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April saint: St. Bernadette Soubirous

Posted on by Kay Winchester

One of the first books about a saint that I read as a child was a large, picture book about St. Bernadette. What impressed me the most about her story was the family’s poverty; the author told how Bernadette used to go to the parish church to eat the wax drippings from the altar candles because she was so hungry.

Bernadette Soubirous was born in Lourdes, France, in 1844 to an extremely poor family. The oldest of nine children, she was often the one responsible for looking after her younger siblings. Plagued by asthma and general poor health all her life, Bernadette was considered a dull child who, at the age of 14, had yet to make her First Communion. In short, no one expected very much from Bernadette.

On Feb. 11, 1858, however, that all changed dramatically. While gathering firewood with her younger sister and a friend, Bernadette beheld a beautiful lady above a rose bush in the grotto called Massabielle. She immediately fell to her knees and, at the lady’s request, prayed the rosary. By the time she was finished, the lady had vanished; her companions had seen nothing and accused Bernadette of simply being lazy while they did all the work. But Bernadette knew that what she experienced was real, and she returned to the grotto the following Sunday. By the third visit, the lady spoke to Bernadette and instructed her to return to this same place 15 more times.

Between the initial apparition on Feb. 11 and the final one on July 16, the Blessed Mother appeared a total of 18 times. Mary asked Bernadette to pray for sinners and revealed to her that she was the “Immaculate Conception,” a dogma that had only been confirmed by Pope Pius IX four years previously. She also instructed Bernadette to have a chapel built near a spring which would become a pilgrimage site. But Bernadette saw no spring which is when the Lady told her to dig in the ground. At first there was only a tiny trickle of muddy water coming from the hole, but it soon became a small stream. These waters of Lourdes, which are now famous as a Marian shrine, have produced many documented cases of miraculous cures due to the intercession of Mary.

Despite all this, Bernadette did not subsequently have an easy life. By turns believed and scorned for her visions, she finally sought shelter with the Sisters of Charity at Nevers. She joined the order in 1866 and found some measure of peace in the simplicity of their life, but the illnesses that had plagued her since childhood only got worse. She succumbed to a very painful tuberculosis of the bone on April 16, 1879.

Today, Lourdes sees some three million visitors each year, with more than half a million coming to bathe in the healing waters. Bernadette, the patroness of illness and people ridiculed for their piety, was canonized in 1933. Her feast day is April 16.

Sources for this article include:

catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=1757

catholicnewsagency.com/resource/55431/our-lady-of-lourdes

franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/saint-bernadette-soubirous/

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

 

 

 

 

Catholic Relief Services promotes peace through action

Posted on by Holly Thayer

Catholic Relief Services was founded during World War II to serve migrants and refugees. More than 75 years later, CRS carries out the commitment of the bishops of the United States to assist the poor and vulnerable overseas.

The mission statement reads, “We are motivated by the Gospel of Jesus Christ to cherish, preserve, and uphold the sacredness and dignity of all human life, foster charity and justice, and embody Catholic social and moral teaching as we act to promote human development … [and] serve Catholics in the United States.”

Catholic Relief Services responds to major emergencies, such as recent wildfires in Chile, ongoing conflicts in the Holy Land, and the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and works on long-term projects of promoting agriculture, education, and healthcare. To fulfill its mission and respond to these challenges, CRS works with local, national, and international Catholic organizations, helping those based on need, not creed.

One of the largest fundraisers for CRS is the Lenten Rice Bowl, which began on Ash Wednesday and runs through Easter. Alms gathered through CRS Rice Bowl primarily go toward hunger and poverty alleviation programs in countries where CRS operates, however 25 percent of those funds stay in the diocese where they are collected. CRS Rice Bowl grants are given to local organizations that prioritize ending hunger and poverty in their communities.

“Love can be expressed in so many ways,” said Beth Martin, CRS director of formation and mobilization, “even through a small act such as giving up your daily cup of coffee and instead, donating that money to CRS Rice Bowl. That small sacrifice – that small act of love – can change the lives of so many people.”

Catholic Relief Services embodies the mission of the Year of Peace, assisting those in crisis and caring for neighbors both near and far. CRS strives to fulfill the Gospel’s mission by defending and advancing human life throughout the world by directly meeting basic needs and advocating for solutions to injustice.

