Sunday, February 5, 2012

VOL. 66, NO. 06

Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time umatuna.org

Church Celebrates Catholic Schools Week

SEATTLE - Teaching half the school day in English and half in Spanish could be a boon for Catho-lic education in the United States, according to a Hispanic educator.

Luis Ricardo Fraga, a professor of political science at the University of Washington and director of its Diversity Research Institute, said such a program, called "two-way immersion," could provide a su-perior education, increase educa-tional opportunities for Hispanic Catholics, increase enrollment and prevent school closures.

Starting two-way immersion programs in Catholic schools would be a "win-win-win," Fraga said.

"The hope is that Latino families will be attracted to this, that Eng-lish-dominant families who want their children to learn two languag-es and cultures and Catholic values will be attracted to this, that this can lead to greater enrollments in schools with low enrollments, and that it provides a superior educa-tional opportunity for these chil-dren, all at the same time."

The first goal of implement-ing a two-way immersion program would be "to provide a proven, su-perior educational opportunity for families who are committed to give their children a Catholic educa-tion where two languages and two cultures are united by a common commitment to the Gospel and to our faith," said Fraga. "The model builds upon two-way immersion programs that have been used in the United States and in a few Cath-olic schools across the country for

dual-language Immersion Seen as 'Win-Win-Win' for Catholic education

Pope Benedict XVI underlined the urgent need to address “a profound crisis of faith,” and drew a distinction between true and false ecu-menism, in a January 27 address to members of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF).

Speaking to the participants in a plenary session of the Congregation that he headed for nearly 24 years, the Pope warned that “in vast areas of the earth the faith risks being extin-

guished, like a flame without fuel.” The crisis of faith, he said, is “a loss of a religious sense which represents one of the greatest challenges for the Church today.”

Pope Benedict reminded the Congregation that he has proclaimed a Year of Faith in a bid to revive that religious sense, and has made the

“new evangelization” a priority of his pontificate and the topic of this year’s meeting of the Synod of Bishops.

The plenary meeting of the CDF will discuss the challenges of ecumenical work, and the Pope devoted much of his talk to that subject. He wel-comed the fruits of ecumenical dialogue, but cautioned against the inappropriate use of that process:

Yet we must also recognize that the risks of indifference and of false Iienicism, completely alien to the mindset of Vatican Council II, require

Pope: Defend Tradition in Ecumenical Work

By Kevin BirnbaumCatholic News Service

See eduCaTIOn, Page 2

SBCS Photo

St. Therese of Lisieux

T O K E N FA I T H

“To keep the word of Jesus is the one condition of our happiness, the proof of our love for Him.”

Religions Unite Against School Bullies

Confession: Celebration of Mercy, Not Trial Before Prosecution

Same-Sex Marriage Issue Facing Lawmakers, Voters

Y I am Catholic: Part 3

SBCS Spiritual Retreata Success!

Korean suicide sparks campaign for awareness. PaGe 8

Priests hearing confessions need to replace negative or aggressive attitude with meekness and mercy toward the penitent. PaGe 15

Several states in process of legal-izing same-sex marriage. PaGe 10

Tim Rohr makes the case for Catholicism. PaGe 7

One-on-One with Senator Dennis Rodriguez

Hong Kong Study Shows Rise in Catholics

The public life, the political climate on Guam, and the strengths of being a young legislator

As of 2012, 350,000 residents of Hong Kong have been baptized.

PaGe 12 PaGe 9

LOCaL

e V e n T

3rd Catholic Sweethearts BallDate: Saturday, February 11, 2012Time: 6:00 pm - 12:00 am Location: Marriott Resort

For more information contact Deacon Larry Claros at the Chancery Office at 472-6116 ext. 231. See page 2 for story.

PaGe 6

USY Photo

During the week of January 29 - February 5, the Archdiocese of Agana and Catholic educators cel-ebrated Catholic Schools Week. The celebration, observed throughout the United, gives honor to the stu-dents and teachers in Catholic schools across the nation as well as the parents and parishes that sponsor and promote the ben-efits of a Catholic education.

During this week, according to the National Catholic Educational Association, “schools typically cel-ebrate Catholic Schools Week with

Masses, open houses and activities for students, families, parishioners and the community at large.” On Guam, this celebration includes liturgies, service days for the local

community, student and teacher apprecia-tion days, finally cul-minating in the Cath-olic Schools Week

Conference for the faculty and staff of the island’s Catholic schools.

In honor of the devoted educa-tors—teachers, staff, parents, ad-ministration, and religious—who are committed to the proper intel-lectual and moral formation of our

island’s youth, U Matuna Si Yu'os is pleased to offer a pictorial review of the week’s activities in addition to reports around the nation regarding Catholic education. (USY)

See FaITH, Page 2

Top: Students from Notre Dame High School enjoy time together at the CSW Walkfest on January 28, 2012.Bottom: Students from Dominican Child Development Center listen at their CSW liturgy on January 28, 2012 in Ordot.

USY Photo

USY Photo

MOre PHOTOS PaGe 4-5

2 Sunday, February 5, 2012arCHdIOCeSan

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us to be vigilant. Such indifference is caused by the increasingly wide-spread opinion that truth is not accessible to man and that, there-fore, we must limit ourselves to finding rules to improve this world. In this scenario, faith comes to be replaced by a shallow-rooted mor-alism. By contrast, the core of true ecumenism is faith, in which man encounters the truth revealed in the Word of God.

To guard against false ecumen-ism, the Pope suggested making a careful distinction between the Tradition of the Church, denoted with a “capital T,” and the different (“small t”) traditions of Christian denominations. He suggested that Anglicanorum Coetibus opened a way for the Catholic Church to accept the distinct traditions of the Anglican community without compromising the Tradition of the universal Church. In ecumeni-cal work, the Pope continued, the Catholic Church should work with all interested ecumenical part-ners to preserve the teachings of Tradition in today’s world. Such a united witness is important, he said, on “the great moral questions about human life, family, sexual-ity, bioethics, freedom, justice and peace.” (CWN)

The Marriage Ministry of the Archdiocese of Agana evolved from a training workshop for new Spon-sor Couples for the Archdiocese led by Fr. Robert Ruhnke, from San An-tonio, Texas a little over 4 years ago. Sponsor Couples are those couples who help engage couples in their marriage preparation. We had rep-resentatives from Agana Heights, Asan, Dededo, Tamuning and Yigo in this core committee.

The evolution to be more than just a Sponsor Couple Committee came about with the realization that the couples in the group were not only Sponsor Couples but were part of the leadership for Marriage Encounter and Couples for Christ.

It was in the course of these workshops, the couples with Dea-con Larry Claros and his wife Ev-elyn, decided to form a more per-manent group whose main role was to support Catholic marriages and couples preparing to be married in the Catholic Church. It then be-came a natural progression to act as a support for all things marriage in the Archdiocese.

Our first project was to inaugu-rate the Catholic Sweetheart’s Ball. We wanted to do something fun for couples that honored the Sacrament

of Marriage and at the same time offered fellowship with other mar-ried couples throughout the Arch-diocese. With World Marriage Day celebrated on the second Sunday of February we wanted the ball to coincide with this celebration. This year we are excited with the return of the Catholic Sweetheart’s Ball. In commemoration of World Marriage Day we are hosting the 3rd Catho-

lic Sweethearts Ball on the second Saturday of February – February 11, 2012 at the Guam Marriott Resort and Spa from 6 pm- 12 am.

The theme for this year’s ball is “Dancing with the Star of Your Life”—we will be dancing, we will be celebrating love and commit-ment and we will be celebrating our faith in God. Babysitting is available. Register early to save

your spot. For babysitting inquiries e-mail Christine Oftana Rosario at <crosario@guambakery.com> Tickets are $35.00 per person and can be purchased at the Chancery Office in Agana or Guam Bakery in Dededo. For further information please call Deacon Larry Claros at the Chancery Office at 472-6116, ext 231. So….join us in our celebration of marriage.

The Marriage Ministry of the archdiocese Celebrates MarriageBy Christine Oftana Rosario

Photo courtesy of Christina Oftana Rosario

over 20 years." In a school with a two-way im-

mersion program, children learn subjects in both English and Span-ish from bilingual teachers, begin-ning in kindergarten. Half the stu-dents are drawn from households where Spanish is the primary lan-guage, and half from English-domi-nant homes. In such a program, Fra-ga said, students are fully bilingual and biliterate by fourth grade.

And there's no trade-off in terms of academic achievement, he said.

"There is increasing research that shows that children who learn and master two languages at an early age are better at math, are better at music, are better at learning and critical thinking because their brains are more active and their brains are more able to synthesize information," Fraga told The Cath-olic Northwest Progress, Seattle archdiocesan newspaper.

A two-way immersion program is not right for every Catholic school, Fraga said, but it could be a good fit at parishes where large Hispanic and non-Hispanic populations ex-ist side by side, "but without an op-portunity to work closely with one another, or learn from one another."

"And the school then might be

the place where all of this can hap-pen," he said.

The second purpose of imple-menting two-way immersion in Catholic schools, Fraga said, is "to expand educational opportunities for Hispanic/Latino Catholics, who are the major source of growth in the Catholic faithful in the United

States today." While Latinos make up 35 per-

cent of the Catholic population in the U.S. -- and account for 67 percent of practicing Catholics be-tween the ages of 18 and 34 -- only 3 percent of school-age Latinos at-tend Catholic schools.

Nationwide, the high school completion rate for Latinos is just

50 percent; in Catholic schools, it is estimated at upward of 90 percent, Fraga said.

"In the United States, the history of Catholic education is providing educational opportunities to low-income, recent immigrant Catholic faithful," he said. Over the years, that's included Germans, Irish, Ital-ians, Czechs, Poles, Lithuanians and other ethnicities.

"We want to make sure that Lati-no Catholic immigrants are not the first immigrant group in the history of the United States not to be well served by our Catholic schools."

Fraga, a member of St. Bene-dict Parish in Seattle and chairman of the pastoral council, serves on the board of directors and diversity committee of the Fulcrum Foun-dation, which provides financial assistance to promote and support Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Seattle. In May, he was appointed to the President's Advisory Com-mission on Educational Excellence for Hispanics, and last fall he was named one of the 100 most influen-tial Hispanics in the nation by His-panic Business Magazine.

He previously taught at Stan-ford, Notre Dame and the Univer-sity of Oklahoma. His research fo-cuses on Latino politics, the politics of race and ethnicity, immigration politics, education politics, and voting rights policy. (CNS)

educationCONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Faith

Luis Recardo Fraga Professor of Political Science

at the University of Washington

...children who learn and master

two languages at an early age are better at math, are better at music, are better at learning and critical thinking...

3umatuna.orgSunday, February 5, 2012 GOSPeL & reFLeCTIOn

annOunCeMenTS

ACADEMY OF OUR LADY OF GUAM � Feb. 11 & 25: Placement Test for New

Students; test fee of $45 must be paid to the school’s Business Office prior to test date.

� Feb. 18: Songfest/Family Night � Feb. 20: Presidents’ Day, NO CLASSES � Feb. 22: Ash Wednesday Liturgy; 8:30

am, Dulce Nombre de Maria Cathedral-Basilica. Parents are invited to attend.

� Feb. 24: Early Dismissal; 1:45 pm Staff Development; 2:00 p.m.

Please visit the school’s website at www. aolg.edu.gu or call 477-8203 for more information.

NOTRE DAME HIGH SCHOOL � Feb. 6: Faculty Development Day – No

Classes

MASS FOR AN INCREASEOF VOCATIONS All those interested in the vocation to the priesthood or religious life are invited to attend a weekly Mass for Vocations offered every Wednesday, at 7 pm at Santa Barbara Catholic Church. For more info, please contact Fr. Paul Gofigan at 488-0613. Those interested in the permanent deaconate ministry are also invited to attend.

