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Clergy Denied Access to Dying Victims

4/27/2013

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So what has secularism given us today? Previously, I talked about government officials and public persons asking people to pray after tragedies occur. That article can be found HERE. Today I came across an article in the Wall Street Journal talking about how priests and other religious officials were refused access to the bombing scene at the finish line of the Boston Marathon. This is highlighted by the fact that one of the victims who died was young man who just received his First Communion. As a full member of the Roman Catholic Church, it was his right to receive the last rites of the Catholic Church. I understand the need to restrict the area after any major incident not just those which could be acts of terrorism. As an emergency services worker for over 20 years, I am well aware of the need to have the minimum number of personnel present so that people aren’t tripping over each other. I’m also aware, in today’s society, of the need to ensure that personnel coming onto a scene are authorized to be there. Nevertheless, the advance of secularism in our society has placed an undue burden on the members and clergy of religious organizations. It is time that action be taken so that no member of our society, regardless of religious belief, should be denied access to the leaders of his religion at the time of his death. Certainly the proper vetting of religious leaders and the issuance of appropriate credentials can be handled in such a way that this never happens again. We can no longer stand aside and watch our religious liberty be taken away piece by piece. Now is the time for action. Talk to your local priest or religious leader about this issue. Speak to your city leaders, county and state leaders to take steps now to provide for future calamities. I pray that this will be a learning experience for all of us and that that learning curve is very sharp. Religious leaders must be allowed access to their dying members.

Below I have posted the article to which I refer. My emphasis has been added. The complete article can be found on the website of the Wall Street Journal. Please feel free to share, tweet, like and email this article. Buttons for this can be found at the bottom of this article. Let us make sure that in the future, regardless of the reason, no one is denied access to the consolation of their religion at the time of their death.

By JENNIFER GRAHAM
Boston

The heart-wrenching photographs taken in the moments after the Boston Marathon bombings show the blue-and-yellow jackets of volunteers, police officers, fire fighters, emergency medical technicians, even a three-foot-high blue M&M. Conspicuously absent are any clerical collars or images of pastoral care.

This was not for lack of proximity. Close to the bombing site are Trinity Episcopal Church, Old South Church and St. Clement Eucharistic Shrine, all on Boylston Street. When the priests at St. Clement's, three blocks away, heard the explosions, they gathered sacramental oils and hurried to the scene in hopes of anointing the injured and, if necessary, administering last rites, the final of seven Catholic sacraments. But the priests, who belong to the order Oblates of the Virgin Mary, weren't allowed at the scene.

The Rev. John Wykes, director of the St. Francis Chapel at Boston's soaring Prudential Center, and the Rev. Tom Carzon, rector of Our Lady of Grace Seminary, were among the priests who were turned away right after the bombings. It was jarring for Father Wykes, who, as a hospital chaplain in Illinois a decade ago, was never denied access to crime or accident scenes.

"I was allowed to go anywhere. In Boston, I don't have that access," he says.

But Father Wykes says he has noticed a shift in the societal role of clergy over the past few decades: "In the Bing Crosby era—in the '40s, '50s, '60s—a priest with a collar could get in anywhere. That's changed. Priests are no longer considered to be emergency responders."

The Rev. Mychal Judge is a memorable exception. The New York City priest died on 9/11, when the South Tower collapsed and its debris flew into the North Tower lobby, where Father Judge was praying after giving last rites to victims lying outside. The image of the priest's body being carried from the rubble was one of the most vivid images to emerge from 9/11.

But Father Judge had been the city's fire chaplain for nine years, knew the mayor, and was beloved by the firefighting force.

For police officers securing a crime scene, and trying to prevent further injuries and loss of life, the decision to admit clergy to a bombing site is fraught with risk. Anyone can buy a clerical collar for just $10, and a modestly talented seventh-grader with a computer and printer can produce official-looking credentials.

Father Carzon, the seminary rector, said he was "disappointed" when he wasn't allowed at the scene of the bombing, but he understood the reasoning and left without protest. "Once it was clear we couldn't get inside, we came back here to St. Clement's, set up a table with water and oranges and bananas to serve people, and helped people however we could."

By that point, spectators and runners who had been unable to finish the marathon were wandering around, "frightened, disoriented, confused and cold," he said. Father Carzon was able to minister to a runner who wasn't injured but had assisted a bystander with catastrophic injuries. Two hours later, the runner, a Protestant, was still walking around the area in shock and disbelief.

