Catholic Charities USA

Dear Friends in Christ,

This weekend marks the 100th Anniversary of Catholic Charities USA. I would like to share with you my personal experience with this organization while I served in a parish in Los Angeles. St. Francis of Assisi parish is located in the Silverlake district of Los Angeles, just east of Hollywood. I was associate pastor and then pastor from 1991-2001.

Silverlake is a mixed region of apartments and small family residences along the Sunset Boulevard corridor and wealthy homes in the hills. Most of the parishioners of St. Francis live near Sunset Boulevard. There are numbers of families living in apartments who struggle for their livelihood.

Not far from our parish was the Hollywood office of Catholic Charities. In those years Mrs. Fe Benito was the director and our parish would often send her clients who were in need. Frequently we would send her people who needed help with their rent or utilities. She also provided families with clothing and food. There were parenting classes in both Spanish and English and she kept a counselor on staff.

One of the highlights of the year at Catholic Charities, and one which I will always remember, was the annual Christmas party. Mrs. Benito would plan the party with games, snacks, and singing. She always invited me to come and tell the Christmas story in Spanish. The stage for this was set in a hall complete with a live nativity scene. The baby who played little Jesus hopefully was sleeping throughout the performance. Otherwise things could get difficult!! It was nevertheless a high point in my pastoral life to attend this event.

A few years ago I received a call from Mrs. Benito inviting me to the Cardinal’s Awards Dinner. Having retired from Catholic Charities, she was one of five recipients of the Cardinal’s Award for exceptional service to the Church in Los Angeles. For 100 years Catholic Charities has been serving the poor regardless of race, Creed or ethnic background. Today we have an pportunity to help this organization in our collection. Please be generous.

Fr. Hildebrand

Catechetical Sunday

Dear Friends in Christ,

Today is Catechetical Sunday for the Church in the United States. This year’s theme is “Matrimony: Sacrament of Enduring Love”. Now, at first I was wondering, why Matrimony on Catechetical Sunday? Shouldn’t Matrimony be the theme on World Marriage Day? Then I began to reflect and to read more about this year’s theme and I realized how important matrimony is to catechesis.

Most of us grew up in a Catholic family; our experience of Catholicism is directly related to our home life and family practice. For those who did not grow up in a Catholic environment I think you probably developed a “family” relationship with someone who led you to the faith. And now that you are practicing the faith you have met married persons who have been good examples of Catholic living.

Today, as you know, about half of all marriages end in divorce. The statistics for Catholics is about the same. After 26 years of priesthood, I can say that preparing couples for marriage has been one of the most important pastoral tasks. Contemporary couples face many obstacles to their marriage especially from today’s culture of non-commitment, abortion, and contraception. Married love is based on the love of Christ for us. This love must be generous, enduring, and fruitful. Christ asked us to love one another as He loved us. Now He loved us so much that He gave Himself totally by His passion and death on the cross. Husbands and wives should draw strength from the Lord’s sacrifice in making a generous gift of self in their daily life, offering their crosses and sacrifices for the good of their marriage and their children.

Married love is an enduring love. Christ who sits at the right hand of the Father never ceases to intercede for us. Couples should always ask for the “daily bread” of God’s grace to keep their marriage a permanent covenant that endures until death. Finally, married love is a fruitful love. Christ provided the fruit of sanctifying grace so that the Church would continue to grow throughout time by bringing to birth new members in the waters of Baptism. The primary end of marriage is the procreation and education of children. Children are a blessing from God. They help to strengthen the bond between husband and wife. The Church still regards the large family as desirable, in spite of the negative influences of today’s culture. I have known several large families; their members are very happy and well adjusted. Children learn important social skills and the spirit of sacrifice in larger families. May the Lord bless our couples with many beautiful children.

Let us pray today and always for our Catholic married couples and those who are preparing for marriage. May the holy couple, Mary and Joseph, intercede for them with Jesus.

Fr. Hildebrand

Letter from the Pastor

Dear Friends in Christ,

Recently I spent 10 days vacation with one of our priests in northern California. We stayed with his mother who lives in Eureka, California on the north coast. During our stay we had the opportunity to visit Redwood National Park. In walking the hiking trails in the park I was impressed by the magnificent scenery. The redwoods are the world’s tallest trees, some of them reaching heights of over 350 feet; that’s as tall as a 35 story skyscraper. They are among the oldest living things, some of them nearly 2000 years old.

I wondered how these trees get so large and survive the battle for existence in the forest with the constant threat from insects and fires. I found out that redwoods contain a substance called tannin which is distasteful to termites. The wood of the redwood is also resistant to fire, unlike some pine trees that explode in fires because they contain an oily resin. Even though fires burn into the trees (we saw some that were hollowed out from fires), they are able to survive because of the vital power in the outer wood layer.

There are large numbers of elk in the park; we saw several elk grazing on a grassy meadow, the males with their large racks of antlers. They are very majestic looking. Have you ever wondered why elk have antlers? These bone-like appendages are for protection against enemies. In examining all the different plants and animals we find that they are made by design. Nature has provided for their survival and for their propagation. In general we find that nature acts for a purpose and nothing is wasted or useless. Even the little micro-organisms in the lakes and streams have a part to play in the cycle of life. In gazing at the beauty of these natural wonders we recognize the marvelous order in the world.

As humans we are part of this great world of nature, but there is a difference between us and the elk or the redwood. While they have great strength and beauty, they cannot reflect and reason about their existence. As rational beings endowed with reason, we humans not only see the beauty, we find joy in it and can reflect on its meaning. God has made this wonderful world for our benefit. Let us use it wisely as good stewards and remember to thank the God who provided it for us.

Sincerely yours in Christ,

Fr. Hildebrand

A Letter from our Pastor

From an Address of Blessed Teresa of Calcutta, June 1982

To me, the greatest poverty is that [of] abortion: the fear of the child. The child must die; the child must be killed so that we don’t have to feed one more child, we don’t have to educate one more child. Terrible! Terrible! Mother could murder her own child! Terrible! It is the sign of great poverty. And so, open your eyes to come to know.

One evening, a man came to our house and said, "There is a family with eight children that have not eaten for a long time. Do something for them." And I took some rice, and the mother took [it]. I could see from the eyes of the children — God knows how long they had not eaten — their eyes were simply shining with hunger, and big black lines under their eyes. And the mother went out with the rice, and when she came back, I asked her, "Where did you go? And what did you do?" And she said, "They are hungry, also."

[“They” were her] next-door neighbor. She knew they were hungry. I was not surprised that she gave, but I was very much surprised that she knew, because in sorrow like that, in a suffering like that, very often we have no time to think of others. And yet this tremendous woman had the courage to love like that. Great love.

This is something we have to learn from the poor people; they are very great people. You don’t know what is hunger. You have never experienced that. But one day, I picked up a child — six, seven years old — from the street, and I could see the pain of hunger in her face. So, I gave her a piece of bread. And then I saw the child eating the bread, crumb by crumb. I said, "Eat, eat the bread." And then she looked at me and said, "I am afraid when the bread will be finished, I will be hungry again."

See, that little one, so small, has already tasted the pain of suffering, the pain of hunger. And this is what I want you… [to do]: open your eyes.