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Families can now choose Catholic schools and receive up to $5,000 tax credit, $7,500 for special needs By Philip A. Janquart ICR Assistant Editor   A new Idaho law provides families up to a $5,000 tax credit for children to attend private school or homeschool and up to $7,500 for students with special needs. For the first time, parents wishing to send their children to Catholic schools will be eligible for the benefit.   Several attempts at school choice have been proposed during the previous decades without success. But on Thursday, Feb. 27, Idaho Governor Brad Little signed the bill into law.   House Bill 93, which creates the $50 million Parental Choice Tax Credit program, was passed by the Idaho Legislature during its current 2025 session. The program benefits families who want more choices in their children’s education, but may not have the means to send them to a private school.   “I truly believe the passing of the school choice tax credit bill will enhance the quality of education for all our young throughout the great State of Idaho,” said Bishop Peter F. Christensen. “For Catholics, this means to educate and engage in the formation of the whole person in body, mind and soul. This advantage can be pursued at a much more affordable cost for those who would otherwise be unable to send their children to the school of their choice. This legislation will raise the quality of education in Idaho by inspiring healthy competition among schools, offering tremendous benefit to all who live here, regardless of where their children attend,” Bishop Peter added.   Diocesan Director for Special Projects Christian Welp noted, “For years, Catholic families have been supporting public schools through their taxes and paying for their children’s Catholic education. Now, because of the new legislation, these families can benefit directly from their tax dollars.” Parents who want to enroll their children in private school can apply for the program in 2026. The application period will always be in the spring and will apply the following school year.   “The way it’s structured, it’s going to give priority to lower income families,” District 9 Representative John Shirts, R-Weiser, told the Idaho Catholic Register  ( ICR ). According to the bill, the new law provides a refundable tax credit for a parent, guardian, or foster parent who incurs qualified education expenses for eligible kindergarten through twelfth-grade students.   Tuition and fees related to attending a nonpublic school are covered, as well as tutoring, taking assessments used to determine college admission, textbooks and transportation costs for the purpose of receiving academic instruction.   “With the passage of the $50 million Parental Choice Tax Credit program, Idaho boasts even more abundant schooling options for Idaho students and families,” Little said in a prepared statement, adding that his administration has increased public school funding by 60% in recent years.   Those who do not support the new law say it will unjustly deplete state coffers and fail to provide enough oversight.   During a media question and answer session, Governor Little said the program doesn’t “have enough accountability in it. But I don’t think there’s enough accountability in the money we give public schools either.”   Diocese of Boise reaction Tammy Emerich, superintendent of Catholic schools for the Diocese of Boise, said she fully supports the program largely because it allows parents, who might not otherwise have the option, to send their children to a Catholic school.   “The Office of Catholic Schools recognizes that parents are the primary educators of their children, and we are very pleased to see legislation enacted that supports this foundational belief,” she said in an email to the ICR . “Whether this provides new opportunities for our families to choose one of our amazing Catholic schools or participate in a homeschool or micro school environment, we celebrate our parents’ expanded educational choices.   Emerich added, “We believe it is critical for parents to have options as they determine the best learning environment for their children, each with their own unique needs. We applaud Governor Little for his decision to support school choice in Idaho and deeply appreciate his commitment to Idaho families.”   Christian Welp said, “We want to thank Governor Little for signing house bill 93. In Governor Little’s own words, ‘Idaho can have it all – strong public schools, and education freedom.’”

St. Joe's forward Aran George goes up for two points during the 62nd Hallissey Tournament held Feb. 28-March 3. St. Joe's beat Tri-Parish (Cottonwood) 54-44 for the boys' championship title. (Photo/Philip A. Janquart) By Philip A. Janquart Assistant Editor   If you love basketball, watching young stars develop, and the competitive excitement generated by Idaho's largest and most prominent annual Catholic sports event, the 62nd Hallissey Tournament was your ticket.   The Mar. 2-3 tournament drew over 30 teams and approximately 400 athletes from all over the state. The 7th and 8th-graders played 60 games in 48 hours across five gyms in the Treasure Valley.   Matches were played at Bishop Kelly High School’s Carley Center, Sacred Heart and St. Joseph’s Schools in Boise, and St. Ignatius School, as well as the gym at the adjacent Holy Apostles Church in Meridian. At least half a dozen three-person referee cadres oversaw the action. The referees used the Hallissey Tournament for training purposes, honing the consistency of their interventions, according to tournament organizer Charles Eddy.   There were three divisions: boys, girls and coed. The games fell under Idaho High School Activities Association (IHSAA) rules, with two 14-minute halves and a five-minute halftime break.   “We have several members of our committee who have been involved for many years,” explained Eddy, who has helped with the annual event for more than 20 years. “The most inspirational part of this tournament, this year, is the Mass at St. Mark’s,” said Eddy, noting that the Mass was followed by the awarding of sportsmanship trophies, which was the part of the tournament Monsignor James T. Hallissey cherished most, Eddy added.   The tournament was launched in 1964 by then-Father Hallissey and John Kirk. In 1982, it was renamed the Hallissey Tournament.   The Sportsmanship Awards go to one team in each division, but the recognition doesn’t end there.   “Something we adopted last year to help promote sportsmanship is what we call our ‘Sportsmanship Coin.’ It has Monsignor Hallissey’s image and Sacred Heart Catholic School’s motto: ‘Building Christian Community Through Sports,’” Eddy explained.   Officials and gym coordinators (who are tournament committee members) can award the coins to individuals, fans, players and coaches who display good sportsmanship. “We will stop a game or recognize an individual during a timeout and present them with the coin. It’s positive reinforcement, and the officials love it.” St. Mark's forward Amari Brady takes a shot from underneath the basket during the Lions' championship game against the Huskies of All Saints (Lewiston). St. Mark's beat All Saints 43-26 to claim the first-place trophy. (Photo/Philip A. Janquart) St. Mark’s pastor, Father John Mosier, presided at the Mar. 1 Mass and gave a brief overview of Monsignor Hallissey, who was assigned to Sacred Heart Church in Boise from 1952 to 1970.   “He came from Ireland in 1940 at the request of another great priest in this diocese, Bishop (Edward Joseph) Kelly,” he said, addressing a church packed with players, coaches and family members.   “He was a big basketball fan and truly believed that our Catholicism is lived out not just in sanctuaries, like here at our Church, but in our communities,” he said. “He created this tournament, and that’s why it’s named after him. He lives in our hearts today, so you are playing in a tournament named after a wonderful man.”   In their game program, the Sacred Heart Athletic Committee wrote, “More important than the championships, the Hallissey Sportsmanship Trophy symbolizes the focus of the tournament: Christian Sportsmanship.” The game program notes that the committee evaluates the sportsmanship of each team in every game, as well as the off-court actions of the teams and their fans. 2025 Hallissey Tournament Results Sportsmanship Awards ·         Boys: St. John Bosco Academy, Cottonwood ·         Girls: Tri-Parish Community, Cottonwood, Ferdinand, Greencreek ·         Coed: St. Mary’s School, Moscow “This is special; to me, in our parish, it means more than the championship,” said Tri-Parish coach Eric Hagen. “It means we coach the girls right, and they were raised right, with respect for others and the Church. It’s a wonderful group of girls.”   Championships The championship games, played at Bishop Kelly, were marked by an opening ceremony with a color guard consisting of Scout Troop and Cub Scout Troop 123, presenting the State of Idaho and U.S. flags.   Singing the national anthem was past tournament participant Jane Bingham, a 2013 Bishop Kelly graduate. She has sung the national anthem at the tournament since 2009.   Coed Division: St. Edward’s Kings, Twin Falls--55   Sacred Heart Crusaders, Emmett   – 48   “We’ve had a pretty good tournament,” coach Felipe Zamora told the Idaho Catholic Register  ( ICR ). “We have a really good group of kids. They are just athletic, and they all like to run; they like to play, and they learned in a short amount of time how to play together because we’ve only practiced six or seven times together.”   Zamora praised the organizers for their efforts in putting such a large tournament together. “We want to thank everyone who put in the time to put on the tournament, all the organizers and the parents who supported us and made it possible for us to come here,” he said.   Girls’ Division: St. Mark’s Lions, Boise – 43 All Saints Huskies, Lewiston – 26   “I think they just played team basketball, and I think that’s why we won,” said coach Cheryl Hutchinson. “They passed the ball well; they’re not selfish, they are aggressive and they have fun. I’ve had them for a long time, and they are just a fun group of kids. And they are good listeners, which makes your life a little bit better (as) they begin to develop a really good IQ for the game.”   Boys Division: St. Joseph Catholic School, Boise – 54 Tri-Parish Huskies, Cottonwood, Ferdinand, Greencreek – 44   “I’m really proud of our players,” coach Ben Kuznia told the ICR . “We practiced six times and have four guys who never played basketball before, so the way they bonded together and played as a team is amazing.”   Kuznia added that the Tri-Parish Huskies “destroyed us earlier on Saturday morning; they beat us by 15.”   “We couldn’t break it (the full-court press),” said Kuznia. “We did not look good, but my guys gelled together as a team today and really played amazing.”

