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Catholic Advocate Calls on Bishops to Launch National Collection for Life

WASHINGTON, DC (MetroCatholic) – The leadership of Catholic Advocate today called upon the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) to launch a National Collection for Life to be held in January the weekend before the annual March for Life.

“Creating a National Collection for Life will allow American Catholics to tangibly demonstrate the importance of building a culture of life in our society,” said Catholic Advocate Vice President Matt Smith. “A consistent source of funds to national pro-life activities will open opportunities to promote the sanctity of life at all stages.”

Catholic Advocate recommends proceeds from the collection be used to support the programs of the USCCB Secretariat of Pro-Life Activities. While awaiting the weekend of January 22/23, 2011 to arrive, Catholic Advocate has begun exploring ways to raise money for the collection in the coming months and will then present those funds to the USCCB.

“There are many positive pro-life activities occurring at the local level,” added Catholic Advocate President Deal Hudson. “Catholic Advocate believes a National Collection for Life would enhance the programs and goals of the Committee on Pro-Life Activities at a time when they are needed more than ever.”

Catholic Advocate made the request in writing to Cardinal Daniel DiNardo (Galveston-Houston), Chairman of the Committee on Pro-Life Activities and Bishop Kevin Farrell (Dallas), Chairman of the Committee on National Collections. A copy of the letter follows.

The National Collections program includes the following with the weekends they occur in parenthesis: Church in Latin America (held 4th weekend in January); Church in Central and Eastern Europe (Ash Wednesday); Black and Indian Missions (1st Sunday in Lent); The Catholic Relief Services (4th Sunday in Lent); Holy Land (Good Friday); Catholic Home Missions Appeal (4th Sunday in April); Catholic Communication Campaign (3rd Sunday in May); Peter’s Pence (Sunday closest to Feast of St. Peter and St. Paul);Catholic University of America (2nd Sunday in September); World Mission Sunday (Next to last Sunday in October); Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD) (Sunday before Thanksgiving); Retirement Fund for Religious (2nd Sunday in December).

Catholic Advocate is a non-partisan 501(c)(3) organization, including 95,000 members, addressing current ongoing debates about Catholic political participation, and calls upon Catholic voters to support candidates and policies faithful to the Magisterium of the Catholic Church. Columns by Hudson and Smith on various topics are available at http://www.catholicadvocate.com/ and http://twitter.com/CathAdv.

  His Eminence Cardinal Daniel N.
   DiNardo                           Most Reverend Kevin J. Farrell
  Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston   Diocese of Dallas
  Chairman, Committee on Pro-Life     Chairman, Committee on National
   Activities                         Collections
  P.O. Box 907                       P.O. Box 190507
  Houston, TX 77001-0907             Dallas, TX 75219

  March 1, 2010

  Your Eminence and Your Excellency,

We know you agree one of the most important areas of focus for our Catholic Church in America is working to advance a culture of life. We write to encourage the initiation of a National Collection for Life to be held in January the Sunday before the annual March for Life. According to the Office of National Collections, “The bishops of the United States created the national collections so that, by combining resources, we can more effectively carry out our mission as Catholics. Each of these important collections is worthy of your support. Each collection represents our community of faith at work in the world, saving souls and improving lives.”

National Collections supporting the poor and mission programs are important and effective when the funds are distributed appropriately to entities in agreement with the teachings of the Church. However, first among equals must be advancing the culture of life for without that gift there are no other issues to address.

While there are many positive, local pro-life programs funded through annual Bishops’ Lenten Appeals, we believe a National Collection for Life would enhance the national programs and goals of the Committee on Pro-Life Activities at a time when they are needed more than ever. As Pope John Paul II wrote in The Gospel for Life, “for human life is sacred and inviolable at every stage and in every situation.” What better way to tangibly show the priority the Church places on advocating for life than with a collection to match the importance of the issue in our society?

We welcome the opportunity to discuss our idea further and sincerely anticipate your response.

