Around the Archdiocese

Page 2 March 13, 2013

Martha Dinner set April 8 at St. DenisThe Martha Dinner for high school girls and single women through age 45 will be held at St. Denis parish, 14 East Wood Street, Versailles on April 8. Participants can learn about Catholic sisters and their missions, meet members of a variety of religious communities and hear from Auxiliary Bishop of Cincinnati, Joseph Binzer. The event will run from 6 to 8 p.m. (doors open at 5:30 p.m.) and there is no charge for participating in the prayer, dinner, conversation and fun. To register, call 937-999-8456 or e-mail vocations@cppsadmin.org. The event is sponsored by the vocation directors of the tri-state area and the Archdiocese of Cincinnati Vocations Office.

The Athenaeum Chorale will present its March Concert at 8 p.m. Friday, March 15, in the Chapel of St. Gregory the Great on the Athenaeum of Ohio campus in Mt. Washington. The chorale will perform with orchestra and guest soloists under the direction of Anthony DiCello, Athenaeum music director. The concert repertoire will include Schubert’s “Magnificat” and “Mass in G,” Handel’s “Concerto for Organ and Orchestra” and “Coronation Anthem: The King Shall Rejoice.” Tickets are $15 available at the door or reserved in advance by calling 513-233-6138. The Jesuit Spiritual Center at Milford is sponsoring overnight Ignatian retreats based on the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius, including “An Encounter with Jesus – A Man for Others” with Fr. Tim Howe, SJ (March 15-17) and “Men of Faith Following Jesus on the Journey” with Fr. Tom Ryan, SJ (March 22-24). The retreats are silent and held on the Center’s quiet 37-acre campus. For more information or to register, call 5 1 3 - 2 4 8 - 3 5 0 0 , e x t . 1 0 , o r v i s i t www.jesuitspiritualcenter.com. Prepare your palms to be blessed! Come and learn a variety of palm-weaving designs at Maria Stein Shrine of the Holy Relics. The cost is $3 for adults (age 12 and older), $1 for children. Select your day and time in advance. Space is limited, but several demonstrators will help. Options are: Saturday, March 16, 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.; Tuesday, March 19, 2 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.; Saturday, March 23, 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Contact the Shrine at 419-925-4532 or a.mcguire@mariasteinshrine.org. Discover God’s plan for your life as you discover his amazing story in a one-day seminar, The Great Adventure Bible Timeline, at St. Margaret of York, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, March 16, taught by Catholic author, evangelist, and media personality Jeff Cavins. In this seminar, you will discover the “big picture” of the biblical story as it is presented in the narrative books of the Bible. See how the tools of The Great Adventure Bible Timeline Seminar can provide you with an easy way to read and understand your story, the story of Scripture with all the major people, places, events and themes of the Bible. To register or to learn more, contact Mary Kay Hendy at marykhendy@gmail.com or 683-7100 ext. 210 or visit: h t t p : / / w w w . s m o y . u s / s m o y J 1 7 / f i l e s /LovelandREVISEDOH_March15-16_BTL_FlyerRevied_2013.pdf

A free workshop on Natural Family Planning will be offered from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, March 16 at Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish, Montezuma. To register, contact the Family and Respect Life Office by calling 5 1 3 - 4 2 1 - 3 1 3 1 x 2 6 5 3 o r e - m a i l i n g farlocincinnati@catholiccincinnati.org. Mount Notre Dame High School alumnae, family,

friends, and community members are invited to join MND’s Lenten Morning of Reflection from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, March 16, in the Mount Notre Dame chapel. The morning activities will include Jeanne Hunt giving a talk on the “Eight Beatitudes for Women” to reflect on during the Lenten Season, a light breakfast, group reflection, and prayer. This event is free to attend. To register, visit www.mndhs.org/lent or contact Alumnae Director Megan Seibert at 513.821.3044 x141. St. Boniface Spiritual Bookclub in Northside will discuss Jesus Shock by Peter J. Kreeft at 1 p.m. Sunday, March 17, in the parish center. The life of Jesus Christ is indelibly engraved upon history; neither the erosion of time nor the devastating and compounding effects of evil have been able to erase his influence. He is the single greatest agent of change in human history. He made the lame walk, taught the simple, set captives free, gave sight to the blind, fed the hungry, healed the sick, comforted the afflicted, afflicted the comfortable, and in all of these, captured the imagination of every generation. Get ready to discover Jesus like you have never known him. Dr. Kreeft is professor of philosophy at Boston College. The book is free and available in the rectory or in the church vestibule. For more information, contact Lisa Biedenbach at 892-3417 or bieds19037@aol.com . Sr. Marilyn Lacey, RSM, will speak about “A Story of God Arriving in Strangers” from her 30-plus years of experiences with refugees and migrants in standing with the poor and displaced. Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish will host this event at 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 20, in Heritage Hall. Sr. Marilyn is founder/Executive Director of Mercy Beyond Borders, which partners with displaced women and girls in South Sudan and in Haiti to alleviate their extreme poverty. She was personally honored by the Dalai Lama in 2001 as an “Unsung Hero of Compassion” for her life’s work. For information,contact IHM at 513-388-4466, or view the flyer at www.ihom.org/Parish/NewsEvents.aspx (then scroll down to “Sr. Marilyn Lacey”).

