Ask Catholics about their favorite evangelizers, and you are unlikely to hear stories about famous preachers who offer the word of God through blurred TV images or the fiery radio oratory. You are more apt to hear stories of flesh-and-blood religious leaders who make the faith come  alive to those relatively small numbers of people who know them.  The famous are not entirely forgotten, however.

Owen Rogers, a New York City entrepreneur and owner of Black Ink Enterprise, was so inspired by Franciscan Sister Thea Bowman, the nationally-known preacher who died after a long struggle with bone cancer in 1990, for example, that he named his daughter after her.

“I was blessed to meet her while I was in college and seeking the real-life

example of

contemporary Black Catholics who gave their all to God,” said Rogers. From Sister Thea, recalled Rogers, he learned that “being Black and Catholic was a gift and a challenge, not a contradiction as some would make it out to be. She taught me.”

Through her inspiration, Rogers became active in Black Catholic activities and served as president of the Council of Black Catholics in the Diocese of Brooklyn, N.Y.

While Sister Thea was a famous speaker who appeared frequently at religious education conferences and occasionally on television—including a profile on CBS’ “60 Minutes”—Rogers also was inspired by another, less-famous religious evangelist.

During his school days at the now-closed Mater Christi High School in New York’s Astoria, Queens, Rogers met Christian Brother David Detjem, “a man who stood firm on his Christian principles, which included serving boys whom many would discard.”

“Brother David,” Rogers recalled, “didn’t spend a lot of time preaching or talking about God; he just did the things that we are taught that men of God should do.”

Tony Marinelli, a religion teacher at Holy Trinity Diocesan High School in Hicksville, N.Y., said the greatest evangelist he ever encountered was his parish priest, Msgr. Fred Schaefer, former pastor of St. Brigid’s Church in Westbury, N.Y. Msgr. Schaefer, who died in 1996, “had the ability to take the word and make it flesh, living out the Gospel everywhere he went.” Msgr.  Schaefer’s priesthood, said Marinelli, “was a wonderful witness to Christ’s presence in the world.”

Marinelli’s wife, Patricia McDonough, a counselor at Mercy Academy in Syosset, N.Y., cited Father Michael Himes, a priest of the Brooklyn Diocese and theology professor at Boston College.

Father Himes, a regular speaker on the religious education circuit, has the ability “to capture the religious imagination of both believer and non-believer,” said Ms. McDonough. “He takes the most difficult text or teaching and puts it in terms that are easy to understand. He gives faith a language with which people can live and learn.”

It took a visit to India for Devon Cummings, a photo archivist for the New York Public Library, to  discover the most inspiring evangelist she ever met, the late Benedictine Father Bede Griffiths, who died in 1993.

Ms. Cummings was affected by Father Griffiths’ interfaith spirit, which she said inspired her because it promoted the idea that Christianity could learn from other traditions. The British-born Father Griffiths lived for many years in an Indian ashram, where he attempted to adapt Christian monasticism to Hindu society.

“His philosophy was about the meeting of East and West,” Ms. Cummings recalled, noting that his  talks included truths from both the Christian and the Hindu scriptures.

Ms. Cummings’ sister-in-law, Maureen Cummings, a homemaker and mother of two from Stewart  Manor, N.Y., found her greatest evangelist nearer to home on Long Island. Father James Brassil, currently pastor of Maria Regina Church in Seaford, N.Y., was chaplain for a young adult group when Maureen was a new college graduate. She remembers he professed a simple yet valuable wisdom:  “He used to say, ‘be yourself.’ I now say that to my kids everyday.”

Collette Ryan, a homemaker and also a mother of two from Babylon, N.Y., said that the greatest evangelist she has encountered is Father Ralph Sommer, director of Renew 2000 for the Diocese of Rockville Centre, N.Y.

Father Sommer, who frequently uses props to make theological points during talks and homilies,  “is entertaining, motivates people, and knows what he’s talking about,” said Ms. Ryan.

Mary Frances Grace, a New York City actress, selected Capuchin Father

Ray Frias, who serves in campus ministry at New York University.     “He

seems to know how to talk to everyone he meets,” she said about the priest she

met while he

was a college chaplain at the State University of New York at New Paltz. He evangelizes by personal example, she said, and also through “a sense of humor by which he is able to laugh at himself.”

The most important place to reflect on our Christian commitment to charity,

justice, and peace is during Mass, as we hear and reflect on the word of God

and come together through the eucharist  as one body in Christ Jesus. The

following suggestions offer ideas for sharing the Jubilee Pledge for Charity,

Justice, and Peace with parishioners during Sunday liturgies. Timing Many times

during the liturgical year lend themselves to focusing on charity, justice, and

peace. Although each parish will need to determine the best time for using the

pledge in light of its own plans, the following suggestions are offered for

consideration.  Preparation Time An important general consideration is the need

to provide time to prepare parishioners to hear the message. Most parishioners

will not be very familiar with the tradition of jubilee and may not have given much

thought to what the coming of the new millennium might mean in light of their faith. It will be helpful to challenge them to consider these questions before giving them the pledge as a concrete step in preparation for the millennium.

Homilies are key times to do this. Preparation efforts can also be as simple as

short items in the bulletin describing the tradition of jubilee and posing questions

about its application in our lives today. Or they can be more elaborate, perhaps

including adult education, reflection, and faith-sharing sessions or a special newsletter.

Advent and Christmas 1999  Many dioceses and parishes will be introducing the pledge to parishioners during Advent 1999. As Catholics throughout the country prepare to celebrate the birth of Christ and the coming of the year 2000, many will begin to consider what it means to be a disciple of Jesus in the third millennium. The jubilee pledge gives them a tool to deepen their commitment to sharing the ministry our Lord announced almost 2,000 years ago when he said he had come to “bring glad tidings to the poor. / . . . proclaim liberty to captives” and “let the oppressed go free” (Lk 4:18).

The bishops’ Subcommittee for the Third Millennium has identified the Third

Sunday of Advent (December 12, 1999) as a possible date for focusing on the

pledge. You might want to announce plans for taking the pledge as early as the

Feast of Christ the King (November 21, 1999), when the gospel reading is

Matthew 25:31-46 and the collection for the Catholic Campaign for Human

Development is taken.  Easter Mystagogia If Advent 1999 is not a good time for

your parish, you may want to consider focusing on the pledge during the time

between Easter and Pentecost, either in 1999 or 2000. Pentecost offers

an opportunity to reflect on the role of the Spirit in transforming the world and

on our need to open ourselves to the power of the Spirit as we transform the

world. Lent With its tradition of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, the Lenten

season is a natural time to focus on

our commitment to those in need. The jubilee pledge calls us to renew our love for our brothers and sisters in light of the profound love our Lord showed for us through his suffering and death on the cross.  Ordinary Time There are many Sundays throughout the year when the readings address questions of justice and concern for the poor. Toward the end of the liturgical year in particular there are many  opportunities to take the pledge, when parishioners are beginning to think about the end of 1999 and the jubilee year 2000. The 28^th Sunday (October 10, 1999) through the 33^rd Sunday (November 14, 1999) are appropriate times..Special Pledge Ceremony Some parishes will choose to conduct a special “ceremony.” The homilist can incorporate the  signing of the pledge into the homily or people can be invited to sign a pledge on their way out of  church.

Here are some ideas for a ceremony.  The parish as a whole can make a

commitment to realizing the jubilee pledge and supporting parishioners as they

act on their pledge. The homilist can read the parish commitment (see sample

below) and ask the congregation to respond with “Amen.” The Jubilee Pledge

for Charity, Justice, and Peace is a sign that each person who makes the pledge

is renewing his or her commitment to take up Christ’s mission of “bringing glad

tidings to the poor,” “proclaim[ing] liberty to captives,” and “let[ting] the

oppressed go free” (Lk 4:18). Together, we at [name of parish] promise to

realize the elements of the pledge in our life as  a community of faith, and to

support our members in their efforts to work for charity, justice,  and peace as

disciples of Jesus in the third millennium. We make this commitments as 

followers of Christ, our Lord. Before Mass, individual pledge brochures can be

placed in the pews. After the parish commitment is taken, each individual and

family can be asked to sign the pledge as an  indication of his or her renewed

commitment to work for charity, justice, and peace in the  new millennium.   Since

the pledge itself is intended to be kept by the signer as a reminder of hisor her  commitment, there is no need to collect the pledges. However, signers can be asked to  complete the return form for those wishing to receive more information (if your parish is  collecting the return forms) after Mass or at home. They can drop the return forms in a box on their way out the door, mail them in, or bring them back the next Sunday.  If people are invited to take the pledge as they leave church, it would be wise to print it in the bulletin the preceding week. Then tables can be set up for signing the pledge and collecting the name and address form, if applicable.  These are just a few suggestions for a pledge ceremony.  They are intended to generate ideas that can lead to a plan that best fits each individual parish.

Even if you are not conducting a pledge ceremony, there are a variety of

options for distributing

the pledge. Among them are the following:

Before Mass, place copies of the pledge brochure in the pews. If you are

doing a pledge

ceremony or mentioning it during the homily, the pledges will be available

for members of the

congregation to sign and take home.

Insert the pledge brochures in the bulletins and mention the pledge during

the homily. Then

invite parishioners to sign the pledge either in church or at home.

