St. Paul’s letters to two coworkers and a friend have helped countless Christians over the centuries.

Nine of the letters attributed to Saint Paul were sent to large groups of people: the Romans, Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Thessalonians. They are filled with advice, instruction, and spiritual insights for these communities. The remaining four letters, however, were addressed to specific people: Timothy, Titus, and Philemon.

Written later in Paul’s life, they are shorter and a bit more private. Though these letters were perhaps intended to be read by only a few people, they are now quite public because they were copied and shared with other followers of Jesus. For almost 20 centuries, Christians have recognized them as inspired, as words that feed us as much now as they did these first-century Christians. The feast of Saints Timothy and Titus (January 26) uses these letters.

Once a Christian-hater who became a phenomenal Christian leader, Paul, through his letters, guided and strengthened an unfolding Church, helping believers keep their new faith growing, alive, and true. Did Paul realize that these letters would be read for centuries by Christians all over the world? Almost 2,000 years later, they are still full of rich help to countless Christians who strive to nurture their faith. (Unless otherwise noted, all translations are from the New American Bible.)

A Delicate Subject

I am hoping through your prayers to be restored to you (Phlm 22, NRSV).

Although Paul’s very short Letter to Philemon is printed in the New Testament after his letters to Timothy and Titus, most scholars agree that this is the oldest of the four letters described in this article. Because the introduction also addresses Apphia and Archippus, we know that it was not written to Philemon alone. Many biblical commentators presume all three people belonged to the same family. Paul also greets a house church at their home. Because only eight verses from this letter are used in the cycle of Sunday Mass readings, many Catholics may be only vaguely familiar with this letter.

Philemon, Apphia, and Archippus lived in the ancient city of Colossae; its ruins are near the city of Honaz in modern Turkey. They owned a slave named Onesimus. Perhaps discouraged with his status in life, Onesimus ran away, somehow met up with Paul (who was in prison at the time), and was baptized by him. After teaching the runaway slave about the life and message of Christ, Paul apparently sent Onesimus back to his owners (v. 12)—with this personal letter. Paul knew that runaway slaves were often executed if apprehended.

This letter’s 25 verses primarily address the status of Onesimus. Paul obviously feels a strong connection with Philemon’s household and with Onesimus. Readers can sense that Paul feels the vexation of the family that Onesimus left behind, yet readers simultaneously empathize with the slave.

And if he has done you any injustice or owes you anything, charge it to me (v. 18).

Obviously impressed with Onesimus, Paul gently requests that the family welcome back their slave, not execute him. Because the name Onesimus means “useful,” Paul lightheartedly observes that Onesimus, through his accepting Christ, can now better live up to his name.

I urge you on behalf of my child Onesimus, whose father I have become in my imprisonment, who was once useless to you but is now useful to [both] you and me (vv. 10–11). Perhaps this is why he was away from you for a while, that you might have him back forever, no longer as a slave but more than a slave, a brother . . . (15–16a).

While Paul is not forceful about their treatment with the slave he is sending back to them, he gives them much encouragement laced with a nudging toward Christian fellowship (v. 17). Paul’s attitude about slavery eventually prevails among Christians.

Besides dealing with their runaway slave, Paul adds several other personal touches to this letter. For example, he applauds the family by sharing that he had received reports of their great faith in Jesus and of their goodness toward others. He also expresses a hope to visit them soon. This letter was obviously shared with other Christian communities.

The ‘Pastoral Letters’

The two letters to Timothy and the one to Titus are sometimes called “pastoral letters” because of the extensive advice they offer for Church communities in Ephesus and Crete. Although Paul has traditionally been credited as their author, in recent centuries some scholars have challenged that assumption.

The debate is unresolved; the letters may have been written by Paul, by one of his disciples, or by someone else after Paul’s death, using the name of Paul as a pseudonym. Whatever the case, these letters reflect Paul’s theological principles and are accepted as truly inspired.

For this reason I left you [Titus] in Crete so that you might set right what remains to be done (Ti 1:5a).

The Letter to Titus yields no clues to date it precisely. Most chronological listings of Paul’s letters place it very close to or before 1 Timothy. From occasional references to Titus in Paul’s earlier letters, readers can glean a fair amount about this early Church saint. Titus did much to assist Paul with his evangelical works: he went to Jerusalem with Paul and Barnabas (Gal 2:1, presumably to the Council of Jerusalem) and aided Paul on his third missionary journey (10 references in 2 Corinthians and two in Galatians).

Titus was also sent to Corinth to defuse a tense situation between its Christians and Paul; 2 Corinthians 7:13ff indicates that Titus was successful. Titus was evidently trusted as someone who could peacefully guide the veering Corinthians toward a correct faith (2 Cor 7:6–7). Paul writes, “As for Titus, he is my partner and coworker for you” (2 Cor 8:23a).

Titus was working on the Mediterranean island of Crete when he received his letter with Paul’s instructions about how best to build up the Church there. Paul identifies what qualities to look for when choosing presbyters/bishops, what sort of behavior should be urged for all in the community, how to deal with former Christians, how to encourage good works, and more.

A few personal and private messages are blended in as well. Paul calls Titus his “true child in our common faith” (1:4) and expresses confidence in him for developing the Church there. Paul expresses some harsh words, however, for the people of Crete: “liars, vicious beasts, lazy gluttons, vile, and disobedient” (1:12–16), words surely meant for Titus alone to read. Paul implores Titus to remain unswerving with correct doctrine; he directs Titus to act with proper confidence and to dismiss critical attitudes.

Say these things. Exhort and correct with all authority. Let no one look down on you (2:15).

Toward the end of the letter, Paul asks Titus to meet him at Nicopolis, an ancient city in Greece, about 350 miles from Crete (3:12).

Like all of Paul’s personal letters, the Letter to Titus is rather short, only three chapters long. Even though it was meant for Titus and perhaps a few trusted friends of his, it offers great insights into the early Church—and many points to ponder for present-day Christians.

