Though only mid-April, it's already been a whirlwind year for Paulist Father John Duffy, visiting St. Paul the Apostle Church in Westwood last weekend for parish celebrations of the 150th anniversary of the Paulist Fathers, who locally have served 80 years in parish, media and campus ministries in Los Angeles.
Father Duffy, 60, president of the Paulist Fathers, the first religious order founded in the U.S., flew into L.A. from anniversary ceremonies in Toronto and will be attending Pope Benedict's Mass for priests, men and women religious at St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York April 19.
It will be the second time he has seen the pope in six weeks, having traveled to Rome in March with a group of Paulists attending a papal audience March 5 on the sesquicentennial anniversary eve of the order's founding by Father Isaac Hecker, whose cause for canonization was officially opened by New York Cardinal Edward Egan at a Jan. 27 Mass in New York City's Church of St. Paul the Apostle.
Though nursing a sprained ankle from his recent travels, Bostonian native Father Duffy met with The Tidings April 11, the day before attending the Paulist Spirit Awards dinner at the Bel-Air Bay Club and presiding at a special anniversary parish liturgy April 13.
"We've always felt a real support from the Archdiocese of Los Angeles," said Father Duffy. "We're grateful to be here." He complimented St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Community for its welcoming spirit, vibrant liturgies, tradition of fostering lay ministry and lay leadership and its social justice programs.
"The campus ministry at UCLA has also been a wonderful experience for us over the years," said Father Duffy. He credited another L.A.-based ministry, Paulist Productions, with promoting human values in media with projects such as a newly produced documentary film on forgiveness, "The Big Question," recently screened at the Sedona Film Festival, and the annual Humanitas Awards, honoring television and film screenwriters for stories that inspire and uplift humanity.
Both endeavors were headed for many years by the late Paulist Father Ellwood "Bud" Kieser, who died in 2000. The 40th anniversary of Paulist Productions will be celebrated Dec. 4.
"Our major focus is evangelization: concern about the unchurched, inactive Catholics and also concern about promoting Christian unity and interfaith relations," said Father Duffy, who noted Paulists in campus ministry only serve in non-Catholic settings.
In addition to a strong focus in young adult ministries, including the Paulists' popular Busted Halo Show on Sirius satellite radio and its BustedHalo.com website, the religious community seeks to heal polarization within the church by promoting dialogue between groups in the spirit of the late Cardinal Joseph Bernardin's Catholic Common Ground initiative.
According to Father Duffy, the Paulists' founder, Father Hecker, had a strong belief that the principles of freedom and democracy as proclaimed in the American constitution combined with a thriving Catholic church could produce a beacon of light to the world. "His passion was a Catholic America," said Father Duffy.
"Father Hecker's spirituality was a belief in the spirit guiding the individual and the community. His goal was to meet the needs of the church in the modern age," explained Father Duffy. The 147 Paulist Fathers serving in the U.S., Canada, at the Santa Susanna American Church in Rome and the Tantur Ecumenical Institute for Theological Studies in Jerusalem continue that mission today with pastoral service in parishes and campuses as well as communication ministries in book publishing (Paulist Press), radio, television, film and the Internet.
Paulist Fathers, their lay associates and members of their worshiping communities will gather June 19-21 in Washington D.C. for their 150th anniversary convocation at Catholic University's Pryzbyla Center with prominent Catholic guest speakers, including David O'Brien, author of "Isaac Hecker: An American Catholic"; D. Scott Appleby, Notre Dame professor; Missionary Oblate Father Ron Rolheiser, nationally syndicated Catholic columnist; and John Allen, CNN and NPR Vatican analyst.
"I think what is really relevant is the whole intersection between faith and culture. As Paulists [we recognize] that sin exists in the world [but] what we also believe is that there's a lot of good in North American culture. We don't flee from the world, we engage the world and we believe in the transforming power of Christ," said Father Duffy.
For more information on the June convocation, log on to www.paulist.org or call (202) 269-2512. Registration deadline: May 1. For information on Paulist community celebrations in the Los Angeles area, call (310) 474-1527. |