Page 3 March 13, 2013

Archdiocesan News

For an online listing of fish frys during lent inthe archdiocese of Cincinnati, follow this link:

http://www.thecatholictelegraph.com/fish-frys/1955

The Roger Bacon Student Philanthropy Program sponsored a dress down day and taped Assistant Principal Paul Zlatic to a pole in the cafeteria to raise over $360. The students are enrolled in Writing for Change, a class that teaches written and oral communication skills through partnerships with the nonprofit world. The students have written blog posts for the Cincinnati Community ToolBank and are currently researching local nonprofit organizations to determine which one will receive a $1,500 grant, funded by Magnified Giving. Pictured from left are Alex Ceddia (rear) Alex McCreanor, Kelsey Hawkins-Johnson, Assistant Principal Zlatic, Kenny Howard, Max Bishop, Katelyn Wright and Libby Shepherd.

Wrapped in philanthropy

Archdiocesan Pastoral Council

hears financial, Charities report The financial outlook for the Archdiocese of Cincinnati continues to improve but the issue of meeting pension obligations for retiring priests will continue to challenge its resources and financial mangers. Deacon Jeff Merrill, from Maximillian Kolbe Parish, Liberty Township, told the Archdiocesan Pastoral Council at its regular meeting March 9 at the Athenaeum that the financial report showed a “solid plan” to fund outstanding obligations in the lay employee retirement plan. “We’re in good shape. I’m confident we will meet our obligations,” to lay employees, Archdiocesan Finance Director Richard Kelly said. Deacon Merrill represents the St. Andrew Deanery on the council. He chaired this year’s APC Finance Review Committee, which reviews the annual Archdiocesan Finance Report. Kelly said that of greater concern was the priest retirement fund deficient of $80 million but he also said that parish contributions to that fund were helping slowly chip away at the deficit. Kelly also said that the health care insurance program was running at a surplus, which helped mitigate the impact of premium increases. He also explained that the archdiocese, which is self-insured, could not pass premium increased on to employees because that would affect the program’s s tatus under the Health and Human Services Contraceptives mandate of the Affordable Care Act. Accounting Manager Steve Burger told the council that the insurance fund surplus would help keep increases to around 5 percent over the next four to five years. He said that receivables were under control as “the archdiocese has gotten out of the banking business” and delinquent loan payments from parishes have been removed from the books. “We continue to lower Central Office operating expenses,” he said. Deacon Merrill reminded council members that the cost of the benefits program affects the archdiocese’s ability to attract and hire quality employees.

Other members of the review committee were Michael

Hall from St. Bernadette Parish in Amelia and representing the St. Martin Deanery, Ronald Kienzle from St. Jerome Parish and representing the St. Francis de Sales Deanery, and Daniel Schindler from Sacred Heart Parish in Fairfield and representing the Hamilton Deanery. Earlier in the meeting, Ted Bergh, CEO of Catholic Charities Cincinnati and Laura Roesch of Catholic Charities of the Miami Valley, presented detailed accounts of the work being done by their agencies in their respective locations. “We’re not about enabling the poor to stay poor,” Bergh said explaining his agency’s mission statement. He said the agency was focused on ending “material and spiritual poverty.”

For a more in-depth story, see the Apriledition of The Catholic Telegraph.

A Lenten Day of Prayer was presented for the residents and friends at St. Margaret Hall in the St. Joseph Chapel on Feb. 25. Fr. Harry Meyer was the celebrant at Mass. Fr. Bert Heise presented a Lenten talk, which was followed by Benediction. Fr. Bert spoke of the need for God in our lives. He said that what is missing today with all the conflicts in the world is God and by bringing God into our lives we will be able to handle all that we are facing. We need to remember that there is no limit to God’s mercy. As Pope Benedict XVI said, “God’s love trumps God’s justice.” Fr. Bert made it seem so reasonable and simple. God is our Father and He wants to be a part of our lives. However, it is up to us to open our hearts and receive God. Lent is a time for acquiring a better vision of how we can walk closer with God. St. Margaret Hall is a long term care facility sponsored by the Carmelite Sisters for the Aged and Infirm located at 1960 Madison Road in O’Bryonville.