Have ushers distribute the pledge brochures as people come to Mass.

Make pledge brochures available in the vestibule or at each door for

people to pick up as

they leave Mass.

Although the pledge itself is intended to be kept by the signer as a reminder

of his or her

commitment, each pledge brochure includes a tear-off return form for those

interested in receiving

information on how to act on the pledge. Before copying the pledge,

determine whether your

diocese and/or your parish wants to collect the names and addresses. Then

consider how the

forms are to be returned. If a parish committee wants to collect them, will the

collection baskets be

used? If so, will parishioners be encouraged to complete the return form on

the day the pledge is

distributed or to bring it back the next Sunday? For more information on your

options for the return

form, see the last page of the handout for pastors and parish councils included in this kit.

and Catechetical Settings

For the Director of Religious Education and School Principal

The following are suggestions for ways that you can incorporate the Jubilee

Pledge for Charity,

Justice, and Peace into various parish educational and catechetical settings.

planning, remember that the jubilee pledge involves the entire parish. It has

educational uses for

every age group in your community.

There are two key ways to use the pledge in educational settings that you will want to consider: (1)

how to use the pledge itself as an educational tool on the social mission of every believer; and (2)

how to respond to the commitment each pledge signer makes to learn more

about Catholic social

teaching.

Encourage families in your community to keep the pledge visible in their

homes and to use it as a

basis for prayer and discussion throughout 1999 and 2000. Suggest that

families develop

concrete ways to carry out each of the eight elements of the pledge. For

example, a family can

discuss various aspects of Catholic social teaching in light of community

needs and find ways to

work together as a family on those issues. Another example would be the

element of service to

those who are poor and vulnerable. Families might consider becoming part of

parish or community

projects to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, or build housing for the

homeless. They might

attend a meeting with legislators or a candidates forum. It is important to

involve everyone in the

family in some way both in the discussion of the pledge and in the application of it.

The jubilee pledge is asking for more than a one-time consent to the

principles it presents. Adults

need multiple opportunities to explore the meaning of the eight elements of

the pledge and to

discern ways they can put them into practice. Parishes can use the themes of

the pledge for

small-group discussions, for large-group presentations, and for articles in the

bulletin and

newsletters. The eight themes of the pledge would make an excellent starting

point for a parish

retreat or mission. In general, every gathering of adults in the parish during

the year 2000 could

begin with a communal reading of the pledge. At least once during the year,

every group should

engage in a substantive discussion of the pledge’s meaning. For example,

beginning parish

council or education meetings with the pledge would help to shape the meeting’s discussion.

The themes of the great jubilee (Trinity, unity, and eucharist) and the jubilee

pledge should be

included in parish and diocesan in-service sessions. Catechists and religion

teachers should be

encouraged to use the pledge for their personal reflection and to determine

ways that they can

share the pledge with the groups with whom they work. Those working with

children and youth

could have the students recite the pledge at various times throughout the

year. Those working

with early childhood and primary-level children could simply familiarize the

children with the eight

themes. However, at all ages, it is not enough to stop with the words of the

pledge. Children and

adolescents need to have many opportunities to put the pledge into action.

children and youth identify and apply things that they can do to live justly in

the family, school, and

neighborhood. Involve young people in parish activities that work for justice,

charity, and peace,

such as participating in food and clothing drives, cleaning up graffiti and trash

from neighborhood

streets, making friends with new neighbors, or writing to an elected official

about a public policy

issue related to justice and peace. Information on two ways to act on the

pledge can be found in

the “Opportunities to Act” insert included in this kit.

  Assisting Those Who Have Pledged to Learn About Catholic Social Teaching

Every person who signs the jubilee pledge has made a commitment to learn

more about Catholic

social teaching and will be looking for ways to keep that commitment. At its

simplest, your

response can involve putting short quotes from Catholic social teaching in the bulletin each week.

You can also include notices in the bulletin about documents, periodicals,

websites, and other

sources of Catholic social teaching, offering information on how to obtain

them or where to find

them in the parish library.

Over the past decade, the Church’s teaching about respect and care for all

creation has

accelerated in response to growing concerns over the future of the

environment. “In our day,” the

Holy Father noted in his World Day of Peace statement in 1990, “there is

growing awareness that

world peace is threatened not only by the arms race, regional conflicts, and

continued injustices

among peoples and nations, but also by a lack of due respect for nature, by

the plundering of

natural resources and by a progressive decline in the quality of life.”

As believers, we cannot ignore this trend. The Scriptures and our tradition

tell us that we must

care for God’s creation and enhance it by our creative labor, but never

destroy it. In the biblical

tradition, the earth is a gift to all creatures, with humans called in a special

way to “cultivate and

care for it” (Gn 2:15). Particularly at this time, as we prepare to celebrate the

jubilee year 2000, we

recall that for the ancient Israelites, the jubilee was a time to “let the land lie

fallow” as a sabbath

for the land and so that all landowner, slaves, tenants, even animals could

equally share what it

naturally produced (Lv 25).

The U.S. bishops have looked at who is and is not sharing in the bounty of

creation today and

note that often, “it is the poor and the powerless who most directly bear the

burden of current

environmental carelessness” (Renewing the Earth, p. 2). They call on

Catholics in the United

States to “join with us in a continuing effort to understand and act on the

moral and ethical

dimensions of the environmental crisis” (Renewing the Earth, p. 9).

PRAY for God’s creation and for wisdom on the part of all people in caring for the earth.

LEARN about Catholic teaching on environmental issues and about the U.S.

bishops’

REACH out to those most affected by ecological problems: the poor and

powerless. Often,

low-income communities have the greatest incidence of lead poisoning and are

the sites of

abandoned industrial plants, landfills, and other environmental threats.

low-income communities, your diocesan social action office, or local

environmental groups to

explore environmental justice issues in your community.

LIVE in ways that protect and preserve the environment. For example, save

energy, cut down on

waste, and recycle at work and at home.

SERVE those who are affected by environmental justice issues. For

example, establish a lead

paint screening program or start a community garden in a desolate part of your community.

GIVE generously to programs that work to protect the environment,

especially those that protect

the poor and powerless from environmental threats.

ADVOCATE public policies that protect and preserve the environment and

its natural resources

and that promote an equitable use of the world’s goods.

ENCOURAGE others in your parish, especially young people, to develop an

attitude of respect for

God’s creation and a desire to take action.

The Holy Father has declared the year 2000 a jubilee year, leading many to

ask what the tradition

of jubilee meant in biblical times and how it might be applied today. Pope John

Paul II tells us that

the jubilee year “was meant to restore equality among all the children of

Israel, offering new

possibilities to families which had lost their property and even their personal

freedom” (On the

Coming of the Third Millennium, no. 13).

A key aspect of the jubilee was the cancellation of debts (Dt 15), giving

those who could not repay

their obligations a chance to start anew. Although at first this seems to run

counter to present-day

thinking about living up to one’s obligations, it is in some ways simply an

expansion of our practice

of bankruptcy. However, today there are no bankruptcy provisions for Third

World countries, many

of which are struggling under the burden of debts incurred by leaders who

may not have had their

people’s best interests at heart. The real victims of this situation are the poor

parents who must

watch their children die because the money their government might invest in

health care is eaten

up by debt service and young people who cannot hope to rise out of poverty

because funds that

would go to education are used to pay interest on debts.

Pope John Paul II has identified Third World debt as a key issue for the

jubilee. “Christians will

have to raise their voice on behalf of all the poor of the world, proposing the

Jubilee as an

appropriate time to give thought, among other things, to reducing

substantially, if not cancelling

outright, the international debt which seriously threatens the future of many

nations” (On the

Coming of the Third Millennium, no. 51).

PRAY that the burden of international debt be relieved for the world’s poorest nations and people.

LEARN about the issue. Contact your diocesan social action office or the

U.S. Catholic bishops’

websites.

REACH out to those who are the victims of Third World debt. Your parish

may want to support a

mission or enter into a twinning relationship with a parish in a heavily indebted

poor country. For

information, contact your diocesan social action or missions director.

LIVE justly in family life, work, and community, purchasing from and investing

in companies that

promote sustainable international development. For example, Catholic Relief Services’ DEVCAP fund promotes small business development around the world (800-235-2772).

SERVE the victims of third world debt by sponsoring a needy child or a clean water project

1.What does the Millennium celebrate?

The millennium marks the passage of a one thousand year period as noted

by the calendar

of our common era. For Christians, the millennium celebrates the birth of

Jesus Christ 2000

years ago and the history of that 2000 years. The birth of Christ is

important because

Christ’s coming into the world ushered in a new era for humanity. Thus,

the Millennium

celebrates 2000 years of Christ’s presence in human history, and as such,

it celebrates

God’s love for humankind.

2.What is the religious dimension to the Millennium?

For generations the Church has used Jubilee years as opportunities to

pause and reflect on

all that the Lord has done for us. The Church invites people to open up to

Christ and

reconcile those areas in their lives that need to be addressed.

3.What is a jubilee?

Jubilees celebrate and commemorate the passage of a fixed number of

years. People are

most familiar with wedding and work jubilees of 25 and 50 years. The

unique character of the

Jubilee points to a celebration of life, but jubilees also provide an

opportunity to look forward

in life. A jubilee is a time of celebration and an opportunity to begin anew,

but it is also a time

to seek reconciliation and to acknowledge past failings.

