The seven apparitions—three by an angel and seven by the Blessed Virgin Mary—to three children at Fatima, Portugal, occurred ninety years ago. The anniversary of the final apparition, a miraculous sign Mary had promised is this Saturday, October 13.The Blessed Mother had already offered the following messages to Lucia, Jacinta, and Francisco:The faithful were to pray the Rosary daily. The Blessed Mother referred to herself as “Our Lady of the Rosary.”After showing the children a vision of hell, she explained that many souls could be saved by devotion to her Immaculate Heart and by reparation.She predicted another terrible war would begin during the reign of Pope Pius XI.She asked that a chapel be built at the Cova da Iria in Portugal in her honor.She asked for the consecration of Russia to her sacred heart.On October 13, 1917, after the final message was given, Lucia shouted, “Look at the sun!” The large crowed of 70,000 pilgrims looked up to see the rain clouds rolled back, revealing the sun. But the sun was like a disk of white light that all could see without having to blink. Then the sun began to “dance” in the sky. It stopped and began to spin. It’s rays cast the earth in brilliant colors. And then the pilgrims screamed and fell to their knees. The sun began to fall to the earth. Just as it was about to strike the earth, it stopped and returned to the sky and its rightful place. The ground, previously soaked with rain, was dry. This event is called the “Miracle of the Sun".October is the month of the Holy Rosary. Pray the Rosary with your students. Share the message of Our Lady of Fatima. Pray this prayer in her honor: O Most holy Virgin Mary,Queen of the most holy Rosaryyou were pleased to appear to the children of Fatima and reveal a glorious message.We implore you,inspire in our hearts a fervent lovefor the recitation of the Rosary.By meditating on the mysteries of the redemptionthat are recalled thereinmay we obtain the graces and virtues that we ask,through the merits of Jesus Christ,our Lord and Redeemer.Amen.
To help to celebrate the September 15 beatification of Fr. Basil A. Moreau, the founder of the Congregation of Holy Cross, Ave Maria Press, an apostolate of the Congregation, sponsored an essay contest celebrating Fr. Moreau's life and his commitment to Catholic education. Over 400 students from Catholic high schools entered the contest. We thank all the entrants and their teachers!
The essays were judged by a team of Ave Maria Press editors and Fr. Tony Szakaly, C.S.C., Chairman of the Board of Ave Maria Press.
The winner of a $500 scholarship, made payable to a Catholic high school or college, is Caroline Dzeba of Archbishop Hoban High School in Akron, Ohio. Caroline's theology teacher is Mr. Mike Burtscher.
Caroline is a senior at Archbishop Hoban. She is a member of the varsity tennis team, president of the French Club, and editor of the school paper. She has not decided on where she will attend college but she has applied to Bryn Mawr, Northwestern, Georgetown, and the University of Notre Dame. Caroline's winning essay is shared below:
Engaging Minds, Hearts, and Hands for Faith:
Father Basil A. Moreau's Vision for Education
As a young man who grew up during the turmoil of the French Revolution, Basil Anthony Moreau had a conviction that peace, citizenship, and love, so unlike what he witnessed in the war, truly had a place in the world. Guided by his Catholic faith and love of learning, Moreau was ordained a priest in 1821 and began his lifelong mission of teaching the mind and the heart. Since his founding of the Congregation of the Holy Cross in 1841, Father Moreau's mission has spread throughout the world, showing people of all ages how to live with their minds, hearts, and hands, and educating people wholly: mind and soul.
Catholic high schools in the United States, particularly those affiliated with the Congregation of Holy Cross, work consistently to educate students both intellectually and spiritually. As Father Moreau once attested: "Society has a greater need for people of values than it has for scholars." The mission of Archbishop Hoban High School, just one of the myriad of Holy Cross schools in the world, clearly expresses a desire to live out Moreau's vision by "welcoming one another with the hospitality of Christ," as stated in the school's mission statement. The faculty and students of the Akron, Ohio school live out this commitment through their multiple community service projects, hospitality in welcoming new students, and dedication to academic excellence. Archbishop Hoban strives, like all Holy Cross schools, to honor the legacy of the Congregation of Holy Cross and Father Moreau.
