Nextweek I will be gone for a few days on retreat. Each year, a priest is required to make a retreat as part of his regular duties. This year I am heading up to a place north of the Twin Cities called the Pacem in Terris retreat center. This is a hermitage retreat center that is run by a group of third order Franciscans. A hermitage retreat is a bit different from other types of retreats that you may be more familiar with. More commonly, a retreat will have a director who will offer a number of talks on a certain topic over the course of a day or two. A more intense retreat will have individual meeting with a spiritual director in order to guide the retreatant to some spiritual end.

A hermitage retreat has none of that. When I went to this place the first time, I asked one of the Franciscans who would be my spiritual director and she responded “The Holy Spirit.” I asked her what books she would recommend I read during my retreat and she said “none of them.” I asked her if I should journal and she said, “nope.” This was unlike any other retreat I had ever been on. I was welcome to celebrate Mass with the community each day and have supper with them, but the rest of the time was to be spent in silence and contemplation.

The thing about silence is that it allows you to hear God speaking to you in a very powerful way. We can hear God speak to us at Mass, through prayer, and at retreats, but there is nothing quite like silence to really get at the root of our spiritual well-being. I found that those days spent in silence were some of the most profound in my life. I made great progress in my spiritual development on that first retreat and now I return there hoping for a similar experience. Now as for you, can you find time each day to spend in silence with God? Can you hear him speaking to you in your heart of hearts?

-Fr. Appel

Request for Special Collection to benefit the Philippine people affected by Super Typhoon Haiyan

Super Typhoon Haiyan, the equivalent of a Category 5 hurricane with sustained winds of 195 miles per hour, slammed into the Philippines on the island of Samar the evening of November 7, 2013 and hit Vietnam on Sunday, November 9.  The storm has killed an estimated 10,000 people, and local officials report approximately 9.5 million people have been affected.

Catholic Relief Services, in cooperation with partners, will provide 100,000 families with shelter, essential living supplies and clean water and sanitation.  CRS will continue to identify the most vulnerable communities that need assistance and will also be involved with energy and efforts to the long-term diocesan rebuilding efforts.

CRS desperately needs our help so that people and communities in most in need can be helped.  Cardinal Timothy Dolan, President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, has appealed to all bishops.  And so while emphasizing the importance of collections already scheduled, I am asking that all parishes consider adding a special collection to benefit Super Typhoon Haiyan relief efforts between now and Christmas.  As with previous large-scale relief requests, make the check payable to the Diocese of Davenport with ‘CRS Typhoon Relief’ on the memo line.

Thank you for your consideration and please continue to pray for those affected by the typhoon.

Sincerely in Christ,

Bishop Amos

(St. Alphonsus and St. Peter's will have a special collection on November 23-24)

Here is an article that I received the other day  in relation to Pope Francis and the Latin Mass. Some have asked me if his policy will be different from that of Benedict. The article shows that we do not expect much to change in relation to the extraordinary form of the Mass.


http://www.catholicculture.org/news/headlines/index.cfm?storyid=19632

Cardinal assures traditionalists of Pope’s support for Extraordinary Form

CWN - November 11, 2013

The former prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy has told a traditionalist group that Pope Francis has no intention of restricting access to the Extraordinary Form of the Latin liturgy.

“I met Pope Francis very recently and he told me that he has no problem with the old rite, and neither does he have any problem with lay groups and associations like yours that promote it,” Cardinal Dario Castrillon Hoyos told members of Una Voce International (FIUV), who were in Rome for a general assembly.

Responding to questions from FIUV members about tensions within the Friars of the Immaculate, the Colombian cardinal said that the Pope moved to insist on the use of the Novus Ordo in that religious community only because of internal dissension, and not because of any negative judgment on the traditional liturgy.

At its general assembly, FIUV elected a new president: James Bogle, a lawyer, author, and chairman of the Catholic Union of Great Britain. “We are very grateful to His Eminence Cardinal Castrillon Hoyos, His Eminence Cardinal Brandmüller, and to Archbishop Pozzo for taking part in our General Assembly of the International Federation Una Voce,” Bogle said in a brief statement to CWN. “We are very pleased with the way the celebration of the traditional Mass is now going worldwide. We are obviously very grateful to Benedict XVI and also our present Pope Francis for all the support that they have given us in our right to worship in the traditional Roman rite.”

