Co-Cathedral RCIA

There is a plethora of books on the market for people interested in Catholicism, though no “official” list is in existence.  Some are simply catechisms in various forms, a few are more historical, and others are personal stories.  It just depends on what a person is looking for (history, theology, conversion).  I have compiled a short list of books that I have either read for school, and/or which I have in my collection, or in the parish library.  Here is what I came up with:

Theology for Beginners – Frank Sheed.  ISBN: 0-89283-124-3

The Meaning of Tradition – Yves Congar, O.P. with foreward by Avery Cardinal Dulles+.  ISBN: 978-1-58617-021-9

The Truth of Catholicism – George Weigel.  ISBN: 0-06-093758-0

Catholic and Christian: An Explanation of Commonly Misunderstood Catholic Beliefs – Alan Schreck.  ISBN: 0-89283-181-2

Why Do Catholics Do That?: A Guide to the Teachings and Practices of the Catholic Church – Kevin O. Johnson, Ph.D.  ISBN: 0-345-39726-6

The Catholic Imagination – Fr. Andrew Greeley.  ISBN: 0-520-22085-4

Catholics and the Eucharist: A Scriptural Introduction – Stephen B. Clark.  ISBN: 1-56955-133-2

Confessions of a Catholic – Michael Novak.  ISBN: 0-8191-5023-1

It’s interesting to note that Cardinal Avery Dulles, a Cardinal who died in 2008, was also a convert.  He wrote a book “A Testimonial to Grace,” which is rare and out of print, but it is an excellent read.  He also wrote numerous other books, and was professor atFordham University.  I found my copy of A Testimonial to Grace on “Alibris” for out of print/hard to find books.  A Testimonial to Grace . New York: Sheed and Ward, 1946. Italian translation, 1959; Spanish translation, 1963.  

In addition, I would also recommend the following Catechism, based on the Catechism of the Catholic Church:

United States Catechism of Catholic Church for Adults – this is a synthesis of the Catechism and provides modern day application, stories/examples, discussion questions, prayers, for adults in the U.S.

The laws of the Church are in what we call “Canon Law,” that is, how we govern ourselves with regard to the sacraments, worship, authority, rights, responsibilities, and pastoral concerns.  We refer to this collection as the “Code of Canon Law.”

The custom of fasting before the Eucharist arose after the 3rd century and was mandated by early councils.  The Church considers fasting a means of spiritual preparation for the Eucharist and a way of showing reverence for the sacrament.  These laws were collected and in force in the 1917 code, and updated in 1964, then again in 1983.  The canon below has been in effect since 1964, but even back in 1953, Pope Pius XII had granted permission for the exception of water and medicine.  The medicine may be in solid or liquid form, and it need not be prescribed by a physician.  We should take care to keep the exceptions, truly situations of exceptions so as not to fall into the error of carelessness.  God knows our hearts and intentions.

Canon #919: 1. A person who is to receive the Most Holy Eucharist is to abstain for at least one hour before holy communion from any food and drink, except for only water and medicine. 2. A priest who celebrates the Most Holy Eucharist two or three times on the same day can take something before the second or the third celebration, even if there is less than an hour between them.  3. The elderly, infirm, and those who care for them can receive the Most Holy Eucharist even if they have eaten something within the preceding hour.

There is an encyclical (teaching document) called “Laborem Exercens” from 1981 in which the Church addresses the sanctity of work.  It calls work the “fundamental dimension of human existence on earth.”  Work has a personal, familial and communitarian dimension.  The document stresses the primacy of the subjective meaning of work over the objective; it is an activity of the human person and not a mere factor of production.  This means, work has value because people have value.  The document goes on to include the necessity of just wages, non-discrimination against women, the founding of rights to ownership/joint ownership, and the priority of labor over capital.  

Work is sharing in creation and redemption in Christ.  The fulfillment of deeds and the proclaiming of the Gospel was Jesus’ work, after he himself worked as a carpenter. It can be indeed said that he looks with love upon human work and the different forms that it takes, seeing in each one of these forms a particular facet of human being’s likeness with God, the Creator and Father.

