Atrium students learn through encounters with the Divine Teacher— Jesus

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Laura Keener

Editor

A bowl of holy water sits on a table in front of an icon of The Good Shepherd outside the door of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd Atrium at St. Catherine of Siena School. The holy water is there for catechists, students and visitors to bless themselves as they are about to enter sacred space — a space where children experience a personal encounter with Jesus. Through this encounter, Jesus, the Divine Teacher, makes himself known in the hearts and minds of young students on their terms — through intuitive and structured work.

“Jesus is the teacher in the Atrium, and the role of the catechist is just to bring the children and him together,” said Jeanne Hicks, lead catechist, Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, St. Catherine of Siena Parish, Ft. Thomas.

The Catechesis of the Good Shepherd — also known as the Atrium — is a form of catechesis recently introduced at St. Catherine of Siena Parish. It occupies one classroom at St. Catherine of Siena School. Kindergarteners followed Father Stef Bankemper, pastor, around the classroom, Oct. 22, as he blessed and dedicated the space. The blessing itself is an example of how children learn in the Atrium — by listening to Scripture, praying communally and individually, learning the names of sacramentals and through active participation.

The Atrium is a distinctive educational environment designed for catechizing young children in the Catholic faith, originating from the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, developed by Sofia Cavalletti and Gianna Gobbi in the 1950s. Inspired by Montessori principles, the Atrium is a prepared space that invites children to engage deeply with their faith through hands-on materials and contemplative experiences.

Ms. Cavalletti, an Italian educator and theologian, observed how children could connect with God through their own exploration. The Atrium serves as a sacred space where children can learn about biblical stories, liturgical elements, and the life of Jesus in a child-friendly manner. The curriculum focuses on nurturing a personal relationship with God, fostering a sense of wonder and reverence.

Nearly everything at the Ft. Thomas Atrium was lovingly made or provided by St. Catherine parishioners. And while it typically takes six months to a year to properly outfit an Atrium, the St. Catherine Atrium was ready in three weeks.

“So, you know that God just really wanted this to happen because there is no other explanation for that,” Mrs. Hicks said.

While there are three levels to an Atrium, the Atrium at St. Catherine Parish currently only offers Level 1, which is for children ages three to six. It is hoped that levels will be added as interest and catechists increase. Including herself, Mrs. Hicks has three CGS certified catechists. School students spend an hour in the Atrium, while children not in school attend for an hour-and-a-half. The Atrium is open to the community on Mondays and Wednesdays, 3:30–5 p.m. Class capacity is 11 students. Currently there is a waiting list.

The day starts with the students gathering to listen to a Scripture passage. The children then go to work, visiting various learning stations. Each station has three-dimensional learning aids that invite children to an immersive learning experience through play and quiet contemplation while Jesus speaks to their heart.

A favorite for many of the children is the child-sized altar. The altar comes complete with altar cloth, candles, crucifix, paten, chalice, purificator, corporal, cruets, lavabo and candle snuffer. There are even child-sized chasubles in all the liturgical colors. Each item is clearly identified, and its proper use explained. At this station, the learning comes in repeatedly preparing for and acting out the Mass.

“It helps be engaged more in the worship of the Mass,” said Mrs. Hicks.

Another station, the geography station, features a 3-d map of Jerusalem. A cross sits on a hillside outside the walls. Inside the walls, children will find, in miniature, the building where the Last Supper took place, Harrods palace and Pontius Pilate’s praetorium. A nearby station features the upper room where students can immerse themselves even more in the story of the Last Supper.

Over the decades, the Atrium has gained popularity in parishes and schools worldwide, adapting to various cultural contexts while maintaining its foundational principles. It emphasizes the importance of adult guidance while allowing children the freedom to discover and reflect on their faith.

“It’s almost like a Holy Hour for them,” said Mrs. Hicks. “It’s very quiet. When the children speak, they speak in quiet tones. They walk slowly. They use their body slowly. They’re so respectful of the items in here. They’re asking us, ‘help me to come to know Jesus by myself,’ and through all of these works they come to know that.”