All to often we read headlines about acts of violence in our nation and around the world. Reports of shootings, kidnappings, and all sorts of other attacks against the innocent make it into our homes through social media, word of mouth, and the ever-present 24 hour news cycle. The causes of these violent attacks are manifold: mental illness, political differences, religious strife, and domestic abuse, among others. It seems that even in a modern, fairly enlightened society these reports increase rather than decrease. Many people have a hard time trying to understand all of these events and how they are to be understood in the context of a Christian life.

We must understand that sin and evil often have no explanation. These are the sorts of things that go against human nature, since we are created in God's image and his law is written in our hearts. God provides us with a conscience and the ability to know the difference between good and evil from a very young age. It is only when we act against our better nature, by choice, that we allow evil to occur. This can happen in several different ways and demand a different societal response.

First, most commonly we see mental health as a contributing factor in violence. Those with mental health issues often do not receive the help they need and become isolated from effective support networks. Mental illness has the effect of preventing someone from perceiving reality as others do and thinking that violent behavior is the right way to act. Civil authorities should work hard to provide proper care facilities for those with violent tendencies and families should work to remove the stigma of mental health problems that often prevent people from pursuing professional help.

Second, political and religious discourse can lead to violent behavior when people begin to think that this is the only way for them to be heard or effect a lasting change. Instead of debating issues in the intellectual sphere, certain individuals will begin to focus their dissatisfaction on other people rather than the ideas they hold. Jesus reminds us to love each other, even our enemies. It is important to remove all "ad hominem" attacks in our discourse. These can be phrases like, "I wish that political party would just die off" or "All those religious types should be burned at the stake." It is always more productive to focus on the issues at hand rather than the people who hold them according to their own conscience and deeply held beliefs.

Finally, we all have an obligation to form our consciences according to the principles of both Natural Law and Christian ethics. Natural Law applies to all people, no matter their religious or cultural background. It is made up of principles such as the preservation of all human life; the existence of truth, beauty, and goodness; and the protection of the innocent. A Christian ethic refines these principles by looking at the human person as being beloved by God and called to a divine destiny. If our consciences are instead formed by anti-life principles, selfish aggrandizement, or violent behavior, it is no wonder that someone might see assaults and murder as a way to solve problems.

Too often we only attack the symptoms of violence, rather than the root cause. All people must work hard to build a respect for all human life and raise the level of discourse in our country so that the problems we face might be solved effectively. Let us also pray that violent hearts might be turned toward peaceful resolution

-Fr. Paul

The Theology of Doughnuts.
Each Sunday, after the morning Masses, we offer coffee and doughnuts (or other snacks) at both parishes. This is not just so father can have three breakfasts, but is offered in order to build community in our parishes. This can also be an effective tool for ministry and conversion of hearts. Let me explain.

When I was a kid, doughnuts were not offered each Sunday. We would have to look at the bulletin to determine whether or not we would have a treat after Mass. If there was a notice in the bulletin, we would run downstairs after Mass and be first in line for first pick of doughnuts out of the box. The volunteers were always friendly and the atmosphere was happy. The pastor would always walk through and say hi while the other parishioners would mingle around and get caught up on the week's happenings. This experience was a very important part of my spiritual development, because in my young mind it reaffirmed the idea that Church was a good and pleasant place to be. The sorts of things I heard about in Church were practiced and made real in the fellowship hall after the closing hymn. Because I had so many good experiences of Church, it was not a great leap for me to go from the kid who ate the doughnuts to the guy who advertises the doughnuts.

Take a minute to think about your own experience of parish life and how you present it to others. Do you make it a mere obligation, something you have to do because Father Paul says you have to? Or do you see it as an opportunity to grow in faith and share fellowship with your brothers and sisters in the Lord? Do you take advantage of the good things the parish offers, or do you lament about what you see missing? Remember that our own attitudes about the nature of religious obligation can be contagious, for good or for ill.

And remember: keep your eyes on the doughnut, not the hole.

Fr. Paul