4.Why is this Jubilee significant?

This jubilee not only will mark the passing from one century to the next, it

also will leave

behind an entire millennium.

5.Why should the person in the pew care about the Millennium?

People in the pews should care about this jubilee year because it offers a

unique opportunity

to celebrate the 2000^th anniversary of the birth of the Messiah, and to

focus on one’s

relationship with Him. It also offers an opportunity to make some changes

for the good in

our lives - to begin the new millennium as a renewed person. It is a moment

to make a new

start with self, God and others.

6.How can people prepare spiritually for the Millennium?

John Paul II is calling on Catholics and inviting all Christians, and people of

good will, to

reflect on their lives. Christians should ask themselves if they are willing

to change their lives

to become better disciples. The Holy Father is also calling people to

recognize areas in their

lives which need reconciliation and to seek that reconciliation, whether it

be with God or with

other people.

7.Does the Millennium have significance to people of other faiths?

Because of the use of differing calendars, the year 2000 does not have

the same religious

significance for people of other religions that it does for Christians.

appears to be a growing interest in the year 2000 because of its

significance because of use

of the common calendar. For example, there are a number of

Christian-Jewish events being

planned with millennial themes that are the result of collaboration.

8.Are there any documents to guide Millennium celebrations?

There are many resources available to guide millennium celebrations. The

most important is

On the Coming of the Third Millennium (Tertio Millennio Adveniente),

Pope John Paul

II’s apostolic letter. Resources published by the U.S. Catholic Conference

include Open

Wide the Doors to Christ: A Framework for Action; A Parishioner’s

Guide to Preparing for

the Jubilee Year 2000; and Preparing for the Jubilee, a set of parish catechetical kits.

Other resources are posted in the bibliography section of the bishops’

web site

www.nccbuscc.org/jubilee/.

9.To what has Pope John Paul II called the Church for the new Millennium?

The pope has called the Church to celebrate the gift of salvation and “to

proclaim the year of

the Lord’s favor.” Specifically, the Holy Father is calling the Church to

seek unity among all

Christians, to more fully apply the teachings of the Second Vatican

Council, and to use this

time as a unique moment for reconciliation and healing. In looking toward

the future, the

Church is not to forget its past. As such, the Church is called to cross into

the new

millennium with an awareness of its history and mindful to repent of past

errors and

infidelities. All members of the Church are called to examine their

consciences to avoid the

same mistakes in the next millennium.

10.What Biblical themes are being used to prepare for the Millennium?

The Biblical themes to prepare for the Millennium can be found in the

(25:10) and in Luke’s gospel (4:18-19). Leviticus discusses the jubilees

celebrated in ancient

Israel and states that a jubilee was a time dedicated to God in a special

way. According to

the Law of Moses, every seventh year was set aside as a “sabbatical

year,” a time to let the

land lie fallow and to set slaves free. These sabbatical years were also a

time to cancel

debts. What was true for these sabbatical years was also true for the

jubilee years, which

occurred every fifty years. These special years celebrated the customs

of the sabbatical

years with more breadth and solemnity. In short, the biblical themes of

jubilee years are

giving honor to God, allowing for a time of rest, and restoring equality

among all peoples. The

Lukan passage reiterates the understanding of jubilee, but clearly

identifies Jesus Christ as

the fulfillment of the jubilee promise and prescribes actions that a jubilee

people should

undertake. These same themes are being used to prepare for the Third Millennium.

11.Are there particular theological themes suggested to guide Millennium

preparations?

Several theological themes to guide Millennium preparations. First of all,

the biblical

understanding of jubilee is linked with the theology of Creation and Divine Providence.

When God created the earth, He gave it to everyone. Therefore, the

riches of Creation are

to be considered the common good of all people, and those who possess

these goods as

personal property are really only stewards of these gifts.

Furthermore, as the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000 is a commemoration

of Christ’s birth,

there is a tremendous Christological significance. In this time of

preparation it is important

to meditate on Jesus’ Incarnation, i.e., His coming into the world as a man,

and the gift of

Redemption which He accomplished in His death. This focus on Jesus

Christ cannot be

understood apart from the Church’s teaching on the Trinity where God is

seen as Father

and Creator, Jesus Christ is seen as Son and Redeemer, and the Holy

Spirit is seen as the

presence of God and Jesus Christ continuing in the world today.

Lastly, the theological virtues of faith, hope and charity are also guides to

Millennium

preparations. The Jubilee celebration should strengthen Christians in their

faith, provide

hope in eternal life, and rekindle charity which can be carried out in service

to others,

especially the weak and the poor.

12.Does celebrating the Millennium encourage concern that the end of the

world is

upon us?

The fact that the second millennium of Christianity is nearing an end leads

many people to

speculate on the meaning of Revelation 20, which speaks of Christ’s

1000-year reign and

the unleashing and eventual defeat of Satan. However, in contrast to

those who propose

that the world is coming to an end, Pope John Paul II is encouraging the

Church to celebrate

the advent of the third millennium as a time of hope and expectation. The

millennial

celebration is a time to call all Christians to a deeper reflection on the

meaning of Christian

life. For Catholics, the year 2000 is not the end but an opportunity for a new beginning.

Many “end of the world” beliefs arise from views of millennialism.

millennarianism) is the belief that Christ will establish a kingdom on earth

for a 1000-year

period. It is based on a literal reading of Revelation 20:1-10. Millennialists

believe that while

Satan is chained for this 1000-year period, resurrected martyrs and all

who have been

faithful to Christ will come to life and share in His reign. At the end of this

1000-year reign,

Satan will be allowed to resume his activity until the Last Judgment, at

which time the faithful

will enter into eternal happiness in heaven and all who have rejected

Christ will be plunged

into hell. This is not the pope’s view of the year 2000.

13.What do we know from history about how Christians observed the first

It has been commonly believed among historians that as the year 1000 AD

approached, a

wave of terror swept over Europe as many Christians awaited the coming

of the Antichrist

and the Last Judgment. Although this view of history has been challenged

by some recent

historians as being exaggerated, it is widely held that Christians

approached the end of the

first millennium with some apocalyptic apprehension.

14.Is the Church in Rome planning any celebrations?

The Church in Rome recently released a calendar of events to take place

during the Great

Jubilee of the Year 2000. The year will begin with the opening of the Holy Year Door at St.

Peter’s Basilica on Christmas Eve, 1999. In June 2000 there will be an

International

Eucharistic Congress and a World Youth Day in August. There are also

plans for a World

Family Meeting in October, as well as special celebrations planned around

Easter,

Pentecost, and Christmas. Additionally, there are plans for “jubilee days”

to be celebrated

each month during which Catholics will be reminded to pray for and

celebrate certain groups

of people such as youth, the sick and the poor. A special calendar also is

being prepared for

dioceses and parishes in the United States which will be an adaptation of

the calendar for

Rome.

15.Is any celebration planned for the Holy Land?

Specific plans for Holy Land celebrations still are being determined. It is

hoped that many of

the celebrations that will take place in Rome will be modeled throughout the Holy Land.

16.The year 2000 will be a Holy Year in Rome. What is a Holy Year?

Holy Years (or Jubilees), which were first instituted by Pope Boniface

religious events for Catholics. Holy Years focus on forgiveness,

reconciliation and

conversion. They are also a time to join in solidarity with the less

fortunate in order to seek

equality and justice for all. Above all, a Holy Year is a time to joyfully

celebrate the gift of

salvation which comes through Jesus Christ.

The observance of Holy Years has been influenced by the biblical practice

of Jubilee Years

mentioned above, and by the Christian practice of going on pilgrimage.

popes incorporated other aspects into Holy Year observances, such as

the reception of the

sacraments, doing works of charity, and receiving special graces.

Alexander VI began the practice of opening and closing Holy Doors in the

four major

basilicas in Rome on successive Christmas Eves.

17.Is the Church in the United States planning any celebrations?

There is no national celebration planned for the Church in the United

because every diocese is being encouraged to plan its own specific

celebrations. The one

event being planned by the bishops nationally is Encuentro 2000, a

national gathering in

the Summer of 2000 to celebrate the faith and the diversity of the Church

in the United

States. Additionally, the Bishops’ Subcommittee on the Third Millennium

is inviting each

diocese to hold a Eucharistic Congress around the feast of Corpus Christi

in June 2000. In

this way dioceses will be celebrating the gifts of the Catholic faith simultaneously.

18.Will there be a national secular celebration?

There are many secular celebrations being planned around the country.

on New Year’s Eve, 1999. It is expected that each city or town will hold special observance.

19.Around the country, what are local dioceses doing to mark the Millennium?

The bishops’ Subcommittee on the Third Millennium has suggested a

number of activities to

dioceses to follow in celebrating the new millennium. For example, as the

Holy Door is a key

symbol for each Holy Year, dioceses are invited to designate or seal one

door of the

cathedral as the official Holy Year Door for the diocese. Dioceses also

are invited to plan a

Eucharistic Congress to take place in conjunction with the International

Eucharistic

Congress to be held in Rome in June 2000. Other suggestions include

planning an

ecumenical religious festival to welcome in the calendar year 2000,

displaying banners which

carry the Jubilee 2000 logo in Catholic institutions, inviting parishioners to

sign a pledge for

justice, peace, and charity for the new millennium, and having a special

celebration of

reconciliation and forgiveness.

