The Lord is risen, alleluia!

This is our passover feast,
when Christ, the true Lamb, is slain,
whose blood consecrates the homes of all believers.

This is the night when first you saved our fathers:
you free the people of Israel from their slavery
and led them dry-shod through the sea.

This is the night when Christians everywhere,
washed clean of sin
and freed from all defilement,
are restored to grace and grow together in holiness.

This is the night when Jesus Christ
broke the chains of death
and rose triumphant from the grave.

What good would life have been to us,
had Christ not come as our Redeemer?

The Observer staff would like to wish you a very blessed and happy Easter!

Earlier this year The Observer reported that the Archdiocese of Boston had launched an initiative inviting Catholics to receive the sacrament of Reconciliation.

The Archdiocese is continuing that initiative, The Light Is On For You, this Advent.  All parishes in the Boston Archdiocese will be open for confession between 6:30pm and 8pm tomorrow (12/15) and next Wednesday (12/22).  Visit their website at http://www.thelightisonforyou.org/ for more information.

Sacrament of Reconciliation
Advent 2010
Wednesday, December 15 & 22
6:30-8:00pm
All parishes of the Archdiocese of Boston.

Sister Joseph Andrew, Sister Mary Anne, and Sister Maria Jose (left to right)

On Thursday, October 7th, three Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist, Sister Joseph Andrew, Sister Maria Jose, and Sister Mary Anne, came to BC to speak about their Order, share their vocation stories, and encourage others to discern whether they are being called to the priesthood or religious life. This past summer, the Sisters appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show, garnering them attention from the national media.

Sister Joseph Andrew spoke about the Order’s appearance on Oprah over the summer, and also spoke a bit about the history of the Order. Sister Maria Jose and Sister Mary Ann both shared their vocation stories. All three of the Sisters encouraged students to consider the religious life, and to devote time to discerning the state of life to which God is calling them.

Boston College School of Theology and Ministry Associate Professor of the Practice of Theology and Director of Spirituality Studies Colleen Griffith’s most recent publication received the 2010 First Place Book Award from the Catholic Press Association in the category of Gender Issues. Griffith is the editor of Prophetic Witness: Catholic Women’s Strategies for Reform, part of Boston College’s Church in the 21^st Century book series and a collection of essays from 23 leading female theologians in the United States. Griffith also contributed a chapter to the book.

The Catholic Press Association bestowed the award upon Prophetic Witness at a recent dinner. The CPA wrote, “This collection of deeply thoughtful essays from leading Catholic women theologians deserves to be read by small groups in every Catholic parish. The topics are broad, the suggestions for change are practical, the spirit of the writing is inspirational. This book says what many American Catholics, men and women, want from and for the Catholic Church of the twenty-first century.”

According to its website, The Catholic Press Association of the United States and Canada, founded in 1911, assists “its members to serve effectively, through the medium of the printed word and electronic media, the social, intellectual and spiritual needs of the entire human family, and to spread and support the Kingdom of God.”

Some other contributors to Prophetic Witness are BC STM Associate Professor Francine Cardman, Assistant Professor Nancy Pineda-Madrid, and Associate Professor Jane Regan, as well as the Department of Theology Associate Professor M. Shawn Copeland.

Professor Griffith received her doctorate in Theology from Harvard Divinity School.  Her interests lie in historical and contemporary spirituality and theological anthropology and feminist theology. At STM she oversees and directs the Post-Masters Certificate Program in the Practice of Spirituality in addition to full time teaching.

Congratulations to Griffith and all the women who contributed to this work and continue to make strides in the area of gender issues in the modern Church.

by Salvatore Circosta

On August 26th 2010 the world will celebrate the 100th anniversary of a poor nun from Calcutta, Agnesë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu, better known as Mother Teresa. This anniversary marks the centennial of a woman who has made some of the greatest accomplishments in history. Mother Teresa founded a religious order called “Missionaries of Charity” who, since 2007, have 600 missions, schools and homes in 120 countries where thousands of her nuns currently work.

Mother Teresa’s mission in life was to do the will of God, especially by the corporeal works of mercy: To feed the hungry, clothe the naked, shelter the homeless, visit the sick, and bury the dead. Her literal participation in these works has help feed, clothe, care for, love, and bring the light of God to a countless number of people worldwide. She even was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize and the Presidential Medal of Freedom to name a few.

The Catholic League wants to honor this saintly woman by a simple gesture of having the Empire State Building lit up on August 26th in blue and white, the colors of the habits of the nuns she founded. This act of having the Empire State Building lit to honor groups or people is common: It was lit to honor 9/11, the Gay Pride Parade in New York, and to honor the Chinese Communist Revolution just to name a few.

Yet there is a problem. The Empire State Building refuses to do so, without any reason. Yep, they have no problem lighting the building in yellow and red to honor Chairman Mao who had an estimated 77 million people killed while he ruled over Communist China. But a woman who in her poverty and love helped a countless number of children, sick, and poor- the heck with her!

