Monthly Newspaper • DIOCESE OF BRIDGEPORT

BRIDGEPORT—Lorraine Gibbons grew up in a poor family with six kids who slept in one bedroom. Her mother Beulah didn’t have a high school diploma, and her father Owen was a tailor, who learned the trade from his uncle. Many nights, long after the children had gone to bed, he was still sewing at his shop in Jamaica to provide for his family.

“We were poor, really poor, and although we were poor, my mom always told us that education is the gateway out of poverty,” she said.

Her parents gave them encouragement and hope, and five of the children went to college and four of them earned master’s degrees. Today, Lorraine, who was recently named executive director for the Cardinal Shehan Center and the McGivney Community Center, has the same hopes for the young people she serves.

It’s a position for which she is personally and professionally qualified because, as she says, “I walked the walk and I can talk the talk because I have been there.”

For 13 years, she was director of development at the Shehan Center and in her new position, she plans to focus on creating more training programs for youth, corporate partnerships, tutoring opportunities and GED programs.

“I want our children at Shehan and McGivney to know that we care about them and that regardless of their situation, they can improve their lives,” she said. “These centers have served thousands of young people who might never otherwise have had an opportunity to succeed. As a woman who will lead both organizations, I want young girls to know they, too, can get to the top.”

That’s a lesson she has shared with her two daughters. Following her mother’s inspiration, Lorraine has always emphasized the importance of education in her home. Her daughter Ashley, who has a degree in economics from Smith College, works in accounting for Global Partners of Massachusetts. And Kelsey, who has an undergraduate degree in accounting and an MBA from Providence College, works in accounting for PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Lorraine succeeds Terry O’Connor, who is retiring December 31 after serving as executive director for 26 years at Shehan and six at McGivney.

“I love our mission of enriching lives through learning,” Lorraine says. “As a mom, I see the impact we have. We groom, teach and educate our children, and sometimes they just need to know there is a person who cares for them. I believe this work is my true calling.”

For 55 years, the Cardinal Shehan Center has served the recreational, educational and social needs of moderate and low-income families and young people of lower Fairfield County, particularly inner-city Bridgeport.

The Center’s mission of enriching lives through learning is accomplished by the after school and Saturday youth development program, summer day camp, various basketball leagues, sign-up programs, physical education classes for elementary schools, and alternative programs. The Center commits itself to offering a clean, safe environment where positive, growth-enhancing opportunities are offered regardless of race or religious affiliation, Lorraine says.

Over the years, she has been involved in program development at the Center, which serves more than 4,000 young people throughout the region. Her favorites include a two-year-old culinary program that teaches students how to cook. This year 27 young people participated in it. As part of their training, the students prepared meals for the homeless and a Bridgeport veterans’ organization. The Center also has its own herb and vegetable garden that they use.

She and O’Connor also created a leadership program for sixth- to eighth-grade students that teaches them resume writing, application preparation, workplace etiquette and skills that are necessary to get a job.

The McGivney Community Center, which began as a summer camp program in 1992 for 50 kids, now serves more than 400 youth annually; 100 are enrolled in the after-school program, which draws students from 20 elementary schools and offers homework assistance, enrichment and recreation.

The summer program serves 90 students, from K-to-8, providing athletic, academic and enrichment activities to stem the “summer learning loss” so that students can return to school well prepared in September. The McGivney Community Center’s mission is to provide programs that foster academic success and self-esteem in an environment that nurtures children’s intellectual, creative and physical growth.

Gibbons, a native of Jamaica, received a bachelor’s degree in biology from Rhode Island College and an MBA from the University of New Haven. She has held a variety of positions in the non-profit, public and private sectors. Before becoming Director of Development at the Shehan Center, she was Manager of Corporate Relations and Assistant Corporate Secretary for the Aquarian Water Company.

She previously was manager of shareholder relations for the Bridgeport Hydraulic Company and Senior Accountant. She has held positions as a financial analyst for Great Country Bank and First Constitution Bank and was assistant branch manager for Westinghouse Electric Supply Company. She has served on community boards for such organizations as Amistad Academy, Barnum Festival, Burroughs Community Fund, National Coalition of 100 Black Women, Mercy Learning Center, Bridgeport Public Education Fund and St. Vincent’s College.

