builds or destroys, suc-ceeds or fails, leads to somewhere or to no-where, grows or dies out, One has to take side between moral and immoral, good or bad, dirty or clean, honest or dishonest, truthful or liar, cou-rageous or coward, sinner or saint. We cannot afford to stay in the middle but a choice must be made and there’s no mid-dle ground for such is no one’s land. Didn’t Jesus say that we have to choose between God and mammon? That means between God and the world, be-tween good and evil, between the spiritual and material. Which side are you and what’s your choice?

Needless to say, we must always choose to love not to hate, to forgive not to revenge, to smile not to frown, to give than to receive, to heal not to hurt and to serve than to be served. Choose life not death of the unborn Be pro-life and not pro-choice. At the end of life what would really matter is not what we bought that now glitter in our hands and wrists adorned with golden time pieces and diamond rings, but what we built such as faithful and enduring love that these things in some ways represent. What’s important is not what we got that makes us rich and influential, neither the material things we accumulated to make us feel economically and financially secured in reserved for old

age and rainy days. What’s more important is what we gave and shared, for all you know, someone survived from hunger and sick-ness because of your generosity.

Speaking of giving, don’t you know that the miraculous multiplication of five loaves of bread and two fish by Jesus that fed five thousand men excluding women and chil-dren started from a generous giver? God will bless the little things that you share and will surely reward you abundantly in due time especially in your time of need. St. Faustina said that if it is within your power to serve and help, don’t make excuses nor shrink from it. If a good leader must be a good fol-lower, it goes in the same token that a gener-ous giver is a grateful receiver.

At the end of time, what will matter is not our competence but our character. What would it profit a man if he has all the knowledge of many things in the world but doesn’t have charity and mercy? You can be a computer savvy, a financial wizard, a tech-nical genius, but if you don’t have a heart for poor and suffering, you are inconsiderate and impatient with the weak and ignorant, don’t expect nice words from the God the justice at the end of time.

It is not so much our lofty successes that would really matter at the end of our life’s journey but our significance. How dearly people will miss and remember us when we are gone. How we have led others to the right direction and true faith, find meaning and hope when they were forlorn and ne-glected. How well we have lived with people, helping those in need our time, talent and treasure without strings attached nor ex-pecting reward or recompense.

We won’t always know who we inspire with our words, or gets encouraged when we smile, or who we strengthened by our presence, but let us keep doing them any-way. We won’t always know it but some-times we deliver a slice of heaven to some-one’s life. If you do all of the above, then you made the right choice. Amen on that folks !!!

In her Diary entry no. 674, St. Faustina

wrote Jesus words; “ The inner peace that you have is a grace.”

Tune in to KOLG 90.9 FM for the Divine Mercy prayer at 3 p.m. daily. Recite the Chaplet of Mercy for peace in the world and conversion of sinners.

Thanks to Mr. and Mrs. Artemio Ilagan for the presentation of the Divine Mercy de-votion and veneration of the sacred relic of St. Faustina in their home in Mongmong last Sunday afternoon, August 7, 2011. Likewise to the Divine Mercy prayer team for your faithfulness in our Sunday afternoon Divine Mercy apostolate. May the good Lord con-tinue to bless you and your families with the abundance of His grace and mercy.

To arrange for Divine Mercy home pre-sentation, prayer and veneration of the sa-cred relic of St. Faustina, please contact Amy Borja at 472-7778. Thank you.

Pilgrimage

I’ll be leading the Guam Divine Mercy Pilgrimage to Lourdes, Paris, Miraculous Medal Shrine, see the incorrupt body of St. Catherine Labore, to Nevers, see the incor-rupt body of St. Bernadette, to Lissieux, visit the house of St.Therese, the Little Flower, visit Infant of Prague in Czechoslovakia, to Geneva, Zurich and Lucerne, Switzerland, to Vienna, Austria, to the Divine Mercy in Cracow, Poland, the house of Blessed John Paul 11, the miraculous icon of Black Ma-donna and many more, from September 19, to October 4, 2011.

For more information please contact, Ann Marie at Pactours at 6493221, Lou Salas at 477-8079, or Fr. Joel at 483-9464.

divine Mercy Symposium

There will be a Divine Mercy Sympo-sium on August 20, 2011 at St. Anthony Church spiritual center from 11:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M. You are welcome.