This holistic approach to education sometimes seems out of sync with society's "survival of the fittest" mentality. Holy Cross educators and missionaries continue, however, to instill the values of Father Moreau into their students' lives. The Congregation of Holy Cross works, as Father Moreau, envisioned, to not only teach students quantitative subjects, but how to behave as a disciple with "the competence to see and the courage to act." Whether it is simply leading by example or participating in religious retreats, Holy Cross students and educators allow Christ to enlighten their minds with intelligence, and, most importantly, they allow God to work in their lives as they truly become disciples.
Father Moreau's legacy is one of the most commendable in recent memory. His actions created a domino effect of Holy Cross education the world over, showing countless students, parents, and teachers the value of faith with knowledge. At the time of his beatification in 2007, after his intercession led a Canadian woman to be healed of lung disease, Father Moreau's ministry has spread to every corner of the world. His commitment to educating the soul and mind lives on through his followers. Catholic high schools across the United States take this legacy to heart and work to ensure "a wonderful amount of good" is accomplished through the dual usage of intellect and compassion.
Also as part of our essay contest and celebration, Ave Maria Press is awarding a complete set of textbooks to the teacher with the most student entries. The winner is Ms. Sharon Tyree of Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks, California.
Congratulations to Ms. Tyree and to Caroline and thank you again to all the participants!
Most teens know of several friends or acquaintances who deviated from the plans their parents had for them. Perhaps they have witnessed situations like these: the coach’s son who no longer likes sports; the doctor’s daughter who gags at the sight of blood;* the business owner’s children who revolt at working in the family business.This final example comes closest to describing the troubles Peter Bernardone had with his son, Francis. October 4 is the Feast Day of St. Francis.A rich, clothing merchant living in Assisi, Italy, in the early thirteenth century, Peter planned for his son to work with him and eventually succeed him in business. About the age 20, Francis began to move off course.First, he joined the military. As a knight, he fought in one losing battle for Assisi, was captured by the opposing army, and kept in a dungeon for several months. When he finally returned home, Francis’ mother and father spoiled him more than ever. His dad gave him money to spend and encouraged Francis to recuperate by partying in the evenings with his boyhood friends. Once healed, Francis grew restless again and headed to southern Italy to continue his military career. On one of his first nights away, as Francis camped in a desolate spot, he heard a voice ask him, “Who can do more for you, the servant or the master?” Francis answered, “The master, of course.” The voice responded, “Then why are you devoting your life to the servant.”Francis understood the “Master” to be Christ, and he returned home.From that point on the parties didn’t seem to have the same excitement for Francis. His friends assumed he must be in love and planning to marry. “Who is she?” one of them questioned as Francis stood out on a balcony gazing up to the sky. “She whom I shall marry is so noble, so rich, so fair, and so wise, that not one of you has seen her like,” he answered. Francis was talking about Lady Poverty, to whom he would soon make a lifelong commitment while taking a retreat in a nearby mountain cave.Things were now happening rapidly to Francis. Soon after making his promise, Francis passed by an old chapel, St. Damian, on the outskirts of town. Again, Francis heard a voice: “Go and repair my church, which as you can see is falling into ruin.”Francis took the message literally, not realizing that he would eventually help to repair the worldwide Church. Francis usually would ask his father for money, but his father was out of town, so Francis took some of his best cloth materials and exchanged them for gold. He then went back to St. Damian’s and began his restoration work. (The priest there refused the money.)Peter Bernardone was furious when he discovered what Francis had done. He retrieved Francis and had him chained in his cellar. Only when Peter went on another business trip did Francis’ mother release him. He went back to St. Damian’s and completed his work.Finally, when Francis showed up again in town, Peter had his son arrested. Francis would agree only to a trial before the local bishop. When the bishop told Francis to pay his father back, Francis not only gave him his money, but he stripped himself of his clothes and left them right in the middle of the town square. “Now I will be able to call God my Father, not Peter Bernardone,” Francis told everyone.Eventually, Francis’ love for Lady Poverty attracted eleven other men from Assisi to follow him. There were thousands of Franciscans by the time of his death, including a Franciscan order for women founded by his friend, St. Clare. Whether Francis eventually reconciled with his father we do not know.We do know that the sincerity of St. Francis’ life has won many converts in the years since he lived on earth.Discussion QuestionsWhat do you want for your future?What do your parents want for your future?Pretend you heard a voice tell you to “build up the Church.” What would that mean for you?Additional Lessons and ActivitiesResearch and share other important events in the life of St. Francis, for example, his encounter with a leper, the organization of the Franciscans, his friendship with St. Clare, his meeting with the pope, his missionary trip to Egypt, and his reception of the stigmata prior to his death.Discuss the Church’s teaching on “preferential love” for the poor as summarized in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2448.Talk over other sources of conflict between teens and parents, and possible solutions.Give each person five small strips of paper, numbered 1 to 5. Ask them to print the names of their five most prized possessions, one on each strip, with their most prized possession on strip 1. Have the participants meet with a partner and fan out their strips, blank side showing. Instruct each person to pick one strip from his or her partner. Then have the two discuss how they would feel if they really lost that possession. Continue in the same way until all the strips have been drawn and discussed.
