Blessings for World Youth Day delegates

Got a group of people traveling to Australia for this year's WYD? Send them off with a blessing. The Book of Blessings, chapter 8, has two orders for blessing pilgrims. And here's a blessing for travelers adapted from the blessing of pilgrims that you can also use.

Strong Identity, Less Commitment

A team of sociologists has prepared American Catholics Today: New Realities of Their Faith and Their Church, due to be published in late March by Rowman and Littlefield. The book analyzes results from Gallup surveys conducted between 1987 and 2005.

One set of findings concerns the faith and practice of the "millennial generation," that is, Catholics born after 1979. At a Woodstock Forum, held on February 6 on the campus of Georgetown University, two of the researchers described the differences between the members of the millennial generation and older generations of Catholics. According to James A. Davidson of Purdue University and Dean A. Hoge of the Catholic University of America, the current group of young adult Catholics in their twenties feel a "disconnect" between themselves and the institutional Church. And when they get older, according to Davidson, they are not likely to become more deeply involved in Church life, as Catholics did in previous generations: "They are going to be the Catholics they are now." This disconnect may be made worse, according to Hoge, by the fact that young diocesan priests who are and will be serving this generation are moving in the opposite direction, becoming stricter about Church teaching and more focused on a "cultic" rather than a "servant-leader" model of priesthood.

Despite this feeling of being dicsconnected, young adult Catholics have a strong sense of Catholic identity, according to the survey results. Davidson explained: "Belonging is not a problem; they feel comfortable calling the Church home...It's believing that's the problem." He said that young adult Catholics see Church leadership as having "no credibility, no plausibility, no authority...They practice their faith by caring for other people."

- from NPM Notebook, March 2007

Resources for helping youth and young adults through the Virginia Tech tragedy

The following was developed by Scott Miller in the Archdiocese of Baltimore. Thanks to Patrick Mooney of the Diocese of Monterey for passing this on.

For those of us who serve and love young people, today’s tragedy at Virginia Tech is most discouraging. The loss of 33 lives and the injury of many more are added to the horror of the Pennsylvania Amish in Nickel Mines and Columbine.

Here is a compilation of web-based resources for you to consider using in the upcoming days:

• NFCYM: www.nfcym.org/resources/pastoralresponse/ViolencetoYouth.htm



• Saint Mary’s Press: www.smp.org/SchoolViolence.cfm



• Youth Specialties: www.youthspecialties.com/free/web_violence.php



• Gospel.com: http://www.gospelcom.net/buzz/?p=391

Talking with Young People:

• American Psychological Association - Talking to your children about the recent spate of school shootings: www.apa.org/topics/schoolshooting.html



• Children and Parents: Talking with Kids about Violence: http://healthresources.caremark.com/article/plainprimer/100234508



• Tragic Times, Healing Words: www.sesameworkshop.org/parents/advice/article.php?contentId=49560



• Talking with Kids about News: www.talkingwithkids.org/television/twk-news.html



• Can School Shootings be prevented? www.kidspeace.org/pdf/SchoolShooting_Langman.pdf



• Ten tips regarding talking to your Child about School shootings: www.kidspeace.org/SchoolShootingPreventionTips.htm#ten

Liturgical Resources:

• Oregon Catholic Press (OCP), ecumenical prayer service for remembrance and healing: http://www.ocp.org/en/resources/virginia_tech.php

Bishop Patrick J. McGrath's End of the Jubilee Year Homily

On Saturday, March 17, 2007, Bishop Patrick J. McGrath called the Diocese of San Jose together to conclude it's 25th anniversary Jubilee Year. (Click here for more information on the events that took place during the Jubilee Year.) Below is the text of the homily he gave at the concluding Mass.

Click here to watch a 17 minute video of the homily (Windows media player)

Homily for the Conclusion
of the Diocese of San Jose Jubilee Year
Saturday, March 17, 2007
Cathedral Basilica of Saint Joseph

2 Samuel 7:4-5a, 12-14a, 16
Psalm 89:2-3, 4-5, 27 and 29
Romans 4:13, 16-18, 22
Matthew 1:16, 18-21, 24a

The architect, Frank Lloyd Wright, was known to say, “First we form buildings; then they form us.”