  With appreciation for your service,

  Deal Hudson, President               Matt Smith, Vice President

CC: Patrick Markey, Executive Director of National Collections, U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops

Tom Grenchik, Executive Director, Secretariat of Pro-Life Activities, U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishop

BENEDICT XVI’S PRAYER INTENTIONS FOR MARCH

VATICAN CITY, 1 MAR 2010 (VIS) – Pope Benedict’s general prayer intention for March is: “That the world economy may be managed according to the principles of justice and equity, taking account of the real needs of peoples, especially the poorest”.

His mission intention is: “That the Churches in Africa may be signs and instruments of reconciliation and justice in every part of that continent”.

When I Embrace Reconciliation

“‘As the Father has sent me, even so I send you.’ And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained’” (John 20:21–23)

I admit it. I am addicted to reconciliation. Not in a million years did I think that I would WANT to utilize this sacrament-especially since I have a fear of trusting anyone in ministry. But, now that I have utilized it, I can’t seem to get enough of it.

When I was growing up in the Southern Baptist Church, I was taught that the Catholic’s practice of reconciliation was not necessary. I was taught that confession directly to almighty God through prayer is all that is needed for forgiveness of sins. Although my Southern Baptist brothers and sisters are correct in that confession directly to God will forgive their sins, they are overlooking a great gift Jesus gives us in reconciliation.

I wasn’t sold on the idea of reconciliation when I first became Catholic. I didn’t really understand why I should confess my sins to a perfect stranger. To tell you the truth, I never really thought about my sins. As a Southern Baptist, we weren’t taught to focus on what we had done wrong, but to try to move on and live right. God has already forgiven us when we invited Jesus to live in our hearts so there was no need to ask for forgiveness unless you did something really wrong. So, when I became Catholic, the whole thing didn’t make sense to me. I hadn’t murdered anyone, so why did I need to go to confession? It wasn’t until I started studying the bible through the eyes of a Catholic that I understood how Jesus established this great sacrament in order to bring us closer to Him.

In his letter, the Apostle James says that we should confess our sins to one another(James 5:16). This was common practice during Jesus’ ministry and the early church. As the church developed, what had begun as a public confession of one’s sins turned into a confession to a representative of the community- a Priest. The Priest as the confessor makes perfect sense when you read John 20:21-23(above). Jesus intended for the Priest to hear and forgive the sins of the people, just like He heard and forgave the sins of the people who followed Him during his time on earth.

Throughout the gospels, you can see how Christ experienced all of His humanity. He felt all the human emotions. He knows what it feels like to be happy, sad, angry, hurt, or scared because He felt it as a flesh and blood human. Christ knows how important it is for us to face our emotions so that we can live in His love. Jesus understands that humans need to say it out loud with their own voices to other Christians where they have failed. When we do this, we are forced to put our faults it into words which helps us to understand their impact and to work through our emotions. When we acknowledge our failings, we can begin to heal the damage those choices have made and find peace. Jesus knows that our voices need to say it out loud and our words need to be heard by trusted ears so we can grasp that acknowledgement and deal with our emotions. And our ears especially need to hear a human voice say that God loves us and forgives us. Our spirits need to feel Christ lift those burdens from our shoulders. And this is why He gave us the sacrament of reconciliation.

In the few times I have gone, I have had a great experience. The Priest always says something that blows me away. His words have given me confirmation of something God laid on my heart or direction on something I needed to do. Sometimes the words that spilled out of the Priest’s mouth are the same exact words a friend said to me or something I read in a book or an article or the bible that didn’t really make a whole lot of sense until that moment. Every time I go and give a voice my failings and ask for forgiveness from God with the Priest, those obstacles that were between me and God are lifted and the communication I have with God is that much clearer. And the Priest is the catalyst of that communication. It’s a really interesting and amazing experience for this simple girl who stumbled upon the Catholic faith.

I wish I can say that I have been to reconciliation many times, but I haven’t. I do have trust issues with people in ministry that I am working to heal. Becoming vulnerable to a Priest is still not easy for me. But now that I have been a few times, I find myself examining my conscience more often. Every time I go, I let a little less time pass between visits. I suppose my mind and my heart are feeling the value of the confession while my spirit is anticipating and craving that next close and unique encounter with our Lord. And every time I have the courage to walk through that door and trust the Priest and ask for God’s forgiveness, a little more of the wall is torn down which allows a little more of Christ to live in me.

