Religious Leaders Voice Shared Commitment to Protect Marriage

WASHINGTON — Leaders of some of the largest religious communities in the United States have come together to express their commitment toward the protection of marriage as the union of one man and one woman.

In an open letter released today, entitled “The Protection of Marriage: A Shared Commitment,” leaders from Anglican, Baptist, Catholic, Evangelical, Jewish, Lutheran, Mormon, Orthodox, Pentecostal and Sikh communities in the United States affirmed the importance of preserving marriage’s unique meaning.

“The broad consensus reflected in this letter—across great religious divides—is clear: The law of marriage is not about imposing the religion of anyone, but about protecting the common good of everyone,” said Archbishop Timothy Dolan of New York, newly elected president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) and one of the letter’s signers. “People of any faith or no faith at all can recognize that when the law defines marriage as between one man and one woman, it legally binds a mother and a father to each other and their children, reinforcing the foundational cell of human society.”

The release of this letter comes the same morning that oral arguments on the Proposition 8 case are set to begin. In August, Judge Vaughn Walker had ruled California’s Proposition 8 to be unconstitutional, based in part on the claim that defining marriage as between a man and a woman lacked any rational basis at all, and instead reflected nothing but religion-based hostility to homosexual persons. This ruling has been appealed and its hearing is scheduled for today, December 6.

“Today is the moment to stand for marriage and its unchangeable meaning. We hope this letter will encourage just that,” Archbishop Dolan said. “The Protection of Marriage: A Shared Commitment” is being circulated nationwide. Downloadable PDF versions of the letter can be found at www.usccb.org/defenseofmarriage/shared-commitment. A backgrounder on the statement can be found at http://www.usccb.org/comm/backgrounders/shared-commitment.shtml

Full text of the letter and signers can be found here.

Our Lady of Guadalupe Novena begins today

Each December, parishes across the Catholic Diocese of Saginaw participate in a Novena to Our Lady of Guadalupe, Mother of the Americas.

Download the Novena booklet and join us in prayer this year from Dec. 3 to 12.

Action Alert: Support Needed for DREAM Act

Next Wednesday, December 8, the United States House of Representatives is scheduled to debate immigration legislation that would allow for students brought into this country at a young age to apply for full citizenship. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, along with its sister immigration organization Justice for Immigrants, is supporting this bill and asking for your support as well.

More information about the DREAM Act, along with a message for your U.S. congressperson, can be found at the Catholic Legislative Advocacy Network. Please take a brief moment to read about this important legislation and contact your elected official in Washington to support the bill.

Additional information about DREAM may be found by clicking here.

DoS Priests in Rome with St. Peter

ROME - Five diocesan priests have been on pilgrimage at the banks of the Tiber this week.

The Rev. Richard Bokinski, the Rev. James Carlson, the Rev. Ronald Dombrowski, and the Rev. Richard Jozwiak joined the Rev. Thomas McNamara, who won a trip to the Italian Capital from the Kansas-based Fireside Catholic Publishing as part of its celebration of the “Year of the Priest.”

The pilgrims met up with two of their brother priests from the Diocese of Saginaw - the Rev. José Maria Cabrera and the Rev. Denis Heames, - who have been studying at the Gregorian University since 2009.

Father José Maria shared these two photos above and the note below with the Communications Office after the seven brothers shared some time together:

We had the wonderful opportunity to have a great time together here in Rome. The priests were at Casa Santa Maria (Father Denis and Father José's home) on Sunday for Mass. Father Denis presided at Mass. Then pranzo (lunch). We had dinner to Bishop Cistone's health (Salute!) in a restaurant right in front of the Church of St. Ignatius; this was on Monday. Then on Tuesday, we celebrated Mass at the Clementine Chapel in the crypt of St. Peter's Basilica. In fact, in the picture you can see the back wall behind a grill, that's St. Peter's sarcofagus! It was a powerful experience of prayer and unity. We prayed for all the people of the Diocese of Saginaw. Blessings, Father José Maria

Bishops Announce Framework for Rebuilding the Church in Haiti, Present Haitian Bishops’ New Building Agency

WASHINGTON — At their Fall General Assembly, November 15-18, the U.S. bishops will receive an update on the situation in Haiti and the U.S. Catholic Church’s emergency relief efforts so far, as well as plans to aid long-term reconstruction, including rebuilding of Church structures.