20.How will other countries mark the event?

Church officials in many countries are planning millennium events particular

to their own

customs and situations. For example, many of the countries in Africa are

focusing their

millennium celebrations on catechesis and evangelization, as well as

looking to the Great

Jubilee of the Year 2000 as a time of peace which can break the spiral of

violence and

tensions that exist. In poverty-stricken countries of Latin America,

millennium celebrations

are focusing on promoting life and human dignity. These countries are

planning to celebrate

the millennium by seeking ways to promote justice and peace and to

comfort the outcast. In

Australia, Church officials have asked national authorities to give space

to an expression of

Christianity during the Year 2000, when the international community will

focus on Australia

as it hosts the Olympics.

21.How are other Christian churches marking the start of the Third Millennium?

Virtually every Christian church is planning celebrations, programs,

events, and worship

services to mark this event.

22.What’s happening between Christian churches to deepen their unity as

they

approach the Millennium?

The movement towards unity has been continuing steadily over the past few decades.

Theological dialogues between the various churches at the international

and national levels

are all making progress. Pope John Paul II’s encyclical, Ut Unum Sint,

gave strong

encouragement to this movement and invited divided Christians to discuss

the office of the

papacy, which is generally recognized as one of the significant barriers to

full unity. The

signing of a Joint Declaration on the question of justification by Catholics

and Lutherans this

fall will provide another sign that the end of the millennium will be marked

by decisive

movement towards unity.

23.Will there be ecumenical celebrations or collaboration to mark the Millennium?

Here in the United States, the Catholic Church has included a strong

ecumenical

component in planning events to mark the millennium, and this same trend

is seen in other

churches as well. On the international level, the Holy See and the World

Council of Churches

are working together on this question, and there are representatives from

other churches

involved in the work of the Vatican’s Committee for the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000.

24.When was Jesus born?

Despite the fact that our calendar was based on the birth of Christ,

scholars generally

acknowledge that it cannot be determined with certainty when Jesus was

born. Part of the

difficulty is that there appears to be an irreconcilable conflict in the

information given by the

Gospels. Matthew 2:1 states that Jesus was born “in the days of King

Herod.” The best

historical information states that Herod died in March or April, 4 B.C.,

indicating that Jesus

was born sometime before then. The Gospel of Luke states in the second

chapter that

Jesus was born around the time Quirinius was governor of Syria.

he did not become governor until 6 A.D. Thus, it is impossible to

determine the exact year of

Jesus’s birth.

December 25 is the date on which Christ’s birth is celebrated because

scholars generally

accept the theory that Jesus’s birth was assigned to the date of the winter

solstice, when

days begin to lengthen in the northern hemisphere. Although this date is

December 21 in

our calendar, it was December 25 in the calendar predating the Gregorian

calendar. The

pagans referred to this solstice as the “Birthday of the Unconquered

Sun,” and in the third

century Emperor Aurelian dedicated this day to the sun-god, whose cult

was strong in Rome

at that time. As Christ was already often referred to as the “Sun of

Justice,” it seems logical

that this day was chosen as His birthdate.

25.When did the present calendar come into use?

The Gregorian calendar, the calendar now being used, came into existence

in 1582. It was

initiated by Pope Gregory XIII, who decreed that the day after October 4,

1582, should be

called October 15. This was to rectify the error of the previous calendar,

which was found to

be 11 minutes, 14 seconds too long each year by a monk, Bede the

Venerable. The

accumulated error was estimated to amount to about 10 days by 1582, thus

prompting Pope

Gregory XIII’s actions.

26.What calendar did people use before the present one?

The Julian calendar was in use before the modern-day Gregorian

calendar. It was instituted

by Julius Caesar in 46 B.C. It was based on the assumption that a year

was 365 ¼ days in

length. To account for the ¼ day, leap years were created in which every

fourth year contains

366 days.

27.Why is the celebration in the year 2000 rather than 2001?

In the sixth century a monk by the name of Dionysius Exiguus devised a

chronology

centered on the birth of Christ which created the terminology B.C. and

A.D. In this

chronology the year 1 A.D. immediately followed the year 1 B.C., and thus

there was no year

0. Therefore, many hold that the second millennium will not be complete

until the end of the

year 2000 (when 2000 years have been completed). In this line of

thought, then, it follows

that January 1, 2000, strictly speaking, does not mark the beginning of the Third Millennium.

However, for Christians the celebration is not just a celebration of a new

millennium, but a

celebration of 2000 years of Christ’s presence in human history.

Christ’s Incarnation in the Year 2000 coincides with the celebration of the

Holy Year, a

tremendous religious event which occurs every 50 years.

28.How might the jubilee affect issues of sexism and racism in our society?

The time of jubilee is an opportunity to assess our relationship with one

another. Pope John

Paul II says that preparation for the jubilee “demands of everyone an

examination of

conscience” (TMA). Much has been written about that prophetic moment

when Jesus read

from the book of Isaiah: “...to proclaim liberty to the captives...”. Many in

our nation are

captive of old stereotypes, ancient prejudices, and negative typecast.

suffered in America, but some people are still enslaved by intolerance.

29.Does the jubilee have a message about economic disparity between North

and

Restoring equality among all children of Israel is at the very heart of

jubilee (TMA #113), and

yet seldom, if ever, in history has the disparity between rich and poor

nations (and rich and

poor within nations such as our own) been greater. Moreover, the gap

continues to widen

each year. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states unequivocally

that “rich nations

have a grave moral responsibility toward those which are unable to ensure

the means of

their development by themselves or have been prevented from doing so

by tragic historical

events” (#2439).

Support for arrangements to reduce or forgive foreign debt, for more just

trade policies, and

for a more realistic and responsible foreign aid policy (the United States

is at the bottom

among industrialized nations in the percentage of GNP devoted to foreign

aid) are areas for

concerted Christian action on behalf of the poor of the world.

30.What does the jubilee tradition teach about debt forgiveness?

The “year of the Lord’s favor” was a time to “bring good news to the

poor” and “let the

oppressed go free” (Isaiah 61), to restore freedom and justice among all

people, particularly

the weakest. It was intended to reestablish relationships of equality and

relieve the

conditions that kept people oppressed by freeing slaves, restoring

ancestral property to

those who had sold or lost it, and canceling all debts. In the tradition of the

jubilee, debt

forgiveness was an act of justice intended to relieve the burdens of the

weak and give them

an opportunity to start anew.

Pope John Paul II applies this tradition to contemporary times in Tertio

Millennio

Adveniente when he writes, “In the spirit of the book of Leviticus

(25:8-12), Christians will

have to raise their voice on behalf of all the poor of the world, proposing

the jubilee as an

appropriate time to give thought, among other things, to reducing

substantially, if not

canceling outright, the international debt which seriously threatens the

future of many

nations.”

31.Does the jubilee have any message about care of the environment and

consumption?

“Let the land keep a Sabbath for the Lord” (Leviticus 25:2). It is clear

from the account in

Leviticus that the land God provides for the Israelites is a gift; that the

land itself belongs to

God as “the land is mine, and you are but aliens who have become my

tenants;” and that

the fruit of the land during the year of rest must be shared by all the

community, but

particularly with the poor and the wild beasts who have no other source of

nourishment. The

jubilee intimately links care for the poor, its social justice expression, with

care for the land,

an environmental concern. A careful tending of the land and following

God’s precepts

assures both security for the Israelites and an abundant yield for the entire community.

As we enter the 21^st century through the jubilee celebration, Christians

are called to lift up

the need to care for the earth and its land and water. Pope John Paul II

has stated that the

“ecological crisis is a moral issue...” and that our “duty towards nature and

the Creator are

an essential part of our faith.” Our stewardship requires us to tend God’s

garden and to do it

in such a way that all members of the human family share its fruits. Our

consumption of

God’s gift of natural resources to support ourselves and our families

cannot be at the

expense of the poor, the vulnerable and the marginalized. The jubilee is a

reminder that the

same attitude that governs our relations with the poor must govern our

relationship with

God’s creation.

32.Are celebrations noting the cultural diversity of the Church?

Yes. The Catholic bishops of the United States will convoke Encuentro

2000, at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Lead by the Committee on

Hispanic Affairs,

and a culturally diverse national steering committee, the preparatory parish

process and

national event will provide opportunities for parishes and Catholic

organizations in the United

States to dialog about their Christian identity and Christian mission. The

themes of the

millennium and the jubilee will provide the framework for the process,

which will look at the

relationship between faith and culture as a lived experience. The local

dialog with culturally

diverse groups will provide the framework for the national event.

celebrations take place at a local level, they will reflect the cultural

diversity of the people of

each diocese.

33.What improvements on society might follow Millennium celebrations?

Obviously, we would hope that our work on the millennium would lead to

greater equality

among the races and sexes, a more just distribution of resources between

north and south,

progress toward forgiveness of the debts of developing countries and

greater care for the

earth. But our intermediate goals are more modest. We see efforts to

commemorate the

millennium as an opportunity for individuals to reassess what’s important to

them and

recommit themselves to living out the social teachings of the Church in their everyday lives.