Lorraine has seen countless success stories during her years at Shehan, and she tells the story of a girl named Myntoy, who first came to the Center when she was 7-years-old. Her mother, who was from Jamaica, would tell Lorraine about the challenges they were facing, and the little girl would often go to Lorraine’s office to do her homework. Eventually, they developed a close bond, and Lorraine mentored her through troubled times.

After Myntoy graduated from Bullard Havens Tech School, she got a job at Frontier Communications. She later signed up for the Air Force and has been decorated several times for her service.

“If we weren’t there to encourage her and support her,” Lorraine says, “her life could have taken an entirely different path.”

Today, there is a photo of Myntoy in her uniform on Lorraine’s desk with an inscription from her mother: “Thank you for believing in Myntoy. She has gained her wings. From a proud Air Force mom, Kamara.”

VATICAN CITY—Pope Francis left the Vatican Jan. 11 to visit a community of cloistered Poor Clare nuns in Umbria, the Vatican said.

The pope made the “private visit” to encourage the sisters and to share the Eucharist, prayer and a meal with them, said Alessandro Gisotti, interim director of the Vatican press office.

In some ways, Pope Francis was repaying a visit. Members of the Poor Clares of Santa Maria di Vallegloria in Spello, about 100 miles north of Rome, had visited Pope Francis in August 2016 at his Vatican residence, the Domus Sanctae Marthae.

During the 2016 meeting, the pope personally gave the Poor Clares—and symbolically all contemplative women religious—in his document “Vultum Dei Quaerere” (Seeking the Face of God), which updated rules governing contemplative communities of women.

The Spello monastery traces its roots back to 560 when it was founded by several followers of St. Benedict; the community was re-formed in 1230 by two disciples of St. Clare of Assisi.

After a major earthquake in 1997, which heavily damaged the Church of Santa Maria di Vallegloria and the monastery, the sisters maintained their cloister by living in the garden first in tents then in portable homes. The church and monastery were reopened in 2011.

By Cindy Wooden | Catholic News Service

STAMFORD—Bishop Frank J. Caggiano has announced a new governance model for Stamford’s Trinity Catholic High School, aligning its governance with that of the Catholic Academy of Stamford. The announcement was made on January 9 in front of an interested audience of nearly two hundred parents and families.

“The new governance model is a major step forward as we work to redesign our schools and plan for the future,” said Bishop Caggiano. “The model will help to promote investment and innovation, and contribute to the overall transformation of Catholic education in our diocese.”

During the meeting, presentations were made on the new Personalized Learning initiatives, which both schools are rolling out, as well as updates on the recently-completed renovations to the Trinity campus. Attendees toured the new facilities prior to the start of the meeting.

Trinity Catholic is only the second of five Catholic high schools in the Diocese to shift to a new governance model, which will eventually create a single educational institution for students beginning Pre-K 3 through grade 12. The Catholic Academy of Stamford has operated under this form of governance since its formation in 2017.

As part of the integration of the two institutions, The Catholic Academy’s upper school, covering grades 6-8, is scheduled to move-in to a newly renovated space in the Trinity building this fall 2019-20 school year. Those renovations will be completed by April.

The campus at Trinity Catholic has been in a series of renovations to its athletic fields and main building for two years. Phase three, which added new classrooms, administrative offices, a guidance wing and center for the school’s newly-formed Learning Center are complete and are being dedicated in a special ceremony on January 30.

Under the new governance model, the diocese will continue to sponsor both schools and provide global vision. A nine-person local board of directors will provide oversight and decision-making authority, to both institutions, on a day-to-day basis.

The bishop said that although the majority of new directors currently serve on The Catholic Academy of Stamford’s board of directors, the change in governance represents a major change relative to the authority of the Board over both Trinity and the Catholic Academy.

“Given the strong business and Catholic school background of the individual directors, we have only the highest expectations for Trinity Catholic High School and the Catholic Academy of Stamford’s future,” the bishop said.

The board of directors will assume their new level of responsibility for both institutions on July 1, 2019.

The new directors of the board are:

Dr. Steven F. Cheeseman—Superintendent of Schools for the Diocese of Bridgeport (ex-officio)

Roger Fox—Chairperson
Roger is a Senior Vice-president at Merrill Lynch. He graduated from Fairfield University and lives in Stamford with his three children, all graduates of Trinity Catholic High School, and five grandchildren- four of which attend The Catholic Academy of Stamford.