As it begins funding of Church reconstruction projects in Haiti, the Subcommittee on the Church in Latin America of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) recently adopted two documents that will help guide the work of the Subcommittee in this regard.

The first document outlines the overall vision for Church collaboration and was issued by a gathering of bishops from around the world, including all Haitian diocesan bishops, Catholic Relief Services and other Church aid agencies during a meeting in Miami at the end of September.

The gathering called for a comprehensive view of development. "We aim to build up every Haitian man and woman in his or her totality: physically, intellectually, emotionally and spiritually," the Final Statement said.

Archbishop Thomas Wenski of Miami, chairman of USCCB Haiti Advisory Group hosted the meeting. "The key element in moving forward is unity," Wenski said. "That means we need to get on the same page, especially about how we’re going to rebuild."

The Advisory Group has been charged with distributing $33 million collected for Church needs from the Special Collection taken up in dioceses across the United States immediately after January’s earthquake. This amount represents 40 percent of the total amount collected which totaled $83 million. The remaining 60 percent of the funds were assigned to Catholic Relief Services for humanitarian relief and development work.

"The generosity of American Catholics has been non-stop since the earthquake and we want to provide a mechanism that we can all use to help the Haitians rebuild in a reliable, transparent, accountable way," said Archbishop Wenski.

At the General Assembly, the U.S. bishops also will hear about the formation of a reconstruction and building unit, housed within the Haitian Conference of Catholic Bishops, called "PROCHE." This entity was approved by the Haitian bishops also in September.

A French and Creole word that means "close by," PROCHE is also an acronym for Proximité Catholique avec Haïti et son Eglise (Catholic closeness with Haiti and her Church).

Designed to serve as a central coordination point, PROCHE will bring together a wide range of stakeholders, including affected Haitians, Church personnel, donors, engineers and others. It will support reconstruction priorities across dioceses, coordinate projects within dioceses, and ensure timely completion of projects built to international standards and within agreed-upon budgets.

"In all my years of working with Haiti, I’ve never seen the type of collaboration between different parts of the Church as I’ve seen since the earthquake," said Archbishop Wenski, who will brief the entire body of bishops on the global Church’s plans to rebuild church infrastructure during the November meeting of the USCCB in Baltimore. "I will ask the bishops to help motivate other Catholics interested in helping Haiti so that we can pool our talents and our treasure in favor of the Church in Haiti."

To assist in this process, the Haitian Bishops have also issued a document entitled Partners in Mission which contains a set of guidelines for groups and parishes engaged in “twinning” relationships between Haiti and the Church around the world.

In the months ahead, Catholic Relief Services will assist the U.S. bishops in reaching out to dioceses, colleges and parishes in the United States to strengthen existing ties between the Church in the United States and the Church in Haiti.

Both documents and other information about plans to help the Church in Haiti can be found at http://www.usccb.org/latinamerica/.

On Veteran's Day ...

Let us pray for our brothers and sisters as they go forth with courage and determination to face the forces of violence, weapons of destruction and hearts filled with hate.