By Emily Woodham Staff Writer The Idaho Council of Catholic Women (ICCW) will celebrate its 105th anniversary in 2025. The Council began with the blessing of Bishop Daniel Mary Gorman, Bishop of Boise from 1918 to 1927.  “A lot of women belong to different Church societies in their parish,” said Lou Brown, convention chair for ICCW and parishioner of St. Mark’s Parish in Boise. “But no matter what other societies they belong to, they can still be members of ICCW. The membership is not exclusive. It’s for all Catholic women in Idaho, even if their parish doesn’t have a chapter.” In August, Brown attended the National Council of Catholic Women’s convention in Florida with her sister, Mary Glenn, president of ICCW. Glenn, a parishioner of St. Mark’s, said she learned that the number of women participating in the Council of Catholic Women is declining nationally.  “We’re concerned,” Brown said, “that women are losing a sense of community by not taking time to be a part of ICCW. We volunteer and support other ministries of the Church, but we also support and encourage each other in our Catholic faith.” The ICCW also wants to unite Catholic women across the state to encourage vocations to Religious life and provide for charities beyond the parish scope. “We raise funds to help pay off college debts for women who want to enter Religious life. We also provide Boxes of Joy, shoe boxes of toys for children in poverty,” Brown said. Last year, ICCW raised about $2,400 for its statewide project to help rebuild St. Anne’s church in Mud Lake, which was destroyed by a fire in 2019.  To continue serving the Diocese of Boise with its charitable works, Catholic women of all ages must become active. “There is not a time requirement. We just ask that women pray and join us as they can,” Brown said. The next statewide convention for ICCW is Friday through Sunday, April 25–27, at St. Mark’s Parish in Boise. “We hope women will mark their calendars and register. We want the legacy of ICCW to continue,” said Glenn, who will be handing down the role of president at the next convention. “Even if your parish does not have a CCW chapter, you can come to the convention if you are a Catholic woman in Idaho. You can be a member of the statewide council,” Glenn said. For more information about ICCW and the convention, visit idahoccw.org .

Bishop Christensen dedicates new church following devastating fire Altar servers Gionni Orellana and Juan Pablo Castro assist Father Francisco Flores during the Mass of Dedication at St. Anne’s Mission. Father Flores is pastor of Pope St. John Paul II Parish in Idaho Falls and its missions.  (Courtesy Photo/Gisselle Montalvan) By Father Francisco Q. Flores Pastor of Pope St. John Paul II Parish and its missions for the ICR In the middle of the night of July 1, 2021, lightning from a summer storm struck the propane tank in the backyard of St. Ann’s Church in Mud Lake. Propane tanks are designed to withstand lightning strikes. However, the force of the strike rocked the tank so that the metal tubing running from the tank into the church was shaken loose. The flame from the furnace’s pilot light lasted long enough to ignite the propane hissing into the church. The metal tube became a flaming blow torch directly beneath St. Ann’s sanctuary. The building was heavily damaged, though it remained standing. One of the fire officials later explained that because of the church’s metal roof, the inside had become like a supercharged oven, with temperatures reaching up to 1600 degrees Fahrenheit. Everything was damaged, including the floor joists and roof beams, which were laminated wood; the glue melted and ran out from between the layers. The excessive heat caused total damage to the building. The heat of the fire at St. Anne’s caused excessive damage to the former church, yet, the Easter Candle survived. Yet, the Easter Candle survived the heat of the fire the day St. Ann’s burned. Bishop Peter F. Christensen mentioned in his February 15 homily at the Mass of Dedication of the new St. Anne’s Mission that the “Easter Candle is a symbol of the faith we all hold in Jesus Christ—whom the Gospels refer to as the Light of the world. Christ, the center of our faith, is like the wick that we have as our core. We, like wax, become fuel to keep Christ’s presence burning brightly within our community. It is our faith in Jesus Christ that survives all hardships, obstacles and crushing misfortunes that may come our way. St. Anne’s community has survived and given great witness of their well-placed faith in Jesus Christ and His Church—even the Easter Candle bears witness to this truth.” Mud Lake is not a large town, but the Catholic Church is strong and vital. There are about 70 people who regularly attend Mass, half of whom are children and young adults. The original church was purchased by catalog, railed to Idaho Falls and carted to Mud Lake on trucks in the 1960s. It seated about 60 people. Alternate site The insurance company offered a settlement after several months of taking inventory and assessing the value of the damage. A small group of parishioners formed a building committee, which decided that the church should be expanded, triggering fundraising efforts. Construction, however, was slow. Idaho is quickly growing, and this corner of the state (eastern) is no exception. In the summer, Idaho Falls and the surrounding areas become a massive construction site for new homes and buildings. Needless to say, it was difficult to lure subcontractors 50 miles into the desert for the comparatively small job of rebuilding St. Ann’s Church. Months would pass without a hint of construction activity. In the meantime, the people of St. Ann’s Mission would come together for Mass at the school district office, a modified building belonging to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, where we would use a room that was once a chapel. Every week, they would set up the makeshift altar and ambo, set out the chairs and arrange the room. Following Mass, everything was taken down and put away. Sometimes, the room would still bear the tattered decorations of a high school dance from the night before. Other times, the floor would be sticky or dusty. We were even moved to the gym for a time while the regular room was being remodeled. The people of St. Ann’s Mission did this for three and a half years; in that time, only one complaint reached the pastor’s ears. The people there are to be commended for their dedication and commitment, which came at a higher price during that time. St. Anne’s completed Finally, like a dream, in mid-November 2024, the keys were given to us, and we could finally begin using our new church. The final Mass in the school district building was celebrated on October 27, and the first Mass in the new church was celebrated by parochial vicar Father Nelson Cintra on Nov. 3. Bishop Peter agreed to our proposed date of Feb. 15 for the dedication, and all attention quickly shifted to that day. First on the agenda was the new altar, which was built by a retired couple from Idaho Falls, Kevin and Patty Krank. It is red oak, stained dark to match the pews, and the top of the altar is Idaho travertine from a Swan Valley mine not too far from Mud Lake. A drawer-like structure fits in the back of the altar, designed and built to hold the two altar stones containing the relics of five martyred saints from antiquity. It was designed to be permanently sealed, which Mr. and Mrs. Krank did during the Mass as prescribed by the rite. Another local craftsman, Pat Hedderman, spent dozens of hours refurbishing and preserving the original wooden baptismal font. He also built the central cross for the crucifix and twelve dedication crosses representing the twelve Apostles that were anointed during the Mass of Dedication. Each one has a plate inscribed with the name of an apostle, and a candle is attached to each cross. These crosses will remain a permanent sign that this is a dedicated church. Neither of these craftsmen charged for their labor. The week beginning Feb. 10 became a flurry of activity. The new altar was delivered to the church, and the travertine top came the following day. The dedication crosses and Stations of the Cross were installed, as were images of Our Lady of Guadalupe and the Divine Mercy in the sanctuary. In God’s providence and care, days before the dedication, an image of St. Ann arrived, as did the corpus for the new cross. We had resigned ourselves to the fact that they would not make it on time. These were gifted to us by the Idaho Council of Catholic Women and a generous donor from northern Idaho. An unused set of antique Stations of the Cross came from St. Anthony’s Mission in Roberts. These were cleaned and touched up and now grace the walls of the new St. Ann’s church. During the Mass of Dedication at St. Anne’s Mission on Feb. 15, Bishop Peter poured sacred Chrism Oil on the altar and rubbed it into the travertine surface with his hands. (Courtesy Photos/Gisselle Montalvan) Dedication Saturday, Feb. 15, was a gloomy and snowy morning in Idaho Falls but a brilliantly sunny day in Mud Lake. Bishop Peter, the priests, deacon, altar servers and parishioners gathered outside to begin the Mass. The Bishop was given entry, and the solemn celebration began. The Bishop and priests wore white, with the exception of Parochial Vicar Father Mark Uhlenkott, who had the privilege of carrying the relics of the martyred saints as they processed inside the church. He wore red vestments in their honor, as explicitly called for by the rite. The Mass of Dedication of a new church and altar is unlike any other. Immediately upon entering the church, the Bishop blessed water, which he used to bless the people and walls of the church. He then blessed the new altar with holy water. The rite of dedication continued after the homily with the singing of a beautiful rendition of the Litany of the Saints; the final saint implored was “St. Ann, Mother of the Blessed