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Catholic Daughters seek to positively influence welfare of Church, all people

“The purposes of the organization are to participate in the religious, charitable, and educational Apostolates of the Church. Catholic Daughters of the Americas engages in creative and spiritual programs which provide its members with the opportunity to develop their God-given talents in meaningful ways that positively influence the welfare of the Church and all people throughout the world.” — The Mission Statement for the Catholic Daughters of the Americas

The Catholic Daughters of the Americas provides “support and sisterhood for women in the Church,” said Lorraine Durfee, state regent of the Catholic Daughters of the Americas and a parishioner of St. Anthony Church in Bethel.

But that support extends beyond Catholic Daughters meetings, providing peace of mind to the many people members help.

Currently there are about 300 members of the Catholic Daughters in Vermont with courts in St. Albans, Montpelier, Barre, Bethel, and Hardwick.

Former State Regent Loretta Schneider, a parishioner of St. Augustine Church in Montpelier and member of Court St. Augustine #976, emphasized that the CDA is not a service organization. “We are a group of women who, through our love of Jesus Christ, are inspired to serve His people. We see Jesus in all our fellow citizens. Jesus is The King of Peace. When we honor Him, He gives us His peace, which is beyond understanding.”

CDA courts in Vermont have focused on raising money/goods that are donated to different charities including food shelves, a women’s shelter, a Catholic school and a nursing home. Fundraisers have included rummage, cake/pie, and flower sales.

State-level programs include an SOS Program in which courts adopted a seminarian or two and send them cards to encourage them, books, and some money for personal use. This Support Our seminarians program was established in conjunction with the diocesan vocations director.

In addition, the state CDA financially assisted Aspire Together, a crisis pregnancy center, with funds to purchase an ultrasound machine and offers education scholarships and awards for high school seniors who are active their parish.

Also on the state level, there is a formal effort under the National Circle of Love program. The state regent oversees chairpersons who address concerns in education, family, leadership, legislation, quality of life, spiritual, and youth.

“We all do a lot for our communities and our parishes,” Durfee said, adding that the courts receive “great support” from the Vermont CDA chaplain, Father Patrick Forman.

Local courts also have “Sunshine Committees” that send cards to and visit members to offer emotional support. “I urge all our courts to keep in contact with members in nursing homes. It’s important to value the work and traditions of women who came before us,” she said.

The Vermont State Catholic Daughters of the Americas Board turned 100 years old in February; plans are underway for a celebration in May.

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

 

Pope’s message for World Day of Prayer for Vocations stresses fraternity, hope

Pope Francis has released his message for the 61st World Day of Prayer for Vocations, reflecting on the Christian pilgrimage as a synodal journey that is rooted in hope and aimed toward discovering God’s love.

The theme for this year’s World Day of Prayer for Vocations, “Called to Sow Seeds of Hope and to Build Peace,” reflects the universal Christian call to “base our lives on the rock of Christ’s resurrection, knowing that every effort made in the vocation that we have embraced and seek to live out will never be in vain,” the pope said.

This year the Church celebrates the World Day of Prayer for Vocations on April 21.

“This ultimate calling is one that we must anticipate daily,” the pope observed. “Even now our loving relationship with God and our brothers and sisters is beginning to bring about God’s dream of unity, peace, and fraternity.”

The pope noted that this process of discernment assumes a “synodal character,” as the Church has a “polyphony of diverse charisms and vocations.”

“Amid the variety of our charisms, we are called to listen to one another and to journey together in order to acknowledge them and to discern where the Spirit is leading us for the benefit of all,” the pope observed.

Francis reinforced this observation by pointing to the theme of the 2025 Jubilee Year, “Pilgrims of Hope.”

“We can become for our world messengers and witnesses of Jesus’ dream of a single human family, united in God’s love and in the bond of charity, cooperation, and fraternity,” the Holy Father said.

For the pope, the pilgrimage is a journey that has a regenerative effect as man carries “only the essentials” while “striving daily to set aside all weariness, fear, uncertainty, and hesitation” in order to “discover the love of God.”

“Being a pilgrim,” Francis continued, “means setting out each day, beginning ever anew, rediscovering the enthusiasm and strength needed to pursue the various stages of a journey that, however tiring and difficult, always opens before our eyes new horizons and previously unknown vistas.”

But the pope also noted that this journey is a process of self-discovery, which is “nourished by our relationships with others.”

“We are pilgrims because we have been called, called to love God and to love one another,” he said.

The Holy Father emphasized that this pilgrimage, or process, is “far from a pointless journey or aimless wandering” but is instead a process by which humans can work “toward a new world where people can live in peace, justice, and love.”