Paul’s Assistant

Timothy’s story begins in chapter 16 of Acts of the Apostles, during Paul’s second missionary journey. Paul is making a return visit to the Christians of Lystra, an unexcavated site in present-day Turkey. Even though his first visit there ended uncomfortably—Paul had been stoned and left for dead (Acts 14:19–20)—a Christian community nonetheless took root there, showing a heart full of faith when Paul returns.

When he reaches Lystra the second time, its Christian community speaks highly of Timothy. Paul is obviously very impressed, for from then on it seems that Timothy is either with Paul or is representing him on special missions. Timothy’s name is peppered throughout the second half of the Acts of the Apostles (16:1; 17:14–15; 18:5; 19:22; 20:4) and Paul’s other letters (Rom 16:21; 1 Cor 4:17, 16:10; 2 Cor 1:1, 1:19; Phil 1:1, 2:19; Col 1:1; 1 Thes 1:1, 3:2, 3:6; 2 Thes 1:1; Phlm 1:1).

O Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to you (1 Tm 6:20a).

At some point, as the Christian faith was gaining momentum, Paul sends Timothy to Ephesus, a city about 275 miles from Timothy’s hometown of Lystra. Timothy’s job in Ephesus is to lead and organize the growing Church there. During his time in Ephesus, he receives Paul’s letter, which is full of encouragement and instruction for Timothy during the time of organization.

The letter has some similarities to Paul’s Letter to Titus and may have even been written at roughly the same time. Some of the topics Paul addresses include warnings against false teachings, advice to pray for people in authority, the qualities to look for when selecting bishops and deacons, the true meaning of wealth, and ways the Church should help widows.

Tell them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous, ready to share . . . (1 Tm 6:18).

Also included in this letter are some words directed to Timothy specifically.For example, Paul mentions his desire to visit Timothy soon; but in the event that he is unable, he hopes his letter will offer enough help for Timothy to work with (3:14). Paul reminds him of his blessing with the gift of Christian leadership through the “imposition of hands” (4:14). Paul counsels Timothy to take good care of himself and the Church, which both need attention in order for the Church of Ephesus to succeed.

Stop drinking only water, but have a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent illnesses (1 Tm 5:23).

Evidently Timothy was drinking only water for a time, and Paul presses him to stop this habit, suggesting that he should drink some wine as well. Paul asserts that wine would help Timothy’s stomach and recurrent sicknesses. This comment is probably the reason why Timothy is a patron saint of stomach disorders.

Paul also challenges Timothy to compete for the faith through an attitude of gentleness, truth, and love (6:11).

2 Timothy

Try to join me soon. . . . When you come, bring the cloak I left with Carpus in Troas, the papyrus rolls, and especially the parchments (2 Tm 4:9, 13).

Paul’s Second Letter to Timothy is considered by many to be his last biblical letter. Paul is imprisoned in Rome at the time that the letter was composed; perhaps it was not long before his beheading between AD 64 and 67.

2 Timothy clearly has a different tone; while Paul still gives Timothy, who was probably still in Ephesus, more advice, the letter also includes words expressing some sentiments of distress.

Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, a descendant of David: such is my gospel, for which I am suffering, even to the point of chains, like a criminal. But the word of God is not chained (2 Tm 2:8–9).

One of Paul’s main pastoral points in this letter is that Timothy must avoid foolish arguments and debates; rather, he should remain gentle and tolerant, striving for peace with a pure heart that is devoted to the Lord. Paul also expresses a desire for the good news of Christ to be passed on; that Timothy pass on to others what Paul taught him; they, in turn, can teach even more people (2:2).

Readers can feel Paul’s father-like love and care for Timothy through some more private statements he includes. Early on in the letter, Paul fondly reminisces about the faith of Timothy’s mother and grandmother, Eunice and Lois, whom Paul had met earlier (1:5).

He reminds Timothy that hardships will come his way now and then and that he must endure them with the help of God. Paul pours out his heart to Timothy when he expresses that his death might be approaching. It is to Timothy that Paul sends his famous words: “I have competed well; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith” (2 Tm 4:7).

Paul also shares with Timothy his feelings of loneliness, disheartened that many have deserted him (1:15). He urges Timothy to visit him and expresses hope that Timothy might arrive to see the imprisoned Paul before winter (4:21).

A Two-Week Devotional

All together, these four personal letters of Paul total 14 mostly short chapters. Consider spending two weeks reading these private letters, one chapter per day, maybe checking a footnote or two.

As you read each chapter, try to put yourself in the shoes (or sandals!) of the recipients: Philemon, Apphia, Archippus, Titus, or Timothy. Try to imagine how you might have reacted and see if these words written so many years ago bring new insights to your heart.

Saints Mentioned in These Letters

The main characters from these four letters are all recognized as saints in the Church; their stories give much to admire and inspiration to keep us focused on the Lord:

Timothy (January 26) is considered the patron saint of people with stomach problems.
Titus (January 26) is the patron saint of Crete.
Onesimus (February 15) is sometimes called “blessed” but is usually regarded as a saint. He may be a good patron for those who feel discouraged with their work.
Archippus (March 20) is a possible patron for people who struggle with forgiveness and acceptance, in view of his challenge to treat his family’s former slave, Onesimus, as a Christian brother.
Paul (June 29) is the patron of many causes including writers, journalists, evangelists, and laypeople.
Apphia (November 22) could be the patroness of altar societies; she generously allowed her house to be used for worship in the early Church.
Philemon (November 22) was probably married to Apphia. He would be a good patron for employers, especially those who struggle with personnel issues.

Also mentioned very briefly in these letters are Saints Mark (April 25), Tychicus (April 29), Prisca and Aquila (July 8), Epaphras (July 19), Erastus (July 26), Aristarchus (August 4), Onesiphorus (September 6), Linus (September 23), and Luke (October 18).

Learn more about St. Paul!

This pediatric hospice models respect for life, brief as it may be.

Kiana Carter was a youthful first-time mom. Her husband, Artrez, had the same optimistic credentials. They were excited, but the obstetrician cut a wide swath of alarm into their anticipation.

The doctor told them at the gender reveal that their son-to-be was unlikely to live. Kiana remembers the moment.

