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Musing from Monsignor McDermott

Posted on by Msgr. John McDermott

‘Infinite Dignity’

My dear sisters and brothers in Christ,

While the eclipse received most of the local attention this past week, there was another significant event that took place in Rome the same day as the eclipse. On Monday, April 8, the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, with the endorsement of Pope Francis, issued a declaration on the dignity of the human person entitled “Dignitatis Infinita” (“Infinite Dignity”).

While some media outlets highlighted sections which might be considered controversial, the document is a concise summary of the Church’s stance on the inherent value of each person — from conception to natural death — as well as a call for all people of good will to recognize current threats to this God-given dignity. I strongly encourage everyone to take the time to read this document — it is not excessively long — in order to learn for ourselves what it actually says and not rely on others to tell us what it says. At the risk of ignoring my own advice, however, I will highlight for us a few elements of great importance.

The first is the idea of the ontological dignity of each person, meaning the fundamental and most basic level of dignity. The documents states, ontological dignity is the most important kind of dignity which “belongs to the person as such simply because he or she is willed, created and loved by God. Ontological dignity is indelible and remains valid beyond any circumstances in which the person may find themselves” (n. 7). This ontological dignity can never be lost and is not dependent on any political, societal, or personal authority.

Next, in light of the revelation of Jesus Christ and our redemption purchased by His death and resurrection, “the Church believes and affirms that all human beings — created in the image and likeness of God and recreated in the Son … — are called to grow under the action of the Holy Spirit to reflect the glory of the Father in that same image and to share eternal life” (n. 21).

It is only when individuals understand these fundamental teachings based on the truths revealed by nature and revelation that the rest of the document makes clear sense.  As the document emphasizes: “The Church insists that the dignity of every human person, precisely because it is intrinsic, remains ‘in all circumstances.’ The recognition of this dignity cannot be contingent upon a judgment about the person’s ability to understand and act freely; otherwise, it would not be inherent in the person, independent of the individual’s situation, and thus deserving unconditional respect. Only by recognizing an intrinsic and inalienable dignity in every human being can we guarantee a secure and inviolable foundation for that quality. Without any ontological grounding, the recognition of human dignity would vacillate at the mercy of varying and arbitrary judgments” (n. 24).

Noting these fundamental concepts, the document then highlights current threats to this infinite dignity. Among the issues are poverty, war, the plight of migrants, human trafficking, sexual abuse, violence against women, abortion, surrogacy, euthanasia and assisted suicide, the marginalization of people with disabilities, gender theory, sex change and digital violence. The document teaches that each of these areas poses a threat to the ontological dignity of each person. Each area would be a worthy topic for a lengthy class or course, so I encourage us to delve deeper into the Church’s teaching on these topics. The topics presented are not meant to be an exhaustive list, but a reminder that basic human dignity is threatened from many sides, and we must be alerted to defending human dignity always.

Let’s take the time to read, reflect, and study this and other Church documents so that we know what we believe and understand the why behind the what.

Peace in Christ,

Monsignor John J. McDermott

Diocesan Administrator

The way to find happiness

Posted on by Submitted Article

In his message for the World Day of Prayer for Vocations this year, Pope Francis acknowledges the fact that every vocation – from marriage to consecrated life and priesthood – involves a call from God embracing our entire existence.

Realizing that every path in life is a call from God is worth pondering.

“Each year, the World Day of Prayer for Vocations invites us to reflect on the precious gift of the Lord’s call to each of us, as members of his faithful pilgrim people, to participate in his loving plan and to embody the beauty of the Gospel in different states of life,” Pope Francis wrote. “Hearing that divine call … is the surest way for us to fulfill our deepest desire for happiness. Our life finds fulfillment when we discover who we are, what our gifts are, where we can make them bear fruit, and what path we can follow in order to become signs and instruments of love, generous acceptance, beauty and peace, wherever we find ourselves.”

I’d like to reflect on two aspects of this message – that God is calling each of us to participate in His loving plan and that our acceptance of His plan is the surest way to find personal fulfillment.

When we speak of someone having a “calling” we generally assume this means a call to priesthood or religious life. But this is a narrow understanding of the concept of vocation.

God has a plan for each of us; He is calling each of us to a specific vocation, which may or may not involve full-time service in the Church.

Realizing that God has a plan for us – and discerning what this plan is – is essential to our personal growth as we mature from childhood to adulthood.

