Maj. James J. Peak, a chaplain assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 101st Airborne Division, celebrates Mass with soldiers of Company B, 2nd Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade, 10th Mountain Division at Combat Outpost Charkh, here, Dec. 10. Peak, a Spokane, Wash., native conducted the first Mass at COP Charkh since August. Photo by U.S. Army Cpl. Cooper T. Cash

Soldiers assigned to Company B, 2nd Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, celebrated Catholic Mass at Combat Outpost Charkh here Dec. 10.

This was the first Mass offered at COP Charkh since August due to the non-availability of a Catholic chaplain.

“In the holy Mass, we receive spiritual strength from God to persevere,” said Spokane, Wash., native U.S. Army Chaplain (Maj.) James J. Peak, a chaplain assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 101st Airborne Division.

Soldiers from COP Charkh make enemy contact nearly every day. Such activity leads some Soldiers to embrace their faith more strongly.

U.S. Army Spc. Angel Diaz, a combat medic assigned to Company B, 2nd Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, celebrates Catholic Mass at Combat Outpost Charkh here, Dec. 10. Diaz, a Dallas native, said, “Mass has helped bring me closer to God, which is good in this environment.” Photo by U.S. Army Sgt. Cooper T. Cash

“This is the first Mass I have celebrated in nearly 15 years,” said Dallas native U.S. Army Spc. Angel Diaz, a combat medic assigned to Co. B. “Mass has helped bring me closer to God, which is good in this environment.”

DVIDS
By U.S. Army Sgt. Cooper T. Cash

Alaverdi cathedral and monastery, copyright 2010 by Tamari Shermadini, all rights reserved

Georgian Christianity is similar to most of the other nations in the region. It is Orthodox, not aligned with the Latin Rite of Rome, and is a national church. A national church, in this context, is one that is associated with the individual nation, i.e. Greek Orthodox, Serbian Orthodox, Georgian Orthodox. It survived the Russian conquest and the Communist era.

Among the sites in Georgia that illustrate the long history of Christianity in that nation are the monastery and cathedral of Alaverdi and the monastery of Ikalto. Both sites are located in Eastern Georgia, near the town of Telavi.

Alaverdi monastery. copyright 2010 by Tamari Shermadini, all rights reserved

The province of Kakheti, where these sites are located, was once an independent kingdom. Its natives speak a dialect of Georgian. Its border to the east and south is with the nation of Azerbaijan and is disputed in many areas. It is a popular tourist destination for Georgians and its international appeal is growing.

The monastery and cathedral of Alaverdi are in the village of the same name. The monastery dates to the sixth century in parts and the cathedral to the eleventh. The cathedral is 55 meters tall, over 165 feet, and is the second tallest religious structure in Georgia after the national cathedral.

Alaverdi. copyright 2010 by Tamari Shermadini, all rights reserved

The cathedral is on the tentative list to become a World Heritage Site. It is being so considered for its architecture and design which are uniquely Georgian.

In the same region is the monastery of Ikalto. Burned by Persian invaders in 1616, it had been the site of a renowned Academy for about 500 years. There are three churches among the ruins of the Academy.

Ikalto monastery. copyright 2010 by Tamari Shermadini, all rights reserved

Ikalto monastery. copyright 2010 by Tamari Shermadini, all rights reserved

copyright 2010 by Tamari Shermadini, all rights reserved

copyright 2010 by Tamari Shermadini, all rights reserved

A high ranking Cardinal has announced that the Vatican, the seat of the Roman Catholic Church, has agreed to work with the University of Maryland’s School of Medicine Center for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine by funding research into the medical uses of adult stem cells. An Associated Press report states the Catholic Church will be making an initial donation to the project in the amount of 2 million euros or $2.7 million.

The University describes the initiative as exploring "the therapeutic potential of intestinal stem cells". Such research is believed to have potential for the treatment of bowel conditions such as celiac disease.