Mrs. Hicks is hopeful that the St. Catherine Atrium will be the first of many Atria in the Diocese of Covington. Anyone wanting to learn more may contact Mrs. Hicks at [email protected]

Long Term Substitute Teacher – English – St. Henry District High School

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St. Henry District High School, a National Blue Ribbon School in Erlanger KY, is seeking a long term sub English teacher for the 2024/2025 school year, the approximate time period will be the middle January to the middle of April. SHDHS is a 500 student co-ed college prep high school located in a suburban area of Cincinnati. Hard-working and respectful students, small class sizes, congenial colleagues, and excellent support for new teachers are some of the attractive features of the position. An ideal candidate would hold a teaching certificate in English or a related field. Interested parties should click here to apply. 

 

Propaedeutic Year

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A propaedeutic year is a year-long period of spiritual and human formation for men considering the priesthood. It’s a preliminary step before entering seminary and is often the first of four stages of formation. The propaedeutic year is a time for participants to focus on their relationship with Christ and lay the foundation for a new way of life. Hear from two seminarians and Bishop Iffert about this first step of formation.

To download this video click here.

Third Place Essay #1

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Third Place Essay #1

St. Joseph School, Crescent Springs

Human life begins at conception, and we need to recognize and protect it from that moment.  This belief has built and strengthened during my eight years of learning more about my faith in a Catholic School.  There are many reasons I feel strongly in my opinion.  The foundation of my belief is based on my reading of Scripture, my understanding of how science proves when life begins, and my personal family experience.

In many areas of Scripture God leads us through his words to understand that human life begins at conception.  In Jeremiah 1:5, “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you.”  God shows that he values everyone from the moment of conception and even before.  For him to know us even before we are formed in the womb means that God had a plan for each of us when we were conceived.  God shows how much he values the birth of each child in Matthew 18:5 “Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me”.  To read the word of God where he is speaking about knowing every child and those who welcome them also welcome Him shapes my beliefs.

Some people believe women should have the right to do what they want with their bodies.  They argue that a child in the womb is part of the woman’s body and not its own person.  Science counters this claim.  Science has proven that a child in the womb is a unique individual and not just a part of their mother’s body.  A study of human development by Dr. Keith Moore concluded, “A new human embryo in the womb has a genetic composition that is absolutely unique to itself, different from any other human that has ever existed, including that of its mother.”  If a child in the womb is a unique individual, then it deserves the protections that we give to all individuals.

The final and most personal reason I believe all life should be protected is from my own family’s experience.  My mom was born when my grandma was only 18 years old. I’m sure it was not easy on my grandma and her family.  However, her family followed the teaching of Saint John Paul II and showed “radical solidarity” in helping to raise my mom.  Had my mom’s family, especially my great-grandma, not come together to support my grandma in raising my mom then she may have decided differently and then my brother, my sister, and I would not have been born.  People must remember to offer support when women are in similar situations, so they do not feel pushed to make other decisions.

Something I thought I could do as an 8th grader to show compassion and friendship is to volunteer my time at DCCH Center for Children and Families.  I could be a good friend, role model and teacher to the kids there until their moms are able to care for them again.  My aunt works there, and she often brings children to our family gatherings who do not have a family to spend time with at the holidays.  Another thing I could do to show compassion is to offer to babysit for mothers in need to allow them to work, run errands or just have time to themselves.  Therefore, it is important to remember that human life begins at conception, and we need to recognize and protect it from that moment.

According to Catechism of the Catholic Church, “Every human life, from the moment of conception until death, is sacred because the human person has been willed for its own sake in the image and likeness of the living and holy God.”  These words should ring in the minds of everyone faced with a similar situation to what my grandma experienced.

 

 

Third Place Essay #2

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Third Place Essay #2

St. Joseph School, Crescent Springs

Is it right to eliminate God’s gift and motive for each individual?  God did not just take time to create each human life so beautifully for us to take it away from the world.  He did not frame our lives for people to disrespect it.  Our lives are in the hands of God, which means he takes care of us and watches over us.  As sons and daughters of God, we are meant to take the path that he developed for us.  He shows us how to live our lives by putting others’ needs before our own.  God’s objective for creating us was for everyone to be made with dignity and purpose, even those people who have disabilities.

