Chevalier de la charité

Matty Giuliano is the kind of chaplain who doesn’t mind if you drop an f-bomb mid-sentence.

The animal cruelty officer-turned-interfaith animal chaplain from Queens, New York, wants everyone he serves to feel at ease, nonhumans included. And part of his ability to connect with those of all backgrounds comes from the authenticity of his own dynamic personality.

Giuliano, 50, lives in Monmouth County, New Jersey, with his wife, four dogs, three ferrets and one cat. He drives a car with the license plate CHPLAIN, speaks with an unmissable New York accent and has multiple credenzas brimming with St. Francis collectibles.

 

« It’s like walking into a monastery, » he jokes.

 

After a decade of over 2,000 often gruesome animal cruelty cases, in 2015 Giuliano traded his badge for a stole and began volunteering as the animal chaplain for the Monmouth County SPCA. There, Giuliano is in his element — blessing animals (including pigeons), conducting animal funerals, offering bereavement counseling and providing the kind of support for SPCA volunteers and staff he once craved.

 

« Matty, as the chaplain, has brought peace and harmony to the hearts of many, many pet owners, » said Ross Licitra, executive director of the Monmouth County SPCA. Barbara Lovell, associate executive director of the Monmouth County SCPA, added that Giuliano’s support is « key, » particularly during the summer when the intake period is intense.

 

« Not only is he watching out for signs of anxiety or grief during these moments, he has worked right along beside us in crisis — such as unloading dogs from trucks arriving back from hoarding situations, » said Lovell.

 

Giuliano grew up in a 600-square-foot apartment in the Electchester housing project in Queens. The only child of his Jewish mother and Italian Catholic father, he grew up attending a Unitarian Universalist congregation on Long Island. Though Giuliano said his Jewish grandmother mourned his lack of a bar mitzvah, he credits Unitarian Universalism for introducing him to several different religions.

« I got to form a much broader spiritual background than a lot of other people get to experience, » said Giuliano.

Dogs weren’t allowed in the apartment, so his family had three cats: Samson, Delilah and later Bathsheba. « They were Old Testament pussycats, » Giuliano quipped. By 1998, Giuliano had moved to the New Jersey suburbs and graduated from Rutgers University, and in 2005 he took a gig as an animal cruelty officer.

 

Often, Giuliano recalled, the cases were seasonal — pets left to suffer in extreme heat or cold. He remembers the man who left his dog in a hot car for hours while fishing at the beach; the guy who jumped out of a second-floor window to avoid arrest after advertising dogfighting; the woman who had over 350 dead birds in her house. 

 

« We had to wear Tyvek suits, » Giuliano remembered.

 

By 2013, the terrible things Giuliano witnessed left him longing for peace. Gradually, he began to embrace Catholicism, and was especially drawn to St. Francis of Assisi, patron saint of animals.

 

« He’s who I would turn to, since we didn’t have anyone in the agency to go to, » Giuliano told Religion News Service. « I saw s— you couldn’t imagine. »

 

Giuliano found comfort in both prayers to the saint and the stories about him — particularly the tale of the Wolf of Gubbio, where St. Francis rescued both a village and the wolf terrorizing it.

Then, in August 2013, Giuliano’s longtime dog Remy was diagnosed with lymphoma and died a few months later in January 2014.

 

« That was the big push that led me into wanting to be the chaplain for Monmouth County SPCA, » said Giuliano. « I felt compelled to find out more about how I could be a spiritual service to these animals, and to the people who serve them. »

After learning about animal chaplains online, in 2015 he enrolled in an animal chaplain program through Emerson Theological Institute, a California-based organization grounded in New Thought philosophy. He also obtained two certificates in bereavement counseling and became ordained online through the Universal Life Church.

 

These days, Giuliano goes to the Monmouth County SPCA animal welfare facility two to three times a week, making himself available to the staff and volunteers.

