Archdiocese of St. Louis

Pope Benedict XVI Releases Lenten Letter

amandatrimble@archstl.org — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 22:01:41 +0000

Below you will find Pope Benedict XVI's Lenten Letter. The predominant theme in his letter is charity and our responsibility towards otheres, so that together we might walk in holiness.

Pope Benedict XVI's Lenten Letter

Archdiocese of St. Louis

Komen reverses decision, will give funding to Planned Parenthood

amandatrimble@archstl.org — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 19:22:33 +0000

By Jennifer Brinker & Joseph Kenny

The Susan G. Komen for the Cure has reversed its decision to halt grants to Planned Parenthood, leaving members of the local and national pro-life community dazed.

The organization apologized and has decided to revise its policy that led to its earlier decision to cut funding to the nation's largest abortion provider.

"We will continue to fund existing grants, including those of Planned Parenthood, and preserve their eligibility to apply for future grants, while maintaining the ability of our affiliates to make funding decisions that meet the needs of their communities," according to a statement from Komen founder and CEO Nancy Brinker.

"Our original desire was to fulfill our fiduciary duty to our donors by not funding grant applications made by organizations under investigation. We will amend the criteria to make clear that disqualifying investigations must be criminal and conclusive in nature and not political. That is what is right and fair," the statement continued. " ... We sincerely hope that these changes will be welcomed by those who have expressed their concern."

Continue Reading this story from St. Louis Review

Archdiocese of St. Louis

Archbishop Carlson implores Catholics to stand up for religious freedom

amandatrimble@archstl.org — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 18:00:53 +0000

February 1, 2012

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

I write to you concerning an alarming and serious matter that negatively impacts the Church in the United States directly and that strikes at the fundamental right to religious liberty for all citizens of any faith. The federal government, which was formed to be “of, by, and for the people,” has just dealt a heavy blow to almost a quarter of those people – the Catholic population – and to the millions more who are served by the Catholic faithful.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced last week that almost all employers, including Catholic employers, will be forced to offer their employees health coverage that includes sterilization, abortion-inducing drugs, and contraception. Almost all health insurers will be forced to include those “services” in the health policies they write. And almost all individuals will be forced to buy that coverage as a part of their policies.

In so ruling, the Administration has cast aside the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, denying to Catholics our nation’s first and most fundamental freedom, that of religious liberty. And, as a result, unless the rule is overturned, we Catholics will be compelled either to violate our consciences or to drop health coverage for our employees (and bring about the consequences for all in doing so). The Administration’s sole concession was to give nonprofit employers, like hospitals and universities, which do not currently provide such coverage, one year in which to comply.

We believe this new requirement signals a direct attack on our religious freedom. People of faith cannot be made second-class citizens. We are already joined by our brothers and sisters of all faiths and many others of good will in this important effort to regain our religious freedom. Our parents and grandparents did not come to these shores to help build America’s cities and towns, its infrastructure and institutions, its enterprise and culture, only to have their posterity stripped of their God-given rights. In generations past, the Church has always counted on the faithful to stand up and protect her sacred rights and duties. I hope and trust she can count on this generation of Catholics to do the same. Our children and grandchildren deserve nothing less.

And, therefore, I would ask of you two things. First, as a community of faith, we must commit ourselves to prayer and fasting, that wisdom and justice may prevail, and religious liberty may be restored. Without God, we can do nothing; with God, nothing is impossible. Second, I would also recommend visiting www.usccb.org/conscience, to learn more about this severe assault on religious liberty and how to contact Congress in support of legislation that would reverse the Administration’s decision.

I call upon each of you to join me and the Bishops of the United States in speaking out on this violation of religious freedom and conscience by contacting your U.S. Representatives and our U.S. Senators. Every Catholic has the responsibility to promote the dignity of human life and religious freedom. If we do not make our voices heard, no one else will. Let us work together to preserve the freedoms our forefathers established in our Constitution!

Sincerely yours in Christ,

Most Reverend Robert J. Carlson
Archbishop of St. Louis

Archdiocese of St. Louis

Archbishop invites Catholics to come home

amandatrimble@archstl.org — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 20:38:52 +0000

By Barbara Watkins|St. Louis Review

Come home to the Church, Archbishop Robert J. Carlson said at a Dec. 9 press conference announcing the kick off of the Catholics Come Home initiative in the St. Louis Archdiocese.