The Church teaches that all life is made in the image and likeness of God, born or unborn, from conception to death.  I have worked with and met a lot of people who have disabilities.  Some of them may feel out of place because they are not able to do some things that we are able to do.  It is our job to make them feel like they belong, because they do.  Every life put into the world is a miracle, and God took time to create each life with intent.  Some may say that life does not begin until birth because you are not a human at conception.  However, the church teaches that life begins the second you are made in your mother’s womb.  Therefore, God admires all human life no matter the size or age.  As the Bible says, “nor is he served by human hands because he needs anything. Rather it is he who gives to everyone life and breath and everything” (Acts 17:25). This shows that God gives us everything, starting with our own life.

Radical Solidarity is recognizing that someone else’s struggle is your struggle.  To me, it also means bringing the community together and helping each other out.  Most people think donating is the best way to help, while that is important, there are a variety of other ways to assist people in need.  Doing community service, making sure everyone is being treated right, and coming together to be kind and helpful are all things that people can do to help.  At dance, I help take care of the kids with special needs.  It is such a big community, and we always have a blast dancing together.  Radical solidarity is important to our society because without it, our world would be a mess.  As Christians we should practice radical solidarity because by working together, it produces a stronger community.  St. John Paul II say, “Solidarity is not a feeling of vague compassion or shallow distress at the misfortunes of so many people, both near and far”-St. John Paul II.

There are many ways that us 8th graders can help women, children, and families who need it.  God created us to share love, and we should cherish that gift.  One of the things that people my age could do to help, is to support and treasure children with special needs so that they can grow and thrive. Some people think that people with disabilities are different from everyone else because of the way they look.  They are not different.  In fact, they are just like us.  Therefore, everyone deserves the same amount of respect.  My dance studio offers a class for children and teenagers with different types of disabilities.  We also participate in the Buddy Walk in Cincinnati every year, which supports the Down Syndrome Association of Greater Cincinnati.  It touches my heart when I see their smiling faces and the light in their eyes when they are dancing.  The Catechism states, “The virtue of chastity blossoms in friendship” (CCC 2347).  This means that helping others creates friendships.  In order for us to share God’s gift of love, we not only have to be friendly, but compassionate about the things that we do.

God wants for us to share our love and treat everyone with courtesy.  He wants us to include everyone, even people with disabilities.  The church teaches that all life is precious, from the moment you are in your mother’s womb to natural death, and everyone deserves to be treated with dignity. This means practicing radical solidarity, in which St. John Paul II teaches.  Radical solidarity can help people my age change someone’s life for the better.

 

 

Second Place Essay

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Second Place Essay

St. Timothy School, Union

A young lady comes home from her minimum wage job and sees a pile of bills with big red “OVERDUE”         stamps staring her in the face.  She struggles to pay even for herself, living paycheck to paycheck.  Now she has an even bigger worry; she will soon have another mouth to feed.  This is the sad reality for many women in the modern-day world.  Their hard life is seemingly made more difficult by welcoming a child into the world.  Most even struggle to get day-to-day necessities.  By choosing to welcome a new life, they are being extremely selfless and putting God’s plan before their own.  My assistance with the Madonna House has shown me the struggles of women and children.  Women need many material goods to support themselves and a child.  By grasping St. John Paul II’s concept of radical solidarity, I make their struggle my struggle and embrace God’s love.

To start, God had your entire life planned out for you before you are born.  The Bible proves this in Jeremiah 1:5 when it states, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born, I dedicated you, a prophet to the nations” (New American Bible Revised Edition).  This illustrates that all life is extremely precious and endowed with God given dignity from the moment of conception.  In the above quote the Lord is speaking to Jeremiah, but what he says is true for everyone; we all have a right to life.  All life should be loved and cared for, from the moment of conception.  This is important to me because I believe that all children should be treated as they are made in the image of God, because they are.