Fr. Joel De Los ReyesDivine Mercy Moments

The RightChoice

NDHS Students Return to SchoolSCHOOLS

PHOTOS COURTESY OFJESSICA PEREZ-JACKSON ‘96

Sunday, August 14, 2011

The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary commemorates the fact that the Blessed Mother was raised, body and soul, to heaven at the end of her earthly life. Called the Feast of the Dormition in the Eastern Churches, it is an ancient belief that was widespread in the early Church. Gradually growing in the devotion of the faithful, it was formally declared a dogma of the Faith by Pope Pius XII in 1950.

Crowned in 1001, St. Stephen of Hungary was the first King of Hungary. He used his royal authority to work for the conversion of his country to Christianity, including the construction of monasteries and the establishment of episcopal sees.

St. Clare of Montefalco was a Franciscan tertiary in the 13th Century who eventu-ally became the abbess of Holy Cross Convent at Montefalco, Italy. Noted for her great devotion to the Passion of Christ, it was discovered after her death that she had an image of the Cross imprinted on her heart. St. Clare is remarkable as well for her incorruptibility, whereby her body never decayed or displayed cor-ruption. She was canonized in 1881.

St. Helena takes her great fame for

being the mother of Constantine, the Ro-man emperor who legalized Christianity and eventually became the first Christian emperor. St. Helena herself became a Christian before her son and practiced many acts of charity and service. She is also noteworthy for her great pilgrimage to Jerusalem and is credited for discover-ing the True Cross in the Holy Land.

An often overlooked reformer, St. John Eudes lived and worked at a time in France when the Church had fallen into great corruption, priests were ignorant, and the faith little-known by the people. St. John established seminaries to help educate priests so they could adequately teach the people. Central to St. John Eudes’ mission was his devotion to the Sacred Heart. This devotion was seen not as piety but as a solemn assertion that the core of Christ is love and not condemnation.

St. Bernard, an abbot and Doctor of the Church, was instrumental in the establishment of the Cistercian reform of the Benedictine Order. Born in 1090, he joined the new monastery at Citeaux with four of his brothers and about 24 friends. He was soon sent out to found the monastery at Clairvaux, where he was abbot for the rest of his life. He was strongly opposed to the luxurious lives of the clergy, and he wrote and taught extensively, particularly about prayer and in defense of the Jews against persecution.

aug. 15MONDAY

Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

*Denotes memorials not normally celebrated on Guam

aug. 20SATURDAY

St. Bernard (Memorial)

aug. 21SUNDAY

21st Sunday inOrdinary Time

Memorials This Week

aug. 18THURSDAY

St. Helena*

aug. 19FRIDAY

St. John Eudes (Optional Memorial)

aug. 16TUESDAY

St. Stephen of Hungary (Optional Memorial)

aug. 17WEDNESDAY

St. Clare of Montefalco*

(Solemnity)

8 LOOKING FORWARD

Now that many of our young people and chaparones have left for World Youth Day, I thought I might take the opportunity to talk about some of them behind their backs.No really. To do so in front of them is just, well, cruel.

Especially kids in middle school years. They were just children not long ago, playing with chalk on the driveway, riding bikes, and still getting toys at Christmas gatherings. Suddenly, they became sullen, moody, ir-ritable, emotional, and thoroughly aggravat-ing. And wanting money.

But part of it is that they are going through what some of us teachers like to call

“the ugly years.” Yes, you say that’s harsh, but I offer myself as Exhibit A.

When I was 12, my dad decided that photography was a cool hobby to explore. Bearing in mind that you actually had to wind film in those days, and film develop-ment was so expensive that you had to pawn your camera to pay for it, this was not as simple or cheap as the point-and-shoot digital noodlings of today.

One day, presumably possessed by mad-ness, my dad decided that he wanted to do a portrait of my sister Nikki and myself. Being in the full-swing of the “ugly years,” I was groaning from the first moment I heard of it. Pain was in my immediate future, particu-larly in light of a mouth full of braces and a head full of insecurities.

When the day came for this monu-mentally epic failure, I knew that my full attention would be required to make this as economically pleasant for my dad as possible (thereby keeping me from being grounded). I sat on the stool in his mock-up studio (in other words, the most backdrop-looking place on our back porch, complete with potted plant). Now having discovered

his artistic side, my dad’s modeling direction went something like this:

“Ok, Jeff, turn a little to the right. Good. Now lift your head. What? No—lift, not tilt. I said LIFT. Down a bit. Up. [NOTE: At this point, both his volume and pitch are gradu-ally rising.] Good God, son, you are killing me! Would you quit turning in the chair? Boy, if you don’t sit still! And lift your head! Lift, not tilt. Quit squinting… and would you please smile!!”