“Why, why, why, God? I don’t know if I can handle this. But let me raise him. Let me love him. I will serve you the rest of my life.” AJ is her miracle baby.

Hospice for Infants?

Hospice is the gold standard for end-of-life care. But it’s designed for those of us who have lived long enough to share in life’s adventures. Elders have known life’s wear and tear, have made lots of choices, and may even be ready to surrender.

But what if the end comes all too close to life’s beginning? What if the child you’re expecting faces a challenge? What if the delicate nature of this new, welcomed life is threatened by extreme limitations? What if the first meeting outside the womb might also be the last? Where is the hospice for stillborns or fragile newborns? Who will walk with those who cannot walk themselves? Who will help their parents and caregivers? Who will prepare the family? For families across the Midwest, it would be StarShine.

AJ Puts the Star in StarShine

AJ (Artrez Jr.) Carter is one face of StarShine. When AJ faces front, his is a typical little-boy face, if a bit tiny. But change the angle even slightly and AJ’s life-limiting burden becomes all too apparent. AJ was born with a rare occipital encephalocele at the back of his head. It resembles a gauze-covered balloon.

AJ’s encephalocele has increased in size, as has AJ, though not in keeping with the growth charts. Delicate and susceptible to leaks and infections, his encephalocele is heavy enough to prevent this little boy from lifting his head.

He is subject to brief seizures. So, while he is 3 years old, he can’t crawl or walk, run or climb. What he can do is steal your heart.

Developmentally, AJ cannot speak but shows affection for his parents and grandparents with a happy agitation. This love is mutual, shown in soothing caresses, careful holding, and superb care. A still larger circle of care embraces this toddler who can’t yet toddle. That circle is called StarShine.

Comfort and Caring

StarShine, a hospice focused on pediatric palliative care, is one of only a few in the United States. It’s part of the home health-care department at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. It’s no stretch to call it a ministry. It’s no exaggeration to call it extraordinary. Staff members, without exception, exude an optimistic enthusiasm and dedication to partnering with their tiny clients. They embrace their careers as a vocation. When called, they rise in the middle of the night to be StarShine to a child in crisis or a family fearful of a new symptom, or to provide comfort in the presence of dying and death.

The constellation called StarShine is shaped by many talents. The pediatric nurses are experienced specialists in chronic, life-limiting, or terminal conditions. But StarShine also offers social services, a chaplaincy, counseling, physical therapies including massage, and assistive equipment like special beds or lifts, as well as music and art therapies. “We meet you where you are” is their watchword.

Preparing for Birth

Young AJ and his parents are familiar with almost every facet of StarShine. When their first child-to-be was 18 weeks in utero (and very playful there, his mother says), they learned of his life-threatening diagnosis. The expectant parents were referred by their obstetrician to StarShine’s perinatal program, which accompanies the parents from diagnosis to delivery.

Kiana and Artrez were prepared both to meet their child and to say goodbye to him. Marcella Meyer, bereavement coordinator, and chaplain Judy McBride met with them to consider a birthing plan. Did they want aggressive measures? Did they want to have a religious ritual—a Baptism or a blessing—in their faith tradition? StarShine knows whom to call. Without a plan, Meyer says, “The default is to whisk the baby away.”

When AJ was born at 39 weeks, Kiana got to hold him right away. The extended family took photos, and imprints were made of his tiny hand and tiny foot. His parents were encouraged to decorate them and to record all their impressions of their highly anticipated firstborn. They made a memory box. They chose to keep their baby out of the operating room and in their arms. Why consider a surgical intervention for a child too delicate to survive it? They were prepared to initiate funeral arrangements.

But they didn’t need them. AJ lived.

Hospice Is Derived from Hospitality

Kiana and Artrez got to take their newborn home. Instructions went far beyond the usual feed/sleep/change/repeat cycle, but StarShine is well equipped to care for children and young adults with life-limiting conditions.

StarShine’s Hospice Program anticipates about six months or less. But rather than spend this precious time in a clinical setting, StarShine enables newborns to sleep in their own cribs, explains Susanne Evans, StarShine’s clinical director. “Whatever their journey entails, the family can be together in their home. The nurse sometimes stays with them because the family knows the baby will die in their home. This can be scary. The team can handle all the details so that the family can focus on the child.”

Denise Gaige, nursing coordinator, says, “I love the pace of StarShine. The focus is on family comfort, not cure.” She finds her Catholic faith central to her work at StarShine. “I found our parish church the place where I could contemplate the first [infant] death I was experiencing.” She stops there to pray and process. “I am helping with a person’s final transition—to heaven. It’s important work!

“Our nurses do a lot more than take a temperature,” Gaige says. “Usually we begin or end our visits by sitting at the kitchen table and asking, ‘How’s things?’ We are part of their team.”

Transitions

AJ long ago exceeded those six months of hospice care, so he was “transitioned.” That’s what StarShine calls it. Physician-ordered skilled medical attention continues, with support from the extensive StarShine team. The Transitions Palliative Care program is also available to young people diagnosed later in their lives with a serious and/or chronic illness that may limit the number of their days, but need not require them to live in pain and sadness. Child life specialists work with siblings.

For AJ, StarShine Transitions includes skilled-nurse visits as well as on-call visits when needed. Social worker Mary Dwyer visits him monthly and helps to coordinate or suggest other services. StarShine team members can provide many services at the home that might otherwise require a hospital or clinic visit, such as blood draws and even transfusions. When the StarShine music therapist visited AJ and his parents, AJ made some music on a keyboard with his feet, which delighted him—and everyone present.

For Dwyer, this arena of social services is “life-giving and inspiring.” She has seen Kiana and Artrez grow in love for one another and in the strength they offer to AJ. She sees it as “the gift we get.” Susanne Evans, clinical director, believes that the StarShine team has contributed significantly to AJ’s longevity by enabling his parents to care for him at home.

‘A Sacred Journey’

It may appear unseemly to speak of funerals when a child is alive. For the moment, AJ’s parents have been able to file away the plans made when they didn’t expect to bring their baby home. StarShine frequently works with parents who don’t have this opportunity. Marcella Meyer uses her PhD in sociology and her 12 years of on-the-job experience to serve as bereavement coordinator at StarShine.