"Our Gospel responsibility is to proclaim the Good News," the archbishop said at the press conference, held at the Catholic Education Center in the Central West End.

The archbishop was giving an official, public introduction to the Catholics Come Home initiative, the campaign of inspiring television commercials to air on stations throughout the archdiocese Dec. 16-Jan. 22. Most Catholics throughout the 11-county archdiocese are already aware of the effort, through articles in the St. Louis Review, information provided at parishes and other archdiocesan sources.

In fact, local Catholics are paying for the initiative, which is provided through a partnership with Catholics Come Home®, an individual, independent Catholic lay apostolate.

"I'm representing thousands of people in the archdiocese who are financing this initiative" Archbishop Carlson said. "Why are we doing this?" he asked. Because it is the mission given to us 2,000 years ago by Jesus Christ, he said, referring to the Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 28. "We are all called to be evangelizers."

Archdiocese of St. Louis

We are called to serve one another

amandatrimble@archstl.org — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 19:06:51 +0000

Jesus said, “this is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.” (Jn 15:12) As Christians we are called by these words of Christ to love and care for one another. The greatest way to outwardly express our love for one another is through charity- by donating our time, talent, and treasures to those in need.

The Advent and Christmas seasons are wonderful times to volunteer help for the less-fortunate in our community, but it’s important to keep in mind that there are many needs throughout the year that could benefit from your helping hands.

There are many ways to get involved in the Catholic ministries in the Archdiocese of St. Louis that help the poor, abused, neglected, elderly, disabled and lonely in our community. We invite you take a deeper look into to each of our ministries and help in whichever ways speak to you.

Father Dempsey’s Charities

Since 1906, Father Dempsey's Charities has provided transitional housing and a safe place to give a fresh start to men without a home. Today, Fr. Dempsey’s gives up to 60 residents a place to live and help with daily nourishment, getting a job, obtaining needed medical treatment, and accessing government benefits available due to military service, age, or disability. The average length of stay is one year.

As guests prepare to leave Father Dempsey's Charities to begin living independently, there is need for furniture and household items to help them get started. If you have useful items in good condition to share, please contact Maureen Quinn at 314.652.7275.

Contact Father Dempsey’s to volunteer or donate at 314.535.7221 or donate online.

Read more about Father Dempsey’s Charities.

Catholic Charities of St. Louis

Catholic Charities of St. Louis is one of the largest private providers of social services in the state of Missouri. Catholic Charities is comprised of 8 agencies offering more than 100 programs to assist, on average, more than 150,00 poor and impoverished people annually.

The Catholic Charities agencies and nearly 6,000 volunteers are dedicated to serving countless children, women, and men who do not have enough food to eat; who are deprived of adequate education, housing, or employment; who suffer the trauma of abuse or neglect.

Contact Catholic Charities year round for volunteer opportunities or to donate at 314.367.550 or donate online.

Read more about Catholic Charities of St. Louis.

Society of St. Vincent de Paul

“Serving Christ’s needy is the first purpose of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul.”

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul provides services in crisis intervention, housing, criminal justice ministry, transportation, and health.

Most parishes have a Society of St. Vincent de Paul conference, which are “chapters” of the Society. To find volunteer opportunities with your parish SVDP conference, you can call your parish office or look at the list of SVDP conferences.

To volunteer or donate to the Society of St. Vincent de Paul call 314.881.6000 or donate online.

Read more about the Society of St. Vincent de Paul.

Archdiocese of St. Louis

Before the Cross | Silence is essential to the evangelization of the young Church

amandatrimble@archstl.org — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 14:18:13 +0000

By Archbishop Robert J. Carlson

Silence is not simply the absence of noise. It is a necessary condition for discernment and reflection, for meditation and prayer, and for "welcoming the word" into our minds and hearts.

Silence is necessary for evangelization -- welcoming God's word and integrating it into our daily lives. Unless we are able to filter out the ever-increasing bombardment of messages of social communication and mass media, there is no way we can welcome God's word. Or reflect on it prayerfully. Or act on it in our daily lives.

