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Nashville, Tenn., Jun 6, 2017 / 11:39 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Bishop David Choby of Nashville died at age 70 Saturday night after complications arose from a recent fall; he was a man known for his dear friendship and his commitment to promoting priestly vocations.

After a fall in his home early in February damaged his spine, Bishop Choby developed a reoccurring blood infection, which ultimately led to his death June 3 at about 10 pm.

“His engaging style, his keen intellect, especially in matters related to canon law, and most of all his warm personality will be greatly missed. Bishop Choby was a thoroughly gracious gentleman and churchman,” Archbishop Joseph Kurtz of Louisville said June 4.

He added that Bishop Choby “leaves a legacy of true pastoral care for all.”

Bishop Choby was noted for his understanding of canon law and commitment to the formation of priests. Instead of flowers, his family has asked for donations to be made to a memorial fund for the Nashville diocese's Seminarian Education Fund.

A native to Nashville, he was born to Raymond and Rita Choby in January 1947. He was baptized at the Cathedral of the Incarnation, where he was later ordained a bishop. Attending seminary at Saint Ambrose College in Iowa and the Catholic University of America, he was ordained a priest of the Diocese of Nashville in 1974 by Bishop Joseph Durick.

Before receiving his canon law degree from the University of Saint Thomas Aquinas in Rome, he was an associate pastor at St Joseph Parish and administrator for St Ann Parish. He also spent time working for the diocese’s tribunal while at Christ the King Parish – which he did for most of his priesthood until he was appointed bishop.

After receiving his degree in canon law, Bishop Choby joined the faculty of the Pontifical College Josephinum in Ohio for five years. He was also the president for the seminary’s board of trustees.

Starting in 1989, and until he was appointment bishop in 2005, he worked as the pastor for St John Vianney Parish in Gallatin, Tennessee. He served two five-year terms with the diocese’s presbyteral council and college of consultors – a local ordinance governing the diocese’s pastoral welfare. He was then elected the diocesan administrator in 2004.

He was appointed Bishop of Nashville in 2005, and consecrated in February 2006. He continued to serve as Nashville's bishop until his death.

Visitations of Bishop Choby's body will be held at the Nashville Cathedral June 8, concluding with the Office of the Dead; and June 9 at St. John Vianney in Gallatin, followed by the rosary and a dinner.

The bishop's funeral Mass will be said June 10 at the Diocese of Nashville's chancery, and his body will be buried at Calvary Cemetery.

“Please pray for the repose of the soul of Bishop Choby, for his family and friends, and for the people of the Diocese of Nashville,” the diocese asked in a statement.

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Washington D.C., Jun 6, 2017 / 12:13 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- United States Vice President Mike Pence exhorted those in attendance at the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast on Tuesday to continue to be a “voice for the voiceless”, after proclaiming that “life is winning” in the nation.

“Life is winning in America. Life is winning through the steady advance of science that continues to illuminate more and more when life begins,”  Pence told the audience in Washington, D.C., June 6.

He added that the pro-life cause is advancing also “through the generosity of millions of adoptive families” and “through the compassion of caregivers and volunteers at crisis pregnancy centers and faith-based organizations.”

Pence addressed an estimated crowd of 1,300 at the 13th annual National Catholic Prayer Breakfast attended by many Catholic leaders including Archbishop Timothy Broglio of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, U.S.A., and Bishop Mario Dorsonville, auxiliary bishop of Washington.

The vice president stated: “I believe we’ve come to a pivotal moment in the life of our nation, and indeed, the life of the world. The Catholic community in America has made an enormous difference in the life of this nation.”

“And at this moment, I urge you to continue to stand up, to speak out, to continue to be that voice for the voiceless that the Church has been throughout its history, continue to be the hands and feet of our Savior, reaching in with love and compassion, embracing the dignity of all people of every background and every experience.”

Pence also reflected on the importance of daily prayer, saying that “in these challenging times I encourage you to take time every day to pray” with confidence, insisting that there is “so much need for healing” today.

The National Catholic Prayer Breakfast has taken place each year since 2004 as a response to St. John Paul II’s call for a “new evangelization.” Political leaders are invited to attend and speak, but the event is non-partisan.

