Catholic Life Ministries

Dear Friends, the investigation into our whistleblower complaint by the archbishop of Seattle is over.  Here is a portion of a statement that I read to the investigator on October 8, 2020:

My experience has taught me a few things.  #1. Sexual predators are here to stay.  They are in our churches, families, schools, etc.  We cannot filter them out.  They will find a way to be with minors and vulnerable adults. 

#2.  The temptation to protect sexual predators is also here to stay.  They will be our mentors whom we love, and we simply cannot believe the allegations made against us.  Or, if we do, we will not want to ruin their careers over this one incident. Or, perhaps, they will be individuals like Cardinal McCarrick who have power to influence our careers; or, perhaps, they will know secrets on us that we do not want exposed.

# 3 Safe environment programs must equip Catholic employees, clergy and lay, and volunteers to address cover-up of sex abuse.  Cover-up is the real culprit that turned a problem of offending clerics into an international scandal.  Essential to equipping Catholic employees and volunteers in confronting cover-up in the church is the legal and emotional protection of whistle-blowers.  Without that public commitment why would anyone speak out?

Review:  8/1/19 – The CLM Board wrote Archbishops Sartain and Etienne to investigate Robert’s role as a whistleblower regarding the mishandling and cover-up of cases of clergy sex abuse by the Bishop of Yakima.   Archbishop Sartain wrote a letter in response, dismissing the board’s concern.

8/28/19 – Robert wrote Archbishop Etienne (who replaced Archbishop Sartain) outlining his history of trying to expose the mishandling and cover-up of sex abuse in the Dioceses of Yakima and Seattle, and included evidence of retaliation.

11/15/19 – Archbishop Etienne wrote a response to Robert’s letter, stating that he was taking my concerns seriously and seeking consultation on his response.

2020 – Unbeknownst to us, the Archbishop initiated an  investigation.  He hired an investigator from Alaska, someone not known in Seattle or Yakima and therefore more likely viewed as being independent, to review documents and interview witnesses.

Oct 2020 – Robert was interviewed for almost two hours and provided the investigator with documents that he did not have and with names of witnesses with whom he had not yet spoken.  Frank Murray of Yakima was also interviewed.

5/23/22 – I was asked to meet with the Archbishop and was told that I had to come alone, I could not take notes, and I could not see any documentation.  At the meeting the Archbishop informed me that Pope Francis had been presented with the case and had then instructed the head of a congregation to issue a reprimand to Bishop Sevilla in accordance with  Canon 1339 for causing “harm and  scandal.”  THAT’S THE GOOD NEWS!

The bad news is that this reprimand is private.  That means neither the Pope, the Archbishop of Seattle, nor the Bishop of Yakima is going to tell anyone.  I wrote the Archbishop a letter to thank him for taking our complaint seriously and initiating the investigation.  Then I wrote this: The private nature of the Vatican’s reprimand of Bishop Sevilla leaves me and Frank Murray in the position of being whistleblowers once again…the issues which prompted our writing you in the first place remain unaddressed: Frank Murray and I have not been vindicated by Church leaders.  Clergy and lay employees, and volunteers have yet to be assured that their jobs and reputations will be protected if they speak out and expose any behavior that suggests the possible abuse of minors or vulnerable adults and/or that such behavior is being covered-up.  These issues, unaddressed, can also cause “harm and scandal” to the Church and continue the risks to youth and vulnerable adults.

By Robert Fontana

Father’s Day is approaching, and my thoughts turn to women who make it possible for men to be fathers, but more than that, to wives and partners who keep men from becoming like billy goats. Mattie Ross of True Grit fame -—she’s the young 14-year-old that hires Rooster Cogburn to go after Tom Chaney, her father’s murderer—- states what is common knowledge in fiction and non-fiction alike:

“Men will live like billy goats if they are left alone.”

When I read this, I decided to study up on billy goats to be sure I understood Mattie’s meaning. And I must say, after thorough and exhausting research, I’ve concluded that Mattie insulted billy goats. They are very intelligent creatures and left to themselves –- and let’s be honest here, we are referring to male goats; female goats are referred to as does or nannies –- billie goats, for the most part, make intelligent choices. Men, okay, let’s not generalize, many men, “left alone,” live like Rooster Cogburn, in their own filth.

“He stirred as I came through the curtain. His weight was such that the bunk was bowed in the middle almost to the floor. It looked like he was in a hammock. He was fully clothed under the covers… Rooster coughed and spit on the floor and rolled a cigarette and lit it and coughed some more… little brown drops of coffee clung to his mustache like dew. Men will live like billy goats if left alone.”

I was raised with eight men, six brothers and my dad. I shudder to think what our home would have looked like without Mom. One of my brothers, I won’t mention any names, told me that when he went off to college, he loved getting his bed sheets so coated with body oils from lack of washing that he could slide into bed.

Certainly Dad would have enforced some sort of hygiene requirements on his sons, and I know one particular brother would have helped him out, but the others of us, even as grown men, would have been Rooster Cogburn disciples.

