The Catholic Connection
May 2016

In This Issue
Archbishop's Tweets

Do you follow Archbishop Kurtz on twitter? Here is a sampling of his tweets this month:

May 8
@ArchbishopKurtz:
On Ascension, those confirmed at the Cathedral of the Assumption.
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May 7
@ArchbishopKurtz:
At KY Derby right before the race. Go, Creator!!!
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May 6
@ArchbishopKurtz:
So pleased to welcome Bishop Servilien Nzakamwita of the Diocese of Byumba accompanied by Fr Expedito.
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May 4

@ArchbishopKurtz:
Last evening I made a visit to beautiful Cathedral of St Madeleine in Salt Lake City prior to meeting w LDS leaders.
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May 1
@ArchbishopKurtz:
At St Elizabeth Ann Seton for confirmation of fine young people!
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May 1 
@ArchbishopKurtz:
Wonderful celebration of Sacrament of Confirmation at Epiphany last evening.
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April 30 
With Leaders of Filipino community planning ministry w Annette Turner of Office of Multicultural Ministries.
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Archlou Happenings:

Below is a list of upcoming archdiocesan events:

5/13/16 7:00 p.m.
Conversations with Archbishop Kurtz

5/15/16 2:30 p.m.

Multicultural Pentecost Celebration

5/16/16 6:30 p.m.
Honor Thy Children Safe Environment Training Program

5/17/16 - 5/21/16
Festival of Faiths
(See link for event information)

5/17/16 7:00 p.m.

Morality, Ethics, and Social Justice
(See link for cost/registration)
 
5/21/16 8:00 p.m. - 5/22/16 4:00 p.m.
Catholic Engaged Encounter
(See link for cost/registration)

5/23/16 6:30 p.m.
Communion Minister Formation Update Session

(See link for registration)

5/28/16 11:00 a.m.

Presbyteral Ordination

6/5/16 5:30 p.m.
Honor Thy Children Safe Environment Training


Mothers & Vocations
Mrs. Doyle's Cross
By Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz 

I found Mrs. Doyle's cross recently. I was trying to make room in my file cabinet for the homily notes that I have been saving for 45 years.  And there it was.

The Doyle family lived three doors down from us when I was growing up.  We all lived in row homes, about 11 � feet wide, each sharing a wall with our neighbors, and the Doyle wall was just 23 feet away.  As neighbors we were all very close.  I still have an early photo in my room of my brother George hugging one of the Doyle boys, Jackie. George, born with Down syndrome, was a great hugger.  He looks to be about six so I imagine that I was about 12 months old, crawling around somewhere out of range of the photographer.

I remember that Mrs. Doyle was a very religious person. I recall seeing her walking to or from Mass each morning.  One day after I entered the seminary, she gave me this cross, actually a crucifix with the corpus of Jesus hanging for love of us all.  She said that she wanted me to have the crucifix.  It belonged to her aunt who was a woman religious and when her aunt died, Mrs. Doyle was given this crucifix that her aunt likely wore for decades on a cord around her neck, and visibly in front of her habit. Since I was studying to become a priest, Mrs. Doyle thought I might be a good keeper of this treasure.

I am so happy that I found this cross. I shined it up and got most of the patina and dirt off.  It is in a little case with a zipper, and so it has stood the course of time pretty well.

Not only is it sentimental for me to be the steward of this crucifix, reminding me of my neighborhood and of the faith that seemed to permeate every nook and cranny of our block, but it also...Read More
In This Month of Mothers
By Sister Constance Veit, l.s.p. 

On May 8th we celebrated Mother's Day, and as Catholics we dedicate the whole month to our heavenly mother, Mary. And so, May is a natural time to reflect on the irreplaceable role of mothers and all women in our lives. In the weeks following our appearance at the Supreme Court, several women who write about Catholic spirituality mentioned prophetic words of Pope Paul VI to women in reference to our case - words uttered over 50 years ago, but which are, perhaps, more relevant today than ever.

"At this moment when the human race is undergoing so deep a transformation, women impregnated with the spirit of the Gospel can do so much to aid mankind in not falling," Paul VI said at the conclusion of the Second Vatican Council. He continued with this urgent plea: "Women of the entire universe, whether Christian or non-believing, you to whom life is entrusted at this grave moment in history, it is for you to save the peace of the world."

The fact that several women who have no obvious connection to each other, and who are too young to have assimilated Paul VI's words when they were uttered December 8, 1965, mentioned these words to me, is worth pondering. As I do so, the faces of countless women and girls pass before my mind's eye, and myriad prayers arise in my heart.

I think of the elderly women in our homes around the world - women who have borne children and labored at tasks both great and small - and who now spend their days praying for others' needs even as their own strength wanes. I think of our female staff members, who spend themselves so generously in the care of the aged and then return home to serve their families, churches and communities. I think of my nieces and other young women who are grappling with so many competing choices and pressures as they strive to define the priorities and values that will guide their adult lives.

I pray for women around the world who have been displaced by war, economic hardships and situations of religious persecution, who struggle mightily to provide their children with the most basic human needs and comforts. I also pray for the brave women who advocate for educational and workplace equality, for victims of trafficking, sexual exploitation and the plague of illegal drugs.

As I ponder Paul VI's call for women to save the peace of the world, I also think of the religious sisters and Catholic laywomen - full of enthusiasm and impregnated with the spirit of the Gospel - who joined...Read More
An Encouraging Word: The Mother and Son Bond 
By Father J. Ronald Knott

This column first appeared in the April 28, 2016 issue of
The Record.

"He stores up riches who reveres his mother." Sirach 3:4

On April 28, 1944, sometime after lunch, a woman gave birth in the back bedroom of her small-town home to her second child, a little boy.

Both mother and child almost died in the process. She was assisted by her mother-in-law, Lillian Mills Knott, who lived conveniently across the road.

With mother and son in a life and death situation, that country midwife mother-in-law was prompted to grab a cup of water and pour it over the head of that new baby and say these words, "I baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit."

After the country doctor finally arrived from Brandenburg, Ky., in his Model T Ford and administered a new medical miracle called "glucose," that mother recovered, and her baby boy began to nurse. Several days later, that mother's sister took that baby boy to St.Theresa Church in Rhodelia, Ky., to have the priest "supply the ceremonies" and enter his name into the church record book - James Ronald Knott.

Every year I reflect on what I think about marking another milestone in the aging process but not this year. This year I want to reflect on the bond I have with my mother who left this world thirty-nine years ago next month after a three-year struggle with breast cancer.

I loved her - we all loved her - very much. However, the fact that we both almost died and yet survived together...Read More 
The Blog Spot

This section will feature local and national blogs and websites that will inspire, teach, and call to action. Featured this month is "Happily Even After" a blog by Josh and Stacey Noem who write about their 16 years of marriage for the website For Your Marriage, published by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Welcoming The Stranger
By Stacey Noem

We have a houseguest.

Ken is an old friend from our days in Portland. He moved here in March to begin a new job in town. His lovely wife is still in Portland finishing up her job, doing the hard work of packing up their house, and saying good-bye to the community they have there. She will follow with their dog mid-May.

Now, it was a no-brainer to offer Ken a "place to land" when we heard he was moving out our way. It can be really hard to try to find a place to rent from a distance and for a short period of time, especially when you do not know the town at all. Additionally, we have ample room in our house and are eager to share our space or offer some form of hospitality. So we told him to plan on staying with us when he arrived.

Before he moved, in Joshua and I decided to regard him as a "new community member" rather than a "guest," the idea being to acknowledge that we now have a shared living space, rather than thinking of all the space as...Read More

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