Stem cells exist in every adult’s body. They are cells that that can reproduce themselves throughout a life time. The cells that make up most of the human body cannot reproduce and have a limited life span, according to the University of California, San Francisco’s Science Cafe site.

In 2000, the Vatican issues a document titled "DECLARATION ON THE PRODUCTION AND THE SCIENTIFIC AND THERAPEUTIC USE OF HUMAN EMBRYONIC STEM CELLS" that recognized the potential efficacy of adult stem cells and the lack of moral and ethical barriers to research and use of these cells. A number of medical treatments currently use adult stem cells and research on those cells is routinely conducted at Catholic Universities such as Notre Dame.

Adult stem cells from bone marrow have been used in transplants for about 40 years and the University of Utah has a website describing those treatments. WSOC-TV reports on research at the Union Memorial Hospital in Baltimore, MD, that is using the patient’s own stem cells to stimulate bone repair and speed healing in orthopedic injuries. In a December, 2009 story, CNN reported on a study taking place using adult stem cells with a few days of a heart attack that seems to repair at least part of the damage to the heart. The University of Wisconsin, in August, 2009, was engaged in trials testing the use of adult stem cells to treat Type 1 diabetes.

While actual research using the Vatican money is some years away, the decision to fund such research appears to signal the Catholic Church’s desire to make morally and ethically gathered stem cell medical therapies available.

Soldiers at Contingency Operating Base Marez, Iraq celebrate a Catholic Easter vigil mass on April 3 at St. Elijah Monastery. (Photo by: Staff Sgt. Russell Lee Klika)

Soldiers at Contingency Operating Base Marez, Iraq celebrate a Catholic Easter vigil mass on April 3 at St. Elijah Monastery. (Photo by: Sgt. Shannon R. Gregory)

More than 250 service members and civilians celebrated Easter with a candlelit mass Saturday at St. Elijah Monastery, the oldest Christian monastery in Iraq.

The mass was one of three Christian services scheduled at the monastery for Easter weekend.

“This is the second time we’ve done this,” said Capt. Patrick Van Durme, the battalion chaplain with the 1-19th Field Artillery Battalion, 2nd Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division and a Dansville, N.Y., native.

Van Durme said turnout for the event was large and included civilian workers from around the world and from the Mosul area, which has the largest Christian population in Iraq.

“It’s an amazing thing for them,” he said.

First Lt. Geoffrey Whitaker, the garrison chaplain at Contingency Operating Base Marez, Iraq, with the Regimental Fires Squadron, 278th Armored Cavalry Regiment, 13th Sustainment Command (Expeditionary), said he was honored to be part of the services at the 1,700-year-old monastery.

“To get to celebrate Easter in the oldest Christian monastery in Iraq … it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity,” said Whitaker, a Murphy, N.C., native.

Whitaker said he expected more than 1,000 Soldiers and civilians to attend the three services.

Van Durme said the monastery has held great historical relevance throughout the ages.

Local traditional suggests the monastery was first built in the year 350 AD and the current structure was probably added 1,000 years later, he said.

In 1743, the monks and orphans at the monastery were killed by a Persian leader for refusing to convert to Islam, and Christians in the area have been persecuted since, said Van Durme.

“If you go back 50 years, you’ll find 1,000′s of Christian families in Mosul. You’ll now find maybe 100,” Van Durme said. “You have to wonder what it’s future will be.”

Whitaker said the chaplains are working with the Provincial Reconstruction Team in Mosul to preserve the monastery and repair structural damage that has occurred in the years since the U.S. came to Iraq.

“The Department of the Army has signed on to do some restoration,” said Whitaker. “The plan is still ongoing.”

DVIDS
Story by Sgt. Keith VanKlompenberg

If you read the New Testament, Jesus rarely talked about anything other than salvation and forgiveness. None of the issues that modern religion struggles with are discussed by Jesus. It is, I suspect, a gentle reminder that this world is but an instant and salvation is for eternity.