For High School Theology Teachers at Notre Dame“Educating Minds, Hearts, and Hands”Saturday, Oct. 6th 8:30-4:00 pmUniversity of Notre DameFREE ADMISSION!Featuring:Sr. Angela Hallahan, Director of Religious Certification for High School Teachers of Religion,Archdiocese of Los Angeles
“Come, Holy Spirit, Inspire Me to Teach!”A simple prayer, for sure. But understanding the power of the Spirit active in our lives allows us to awaken our God-given gifts for sharing the knowledge of our faith and witnessing God’s presence in our lives. Sr. Angela faces the challenges and rewards of ministering to hundreds of Catholic high school teachers over a vast landscape of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. She knows each by their names and their gifts and never fails to invigorate them by reminding them of the Holy Spirit’s presence in their lives.Refresh yourself in God's gift of the Holy Spirit and reflect with Sr. Angela on the many ways to share the Spirit's energy with your students.Breakout Sessions:Joseph Paprocki, Associate Director of Catechetical Services, Loyola Press “Is It True that Adam Lived to Be 930 Years Old? – The Catholic Approach to Scripture Interpretation”Our high school students need to know that everything in the Bible is true, though not necessarily fact! This workshop will help religion teachers to equip their students with a truly Catholic approach to the inerrancy of the Bible. Special emphasis will be given to showing the connections between the Old and New TestamentsMike Amodei, Executive Editor, Ave Maria Press“If Not Now, When?: The Importance of Offering Teenagers Remote Preparation for Christian Vocations”True, vocational commitments to marriage, priesthood, and religious life are made at later ages than ever before. But how else can young adult Catholics be expected to prepare for these vocations without some type of formal training? Mike Amodei will lead a discussion about why a Catholic high school religion course is the perfect time and place to broach the topic of permanent vocations.Ken Ogorek, Director of Catechesis, Archdiocese of IndianapolisWe Piloted the National Framework: And Thrived!The Diocese of Pittsburgh took the national framework for a test-drive starting in the Fall of 2005. Pittsburgh's catechetical director Ken Ogorek, now with the Archdiocese of Indianapolis, shares the successes and challenges of this implementation process. Suggestions will be offered for phasing in the framework at individual schools or diocese-wide. The National Framework will arrive soon; this session will help you better understand how your school can embrace it.Margaret Stuart, Religion Teacher, Seton-LaSalle High School, Diocese of Pittsburgh“There’s More to It Than Raking Leaves!”Have you noticed that it's no problem to get teenagers to serve at homeless shelter, collect clothing for a women's agency—or rake leaves for an older neighbor, but ask them to pray together, go on a weekend retreat, or make an effort to attend a weekday (or even Sunday) Mass, they may balk. There's plenty right with social justice and doing works of service as an element of Christian discipleship. This presentation explores how to incorporate prayer, personal reflection, retreats, and participation in the sacraments as equally important elements in growing in the Christian life.NEW THIS YEAR! - LESSON PLAN EXCHANGE!We are asking that each attendee bring one lesson plan printed out and copied for everyone attending. It can be from any religion class and on any topic. We’ll compile packets for everyone and you’ll leave the conference with a wealth of great ideas that can be taken back and used in all of your religion classes.For MORE INFORMATION and to REGISTER contact Karey Welde or Mike Amodei. We hope to see you at Notre Dame on Saturday, October 6!
There are two Catholic feasts honoring angels at the end of this month and the beginning of October. The first, on September 29, is the feast of the Archangels. These are the only named angels in all of Scripture; they are Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael.