Harold Spitzfaden—Vice-Chairperson
Harold is a corporate tax executive and CPA. He serves as an advisor to RSR partners. Prior to this, Harold was VP of Novartis Corp. Harold graduated from Seaton Hall with an MBA from Rutgers. Harold and his wife live in New Canaan.

Carol Tusch—Finance Chair
Carol is the Director of Trust Investments for International Paper. Carol and her husband Paul live in Stamford. They have three children all of whom attended Trinity Catholic.

Matt Murphy—Finance Chair
Matt is a Senior VP at People’s Bank. Matt graduated from Fordham University where he also earned his MBA. He and his wife Amy live in Stamford with their two daughters.

Dr. Darcy Ronan—Academic Chair
After several leadership positions in curriculum development in public schools, Darcy has become a professor in the Teacher Education Department at Sacred Heart University. Darcy graduated from Boston College and has a PHD in Science Education from Columbia University. Darcy lives in Fairfield with her husband Steve and three children.

Bruce Moore Jr.—Facilities Chair An alumnus of Trinity Catholic, in 2018, Bruce was named President of Eastern Land Management, here in Stamford. Bruce lives in Stamford with his wife Lauren and their three children.

Frank Brown—Board Affairs/Nominations Chair
Frank is an attorney here in Stamford. He graduated from St. Cecilia Grammar School, St. Basil’s Prep and the University of Notre Dame. Frank earned his legal degree from Boston University and an MBA from UConn. Frank lives in Stamford with his wife Janet and three children.

Anthony Fernandez—Marketing/Enrollment Chair
Tony is currently an independent advisor having started his own firm AFF Advisors. Prior to that Tony held several major executive positions with Pepsi, Cadbury and Kraft Foods. Tony graduated from Lafayette College where he currently serves on the Board of Trustees. Tony and his wife Sue live in Ridgefield with their three daughters.

Nancy Grimm—Cardinal Kung Academy Representative
Nancy has a background in classics having graduated from The Great Books program at St. Thomas Aquinas College in California. Nancy will serve on the board as a representative of Cardinal Kung Academy, a classical education division of Trinity Catholic High School. Nancy and her husband have six children.

Patricia E. “Pat” Brady—Head of School/Chief Education Officer (ex-officio)
Pat, a thirty-year veteran educator, is the Head of School for both Trinity Catholic High School and Catholic Academy. She lives in Stamford.

Scott Smith—Principal/Student Life- Trinity Catholic High School (ex-officio)
Scott is the Principal of Trinity Catholic High School. He lives in Prospect, Connecticut with his wife and children.

Natalia Cruz—Principal/Student Life- the Catholic Academy of Stamford (ex-officio)
Natalia is Principal of both the Upper and Lower Schools of The Catholic Academy of Stamford. She lives in the Bronx, New York with her husband and three children, the youngest of which attends the Catholic Academy of Stamford.

WASHINGTON—Join thousands of Catholics nationwide in prayer for the respect of human life!

9 Days for Life is a multi-faceted novena for the respect and protection of every human life. Each day, a different intention is accompanied by a short reflection, suggested actions, and related information.

Text 9DAYS to 55000 for text messages with prayer intentions for life and access to reflections, suggested actions, and more!

Visit the USCCB website to sign up to receive emails with prayer intentions for life, reflections, actions and more! 

The National Prayer Vigil for Life will be held from Thursday afternoon,  January 17 to Friday morning, January 18, at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. Over 20,000 pilgrims from around the nation will gather at the Shrine to pray for an end to abortion before the annual March for Life, taking place the following day. The Vigil marks the 46th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s 1973 Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton decisions legalizing abortion throughout the nine months of pregnancy. Since those decisions, over 60 million abortions have been performed legally in the United States.

The principal celebrant and homilist at the Vigil Opening Mass will be Archbishop Joseph Naumann of Kansas City, KS, chairman of the U.S. bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities. Many of the nation’s bishops and priests will concelebrate with him in the Basilica’s Great Upper Church from 5:30-7:30 p.m. The Vigil continues in the Crypt Church with confessions, a National Rosary for Life, Byzantine Rite Night Prayer, and Holy Hours led by seminarians throughout the night and into the next morning. Morning Prayer on Friday, January 18, begins at 6:00 am in the Crypt Church, followed by Benediction at 6:30 a.m. The Vigil’s Closing Mass will take place at 7:30 am in the Great Upper Church, with Bishop Barry Knestout of Richmond as principal celebrant and homilist.