God most surely knew this about men when he created Adam out of mud. Very quickly afterwards, according to the Bible, the Lord God says, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make him a suitable partner.”

What the Bible does not say is that Rooster Cogburn is a direct descendent of Adam and, according to Catholic teaching of original sin, inherited his lower-than-billy goat predisposition from the first man.

Adam had basically trashed the garden with banana peels and discarded beer jugs spread about and had started to show signs of poor health from smoking the tobacco leaf. Eve was a godsend to Adam. He perked up, trimmed his beard, and began mulching all parts of the vegetarian diet he (and she) could not eat.

Okay, sure she tricked him with that apple, but women aren’t perfect either. As we approach Father’s Day, the point is that the mothers of their children play a vital role in helping men to be good fathers! In fact, although there are exceptions to this axiom that I’m about to pronounce, the truth is: what makes good and involved fathers is a strong marriage with the mother of their children.

My dad was a great dad. He taught me how to ride a bike, throw a baseball, cast a fishing line, love music, and pray. But the best and most amazing gift he gave to me was his love for my mother. Together they created a stable (but not perfect, by any means) family, filled with all the fun and craziness of family life. Dad loved Mom in good times and in bad, and passed that lesson on to me and my brothers.

There is a segment of the male population that is behaving like Rooster Cogburn. We could ignore them but they are fathering children and acting worse than billy goats in taking care of them. The real crisis, however, is not that they are absent fathers, but that they are absent spouses. Do you want to be a great dad? Be a great spouse. Yes, be involved with your children, but most importantly, LOVE THEIR MOTHER! Happy Father’s Day.

Above photo: Copyright: <a href=’https://www.123rf.com/profile_gstockstudio’>gstockstudio</a>

By Lori Fontana

Back in our college days, our parish pastor told us a parable. Chicken Little lay on her back in the road, her spindly little legs sticking straight up towards the sky. Noble Knight, clothed in shining armor, with his lance and shield gleaming in the sunlight, came riding by on his huge steed. He stopped next to Chicken Little, bending over to speak to her.

“Why lie-est thus in the dust, little chick?” questioned the Knight.

Chicken Little responded, “The sky is falling; the sky is falling!”

“And thou think-est thou can help thusly – by holding thy measly little chicken legs in the air?!?” scoffed the Knight.

“One does what one can,” the chick replied confidently.

In these crazy days of horrific gun violence, deep discord and mistrust, runaway inflation with gas at $6 a gallon and sky-high grocery and housing prices; a war in Ukraine; strife in our neighborhoods; hunger, danger, the pandemic – YIKES! How are we supposed to manage, to cope? How do we as Christians not just survive but thrive? How do we claim the JOY of God’s love, which we know is at the very core of our existence and is also present in every human being and in all of creation?

Day-to-day routines will look different in the life of each person of faith; but I offer two suggestions to buoy and sustain our Christian walk: prayer and service.

Prayer is, of course, a no-brainer. Prayer is “communication with our God,” the Trinity of divine persons who love us completely and unconditionally. We can hardly claim to be a Christian without having a practice of daily prayer wherein we communicate heart to heart with God, in whatever manner nourishes and encourages us. It could be silent reflection, the community prayer of Mass, spiritual reading, prayer walking, prayer groups, meditative song or rosary / chant, prayer of the imagination, music, art…the ways we pray are as numerous as there are Christians. Without prayer, we cannot connect to God; and our souls will wither and die within. Prayer is the most basic of self-care routines. It builds the foundation upon which the rest of our life is built.

This leads to my second suggestion: service to others. Prayer, both personal and communal (such as the Mass) nourishes and guides us for a purpose – to be a power for good in the world, to be the hands and feet, heart and voice of God in a world which, as we daily see and hear, is in desperate need of God’s love and care. What does this service look like? Well, first and foremost is our “service” to our family and our job, as we fulfill the daily duties of our primary vocation, be it as a married person, a single person, or a vowed religious person. Beyond these primary responsibilities, I’d say the sky’s the limit on what individuals might do to serve others.

We don’t have to look far to notice “needs.” They are in our neighborhood, our section of the city, our country, all around our world. A practical starting point is, what’s needed right now, within our own families and the circumstances of our own daily lives? Ask yourself, what needs do I see? What gifts can I offer?

Here’s an example from my life. Some folks in our neighborhood have joined together to provide food every Sunday afternoon, under the nearby freeway, for anyone who comes. About four years ago, some of the neighbors noticed folks living outside, including under the freeway, and decided to cook a hot meal which they served on folding tables they set up near where folks were camping. They call it the Ravenna Pop-Up Kitchen. During the pandemic, this has become a cold meal, wrapped for take-away. Other small items are offered: socks and underwear, towels, masks, hand sanitizer. In the winter cold, some organizers made hot chocolate and coffee to help warm the folks who came. About 200 people in our neighborhood are part of the email info thread. Between providing the food and distributing it on site, a dozen people directly participate each week. Folks help when they can and donate food and other items.