 

« I had a cat who stopped eating, and we were sure this was it for the cat. I had Matty bless him, and don’t you know, the next day he started eating again, » said Ruth Schwartz, a feline specialist at the SPCA. « I mean, it was as if it was some sort of miracle. »

Giuliano also looks out for the animal cruelty officers at the Monmouth County SPCA, taking them out to dinners and providing spiritual support on an ad hoc basis.

 

« He’s always somebody you can count on, » said Mike Goldfarb, chief of human law enforcement at the Monmouth County SPCA. « And he’s good to talk to for a variety of reasons, not just spiritual support and SPCA knowledge, but just a good overall person. … We have a deal: He’s doing my funeral, but I hope not for another 30, 40 years. »

 

Giuliano offers pet loss support and funerals free of charge, and each year on Oct. 4, World Animal Day and the feast day of St. Francis, Giuliano hosts an interfaith event where people bring their pets to receive a blessing and prayer in their own faith tradition. He also visits the Monmouth County SPCA and offers prayers and treats to the hundreds of animals in their care.

 

« I know there are plenty of people out there who believe animals have no souls, » said Giuliano. « I cannot accept one of God’s creation is, spiritually, the equivalent of a cup of ice cream. »

 

Giuliano also offers grief counseling to people across the country. In June 2019, Bill Keys, a retired member of the Air Force, connected with Giuliano by calling a pet loss support hotline after the passing of his 15-year-old dachshund, Duffy. Giuliano’s prayers and presence, he said, conveyed God’s love for animals. They spoke at least once a week for several months and still speak today.

 

« I can’t put into words the impact that Chaplain Matty had in helping me work through the grief, the loss, of Duffy, » Keys told RNS.

 

In recent years, Giuliano’s animal chaplaincy has taken an unexpected turn. Though he long considered himself a « traditional dog and cat guy, » in August 2018 at the SPCA’s annual « clear the shelter » event, he met and adopted a ferret he named Musky. Giuliano has since published two children’s books, « My Name is Musky, » and « Stubby’s Story, » after his second ferret. The proceeds are donated to animal welfare causes.

 

« It became a huge success in the ferret world, because there aren’t any ferret children’s books, » said Giuliano. « Cats, dogs, bunnies? Absolutely. Ferrets? None. So Musky ended up creating a social media ferret empire. Musky has over 10K followers on Facebook. »

 

Every day, Giuliano drafts posts detailing the antics of his pet ferrets. And to his surprise, doing so has become an extension of his ministry — people from across the country message him to share about their struggles and their appreciation brought by the page, which has become an online community.

 

In 2022, the New Jersey state Senate passed a resolution honoring Musky the Ferret. New Jersey Sen. Vin Gopal, who has worked with Giuliano on animal welfare legislation, told RNS he initiated the resolution to « recognize all the great work (Giuliano) was doing to protect ferrets and other animals. » Giuliano is currently partnering with Gopal and Sen. Michael L. Testa Jr. to pass a resolution that would mandate all animal testing facilities in the state make cats, dogs and ferrets used for testing or research available for adoption.

 

Giuliano says the principles of St. Francis — poverty, chastity and obedience — continue to guide his work and life, even amid personal hardship. Musky died in 2022 and it was devastating, Giuliano said, but he was also comforted by the condolences he received from around the world. People attended Musky’s funeral from as far away as Chicago.

 

« It’s been a remarkable journey, » said Giuliano. « I feel that it’s my connection with St. Francis that’s allowed me to do all that I’ve been able to do for the animal welfare world. »

The head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church has responded to a « devastating » strike by Russia on civilians in a northern Ukrainian city.

At least 17 were killed and 61 wounded when three Russian missiles slammed into the center of Chernihiv, located some 95 miles from Kyiv, during the morning of April 17.

The buildings struck in the attack included an eight-floor apartment building, a hospital and an education facility — targets banned by international humanitarian law, which specifies that attacks may not be directed against civilian objects.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the casualties point to his nation’s dire need for Western military aid, a major portion of which has been stalled in the U.S. Congress due to political gridlock, partisan infighting and openly anti-Ukrainian sentiment.

