Deacon Dan Wright

Austin Has a New Bishop!

This was emailed to me this morning from the Diocese of Austin

 

AUSTIN – Habemus episcopum! (We have a bishop!)

Pope Benedict XVI has named Auxiliary Bishop Joe S. Vásquez, of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston as Bishop of the Diocese of Austin. Bishop Vásquez will be the fifth bishop of Austin and the first Mexican-American to lead the diocese.

"I wish to thank Pope Benedict XVI for the confidence he has placed in me in naming me shepherd of the Diocese of Austin," he said. "I also offer prayers of gratitude this day for Daniel Cardinal DiNardo, Archbishop Emeritus Joseph A. Fiorenza and the priests, religious and laity of the Archdiocese for forming me as a bishop. Most of all, I give thanks to God for the gift of priesthood, which has brought me such joy for 25 years. I trust in the Holy Spirit to enlighten me for this next step in my journey."

The Apostolic Nuncio to the U.S., Archbishop Pietro Sambi, made the announcement in Washington on Tuesday morning.

Bishop Vásquez, 52, was ordained as a bishop in January 2002 and has served as Galveston-Houston's auxiliary bishop since then. Since 2006, Bishop Vasquez has been the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston's Vicar General/Chancellor, overseeing the administrative operations of the largest diocese in Texas and the 11th largest diocese in the U.S. He has also served as Episcopal Vicar for Hispanics and he has been the Archdiocesan Liaison for Youth during his years in Galveston-Houston.

Bishop Vásquez was born July 9, 1957 in Stamford, Texas to Juan and Elvira Vásquez (deceased). He is the oldest child and has three brothers: Robert Vásquez, Samuel Vásquez (deceased) and James Vásquez and two sisters: Cynthia Martínez and Consuelo Elrod. He attended public schools in Stamford and Abilene and then studied theology at the University of St. Thomas in Houston from 1976 to 1980. He attended the Gregorian University, North American College, in Rome from 1980 to 1985. He was ordained a priest for the Diocese of San Angelo on June 30, 1984 by Bishop Joseph A. Fiorenza.

In the Diocese of San Angelo he served as associate pastor of St. Joseph Parish in Odessa from 1985 to 1987; as pastor of St. Joseph Parish in Fort Stockton from 1987 to 1997 and as pastor of St. Joseph Parish in San Angelo from 1997 to 2002.

The Mass of Installation will be March 8 at a yet-to-be determined location.

Bishop Vásquez succeeds Bishop Gregory Aymond who was appointed Archbishop of New Orleans by Pope Benedict XVI last year. Since that time, Msgr. W. Michael Mulvey has been leading the diocese as Administrator. On Jan. 18, Pope Benedict XVI named Msgr. Mulvey as Bishop of Corpus Christi.

The Diocese of Austin includes 127 parishes and missions in 25 Central Texas counties spread over 19,000 square miles. There are approximately 500,000 Catholics within the diocese.

Pope on Priests and the Digital Media

I was delighted today to discover that the pope is asking priests to begin making wider use of digital media such as blogs in order to evangelize. For several years now I have strongly held that the Internet provides one of the best means ever to take the gospel to the entire world.  

Electronic evagelization is something that all of us can take part in--I note the numerous blogs by Catholic laypeople and certainly the good number already in existence by priests (many fewer by deacons such as myself)--but the priest has a special call to take the gospel to all the world. Therefore, it is very encouraging to see the pope's support for priests in this area.

A number of years ago I recall hearing someone with far-reaching insight say that with the Internet we have to avoid the mistake we made with Television in terms of not using it to it's fullest potential. Of course there are notable efforts, such as EWTN and televised Masses, in existence already in terms of television, but there's room for much more.  

