Individuals may donate to the relief efforts through these Catholic agencies:
• Catholic Charities of Oklahoma City, catholiccharitiesok.org, 1501 N. Classen Blvd., Oklahoma City, OK 73106
• Catholic Charities of Northern Kansas, www.ccnks.org, (888) 468-6909, P.O. Box 1366, Salina, KS 67402-1366
• Knights of Columbus, www.kofc.org/relief, Knights of Columbus Charities, P.O. Box 1966, New Haven, CT 06509-1966 (write United States Disaster Relief on the check memo line)

OKLAHOMA CITY — Even after the initial death toll was cut by more than half, the human and material devastation of a string of tornadoes that buffeted areas of the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City May 19-20 was incalculable.

"Our first concern is for the victims who have lost their lives or loved ones and suffered injury or loss of property," said a May 21 statement by Archbishop Paul S. Coakley of Oklahoma City.

"We are moved by the efforts of the first responders who have put their own lives on hold to help in this time of need. We owe them a debt of gratitude and assure them of our prayers," Archbishop Coakley said.

St. Andrew the Apostle Church in Moore, an Oklahoma City suburb that bore the brunt of the EF-5 tornado that hit mid-afternoon May 20, was spared, although it had lost its telephone service in the wake of the twister. Archbishop Coakley told Catholic News Service in a May 21 telephone interview he was planning to visit the site at the conclusion of the interview, adding the church had also lost power and water.

Ordained to the priesthood in the Diocese of Wichita, Kan., Archbishop Coakley said he had been in Wichita attending to matters dealing with the estate of his recently deceased father when he got word of the first round of storms.

"I immediately returned, soon after the storms had gone through. But it was impossible to get into Moore. I-35 has been closed down," Archbishop Coakley told CNS. "It was just utter chaos there. There was a lot of debris in the roads and utter gridlock." He added the Our Lady of Guadalupe Youth Camp had suffered "some pretty severe structural damage" in the initial round of tornadoes May 19.

This is the third in a series of articles by Bishop Weisenburger on the “Five Wounds of Secularization” to be published during this “Year of Faith.”

By Bishop Edward J. Weisenburger

"They hurried away from the tomb half-overjoyed, half-fearful. … Suddenly, and without warning, Jesus stood before them and said 'Peace' (Mt 28: 8-9)."

These days it is easy to feel battered and broken by the news: school shootings, the Boston Marathon bombing, war and wounded warriors.

In 1999, shortly after the world was battered by news of the tragic murders at Columbine High School in Colorado, Archbishop Charles Chaput (then the archbishop of Denver, now of Philadelphia, but born and raised in Concordia) visited some of the students at the school. Of those conversations, he wrote in the April 21, 1999, issue of the Denver Catholic Register:

“The young Columbine students I listened to, spoke individually — one by one — of the need to be strong, to keep alive hope in the future, and to turn away from violence. Despite all their confusion and all their hurt, they would not despair. I think I understand why. We’re creatures of life. This is the way God made us: to assert life in the face of death.

“Violence is now pervasive in American society — in our homes, our schools, on our streets, in our cars as we drive home from work, in the news media, in the rhythms and lyrics of our music, in our novels, films and video games. It is so prevalent that we have become largely unconscious of it.

“The causes of this violence are many and complicated: racism, fear, selfishness. But in another, deeper sense, the cause is very simple: We’re losing God, and in losing him, we’re losing ourselves. The complete contempt for human life shown by the young killers at Columbine is not an accident, or an anomaly, or a freak flaw in our social fabric. It’s what we create when we live a contradiction. We can’t systematically kill the unborn, the infirm and the condemned prisoners among us; we can’t glorify brutality in our entertainment; we can’t market avarice and greed … and then hope that somehow our children will help build a culture of life.

“We need to change. But societies only change when families change, and families only change when individuals change. Without a conversion to humility, non-violence and selflessness in our own hearts, all our talk about ‘ending the violence’ may end as pious generalities. It is not enough to speak about reforming our society and community. We need to reform ourselves,” Archbishop Chaput wrote.

As challenging as it is to recognize the roots of violence, it may be harder to know what to do about it. Archbishop Chaput suggests that we might each begin to look at ourselves and how we treat the gift of life, a gift understood to come from God.

By Bishop Edward J. Weisenburger

Upon my arrival in the Salina Diocese, I quickly discovered that the “Stewards of Hope” pastoral plan was a key legacy initiated by my predecessor, Archbishop Paul Coakley, in collaboration with a host of priests, lay ministers and committed volunteers.

Nearly 200 laypeople have participated on “Stewards of Hope” committees throughout the diocese. They have collaborated with priests, pastoral councils, finance councils and committees within their parishes to implement the pastoral plan. The energy, talent and resulting faith that it has called forth from the people of our diocese has been a real blessing for us all.