“Again, this year, the Vatican has granted that a plenary indulgence may be obtained under the usual conditions by participating in the National Prayer Vigil for Life, as well as the other sacred celebrations surrounding the March for Life,” said Kat Talalas, assistant director for pro-life communications at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). “This is a special opportunity for grace offered to pilgrims for their witness, prayer, and sacrifice.”

For those seeking Sacramental Reconciliation while on site, confessions will be heard in Our Lady of Hostyn Chapel of the Crypt Church over the course of nine hours before and after the Opening Mass. See www.usccb.org/about/pro-life-activities/january-roe-events/national-prayer-vigil-for-life-schedule.cfm for additional details.

“We also invite all the faithful nationwide to join in prayer for 9 Days for Life, from January 14-22,” Talalas continued. “Over 100,000 people have already signed up to pray this novena for the respect of human life. Even if you cannot attend the Prayer Vigil or the March, you can always remain united in the cause of life through prayer.”

The National Prayer Vigil for Life is co-sponsored by the Secretariat of Pro-Life Activities of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, and The Catholic University of America.

For more details on the overnight National Prayer Vigil for Life and some of the other pro-life events in the Washington, DC area, visit www.usccb.org/about/pro-life-activities/january-roe-events. To join—and help spread the word about—9 Days for Life, visit www.9daysforlife.com.

Msgr. John Sanders died January 6, 2019 (Feast of the Epiphany).

John Sanders was always known as the priest who played with the Duke Ellington Band. His relationship with Duke Ellington went much deeper than that.

Here are some words Duke Ellington wrote about John Sanders: “John Sanders was always, as a musician, as a man, as an ambassador, a major credit to our band, right from the beginning when he joined it in 1954. A valve trombonist, he played solos that were the nearest we ever had to Tizol’s originals. He was a brilliant musician and an irreplaceable aide when we were orchestraiting en masse with a devastating deadline at our heels. In addition, he was a gentleman in every sense of the word—in manners, ethics, and appearance. I love John Sanders and think that just about everyone else who knows him loves him for the great human being that he is. He is from a beautiful, gentle, educated family. His total intent is absolute, unadulterated good, and I tried but could not find a better or more fitting word that that—good.

Here are some words John Sanders wrote about Duke Ellington: “While Duke is one of the great creative people of our times, he is above also a very fine human being. You could tell by the way he treated the men in the band and his audiences that he lived the Gospel message. He never once was above anyone— everyone mattered to him, from celebrities to the average person who would ask for one more number beyond the time to quit. No one-night-stand ever was unimportant to Duke.”

After he left the band, Elkington and John remained in contact with frequent phone calls. John would play an occasional show or recording session with Duke.

John Sanders began his musical career in high school in Harlem, New York. After some time in the Navy, he studied at Julliard on the GI bill. He later played with Lucky Thomson’s orchestra, and occasionally with Mercer Ellington, Duke’s son. It was the younger Ellington who put John in touch with the Duke.

John Sanders once said about himself: “More than anyone, I thank God for allowing me to live such as blessed life: growing up with my wonderful family in New York, my Navy experience, Julliard, playing with Duke, and the priesthood.”

I am among the few people who actually saw John play in the Duke Ellington band. John occupied the middle chair in Ellington’s 3-man trombone section. It may be hard for many people to imagine this quiet, humble, bit shy man playing songs with names like “I Got it Bad and That Ain’t Good,” or “Don’t Mean a Thing if You Ani’t Got that Swing,” and other Ellington classics.

John Sanders and I were friends for more than 60 years. The Catholic spiritual writer, Garrigou-Lagrange, said that continuance of friendship for twenty years or more is a sign that the friendship had a divine origin. I believe that. John was the sweet friend of my youth who aged along with me. We passed down the same corridors of time together. He was the companion of my pilgrimage, a journey that would have been much bleaker without him. My friendship with John has been one of the enduring influences of my life; one of the most unfailingly helpful and delightful relationships of my life.

He was a loyal friend to me in joy and in sorrow. He never let me down. I was always cheered and comforted by his presence. Being with him was restorative. He was always a tower of strength and a place of refuge, the comprehending companion whom I count with some of the happiest hours of my life. I came to hold his wisdom in respect, and loved how he could dispense the joy of life; he could be a very funny man. He was probably the most guileless person I have ever known.