If you believe that the Catholic Church is that founded by Christ, and that he appointed the first Pope in Peter, it is a logical conclusion to state that the Pope, when speaking solely on matters of faith and morals can only speak as God wills.

When you have an institution with 100 million members worldwide, a code of law is necessary. In most of the world, Catholics cannot rely on civil authority for any sort of justice and only the laws of the Church are trustworthy.

Jesus was almost dismissive of civil authority. In truth, if salvation is our goal, we should deal with this world only as necessary. Regardless of the claims of very well paid liability attorneys, the Church’s spiritual mission is paramount.

What are the goals of those attacking the Church? As diocese after diocese is bankrupted, with most of the money going to lawyers, it appears that venial goals such as money and revenge are behind the attacks. Were this simply about truth and healing, another path would have been taken.

The stain of a pedophile priest on the fabric of the Church is dramatic. That stain serves to conceal the good work of tens of thousands of faithful priests and religious who did not sin in this way and who deserve far more respect than they are receiving.

Students line up to receive school supplies, toys and treats from U.S. Soldiers during an October 2009 supply delivery to the St. Efram Elementary School in Basrah. Photo by Spc. Stephanie Cassinos

U.S. Soldiers here recently visited students in a unique, multi-cultural learning environment to drop off school supplies, treats and even guitars.

The students of St. Efram Elementary School, eager to make the Soldiers feel at home, performed a couple of classics in English, including “Heads, Shoulders, Knees and Toes” and the English alphabet.

Bishop Imad Al Banna, the acting bishop of Basrah, explained that St. Efram is one of two kindergartens in the country sponsored by the Chaldean Church to combine children of mixed religions in one learning environment.

“They are the future and hope of Iraq,” Banna said of the children. “It’s very important that they grow together with peace, love and good ideas.”

By learning together, children of mixed religions and backgrounds set the groundwork for a generation that is more accepting of its own cultural differences, the bishop explained.

“When you teach children together, they learn to become one nation,” he said. “They learn more about their country and culture and become united. They learn to love and serve by love and not war.”

As Iraq continues to develop and progress in spite of decades of oppression, violence and religious conflict, Banna noted, there is more to building a nation than material endeavors.

“We now understand how to build bridges and hospitals,” he said. “Now, we need to understand how to build the human.”

St. Efram accomplishes this by introducing its culturally diverse students to a variety of subjects, including art, math, science, music, English, Arabic and other languages. The mixed-gender classes include children from Muslim, Christian and Sabean families. Many former students have gone on to pursue college-educated careers, such as medicine and engineering, and now their children are following in their footsteps.

“When they get out, they always have higher grades, because they begin their education early,” Banna said.

Although enrollment is high, St. Efram lacks the classrooms and staff to accommodate all who apply. This year, 250 families wanted to register their children, but the school could admit only 165 students. The other school, Albeshera, has 190 students.

Many impoverished families live in the area and cannot afford to pay tuition, but because some families are able to pay more, the community and church can provide needy children with the opportunity for an early education.

“In the future, when these children know someone cared for them, they will care for others,” Banna said. “It will build the love.”

DVIDS
By Army Spc. Stephanie Cassinos, Multi-National Division – South

During a Catholic Mass, held for service members, Aug. 8, at Contingency Operating Base Basra, Bishop Imad Al Banna raises the host in preparation for Holy Communion. Al Banna, a native of Basra, said he celebrated the Mass in gratitude for contributions made by American Soldiers for peace in his country. Photo by Spc. Darryl L. Montgomery

A Catholic Mass was celebrated in the Chaldean Rite by the acting bishop of Basra Aug. 8 in honor of the Soldiers serving here.

Unlike regular services held for Soldiers here, Bishop Imad Al Banna, a priest and native of Basra, spoke Aramaic, an ancient language spoken in Palestine in the time of Jesus, and still spoken in parts of Iraq.

Al Banna, who visited with Multi-National Division – South leaders in early July, led the Catholic service, hosting nearly 50 people in the small room.