It involves planning and coordination. It’s a commitment, particularly for the group leaders, who will pick up the slack when other volunteers are lacking. But the group has provided a Sunday meal faithfully for more than 4 years and counting.

The group serves about 25 – 35 meals each week and is so appreciated by the folks that come. Several people come every week and even hang around for a visit while enjoying a cup of hot chocolate. Robert and I, plus our daughter Mary, volunteer 1 – 2 times a month to prepare some food, set up tables, or distribute the meals on-site.

Our efforts seem very much like Chicken Little’s effort to prop up the sky with her tiny legs. Homelessness and hunger are such HUGE problems in Seattle. What can a few people possibly do that will make any difference? We can’t do everything! But, on the other hand, if each of us does what we CAN do, things can get better. We spread the Good News.

One more parable: A little boy walked along the seashore picking up starfish stranded on the sand and tossing them gently back into the water. An old man watching him said, “You can’t possibly return all the starfish to the sea. Why do you even try? What difference can you make?”

As the boy carefully put another starfish into the ocean, he responded, “Well, I make a difference to this one!”

One does what one can!  You and I can be the hands and heart of Jesus in the world. Even if in a small way, we can bring the grace and blessing of the Holy Spirit to each person we meet.

By Lori Fontana

Back in our college days, our parish pastor told us a parable. Chicken Little lay on her back in the road, her spindly little legs sticking straight up towards the sky. Noble Knight, clothed in shining armor, with his lance and shield gleaming in the sunlight, came riding by on his huge steed. He stopped next to Chicken Little, bending over to speak to her.

“Why lie-est thus in the dust, little chick?” questioned the Knight.

Chicken Little responded, “The sky is falling; the sky is falling!”

“And thou think-est thou can help thusly – by holding thy measly little chicken legs in the air?!?” scoffed the Knight.

“One does what one can,” the chick replied confidently.

In these crazy days of horrific gun violence, deep discord and mistrust, runaway inflation with gas at $6 a gallon and sky-high grocery and housing prices; a war in Ukraine; strife in our neighborhoods; hunger, danger, the pandemic – YIKES! How are we supposed to manage, to cope? How do we as Christians not just survive but thrive? How do we claim the JOY of God’s love, which we know is at the very core of our existence and is also present in every human being and in all of creation?

Day-to-day routines will look different in the life of each person of faith; but I offer two suggestions to buoy and sustain our Christian walk: prayer and service.

Prayer is, of course, a no-brainer. Prayer is “communication with our God,” the Trinity of divine persons who love us completely and unconditionally. We can hardly claim to be a Christian without having a practice of daily prayer wherein we communicate heart to heart with God, in whatever manner nourishes and encourages us. It could be silent reflection, the community prayer of Mass, spiritual reading, prayer walking, prayer groups, meditative song or rosary / chant, prayer of the imagination, music, art…the ways we pray are as numerous as there are Christians. Without prayer, we cannot connect to God; and our souls will wither and die within. Prayer is the most basic of self-care routines. It builds the foundation upon which the rest of our life is built.

This leads to my second suggestion: service to others. Prayer, both personal and communal (such as the Mass) nourishes and guides us for a purpose – to be a power for good in the world, to be the hands and feet, heart and voice of God in a world which, as we daily see and hear, is in desperate need of God’s love and care. What does this service look like? Well, first and foremost is our “service” to our family and our job, as we fulfill the daily duties of our primary vocation, be it as a married person, a single person, or a vowed religious person. Beyond these primary responsibilities, I’d say the sky’s the limit on what individuals might do to serve others.

We don’t have to look far to notice “needs.” They are in our neighborhood, our section of the city, our country, all around our world. A practical starting point is, what’s needed right now, within our own families and the circumstances of our own daily lives? Ask yourself, what needs do I see? What gifts can I offer?

Here’s an example from my life. Some folks in our neighborhood have joined together to provide food every Sunday afternoon, under the nearby freeway, for anyone who comes. About four years ago, some of the neighbors noticed folks living outside, including under the freeway, and decided to cook a hot meal which they served on folding tables they set up near where folks were camping. They call it the Ravenna Pop-Up Kitchen. During the pandemic, this has become a cold meal, wrapped for take-away. Other small items are offered: socks and underwear, towels, masks, hand sanitizer. In the winter cold, some organizers made hot chocolate and coffee to help warm the folks who came. About 200 people in our neighborhood are part of the email info thread. Between providing the food and distributing it on site, a dozen people directly participate each week. Folks help when they can and donate food and other items.

It involves planning and coordination. It’s a commitment, particularly for the group leaders, who will pick up the slack when other volunteers are lacking. But the group has provided a Sunday meal faithfully for more than 4 years and counting.

The group serves about 25 – 35 meals each week and is so appreciated by the folks that come. Several people come every week and even hang around for a visit while enjoying a cup of hot chocolate. Robert and I, plus our daughter Mary, volunteer 1 – 2 times a month to prepare some food, set up tables, or distribute the meals on-site.

