Catholic News 2
SYDNEY (AP) -- The election campaign underway in Australia is often summed up by the local media with the following words: "A marathon." ''Endless." ''Exhausting." That endless, exhausting marathon lasts a whopping eight weeks - an eternity for Australians who cannot conceive of the years-long campaigning Americans are subjected to by their presidential candidates....
CLEVELAND (AP) -- For all the criticism of Golden State's Draymond Green and his penchant for committing flagrant fouls during these playoffs, Wednesday may have brought the harshest words yet....
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) -- Orlando gunman Omar Mateen apparently made a series of Facebook posts and searches before and during his attack on a gay nightclub, raging against the "filthy ways of the west" and blaming the U.S. for the deaths of "innocent women and children," according to a Senate committee letter released Wednesday....
Orlando, Fla., Jun 15, 2016 / 02:57 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Following the mass shooting that claimed the lives of 49 in Orlando, Catholics have tried to be the hands and feet of Christ in showing mercy to victims and their families and loved ones.“We’re in the Jubilee Year of Mercy. And here we have individuals who are in tremendous need of mercy – the repose of the souls of those who are deceased, the family members, the friends, the tremendous shock that has occurred personally,” Gary Tester, executive of Catholic Charities Central Florida, told CNA on Wednesday.The Diocese of Orlando’s response to the tragedy, he added, follows the words of Pope Francis, who “has called us to remember how important it is to simply love our neighbor.”Early Sunday morning, 29-year-old Omar Mateen opened fire at a gay Orlando nightclub and began taking hostages. He killed 49 people and injured 53 more before he himself was killed by SWAT officers responding to ...
Orlando, Fla., Jun 15, 2016 / 02:57 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Following the mass shooting that claimed the lives of 49 in Orlando, Catholics have tried to be the hands and feet of Christ in showing mercy to victims and their families and loved ones.
“We’re in the Jubilee Year of Mercy. And here we have individuals who are in tremendous need of mercy – the repose of the souls of those who are deceased, the family members, the friends, the tremendous shock that has occurred personally,” Gary Tester, executive of Catholic Charities Central Florida, told CNA on Wednesday.
The Diocese of Orlando’s response to the tragedy, he added, follows the words of Pope Francis, who “has called us to remember how important it is to simply love our neighbor.”
Early Sunday morning, 29-year-old Omar Mateen opened fire at a gay Orlando nightclub and began taking hostages. He killed 49 people and injured 53 more before he himself was killed by SWAT officers responding to the scene.
Authorities are still piecing together background information on Mateen, who pledged allegiance to the Islamic State in a 911 call made inside the nightclub. Mateen’s ex-wife and one of his ex-coworkers have said they believe he was mentally unstable, while others have suggested that he was gay and had both used gay dating apps and frequented the gay nightclub socially before the attack.
Amidst the ensuing “great deal of chaos” on Sunday, the Diocese of Orlando offered prompt assistance to the victims’ families and loved ones, Tester said, including “grief support,” scheduling funeral Masses and burials, and financial aid.
“From our standpoint, we don’t discriminate in our services,” he said. “We simply serve God’s children in whatever way we’re called to do. And in this case, the corporal and spiritual works of mercy are very evident.”
In the hours after the shooting, for those who wanted an update on the victims’ conditions but could not receive one, an “aid center” was designated adjacent to the primary hospital.
Clergy “began to minister as best they could to people without much information,” Tester stated. Since some family members, friends, or loved ones were not “next-of-kin” and thus could not receive the information they wanted, “we had deacons and priests and clergy listening to folks but not able to verify anything, just really offering a consoling shoulder,” he said.
Many of the victims were Latino, and bilingual deacons and priests listened to their families and loved ones at the aid center. Bilingual staff from Catholic Charities helped some priests ask questions and receive answers.
“Immediate grief response” has been the primary focus so far, Tester said. In addition to the sudden loss of loved ones, families have their own wounds they are struggling with, compounding the grief.
“Grief support is really just about offering that shoulder, offering that consolation, offering that listening, and trying to help guide as best you can, to help them put one foot in front of the other and to sustain them in prayer,” Tester said.
Loved ones of the shooting victims have been “tremendously appreciative” of the support, he added. “At a time where they may not know where to turn, we’re simply there to offer whatever it is that they need. And it’s all very individualized, each family is different.”
The outpouring of care for the victims’ loved ones has also been national. Catholic groups and parishes have been sending their support, and one Maryland parish sent blessed prayer shawls. In addition to the local ecumenical prayer service led by Orlando Bishop John Noonan, other dioceses and Catholic groups across the country have hosted Masses, rosaries and prayer vigils.