ST. THOMAS AQUINAS CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOLYou are cordially invited to an Open House on Monday, February 6, 2012 from 5:00pm to 7:00pm. St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic High School 131 Judge Sablan Street, Ordot (next to San Juan Bautista Church)Meet our faculty and administration, tour our campus, and learn why St. Thomas Aquinas is a good choice!

For more information, visit www.staguam.com or call 473.7821/2/3

ARCHDIOCESAN WORLD YOUTH DAY 2012 ANNOUNCEMENTSCall For Youth VolunteersThe AWYD 2012 Planning Committee is calling for youth volunteers to assist in the operation of AWYD 2012 on Palm Sunday, interested youth age 14+ should leave their name and contact information at 734-3723 or email awyd2012@gmail.com.

AYWD 2012 WebsiteFor more information about AWYD 2012 visit us online at http://guam2012awyd.tk

AWYD 2012 Registration begins Feb 3Registration begins online and through Catholic Parishes and Schools beginning February 3. Registration Fee will be $5. For more information on Registration, please visit our website: guam2012awyd.tk.

3rd Annual Catholic Sweethearts BallSaturday, February 11, 2012. 6:00pm - 12:00am at the Marriott Resort. For more information contact Deacon Larry Claros at the Chancery Office at 472-6116 ext. 231.

Please send all announcements to news@umatuna.org or contact

472-6201 or 989-6391.

Sisters and Brothers: The heal-ing of Simon’s mother-in-law shows how Jesus manifests his care and concern for those who are close to him, for those who follow him.

While his ministry is meant to be universal, nonetheless the “per-sonal touch” of healing affirmation is well maintained. To be with Jesus is to experience grace and blessings not only for ourselves but also for our loved ones. Jesus’ friendship is not exclusive but inclusive. To be a companion of Jesus is to expand our horizon of relationship.

The gospel story ends up with Jesus praying very early in the morning and the call to preach the Gospel to other areas. Prayer makes

us realize that one part of our life is grounded on ministry, in our con-tact with people, preaching and healing, whereas another part of ourselves is rooted in solitude and silence. This is the source of Jesus’ power and energy. Jesus’ commu-nion and intimacy with His Father is the foundation of his ministry.

This gospel reflection is taken from the book 366 Days with the Lord. May you be filled with love, and may Almighty God bless you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Pinagat Atsubispo Anthony Sablan Apuron, Kapuchinu

Mane’lu-hu gi Kristo. i mana’homlo’ i suegran Simon hafa’nunu’i hit si Jesu Kriso i inadahi-na yan i interes-na para ayu siha i manhihot giya guiya, para ayu siha i tumattiyi gue’.

Ya maseha i ministro-na ma’ intiende para todu i tao-tao, i petsonat na pinacha-na munana’homlo’ munana’afitma yan munana’sustietieni. I para un hamyo ha’ yan si Jesu Kristo un sa-sahnge ha’ na ekpiriensiha i grasiha yan i bendision ahi ti para hita ha’ mismo lao para ayu i manguinaiya-ta. I inatungo’ yan si Jesu Kristo ahi ti para un taotao ha’ lao para todu taotao. I para ta akompaniha si Jesu Kristo para ta na’mababa i lini’e’e-ta na inatungo’.

I Ibangheliu hana’fakpo ni manayuyot Jesu Kristo taftataf gi ega’an yan i inagang-na para u ma-setmon i Ibangheliu gi otro bandan tano’. I tinayuyot ha na ri’alilisa hit na un patte gi lina’la-ta man-hahale’ gi ministru, gi pinacha-ta nu i otro taotao, gi masetmon yan gi muna’homlo’, ya i otro patte gi lina’la’-ta manhahale’ gi sinasahnge yan gi silensiu. Estague’ nai gaigi i fonten i nina’sina yan minetgot Jesu Kristo. I dinana-na si Jesu Kristo yan si Tata-na fundamento este para ministro-na.

Este na pinagat ma chuchule’ ginen I Lepblon 366 Dihas yan I Saina. Ohalara ya u bula guinaiya i ha’anen-miyu ya i todu hana’sina na Yu’os infambinendisi, i Tata yan i Lahi-na yan i Espiritu Santo. Amen. yan i Lahi-na yan i Espiritu Santo. Amen.

Ibangheliu (Marcos 1:29-39)

Anai madingu i sinagoga, huma-lom si Jesus gi gima’ Simon yan Andres manisiha yan si Santiago yan Juan. Estaba na uma’asson i suegra-na si Simon sa’ malan-gu, kalentura, ya enao fine’nana macho’gue i para u masangani gue’ put guiya. Malak guatu giya guiya si Jesus ya ha go’te i kanai-na ya hana’kahulo’, ya sumuha i kalen-tura. Insigidas ha tutuhon sumetbe siha. Despues di minachom i atdao, ya esta puepuengge, makoni’i gue’ ni todu i manmalangu’ yan ayu siha i mangai’matnganiti. Ti apbmam todu i taotao i sengsong manetnon gi sanhiyong i petta’. Meggai ayu siha i hana’fanhomlo’, ni diferentes klasen chetnot-niha, yan meggai lokkue’ na matnganiti ha dulalak. Lao ti ha petmiti na u fanguen-tos i matnganiti siha, sa’ matungo’ hayi gue’. Taftaf gi sigente oga’an kahulo’, ya humanao para un sa-sahnge na lugat gi disietto; ya guen-nao nai duru manayuyot. Si Simon yan i manga’chong-na manhanao ma’espipiha gue’, ya anai masodda’ gue’, ilek-niha nu guiya, “Interu i taotao siha ma’espipiha hao.” Ilek-na nu siha, “Nihi ta fanhanao para i sengsong siha gi uriya kosaki sina hu pruklama i maolek na nutisiha guennao lokkue’. Enague’ para bai cho’gue na matto yu’.” Entonses humalom gi sinagogan-niha sume-setmon put i maolek na nutisiha ya mandudulalak matnganiti gi todu siha giya Galilea.

ARCHBISHOPAnthony Sablan Apuron,O.F.M. Cap., D.D.

Gospel: Mark 1:29-39Prayer makes us realize that

one part of our life is grounded on ministry, in our contact with people, preaching and healing, whereas another part is rooted in solitude and silence.

WASHINGTON — If the argu-ment against abortion is “grounded in the concept of human equality, you kind of catch people off guard” because “it’s not a religious argu-ment,” a University of Notre Dame law professor told a pro-life crowd gathered at the National Press Club in Washington.

“Biology and modern science have confirmed that the unborn child is as much one of us as any-one in this room, from the moment of conception, a fully integrated self-directed human life, so the question isn’t when life begins, but when moral and legal protection can be ascribed to that life,” said O.C. Snead.

He was among several speakers at “The Law of Life Summit” spon-sored by the Ave Maria University School of Law Jan. 21. It was one of several events planned to coincide with the 39th annual March for Life marking the Supreme Court’s 1973

Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion.

The summit drew a number of speakers from pro-life law firms, advocacy groups and other orga-nizations who gave an overview of their work.

Snead has been on the faculty of Notre Dame’s Law School since 2005. His principal area of exper-tise is public bioethics -- the gover-nance of science, medicine and bio-technology “in the name of ethical goods.”

He said he has found the argu-ment that abortion is about human rights to be effective when he has spoken at law schools, the United Nations and UNESCO “to people who are not religious people, who are not in the habit of thinking about pro-life principles but are in the habit of thinking about equality and human rights.”

“Once they understand this is the most fundamental human rights question facing us in the 21st century, it at least gets their atten-tion,” he said.

Stuart Nolan, of the Legal Works Apostolate in Front Royal, Va., sug-gested that pro-lifers persuade a physician in their community to commit to having a pro-life prac-tice and then enlist a local Knights of Columbus council to sponsor a pregnant woman in need or a single mother and ask that physician to provide her care.

Lawyer Dana Cody with the Life Legal Defense Foundation of Napa Calif., said her organization’s work

includes defending people accused of violating the federal Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act. In one recent case, a Florida judge dismissed all charges against pro-life advocate Susan Pine, who was charged with violating the law with her sidewalk counseling.

“The court went so far as to ques-tion whether the charges brought by the DOJ (Department of Justice) were the product of a collaboration between the government and the abortion clinic to violate Ms. Pine’s free speech rights,” according to Cody’s foundation.

The summit closed with an ap-pearance by Nellie Gray, founder and president of the March for Life Education & Defense Fund, the group that organizes the an-nual march. As a lawyer herself, she called for unity among all the lawyers at the summit in efforts to overturn Roe v. Wade and outlaw abortion “without exception.”

Royce Hood, who is in his third year of law school at Ave Maria University in Florida, organized the summit. As the son of a single mother, the issue of abortion is per-sonal for him, he told Catholic News Service.

He said he also feels that as a pro-life law school, “Ave Maria should be at the forefront of this fight, we should try to unite people and absolutely see an end to Roe.”

Earlier the same day, the Na-tional Shrine of the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception hosted a book-signing session with two au-

thors: Jesuit Father Robert J. Spitzer, former president of Gonzaga Uni-versity in Spokane, Wash., and founder of the Magis Institute, and Teresa Tomeo, a longtime broadcast journalist who is now a syndicated talk show host on Eternal Word Television Network.

Father Spitzer’s latest book is “Ten Universal Principles: A Brief Philosophy of the Life Issues,” pub-lished by Ignatius. In it he outlines the principles that “form the foun-dation of civility, justice and objec-tivity in cultures throughout the world,” and lays out a sophisticated case against abortion.

Tomeo’s book, “Extreme Make-over: Women Transformed by Christ, Not Conformed to the Cul-ture,” also published by Ignatius,” looks at how the culture is “going after women” and how women are hurt, “whether it be by body image, eating disorders and sexual objecti-fication.”

She said she based her book on her own experience of being caught up in the “contraceptive culture,” before she came back to the Catho-lic Church. Tomeo also did “a ton of research,” she said, “about the effects on people of birth control, abortion, whatever and connect the dots back to church teaching and say, ‘Look, what God has designed is the way it is supposed to be. ... God’s plan is always the best plan and we see that revealing itself over and over.” (CNS)

Summit Gathers Pro-Life Lawyers, Members of Advocacy Groups By Julie Asher Catholic News Service

Lowest Ad Rates on IslandAccess to 90% of Guam’sPopulationOver 7000 printsdistributed island-wideFREE to our readersWeekly publication

Tel: 989-6391 Fax: 472-1729Email: news@umatuna.org

Lowest Ad Rates on IslandAccess to almost 90% of Guam’s PopulationOver 7000 prints distributed island-wideFREE to our readersWeekly publicationTel: 989-6391 Fax: 472-1729

Email: news@umatuna.org

4 Sunday, February 5, 2012umatuna.org CaTHOLIC SCHOOLS

Students from Sta. Barbara Catholic School pick up trash as a service component of CSW. USY Photo

Students from San Vicente Catholic School” share their CSW celebration with furry friends. Photo courtesy of SVCS

Archbishop Anthony Sablan Apuron, O.F.M., Cap., D.D., celebrates the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass with students at FDMS. USY Photo

5umatuna.orgSunday, February 5, 2012 CaTHOLIC SCHOOLS

Kindergarten Students at Dominican Child Development Center in Ordot listen to their classmate during the first reading at their school liturgy. USY Photo

Master of Ceremonies, Kevin Delgado of St. Francis Catholic School & San Teresita Parish, Mangilao, encourages walkers at the 2nd annual CSW Walk-fest on January 28, 2012. USY Photo

Students at Sta. Barbara Catholic School assist in cleaning the sanctuary during CSW. USY Photo

USY Photos

6 Sunday, February 5, 2012umatuna.org CaTHOLIC SCHOOLS

On January 26, 2012, the Notre Dame High School National Honor So-ciety (NHS) inducted 15 students onto its rolls. Selected based on their overall excellence, these students were evaluated by a committee based on teacher recommendations in the areas of scholarship, leadership, char-acter, and service. After induction, members are expected to set the stan-dard of all Notre Dame students in these four areas and to embody the ND chapter’s motto: “Excellence is not an act, but rather a habit” (Aristotle).