Past keynote speakers have included Cardinal Robert Sarah, prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship; House Speaker Paul Ryan; the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia; and former US President George W. Bush.

Earlier on Tuesday morning, Archbishop Broglio and Mother Olga of the Sacred Heart, founder of the Daughters of Mary of Nazareth, addressed the audience.

Archbishop Broglio told those present to remember the virtues as the key to living heroic lives and being good citizens.

“The practice of virtue also leads to good citizenship,” he said, noting that there is “no dichotomy between faith and life if we practice good virtue.”

“Each of us has the potential to rebuild our society and our world if we cultivate authentic virtue,” he continued.

Carl Anderson, Supreme Knight of the Knights of Columbus, introduced Pence by saying that the U.S. needs a “new national political consensus” built on faith.

He added that “the times require men and women of prayer and humility, courage and conviction, leaders who can help bring healing to our nation.”

Pence began his keynote address by expressing his sorrow on behalf of the administration at the recent terror attacks in London that killed seven and injured 48, after attackers drove a van into pedestrians on London Bridge, disembarked from the vehicle, and stabbed other persons in the vicinity on Saturday.

Pence also mentioned Monday’s hostage situation in Melbourne, Aus., in which a gunman was killed in a shootout with police and several officers were injured, according to the BBC.

“Our hearts break for the families and the victims,” Pence said. “They have our prayers. They have our unwavering resolve.”

Pence, one of six children, was baptized and raised Catholic, but said in October’s vice presidential debate that “my Christian faith became real for me when I made a personal decision for Christ when I was a freshman in college.”

He referred to himself as a “born-again Evangelical-Catholic” in a 1994 interview, and began attending an Evangelical megachurch with his family in the 1990s. He now says in public that he is a Christian.

Pence recalled on Tuesday that he received the Sacrament of Confirmation as a youth, with the name “Michael Richard Christopher Pence.” He also noted how “my Catholic faith poured an eternal foundation in my life” during his childhood in Indiana, and joked that he spent “eight years of hard time in a Catholic school,” the “beneficiary of an extraordinary Catholic education.”

“My own faith journey has taken me and my family in a different direction,” he said on Tuesday. Pence has not revealed which church he regularly attends. He stated Tuesday that he had “just attended Mass this weekend with my mom in Chicago.”

“My mom would be so proud,” he said of his speaking at the Catholic prayer breakfast, adding that “this honestly feels like coming home to me.”

He focused some of his speech on persecuted Christians worldwide, maintaining that the Trump administration is committed to promoting and protecting the freedom of religion. He said the administration “stands with those who are persecuted for their faith around the world” and “stands with the most vulnerable, the aged, the infirm, and the unborn.”

Pence also cited President Donald Trump’s executive order on religious freedom, issued last month, as an “action to protect men and women of faith in the public square.”

The order, which granted “regulatory relief” to religious organizations fighting the previous administration’s contraception mandate, was nonetheless criticized by certain religious freedom advocates as being not broad enough. One chief criticism was that it failed to protect persons and institutions sued for discrimination for not supporting same-sex marriage.

Pence also mentioned Trump’s May 24 meeting with Pope Francis at the Vatican, saying the president and the Pope had a “lengthy and meaningful discussion about issues facing our world, about how our nation and the Church can work together.”

In particular, one area of collaboration could be to counter “the persecution of people of faith across the wider world,” he said on Tuesday, noting recent violence against Coptic Christians in Egypt as well as the genocide of Christians in Iraq and Syria. “I believe that ISIS is guilty of nothing short of genocide,” he said of the terror group the Islamic State.

“Protecting and promoting religious freedom is a foreign policy priority of this admin,” he insisted.

However, the administration has yet to appoint an international religious freedom ambassador, a key position in the State Department charged with promoting religious freedom as part of U.S. diplomacy.

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IMAGE: CNS photo/Bob Roller

By Josephine von Dohlen

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Vice President Mike Pence and other speakers addressed securing religious liberty and protecting the sanctity of human life both in the United States and worldwide, particularly in the Middle East, at the 13th annual National Catholic Prayer Breakfast in Washington June 6.