Like the quiet but powerful presence of Joseph in the Gospels, this building named after him, this house for the Church of San José, has been quietly yet profoundly forming us throughout the years.

Look around at the walls, up near the ceiling. Written in Latin around this building are three Scripture passages about Saint Joseph. This building is teaching us something very powerful about our faith.

On the north wall (sacristy side, starting over the choir loft) is an inscription from the Gospel reading that was just proclaimed: “The angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream: ‘Do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home.’ When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took his wife into his home.” (Mt 1: 20, 24)

This passage shows us Joseph’s gift of recognizing God speaking to him through his dreams. In our culture, dreams and visions are often dismissed as New Age spirituality or youthful but impractical idealism. Yet our Scriptures and this building are teaching us otherwise.

Now, there are two significant Josephs in Scripture, one from the Old Testament and the other from the New Testament, both relied on dreams which they interpreted as messages from God. Their dreams helped them point a new way for themselves or their family or for the leaders and the people of their land.

The Old Testament Joseph, the son of Jacob later named Israel, interpreted the dreams of Pharaoh’s household and came to be known as the master of dreams. His dreams and his ability to see God’s message in them not only saved his family but also the people of Egypt from starvation during a time of famine.

The New Testament Joseph, son of Jacob, descendent of David, and husband of Mary, also heard God in his dreams. Joseph’s dreams gave him courage in times of doubt. The message he receives in today’s Gospel is “Do not be afraid.” That is, do not be afraid to take a risk. Do not be afraid to embrace what you do not understand. Do not be afraid to invite into your home those whom society rejects—by law, Mary should have been stoned for being pregnant before living with her husband. But Joseph’s dream tells him to have the courage to show mercy and to do God’s justice.

Behind me, the text on the east wall (over the Blessed Sacrament chapel) comes from a later passage in Matthew’s Gospel: “’Herod is going to search for the child to destroy him.’ Joseph rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed for Egypt.” (Mt 2: 13-14)

In this inscription, we see Joseph not only as a person of dreams but also one who takes action and leads his family to safety. Here again, he has just received a message from God in a dream: “Take the child and his mother and go to Egypt.” Joseph, being a responsible husband, probably already had plans for his home and where his son would grow up. Egypt was likely not part of those plans. For Egypt was where the Old Testament Joseph was sold into servitude and jailed. More importantly, it was where the people of Israel lived in slavery until their exodus led by Moses. In other words, Joseph was being told not only to change his plans but to go where his ancestors had suffered. Yet without hesitation, in the middle of the night, Joseph follows the message of this urgent dream.

What we learn here from Joseph and from this building is that following your dreams may change your plans. It could wreck your day!! It may lead you where you never imagined, into places where you would rather not go. But like the first Joseph, Pharaoh’s interpreter of dreams, and like the second Joseph, protector of his family, we see that following your dreams also leads to freedom. Dreams remain only dreams unless someone acts and takes the lead.

Finally, on the south wall (choir side, starting over Our Lady of Guadalupe) we read from Luke’s Gospel: “Jesus’ mother said to him, ‘Your father and I have been looking for you with great anxiety.’ Jesus went with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them. And Jesus was the son of Joseph.” (Lk 2:48-51, 3:23)

In this third inscription, we see Joseph in a more ordinary light. Jesus is missing, and his parents are anxious. Joseph, like many fathers, lets the child’s mother do the scolding. But he calls the child to obedience, teaching him by his own daily example of obedience to God’s word. Ordinary Joseph raises an extraordinary son just by doing all the ordinary things that parents do with their children—teaching them to follow their dreams, showing them how to listen for God’s hidden voice, getting lost and being found, living each day with joy.

What Joseph and this building are teaching is that dreams and visions are important. Dreams give us hope and courage; visions give us direction.