One way to do this is through a pledge for charity, justice and peace which

is being

developed by the Catholic Church for use by individuals and parishes. The

pledge will be

distributed to all parishes to be shared with their members. It will give

Catholics an

opportunity to renew their commitment to justice and peace in the new millennium.

Jubilee: Time to Get Over the Hurts

By Peter Feuerherd

Still stewing because your brother-in-law borrowed that snowblower last year

and hasn’t returned

it?

Let go of it, and you’ll be honoring a long religious tradition dating to the

ancient Hebrews and

endorsed by Pope John Paul II, according to Maria Harris, Ph.D., a national

religious education

consultant and expert on the practice of jubilee. A visiting professor at New York University, Dr.

Harris is the author of Proclaim Jubilee (Westminster John Knox) and

Jubilee Time (Bantam

Books).

Jubilee was an occasion when the ancient Hebrews “set aside time to allow

the land to lie fallow

and forgive all debts,” said Dr. Harris in a recent interview. In ancient Israel,

the jubilee was held

every 50 years and was a time of fasting and repentance followed by a festival.

Pope John Paul II, in his exhortations on the upcoming millennium celebration,

has urged

Catholics to follow that tradition. To prepare for the jubilee he has urged

reconciliation and asked

that the crushing debt burden on developing countries be relieved.

Dr. Harris said that the Pope is referring to a tradition cited in Leviticus

25:8-12. The concept of

jubilee also is part of the fourth chapter of Luke, which includes the account

of Jesus preaching in

his hometown synagogue. In that chapter, Jesus proclaims that he has been

sent “to bring glad

tidings to the poor” and free captives from bondage.

Dr. Harris summed up the concept of jubilee in four “f’s” and one “j”:

fallowness, forgiveness,

freedom, justice and festival.

For modern U.S. Christians, the spiritual benefits of jubilee are readily

apparent, she said. While

most don’t live on the land, they still are called to let the land lie fallow, which,

in a spiritual sense,

“means to stop and take a Sabbath.”

In a culture which honors activity, “letting the spirit lie fallow” allows “a

Christian to move towards

forgiveness,” she said.

Moving towards forgiveness involves both personal decisions—such as

letting go of that

snowblower—and larger international concerns.

Poorer countries frequently are saddled with debt, and because of it are

unable to progress. It is a

concern frequently articulated by Pope John Paul, who has asked

international agencies to relieve

the debt burden of developing countries, she said.

On the homefront, U.S. dioceses can work to balance resources among

richer and poorer

parishes.

The concept of forgiveness of debts is something “very hard and very practical,” she added.

Spiritual debts also need to be considered. For example, Dr. Harris spoke of

a Detroit parish in

which priests asked parishioners to forgive anything they might have done to

estrange them from

the faith. Parishioners then asked their priests to forgive the times they weren’t supportive.

In the Diocese of Saginaw, Michigan, Bishop Kenneth Untener has urged

parishioners and priests

to reflect on how the local Church should forgive its spiritual and financial

debts. That reflection

should take place before every parish meeting, he said.

Such ceremonies and discussions are a way of “getting rid of all grudges” to

prepare to celebrate

the jubilee, Dr. Harris said.

A similar mixture of personal and social concerns permeates the jubilee concept of freedom.

Scripture’s call to proclaim liberty is engraved on the Liberty Bell in

Philadelphia, famous for its

crack.

“It’s quintessentially American. It’s there on the Liberty Bell. Even though we

are flawed and

cracked ourselves, we have to work for liberty,” said Dr. Harris.

On a personal level that can mean reflection on “What is keeping me bound?”

a question which

can address addictions and weaknesses.

On a social level, it can suggest that Catholics focus on liberating people

from the social

imprisonment of illiteracy by tutoring children and adults who need help.

The concept of jubilee justice means “finding out what belongs to whom and

giving it back.” For

modern U.S. Catholics, fulfilling this jubilee command means recognizing the

gifts that many

middle-class people possess, Dr. Harris said.

Americans who have the skills to obtain decent jobs can focus on sharing

their resources,

perhaps by training others who lack education and training, she said.

Only when the jubilee requirements are fulfilled can the jubilee party begin, said Dr. Harris.

While the ancient Hebrews modeled their jubilee on a 50-year-cycle, the

approaching millennium

celebration recognizes a 1,000- year cycle in the Christian world, making its impact felt even more.

As part of the jubilee preparation, the Pope is considering a gathering of

religious leaders from all

over the world, including Christians, Jews and Muslims, for a festival in the Holy Land.

Dr. Harris, along with the Pope, hopes that Catholics will spend the years

leading up to the big

festival in reflection on the spiritual and practical aspects of jubilee. Only

then, she said, will

Catholics be prepared for the biggest worldwide party in history.

When Third Millennium Begins

Prompts Debate by Timekeepers

By Phil Nero

Whether the Third Millennium begin in the year 2000 or 2001 is debated by

historians and

timekeepers. Yet it seems that any expert worth his hour glass knows the

correct answer. So

which is it?

A.Midnight, Jan. 1, 2001 -- because a full 2,000 years must pass before you

can start counting

the next 1,000.

B.Midnight, Jan. 1, 2000 - for all the reasons the ‘60s didn’t start in 1961.

C.Neither—because we’ve miscalculated Christ’s birth so badly that the

debate shouldn’t start

until about 2005.

D.All the above.

Based on the modern western calendar, Father Kevin Laughery casts his

vote for 2001. A

diocesan priest and pastor of two small parishes in southern Illinois,

Father Laughery has

made the study of calendars and the marking of time a hobby for about 10 years.

“We started counting the first 1000 years in the year 1 A.D. Therefore

we must begin

counting the third thousand years with the year 2001,” he says.

Ronald Zupko, an expert metrologist and a Marquette University history

professor, concurs,

to a degree. “It’s really 2001, but it’s all a moot question, because if Christ

were born in 7

B.C., it would be at least 2005 anyway,” Zupko says.

Father Laughery agrees we’re probably years off on the birth of Christ.

“The monk Dionysius Exiguus devised the common era chronology and set

it up so that the

year we designate as 1 B.C., before Christ, is followed by the year A.D.

1,” Laughery says.

We place Dionysius in the 6^th century. The system he devised was

adopted sometime after

his death.

To make a long explanation short, we got better at measuring time as time went on.

“It’s as if we began counting (time) one, two, many,” Zupko says. “As we

got modern, we got

more accurate.”

Thanks to advances like the mechanical clock, around the 13^th century, we

began to get a

handle on time measurement. Uniformity, however, was another issue.

“In England, the year didn’t start on January 1 until 1742,” Zupko says.

Ages you could travel three miles into three different towns and be in three different years.”

As time passed, times changed in more than one way.

“Christ’s birth, based on modern scientific findings of a supernova, which

was believed to be

the star of Bethlehem, took place in 6 or 7 B.C.,” Zupko says.

Jesuit Father Dennis Hamm, a Creighton University theology professor

and scripture expert,

thinks 2000 is as good a year as any to start the new millennium.

“These days we know that the story of the universe is about 15 billion

years old. The story of

life on earth is some 4.5 billion; and the story of homo sapiens is about

40,000 years. A mere

2,000 years, though it seems like a long stretch from one perspective, is

really a very brief

period. We may be at the relative beginning of Christianity,” Father Hamm

says. “The Church

has always taken centennials as times of jubilee. Whatever may be the

flaws in our dating of

the actual birth of Christ, this major marker of 2000 years can begin a time

of implementation

of covenant relationships in order to further advance the vision of peace

and justice

sketched by our U.S. Bishops in the pastoral letters, The Challenge of

Peace (1983) and

Economic Justice for All (1986).”

Father Laughery agrees we needn’t wait until 2000 to take a global

approach to doing the

right thing.

“Times is precious. We want to commit to doing with our human energies

things that will

make a difference for a more peaceful and just world,” Father Laughery

says. “Economics

rules our world, and we’re becoming one world economy. Are we letting

that economy serve

people or people serve the economy? Obviously justice is served when

we remember that

economic systems exist for the well-being of people. People are not to be

sacrificed for the

economy.”

Adds Father Laughery: “We cannot waste our time on religious hatred and

other kinds of

hatred. We have to begin improving human relationships by emphasizing

what people have

in common, not what divides us.”

So, when does the new millennium begin? The best answer may be:

E.There’s no time like the present.

For Historians, Trends, People Outshine Dates

By Liz Schevtchuk Armstrong

As historians assess Christianity’s first two millennia on the eve of its third,

they look to trends and

daring individuals who shaped today’s society.

The modern scholars cite the usual saints, popes and emperors such as the evangelist Paul;

Constantine, who replaced official Roman persecution of Christianity with

imperial approval; and

Charlemagne, whose reign around 800 A.D. promoted renewed learning; or

Pope Leo XIII with his

1891 encyclical on labor rights, Rerum Novarum.

They also give credit to long-obscure women, such as St. Hildegard of

Bingen. Even anonymous

masses get their due.

Asked to enumerate Christianity’s 10 most crucial events, Christopher

Kauffman, professor of

church history at The Catholic University of America, Washington, stressed

“those moments that

are counter-cultural, if you will, the reformers who were coming from below and had an impact.”