We must be very careful to not pose work and charity against each other.  The intentional neglect of our duties toward our spouses, children, parents and other obligations is sinful.  To do so in the name of “charity” is to fail in charity itself.  Charity, coming from the Latin root word “caritas” is Love.  We love our spouses, children, and parents (and others) by providing for them a home in which they can thrive and become in turn, responsible, contributing, loving, and just citizens.  This includes paying the bills, tuition, mortgage, etc., and living within our means.  However, meeting the needs of our family does not equate into meeting all the wants, but to temper those wants with moderation.  By teaching through word and example, how we are to love others is the work of charity that everyone is called to do.  By example, we participate in those activities that are available to us in which we work to build up the dignity of others through meeting their material, spiritual, and social needs.  We are mindful at all times in how we speak of, treat, and think of others – in restaurants, work, church, political arena, etc.  This is the work of charity.

It may be that a parent is truly called to a particular type of charity work, such as missions, but this work must be weighed with his/her responsibilities to any dependents they care for, and so they have to organize and prioritize in order to carry out their responsibilities in a loving, responsible manner while carrying out this special vocation.  Abandonment of one’s responsibilities is not an option.  However, if one either has limited dependents/or none, and engaging in full time charitable work is not going to negate their responsibilities or they somehow have the means to responsibly support themselves than they should be encouraged to do so.

Charity is from the heart; it can be spontaneous at times, but it is always intentional.  Charity is an attitude that comes out in everything we do, say, or think.  We can be intentionally loving of others, particularly the poor, through a variety of ways, without abandoning our responsibilities.

Yes, St. Mary Cathedral Basilica in Galveston is the other Co-Cathedral (and original cathedral) for the archdiocese.

www.marycath.org

Abstaining from meat on Fridays is a sacrifice that the whole Church engages in, as a means of denying ourselves for the sake of holiness and incorporation into the sacred mystery of Christ’s passion.  There is nothing in the writings or teachings of the Church that stipulates what Catholics should replace the meatless meal with, so the comment made by your friend is inaccurate in that regard.  

One though can see how the fish industry benefits during this time in the United States because so many Catholics do eat more fish during Lent, but that’s an outcome, not the goal or intention.  It is a common practice for Catholics to eat fish on Fridays in the United States, but in other countries, obtaining fish is a hardship of expense & availability.  

The point is to grow in holiness through a small act of self-denial.  A person might abstain from meat, but if they replace that meat with a plentiful, fancy seafood dinner then the penitential spirit of the abstinence has been missed.  

I urge you to go online to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops to read more about Lent, and the disciplinary practices we engage in for the sake of holiness.  The website is: http://www.nccbuscc.org/lent/

In our parish bulletin pages about Lent, you can also find the teaching about abstinence from meat:

Canon 1251:

Abstinence binds all persons who have completed their 14th birthday, unless prevented by poor health.  On days of abstinence during Lent, the consumption of meat of mammals or fowl is not allowed.  The Church strongly encourages the observance of Friday abstinence throughout the year, but failure to do so is not regarded as sinful. Nevertheless, pastors of souls and parents are to take care that minors not bound by the law of fast and abstinence are also educated in a genuine sense of penance. (Canon 1252)  

See http://www.nccbuscc.org/prolife/programs/rlp/98rlphaa.shtml In 1987 the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith issued a document known as Donum Vitae (“The Gift of Life”), which addressed the morality of many modern fertility procedures.  This document acknowledges the burden that infertility has on married couples, citing even back from Old Testament times.  Donum Vitae pointed out that people can do harm to themselves and others even as they try to do what is good, that is, overcome infertility.  Many of these technological advances are not regulated by the government, and may have profound harmful effects on the lives of the woman and man, as well as the offspring.  The couple will be faced with moral decisions that they are not forewarned about such as with fertility drugs which can result in their conceiving four, five or six children at once, risking their own health and the health of their children. Some have several eggs fertilized in vitro (in a glass dish) without realizing that this may lead to the destruction of these embryos or their being frozen for later experimental use.  It’s a slippery slope; and one that has to be very carefully considered.  