This year’s inductee are: Brandon Braley, Kyle Cruz, Nico Diaz, Vic-toria Meno, Chrystiana Merfalen, Alyssa Balbastro, Dominique Mendiola, Cyann Valera, Elisabeth Castro, Christian Champaco, Amanda Cruz, Jacob Garrido, Franchesca Sablan, Madison Taitano, and Musume-San Victus.

notre dame nHS Inducts 15 Students

academy of Our Lady nHS Inductees

Photo courtesy of NDHS

Photo courtesy of SBCS

Photo courtesy of STA

(Bottom Row, L-R): Ma. Enica Mesa, Liane Peraja, Maurissa Sayama, Nicole Brindejonc, Aileen Fabia, Amanda Muna (Center Row, L-R): Christine Kim, June Chew, Hannah Sablan, Alessandra Lacson, Audrey Olchondra(Top Row, L-R): Min Kyung Kang, Marie Leon Guerrero, Ma. Denise Robles, Elizabeth Kim, Tana Ramos, Anna Eliza Sy Photo courtesy of AOLG

For the past 62 years, the Alumnae has been the backbone of the Academy of our Lady of Guam. This year at the annual 5K, the Class of 1972, cel-ebrating their 40th year, won the Most Spirited Class. Mrs. Rosita Duenas Diaz (Class of 1957) participating in the run on behalf of her deceased sis-ter, former Senator Herminia Duenas Dierking (’58), won 1st Place for the Manamko’ Divison.

alumnae – the backbone of the academyBy Marilyn Manibusan

“Come and Follow Me… Celebrating Catholic Schools: Faith, Academics and Service.” This was the theme of the recent Santa Bar-bara Catholic School Faculty and Staff Spiritual Retreat held last January 21, 2012 at Carmel on the Hill Retreat Center, Malojloj, Guam.

This is the second year that the administration, faculty and staff decided to hold their retreat in the middle of the school year. Having the retreat at the beginning of the new year, and the beginning of the second semester afforded the fac-ulty and staff to have a break from their daily routine and spend a day to take stock of their individual lives, their relationship with one another, and their education min-istry through an encounter with Christ in prayer. They experienced different forms of prayers and re-flections, individually and as a group, such as the Ignatian Medita-tion and Taize Prayer. Marie Mara-rac, SBCS Finance Director and Mrs.

Arleen Suplido, SBCS Curriculum Coordinator, were all praises for the retreat.

“It was well prepared, and co-ordinated, and I appreciated ev-eryone’s sincerity and cooperation in all the activities we had. I was particularly touched by Father Edwin’s discussion on teaching as a vocation, “ Mararac commented.

“I liked the guided Ignatian Medita-tion activity and the opportunity to receive the sacrament of recon-ciliation because it enhanced my prayer experience during the re-treat,” Mrs. Arleen Suplido added.

Through the talk given by the retreat master, Rev. Fr. Edwin Ulanday, SDB, the faculty and staff increased their faith knowledge by reflecting on the Church Docu-ment: Lay Catholics in Schools. The faculty and staff covenant de-veloped and written at the start of the school year was also revisited and reaffirmed. Individually, they evaluated themselves on how they have lived out and made repara-tions for failing to live up to the covenant. Their role as educator

and formator were appreciated through the letters of affirmation they received from their students. One of the highlights of the retreat was the Sharing of Cup of Tea ac-tivity where words of thanks and forgiveness were shared thus strengthening and deepening the friendship, bond, and professional relationship among the retreatants. The retreat concluded with every-one gathering for the Eucharistic celebration presided by Fr. Ulan-day.

The whole spiritual retreat was truly a success because of the wonderful participation and in-volvement of the administration, faculty and staff. Of course, it was made more meaningful because of the hard work and organization of the retreat team namely Ms. Ber-nadette Alcantara, Mr. Delson Bal-ance, Mr. Marlon Vargas, and Mr. Ron Pangan. Aside from facilitat-ing the varied activities, they made it possible for the retreat to flow smoothly, and provided everyone with a meaningful and memorable retreat.

SBCS Faculty, Staff Enjoy Spiritual Retreat

St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic High School Celebrates CSW

By Marlon Vargas andSr. Maria Rosario Gaite

Catholic Schools Week (CSW) is an opportunity to celebrate suc-cess of all Catholic Schools across our nation. Since the first Catholic school in 1606 in Florida was es-tablished by the Franciscan Order, Catholic education has contrib-uted to the spiritual and academic growth and development of a sig-nificant portion of the US popula-tion. Today, there are over 7,400 Catholic schools in the US with a population of over two million stu-dents (elementary and secondary).

St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic High School was founded in 2008 to deliver a quality education for Guam’s children in the tradi-tion of Catholic Education. Since then, student achievements have reached far beyond our island borders and beyond expectations. Our latest PSAT scores, above the national average, are another testi-mony to St. Thomas Aquinas Cath-olic High School’s high standards.

St. Thomas Aquinas started celebrations for CSW on January 27,

2012 with the Feast of St. Thomas Aquinas and its second quarter honor roll award ceremony with nearly 60% of the student body scoring 87% or higher on average. The Eucharistic Celebration was presided over by His Excellency Anthony Sablan Apuron, O.F.M. Cap., D.D., Metropolitan Archbish-op of Agana. Science Fair awards were also distributed to outstand-ing students thereby contributing to strengthening the future of sci-

ence, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), a program of top priority at St. Thomas Aqui-nas Catholic High School. Different student activities highlighted the contribution of teachers, parents and the community to the educa-tion of our children. CSW ended with “International Day” spon-sored by the Model United Nations’ Club on February 4, 2012.

Congratulations to all Catholic schools!

Photo courtesy of Marilyn Manibusan

7umatuna.orgSunday, February 5, 2012 CHurCH & SOCIeTy

WASHINGTON D.C., — Senator Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) has introduced a bill to repeal regulations issued by the Obama administration that many faith-based organizations say would force them to buy health in-surance plans that violate their con-sciences.

“The Obama Administration’s obsession with forcing mandates on the American people has now reached a new low by violating the conscience rights and religious lib-erties of our people,” Rubio said in a Jan. 31 statement.

Rubio also criticized the admin-istration for “forcing religious enti-ties to abandon their beliefs.”

He described his bill, titled “The Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 2012,” as “a common sense bill that simply says the government can’t force religious organizations to abandon the fundamental tenets of their faith because the govern-ment says so.”

On Jan. 20, the Department of Health and Human Services final-ized a “preventative services” man-date that would require employers to purchase health insurance plans that cover sterilization and contra-ception, including some abortion-causing drugs.

The mandate includes a reli-gious exemption, but it only applies

to organizations that exist for the purpose of inculcating religious val-ues and limit their service and em-ployment primarily to members of their own faith.

The limited scope of the exemp-tion means that most religiously-affiliated ministries and groups will not qualify for it.

Rubio introduced his bill on Jan. 31 “to provide religious conscience protections for individuals and or-ganizations.”

The legislation observes that the mandate’s “absurdly narrow exemption,” which is “unprece-dented in Federal law,” will exclude thousands of “charities, hospitals, schools or soup kitchens that hire or serve individuals who do not share their religious tenets.”

It points out that “religious free-dom and liberty of conscience are inalienable rights protected by the Declaration of Independence and the First Amendment to the United States Constitution.”

Rubio’s bill also notes that the Department of Health and Human Services refused to broaden the religious exemption to the man-date “despite receiving thousands of comments protesting” against its narrow scope.

If the bill became law, it will pre-vent any regulations issued under the Patient Protection and Afford-able Health Care Act from requiring

“any individual or entity” to provide coverage or information on contra-ception or sterilization if that indi-vidual or entity is opposed to doing so “on the basis of religious belief.”

It also prohibits the imposition of a fine, penalty or other punish-ment on individuals or entities that make a religiously-based deci-sion not to purchase such coverage. (CNA/EWTN News)

ITE MISSA EST From the Mass to the Market: Engaging the World Beyond the Church Doors

So far (in previous columns) we have established that 1) given the possibility of an afterlife, we ought to at least look into it; 2) an after-life which includes the possibility of eternal damnation demands serious con-sideration; 3) of the two major reli-gions which teach eternal damnation, Christianity and Islam, we will examine Christi-anity since it is the older of the two and because its founder claimed to be God.

Christians of course base their belief in the historical existence of Christ on the authority of the Bible and the teachings handed down to them through Christian institutions. But using Christian sources to prove Christian sources is a circular exer-

cise and at some point, for the skep-tic, there must be extra-Christian collateral evidence. The most cred-ible extra-Christian accounts of his-torical Christianity and its founding is recorded in the writings of their Roman detractors. There are many such entries. We will examine two here.

The Roman historian, Tacitus, records in his Annals: “Nero fas-tened the guilt . . . on a class hated for their abominations, called Chris-tians by the populace. Christus, from whom the name had its origin, suffered the extreme penalty during the reign of Tiberius at the hands of

. . . Pontius Pilatus, and a most mis-chievous superstition, thus checked for the moment, again broke out not only in Judaea, the first source of the evil, but even in Rome...”

Tacitus, here, gives us some ma-jor collateral proof for the central act of Christianity: “he suffered under Pontius Pilate”, the “extreme pen-alty”, of course, being a reference to crucifixion. And even Christ’s res-

urrection is referenced as “a most mischievous superstition” that was

“thus checked for the moment”, but again “broke out” and has made its way from Judea to Rome.

Another important early refer-ence comes from a Roman gover-nor in Asia Minor named Pliny the Younger. Writing to the Emperor Trajan, Pliny inquires as to how to deal with a great multitude in his province that stood “accused of Christianity”, and in so doing, tells us much about who the Christians are:

“They were in the habit of meet-ing on a certain fixed day before it was light, when they sang in alter-nate verses a hymn to Christ, as to a god, and bound themselves by a sol-emn oath, not to any wicked deeds, but never to commit any fraud, theft or adultery, never to falsify their word, nor deny a trust when they should be called upon to deliver it up; after which it was their custom to separate, and then reassemble to partake of food--but food of an ordi-nary and innocent kind.”

There is much here. First we see that Christians gathered on a fixed day, which corroborates Acts 20:7

(“On the first day of the week we gathered...”) The fact that they sang a hymn to Christ tells us that Chris-tians worshiped Christ as God and did not just reverence him just as a prophet. And the binding of them-selves to a solemn oath, swearing not to engage in a list of misdeeds, tells us that belief in Christ neces-sitated a change in moral behavior.

There is also an account here of the Eucharist which is especially interesting for its reference to “food of an ordinary and innocent kind.” This is noted because Christians were sometimes thought to prac-tice cannibalism. Pliny makes the case to the Emperor that this is not so. And of course to the external observer, what is consumed at the Christian Eucharist, does appear to be “food of an ordinary...kind”.

The whole entry is a bit amusing because, as noted, Pliny’s letter is a perplexed inquiry to Trajan as to what to do with these people who are living exemplary moral lives, but stand “accused”. If they had been criminals there would have been no need to contact the Emperor for ad-vice. And because of the Roman tol-erance for worship of gods of every

stripe, the particular worship of the Christians was probably not consid-ered criminal. So Pliny appears to be in a knot. (Their crime of course is that they refused to also worship the Roman gods.)

One last observation. We know from Acts 20:7 that Christians un-derstood Sunday (“the first day of the week”) to be the appropriate day for worship. But here we also see a reference to the time of day: “before it was light”. It is curious that in our Vatican II inspired desire to “return to the sources” and to resurrect all things ancient (it was called “res-sourcement” at the Council), the ancient practice of meeting and worshipping “before it was light” has not been as enthusiastically em-braced as were other reforms. Per-sonally, I can’t imagine a better time. (To be continued.)

This column reflects only the views of the author and does not nec-essarily reflect the views of the staff and management of the Umatuna. Hyperlinks to supporting data can be found on the online version at www.themassneverends.com The author can be contacted at timrohr.guam@gmail.com

By Tim Rohr

y I am Catholic: Part 3

Bill Introduced to Overturn Contraception Mandate

DALLAS, Texas — In the midst of a congressional investigation, Planned Parenthood has lost the support of the nation's leading breast cancer charity, Susan G. Ko-men for the Cure.

