Monday, May 11, 2009

The Powerful Intercession of St. Joseph the Worker and Our Lady of Fatima – Lessons in Catholic Education

by Dr. Joseph Bound
Director of Catholic Education

Diocese of Green Bay

For those of us who can remember the Cold War, May Day, May 1st, was an important day in all socialist and communist countries. Military, government officials, workers, and Young Pioneers paraded through the major squares of major cities to celebrate the glories of communism and the ‘workers’ paradise’. These May Day celebrations were major productions involving precision marching to patriotic music, banner and flag waving, lines of military equipment and missiles, and floats extolling industrial might, socialist labor, communism, and solidarity with the proletariat of the world. In essence, they were celebrations of the triumph of man over God. The religious icons of the past were replaced in these celebrations by pictures of Marx, Engels, Lenin, Stalin, Mao, and other communist leaders – all atheists. Many of these former celebrations can be viewed on YouTube today.


These celebrations were not only found in Eastern Europe and Asia. Many countries in western Europe, principally France and Italy, also staged similar celebrations. In response to those celebrations of labor, in 1955 Pope Pius XII established May 1 as the Feast of St. Joseph the Worker, a date that coincided with Labor Day celebrations around the world, in democratic as well as communist countries. He did this so that Catholics would look to the example of St. Joseph as the model worker and see labor as our participation in God’s creative processes. It was the Church’s way of extolling the dignity of labor. It was also a way to counter the influence of communism throughout the world.

May is an interesting month in recent Church history. Prior to the Russian Revolution of October 1917, and the advent of the communist government in Russia, Our Lady began a series of appearances to three children in Fatima, Portugal on May 13, 1917. She warned of hell and the spreading of Russia’s errors, while promoting the necessity for prayer for the consecration and eventual conversion of Russia.

In 1952, Pope Pius XII reminded the Russian people who were suffering under communism that Mary would help them and that the errors of communism and atheism would eventually be overcome with her assistance and God’s grace. In 1984, Pope John Paul II consecrated the entire world to Mary and on December 25, 1991, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, which had included Russia, ceased to exist. A free Russian Federation was established in its place instead. Today Russia sees a revival of religious practice and freedom. Catholic and Orthodox churches are being built, seminaries are full, religion is taught in public schools, and monastic centers for men and women are being restored or established.

What does this have to do with Catholic education? I believe a lot. We are currently experiencing in western society the spread of what is called the new atheism. Popular writers in America and Europe are debunking belief in God, the soul, and the afterlife. In some cities in Europe signs have appeared on the sides of buses poking fun at the belief in God.

We should never forget that the fundamental philosophical underpinning of communism was atheism. Key principles of Communism were: that man could solve all of his problems by himself; the supreme importance of materialism; the centrality of science; and the supremacy of the state over the individual. As we look at what is happening in western society today, do we see a shift in people’s thinking in these directions? That gives us all the more reason to counter these trends through Catholic education in the love of God, in the importance and dignity of the individual, the need for God in our lives, and the importance of the soul and spirit in each person.

Through Catholic education adults and youth come to know, love, and serve God and their fellow citizens of the world. They learn how to balance science with faith, materialism with spirituality, and labor with leisure. They learn that humankind was not created to serve the state but that the state was created to protect each person’s freedom: freedom to worship God, reap the rewards of his or her labor, practice stewardship, and protect and defend one’s family and property.

During this lovely month of May let us contemplate the wonderful example of St. Joseph the Worker and Our Lady of Fatima. Through their intercession and example we can restore and strengthen belief in the dignity of labor, the power of prayer, as well as the importance of the individual and family.

Behold Your Mother -- An Irish Treasure

by Julianne Donlon, Adult Faith Formation Director for the Diocese of Green Bay

Mother’s Day was a particularly special time for my husband Wayne and I this year as we await the arrival of our first child. A strong devotion to the Blessed Mother has always been a part of our relationship; indeed we married on the Feast Day of the Blessed Mother- January 1st 2008. This devotion to Our Lady has always been a strong part of my Irish heritage and is at the deepest core of my faith. Through many centuries of persecution the Mother of God’s intercession has assisted and comforted the Catholic people of Ireland. The Irish suffered greatly for the one, true Catholic Faith, and they encountered especially bleak times in defense of their faith.