 Lori is a stay-at-home mom to her two boys and the children she loves on during the day at her home daycare.  She loving supports her Husband’s calling as a High School Band Director.  Originally from New Orleans, she was raised in the Southern Baptist Church and converted to the Catholic faith while in college.  When she has a rare free moment, she publishes her thoughts and musings at www.lorislifeandtimes.blogspot.com.

Our Chrismas Tree

My husband and I are celebrating our 10th year of marriage this month.  It is hard to believe it’s been 10 years.  When we first got married, 10 years seemed like an eternity away.  Now that we are sitting at the 10 year mark and looking back, our wedding feels like it happened yesterday.

 The gravity of the years hit me when we were decorating the Christmas tree.  Decorating the tree is one of my favorite family events of the Christmas season.  The kids have a great time looking at all the ornaments and finding each ornament’s perfect spot on the tree.  My husband always finds his homemade childhood ornaments and puts them on the very front and while he is not looking, I sneak them to the very back.  I enjoy putting the first ornaments we got as a couple on the tree.  It is a set of 12 German ornaments that German Christians say no tree should be without.  To us, the ornaments aren’t just decorations.  Each one has a special meaning.

 When we first got married, we didn’t have a lot of meaningful ornaments.  So, I went out and bought some decorative ornaments that held little significance so our tree would not look so bare.  As we were unpacking the ornaments this year, I noticed that many of those ornaments are gone and replaced with ornaments we have collected over the years.  Now most of our ornaments represent a special memory.  Each one is a frozen moment in our history. They are a wonderful trip down memory lane telling the story of who we are.

 As I thought about our ornaments on the Christmas tree, I realized what a beautiful symbol it has become.  The Christmas tree is a symbol of Christ’s gift of himself to us.  Its unchanging evergreen nature represents eternal life.  It is a symbol of the new tree of life we have through baptism.  What a beautiful thing it is to see our history on the tree of eternal life; to see our moments hanging on the branches of Christ’s love; to see Christ touching and sharing each memory with us.  And as we put our ornaments on the tree, we give Him our moments.  We trust Him with our lives.  We live for His promise of eternal life.  And with His love intertwined in our past and holding onto our future, we give Him ourselves for His greater glory.

Lori is a stay-at-home mom to her two boys and the children she loves on during the day at her home daycare.  She loving supports her Husband’s calling as a High School Band Director.  Originally from New Orleans, she was raised in the Southern Baptist Church and converted to the Catholic faith while in college.  When she has a rare free moment, she publishes her thoughts and musings at www.lorislifeandtimes.blogspot.com.

PROMOTING A KNOWLEDGE ILLUMINATED BY FAITH

VATICAN CITY, 19 NOV 2009 (VIS) – At midday today in the Vatican’s Paul VI Hall, the Pope received professors and students of Roman pontifical universities, and participants in the general assembly of the International Federation of Catholic Universities (FIUC).

At the beginning of his address the Holy Father recalled how John Paul II’s Apostolic Constitution “Sapientia christiana”, the thirtieth anniversary of which falls this year, “underlines the urgent need, which still persists today, to overcome the separation between faith and culture, calling for a greater commitment to evangelisation in the firm conviction that Christian Revelation is a transforming power destined to permeate patterns of thought, standards of judgment and norms of behaviour. It is capable of illuminating, purifying and renewing man’s conduct and his cultures, and must remain the focal point for teaching and research, as well as the horizon illuminating the nature and goals of all ecclesiastical faculties”.

The underlying ideas of “Sapientia christiana”, Benedict XVI went on, “still retain all their validity. Indeed, in modern society where knowledge is becoming ever more specialised and sectorial but is profoundly marked by relativism, it is even more necessary to open oneself to the wisdom which comes from the Gospel. Man, in fact, is incapable of gaining a full understanding of himself and the world without Jesus Christ; He alone illuminates man’s true dignity, his vocation and ultimate destiny, and opens his heart to a firm and lasting hope”.

Professors and students “must never lose sight of the goal to be pursued, that of becoming instruments for the announcement of the Gospel. … At the same time, it is important to remember that the study of the sacred sciences must never be separated from prayer, from union with God, from contemplation, … otherwise reflection on the divine Mysteries risks becoming an empty intellectual exercise”.

