Summary of today’s show: On our Thursday news show, Scot Landry, Susan Abbott, Antonio Enrique, and Domenico Bettinelli discussed the headlines of the week, including the work of the Opus Dei center in Pembroke; Our Sunday Visitor acquires a local offertory envelope company; the conviction and sentencing of an Archdiocese of Philadelphia priest; preparing for the Olympics; and an interview with the new head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.
Listen to the show:
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Today’s host(s): Scot Landry and Susan Abbott
Today’s guest(s): Antonio Enrique, editor of the Pilot, the newspaper of the Archdiocese of Boston, and Domenico Bettinelli, creative director of Pilot New Media
Links from today’s show:
- The Anchor
- The Pilot
- Some of the stories discussed on this show will be available on The Pilot’s and The Anchor’s websites on Friday morning. Please check those sites for the latest links.
Today’s topics: Opus Dei center; OSV buys Zartarian; Philly cleric sentenced; Olympics
1st segment: Scot and Susan caught up on their week and she told him that she’s talking an online course through the University of Dayton. It is one of the avenues that catechists can use toward certification. She wanted to experience it. She’s taking a survey of Catholic doctrine course. She described the other students in her class, who hail from Hawaii, Germany, Bahrain, and throughout the United States. Scot asked if it was asynchonrous learning where they login as they can. Susan joked that if she learns anything new it will be grounds for dismissal. She said there is a lot of writing required.
Scot noted that the Catholic Media secretariat has partnered with another online Catholic educational institution called MyCatholicFaithDelivered.com and noted the classes he has taken have helped him refresh his understanding of the faith.
Scot welcomed Dom and Antonio to the show. One of the local stories this week in the Pilot is a feature story on Arnold Hall in Pembroke, a retreat center connected to Opus Dei. Scot and Susan recounted the well-known retreat centers in the Archdiocese of which Arnold Hall is one.
- “Pembroke Opus Dei center ready to ‘change the world’”, The Boston Pilot, 7/27/12
Antonio said he was contacted by Joe Billmeier from Opus Dei in June about covering a special Mass, which they couldn’t cover, so instead he offered a feature story on Opus Dei in Boston and on Arnold Hall. Antonio said the Pilot should have both hard news and feature stories. The features inspire Catholics to explore their faith in all its diversity.
Scot said the article is long and the first third explains what Opus Dei is and how it’s been portrayed in Hollywood. He recounted the different levels of membership in Opus Dei. Dom talked about the experience of attending a silent retreat at Arnold Hall.
Susan said there is a connection between Opus Dei and the Montrose School and she loved hearing about the young women who have been involved in programs there. She quoted the end of the story as well in which the work of Opus Dei to change the world is described. Antonio said the idea was that Christian sanctify themselves and the world through the little things they do every day. St. Josemaria Escriva promoted the idea that there aren’t two kinds of Christians: the holy clergy and the regular laypeople. But he promoted the idea that we are all called to holiness.
Opus Dei is not controversial in quite the way Hollywood frames it. “If you want something controversial, it is just simply that, yeah, we want to change the world. But, how are we going to change the world? It is just everything you have heard here. It is smiling when you don’t feel like smiling. It’s undertaking this little mortification. Ir is helping the guy you work with. It is using your own initiative,” he said.
For more information, go to ArnoldHall.com.
- “Our Sunday Visitor acquires regional firm Zartarian Publishing”, The Boston Pilot, 7/27/12
- Our Sunday Visitor
Scot said Our Sunday Visitor yesterday acquired the biggest local offertory envelope provider. While OSV serves more than half of the 18,000 parishes nationwide, locally Zartarian had held sway among parishes. Recently, Zartarian decided the best way to stay with the modern times was to partner with OSV, which offers so many more services.
Susan related how her parish has used Zartarian for years. Scot said he is inspired by OSV’s and Zartarian’s attitude that they are in business to serve the Church. Dom said he looks forward to all the associated services that OSV will now offer to Zartarian parishes. Scot by having envelopes and online giving under the same roof means it’s not competition or taking away from one company.
Antonio said he prefers the offertory in the Church where people have the experience of giving. Scot noted how people are paid twice a month or monthly and why wouldn’t we move that way in the Church. When we see our monthly giving to the Church we can compare it to what we’re paying in our monthly bills. Susan said she and her pastor have gone around on this issue for ages and he had argued that there is something about people coming and contributing in person. Scot said instead of the offertory being just about money, that people be able to submit a paper prayer petition to put in the basket.
Scot noted that Our Sunday Visitor’s 100th anniversary this year. They were founded by a priest who wanted to publish pamphlets to combat anti-Catholic untruths.
3rd segment: Scot and Dom noted the story about the conviction and sentencing of a priest in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia for failing to do enough when he knew of priests who had abused children.
Scot read from the archdiocesan statement on the sentencing. Dom noted that it seemed like a symbolic sentencing designed to send a wide message. He hoped that this wasn’t just a message to the Church, but to all institutions where such things have happened. Scot noted there is a double standard, but we should welcome the double standard because people should have a higher expectation of the Church.
Antonio said if you’re in a position of authority, you’re in a position to prevent not just one event, but many possible crimes. There is some outrage over the longer sentence for the supervisor than for the perpetrator of the crime. He said we can’t forget the horror of the sex abuse crisis. This isn’t just a Church issue; it’s a societal issue. No institution is addressing this issue more carefully than the Church. We need to pray for everyone involved and hope we can move forward.
- [“Pope says he hopes greatest sports event in world brings global peace”,The Boston Pilot/CNS, 7/23/12](http://pilotcatholicnews.com/article.asp?ID=14918
- “Prayer, faith guide Maryland swimmer in quest for Olympic gold”, Catholic News Service, 7/19/12
Pope Benedict was asked his opinion about the start of the Olympics and he said he hopes it brings peace to the world. Scot noted that there has been conflict surrounding the Olympics, such as in 1980 when the US and the USSR had disputes over the invasion of Afghanistan or this year over the controversy surrounding the 40th anniversary of the assayer of Israeli athletes at the Munich Olympic Games. Susan said sports is one of those things that transcend religion, culture and language.
- [“Pope says he hopes greatest sports event in world brings global peace”,The Boston Pilot/CNS, 7/23/12](http://pilotcatholicnews.com/article.asp?ID=14918
- “Prayer, faith guide Maryland swimmer in quest for Olympic gold”, Catholic News Service, 7/19/12
Pope Benedict was asked his opinion about the start of the Olympics and he said he hopes it brings peace to the world. Scot noted that there has been conflict surrounding the Olympics, such as in 1980 when the US and the USSR had disputes over the invasion of Afghanistan or this year over the controversy surrounding the 40th anniversary of the assayer of Israeli athletes at the Munich Olympic Games. Susan said sports is one of those things that transcend religion, culture and language. Dom and Scot talked about 15-year-old Katie Ledecky from Bethesda, Maryland, an Olympic swimmer and Catholic school student.
Scot noted briefly the interview with Bishop Gerhard Muller, the new head of the CDF. He noted the two zingers from the interview that mentioned the Society of St. Pius X and the Leadership Conference of Women Religious. Antonio noted that you often have the most candor from such high officials when they’re first in office. Scot and Antonio talked about how Muller has seemed to be very open to all that is true, without regard to conservative or liberal ideologies.
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