The pope speaks of the Church exercising a "diaconia" of culture, and of course this is something that we can all be involved in bringing about. I pray that whatever efforts I put in here on this blog will be an inspiration to all people--lay, religious, and clergy--to take a greater role in bringing the gospel to all the world. However, even more we should all pray that the media may be used to spread Christian values and culture in a world where more often than not the media serves purposes that are opposed to the gospel.

Here is a direct link to the Pope's message. 

Congratulations to Msgr. Micheal Mulvey

I learned this morning that Msgr. Michael Mulvey, the Administrator for the currently vacant Diocese of Austin, has been named as the new bishop of Corpus Christi.  Msgr. Mulvey will succeed Bishop Edmond Carmody, a native of Ireland, who was actually the new Bishop of Tyler, Texas shortly after I went through the RCIA in that diocese.

Msgr. Mulvey was part of a group of 359 priests ordained by Pope Paul VI on June 29, 1975, the Feast of Ss. Peter and Paul, which was also the 12th anniversary of Paul VI's papacy.  Interestingly it's reported that a good number of that group have gone on to become bishops.

Best wishes and congratulations to Msgr. Mulvey.  He will be missed here in Austin.  Now with even greater intensity we anticipate the naming of our new bishop...

The Lesson of Meeting Hate With Love: Reflecting on Martin Luther King Jr.

Recently a coworker asked me what I thought the significance is of celebrating Martin Luther King Jr. Day.  Too often those of us who get the day off from work—teachers, government employees, students and others—may tend not to think all that much about why we have the day away from our work, but instead we may treat it as just another day off. 

I believe it’s a mistake for us not to reflect upon and consider the significance of this holiday.  In fact, we really ought to find some way to celebrate it actively.  We ought to find some action by which we can incorporate the meaning of the holiday into our lives.  I want to offer a suggestion: we can allow Martin Luther King Jr. Day to be the occasion for a renewed commitment to making peace in our world.  In the name of Martin Luther King Jr., that is, in the name of all the good that he stood for, we can commit to a daily act of peacemaking in order for the world to be a better place for everyone, a place of true freedom and mutual respect; a place of true justice and hope.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day is about the dream that he had, and a dream for us to share.  His was a dream of peace; a dream of cooperation and equality.  Dr. King’s dream included all Americans—no, more than that.  His dream is a dream for every man, woman, and child of planet earth.  It is a dream that I find to be in keeping with everything that I’ve been taught about the true significance of living the life in Christ.  It is a dream where I see in the faces of all people my brothers and sisters, my family, and my friends.  Dr. King’s dream is a vision of a world free from oppression and hostility; free from hatred, inequality, injustice, and ignorance.  How could we not make it our own?  How could we not live it today?

The lesson that I take from Dr. King, and that I commit to live, is the lesson of meeting hate with love.  In a conversation with a friend recently I mentioned that Dr. King taught that we must meet hate with love.  I went on to say that to do so is certainly not the “natural” thing to do.  Much to the contrary, it’s natural to meet hate with repulsion, and often with aggression.  My friend told me that meeting hate with love is supernatural, and indeed to do so requires that we tap into God’s reservoir of grace.  Something I want to emphasize here is that it’s far from impossible to meet hate with love.  In fact, meeting hate with love should be the habitual Christian stance.  It’s the real way that each of us will change the world one person at a time.

Take a few moments today to consider the significance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.  Incorporate it into your prayer life if you will.  Ask God to make you a vessel of peace.  Consider today the significance of this great Christian leader who asked us to share his dream.  Consider the value of peacemaking and nonviolence as a way of bringing about a transformed world.  Moreover, reflect on the real responsibility that each of us must take to do something to make peace a reality.

Let us go forward together and always meet hate with love.  Love has the power to transform, and all who encounter true love will remain forever changed by it.

Media Reports Avatar Opposed by Church, Political Right

It's only been a couple days since I did my post on "Peace and Ecology."  In it I added my take on the film "Avatar."   Since then I’ve found ample stories on the Vatican and the political right being critical of the film.  I suppose my comments were timely.  It bothers me a little though that the media seems to be trying to portray the Vatican as being narrow-minded.  If anything the pope’s New Year’s address on peacemaking through protecting the environment should prove otherwise.   

