Denver Catholic

2 I CATHOLIC LIFE JANUARY 29, 2014 I DENVER CATHOLIC REGISTER ARCHBISHOP'S COLUMN MOST REV. SAMUEL J. AQUILA Catholic schools on front lines of the new evangelization I am filled with hope this week as we celebrate Catholic Schools Week, because children attending our archdiocesan schools have the chance to encounter Christ and are being equipped to live their faith in the world. This year is the 40th celebration of Catholic Schools Week, and I am dedicating my column to it because the work that our schools do to form the whole child is vital to the future success of our society. When he visited the United States in 2008, Pope Benedict XVI described Catholic schools as "an outstanding apostolate of hope, seeking to address the material, intellectual and spiritual needs of … students and children." Forming well-rounded Catholics and citizens has become even more crucial as American society becomes less faith-friendly. G.K. Chesterton, the famous Catholic author and intellectual, could already detect these changes in 1928, when he remarked in the August edition of the Illustrated London News, "These are the days when the Christian is expected to praise every creed except his own." His statement was true back then, and today it rings more true than ever. It is well-known that secular culture has little room for faith, but when one understands some of the recent developments that have accompanied the spread of secularism, the importance of Catholic schools becomes even more obvious. Benedict XVI highlighted one of these cultural currents when he coined the term "the dictatorship of relativism" to describe the growing loss of the belief that there is objective truth. Every idea and thought is not equal and must be tested for the truth. The consequence of this change is the loss of a common moral language, and Catholic schools can help fight this by reinforcing parents' moral formation of their children. Pope Francis highlighted another trend in his recent apostolic exhortation, "Evangelii Gaudium" ("The Joy of the Gospel"). He pointed out that society has become "information-driven" and that it "bombards us indiscriminately with data—all treated as being of equal importance." This cultural sea-change makes Catholic schools' mission of teaching critical thinking vital for discerning between what is true and good, and what is harmful. The first place where kids should learn about their faith is from their parents, who are the first and most important teachers they will ever have. This is true whether your children are being homeschooled or are enrolled in public, private or Catholic schools. Parent's personal witness to Jesus Christ, his Church and the sacraments teach children the importance of the sacraments. As a child I remember standing in line with my parents to go to confession every two weeks and it reinforced the significance of regular confession. However, Catholic schools are so valuable because they offer a Christ-centered place where children can learn how to critically assess the landscape of competing messages and where they can grow into mature, moral people using the light of faith in their reasoning. But a Catholic education is not complete if it fails to instill a sense of mission in its students and equip them to share their personal encounter with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit with the world. Every Catholic school, diocesan or private, has the task as Blessed John Paul II said in "Catechesi Tradendae" ("Catechesis in Our Time"), "to put people not only in touch but in communion, in intimacy, with Jesus Christ: only he can lead us to the love of the Father in the Spirit and make us share in the life of the Holy Trinity." Pope Francis emphasizes this crucial component in "Evangelii Gaudium" when he says, "Catholic schools, which always strive to join their work of education with the explicit proclamation of the Gospel, are a most valuable resource for the evangelization of culture…." This is true, he notes, "even in those countries and cities See Aquila, Page 4 Little Sisters win injunction from Supreme Court BY KARNA SWANSON The U.S. Supreme Court issued an injunction Jan. 24 that protects the Little Sisters of the Poor from having to comply with the federal Health and Human Services mandate while their case is before the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals, reports the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, which represents the nuns. The Little Sisters made national headlines earlier this year when Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, who is the justice assigned for emergency applications from the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals, gave the Little Sisters a temporary injunction Dec. 31. On Jan. 3, the Obama administration requested that the injunction be lifted, noting that the "relief they seek" could be found by signing a waiver that constitutes part of the so-called accommodation for nonprofit ministries. The form, however, has a dual purpose—it signals opposition to the mandate, but also authorizes and instructs a third-party to provide contraceptives, sterilization, and