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C
ommunio . . .
October
24, 2004
To strengthen our shared life in Christ
through mutual participation and the free exchange of ideas.
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Community
of St. Malachi, 2459 Washington Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio 44113-2380.
www.stmalachi.org
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Communio
Archive |
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“Called to Embrace All of Life: The Catholic Vote and
Catholic Values”
(This article is reprinted with persmission from Pax Christi
USA, www.paxchristiusa.org.
Thanks to Helen Brinich for sending it in!)
“A Catholic moral
framework does not easily fit the ideologies of “right” or “left,” nor
the platforms of any party…Our responsibility is to measure all candidates,
policies, parties, and platforms by how they protect or undermine the life,
dignity, and rights of the human person, whether they protect the poor and
vulnerable and advance the common good.”
– From “Faithful Citizenship,” issued by the United States Catholic
Bishops.
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It is a common misperception of politicians seeking office that the Catholic
vote can be courted by addressing a narrow range of issues. In reality, the
great majority of Catholics in the U.S., in agreement with the U.S. Catholic
Bishops, will vote for candidates based “on the full range of issues, as well
as on [the candidate’s] personal integrity, philosophy and performance.” (“Faithful
Citizenship,” U.S. Catholic Bishops, 2004).
Members of the media - and indeed a few of our own religious leaders - do a
great disservice to our church and nation when they attempt to use one or
another issue as the benchmark for Catholic identity.
“The Christian faith is an integral unity, and thus it is incoherent to
isolate some particular element to the detriment of the whole of Catholic
doctrine. A political commitment to a single isolated aspect of the Church’s
social doctrine does not exhaust one’s responsibility toward the common good”
(“Doctrinal Note on Some Questions Regarding the Participation of Catholics
in Political Life,” Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, November
24, 2002 and approved by the Holy Father, Pope John Paul II).
The Catholic Church teaches that all life is sacred. A candidate for office must
understand that the Church stands against any policy or course of action which
diminishes life, dignity or the rights of the human person: abortion, capital
punishment, war, scandalous poverty, denial of healthcare, mistreatment of
immigrants and racism, to name but a few.
There are 60 million Catholics in the U.S. We take the responsibility of voting
seriously. Each of us will evaluate candidates based on what our conscience –
formed by reading the signs of the times in light of the example of Jesus
in the Scriptures and the teachings of our Church throughout the ages –
demands. We will examine the broad range of issues, measuring “all candidates,
policies, parties, and platforms by how they protect or undermine the life,
dignity, and rights of the human person, whether they protect the poor and
vulnerable and advance the common good” (“Faithful Citizenship,”
U.S. Catholic Bishops, 2004).
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Not Appropriate for Communio
by John S. Karliak
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(John is a member of the Community of St. Malachi.)
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I wish to respond to Frank Schiros’ article of last month (09/26). I
don’t feel it was written in the spirit of Communio, which is to aid in
our journey of faith.
It was a blatant partisan endorsement of the Democratic candidate, John Kerry.
I especially took issue regarding the negative comments about the Republican
Party, taken right of Michael Moore’s playbook. I resented Schiros
attributing the infamous “N” word to the Republicans.
Limited space prevents me from specifically addressing individually the gross
distortions and ad hominem attacks that Mr. Schiros spouts in his article.
Nevertheless, I will cite a few instances where he is clearly in error.
First, the 1964 Civil Rights Act was opposed by the majority of southern
Democrats, and only passed due to Republican support. Also, to imply that vox
populi supersedes the authority of the Magisterium is wrong. Schiros implies
this when he cites that a majority of Catholics do not strenuously oppose
abortion outright, conveniently omitting the fact that the Catholic bishops have
firmly and consistently decried the murder of the unborn, and have asked the
faithful to be steadfast in their opposition to it.
Mr. Schiros is very loose with his scurrilous charges against the Republican
Party, providing no specifics, but trots out the usual tired clichés that the
far left espouses (usually in lieu of cold hard facts). The forum he chose to
air his diatribe was wrong, due to the very nature of its content. A religious
newsletter should be free from partisan rhetoric.
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Profiling the Malachi Ministries
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(Thanks to Kimberly Kramer for sending this in.)
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Music Ministry
“No storm can shake my inmost calm while to that rock “ I’m
clinging. Since Love is Lord of heaven and earth, how can I keep from singing?”
Robert Lowry
We are fortunate here at St. Malachi to have a gold mine of volunteer singers
and musicians who generously give of their time and talent. In our recently
organized funeral choir there are moms, artists, editors, a public relations
exec, football fans and first time choir singers. Our cantors are teachers,
students, media specialists, and dads. How many parishes can boast of a
beautifully played banjo at mass, or of a cellist who plays on an instrument
that he crafted with his own hands? And even better news is that we have young
people growing among us who are every bit as talented and dedicated as their
ancestors. What brings these colorful and diverse lives together? The love of
making music for the glory of God! Everyone is welcome in our music ministry:
all ages, instruments, and voices. This week presents a unique opportunity to
join forces with the Community of St. Malachi choir to form the annual Christmas
Choir. The Children’s choir will be re-forming in November to prepare for
Christmas and our annual Epiphany Celebration. The funeral choir meets every
Tuesday at 10:00 AM and is preparing for our Mass of Remembrance on November 14,
at the 12:30 Mass.
