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4 I OPINION DECEMBER 18, 2013 I DENVER CATHOLIC REGISTER A. Pere Noel (Father Christmas) GEORGE WEIGEL Cardinal George: an anniversary appreciation When Francis Eugene George first sought admission to the Chicago seminary in the 1950s, Chicago Catholicism imagined itself the future of the Catholic Church in the western world— and not without reason. A lot of the ferment in Catholic intellectual, liturgical and pastoral life that would eventually produce the Second Vatican Council had already passed through Cook and Lake Counties in the previous two decades. Thus "this confident Church" (as one historian of Chicago Catholicism dubbed it) readily imagined itself the cutting-edge of the Catholic future: where Chicago was, the rest of the Church would eventually be. It was a conceit, to be sure; but it was a conceit with some institutional and pastoral foundation. Now, as he marks his golden anniversary of priestly ordination on Dec. 21, Cardinal Francis E. George, O.M.I., the first native Chicagoan to lead what many still regard as the flagship American diocese, is best known, in some circles at least, for proposing the possibility of a very different Catholic future. He sketched it starkly for a group of priests, to illustrate the implications of radical secularization for America: "I will die in bed, my successor will die in prison, and his successor will die as a martyr in the public square. His successor will pick up the shards of a ruined society and slowly help rebuild civilization, as the Church has done so often in human history." There have likely been moments when my friend Cardinal George has rued the day he publicly engaged in that thought-exercise. Many 21st-century Catholics are reluctant to think outside their comfort-zones; the blogosphere can distort anything. Yet the arresting way he formulated that possible future, and especially its net result, gets us to the essence of Francis Eugene George, I suggest. By the time Francis George became its bishop in 1997, the "confident Church" of Chicago had become a shaken Church: pastoral practice was slack; practice of the faith, by such elementary measures as Sunday Mass attendance and frequency of sacramental confession, had taken a severe hit; the seminary was in various forms of distress. Cardinal George addressed these and other problems in the face of ecclesiastical resistance (both clerical and lay), an increasingly challenging public environment, and a deteriorating culture. Yet even after a difficult decade of working to restore Catholic practice in the Windy City, Cardinal George remained confident that, even if the worst should happen down the line, the Catholic Church would not only survive but become one of the agents of society's renewal. And the cardinal's confidence rested, not on the vast institutional network that buttressed the "confident Church" of his boyhood, but on his faith in the Lord's promise that the Holy Spirit would always be with the Church, calling it to conversion and mission, to the works of charity and service. Francis Eugene George is a man of well-honed, critical intelligence. But to focus solely on the man of intellect can sometimes obscure the deeper truth that he is a man of profound faith: the cross-centered faith that supports the remarkable physical courage of this polio survivor who must bear regular pain; the faith in divine mercy that allows him to say, without blush, that "the most important conversations on the planet" take place in the confessional; the evangelically alert faith that has led him to support such bold initiatives as Father Robert Barron's "Word on Fire" media ministry and its remarkable "Catholicism" series; the ecclesial faith that made him an effective leader of the U.S. bishops, preparing the way for the work of Cardinal Timothy Dolan and many others. He may well be the most intellectually sophisticated bishop in U.S. Catholic history; he certainly has shown keen insight into the sources of America's current crisis of public culture. Yet as he marks the 50th anniversary of the day when he became a priest of the Church, an icon of the eternal priesthood of Christ, it is as a brother in Christ whose faith-based Christian courage gives courage to others that I wish to salute him. George Weigel is Distinguished Senior Fellow of the Ethics and Public Policy Center in Washington, D.C. Weigel's column is distributed by the Denver Catholic Register, the official newspaper of the Denver Archdiocese. Phone: 303-715-3215. B. after the Baby Jesus is put in the manger in the family crèche C. Notre Dame du Divin Enfant (Our Mother of the Divine Christ Child) 3. A French crèche can be very elaborate with brightly colored figurines making up the scene. What are these figurines known as? BY PETER WESTHOFF A. gavottes B. santons C. bouteilles Christmas customs in France A quiz on Catholic things under the patronage of the "Doctor of Prayer," St. Teresa of Avila. For each question there is one right answer, but the answer for one question is "None of the Above." 