Turning then to address participants in the general assembly of the FIUC, which this year celebrates the sixtieth anniversary of its canonical recognition, the Holy Father encouraged them to make “further efforts to renew your will to serve the Church. In this context, your motto also represents a programme for the future of the federation: ‘Sciat ut serviat’, to know in order to serve.

“In a culture which reveals a ‘lack of wisdom and reflection, a lack of thinking capable of formulating a guiding synthesis’”, he added in conclusion, “Catholic universities, faithful to an identity which makes a specific point of Christian inspiration, are called to promote a ‘new humanistic synthesis’, knowledge that is ‘wisdom capable of directing man in the light of his first beginnings and his final ends’, knowledge illuminated by faith”.

Tuitio Fidei Award Given to Native Floridian

MIAMI, FL (MetroCatholic) – On Saturday, October 24, the Tuitio Fidei Award was given to Mr. H. James Towey, a native of South Florida, because of his work with the poor and infirm. He is currently President of St. Vincent College, a Catholic, Benedictine college in Latrobe, Pennsylvania. The ceremony took place at the Doral Golf and Spa Resort Hotel in Miami, Florida, during the White Cross Ball of the Cuban Association of the Order of Malta.

The Cuban Association of the Order of Malta instituted the Tuitio Fidei Award in order to recognize and honor those who through their public actions witness the principles of our Faith. The recipients are honored because they live their life, public and private, consistent with the demands of our Faith notwithstanding the public condemnation. Previous recipients include the Hon. Mel Martinez, former Senator from Florida, H. E. Sean Cardinal O’Malley, the Cardinal-Archbishop of Boston and Mr. Thomas S. Monahan, Chancellor of Ave Maria University, South Florida’s newest private institution of higher learning.

The White Cross Ball is our annual fund raising event where the Tuitio Fidei Award is presented to its distinguished recipients.

Mr. Towey, who served for four years as Assistant to the President of the United States and director of the Office of FaithBased and Community Initiatives, was recognized by President George Bush for his work to improve the lives of those in need.

As President of Saint Vincent College, Mr. Towey serves as the Chief Executive Officer of an educational institution that has been recognized by Forbes magazine as one of America’s Best Colleges. With nearly 2,000 students, Saint Vincent has experienced renewed vitality under Mr. Towey’s leadership. A frequent speaker to groups and organizations all over the United States, Mr. Towey has spoken or lectured at Harvard, Yale, Notre Dame, Dartmouth, Georgetown, Davidson and other distinguished colleges and universities.

At the White House, Mr. Towey served as a member of President George W. Bush’s senior staff and reported directly to him on church-state and religious liberty issues. Prior to his work at the White House, Mr. Towey in 1996 founded Aging with Dignity, a national non-profit organization to help individuals and their families plan for and receive appropriate care during times of serious illness.

Mr. Towey served in the administration of Florida Governor Lawton Chiles who brought him to Miami in 1991 as District Director of the Department of Health and Rehabilitative Services where he presided during the time of Hurricane Andrew. He later became Secretary of the 40,000 employee agency.

Mr. Towey represented the late Mother Teresa on legal matters in the United States and Canada for 12 years (from 1985 until her death) and traveled with her on numerous occasions. He served nearly two years as a fulltime volunteer in Mexico in one of Mother Teresa’s missions and in her Washington, D.C. home for people with AIDS. For the past three years he has returned to Calcutta with Saint Vincent College students to work in her missions.

A 1978 graduate of the Florida State University where he earned a Bachelor of Science Degree with high honors, Mr. Towey earned a Juris Doctor degree from the Florida State University College of Law in 1981.

Mr. Towey grew up in Jacksonville, Florida. He and his wife, Mary, have five children.

The Order of Malta is the third oldest lay religious order of the Catholic Church, having been established in 1048. Since its humble beginnings in the Holy Land, this Order and its members have dedicated themselves to serving the poor and the sick, particularly in the area of health care. This tradition of service is maintained today by the approximately 12,500 members and over 80,000 volunteers working in over 120 countries. It operates ambulance corps, blood banks, clinics, hospitals, refugee camps, and disaster relief operations. You can learn more about the Order at http://www.orderofmalta.org/.