Descent Americans should not be surprised. Even the US Postal Services were harassed by the UCLA because they are planning on issuing a stamp to honor Mother Teresa. Believe it or not there is an anti-Catholic and liberal bias of the media today. This is not complete by any means, but the mainstream media has historically been cautious and critical of the Catholic Church. Why one may ask? I think it is because the Church is the largest, strongest, and most consistent voice promoting true morals and ethics, and the Church voices herself against the possible problems with secular liberalism. The Catholic Church is the voice of Christ in the world.

So it seems whatever committee who allows the colored lights to shine at the Empire State Building wants to give a lesson to children, women, men, and most directly the Church: If you desire to truly help the helpless and love the lonely, you better do so with the lights off. But as believers we do not fear, for we have our own Light, and Christ the True Light will shine through any darkness, even the darkness that will cast a shadow in the skies of New York on August 26th.

The author is a fourth year seminarian at St. John’s Seminary in Boston, Massachusetts.

Dear Prof. Catherine Cornille,

Congratulations!  You have completed your first semester as chair of the theology department, and it has included the very important milestone of approving a new mission statement.  This is already a great success.

As you are aware, Father Leahy has stated that his vision for Boston College is that it become “the world’s greatest Catholic university.”  This is quite a goal, and you are going to play a large part in the process.  Certainly the merger with Weston is the beginning of something great at the graduate level, but there is still an important role to play for the non-ecclesiastical faculty.  If I may, I would like to propose to you a way forward for the department.

It seems as if the department really has two sub-divisions.  I am going to speak first about comparative theology, and then second about Catholic theology.  I think having both makes Boston College a stronger academic institution.  It is important, however, that the comparative theology scholars never become religious relativists, for truth does matter.  It may be of great benefit for all the members sometime to travel to Rimini, Italy to attend the annual Communion and Liberation Meeting for Friendship among Peoples, which is, in many ways, exactly what the department should be working towards: a non-relativistic but a non-hostile discussion of comparative theology.  Of course, the comparative theology professors should draw from all traditions: Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Buddhist, Shinto, Hindu, Jewish, and Muslim.  There should even be Protestant theology, but of the Karl Barth type, a serious scholar.  I completely trust that you will strengthen this part of the department, as it is the part you do most of your own work in.  I do think it is fitting that, since it is a Catholic theology department, the chair should always be a Catholic.  I believe this is already required.

However, my main concern is for the other half of the department.  This other half should be teaching Catholic theology, and as Ex corde ecclesiae says, that means all those teaching it should be Catholics who have the mandatum.  Does anyone have the mandatum in the department?  I am sure some would be able to get it, and maybe they already have, but no student knows coming in who they might be.  I would greatly appreciate it if those who could receive the mandatum did, and then this was known publicly, as it would make choosing classes easier for students.  Some students do want to know what the Church teaches and they do want to know who they can trust to tell them that.  At the same time, I don’t think we should just go fire anyone who does not have the mandatum.  But we need to begin heading in the right direction for the implementation of the document.  Can we at least require that all new tenure-track hires for this half of the department are Catholics who have the mandatum and require that to receive tenure they have the mandatum?  This would at least begin to restore some theological sanity to the department.

I know that moving in this direction will make you thoroughly unpopular, but it is the right to thing to do both for Boston College and for the Church, and I imagine you would have the support of the administration.

Thank you for considering my suggestion.

Daniel Molinaro

On Tuesday, May 11, Campus ministry will be hosting “Midnight Mercy,” a student-influenced event aimed at bringing greater awareness of the Sacrament of Confession to campus. The event will run from 9pm until midnight in order to be as accessible as possible to students during exam week. Four Jesuits will hear confessions in the St. Mary’s Rose Garden under the cover of darkness in order to take advantage of the late spring weather and to protect the anonymity of the sacrament.

Personal interactions between the confessor and penitent will also be available to accommodate those who prefer face-to-face confessions. Spiritual direction and counseling will be available for non-Catholics. Catholics who do not usually take advantage of the Sacrament are encouraged to come and experience the healing power of Confession. Those who regularly attend are encouraged to bring a friend who may not have experienced the Sacrament in some time. If the event is successful, campus ministry hopes to have a series of “Midnight Mercy” events in the coming year.

More information may be found on this event via the facebook page found here: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=123997304281594&ref=ts

The Vatican's YouTube Channel

The Catholic Communication Campaign (CCC) has announced its theme for the 2010 collection campaign on May 16 to raise funds for local and national Catholic communication initiatives.

The theme “Help Us Connect the World with God’s Word!” has been chosen for the fund-raising effort that pays for many Catholic media projects.  The money will support Catholic newspapers, radio and television productions, and internet and mobile media, including podcasts and YouTube videos.

Archbishop Dennis Schnurr, chair of the CCC, said “Many Catholics turn to their mobile devices to find the world. The Church needs to be in that world.”