John could look with pride back over the years of his priesthood. So many people can recall how this gentle priest touched their lives, was their faithful priest and loyal friend. There’s a saying that goes: “Some people touch our lives and quickly go. Some leave footprints on our hearts, and we are never ever the same.” Like Duke Ellington said, John radiated goodness. I know no one else who did so as simply and unselfconsciously as he did. He was incapable of bearing a grudge. He seemed to keep getting gentler as he grew older.

The Book of Wisdom (7:27) states that “in every generation Wisdom passes into holy souls and makes them friends of God.” John Sanders was one of those friends. His whole life was a sermon.

As Duke Ellington pointed out, John came from “a beautiful, gentle, educated family.” I first met John in the 1960s in South Jamaica, Queens. Soon after I met his family. There was his incomparable mother. “Incomparable” is a feeble word for what that lady was. Every inch of her was charged with an energy; she was quick to laughter. There was a joy that came from the depths of her soul. She was filled with generous kindness

His father was an obliging, rare and wonderful man, a sweet, gentle friendly man.

And there were the five sisters, only two of them still with us. All of them were so generous and sweet-tempered, dispensing the joy of life; all of them so very tender in their humanity, women of uncommon perception, intuitive and kind. I never knew anyone who resembled sunshine more than those girls.

John lived to be 94. In his last years John fought the long fight, always filled with the steady virtues of loyalty and kindness.

I count it one of the great graces of my life that I befriended this man; there is gratitude for all that he brought into my life. And now he’s gone. I think of some words the poet Wordsworth wrote after he stopped to listen to a young reaper singing at work in a field. Wordsworth noted:
The music in my heart I bore,
Long after it was heard no more.

WASHINGTON—On Friday, January 18, 2019, many will gather at our nation’s capital to commemorate the 46^th anniversary of the passing of Roe vs. Wade. Thousands from across the country will march, peacefully and in unity, to the steps of Capital to raise awareness of the many lives lost to abortion. To date, almost 60 million lives have been taken since the landmark decision was handed down by the Supreme Court.  

The March for Life in Washington, D.C., began as a small demonstration in 1974 and rapidly grew to be the largest pro-life event in the world. The peaceful demonstration that has followed on this somber anniversary every year since 1973 is a witness to the truth concerning the greatest human rights violation of our time, legalized abortion on demand.

Consider joining us on our diocesan bus. We will leave from St. Augustine’s in Bridgeport making stops at St. Thomas in Norwalk and The Basilica of St. John the Evangelist in Stamford. 

(For more information and to register go to our website at https://ee.bridgeportdiocese.org/categoryevents/march-for-life-bus-pilgrimage/ or contact Maureen Ciardiello, Coordinator of Respect Life at 203.416.1445 or mciardiello@diobpt.org.)

STAMFORD—Gov.-elect Ned Lamont traveled across Connecticut Sunday to bring attention to nonprofits that help those in need.

Lamont’s first stop was at the New Covenant Center in Stamford. Lamont and Lt. Gov.-Elect Susan Bysiewicz kicked off their morning learning about the center’s mission, services and needs.

Then they got their hands dirty, suiting up with aprons and hair nets to help volunteers prepare Sunday lunch.

They learned more about how the New Covenant Center is able to serve over 600,000 meals each year and how elected officials can help further their reach

By shining a light on local nonprofits, Lamont and Bysiewicz hope to encourage people to join the effort by donating their time, money, or food

Lamont and Bysiewicz also visited Homes for the Brave in Bridgeport and the Beth-El Center in Milford.

Lamont will be sworn in on January 9.

Original story   I   News 12 Connecticut

BRIDGEPORT—The Diocese of Bridgeport has announced the launch of the $75 million “We Stand With Christ” campaign to continue the work of renewal and strengthen the Church for future generations.

The announcement comes after the successful silent phase of the campaign which has raised almost $50 million from Leadership Gifts and ten parishes that have participated in the pilot program, making it already the largest and most successful campaign in the 64-year history of the diocese.

The “We Stand With Christ” capital campaign is being led by Bishop Caggiano and a 26-member Campaign Executive committee with the support of priests, deacons, religious and lay leaders. Brian Young of New Canaan and Fr. Reggie Norman , pastor of Our Lady of Fatima Parish in Wilton, are serving as co-chairs.