In a brief April 17 statement posted to Facebook, Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk said the losses at Chernihiv were « tragic. »

« In this challenging time, we pray for the souls of those killed and extend our heartfelt condolences to their families, » he wrote. « We also ask the all-merciful Lord for the healing of the injured! »

Later the same day, Shevchuk addressed participants at the International Ecumenical Conference in Lviv, the theme of which was « Overcoming together the horrors of war: The experience of post-Yugoslav states and Ukraine. » The gathering was organized by the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church’s Commission for Interfaith and Interreligious Relations and the Institute for Ecumenical Studies at Ukrainian Catholic University.

Speaking by video link from Kyiv, the archbishop said that « war is always a tragedy and a crime, especially when someone conducts it under the guise of God. Then this war turns into blasphemy. »

Patriarch Kirill, head of the Russian Orthodox Church, has openly blessed and encouraged Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, saying in a September 2022 sermon that those who die fighting with the Russian military will see their sins washed away.

The invasion, which continues attacks initiated in 2014 with the annexation of Crimea and the backing of military separatists in Ukraine’s Luhansk and Donetsk provinces, has been declared a genocide in two joint reports from the New Lines Institute and the Raoul Wallenberg Center for Human Rights. Ukraine has reported more than 129,842 war crimes committed by Russia to date in Ukraine since February 2022.

The International Criminal Court has to date issued four arrest warrants against Russian officials, including two for Russian President Vladimir Putin and his commissioner for children’s rights, Maria Lvova-Belova, for the unlawful deportation and transfer of at least 19,546 children from occupied areas of Ukraine to the Russian Federation.

« We believe in victory not only over the Russian aggressor, but over the war itself, over the reasons that led to this war in the post-Soviet space, » said Shevchuk in his conference address.

The churches of Ukraine, along with those of the Balkan countries, have been tasked with a special mission to heal the wounds of war, which is « impossible » to do « without Christian understanding, » he told conference participants.

« We understand that we need to heal not ideas, but hearts. And this is a process that we Christians consider impossible without the power and grace of the Holy Spirit. Because the Holy Spirit is the divine power of love, which eliminates hatred, » said Shevchuk. « May the Lord God bless us, may this conference bear worthy fruits, may the suffering stop, may peace and grace have the last and most important word between us today. »

Pope Francis and his international Council of Cardinals continued their discussions about the role of women in the church, listening to women experts, including a professor who spoke about how culture impacts women’s roles and status.

The pope and the nine-member Council of Cardinals invited women, including an Anglican bishop, to make presentations at their meetings in December and in February as well.

The council met April 15-16 in the Domus Sanctae Marthae, the pope’s residence, the Vatican press office said.

On the first day, Sister Regina da Costa Pedro, a member of the Missionary Sisters of the Immaculate and director of the Pontifical Mission Societies of Brazil, shared « concrete stories and the thoughts of some Brazilian women, » the press office said.

Stella Morra, a professor of theology at Rome’s Pontifical Gregorian University, « examined the role cultures have in the recognition of the role of women in different parts of the world, » the press office said.

A priest and two women made presentations at the council’s December meeting and published their papers in Italian in a book with a foreword by Francis, « Smaschilizzare La Chiesa? » (« De-masculinize the Church?).

During the preparation for the synod on synodality and during its first assembly in October, the pope wrote in the foreword, « We realized that we have not listened enough to the voice of women in the church and that the church still has a lot to learn. »

« It is necessary to listen to each other to ‘de-masculinize’ the church because the church is a communion of men and women who share the same faith and the same baptismal dignity, » he wrote.

At the February meeting, the pope and cardinals heard from: Bishop Jo Bailey Wells, deputy secretary-general of the Anglican Communion; Salesian Sister Linda Pocher, a professor of Christology and Mariology at Rome’s Pontifical Faculty of Educational Sciences « Auxilium »; and Giuliva Di Berardino, a consecrated virgin and liturgist from the Diocese of Verona, Italy.