Concerning “Avatar” I mentioned briefly in a paragraph what stood out to me in relation to my overall post, and really I'm no film critic but several things appeared clear to me. In my view of the film I mentioned that it seemed to convey a message of opposition to exploitation, though it’s not developed well.  The film also clearly has an underlying philosophy of pantheism and neo-paganism, which are not compatible with Christianity. Add to that the portrayal of the worst militaristic and capitalistic stereotypes imaginable, which are abundant and not easy to find likeable, and you end up with an overall poor view of humanity.  I'll repeat what I actually said, though if you scroll down the page to the January 11 post you can read it in context:

…as a society we tend to listen closely to what film and other media presents.  Undoubtedly "Avatar" expresses a strong theme of respect for nature, but it also has a strong underlying theme of pantheism and neo-paganism based on nature worship.  While I believe the film presents a good message on the importance of being opposed to environmental exploitation, it unfortunately plays too heavily on militaristic stereotypes, demonizes humanity, and is rather pessimistic concerning the future of the human race overall.  In the end it comes off as little more than an epic sci-fi tale of cowboys and Indians.

Now, I must add that I actually enjoyed the movie quite a bit.  In terms of exciting action it had me hanging on the edge of my seat for better than two thirds of the film.  However, I agree with much of what I've read about a lack of depth, though depth is not what gets movie goers out.  We live in a world where depth more often confuses people and they would rather get the simple version.  Frankly, film provides an excellent escape.  It has value often just in its ability to entertain and offer a momentary step back from the events of the week.

So “Avatar” doesn’t disappoint.  It has entertainment value.  It also expresses a simplistic view, one that has roused strong sentiment on both the political left and the right.  I find it interesting that those who can have their political feathers ruffled on either side don't actually need a lot of depth to get them going.  Rather, they seem to thrive on the more shallow expressions of real issues and the accompanying implications.  

I would have personally preferred that the film went into greater depth in making an anti-war message clear.  It could have done better to explore the real need for true environmental activism. It could have better explored the detrimental effects of unchecked capitalism.  It might have even gotten into a deeper exploration of the existential dilemmas of the characters.  However, it only had three hours for all of this and in some ways it did a good job of at least touching on these subjects. 

I found it interesting that the folks at beliefnet.com seem to be not too concerned with the heterodox challenges of pantheism or neo-paganism, rather they seem to feel that the obvious fictions of the science fiction presents a bigger challenge:

But while it's a given that the media outlets of the Catholic Church will, and should, take a particular theological stance on any bit of pop culture that may get reviewed in their pages or on their airwaves, I can't help but think, "Really? Neo-pagan nature worship is a real sticking point here?" What about the fact that human bodies no longer hold special significance, that human consciousness can be transferred into genetically-crafted empty vessels, Na'vi avatars, manufactured through a means of asexual, gene-manipulated reproduction, "matured" on a spacecraft and then decanted? And that's just one example. To worry about pantheism, and that a 3-D movie might inspire a little too much tree-hugging, just seems so antiquated, so very early Church, especially in a world full of poverty, war, and challenging scientific questions.

Actually, when it comes to a world of poverty, war, and challenging scientific questions, I don’t believe the Catholic Church has been silent. Clearly the Church has great concern with such issues and does so in a way that transcends the polemics of political ideology.

On Peace and Ecology

Last week in Thursday’s post I mentioned that I would like to return to comment on certain sections of the pope’s message for the celebration of the World Day of Peace.  Therefore, today I want to begin by taking a closer look at the document.  However, more than just providing my commentary on an already well-expressed message, what I would like to offer is concrete direction on how we might work to make a difference as well as just to reflect on the subject with greater depth.

