Pope Benedict Blesses (and Challenges) America

by Daniel Conway

'As I begin my visit to the United States, I express once more my gratitude for your invitation, my joy to be in your midst and my fervent prayers that almighty God will confirm this nation and its people in the ways of justice, prosperity and peace. God bless America!' (Pope Benedict XVI, Official Welcome Ceremony, the White House, April 16, 2008)

Pope Benedict XVI began his first official visit to the United States with a heartfelt benediction: God bless America! He continued to bless us throughout his six-day visit with words of gratitude, affirmation, encouragement, appreciation and hope. As Cardinal Francis George noted in his welcoming remarks at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C., on April 16, Americans are people who take joy in being generous and, in that characteristic, imitate the Lord himself and make God's image strong in our society.

On numerous occasions during his visit, Pope Benedict praised and thanked the Church in America for its generosity using Americans responses to the attacks on September 11, 2001, Hurricane Katrina, and the tsunami of Decem­ber 2004 as obvious examples. But the Holy Father also challenged us to be good stewards of our many gifts and blessings: To share generously with those who are poor and vulnerable. To be consistent in our practice of our faith. To protect the dignity of all human persons. To safeguard marriage and family life. To witness to the Gospel and work tirelessly for authentic peace and social justice here in America and throughout the world. Most of all, the Holy Father said, the Church in America should provide opportunities to lead all people to an encounter with the living God, the source of that life-transforming hope of which the Gospel speaks.


Pope Benedict warned us that good stewardship of our nation's many blessings will not be easy. 'For an affluent society, a further obstacle to an encounter with the living God lies in the subtle influence of materialism, which can all too easily focus the attention on the hundredfold, which God promises now in this time, at the expense of the eternal life which he promises in the age to come.' We are called to be stewards of the bounty we have received from God here and now. But we dare not lose sight of the even greater blessings that are yet to come—when we will be united with God and one another in our heavenly home. 


'People today need to be reminded of the ultimate purpose of their lives,' the pope said. 'They need to recognize that implanted within them is a deep thirst for God. They need to be given opportunities to drink from the wells of His infinite love.'

Responsible stewardship of America's many blessings means providing the people of our day with genuine opportunities to encounter Christ. This means that Catholics in the United States must be faithful to the precious inheritance we have received from our ancestors in the faith, open to constant conversion and spiritual renewal, and willing to share generously all our spiritual and material gifts. 'The fidelity and courage with which the Church in this country will respond to the challenges raised by an increasingly secular and materialistic culture,' the pope says, 'will depend in large part upon your own fidelity in handing on the treasure of our Catholic faith.'

The pastoral visit of Pope Benedict XVI to the United States, with its theme of 'Christ Our Hope,' was itself a blessing that challenged us to greater responsibility and accountability. On numerous occasions during his visit, the Holy Father expressed his deep sorrow over the horrors of clergy sexual abuse. He challenged us to respond to all who have suffered—directly or indirectly—from this unspeakable evil with the compassion and healing power of Christ. And he called us to continue and strengthen our efforts to protect our children and provide for them the safe haven that can come only from authentic family life and from a culture that cherishes and defends a truly healthy understanding of the mystery of human sexuality.

'The Church expects much from you,' Pope Benedict told us. 'Do not fail it in your generosity.'God bless America, and may God bless Pope Benedict XVI!

Daniel Conway, President and CEO, Mission Advancement Services, O'Meara, Ferguson, Whelan, and Conway, Inc., has been writing on stewardship themes for 20 years. Dan's reflections on stewardship are now available in several publications. For more information, call toll-free 888-544-8674 or consult the web site for Saint Catherine of Siena Press (www.saintcatherineofsienapress.com). 
Copyright © 2008 Daniel Conway. Permission is given to copy and distribute this periodical for use in religious or educational settings provided that proper attribution is given to the author. This publication may not be sold or distributed to the general public without the express permission of the author.

St. Mark's News & Events for June 15, 2008

Greetings as we begin another week!

Last Saturday I attended my nephew’s graduation from high school and afterwards we had a backyard barbeque with relatives and friends of my nephew. As I watched the festivities, I tried to remember the time my brother and I graduated high school and the feelings they inspired in us as we celebrated that day. To be honest, I couldn’t remember anything! I tried and tried but nothing came to mind and I wondered if my nephew would remember this day. It really wasn’t THAT long ago, but somehow time has washed away any thoughts and feelings of that step into adulthood. However, watching my nephew and his friends celebrating, I wondered where they will be in 20 or 30 years and didn’t they feel a little fearful of what awaited them? I thought to myself that I don’t think I would have the courage to go through all again. I wonder how I got through it the first time. Yet some how, some way, God’s grace shaded our eyes from the fears and possible dangers that we would be facing in our journey of life and just maybe we didn’t even know we would be in the struggle at all. I guess that gave me some comfort and hope for them! Thus, on behalf of myself, the staff, and parishioners of St. Mark, we congratulate all graduates and please remember to keep the hope of a better world alive in your hearts.

The next two weekends you will not be seeing me at Mass since I will be on vacation in Chicago. I enjoyed the city the last time I was there and I’m going back for more of that pizza and prime rib. That is if they let Fr. Argentino and myself back in the place after the fiasco of spilling the table all over the floor we were guilty of that the last time we were there. In my absence, Abbot Isaac and Fr. Lamp will be looking out for your needs. I can go being assured that you are in wonderful hands!

Well, that is all for now. Continue to enjoy the gift that God has given us in each other.

Peace, Fr. David

St. Mark's News & Events for June 8, 2008

Greetings as we begin another week!

Not much to report this week outside of the normal duties that happen in the regular life of a Priest. However, this past week we celebrated the passing on to eternal life of three people who had a deep relationship with our Lord and now share in the joys and the promises of Christ. Mr. Harold “Sonny” Sczepanski, Mr. Thomas McHale, and Mrs. Rita Linn all were laid to rest with a Mass of Resurrection here at St. Mark Catholic Church on last Thursday, Friday and Saturday respectively. All three funerals were different yet beautiful in its own way. We pray for their souls and we ask God’s strength for the families as they deal with their loss in the days and weeks to come.

At this point, we have well over 1000 responses to the seating survey and are counting the results. We can not accept any more responses and hope to have them finished soon. I am grateful to all of you who participated in the survey. I will be meeting in the near future with the Steering Committee to discuss preliminary seating plans. Keep watching the bulletin for details.

Speaking of information, have you visited our website lately? There is lots to see and read regarding the happenings at St. Mark. We are in the process of planning even more information in the weeks to come. Go ahead and give it a visit.

Well, that is all for now.
Continue to enjoy the gift that God has give us in each other.

Peace, Fr. David