Bailey Wells said she was invited to « describe the Anglican journey in regard to the ordination of women, both in the Church of England and across the (Anglican) Communion. »

At the April meeting, the Vatican said, the second day began with a report about the ongoing Synod of Bishops on synodality by Cardinal Mario Grech, secretary-general of the Synod of Bishops, and Msgr. Piero Coda, secretary general of the International Theological Commission.

The meeting concluded « with reports from each cardinal on the social, political and ecclesial situation in his home region, » the press office said.

« Throughout the session there were references — and on several occasions prayer — dedicated to the scenarios of war and conflict being experienced in so many places around the world, particularly in the Middle East and in Ukraine, » the statement said.

« The cardinals — and with them the pope — expressed concern about what is taking place and their hope for an increase in efforts to identify paths of negotiation and peace, » it said.

The council will meet again in June.

The members of the council are: Cardinals Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state; Seán P. O’Malley of Boston; Sérgio da Rocha of São Salvador da Bahia, Brazil; Oswald Gracias of Mumbai, India; Fernando Vérgez Alzaga, president of the commission governing Vatican City State; Jean-Claude Hollerich of Luxembourg; Gérald C. Lacroix of Québec; Juan José Omella Omella of Barcelona; and Fridolin Ambongo Besungu of Kinshasa, Congo. Bishop Marco Mellino serves as the council’s secretary.

After an early morning fire April 4 reportedly set by a resident damaged the sanctuary of Our Lady of the Lake Church in Verona, the church could reopen its doors for Mass the weekend of April 20-21, said Father Peter G. Wehrle, pastor.

On April 4, Elliot Bennett, 42, allegedly broke into the church using a crowbar and set fire to about 10 pews, statues of Mary and Joseph, and the altar, according to police reports. Bennett turned himself into the Verona police station just hours after the incident admitting to the crime, and faces nine charges including burglary, arson, weapons and bias intimidation, according to the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office.

Fire alarms alerted the fire department, which quickly extinguished the fire. In a Facebook announcement to the community on April 4, Wehrle, said the fire did not damage the structure of the church, which was built in 1964 to replace a smaller church and accommodate a then-burgeoning parish.

« Fortunately, the structure appears to be sound, but the church is heavily damaged, » he wrote. « However, we are grateful that no one was injured. … Faith teaches us that we are all created in the image and likeness of God and that we must ask him to help guide everyone into the way of his peace. »

Wehrle said a restoration company was brought in to clean up the soot. The pipe organ and pews were scheduled to be assessed by professionals. The statues, the kneelers in front of them and altar linens were destroyed.

« Unfortunately, the church is heavily damaged, and the parish community is heartbroken, » the Archdiocese of Newark said in a statement. « However, we have faith that we will get through this difficult time and request the community to keep those affected in their prayers. »

Rabbi Robert Tobin of B’nai Shalom in West Orange comforted Father Wehrle as he assessed the damage from the fire. Pastor Anthony Giordano of the Calvary Lutheran Church, which is located around the block from Our Lady of the Lake, also offered the parish community his church.

« Sanctuaries are supposed to be a place of peace, » he said, adding that the fire was « devastating to someone like myself who treasures all houses of worship. »

Just hours before the fire, Muslims, Jews and Christians joined together at an Iftar dinner held in town. Wehrle said faith leaders discussed the shared values of their faiths including the importance of fasting.

« We have received an outpouring of support from various houses of worship and individuals and by the grace of God, we will work together to help instill a sense of peace in our community, » Wehrle said.

« Unfortunately, this isn’t the first time Elliot has caused damage at our church, » Wehrle told Jersey Catholic, Newark’s archdiocesan news outlet. Bennett was arrested last year after he admitted to defacing a statue of Jesus outside the church, police said. In 2018, he was arrested after he smashed statues of Jesus, St. John and the Blessed Mary, saying people should not « worship false idols made from stone, » according to police.

Although the items around the church sustained damage, the fire did not damage the faith of the 2,700 parishioners, many of whom attended last weekend’s Masses relocated to the neighboring school auditorium.

During Mass on April 7, Wehrle asked for prayers for Elliot and his family while calling for a reconsideration of how we approach mental illness.