When a baby dies in a clinical setting, StarShiners empower parents with a sense of control. Do they want time with their newborn? Whom do they wish to have present? What kind of care do they want for an infant born with a terminal condition? Medical interventions will probably take the child from them, StarShine points out. Do they want that? Will they want photos? StarShine can make arrangements.

Chaplain Judy McBride describes the death of a child as the “worst loss anyone can endure.” She confesses that she has learned a lot from parents about how to cope with such a loss. She relies on David’s psalms of lament as scriptural proof that God can handle human anger—even at an “out-of-order” death. McBride says, “I meet the most amazing people. . . . For me, it’s a sacred journey.”

Meyer recalls a father who was firm about excluding an older brother from the experience of the birth of a little sister not expected to live. As she and McBride worked with the family, that resolve evaporated and the brother became a part of both the joy and the sorrow. He even wrote a story for his little sister, a story he read to her during the few hours of life she shared with her family. StarShine continues that journey of bereavement with families for two years.

While this may seem like the natural conclusion of StarShine’s involvement, they do still more. Camp LionHeart is a weekend grief camp for kids, teens, and parents in families who have lost a child. It has all the hallmarks of any summer camp with swimming, hiking, and the like, but it also offers structured group counseling with licensed facilitators. StarShine finds that having fun can be hard for family members who are grieving, but gathering with others who have had the same experience can help to ease that burden.

The Next Chapter

Kiana Carter says that every child writes his or her own story. AJ is writing a new chapter as the surgeons at Children’s Hospital removed the encephalocele in a daylong operation last August. Because he is stronger than at birth, his prognosis is promising, though his recovery from the surgery was complicated due to infections that kept him hospitalized.

Kiana and Artrez Carter know that StarShine will continue their journey with them, making memories together and providing guidance and courage as tough decisions are required. The multifaceted team pledges to meet the Carter family—and all the families whom they serve—where they are. That means the world to families who find themselves in a place no one wants to be—facing fatality where only new life was expected. StarShine indeed gives light in the darkness.

The next generation of friars will certainly be smaller than the current one. What might that mean?

We hear all sorts of statistics about the closing and merging of parishes, the crisis of priestly vocations, the shrinking of religious orders. Those things are happening, but there’s new life brewing too. Ask a young or new Franciscan today about the future, and you hear a lot of hope. “We’re not thinking, It’s going to be terrible around here. What are we going to do? No, we just have to work all together,” says Abel Garcia, OFM.

Friar Abel lives at St. Joseph Friary, near Catholic Theological Union, one of the largest Catholic theology schools in the English-speaking world. We are on Chicago’s South Side, a community well known for its struggle against gang violence and murder, but we’re in Hyde Park, an oasis of sorts. The University of Chicago is a few blocks south; the Museum of Science and Industry is a few blocks east; a few hundred feet farther are joggers, walkers, and cyclists on the 18-mile Lakefront Trail—at least when weather permits anyone to recreate by Lake Michigan. As you read this, Chicago’s blistering winds and inches of snow are more likely.

There are 18 friars from various states at St. Joseph’s, a thriving community where, in a large red brick house-turned-friary, they gather early in the morning and again in the evening, between ministry, classes, and study, for Liturgy of the Hours and daily Eucharist. It’s a far cry from the isolated, huge institutions of the past.

“O Lord, open my lips,” proclaims today’s cantor. As these friars are seated around a front room to form a simple choir for prayer, one hears through the window every so often the brakes, the doors opening, the bell and announcement, the doors closing, then the muffled roar of the city buses on Route 55. The stop is just beyond the front porch. “And my mouth will proclaim your praise,” responds the group in unison. Thirteen friars-in-training, guided by the example of the other five, are learning their new lifestyle among the people of God, in the heart of a bustling city.

What is it about being a Franciscan? We gathered a group of four relatively new friars at a table in the corner of St. Joseph’s basement recreation room and asked them. Three of these men are in their 20s and 30s, and one is just over 50, all of them in the Order of Friars Minor (OFM), the Franciscans who sponsor this magazine.

All have completed the earliest stages of formation and now are professed for one year at a time as they move through this program of study and further discernment. At each man’s final, solemn profession, he will promise a lifetime of poverty, obedience, and celibacy, in Franciscan community, for one purpose: spreading the good news of Jesus in word and deed.

Meet Friars Joshua Critchley, Jim Bernard, Abel Garcia, and John Boissy. A few months ago, just before All Saints’ Day, we talked about their hopes and dreams for the future. These friars look to a future living in a changing Church, and are moving toward a time when there certainly will be far fewer Franciscans.

‘Where People Have the Most Need’

“There are almost two different cultures going here,” says Friar John, quickly qualifying, “I’m not pushing that; I’m just observing that.” He is speaking of how he is preparing to be in the smaller Franciscan Order of the future, even in the midst today of a larger, older group of friars, most of whom joined in the years before so many people from all over left celibate ministry, after which so few younger men joined. A nearby friar nods in affirmation. The days of high school seminaries are a distant memory.

Friar John is an aspiring lay brother—24 years old, a woodworker by interest who hopes to continue in that direction. He was on a waiting list to go to furniture-making trade school and working two jobs (ski instructor and parking garage assistant) when he responded to a deeper calling.

Among the Franciscans, Friar John sees a place where he will be appreciated for who he is: “The friars respect each individual’s gifts.” That didn’t seem always to be the case when he looked at other orders. “The friars were definitely the most open to me and my desire for woodworking and furniture making.” So, in future Franciscan life, Friar John sees a place for simplicity, for working with his hands with the respect of the friars around him. He’s a member of Cincinnati’s St. John the Baptist Province.

Friar Jim, at age 51 the oldest of the friars at this table, was a New York banker. His home parish is St. Francis of Assisi in lower Manhattan. In his pre-friar days, he walked by it each day on his way to work as an executive, managing 30 people at a multibillion-dollar banking firm. He fidgets with his Franciscan cord occasionally during our discussion; perhaps he’s just getting used to wearing it. In Manhattan, he found time to do volunteer work at the parish, including serving on a Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults team (training incoming Catholics) and working in some of the community outreach programs, among them the friars’ famous St. Francis Soup Kitchen. “I was inspired by the friars who I worked with there,” he says.