CRS works in 116 countries, serving 193 million people and partnering with more than 1,700 faith-based and secular organizations to deliver positive, sustainable change at scale.

To learn more or to see how you can get involved visit: crs.org.

—Holly Thayer and CRS

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

 

 

 

9 facts about Catholics in the U.S., according to Pew research

Posted on by Catholic News Agency

 

The Pew Research Center released a new fact sheet April 12 that contains nine demographic and statistical facts about the Catholic population in the United States, based on the center’s numerous surveys.

Here are Pew’s nine facts about Catholics in the United States.

+Twenty percent of American adults identify as Catholics — a stable number for the past 10 years. 

Out of 262 million adults in the U.S., about 52 million would say they’re Catholic, Pew reports. In 2007, 24% of U.S. adults said they were Catholic.

+A third of all U.S. Catholics are Hispanic. 

The Catholic population is 57% white, 33% Hispanic, 4% Asian, and 2% Black, while 3% are of another race, Pew reported.

+Catholics tend to be older than Americans overall, but Hispanic Catholics trend younger. 

While more than half of U.S. Catholic adults overall are aged 50 or older, Hispanic Catholics break that mold. Fewer than half of Hispanic Catholics (43%) are 50 and older, and just 14% of Hispanic Catholics are ages 65 and older, versus 38% of white Catholics.

+Roughly 3 in 10 U.S. Catholics (29%) live in the South, while 26% live in the Northeast, 24% in the West and 21% in the Midwest.

Data cited by Pew, and other data previously covered by CNA, show that Catholicism is growing fastest in the South and West, even as it declines in the Midwest and the historically Catholic Northeast.

The racial and ethnic profile of the Catholic population varies considerably by region, Pew notes. For example, in the Midwest, 80% of Catholics are white and 17% are Hispanic. In the Northeast, 72% of Catholics are white and 19% are Hispanic.

In the South, 49% are white and 40% are Hispanic. And in the West, there are more Hispanic Catholics than white Catholics (55% vs. 30%), Pew says.

+About a third of U.S. Catholics (32%) have a bachelor’s degree.

Another 28% have some college experience but not a bachelor’s degree, and 40% have a high school education or less — a distribution similar to that of the general adult population.

+Just 3 in 10 U.S. Catholics (28%) say they attend Mass weekly or more often.

Pew compared this figure with the share of Protestants who attend weekly services, which they say is 40%.

Larger shares of Catholics say they pray daily (52%) and say religion is very important in their life (46%), Pew says. Overall, 20% of U.S. Catholics say they attend Mass weekly and pray daily and consider religion very important in their life.

By contrast, 10% of self-identified Catholics say they attend Mass a few times a year or less often, pray seldom or never, and consider religion “not too” or “not at all” important in their life.

+About half of Catholic registered voters (52%) identify with or lean toward the Republican Party, while 44% affiliate with the Democratic Party.

Other data has shown that the “Catholic electorate” is fairly evenly divided between the Republican and Democratic parties, while also suggesting that a substantial number of Catholics don’t identify with a party at all.

+About 6 in 10 U.S. Catholics say abortion should be legal, in contrast to the Church’s teaching. 

This includes 39% who say it should be legal in most cases and 22% who say it should be legal in all cases, Pew says.

A key factor, Pew says, is that Catholics’ opinions about abortion tend to align more with their political leanings than with the teachings of their Church. Among Catholic Democrats, 78% say abortion should be legal in most or all cases. Among Catholic Republicans, 43% say this.

+Three-quarters of Catholics in the U.S. view Pope Francis favorably, though that figure has dipped by 8% since 2021. 

Francis’ approval rating among U.S. Catholics reached 90% in Pew’s 2015 survey. By September 2018 — at a time when the entire Church was reeling from fresh scandals related to sexual abuse — the pope’s approval rating stood at just 72%, the lowest of his papacy. It had ticked back up to 83% three years later, before its latest dip to 75% in February of this year.