« We need to be helping him and praying for him and his family, » Father Wehrle said in his homily.

The church had just celebrated a joyous Easter season. Newark Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin celebrated Palm Sunday at Our Lady of the Lake on Palm Sunday, March 24. Father Wehrle said over 2,000 of the faithful attended Easter Masses. The church is also celebrating its centennial this year.

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has documented over 300 acts of vandalism, arson, and other destruction at parishes and other Catholic sites in the United States since 2020. These include arson and statues getting beheaded, cut, smashed, and painted. Gravestones have also been defaced with swastikas and anti-Catholic language, and American flags next to the graves have been burned.

Jesuit Father William J. Byron, known for his leadership of Jesuit institutions of higher learning and his many years of lecturing, teaching and writing on the relationship between business practices and Catholic spirituality, died at Manresa Hall, the health center of the Jesuit community at St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia April 9. He was 96.

Byron was a former president of the University of Scranton in Pennsylvania, 1975-1982, and The Catholic University of America in Washington, 1982-1992. He spent a year as acting president of Loyola University New Orleans, 2003-2004, and served as president of his high school alma mater, St. Joseph’s Preparatory School in Philadelphia, 2006-2008.

His other leadership roles for the Society of Jesus included rector of the Jesuit community at Georgetown University in Washington, 1994-2000.

A funeral Mass for Byron will be celebrated April 20 at St. Matthias Church in Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania. A viewing will take place in the church at 10 a.m. followed by the Mass at 11 a.m.

Jesuit Father Joseph Marina, current president of the University of Scranton, said Byron « will be greatly missed. »

« As I walked into his room at the Jesuit infirmary, Father Byron was sitting up in his chair, alert but struggling, » Marina said in an April 9 message to the university community. « He managed to ask if I was the president at Scranton now. When I nodded yes, he said, ‘Take good care of it.' »

« Father Byron is among those who have given greatly to build a solid foundation for our mission and success at Scranton on which we continue to flourish to this very day, » Marina added.

During his tenure at Scranton, among other things, Byron launched a multimillion-dollar capital campaign for the school. Also, a new undergraduate college, the School of Management, was created, along with new programs including nursing and physical therapy.

After serving as Scranton’s 21st president, Byron became the first member of a religious order to be named president of The Catholic University of America in Washington. He was the school’s 12th president.

« Father Byron was an exceptional leader in Catholic higher education, » Catholic University’s current president, Peter Kilpatrick, said in an April 9 message to the university community. « Father Byron was known for being an inspiring intellectual who had an ability to connect powerfully with people and with ideas. Alumni remember him fondly for his close relationships with students, and for his leadership. »

He tripled the university’s endowment while fundraising the first $50 million that went toward the construction of more undergraduate housing, the Columbus School of Law building and the Pryzbyla Center, a venue at the heart of the campus for concerts, live stage performances, public forums and lectures.

After helming the nation’s only papally chartered university, he became a professor at Jesuit-run Georgetown University in Washington. At the same time he was rector of the Jesuit community at Georgetown and director of the university’s Center of Advanced Study of Ethics. He then was pastor for three years at nearby Holy Trinity Church, 2000 to 2003. Next, he was acting president at Loyola University New Orleans, followed by two years as a professor of economics at Loyola Maryland in Baltimore, 2004 to 2006, the year he became president of St. Joseph’s Prep.

Before retiring from academia in 2009, Byron taught a graduate course in the Haub School of Business at St. Joseph’s University. In his later years, he continued writing and publishing. In 2019, he moved to Manresa Hall at St. Joseph’s University, « where he enjoyed visits with students and never missed an opportunity to sing the St. Joseph’s prep fight song, » said a news release from the Jesuits’ USA East Province, based in New York.

Whether he was serving « as an administrator, professor or parish priest, » Byron « always made a concerted effort to build up community with his Jesuit brothers in unassuming ways and to promote the apostolates of the Society of Jesus with a discerning, generous, and upbeat spirit, » the province said in a statement.