Francis also directed this call to today’s youth — especially those who feel estranged or suspicious of the Church — with the pope encouraging them to bring Christ the “important questions.”

“Let him challenge you by his presence, which always provokes in us a healthy crisis. More than anyone else, Jesus respects our freedom. He does not impose but proposes. Make room for him and you will find the way to happiness by following him. And, should he ask it of you, by giving yourself completely to him.”

Rally Cat’s Cupboard helps provide food security for UVM students

Food insecurity is a growing concern among college students in the United States. At the University of Vermont, recent studies have shown that one in five students is food insecure.

According to Feed America, the nation’s largest domestic hunger-relief program, food insecurity has the potential to harm college students’ ability to achieve their educational and professional goals.

Since its inception in February 2020, Rally Cat’s Cupboard, UVM’s student-run food pantry om the first floor of the Davis Center, has helped limit food insecurity at the school. According to Maeve Forbes, who helps run the cupboard, throughout the last few years, the program has grown from serving 30-40 students a week on average to more than 300 UVM community members a week.

“This growth in need has come with equal growth in the operation of the program,” Forbes said. “We now have 15-20 volunteers a week performing a myriad of duties, five local store partnerships giving weekly donations, and many office partnerships throughout UVM who host monthly food drives for us.”

The food cupboard has helped meet the demand of community members as they have experienced financial difficulties such as those due to Covid-19, food price inflation, and the housing crisis. “We will continue to work hard and grow to meet the need of our community members so that they may succeed in their endeavors throughout college and beyond,” she said.

“The importance of a program like this for not just students who come for distribution or those who volunteer but for the community as a whole is that it helps bring people together and destigmatize the conversation of food insecurity,” Forbes said. “Without the cupboard, the only ones who would know about struggles with food insecurity at UVM are those who were experiencing it or those who knew to ask. Now, anyone can walk through our doors and learn that they are either not alone in their struggles and people care enough to help or that there are people in their community who would benefit from a little help.”

A grant from the Catholic Center will allow the cupboard to order eggs throughout the winter for distribution. Eggs, Forbes explained, are one of the most requested items.

For Kim Allbee, campus minister at the Catholic Center, Rally Cat’s Cupboard “is meeting a great need on campus of serving the UVM community and supporting those who struggle with food insecurity. It also gives an opportunity for those who volunteer or support the cupboard in various ways to give back to the UVM community and work together to support each other.”

Follow @rallycatscupboard on Facebook and Instagram for updates or more information. Direct message on social media or email cupboard@uvm.edu to set up another time to get items.

Contact cupboard@uvm.edu to volunteer or make a food donation.

—Originally published in the Winter 2023 issue of Vermont Catholic magazine.

Bishop Zaidan prays for, expresses solidarity with people of Haiti

Expressing his steadfast solidarity with the people of Haiti suffering amid an intensification of violence and social disorder, Bishop A. Elias Zaidan of the Maronite Eparchy of Our Lady of Lebanon called for immediate and long-term solutions. As the chairman of the Committee on International Justice and Peace for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, the bishop called for the U.S. government and the international community to address the challenges faced by Haiti:

“As the social, political, and security situation in Haiti continues dangerously to deteriorate, I would like to express my steadfast solidarity with my brother bishops and the people of Haiti. I would like to commend especially the heroic efforts of Haitian and international aid workers, including our own Catholic Relief Services, who are working tirelessly to provide vitally necessary assistance to the people of Haiti.

“Since the tragic 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse, Haiti has been experiencing an acute intensification of violence—including rampant murders and kidnappings—social disorder, and an unclear path towards the restoration of the rule-of-law. This is an unlivable situation for the people of Haiti, where families are unable to provide basic necessities for their loved ones.

“I commend the United States Government for its recently stated commitment to provide $300 million in support for an emerging plan to address the rampant instability in the country. Beyond the immediate and pressing objectives, I urge our government and the international community actively to continue to seek ways to address the long-term challenges the country is facing.

“As chairman of the committee, I heartily join our Holy Father Pope Francis in his expression of concern and support for the people of Haiti and who recently invited us to pray for the people of this land through the intercession of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Patroness of Haiti that violence cease, and peace and reconciliation in the country be realized with the support of the international community.”

 

March saint: St. Patrick

The story of Ireland’s patron, St. Patrick, — one of the world’s most popular saints — comes to us as a mix of both legend and fact. For instance, it is said that he drove all the snakes out of Ireland; however, because of the cold climate there after the last ice age, there were no snakes on the island to begin with. His mission was also not a particularly popular one among his fellow clergy, who considered the Irish to be both barbaric and hostile. And until the Irish Rebellion of 1798, the color associated with Patrick was blue, not green.