With the public launch of the campaign, parishioners throughout the diocese are now being asked to make a pledge that will benefit the long-term needs of the parishes and essential diocesan ministries.

“I am asking people of faith the to join with me in this generational challenge of taking a great leap forward in the evangelical and spiritual renewal of the diocese,” said Bishop Frank J. Caggiano in the “We Stand With Christ” video which is now available throughout the diocese.

“We have accomplished much in the past five years, but there is much more to do. These are challenging times in the Church and our larger society. Now is the time to accompany each other and all those in need in our spiritual journey and to plan for the future.”

The Bishop said he is deeply grateful for the generous and enthusiastic response to the silent campaign and looking forward to the public phase, which will begin in January when the parishes that did not participate in the pilot program will formally launch their fund raising efforts.

“This is a large and historic challenge that will ask sacrificial giving, but it is a singular moment in moment and opportunity to roll up our sleeves and rebuild the Church one person at a time,” said the Bishop.

The aggregate goal for the remaining 69 parishes is an additional $58 million, which will ensure the “We Stand With Christ” reaches goal and enable the bishop to address special projects such as the recent personalized learning initiatives inaugurated in its schools.

Parishioners are being asked to make a pledge between January and June of 2019 with up to five-year redemption and payment schedules.

This year’s Annual Catholic Appeal (ACA) will be folded into the capital campaign for the participating parishes. Parishioners who participated in the pilot phase and have already given to the capital campaign will resume their contributions to the ACA.

The ACA sustains the ministries of the diocese on a yearly basis while the capital campaign seeks to transform the ministries in the future by giving parishes and diocesan programs the ability to innovate and invest in a new generation of faith formation, charitable and education initiatives.

The campaign initiative stems from the 4th Diocesan Synod and the subsequent pastoral planning process undertaken by the Diocese and its 82 parishes and one shrine.

In 2017, a period of discernment and consultation began among the pastors and laity which confirmed the urgent need to address critical education, charitable and pastoral and parish priorities.

With its objective of strengthening local parishes to encourage a vibrant Catholic life, the campaign will designate 50% of the funds raised, an estimated $37.5 million, for parish needs.

The remaining 50% will be invested in three major foundations: Foundations in Education
( $12.5 million), Foundations in Faith ($15 million), and Foundations in Charity ($10 million). Each of the Foundations has its own Board of Directors.

“We Stand With Christ” has been set up as a separate 501 C3 not for profit corporation, which will be overseen by a Board of Directors charged with ensuring the donations are used for the intended purpose of the donor.

The endowments established through the campaign will continue to grow through reinvestment and the addition of new gifts. The interest income generated by the endowment will provide a steady source of revenue for these Foundations. An Annual report will be pushed for the parishes and benefactors detailing the use of the funds raised.

Statistics show 435,000 registered Catholics who are part of 108,000 families, representing about 45% of the total population of Fairfield County. The diocese also numbers, 343 priests and deacons, and is the largest private educator in Fairfield County with 9000 student in 26 schools. More than 35,000 young people participate in its faith formation programs.

The campaign is being coordinated by CCS, a New York City based fundraising consultancy with decades of experience in faith-based campaigns.

For more information on the We Stand With Christ” campaign for the diocese, call (203) 648-9050. Visit the web at www.WeStandWithChrist.org

Give online at https://www.givecentral.org/wswc/

Statement from the Most Reverend Frank J. Caggiano

As many of you know, on Friday morning, police officers on patrol discovered a swastika painted on the doors of the Cathedral of St. Augustine in Bridgeport. Though the police have yet to identify the perpetrator of this crime, I am appalled and outraged by this act of vandalism against the Mother Church of our Diocese and this brazen and disgusting display of anti-Semitism which is morally abhorrent and an affront to our Catholic faith. It is deeply distressing to see such a display of hatred at a time when we need to strengthen our efforts to come together as a community in mutual respect and support. My thoughts and prayers are with our Jewish brothers and sisters in the city of Bridgeport and beyond. We stand with you and condemn every form of anti-Semitism, racism, and bigotry wherever it may be found.

As I am on retreat with the other bishops of the United States in Mundelein, this incident only came to my attention this afternoon. I am deeply disturbed and outraged that someone would violate the sanctity of our Church. To use a clearly anti-Semitic symbol is participating in unspeakable evil. I know I speak for everyone at the Cathedral Parish and the Diocese as we condemn the act, we condemn what it signifies, and we hope the perpetrator will be found.