His future seems a bit unclear at this point: “To be honest, I haven’t met a ministry I haven’t liked yet, which is kind of a problem when you’re discerning about what you want to do in the future!” he says. But, “I think, naturally, you want to help somebody.” So he sees his future as a priest in those terms. “I think the idea is that we need to strategically position ourselves where the people are who have the most need.” There are many different populations at this point who are suffering social injustices, he observes. “That is something that’s very close to our Franciscan hearts, and so we want to be there for those people.” Especially in a political climate that has created an atmosphere of fear, uncertainty, and division among people, he says, Franciscans are “about being bridge builders and about being instruments of peace.” Those are places where he sees a Franciscan future.

Friar Abel, tall and energetic, draws on his family experience most deeply. He is Salvadoran by birth, an immigrant, also from New York’s Holy Name Province. He came to the United States, to North Carolina, at age 19 (he’s now 36) “like many immigrants, to help the family and provide a better life for them.”

In that fearful journey into the unknown, he sees St. Francis. “He did that, to move from something to something else, to give for others,” Friar Abel says, waving his arms for emphasis. At his North Carolina parish, Abel found the Franciscans, then joined them.

What he sees in the future of the Franciscans is not so much a what as a how. Francis challenges all of us to step into the unknown on our own journey, he says, and along the way, to be hospitable. “I say that because I’m an immigrant—one of them—and I know what that means, the experience. I know what it is to live with uncertainty. You don’t know what is going to happen tomorrow.”

He echoes what another friar at the table says, about moving from fixing things with certainty to being with people and all of the uncertainties of their situations: “I can listen to them. I can be with them, and I can try to put myself in their shoes, but I never would have the same experience because each experience is different.” His appreciation for uncertainty translates in this group’s unpredictable experiences as Franciscans today.

Finally, there’s Friar Joshua, a member of Immaculate Conception Province, also based in Manhattan. He is steering toward parish ministry as a priest, possibly with some role as a teacher too. He’s 23 years old and wears a thin, rust-colored beard. He’s from Connecticut and now five years a friar. Immaculate Conception friars do some of their formation in Italy (a strong European ethnic identity remains at the core of that province). He visited Assisi occasionally while studying in Rome. There he came to appreciate the sense of beauty that surely will continue to drive Franciscans.

He speaks of a visit to the cave near Greccio, Italy, where, long ago, St. Francis asked villagers to reenact the Nativity scene. Today there’s a chapel built into the cave. “I had the chance to go to the little chapel. There’s the story of the Nativity, of the angel coming, of the birth of Jesus, and it was just such a beautiful moment for me. Just to think of Francis being there and wanting to create this scene in this imposing mountainside!” That sense of awe and beauty runs deep, feeding the quality of Franciscan spirituality not only for Friar Joshua, but also for Franciscans everywhere.

That spirituality, along with collaboration with laity, will be key in the order’s future, says Friar Joshua. First will come each friar’s identity as a Franciscan. “For the Franciscan life, in particular, maybe it’s not a new challenge, but it’s going to be how we balance our fraternal life—our life together as brothers—with our ministry.” That will be especially important, he says, “maybe with fewer numbers than we have today.”

Along with that, Friar Joshua predicts a need for Franciscans to co-minister all the more closely with others. There’s always work to be done, he says: “There’s always going to be a parish somewhere; there’s always going to be the poor that we can assist.” But having fewer Franciscans means the laity “are going to be more and more essential to the Franciscans in all of our mission.”

The Compassion of Francis

Simplicity, solidarity, trust, beauty—all in the context of the how, the Way of the Gospel—these will be key values driving who the Franciscans will become in the hands of this next generation. “I think my future is really going to be something like a priest in transition or in motion,” says Friar Jim. He doesn’t see himself in terms of friars from recent generations who have been assigned to parishes for many years. “I kind of feel like I’m going to be pulled and moved to where people need me. . . . I think it’s kind of exciting—sort of an adventure, really.”

Perhaps he speaks for the others when he tempers that with a desire to follow the lead of the Franciscan family—especially his provincial (who, no doubt, reads this magazine). “I think the key to this life is to stay open,” Friar Jim says. Friar John’s perception is that the past might have offered more of a cookie-cutter approach. Friar Abel picks up on that, acknowledging a challenge “to see where there is really the most need.” None of these four is worried about numbers, though Friar John admits, “I would like to see it turn around.”

Each of these men takes inspiration from the stories of St. Francis, this one from Friar Joshua. It’s a story from St. Francis’ early days when the friars were fasting. He retells the story: “Suddenly this one friar starts moaning, ‘Oh, I can’t take it anymore. I can’t do it. It’s too hard. I’m hungry.’ So Francis breaks the fast and the friars eat. They feast, and then they all go back to bed, and the friar is content. Then the next night, according to one retelling, another friar starts moaning and Francis says, ‘Go to bed. That’s enough.’ I just love that story.”

Friar Joshua loves that story, he says, because it shows the compassion of Francis. “You know, maybe it’s Francis acknowledging that this life is hard. There are difficult things, challenges that arise from being a Franciscan and all these things. But with a little compassion for each other as brothers, we can help each other to kind of walk through the difficult times, to journey with each other.”

But why did he tell the friar on the second night to go back to bed? “I don’t really know,” he admits. “I just love that detail, though. I think it’s hilarious!”

Back home from a Sunday evening Mass at the University of Chicago’s Newman Center, Friar Joshua brings his Kierkegaard textbook to the TV room to read as he watches Game 5 of the World Series. Another friar texts away on his cell phone. Somebody mentions how hard the philosophy courses are.

“I understand what all of the words mean, until you put them together!” Friar Joshua quips, to a roomful of laughter. That’s a bit of joy, shared in community, in the face of adversity. St. Francis would approve.