In his message for 2010 World Communication Day, Pope Benedict XVI said:

The development of the new technologies and the larger digital world represents a great resource for humanity as a whole and for every individual, and it can act as a stimulus to encounter and dialogue. But this development likewise represents a great opportunity for believers. No door can or should be closed to those who, in the name of the risen Christ, are committed to drawing near to others. To priests in particular the new media offer ever new and far-reaching pastoral possibilities, encouraging them to embody the universality of the Church’s mission, to build a vast and real fellowship, and to testify in today’s world to the new life which comes from hearing the Gospel of Jesus, the eternal Son who came among us for our salvation.

The special collection for the CCC will take place on the weekend of World Communication Day (May 15 and 16), though some dioceses may choose to move it to a different day.

Relevant Links:

• Papal Message for World Communication Day 2010
• Papal Message for World Communication Day 2009
• The Vatican’s YouTube Channel
• The Catholic Communication Campaign

This week the Archdiocese of Boston issued a press release stating that two policies, implemented to prevent the spread of the flu at Mass, will cease by Palm Sunday this year.  Citing the availability of the flu vaccines and the and the decreased flu activity, the statement declared that:

We [the Archdiocese of Boston] would urge the return of the following liturgical practices throughout the Archdiocese by Palm Sunday, March 28, 2010:

1. To return to the practice of distributing Holy Communion under both species;
2. To include once again the option of a handshake as a sign of peace.

In an interview with The Observer this past December, Father Robert VerEecke,  pastor of St. Ignatius Parish, expressed his hope that these liturgical practices would resume, saying that “Without the offering of the blood of Christ, people are feeling that something very important is missing from the celebration of the Eucharist.”

The Catholic Church believes that Christ is sacramentally present in both the bread and wine, but that reception of both species is a more complete sign of communion.

Since Christ is sacramentally present under each of the species, communion under the species of bread alone makes it possible to receive all the fruit of Eucharistic grace. For pastoral reasons this manner of receiving communion has been legitimately established as the most common form in the Latin rite. But “the sign of communion is more complete when given under both kinds, since in that form the sign of the Eucharistic meal appears more clearly.” (Catechism of the Catholic Church 1390)

The flu prevention directives were issued by the Archdiocese on October 31,  2009 in response to a widespread H1N1 flu threat and a suggestion by the United  States Conference of Catholic  Bishops.  More information can be found in the December 8, 2009 article of The Observer.

Several members of the Boston College and St. Ignatius community came together on Saturday to present a concert titled Gaudete in carminibus: A Festival of Nine Lessons & Carols in the Romance Language Tradition. It was coordinated and conducted by Daniel Gostin, BC ’09, with Ana Conboy as the co-director.

The evening began with a talk by Gostin, in which he explained the concept of the Festival, the history of the carols to be played, and the history of the various instruments present in the ensemble.

A 12-member choir sang the various carols accompanied by a consort of percussion, guitar, violin, violoncello, bass and tenor trombone, oboe, recorder, lute, and English horn.

The Festival, originally an Anglican tradition, featured nine scripture readings, or lessons, narrating the Christmas story with a complementary carol following each reading. As a special touch, each reading and carol was in a romance language.

The choir processed in with the chant Letabundus sung in Latin and then performed Convidando Está La Noche in Spanish. The first lesson was from Genesis 3, the story of Adam and Eve eating the forbidden fruit, was read in Latin and the hymn Veni, Veni, Emanuel followed. The second lesson, in French, was the story of God’s promise to Abraham and the carol Les Anges Dans Nos Campagnes, which we more commonly know as Angels We Have Heard on High.

The third lesson, in Italian, was from Isaiah, foretelling the coming of the Savior with the Quando Nascette Ninno. A passage from Isaiah about the peace the Christ brings read in Portugese and the instrumental tune Branle De L‘Official were the fourth lesson. The fifth lesson returned to Spanish with a reading of the Visitation of the Angel Gabriel to Mary from the Gospel of Luke and the carol E La Don Don followed by an instrumental version of Verbum Caro Factus Est. The sixth lesson, in French, was the birth of Christ according to Luke and the songs Entre Le Bœuf Et L’âne Gris and Un Flambeau, Jeannette, Isabelle.

The seventh lesson told the story of the shepherds going to the manger, in Spanish, with the carol O Mangnum Mysterium. A reading of the story of the wise men led by the star and Noël Nouvelet in French made up the eighth lesson. The ninth and final lesson, in Italian, was the opening passage from John’s Gospel, unfolding the great mystery of the Incarnation followed by the carol Gaudete! (Rejoice!) sung in Latin.

After the lessons, the audience joined together with the choir to sing Silent Night with each verse in a different language. The choir then concluded the evening with a beautiful performance of Riu, Riu, Chiu. The choir, instrumentalists, and lectors were Boston College students and faculty, members of the Jesuit community, and parishioners of St. Ignatius church.

Daniel Gostin and all involved presented a wonderful celebration of scripture and music helping all present prepare for the coming Christmas season. Good job, Dan!