The first thing I’d like to do is direct you to the website of the Catholic Climate Covenant.  On it you’ll find additional information and ways to promote and be involved in peacemaking through environmental awareness and protection.  In investigating and promoting such efforts we are following through with informing ourselves in “ecological awareness,” which “needs to be helped to develop and mature, and find fitting expression in concrete programs and initiatives.” (See section 3 of the World Day of Peace message)

In order to better understand the need to protect the environment I often turn to my own personal experience and apply it to reason.  It makes good sense to be pro-environment, but we who hold this may have come to it from different backgrounds and for different reasons.  My experience of ecology has long been one that includes the understanding that nature is sacred.  I believe that my realization of this fact first came about at a time in my life when I began to understand and acknowledge the hand of God in all things—it came about through my experience of conversion.

As a young man growing up in east Texas I had ample opportunities to experience the power and awe of nature first hand.  I saw it as the work of God and I understood nature as a way in which God was communicating with me.  There was a connection made that I have never lost.  In the years to come I began better to understand the role of human beings as stewards of the environment.  The link that has always been clear to me is that of our having a shared responsibility for future generations.  This, of course, is what the pope means when he speaks of intergenerational solidarity. (See section 8)

It is my strong conviction that I should live in such a way that respects all living things to the highest degree possible.  I see in all created things a connection and interdependency that demands respect and greater understanding.  Furthermore, I truly do believe that respect for creation is the foundation of bringing peace to the world.

An important point to keep in mind, which is expressed in the pope’s message, is that being concerned with protecting creation, and thus bringing about peace through it, does not mean putting the environment—ideologically—above the human person.  To be an environmentalist does not necessarily entail a philosophical position of ecocentrism or biocentrism, which would make the claim that nature in itself is the highest good while ignoring the centrality of humanity as God’s creation.  Nor does it mean embracing pantheism, or even a form of neo-paganism which makes a god of nature and refuses to address the issues of planetary ecology from the viewpoint of true reason. 

I reflect on this keeping in mind that I just saw the movie Avatar this weekend, which I immensely enjoyed watching in 3-D.  What Avatar has to do with my reflection today is that as a society we tend to listen closely to what film and other media presents.  Undoubtedly Avatar expresses a strong theme of respect for nature, but it also has a strong underlying theme of pantheism and neo-paganism based on nature worship.  While I believe the film presents a good message on the importance of being opposed to environmental exploitation, it unfortunately plays too heavily on militaristic stereotypes, demonizes humanity, and is rather pessimistic concerning the future of the human race overall.  In the end it comes off as little more than an epic sci-fi tale of cowboys and Indians.

On more than one occasion in the pope’s message on the World Day of Peace he calls for sober lifestyles in response to the need to show greater respect for the environment.  This is something that all of us can consider.  I believe that we must also take on strong convictions that support legislation in favor of both protecting natural resources and making resources such as water and clean energy available to developing nations.  In our ecological sentiment we must move beyond ideas that are merely fantasy, such as those presented in science fiction, or even the unrealistic or seemingly romantic ideals associated with ecological efforts.  In multiple ways the survival of humanity depends on our ability to convince the world to stop destroying the air, water, climate and other resources on which life depends. In other words we have to get real, which I believe also means abandoning any pet political ideologies that are opposed to environmentalism or that deny the real existence of ecological issues such as planetary warming.

The pope goes on to say (in section 11) that concern for the environment calls for a global vision that moves beyond nationalistic interests.  Indeed this is where true peace lies.  We truly move toward obtaining the ideal of world peace when we are able to put the interests and well being of the whole world ahead of nationalistic and self-interested motives.  A global vision is also a vision of a world in which there is a renewed earth and a human society that has learned to protect its greatest gift, a gift that is the handiwork of the Creator, a gift that we were given to be its responsible stewards.