Essentially, the Church teaches in Donum Vitae that if a given medical intervention helps or assists the marriage act to achieve pregnancy, it may be considered moral; if the intervention replaces the marriage act in order to engender life, it is not moral. Even with those methods that assist the marital act, the couple needs to acquire as much information as possible on all the risks and possibilities before making a decision.  

In a teaching tool called “Catholic Update” there is a story of one woman who had been on the pill since she was a teenager to overcome her irregular cycles.  Once she and fiancé learned about Natural Family Planning, she got off the pill and took Clomid as part of the treatment for her irregularity.  Once they were married, she was able to conceive twins, and then another baby after that.  You can learn more about Natural Family Planning or the Creighton Model from the Archdiocesan Family Life Office.  Read http://www.americancatholic.org/Newsletters/CU/ac0707.asp for the complete story.  This is an example of a couple making a moral choice using a fertility drug, learning about the woman’s particular reproductive health, and combining it with a natural method to achieve pregnancy.    

The short answer is “Yes; the Church through its funeral rites commends the dead to God’s merciful love and pleads for the forgiveness of their sins (Order of Christian Funerals, #6).”

Background: At one time, society and the Church did not have a favorable view of those who committed suicide because there was so little medical and/or psychological understanding of the mind and what makes people “choose” to do things. The truth is that even today we do not understand fully the complexities of the mind and what leads people to commit suicide.  But with a greater appreciation of science and medicine, the Church recognizes as in CCC #2282 that there are certain realities that can diminish the responsibility of the one committing suicide.  It also states if suicide is committed with the intention of setting an example, especially to the young, it also takes on the gravity of scandal, and that voluntary co-operation in suicide is contrary to the moral law.

Finally, #2283 in the Catechism states that “we must not despair of the eternal salvation of persons who have taken their own lives.” Therefore, to deny the Catholic of this final commendation would be to deny our belief in God’s mercy, and that he is a God of the living.  Therefore, the Church must pray for the deceased and comfort those who are grieving, regardless of how a person died or the circumstances surrounding their life.  

Comfort to the grieving: Again, this is also a time in which the Church through her clergy and lay ministers attend to the needs of the grieving. The Order of Christian Funerals #4 states: The Church also ministers to the sorrowing and consoles them in the funeral rites with the comforting word of God and the Sacrament of the Eucharist.” #27 states “Through the homily members of the family and community should receive consolation and strength to face the death of one of their members with a hope nourished by the saving word of God.”  In essence, the Church should speak to the living, reminding them of God’s graces that will enable them to carry the cross of mourning, to find hope in the midst of confusing and painful deaths.

See Catholic Catechism, article #954-962

In order to better understand this practice, one needs to really understand what the Church means by “communion of saints.”  For Catholics, “communion” is extremely important – it is something uniquely sets us apart from other Christian churches.  Lumen Gentium, a document that came out of the 1960’s Second Vatican Council, says this: “All of us, however, in varying degrees and in different ways share in the same charity towards God and our neighbors, and we all sing the one hymn of glory to our God.  All, indeed, who are of Christ and who have his Spirit form one Church and in Christ cleave together.”

Simply stated, we believe that we are intrinsically connected to one another and that what affects one member has an effect on the whole body.  If one member has a need, suffering, joyful, or sorrowful, the whole community is affected and joins that member in their prayers.  This connection doesn’t cease when a person dies, or if they move to another location, are homebound, etc.  Indeed, they are mystically connected and join in the Church’s unending song of praise.  St. Therese of Liseux understood this very well when she said “I want to spend my heaven in doing good on earth.”  St. Dominic, on his deathbed said “Do not weep, for I shall be more useful to you after my death and I shall help you then more effectively than during my life.”   Even in heaven, the blessed are concerned for the needs of the earthly church and seek to assist their brothers and sisters in Christ. 