Those who sing pray twice!
“The Backdoor Ministry”
We are called to heal the broken,
to be hope for the poor,
We are called to feed the hungry
at our door.
Song of the Body of Christ
(David Haas)
The experience of “the hungry at our door” literally was what led to the
development of what is now the Backdoor Ministry. From time to time in the late
1960’s and early 1970’s someone would ring the rectory doorbell and ask for
something to eat. Fr. Hritz or one of the staff would make a peanut
butter sandwich and pour a cup of coffee and send the person on his way. People
kept coming and in greater numbers. Before long, it was every day. The porch was
enclosed and the serving window was installed and the Backdoor Ministry was
born.
Today, the Backdoor ministry serves sandwiches (peanut butter or meat),
doughnuts or other pastries, & coffee are served daily at the rectory, from
8:30 AM to 3 PM, Monday through Saturday, 8:30 AM to 1 PM Sunday and holidays.
Volunteers are needed, especially on weekdays. Call Sr. Francis at
216-861-5343
Volunteers are the backbone of the ministry; without them it could not
continue. There are two “shifts:” 8:30 AM—Noon and Noon to 3 PM during the
week (led by Ronnie Tricsko) and 8:30—10:30 and 10:30—1 PM on
Sundays.
Bread and donuts are donated. We often receive food donations from
individuals and groups, leftovers from various dinners or events. Such “extras”
are always most welcome and popular! On the weekend, there is usually homemade
soup. Donations to the Food Fund enable us to buy coffee, donuts, peanut butter,
bologna (or other sandwich meat), along with cups, plastic spoons and napkins.
Monday Night Meal
Since 1975 St. Malachi has been serving a hot meal on Monday evening to poor
and hungry individuals of the area. As few as 25 people were served in the
beginning; the number has grown to as many as 450 people each Monday in 2004. A
network of approximately 140 volunteers provide the main dish, fruits and
vegetables or make weekly phone calls. The main dish is cooked at the home of
the provider and then brought to the St. Malachi Hall kitchen; the menu includes
chicken, rigatoni, beef stew, Italian sausage, and kielbasa. Turkey is, of
course, served for Thanksgiving (on the Monday before Thanksgiving) and ham on
Easter Monday. Generally, between 50 to 65 people volunteer in the hall each
Monday. They begin arriving as early as 3:00 PM to set up tables and chairs and
begin preparing the meal. The meal is served at 6:00 PM and continues to 6:45 PM
when all the “mealers” have received a full meal and, when there is
extra, some have gone up for seconds. Clean-up of the hall is usually completed
by 7:30 PM. The wonderful spirit of all the volunteers makes St. Malachi the
place to be.
The Monday Night Meal is primarily a ministry of the Community of St.
Malachi, but welcomes volunteers from the parish and the larger community. For
information on volunteering please contact Dave Starre through the
rectory.
Saint Malachi Clothing Ministry
For many years, St. Malachi has collected and distributed clothing. Saint
Malachi Center is the main source of getting the clothing to people in need.
Every Friday morning, Cathy Saegel and her staff give out men’s
clothing. Families who sign up through the Center each month are able to obtain
clothing, linens, kitchen items, and furniture (as available). Sometimes,
individuals are in need of something specific such as dress clothing for a job
interview, an outfit for school, clothes for a new baby, or just a dry pair of
socks.
We also share our extra men’s clothing with Saint Herman’s. We share our
extra children’s clothing with an elementary school in Tremont as well as
different women’s shelters.
We are very thankful for the clothing donations we receive each week. We
accept only clean and lightly used clothing, in good repair.
We cannot accept or use even good clothing in need of repair, even a missing
button. The criteria is simple: if we would not wear it, we cannot, will not
give it out.
Lou Schroeder, who served as secretary at St. Malachi for many years,
once said that her job was to be “a minister to the ministers.” That is how
we see the job of sorting and distributing the clothing donations. Besides
coming down and sorting the clothing, we would welcome someone willing to wash
some of the donations. Sometimes we get sheets, blankets, children’s jackets
and bathrobes that are good but cannot be given away because they are dirty. We
would welcome someone willing to make a monthly trip to Saint Herman’s. We
would welcome the company!
There is always a need for men’s underwear, white socks, large
t-shirts, large flannel shirts, large sweat shirts, pants and large shoes.
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Where Have All the Young Men Gone: An Ode to Pre-emptive War
by Frank Schiros
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[Editor’s Note: Please advise that the following is one person’s
interpretation of events and politics.]