Virgin, pray for us.” Bishop Peter then prayed the prayer of dedication for the new church and altar. The highlight of this prayer came when he poured sacred Chrism Oil in the middle and the four corners of the altar, then rubbed the oil into the travertine altar top with his hands. The three parish priests then anointed the walls where the crosses had been mounted. A brazier with hot coals was placed on the altar, and the bishop charged them with incense. He then incensed the altar and was subsequently blessed with it himself, followed by the assembly. The parochial vicars then incensed the walls in the places marked with dedication crosses. The altar was then cleaned, covered, and adorned by St. Ann’s Mission members. The candles of the altar were lit, as were the candles on each of the 12 anointed crosses. These were lit by Chayo and Claudia Figueroa, the current caretakers, and former caretakers Jaime and Coco Renova, who now live in Homedale. It was a magnificent completion to a happy morning. The happiness continued as we returned to the school district building, although this time not for Mass, but for a festive meal in honor of God’s providential care for us. God has provided us a gem in the desert. An appeal for funds Rising costs due to inflation took their toll over the three and a half years since the church was destroyed. Unplanned changes and requirements added to the price. Ultimately, the people of Mud Lake incurred a debt of $120,000. For a regular parish, this is not a crippling amount, but it is for the roughly 50 families that make up this mission, most of them working on the surrounding farms and for agricultural companies. I ask you to please help this community with a monetary donation. These faithful families will work hard to raise funds, but we need your help. Please consider submitting a contribution, which can be sent to Pope St. John Paul II Parish, 145 E. 9th Street, Idaho Falls, ID 83404, Attn. St. Ann’s. Graciela and Héctor Pérez reverently and carefully dress the newly dedicated altar. (Courtesy Photo/Gisselle Montalvan) A drawer-like structure holding two altar stones containing five relics of martyred saints was permanently placed in the new altar. Above, Kevin Krank seals the altar stone drawer while Bishop Peter, Father Mark Uhlenkott and Deacon Alvaro Ponce observe. (Courtesy Photo/Gisselle Montalvan)

Youth in the Honduran village of Nueva Consolación pray deeply outside the work center built by Idaho missionaries. (Courtesy Photos/Union de Amor Mission Team) By Deacon Chris Stewart for the ICR “Things and possessions are not what make us happy.” Maria Becker, 22, and Sophia Becker, 18, agreed that this understanding was among the most important gifts they received from their mission work in the Honduran village of Nueva Consolación. The sisters have visited the rural town on mission trips with their parents since their early teens. Their father, John Becker, says he is “more appreciative of the blessings in life that we take for granted, like running water.” Their mother, Luisa Becker, says she “experiences unity” and the divine reality that “We are all one working together as the Body of Christ.” Two years ago, Lenten almsgiving at St. Pius X Parish in Coeur d’Alene was committed to building a “work center” for the rural village of Nueva Consolación in Honduras. Last year, the work center’s grand opening was celebrated by the local Honduran Bishop, Walter Guillén, at a Mass that included the village community and visitors from nine other communities bordering Nueva Consolación who will benefit from the facility. As a sign of unity in the Body of Christ, two icons of Our Lady of Tenderness “written” (created) by Idaho Bishop Peter F. Christensen were presented to Bishop Guillén at the dedication Mass. One of the icons now hangs in the new work center. What other gifts have come to us from the rural village of Nueva Consolación? The example of hard work and perseverance of the coffee farmers who have patiently replenished their crops devastated by fungal blight several years ago, gifts of hospitality and joy they give St. Pius X missionaries through their celebrations of faith and community and the gift of their authentic, deep love for the Eucharist and prayer. Most especially, the villagers give us the gift of hope as we journey together through this Jubilee year. This mutual and loving exchange creates human solidarity. As each gives and each receives, we become part of the mystical unity that St. Paul describes in 1 Corinthians: we become one body in Christ. May our Lord always fill us with his gifts of love and hope, and may we find solidarity in the Body of Christ, lived out in mission as “pilgrims of hope,” the theme of the Jubilee Year. For more information about the St. Pius X mission in Honduras, called Union de Amor (Unity in Love), or to donate to this ongoing mission, visit stpiuscda.org  or email Deacon Chris Stewart at cstewart@stpiuscda.org . Coffee farmer Santiago shares this year’s coffee crop. Left to right: Luisa, Octavio, John, Sophia and Maria from St. Pius X parish. (Courtesy Photos/Union de Amor Mission Team) Sister Lucia and the children of Consolación share a joy-filled moment. (Courtesy Photos/Union de Amor Mission Team)

Lent is upon us! The traditional hallmarks of Lent are fasting, prayer and almsgiving. As you prepare for this Lenten season, I would encourage you to reexamine what you are doing in your family’s prayer life. Aside from Mass, prayers at meals and bedtime, does your family have additional prayer practices? Do you pray together as a couple? Do you pray with your children? Do you pray the Rosary together? Recently, each of my family members received a beautifully crafted marble rosary. I was a bit overwhelmed by the beauty of the rosaries themselves, but thought how much more beautiful the prayer must be that is prayed with each rosary. After we received these special rosaries, my oldest daughter suggested that we make it a spiritual practice to pray the Rosary during Lent. We committed to saying a rosary together at least twice a week. For many families who already pray the rosary together regularly, this might not be a big challenge. For others, it will be a time of significant growth and blessing for your family if you try it. Recently, I have begun to ask those for whom I pray what their favorite mystery of the Rosary is. One friend told me that he likes the mystery of the Annunciation, so he is on my prayer list for that mystery. Another said she wanted to be remembered during the Proclamation of the Gospel in the Luminous Mysteries given to us by St. John Paul II, so I remember her intentions on Thursdays. I have found it a great way to ground the reflection of the mysteries in the lives of people I support spiritually. In his book The Secret of the Rosary , St. Louis de Montfort describes the Rosary as a spiritual crown of roses, where each prayer is like a rose offered to Mary. He emphasizes that praying the Rosary is like crowning Mary with a garland of beautiful roses, symbolizing love, honor, and devotion. I would encourage your family to bombard heaven with the fragrance of this Lent’s spiritual roses. In Pope John Paul II’s The Call of Families , the Church discusses the value of saying the Rosary as a family prayer: The Rosary should be considered one of the best and most efficacious prayers in common that the Christian family is invited to recite… In this way, authentic devotion to Mary, which finds expression in sincere love and generous imitation of the Blessed Virgin’s interior spiritual attitude, constitutes a special instrument for nourishing loving communion in the family and for developing conjugal and family spirituality. For she who is the Mother of Christ and the Church is in a special way the Mother of Christian families, of domestic Churches. (FC, 61). The great American apostle of the Rosary was Father Patrick Payton. Father Payton was known for coining the phrase: “The family that prays together, stays together.” In a world where the family continues to fall apart, we might ask ourselves if the answer to rebuilding the family is simply rebuilding a life of prayer in the home. Dr. Mark Gray, research professor at Georgetown University and director of Catholic polls at the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA), noted, “Only 17 percent of Catholic families regularly pray together.” I was stunned when I read Dr. Gray’s statistic in the 2020 OSV book Renewing Catholic Family Life: Experts Explore New Directions in Family Spirituality and Family Ministry . Clearly, there is a disconnect between people’s daily lives and their prayer practices. As I have shared in the past, there is a crisis of identity in the family, which the Church tries to remedy by teaching the lay faithful to participate intimately in Christ’s priestly, prophetic and kingly roles. This quote from Pope St. John Paul II’s Call Of Families helps me better understand the connection: Family prayer is about fulfilling the sanctifying or ‘priestly’ roles of the spouses in the domestic church: “Joys and sorrows, hopes and disappointments, births and birthday celebrations, wedding anniversaries of the parents, departures, separations and homecomings, important and far-reaching decisions, the death of those who are dear—all of these mark God’s loving intervention in the family’s history. They should be seen as suitable moments for thanksgiving, for petition, for trusting abandonment of the family into the hands of their common Father in heaven.” (FC, 59). As you prepare for the Easter mysteries, I encourage you to consider the words of Psalm 141:2: “May my prayer be set before you like incense; may the lifting up of my hands be like the evening sacrifice.” The Book of Revelation adds, “The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of God’s people, went up before God from the angel’s hand.” May your Lent be filled with prayer like incense, lifting everything to God.