Pence spoke about President Donald Trump's commitment to the securing of all religious freedoms to over 1,200 attendees, following speeches by keynote speaker Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio, head of the U.S. Archdiocese for the Military Services, and special guest Mother Olga of the Sacred Heart.

Pence expressed his sorrow over the recent terrorist attacks in Europe, reassuring those in attendance that the president is committed to ending attacks on religious liberty around the world, as well as in America.

"Catholicism has made an indelible mark on the American spirit," Pence said. "Your faith has moved mountains and the Catholic Church, and its millions of parishioners have been a force for good in our communities large and small throughout our land throughout our history. All the great American Catholics gathered here, let me assure you this morning, bright and early, at this prayer breakfast: American Catholics have an ally in President Donald Trump."

The vice president, an evangelical, shared fond memories of growing up in a Catholic family, saying that he was honored to speak at the breakfast and that his mother would be proud.

"This honestly feels like coming home to me," Pence said.

Since 2004, Catholics have gathered in the nation's capital to come together to pray for the country and hear from religious and political leaders. The founding board, with leaders such as former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum, R-Pennsylvania, intended to answer to St. John Paul II's call to new evangelization for all Catholics.

Carl Anderson, supreme knight of the Knights of Columbus, spoke of the common ground that the Vatican and the president found in Trump's recent meeting, particularly in their dedication to pro-life and religious freedom issues, as well as the protection of Christians in the Middle East. 

Anderson introduced Pence by recalling what Pence said while speaking at the March for Life in Washington back in January.  "Let this movement be known for love, not anger, for compassion, not confrontation," Pence said at the March for Life. "To heal our land and restore a culture of life we must continue to be a movement that embraces all and cares for all out of respect for the dignity and worth of every person." 

Auxiliary Bishop Mario E. Dorsonville of Washington opened the breakfast calling for solidarity in prayer for the Christians in the Middle East, after he read a special note from Cardinal Donald W. Wuerl of Washington, who was unable to attend.

"Let us also be mindful of so many of our brothers and sisters around the world who continue to face persecution and suffering on account of their faith," Bishop Dorsonville read from Cardinal Wuerl's message. "As our Holy Father, Pope Francis, 'We must not resign ourselves to thinking of a Middle East without Christians who for 2,000 years have confessed the name of Jesus and have been fully integrated as citizens into the social cultural and religious life of the nations to which they belong.'"

Archbishop Broglio was the keynote speaker at the breakfast. Recalling the spirit of service displayed by so many men and women gone before us, he told the story of a military chaplain, Father Joseph Lafleur of Louisiana, who gave his life while saving others on a prison ship.

"If we were to survey the history of the church, and look at the lives of the saints, we would discover men and women who built on their virtues, to reflect the authenticity of their faith. The same thing has an impact on the nation," Archbishop Broglio said. "To quote a respected cardinal, 'A good Catholic is a good American because the practice of virtue also leads to good citizenship and there is no dichotomy between faith and life if we cultivate and practice virtue.' Each of us has the potential to rebuild our society and our world if we cultivate authentic virtue."

He went on to call Catholics to return to lives of virtue, both acting rightly and giving of themselves to others.

"We build for a new tomorrow when we draw from that wellspring of virtue," Archbishop Broglio said.

Mother Olga of the Sacred Heart, founder of the Daughters of Mary of Nazareth, also spoke as a special guest. Mother Olga spoke of her love for God and her love for others, which drives all that she does, specifically her service in America through missions and her founding of the Daughters of Mary Nazareth back in 2011.

Born and raised in Iraq, Mother Olga's love for America led to her becoming an American citizen.

"Here in America we take pride in our democracy," Mother Olga said. "The true democracy and the strength of our democracy should not only be seen as an expression of the political minds of the people, but also in our embrace of our own identity as Americans and appreciation of the religious roots of our foundation of a nation."

She said that it is out of love that she is committed to the United States and those who serve the country.

"May our gathering today as people who love God and this country be a renewed commitment to renew the spirit of cooperation which has accomplished so much good through the history of our nation," Mother Olga said. "May the fruit of today's prayer for our nation be a grace for our people to experience a new birth of freedom, freedom planted with faith, grounded in hope, nourished by love in the soil of truth."

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