"He came over, and said, 'You're a priest, I need to talk to someone, I need to talk,' and he was able to pour out some of the story of what had happened," Father Carzon said. "Then there was an off-duty firefighter who was there as a spectator, and he, too, got pushed out of the perimeter, and he ended up here to pray. There was a feeling of helplessness we had when we couldn't get close. But doing the little that we could—putting out a table with water and fruit, being there—I realize how much that 'little' was able to do."

In light of the devastation in Boston, the denial of access to clergy is a trifling thing, and it might even have been an individual's error. (The Boston Police Department did not respond to a request for comment on its policy regarding clergy at the scenes of emergencies.)

But it is a poignant irony that Martin Richard, the 8-year-old boy who died on Boylston Street, was a Catholic who had received his first Communion just last year. As Martin lay dying, priests were only yards away, beyond the police tape, unable to reach him to administer last rites—a sacrament that, to Catholics, bears enormous significance.

As the Rev. Richard Cannon, a priest in Hopkinton, Mass., where the marathon begins, said in a homily on the Sunday after the bombings, "When the world can seem very dark and confusing, the presence of a priest is a presence of hope."


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Kenrick Seminary Graduate Receives Medal of Honor

4/11/2013

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Having taken a short break after Easter from all the hecticness life brings, I thought it was time to come back and say hello to everyone. And what a perfect day to resume my ponderings. Today marks a poignant day in the history of Kenrick-Glennon seminary.

Earlier today in a ceremony at the White House Servant of God, Fr. Emil J. Kapaun was awarded the Medal of Honor for service “above and beyond” as an Army chaplain in Korea. Fr. Kapaun was a Roman Catholic priest who died serving the men of the United States Army in Korea. The full story of today's ceremony and brief excerpts from the life of Fr. Kapaun can be found HERE and HERE.


We at the seminary are very proud that Fr. Kapaun graduated from Kenrick seminary and was ordained on June 9, 1940. He is the first graduate of the seminary to ever receive the Medal of Honor, is the first graduate of the seminary to achieve the title Servant of God and is very likely to be the first graduate of the seminary to be canonized as a saint in the Roman Catholic Church.

After ordination, Fr. Kapaun became an auxiliary chaplain at the Army base in Harington, Kansas which lasted for 18 months in 1943-44 and recommended for full chaplaincy on July 12, 1944. He served the remainder of World War II, until May 1946, in Burma and India. Subsequently, Father returned to the United States and returned to college in Washington DC. He was granted a Masters Degree in Education from the Catholic University of America in early 1948. He then returned to Kansas to serve in the Wichita diocese but still felt a calling to the military and after six months as a pastor, Bishop Carroll granted his request to return to the Army as a priest chaplain. He shipped out to Yokohama, Japan in January 1950 and on July 18, 1950 he landed at Po Hang Dong, Korea with the First Cavalry Division of the United States Army.

On November 2, 1950 Fr. Kapaun was captured by the North Korean army and its Chinese allies and became a prisoner of war. He was captured because, although he had a chance to escape, he refused to leave “his men”. During his time in the POW camp, Fr. Kapaun tended to the physical and spiritual needs of the prisoners keeping their morale up, washing their clothes, saying Mass, treating them medically and stealing food for them. His words and works, his mild manner and soft speech gave all the men Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Muslim, agnostic or atheist, faith to persevere through the endless indoctrination sessions and tortures. His caring example gave them the faith to serve one another.

After suffering from a clot in his leg and an infection in his eye, he finally died of malnutrition, starvation and pneumonia in May 1951. It is assumed the Fr. Kapaun’s remains lie in a common unmarked grave close to the hospital of the POW camp in Pyoktong, North Korea near the Yalu River. Fr. Kapaun died at the age of 35, ordained 11 years as a priest.

During his time in the Army Fr. Kapaun received among other awards the Bronze Star, the Distinguished Service Cross, and as of today The United States Medal of Honor.

It is with great honor that I write this post regarding Father Emil Kapaun. It is awe-inspiring to know that I walk the same halls as he did 73 years ago. So often we think of Saints as persons who achieve the unattainable. We think “we could never do that”. Fr. Kapaun is another example that this thinking is false. We are all called to holiness. We are all called to become saints. Let us thank God that He gives us such beautiful examples of His mercy and goodness as he gave us in the person of Father Emil Kapaun.

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Today, the seminary dedicated the Student center building which houses the Theology lounge, the College Lounge, the bookstore and the gym as the Fr. Emil J. Kapaun Memorial Student Center. Here is the picture that will be placed at the entrance to the center.

If you would like to know the full story of Fr. Kapaun click HERE. Let us follow the example that Fr. Kapaun has given us. Let us pray for the continued progress toward his canonization and look forward to the day when we no longer call him Fr. Kapaun but St. Kapaun.