The first point in our diocese’s vision statement found in the pastoral plan is this: “Let us be a Church unafraid to dream.”

And so, what then is this diocese’s dream for the future? What kind of future do we want to embrace?

Throughout this Jubilee Year, I have visited every one of our 52 parishes and missions and our schools. I have seen the overwhelming hunger for justice that many in our faith communities have demonstrated. I have seen countless persons stepping forward to lead their communities in various ministries and works. And I have witnessed the untiring commitment of parents, grandparents, teachers, and mentors for our youth and young adults.

One year ago this weekend, we gathered in this church and looked back at the first twenty-five years of our history as a diocese. But if we are to be a church unafraid to dream, we must now look forward. And in particular, we must look to those who are the holders of our dreams today—our youth and our young adults.

You who are our young church today, I ask you to listen to your dreams, especially your dreams for this Church of San José, for God is speaking to you now. You are our prophets calling the church to truth, accountability, and courage in a culture of violence (From Age to Age: The Challenge of Worship with Adolescents). You are our leaders today and our leaders tomorrow showing us the way to freedom. Some of you are already parents yourselves, teaching your children the faith, just like Joseph. All of you are companions for/to your contemporaries, helping them listen to God’s voice, encouraging them to not be afraid, and strengthening them with your own example.

Continue then to be our dreamers and visionaries. Help us not be afraid to leave our plans behind and go a different way. Show us how to see God in the ordinary events of each day. This church and the next twenty-five years of its history, its dreams and visions, are rightfully yours. I pray that you will continue to help us make the dream of this, your church, a reality.

In return I pledge to do the same: I pledge to be unafraid to dream with you.

• I dream with you of a church that welcomes all persons: the young and the old, the gay and the straight, the native and the immigrant, the sinner and the saint, the poor and the despised.



• I dream with you of a church that embraces the crying infant and the autistic child, the disabled and the mentally challenged, the elderly and the unborn; a church that honors single persons and those seeking meaningful relationships; a church that acknowledges the presence of God in those who are married, divorced, or remarried, those who have left their vocation and those struggling to remain faithful; a church that claims its faults, asks forgiveness, and rights relationships it has wronged.



• I dream with you that poverty in Santa Clara County, through the work of Catholic Charities and their supporters, will be cut in half by the year 2020.



• I dream with you that homelessness will be eradicated by providing high-quality, affordable housing.



• I dream with you that no elderly persons will spend their days alone and neglected.



• I dream with you that every child, regardless of language, income, or status, will learn not only how to read but how to succeed and thrive in this community.



• I dream with you of a church in which the wisdom of both women and men, whether lay persons or ordained, whether young in age or young in heart, are called forth, honored, and reverenced; a church that is irresistible because of the joy, laughter, and love its members share.



• I dream with you of a church, a people, that judges the authenticity of its worship by the concern it shows for the poor; a church that preaches not abstract theology, but uses the homily to interpret the lives of the assembly through the Word of God proclaimed in its midst; a people that shows compassion in other’s misfortune and courage in their own; church that knows its priorities—persons over things, truth over expediency, love over all else.

Every time we gather in this church, around this altar, we are formed by the dreams held by these walls, painted on wood and plaster and written on the hearts of all who have worshipped here. With every Eucharistic prayer spoken and nourished by the body and blood of the Lord from this table, we dare to dream together of a world united as the one Body of Christ. We dare to become the church God dreams us to be.

This morning, we gather in the shadow of our jubilee cross, which has traveled this year to every parish and mission of this Diocese. Christ leads us always, and it is more than symbolism that on this cross, the 52 parish and mission tiles are so closely bound to Christ, the crucified and risen Lord. May this cross remind us always of our bond to one another and to him.

So let us give praise for what has been and for what dreams may come in these next twenty-five years, and together may we act boldly and with courage for the Gospel and follow in the footsteps of Joseph our patron, interpreter, master, and lover of dreams.

