Gulf Pine Catholic

Gulf Pine Catholic • August 18, 2023 7 It was wonderful to visit with the Claretian Sisters and hear about their prayer ministry and their spiritual advice ministry for the men at the Fazenda da Esperança . The Sisters are deeply in love with Jesus Christ, His Church, and the Eucharist. They participate in each of the Masses that are celebrated. Their cloister is visible enough for the men to know they have the Sisters praying for them at all times. The campus for women and children is run by another group of Sisters who work with the women and children directly. It is an apostolate of the Franciscan Sisters. There is also a group of Sisters working up the nearby mountain at the shrine who offer retreats and have their toes in the water with a day shelter. It is my deep desire to realize a successful ministry of this type running before 2027. Please join me in prayer that local civil leadership and communities will work with us to make this much needed ministry a reality. SEE BISHOP’S COLUMN IN SPANISH, PAGE 4 Bishop’s Column From page 3 “It’s still a boutique ministry hitting white America, where at least one spouse is college educated,” said Notare, whose observation has been confirmed by research. Dalton said Spanish-speaking NFP colleagues have told her that among Boston’s Spanish-speaking population, “a lot of women are just more culturally prone to get- ting long-term birth control, something often recommended by doctors who work with people in depressed financial situations.” Doctors “will recommend women have their tubes tied or have an IUD if they think they don’t want to get pregnant again,” said Dalton. Both she and Notare stressed the need for cultural sensitivity and personal encounter in offering NFP to a greater range of communities. “You have to know how to create a pastoral strategy for NFP,” said Notare. “Lead with church teaching, and fairly represent that teaching and NFP methods. People want what’s good; we just need to help them understand.” Gina Christian is a national reporter for OSV News. Follow her on Twitter at @ GinaJesseReina. NOTES: For information and resources regarding the U.S bishops’ National Natural Family Planning Week 2023, visit www.usccb.org/topics/natural-family- planning/national-nfp-awareness-week NFP Modern Science Tech From page 6 I’ve just returned from World Youth Day in Lisbon, my fourth experience of this unique gathering. I had attended the celebra- tions in Madrid (2011), Krakow (2016), and Panama (2019), but in many ways, this one was, for me, the most memorable. First, a few general remarks. I believe that World Youth Day is one of Pope John Paul II’s greatest gifts to the Catholic Church, its appeal continuing unabated some forty years after it was launched. Though naysayers have consistently predicted, or even called for, its demise, this international confab of young Catho- lics shows no signs of running out of steam. As is always the case, this World Youth Day in Lisbon featured armies of kids from practically every nation on earth, simultaneously celebrating their nationalities and their common Catholic affiliation, effortlessly resolving the potential tension between those identities. And as always before, this one centered around the presence of the successor St. Peter, the visible sign of the Church’s unity. Though Pope Francis is, by any measure, an old man, he, by virtue of his office and his personal charisma, drew young people to him like a magnet. By some estimates, a million and a half people showed up for the closing Mass. I had the privilege of speaking on five separate occasions in Lisbon. My first engagement was with a huge crowd of young people from France. Because I had studied in Paris for my doctorate and hence had some facility in the language, the French bishops had asked me to address this group. When I arrived at the venue -- an expansive area near the Tagus River -- the French kids were dancing to and singing with a very energetic band onstage. Then, they were regaled by a video presentation from a very popular French footballer, who evidently lives his Catholic faith with en- thusiasm. Judging from their boisterous reaction, I gathered that they were delighted that this sports hero was on their own spiritual team. Next, I came out, clutching my prepared text more than a little nervously since I hadn’t spoken French in public for nearly thirty years. But the kids seemed able to tolerate my American accent. I spoke to them of their own marvelous spiritual heritage, expressed so richly in the great cathedrals of Amiens, Reims, Notre Dame de Paris, and Chartres, buildings that had sung so powerfully to me when I was a student in their country. And I urged them not to cave into the fashionable secularism of our age, an ideology that effectively kills the spirit. SEE WORD ON FIRE, PAGE 10 Thoughts on World Youth Day in Lisbon Word on Fire Bishop Barron