Local Catholics are practicing other works of mercy for victims’ families as well, like helping bury the dead. Tester cited Bishop Noonan, that “there are 49 families right now that are coming to terms with the fact that they have to bury someone they weren’t expecting to lose.”
Priests are “standing by to help, in whatever way they can, these families get their loved ones buried,” Tester continued.
“Immigration professionals” will be helping victims’ family members come to the U.S. for the funerals, or help send the victims’ bodies back to their home countries for burial, he added.
Catholic Charities partnered with the St. Vincent de Paul Society to help one family schedule a funeral home and Masses at local churches. Catholics are also gathering funds to aid families who cannot afford burials, or to support those who have lost breadwinners in the shooting.
“I think it’s been a very comprehensive response, and it’s becoming more coordinated each day,” Tester said.
Orlando, Fla., Jun 15, 2016 / 04:14 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Members of various religious communities came together Monday evening at a vigil to pray for the victims of the Orlando nightclub mass shooting and to comfort those who mourn.“Our presence here is a symbol of hope,” Bishop John Noonan of Orlando said the evening of June 13.He recounted that Jesus wept at the death of his friend Lazarus.“We come tonight because we too weep. We weep for the loss of our brothers and sisters in our community.”Bishop Noonan led the bilingual and ecumenical prayer service at Orlando’s St. James Cathedral. Called the “Vigil to Dry Tears,” the event drew clergy and a congregation from diverse faiths.The diocese said the vigil was an opportunity “to bring about an outpouring of the mercy of God within the heart of our community.”Early Sunday morning, a gunman opened fire at a gay nightclub in Orlando and began taking hostages. He killed 49 people an...
Orlando, Fla., Jun 15, 2016 / 04:14 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Members of various religious communities came together Monday evening at a vigil to pray for the victims of the Orlando nightclub mass shooting and to comfort those who mourn.
“Our presence here is a symbol of hope,” Bishop John Noonan of Orlando said the evening of June 13.
He recounted that Jesus wept at the death of his friend Lazarus.
“We come tonight because we too weep. We weep for the loss of our brothers and sisters in our community.”
Bishop Noonan led the bilingual and ecumenical prayer service at Orlando’s St. James Cathedral. Called the “Vigil to Dry Tears,” the event drew clergy and a congregation from diverse faiths.
The diocese said the vigil was an opportunity “to bring about an outpouring of the mercy of God within the heart of our community.”
Early Sunday morning, a gunman opened fire at a gay nightclub in Orlando and began taking hostages. He killed 49 people and injured 53 more before he himself was killed by SWAT officers responding to the scene.
Scripture readings at the evening vigil included the Prophet Isaiah: “He will destroy death forever. The Lord God will wipe away the tears from all faces.” The Gospel of Matthew was also read: “Jesus said come to me, all you who are labored and burdened, and I will give you rest.”
The prayer vigil brought together local residents and local leaders including Bishop Robert Lynch of St. Petersburg, an imam from an Orlando Islamic center and several Christian ministers from other denominations.
“We come to pray and in a sense of love and respect for one another, I wanted to bring the whole religious community together,” Bishop Noonan said.
“I think it is important you see tonight we are joined by many other religious communities,” he said. “Tonight we come not as different religious but as one in the Lord. It is so important tonight to make sure that we know we are here to show a sense of who we are in relationship to one another.”
The Ireland-born bishop noted his native country’s tragic history of violence.
“And the only way we brought peace was to recognize the dignity of each person. So tonight we come to show that each person is made in the image and likeness of God. Each person is holy, each person is sacred, each person is very, very much entrusted in our love.”
Bishop Noonan noted Jesus’ words on the cross: “I thirst.”
“Jesus thirsts, thirsts spiritually, for us. He thirsts for our love for him,” the bishop commented. “Jesus showed us how to love.”
Love “is not irritable or resentful. It does not rejoice at wrong, but rejoices in the right… Love bears all things, believes all things, helps all things, endures all things,” Bishop Noonan said, citing St. Paul. “Love never comes to an end.”
Some in the congregation went forward to light candles, while minister read a litany for people enduring violence.
“Let us be your peace, Lord,” the congregation said in response.
Another reading at the vigil came from the Gospel of Luke: “In the tender mercy of our God, the dawn from on high will break upon us, to give light to those who dwell in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace.”