Our efforts seem very much like Chicken Little’s effort to prop up the sky with her tiny legs. Homelessness and hunger are such HUGE problems in Seattle. What can a few people possibly do that will make any difference? We can’t do everything! But, on the other hand, if each of us does what we CAN do, things can get better. We spread the Good News.

One more parable:

A little boy walked along the seashore picking up starfish stranded on the sand and tossing them gently back into the water. An old man watching him said, “You can’t possibly return all the starfish to the sea. Why do you even try? What difference can you make?”

As the boy carefully put another starfish into the ocean, he responded, “Well, I make a difference to this one!”

One does what one can!  You and I can be the hands and heart of Jesus in the world. Even if in a small way, we can bring the grace and blessing of the Holy Spirit to each person we meet.

By Robert Fontana

What a year of sorrow!  The pandemic continues, war in the Ukraine, mass shootings at supermarkets and grade schools, divisions in the country, and the daily pains and sorrows of life.  And still Paul writes:

“What will separate us from the love of Christ? Will anguish, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or the sword?…No, in all these things we conquer overwhelmingly through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor present things,^* nor future things, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  Romans 8:35-38

We can find joy, hope, and purpose in this world filled with so much sin, corruption, and sorrow through an intimate relationship with Jesus and the Holy Spirit!  Lori and I pray to the Holy Spirit every day to help us be alert to how we can be a power for good within the circumstances of our lives.  Here is our Holy Spirit prayer:

Holy Spirit, be in my head and in my heart.  Be in my eyes and in my looking.  Be in my mouth and in my speaking.  Be in my ears and in my hearing.  Be in my hands and in my working this day and always!

Here’s a link to a wonderful article on the Holy Spirit: https://thevalueofsparrows.wordpress.com/2016/05/19/holy-spirit-how-to-envision-the-spirit-by-elizabeth-a-johnson/

By Robert Fontana

As Passover approaches, Jesus knows that the triumph and success of his entry into Jerusalem and the prophetic cleansing of the temple are fragile gains.  He is teaching in the temple every day, but all is not well.  The people are listening to him, but the religious leaders are not. He correctly surmises that they are looking for an opportunity to kill him (Mark 11:18) just like prophets in the past had been hunted down, imprisoned, and killed.

In fact, from the moment he decided to go to Jerusalem, Jesus knew his probable fate:

“He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer greatly and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and rise after three days.” (Mark 8:31)

But it is not only the response of the religious leaders which worries Jesus; there is dissension among the Twelve. Judas is disenchanted. A few days earlier, while all were having dinner at the home of Lazarus, Lazarus’ sister Mary had anointed Jesus with a costly perfume. Judas outwardly rebuked Mary for this waste, but the real target of the attack was Jesus. How could he have allowed Mary to do such a thing? (John 12:1-8)

Judas is growing disillusioned, and Jesus knows it. It may be that Judas was greatly disappointed that Jesus did not claim his kingship after the heady days of his entry into Jerusalem and establishing himself in the temple. We know that the mother of James and John wanted her sons to sit at Jesus’ left and right in the coming kingdom. We also know that after the “Last Supper,” an argument broke out among the disciples about which of them was the greatest. (Luke 22:24-28) And even after Jesus died and had risen from the dead, some of his disciples asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” (Acts 1:6) Was Judas sorely disappointed that Jesus did not turn out to be the Messiah that he was hoping for?

Jesus does not want to die. That is clear from Mark’s account of the passion. In fact, judging from Jesus’ plea to God in Gethsemane, he is clearly asking for the proverbial miracle at the last moment to save him from his fate:

“Abba, Father,^* all things are possible to you. Take this cup away from me, but not what I will but what you will.” Mark 14:36

John 12:27 seems to echo this sentiment: “I am troubled^* now. Yet what should I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But it was for this purpose that I came to this hour.”

But it was not to be. Judas is bitter. He agrees to lead the temple guards to the garden, away from the crowds, where Jesus is gathering with the Twelve. When Judas betrays Jesus with a kiss, Jesus is arrested, and the apostles are stunned and flee for their lives.

Though Jesus had often warned them that suffering and death would be his lot in Jerusalem, the Scriptures show clearly that the disciples were totally unprepared for Jesus’ Passion. We must assume that Mary, too, is caught unaware. She and the others had thought that all the ingredients were in place for a peaceful revolution by Jesus and his followers. They must have told one another, “If the high priests and scribes would just join in, the people are ready to make Jesus their king.” (John 6:15) No one anticipates Judas’ actions.