From abortion to stem-cell research, the US Conference of Catholic Bishops’ pro-life committee is working hard to educate and empower Americans to save lives.

Forty-five years after the US Supreme Court’s landmark Roe v. Wade decision legalized abortion, the pro-life movement has a lot more on its plate. With capital punishment, assisted suicide, embryonic stem-cell research, reproductive technologies, and the ever-changing biomedical research field, the Catholic Church’s efforts to defend life are being met with heavily funded groups working in opposition to the Church’s goal to “protect human life from conception to natural death.”

For the US Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), the Committee on Pro-Life Activities is central to the work of advocacy, public policy, education, resources, and empowerment. “The bishops seek to further the cause to approach the day when abortion, assisted suicide, euthanasia, and attacks on embryonic life would be not only a thing of the past, but would be unthinkable,” says Deirdre McQuade, the USCCB’s assistant director for pro-life communications. “Sadly, we are not putting ourselves out of business anytime too soon.”

‘Love Saves Lives’

“Choosing life is not always easy, but it is the loving, empowering, and self-sacrificial option. Love saves lives in countless ways, ” says March for Life President Jeanne Mancini, who, last October, revealed the theme for this year’s annual pro-life rally: “Love Saves Lives.”

Although the USCCB is not a sponsor of the January 19 march, it does cosponsor the National Prayer Vigil for Life at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington the night before. First held in 1979, the event includes the National Rosary for Life and a schedule of all-night prayer and adoration, leading up to the Mass of the Vigil, which draws an overflowing crowd the morning of the march.

“The pro-life movement is a beautiful, strong, and diverse community,” McQuade says. “We are praying for and advocating for an end to abortion by talking with our feet to protest the unjust state of abortion law in our country.

Abortion is legal in every state of the country through the nine months of pregnancy. People think there are more regulations and limitations on abortion, and, sadly, that is not the case. The only meaningful limitation is the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban, which went into effect in 2008.

“It’s harder these days to be pro-abortion because we now see what it involves,” she continues. “Our children’s first photos are ultrasounds.” But McQuade believes there is reason for hope. “This is a pro-life generation.”

Abortion Funding

Abortion funding is a hot-button issue, according to McQuade. “It is absolutely essential to fight the expanded funding of abortion because wherever abortion is funded, abortion numbers go up. Abortion advocates are pushing hard to get rid of the Hyde Amendment, which prohibits the use of federal taxpayers’ money to fund abortion, with the exception for the life of the mother, rape, and incest. The Hyde Amendment saves lives,” she says. Despite what abortion advocates say, McQuade points out, abortion is not part of health care for women. “Destroying life is not health care. Ending a pregnancy is not a service to women.”

What is a service, she says, is the work of the pregnancy help-center movement, which she notes has grown tremendously over the past few decades. “Having medical centers associated with them means it’s not just counseling and advice, which is a beautiful thing, but practical things to help women facing their pregnancies with real challenges: relationships, income, caring for other children. I personally find it really offensive when people say we need to underwrite abortion for the poor, as a preferential option for the poor,” McQuade says.

“We are called to stand in solidarity with those living below the poverty line and the disenfranchised. Women who are pregnant don’t need to be rendered violently un-pregnant to be empowered. They need support to be the best mothers they can be.

“To say [that] people living in poverty need abortion to be on equal standing, that is discrimination against a whole class of unborn human beings—that they don’t deserve to breathe their first breath because their parents are of a lower socioeconomic status.”

Biomedical Research

“The bishops will continue to track and monitor and fight where necessary for the defense of life in biomedical research,” McQuade says. Genetic engineering, human-animal chimeras, three-parent human embryos—years ago, these would be considered science fiction, but today this research raises serious ethical questions.

“No use of embryonic stem-cell research is justified,” she says. “The Church has been very wise and right in promoting adult stem-cell research because that’s where the cures and treatments are coming from—not embryonic.”

Assisted Suicide

“There has been such a wave of attempts to legalize assisted suicide in states across the country, but the majority have resisted, either by letting it die in session or voting it down,” McQuade explains. “Sadly, there are a small handful of states that have legalized it. The pro-assisted-suicide effort is very well funded and continues to fight in state after state after state. They are not meeting with the success that they want or might have expected. Assisted suicide advocates are pushing for physicians to prescribe a deadly cocktail of drugs for patients to commit suicide on their own, without any medical supervision or notification of family members.”

Some bills propose an expansion of who could provide the prescriptions to allow nurses or nurse practitioners to prescribe the drugs, according to McQuade. “We are concerned about this from every possible angle. Suicide is suicide,” she says. “It’s not that some people are worthy of it and others are worthy of protection from it. Every suicide is tragic.”

McQuade says there are many dangers for abuse, that this will single out and exploit or put at greater risk those in the disabled community: “The disability rights community is front and center speaking out against this. Their presence is vital to this fight.” Fears include that people deemed nonproductive, including the elderly, would be targeted for assisted suicide, and that health insurance might not cover some therapeutic care.

Respect Life Initiatives

According to its website, “The Secretariat of Pro-Life Activities, under the guidance and direction of the Committee on Pro-Life Activities, works to teach respect for all human life from conception to natural death, and organize for its protection.” New York Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan, committee chairman, said in an October 2017 statement: “Building a culture of life isn’t something we just do one month of the year, or with one event or initiative—it’s essential to who we are. It happens through our daily actions, how we treat one another, and how we live our lives.”

The website is a one-stop resource for all things “Respect Life”—in English and Spanish—including educational materials, fact sheets, a biweekly column for Catholic publications, monthly liturgical suggestions for parishes, updates on public policy efforts, and practical tips to help implement pro-life programs to reach pregnant women and their children, the disabled, the sick or dying, and those affected by abortion. One of the articles on the website is titled “What to Do When a Friend Is Considering Abortion.” The four-step approach begins with listening to the woman about her concerns, and provides practical things to say or not say.

“They are written in such a way to be accessible for folks in the pews, youth ministry, young adults, faith formation settings, and certainly the Catholic press, to draw attention to issues throughout the year,” McQuade says. “There are teachable moments that come up, and the articles are meant to be useful.”