As the pope says, it’s a matter of discovering who we are, what our gifts are, and where we can make them bear fruit.

Do we take into account that our personal gifts have been “received”?

This is what St. Paul was trying to teach the Corinthians when he said, “What do you possess that you have not received? But if you have received it, why are you boasting as if you did not receive it?” (1 Corinthians 4:7).

Looking back on my own vocation, I realize that as a youngster I didn’t look at my abilities and blessings as gifts given to me by God. I didn’t even understand that God had a plan for my life – I thought that life was all about my plans!

I began volunteering with the Little Sisters of the Poor and the elderly – not because I felt God calling me to religious life or because I was committed to improving the lives of elderly people in need – but simply because I thought community service would “look good” on my college applications.

In just a few weeks, however, I discovered qualities within myself that I never knew existed – gifts like love and empathy for the elderly and joy in making them happy – and I came to the conviction that caring for the elderly – giving my life for them – was my God-given purpose and my mission in life.

Discovering who I was, what my special gifts were, and where I could make them bear fruit, led me to experience a sense of personal fulfillment and lasting joy. Despite life’s inevitable ups and downs, this joy and purpose have never waned; they have endured for almost 40 years.

Even when I was quite self-absorbed and ignorant of His ways, in His kindness God came to meet me where I was and to make himself known to me. This encounter, though completely unexpected, was very real.

When I look back at my own vocation, I often think of the words Pope Benedict XVI addressed to young people during his inaugural homily on April 24, 2005: “With great strength and great conviction, on the basis of long personal experience of life, I say to you, dear young people: Do not be afraid of Christ! He takes nothing away and he gives you everything. When we give ourselves to him, we receive a hundredfold in return. Yes, open, open wide the doors to Christ – and you will find true life!”

—Sister Constance Veit is the communications director for the Little Sisters of the Poor in the United States and an occupational therapist.

Mercy Sunday Musing from Monsignor McDermott

Posted on by Msgr. John McDermott

He is risen, alleluia! He is truly risen, alleluia!

My dear family in Christ,

As we celebrate the second Sunday of Easter, also known as Divine Mercy Sunday, we are also preparing ourselves to experience the total eclipse of the sun on Monday, April 8. For about 5 minutes in the afternoon, the moon will pass in front of the sun and bring darkness to the beauty of a spring day. As I was thinking about all the hoopla surrounding the eclipse and the impact this will have upon Vermont, I realized it provided the perfect introduction to my musing this week.

Think about it. The sun will be covered and darkened, our world will be cast into a premature night, and we will have to wait patiently for the return of the light. This provides a nice image of our faith lives.

The sun represents the love and grace that God is constantly pouring forth into our lives. Just as the sun’s light brings light and life to our world, so does God’s love and grace keep our souls alive. Without the sun, our world would grow dark, cold, and lifeless. Without God’s grace, our faith lives would grow cold, dark, and lifeless. If we think about the eclipse as the presence of sin in our lives, we can consider the impact sin can have upon our lives of faith.

A partial eclipse can be likened to venial sin in our lives. We are not completely cut off from God’s love, but our actions, attitudes, and behaviors cause us to live in a world that is not as clear as it is intended to be. While not shut off from God’s love, these sins impact us and can lead us further and further into darkness.

A total eclipse is an apt image for the impact of mortal sin in our lives. While God’s love is still trying to fill our lives, our sin completely blocks the grace. We need to remove the “moon,” if you will, to enjoy the “sun” once again. Fortunately for us, the darkness of this eclipse will only last a few minutes, and even more fortunately, there is no sin that Jesus can’t forgive if we but ask for mercy.

So, on this Divine Mercy Sunday, we bring to the Lord all our sins, large and small, and ask that He wipe them away. While the eclipse is an event to be experienced and enjoyed, sin needs to be cast out of our lives so that we do not live in the valley of the shadow of death but live in the light of the Lord’s resurrection, the light which casts out all darkness and death itself.

In Christ our Light,

Monsignor John J. McDermott

Diocesan Administrator

Andrew Neddo of Neddo Family Vineyards in Barre to be next Vermont Catholic Professionals speaker

Posted on by Cori Urban

One of the owners of Neddo Family Vineyards in Barre will be the speaker at the next meeting of Vermont Catholic Professionals.

Andrew Neddo of St. Monica Parish in Barre said it’s important for Vermont Catholic professionals to network: “Many Catholics feel that they’re alone in the workplace, and building a Vermont Catholic professionals network allows us to see that we are not alone but are actually plentiful and can be economically powerful and helpful to our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.”