So Jesus said to him, “What you are going to do, do quickly.” Now [none] of those reclining at table realized why he had said this to him. Some thought that since Judas kept the money bag, Jesus had told him, “Buy what we need for the feast,” or, “Give something to the poor.” (John 13:27-29)

Events move quickly. The next day Jesus is beaten, judged a blasphemer, and handed over to the Romans to be crucified. Not all of his disciples flee. Mary, his mother, the unnamed male “disciple that Jesus loved,” Mary’s sister, Mary Magdalene, and some of the other women follow the events closely. They are aghast at what is unfolding. Jesus is accused of being a revolutionary plotting to overthrow the Romans. He is sentenced to death, tortured, and executed in the normal way for enemies of the state: crucifixion.

What anguish and torment Mary suffers as she follows the events from Jerusalem to Calvary! She is not present in any of the gospels along the Via Dolorosa, the way of sorrow that Jesus walked carrying his cross. Popular devotion has placed her there in the Stations of the Cross, and rightly so, for she does follow her Messiah-Son, horrified about what the religious leaders and the crowds are saying about him; horrified at his condemnation; horrified at his tortured body; and utterly devastated as she gazes at his dying body hanging from the cross.

By Robert Fontana

By RsVe, corrected by Barliner. – File:Reichsadler Deutsches Reich (1935–1945).svg, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=27421526

Catholicism does not have a long history of supporting democracy as a national government.  The Catholic preference for centuries was a Catholic king who would support Catholic life throughout the country.  If a Catholic king was not possible, popes and bishops worked with whatever dictator or monarch would allow the Catholic Church to function with as little government interference as possible.  This practice came crashing down on the Church and the world with the agreements (concordats) popes signed with Italy’s Benito Mussolini in 1922, and with Germany’s Adolf Hitler in 1933.

Initially, the Catholic Church benefited from these agreements.  In Italy, Mussolini recognized the Vatican as a sovereign state, Catholicism was re-instated as the national religion, and clergy salaries were subsidized by the government.  In Germany, Hitler recognized the Pope’s authority to appoint bishops.  He also agreed to have the state financially support Catholic schools and provide for religious education of students in state schools.

What did the Fascists and Nazis receive in return?  They got exactly what they wanted: international legitimacy.  Also, in Germany, bishops made a loyalty oath to the Reich, and Catholic social organizations agreed to refrain from political activism and do only charitable work.  In time, because of the increasingly oppressive policies of the Italian and German governments, this arrangement diminished Catholicism’s impact in civil society.  Catholic leaders exacerbated the situation by being too narrowly focused on their own institutional functions: Catholic sacramental and liturgical life, seminary education, support of the clergy, and support of religious education of children.  They paid little attention to broader social issues, especially the growing state-sponsored violence against Jews and other minorities, aggressive preparations for war, and the barrage of propaganda produced to legitimize both.  During this time, human rights, social justice, and the dignity and rights of all groups of people were not the focus of Catholic thinking.

The bishops of the Second Vatican Council recognized this failure and, in a dramatic and revolutionary move, redirected the course of Catholic theology and pastoral behavior.  For the first time in its history, the bishops of the Church recognized religious freedom as a fundamental right.  They also committed the followers of Christ to full and active participation in the problems of the human family:  The joys and the hopes, the griefs and the anxieties of the men of this age, especially those who are poor or in any way afflicted, these are the joys and hopes, the griefs and anxieties of the followers of Christ. Indeed, nothing genuinely human fails to raise an echo in their hearts. For theirs is a community composed of men.” (Pastoral Constitution of the Church in the Modern World, Art 1)

At the end of the 19^th-and beginning of the 20^th-centuries, the Vatican considered the United States an enemy of religion (see Americanism and Syllabus of Errors in Wikipedia).  Today, however, the Vatican views the United States as a model of how religious communities, such as Christians, Muslims, and Jews, can co-exist in a pluralistic society without government interference.  Each religious community can rise or fall on its own merits within a democratic government that protects the religious freedom of all.  Therefore, what is essential to protecting religious freedom is protecting the democratic government that makes religious freedom possible.

Religious freedom is under threat in the United States today because democracy itself is under assault.  Recently, some Catholic leaders have contradicted Catholic teaching by declaring it a mortal sin to vote for a specific candidate or anyone in that candidate’s political party.  Many of these same Catholic leaders have remained silent during the maelstrom of controversy around the validity of the election itself and the attack on the United States Capitol building.

Since the attack on the US capital, many leaders of the Republican party have continued to undermine the democratic process by repeating what has been described as “the big lie:” that the 2020 presidential election was stolen.  This continues even though 60 lower court decisions, three supreme court decisions, and the-then US Attorney General, Bill Barr, a Catholic, concluded that the election of 2020 was free and fair.

Joseph Goebbels, Hitler’s propaganda minister, once said, “If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it. The lie can be maintained only for such time as the State can shield the people from the political, economic and/or military consequences of the lie. It thus becomes vitally important for the State to use all of its powers to repress dissent, for the truth is the mortal enemy of the lie, and thus by extension, the truth is the greatest enemy of the State.”  (Inspiringquotes.us)

In the Catechism of the Catholic Church, lying is defined as a sin, and the gravity of a lie is measured by the “truth it deforms, the circumstances, the intentions of the one who lies, and the harm suffered by its victims.”  It follows that a lie that “does grave injury to the virtues of justice and charity” is a mortal sin (Art 2484).  The “big lie” that the 2020 election was stolen does such “grave injury” because it greatly undermines “justice and charity,” thereby eroding trust in democracy.  Catholic bishops, clergy, and lay leaders must condemn this lie and definitively speak out the truth.