Raphael is mentioned in the book of Tobit as an aide to Tobiah, the son of Tobit, as he retrieves a fish that will heal his father’s blindness. Gabriel is the angel in Luke 1:26 who announces to Mary that she will be the Mother of God’s Son. September 29 was originally the sole feast of St. Michael, for it was on this day that a Mass and church in Rome was first dedicated to him. Michael is cited most often in the books of Daniel and Revelation as a defender against evil.Remind your students about angels and what the Church believes about them. Angels are spiritual beings who were created by God prior to the creation of the universe. Though without bodies, angels have free will and a naturally superior intellect to humans. The word angel means “messenger.” As in the examples from Scripture, the angels prayerfully watch over people. In the New Testament angels assisted Jesus and his disciples.
God made angels joyful and good, but some angels turned away from God and were banished to hell. Satan, also known as Lucifer, is believed to be one of the “bad angels.” The bad angels, or devils, are able to tempt us to sin. In the same way, good angels personally watch out for us. Since about the third century, the Church has maintained, though not officially, that all baptized have guardian angels. The feast of Guardian Angels is on October 2.
The existence of angels recalls for us the creedal statement we pray each Sunday at Mass: “We believe in what is seen and unseen.” Angels are part of God’s unseen creation whose vocation is to serve God’s will.
St. Michael the Archangel Prayer
St. Michael is especially called upon to defend us against evil and evil spirits. The following prayer is addressed to him:Holy Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle.Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil.May God rebuke him, we humbly pray;And do thou, O Prince of the heavenly host, by the power of God,Thrust into hell Satan and all wicked spiritsWho wander through the world for the ruin of souls.
Angels Lesson Ideas
Read Revelation 12, which tells in figurative language the battle between evil, represented by the dragon, and God’s people. Note the reference to Michael and his angels in Revelation 12:7.
Cover in more detail the Church’s teaching on the existence of angels from the Catechism of the Catholic Church, 328–336.
Call on two students to volunteer for an improvisation. One person takes the role of the guardian angel for the other. The two dialogue with one another, asking questions about each other’s actions, behaviors, and goals.
Have the students write letters to their guardian angels, querying them about their purpose.
Pray with the angels using other traditional prayers.
It’s Friday, 3:42 EST, and there are 257 essays “Basil Moreau: Engaging, Minds, Hearts, and Hands for Faith” neatly stacked on my shelf.
The essays have all been written by Catholic high school students in honor of Blessed Basil Moreau’s beatification on September 15 at Le Mans, France. Fr. Moreau was the founder of the Congregation of Holy Cross which sponsors Ave Maria Press.
At this point, I’ve only glanced at their content, but from what I have read I’m much impressed. The mission of our religious education publishing is founded in the educational vision of Basil Moreau that pointed to a holistic learning approach in which “students try their learning in the world and so make prayers of their education.”
The deadline for the scholarship essay contest is now only a few minutes away. I notice 15 more essays waiting to be opened in e-mails. To all the students who wrote essays and to their teachers who encouraged them—thank you very much! We will announce the scholarship winner at our annual Day of Enrichment for High School Theology Teachers at Notre Dame on October 3.
In the meantime, here on the campus of Notre Dame, as we wind up the week, we look across the street and see the throngs of football fans gathered for tomorrow’s game with Michigan State.
With the essay contest nearly complete, maybe I can ask you and Bl. Basil for one more favor: a few touchdowns for the Fighting Irish!
Thanks again.
The beatification of Holy Cross Father Basil A. Moreau this week coincides with the Feast of the Holy Cross on September 14.
It is believed that the Feast of the Holy Cross has its origins to the year 355 when the Emperor Constantine dedicated the Church of the Holy Sepulcher over the site at Golgotha where Jesus died. Reportedly, Constantine’s mother, St. Helena, had traveled to Golgotha and found not only Christ’s cross, but those of the two thieves crucified next to him. The three crosses were then taken to the house of a dying woman where the true cross of Christ restored her to health.
By 346 the relics of the cross discovered by St. Helena were on their way to different parts of the world. Part of the cross was placed in a statue of Constantine in the newly built city of Constantinople. More of the cross was subdivided and placed in church altars. (It used to be required that each altar have a holy relic, for example, the bones of a saint of martyr. Nowadays this is not a requirement as altars are seen to be dedicated to God alone. However, many church altars still have relics.) Crucifixion by cross was more violent than any form of capital punishment our society uses today.