Furthermore, as a young man who has grown up in a privileged life, I strive to understand the struggles that the women and children who live in poverty go through every day. At Thanksgiving I led a prayer for the unborn, the born, and mothers.  At that moment I was filled with the Holy Spirit.  It made me understand how to make their struggle my struggle by helping all those I see that need it.  Jesus Christ himself states, “I give you a new commandment: love one another.  As I have loved you, so you also should love one another” (New American Bible Revised Edition, John 13:34). Jesus is telling us to love everyone in our lives, no matter the good or bad they have done.  That is very similar to St. John Paul II’s concept of radical solidarity.

The Madonna House is a non-profit organization that gives mothers and their children a home to live in while they search for a job and a good source of income.  They teach mothers how to care for their child, how to care for themselves, and how to live with a child in their lives.  The Catechism of the Catholic Church states, “The duty of making oneself a neighbor to others and actively serving them becomes even more urgent when it involves the disadvantaged, in whatever area this may be…” (1932).  The Madonna House lives out Pope John Paul II’s belief of radical solidarity by fulfilling all of the criteria in the passage.  The Catechism tells us that when we see those in need, we should do anything we can to help them.  I heard this quote and applied it to my daily life by attempting to help one person a day.  At a recent family reunion, I asked my family to bring donations for the Madonna House.  Almost all of them brought items for the donation.  Just a few of the items they brought were shampoo, conditioner, baskets, and crib sheets.  By praying for and donating to the Madonna House, I hope to embody the works of Christ.  My grandfather was a chairman of the Diocese of Covington Pro-Life Commission from 2003 to August 2006.  I wish to follow in his footsteps and inspire young children to be pro-life as well.

As shown above, St. John Paul II’s idea of radical solidarity should be guiding principle for all young Catholics leading through faith.   The struggle of women and children in this modern world is too much for them to bear alone.  I practice radical solidarity by making the struggle of women and children my own, and by loving all women and children just as Christ himself did.  If we all do this, then we can make Heaven on earth.

The Winning Essay

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The Winning Essay

St. Timothy School, Union

It was a morning like any other.  My stomach grumbled, and I felt the deep pain of hunger in the pit of my stomach.  I knew the day would bring only a few small morsels of food.  I was born into poverty-stricken Ethiopia, and I lived there until the age of four when I was adopted.  I am here living with a wonderful family and several other adopted sisters.  I am able to walk the earth today because my birth mother recognized the dignity and worth of all life.  My parents also understand this, and they created a welcoming home for their children.  Knowing the pain of hunger myself, I understand how poverty and food-scarcity could lead to women terminating the life in their own womb rather that facing the struggle of not being able to raise their child.  By offering support such as childcare and food relief to poverty-stricken mothers, we can offer hope and compassion during a pivotal time in their lives.

By having a mother who embraced my innate, God-given dignity, my life was spared.  My birth mother lived in poverty in a small town in Ethiopia.  She could barely feed herself, and she knew she would not be able to take care of me when I was born.  Instead of taking the easy way out, she chose to carry and give birth to me.  She put me in an orphanage that had more resources than she could ever provide.  She had tears in her eyes as she watched me leave and go to a place where she knew I would get the care I needed.  Because of her selfless decision, I am able to realize the worth of life.  Scripture states, “For I know well the plans I have in mind for you-oracle of the LORD-plans for your welfare and not for woe, so as to give you a future of hope” (New American Bible Revised Edition, Jeremiah 29:11).  My birth mother knew that God had a plan for my life, and she understood that my life was meaningful, no matter the circumstances I was born into.  All life is precious regardless of the condition.

It is our responsibility to support struggling mothers and families in our community.  According to a recent study, “The average cost of childcare for one child in the U.S. is about $10,900 per year.” (The Economic Impact of Childcare by State”).  This puts additional stress on mothers with a limited income.  This was the case with my younger sister who was adopted at birth.  Her mom lived in Cincinnati, and was not able to provide for her, so she made an adoption plan.  The lack of support mothers receive with new children is devastating.  To help alleviate this, I have taken the initiative to offer free babysitting services in my community.  By using my service, families can have time to attend to health concerns, be active in their faith network, and work to provide for their families.  As leaders of our faith we need to lend a helping hand to impoverished mothers.  It is our duty as young Catholics to pray for leaders in our country to pass legislation and welcome new life.