Byron was the author of more than 20 books and dozens of articles. In 2001, he became a regular columnist for Catholic News Service. The biweekly column, titled « Looking Around, » covered current issues. He wrote his last column, which ran April 18, 2017, as a « fond farewell » to « those who have enjoyed my writing over the years. »

« Writing a column is like putting a note in a bottle and tossing it into the river so it can float down and across the bay and out into the ocean. You never know whose shore it will wash up on, » he said, noting that the latest of his many books, « Growing Old Gratefully, » would be published later that year by Paulist Press.

« Old age is a gift, » he said. « I can attest to that, so why not welcome it with gratitude? »

A Pittsburgh native who grew up in Philadelphia, William James Byron was born May 25, 1927. His father, a physician, died when Bill was 1, and his mother moved with him and his older brother, Harold, to Philadelphia’s East Germantown neighborhood. Both boys graduated from St. Joseph’s Preparatory School.

After Bill turned 18, he registered for the draft and subsequently spent 17 weeks in the Army’s basic training camp near Macon, Georgia, but was never deployed overseas. After the war, he went to Germany as part of the Army of Occupation, where he joined the 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 82nd Airborne Division. He finished his tour of duty there in November 1946 and returned to Philadelphia.

He joined the Jesuit order in 1950 and was ordained a priest in 1961 by Archbishop Francis P. Keough of Baltimore. He held degrees in philosophy and economics from St. Louis University, two theology degrees from Woodstock College and a doctorate in economics from the University of Maryland. Over his lifetime, he received 30 honorary degrees.

Byron’s career as an administrator began in October 1969 as an associate professor and rector of the Jesuit community at the now-closed Woodstock College, the Jesuit seminary in New York. It was relocated to New York from Baltimore in 1969 and closed in 1974.

He served on a number of boards for Catholic entities including the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities and the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities, which in 1999 bestowed on him its Theodore M. Hesburgh Award for his contributions over the years to the advancement of Catholic higher education. He was a founding director and chairman of Bread for the World, a Christian lobby group that fights hunger.

In The Catholic Church and the Struggle for Racial Justice: A Prophetic Call, Mathew Kappadakunnel offers a unique perspective as a first-generation American of South Indian descent, who is a member of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church. 

As a brown-skinned son of immigrants, Kappadakunnel once assumed his « place in society was that of an outsider, » but he also admits there was a time when he looked down on people who crossed the Mexican border without documentation for not immigrating legally, like his parents. It was only when he spent time on the Mexican side of Nogales with a Catholic initiative called El Comedor that Kappadakunnel experienced a conversion of heart and mind. There, he encountered people — God’s people — who were « desperate, trying to escape treacherous circumstances that threatened their lives, their safety, and their families, » and he was filled with compassion and understanding for their plight. 

Likewise, it wasn’t until the death of George Floyd in 2020 that Kappadakunnel felt called to speak out against anti-Black racism. For most of his life he assumed the role of the « model minority, » which meant he would « fall in line with American society » and align with « white American beliefs and values. » For him, « recognizing and challenging racism in both society and the Church » were considered taboo. 

Kappadakunnel describes his former belief that social justice was the responsibility of nonprofit organizations, while his vocation was prayer and leading people to Jesus. Then during the pandemic, after watching a video that showed a police officer callously murder Floyd, Kappadakunnel realized that he was not living in a post-racial society. He knew he had to speak out against racial injustice. Written in a prophetic voice, The Catholic Church and the Struggle for Racial Justice is Kappadakunnel’s forceful and compelling plea for all Catholics still asleep to wake up.

Kappadakunnel also gets personal. He relays how the Eurocentric teachings of St. Francis Xavier, a Spanish Jesuit missionary who arrived in Goa, India, in 1540, led him to internalize harmful, negative views of fellow Indian people. Though Xavier is still revered by many Indians today, in the 16th century he wrote about Goan people in ways that can only be described as racist.