Here are some basic facts about praying:

1. Catholics pray to Jesus directly all the time; there is nothing in our teaching that says we may not pray directly to Jesus.  We fully believe that Jesus hears and answers our prayers.  The tradition of praying to Mary and/or praying to the saints in no way diminishes or negates our ability to pray to Jesus directly.  There are simply times when we feel a need or desire to pray to Mary or one of the saints.  Sometimes it is fitting, such as a saint’s feast day or a cause that was known to be close to their heart while they were on earth.  Neither Mary nor the saints answer on their own accord; they take our prayers to God, asking on our behalf as a good that they desire for us.  Again, none of this negates our ability to pray to God directly.

Praying to the saints has its roots in Scripture and Tradition.  We believe that Mary, and the Saints act not by their own powers, but intercede for us to God.  All power is given from God alone, for his glory, for his purpose.  A true saint would not want the glory to themselves; in their goodness, they would want all glory to go to God.  Yet, intercessory prayer to the saints isn’t just in reference to the saints in heaven, but the saints here on earth with us now.  The concern that binds the community is empathy; actually placing ourselves in the needs and joys of others.  Compassion means “to suffer with.”   When we ask a friend or family member to pray for us/or with us, we are asking them to take part in our need.  It isn’t that one cannot pray on their own, although at times a person may not be able to do so, but more that the communal reality of sharing the whole of our human experience is occurring.

2. Intercessory prayer can include praying to the Saints in heaven and the saints on earth (our friends & family).  Below are a few examples from Scripture:

Rev 5, 8; 8, 4: “The twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, having … golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints…and with the prayers of the saints there went up before God from the angel’s hand the smoke of the incense.”

Gn 18:20-32: Abraham begs God to spare Sodom and Gomorrah if a few good people live there.

Gn 17:1-14: God makes a covenant with Abraham, and includes all his tribe in the covenant.

Rom 14:7-9: We live and die in community, and Jesus is Lord of the living and the dead.

Rom 15:30-32: Paul asks the Roman Christians to pray in love for his deliverance from threats

Jas: 5:16-20: Pray for each other; the prayer of a holy person is especially effective; …we save our own souls as well and atone for sins.

Acts 7:60: As Stephen is being stoned to death, he cries out, “Lord, do not hold this against them (his assailants)” and falls asleep.

Catechism #2635: “Since Abraham, intercession – asking on behalf of another – has been characteristic of a heart attuned to God’s mercy.  In the age of the Church, Christian intercession participates in Christ’s, as an expression of the communion of saints.  In intercession, he who prays looks “not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others,” even to the point of praying for those who do him harm.

3.  See Catechism # 964-975:  The difference between praying to Mary and praying to Jesus is that Mary is an intercessor on our behalf, but a very special one who is worthy of a certain kind of devotion.  We honor her with the title “Mother of God.”.  We believe that her prayers on our behalf are very powerful, yet she herself does not claim or possess the power to grant our requests.  We pray to Mary to ask for her motherly guidance in our lives, since she is the Mother of the Church (the Body of Christ).  We praise her for her “fiat” (yes!), for her humility, trust, love, and goodness.  This is praise that is fitting for her role.  We express our love to her as our Mother.  The Catechism states “This very special devotion differs essentially from the adoration which is given to the incarnate Word and equally to the Father and the Holy Spirit, and greatly fosters this adoration.” (#971)

When we pray to Jesus, we are asking on our own or praising/worshipping him directly.  Catholics do this regularly in the Mass and other prayers, personal and public.  It is part of our relationship with him, as our brother and savior.  He is the head of the Church; we are the body.  We must pray to Jesus!  We must be intimate with him, who loves us so much.  To Jesus we give the worship, honor, glory, and ultimate gift of our very self.  To Jesus we give our very best; all that we have, all that we are.  If we are to be Christ to the world, we must have him in our hearts and on our minds.  We cannot achieve that intimacy or authenticity without prayer.  Mary would not want us to pray to her the way we pray to her Son; it would be completely against her whole mission, which is to point the way to her son and say “do as he tells you.”