This was a chance for service members to have fellowship with the leader of the local church here and for the bishop to minister to them, said Capt. Kevin Peek, chaplain, 2nd Battalion, 8th Infantry Brigade, 4th Infantry Division.

“It was a great opportunity to expose our men and women to the local Christian population of Basra Province,” Peek added.

Peek, an Atlanta native, said the conflicts in Iraq have taken a heavy toll on the Christian population here. Before the war began in 2003, there were a total of 1.2 million Christians in Iraq, now, six years later, that number is down to about 600,000.

Christianity has come under persecution throughout these years of violence due to extremist groups targeting them. The Christian population is trying to help make peace throughout the country by helping everyone they can, he said.

“I work for all people in Basra, not only Christians,” said Al Banna. “Our goal is to create a peaceful coexistence among all religions.”

Lt. Col. John Morris, MND–S chaplain, said he commends Al Banna for working through the hardships his religion has faced during the years of Operation Iraqi Freedom. “He is a great example of a good shepherd.”

As the service concluded, Al Banna opened himself to the crowd by offering to help with anything he could, just as he does for the people of Basra. For more than an hour after the liturgy, he sat with Soldiers sharing food and posing for pictures.

He also said he was grateful to be able to be with the American Soldiers for the Mass and thanked them for what they are doing for his country.

“We Catholics believe that the Last Supper was the first Mass and that every Mass that has followed is a reenactment of that first one,” said Sgt. Neil McCabe, field historian, 311th Military History Detachment, MND-S. “Tonight, we heard a Mass celebrated in the same language that Jesus used in that first Mass. How cool is that?”

“I will never forget this day,” said Sgt. 1st Class Jeff Ulmen, mortuary affairs non-commissioned officer, 34th Infantry Division, and resident of Madelia, Minn. “It was an incredible experience to attend a Mass conducted by an Iraqi bishop, definitely a once in a lifetime opportunity.”

DVIDS
Story by Spc. Darryl L. Montgomery

Chaplain (Major) Henry T. Vakoc has passed away. We first covered the story of this holy man on May 20, 2005.

The Rev. Timothy Vakoc was remembered Friday as a man who went to war to bring peace to his fellow soldiers, and somehow managed to continue his ministry after returning home with devastating injuries.

Fellow priests and military chaplains were among hundreds of people who turned out for Vakoc’s funeral at the Cathedral of St. Paul. Father Tim, as he was known, died last Saturday at age 49 after an unidentified injury at St. Therese nursing home in New Hope, where he was living.

Star Tribune

The United States Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., sent one of its own, a Catholic priest, to the front lines to minister to the border-watching Long Knife Brigade.

Chaplain (Capt.) Timothy Valentine is the only Catholic priest assigned to the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division to provide spiritual fitness to Soldiers at the many bases and outposts in the tri-province areas of Dhi Qar, Maysan and Muthanna.

“I have a great relationship with the chaplains out here,” Valentine said. “The [battalion-level] chaplains have to be all things to all people. They take care of not only their [denomination] but all other denominations.”

Forward-deployed battalion chaplains provide religious services, which are open to troopers and civilians of all denominations. However, when Valentine is expected to arrive, the word is quickly spread throughout the remote bases because he conducts a bi-weekly Mass for Soldiers.

Valentine commonly encounters a familiar face during his visits. He worked at West Point while 2nd Lt. Walter Gradzik was a student there, and was happy to see his old friend at the forward outpost.

“I was wondering what services I could get out here,” explained Gradzik, new platoon leader of B Troop, 1st Sqdn., 9th Cav. Regt. “It was extremely refreshing for me to see him.”

DVIDS
Story by Spc. Creighton Holub

The ruckus over the kidnapped Eucharist at the University of Central Florida continues. Now the admitted kidnapped has filed hazing charges against the Campus Ministries religious group. The University bans forced eating or drinking as hazing. The kidnapper maintains that being told to consume the Eucharist at Mass and not to leave with it constitutes hazing.

