THE CONCHO PADRE POST

by Vicki Thorn

The week after Easter I was blessed to travel to Piura, Peru, an archdiocese and a city in the north of the country. I came at the invitation of Archbishop José Antonio Eguren, who asked me to introduce to the archdiocese Project Rachel, the post-abortion healing ministry of the Catholic Church in the United States, and to provide training for priests, mental health professionals, medical professionals, and others so that they may better recognize the wounds of abortion and understand how to companion people toward healing through the Sacrament of Penance and compassionate counseling.

The archbishop had chosen that week because they would be a “Celebration of Life” that week, in part to protest attempts to legalize abortion in Peru. Little did I know what that celebration would entail. All I was told is that there would be a series of events in the diocese.

I arrived on Friday and caught my breath. On Saturday afternoon, it began with a Day of the Unborn Child. My escort brought me to the Piura Cathedral where there were many chairs set out to face toward a sizeable stage. I was told that the chairs were for pregnant women who would be blessed by the archbishop as part of the event. A few expectant mothers were there already, and they were given their choice of a pink or blue pregnancy T-shirt. And the crowd of pregnant women kept growing!

My host said, “Come with me,” and so we walked several blocks. We meet one of four groups of people who were walking from the four corners of the city. The archbishop was leading the walk, which included marchers carrying a huge banner. Among them were dignitaries, mayors, elected officials and military officers. The archbishop’s group led the way down a long boulevard that was decorated with signs, television screens, and loud speakers. The walkers were escorted by many young volunteers — who looked a bit like sunshine in their bright yellow shirts — and legions of police. The crowd was composed of people from all walks of life — the young, the old, little kids, adolescent kids, older kids , and young adults! They carried beautiful signs bearing positive messages, such as “Life is Sacred.”

We approached the stage again to find that many more expectant moms had arrived. Planners had been expecting 30 or 40 to show, but by then their number had swelled to more than 100! Archbishop Eguren and the leaders of the walk ascended to the stage, the archbishop made remarks about life and the beauty of life… and the crowd cheered! He prayed a blessing over the pregnant women and also prayed for those who struggle with infertility and for those who have lost children to abortion. He then went down into the crowd with holy water and blessed the mothers as every one of them was given a special gift: A beautiful ceramic baby Jesus crafted by inmates of a women’s prison. The incarcerated women had heard about the upcoming walk and blessing and wanted to affirm the life of the unborn with these precious gifts!

The next day there was a parade in which many groups participated, including members of the military and professional groups bearing names such as “Doctors for Life,” “Nurses for Life,” and “Businessmen for Life.” There also were two groups of little children: The first group of kids was pulling toys and waving like movie stars, while members of the second group were all dressed in costumes — Batman, butterflies, fairies, and more — and all were very serious!

And then it dawned on me: Much of what we do in pro-life work has a predominantly anti-abortion slant. But here in Peru was a gathering that most assuredly was a defense of the unborn but had as its focus a celebration of life! I began to wonder if we, too, could do something like this in the United States, possibly during the summer months far removed from the Roe v. Wade anniversary and the March for Life in January.

What would happen if we were to organize parishes to march to a public park or a Knights of Columbus Hall and have a picnic? We could have doctors and nurses for life, and marching pre-schoolers, just as in Piura. The event would be a family celebration, with parents, babes in arms, toddlers, kids on bikes, and with teens and college students as volunteers to assist with some of the activities. We could invite our Protestant neighbors to join us in this celebration of life. We could even invite out pro-choice neighbors and friends; they just might come to see us in an entirely new light if we can break down some of the stereotypes that divide us in our society. What if we invited pregnant women from our parishes and the pregnancy help centers, and maybe gave them colorful pregnancy T-shirts? What if our pastors, or even our bishops, were to pray a blessing over them all?

Some of you reading this might be dubious about making this work… but it can work! The neighborhood in which I live has had a July 4 parade for more than 30 years. Neighbors young and old gather at a local church, and the Police Band leads us through the streets with police escorts to manage traffic. The American Legion provides small flags which marchers hand out to those who gather on the street corners and porches to observe the parade. These spectators are invited to join us in the march or at the park, where the event continues with ice cream treats, activities for the kids, and live music. This kind of event builds community in so many ways. It sounds like what you might expect to see in a very small town, but I live in a major urban area, and it works there, too.

My heart was changed by what I experienced in Piura, so much so that I haven’t stopped talking about it. What a joyful event it was! We all need more joy in our hearts. Celebrating life is good for everyone… and it should be politically correct to do so.

(Vicki Thorn is the founder of the National Office for Post Abortion Reconciliation and Healing and Project Rachel.)