Last year Planned Parenthood received roughly $680,000 in grants from Komen and $580,000 the year before.

Komen spokeswoman Leslie Aun told the Associated Press that the cutoff is a result of the charity's recently adopted criteria which pro-hibits giving grants to organizations undergoing investigations by local, state or federal authorities.

Planned Parenthood has been the subject of a federal investiga-tion headed by Rep. Cliff Stearns (R-Fla.) since last year. The inves-tigation was launched after the pro-

life group Americans United for Life issued a report indicating financial irregularities and involvement in assisting those involved in sex-traf-ficking and prostitution.

Planned Parenthood officials re-acted to today’s decision by Susan G. Komen with surprise and dismay. They claimed that the move was po-litically motivated.

“It's hard to understand how an organization with whom we share a mission of saving women's lives could have bowed to this kind of bullying. It's really hurtful,” Cecile Richards, president of Planned Par-enthood Federation of America told the Associated Press.

With nearly 800 centers nation-wide, Planned Parenthood is the nation's leading abortion provider. (CNA/EWTN News)

Susan G. Komen Pulls Funding for Planned Parenthood

Maria Thompson of the 40 Days for Life campaign, center, stands with her daughter, son-in-law and grandchildren outside of a Planned Parenthood office during the campaign last year. CNS photo, Lisa A. Johnston, St. Louis Review

8 Sunday, February 5, 2012umatuna.org reGIOnaL

PHILIPPINES

Man Obligated to Seek the Truth – bishop

MANILA — Man is ontologically, but not morally, free, because he is obligated to search for the truth in all its aspects, a Catholic bishop said.

Mati Bishop Patricio Alo said that in matters of religion, a person does have an air of freedom because none is supposed to be forced into any religion against his or her will.

But the prelate warned that in exercising freedom of religion, a hu-man person must not forget that he is a being created by God.

“Nevertheless since religion is supposed to be instrumental in providing us important truths con-nected to our eternal destiny of happiness versus an eternal destiny of woe and pain, and punishment, surely we are all obliged to seek for the clear and simple truths,” Alo said.

And once they come to know the truth, people are also bound to ad-here with it and direct their whole lives in accordance with demands of the truth “that can bring us to our true destiny of happiness as re-wards for our good works.”

The prelate also mentioned how religion in the past came to be an ex-cuse for misguided fanatics causing tensions, disturbances and upheav-als.

“But such is a far cry from what true religion should be. If that was in the past, it is up to us to correct the mistakes of the past,” he said. (CBCPNews)

KOREA

religions unite against School bullies

Religious leaders have agreed to join forces to try and combat the growing menace of bullying at school following the suicide of a middle school student in Daegu in December.

Although suicides are not un-common in Korea the death of the boy, surnamed Kim, made headlines because of the long suicide note he left his parents expressing his love for them and what he was subjected to before leaping to his death from a window at his apartment.

In his note the 14-year-old Kim said he was beaten and underwent

“water torture” at the hands of two other boys who would follow him home every day and abuse him.

The case has sparked a great deal of soul-searching in over the issue of bullying in schools and has also prompted leaders from the coun-try’s six main religions to issue an appeal yesterday calling for a joint effort to end what many now see as a growing problem.

Their appeal came in the form of an open letter which they read out at a meeting yesterday at the Daegu Metropolitan Office of Education.

“All of us should regret our wrongdoings because we have

neglected suffering students and school violence,” they said.

“Every effort will be made to come up with ways to prevent school violence,” they added.

Archbishop Thaddeus Cho Hwan-kil of Daegu said: “We will co-operate to instill a culture of respect for others and help strengthen the education system to produce stu-dents with better character.”

Superintendent of the Daegu education office, Woo Tong-ki, also announced a new campaign called

“Stop Violence” which promises to severely punish school bullies.

Religious and civic groups, as well as the Daegu Police have all agreed to participate in the cam-paign.

Meanwhile, Catholic educators welcomed the promulgation yes-terday of an ordinance by the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education to protect student rights, including regulations prohibiting discrimina-tion on the basis of sexual orienta-tion or religion and corporal punish-ment, while guaranteeing religious freedom.

But the education ministry filed a petition with the Supreme Court to invalidate it, saying the ordinance could create confusion in schools, especially among teachers in their student guidance. (UCA News)

PHILIPPINES

Migrant Group Tells Government to assess Mena Situation

ANTIPOLO CITY — Migrant workers’ group in the Mid-East cau-tions the government to “go slow” in deploying overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in the Middle-East and North African (MENA) region as political and social upheavals con-tinue in the area.

Migrante Middle East regional director John Leonard C. Monterona in an email said, their office in Saudi continues to receive reports about the clashes between authorities and protesters in Egypt and in Libya. Same situation is happening in Iraq, Syria, and Bahrain, he said.

The migrant leader said that the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) should assess the situation very carefully and stop speculating that the social conditions in the afore-mentioned countries are “stabiliz-ing.”

“In Baghdad, there are 32 people who have died in a suicide bombing attack as a result of the continuous opposition by nationalists there against the US occupation of their country. In Egypt, pro-democracy protesters are swelling in number, as well as in Syria. These are clear in-dicators that the situation is still vol-atile and the Philippine government should not gamble over the safety of our kababayans there,” he said.

Monterona said that the Benig-no C. Aquino III government should exert all efforts in industrializing the country, to be able to create sus-tainable jobs and to stop treating la-bor as an export commodity.

“It is high time for the Philip-pines to develop and [to] have its own vibrant local industries that it can depend on. The very first step that the present government can do is to nationalize basic industries such as power, oil and heavy indus-tries and implement genuine agrar-ian reform. In implementing agrar-ian reform, the government should give the farmers and farmworkers technology and other farm sup-port, thus making it sustainable. It is the agricultural sector that would serve as the backbone to the na-tional industrialization that we are talking about,” he said. (Noel Sales Barcelona/CBCPNews)

PHILIPPINES

bishop blames bad economic Policies for rising Hunger

MANILA, Jan. 31, 2012— A Cath-olic bishop has blamed the govern-ment’s economic policy as the cul-prit behind the rising incidence of hunger in the country, the auxiliary bishop of Manila said.

Simply giving people with fi-nancial aid is not enough to prevent famine, said Bishop Broderick Pabil-lo. Instead, he said, the government needs to overhaul the policies that upended the food supply.

That is why the latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey which showed the rising number of Filipinos who are experiencing hun-ger did not come as a surprise for the prelate.

One problem, according to him, is the Aquino administration lack of concrete programs to address the issue.

“There’s no specific program aside from the CCT (Conditional Cash Transfer) but it’s not the an-swer. We need a structural policy for sustainable growth,” Pabillo said.

Pabillo also chairs the National Secretariat for Social Action, Jus-tice and Peace of the Catholic Bish-ops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP).

Based on the SWS survey con-ducted from Dec. 3 to 7, 2011, while the country’s poverty rate dropped at the end of 2011, the hunger rate went up during the same period.

The poll found that those who claimed to be experiencing hunger climbed from 21.5 percent (about 4.1 families) in September last year to 22.5 percent (about 4.5 million fami-lies) in December.

The survey, which used face-to-face interviews of 1,200 adults nationwide, also showed that se-vere hunger rose in all areas except in Metro Manila, where it fell by 1.3 points to 5 percent.

The hunger rate rose by 9.7 points to 25 percent in the Visayas and by 6.7 points to 19.7 percent in Mindanao.

Bishop Pabillo attributed such problem in the countryside to the government’s inability to imple-ment genuine reforms in agrarian and labor issues.

“One big problem is on land reform which causes hunger,” he said. “Other problems include the

contractualization, lack of job gen-eration and low wages for workers.”

The Church official also lament-ed the Aquino administration’s sub-servience to the business sector over the people struggling of poverty.

“As of now, business interests win out over the poor under,” Pa-billo said. (Roy Lagarde/CBCPNews)

KOREA

young Koreans: “Faith is a Serious and Life-enhancing Commitment”

Seoul - Young Korean Catholics “really understand the teachings of the faith” and practicing their reli-gion “helps them to improve their understanding of the world and their problems.” However, “there is a need for better pastoral care of families with young children,” be-cause “families create the right en-vironment for growth of the Catho-lic faith”, according to a survey by the Korean Bishops’ Conference among young people of the coun-try’s 15 dioceses.

The results were presented by Msgr. Peter Lee Ki-heon, president of the Episcopal Commission for Youth Ministry. The Commission

prepared and sent 91 thousand modules to all parishes: the ques-tionnaire was drawn up by Dr. Moon Yong-lin, a professor at the Depart-ment of Education of Seoul National University, Cho Han-su, a member of the Commission, and Dr. Won Hyun-ju, who also teaches at the capital’s University.

The survey is a “first” for the Ko-rean Church. According to Msgr. Lee,

“we now have a method and a basis for understanding what we do and how we can improve our work in so-ciety.” The questions were divided into four categories: personal life, family life, school life and social life. Young Catholics - who live in one of the most secular countries in the world, spurred on in a terrible com-petition from early childhood - say that faith “helps us understand and overcome our daily problems.”

Some, however, stressed that “being a good Catholic is difficult and challenging” others that “faith interferes with school obligations.” The vast majority of young people respond however, that “being a Catholic is certainly a commitment, but that’s part of the natural duties of believers.” All, however, say that Sunday school is boring, “This - Mgr. Lee - drives us to create a more live-ly and engaging program. Without forgetting the spirit or purpose of the catechism.” (AsiaNews)

By Martin Barillas

JAPAN

Martin Scorsese’s next Movie Project: The Martyrs of Japan

Rev.Tim Byron SJ from Liverpool is currently working in the Philip-pines. In his latest blog, he reflects on a story from the region that he hopes will soon reach the big screen. He writes: ‘The history of Christi-anity in Asia is marked by terrible suffering and persecution, mixed with power, corruption, ignorance, prejudice, cultural suspicions, ter-rible mistakes, acts of great generos-ity and sacrifice. Some of the fierc-est persecution was in Japan – after the success of the initial journeys of Jesuit missionary St Francis Xavier. The story of the martyrs of Japan is

powerful and it should be known by a wider audience.”

Well, hopefully it will be thanks to two men: award-winning Japa-nese author Shusako Endo and one of the greatest film directors of all time, Martin Scorsese.

Scorsese has announced his next project will be a film based on Endo’s classic novel Silence. Scors-ese as a young man seriously consid-ered the priesthood, even entering the seminary. Now, having married five times he recently said – ‘I’m a lapsed Catholic. But I am Roman Catholic, there’s no way out of it.’ (UCA News)

Widely acknowledged as one of the greatest directors ever, Martin Scorsese is preparing to shoot a new film with a heavyweight cast about the martyrs of Japan.

UCA News Photo

9umatuna.orgSunday, February 5, 2012 reGIOnaL

A new study has shown that the Catholic popula-tion has grown in recent years, while the ratio of priests to laity has also in-creased.

The study conducted by the Diocesan Building and Development Commis-sion compiled data from the Hong Kong Catholic Church Directory from its beginnings in 1954 through 2010 and found the sharp-est rise in Catholic popula-tion in the last decade.

That study showed that the proportion of Catholics living in the New Territories recorded a continuous increase, while the Kowloon Peninsula Catholic popu-lation fell and Hong Kong island’s population remained level.

Father Dominic Chan Chi-ming, vicar general of Hong Kong and the commission’s ex officio member, said the analysis would serve as a reference for pastoral develop-ment, adding that three new churches have been planned for the New Territories to meet the growing need.

As of 2010, baptized local Catholics amounted to 350,000, representing five per-cent of Hong Kong’s seven million residents.

If including Catholics among non-per-manent residents, notably Filipino domestic helpers and other foreign nationals, the total Catholic population was 530,000.