Saving democracy is a Catholic imperative.  Our democratic society is the best hope for religious practice and freedoms.  Safeguarding our democracy requires condemnation of the “big lie” and a clear statement of the truth.  Only thus can we preserve what Winston Churchill called “the worst form of government except for all those other forms”: democracy.[i] 

[i] Many forms of Government have been tried, and will be tried in this world of sin and woe. No one pretends that democracy is perfect or all-wise. Indeed it has been said that democracy is the worst form of Government except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time.…’ https://winstonchurchill.org/resources/quotes/the-worst-form-of-government/

by Robert Fontana

Christians the world over are going on a 40-day retreat beginning on Ash Wednesday.  This is a very serious and somber time for those of us who claim to follow Jesus, made more serious and somber because of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.  Lent points us to the events that took place in Jerusalem when Jesus, through a non-violent movement, took over the Jerusalem temple (Palm Sunday), was betrayed by one of his closest followers and confidants, was abandoned by friends, condemned to death, tortured and executed by crucifixion as a political revolutionary.

Following Jesus’ resurrection, Jesus’s followers struggled to make sense of his death.  The story of two disciples walking to the village of Emmaus illustrates this struggle.  As the story goes, Jesus is not recognized as he walks up to two disciples who are leaving Jerusalem, downcast over the death of their teacher.  They are confused and cannot understand how their religious leaders could have killed this man that they considered a prophet.  Jesus reprimanded them, ““Oh, how foolish you are! How slow of heart to believe all that the prophets spoke.  Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and enter into his glory?”  Jesus then explains to them why the Messiah had to suffer.  Jesus was the suffering servant whose death brought reconciliation between God and humanity and among humanity itself.

During Lent we walk with Jesus to the cross.  Let us do so mindful of the suffering of the Ukrainian people. We walk with the Messiah who had to suffer for our sake and our salvation; and we join in his work of redemptive suffering.  We do penance and acts of self-denial which train us to bear suffering for the love of God.  I hope that our Lenten prayer and sacrifice will include remembrance of so many innocent people who are suffering in this Eastern European conflict.

And if we are personally going through a time of actual suffering because of difficult life circumstances, such as illness or confronting real evil and injustice in society, we ask God to help us carry the cross of that suffering because it too can become life-giving and redemptive through Christ.  Let us pray that God will use the suffering we experience this Lent, our own and that of the war in Eastern Europe, to bring about something good in the world.  If God can turn an instrument of Roman execution into an instrument of salvation, God can certainly transform current trials and evils into something good.

Even such a somber and serious season, especially with the war hanging over the world like a dark cloud, still needs a party, one last “hurrah,” to help us enter into it properly.  Thus in Catholic countries all over the world, the season of “Carnival” or “Mardi Gras” is celebrated before Lent.  A very appropriate way to bring closure to Carnival and Ordinary Time and transition into the penitential season of Lent is to literally bury the word “Alleluia.”  That word, usually sung before the reading of the Gospels at Mass, is not sung during Lent.  It will not be heard again until the Easter vigil when the Church celebrates the resurrection of Jesus, who is God’s “Alleluia” to the world.

So, on Mardi Gras, Ash Wednesday, or on the Thursday or Friday that follows, gather with your family and friends to transition into the Lenten season and bury the “Alleluia” using the following prayer service, or something similar.

Bury the Alleluia in Preparation for Lent  – A prayer service to help you and your family, prayer group, office, and/or parish prepare for Lent. You can do this any day during the week of Ash Wednesday.

Materials: Take a legal size sheet of paper and, using a marker, write in large print “Alleluia.”  Have other markers of different colors available.  You will also need a shovel.

Leader  Lent is upon us.  It is the time we remember when God’s “Alleluia,” Jesus, took away the sins of the world through his death on the cross.

All  Alleluia!  Alleluia!  Alleluia!

Leader  The word “Alleluia” is a Hebrew word which means “Praise the Lord.”  It is appropriate to call Jesus “God’s Alleluia” because his entire life was an act of praise and worship of God.

 R1   Jesus is the word of God who is fully human and fully God.

 All  Alleluia!  Alleluia!  Alleluia!

R2   Jesus was obedient to Mary and Joseph, and from them he learned to do his Father’s will.

 All   Alleluia!  Alleluia!  Alleluia!

R3    Jesus preached the Kingdom of God.  He invited women and men to repent and believe in the good news of God’s immense love breaking into human history.

All  Alleluia!  Alleluia!  Alleluia!

R4  Jesus gathered together a community of disciples, women and men, and taught them the Beatitudes.