Archbishop Niederauer, politics, beer, and the internet

Hats off to Archbishop George Niederauer of the Archdiocese of San Francisco for:

• doing Theology on Tap,
• speaking wisely about politics and religion,
• engaging honestly with young adults,
• and letting these young adults use the Internet to show the face of Christ.

"Democrat vs. Republican: Is religion politically incorrect?" was the topic presented recently by the Archbishop of San Francisco in a local bar. The event was packed by young adults. Below is the story in the words of those who presented and attended as shot and edited by an attendee. Some issues raised were: Can Catholics find a home in any poltical party? Does religion belong in politics? What is the vanishing center and where has it gone? "Theology on Tap" is a series of lectures and discussions presented by the Catholic Archdiocese of San Francisco Young Adult Ministry and Campus Ministry directed at young adults.

Bless U. - Caring for Students' Souls--and Dorm Rooms

There's an old joke that would be funny if it weren't often true: How do Catholics evangelize? They sit by the phone and wait for it to ring.

I worked in campus ministry in two different colleges for over ten years. It was a great proving ground for any minister, because if you do not actively put yourself out where the students are, you may as well just sit by the phone and wait. So I loved the article below from the Washington Post on one of Catholic University's campus ministers.

We can take a tip from campus ministers like Father Bob and go where the people are, especially our youth and young adults, and pay attention to the things that are important for them. Whether it's school dorms, hallway lockers, coffee shops, or office cubicles, we can help people find God not just on Sunday but every day of their lives.

Bless U.
Caring for Students' Souls--and Dorm Rooms
by Susan Kinzie
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, October 1, 2006

Every September, Father Bob Schlageter makes the rounds, teasing, badgering, laughing and blessing his way through Catholic University's student housing. In almost every room he says a quick prayer with the students, sprinkles holy water and tapes up a paper crucifix and small yellow sign over the door that says: "Peace to all who enter here. This Room has been Blessed."

Most important: He gets in the door and lets them know he's there.

The beginning of freshman year is the time some student-life officials worry about most; about one in five freshmen at a four-year school doesn't make it to sophomore year. Some flunk out, but some just walk away, said Gwendolyn Dungy of the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators. Studies suggest that giving new students a connection, a sense of home, is crucial.

"If you can't help to do that by October," Schlageter said, "you risk losing them."

Read the full article here.

Blessing of Families in their New Homes - repeat

This time of year, lots of people might be moving into new homes--teens off to college for the first time (dorm rooms count!); young adults starting new jobs; empty-nesters or retirees looking for a new place to start the next part of their lives.

Here's a blessing I crafted last year that has been receiving a lot of hits lately. Feel free to copy and adapt it for your needs.

===

Moving into a new home can be psychologically unsettling. Help meet the spiritual needs of new parishioners, first-time home-owners, and college students moving into their first apartment by celebrating with them a blessing of the family in their new home. Below is an adaption by Diana Macalintal of the "Annual Blessing of Families in Their Own Homes" from the Book of Blessings, #68ff, which can be led by a priest or deacon and takes place in the family's home.

Blessing of a Family in Their New Home

Introductory Rites
When the community has gathered, a suitable song may be sung.
The celebrant greets those present.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son,
and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Peace be with this house and with all who live here.
And also with you.

Today we gather to bless this family
and this house in which they live.

The family home is called the domestic church.
It is where we first learn to pray, to forgive,
to give thanks, and to bless each other.

Let us then ask God to open our hearts
so that, as the doors of this home
are opened to friend and stranger,
this family may be a source of welcome for all in need
and a place where Christ is found.

Reading of the Word of God
A reader or the celebrant may read a text of sacred Scripture – Ephesians 2:17-22.


Litany
The celebrant continues.

As this family has been clothed with Christ through baptism,
let us pray that this home is clothed with the love of God
to be a shelter of peace for all who dwell in it.

A reader leads the litany.

Our response is: Make us your dwelling place, Lord.