At a later date I’ll be back with more discussion on the World Day of Peace message, until then I want to offer the following suggestions, which are provided by the USCCB website and may be downloaded in pdf format for bulletin inserts:

5 Ways You Can Cultivate Peace by Protecting Creation

 • Learn more about how climate change is related to global poverty at the

Catholics Confront Global Poverty Web site: http://www.usccb.org/sdwp/globalpoverty/ 

• Take the St. Francis Pledge to Care for Creation and the Poor at the Catholic Climate Covenant

Web site: http://catholicclimatecovenant.org/

• Take action to ensure that climate change policies protect poor and vulnerable people, and sign up to receive the most recent legislative updates/action alerts at http://www.usccb.org/sdwp/takeaction.shtml

• Join with family, friends, or fellow parishioners to pray for solutions that care for creation and care for the poor!  Access USCCB prayer resources at http://www.usccb.org/sdwp/ejp/climate/

Friday Freedom Thoughts

It may seem funny, but this week after returning to work following a full two week vacation someone says, "Hey don't we have a three day weekend coming up soon?" Well, yes we do have a three day weekend coming on January 18--just a week from Monday. 

Something I hold strongly is that when we have a school holiday to commemorate something special, it ought not just be an extra day off.  We ought to seriously consider why we have the day off in the first place.  So after asking a few of my students what Martin Luther King Jr. Day is all about, and not getting answers that truly satisfied me, I jumped at the opportunity to do a bit of teaching--even if it's a full week early.  In the world of special education we sometimes need to teach and reteach, so the early start is not out of place.  Perhaps for the rest of us an early start at thinking about "why" for holidays such as MLK day is also in order.

Now, I'll likely say more about Martin Luther King Jr. and nonviolence next week.  For today I feel that a fitting Friday meditation for my blog might be in the form of a video--one that features a favorite singer of mine.  After all, it's been some time since I've featured a video.

Peace Through Environmental Protection

The Church has a responsibility towards creation, and she considers it her duty to exercise that responsibility in public life, in order to protect earth, water and air as gifts of God the Creator meant for everyone, and above all to save mankind from the danger of self-destruction.  From Pope Benedict XVI - Message on the World Day of Peace, January 1, 2010

Last Sunday during my homily I made mention of the Pope's New Year's address on the celebration of the World Day of Peace.  Due to time constraints I was not able to unpack the message other than to make a brief mention of it and connect it to my main point, which had to do with reaching out and making peace during the new year.

However, there is indeed a lot of unpacking and reflection that I would like to do with the Pope's address.  I feel that it is important, and if we are going to make events like the World Day of Peace effective we need to carry them into the entire year with us.  

Just for today I want to make the text available to anyone who reads my blog and invite you to reflect with me as I continue to weigh the issues of peacemaking from time to time this year.  You may read the text of the Pope's address on the World Day of Peace here. 

I found the document to be extraordinarily interesting because of my concern with both the causes of peace and environmental protection.  Also I doubt that it's all that common--at least with talk in the media--to find world peacemaking strongly connected with environmental causes.  Not expecting a discussion of environmental peace I was surprised somewhat when I read the text, but altogether I read it with a sense of great welcome.

In some senses connecting environmental concerns with peace gives us a better concrete idea of what we can do to make peace in the first place given that idea tends to be somewhat broad.  In the coming weeks I hope to explore some concrete examples of things we all can do.  

For now, let's start with the Pope's address.  I will return in the coming days--intermittent among other posts--with specific comments on sections of the address as well as ideas from other resources on how we can make a difference in providing peace and justice through protecting creation.

Bishop Aymond Named Archbishop of New Orleans

This came earlier today.  With Bishop Aymond having been in Austin only since 2000, his move comes as something of a surprise.  The bishop has been a strong supporter of the diaconate in this diocese and he has brought many positive changes overall to the Diocese of Austin.  We have been blessed greatly by his service.  May God bless him in his new appointment.  Here's the story:

Bishop Gregory Aymond, who has led the Austin Diocese since 2000, has been selected by Pope Benedict XVI as the next archbishop of New Orleans, making him the first New Orleans native to hold that position, the diocese announced Friday.