Kauffman mentioned St. Francis of Assisi and his ally, St. Clare. Other

notables, he said, include

the 11^th-century abbess, scholar and composer, St. Hildegard of Bingen; the

“Desert Mothers

and followers rather than the Desert Fathers themselves”; and the Beguines

and Beghards

medieval laywomen and laymen living as religious communities and serving

others without formal

vows.

Similarly he cited the 16^th-century Catholic humanist Erasmus and his friend St. Thomas More; St.

Francis de Sales and St. Jane Frances de Chantal, 17^th-century founders of

the Visitation

Sisters; Bishops John Carroll and John England, with a new Catholic apologetic for a new republic;

and the African-American innovator Mother Mary Elizabeth Lange, who

established the Oblate

Sisters of Providence in 1829.

“These are historical models for ‘in- spiriting’ the culture, and inspirations in

our quest for religious

meaning,” he said in an interview.

Another Washington-based historian, Mercy Sister Dolores Liptak, noted

the contributions of

16^th-century St. Teresa of Avila. Teresa’s role as an eminent spiritual

teacher and reformer of the

Carmelites “begins another trend it’s the makings of the real fabric of the

Catholic Church, the

idea that it’s not just the structure of the institutional church but the whole

spiritual life of the

Church that matters,” she said.

Unforgettable Americans include St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in the early 19^th

century and Dorothy

Day in the 20^th, Sister Liptak said. Like Kauffman, she also highlights Pope

John Paul II, who, she

said, has been “outstanding when it comes to social justice,” and Pope Pius

XI, who called for lay

involvement and authored the 1931 social justice encyclical, Quadragesimo Anno.

Sister Liptak stressed the need “to get the spirituality angle” into the historical appreciation.

“Where would we be if it weren’t for those people who articulated the

spirituality, and not just the

structures, of the Church?” she asked.

David O’Brien, professor of Roman Catholic Studies at the College of the

Holy Cross, Worcester,

Mass., referred to the dichotomies of such movements as the Crusades, with

their overtones of

Christian triumphalism, on one hand, and concepts about proper use of military

force, on the

other; and the pluses and minuses in colonization and missionary efforts in the New World.

His choices of key events also include the Second Vatican Council, medieval

squabbles over

appointment of bishops, and the French Revolution in 1789, which, he said,

“set the church on a

very non-revolutionary, conservative course” leading up to the First Vatican

Council in 1869-70,

with its arguments over papal infallibility.

Sister Liptak too was intrigued by the French Revolution, given its religious

repression and the

ironic result.

“Because of persecution, the faith was able to be spread” as priests and

others went into exile,

she said. “That’s a phenomenon that was of great benefit to the American

church.” A blend of

institutional church developments and popular religiosity dominates the

selections of Richard

Gyug, professor of medieval and religious history at Fordham University in

New York. His choices

feature epochs rather than dates and encompass such issues as the

controversy over icons in

the Eastern church in the 8^th century; the Church’s 11^th-century feuding that

later culminated in

East-West schism; enthusiasm for Corpus Christi devotions and similar

expressions of piety in the

13^th through 15^th centuries; and increasing papal centralization of authority in the 14^th century.

With O’Brien, he also emphasized the outreach of Christianity into the Far

East, including the

martyrdom of Japanese Christians in the early 17^th century and intra- church

clashes over

adapting church practices to Chinese culture.

“Historians today tend to emphasize trends, the long movements,” the

broad-based periods

rather than specific dates, Gyug explained. “You can’t really pick a date” as

the definitive thing

anymore.

Artistic Challenge: Imaging Christ

By Robert Delaney

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever, but the visual images

of Him through the

centuries have been many.

Lacking portraits from life or memory, images of Jesus have reflected the

culture, theology and

spirituality of those who produced them. These same influences are at work

today, leading to

challenging new portrayals of Christ.

Many early Christians thought it wrong to try to depict Jesus. In the fourth

century, when a sister of

the Emperor Constantine requested an image of Christ, she was told that,

since no accurate

depiction of Christ in glory was possible, nothing less should even be

attempted, according to

Jaroslav Pelikan of Yale University.

Precisely when Christians began to produce visual images of Jesus is

uncertain, Pelikan pointed

out, because almost all early depictions were destroyed during the

iconoclastic controversy of the

eighth and ninth centuries.

The iconoclasts sent soldiers on a search-and-destroy campaign from which

only several dozen

early depictions escaped. One that did is one of the most famous examples of

the rich tradition of

icon-making in Eastern Christianity—the sixth-century Christ Pantocrator

from the Monastery of

St. Catherine on Mount Sinai.

The Jesus of the icon “looks just like Him,” Pelikan quipped, to make the

point that it influenced

not only later icon-makers, but also many Western artists.

An American iconographer, Immaculate Heart of Mary Sister Nancy Lee

Smith, said those who

defended icons against the iconoclasts drew their authority from Scripture.

“Because Christ Himself is an image, that’s why anyone, including artists,

dares to make an

image,” she said, referring to Colossians 1:15, “He is the image of the

invisible God, the firstborn

of all creation.”

Rather than just a highly stylized art form, the conventions of iconography

are based in theology,

and the intent of an icon is “to lift us to the realm of the holy,” according to Sister Smith.

An icon is meant to show Him in glory, and every aspect is loaded with

meaning. “Christ wearing

blue means he is cloaked in humanity; red means he is robed in divinity,” she said.

Western artists of the Middle Ages and Renaissance generally depicted

Jesus as if he were a

European. Pelikan said the exception is Rembrandt, who used a Jewish

model for his “Head of

Christ.” It was “at least an effort,” although Rembrandt’s model probably bore

little resemblance to

a first-century Palestinian Jew.

Non-Jewish depictions—whether European or recent paintings of Jesus as

an African, Native

American, East Asian or others—do have “a limited legitimacy and

authenticity,” according to

Pelikan, because of the universality of Christ. Only if an ethnic image

becomes an expression of

tribalism, of denying Christ’s universality, would it be a problem, he added.

As Father Timothy Pelc, who produced a photo essay on images of Jesus

for the Archdiocese of

Detroit, put it: “I think the idea is that, if He really is your brother, then He

will look pretty much like

you.”

Depictions of Christ have also varied in format—portraits, scenes from His

ministry, Crucifixion and

Resurrection scenes. Father Pelc said it took almost a thousand years before

Christians were

comfortable picturing Jesus dying.

“Crucifixion had to die out first, and even when they did show Him on the

cross, Jesus was shown

as very much in control. Only as the Middle Ages continued, and the plagues

took their toll, did we

begin to see the suffering Jesus,” he said.

In the early 20^th century, the problem many people had with traditional images

of Jesus was not

ethnicity, but lack of masculinity, according to Dominican Father Michael

Morris of the Dominican

School of Philosophy and Theology in Berkeley.

Attempting to show Christ as angelic, artists had made Him androgynous.”

The divinity of Christ was stressed, but it made the physical image of Christ

almost ludicrous,” he

said.

That all changed with Warner Sallman’s famous 1940 “Head of Christ,” which

has been

reproduced an estimated one billion times.

“Catholics and Protestants both connected with it. GIs were given holy cards

of it as they went off

to fight in World War II,” Father Morris said.

More recently, Richard Hook’s 1964 “Christ” may have drawn nicknames

such as the “Beach Boy

Christ,” but Father Morris pointed out how its frontal image allows the eyes

to connect with the

viewer.

Father Pelc said he believes different images of Jesus may appeal to people

at different times in

their lives: “We won’t be sure who’s right ‘til we see Him face-to-face.”

Mary: Found in Venues

From Ancient Murals to Cyberspace

By Eileen C. Marx

In 1996, a Marian web page was set up by the University of Dayton’s Marian

Library—the largest

Marian library in the world. That high-tech event officially launched Mary into

years later, those at the library proudly declare that Mary’s page receives

more “hits” than any

other web site at the University.

For almost 2,000 years, stories and studies of Mary have been presented by

Gospel writers,

popes, theologians, historians, liturgists, artists and everyday believers.

Gospel to the pages of the World Wide Web, Mary continues to be a subject of study and interest.

In recent years, Marian scholars delight to see that the study of Mary is alive

and vibrant in the

Church.

After the Second Vatican Council, “there were several years, maybe even a

decade of silence and

a certain “pondering over” the role of Mary within the Church,” said Marianist

Father Bertrand

Buby, a faculty member of the University of Dayton and author of a

three-volume set, Mary of

Galilee.

“Vatican II said some important things about Mary that we are only now

rediscovering and

understanding,” said Father Buby. “Mary is regaining popularity because we

are taking a more

critical, historical and theological look at her through a scientific investigation of the Scriptures.

Today, we know who Mary is on a much higher level and we can appreciate her role more deeply.”

In the late eighties, Father Buby began a scholarly study of Mary through the

Scriptures. “The

primary foundations for any study of Mary are found in the New Testament,

and what the Gospel

writers have given us are not quantity references, but quality references to

Mary. They are

priceless gems that help us to see Mary as a person focused directly on

Christ and a woman

deeply connected to the life of the church from its beginning.”