Silence is essential to our ministry to the young Church. Young women and men are the targets of advertisements and the entertainment media. They are the constant recipients of seductive and alluring images that are meant to persuade them to think, dress, consume and behave in certain ways. They are told what to do and what to value. To counteract the barrage of secular or worldly communications directed at the young, we must preach the Gospel in word and action. But we must also make room for silence to allow members of the young Church to welcome the word and to discern what they are being called to be and do as followers of Jesus Christ.

The patron saint of silence is St. Joseph, the husband of Mary and foster father of Jesus. In the Gospels he does not speak a word. He listens. He reflects. He acts. St. Joseph welcomed the word of God into his mind and heart. He welcomed Jesus, the Word made flesh, into his family and into his loving care. The silence of St. Joseph speaks louder than words. It gives bold witness to his unique vocation as redemptoris custos (the guardian of our redeemer).

If we want to reach out to members of the young Church and encourage them to welcome God's word in their lives, we need to help them discover what it means to be silent. If we want to foster vocations to ordained ministry, to consecrated life, to marriage and to the dedicated single life, we must help young men and women discover times and places where they can turn off the noise of modern life and tune in to the grand silence of God's holy peace.

Archdiocese of St. Louis

Archbishop Carlson to celebrate Annual Adoption Mass this Sunday

amandatrimble@archstl.org — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 14:42:15 +0000

November is National Adoption Month. Every year, the Respect Life Apostolate of the Archdiocese of St. Louis joins with Good Shepherd Children and Family Services to coordinate a celebration for those who have been involved in any way with adoption, a gift twice given.

In the United States, about 120,000 adoptions occur each year. Many people, directly and indirectly, are affected by adoption:

women seeking options for unplanned or crisis pregnancies
people and couples seeking children to complete their families
foster families and agencies involved in the placement and protection of children
children who have been adopted

Please join us for a Mass to celebrate adoption, the gift of love twice given. Archbishop Carlson will celebrate this Mass at the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis to recognize anyone who has been involved with adoption or foster care. A coffee and donut reception in Boland Hall will immediately follow the 10:00 am Mass.

For more information on this year's Annual Adoption Mass

For a story from The St. Louis Review on Families growing in love through the gift of adoption.

Archdiocese of St. Louis

Catholic schools--Alive in Christ!--show their Catholic identity through service

amandatrimble@archstl.org — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 20:00:00 +0000

By Sue Brown, Director of Marketing and Community Relations--Catholic Education Office

"The first essential mark of a school’s Catholic identity is that faith in God is proclaimed in everything the school does,” said Archbishop Robert J. Carlson in his St. Louis Review column, “Before the Cross” (Oct. 7, 2011). “Catholic schools teach by words and example that we are called, first and foremost, to be women and men who love God, love our neighbor and look forward to our destiny to be happy with Him in heaven. If God is at the center of your school’s daily life, you will have a strong Catholic identity. Your school will truly be Alive in Christ!”

One way Catholic schools teach young Catholics to love their neighbor is through Christian service programs that are an integral part of the school’s academic and faith formation curriculum. Often, Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of St. Louis partner with social service agencies, "many of which are Catholic," to learn about their ministries and to offer their support through personal contributions of their time, talent and treasure.

Ursuline Academy's 5th annual Cardboard Village was held the evening of Friday, October 14, through the morning of Saturday, October 15. Sixty-one students and six co-workers experienced homelessness by sleeping overnight in cardboard boxes on the school's athletic field. Each student raised a minimum of $30 to benefit St. Patrick Center's “Key Player Initiative.” Students were allowed to bring only what they could carry in their box—no electronics or food were allowed. After setting up their living arrangements for the night, students were educated by two local organizations who serve the homeless of St. Louis—St. Patrick Center and Covenant House. Kristen Bracken, volunteer coordinator from St. Patrick Center, said of the organization's Key Player Initiative, "Thanks to Ursuline's annual Cardboard Village project, five individuals who were homeless have received the services needed to make a positive, permanent change in their life." This event alone raised over $2,000 for St. Patrick Center's Key Player Initiative.