Meanwhile, the number of parishes has fallen from its peak of 62 in 1995 to 51 in 2010, but the number of churches and chapels has

grown, the data showed.The number of priests to lay Catholics

also widened from 1 per 500 in 1971 to 1 per 1,200 in 2010.

While paid catechists decreased to 40 in 2010, the number of voluntary catechists has exceeded 1,400 since 2005, which the com-mission described as “a welcome sign of ma-turity of the diocese.”

On educational service, the commission found there was a “significant and persis-tent” decline in the percentage of Catholic students in the 278 Catholic schools – from 33 percent in 1958 to 8 percent in 2010. The downward trend began in 1970s.

The Church’s social welfare services have also shown an increasing diversity in recent years, according to the study.

About 2.5 million people were served per year in 2009 and 2010 by Catholic hospitals, clinics, hostels, the Caritas’ service centers, homes for the aged and girls, and centers for handicapped and the youth. (UCA News)

Cars Plus joins our island’s faithful parishioners in celebrating the Feast Day of

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CHINA

Hong Kong Study Shows rise in CatholicsBut gap widens in ratio of priest to lay persons

KONTUM – Support from a German doc-tors’ organization is helping a microcredit ini-tiative by Caritas in Kontum, in the plateaus of central Vietnam. The project is not only meant to provide help to the local economy but also train people.

About 107,000 € (US$ 140,000) in capital were allocated to the project for a period go-ing from September 2009 to December 2012. The main beneficiaries are 540 members of local ethnic groups divided into 59 groups, living in three parishes: KonR bang, KonXâm-luh and PleiChuet.

The project entails providing capital loans with a specific repayment schedule. Its success is based on training beneficiaries and obtaining their agreement to the project’s ob-jectives.

“The project allowed me to borrow money for farming and breeding,” one participant told AsiaNews. “I also learnt to run the family business. We learnt to raise pigs, plant vege-tables and make organic fertilizers, save time and money, and protect the environment.”

“We learnt from the experience of com-munities in the Dioceses of Da Lat and Vinh

Long,” he added. “Now my children have good conditions to go to school and we are enthusiastic about participating in our par-ish’s pastoral and social activities. We help each other.”

Thanks to the project, more than 600 people also received loans for breeding. School dropout and child malnutrition have also been reduced.

Parish vicars organized educational and training courses to help the development of human resources in local churches and com-munities, including how to manage financial accounts and keep records in accordance with international standards.

Since plateau ethnic communities tend to be matriarchal, women play the main role in running households, from children’s educa-tion to family finances.

In light of the traditional culture, bishops, priests and religious worked with women in the saving and credit project.

The latter’s success has not only improved the local economy and increased family rev-enues but also enhanced residents’ sense of dignity. (AsiaNews)

Microcredit to Promote the Economy and Dignity of Vietnamese Ethnic Groups

10 Sunday, February 5, 2012umatuna.org naTIOnaL

new Initiative Launched against Federal Contraception rules

WASHINGTON D.C. — A new “Protect Our Conscience” campaign has been launched to help Catholic individuals, families, and parishes voice their opposition to the newly-confirmed federal contraception coverage mandate.

Matt Smith, president of Catho-lic Advocate, announced in a state-ment that his goal was “to have at least 100,000 faithful Catholics par-ticipate each month until Congress acts” to protect the rights of institu-tions that could be forced to cover contraception and sterilization for their employees.

“There are 17,782 parishes in the United States,” Smith noted. “If faithful Catholics were able to av-erage 115 letters per parish to their representative and each senator, Capitol Hill would receive over six million contacts on this issue. We would send a powerful message that cannot be ignored.”

The campaign is currently seeking “parish leaders,” who will receive a set of tools designed to answer questions, facilitate letter-writing, and help raise awareness within their churches.

Cardinal-designate Timothy M.

Dolan, president of the U.S. bishops' conference, has called on Catholics to “let your elected leaders know that you want religious liberty and

rights of conscience restored and that you want the administration’s contraceptive mandate rescinded.”

Along with the reversal of the mandate, the Protect Our Con-

science campaign aims to build sup-port for the “Respect for the Rights of Conscience Act,” a bill that would amend federal health care reform to let employers opt out of covering some services.

Under the proposed legislation, health plans could “decline cover-age of specific items and services that are contrary to the religious be-liefs of the sponsor, issuer, or other entity offering the plan or the pur-chaser or beneficiary (in the case of individual coverage) without pen-alty.”

Over the weekend of Jan. 28-29, a large number of U.S. bishops spoke out against the coverage mandate in letters read at Mass. The letters called for prayer and civic engagement, appealing to believers' right against state coercion in mat-ters of faith and conscience.

Health and Human Services' contraception mandate, enacted as part of federal health care reform, has draw criticism for its narrow religious exemption, which applies only to groups that primarily em-ploy and serve people of the same faith for the purpose of inculcating religious values. (CNA)

Matt Smith President of Catholic Advocate

‘If faithful Catholics were

able to average 115 letters per parish to their representative and each senator, Capitol Hill would receive over six million contacts on this issue. We would send a powerful message that cannot be ignored.’

LINCOLN, Nebraska — Catholics may have to suffer for the integrity of their institutions, Bishop Fabian W. Bruskewitz of Lincoln, Nebraska announced in his response to the Obama administration's contracep-tion mandate.

“We can-not and will not comply with this un-just decree. Like the mar-tyrs of old, we must be prepared to accept suf-fering which could include heavy fines and impris-onment,” Bishop Bruskewitz wrote in a letter he ordered to be read at every Sunday Mass in his diocese on Jan. 29.

“Our American religious liberty is in grave jeopardy,” he warned, describing the impact of new rules that Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius has instituted as part of federal health care reform.

Those rules, confirmed as final on Jan. 20, will require most reli-gious employers to cover contra-ception and sterilization, including some abortion-causing drugs, in new health care plans. Sebelius has given religious groups an extra year

to comply, but rejected calls for a broader exemption clause.

“This means that all of our Cath-olic schools, hospitals, social ser-vice agencies, and the like will be forced to participate in evil,” Bishop Bruskewitz explained.

The bishop recalled that the Church “has pleaded with President Obama to rescind this edict, but all pleas have been met with scorn and have fallen on deaf ears.”

He described Secretary Sebelius as a “bitter fallen-away Catholic,” and called her one-year deadline extension for non-exempt religious employers “an act of mockery” – be-cause, he noted, “during that year, they must 'refer' people to the in-surance that covers wicked deeds.”

A proposed U.S. Senate bill, the “Respect for Rights of Conscience Act,” would amend the health care law to let employers opt out of cov-ering some services. Bishop Bruske-witz urged Catholics to call their elected representatives in support of the bill, and to protest the “out-rage” of the contraception mandate.

Meanwhile, he said, the faithful should “pray and do penance that this matter may be resolved.”

The bishop of Lincoln was one of a large number of U.S. Church leaders voicing alarm over the weekend, in letters distributed to parishes and read at Mass regard-ing the Health and Human Services order.

In the Diocese of Phoenix, Cath-olics heard a message from Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted, who declared that people of faith would not be

“made second-class citizens” and “stripped of their God-given rights.”

In Marquette, Michigan, Bishop Alexander K. Sample said that if the rule takes effect, “we Catholics will be compelled to either violate our consciences, or to drop health cov-erage for our employees and suffer the penalties for doing so.”

New Orleans Archbishop Greg-ory M. Aymond stressed the need for action in his letter to the faithful over the weekend, as he decried the

“unprecedented attack on religious liberty” by which the state was “vi-olating our rights to make choices based on our morals and Church teaching.”

Archbishop Aymond is in Rome for meetings with Vatican officials as well as Pope Benedict XVI, who issued his own warning to the U.S. Church just before Health and Hu-man Services finalized the mandate.

In remarks to bishops of the Mid-Atlantic states on Jan. 19, the Pope said all U.S. Catholics must

“realize the grave threats to the Church’s public moral witness presented by a radical secularism which finds increasing expression in the political and cultural spheres.” (CNA/EWTN News)

Lincoln Bishop: Prepare for 'Suffering' Under HHS Mandate

Bishop Fabian W. Bruskewitz of Lincoln, Nebraska CNS Photo

WASHINGTON — The same-sex marriage issue will be facing law-makers and voters in several states this year.

Democratic-controlled legisla-tures in Washington state, Mary-land and New Jersey are consider-ing legislation that would legalize same-sex marriage, while Maine voters will vote on a same-sex mar-riage referendum in November.

Voters in North Carolina and Minnesota will consider consti-tutional amendments defining marriage as between a man and a woman. In New Hampshire, the Republican-controlled legislature is gearing up to vote on a bill that could reverse that state’s same-sex marriage law.

Maryland Gov. Martin J. O’Malley, a Catholic, is sponsor-ing legislation to legalize same-sex marriage. If it passes Maryland will be the seventh state, plus the Dis-trict of Columbia, to allow same-sex marriages.

Mary Ellen Russell, executive director of the Maryland Catholic Conference, the public policy arm of the state’s bishops, said same-sex marriage is being pushed by a small group of advocates.

“If we dismantle the connection between marriage and mothers and fathers of children, we risk losing sight of the tremendous impor-tance of keeping the nuclear family intact,” she told The Catholic Re-view, newspaper of the Baltimore Archdiocese.

Treating marriage differently from other relationships is not dis-crimination, Russell added, not-ing that there are already laws on the books that provide benefits for those in same-sex relationships.

Last July, after a bill to legal-ize same-sex marriage in Maryland was effectively dead by the close of the legislative session, O’Malley vowed to introduce the bill in the 2012 legislative session.

Two days before the governor’s announcement, then-Archbishop Edwin F. O’Brien of Baltimore pri-vately wrote to him asking that he not promote the redefinition of marriage. O’Malley told the arch-bishop he was “sworn to uphold the law without partiality or preju-dice.” The archbishop’s letter and O’Malley’s response were later re-leased to the media.

The archbishop, now cardinal-designate, is currently apostolic administrator of the Baltimore Archdiocese; last August he was appointed pro-grand master of the Equestrian Order (Knights) of the Holy Sepulcher of Jerusalem, based in Rome.

He told The Catholic Review he thought it was “arrogant” to dismiss traditional marriage, and that some Maryland delegates view traditional marriage as “old-fash-

ioned.” “Because they have friends who

might be gay,” he said, “they think it’s all right to question this whole thing and to vote for an overturn (of the definition of marriage).”

Should Maryland lawmakers vote to legalize same-sex marriage, opponents have promised to take the issue to voters through a refer-endum.

In New Jersey, leaders in the Democratic-controlled legislature have made a bill to legalize same-sex marriage in that state a top pri-ority. However, Gov. Chris Christie has vowed to veto such a bill if it passes, saying he wants the issue to be placed on the ballot.

The state’s Catholic bishops said in a Jan. 20 statement that tra-ditional marriage “has its roots in natural law.”

“As citizens, we must protect marriage as the union of one man and one woman,” they said. “Same sex unions may represent a new and a different type of institution

-- but it is not marriage and should not be treated as marriage.”

The bishops said the state’s Civil Union Act, signed into law in December 2006, “already provides practical rights, benefits and pro-tections for persons who choose to establish non-marital unions.”

At a town hall meeting, Christie said the issue of “whether or not to redefine hundreds of years of soci-etal and religious traditions, should not be decided by 121 people in the statehouse in Trenton. ... The insti-tution of marriage is too serious to be treated like a political football.”

On a 4-3 vote, a Washington state Senate committee Jan. 26 passed a bill to legalize same-sex marriage and sent it to the full Sen-ate. Gov. Christine Gregoire, who also is Catholic, has pledged to sign this bill into law.

In a Jan. 23 testimony before a Senate committee, Seattle Arch-bishop J. Peter Sartain urged law-makers to oppose the measure.

He said the bill has “elicited strong emotions on both sides” and hoped the voice of Catholic bishops in the state “contributes signifi-cantly to the discussion of a matter that has serious long-range impli-cations for our state and society at large.”