Providing meals for lower income children and moms is essential to supporting families as they welcome new life into their homes.  I prioritize helping lower-income children because I remember when I was in Ethiopia and would only receive a small portion of food.  Go Pantry collects and distributes food to malnourished children in Boone County.  We need to raise awareness in our community about this beneficial service to our neighbors who need additional support to feed their families.   Attending to the needs of the poor is our call from God.  The Catechism of the Catholic Church reminds us, “The corporal works of mercy consist especially in feeding the hungry, sheltering the homeless, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and imprisoned, and burying the dead.  Among all these, giving alms to the poor is one of the chief witnesses to fraternal charity: it is also a work of justice pleasing to God” (2447). Feeding poor families brings alive the teachings of the Church.

To conclude, all life is precious and deserves dignity and respect.  When we support struggling women and families in both speech and action, we bring our faith to life.  Let us answer God’s call for us to help our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.

The St. Mary Stadtmiller Family Parish Activity Center is dedicated and blessed in an October 2 ceremony

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Bella Young

Multimedia Correspondent

After a fruitful first phase of the St. Mary Parish, Alexandria, Cultivating Legacy capital campaign, which included the installment of a church elevator and the expansion of the parking lot, phase two officially concluded Oct. 2 with the dedication and blessing of the new Parish Activity Center.

“Today we ask God’s blessing on this Parish Center. We ask God that those entrusted with the education in this parish and school may teach how to join human wisdom with the truth of the Gospel, so that they will be able to keep the true faith and live up to it with their lives, said Bishop Iffert in his blessing. “We also ask the Lord that students find in their teachers, the image of Christ. So that, enriched with both human and divine learning, they are ready and able to enlighten and assist others.”

The new Parish Activity Center, or PAC, contains access to the main school building, three new preschool classrooms each at 750 square feet, and a new gymnasium with a capacity for 500 adults or 700 children, making it double the size of the previous gymnasium.

Looking forward, the third and final phase of the Cultivating Legacy capital campaign will include the renovation of the previous gymnasium into “a much-needed STEM classroom space,” said Father Joseph Gallenstein, pastor at St. Mary Parish.

During the planning process of the Cultivating Legacy capital campaign, it was determined that it would be feasible for the parish to raise $3.5 million.

“We said $4.2 million is needed,” said Father Gallenstein, “Then comes COVID and that went up to $5.9 million. At each turn, all the way, they met the fundraising challenges with confidence, creativity and enthusiasm … More than 900 people contributed, large and small donations, to make this facility possible,” said Father Gallenstein, standing in front of the emblem at center court.

The Stadtmiller family, for whom the PAC is named, was the lead donor to the capital campaign. “There is one family, who in fact, was the lead donor. In addition to their own personal generosity, they helped secure other large donors during the campaign. Without which, this project would not be possible — Jim and Connie Stadtmiller,” said Father Gallenstein.

To those in the St. Mary community the name Stadtmiller will sound familiar. Mr. and Mrs. Stadtmiller sent their four children to St. Mary School and have been faithful parishioners to the church for just as long.

“They have been tireless and generous supporters of St. Mary Parish and School,” said Father Gallenstein.

Now three of those four children are raising their own families at St. Mary Parish, and their daughter is investing her time and talents as a teacher and campus minister at neighboring Bishop Brossart High School, Alexandria. Father Gallenstein concluded his remarks, “The Stadtmillers are a family of deep Catholic faith … this facility will bear the name Stadtmiller.”

Jennifer Geiman, principal, St. Mary School, explained to those in attendance why this Activity Center was so desperately needed.

“The road to this moment was very challenging. Having to navigate a worldwide pandemic that exponentially changed the completion timeline and cost. In June 2022 when I stepped in as principal, the circumstances were dire. The lack of space for our rapidly growing student body … hard decisions were happening, such as eliminating our thriving preschool program,” Ms. Geiman said.