How do we balance the love for Jesus and our love for Mary, our mother?  In his providence, when he entrusted John, his beloved disciple to Mary, he entrusted us to her as well (and vice-versa).  It is one of the last loving acts he did before his final act of ultimate love.  We can never underestimate the love that Jesus had for us in the most painful moments of his life.  We look to Mary to learn how to better love him.  In the Catholic imagination, we wonder how much he must love his mother, who knew nothing about the life she was going to have as his mother, and yet, in complete trust in the Father, she simply said “yes!”  How many times did she say yes, not fully understanding or knowing what it would cost her?  We’ll never know, but Jesus does. 

To be clear, a child born to Catholic parents is not Catholic until he/she is actually baptized in the Catholic Church.  A person who is baptized as an infant or child in the Catholic Church is absolutely expected to be properly formed and educated in the Catholic faith as they mature in age.  The parents and godparents attend classes for baptism preparation, and at the baptism, the parents and godparents make a solemn promise to the Church to raise their child in the faith by first of all, instilling in them the values and practices at home of being Catholic and secondly, enrolling and taking the child in formal classes in the Church, through the parish or a Catholic school.  It is at home that the child first learns about God, prayer, Mary, Church seasons, charity, virtues, etc.    Because the child is anticipated to receive the other sacraments throughout their life, he or she receives the preparation for those sacraments in addition to ongoing “catechesis.”  This is why the Church, at her parishes has catechetical (religious instruction) for children, usually from kindergarten to twelfth grade.  We also have countless Catholic elementary, middle, and high schools that offer religious instruction in the faith within their curriculum.
 
The RCIA, which at most parishes is less than a full year, covers very briefly what a child would learn over their lifetime and at age-appropriate levels.  The adult who is brought into the church through RCIA covers in an abbreviated format, what a person would receive if they were brought up in the faith through childhood.  Additionally, since the adult would be receiving all three sacraments of initiation at one time, the RCIA also includes the necessary sacramental preparation.  It is sort of “bringing up to speed,” but more along the lines of preparing the adult to enter more fully into a new life and arming him/her with the foundation they will need to build up their new life, which includes the sacraments.  To underscore the need for lifelong formation, the Church at her parishes has an adult education program that offers various opportunities for adults to continue learning and growing in their faith.  It never ends.
 
In the early Church, the period of the catechumenate (intense prayer & study) lasted up to three years, to ensure the person really understood and could assent to the life he/she was entering.  The RCIA isn’t like initiation into a club or another denomination; it is initiation into a new way of life.  The person going through the process needs to have as much information as possible about the way of life they are entering so they can make the most informed decision they can about receiving the sacraments of initiation.
 

This is a good question.  Thank you for asking.  The teaching and belief

by the Catholic Church is that Christ is fully present in both species

(Body & Blood) of Holy Communion.  Therefore, Catholics are not required

to receive Holy Communion under both species, though they are

encouraged, whenever possible.

It is sometimes out of necessity that a person chooses to only receive

the Body of Christ, and not drink the Precious Blood, if for example,

they have a cold/cough and do not want to cause concern for others.

Some simply only desire to receive the Body, and that is fine.

Additionally, if the parish runs out of the Precious Blood, those who do

not get to receive it still receive Jesus, 100%.  It is a fuller sign

when we receive from both, but if we only receive in one form, either

out of necessity, choice, or circumstance, we still have received 100%

because Christ is fully present in both species.

A clarification on the word species: When we say species, we are

referring to the Body of Christ in the form of bread, and the Precious

Blood (of Christ) in the form of wine.  Catholics do not refer to the

consecrated hosts or wine as “bread” or “wine.”  This will be discussed

more fully in a later session on the Sacraments, under the term “Real

Presence.” 

We (Church of Galveston-Houston) don’t have a crosier from Bishop Odin - he may have taken it with him when he was transferred to New Orleans in 1861.  We don’t have a picture of him as Bishop of Galveston with his crosier.  But each bishop gets his own crosier; it’s part of the ordination, and recently, often as a gift from family.