The Cuban Association was established in 1952. It was reorganized in Miami, Florida in 1990, where new activities were established for the poor and the elderly in cooperation with the local Catholic Church. Presently it has 113 Knights, Dames and Chaplains, including three living in Cuba.

Our volunteer doctors have served in Miami, Florida, at the San Juan Bosco parish clinic-Our Lady of Philermo- for many years; the Cuban Association also conducts medical missions to the Dominican Republic and to other countries of the Caribbean and Central America. We work closely with the Catholic Church in Cuba since 1996, currently funding thirty – seven elderly support centers, living facilities for retired priests, and hospitals and other institutions, including one which serves children suffering from Down’s syndrome. You can learn more about the Cuban Association at http://www.ordendemaltacuba.com/.

US District Court Hears Arguments for Additional Plaintiffs, Sets Trial for Proposition 8 Challenge

SACRAMENTO, CA (MetroCatholic) –  Andy Pugno, general counsel for ProtectMarriage.com, released the following statement today on behalf of the official proponents of Prop. 8, in response to today’s hearing of Perry v Schwarzenegger et al in United States District Court, Northern District of California:

“As the only party to Perry v Schwarzenegger that has consistently fought to preserve Prop.8, we are pleased with Judge Walker’s decision to deny intervenor status to Campaign for California Families, the Our Family Coalition, Lambda Legal, and the National Center for Lesbian Rights. The motions for intervenor status clearly demonstrate the discord and disagreement that exists among gay activists as they continue to run roughshod in their efforts to overturn the will of the people in regards to upholding traditional marriage in California.

“While the City and County of San Francisco was granted its request to intervene over the objections of the plaintiffs in the case, their participation will be limited to demonstrating any governmental impact of Prop. 8.

“However we are concerned that this case could result in the plaintiffs attempting to put the voters who supported Prop 8 on trial.

“We will vigorously resist the plaintiffs being allowed to conduct a fishing expedition into the motives of those who support traditional marriage. We were pleased that opposing counsel promised the court that they would attempt no discovery that violates the First Amendment rights of the proponents and the voters. It is preposterous to think that the 7 million California voters who supported Proposition 8 were motivated out of bigotry and discrimination. That is essentially the claim by the plaintiffs in this case. Prop 8 was always about restoring and reclaiming the traditional definition of marriage as between a man and a women and upholding the will of the people who had already overwhelmingly voted in favor of traditional marriage.

“As this case proceeds to an expected trial in January we will work diligently and faithfully to defend the rights of the people to put the traditional definition of marriage into our state constitution.”

Technological ‘absolutism’ could lead to ‘dark scenarios,’ Pope Benedict warns

Vatican City, Jul 12, 2009 / 09:50 am (CNA).- Before Sunday’s Angelus prayer in St. Peter’s Square, Pope Benedict XVI reiterated the views expressed in his recently published social encyclical Caritas In Veritate. He reaffirmed the need for a global commitment to development and warned of “dark scenarios” for the world if an absolutist view of technology persists.

The Pope recalled the importance of the just concluded G8 summit, but above all he stressed that “there are social inequalities and structural inequities in the world that are no longer tolerable, which require, in addition to immediate action, a coordinated strategy to find durable solutions.” The Church, he said, “has no technical solutions to offer, but, as an expert in humanity, it offers everyone the teaching of Sacred Scripture on truth and proclaims the Gospel of love and justice.”

“A new economic plan is required that redesigns development in a holistic way, building on the foundation of ethical responsibility before God and man as a creature of God.” Quoting his recently published encyclical, the Pontiff said: “In an increasingly globalized society, the common good and the effort to obtain it cannot fail to assume the dimensions of the whole human family.”

The social question has become an “anthropological” issue, which implies a way of conceiving man in truth, body and soul. Solutions to current problems of humanity cannot only be technical, but must take into account all the needs of the person, who has a soul and body.

“The absolutism of technology, which finds its clearest expression in certain practices contrary to life could draw dark scenarios for the future of humanity.”
“Acts that do not respect the true dignity of the person,” the Holy Father said, “even when they seem motivated by a choice of love, in reality are the result of a material and mechanistic conception of human life, which reduces love without truth to an empty shell to fill arbitrarily and can thus result in adverse effects in integral human development.”