Those preschool students now have three classrooms in the PAC. “We are so blessed that our community provided us with such a beautiful new learning and activity space for our students and parishioners,” said Ms. Geiman

“When we say that the Church is holy, it doesn’t mean I’m all that,” said Bishop Iffert. “Jesus calls us together to eat his body. Jesus is the holiness of the Church. His life, his word, his ministry flows on in the mission that we share here at St. Mary’s. That is what makes the Church holy.

“Today we are here to bless this building. What we are really doing when we are blessing the building is we’re blessing you. We’re asking God to beat every evil, every temptation, every tendency to be divided, or to hurt one another, away from us. Instead, in this building, in this place you have created — you have made by your efforts and your sacrifices — to make this a place where you come to know Christ. Where he converts us and changes our hearts and helps us to be Christ to one another. That’s what we do when we bless this space. We say, ‘Make this a space where holy people gather in the image of Jesus and treat one another like Christ.’ Everything that happens in this building, we want to be leading toward Christ. The way you play here on this floor, the way you treat one another when you play, even when you are in competition with one another, the way you help one another learn, the way you assist one another … That’s what will make this building holy.”

Taking the aspersorium and aspergillum, Bishop Iffert blessed those in attendance, as well as the physical building with holy water raising screeches of delight from the preschoolers and kindergarteners as Bishop Iffert passed them, and more reverent signs of the cross from the older students, all of whom are on their way to making the St. Mary Stadtmiller Parish Activity Center a holy place.

Franciscan Daughters of Mary celebrate 25 years with Mass on the feast day of their patron

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Maura Baker

Staff Writer

Bishop Emeritus Roger Foys recalled the founding of the Franciscan Daughters of Mary, 25 years ago when one of the diocesan priests recommended a small group of women who were “looking to follow the footsteps of St. Francis” — with hopes of being received into the Diocese of Covington.

Bishop Foys remembered asking them what they were about, to which the sisters replied with their special concern — “To care for others. To preserve life in any way.”

The rest, he said, is history.

On the evening of Oct. 4, the feast of the sisters’ patron, St. Francis of Assisi, a Mass was held celebrating not only this feast day, but the 25-year anniversary of the sisters’ founding.

Celebrated at the Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption, Covington, Bishop Foys served as celebrant and homilist. Joining him in concelebrating were priests from the Dioceses of Covington, Cincinnati and Indianapolis — representing all from the tri-state whom the sisters have come to serve through their charism of stewarding and preserving life.

Joining in the celebration was a crowd of individuals all gathered to celebrate the sisters and their work, and to pray for them.

In his homily, Bishop Foys recalled the story of St. Francis — how he was born to a wealthy family, his conversion and turning to a life of prayer, solitude and meditation.

In addition, he shared a story of St. Francis from the “Little Flowers of St. Francis” — a collection of vignette stories from the people who knew him.

With the congregation, Bishop Foys recounted the story of the Wolf of Gubbio — a vicious wolf who was attacking all the animals, and eventually, the people, of the village.

“Francis visited Gubbio when he heard of this, and told the villagers that he wanted to see the wolf,” said Bishop Foys. And, although the villagers advised St. Francis not to, he made the sign of the cross, and insisted.

As the wolf rushed at St. Francis with open jaws, “Francis made the sign of the cross and commanded the wolf to cease his attacks in the name of God,” Bishop Foys recanted from the “Little Flowers.”

Calling him “Brother Wolf,” St. Francis was able to make peace between the wolf and the people of Gubbio — saying that the wolf played “one of his forepaws on Francis’s outstretched hand.”

“Is it any wonder that Francis is such a popular saint?” Bishop Foys asked the congregation. “He is genuine. He is real. He is committed by his actions to the words he preaches and teachers. Francis saw God’s hand in everything and everyone.”

He continued, saying, “Everything and anything we have comes ultimately from the hand of God. And, so, you see God’s beauty in a sunrise or a sunset, in a bird or a dog or a wolf.”