With Mary, and Joseph: Make us your dwelling place, Lord.
With Anne and Joachim:...
With Elizabeth and Zechariah:
With Francis and Clare:
With all the angels and saints:
With all holy men and women:
For the sick and the hungry:
For the homeless and lonely:
For friend and stranger:
For neighbor and traveler:
In times of joy and peace:
In times of sadness and grief:
When anger and fear confuse us:
When pride and pain confound us:
In all things, great and small:

The celebrant continues.

Christ taught us to call upon the Father, and so we pray:
Our Father…

Prayer of Blessing [1]
With hands outstretched over the family members, the celebrant leads the following prayer.

Almighty and eternal God,
your fatherly tenderness never ceases to provide for our needs.
We ask you to bestow on this family and this home
the riches of your (+) blessing.
With the gift of your grace sanctify those who live here,
so that, faithful to your commandments,
they will care for each other, bless this world by their lives,
and reach the home you have prepared for them in heaven.
Grant this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

The celebrant sprinkles the family with holy water.
The celebrant and family and those present go to various rooms of the home to sprinkle them with holy water.


Concluding Blessing [2]
The celebrant continues.

May the God of hope fill you with every joy and blessing.
May the peace of Christ abound in your hearts.
May the Holy Spirit enrich you with all good gifts,
now and for ever. Amen.

And may almighty God bless you,
the Father, and the Son, (+) and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

---
[1] Adaptation of Book of Blessings #84. return
[2] Book of Blessings #88. return


FILED UNDER: PRAYERS AND BLESSINGS

Catholic Young Adults near Stanford University

The Catholic Young Adults (20’s - 40’s) of Deanery 2 in the Diocese of San Jose (this includes the parishes of the Catholic Community at Stanford, St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Athanasius, St. Nicholas, St. William, St. Joseph, and St. Simon) have started up a monthly Young Adult Mass. This month, the Mass will be celebrated on Tuesday, March 28th, at 7:30p, at the University Lutheran Annex, 1611 Stanford Ave., Palo Alto (cross street Bowdoin, approximately halfway between Foothill Expwy and El Camino Real). Refreshments will be served following the Mass. All young adults, regardless of parish affiliation, are welcome. For more info, contact Sr. Rebecca.

Wisdom from a Starbuck's Cup

Down the street from my home, there's a Starbuck's. Now that's not unusual, but what makes this Starbuck's unique is that young people pack the place every night and hang out there until late into the evening. Starbuck's has become the place of community for these young adults.

I've always thought that it would be wonderful if the Church could somehow "do ministry" where young adults naturally gather. Meet them where they're already at. Wouldn't it be great if we could talk about faith over a cup of coffee?

In college, I worked at the Newman Center with a priest who would "do ministry" at the campus gymnasium. He would work out and chat with the students there--mostly those who would rarely come to the church--just so they could see "Fr. Joe" in their own environment. It made it a lot easier for them to venture to the church if they already knew that "those holy people there" were just like them.

The other day, I noticed a quote on my Starbuck's cup:

I wonder…if young people were actively engaged in all aspects of society, and thought of themselves as community leaders, problem-solvers, role models, mentors and key ‘stakeholder’…how would the world change?
-- Jennifer Corriero, Co-founder of TakingITGlobal.org. She has been recognized by the World Economic Forum as a Young Global Leader.

Sometimes all young people need is an invitation from those who enjoy the same things in life as they do. Starbuck's gets it; so should we.

To learn more about "The Way I See It" project, click here.

What Makes A Good Church?

The people at Busted Halo.com say that the 20 and 30 something crowd consistently tell them that the hallmarks of a great parish mix these elements:

• Mystery: young adults long for a sense of the contemplative in ritual.
• Hospitality: young adults want to feel welcomed in their spiritual home.
• Relevant Preaching: messages that resonate with their everyday experiences.
• Joyful Singable Music: music that they like to both listen to and sing along with.

Work of the People wants to hear from you! What do you think makes a parish great? Click on the comment link below (next to "Trackback") and share your thoughts.

Then check out Busted Halo's Church Search and see if your parish is one recommended by the young adults there.