From catholicpulse.com

The Concho Padre

Vatican City, 24 May 2013 (VIS) – “The trafficking of persons is an ignoble activity, a disgrace to our society that calls itself ‘civilized’! Exploiters and clients at all levels should make a serious examination of conscience, within themselves and before God!” These were the Pope’s words to the participants in the plenary assembly of the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People, gathered in Rome to discuss the issue of “The Church’s Pastoral Care in the Context of Forced Migration”.

The assembly coincides with the publication of the document: “Welcoming Christ in Refugees and Persons Displaced by Force”, which calls attention to the millions of refugees, displaced, and stateless persons. It also addresses the scourge of human trafficking, which more and more frequently affects children who suffer the worst forms of abuse, including being forced into armed conflicts.

“Today,” the pontiff exclaimed, “the Church renews her strong call that the dignity and centrality of each person be always protected, in respect of fundamental rights … rights that she asks be concretely extended to the millions of men and women in every continent whose rights are not recognized. In a world where there is so much talk of rights it seems that the only one to have rights is money. … We are living in a world ruled by money. We live in a world, in a culture ruled by the fetishism of money.” In this context, the Pope noted that the dicastery responsible for the pastoral care of migrants and itinerant people is very worried by “situations where the family of nations is called to intervene in a spirit of fraternal solidarity with programmes of protection, often established against the backdrop of tragic events that almost daily are affecting the lives of many people. I express my appreciation and my gratitude and encourage you to continue along the path of service to our poorest and most marginalized brothers and sisters.”

The attention of the Church, who is “mother”, is expressed “with special tenderness and closeness for those forced to flee their country and live in-between rootlessness and integration. This tension destroys a person. Christian compassion—this ‘suffering with’ [con-passione]—is expressed above all in the commitment to know about the events that force one to leave their country and, where necessary, in giving voice to those who are unable to make their cry of sorrow and oppression heard. In this,” he said to the assembly’s participants, “you carry out an important task, as well as in making the Christian communities aware of their many brothers and sisters who are marked by wounds that scar their existence: violence, abuse of power, distance from family, traumatic events, flight from home, and uncertainty about their future in refugee camps. These are all dehumanizing elements and they must compel every Christian and the entire community to a concrete attention.”

However, the Holy Father also invited them to also see in the eyes of refugees and forcibly displaced persons ”the light of hope. It is a hope that is expressed in expectation for the future, the desire for friendly relationships, the desire to participate in the society that is hosting them, even through language learning, access to employment, and education for the youngest. I admire the courage of those who hope to gradually resume a normal life, awaiting joy and love to return and lighten their existence. We all can and must nurture that hope!”

Finally, the Pope launched an appeal to governments, legislators, and the entire international community to face the reality of forcibly displaced persons “with effective initiatives and new approaches to safeguard their dignity, to improve the quality of their lives, and to meet the challenges that emerge from modern forms of persecution, oppression, and slavery. It is, I emphasize, human persons who appeal to the solidarity and support, who need urgent measures, but also and above all who need understanding and goodness. Their condition cannot leave us indifferent.”

“As Church,” he concluded, “we remember that when we heal the wounds of refugees, displaced persons, and victims of trafficking, we are practising the commandment of love that Jesus has left us; when we identify with the stranger, with those who are suffering, with all the innocent victims of violence and exploitation. … Here I would also like to recall the care that every pastor and Christian community must have for the journey of faith of Christian refugees and those forcibly uprooted from their lives, as well as for that of Christian emigrants. They require special pastoral care that respects their traditions and accompanies them in a harmonious integration into the ecclesial reality in which they find themselves. Let us not forget the flesh of Christ, who is in the flesh of the refugees. Their flesh is that of Christ.”

Vatican Information Service

TO VISIT THE CITY OF HIS NAMESAKE ON OCTOBER 4, THE FEAST OF HIS NAMESAKE

From Catholic News Service

http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/1302298.htm

The Concho Padre

Gospel Mk10:1-12

Jesus came into the district of Judea and across the Jordan.
Again crowds gathered around him and, as was his custom,
he again taught them.
The Pharisees approached him and asked,
“Is it lawful for a husband to divorce his wife?”
They were testing him.
He said to them in reply, “What did Moses command you?”
They replied,
“Moses permitted a husband to write a bill of divorce
and dismiss her.”
But Jesus told them,
“Because of the hardness of your hearts
he wrote you this commandment.
But from the beginning of creation, God made them male and female.
For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother
and be joined to his wife,
and the two shall become one flesh.
So they are no longer two but one flesh.
Therefore what God has joined together,
no human being must separate.”
In the house the disciples again questioned Jesus about this.
He said to them,
“Whoever divorces his wife and marries another
commits adultery against her;
and if she divorces her husband and marries another,
she commits adultery.”

BE THE SALT OF THE EARTH

From Vatican Radio

http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-at-mass-be-salt-of-the-earth

The Concho Padre