For example, in The Letters and Instructions of Francis Xavier, Xavier wrote that Indians made for poor vocations due to their lack of commitment — both to the order and to celibacy. Xavier also made more explicitly colorist condemnations of Goans’ skin color writing: « [Indians] being black themselves, consider their own color the best, they believe that their gods are black … the great majority of their idols are as black as black can be … and seem to be as dirty as they are ugly and horrible to look at. » 

Kappadakunnel humbly repents of his past view of himself as superior to Indian people since he was American born. His honesty may resonate with Catholic readers who hold their own internal bias and spur them to an examination of conscience.

Aside from his personal story of conversion and spiritual awakening, Kappadakunnel’s book is a clarion call urging all Catholics to work toward racial and social justice. It convincingly makes the case that the Catholic Church is not only universal and therefore multicultural, but that her diversity is one of the reasons the church was able to spread to all corners of the world and last until today. Racism and discrimination, therefore, are clear contradictions to Catholicism and God’s kingdom. 

After making the case for why racism is incongruous with Catholicism, Kappadakunnel critically examines the U.S. Catholic Conference of Bishops’ writings and actions on the topic of racism. He delves into the world of prominent, wealthy conservative donors that are heavily influencing the direction of the Catholic faith. When he discusses the Napa Institute’s annual conference at Timothy Busch’s Meritage Resort and Spa in Napa Valley — an event with registration that costs nearly $2,000 and nightly rates over $500 — Kappadakunnel states, « Based on the criteria of this conference, Jesus would not have been welcomed, since his message encompassed inviting ‘the poor, the crippled, the lame and the blind’ to the banquet (Luke 14:13), none of whom would be able to attend … »

My biggest critique of the book involves the repeated references to working with the Black Lives Matter Global Network (BLMGN), which has in many respects fallen from grace and lost much public support. Black Lives Matter Grassroots organizations, a collective of community groups across the country, sued BLMGN, claiming had fundraised off the work of the chapters, but mismanaged the funds and had shut local chapters out of decision making and profits. The lawsuit was dismissed, However, while Black Lives Matter as a global network has diminished in power and efficacy, the truth that Black Lives Matter and the convictions behind the statement still remain true and relevant today. 

Overall, I commend Kappadakunnel for his book and believe it would be beneficial for Catholics to read. 

I will be 80 years old in June. As a young child in the Methodist Church, I was certain I was called to ordained ministry. At Duke University, I majored in religious studies and then served as pastoral assistant and director of religious education in a small church in upstate New York. Then, in the summer of 1967, I went to Tucson to study creative movement expression education at the Tucson Creative Dance Center.

Now, where would I go to church? There was time and opportunity to explore.

I visited the Methodists, the Presbyterians and the Lutherans, but no particular place beckoned. I had already ruled out the Catholic church — but then the maintenance man at the dance center convinced me to give it a try. « Go to a 6 a.m. Mass. You’ll still have time to go somewhere else after that. » 

I snuck into a back pew at 5:45 and knelt down, unprepared for what was to follow. The priest appeared, looking like he had just rolled out of bed, kissed the altar, mumbled, « The Lord be with you, » and then snorted and wiped his nose across the sleeve of his alb! 

What immediately went through my mind was, « These people are not here for this man, They must be here for … God! »

Laugh if you will, but I knew at that moment I would become a Catholic. What about my call to ordination? No worries. It was 1968. Vatican II. Change was in the air. All I had to do was be patient. Ordination of women was just around the corner.

A few years later, I was a full-fledged Catholic. I worked at a parish school for more than 15 years, first as a teacher and then as a liturgist. When it came time for a change, I took a year off to write and live under private religious vows, supplementing my savings with part time jobs.

Over the years, I earned a master’s in pastoral ministry from the University of San Francisco, along with certificates in spiritual direction and therapeutic harp work. 

I then went to work for 15 years as a certified music practitioner, playing my harp at the bedside of patients at a hospice inpatient unit. It was a « holy ground » experience. The unit felt like a church, and the patients like beloved parishioners.

The hospice was looking to increase its number of chaplains, so I enrolled in the ordination program at the New Seminary for Interfaith Studies, a two-year, low residency program in New York City. There were three women in the accelerated program — all three of us Catholic! All denied ordination by our own church, nevertheless grateful for this path to ordination as interfaith ministers.