Here is a prayer given to us by his diocese to pray for his intercession:

Father Emil Kapaun gave glory to God by following his call to the priesthood and thus serving the people of Kansas and those in the military. Father Kapaun, I ask your intercession not only for these needs which I mentioned now… But that I too may follow your example of service to God and my neighbor. For the gifts of courage in battle and perseverance of faith, we give you thanks O Lord.

Recite one Our Father, one Hail Mary, and one Glory Be.


For more information, to report favors granted due to Fr. Kapaun’s intercession or to offer financial support for Fr. Kapaun’s cause for sainthood please contact:

Father Kapaun Guild
424 N. Broadway
Wichita, Kansas 67202
(316) 269 – 3900
www.frkapaun.org

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HAPPY EASTER!

3/31/2013

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Christus resurrexit! Resurrexit vere! I wish you all a very Blessed and happy Easter. We rejoice today in the fact that our Lord Jesus Christ has overcome death and gained for us our salvation. By his stripes we were healed and  there is no greater gift that could ever be given. Let us rejoice today and give thanks and praise to our God who loves us so much He would offer His only Son to ransom a slave. We are most definitely a chosen people. We have been freed! praise be Jesus Christ now and  forever. 


                                Happy Easter!
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Strength in Humility

3/25/2013

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There is a saying that says never mistake humility for timidity or weakness. Yesterday, we heard the story of the Passion of Jesus Christ. As we reflect upon this narrative, there are a number of people to consider who show strength through humility and it is from these that we can learn wonderful lessons. These are small acts done with great love and humility. Small acts and yet they are remembered 2,000 years later. C.S. Lewis said in Mere Christianity “As long as you are proud you cannot know God. A proud man is always looking down on thing and people: and, of course, as long as you are looking down you cannot see something that is above you.” 

Simon of Cyrene showed his strength as he carried the cross of Christ. Embarrassed and humiliated as he was carrying the sign of a criminal. He knew that the crowds he passed would not know he was pressed into service but rather think him a criminal sentenced to death. He endured the insults and blows as he helped another. May we remember that we do not always know another’s story and thus be hesitant to judge their actions. Maybe that person speeding that just cut you off is going to see a dying relative in the hospital rather than trying to irritate you.

The weeping women of Jerusalem showed their strength in following Christ. While it was often the case that professional mourners were hired at funerals, it was also the case that the public mourning of criminals was forbidden. These women whom Christ encountered risk much for their public show of sorrow. Yet they chose to mourn and lament the condemnation of an innocent man. May we, by following their example, stand to weep when injustice is done in our day. May we, by humble supplications and public prayer, mourn the loss of innocents and show our strength, and resolve to change the culture of death.

Veronica came forward to comfort and console Christ in his journey. Wiping His face, she gave Him comfort. Certainly we can see humility in serving and comforting a condemned man; yet, to defy the guards escorting Jesus, to risk punishment for giving comfort to a criminal and in suffering the blows and buffets to move her away showed great strength. May we have the same strength of character as Veronica did when we have to opportunity to comfort a fellow human being.

Great strength does not come from physical prowess, though physical prowess can serve great strength, but comes rather from character and the heart. These receive their impetus from love. Only in great love can you derive great strength. It is unfortunate that today we so often misunderstand the concept of love. Love is not a feeling you have but a decision you make. Christ knew this and it was in love the He carried His cross willingly to Calvary. Married couples who stay together during difficult times do so not because of feelings, but because of a decision to do so. Mother Teresa said, “Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.” Love moves us to have strength in humility and it is here that we can best serve our fellow man. May we approach Good Friday with a renewed zeal to follow the example of self sacrifice Jesus Christ showed us and may we arise on Easter morning filled with the love and mercy of our Glorified Lord. May charity fill our hearts and as we find strength through humility, may we resolve to do many “small things with great love”.

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FANTASTIC NEWS!!!

3/22/2013

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I have great news that will bring much rejoicing. Something has happened for which we have prayed  for a number of years. Let us hope that this is the beginning of a momentous turn of events. I LOVE North Dakota! Just crossing the wires from Associated Press (AP) via USA Today... 

N.D. lawmakers move to outlaw abortion

North Dakota House passes bill that defines life as starting at conception after state Senate passed the bill last month.

Here is the start to the article  as it appears on the USA Today website. Due to copyright rules the entire article cannot appear here. 
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — North Dakota lawmakers moved Friday to outlaw abortion in the state by passing a bill defining life as starting at conception.

The bill is one of a series of anti-abortion measures the Republican-controlled Legislature has passed this year despite critics' insistence that they are unconstitutional and violate the U.S. Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade ruling legalizing abortion until a fetus considered viable, which is usually at 22 to 24 weeks.