drugs and devices that may cause early abortions. "The Little Sisters and other applicants cannot execute the form because they cannot deputize a third party to sin on their behalf," the Becket Fund stated at that time. They added that the administration is "simply blind to the religious exercise at issue," and urged Sotomayor to keep the injunction in place as it protects "religious exercise." The recent order was issued by the entire Supreme Court, and it also provides protection to more than 400 other Catholic organizations that receive health benefits through the same Catholic benefits provider, Christian Brothers, the Becket Fund for Religious Liberties reported in a press statement. "We are delighted that the Supreme Court has issued this order protecting the Little Sisters," said Mark Rienzi, senior counsel for the Becket Fund. "The government has lots of ways to deliver contraceptives to people–it doesn't need to force nuns to participate." To receive protection, the Supreme Court said that the Little Sisters and other organizations that receive benefits through Christian Brothers must simply inform HHS of their religious identity and objections. The court said that the Little Sisters did not have to sign or deliver the controversial government forms that authorize and direct their benefits administrator to provide the objectionable drugs and devices. Prior to the order, injunctions had been awarded in 18 of the 19 similar cases in which relief had been requested. "Virtually every other party who asked for protection from the mandate has been given it," said Rienzi. "It made no sense for the Little Sisters to be singled out for fines and punishment before they could even finish their suit." The Little Sisters of the Poor have served the elderly poor in Colorado since 1917, and the congregation has been in the United States since 1868. Regis U will miss Father Charlie BY JULIE FILBY When beloved professor, chaplain, author and psychologist Father Charles M. Shelton, S.J., died Jan. 20, he was surrounded by former students and fellow Jesuit priests. Father Shelton, longtime professor at Regis University, was 63 and had been a Jesuit 41 years. "This is an enormous loss to Regis," said Jesuit Father John Fitzgibbons, president of the university and his friend since they were in formation together. "We're all really going to miss Charlie." In December 2013, Father Shelton was diagnosed with Churg-Strauss syndrome, a rare autoimmune disorder. After a hospital stay, he returned to the Regis community and was regaining his strength when he collapsed. "When he died, honest to God there were 35 people, current and former students in his hospital room," Father John Fitzgibbons said, himself included. "The word got out on Facebook and Twitter that Father Charlie was really dying, and the kids just showed up. It was really touching. And all the Jesuits, we were there—we all anointed him and said the rosary with him." Charles Shelton was born in Berea, Ky., on May 6, 1950, and was reared in Indiana. After graduating from St. Louis University FATHER with a degree CHARLES M. in political SHELTON, S.J. science, he entered the Society of Jesus at Kostka House in Kansas City, Mo., in 1972. After novitiate, he studied philosophy and completed a master's degree in political science at St. Louis University. From 1976 to 1979, he taught at Regis Jesuit High School. He earned a master's of divinity at Jesuit School of Theology at Berkeley and was ordained to the priesthood at St. Francis Xavier College Church in St. Louis June 11, 1982. "He was a great priest," said Father Fitzgibbons. "He was loving and sympathetic; you could talk to him about anything— and kids did." From 1983 to 1987, he studied psychology at Loyola University Chicago, where he earned a Ph.D. after completing a clinical psychology internship at Indiana University School of Medicine. In 1988, he became a professor of psychology at Regis University, a position he held till his death. "He was an extraordinary professor," Father Fitzgibbons said. "The psychology department at Regis is really good and Charlie was one of the cornerstones of it." Father Shelton maintained a private practice in clinical psychology from 1988 to 2005, counseling many in the area, including priests and religious. He regularly presided at student liturgies on campus and was known for his thoughtful homilies. For many years, he served as the chaplain for the men's soccer and baseball teams, providing encouragement and humor to the athletes. Father Shelton wrote seven books including the well-received "Adolescent Spirituality: Pastoral Ministry for High School and College Youth" and scores of articles. He was a popular presenter on topics of spirituality and adolescent psychology. He is survived by two sisters, Lois Jansen of Indianapolis and Marta Shelton of Terre Haute, Ind. A funeral Mass was celebrated at the St. John Francis Regis Chapel on the university's Denver campus Jan. 25 and burial followed at Mount Olivet Cemetery in Wheat Ridge. Julie Filby: 303-715-3123; julie. filby@archden.org; www.twitter. com/DCRegisterJulie

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