“Despite the complexity of the current situation in the world,” the Pope concluded, “the Church looks to the future with hope and reminds Christians that the proclamation of Christ is the first and main factor of development.”

After the Marian prayer, Benedict XVI expressed his “deep concern” about events in Honduras.
“I would to invite you to pray for that country so dear to the maternal intercession of Our Lady of Suyapa,” he said. “May the leaders of the nation and all its inhabitants patiently walk the path of dialogue, mutual understanding and reconciliation. This is possible if, setting aside personal interests, everyone strives to seek the truth and to tenaciously pursue the common good: this is the condition for ensuring peaceful coexistence and genuine democratic life! To the Honduran people I assure my prayers and impart a special Apostolic Blessing.”

Tomorrow, the Pontiff moves to Les Combes in the Valle d’Aosta for a period of rest.
“I call on everyone,” he added, “to accompany me with prayer. Prayer knows no distance and separation: wherever we are, it makes us one heart and one mind.”

Pope gives Obama ‘unannounced’ gift: Vatican document on right to life and bioethics

Vatican City, Jul 10, 2009 / 11:37 am (CNA)

.- Pope Benedict XVI received President Barack Obama (yesterday)  in his private library, and after 36 minutes of private conversation, the pair emerged without providing any details about their topics of conversation. Nevertheless, the Holy See revealed that the Pope gave Obama an “unannounced gift”–a Vatican document on bioethics and the right to life.

“The G8 has been very productive, 20 billion dollars have been allocated [to poor countries]; that’s something concrete,” President Obama told the Pope when he asked about the summit, as photographers and journalists were ushered out of the Papal library.

The meeting between the Pope and the U.S. President started at 4:25 p.m. local time, after an unusually short meeting of ten minutes with the Secretary of State, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone.

After the private conversation, and again in front of the cameras, President Obama gave the Pontiff a stole that was drapped upon the body of St. John Neumann from 1988 to 2007. The Pope instead presented the president with a mosaic portraying St. Peter’s Square and the Vatican Basilica, and an autographed copy of his latest social encyclical “Caritas in Veritate.”

“I will have something to read on the plane,” President Obama joked after receiving the encyclical.

In addition to his family, Obama’s entourage included Kaye Wilson, General Jim Jones, Denis McDonough, Mona Sutphen, Robert Gibbs, David Axelrod, Julieta Valls (currently responsible for the U.S. Embassy to the Holy See), Alyssa Mastnaco Clay Beers, Melissa Winter, Joseph Clancy and interpreter Elisabeth Ullman. They all received commemorative medals and blessed Rosaries.

At the end of the meeting, the Pope said in English, “I pray for you and bless your work.”

“I am very grateful, I hope we will have fruitful relationships,” the President responded.

Despite the fact that the Vatican did not release an official statement about the nature of the meeting, the “unannounced” gift to Obama of the 2008 document “Dignitas Personae” on bioethics and the right to life, could be a signal of the nature of at least part of their conversation.

EWTN Show on Cardinal Newman Leads Man to Miracle Cure

IRONDALE, AL (MetroCatholic) – John “Jack” Sullivan awoke the morning of June 6, 2000 in excruciating pain.

“It seemed like the back of my legs and my back were on fire,” he said, and with good reason.

A CT scan revealed all or most of the vertebrae and discs in his back had turned inward and were squeezing his spinal cord. A neurosurgeon told him he needed surgery as soon as possible to prevent paralysis, which could occur at any moment.

Sullivan was in the second year of a four-year diaconate program, which he desperately wanted to finish. However, he knew that the surgery and recovery period, not to mention the pain, meant the end of that dream.

Despondent, Sullivan turned on EWTN and happened to catch a program hosted by Father C. John McCloskey III, STD, a devotee of Cardinal John Henry Newman.

“I wanted to help viewers to appreciate the greatness of this seminal figure of English-speaking Catholicism by examining facets both of his life and his work in 13 episodes,” said Father McCloskey. “I wanted to inspire devotion to Newman…by encouraging the viewers to pray to him and also by playing a prayer card on the screen at the end of each episode.”