This year, the bishops’ yearlong Respect Life program, which kicked off last October, centers on the theme “Be Not Afraid.”

“A lot of people have fear even thinking about these issues,” she says. Instead, McQuade suggests that people should feel encouraged, empowered, and equipped to do something. “Our faith gives us strength to inform ourselves and to speak out in love on these often controversial topics. People are hungry to know the truth. If we are good ambassadors and help people communicate the beauty of human life, people will join us to the benefit of many helpless people. Lives are at stake.

“We have a duty to all vulnerable people—the poor, imprisoned, elderly, unborn—but we are also called to stand with people throughout the life span,” she says. Building on the foundational right to life, fighting hunger, and advocating for good housing, clean water, and education are both social justice and pro-life issues. “Catholic social teaching can’t be put in liberal or conservative categories,” she contends. “It’s richer than that. What we have to offer is unique and important.”

McQuade says that everyone is called to build a culture of life and defend it. She suggests some practical ways: sign up with Human Life Action, which helps Catholics take action on the federal level by contacting their elected representatives; sign up to receive alerts from your state Catholic conference; participate in prayer campaigns leading up to and surrounding the March for Life; sign up for the USCCB’s e-newsletter; and check out the People of Life Facebook page.

“The bishops have long since laid the blueprint for this culture of life; many people are participating,” she says. “We still need more. We run up against budget concerns and challenges when we face well-funded groups, but there are so many stories in Scripture where the little guy wins.”

Respect Life program: usccb.org/about/pro-life-activities/respect-life-program

Sidebar: Pope Francis on Capital Punishment

The pro-life movement includes a strong stance against capital punishment, a position also supported in the Catechism (2267). Pope Francis recently reaffirmed this aspect of Catholic pro-life teaching on the 25th anniversary of the Catechism of the Catholic Church at the Vatican on October 11.

The pope said that the death penalty “heavily wounds human dignity” and is an “inhuman measure.” In his speech, he reminded the audience that the Church has only formally denounced capital punishment since 1969, when Pope Paul VI banned the death penalty in the Papal States. However, the death penalty had not actually been imposed since 1870.

Pope Francis said capital punishment “is, in itself, contrary to the Gospel, because a decision is voluntarily made to suppress a human life, which is always sacred in the eyes of the Creator and of whom, in the last analysis, only God can be the true judge and guarantor.” —Daniel Imwalle

In a time of intense racial tensions, Msgr. Ray East has some words of advice: We need to focus on the fact that we are all made in God’s image.

Msgr. Ray East, a nationally known speaker and evangelist, thinks Pentecost is a perfect image of the Church. In fact, he thinks everyone should look up and memorize the second chapter of Acts. What takes place on Pentecost, he says, shows that “the diversity that exists in the Church now was present from day one. In fact, it was precisely because of that worldwide gathering that the Holy Spirit came, and that’s the birth of the Church.”

But he’s also acutely aware that there are difficult issues within both society and the Church that must be confronted. One of those issues is racial division.

“You could look at the history of the United States from the Native Americans right through to the current days, and say we’ve been a nation marked by genocide, riots, pogroms, and things that would tear people apart and divide,” says Msgr. East. “That’s in our DNA. But the recipe for healing is in our natural culture, as well. We need to use that ‘medicine of mercy’ that St. John XXIII talked about—the Church being a medicine of mercy for the sin of racism.”

Mercy, he says, is at the very heart of our faith. “It’s why God came to earth. It’s why Jesus formed as one of us. It’s at the heart of all of the Gospels and particularly the story of the good Samaritan or the prodigal children that God welcomed home. Mercy is the way that we manifest our Christian, Catholic faith.”

Lack of Mercy

He points out, though, “In a very real way, these are the most merciless times. The climate has become so antagonistic.” Things like race, religion, and nationality shouldn’t be dividing factors, but instead should show us the great diversity of God’s creation, he says.

“Here we are, living on one small planet in a country that’s been so blessed, and we can’t even figure out how to be civil and love one another because there are these things that divide us,” says the monsignor. “We agree on so many beautiful principles: that we should love one another, that we should care for one another. But how to do it? That’s where the problems come.”

The first step in confronting racism, Msgr. East believes, is for people to realize that racism is a sin. “It tears down the image of God. It attacks the dignity of the human person. And besides being a sin, it is an illness. It affects people; it infects people.”

Addressing the Issue

This past August, in the aftermath of racially motivated violence in Charlottesville, Virginia, the US bishops made a move to more actively confront racial issues in our country by establishing an ad hoc committee on racism. The committee, which is being led by Bishop George Murry, SJ, of Youngstown, Ohio, will focus on addressing the sin of racism in our society—and even in our Church—and the urgent need to come together as a society to find solutions.

At a press conference about the committee, Bishop Murry said: “We’re here today because of our confidence that Christ wishes to break down these walls created by the evils of racism, be they on display for the world to see or buried deep within the recesses of our hearts. For too long the sin of racism has lived and thrived in our communities and even in some of our churches.”

For Msgr. East, the development of the committee was a welcome move. “Racism is one of the least written about, talked about, researched subjects, ” he says. Nor does he believe that the Church is doing enough to counter it.

“Racism is such a loaded word that we walk away from it. We walk away from the challenge to address racism. We walk away from it in our official pronouncements. We’d rather talk about anything else,” he says.

Given the fact that there have been only two major documents on racism from the US bishops since 1979, that seems to be an accurate assessment. In 1979, the bishops released the pastoral statement “Brothers and Sisters to Us,” and in 1984, the 10 black bishops of the United States issued the pastoral letter “What We Have Seen and Heard,” as a witness to the black community.

Aside from those, statements on the issue of race have come mostly from individual bishops. For example, Bishop Edward K. Braxton of Belleville, Illinois, recently wrote two pieces addressing the issue of race: “The Racial Divide in the United States and The Catholic Church” and “Black Lives Matter Movement: The Racial Divide in the United States Revisited.” A pastoral statement on racism from the US bishops is supposed to be released next year, though.