Lenten Day of Prayerat St. Margaret Hall

Fr. Bert Heise

Page 4 March 13, 2013

Your Catholic World

The Catholic Sisters of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati and the Diocese of Covington in Kentucky have announced a “Nun Run” event April 19-20 for single Catholic women ages 18-40. A Nun Run is a twenty-four+ hour experience during which young women will visit sisters’ houses/convents from the first evening until the next evening. The sisters offer transportation, overnight hospitality, meals, prayer and fun. Participants can choose to meet the sisters at the first convent at 6 p.m. Or the sisters will pick participants up at a central location and drive them to the first stop. Transportation will be provided as each convent is visited. The NUN RUN should be completed around 8p.m. the next day.

There is no charge for participating in the event. Those involved should bring personal toiletries/alarm clock and a curious spirit & an open heart. Email your registration to: bauerosb@yahoo.com. Congregations participating in the vent include: Sisters of Mercy; Sisters of Notre Dame Covington, KY; Sisters of St. Francis Oldenburg, IN; Sisters of the Precious Blood, Dayton; Poor Clare Sisters, Cincinnati; Benedictine Sisters of St. Walburg Monastery, Covington; Congregation of Divine Providence – Melbourne, KY: Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur – Cincinnati and the Marianist Sisters – Dayton. In order to arrange overnight hospitality, the sisters would appreciate having your registration by April 11.

Nun Run: Congregations plan event for single women

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Argentine Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 76 was elected the 266th pope and took the name Francis. The election March 13 came on the first full day of the conclave on the conclave's fifth ballot. It was a surprisingly quick conclusion to a conclave that began with many plausible candidates and no clear favorite. The Latin American pope, a Jesuit, was chosen by at least two-thirds of the 115 cardinals from 48 countries, who cast their ballots in secret in the Sistine Chapel. His election was announced in Latin from the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica, to a massive crowd in the square below and millions watching around the world. White smoke poured from the Sistine Chapel chimney at 7:05 p.m. signaling that the cardinals had chosen a successor to retired Pope Benedict XVI. At 7:07 p.m., the bells of St. Peter's Basilica began pealing continuously to confirm the election. At 8:12 p.m., French Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, the senior cardinal in the order of deacons, appeared at the basilica balcony and read out in Latin: "I announce to you a great joy: We have a pope! The most eminent and most reverend lord, Lord Jorge, Cardinal of the Holy Roman Church, Bergoglio, who has taken for himself the name Francis."

The crowd in the square responded with cheers, applause and the waving of national flags. A respected Italian journal said he was the cardinal with the second-highest number of votes on each of the four ballots in the 2005 conclave. Cardinal Bergoglio has had a growing reputation as a very spiritual man with a talent for pastoral leadership serving in a region with the largest number of the world's Catholics. Since 1998, he has been archbishop of Buenos Aires, where his style is low-key and close to the people. He rides the bus, visits the poor, lives in a simple apartment and cooks his own meals. To many in Buenos Aires, he is known simply as "Father Jorge." He also has created new parishes, restructured the administrative offices, led pro-life initiatives and started new pastoral programs, such as a commission for divorcees. He co-presided over the 2001 Synod of Bishops and was elected to the synod council, so he is well-known to the world's bishops. The cardinal has also written books on spirituality and meditation and has been outspoken against abortion and same-sex marriages. I n 2010, when Argentina became the first Latin American country to legalize same-sex marriage, Cardinal Bergoglio encouraged clergy across

the country to tell Catholics to protest against the legislation because, if enacted, i t could "seriously injure the family," he said. He also said adoption by same-sex couples would result in "depriving (children) of the human growth that God wanted them given by a father and a mother." In 2006, he criticized an Argentine proposal to legalize abortion under certain circumstances as part of a wide-ranging legal reform. He accused the government of lacking respect for the values held by the majority of Argentines and of trying to convince the Catholic Church "to waver in our defense of the dignity of the person." His role often forced him to speak publicly about the economic, social and political problems facing his country. His homilies and speeches are filled with references to the fact that all people are brothers and sisters and that the church and the country need to do what they can to make sure that everyone feels welcome, respected and cared for. Jorge Bergoglio was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina's capital city, Dec. 17, 1936. He studied and received a master's degree in chemistry at the University of Buenos Aires, but later decided to become a Jesuit priest and was ordained in 1969.

Pope Francis known for spirituality, pastoral focus