So, what is the real story of St. Patrick? To begin with, he was not born in Ireland, but likely in another part of what we today know as Great Britain around 386 A.D. For his part, Patrick referred to himself as both a Roman and a Briton; it wasn’t until he was captured by Irish raiders at the age of 16 and sold as a slave in Ireland that he set foot in the place that was to dominate so much of his life.

Forced to work as a shepherd, Patrick found that the time he spent alone was an opportunity to come closer to God in prayer. When he was 20, he was told in a dream that his time of slavery was over, and he subsequently escaped aboard a ship which took him home to his family.

Rather than leave him bitter, his experiences instead led him to study for the priesthood. He had had another dream, this one telling him that his vocation was in pagan Ireland; from that point on, he longed to return to that country as a missionary. Consecrated as a bishop at the age of 43, he eventually was able to realize his desire, arriving at Slane, Ireland, in 433.

What happened next is also the subject of legends. According to one of them, he confronted a druid chieftain who attempted to kill him; an intervention from God, however, not only saved the saint’s life but enabled him to make his first convert.

For the next 40 years, Patrick labored tirelessly on behalf of the Irish people. His success was due in part to the fact that, during the time of his slavery, he had learned the Celtic language and was able to speak to the people in their native tongue. He was also adept at taking pagan symbols and putting them to Christian use. The Irish, for instance, were worshippers of the sun; Patrick took this basic word and spoke of worshipping the “Son.” As Father Liam Lawson notes, “the Celtic cross we know today was basically a cross superimposed on the sun. … Patrick converted sun worship to Son worship.” He is also famous for using a shamrock, or three-leaved clover, to help explain the Blessed Trinity.

By his death in 460, Patrick had built hundreds of churches and converted thousands of people.  Patron of Ireland, his feast is March 17.

Sources for this article include:

catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=89

catholicapostolatecenter.org

franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/saint-patrick

Schreck, Alan. “Catholic Church History from A to Z.” Michigan: Servant Publications, 2002.

 

 

Chrism Mass 2024

On MONDAY, March 25, at 11 a.m., priests from throughout the Diocese of Burlington will join Archbishop Christopher Coyne, coadjutor Archbishop of Hartford and former bishop of Burlington, at the Cathedral of St. Joseph in Burlington for the celebration of the Chrism Mass. This annual Mass traditionally is celebrated on the morning of Holy Thursday but (as is done in most dioceses in the United States) can be moved to another time around Easter. The Chrism Mass brings the diocesan community together as the priests of the diocese renew their priestly promises, and the holy oils that will be used in the sacramental life of the Church in the coming year are blessed and distributed to parishes.

During the liturgy, the priests of the diocese will stand before the archbishop and renew the promises they made at their own ordination. They resolve to be “faithful stewards of the mysteries of God in the Holy Eucharist” and “discharge the sacred office of teaching … not seeking any gain, but moved only by zeal for souls.” The archbishop also exhorts everyone to pray for the priests and finally to pray for him so that he “may be made day by day a living and more perfect image of Christ, the Priest, the Good Shepherd, the Teacher, and the Servant of all.”

During the Liturgy of the Eucharist, the sacred oils are blessed. Containers holding the three oils — Oil of the Sick, Oil of the Catechumens, and the Sacred Chrism — as well as the perfume that is mixed into the Sacred Chrism to give it its

rich aroma — are presented by deacons serving in the diocese. The Oil of the Sick is blessed for the healing of body, mind, and spirit. The Oil of Catechumens is blessed for the anointing of those preparing for baptism. Through this anointing, they are strengthened by Christ to resist the power of evil in all its forms. The Holy Chrism is consecrated by the archbishop and priests of the diocese to anoint infants after baptism, those who are to be confirmed, and bishops and priests at their ordination. It is also used to anoint altars and churches at the time of their dedication. After the Mass, the oils are distributed and brought back to all the churches in the diocese.

All are invited to attend this special liturgy to pray especially for our priests and for all who will be anointed by these oils in the coming year. As the archbishop will pray at the Chrism Mass: “May the Lord keep us all in his charity and lead all of us, shepherds and flock, to eternal life.”

The Mass will be live-streamed on the diocesan website. Following the Chrism Mass, a reception will take place in the parish hall, and priests or parish representatives designated by their pastors may come down to the lower chapel to pick up the holy oils for their respective church(es).

*Please note: The Chrism Mass will be celebrated on a MONDAY this year to accommodate the archbishop’s schedule.

— Josh Perry is the director of the Office of Worship for the Diocese of Burlington.

—Originally published in the March 16-22, 2024, edition of The Inland See.