WFTV Channel 9

Cook said his hazing complaint cited a UCF anti-hazing policy banning the forced consumption of any food in which the initiation or admission into or affiliation with a University of Central Florida organization may be directly or indirectly conditioned.

The rule, presumably, was intended to prevent fraternities from force-feeding pledges disgusting food. But Cook said the rule is clear and applies to all UCF clubs, including the Catholic Campus Ministries religious group. He insists the group is guilty because members ordered him to consume the Eucharist to remain at Mass.

The Diocese of Orlando declined to comment about the charges.

“Appropriate officials of the University of Central Florida are investigating the matter and due process is occurring,” said a spokesperson.

Nearly two weeks after the incident, UCF spokesman Grant Heston confirmed the school was still reviewing the charges and had not yet decided whether they would be dismissed or brought through a formal trial conducted by administrators with UCF’s Office of Student Conduct.

As tasteless as this episode is, we must remember that nothing can hurt the Body of Christ. All this young man has done is added to his sins on Judgment Day. As for the University taking two weeks to review the charges, it must have occurred to them that this mess is not going away by now. Toss out the hazing charge and charge the kidnapper for his disruption of a sanctioned event.

Hugh Hewitt hits it out of the park with this comment:

The only possible resolution of the competition between faiths is that each understand and accept (1) the evangelical imperative that resides within any system that claims the revelation of God’s plan, (2)no genuine conversion can be other than voluntary (3)religious freedom is the ultimate trust in that revelation, and (4)the only system under which genuine faith should seek to prosper.

Hornell Evening Tribune
story by Rob Montana, photo by Lynn Brennan

June will mark four years since Father Patrick VanDurme first arrived in the Canisteo Valley — it also will mark his departure.

VanDurme, 42, made the first public announcement of his departure at Saturday’s 4:30 p.m. Mass at St. Ann’s Church, and will tell parishioners the same thing at this morning’s worship service.

He is leaving to become a full-time Army chaplain, and will be entering three months of basic training at Fort Jackson, S.C., starting June 8. VanDurme said the decision did not come lightly, but felt it is something he’s being called to do.

“Over the last few months I’ve become almost scandalized about how few priests there are in the military,” he said, adding that there are roughly half a million people enlisted in the Army, but only around 100 priests serving them. “I’ve had conversations with people on active duty; one guy said in the last 18 months, he’s had Mass three times.

“It’s really gotten to my heart. Who’s taking care of these kids?” VanDurme added. “This has nothing to do with my politics, that’s not the issue. It’s really a very strong conviction. These men and women are in the worst situation, they’re in life-and-death situations, and they don’t have someone to pray with, someone to hear their confession or offer Mass for them.”

He will undertake basic training through June, July and August, revisiting the training facility he was at 24 years ago going through boot camp for the Army Reserves. As for where he’ll be after basic training is done, VanDurme said he’s unsure, but wouldn’t be surprised if he winds up overseas.

“I’ll probably end up going to Iraq or Afghanistan,” he said, “but I won’t know where I’m going until after basic training.”

The fact that he turns 43 in March also played into VanDurme’s decision to go for it now. He said the cut-off point for people entering the military is 45 years old.

“I was thinking of all the priests I know, and you immediately have to take out everybody who’s over 45,” VanDurme said. “That leaves you with a small handful of people, then you have to take out people because of family needs or don’t have the personality to do it, and you really get down to a very small number.

“If not me, who is going to do it?” he added.

First, though, VanDurme had to get permission from Bishop Matthew Clark, leader of the Diocese of Rochester. He said it took several months of meeting and praying to convince Clark it was the right thing for the priest to do.

“It was a very difficult decision for him. He struggled with it,” VanDurme said. “When I first said I wanted to do it, he kind of scratched his head and said ‘Pat, I don’t know if I can let you go,’ because he didn’t have enough priests in his diocese.
“His decision came down to while we have a responsibility here, we have to think about how many young men and women, and their families, of this diocese are in the military. Even if they’re not in the area, they are still part of the diocese,” he added. “And, the diocese has to release you; that’s the weird thing. You can’t become a priest for the Army. You become a priest for a diocese and they have to release you.”