The April 17 presentation will take place at the Bishop Brady Center, 55 Joy Drive, South Burlington. Doors will open at 8:30 a.m.; the presentation will begin at 9.

The mission of Vermont Catholic Professionals is to join Catholic men and women and those with shared values from the business and professional communities to encourage intellectual discussions, to foster professional and faith-based relationships, and to inspire service and charity to the community in Vermont.

In 2016 Neddo earned a bachelor’s degree in business from what is now Northern Vermont University with the goal of returning to work on his family’s farm to help bring it into the future for more generations.

He is the sixth generation to work on the farm, which has been in the family since 1882.

His business degree allowed him to see how other businesses are run, managed, and marketed — information he can use “for the future betterment of our farm and future endeavors outside of dairy,” he said.

“Working the land is what we are called to do as humans,” he said. “It allows me to work alongside and with God in His creation and to be aware of God’s presence in everything.”

Today the farm’s main operation is dairy farming, but grape vines and fruit bushes/trees were added beginning in 2003. Small grains have been grown since 2017; a beef herd was added in 2020.

The winery was founded in 2013, and the sale of wine began in 2016.

For more information and to register for the Vermont Catholic Professionals meeting, go to vermontcatholic.org/vcp. Breakfast foods and beverages will be provided.

—Published in the April 6-12, 2024, edition of The Inland See.

 

Sister Paul Mary Dreger finds peace baking bread, receiving the Bread of Life

Posted on by Cori Urban

Sister Paul Mary Dreger likes to bake, and what she really likes to bake is bread. Kneading the dough for her is a peaceful activity, a way to relieve stress and focus on her prayers for the people who will eat the bread.

And as a Franciscan Sister of the Eucharist, she has a special connection to bread, which at Mass, becomes the Body of Christ.

“Bread baking is a big part of our [religious] community because we are a Eucharistic community,” she said. “If you look at Jesus Christ in the Eucharist, He is the Bread of Life. Bread is essential to our life as Catholics” because at the consecration it becomes the body, blood, soul and divinity of Jesus.

“Our community has used bread baking as an analogy to our lives as Christians, as Catholics,” said Sister Dreger, one of the Eucharistic preachers for the Diocese of Burlington’s observance of the Year of the Eucharist who has been conducting retreats with a Eucharist/bread theme. (At some of the retreats participants make their own simple, white bread.)

Just as bread — the food — nourishes the body and gives energy and strength — the Eucharistic bread — the Body of Christ — nourishes and gives strength to the soul.

“Every culture has some kind of bread. It’s universal,” Sister Dreger said. “Jesus Christ is the Bread of Life, so people can understand that.”

The youngest of six children from a Coast Guard family, Sister Dreger moved often with her family before settling in Connecticut. She earned a master’s degree in early childhood education from Idaho State University and a master’s in theology from Holy Apostles College and Seminary in Connecticut.

She taught — mostly early grades — before entering the religious order in 1998.

She had volunteered in campus ministry at the University of Minnesota and at Idaho State, so that experience helped prepare her for her current position as a campus minister at the Catholic Center at the University of Vermont in Burlington, where she lives.

Because she enjoys baking so much, she often bakes for students — usually in the afternoon, evening or night. Bread is a favorite. Some students say the aroma of the baking bread reminds them of home, and others call the bread “love in a loaf.”

She bakes bread for Lenten bread and soup meals and muffins for Muffin Mondays at the Catholic Center.

“I’ve been baking since I could stand and be in the kitchen with my mother,” she said, but bread baking she learned in her religious community.

Mention the King Arthur Baking Company in Norwich, and her face lights up. “It’s my favorite store! I could spend hours in there,” she enthused. “I love to bake, but baking bread is my favorite thing to do.”

Looking at ingredients simply as individual ingredients “makes no sense,” she said, but “when you put them together in the right way you get delicious pieces of bread that nourish us.”

For Sister Dreger — whose favorite bread is pumpernickel — baking bread is “second nature.” Her recipe for simple white bread includes measurements for all the ingredients except the flour. That’s “about the feel,” she said. “When you knead it, how does it feel? What’s the texture? You have to work with it until it feels right.”

When she is kneading the dough, she prays for the people who will eat it as a way to connect with them in the process of making bread.

