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2 I CATHOLIC LIFE SEPTEMBER 18, 2013 I DENVER CATHOLIC REGISTER Pilgrims overcome distractions, discover new role models ARCHBISHOP'S COLUMN MOST REV. SAMUEL J. AQUILA BY KARNA SWANSON The unborn need our prayer and fasting All of us are aware of the devastating floods that have occurred in Colorado. The loss of life, homes and property have impacted many of our parishes and many of our fellow citizens. Catholic Charities in Denver is reaching out to those in need. I urge all of us to pray for those who have been affected by the flood. At the end of August, 160 people from throughout the archdiocese experienced the 40 DAYS FOR LIFE power of prayer first-hand during the archdiocesan pil- For more information, visit: grimage to the Basilica of Our www.40DaysForLife.com Lady of Guadalupe near Mexico City. As the Year of Faith pilgrimage, the faith of those who went grew. Many spoke of the graces they received from the pilgrimage, the Masses and the time in prayer. I urge everyone in the archdiocese to turn to Our Lady as we cope with the aftermath of the floods; pray to her for protection and peace, because as she told St. Juan Diego, she is our mother. There is another event that will soon be taking place in the archdiocese that Our Lady of Guadalupe is connected to as patroness of the unborn, and we should entrust it to her intercession. On Sept. 25, people committed to ending the scourge of abortion will begin holding vigil outside the Planned Parenthood facility at 38th Avenue and Pontiac Street in Denver as part of the 40 Days For Life fall campaign. As this vigil launches, I believe we can learn about the power of prayer from an encounter that Jesus had just after he was transfigured before Peter, James and John. "Teacher, I brought my son to you, for he has a dumb spirit … and I asked your disciples to cast it out, and they were not able." When the father brought his son to Jesus, the Lord rebuked the evil spirit and it left him. Later, the disciples asked Jesus, "Why could we not cast it out?" And he said to them, "This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer and fasting" (Mark 9: 17-18, 29). As Jesus taught us, when he encountered the deaf and dumb spirit, prayer and fasting are powerful tools against evil and we must recognize that the fight for life takes place at the spiritual level as well as the physical. For this reason, the vigil will last 40 days and will involve prayer, fasting, peaceful protest and community outreach. When a pregnant mother walks into an abortion facility, there are two souls entering those doors, there are two people who will be eternally impacted by the decisions that are made. If her boyfriend, husband, parents or friends are with her, then there are more souls in the balance—and that is not even including the clinic workers. But there is something else Jesus said that I think is valuable for us as we work to protect the innocent unborn children who are in danger of being aborted. The father approached Jesus and said, "'If you can do anything, have pity on us and help us.' And Jesus said to him, 'If you can! All things are possible to him who believes'" (Mark 2:22-23). "All things are possible to him who believes." This should be our attitude as we work to show God's mercy to those mothers who are contemplating abortion, as we strive to carry the peace of Jesus to a society where the culture of death and a culture of See Aquila, Page 5 It was 4 a.m. Thursday, Aug.29, when 160 bleary-eyed pilgrims from 51 parishes throughout northern Colorado began arriving at Denver International Airport to catch a plane for Mexico City. Many already began to proudly display name badges featuring an image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, thus distinguishing themselves from other travelers. They were pilgrims, and they were headed to the populous and chaotic Mexican capital during the Year of Faith to pray at the feet of Our Lady. Archbishop Samuel J. Aquila of Denver led the six-day journey to visit Tepeyac (the hill where Our Lady appeared to St. Juan Diego) as a key event for the Year of Faith. Accompanying the pilgrims were Msgr. Jorge De los Santos, vicar for Hispanic Ministry; Father Matthew Book, personal secretary for Archbishop Aquila; Father Benito Hernandez, pastor of Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish in Denver; and several other staff members of the archdiocese. On the first full day of pilgrimage, which coincided with the feast day of St. Rose of Lima, Archbishop Aquila celebrated the 9 a.m. Mass at the main altar of the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, over which hangs the nearly 500-year-old tilma (mantle) of St. Juan Diego that is miraculously imprinted with the image of Our Lady. Seeing the tilma for the first time leaves an impression, said Luisa Collins, news director for Univision, who accompanied the pilgrim group as a reporter. "To be there, present, before this incredible image, touched my heart," she said. "I remember PHOTO BY KARNA SWANSON/DENVER CATHOLIC REGISTER THE TILMA (mantle), which depicts a miraculous image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, is enshrined near Mexico City. talking to someone in the basilica who told me, 'the Virgin embraces you.' And that's true. The Virgin truly embraced me." During the homily, Archbishop Aquila reminded the pilgrims of the ultimate goal of visiting the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe, known locally as la villa (the town): "to encounter the precious pearl, opening our hearts, and surrendering our lives completely to the Lord." Distractions As with all efforts to draw closer to God, distractions abound. The Year of Faith pilgrimage was no exception. On Saturday, several teachers' unions completely "occupied" Mexico City's zocolo (downtown) by setting up an extensive tent-city. Threats of a more aggressive protest on Sunday, and the blockage of key city streets, convinced the tour guides to alter the pilgrimage itinerary and move up the visit to the downtown cathedral to early Saturday morning. Despite the confusion and noise of the city streets, the pilgrims bravely filed one-by-one through some 10,000 tents and street vendors to reach the door of the Metropolitan Cathedral. Mary Cohen, associate superintendent of Catholic schools, reflected that all that was going on outside of the cathedral could have been a distraction, and that it was analogous to the many distractions we have in our daily life. "In our day-to-day life we have to fight against the voices of the world that try to distract us from the essential and to take us away from God," she said. The pilgrims spent three prayerful hours in the cathedral, which included Mass and an opportunity for confession. Sunday featured a visit to the house of Juan Diego and Juan Bernadino (Juan Diego's uncle)BY JUL See Pilgrimage, Page 5 DENVER CATHOLIC REGISTER CIRCULATION CUSTOMER SERVICE: 303-722-4687 OR CIRCULATION@ARCHDEN.ORG Published by the Archdiocese of Denver, 1300 S. Steele St., Denver, CO 80210 General Manager Karna Swanson Denver Catholic Register (USPS 557-020) is published weekly except the last week of December and the first week of January, and in June, July and August when it goes bi-weekly. The Register is printed by The Denver Post LLC in Denver. Periodical postage paid in Denver, CO. Editor Roxanne King Subscriptions: $35 a year in Colorado; $42 per year out of state. Foreign countries: $42 surface, all countries, 6-8 weeks for delivery; $135 air, all other countries (average). Mexico, $48 air; Canada, $55 air. Postmaster: Send address changes to: Denver Catholic Register, Circulation Dept., 1300 S. Steele St., Denver, CO 80210 or e-mail circulation@archden.org. Business Manager Michael O'Neill Editorial: 303-715-3215 or editor@archden.org Advertising: 303-715-3253 or dcrads@archden.org Circulation: 303-715-3211 or circulation@archden.org Online: www.DenverCatholicRegister.org PRO-LIFE RESOURCES October is Respect Life month. Do you have a business, ministry or service that respects life from conception through natural death? Let our readers know in our Pro-Life Resources ad listing that will be published with each issue in October. Contact Linda at 303-715-3212 or linda.engel@archden.org. There is a small fee associated with the listing. The D recentl Santoru politici the Re for pre a visit t Net Nat Confere Santo record Pennsy ing spo Abortio Born A Act in importa centers return speak o the Bud Lovelan es, a centers "For pro-life terized, so, as s condem abortio