1. The French word for Christmas, Noel, comes from the phrase "les bonnes nouvelles." To what does this phrase refer? A. the manger B. the Gospel C. the Holy Night 2. Children put their shoes by the hearth on Christmas Eve to be filled with good things. Who fills them depends on regional custom. Which of these is not a filler of shoes? C. after Christmas presents are opened 6. It is a custom in some parts of France to make a fire and put food out before retiring to bed on Christmas Eve. Why is this done? FROM A FRENCH CHRISTMAS CAROL: A. They are a sign of hospitality to any wayfarer. B. They symbolize "He is born the Divine charity: the fire Child. A stable is his symbolizes one's 4. In the old tradilodging; A bit of hay love for God, and the tion, the buche de is his little bed." food symbolizes one's Nol is the name given love of neighbor. to the Yule log. The phrase "buche de Nol" is C. They serve to invite and now applied to something else. welcome the Blessed Mother to What would be done with this the home. other buche de Nol? A. Because it is a song, it is sung to welcome the Christ Child to the rejoicing French home. B. Because it is a cake in the shape of a log, it is eaten Christmas day. C. Because it is the seat of honor by the fireplace, it is sat upon by a Christmas guest. 5. Goose in Alsace, turkey with chestnuts in Burgundy or oysters and pate de fois gras (a pate made from the livers of geese or ducks) in Paris are served at the reveillon. When is this meal eaten? A. after the first star is seen on 7. In olden days, the Yule log was burned in pieces from Christmas to New Year's Day, but before it was burned, what was made from one piece of the log? A. a plow shear B. a pair of wooden shoes known as sabots C. a wheel within a wheel based on a vision recorded in the Book of Ezekiel 1. B (It means "The Good News.") 2. C, 3. B (santons means "little saints") 4. B, 5. None of the Above - It is eaten after Midnight Mass. 6. C, 7. A THE CATHOLIC DIFFERENCE Christmas Eve B. Petit Jesus (Little Jesus) LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Father Oakes a shining star Thanks for remembering good Father Oakes ("Jesuit Father Oakes dies" Dec. 11 Denver Catholic Register). He was a shining star to our family. It was a blessed honor to have him as a professor for our children when they were at Regis University and now he has gone out of our lives but not our hearts or memories. I recall him gracing our home with our family one Thanksgiving and he and my late father discussing Hans Urs von Balthasar over dinner. One had to be intently focused to capture that bright discussion. Father Oakes didn't suffer fools gladly but he always had a great sense of humor and wit and could say more in a few sentences than most people cram into big books. He was a true Renaissance man with so many gifts. He will be missed but never forgotten. Regis can be proud they had such a professor who touched the youth and was a true and great Catholic master of theology. Merry Christmas to the entire crew of the Register. Frank Galmish Denver LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Letters should be no more than 250 words and should include the writer's name, address and telephone number. We rely on our readers to recognize that the opinions expressed in letters to the editor are those of the author and are not necessarily those of the Archdiocese of Denver. Letters containing plainly misstated facts, misinformation or libelous statements will not be printed. Unsigned letters will not be printed. Letters may be edited. Send letters to: Editor, Denver Catholic Register, 1300 S. Steele St., Denver, CO 80210 or fax to 303-715-2045. E-mail us at: editor@archden.org. ARCHBISHOP AQUILA'S SCHEDULE Dec. 20: Mass, Chancery employees and families, JPII Center (noon) Dec. 21: Mass (11 a.m.) followed by dedication of adoration chapel, St. John the Evangelist, Loveland Dec. 22: Men's Advent discernment retreat, JPII Center (3 p.m.) Dec. 24: Midnight Mass, Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception (midnight) Dec. 25: Mass, Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception (10:30 a.m.)