Archbishop Sartain said bishops oppose the bill “based on the grave challenge this legislation poses to the common good. By attempting to redefine marriage, it ignores the origin, purpose and value of mar-riage to individuals, families and society.”

He noted that “not everyone holds our faith and beliefs, but the universal principles that form the basis for our position are readily discernible by all people. They tran-scend any particular society, gov-ernment, or religious community; in fact, they are built into human life itself.” (CNS)

Same-Sex Marriage Issue Facing Lawmakers, Voters in Several States

By Carol ZimmermannCatholic News Service

11umatuna.orgSunday, February 5, 2012 InTernaTIOnaL

WASHINGTON -- One of the ba-sic definitions of news is "man bites dog" -- the unusual, the twist on the normal order of things.

Get ready for a few things to sink your teeth into.

First, Pope Benedict XVI com-mented on the dangers that loom when media outlets shun account-ability and focus solely on profit.

Second, the former senior ad-viser to the chairman of the Fed-eral Communications Commission lauded the pope for uttering these insights.

Third, Pope Benedict made these remarks six years ago, in the first year of his pontificate, and they are only now being heralded outside the Catholic world.

Let's take a look at each of these in more detail.

The pope issued the statement for the 40th anniversary of World Communications Day; it was his first statement for the observance. It was dated Jan. 24, the feast of St. Francis de Sales, the patron saint of journal-ists. Each year the day is marked in most dioceses the Sunday before Pentecost, which this year is May 20.

In the 2006 message, Pope Benedict warned about what hap-pens when media owners lose their compass when it comes to the com-munities they serve, bemoaning the

"distortions that occur when the me-dia industry becomes self-serving or

solely profit driven, losing the sense of accountability to the common good."

The pope's message was picked up by Steven Waldman, who used to work at the FCC, where he was the lead author of the report "In-formation Needs of Communities: The Changing Media Landscape in a Broadband Age," and is now the vis-iting senior media policy scholar at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.

Waldman took note of the quote, which was used by the U.S. Confer-ence of Catholic Bishops in an Oct. 27, 2011, statement defining what the public interest obligations of broadcasters should be. Carrying religious broadcasts, the USCCB ar-gued, was one of those responsibili-ties.

Another element, both the US-CCB and Waldman said, should be each station putting the contents of its public inspection file online so that citizens could more easily in-spect the file.

By doing so, the USCCB said, it would "move broadcasters closer to that sense of accountability."

"Amen to that," Waldman said. Not surprisingly, broadcasters

have been reluctant to agree to such a proposal. In his essay "Breaking the News," which was posted Jan. 26 of this year on the website of the Columbia Journalism Review, Wald-man cited four stations from Illinois to California who said jointly, "Such

announcements may arouse the public's interest in examining a PIF (public inspection file), but the li-censees do not believe that the com-mission should attempt to stimulate such examinations."

"Right," Waldman remarked. "We wouldn't want the public so 'aroused' that they would, in their words, play 'Sherlock Holmes,' rath-er than engaging station managers in 'productive dialogue.'"

And a joint comment filed by filed by stations owned by the NBC, CBS, ABC, Fox and Univision net-

works suggested that the stations shouldn't be expected to make the public's job easier. "Research by its nature requires the expenditure of effort," they said. And for report-ers, the stations added, "a certain amount of leg work is eminently practical."

"One almost expects them to next blurt out, 'In my day, we didn't have no new-fangled Intertubes; we had to go to the damn library and they should, too!'" Waldman scoffed.

The USCCB last October was more sedate in voicing its opinion.

"Requiring broadcasters to disclose the actual programs they air will provide much-needed facts for the public to participate in the license renewal process and in future rule-makings," the statement said.

And if you'd like to read all of what Pope Benedict said, it's available online at the Vatican's website. Go to www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/messages/communications/documents/hf_ben-xvi_mes_20060124_40th-world-communications-day_en.html to read what the pope had to say. (CNS)

Pope Gets Credit for Identifying dangers of Media Irresponsibility

The Bishops: “To Become Church of the Poor and Marginalized in Asia” Bangkok (Agenzia Fides) - After a “full immersion” in

the realities of poverty, vulnerability, marginalization and suffering, the Asian Bishops hope that the Asian Christian communities in Asia become a “Church of the poor” and that this approach is reflected in the pastoral programs in different countries. As reported to Fides by the Office for Human Development of the “Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences” (FABC) organized through its “Institute for Social Action” (BISA) a laboratory for a week (from January 18 to 24) in Bangkok in the name of sharing and reflection, which was attended by Bishops, priests, religious and lay people from many Asian countries. The program included an

“experiential” part (three days lived in poverty ) and a part of reflection and confrontation.

In the final message, signed by the Burmese Archbishop Mgr. Charles Bo, President of the Office for Human Development in the FABC, the Asian Bishops remarked:

“the experience of sharing with indigenous people, migrants, victims of HIV/AIDS and human being trafficking brought us closer to the suffering of our people”. Then, in the light of the

Church’s social teaching, the participants discussed issues such as labor rights, conditions of migrants and indigenous people, rights of women and children, conflict and peace building and social justice.

The Asian Bishops - says the message sent to Fides - often note that “the Church is the only voice of the poor and most vulnerable”. This is why it intends to “educate the Church and society to pay attention to the problems of marginalized communities”. This will be achieved “by sensitizing lay movements and lay associations to engage in public, local, provincial and national governments, so that they promote action programs in their favor”.

The Bishops confirm the goodness of a pastoral made up of “immersion, reflection and action”, to “buildthe Kingdom of God and its values of justice and peace, especially among the millions who suffer in Asia”. They hope that Christians in Asia become “operators of social change, making the poor and the marginalized aware of their economic, social and cultural rights and protagonists of their development”. (Agenzia Fides)

By Mark Pattison Catholic News Service

12 Sunday, February 5, 2012umatuna.org FeaTure

These Young Folks - Leaders of the FutureFreshman Senator Dennis Rodriguez talks with USY about the move into public life, the political climate on Guam, and the strengths of being a young legislator

Sen. Dennis Rodriguez was elected to his inaugural term as a member of the Guam Legislature in 2010 and has been a voice for many of the con-cerns for the Church, particularly in

pro-life issues. The senator sat down to speak with U Matuna Si Yu'os to discuss his perspec-tive on becoming a more public figure and the hopes and challenges that are part of being a legislator.

What made you decide to get involved in politics and finally run for office?

DR: Growing up, my father was heavily involved with politics. He was director for the late Governor [Ricardo] Bordallo, and I re-member that every time he went to a pocket meeting or to a function, I would always go with him. When I was about 10 years old, he took me to a pocket meeting, and before I went I told him that I wanted to speak. One day they actually let me introduce Gov. Bor-dallo, but what really got me was that where the district court is now was the [campaign] headquarters for the late governor, and it was at this big rally that I was able to intro-duce him. He came up, and looking at all of us young people in front, he said, “One day, these young folks here are going to be the leaders of the future.”

I guess I just really followed him as I got older, and I really became inspired by his work and by his efforts for our community. During the campaign [for the current legislature] I was asked what inspired me, and even then I said that it was Gov. Bordallo.

USY: What specifically prompted you to seek office in the Guam Legislature?

DR: As a young man, I was in the Guam Youth Congress, and it was there that I repre-sented Fr. Duenas Memorial School, and I ran as village representative for the village of Ded-edo. I treated it like a real election because I saw how real campaigns are. On election day, I had a bar-b-que that lasted all day outside the mayor’s office, and we called a bunch of people and said, “Come out and vote.” A lot of people didn’t know what the Youth Congress was. My experience there led me to work for then-Senator Bermudez as his chief-of-staff (the youngest chief-of-staff at that time). It was during that time that I really got to know how this branch of government operates, and it is where I decided that I wanted to partici-pate, contribute, and help our people.

More recently, I worked in Sen. Tina Muna Barnes’ office, and that where I really said to myself, “This is what I want to do!”

USY: What prompted you to run when you did as opposed to holding off for a later date? Was it a sense of being adequately prepared for public life, or a particular issue, or was there something else in play that made you think “Now is the time?”

DR: Right before running for the Legisla-ture, I was working as a research writer [for Sen. Muna Barnes], and it was a time when I saw the opportunity. There are only 15 seats, and it was very hard since no one—no one—knew who Dennis Rodriguez was.

I looked at one aspect and knew that since it was a gubernatorial election, there were

about four sitting senators that were not go-ing to run for a seat in the Legislature. It is true that all 15 seats are “open” every two years, but you have to count on those senators whom the public really knows. So that really opened an opportunity.

Then I also felt that there was a lot of con-cern and frustration in the community, i.e. these constant problems that we’re having with our island. But all we were seeing was infighting. Nothing but infighting. The legis-lative branch with the executive branch, and also simply within the legislative branch it-self. For me—being someone who is not a ca-reer politician and a young man [32 years old] with a young family—I knew that I wanted to bring in a different perspective and a different approach in how we deal with our problems. Maybe this new approach was something that we should give a shot.

So that was my approach to the campaign. It was the willingness to have the people

“mold me” as their leader and what they want me to be. I think many people now believe that our leaders are just too comfortable. They have been there for so long and not really re-sponsive to the people. We hear this even to-day.

But now that I am in, it’s different. The things that I was thinking about prior to serving now are very difficult, precisely be-cause I am only one person in a 15 member body. That means it is extremely important to work together and reach across to colleagues (whether they are in the same party or not); we have to work together. That is the most im-portant thing in the Legislature. I think for me, it is important to respect all my colleagues, re-gardless of whether they agree with me on an issue or not. I’m hoping that this is the way that our body, our branch, deals with issues and that this is the way it remains. We really cannot have strong personalities who think that they have been in this for so long and have so much experience in this type of work that their decisions are the “only” way to do things.

USY: To follow up on this, do you have a position on both term limits (in the sense of consecutive terms) or on the possibil-ity of extending the length of individual terms from two years to, say, four?

DR: To answer the second question first, I think that the two year term is very short. I see it even in my own term. Already one year has passed, and of course, anyone can un-derstand the need to begin preparations for seeking re-election. I believe that is a discus-sion that should be had, but of course it is not something that can be achieved simply by local statute. The Organic Act has to be fac-tored in as well. Even so, I would welcome the chance for us to even have that discussion—regardless of the outcome.

USY: Then of course is the renewed discussion over a part-time Legisla-ture.

DR: I know there is talk about turning to a part-time legislature, and at a time before, I had that sort of impression too—that going part-time might be good. But when you’re in [the Legislature], our people expect you to be their representative, their senator—not part of the day, but every day. They can walk into my office anytime. They can call me anytime.

They have come to expect it, and I am happy to be there.

I do understand the position of the proponents of a part-time legislature and their concerns for excess spending or for excessive bills introduced. But I really do feel that our people want their representatives not to be just part-tim-ers.

USY: When you decided to run for a seat in the Legislature and after-ward in the election cycle, did you have a particular legislative “agen-da,” so to speak, that you wanted to ad-vance, or was it more of a fluid approach: one that was more open to opportunities and “getting the lay of the land?”

DR: The second one; that was exactly my thought process. During the election, I was asked for all quarters, “Candidate Rodriguez: what are your top three priorities? “I always told them, “I don’t have three priorities. I only have one priority: the people of Guam.” The people of Guam have to be the center of your work. I was criticized for that during the cam-paign, but I responded by pointing out that education, public health, and public safety cannot be our only priorities. There are other priorities that deserve real attention as well. The fact of the matter is that when the best interests of the people are the center of your work, then everything falls into place.

So when I came in with the majority and assumed leadership on [the Health] com-mittee, it was actually not the top of my list of expected priorities as a candidate. So now my committee and I are tasked with oversight over the hospital, for example, which is faced with so many challenges. But that makes it an opportunity. This was placed in front of me for a reason, so it’s for us to take the opportunity and make of it what we can.

USY: Besides a focus on responsiveness to the people, what do you take to be your biggest strengths as a senator? Based on what you’ve said, I can as-sume that seeking the common good will factor into your answer, but is there anything else that you see makes you stand out?