In Mary of Galilee, Volume 1: Mary in the New Testament, Father Buby

writes, “Mary, the mother

of the Lord, is primarily a believer who has been with Jesus from his

conception, to his birth, his

infancy, childhood, and manhood. She continues as a believer after his death

and is present when

Jesus’s promise of the Spirit is given at Pentecost. There is no one person

who ever had such a

close relationship with Jesus in all of these stages of his life and that of his Church.”

For many, Mary’s human and divine connection to Jesus as a mother and

disciple is why she

remains so popular. But today’s interest in Mary has a different focus from that of years past.

“For today’s young people, there is a very different exposure to Mary than

when I was young,” said

Marianist Father Patrick Tonry, former director of the Marian Institute at the University of Dayton.

“Their faith is not driven by visits to shrines, novenas, praying the rosary and pious devotions.

Instead, they concentrate on a young woman who was filled with faith,

courage, freedom and

openness. She represents a special path to understanding God because she

was an earthly

mother who said yes and accepted God’s will.”

Father Buby agreed.

“I believe Jesus learned how to say ‘yes’ to God from his mother.”

Mary often is viewed as someone who is more popular with women than with men.

“In my experience with the students I teach, I would say that Mary is equally

popular with women

and men,” said Father Buby. “For women, Mary has always been strong

within the Catholic

tradition. Devotion to Mary has been passed down from grandmother to

mother to daughter

through the generations. But men have an equal respect for Mary. They also

identify with Mary’s

human side. They see her as mother, sister and friend.”

Father Tonry, who now serves as co-pastor of St. Joseph’s Catholic

community in Eldersburg,

Maryland, and leads a prayer group of young adults, agrees.

“Men and women alike respond to Mary’s humanity and warmth. We can more

easily identify with

someone who is human accepting a divine plan from God.”

“But Mary not only brings truth, goodness and humanity to the Church, Mary

also brings in the

beautiful,” said Father Buby. “In the ways of aesthetics or beauty—through art, music, sculpture—

Mary’s intimate presence in the Church is also expressed.”

     One of the ways this art is expressed is through the different cultural images

of Mary such as

Czestochowa’s Black Madonna, Our Lady of Guadalupe, Our Lady of

Lourdes, and countless

other cultural devotions.

“These cultural images of Mary have tremendous influence among the people,” Father Buby said.

“It’s important to recognize that these images are more than cultural or popular representations;

they lead people to a deeper meaning and a greater spiritual understanding.”

Both Fathers Buby and Tonry acknowledge that recent Marian apparitions

have contributed to a

growing curiosity about Mary.

“For some Catholics, the reported apparitions of Mary at Medjugorje and

other sites have given

new popularity to Mary,” said Father Tonry. “Some of these are authentic

apparitions approved by

the Church,” said Father Buby. “But there are others that are overly dramatic

and overly pious. In

an authentic apparition, there shouldn’t be threats and feelings of

apprehension. A true apparition

would repeat the message of Mary, ‘Do whatever Jesus tells you.’ An

authentic apparition should

include a call to conversion and a building up the reign of God.”

The attention Mary has received in the media is not enough to educate

people about the role of

Mary in Christian life.

“When it comes to Mary, we need to do more work with our younger people,” said Father Tonry.

“Mary can be a very relevant role model in their lives, leading them closer to

God. But we have to

get better at unveiling Mary as a faith-filled woman of courage, humility and openness to God.”

Travelers, Church Touring Sites

Get Ready for Jubilee Year 2000

By John Woods

Catholic travel agents are smiling these days as pilgrims line up to tour the

world’s most popular

religious sites and shrines, coupling devotion with vacations for the Holy Year.

James G. Adair, president of Regina Tours in Cleveland, Ohio, anticipates

that his 13-year-old

company will “more than double” the 5,000 to 6,000 trips it currently conducts

annually in the year

2000.

“There will not be a bed within 100 miles of Rome from December 15, 1999,

through the year

2000,” said John Hodgson, president and founder of the Kensington,

Md.-based Catholic Travel

Office, and a 50-year veteran of the travel business.

With the Holy Year less than two years away, what are religious sites

favored by Catholic

travelers?

The Holy Land and the Eternal City remain the consensus choices of America’s Catholic pilgrims.

Catholic Travel Office offers a 13-day trip in October 1998, which starts in

Tel Aviv, continues to

Jerusalem and then finishes in Rome and Assisi in Italy. On the itinerary in

Israel are Cana, the

site of Jesus’s first miracle; Tabgha, where He multiplied the loaves and

fishes; and the Tomb of

Our Lady, where Mass will be celebrated, and the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem.

The Rome segment includes a papal audience at the Vatican; Mass at St.

visit to the Vatican Museum and the Sistine Chapel.

Adair said Catholics pick Rome because it is “the center of the Church,” and

because there are so

many churches to see, more than 600 in all. “You could spend a lifetime in

Rome and not see

everything,” he said.

Almost all of those who visit Rome also make the two-and-a-half-hour trip to Assisi, home of St.

Francis and St. Clare. The basilica there sustained damage in a 1997

earthquake, but its lower

level is open to visitors.

Another popular site in Italy is Monte Cassino, south of Rome, a mountaintop

abbey that was

home to St. Benedict of Nirsia, founder of the monastic way of life.

With some 3,200 religious shrines, Western Europe attracts many Catholic

pilgrims from the

United States, which has just 250, Adair noted.

France offers a lot of Church history. The city of Paris has much to offer

travelers, religious and

non-religious alike. Along with the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe,

there is Notre Dame

Cathedral and the Miraculous Medal Shrine where Our Blessed Mother

appeared to St. Catherine

Laboure to promote devotion to the Miraculous Medal.

More than five million pilgrims each year visit Lourdes, where the Blessed Mother appeared to St.

Bernadette, and the shrine’s healing waters attract the infirm from the world

over. In October

1998, Hodgson will organize the 44^th annual National Rosary Pilgrimage to

Lourdes for the Sick

and Handicapped. In the Holy Year, he is planning national pilgrimages for the

sick and

handicapped to Rome and the Holy Land as well.

The largest Marian shrine in the world, Fatima in Portugal, remains popular

with Americans. The

grounds surrounding the church can hold more than one million visitors.

In Poland, the Jasna Gora Monastery in Czestochowa, with its famed image

of the Black

Madonna, is a place of journey for hundreds of thousands of Poles and non-

Poles each August

on the feast of the Assumption. Another Eastern European venue that

appeals to many is

Medjugorje, in the former Yugoslavia, although the alleged Marian

apparitions there have not

been officially approved by the Vatican.

Closer to the United States is the most visited Marian shrine in the world,

Our Lady of Guadalupe,

about half an hour from downtown Mexico City. The trip there is not as

popular with Americans as

the Western European sites, but Adair’s company runs a pilgrimage to the

shrine every other

month.

In the United States, the 21 Franciscan missions located in the state of

California from San Diego

to San Francisco are a popular destination. Another set of venues offered

by Regina Tours is a

five-day package to the Washington, D.C. area which includes a tour of the

Basilica of the

National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, and a visit to Mother Seton

Shrine in Emmitsburg,

Md., dedicated to the first American-born saint.

As the Holy Year approaches, the travel experts had one definite piece of

advice: plan early or risk

being shut out of your prime destination.

The Word Brought to the Screen

By Mary Breslin

There’s religion on the screen, but not a lot of it, according to church movie critics.

In recent years, notes Henry Herx, Director of the U.S. Bishops’ Office for

Film and Broadcasting,

Hollywood producers make no apologies for the fact that motion pictures are

secular

entertainment.

People still can find Gospel-inspired films, however.

“Theatrical motion picture is not the only game in town,” said Herx. “Families

are not fully

dependent on what’s playing at the local Bijou or what’s on cable or network

television.” He cited

the increasing volume of videos dealing with religious topics in a completely

religious way, allowing

some thoughtful choices about what to show on the VCR.

Generally, films with strong Christian themes don’t do well at the box office.

“Religious films deal with questions of sanctity and religious virtue that the

secular world finds

unfamiliar or difficult to comprehend,” Herx said. He mentioned two

contemporary examples,

Entertaining Angels: The Dorothy Day Story and Romero, as films that were

not blockbusters with

mainstream film viewers but found an audience on video.

People searching for Gospel-centered choices at the neighborhood cinema

these days will find

“there’s not terribly much out there, with the possible exception of The

Apostle, about a

Pentecostal preacher,” Herx said. The movie addresses elements of faith,

the notion of sin,

human flaws, and good works, but he believes Roman Catholics would find it

an emotional,

shallow expression of religion. The redeeming message has merit, he said. “It

does focus on a

man striving to do good and reform a flawed friend.”

St. Anthony Messenger’s film and TV critic James W. Arnold said he

qualifies films as having

Christian values if “they suggest or show that God loves us and has

redeemed us and has

prepared an eternity for us.” He cites two categories of Gospel-centered

films. “The first contains

films that are explicitly religious and often about a priest, nun or the life of a

saint. The second

category includes “parable films that depict signs of grace.”

On Arnold’s top ten list of explicitly religious films, he places Dead Man

Walking among the top

three, remarking that it belongs among the elite of religious films.

“The image of Christ that Sister Helen Prejean projects is fantastic,” he said.

contemporary and cutting edge concerns as well.”