Children of God

When asked about the controversial movement Black Lives Matter, Msgr. East points out that “people would not have had to come up with the term Black Lives Matter unless there was this huge countercurrent that said black lives don’t matter.”

That does not, however, mean that the message is exclusive to the African American community, he says.

“When you say black lives matter, it doesn’t mean that blue lives don’t matter—lives of police officers—or that the lives of all the other members of the community or the lives of women don’t matter. No, it means that everybody matters and everybody’s important to God. And because they’re important to God, they should be important to us.”

Moving Forward

The best way to address racial issues within the Church, Msgr. East says, is to imitate or recreate Jesus’ encounters, such as with the woman at the well. In that meeting, Jesus crosses borders, listens to her story, and offers her the gift of himself and his honesty, thus allowing her to be honest with him.

“In that same way, we encounter the other. We share our stories. We make eye contact. We share our name, a little bit about ourselves, and we realize that Christ is the glue that is keeping us together. And then we go forth and share that relationship with others.

“I think we forget that we’re one family, or as I like to say, we’re all Afri-kin—k-i-n—under the skin. . . . St. Paul says in such a beautiful way, God made us in his image and in this image of God we are all one. When we forget about that, we miss the beautiful richness of all the different cultures and places [to which] the human family has migrated.”

Black Catholics in the United States

• There are 3 million African American Catholics in the United States.
• Of the 17,651 Roman Catholic parishes in the United States, 798 are considered to be predominantly African American. Most of those are on the East Coast and in the South. Farther west of the Mississippi River, African American Catholics are more likely to be immersed in multicultural parishes.
• About 76 percent of African American Catholics are in diverse or shared parishes, and 24 percent are in predominantly African American parishes.
• At present there are 15 living African American bishops, of whom eight remain active.
• Currently, six US dioceses are headed by African American bishops, including one archdiocese.
• There are 250 African American priests, 437 African American deacons, and 75 African American men in seminary formation for the priesthood in the United States.
• There are 400 African American religious sisters and 50 African American religious brothers.
• The black population in the United States is estimated to be just over 36 million people (13 percent of the total US population).
• By the year 2050, the black population is expected to almost double its present size to 62 million, and it will increase its percentage of the population to 16 percent.

_{“The Catholic Church: By the Numbers,” USCCB Office of Media Relations (2012) Updated: February 2017}

An Important Gathering

This past July, 2,000 people gathered in Orlando, Florida, for the 12th National Black Catholic Congress (NBCC). Under the theme “The Spirit of the Lord Is upon Me: Act Justly, Love Goodness, and Walk Humbly with Your God,” attendees took part in workshops on prayer, Bible study, and prison ministries, as well as ones on racism as a destructive force and lessons learned in the St. Louis Archdiocese from the unrest in Ferguson, Missouri, after the fatal police shooting of Michael Brown in 2014.

The NBCC began in January 1889, when 100 black Catholic men gathered in Washington, DC, and met with President Grover Cleveland.

Daniel Rudd, a journalist from Ohio and founder of the American Catholic Tribune, recruited delegates to the first Black Catholic Congress. He also helped organize the first lay Catholic Congress of the United States in 1889, insisting that blacks be treated as part of the whole, not as a special category.

The movement would go on to hold five congresses from 1889 to 1894. Following a long period when no gatherings were held, the congresses began again in 1987 and have been held every five years since.

At this year’s congress, Father Patrick Smith, pastor of St. Augustine Catholic Church in Washington, DC, said: “Black Catholics and sympathetic clergy demonstrated by this gathering—in a way like never before—that the plight of black citizens of this country and members of the Catholic Church matter. In other words, the first congress emphatically declared that ‘Black Catholic Lives Matter’ in the Church and ‘Black Lives Matter’ in and across this country.”

Comedian Chris Rock has a great stand-up routine focused on the omnipresent television drug commercials, called direct-to-consumer drug ads, particularly those which “keep naming symptoms until they get one that the viewer’s convinced he/she has got.”

Sometimes, Rock says, the advertisements don’t even inform you precisely what the pill supposedly does. He goes on, “The voice-over just keeps naming symptoms: ‘Are you depressed? Do your teeth hurt?’”

Then he mentions one commercial which might ask: “Do you go to bed at night and wake up in the morning?” Rock adds, “I got that. I’m sick. I need that pill!”

Overmedicating Americans

Some consumer health watchdog agencies believe drug companies are creating false needs in healthy persons, promoting their drugs for long-term use in basically healthy people. These direct-to-consumer drug ads generate hefty profits for the drug companies.

zens, we take lots of pills. Drugs can interact with one another, cause serious side effects and even be fatal. Last year, 125,000 Americans died from drug reactions. That makes the pharmaceutical industry the fourth leading national cause of death after heart disease, cancer and stroke.

Why Do We Do It?

There are many reasons. The average American is older, heavier, with more hypertension, high cholesterol, diabetes, osteoporosis and arthritis than a generation ago—all conditions effectively treated with medications. I asked my no-nonsense, compassionate neurologist, “Dr. Z,” his view. He reflected, “Some think taking a pill is the fast and easy way to health, relief of obesity, pain, etc. People do not want to work at staying healthy over the long haul.”

We may take too many pills because we do not manage our medications carefully. We might not talk to our doctor about all of our prescriptions or we may ignore dosage instructions. We may self-diagnose and take additional over-the-counter medications.

While we can’t eliminate all medications, we need to act wisely. Jesus declares, “Blessed are you who are poor, for the kingdom of God is yours” (Luke 6:20).

Placing our lives in God’s hands might temper over-concern for our self and our obsession with health. If we accept ourselves as God sees us, we might simplify our lives by taking only the needed medications directed by our doctors.

The 19th-century American physician Oliver Wendell Holmes said: “If all the drugs were thrown in the ocean, everyone would be better-off…except for the fish.”

Handy Tips

• Keep a dated list of all your medications.
• Talk to your doctor about everything you take: drugs, herbs, supplements.
• Ask the pharmacist about the meds: interactions, side effects, problems, etc.
• See if you can eliminate any unnecessary drugs.

Next Month: Fighting the Inevitable