St. Patrick Center also hosted 140 students from Christ Prince of Peace, St. Mary Magdalen and Villa Duchesne/Oak Hill Catholic Schools for the agency’s “A Hand Up” homeless simulation presentation for St. Louis area middle school and high school students. For two hours, the students learned about the homelessness issue and St. Patrick Center programs in three core areas—housing, employment and health. The social justice experience included a virtual tour, a mock client intake session and three interactive breakout sessions. Students from St. Mary Magdalen (pictured above) also shared how they raise money for St. Patrick Center as one of the agency’s Key Player schools (CPOP & VDOH are also Key Player schools). To register a group of your students to attend “A Hand Up,” visit the St. Patrick Center website: http://www.stpatrickcenter.org/volunteer/youth-opportunities/

In the Ste. Genevieve Deanery, the Vincentian Marian Youth Group, founded in 2004, has grown to national status. Local high school students participate in mission trips throughout the year. Last June, VMY took approximately 100 high schoolers to Little Rock, Arkansas, and last weekend, VMY hosted a Mission Box Experience, through which students had to "beg" for donations for the poor and come to the event with their own box to sleep in overnight. What was NOT typical of a homeless night was the Eucharistic celebration that began the evening. Money collected will provide new windows for the home of a local woman and a used van for a needy man to get to and from work. Twenty-three students from Valle Catholic High School in Ste. Genevieve and St. Vincent Catholic High School in Perryville participated.

Archdiocese of St. Louis

Annual World Mission Sunday Mass Celebrated on October 23rd

amandatrimble@archstl.org — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 19:41:55 +0000

The annual World Mission Sunday Mass was celebrated at the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis on October 23rd. This year’s Mass, celebrated by Archbishop Robert J. Carlson, drew hundreds of guests, including international representatives from various mission countries around the world, who now live in the Archdiocese of Saint Louis. The Mass was a joyous celebration, complete with an international procession, readings and prayers of the faithful in different languages, and a reception with displays on the worldwide missionary work of the Church.

World Mission Sunday, established in 1926 by Pope Pius XI, is the annual celebration and collection for the worldwide missionary work of the Church and is organized by the Society for the Propagation of the Faith. It is a day set aside for Catholics worldwide to recommit themselves to the Church's missionary activity through prayer and sacrifice, and is always celebrated on the next-to-last Sunday of each October, which is World Mission Month.

Archdiocese of St. Louis

St. Louis Archbishop instigates World Series wager with Fort Worth Bishop

amandatrimble@archstl.org — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 16:29:55 +0000

Archbishop of St. Louis aims to reform Bishop of Fort Worth, a former Cardinals fan

St. Louis, MO/Fort Worth, TX - Archbishop Robert J. Carlson from the Archdiocese of St. Louis has prompted a World Series wager with former Cardinals fan, Bishop Kevin W. Vann from the Diocese of Fort Worth, TX, official home diocese of the Texas Rangers.

Bishop Vann has strong ties to the St. Louis area. He is a Springfield, Illinois native where he grew up watching the Springfield Cardinals, then farm team for the St. Louis Cardinals. He later studied in St. Louis at Kenrick-Glennon Seminary and graduated in 1981. As a former Cardinals fan, Bishop Vann has agreed to a friendly wager on the series with Archbishop Carlson.

If the Cardinals win, Bishop Vann will send a taste of authentic Texas BBQ along with a Stetson cowboy hat. If the Rangers take the pennant, Archbishop Carlson will send a taste of local St. Louis favorites that include toasted ravioli from The Hill, Gus’s pretzels, locally-brewed Schlafly Beer and Fitz’s Root Beer, along with a Cardinals baseball cap to replace the caps Bishop Vann discarded when he moved to Texas.

Adding to the bet and further supporting the charitable mission of the Catholic Church, the winner will also receive a donation for the local Catholic Charities in the amount of $10 for every run scored throughout the series.

Archbishop Carlson looks forward to the opportunity to remind Bishop Vann of his strong St. Louis roots and change his allegiance back to the St. Louis Cardinals. Bishop Vann likewise looks forward to demonstrating that one must follow God’s will and the blessings that come with conversion, while reminding Archbishop Carlson that North Texas hosted Super Bowl XLV in the diocese in February, the NBA championships in the spring which North Texas’ Dallas Mavericks won and now the World Series which he is confident the Texas Rangers will win.

See press release for contact information