Actually, at the time of Jesus, the Romans had two forms of crucifixion. Roman citizens were beheaded. Foreigners like Jesus were forced to carry a single crossbeam outside the walls of the city to a place called Golgotha (Skull Place) where the upright posts remained permanently fixed. Many times the weight of the crossbeam would kill the person; in Jesus’ case he was so weakened by the beatings and abuse he had absorbed that another man, Simon of Cyrene, was permitted to help him carry it.
Once hung or tied on the cross, Roman soldiers would often break the legs of the condemned. This did not happen to Jesus. Sometimes a soldier would lance the person’s side to hasten death. In Jesus’ case, when his side was lanced—and water flowed out with blood—he was already dead.
Only John’s Gospel mentions that Jesus was nailed to the cross. This practice, too, is confirmed by archaeological finds. It seems the Romans had refined this torture so that the cross included a small seat, called the seidle, where the accused could support just one buttock while spikes were driven through his hands and feet. The torture was unbearable. Besides the obvious pain, insects were attracted to the open wounds, and Jesus would have been unable to shoo them away.
The cross is a great paradox, or contradiction, because out of this misery of death is new life for all who are baptized and believe in Christ. As St. Paul wrote: “The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God." (1 Cor 1:18)
Discussion Questions
What do you think was the worst pain that Jesus experienced?
What would you say to a convicted murderer to convince him of the dignity of human life?
Explain why the Holy Cross is a great paradox.
Assignments
Read and report on the life of St. Helena.
Search for quotations on the meaning of the cross for Christian life. Record these quotations in a prayer journal.
Read Pope John Paul II’s encyclical “The Gospel of Life” (especially no. 56). Outline the Church’s position on capital punishment.
Don’t forget the Basil Moreau Essay Contest with a $500 Scholarship prize. Deadline is Friday September 21!
The tenth anniversary of the death of Blessed Teresa of Calcutta is this week. Mother Teresa has been in the news recently with the publication of some of her private letters and a Time magazine cover story that revealed a life typical of most saints, one filled with much darkness as it progressed in the light of Christ.
No one, not even in the secular media, can ever doubt Mother Teresa’s service to the “least brothers and sisters” of this world. She spent a majority of her life caring for the “poorest of the poor.” She spoke many times of the importance of love and family, of accepting the gift of life, and of learning many lessons from the poor.
One of her favorite stories was of a man she and her sisters picked up from the street drain, half eaten by worms. When they brought him to their home, the man said, “I have lived like an animal in the street, but am going to die as an angel: loved and cared for.”
Mother Teresa was honored many times in her life. In 1979 she won the Nobel Peace Prize. In 1992 she was asked to come to New York to be presented with $100, 000 for her work by a Catholic organization. The occasion was a fancy formal dinner where filet mignon would be served. Mother Teresa accepted the check. Next she scolded the crowed for their extravagance, telling them that before she came it took her three hours to scrape the maggots from a dying man’s body. Then she left without eating. A few days later, she received another $100,000 donation, equal to the cost of the banquet.
What was so attractive about Mother Teresa to many people was that she “walked the talk.” For example, visitors to her chapel in Calcutta would notice that the lights were turned off during all parts of the Mass except when there was a reading. “No money that is given to the poor should be wasted on our electricity. We use only what we absolutely need,” she explained.
Her life was an answer to the challenge extended by Jesus that whatever is done for the hungry, the thirsty, the lonely, and the naked was done for him. As Mother Teresa explained:
At the end of life we will not be judged by
how many diplomas we have received
how much money we have made
how many great things we have done.
We will be judged by
“I was hungry and you gave me to eat
I was naked and you clothed me
I was homeless and you took me in.”
Discussion Questions
When have you felt “called” by God to do something for him or for people in need?
Do you think Mother Teresa was right or wrong for refusing to eat at the banquet with the people who honored her? Explain.
Who are people at your school or in your community who need to have someone reach out to them because of their material or spiritual needs? What could you do for these people.
Assignments
Read Matthew 25:31–45. Have the students suggest people who fit into the categories of “least brothers and sisters” in their school, local community, and world at large.
Assign a report on the progress of Blessed Teresa’s cause for sainthood.
