LOS ANGELES --- The Archdiocese of Los Angeles surpassed the $3 million mark in contributions to assist those impacted by recent hurricanes in the Gulf States, said Msgr. Royale Vadakin, moderator of the Curia and vicar general. The total of $3,000,083 was realized, he said, by the efforts of parishes, schools and individuals in the archdiocese who contributed "with much generosity, just as they did after the tsunami in South Asia last December when more than $2.5 million in relief aid was raised." Hurricane aid is being distributed among the Archdiocese of New Orleans, Diocese of Biloxi and Catholic Charities of Los Angeles which is assisting in resettlement efforts. Checks should be sent to: Archdiocese of Los Angeles, Hurricane Relief Fund, 3424 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90010.

Pope Benedict's first encyclical finished,
to be released in December

VATICAN CITY (CNS) --- Pope Benedict XVI has finished writing his first encyclical and is expected to release it in early December, Vatican sources said. The sources told Catholic News Service Oct. 20 that the encyclical was a 46-page spiritual meditation focusing in large part on "eros" (love) and "logos" (the word) and their relationship to the person of Christ. The pope worked on the encyclical during his summer stay at the papal residence outside Rome. The text was being translated into various languages, including English, the sources said. In two articles written before his election and published in a recent issue of the magazine Communio, Pope Benedict wrote about the unity of the word and love, as personified in Christ. He highlighted the importance of the personal encounter with Christ, which stirs up love, and said love of God helps define the correct idea of human autonomy. He also wrote that Christ as "logos made flesh" implied reconciliation between supernatural revelation and reason.

Water-damaged Xavier University
in New Orleans plans to reopen

WASHINGTON (CNS) --- When Norman Francis was a freshman at Xavier University in New Orleans in 1948, his work-study scholarship landed him the job of repairing damaged books in the university library. These days, Francis, who has been Xavier's president for nearly four decades, is once again fixing things, although this time on a colossal scale: overseeing the repair of the entire university. The library books, damaged when the library filled with 6 feet of water in Hurricane Katrina, are just one of his concerns because nearly every campus building was waterlogged during the Aug. 29 storm and the massive flooding that followed. An early estimate of the recovery price tag, including reconstruction, faculty salaries and student financial aid, was about $90 million. Finding the money to pay for the loss is now the daunting task before school officials. Xavier, the country's only historically black Catholic university, does not have the large endowment that larger universities do. Instead, it has a $50 million endowment primarily restricted for scholarships. Eighty-five percent of its student body receives financial aid. The school's insurance will cover wind damage but not the extensive water damage on the campus.

Bishops to vote on new Lectionary for Masses With Children

WASHINGTON (CNS) --- The nation's Latin-rite bishops are to vote on a revised Lectionary for Masses With Children when the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops meets in Washington Nov. 14-17. If the proposed Lectionary is adopted by the bishops and confirmed by the Holy See, it will replace the experimental children's Lectionary that has been in use since 1993. The Lectionary is the book of Scripture readings used at Mass. In the children's Lectionary many of the texts are shortened and some vocabulary is simplified. Along with the new set of texts for use with children are proposals that would set stricter rules for its use. Where the current version describes the intended audience as "children of elementary grades," the proposed new version says it is meant for use with "children who have not yet entered preadolescence, that is, those 10 years old or younger."

Portland-area Catholics testify
in archdiocesan bankruptcy case

PORTLAND, Ore (CNS) --- Parish properties belong to the parishes themselves, not to the Archdiocese of Portland, Catholic parishioners told a federal bankruptcy court at a mid-October hearing. All 390,000 Catholics in the archdiocese are class-action defendants in the archdiocese's bankruptcy case. The archdiocese filed for Chapter 11 federal bankruptcy protection last July to settle sexual abuse claims against it. Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code allows the archdiocese to reorganize financially. The small group of parishioners who spoke at the Oct. 11 court hearing echoed what the archdiocese, the parishes and canon law say --- parish assets belong to the parishes, not the archdiocese. But lawyers for abuse claimants contend the archdiocese owns parishes in western Oregon the way a company owns subsidiaries. That would mean the parish and school assets, valued at more than $450 million, could be added to the archdiocese's holdings, significantly driving up settlement amounts for those judged to be victims.

Synod brought signs of hope on priest shortage,
says Bishop Skylstad

VATICAN CITY (CNS) --- In its effort to deepen appreciation of the Eucharist, the Synod of Bishops highlighted the need for good liturgies, powerful preaching and improved religious instruction for the world's Catholics, said the head of the U.S. bishops' conference. Bishop William S. Skylstad of Spokane, Wash., president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, said the bishops also explored the effects of priest shortages around the globe, but a strong majority felt the problem should be tackled without relaxing the rules on priestly celibacy. "I would say very few (at the synod) would have called for a married clergy," Bishop Skylstad said in an interview with Catholic News Service Oct. 21. The synod concluded Oct. 22 by approving 50 final propositions and publishing a message to the world. The three-week assembly brought together more than 250 bishops in what Bishop Skylstad described as an enriching and collegial experience.