As a child, I was taught that St. Dominic was given the Rosary by the Blessed Virgin, and accepted this story of invention by divine intervention. Many years later, I learned that anecdote was only an austere version of the true story, simplified for young minds. The true origin of the Rosary is quite different, more interesting, and predates St. Dominic!

Theologians have traced the origin of the Rosary back to the ninth century, and a form of prayer that evolved in the monasteries of the early Irish church. Prayer and labor filled the days of the Irish monks, and one of the most important forms of monastic prayer was the daily chanting of the 150 psalms of David. Laypeople around the monastery would hear the psalms every day as they were sung or recited, and the beauty of this form of prayer intrigued them. They yearned to join in, but the psalms were too long to memorize, copies could not be found since printing was rare, and few knew how to read Latin anyway. The laypeople were however, determined to adapt this prayer form for their own use.

Sometime around A.D. 800, the people's desire to participate led to their reciting The Lord's Prayer in response to every psalm recited by the monks. As this form of devotion became popular, people began to carry leather pouches of 150 pebbles, in order that they might keep count of their daily prayers when they were not in hearing distance of the monastery. A thin rope with 150 knots became less of a burden and soon replaced the bag of stones. The Celtic infatuation with the number three soon saw the prayer rope evolve into a rope of 50 knots to be said three times, and this became an accepted standard.

When the Irish missionary monks began to travel and evangelize Europe they brought this form of devotion with them. In some areas, clergy and laypeople began to recite the Angelic Salutation which makes up the first part of the Hail Mary in response to the psalms. St. Peter Damien, who died in 1072, was the first to mention this form of prayer, the popularity of which led to the daily recitation of 50 Angelic Salutations on a knotted or beaded prayer string.

During the 13th century, medieval theologians began to interpret the 150 psalms as veiled mysteries about the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. They began to write a series of Psalters, or praises, in honor of Jesus for each interpretation of the psalms. In addition, 150 Psalters honoring Mary were also composed. In order to fit the existing prayer string, these Psalters were divided into groups of 50 and were referred to as "Rosariums". Although "rosarium" refers to roses and rose gardens, it was used to signify a collection of prayers which could be compared to a bouquet of roses.

With the Church's emphasis on unity, it was inevitable that a planned combination of all the prayer forms was prescribed as a standard. The first step toward that standard took place about 1365 when Henry of Kalkar, Visitator of the Carthusian Order, divided the 150 salutations into decades of 10, with an Our Father preceding each. Around 1409, another Carthusian named Dominic the Prussian, wrote a book which attached a Psalter of 50 thoughts, about the lives of Jesus and Mary, to a Rosarium of 50 Hail Marys. The division of the 50 Hail Marys into five groups of ten, or decades, with an Our Father before each, gave the modern Rosary its form, yet the evolution was not over.

In 1470, the Dominican, Alan of Rupe, founded the first Rosary Confraternity, thereby establishing the Dominican Order as the foremost missionaries of the Rosary. During the Renaissance, the medieval form of a thought for each bead was abandoned in favor of a shorter version with a thought for each of the fifteen decades. These thoughts took the form of narratives, one of the most popular sets of which was written by St, Louis de Montfort around 1700. The fifteen narratives were divided into five Joyful, five Sorrowful, and five Glorious Mysteries in the lives of Jesus and Mary, and the Rosary itself became a string of 50 beads to be prayed three times, with each time representing one of the three sets of Mysteries.

In spite of centuries of evolution and change, the Rosary's Irish origins are still evident. The number of Hail Marys in the Joyful, Sorrowful, and Glorious Mysteries still total 150 - the exact number of psalms chanted by the early Irish monks in their monasteries, and answered by the faithful Irish outside in a responsorial pattern that became today's most popular form of devotion. Pope John Paul II assured us that Mary was the first of Christ's disciples. She was the first in time, because even when she found her adolescent Son in the temple, she received from Him lessons that she kept in her heart. No only was she the first of Christ's disciples, she was the greatest. No one else had been taught by him to such depth as the Mother who lived with Him for most of His earthly years.