The former Co-Cathedral building which was not originally built as a “cathedral,” but as a small parish, has suffered major structural damage.  The parish is not permitted to use this building, and unfortunately, neither the diocese nor the parish has the means to restore this beautiful and historical building.  The cardinal has not publicly announced any plans for the old Co-Cathedral, so we are not at liberty to say one way or the other.

St. Joseph Parkway, formerly known as Calhoun Street was re-named many years ago, in honor of the sisters and the hospital.

St. Joseph Medical Center (formerly St. Joseph Hospital) is a historically Catholic hospital, run by Catholic sisters and its mission operating according to Catholic moral tradition.  Since it has been sold, and is up for sale again, the buyers might not be Catholic, but the hospital will always have the tie because of its history and heritage.  The name of the hospital is under the patronage of St. Joseph, husband of Mary, miracle worker, patron saint of workers and fathers.  Countless hospitals, schools, parishes, and charitable organizations are under his patronage. 

Therefore, there is no correlation between the medical center being named for St. Joseph and the fact that we have a Shrine of St. Joseph in the Co-Cathedral.  It is the same St. Joseph, being honored in two Catholic institutions that just happen to be closely located.  Countless parishes in the world have shrines or special niches for St. Joseph. 

The old Co-Cathedral also had a special niche for St. Joseph, as well as St. Anthony.  Our retired archbishop, Joseph Anthony Fiorenza honored his two namesakes, both in the last renovation of the Old Co-Cathedral (1990), as well as in the design of the new Co-Cathedral.  It was his dream and parting gift to the parish, and to the archdiocese to build a new Co-Cathedral that could actually be used for all the various large-scale Archdiocesan worship events.  It is fitting then that both St. Joseph and St. Anthony should hold a special place. 

There are actually 12 relics of various saints under the altar, but none of them are of Juan Diego.  The 13th relic is a relic of the True Cross.  

In the official record from the Dedication, declaring what relics were included, it does not make mention of Juan Diego.  If anything had been added, it would be recorded, but perhaps as an addendum to the first record.

When discussing prayer with His disciples, Our Lord said, “Pray then like this: Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; And forgive us our debts, As we also have forgiven our debtors; And lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from evil.” (Matthew 6:9-13) A similar version is found in Luke 11:2-4. Both versions do not include the ending sentence, “For thine…”

The “For thine…” is what the Church calls the doxology (literally, “word of glory”). In the Bible, we find the Jewish practice of concluding prayers with a short, hymn-like verse which exalts the glory of God. An example similar to the doxology in question is found in David’s prayer located in 1 Chronicles:

 Therefore David blessed the LORD in the presence of all the assembly; and David said: “Blessed art thou, O LORD, the God of Israel our father, for ever and ever. Thine, O LORD, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty; for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is thine; thine is the kingdom, O LORD, and thou art exalted as head above all. Both riches and honor come from thee, and thou rulest over all. In thy hand are power and might; and in thy hand it is to make great and to give strength to all. And now we thank thee, our God, and praise thy glorious name. (1 Chronicles 29:10-13)

The doxology is missing from the earliest manuscripts of the New Testament. We find it, however, appended to the Our Father in almost all the ancient liturgies, dating back to the time of the apostles. It appears, for example, in the Didache (The Teaching of the Twelve Apostles), a manual of worship and instruction which many scholars believe was written in Antioch in A.D. 60-90.

When copying the Scriptures, Greek scribes sometimes appended the doxology onto the original Gospel text of the Our Father (probably from hearing it in mass), however, most modern texts today would omit this inclusion or relegate it to a footnote (the most common exception being the KJV, which includes it as part of the inspired text). Official “Catholic” bibles have never included this text as part of the inspired text.

Catechism of the Catholic Church:

2759 Jesus “was praying at a certain place, and when he ceased, one of his disciples said to him, ‘Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.‘“1 In response to this request the Lord entrusts to his disciples and to his Church the fundamental Christian prayer. St. Luke presents a brief text of five petitions,2 while St. Matthew gives a more developed version of seven petitions.3 The liturgical tradition of the Church has retained St. Matthew’s text:

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.