The above heading is a title to a song about a past war and relevant to the
present war. The answer to that question could be that more than a thousand of
those young men (and women) will never come back to their mothers and fathers,
spouses or children. Nor will more than 7000 young people come back in one
piece.
We should hear this loud and clear. Don’t believe all the propaganda. We
are not winning the war in Iraq or Afghanistan and, to the contrary, they are
slipping into chaos.
The answer I’m looking for to the question of “where have all the young
men gone,” demands some moral reflections for Christians on war and peace.
A president lying about an extramarital affair is impeachable but a president
lying about WMD’s and sending young men into an unprecedented pre-emptive war
is not?
A president was given documents he thought were true but failed to
thoroughly investigate the facts, then reported these documents to the
American people as true to make his case but when confronted with the
facts, continued to report untruth and stonewalled an investigation which left
thousands dead in Iraq. Has he suffered the deaths of our 21-year-olds who had
dreams of what they wanted to be which are now buried in the dust of Iraq?
In the face of this litany of lies, how can Bush maintain his
reverence for God, the flag, and democracy? What John Kerry did in the
Vietnam War is of vital national interest but what George Bush did in the
National Guard is irrelevant? In the Vietnam War, Kerry knew first hand what war
and death were but does Bush know?
The tragi-comedy going on in Capitol Hill may be hard to take for Catholics
and non-Catholics alike but they will have to sort out the moral dimensions and
political contradictions in the coming election. A critical factor in the coming
election is the war in Iraq and we all must take that into consideration. Voting
is a measure of civic service and we must ask ourselves, don’t we need a
leader in who will lead us in peace as well as in war?
Here is what James Bryce, author of The American Commonwealth,
says about war and peace: “War is not the only thing to which we owe our
allegiance. It is also owed to justice and to humanity. Patriotism consists not
in waving the flag, but in striving that our country shall be righteous as well
as strong.”
With Bryce’s view in mind, I hope that Catholics are in concert with the
views of the U.S. Catholic Bishops recent pronouncement, “ voting for
candidates should be based on the full range of issues as well as on the
candidates personal integrity, philosophy, and performance.” This statement
says nothing about performing as a Viking war leader.
Michael Daley of U.S. Catholic says, “it’s a sin not to vote,
particularly in these stressful times.” He believes the first Tuesday of
November should be a holy day of civic responsibility.
Although I think God has bigger things to be concerned about, for God’s
sake vote your conscience.
Comments may be addressed to zorba2wo @ aol.com
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Community of St. Malachi, 2459 Washington Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio 44113-2380
216-781-3110 www.stmalachi.org
Sunday Community Mass 11 a.m. Parish Masses Sat. 4:30 p.m., Sun. 9:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m.
Holy day: Vigil 5:30 p.m., 7 a.m., noon. Weekday: 7 a.m., noon. Legal Holiday: 9 a.m.
We celebrate Children’s Liturgy of The Word every other Sunday, please see the Calendar.
For information on the Sacraments, please call the Community Office.
THE COMMUNITY OF ST. MALACHI is a lay-directed, non-territorial personal
parish of the Diocese of Cleveland. Although separate from the Parish of St.
Malachi, we join together for many worthwhile activities. All are welcome to
worship at the 11 a.m. Community liturgy on Sunday. Community members are
expected to actively contribute of their time, talent and treasure.
Communio is a monthly publication of the Communications Committee of the
Community of St. Malachi. Deadline is the second Sunday before publication. You
ease our task by submitting materials by E-Mail or on disk. All viewpoints of
interest to our Community in the context of our journey of faith are welcome
here. Viewpoints are those of the writers and not necessarily the teachings of
the Roman Catholic Church.
For e-mail delivery of Communio or Newsletter through CSM’s E-Subscription service, write
dasas@nccw.net
© 2004 Community of St. Malachi. Reprinting of articles originating in Communio
is encouraged – please contact the Editors for permission. |
Newsletter: Mary Englert
216-228-8417,
fax 216-861-5340,
14921 Lake Ave # 10, Lakewood 44107.
E-mail mtenglert@juno.com
Communio
Chief Editor: Joe Pulizzi
216-941-5054
E-mail joe_pulizzi@yahoo.com
Editor: OPEN POSITION
Please Contact Joe Pulizzi if you are interested in volunteering.
Calendar:
Volunteers to collate and staple:
Pam Pulizzi 216-941-5054
Volunteers to hand out after Mass:
Patrick Hornung 216–221–2949
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Copying and attachments: Kimberly Kramer, Ellen McIntyre and
Carol Lavelle
216-781-3110
St. Malachi Web Site: Mike May
Email stmalachiweb@catholic.org
Prayer Request: If you have a prayer request, please contact Carol Lavelle
216-781-3110
To receive CSM e-mail prayer alerts, contact Dolores Sullin at dasas@nccw.net.
Ron Perger
chairs
the Communications Committee.
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Send articles or comments to joe_pulizzi@yahoo.com. Deadline
for the Nov. 28th issue is Nov. 14th. |