A few weeks ago on a Saturday in mid-February, I was present for a “Stewards of Hope” meeting of parish representatives at St. Mary, Queen of Angels Church in Russell. I found there an energetic group of laypeople, priests, deacons and women religious who were anxious to reflect on the results of Year II of “Stewards of Hope” as well as plan for Year III. It was rewarding to listen to the successes, comments and suggestions from the “Stewards of Hope” committees. It also was obvious that the “Stewards of Hope” Pastoral Plan has had a positive impact on the spiritual activity and growth in our diocese over the past two years.

Clearly there are some essential connections between the “Stewards of Hope” Pastoral Plan, the “Year of Faith,” the 50th anniversary of the Second Vatican Council and the new evangelization, which was so dear to the heart of our pope emeritus. All of these call Catholics to deepen their own dependence on God’s mercy and redemption and to share with others their encounter with the person of Christ as he is present in the Church.

The “Stewards of Hope” Pastoral Plan is on a four-year schedule. Year I in 2011 laid the foundation for loving God and loving our neighbor by focusing on objectives related to the universal call to holiness, adopting stewardship as a way of life, keeping the Lord’s Day holy, and evangelization.

Year II in 2012 dealt with promoting vocations and training future priests, religious and lay leaders for the Church.

Our current year, Year III, deals with strengthening Catholic parishes through religious education, marriage and family ministry, and ministry to youth and young adults. It also touches on the defense of life and human dignity.

Year IV in 2014, the final phase, will stress the Church reaching out to the world through its ministry to ethnic groups, especially Hispanics; using modern communications media to spread the Gospel; and advocating for justice through Catholic social teaching.

One of the many blessings I have observed has been the dedication and commitment of the “Stewards of Hope” committees and the results of their efforts. But there is still much to be done. I would encourage all Catholics of our diocese to ask themselves how their parish might work to achieve the goals related to life and family this current year.

This is the second in a series of articles by Bishop Weisenburger on the “Five Wounds of Secularization” to be published during this “Year of Faith.” The first part, “Busyness: The Scourge of our Modern Time,” was published Nov. 30. An overview, “Probing the Wounds: A Different Look at the ‘Year of Faith,’ ” was printed Jan. 18.

By Bishop Edward J. Weisenburger

In looking at the “Five Wounds of Secularism,” the second of the wounds we have identified is consumerism and materialism. The sin is focusing our lives excessively on money and possessions — the passing things of this world — while sacrificing the things that last into eternity. The grace that heals the wound is found in the call to simplicity of life, sharing with others and discovering right relationship with God and neighbor.

I realize that there are a certain amount of material things that I must contend with — to consume — in order to survive as a human. But this Lenten season challenges me to consider the right balance of the material things I need and the material sacrifices I need to make. An old question that prompts me to ponder this balance more deeply is, “What do I own, and what owns me?”

When it comes to money and possessions, the example of my grandmother always comes to mind. She spent most of her life in Catharine and Hays until she moved to St. Louis in order to live with her daughter, my aunt.

There was a one-year break in her time at St. Louis, however. It was in the late 1960s that she moved to live with my immediate family, as we were spending a year in Hays while my father was in Vietnam on military assignment.

My grandmother had grown up in poverty and had lived very simply all of her life. Actually, for the last 20 years or so of her life, her possessions fit neatly in the trunk of our car, with room to spare. Moving her was never a challenge. Her possessions included some clothes, a favorite rocking chair and a huge supply of rosaries, prayer books and holy cards.

The hours of her day were divided comfortably between time with family and time spent quietly in prayer. Those were her only desires or joys. Despite the lack of possessions (quite literally in her case), there was never any air of poverty, want or need about her. She was satisfied; indeed, more than satisfied.

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, through its Committee for Pro-Life Activities and Religious Liberty, has urged bishops to recommend Friday abstinence for the people of their dioceses.

The bishops’ committee sees Friday abstinence as a spiritual effort undertaken for the sake of the protection of human life, the sanctity of marriage and religious liberty. While these are more than worthwhile reasons, I would add that abstinence is likewise an ancient Church discipline that helps free us from what might otherwise own us (and our souls). It helps to make room for the joy and hope that only God can give.

For all these reasons, I am asking that the faithful of the Diocese of Salina immediately return to this ancient practice of the Church.

There are other factors at issue here, as well. Many are unaware that the Church, after the Second Vatican Council, never changed its ancient custom of observing Fridays as penitential days. Friday abstinence was never abolished. Rather, the Church allowed bishops conferences around the world to determine whether or not Friday abstinence could be substituted with a different penance.

When the U.S. bishops conference permitted Catholics to exchange the Friday abstinence for a different form of penance, it seems that the notion of a Friday penance disappeared entirely. This was never the intention of the bishops at the Second Vatican Council. I fear that we were unwise in our rush to get rid of this ancient practice, allowing ourselves to blend in with our generally non-believing culture.

While I believe a return to Friday abstinence a true benefit for the Church, I would note that this is a strongly recommended spiritual endeavor. It is not law, and scrupulosity is to be avoided. Children in public schools, residents of nursing homes and care facilities and others without control over their diet may substitute a different form of penance on Fridays, as is already allowed by the bishops’ conference legislation. Moreover, pastors may dispense their parishioners or even their entire parish for special celebrations.