Sacred Heart School Future Cities team: left to right, Carol Gado, Rory Berry, Koji Thompson, Jonathon Eldredge, June Shang, Nora Glancey, Alex Rulon, Gian Sim and Dan Gado (Courtesy Photo/Sacred Heart Catholic School) By Naomi Kerns, Vice Principal, Sacred Heart School, Boise for the ICR On any given evening, you’re likely to see Mrs. Gado’s car in the parking lot of Sacred Heart School in Boise long after students have gone home. Carol Gado has been teaching Science and Math for the last 11 years and has devoted herself to inspiring students through extracurricular Science and Math experiences. One of those is the Regional Future Cities Competition at Boise State University. For 16 years, Gado’s knowledge of the Future City competition has led to many successes. This year, the Future City team from Sacred Heart Catholic School’s seventh and eighth grades achieved a first-place finish in the 21st Regional Future Cities Competition at Boise State University. The team not only won first place overall (out of 35 teams from 17 schools) but also earned awards for Best Presentation, Best Model, and Best Essay. Sacred Heart has earned numerous prizes and even first-place finishes over the years, but has never won in all three categories. Students completed this project by participating in an after-school club, meeting several times a week, including over their Christmas break. According to the Future City website, “Future City starts with a question – how can we make the world a better place?” To answer that question, middle school students imagine, research, design and build cities of the future that showcase their solution to a citywide sustainability issue. Students apply science and math skills to inform their decisions about their city design. In addition to researching technology, students must also communicate their city design through a 1,500-word essay, a 7-minute presentation, and an 8-minute question period with a panel of judges. They also build a 2-foot by 4-foot model of their city while keeping to a $100 budget. Students work for approximately five months researching the theme and all aspects of what makes a city operate. The research includes everything from what residential housing might look like in 100 years to how waste management will be accomplished in a floating city designed to address sea-level rise caused by climate change. The first-place finish at the Regional Future Cities Competition at Boise State University advanced the Sacred Heart team to the national competition in Washington, D.C. The team, assisted by various parent chaperones, traveled to Washington, D.C., Feb 15-18. In D.C., the team took home 17th place out of 46 competitors and received great feedback from judges about their performance. June Shang, one of the seventh- grade participants, shared that “Being able to compete at regional and national levels was an experience I won’t forget, with the clean sweep at regionals and the trip to D.C.” Some of her trip highlights included visiting the nation’s capital, seeing monuments that were so easily accessible, and making great memories with her friends. Nora Glancey, another seventh-grade Sacred Heart student, shared that her highlights were “spending so much time with my friends… and learning so much about the engineering design process which I didn’t know or understand before.” Another highlight was the interaction with teams from other states and countries. There were forty-six teams in total, including six teams from China and Macao. Through informal gatherings, the Sacred Heart team exchanged Idaho potato pins and had conversations with many other teams. Dan Gado, Carol’s husband, shares that Carol has an “ability to motivate students to think ‘outside the box’ regarding researching futuristic technologies to solve problems.” Carol and Dan feel very passionate about exposing middle school students to real issues that are currently affecting our world or may become a concern in the future. In Carol’s words, “These students will be the next generation of problem solvers. Our communities need creative minds to imagine the next steps and to wisely use technology to achieve sustainable growth and progress in the world God has entrusted to us.” Gado added, “By learning about the many diverse engineering disciplines and their impact on their community, students begin imagining future possibilities and career paths.” Several past students have communicated that it was because of their exposure to engineering in the Future City program in middle school that they pursued an engineering degree after high school. Seventh-grader Nora Glancey also shared the sentiment about Mrs. Gado and her influence on the program and her learning. Glancey said, “Having Mr. and Mrs. Gado as our leaders and mentors impacted my learning because they provided very good information and helped to show us how important engineering is and how much it impacts a city.” Sacred Heart had a second team, made up of seven sixth-graders, led by the new middle school Science teacher, Mrs. Cheri Workman. After her first successful experience leading the younger team, she plans to carry the success forward and continue the tradition of competing in the Future City competition in future years. Sacred Heart is very blessed to have staff dedicated to providing their students with so many opportunities in math and science.