The Gospel According to St. Matthew is an extraordinarily wonderful work,

says Arnold. “It is a

classic work using imagery and music.” He also gives high marks to A Man

For All Seasons, about

St. Thomas More. “It’s been overlooked in recent years, but deserves to be

re-examined as one of

the best religious films.”

Arnold listed a second set of top films from the category that he calls

“parable films.” In that list he

included Cool Hand Luke, Forest Gump, Schindler’s List, La Strada, Grand

Canyon, Stolen

Children, Babette’s Feast, Chariots of Fire, Whistle Down the Wind, and Night of the Hunter.

“While these are not obviously religious in their content, each has a character

with a strong

element of grace, as in Forest Gump, or people’s response to grace, as in

Grand Canyon and

Stolen Children, or the bringing of hope and faith in a metaphorical way, as in

Cool Hand Luke,

Arnold said.

Some films never make a top-ten list, according to Arnold, yet they merit

mention in the company

of films with Christian values.

He specified Black Robe, The Crucible, Shadowlands, and Lorenzo’s Oil.

From Herx’s list of all-time great films with Christian themes, he gave top

honors to The Passion of

Joan of Arc, a 1928 silent film by a Danish film maker, calling it “a

powerhouse of spiritual

experience.” Herx said the film provides a cutaway view of the woman’s soul,

“exploring the inner

struggle between human frailties and spiritual strength.”

A 1986 release, The Mission, gives high visibility to the issue of social

injustice in colonial America,

according to Herx. He said the film “provides a context for current Latin American struggles.”

Another of Herx’s top choices, the 1966 drama A Man for All Seasons,

showcases a public

figure’s unwillingness to compromise his conscience, even when the reward

for unwavering

morality was a death sentence for King Henry VIII’s chancellor, Thomas More.

Herx also lauded the TV dramatization Jesus of Nazareth, directed by

Franco Zeffirelli, as being

“entirely faithful to the Gospel account. The result achieves a spiritual

dimension uncommon in

most such works,” he noted.

Role Models, Heroes, Found Throughout

Centuries of the Church

by Deirdre Daly O’Neal

The world needs heroes and the Catholic Church offers many, in the form of

saints, from great

thinkers such as Thomas Aquinas and Teresa of Avila, to single-minded

pursuers of holiness,

such as Francis of Assisi and Therese of Lisieux.

For Catholics, spiritual role models generally fall into two categories: persons

who have officially

been declared saints by the Church and individuals, living or dead, who have

no official

designation of saint but who are held in high regard for living Christian lives.

be called “saints by popular demand.”

Bookstore owners and publishers have marketplace proof of who are the

most popular spiritual

role models today.

Spokespersons for Catholic bookstores and publishing houses, including

Sheed and Ward,

Loyola University Press/Chicago, The Crossroads Publishing Company, and

U.S. Catholic

Bookstore in Chicago report that interest in Catholic saints and holy persons

has never been

higher.

Among the “top 10” bestsellers at U. S. Catholic Bookstore last year were

books by and about a

wide range of Catholic luminaries, said spokesperson Adrienne Curry.

social activist Dorothy Day, Mother Teresa of Calcutta, theologian and

priest-philosopher Henri

Nouwen, Pope John Paul II, Trappist monk Thomas Merton—“a perennial favorite,” she said—

Carmelite contemplative St. Therese of Lisieux, and the late archbishop of

Chicago, Cardinal

Joseph Bernardin.

Also popular, said Ms. Curry, are writings by Catholic mystics, persons,

often hermits or members

of contemplative religious orders, who are in “deep personal communion with

God.” The most

widely-read mystics include Juliana of Norwich (1342-1423), Hildegard of

Bingen (1098-1179), and

John of the Cross (1542-1591).

     Two of the popular saints and holy people attracted considerable attention

because of recent

anniversaries. The year 1997 marked the hundredth anniversary of the death

of St. Therese of

Lisieux and the birth of Dorothy Day.

Therese was a cloistered Carmelite who entered the convent at the age of

15, and died of

tuberculosis at the age of 24. She advocated teaching holiness by doing all

things well for the love

of Jesus, rather than expecting holiness to come by doing great deeds in extreme circumstances.

On the anniversary of her death in 1997, the Pope named her a “Doctor of the

Church,” awarding

her the title reserved for an elite group of saints and theologians whose

“preaching or writings are

considered to be an outstanding guide to holiness for all the faithful,” a Vatican statement noted.

The reading public bought many books about Dorothy Day, learning about the

woman born in

Brooklyn, N.Y. to a family that was nominally Episcopalian. Dorothy was both

an agnostic and a

communist sympathizer by the time she was in her early twenties. In 1926, at

the age of 29, she

gave birth to a daughter out-of-wedlock, an event which ultimately led to her

spiritual re-

awakening and conversion to Catholicism.

The social activist is best remembered as the co-founder, along with

French-Canadian Peter

Maurin, of the Catholic Worker Movement. Beginning in 1933, members of

the Catholic Worker

Movement opened “houses of hospitality” for the poor and homeless in cities

across the United

States, many of which are still in operation today. She died in 1980, at the

age of 83. The cause

for her canonization has been introduced at the Vatican, although Dorothy

herself was known to

take a rather dim view of official sainthood.

Children have a special need for heroes, said Irene Murphy, managing editor

for Benziger Press

and editor of a series of religious education textbooks for children. As a

result, in the Benziger

religious education series, each grade is assigned its particular “patron saint.”

“We try to assign a saint who will reinforce the particular message that we

are trying to get across

to the children at that grade level,” Ms. Murphy said. So, for instance,

Thomas Aquinas is the

patron saint of the second grade, when most children make their First

Communion, “because of

his great love of, and reverence for, the Eucharist.”

Mother Frances Cabrini, also known as the “saint of the immigrants,” is the

patron saint for third

graders because she exemplified the living out of the Beatitudes. The study

of the Beatitudes is a

major part of the third grade curriculum.

In fourth grade, the children learn about St. Francis of Assisi, “who is known

for his tremendous

love of all of God’s creation.” This theme fits in with the fourth grade

curriculum’s emphasis on the

responsibility for protecting the environment, Ms. Murphy explained.

Church’s Great Musicians, Gregorian

Chant Have Enriched Humanity

By Charlotte Hays

Almost all the great European musicians and composers of the past worked

at one time or

another for a single employer—the Catholic Church.

“Who,” musicologist Father Edward Foley of Chicago asked rhetorically, “did Mozart work for?”

It should come as no surprise then that, as the Third Millennium approaches,

the Catholic Church

in the United States seems to be rediscovering its musical heritage. The big

winner: Gregorian

chant. It’s back—both in Church on Sundays and on secular top 20 lists.

“People who 15 years ago would never have sung Gregorian chant because

they preferred folk

groups are now including some Gregorian in the liturgy,” said Gordon Truitt,

editor of Pastoral

Music magazine. Truitt believes that the music of the monks of Taize, an

ecumenical chant

comparable to plainsong that was developed in this century in France, may

have helped the cause

of Gregorian chant.

“It broke through a psychological barrier against the chant style,” Truitt said.

One of the Church’s foremost experts on liturgical music, John Romeri, music

director of the

Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis in St. Louis, Missouri, insisted that “every

parish church should be

doing some Gregorian chant.”

“You can introduce a piece of Gregorian chant,” said John Balka, the new

music director at

Washington’s historic St. Matthew’s Cathedral, “and you can feel the whole

place move up to a

new level of consciousness.

The Church isn’t by any means looking only towards the past, though.

“We’ve spent the last 35 years moving from a repertoire of Latin, Greek and

Hebrew to a

repertoire that still has Latin, Greek and Hebrew but also has the

vernacular,” said Father Michael

Joncas, composer of On Eagle’s Wings, one of the most popular

contemporary hymns not only in

the Catholic Church but in other churches as well.

But the transition hasn’t been easy.

Balka said that during the period of change some Church music was “powder puff music.”

“A lot of this music kept us in a childish place,” he said, despite the fact that

“in reality, we are

people looking for the strength of spiritual things.”

Balka’s idea of “powder puff” music: Do Not Fear to Hope and Michael, Row the Boat Ashore.

But the winnowing process has begun.

“We’ve already gone through three batches of bad hymns,” said Richard

Gibala, music director of

the Cathedral of St. Thomas More in Arlington, Va. But the bad ones, he insisted, rarely last.

Gibala noted that if you compare the current edition of Glory and Praise, the

widely used hymnal

put together by Jesuits in St. Louis, with the first edition, you’ll notice that a

lot of hymns already

have “fallen by the wayside.”

“You can’t blame the St. Louis Jesuits for some of the bad songs in the early edition,” he said.

“They took Scripture and did the best they could. Back then it was the best we had.”

Although many of the first generation of post-conciliar hymns already have

been dropped from the

repertoire, there also are a number of them that appear destined to become a

part of the

Church’s repertoire. For example, On Eagle’s Wings will “absolutely survive” Gibala said.

“If a piece of music has lasted 20 years, and people still request it, you keep

it,” Gibala said, noting

that On Eagle’s Wings may very well be the number one request at funerals

today. It also is

included in Methodist and Presbyterian hymnals.

Balka suggested that Come Down, O Love Divine, All You Who Pass this

Way, I Heard the Voice