"It's not often that I'm at a loss for words, but today has been one of those days," Aymond, 59, said at a news conference Friday at the Diocese of Austin's Pastoral Center — held about five hours after he wrapped up a news conference in New Orleans.

He said he had mixed emotions when he received the call a week ago about his appointment as archbishop-designate in the city where he was born and raised.

"I felt that my life had been turned upside down, but I do appreciate the pope's trust that I can give the shepherd's care to the Diocese of New Orleans," Aymond said.

Aymond will succeed Archbishop Alfred C. Hughes, who is retiring after seven years in the position. Hughes turned 75 in 2007; according to canon law, bishops submit their resignation to the pope when they turn 75, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops said in an announcement.

At his news conference in New Orleans, Aymond said his only goal when he returns to the city is "to be among the people, to listen. ... I don't want to assume anything.

"I want to reconnect with people and with the very unique and wonderful culture" of New Orleans, Aymond said.

He said he expects to be installed in his new position Aug. 20.

In a letter to the clerics who serve an estimated 400,000 Catholics in Central Texas, Aymond wrote, "I have been privileged to serve as the Bishop of Austin for the last nine years. Central Texas has become home — I have enjoyed our ministry together and being a part of this vibrant, fast-growing diocese. I am very grateful to God and to each of you."

Continue reading

White House Faith Office?

Okay, for strict proponents for the separation of church and state this won't set well.  It goes along with my post from this morning. 

I'm watching this story and the earlier one closely for what comes out of them.  It's not surprising for me to see developments such as this.  I had a strong intuition that Barack Obama would be strongly involved in things of the faith...a real departure from what many might have expected of a Democrat administration. 

Indeed it will be interesting to see where Obama's faith-based initiatives go.

President Obama signed an executive order Thursday to create a revamped White House office for religion-based and neighborhood programs, expanding an initiative started by the Bush administration that provides government support — and financing — to religious and charitable organizations that deliver social services.

“No matter how much money we invest or how sensibly we design our policies, the change that Americans are looking for will not come from government alone,” Mr. Obama said. “There is a force for good greater than government.”

In announcing the expansion of the religion office, Mr. Obama did not settle the biggest question: Can religious groups that receive federal money for social service programs hire only those who share their faith?

The Bush administration said yes. But many religious groups and others that are concerned about employment discrimination and protecting the separation of church and state had pushed hard for Mr. Obama to repeal the Bush policies.

Meanwhile, other religious groups were lobbying to preserve their right to use religion as a criterion in hiring. Some religious social service providers warned they might stop working with the government if they were forced to change policies.

Instead of deciding the issue, the president called Thursday for a legal review of the policy case by case before determining whether religious groups can receive government money and selectively hire employees based on their religious beliefs.

Mr. Obama told an audience in Ohio last summer, “You can’t use that grant money to proselytize to the people you help and you can’t discriminate against them.”

Joshua DuBois, a 26-year-old Pentecostal minister who led religious outreach for Mr. Obama during the presidential race, will direct the new White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships. Mr. DuBois said in an interview, “The president is still very much committed to clear constitutionality and legality in this program. He’s committed to nondiscrimination.”

....The president also announced the formation of a 25-member advisory council that includes religious leaders and heads of nonprofit groups, among them, several evangelical Christians, the president of Catholic Charities U.S.A., a rabbi, a Muslim community organizer and the openly gay director of a nonprofit group.

....“No matter what we choose to believe, let us remember that there is no religion whose central tenet is hate,” Mr. Obama told an audience of Republicans and Democrats, diplomats and members of the clergy. “There is no God who condones taking the life of an innocent human being. This much we know.”

Read the whole story here.

I find the final remark to be extraordinarily interesting--it should attract a lot of commentary.