Lucas 4, 1-13 Primer Domingo de Cuaresma “Lleno del Espíritu Santo, Jesús volvió del Jordán y fue llevado por el Espíritu al desierto durante cuarenta días, para ser tentado por el diablo” (Lc 4,1-2). Desde el comienzo de su ministerio público, san Lucas presenta a Jesús como alguien lleno del Espíritu Santo y guiado por Él, habiendo revelado ya que fue concebido por el Espíritu en su nacimiento (Lc 1,35) y ungido por el Espíritu en su bautismo (Lc 3,22). Consciente del papel del Espíritu en su vida y misión, Jesús declarará más tarde: “El Espíritu del Señor está sobre mí, porque me ha ungido para anunciar la buena nueva a los pobres” (Lc 4,18). Hoy, el Espíritu conduce a Jesús al desierto, donde es tentado. La Palabra de Dios, fuente de vida, no podía ser vencida. Jesús acabará destruyendo el poder del tentador en el Calvario, cumpliendo su misión: “Nadie tiene amor más grande que el que da la vida por sus amigos” (Jn 15, 13-17). La misma Palabra de Dios, que no puede ser vencida, nos fortalecerá en nuestra peregrinación durante la Cuaresma. El mismo Espíritu nos guiará. Sólo tenemos que estar dispuestos: “Buscad al Señor mientras se le puede encontrar, invocadle mientras está cerca” (Is 55:6-9). Siempre que Dios nos llama, nos sacude. A Abraham le dijo: “Sal de tu tierra, de tus parientes y de la casa de tu padre a una tierra que yo te mostraré” (Gn 12,1). Abandonar la patria y la familia en aquellas circunstancias era estar completamente desprotegido. Abraham no sabía con quién se encontraría ni dónde terminaría su viaje. Sólo sabía que el Señor le llamaba para sembrar la semilla de una nueva humanidad en un mundo conocido por su rechazo a Dios. Moisés vivía en paz, lejos del peligro y disfrutando de una relativa prosperidad. Entonces, Dios se le apareció para enfrentarlo nada menos que al Faraón. Dios le encomendaría una misión imposible para los humanos. Para cumplir esta misión, el Señor hace que Moisés se sumerja en una actitud de adoración: Le muestra el misterio de su presencia en la zarza ardiente (Ex 3,2). Moisés deja de hacer lo que está haciendo y contempla el extraordinario espectáculo. Desde la zarza ardiente, Dios llama a Moisés y le dice: “Quítate las sandalias de los pies, porque el lugar donde estás es tierra santa” (Ex 3,5). Samuel camina a tientas en la noche, oyendo que alguien le llama. Aunque oye la llamada, no entiende quién le llama. Elí, el anciano sacerdote, le dice a Samuel cómo debe responder si vuelve a oír la llamada: “Habla, Señor, que tu siervo te escucha”. A veces, nuestra peregrinación cuaresmal tendrá lugar por la noche, mientras dormimos. No controlamos del todo el viaje. ¿Qué le pedimos a Dios durante la Cuaresma? ¿estamos preparados para lo que Dios nos pide, aunque nos sacuda de pies a cabeza? ¿qué es más importante: que hablemos con Dios o que él nos hable a nosotros? El Espíritu Santo nos protegerá y guiará en el camino hacia una vida renovada en Cristo. Sólo necesitamos consentir como Abraham, Moisés, Samuel y María. Temptations of Jesus Luke 4:1-13 First Sunday of Lent “Filled with the Holy Spirit, Jesus returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the desert for forty days, to be tempted by the devil” (Luke 4:1-2). From the beginning of his public ministry, St. Luke presents Jesus as one who is filled with and guided by the Holy Spirit, already having revealed that He was conceived by the Spirit at His birth (Lk 1:35) and anointed by the Spirit at His baptism (Lk 3:22). Conscious of the Spirit’s role in His life and mission, Jesus will later declare, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor” (Lk 4:18). Today, the Spirit leads Jesus into the desert where He is tempted. The Word of God, the source of life, could not be defeated. Jesus will ultimately destroy the tempter’s power on Calvary, fulfilling His mission: “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (John 15:13-17). The same Word of God, who cannot be defeated, will strengthen us on our pilgrimage during Lent. The same Spirit will guide us. We only have to be willing: “Seek the Lord while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near.” (Is 55:6-9). Whenever God calls us, He shakes us. To Abraham, he said: “Go forth from your land, your relatives, and from your father’s house to a land that I will show you” (Gen 12:1). To leave one’s country and family in those circumstances was to be completely unprotected. Abraham did not know who he would meet or where his journey would end. All he knew was that the Lord was calling him to sow the seed of a new humanity in a world known for its rejection of God. Moses was living in peace, far from danger, and enjoying relative prosperity. Then God appeared to him to confront him with none other than Pharaoh. God would entrust him with an impossible mission for humans. To accomplish this mission, the Lord causes Moses to immerse himself in an attitude of adoration: He shows Moses the mystery of His presence in the burning bush (Ex 3:2). Moses stops what he is doing and contemplates the remarkable sight. From the burning bush, God calls out to Moses, telling him, “Remove your sandals from your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground” (Ex 3:5). Samuel gropes in the night, hearing someone summon him. Though he hears the call, he does not understand who beckons. Eli, the old priest, tells Samuel how to respond if he hears the summons again, telling him to reply, “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.” (1 Sam 3:10) Sometimes, our Lenten pilgrimage will take place at night while we sleep. We are not entirely in control of the journey. What do we ask of God during Lent? Are we ready for what God asks us, even if it shakes us from head to toe? What is more important: that we speak to God or that He speaks to us? The Holy Spirit will protect and guide us on the journey to renewed life in Christ. We need only consent like Abraham, Moses, Samuel and Mary.

A mother’s faith journey following the death of her son Kieran and Kim Steinberg in Bozeman, Mont., summer 2013. (Courtesy Photo/Si Steinberg) By Kim Steinberg for the ICR Children aren’t supposed to die before their parents. I never imagined I would lose my son, Kieran, at 32. I thought he would marry, have his own children, that I would be a grandmother one day. I remember writing for the Idaho Catholic Register  in the early ‘90s. The editor had allowed me to bring three-month-old Kieran to the office where I wrote. He laid on a blanket, tiny hands and feet stretching for the Sesame Street mobile I’d brought along. After Kieran’s death, I survived the first year in a daze, alternating between numb avoidance and active mourning. I spoke to a grief counselor, painted, journaled and talked to a friend who’d lost a son, trying to come to terms with the loss. Social gatherings elicited anxiety, the inevitable, “How many children do you have?” or “How are the kids?” were a trigger. Prayer led me to confession for the first time in many years. Father said, “Your son is alive,” and I longed for his certainty and faith. In the decades away from church, I often turned to monasteries in times of trouble. I sought out solitude and silence, spending a month at St. Gertrude’s Monastery in Cottonwood, Idaho, where I yelled at God, prayed with the nuns, and walked the way of the cross. The serene surroundings and spiritual routine consoled me, but upon departing the monastery, intense, unpredictable grief overwhelmed me again. A trip to the grocery store ended with a meltdown, the result of seeing a mother with two small sons. The sight of a young boy on a skateboard stabbed my heart. Family pictures on my walls provoked a level of emotion I couldn’t contain. Blotting out the pain with television, food or sleep worked temporarily. Anything to stop reliving that terrible phone call the night of January 20, 2023. Anything to stop the endless regrets. If only I’d said this or done that. If only I’d been there. Anything to have my child back. Candles flickered on the Sacred Sorrows website as I typed my son’s name on the memorial page, grateful for any remembrance, even a stranger’s. The Catholic-based nonprofit offered online and offline programs for mothers and grandmothers who had lost children, but it had only been a year since Kieran’s accidental death in Alaska, where he’d worked as a commercial fisherman. I wasn’t ready. Instead, I went to Mount Angel Abbey near Portland, Ore. There, Mother Mary accompanied me on the journey toward healing and wholeness. In my imagination, we knelt together at the foot of the cross, holding the body of Jesus. I knew then, Kieran hadn’t been alone at the moment of his death. Upon returning home, an irresistible urge to attend Mass gripped me. I started with morning worship once a week at St. Mary’s near my home, staying for Adoration after, then added a Saturday night service. I listened to the Catechism in a Year on the Hallow  app. I found familiar rituals comforting, and discovered new meaning in the age-old words of the liturgy. At the two-year mark, the pain had settled, and I knew better how to care for myself: how to leave a room without apology; how to look away and pray; how to avoid triggering topics and box my memories up to be revived at a time of my choosing. I came across the bookmarked Sacred Sorrows webpage ( sacredsorrows.org ) and impulsively registered for a four-day retreat. Extreme grief had subsided to a dull, heavy ache, an emptiness my firstborn child had once filled. I wanted to find meaning in his loss. Rita Morton, who started Sacred Sorrows, a ministry born out of the loss of her own child, explained what to expect—gentle acceptance. Clear boundaries around communication. Sacred time alone and together. We weren’t to ask how someone’s child died, potentially opening a heartrending floodgate of grief. In February 2025, nine mothers gathered at the Redemptorist Renewal Center in Tucson, Arizona. Located on 120 acres in the Sonoran Desert, it was a place of stark beauty: craggy cliffs painted with ancient petroglyphs, miles of saguaro cacti towering over the landscape, simple rooms and comfort food. In the midst of it all, Our Lady of the Desert Church grounded us in faith. I approached our first session with trepidation. Would grief overcome me in front of people? Was this a safe place? Would the emotions and stories of other mothers send me into a downward spiral? The women ranged in age and ethnicity, the death of our children a common bond. For some, the loss was as recent as six months ago. For others, decades had passed. Several had lost infants, others adult children. Our grief lived in our bodies, sorrow etched onto our faces and hearts. Their eyes mirrored my own soul, and their arms offered safe harbor. I needn’t have worried. Rita’s skillful facilitation eased us along a carefully thought-out spiritual journey, while Father Stephan’s presence added a holy sacramental element that spoke to my spirit. Sacred Sorrows provided renewal, a comforting embrace, an encounter with the mystery of grace. I moved slowly through the days, pausing, praying, listening. What did God have to say to me? During a morning walk, soaking up the sun’s rays, my prayers were answered. On a log bench near a dry wash, amid the call of mourning doves and quail, I crafted stories of hope and healing. Among the rocks and cactus of the desert, the Lord shone His face upon me and granted me peace. Here I am again, full circle, bringing Kieran with me to write. It’s taken me this long to start to see. Relationships don’t end when a loved one dies. My son visits in my dreams. I talk to him and feel he can hear me. I sense his presence and know he is near. Today, I have hope. My son is in eternity and I will see him again one day.   For more informaton about Sacred Sorrows retreats, visit sacredsorrows.org . Kim Steinberg gathered at Redemptorist Renewal Center, Tuscon, Ariz., on Feb 8, with nine other mothers for a healing retreat organized by Sacred Sorrows. (Courtesy Photo/Geriann Heslin). A sacred place for reflection and meditation at the Redemptorist Renewal Center. (Courtesy Photo/Kim Steinberg)

Seed planted in Boise grows to include Washington, D.C., and New York The Kizito Family is a community of Catholic nuns founded by Sister Paësie Philippe that helps the children of Cité Soleil in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. ( kizitofamily.org ) By Emily Woodham Staff Writer The people of Cité Soleil call her “Maman Soleil” (“Mama Sun”). On any given day, she can be seen walking down the sludge-covered streets with children holding her hands as the wind blows trash down alleys and roads. Sister Paësie Philippe manages eight schools, seven catechetical centers and seven homes for the children of Cité Soleil, the largest slum of Port-au-Prince, Haiti. There are no utilities. There is no garbage collection. Most schools require tuition and fees, but her schools are among those that are free. Sister Paësie began living and serving in Haiti 26 years ago. Until 2018, she was a Sister in St. Mother Teresa’s congregation, the Missionaries of Charity. Sister felt called to minister to children on the streets of Haiti in 2017, especially by providing catechesis and education. A year later, she founded Kizito Family with approval from the Bishop of Port-au-Prince and the Missionaries of Charity. In 2020, the gang wars of Haiti began. Poverty, violence and death increased. Men were the main casualties of gang violence, creating fatherless and single-mother homes—the family unit shattered in instability. Women are targets of sexual violence as gangs raid and pillage; many women have died, too. It is common for children to be orphaned. “More people died in Haiti in 2023 than in Ukraine,” Sister Paësie said. “And even more people died last year.” Although the gangs agreed to a peace deal in July, violent outbreaks are common. As recently as mid-February, a gang bragged on social media with videos of a raid in an area outside of Cité Soleil. At the height of the frenzy, they threw a baby into a bonfire to make a point about their power. The baby’s mother died from a heart attack the next day. Although the conditions in Cité Soleil are dismal, Sister Paësie has hope, she said. “I see the children, and I have hope. They have such big smiles, and they know how important it is to go to school and to love Jesus.” She wants to be sure the children are ready to lead Haiti with Christian values when they are adults. During Catholic Schools Week, St. Mark’s School Principal Donna Gordon and students who participated in the penny drive for the Kizito Family efforts in Haiti presented Sister Paësie Philippe with a $4,080 donation collected by Treasure Valley Catholic Schools. (Courtesy Photo/Patricia Ott) A family of hope What she does would be impossible without financial support that goes directly to her community. A large part of the funds comes from Kizito Family Haiti-USA, Inc., a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that began in Boise in 2022. Fred and Patricia Ott, parishioners of Holy Apostles Parish; Gery Edson, parishioner of St. John’s Cathedral; and Jalene Greer of Boise are among the executive board. Kevin and Hope Ryan, parishioners of Holy Apostles in Meridian, and Chad and Gigi Larson, parishioners of St. John’s Cathedral in Boise, joined the board in 2023. Helen Snyder, who lives in Virginia and is a parishioner of Christ the Redeemer in Sterling, was among the first in the United States to meet Sister Paësie. She also joined the board in 2023. “When I chose the name ‘Kizito Family,’ I really did envision that it would be a family that includes everyone, from Religious Sisters to employees to those who support us with prayers and finances,” Sister Paësie said. She named the community after St. Kizito, the youngest Ugandan martyr of 1886. The Kizito Family Foundation was begun in France in 2018. In 2022, Sister Paësie visited Boise for a retreat at the Verbum Spei Monastery of Our Lady of Ephesus. Soon after hearing her speak about Kizito Family, Idaho Catholics wanted to form a nonprofit to support her. “When Sister Paësie shared what Mother Teresa of Calcutta heard Jesus saying to her—‘See these children, they do not love me because they do not know me, will you take my light to them?’—Jesus’ invitation gripped us as though this call was echoing down the hallway of time to this very place in Boise,” said Patricia Ott, co-founder and president. Kizito Family Haiti-USA is quickly expanding its reach. In February, Sister Paësie visited Washington, D.C., and New York City to establish more connections for the nonprofit. “This is how this work gets done–it is through connections, through meeting people who want to help the children, who want to do God’s work,” Sister Paësie said. Helen Snyder organized several speaking opportunities for Sister Paësie in the Washington, D.C., including two schools and a Baptist church. “I felt very strengthened by the welcome and encouragement I received there,” she said. Sister Paësie then spent 10 days in New York City. While there, she spoke to small groups at the Jesuit parish of St. Ignatius of Loyola and the diocesan parish of Church of Our Savior, both in Manhattan. Father Dennis J. Yesalonia, S.J., pastor of St. Ignatius of Loyola, also invited Sister Paësie to speak at the end of a packed Sunday Mass of more than 400 parishioners. “They were very welcoming and generous,” she said. “They had open hearts for the children of Kizito Family and were very willing to help.” Plans are being made for Sister to return to New York City for more speaking engagements. Increasing hope She currently has two postulants. The Kizito Family board has plans to promote  more vocations to her community. “If I want the work of Kizito Family to continue after my death, we need to grow in vocations.” She also wants to hire more teachers with formal education. “We can only afford to hire teachers who have just graduated from high school,” she said. Although the teachers can teach what is necessary, they need more instruction on classroom management and how to use different teaching methods. A large portion of the funds raised abroad are used to pay Kizito Family employees’ salaries. Sister Paësie employs 185 people who live in Cité Soleil as teachers, cooks, drivers and maintenance workers. “People who live outside Cité Soleil don’t want to work here because they feel it is too dangerous,” she explained. “My hope is that we can one day have retired teachers in the United States volunteer to teach at our schools and also to help better train our teachers.” To learn more about Kizito Family and donate, visit kizitofamily.org .