All  Alleluia!  Alleluia!  Alleluia!

R5  Jesus sent his disciples to proclaim the Kingdom of God and to heal the sick.

All  Alleluia!  Alleluia!  Alleluia!

 R6   Jesus forgave the woman accused of adultery and told her to sin no more.

All  Alleluia!  Alleluia!  Alleluia!

R7   Jesus washed the feet of his disciples and consecrated bread and wine into his body and blood.

All  Alleluia!  Alleluia!  Alleluia!

 Leader For the 40 days of Lent the Church “buries the Alleluia” by refraining from singing this sacred word in our liturgy.  We do so to remember the Lord Jesus, God’s Alleluia, the Lamb of God, who took the sins of the world with him to the grave so as to rob them of their power to destroy life.

What are the sins of the world today that destroy life?  Write them on the sheet of paper bearing the word “Alleluia.” Don’t forget to include the suffering Ukranian people.

[After all have written something on the paper, the “Alleluia” is placed in a hole in the ground and buried.]

 All Gracious God and Father, your beloved Son Jesus suffered death to give us life.  Help us during this Lenten season to deny ourselves and serve others in imitation of Him who lives with you, and the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever.  Amen!

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By Robert Fontana

Lent.  What does it mean to you?  When you say to yourself, “Lent is here,” what comes to mind?  What pulls at your heart?

For me, it is exactly that, a pull at my heart to draw close to God, to confess my sins and failings, and to lean into God’s mercy, goodness, and love.  This Lent I want to learn from Jesus how to draw near to God.

 Where did Jesus go to pray?  To a synagogue or church?  Not when he wanted to be alone.  When he wanted to be alone with God, Jesus found a deserted place near a river, in a desert, on mountains, or in a garden.  In other words, Jesus turned to nature to help him draw near to God.

Matthew 14:23 After He had sent the crowds away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray; and when it was evening, He was there alone.

Nature fed Jesus’ life with God.  We know this is true from texts like one above, but also from his teachings:  Look at the birds in the sky; they do not sow or reap, they gather nothing into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them.  Are not you more important than they?  Can any of you by worrying add a single moment to your lifespan?  Why are you anxious about clothes?  Learn from the way the wildflowers grow.  They do not work or spin. But I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was clothed like one of them.  Matthew 6:26

Only a person immersed in the beauty of creation and touched by the divine hidden within nature could write such words.  St. Paul explains how this works:

Ever since the creation of the world, [God’s] invisible attributes of eternal power and divinity have been able to be  understood and perceived in what he has made. Romans 1:20

This Lent, make time to pray outdoors in a garden or a park, along a river, near a pond, or on a mountain trail.  Time spent in nature is very important to one’s spiritual and mental health.  Many therapists encourage their    clients to spend time out-of-doors as part of their     treatment plan.  It calms the central nervous system and    lowers the heart rate as participants learn to use nature to help them relax.  But there is a spiritual dividend as well.  There is something about being with non-human living species – trees, flowers, shrubs, ferns, grass – that are growing, greening, and flowering, with the music and chatter of birds, squirrels, and even insects, that calms the soul and draws one into the heart of God.  Nature is a sacrament, an outward sign, instituted by God that gives grace.  Being in nature fed Jesus’ spiritual life, and it can feed yours.

Lent is a good time to forgive those who have hurt you.

And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins. Mark 11:25

Lent is the appropriate time of the year to examine the resentments, bitterness, jealousies and grudges we carry against others.  Yes, we have every good reason to have these negative feelings towards others who have hurt us, abused us, undermined our good names, lied about us, etc.

But most people are confused about what forgiveness is and isn’t.  Forgiving another person does not mean     forgetting what he or she did nor allowing them to walk off scott free without being held accountable for his/her actions.  Nor does forgiving mean reconciling with the person(s) who hurt you and becoming buddy-buddy. (Restoring trust needs to happen for reconciliation to happen.) Forgiveness is not something I do for the person(s) who offended me. Rather, it’s something I do for me.  Forgiveness means that I release the poisons of  bitterness and resentment, etc. that keep me from my own interior freedom and bind me to the one I haven’t forgiven.  As long as I hang on to those negative feelings, to refuse to let go of my resentment, the person who hurt me still has a hold on me.  Forgiveness is my letting go of those negative feelings and entrusting that person to God.

A client was sexually abused as a child by one of her   parents.  She repressed this awful memory for years until mid-life when certain events happened, and the memory of that betrayal hit her with a paralyzing force.  There was no talking with the parent who had died.  What finally set her free from the darkness was forgiving her parent.  Forgiveness was her path to peace.

Use this Lent to work on forgiving the people towards whom you have feelings of betrayal, anger, resentment, bitterness, and regret.  “You” might be the main person on your forgiveness list.  Yes, work on forgiving yourself for the many ways you have not been the person that you wanted to be.