Sullivan caught the episode with Fr. Ian Ker, another Newman expert.

“They were discussing not only Newman’s teachings, but the process of beatification. At the end of the program, they had on screen an address of the Oratory in Birmingham [England] and they said, ‘if you receive any Divine favors, please contact that Oratory.’ I happened to have a piece of paper and a pen on the table in front of me and I wrote it down. Then, I thought, ‘If I wrote it down, I might as well pray to Newman.”

So what complicated set of prayers did Sullivan say to obtain a miracle?

“I prayed, ‘Please Cardinal Newman, help me with God so that I might walk and go back to classes and be ordained.’”

Sullivan said he didn’t pray for a miracle – he thought that was too much – just cessation from the pain so he could finish his classes. The next morning, the pain was gone, but this was not to last.

“The pain came back with a fury [one year later], right after my last class,” Sullivan said.

Sullivan had surgery in the spring of 2001, and that is when his surgeon discovered that, in addition to everything else, the protective membrane surrounding his spine had been torn in at least two places. Despite many attempts, Sullivan could not walk and agonizing pain was his constant companion.

“I had the prospect of not being able to return to classes for my final year – it was the same situation as the year before,” Sullivan said.

So, on Aug. 15, 2001, the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, only four days after his surgery, Sullivan breathed the same prayer he had prayed the first time he experienced relief. What happened next astounded everyone involved.

“I felt tremendous heat and a tingling feeling all over that lasted for five or 10 minutes,” Sullivan said. “After I experienced this, I immediately stood up straight. I was able to walk, not with a walker or cane, but on my own, without any difficulty or pain. I walked all over the hospital, just joyful. I never needed any pain medication after that.”

Sullivan, 70, now walks a mile-and-a-half every day and performs “rigorous” outdoor work in his flower and vegetable gardens, which includes lifting boulders and building stone walls. “I’ve been told I have the back of a fellow 30 years old!” he said.

The “miracle man,” as he is now being called in the secular press, said he asked his doctor, renowned neurosurgeon Dr. Robert J. Banco of Boston, if his experience was normal.

“He said, ‘Jack, I have no medical scientific explanation for you as to why the pain stopped throughout your third year and why the pain stopped after very intensive surgery after four days. If you want an answer, ask God!’”

“Deacon Jack” was ordained on Sept. 14, 2001, the Feast of the Triumph of the Cross. Later that day, Father Paul Chavasse, postulator for Newman’s cause, called to let him know he was going to Rome to initiate Newman’s cause for beatification on his behalf. (To watch an interview with the postulator of Newman’s Cause, go to http://tr.im/rLR6.)

“I prayed that I could be ordained through Newman and, lo and behold, I get word the day of my ordination that the cause is formally beginning!”

This father of three, who is expecting his first grandchild, now performs healing services many Fridays after benediction at St Thecla Catholic Church in Pembroke, Mass., using a very rare first class relic — a clump of Newman’s hair.

“A lot of the results have been remarkable,” Sullivan said. “A young man in New Hampshire was literally brain dead after an automobile accident. I touched him; he came to life. That may be the subject of the second inquiry. There were many others.”

Sullivan, who works as Chief Magistrate of the court in Plymouth, Mass., has been very impressed over the past eight years with the thoroughness of the Vatican’s investigation, which included three panels of doctors, who voted unanimously in favor of his miracle healing.

“I’ve been in a court most of my life – I’ve seen thousands of police investigations – and I’ve never seen such an intense investigation as I’ve experienced with this.”

The Holy Father signed the decree July 3 authorizing Newman’s beatification.

Recently, Sullivan asked Father Chavasse if he was looking for a deacon to help celebrate the mass of beatification.

“Why,” said the Postulator archly, “do you have somebody in mind?”

Says Deacon Sullivan: “Hopefully, I might be one of the deacons. That would be really something.”

EWTN Global Catholic Network, in its 28th year, is available in over 150 million television households in more than 140 countries and territories. With its direct broadcast satellite television and radio services, AM & FM radio networks, worldwide short-wave radio station, Internet website www.ewtn.com and publishing arm, EWTN, is the largest religious media network in the world.

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