Denver Catholic

23 DENVER CATHOLIC | SEPTEMBER 9-22, 2017 Fortunately, Sen. Sasse spends more of the book outlining solutions than he does problems. He even gives practical suggestions at the end of many of his chapters. Providing many examples from his own family life, he calls parents to "tenderly but inten- tionally introduce our children to the responsibilities of adulthood through- out their adolescence" (55). This includes "building and strengthening character" though the "intentional pursuit of gritty work experiences" (139). He also rightly notes that we need a moral uplifting, as we learn how to control and shape our desires to combat rampant consumerism (170). He also recommends shaping the mind and vision of youth through travel experiences and greater literacy. For example, travel "oŠ ers the young person a broader menu of choices for how to think about life, and then for how to build better habits of living " (184). When it comes to reading, he argues that "America's future depends on the kind of thinking that reading presupposes and nourishes — and such thinking demands a rebirth of reading " (208). Therefore, he recom- mends a basic book list, so that we can recover a shared reading of the classics that shaped Western civilization and the "idea" of our nation (226). From a Catholic perspective, Sen. Sasse demonstrates some familiarity with the Catholic tradition, quoting Augustine, Aquinas and Flannery O'Connor, but also defends his stake in the Protestant tradition and its work ethic, which has shaped the eco- nomic life of our country. To round out the vision of the book, I would rec- ommend reading alongside of it Josef Pieper's Leisure the Basis of Culture to overcome the limits of this Protestant work ethic and to recover the social legacy of the Middle Ages, which Sen. Sasse quickly dismisses (cf. 160). Overall, Sen. Sasse has pinpointed an urgent issue and has directed us to important solutions that can guide our families, schools, and parishes to renewal as we form young people. Bishop's Column Most Rev. Jorge Rodriguez Our pastors and our immigrant brothers and sisters A ll of us have seen in the news and read about the events that occurred in Charlottes- ville. They have opened our eyes and we have come to realize how racism still exists in the United States. This wave of evil also aŠ ects our Hispanic communities. The broken immigra- tion system, the famous "wall," depor- tations, and numerous laws that are being passed in various states do not favor a climate of peace in our Span- ish-speaking communities. It is important for the Hispanic community to know that the United States bishops' conference has been fi ghting hard and on the front lines to defend the rights of immigrants. The bishops' conference and some par- ticular bishops, including the Arch- diocese of Denver, have made decla- rations openly in favor of DACA, of unaccompanied immigrant children, and of families, which must be able to remain united. The bishops' conference has denounced indiscriminate deporta- tions and the construction of the wall, pointing out that this is not the solu- tion to the problems. In Denver, Archbishop Samuel Aquila has created a team to keep him informed and to advise him about the measures that should be taken to assist our immigrant brothers and sisters. The team is made up of myself, Monsignor Jorge de los Santos (pastor of Our Lady Mother of the Church); Father Benito Hernandez (pastor of Our Lady of Guadalupe); Father Jason Wunsch (parochial vicar of Ascension); Sheryl Martínez- Glo- ria (immigration lawyer with Catholic Charities); Luis Alvarez (director of Centro San Juan Diego); Jenny Kraska (director of the Colorado Catholic Conference); David Uebbing (chancellor of the archdiocese); and Karna Swanson (director of commu- nications of the archdiocese). The goal is to face each challenge that arises in a rapid and e° cient manner. The team is interdisciplin- ary, and various perspectives are rep- resented, including those concerned with the pastoral, political, legal, archdiocesan, and parish spheres.± Obviously, we are guided by the Gospel of love for our neighbor, respect for the rule of law, and the good of the People of God. I want you to know that the archbishop and the archdiocese are on the side of the immigrant community, documented or undocumented, because in the eyes of God, what matters is that we are his sons and daughters, not that we are in possession of a document. Nevertheless, the law should be respected, and because of this, we champion a search for solutions to the problem posed by the presence of a great number of undocumented persons who violated the law — solu- tions that don't imply breaking up families or destroying the futures of those who were brought here as chil- dren without any fault of their own, or which do not take into account the histories and motivations of the var- ious personal and family situations. From the beginning, the bishops have sought comprehensive immigration reform. The archdiocese, as you well know, through Centro San Juan Diego and Catholic Charities, has been helping the immigrant community in very eŠ ective ways, especially considering its limited resources, both in terms of personnel and funds. You have surely seen in the news- papers or have heard about "sanc- tuary churches," where some of our brothers and sisters with deportation orders have taken refuge. We prefer to work for more defi nitive solutions. I hope to write about this in one of my future columns for the±Denver Catholic. I think it is something that interests all of us.± In his address to the American bishops in Washington, Pope Francis told them: "I am well aware of the immense eŠ orts you have made to welcome and integrate those immigrants who continue to look to America, like so many others before them, in the hope of enjoying its blessings of freedom and prosperity. I also appreciate the eŠ orts which you are making to fulfi ll the Church's mission of education in schools at every level and in the char- itable services oŠ ered by your numer- ous institutions. … "I am also conscious of the courage with which you have faced di° cult moments in the recent history of the Church in this country without fear of self-criticism and at the cost of mortifi cation and great sacrifi ce. … I encourage you, then, my brothers, to confront the challenging issues of our time. Ever present within each of them is life as gift and responsibility. "The future freedom and dignity of our societies depends on how we face these challenges. … It is wrong, then, to look the other way or to remain silent" (Sept. 23, 2015). So the Pope, the bishops' confer- ence of the United States, the arch- bishop of Denver, and myself, are facing and will face the challenges of the immigration problem with the Hispanic community. But most importantly, Jesus and his most holy mother, Our Lady of Guadalupe, are with us. The Vanishing American Adult: Our Coming-of-Age Crisis—and How to Rebuild a Culture of Self-Reliance (St. Martin's, 2017)

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