But it’s also a time to relax, to find peace. “Sometimes the process of kneading brings clarity,” said the sister who wears a long brown habit and short black veil.

And if she tries a new recipe and the bread does not come out well, she accepts the failure and learns from it. As in life, failure is an opportunity to learn “what you need to do better,” said Sister Dreger, who is always looking for ways to make her bread better. “Our failures allow us to become better.”

Baking bread takes patience, she said, alluding to another life lesson found in bread baking. “It’s hard [to wait] sometimes when you want bread now.”

One of her favorite times to bake bread is before Christmas when she and her religious sisters gather at their motherhouse in Meriden, Connecticut, to make 350 loaves of bread for their Christmas fair. “You feel so good about what you’ve created,” she said. “People are so happy to take it home; it has become part of their family tradition.”

Yet baking bread is never a chore for Sister Dreger. “I get so much joy out of it,” she said.

—Originally published in the Spring 2024 issue of Vermont Catholic magazine.

 

 

Divine Mercy Sunday 2024: How to obtain a plenary indulgence

Posted on by Catholic News Agency

What do St. John Paul II and St. Maria Faustina Kowalska have in common? They both became saints and were instrumental in the institution of Divine Mercy Sunday, which offers many graces to the faithful.

When Divine Mercy Sunday rolls around again this year, the faithful have the opportunity to take refuge in the depths of Christ’s mercy by receiving either a plenary or partial indulgence.

Here are some facts about Divine Mercy Sunday, including the Church’s guidance on how to receive indulgences on the day:

What is Divine Mercy Sunday?

Divine Mercy Sunday is the Sunday after Easter each year. Divine Mercy Sunday was first announced in an April 2000 homily given by Pope John Paul II for the Mass celebrating the canonization of Maria Faustina Kowalska.

St. Faustina Kowalska was a Polish nun who received prophetic messages from Christ. These messages included revelations about the infinite mercy of God — coined “the divine mercy” — and her obligation to spread the message to the world as recorded in her diary, “Divine Mercy in My Soul.”

The late pope said in his homily that “the light of divine mercy, which the Lord in a way wished to return to the world through Sister Faustina’s charism, will illumine the way for the men and women of the third millennium.”

John Paul II granted plenary and partial indulgences to the faithful who observed certain pious practices on Divine Mercy Sunday each year in a June 2002 decree. He did this to ​​inspire the faithful in devotion to the divine mercy.

What is an indulgence?

An indulgence is the remission of the temporal punishment due to sins that have already been forgiven, and it can be plenary or partial.

Plenary indulgence

A plenary indulgence can be obtained by going to a church on Divine Mercy Sunday “in a spirit that is completely detached from the affection for a sin, even a venial sin,” and participating in the prayers held in honor of Divine Mercy, the 2002 decree says.

Those practices could consist of devotions such as the Divine Mercy chaplet, Eucharistic adoration, and the sacrament of confession.

The faithful could also visit the Blessed Sacrament either exposed or in the tabernacle and recite the Our Father, the Nicene Creed, and a devout prayer to Christ. The example of a devout prayer that is given in the decree is “Merciful Jesus, I trust in you!”

In order to receive the indulgence, the three usual conditions of going to confession, receiving Communion, and praying for the intentions of the Holy Father must also be met. While it is appropriate that the two sacraments be received on the same day, the Church permits them to be received up to about 20 days before or after the day the indulgenced work is performed.

Can’t make it to a church?

For the sick or others who are unable to make it to church that day, a plenary indulgence may still be obtained. One must intend to make a confession, receive Communion, and pray for the intentions of the Holy Father as soon as possible, while praying one Our Father and the Nicene Creed before an image of Jesus. In addition, one also must pray “a devout invocation” to Christ such as “Merciful Jesus, I trust in you.”

For those faithful who cannot fulfill those obligations either, it is still possible to earn a plenary indulgence. If “with a spiritual intention” people unite themselves to all the faithful hoping to obtain the indulgence through the prescribed prayers, and they offer a prayer and their sufferings to Christ, then they are able to obtain the plenary indulgence. They also must intend to go to confession, receive Communion, and pray for the pope as soon as possible.

Partial indulgence

A partial indulgence is granted to the faithful who on that day pray “a legitimately approved invocation” with a contrite heart. As is written in the decree, this invocation could be “Merciful Jesus, I trust in you!”

This story was first published on CNA on April 21, 2022, and has been updated.