Lastly, do fast and give alms.  When we are hungry, we experience emptiness.  Fasting also creates space in our hearts for God and others.  It can inspire us to share our financial resources with agencies that do the corporal and spiritual works of mercy – feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, counseling the sorrowful, instructing the     ignorant, etc.  We become partners in this works of mercy.  This is what the book of Tobit (4:7-9) says about almsgiving:

Give alms from your possessions.  Do not turn your face away from any of the poor, and God’s face will not be turned away from you.  Give alms in proportion to what you own.  If you have great wealth, give alms out of your abundance; if you have but little, distribute even some of that.  But do not hesitate to give alms; you will be  storing up a goodly treasure for yourself in the day of adversity.  Tobit:4:7-9

So, this Lent, learn from Jesus and Tobit how to have a fruitful Lent: pray in nature, forgive those who have hurt you, and give alms generously.

By Lori Fontana

Do you know that every marriage has an unsolvable problem? It’s that I’m not my spouse, and my spouse is not me! I like Scrabble; he likes Risk. I like the crossword puzzle; he goes right to the sports page. He likes surfing through all the channels with the remote; I like to find one program and watch it through. A perfect Saturday morning for him is a 20-mile bike ride followed by college football on TV; I like staying in my PJ’s, reading a good book, and sipping a mug of tea. I go around turning off lights; he likes them all on. I like hazelnut; he can’t stand it!

These are not moral differences. We’re not tussling over huge philosophical or spiritual issues. But we have     preferences, and we bump into our differences daily. These differences are not good or bad; they’re just       different. We have to work at negotiating them and     accepting each other as we are. Our marriage covenant means we are committed to sticking with the give-and-take of a successful marriage. And it is precisely in      navigating our differences with good communication and patience and LOVE that each of us grows in wisdom and grace, and our marriage bond is strengthened.

It’s also true that we grow through conflict. When we’re in agreement, we can be on auto-pilot, just sailing along in our busy lives. But when we disagree, when we don’t see eye to eye – that’s when we have to grow in awareness, expand our hearts, and temper our tendencies toward selfishness. We can learn and mature; and our marriage grows stronger and more rewarding. A peace-filled marriage (and it will never be a perfect marriage) is the pearl of great price, well worth the price!

February 7^th – 14^th is National Marriage Week. With your spouse, decide on one thing to do together to help nurture and strengthen your marriage.

Please see the marriage exercise on the below. It will give you a chance for meaningful conversation with your spouse.

VALUES & SPIRITUALITY IN MARRIAGE                                                                   by Susan Vogt (author/speaker), used with permission

The following is an exercise to help you identify your most deeply held values and to check how closely they match up with your daily life. Sometimes we believe we believe something, but how we spend our time and money puts a lie to it. To have a happy marriage, couples need not share every interest, BUT it is crucial that they are in sync with their most deeply held values. If these values are generous, loving, and life-giving, a spiritual bonding will grow.

Directions: Each partner takes time to reflect on the following questions and writes his/her answers on paper. Read each other’s thoughts, then discuss. Since this is a heavy topic, you might not want to do this exercise all in one sitting, but rather take a question a day, a week, or a month.

1-What’s most important in life to you? (This question is open ended to let your mind roam over all the possibilities.)
A.

B.

C.

What kind of time and money do you put toward these priorities?

2-Covenant – Describe a time(s) when your marriage made demands on you that forced you to stand on your vows in order to survive. For example, when has one of you been called to give more than your fair share? (For example: unequal schooling, incomes, illness…)

3-Unconditional – Is there any way that one or both of you have changed since your wedding day that’s been hard to accept? Is there any change that would jeopardize your love? (for example: a change in appearance, personality, or mental health, infertility, loss of a job, infidelity…)

4-Fidelity/Permanence – Fidelity is more than just sexual; permanence is more than just not getting a divorce. What daily or frequent habits have you developed to nurture your relationship? (For example: eating together, a daily walk, checking in by phone or e-mail, praying together…) Has there ever been a crisis in your relationship when you have been tempted to give up on it? What helped you through it?

5- Fruitfulness – Has your love stretched you beyond yourselves? How? (For example: volunteer work, service projects, helping out in your neighborhood and community…)  For those who have a child(ren) – How has your child stretched you to go beyond yourselves?

6- Forgiveness – Do you generally find it easy or difficult to forgive your spouse or yourself for shortcomings and mistakes? What has been a hard thing for you to forgive so far in your marriage? What does forgiveness look like in your marriage? For example: Do you say, “Please forgive me.” and “I forgive you.”? Do you make amends? Do a favor? Hug? Give flowers? Make a bowl of popcorn?…

7-Prayer – How do you involve God in your marriage? What does prayer mean to you? If you pray with your spouse, what’s that experience like? If not, why not, and what would it take to begin praying together?

Identify what prayer form most appeals to you:

____ memorized prayers ____ reading inspirational books  ____ silent meditation

____ prayer services/rituals ____ guided meditation ____ rosary

____ scripture reading ____ inspiration from nature ____ I’m a crisis pray-er

____ other _____________________