Feast Day: March 8 By Emily Woodham Staff Writer In 16th century Granada, Spain, there was enormous wealth and a giant gap between the poor and rich. Worldly priorities often outweighed Christian values. St. John of God turned popular piety on its head, not with words but with his actions. John Cidade was born in Montemor-o-Novo in Portugal in 1495. He was his parents’ only son. When he was 8, a dishonest clergyman (some say a priest, others a man of minor orders) tricked John and kidnapped him. After making John beg with him for weeks on the way to Spain, his kidnapper left John in the care of a prosperous shepherd in Granada. The shepherd treated John like a son, ensuring he was educated and learned the family trade. John grew into a capable and handsome young man, but did not want to marry. So, at 22, John joined the Spanish army to fight in a war in France. He reveled in the opportunities for danger, pleasure and fame. Except for four years of respite to recover from the effects of war, he remained in the military until he was 38, when he finally decided to find his parents. Upon returning to his hometown, he found his mother had died only days after he was kidnapped. His father also died, but years later, in a Franciscan community. John despaired and blamed himself for his parents’ deaths. He returned to Spain and worked again as a shepherd, but away from Granada. There, he prayed that one day God would help him care for people rather than animals. When he heard about Christians enslaved in North Africa, he decided to risk his life to save them. However, in Africa, he faced a crisis of faith as he witnessed the abusive way that many Christian leaders and employers treated other Christians who went to work there. John struggled so much with his faith that he considered becoming Muslim as other Christians had done to escape the oppression of their unjust task masters. Just as the spiritual darkness became too much, he suddenly had the grace to see that he was in the midst of spiritual warfare. He cried out to the Blessed Virgin Mary and was given the wisdom to return to Spain. He also had a vision of the Infant Jesus, who gave him the new name, “John of God.” In 1536, he returned to Granada and opened a bookstore that also sold prayer cards and religious items. A year later, on the Feast of St. Sebastian, a martyred Roman soldier who converted, John heard Father John of Avila preach during Mass (John of Avila eventually became a saint and Doctor of the Church). John of God took the great preacher’s words to heart, but in a more extreme way than John of Avila intended. John of God went into the streets crying and yelling out his past sins and that he was unworthy of God’s love. He rolled in mud, beat and stripped himself of most his clothes. He went into his bookstore and burned any book that was not explicitly Christian and gave all the Christian books and items away. As his ranting continued, officials took him to the Royal Hospital for the insane. At that time, the treatment for mental illness was to torture patients into sanity. John decided that being tortured was an opportunity for penance. John of Avila sent a cleric to visit him and tell him that he had done far more penance than needed and to believe in God’s mercy. John of God relented and accepted the advice. He became docile and peaceful. When the medical staff allowed him to stay in a regular ward, John was horrified by how poor patients were treated. He begged God to let him care for the sick with great love. With John of Avila as his spiritual director, John of God was released from the hospital. At first, John hesitated to return to the city because he was afraid of what people thought of him and his breakdown. But then he realized it was more important to be humble and do the Lord’s work, despite how others might see him. After working by himself in service of the poor, benefactors began helping him. He was eventually able to obtain a large house where he cared for those with physical and mental illnesses and disabilities. He went to brothels and paid for the freedom of any woman who wanted to leave prostitution. John of God was ridiculed for years for his lavish care for those needing medical and physical help. The fruit of his works eventually belied every doubt of his sanity and sanctity. All his critics were silenced when John of God courageously and miraculously saved patients from a burning hospital without being burned himself. He died at the age of 55. Those who joined him in caring for the sick and poor eventually formed the Order of Hospitallers, which still exists today. He is the patron saint of hospitals, heart patients, those with mental illness, booksellers and firefighters. San Juan de Dios Fiesta: 8 de marzo   Por Emily Woodham Colaboradora En la Granada española del siglo XVI había una enorme riqueza y brecha entre pobres y ricos. Las prioridades mundanas a menudo pesaban más que los valores cristianos. San Juan de Dios puso de cabeza la piedad popular, no con palabras, sino con sus actos. Juan Cidade nació en Montemor-o-Novo, Portugal. Era hijo único. Cuando tenía 8 años, un clérigo deshonesto (algunos dicen que era un sacerdote, otros que un hombre de órdenes menores) engañó a Juan y lo secuestró. Después de hacerle mendigar durante semanas camino de España, su secuestrador lo dejó al cuidado de un próspero pastor de Granada. El pastor trató a Juan como a un hijo, asegurándose de que recibiera una educación y aprendiera el oficio familiar. Juan se convirtió en un joven capaz y apuesto, pero no quería casarse. Así que, a los 22 años, se alistó en el ejército español para luchar en una guerra en Francia. Se deleitó con las oportunidades de peligro, placer y fama. Salvo cuatro años de descanso para recuperarse de los efectos de la guerra, permaneció en el ejército hasta los 38 años, cuando por fin decidió encontrar a sus padres. Al regresar a su pueblo natal, descubrió que su madre había muerto sólo unos días después de su secuestro. Su padre también murió, pero años después, en una comunidad franciscana. Juan se desesperó y se culpó de la muerte de sus padres. Regresó a España y volvió a trabajar como pastor, pero lejos de Granada. Allí rezó para que algún día Dios le ayudara a cuidar de las personas y no de los animales. Cuando oyó hablar de cristianos esclavizados en el norte de África, decidió arriesgar su vida para salvarlos. Sin embargo, en África se enfrentó a una crisis de fe al ser testigo del modo abusivo en que muchos líderes cristianos y empleadores trataban a otros cristianos que iban a trabajar allí. Juan luchó tanto con su fe que se planteó hacerse musulmán, como habían hecho otros cristianos para escapar de la opresión de sus injustos jefes. Cuando las tinieblas espirituales eran ya demasiado profundas, tuvo la gracia de darse cuenta de que estaba en medio de una guerra espiritual. Clamó a la Santísima Virgen María y se le concedió la sabiduría para regresar a España. También tuvo una visión del Niño Jesús, que le dio el nuevo nombre de «Juan de Dios». En 1536, regresó a Granada y abrió una librería en la que también vendía estampas y artículos religiosos. Un año más tarde, en la festividad de San Sebastián, un soldado romano mártir que se convirtió, Juan escuchó al Padre Juan de Ávila predicar durante la Misa (Juan de Ávila llegó a ser santo y Doctor de la Iglesia). Juan de Dios se tomó a pecho las palabras del gran predicador, pero de una forma más extrema de lo que Juan de Ávila pretendía. Juan de Dios salió a las calles llorando y gritando sus pecados pasados y que era indigno del amor de Dios. Se revolcó en el barro, se golpeó y se despojó de casi toda su ropa. Entró en su librería y quemó todo libro que no fuera explícitamente cristiano y regaló todos los libros y artículos cristianos. Como sus desvaríos continuaban, los funcionarios lo llevaron al Hospital Real para dementes. En aquella época, el tratamiento de las enfermedades mentales consistía en torturar a los pacientes para que recobraran la cordura. Juan decidió que ser torturado era una oportunidad para hacer penitencia. Juan de Ávila envió a un clérigo a visitarle para decirle que había hecho mucha más penitencia de la necesaria y que creyera en la misericordia de Dios. Juan de Dios cedió y aceptó el consejo. Se volvió dócil y pacífico. Cuando el personal médico le permitió permanecer en un pabellón normal, Juan quedó horrorizado por el trato que recibían los pacientes pobres. Suplicó a Dios que le permitiera cuidar de los enfermos con gran amor. Con Juan de Ávila como director espiritual, Juan de Dios salió del hospital. Al principio, Juan dudó en volver a la ciudad porque tenía miedo de lo que la gente pensara de él y de su crisis. Pero luego se dio cuenta de que era más importante ser humilde y hacer la obra del Señor, a pesar de cómo pudieran verle los demás. Después de trabajar solo al servicio de los pobres, los benefactores empezaron a ayudarle. Con el tiempo, consiguió una gran casa donde atendía a enfermos y discapacitados físicos y mentales. Acudía a los burdeles y pagaba por la libertad de cualquier mujer que quisiera abandonar la prostitución. Juan de Dios fue ridiculizado durante años por su prodigiosa atención a quienes necesitaban ayuda médica y física. El fruto de sus obras acabó por desmentir toda duda sobre su cordura y santidad. Todos sus críticos fueron silenciados cuando Juan de Dios salvó valiente y milagrosamente a unos pacientes de un hospital en llamas sin quemarse él mismo. Murió a los 55 años. Los que se unieron a él en el cuidado de los enfermos y los pobres acabaron formando la Orden de Hospitalarios, que sigue existiendo hoy en día. Es el patrón de los hospitales, los enfermos del corazón, los enfermos mentales, los libreros y los bomberos.

