Denver Catholic

2 MARCH 14-20, 2015 | DENVER CATHOLIC Catholic unite death Four lications editorial for an end penalty States. "Capital ment must a March America National ter, the Reporter Visitor. is both "abhorrent unnecessary," tions said, practice ment drains court battles be "better preventing fi rst place toward for those heinous editorial before the Court will in a case injection and unusual SOURCE: CATHOLICNEWSAGENCY.COM Archbishop's Page Vatican Denver Catholic (USPS 557-020) is published weekly except the last week of December and the fi rst weeks of January, and in June, July and August when it goes bi-weekly. Denver Catholic is printed by Signature O¡ set in Denver. Periodical postage paid in Denver, CO. 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, Circulation Dept., 1300 S. Steele St., Denver, CO 80210 or email circulation@archden.org. EDITORIAL: 303-715-3215 or denvercatholic@archden.org | ADVERTISING: 303-715-3253 or denvercatholicads@archden.org CIRCULATION CUSTOMER SERVICE: 303-715-3230 or circulation@archden.org General Manager KARNA SWANSON Director ANDREW WRIGHT Business Manager MICHAEL O'NEILL Published by the Archdiocese of Denver, 1300 S. Steele St., Denver, CO 80210 Archbishop's Column Most Rev. Samuel J. Aquila PHOTO OF THE WEEK Mar 3 @ArchbishopDen +200 young professionals gather for #YCPDenver kicko talk by @ ArchbishopDen. Photo with sta . +sja OFFICIAL APPOINTMENTS Deacon Richard Vieira is released from sabbatical leave and appointed deacon at Holy Family Parish in Denver e¡ ective March 1, 2015. Archbishop Samuel Aquila celebrated the annual fi fth-grade liturgies Feb. 27 and March 5 at the Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception. More than 1,000 fi fth- graders from 39 Catholic schools attended Mass with the archbishop. PHOTO PROVIDED T he Church will celebrate the solemnity of St. Joseph , the second greatest saint after Mary, on March 19 and that has me thinking about the need our Church and society has for strong men, especially fathers. Man's purpose was given to him in the Garden of Eden, when God entrusted Adam—the father of all men—with guarding and cultivating the garden. The Jewish people believed that the Garden of Eden represented all of creation, and so man's mission in the garden had universal implications. In a 1958 radio message to American Catholic schoolchildren for Lent, Pope Pius XII o" ered a wonderful refl ection on how these qualities were present in St. Joseph. He said, "Day after day, at home and in the carpenter's shop, his eyes rested on Jesus; he protected Him against the dangers of childhood; he guided His advancing years, and by hard work and with religious devotedness he provided for the increasing needs of the Mother and the Son.... And there was Joseph, modest, self-e" acing, yet exercising authority over that family. How holy he must have been! Under his fatherly pro- tection and ceaseless, tireless care the young Boy grew into manhood." We need men like this! It seems that the number of people, young and old, who tell me about feeling abandoned by their fathers, is growing. Young women have also mentioned how hard it can be to fi nd potential husbands who are both strong in their faith and their masculinity. At the end of January, Pope Francis addressed this issue at his Wednesday general audience. "In our day, the prob- lem no longer seems to be the invasive presence of the father so much as his absence, his inaction. Fathers are some- times so concentrated on themselves and on their work and at times on their career that they even forget about the family." But if we return to the Garden of Eden, we see that men are called to more than just work. Men are called to fi rst cultivate their heart so that it becomes wise, and then to teach those they are responsible for to do the same. The author of Proverbs, writing to his own son, put it this way: "My son, if your heart is wise, my heart too will be glad. My soul will rejoice when your lips speak what is right" (Proverbs 23:15-16). Scientifi c research supports the importance of fathers being involved in their children's lives. A study by the U.S. Department of Education in 2000 found that the involvement of parents in their children's lives was strongly tied to how well they did across a spectrum of measurements for success. As a society and a Church, we need men like St. Joseph. We need men who respond with courage when God calls them to take a leap of faith, as St. Joseph did when God asked him to wed Mary. Although we know little about his life, we do know that God chose him to be the foster father of his Son, and that speaks volumes. St. Joseph was the one who God asked to lead Jesus and Mary to Egypt to escape Herod's persecution. He was the one who modeled the manly virtues for Jesus. God is calling every man to learn how to protect and cultivate every aspect of creation. As we approach the solemnity of St. Joseph, I invite the men of the Archdiocese of Denver to renew their pursuit of wisdom, courage, persever- ance, faith and integrity. If you have not yet participated in That Man is You or Families of Character in your local parish, I encourage you to do so. If your parishes do not have the program, then check with your pastors and look into starting one. Finally, do not fail to ask your Father in heaven for the grace necessary to fulfi ll your high calling, and turn to St. Joseph to ask for his intercession. Looking for modern St. Josephs The Church and society have a need for more men like St. Joseph, strong in both faith and masculinity, Archbishop Aquila explains leading up the saint's solemnity March 19. LIGHTSTOCK.COM PHOTO OF THE WEEK

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