The North Dakota House approved the bill 57-35 Friday, sending it to the Republican governor, who has not yet said whether he will sign or veto it. The Senate approved it last month.

The so-called personhood measure bestows human rights on... 


To continue reading, CLICK HERE.
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Atheist Defends Catholic Church

3/18/2013

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I never thought I would hear an atheist defend the Catholic Church. This really does show how reasonable the Church’s positions are regardless of the so called “Catholics” who keep calling for the Church to get “with the times”. As you may know Piers Morgan is one of the so called “Catholics”. Penn Jillette of “Penn and Teller” fame is a well known and outspoken atheist. Here is a video that is well worth seeing as Mr. Morgan gets schooled on the truths of the faith. Never thought I would applaud an atheist for his understanding. Why is it that the atheist has a better understanding of the Church than the Catholic?

On a much lighter note, in a few days I will have a GUEST BLOGGER!! One of my brothers in Rome will be writing a reflection on his time there as the church transitioned from Pope Benedict XVI to Pope Francis. STAY TUNED…

In the meantime, here is the video:


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Pope Francis

3/13/2013

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Annuntio vobis gaudium magnum. Habemus Papam. 
Eminentissimum ac Reverendissimum Dominum. Dominum Georgium Marium
 Sanctae Romanae Ecclesiae Cardinalem Bergoglio 
Qui nomen sibi imposuit Franciscum.
Viva il Papa

And with those words, the world received the news of its new Pope Francis. Jorge Mario Bergoglio was chosen by the College of Cardinals to lead the Catholic Church. The 76 year-old Jesuit was the archbishop of Buenos Aires and that gives us a number of firsts. He is the first Jesuit ever to become pope, the first pope from the Americas (this hemisphere, Latin America, Argentina, etc) and the first pope to take the name Francis after St. Francis of Assisi. What a wonderful start! What does this all mean? I would like to refer to a very respected Vatican observer, Rocco Palmo, who says this on his blog: 

By choosing the name of the founder of his community's traditional rivals, the 266th Roman pontiff – the first from the American continent, home to more than half of the 1.2 billion-member church – has signaled three things: his desire to be a force of unity in a polarized fold, a heart for the poor, and his intent to "repair God's house, which has fallen into ruin"... that is, to rebuild the church.
I am sure that the papers will be filled with his information and mis-information over the next few days. Let us remember the new pope in our prayers.

O God, who in your providential design
willed that your Church be built
upon blessed Peter, whom you set over the other apostles,
look with favor, we pray, on Francis, our Pope,
and grant that he, whom you have made Peter’s successor,
may be for your people a visible source and foundation
of unity in faith and of communion.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, forever and ever.
Amen.

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Thought for the Day

3/10/2013

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While probably not likely, here's a happy thought...
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Picture "borrowed" from The Eponymous Flower. Thanks.
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Lenten Thoughts

2/15/2013

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As Lent begins there is much talk about penance and what people are giving up for Lent. This is of course a wonderful thing. The Church teaches us about the three wonderful practices of penance, fasting and almsgiving. But I find it interesting that people always talk about penance in the negative way, that is to say what I give up for Lent, what I can’t have. I would like to propose a new way of thinking. What can I add!

What can you add to your life that will improve your spiritual life and your relationship with God? After all, isn’t that the idea of Lent, to prepare the way for the Lord? To change what we do for 40 days so that it becomes a habit? If your struggling for some ideas here are some suggestions:

  • Go to Confession regularly – weekly or biweekly. START TODAY!
  • Say the rosary daily
  • Go to Mass more often – the Sunday obligation is the MINIMUM!
  • Pray EVERY DAY for an end to abortions
  • Spend more time with your family and less in front of the TV
  • Spend 30 minutes each day alone talking to God. Talk to Him like a friend. Tell him what you’re thinking and doing. Don’t just recite prayers written prayers, but TALK to Him.

These are just a few suggestions of ways to ADD something during Lent. They don’t take a lot of time and the rewards are immense. Try it, it’s only 40 days!

What other things can you think of? I would love to hear your suggestions!

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55 MILLION

1/25/2013

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At some point in the past year, the United States experienced its 55 millionth legal abortion... That's 55 million creative minds, 55 million people that could be working, 55 million that could be contributing to society. To put the total of 55 million in perspective, the combined number of military deaths in all of America's wars –- from the Revolutionary War to the second Iraq war –- is 1.2 million. The loss is staggering.



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    I am a Roman Catholic Priest for the Diocese of Colorado Springs. I am currently assigned to St. Dominic Catholic Church in Security, CO.


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