Who couldn’t smile after good family fun like that?

This went on for two hours with my much younger sister Nikki waiting for her turn in horror. Almost none of the pictures came out that were salvageable and so were thrown out—all except a portrait someone saved (as a joke) of Nikki and me looking contemplatively to the distance—kind of like a CD cover of one of those bands that think they’re being artistic but are really just pretentious.

Anyway, this final, glorious work of art shows Nikki looking beautiful with curls and chubby cheeks, and me with my eyes bugging out and the corners of my mouth turned so far down that I look like Golum.

Note the visual I have included for your viewing pleasure. It is quite possibly the stupidest picture of me that was ever taken.And that’s saying something.

No decent picture of me exists from that time, glory be to God—not because I’m ob-jectively unattractive (at least I don’t think), but because I was in my ugly years.

Thus, I rest my case. The good news is that, like acne, foot

odor, or a fondness for boy bands, it really isn’t their fault, and it’s completely natural. My dad probably should have known better than to risk blowing a gasket that afternoon,

but since I’m his firstborn, we’ll just forgive this lapse of sanity.

But what does this “ugly years” thing mean?

It’s really a curious thing, if you think about it. Physically, it’s that transition from child to adult—at least the beginning of it. The bones grow so fast that the brain doesn’t quite get the hang of them for a while. This makes them unbelievably clumsy. This is physiologically factual and not me poking fun—just ask a doctor.

Actually, now that I think about it, it is pretty funny. Mockingly funny.

Then there’s the growth of body hair. This is no surprise in early puberty, but they are still inexperienced enough to not realize that they have body odor now since deodorant is as unknown to them as ancient Greek. This lack of deodorant makes the 7th grade class-room after lunch/recess about as pleasant as inhaling mustard gas.

Then of course is the social development. Since I could write a book on this part, I’ll mention just one particularly loathsome trait (I started my career in education teaching 7th grade for four years, so I know of what I speak here). When kids reach about the end of 6th grade and the beginning of 7th, a large number of them suddenly discover profanity and feel compelled to use it publicly, com-monly, and with surprisingly loud volume. It is as if they feel it makes them look “grown up.” It makes me just wince and want to avoid movie theaters.

I could go on and on, of course, but I don’t want to spoil the fun for those of you with children in elementary school. Your time will come soon enough.

Anyway, teachers call these the “ugly years” because, in general, they are. But they are ugly years precisely because they give way to lifetimes of beauty, grace, and virtue. They are certainly endowed with the potential to manifest these perfections of human life.

At least there is hope. This is why middle school-aged kids are

such a joy to me and to so many middle

school teachers. We see what is coming for them in the future, and they remind us of the beauty that is in store not just for them, but even for us in the spiritual life.

Our lives—all of our lives—are, to a de-gree, ugly years, as we struggle through our own spiritual difficulties, seeking to arrive at the grace, beauty, and dignity that will be our glorified selves after the Resurrection (by the grace of God). This ought to give us a bit of pause as these sullen young things make us crazy with their sarcasm, sass, and attitude. Perhaps we shouldn’t be so hard on them. At least not all the time.

If God was all over me for every time I sassed Him, I would be in a world of hurt.Really.

So as these young, barely pubescent souls head back to school, try and remember that they are just kids. Yes, we should hold to discipline, but in time, this silliness will pass, and they will be radiant models for us adults as we have grown older, crankier, and perhaps lost a bit of the zest for life.

They will come out of it, and if you pay attention, you can gradually watch it happen. Then you will forget all about those days when they seemed so awful.

Unless, of course, you get into photogra-phy first. Then you can revive the pictures at their wedding reception.

Please send all comments or abuse tojeff@umatuna.org.

The Ugly YearsI’M JUST SAYING By Jeffrey L. Fitzgerald

A Sunday school teacher was discussing the Ten Commandments with her five and six year olds. After explaining the commandment to “honor thy father and thy mother,” she asked “Is there a commandment that teaches us how to treat our brothers and sisters?” Without missing a beat one little boy answered, “Thou shall not kill.”