IMAGE: CNS/Paul HaringBy Carol GlatzROME(CNS) -- In the small dormitory room that smelled of moist modelling clay,dozens of statues of a laughing Jesus lined wooden shelves against a wall.Thesmall plaster statuettes showed the Lord reclining on the ground against arock, his eyes pinched tight and his hand on his chest, which was inflated witha hearty hoot. "Asstudents become deacons, I give them one," said Edward Gibney, 54, aCanadian seminarian and sculptor from Saskatchewan. He was preparing to be oneof nine men ordained to the diaconate in the Basilica of St. Paul's Outside theWalls June 15."Itdoesn't say in the Bible, but I believe he laughed," he said, explaininghis motivation for the "Laughing Jesus" motif, adding that theunguarded moment of mirth shows "the human side of Christ."Whilethe souvenir statuettes were ready to go, Gibney was still putting thefinishing touches on a bust of Msgr. Roderick Strange, the former rector ofRome's Pontifical Beda College, which is a semina...
IMAGE: CNS/Paul Haring
By Carol Glatz
ROME (CNS) -- In the small dormitory room that smelled of moist modelling clay, dozens of statues of a laughing Jesus lined wooden shelves against a wall.
The small plaster statuettes showed the Lord reclining on the ground against a rock, his eyes pinched tight and his hand on his chest, which was inflated with a hearty hoot.
"As students become deacons, I give them one," said Edward Gibney, 54, a Canadian seminarian and sculptor from Saskatchewan. He was preparing to be one of nine men ordained to the diaconate in the Basilica of St. Paul's Outside the Walls June 15.
"It doesn't say in the Bible, but I believe he laughed," he said, explaining his motivation for the "Laughing Jesus" motif, adding that the unguarded moment of mirth shows "the human side of Christ."
While the souvenir statuettes were ready to go, Gibney was still putting the finishing touches on a bust of Msgr. Roderick Strange, the former rector of Rome's Pontifical Beda College, which is a seminary for older men run by the Catholic bishops of England and Wales.
"I keep saying it's pretty well done," he told Catholic News Service in early June. But he confessed he has a hard time knowing when to put away the tools as he shaved a bit of soft Plasticine from under the eyes and padded the upper lip with a bit more of the dark gray clay.
An old sculpting professor, he said, used to compare finishing an art piece to raising children and realizing, "OK, they're old enough and ready to go out on their own."
It's the same teacher Gibney pays homage to with his mustache. He said he was asked to show up at the professor's retirement party 20-plus years ago pretending to be a long-lost relative of Spanish surrealist Salvador Dali. He kept the iconic look going when the professor passed away soon after.
So many years spent as a professional sculptor -- often working in contemplative solitude and patiently shaping a fluid form from hard stone -- gave him insights he believes will be valuable as a priest.
Though a person's soul is not anything like a chunk of clay or rock, caring for "people's eternal life is something that takes time, it takes an understanding of people" and patiently uncovering what they need, he said.
A pastor needs to be creative because there is no "cookie cutter" answer or response valid for everyone and the priest needs to recognize his own limitations, "to recognize what you can do" or not.
Though he still has another year of studies in Rome before priestly ordination back in the Diocese of Saskatoon, Gibney said he hopes that he will be able to practice at bit of his craft at different parishes just as he found a way to continue his artwork during his studies.
The Beda College, where he has completed his third year of studies, has been extremely accommodating, Gibney said, letting him use an extra room furnished with a small sink as his makeshift studio. He repurposed a gutted metal desk frame for his sculpting stand and mounted circles of particle board together for the banding wheel.
Back in Saskatoon, he produced many works of religious art, including a large granite representation of the baby Jesus, Mary and her aging mother Ann for the St. Ann's senior citizens' home.
Seeing how God was "working with me in my studio" and recognizing "he's working with you all the time in everything you do" was a key part of his vocational discernment process, he said.
Making art is a form of evangelization, Gibney believes.
When he was finishing the outdoor granite piece for St. Ann's, for example, the sounds of carving and sanding drew people from the community to come out and watch him work. Questions and conversation followed, he said. "I became the entertainment for about three months. It was lovely."
When he's a priest, he said, he would imagine taking whatever free bit of time he finds to throw on his work jeans and -- as a sort of sculptor-priest's version of ringing the church bells -- "pound on a piece of granite."
"That does get people's attention."
People then get a better idea of what a priest is, he said. "A priest isn't just that guy who wears the collar and you see him only once a week on Sunday. He is part of the community and he is trying to contribute to the good of the community," Gibney said.
"That's opening the church," he said, showing that the priest is there to serve everyone in the community. "Catholic or not, they are part of the flock" and Christ, through the priest, is out there with them.
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Follow Glatz on Twitter @CarolGlatz
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NEW YORK (AP) -- The nightclub attack in Orlando that left 49 victims dead was initially described by some news organizations, including The Associated Press, as the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history. In truth, America has seen even bigger massacres, some involving hundreds of men, women and children....