The Recession, Mary, Joseph, and Voices From My Childhood

Here's a thought-provoking article by Rosie Bartel, Religious Education Director for the Diocese of Green Bay:

As families and others are struggling with recent situations due to the economy, worry and fear take over our thinking. It is tempting to turn inward and take a “me first” approach to life. This attitude makes me uncomfortable and as I reflect on these issues, I was drawn to thoughts of Mary and Joseph and the voices from my Catholic grade school days. Here is what keeps coming to me:

Look at the brighter side.” Mary and Joseph did not have a place to stay on the night Jesus was born but a bright star not only helped them find a place but it showed others the way.
Life was not easy for Mary and Joseph the day Jesus was born. The government decided to take a census and everyone need to go their hometown. I am sure Mary and Joseph had a better plan for the birth of Jesus yet they had not control over the time. They definitely did not put their own needs first.

This is true in these times of struggle. Many of us had great plans for our future but many lost their jobs, move their families or just had to find a different place to call home. Every one of these situations has a bright star if we have faith like Mary and Joseph had on the night of Jesus’ birth. That bright star might be finding more time for God and family. It might be reaching out to help someone who has a worst situation. This is a time to follow bright stars.

“Share.” Growing up, each of the children in my family received a really nice gift when we made our First Eucharist. The tradition was that my parents would try to give us something we really liked. I told my teacher, Sister Gordon, about the watch I knew I would get for First Eucharist and she asked, “That is wonderful, Rosemary, but what are you giving on that day?” Sister calling me “Rosemary” meant that I better think about what she was saying and I needed to do something.

It is easy to believe there are times that are just about us, that we are the most important person in the world. It is especially easy to believe this when times are tough and we are receiving a lot of attention. Those are the times that Sister Gordon believed we should be giving to most. For many of us grocery shopping is stressful right now, but we still need to remember to put something in the bin for the food pantry on our way out of the store. We need to be just as attentive to what we give to our parish as when times were good. We should count our blessings and share with others first. Then our life will not look so troubled.

“Play Fair” Sister Euphrata was the toughest teacher I ever had. She was the one who---when boys dangled worms in the face of the girls on the playground---instructed each boy to go and get a worm. When they returned, she said in front of the whole class, “now eat them.”
When every other story is about a bailout or a Ponzi scheme, we can get the message that it is OK to cut corners, to pad an expense report, to peek at a classmate’s test, or to abuse another person’s trust because of our own fear and insecurity. While none of the boys in my class ever had to eat worms, we did understand, firsthand, the “and how would you like it?” feeling. We learned an even bigger lesson that day: When we have, in our hands, the power to diminish someone else in order to prop ourselves up, it is the bigger person who resists that temptation. Today, when we feel cheated and scared, remember that the bigger person will always “play fair”.

“Do not be afraid to ask for help.” During one of our many Catholic school processions, I fell and hurt my knee. Sister Ann Marie, who had a first aid wagon, asked me if I wanted to ride in the wagon. I said, “No thanks.” Who wants to get into a baby wagon? She asked again. I said no again. Finally she would not take no for an answer. I climbed in and, embarrassed, rode back to school in the little red wagon.

When it comes to money matters, it can be humiliating to ask for help. Just as we have to remember that the world does not revolve around us, it is equally important to recognize the times when we need and ask for help. Many of our parishes have an unemployment ministry to help members network during these tough times. Sometimes for the good of your family, you have to swallow hard and ask for help from any corner that might offer it. You will be amazed at how generous people are and how willing they are to help. Remember, Mary and Joseph had to keep asking for a place to stay.So, in these economic times, keep your faith community close to you.


Share what you can and especially during these times to play fair. There is a bright star around the corner. It might just look differently from what you thought it should be, but it will help you find your way.