|
 Thanks,
Father Norman
 Father
Norman Perry, O.F.M., wrote this column for 33 years until his death on March
1, 1999.
For every response that appeared
in his column, there were five or six others that he handled privately, often
in the evenings. His work was extremely pastoral, conscientious and thorough.
So thorough was he that he left us enough responses to maintain this column
during the months of transition after his death.
In 1997, when members of the Catholic
Press Association gave Father Norman its highest award, the St. Francis de
Sales Award for lifetime achievement, they praised his “remarkable dedication
to a ministry of compassion and presence.” Today we say, “Thanks, Father Norman,
and God bless!”
Just as sports teams sometimes
retire the number of an outstanding player as a tribute, we are retiring the “Wise
Man” title for this column. “The Wise Man’s Corner” began in our February 1915
issue and retained that title until July 1985 when it became “The Wise Man
Answers.” “Ask the Wise Man” debuted in January 1998.
We are also retiring the anonymous
byline “By a Franciscan Priest,” used by all the writers of this column over
the years.
 We
now introduce the column’s new title, “Ask a Franciscan,” and its new author,
Father Pat McCloskey, O.F.M. Like the prophet Elisha (2 Kings 2:9), Father
Pat prays for a “double portion” of his predecessor’s spirit in answering your
questions. You may send them by regular mail or submit
online.
This column’s basic purpose and
focus remain unchanged: helping you, our readers, to grow in faith as you grapple
with questions arising from Scripture, Church history, sacramental celebrations
or a curiosity about Catholic customs and expressions.
Father Pat’s name may be familiar
to some of you since he has written columns and articles for us occasionally
since 1972. His writing for this column began in our October 1999 issue.
Thanks to all the
Franciscan friars who answered personal letters and e-mail addressed to the
Wise Man during and after Father Norman’s final illness. Special thanks to
John Bookser Feister, who has edited this column with Father Norman since mid-1991
and will continue to work on it with Father Pat.
—Jack Wintz, O.F.M.
Catholic
Press Loses a Giant
|
Why
No Baptism?
Q: Our
whole family has been very upset since a priest refused to baptize my nephew’s
baby. Every generation of our family has been raised Catholic.
Since becoming adults, however, my
sister’s children are not practicing Catholics. One of her sons had a job transfer
out of state. When he and his wife took their new baby to be baptized, the priest
said he would have to have a letter from my nephew’s previous parish, stating that
he was a member in good standing.
My nephew offered to take instructions,
or whatever is necessary, if the priest would baptize their baby, but the priest
refused.
Is this the new practice of the Church
and, if so, why? I’ve been told by a friend that the reason is the Church wants
to be sure the child is raised Catholic. I find refusing Baptism to an infant very
hard to accept.
A: I
am sorry for the problem that has arisen, but there may be a happy ending to this
story.
The Rite for Baptism of Infants includes
questions to the parents about their readiness to raise this child as a Catholic.
The priest or deacon asks two questions: What name have you given the child? What
do you ask of God’s Church for this child?
After the parents give the child’s name
and respond, “Baptism,” the priest or deacon says: “You have asked to have your child
baptized. In doing so you are accepting the responsibility of raising him/her in
the practice of the faith. It will be your duty to bring him/her up to keep God’s
commandments as Christ taught us, by loving God and our neighbor. Do you clearly
understand what you are undertaking?”
At the end of the rite, after a blessing
for the child’s mother, this blessing for the father follows: “God is the giver of
all life, human and divine. May he bless the father of this child. He and his wife
will be the first teachers of their child in the ways of faith. May they be also
the best of teachers, bearing witness to the faith by what they say and do, in Christ
Jesus our Lord.”
We baptize infants when there is a reasonable
hope that they will be raised in the Catholic faith. Priests should be prudent about
this, not delaying Baptism without a good reason, but also not placing parents in
a situation where they would have to lie about their intention to raise the child
in a faith which the parents do not intend to practice.
The best way for your nephew to have
this child baptized is to resume the practice of his faith, join a parish and attend
Sunday Mass regularly, then approach the pastor or parish staff and request Baptism.
Is
Plastic Surgery Wrong?
Q: My
son told me that his teacher at school, a nun, taught the class that Catholics
shouldn’t have plastic surgery. I had never heard this before and wondered what
the teaching on this is. It makes sense, in a way, that we should be happy with
what God has given us. Can you tell me what the Church teaches regarding plastic
surgery?
A: There
is no prohibition against Catholics having plastic surgery. Plastic surgery for someone
with a cleft palate, for a person burned in a fire or injured in an accident—these
are all fine if the person or a parent or guardian seeks them.
Like anything human, plastic surgery
could be abused. A few years ago, 60 Minutes had a story about a woman who
had undergone multiple surgeries so that she could look “just like Barbie” (the doll).
At some point, elective plastic surgery
could become a moral issue in terms of allowing or encouraging such surgery for those
able to pay while denying life-and-death surgery for those unable to pay. Medical
resources are not infinite, and some ways of allocating them could be immoral.
Holy
Doors Represent Christ
Q: There
is a door at the Vatican that is opened every 25 years. What does the door represent
and why is it only opened every 25 years? It will be opened in the year 2000.
A: Some St.
Anthony Messenger readers will receive this issue before December 24, 1999,
when Pope John Paul II will open the Holy Door at St. Peter’s Basilica. It will
remain open until January 6, 2001, the end of the current Holy Year.
The Holy Door represents Christ, the
door or gateway to salvation (John 10:1-18). It is opened during the Holy Year, now
held every 25 years. The Holy Year custom began in 1300.
There are permanent Holy Doors at three
other Roman basilicas (St. John Lateran, St. Mary Major and St. Paul-Outside-the-Walls).
These, too, will remain open during the Holy Year.
In imitation of this custom and as a
link to the Holy Year, many cathedrals and other churches around the world have designated
a Holy Door for the current Holy Year.
The U.S. bishops are encouraging individual
households to designate a Holy Year Door in their homes. St. Anthony Messenger Press
has a simple, colorful, sturdy door hanger for this purpose. It is designed to hang
on a doorknob and has a household prayer service on the back.
Bulk orders are available from 1-800-488-0488
for $62.50 for a pack of 50. For individual orders, send a check for $1.50 and a
self-addressed, business-size stamped envelope to our business address. Door
hangers may also be ordered online.
The Holy Door is explained in The
Jubilee Guide to Rome, by A. Braghin (Liturgical Press).
Questions and answers about the Holy
Year and the millennium are available at www.nccbuscc.org/jubilee.
If you have a question for Father Pat, please submit it here.
Include your street address for personal replies enclosing a stamped, self-addressed envelope, please. Some answer material must be
mailed since it is not available in digital form. You can still send questions to: Ask a Franciscan, 28 W. Liberty Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202.