Circling back to the sisters celebrating their anniversary, Bishop Foys commented on their “remarkable” mission to “care for anyone who comes. No questions asked — because anyone who comes is a child of God to be treated with dignity and respect.”

“We pray that the ministry will continue to flourish and to grow,” Bishop Foys concluded, “and just as Francis brought peace to the wolf and the people of Gubbio, may the sisters bring peace and reconciliation to all who walk through their door.”

Praying for the dead in a communion of saints

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David Gibson

Catholic News Service

Some people cannot imagine praying for the dead. What is unimaginable to many others is not to pray for those who die.

To be sure, there is more than one way to pray for those who die, just as there is more than one way to pray for those in this world who share intimately in our daily lives. Our greatest hopes for others, whether in this world or the next, are what lend shape to our prayers for them, as does our appreciation of their finest gifts.

Whatever its form, prayer for others focuses on what is best for them, what God intends for them. With that in mind, we commend the dead “to God’s mercy,” as the Catechism of the Catholic Church points out. Indeed, we do.

But there is something beyond petitions for mercy that I find noteworthy about praying for the dead. It is the deep-down sense of continued connection with them that these prayers appear to express.

The loss suffered when someone we love dies is not absolute, which is not to suggest it is not painful. In praying for a parent, a spouse, a child or friend who died recently or long ago, we affirm that — though we may not fully understand how — they still matter for us in ways that add up to much more than the memories documented by old photo albums.

Our love of them remains meaningful, invaluable. Praying for the dead was hardly unimaginable for Pope Benedict XVI. In a 2007 encyclical titled “Spe Salvi,” he wrote:

“The belief that love can reach into the afterlife, that reciprocal giving and receiving is possible in which our affection for one another continues beyond the limits of death — this has been a fundamental conviction of Christianity throughout the ages, and it remains a source of comfort today.

“Who would not feel the need to convey to their departed loved ones a sign of kindness, a gesture of gratitude or even a request for pardon?”

Those comments by Pope Benedict suggest there are various ways of praying for the dead — that this kind of prayer might even assume the form of a kind, considerate and affectionate conversation.

Petitions to God undoubtedly rank as the principal form of prayer for those who have died. The Church prays, as the Catechism of the Catholic Church states, that those who die “may attain the beatific vision of God” (No. 1032) and “that no one should be lost” (No. 1058).

But does that imply that our prayers must be colored by a sense of desperate fear regarding the eternal life of someone who has died? It seems good to remember that our pleas for a loved one do not serve as God’s formal introduction to that person.

Maybe we think that after “Harvey” dies that he was hardly perfect, though he was dear to us and good in ways many did not recognize. But should we worry that God, too, did not recognize Harvey’s goodness or found no reason to care for him?

My spirituality prompts me to believe that the people I love are loved even more by God. In praying for them, I try not so much to petition God’s presence to them as to refresh my faith that somehow God always is present to them in ways that genuinely matter.

Dominican Father Brian Shanley, president of Providence College in Rhode Island, spoke in a 2012 address about praying for others.

St. Thomas Aquinas thought “that we can play a role in God’s providence for others through our freely chosen and grace-inspired prayers,” Father Shanley said.

He also said:

“When we utter a petitionary prayer for someone else, we are not informing God of what God does not know or asking God for a gift that God does not want to give. … It is part of the largesse of the grace of God that God allows us to cooperate with him in his providence for others.”

Beyond petitions to God, our prayer might assume the form of a meditation on the life of someone who dies. We might ponder how this person’s example constitutes a legacy able to inspire the next stages of our own life.

Our prayers might also be shaped by expressions of gratitude to God for someone who countless times was a gift to us.

Prayer for the dead is undergirded by the Church’s belief in the communion of saints. Pope Francis mentioned this in October 2013.

“There is a communion of life among all those who belong to Christ,” Pope Francis said. This “communion of saints,” he stressed, “goes beyond earthly life.”

Pope Francis pointed to “a deep and indissoluble bond between those who are still pilgrims in this world — us — and those who have crossed the threshold of death and entered eternity.”

For, he said, “all baptized persons here on earth, the souls in purgatory and all the blessed who are already in paradise make one great family