4For our Commander-In-Chief, President Obama, and our political and military leaders that they may tirelessly seek peaceful settlements to international disputes; we pray to the Lord:

4 That the Lord may preserve the members of our Army, Navy, Marines, Coast Guard and Air Force from all harm; we pray to the Lord:

4 That even in war, we may keep clearly before us the defense of all human rights, especially the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness; we pray to the Lord:

4 That the families, relatives and friends of our military members may be strengthened in this time of concern and anxiety; we pray to the Lord:

4 That the Lord may help families with men and women in the armed forces to cope with daily challenges in the absence of their loved ones; we pray to the Lord:

4 That our homeland will be preserved from violence and terrorism; we pray to the Lord:

4 That the nations of the world will seek to work together in harmony and peace; we pray to the Lord:

4 That the hearts of all men and women will be moved to pursue true peace and justice; we pray to the Lord:

4 That violence may be overcome by peace; that weapons of destruction be transformed into tools of justice, and hate give way to true charity; we pray to the Lord:

4 That grateful for and inspired by those veterans who have given their lives for our country we may bravely face the challenges ahead; we pray to the Lord:

Lord God, Almighty Father,creator of mankind and author of peace,as we are ever mindful of the cost paid for the liberty we possess,we ask you to bless the members of our armed forces.Give them courage, hope and strength.May they ever experience your firm support, gentle love and compassionate healing.Be their power and protector, leading them from darkness to light. To you be all glory, honor and praise, now and forever. Amen

Add your Veterans to our prayers on our Facebook page.

Find these prayers for our troops and more from the USCCB Committee on Divine Worship.

Presbyteral Council and College of Consultors membership announced

SAGINAW - The Most Rev. Joseph R. Cistone, Bishop of Saginaw, today announced the membership for the Presbyteral Council and College of Consultors for the Catholic Diocese of Saginaw.

"Last year, I reviewed the existing structure of these two bodies," Bishop Cistone wrote in a memo to priests, deacons and pastoral administrators. "In order to ensure that they were formed in accord with Canon Law and that the Presbyteral Council had suitable, elected representation, I promulgated revised bylaws for these two bodies, after consultation with and advisement from the existing Council and College. As a result, new elections for the Presbyteral Council took place during the summer and, subsequently, I appointed new Consultors from among this newly established body."

Bishiop Cistone was installed as the sixth Bishop of Saginaw in July 2009.

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The membership of the Presbyteral Council is as follows:

Members
Rev. Thomas J. McNamara, Vicar General (Ex Officio)
Rev. Ronald F. Wagner, Vicar for Priests (Ex Officio)

Elected
Rev. Patrick M. Jankowiak, Vicarite 1 (Term ends July, 2012)
Rev. James E. Falsey, Vicarite 2 (Term ends July, 2012)
Rev. Peter J. Gaspeny, Vicarite 3 (Term ends July, 2012)
Rev. Robert S. Gohm, Vicarite 4 (Term ends July, 2013)
Rev. Thomas J. Fleming, Vicarite 5 (Term ends July, 2013)
Rev. James G. Heller, Vicarite 6 (Term ends July, 2014)
Rev. Robert Howe, Vicarite 7 (Term ends July, 2013)
Rev. Charles Hammond, Vicarite 8 (Term ends July, 2014)
Rev. Frederick J. Kawka, Senior Priests (Term ends July, 2014)

Appointed
Rev. Robert H. Byrne (Term ends July, 2014)
Rev. William J. Rutkowski (Term ends July, 2013)
Rev. Prentice A. Tipton (Term ends July, 2012)
OPEN

Consultants (Regional Vicars)
Rev. John Cotter, Vicarite 1
Rev. James E. Falsey, Vicarite 2
Rev. Peter J. Gaspeny, Vicarite 3**
Rev. Craig L. Albrecht, Vicarite 4
Rev. Richard Bokinskie, Vicarite 5
Rev. Randy Kelly, Vicarite 6
Rev. Robert Pare, Vicarite 7
Rev. William J. Gruden, Vicarite 8
** Designates Voting Member

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The following priests will serve as members of the College of Consultors, effective November 9, 2010, for a period of five years or until a new College is established:

Rev. Robert H. Byrne
Rev. Peter J. Gaspeny
Rev. Frederick J. Kawka
Rev. Thomas J. McNamara
Rev. William J. Rutkowski
Rev. Ronald F. Wagner