DR: I think actually my “newness” is my strength. During the campaign, there was the criticism of “He’s too young!” But youth can definitely be a strength. As a young senator, I know I think a bit differently than some oth-ers, and I bring a different perspective, a dif-ferent mindset. Of course, I don’t discount the institutional knowledge that the “veterans” have because you certainly need them. One of my first decisions as a senator was to hire a community director who was part of the legislature for many many years and who had worked in the legislative and executive branches. So we need that sort of knowledge. Even so, I think my “newness” plays a factor in how we tackle our challenges.

USY: Following up on what you have said, there has been in the tradition of political philosophy a distinction made between the politician and the statesman. There is a night-and-day difference between

the two, and those in politics know it especially to be true. How hard is it, in your estimation, to truly seek to be a statesman in the political environment of today, be it on Guam or nationally, and in light of political parties and internal and external politics related to political parties?

DR: In January, 2011, when I took the oath of office, I took an oath to support and serve the people of Guam—regardless of being a Republican or Democrat. Even today, I keep that document framed in my office behind my desk as a reminder that every time an is-sue comes up and decision has to be made, we have to seek to do what is bad. There is of course the concern of “Our political party supports this” or “doesn’t support that,” and we have to think of that; still, I am always re-minded of that oath that I took and the faith and trust that the people have placed in me.

USY: Based on that, how would you describe the basic political climate on Guam: collegial, combative, cooperative? All of these?

DR: I think it’s all three of these, depend-ing on the issue at hand. On some of the issues, we just keep on fighting and fighting. Even between branches of government, there is fighting, but when we can, we always look to be more cooperative.

USY: In light of this current climate, and keeping in mind that the media on Guam is by no means monolithic, do you think that the media on Guam gives senators a pass, or is the media here more inclined to hold the feet of politicians to the fire?

DR: Speaking for myself, I’d say the media absolutely holds your feet to the fire. Abso-lutely.

USY: So in your judgment, the duties of a free press in a democracy are being fulfilled, at least in some real sense?

DR: Yes, I think so, but there are also times where it’s the reverse. The media does hold us [up to scrutiny], but no one holds their feet to the fire. Often, the reporting is slanted, and if you try to retract a statement, then no re-traction is printed or run at all. But I suppose that’s the nature of things. That’s the nature of the beast.

Part 2 of our interview will appear next week and will discuss specific legislation and the senator’s concerns for Guam in light of the military buildup, institutional problems, and the pressures of re-election.

13umatuna.orgSunday, February 5, 2012 FaMaGu’On yan ManHOben

WORD SEARCH

SUDOKUSUDOKU

CRYPTOGRAM

Fill the empty cells so that each column, each row, and each of the 3x3 regions contains all of the digits from 1 to 9.

The sentence below is encrypted using a secret code. Your job is to break the code by substituting the correct letter for the ones given. Each letter given in the code always represents the same letter throughout the puzzle.

Find all the words hiddin within the puzzle. Words are placed diagonal, forward, backward, up and down.

No region can contain any duplicate digits.

There is only one solution to a Sudoku puzzle.

Use a pencil.

“He holds in His hands the depths of the earth, and the highest mountains as well. He made the sea—it belongs to Him. The dry land too, for it was formed by His hands.” (Psalm 95:4)

Last Week’s Solution

Last Week’s Solution

TIPS

THeMeFebruary’s Saints

AgathaColetteJeromeemilianiApollonianScholasticPeterdamianPolycarpPorphyryofgazaOswaldCyrlMethodiusBlaisePaulmikiPhilip of Jesus

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SCrIPTuraL

Puzzles & Games

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NEW YORK — Few events in recent histo-ry have exerted as deeply personal an impact on the lives of millions of Americans, and of people across the globe, as the attacks of 9/11.

So it's odd and a little baffling that a film based on our national tragedy of a decade ago should register -- for most of its two-hour-plus running time, at least -- as uninvolving.

Yet such is the case with "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close" (Warner Bros.), director Stephen Daldry's grim screen version of the best-selling novel by Jonathan Safran Foer. Though his drama focuses on community, shared suffering and familial solidarity, and upholds positive, humanistic values, various factors within it seem to conspire to keep the audience at a distance.

To begin with, there's the eccentric per-sonality of the movie's main character, in-troverted grade schooler Oskar Schell. While newcomer Thomas Horn does an admirable job of inhabiting Oskar, this young Manhat-tanite is anything but an Everyman -- or per-haps Everyboy.

Oskar may or may not have the mild form of autism known as Asperger's syndrome; tests, he tells us at one point, were inconclu-sive. But he is undeniably pan-phobic, and the only thing that seems to soothe him -- as he runs the gauntlet of such fear-inducing elements of New York life as subways, el-evators and loud noises -- is his ever-present tambourine.

Of course, Oskar has more reason to be

fearful than most, given that his devoted fa-ther, Thomas (Tom Hanks), perished in the World Trade Center.

Devastated by his sudden loss, Oskar seeks diversion, as well as a prolonged sense of closeness to his dad, in an unusual quest. He's out to identify the purpose of a myste-rious key he discovered among Thomas' be-longings.

His search gains him the friendship of the traumatized German immigrant (Max von Sy-dow) who lodges with his grandmother. And it ultimately brings him closer to his seem-ingly grief-paralyzed mom, Linda (Sandra Bullock).

But the diffuse nature of his journey, which brings him into contact with a whole series of strangers -- including, among oth-ers, a sympathetic transvestite -- is another alienating, or at least distracting element for viewers.

While not suitable for Oskar's real-life peers, his story is presented in a way that most adults will find acceptable, a few rude puns exchanged with his building's doorman Stan (John Goodman) notwithstanding. But, as scripted by Eric Roth, his tale is likely to prove more emotionally trying than genu-inely cathartic.

The film contains mature themes, some disturbing images, a transvestite character, a couple of crude terms and occasional vulgar wordplay. The Catholic News Service classi-fication is A-III -- adults. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is PG-13 -- par-ents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13. (CNS)

extremely Loud & Incredibly Close

Thomas Horn and Tom Hanks star in a scene from the movie

"Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close." The Catholic News Service classification is A-III

-- adults. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is PG-13 -- parents strongly cautioned. Some mat erial may be inappropriate for children under 13. CNS photo, Warner Bros.

By John Mulderig Catholic News Service

Baltimore CatechismFor decades, the Baltimore Catechism was the primary tool used by CCD teachers throughout the US to help teach young people the basics of the Faith. Presented in a simple, question-and-answer format, the Catechism also gives a citation from Scripture that help us to understand that the Catholic faith is indeed “Bible-based.” The U Matuna Si Yu’os is please to be able to offer this weekly series as both an instruc-tion for youth as well as a refresher for adults.

69. What three things are necessary to make a sin mortal? To make a sin mortal these three things are needed: (1) the thought, desire, word, action, or omission must be seriously wrong or considered seriously wrong; (2) the sinner, must be mindful of the serious wrong; (3) the sinner must fully consent to it.

70. What is venial sin? Venial sin is a less serious offense against the law of God, which does not deprive the soul of sanctifying grace, and which can be pardoned even without sacramental confession. Be ye therefore perfect, as also your heavenly Father is perfect. (Matthew 6:48)

14 Sunday, February 5, 2012umatuna.org deVOTIOn & SPIrITuaLITy

One thing I learned from God is how to get along happily whether I have much or little. If you have much in life be grateful and praise God for the abundance and bless-ings, and don’t forget to share with those who have either less or noth-ing at all for there many of them out there. If you have much don’t aspire for more but be happy and contented with what you have, for what is beyond that’s needed and neces-sary is no lon-ger a necessity but can be greed and luxury. Life is short and it’s purpose is not to get rich down here but to be happy forever up there and life is not long enough to cover all that you intend or want to achieve. Do as much as you can, grow best where you are, and if you have much ma-terial wealth, have much charity, much generosity, much mercy and much prayer period as well.

If you have little, you can like-wise get happily along in life and don’t envy those who have much for contentment and happiness are not measured by the bigness or small-ness of worldly possessions and position you keep, but how well you manage and conduct yourself so as not to be enslaved by your worldly gain. Be the master of your money and not let money master you. They say that money can be a friend at the same time be a worst enemy. Re-member that WE MAKE A LIVING BY WHAT WE GET, AND WE MAKE LIFE BY WHAT WE GIVE. Let’s learn from the Lord who is expert in mak-ing life happy and meaningful with little he had.. He lived by the gen-erosity of friends and was home-less. At one time he said that, “even the birds of the air have nest to lay their young, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.”. Though materially impoverished, yet he had much to give and share in loving and caring.

I have seen, met and been with people who have barely anything in life as far material gains are con-cerned, but they have much to give and share with regards to talent, time and service. For them, serving the Lord in their capacity is what it takes to be happy and contented in life. Just look around you, and you find them everywhere, they are not loud and noisy but silent in doing their work, they don’t talk much, the reason why they accomplish more. They don’t blow their horn to let ev-erybody know what they are doing, but they blow their nose filled with dust because of hard work.

Here’s the secret of contentment in every situation; “That God is enough to cover everything we need. We always miss his point because we don’t listen to what he says in-stead we only pay attention to what we know. He has insurance plan that covers everyone, no application

forms to fill out, no down payment, no monthly premium, no red tapes, no bribing under the table, beside the table, on top of the table and including the table, and everyone qualifies. Everyone who wants to avail the Lord’s insurance benefits and have a life long coverage must keep this code, spelled “T-R-U-S-T’. Yes, with trust in God, everything is possible. Amen on that folks!!!

In her Diary entry no. 358, St. Faustina wrote;” I do not under-stand how it is possible not to trust in Him who can do all things. With Him, everything; without Him, nothing. He si the Lord. He will not allow those who have placed all their trust in Him to be put to shame”.,

Tune in to KOLG 90.9 FM for the Divine Mercy prayer at 3 p.m. daily. Recite the Chaplet of Mercy for peace in the world, and conversion of sinners.

Thanks to Janalynn Cruz Da-mian and C. Omar Damian for the presentation of the Divine Mercy in their home in Barrigada last Janu-ary 29, 2012. Likewise to the Divine Mercy prayer team for your faithful-ness in our Sunday afternoon Divine Mercy home apostolate.. May the good Lord continue to bless and re-ward you with the abundance of His grace and mercy.

To arrange for home presen-tation of Divine Mercy devotion, prayer and veneration of the sacred relic of St. Fausina, and now the new

sacred relic of Blessed John Paul 11 which Archbishop Anthony Sablan

Apuron OFM, Cap.D.D. has entrust-ed to the Divine Mercy Apostolate

prayer team, please contact Amy Borja at 472-7778. Thank you.

God’s Life Insurance Plan

Fr. Joel G.de los reyes

Divine Mercy Moments

Sacred Relic of Blessed John Paul IIIt was a very blessed and historic moment when

the Most Reverend Anthony Sablan Apuron OFM, Cap. D.D. entrusted the sacred Relic of Blessed John Paul 11 to Fr. Joel G. de los Reyes and to the members of the Divine Mercy Apostolate last Saturday, January 28, 2012 at his residence. Along with the entrustment is the mission of the Divine Mercy Apostolate to spread its veneration, devotion and prayer to this Blessed servant of God who too offered his Pontificate to the Divine Mercy and extensively spread and promoted the devotion to the Divine Mercy to the whole world. His death and beatification both fell on the Feast of the Divine Mercy. Was it merely a coincidence or a Divine Plan? Furthermore, it was Blessed John Paul 11 who canonized St. Faustina Kowalska on April 30, 2000. He officially decreed that the First Sunday after Easter be the Feast of the Divine Mercy in response to Jesus’ demand through St. Faustina that the Feast of His Mercy be solemnly celebrated in the Church on the First Sunday after Easter.

The Divine Mercy Apostolate members donated $6,000.00 to the Archbishop from what they got from their Christmas Caroling for the purchase of a life-size statue of Blessed John Paul 11 in Naples, Italy. This statue will be installed in the future Blessed John Paul 11- Divine Mercy Chapel in Astumbo, Dededo.