After retirement from hospice, and until COVID-19 shut everything down, I volunteered weekly as a chaplain and bedside harpist at a Tucson hospital. 

Now I write for the Keeping the Faith section of the Sunday edition of the Arizona Daily Star, drawing on the many years of work for the Catholic church and the broader Christian community.

I have no complaints. But I will forever ask, « Why? » Why couldn’t I be ordained by my own church for service in hospice, hospital, a retreat center, the military, a women’s prison, a battered women’s shelter, a parish church?

I do not see myself as a victim of an intentionally discriminatory church, but as a keeper of the vision in an institution that has yet to deal scientifically, scripturally, theologically, morally or justly with women. 

Some women tell me that because women’s ordination may not happen in their lifetime, they cannot stay in the church. But as for me, I know this is not a matter of « my » lifetime, nor is it about « me. » It is about the call and the vision that will be realized in its time. And I have a responsibility to hold and give voice to that vision while I am able despite my accumulating years.

I cannot leave a church that feeds me liturgically and sacramentally, one that nourishes my soul with ancient wisdom and profound practices of prayer, contemplation and spiritual pilgrimage. 

I will continue to voice the vision because if I do not, I will not be the person God has created me to be. And because when a vision remains unvoiced, and a call goes unanswered, the church is poorer for it.

Today’s « growing culture of indifference and individualism » must be countered with prayer and adoration, which inspires solidarity with those in need, Pope Francis said.

Charitable efforts guided and inspired by the Catholic faith « must be continually nourished by participation in the life of the church, the reception of the sacraments, and time spent quietly before the Lord in prayer and adoration, » the pope told more than 60 members of The Papal Foundation and their families April 12.

The U.S. foundation describes itself as the only charitable organization in the United States dedicated to fulfilling the pope’s requests for the needs of the Catholic Church. Donors to the foundation, known as Stewards of St. Peter, make annual pilgrimages to Rome and have an opportunity to meet the pope.

Francis reminded the group that the pilgrimage this year is taking place during the Year of Prayer in preparation for the Holy Year 2025, and he encouraged them to « not forget to adore the Lord » in silent adoration. « We have neglected this form of prayer and we need to take it up again: adoring the Lord in silence. »

« Through our perseverance in prayer, we gradually become ‘a single heart and soul’ with both Jesus and others, which then translates into solidarity and the sharing of our daily bread, » he said, referencing a passage from the Acts of the Apostles.

The pope noted that although the donors may not personally meet the beneficiaries of their generosity, « the programs of The Papal Foundation foster a spiritual and fraternal bond with people from many different cultures, languages and regions who receive assistance. »

The foundation announced in a statement April 12 that it will dedicate $14.74 million to grants, scholarships and humanitarian aid in 2024.

Close to $10 million will be distributed to grant recipients identified by the Vatican, supporting 118 projects in more than 60 countries, the foundation said, including projects to provide for basic needs such as access to clean water; renovating schools, churches, convents and seminaries; and building health care facilities. The foundation also allocated $4 million to its Mission Fund to provide humanitarian aid and disaster relief, and it will provide $819,000 in scholarships to enable more than 100 priests, women religious and seminarians to study in Rome.

Cardinal Seán P. O’Malley of Boston, chairman of the foundation’s board of trustees, said in the statement that the generosity of The Papal Foundation’s donors prioritizes the needs of the poor and vulnerable « in a society where the divide between rich and poor continues to grow. »

In their meeting, Francis thanked the group for helping the successors of St. Peter « to build up many local churches and care for large numbers of the less fortunate. »

Cardinals O’Malley, Blase J. Cupich of Chicago and Wilton D. Gregory of Washington attended the meeting as trustees of the foundation, as well as Archbishops Samuel J. Aquila of Denver and Gregory M. Aymond of New Orleans and Bishop James Checchio of Metuchen, New Jersey.

According to the foundation’s website, it has awarded more than $200 million in grants and scholarships selected by the popes since its founding in 1988.