CHICAGO—To show support for the U.S. bishops as they gathered at the Mundelein Seminary at the University of St. Mary of the Lake near Chicago for a weeklong retreat in early January, members of lay ecclesial movements met at St. Mother Theodore Guerin Parish in Elmwood Park Jan. 3 to pray.

More than 70 people attended Mass and adoration at the parish as part of a larger effort of the 21 lay movements active within the Archdiocese of Chicago to support the bishops. Each group is taking a day to have its members pray during the bishops Jan. 2-8 retreat.

“We want to show them that we support them, that they are not alone in this,” said Renata Kaczor, co-chair of the archdiocesan committee for lay movements and a member of Domowy Kosciol (“Domestic Church”), dedicated to the sanctity of marriage. “We also want to ask God to help them, help us and everybody in the very difficult situation the church is going through now.”

Many lay ecclesial movements and associations have arisen within the Catholic Church, mostly in the 20th century. Movements active in the archdiocese include Focolare, Charismatic Renewal, Legion of Mary and Regnum Christi.

Talking about the bishops, Michael Sublewski, co-chair of the archdiocesan committee for lay movements and a member of Neocatechumenal Way, said: “I’m sure they feel very isolated and persecuted. We want them to know that we support them, and prayer is the best way to do that.”

“There’s nothing more diabolical” than the abuse of children by priests, said Lauretta Froelich of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal, “and yet Jesus told us that not even the gates of hell are going to prevail against his church.”

By praying for and supporting the church’s leaders, the lay movements are fulfilling their mission, Sublewski told the Chicago Catholic, newspaper of the Archdiocese of Chicago.

“The movements are a help to the church,” he said. “Especially in this time where there’s a scarcity of priests, we’re here to help, to nourish, to look for the far away, the people who have left the church, the people who have no religion at all, the people who don’t have an answer to their life and who are struggling.”

Froelich said that what the lay movements are doing is akin to what Capuchin Father Raniero Cantalamessa, the preacher of the papal household leading the bishops’ retreat, did after Pope John Paul II was elected. He stood in St. Peter’s Square beneath the windows of the papal apartment and cried out “Courage, John Paul! Courage!”

“I really think that’s what the lay movements are doing now, tonight and every day in the life of the church. We’re the ones who go out to the world and so we’re crying out to the priests and the bishops, ‘Courage!'” she said.

By Joyce Duriga | Catholic News Service

During yesterday’s talks, Father Cantalamessa introduced the overall theme for the (United States Conference of Catholic Bishops) bishops’ retreat. It is a theme that can easily apply to anyone who wishes to follow the Lord as His disciple.

Father Raniero began his remarks by noting that Jesus spent a good deal of his ministry preparing his disciples to undertake their apostolic, missionary work. By his estimation, approximately 40% of the Gospel is devoted to this “formation work.” At the heart of what Jesus offered his apostles was a choice: to leave behind a way of thinking that the world wants us to embrace and to begin to see all things in life as God sees them. In other words, Jesus desired to give his apostles a new “mindset”, one that sees the world in a radically new way, in terms of what God desires for creation, humanity and his disciples.

This choice was illustrated beautifully by the Lord Jesus at the moment after Peter’s profession of faith, when Peter rebuked the Lord’s prediction of His suffering and death. The Lord chastised Peter because he was thinking as the world thinks, not as God thinks. To lack such a divine perspective is to live life spiritually blind- leading to personal chaos and sin.

Father Raniero asked us to look within ourselves and to see what “personal chaos” exists within our lives and hearts. It is chaos that is marked by sin, blindness, acceptance of the ways of the world and a stubbornness of heart. Such personal chaos exists when we lose sight of God’s way of thinking. As such, Father Raniero suggested that rediscovering this “divine way of thinking and living” is the starting point for true personal and ecclesial conversion.

As we begin this new year, perhaps we can all benefit from looking for those areas in our lives that are in chaos, precisely because we are looking at life as the world does. For just as in the Book of Genesis, the Holy Spirit hovered over the great abyss (chaos) and called it into order (cosmos), so too the Holy Spirit is ready to enter into your personal chaos and mine and bring it to order and new life.

The previous reflection originally appeared on Bishop Frank Caggiano’s Facebook page. Follow the Bishop for daily reflections and weekly videos!