Pope Francis’ late predecessor Benedict XVI initially had a low approval rating of 67% among U.S. Catholics upon taking office in 2005. By 2008, however, his approval rating had reached 83%, and he closed out his papacy at 74%, in 2013.

Neither Benedict nor Francis has yet achieved the lofty heights set by Pope John Paul II, who in 1990 and 1996 garnered approval from 93% of U.S. Catholics, according to Pew’s data.

— Jonah McKeown

 

 

Enosburg Falls couple celebrating 78 years of marriage

Posted on by Cori Urban

Phyllis Lumbra was a girl of 14 when she had her eye on a certain boy. But her gaze shifted when she first saw Charles Lumbra, the boy’s cousin, while visiting a neighbor.

Charles asked her to go to a dance, and her mother agreed because the neighbor was going too. “And we kept right on going,” she said, explaining that they continued dating.

They were young when they married in 1946 at St. John the Baptist Church in Enosburg Falls. It was a small wedding, followed by breakfast at her mother’s home in Bakersfield. Supper was on the farm in Enosburg with Charles’ family, and the day was topped off that evening with dancing in the Bakersfield town hall.

The honeymoon came later — a weeklong visit to Connecticut where his brother lived.

The couple — who used to enjoy dancing, especially square dancing — “danced our life away,” Phyllis said happily. They liked the 2-step and the waltz, too, and country bands.

Phyllis, 95, and Charles, 99, spoke about their long life together during a visit with a reporter and Father Dan Jordan, their pastor at St. John the Baptist Church — not far from their Enosburg Falls home.

“They are wonderful people. They are always happy,” Father Jordan said. “They are very generous in so many ways and still support the parish.”

During his visit, the pastor presented the couple with a special certificate from the Diocese of Burlington recognizing their 78 years of marriage; and he gave them both communion. “They are a sign of faith, hope and love having been together for 78 years,” he said.

They attribute their long marriage to clean living and hard work. “When we went somewhere, we always went together,” Phyllis said. “And we agree on just about everything.”

When they were able, they always went to Mass on Saturday evening or Sunday morning; now they watch the early morning Mass on television together every Sunday. “Going to church makes you want to do what you’re supposed to be doing,” Phyllis said.

They often pray “the beads” (the rosary) together in their living room, she added.

Charles was born on a farm and spent many years in farm work, but he also worked as a car salesman for a short time in Connecticut and worked in Vermont for a furniture manufacturer. Phyllis, who converted to Catholicism when she was married, cleaned houses and was a factory worker.

The couple has one son, three granddaughters and two great grandsons.

“We get along good,” Charles said, looking at his wife.

He enjoys her cooking — especially the desserts, and they like to watch television together — usually the news — before going to bed early. They used to like going shopping — he pushed the cart for her. “We’d just roam around, we might not buy anything,” Phyllis said, but they enjoyed seeing people and going out for a quick meal.

Asked what he loves most about her, he replied, “Everything.”

Asked the same question about her husband, Phyllis said, “He’s agreeable.”

“You have your ups and downs” in marriage, Phyllis said. “When we were first married, we didn’t have a lot of money. One time my brother-in-law came for supper and I didn’t have money for meat, so we had canned vegetables.”

She canned what she could, and they survived on what they had.

But what they always had in abundance was love. “It’s been quite a run,” Phyllis said.

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

 

 

 

Development, Communication Department update

Posted on by Submitted Article

The Diocese of Burlington is grateful for Ellen Kane’s eight years of service as executive director of development and communications for the diocese as well as the Vermont Catholic Community Foundation.

We wish her the best of luck as she transitions to a new job.

Holly Thayer has accepted the position as interim development and communications director. Holly has worked for the diocese for the last four years, beginning as an intern during the summers while in college, then joining the department as a coordinator, manager, and now interim director.

Holly knows every aspect of the job as well as the staff.

You can reach Holly at hthayer@ vermontcatholic.org or 802-658-6110 ext. 1214.

The Vermont Catholic Community Foundation Board of Directors will be announcing a new interim executive director soon.

In the interim all questions regarding the foundation can be emailed to vccf@vermontcatholic.org.

—Originally published in the April 13-19, 2024, edition of The Inland See.

Musing from Monsignor McDermott

Posted on by Bishop-elect 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