The Archbishop has authorized the veneration of the first class relic of Blessed John Paul 11. The Divine Mercy Apostolate members visit homes every Sunday afternoon for the presentation of the Divine Mercy

devotion bringing with them the sacred relic of St. Faustina. Now the first relic of Blessed John Paul 11 will likewise be brought along for veneration.

The members of the Divine Mercy Apostolate is deeply grateful to the Archbishop for the entrustment of the first class relic of Blessed John Paul 11. What could be better than to have the first class relics St. Faustina Kowalska and Blessed John Paul 11, the two great apostles of the Divine Mercy be venerated in our churches and homes? Thank you Archbishop.

Picture of Most Rev. Anthony Sablan Apuron OFM, Cap. D.D. entrusting the Sacred Relic of Blessed John Paul II to Rev. Fr. Joel de los Reyes with the Divine Mercy Apostolate members. Front Seated: (L-R): Aurea Neal, Roger Pollock, Yolanda Pollock. Standing Back: Left to Right: Gloria Arizala, Primrose Marcos, Norma Bulatao, Fr. Joel de los Reyes, Purita Quinamague, Belinda Amparo, Most Rev. Archbishop Anthony Sablan Apuron, OFM, Cap. D.D., Gloria Estampador, Lourdes Salas, Hilda Tabilas, Mynardo Tabilas. Photo courtesy of Fr. Joel De Los Reyes

By Fr. Joel G. de los Reyes

15umatuna.orgSunday, February 5, 2012 THe LIFe OF FaITH

VATICAN CITY — Priests hear-ing confessions need to replace any negative or aggressive attitudes with meekness and mercy toward the penitent, said a Vatican expert on confession.

The sacrament of reconciliation "has led to a unilateral overempha-sis on the accusation and listing of sins," said Bishop Gianfranco Girotti, regent of the Apostolic Penitentiary, a Vatican court that handles issues related to the sacrament of penance.

The end result is that "the thing that is absolutely central when lis-tening to sin, that is, the blessed em-brace of the merciful Father, is put on the backburner," he said.

The Italian bishop's comments, published Jan. 28 in the Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano, were made in his address to a sym-posium for confessors held in Loreto, Italy.

"Isn't it true perhaps that at times confession takes on the semblance of a prosecuting tribunal rather than a celebration of forgiveness," and that the conversation takes on "inquisito-rial or, in any case, indelicate tones," he asked.

A confessor is first and foremost a father who welcomes, listens and engages in dialogue, he said.

People going to confession "are seeking comfort, advice and forgive-ness," he said. Often they are dealing with problems in their personal life or in their relationships; concerns about contraception, separation or divorce; or difficulties between par-ent and child, he said.

"As confessors we are called to show mercy and hope, to be fathers more than judges, to take on the penitent's pain and listen with much patience," he said.

"All of this has nothing to do with being lax or permissive," he said,

"rather it focuses on the inner libera-tion of the penitent," their feelings of remorse and repentance, and fa-cilitating their reception of judgment, grace and mercy from God.

Bishop Girotti said a confessor "would commit a serious injustice" if

he dared let his judgment and advice to the penitent be influenced more by his own personal opinions and

viewpoints than by church teaching and doctrine.

Priests must carefully control their reaction, including facial ex-pressions and gestures, when hear-ing confession, he said.

The confessor should imitate Christ's gentleness and never display a sense of shock no matter how grave the sin, he said. The confessor must never pry for personal details, never show impatience or be in a hurry, and should instill a healthy fear of God, but not terror and should condemn the sin, not the sinner, he added.

Penitents open their heart and soul to the confessor because they see him as being "God's minister, and if instead they find in him severity, not mercy, or doubts and obscurity, and not the light of truth, they will have been truly deceived." (CNS)

Confession: Celebration of Mercy, not Trial before Prosecution By Carol Glatz Catholic News Service

FORT WORTH, Texas — A new Catholic organization is aiming to live and spread the message of Fatima through recitation of the rosary and the wearing of clothing and patches as an indirect way to evangelize.

The Knights and Dames of the Holy Rosary seeks to promote Catholic faith and morals not only by the prayers requested by Our Lady of Fatima in 1917 but also by bearing public witness to their faith through the wearing of Knights and Dames clothing and patches.

"We see the public witness to the faith as not only an effective evangelical tool, but also as an important antidote and coun-

terweight to the ever-increasing marginalization of religion from public life in our society," said Dar-rell Wright, co-founder of the new organization.

Membership is at three levels -- associate, for non-Catholics; mili-tia; and cavalry, for members who ride motorcycles. Membership requires a desire to stop sinning, a willingness to observe chastity according to one's state in life and a willingness to pray and promote the holy rosary. Militia and cav-alry members pledge to pray at least five decades of the rosary each day and are encouraged to distribute rosaries, rosary leaflets and Catholic literature.

Wright said he was inspired

to found the organization by the words of Philadelphia Arch-bishop Charles J. Chaput: "God doesn't want anonymous Chris-tians, Christians who blend in, Christians who don't make waves. We're here to rock the boat."

"Knights and Dames of the Holy Rosary are here to rock the secu-lar boat, and make a public state-ment," Wright said. "The message of Fatima and the rosary are cru-cial elements in bringing about the salvation of souls as well as world peace. We seek to bring that message to everyone we can, even those who just see us wearing our clothing while walking down the street or shopping at the store." (CNS)

New Catholic Organization Promotes Rosary, Evangelizes with Garb

Father Rob Trujillo of Epiphany Church in Lake City, Fla., hears a young man's confession during a pro-life gathering at the Verizon Center in Washington Jan. 23. Tens of thousands of young people gathered at two Washington arenas to rally and pray befor e taking part in the annual March for Life. CNS photo, Gregory A. Shemitz

Bishop Gianfranco Girotti

‘As confessors we are called to show

mercy and hope, to be fathers more than judges, to take on the penitent’s pain and listen with much patience.’

16 Sunday, February 5, 2012

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“excuse me…can someone please turn off the sun?”I’m Just Saying:

Noticing rampant stupidity should be comical (that’s what comedy is about, after all), and commenting on stupidity ought to be hilarious, sort of like when young, barely pubescent boys start wearing baseball caps turned halfway around their heads in the at-tempt to look uber-cool. But some times being a lame-brain is just too downright tragic to say much of anything except “Dear Lord—why?”

Anyway, like I was saying last week when I was babbling about music, Zeppelin and Da-vid Bowie, I also fell in love with Janis Joplin when a female friend of mine at “bible camp” one year brought a copy of Janis’ greatest hits collection (I’m a convert to Catholicism, so let your imagination run wild here). You’ve got to hand it to old Janis: that lady could sing! Granted, I was still overcoming the trauma of Petula Clark, so I thought that cassette was pretty cool (it was 1982, after all), especially in light of the mega-hit, “Me and Bobby McGee” and its chorus’s opening “Freedom’s just an-other word for nothing left to lose.”

Kris Kristopherson wrote the song, and like many anthems to come out of the 1960s-

-and virtually every quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson--it has great lines but somehow lacks substance or any connection to hap-piness, the real world, or plain old common sense.

Case in point: the Grateful Dead. Now I’m the first to admit that I love the Dead, but the fact remains that basing your life’s philosophy on the lyrics of an acid-dropping musician is probably not sound judgment, particularly when his bathing schedule revolves around when the river thaws out in the spring.

There are other examples, of course, but they will all serve to clarify the point that the 60s weren’t really about freedom FOR some-thing as much as it was freedom FROM some-thing. It’s this weird perversion of the notion of freedom that’s a problem that plagues us even today. Let me rephrase that—especially today.

Freedom isn’t something that was first as-serted in the Declaration of Independence; in the history of Christian thought, it’s been sort of understood as a given, This is true as well in the philosophy that is the foundation of thought in Judaism and Christianity. It is em-phatic about the dignity of the human person, and that translates as freedom.

We are born in the image of God—the ima-go Dei—and that means we have an intellect and will. An intellect that always seeks what is true and a will that always seeks what is good. These two faculties are always freely operat-ing, and it’s a principle that is at the root of what it means to be a “human person” in the theological sense of the phrase.

We are born free, but it’s a freedom that preserves its freedom. Ok, that sounds strange, so let me explain.

I don’t have wings, so I can’t fly like a bird. This doesn’t impair my freedom; instead, its what makes me a human being instead of King Vultan, king of the hawk people from Flash Gordon.

Put another way, the law of gravity doesn’t limit my freedom to float. I’m not meant to float. If there wasn’t gravity, not only would we all float away, we would cease to hold to-gether as material beings. Besides, even astro-nauts who spend months in space—despite ex-

ercising as best they can while out there in the Great Beyond—return with atrophied muscle and bones. Weightlessness simply doesn’t suit our material nature as humans.

The point? Not having wings isn’t a flaw of my nature; it’s essential to it. In the same way, gravity is a reality that allows me to freely act as I do in the world; without that, my freedom evaporates.

At this point, some of you will expect me to go on about how freedom implies responsi-bility. That’s true, but no—I’m not going there. At least not now.

Trying to be free FROM something is by definition a reaction. We are still having some-thing else determine who and what we are. Freedom for something makes us free agents that have intellect and will, prudence and wisdom, wishes and choices. That’s genuine freedom, as in freedom for love, freedom for truth, freedom for happiness.

It is a freedom that is the heart of our hav-

ing spiritual capacity. It is the freedom that makes God’s ineffable grace able to be re-ceived by us.

Some of us complain with words along the lines of “Why can’t God just make me sinless? Make me holy? Make me so that I just won’t go to hell?”

Simple: if He did, then you wouldn’t be free to love Him, free to choose Him. You’d be a robot, or if you prefer a block of wood or maybe a carrot.

In other words, if He did that, you wouldn’t be capable of Heaven or the grace needed to get there.

That’s the essence of freedom. For years, when I’ve asked students to define free will, they say, “It means you can do whatever you want because it’s your choice.” When asked what that means, they generally mumble something along the lines of “I can do what-ever I want.”

Yeah, right. If you say so. Willful ignorance

continues, alive and well. And in my book, that’s the dictionary definition of stupidity.

This idea of freedom as “the freedom to do anything and everything in a conse-quence-free environment” should be beyond the realm of intelligent people. Apparently, I have overestimated some of our brothers and sisters on this giant rock called earth. Unfor-tunately, some of them are parents who aren’t up to actually parenting. Likewise, more than enough are registered voters. I’m just saying.

My 5 year old godson last week was play-ing on his DS in the backseat as we were com-ing home from Mass, and the sun’s brightness made it tough to see the video game screen. His reaction: “Um, excuse me, Nono…can someone please cut off the sun? I can’t see my game.”

He’s five, so it’s cute, and we had a good laugh. What’s tragic is when not a 5 year old but instead a 50 year old has the same attitude about freedom in their moral lives. “Maybe if we just change our nature to suit our prefer-ences, then we’d all be happier.” That makes sense. Just make the cosmos more convenient for my preferences. Kind of like a man having the right to be a muskrat. He can’t do it, but it’s his right anyway. And who are we to judge or (God help us!) infringe on his freedom to be a muskrat? Why bother... he’s already got

“stupid” down cold.Sigh. It’s a good thing you don’t have to be

smart to get into heaven. It makes me wonder if at the Final Judgment, the Lord Jesus is go-ing to look at more than a few of us and say,

“Dude, you are so dumb. What were you think-ing?”

“Um, I thought I was free.”“Free to do what? Be a cosmic joke?”“Uh…sorry, Lord. I guess it seemed like a

good idea at the time.”“Ok, I forgive you, but look—no more Grate-

ful Dead for you. And take off that stupid hat!”

By Jeffrey L. Fitzgerald

The now somewhat-famous picture Jerry Garcia, a very young Steve Martin and John McEuen at the Golden Gate Bluegrass Festival, 1974 by John Sievert. Hillbilly central. I only complain because my wife won’t let me grow a beard like that.

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