VanDurme also stressed his decision was not related to changes in the parish since he’s come on board. He was the priest here when Our Lady of the Valley Parish was formed, as well as for the closings of St. Joachim’s Church in Canisteo and St. Ignatius Church in Hornell. VanDurme also was the leader of the parish when the decision was made to tear down St. Ann’s Rectory and to sell St. Ignatius. Those decisions were met with anger, sadness and displeasure from many communicants of the parish.

“I really want people to understand this is not because of the difficulties we’ve had in our parish. The truth is that it’s not,” VanDurme said. “I really struggled with that, to make sure it wasn’t, because if it was, then I’m doing this for the wrong reasons.

“I just came back from spending the last three weeks away on retreat, most of it as silent retreat, and I spent that time really praying and asking myself if I was doing this for the right reasons. I just wanted to make sure I got my head on straight,” he added. “And, I really believe God is saying, ‘Pat, this is a good thing.’ I really believe I’m following where God is calling me.”
As for his replacement, VanDurme said that’s unknown at this point. The diocese will be listing the parish as open in the next several weeks, and priests will apply to be stationed in Hornell.
“Then the board and bishop will figure out who is the best person for the job,” VanDurme said. “They will assign them to the parish.” He said that decision likely will not be made until April or May.

AL TAQADDUM, Iraq — A rosary hangs from the protective vest of a Marine in Iraq. Many deployed servicemembers carry a memento or keepsake with them as a reminder of home or a source of strength.

Photo by: Sgt. Wayne Edmiston

BAGHDAD – An altar boy eagerly rings a bell to celebrate Christmas at the conclusion of mass held at the St. John’s Chaldean Church in Doura. After receiving the sacrament, the congregation’s children were treated to a visit by Santa Claus. (U.S. Army photo by Maj. Kirk Luedeke, 4IBCT, 1ID)

Arizona Daily Star

“Today, we have to be Juan Diegos of Our Lady of Guadalupe in this third millennium,” Monroy said in an interview. He said the faithful have to seek justice for the oppressed, work toward ending discrimination and treat immigrants with dignity.
The faithful believe the Virgin Mary appeared to Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin, an Aztec who converted to Catholicism, in several visions on the outskirts of Mexico City in 1531.
The Virgin Mary spoke to Juan Diego in Nahuatl, his native language. She asked him to go see the bishop of Mexico City and tell him to build a church in her honor on a nearby spot, Tepeyac Hill.
Juan Diego obeyed but could not convince the bishop. Discouraged, he told the Virgin Mary that he was unsuccessful and that she should send someone else to the bishop. But the Virgin Mary sent him back to the bishop again.
Juan Diego went, and the bishop told him to bring back a sign. Juan Diego reported this to the Virgin Mary, and she directed him to the top of the hill, where he found roses growing despite the cold winter weather.
He picked the roses and wrapped them in his cloak, or tilma. When he presented the roses to the bishop, they discovered that the image of the Virgin Mary had appeared on the cloak. The bishop immediately began to work to build the church.
The tilma with the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe is on display under bulletproof glass in the basilica.
The feast day of Our Lady of Guadalupe is Dec. 12, and the feast day of St. Juan Diego is Dec. 9. He was declared a saint in 2002 by Pope John Paul II.
The Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe attracts about 20 million visitors a year, said Monroy, 59, who has been rector of the shrine for seven years. Thirty Masses are celebrated at the basilica daily, and 700,000 confessions are heard there each year.
“My work there is fascinating. There is music, dance, flowers and song every day in the basilica. She touches men, women, children and the elderly. She touches people from all walks of life — from agricultural workers to politicians.
“She touches hearts and changes lives. Some come with hate and resentment. Some come with sadness and fear. They change while they are there and leave with peace in their heart. It is incredible,” said Monroy.