El primer santo mexicano , cuya reliquia llega a la Diócesis de Boise Por Vero Gutiérrez Asistente Editora El 20 de enero del presente año, se le entregó la reliquia de primer grado de San José Sánchez del Río, también conocido como “Joselito” al obispo de la diócesis de Boise, Peter Christensen, para que permanezca aquí de forma permanente. La reliquia fue otorgada por el obispo Javier Navarro de la diócesis de Zamora, Michoacán en México y es la primera reliquia de primer grado que se tiene en la diócesis de Boise de un santo mexicano. El proyecto para solicitar la reliquia inicio en 2019, sin embargo, debido a diversos contratiempos como la pandemia por COVID, fue hasta octubre de 2024 cuando se dio seguimiento a esta iniciativa.  El Obispo Javier Navarro, otorgó la reliquia luego de conocer el interés y la importancia que tiene para la diócesis de Boise contar con una parte de los restos de un santo mexicano, que, además de ser reconocido como modelo evangelizador de los jóvenes, es un ejemplo de entrega, confianza y amor total a Dios. La reliquia que ahora se encuentra en la capilla del Centro Diócesano Pastoral en Boise, viajó desde el Santuario de San José Sánchez del Río en Sahuayo, Michoacán, hasta Idaho gracias a la ayuda de María de Lourdes Sedano, Oneida Martínez y Angélica Gutiérrez, Hermanas de la Inmaculada Concepción, quienes hicieron el favor de traerla desde México. Esta reliquia estará disponible para visitar las parroquias que así lo soliciten. Más adelante, se dará más información y detalles del procedimiento para solicitar la reliquia. Es importante destacar que esta es la primera de seis reliquias que se han solicitado a diferentes diócesis y arquidiócesis de México. Las reliquias solicitadas son de santos y santas mexicanas como San Bernabé de Jesús Méndez Montoya, Santa María Guadalupe García Zavala, San Rafael Guízar y Valencia, San Toribio Romo González y de la Beata María de la Concepción Cabrera de Armida.   ¿Quién es San José Sánchez del Río?   De acuerdo con la página web del vaticano, José Sánchez del Río nació el 28 de marzo de 1913 en Sahuayo, Michoacán. Debido a desacuerdos con las autoridades eclesiásticas, el gobierno mexicano decretó la suspensión del culto público. Cuando estalló la lucha entre el gobierno y los civiles que se hacían llamar “cristeros”, José tenía 13 años y 5 meses. Su hermano Miguel decidió tomar las armas para defender la causa de Cristo y de su Iglesia. José, viendo el valor de su hermano, pidió permiso a sus padres para alistarse como soldado; su madre trató de disuadirlo, pero él le dijo: “Mamá, nunca había sido tan fácil ganarse el cielo como ahora, y no quiero perder la ocasión”. Su madre le dio permiso, pero le pidió que escribiera al jefe de los cristeros de Michoacán para ver si lo admitía. José escribió al jefe cristero y la respuesta fue negativa. No se desanimó e insistió pidiéndole que lo admitiera. Fue admitido no como soldado activo, pero sí como un asistente. En el campamento se ganó el cariño de sus compañeros que lo apodaron “Tarsicio”. Su alegría endulzaba los momentos tristes de los cristeros y todos admiraban su gallardía y su valor. Por la noche dirigía el santo rosario y animaba a la tropa a defender su fe. El 5 de febrero de 1928, tuvo lugar un combate, cerca de Cotija. El caballo del general cayó muerto de un balazo, José bajó de su montura con agilidad y le dijo: “Mi general, aquí está mi caballo, sálvese usted, aunque a mí me maten. Yo no hago falta y usted sí” y le entregó su caballo. En combate fue hecho prisionero y llevado ante el general callista quien le reprendió por combatir contra el Gobierno y, al ver su decisión y arrojo, le dijo: “Eres un valiente, muchacho. Vente con nosotros y te irá mejor que con esos cristeros”. “¡Jamás, jamás! ¡Primero muerto! ¡yo no quiero unirme con los enemigos de Cristo Rey! ¡yo soy su enemigo! ¡fusíleme! El general lo mandó encerrar en la cárcel de Cotija, en un calabozo oscuro y maloliente. José pidió tinta y papel y escribió una carta a su madre en la que le decía: “Cotija, 6 de febrero de 1928. Mi querida mamá: Fui hecho prisionero en combate en este día. Creo que voy a morir, pero no importa, mamá. Resígnate a la voluntad de Dios. No te preocupes por mi muerte... haz la voluntad de Dios, ten valor y mándame la bendición juntamente con la de mi padre...”. El 10 de febrero de 1928, como a las 6 de la tarde, lo sacaron del templo y lo llevaron al cuartel del refugio. A las 11 de la noche llegó la hora suprema. Le desollaron los pies con un cuchillo, lo sacaron del mesón y lo hicieron caminar a golpes hasta el cementerio. Los soldados querían hacerlo apostatar a fuerza de crueldad, pero no lo lograron. Dios le dio fortaleza para caminar, gritando vivas a Cristo Rey y a Santa María de Guadalupe. Ya en el panteón, preguntó cuál era su sepultura, y con un rasgo admirable de heroísmo, se puso de pie al borde de la propia fosa, para evitar a los verdugos el trabajo de transportar su cuerpo. Acto seguido, los esbirros se abalanzaron sobre él y comenzaron a apuñalarlo. A cada puñalada gritaba de nuevo: “¡Viva Cristo Rey! ¡Viva la Virgen de Guadalupe!”. En medio del tormento, el capitán jefe de la escolta le preguntó, no por compasión, sino por crueldad, qué les mandaba decir a sus padres, a lo que respondió José: “Que nos veremos en el cielo. ¡Viva Cristo Rey! ¡Viva la Virgen de Guadalupe!”. Mientras salían de su boca estas exclamaciones, el capitán le disparó a la cabeza, y el muchacho cayó dentro de la tumba, bañado en sangre. Era el 10 de febrero de 1928. Sin ataúd y sin mortaja recibió directamente las paladas de tierra y su cuerpo quedó sepultado, hasta que años después, sus restos fueron inhumados en las catacumbas del templo expiatorio del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús. Actualmente reposan en el templo parroquial de Santiago Apóstol, en Sahuayo, Michoacán. Fue beatificado el 20 de noviembre de 2005. Canonizado por el Papa Francisco el 16 de octubre de 2016. Y su fiesta se celebra el 10 de febrero. Era el 10 de febrero de 1928. Relic of St. José Sánchez del Río Arrives in Boise   A first-degree relic of St. José Sánchez del Río was presented to Bishop Peter F. Christensen of the Diocese of Boise on Jan. 20. The relic will remain in Idaho permanently. Saint José Sánchez del Río is recognized as a model evangelizer of young people and is an example of devotion, trust and total love for God. Bishop Javier Navarro of the Diocese of Zamora, Michoacán, Mexico, donated the relic, thought to be the first-ever first-degree relic of a Mexican saint in the custody of the Diocese of Boise. The relic traveled from the Shrine of Saint José Sánchez del Río in Sahuayo, Michoacán, thanks to the help of three Sisters of the Immaculate Conception, María de Lourdes Sedano, Oneida Martínez and Angélica Gutiérrez, who took custody of the relic and transported it to Idaho. The request for the relic began in 2019, but due to various setbacks, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, the initiative was put on hold until Oct. 2024. This is the first of several relics that the Diocese of Boise has requested from various dioceses and archdioceses in Mexico. The Idaho diocese hopes to receive relics of St. Bernabé de Jesús Méndez Montoya, St. María Guadalupe Garcia Zavala, St. Rafael Guizar y Valencia, St. Toribio Romo González, and Blessed María de la Concepción Cabrera de Armida. Who is Saint José Sánchez del Río? José Sánchez del Río was born on March 28, 1913, in Sahuayo, Michoacán. According to a Vatican website, when the Mexican government ordered the suspension of public worship in 1926, a battle broke out between the government and civilians who called themselves “Cristeros.” José was 13 at the time. His brother Miguel joined the Cristeros. José asked his parents for permission to enlist as a soldier. His mother tried to dissuade him, but José replied, “Mom, it has never been so easy to earn heaven as it is now, and I don’t want to miss the chance.” His mother ultimately granted him permission, but only if he wrote to the head of the Cristeros in Michoacán to see if they would accept him. He did so, and the answer was negative. Undaunted, José persisted in asking until the Cristeros allowed him to be an assistant rather than a soldier. In the camp, he won the affection of his comrades, who nicknamed him “Tarsicio.” At night, he led the soldiers in praying the Rosary and encouraged them to defend their faith. On February 5, 1928, a battle took place near Cotija. When the general’s horse fell dead from a bullet, José dismounted with agility and said to him, “General, here is my horse, save yourself even if they kill me. I am not needed, and you are.” José was captured and taken to General Callista, who reprimanded him for fighting against the government. Seeing his determination and courage, Callista said to him, “You are a brave boy. Come with us, and you will be better off than with the Cristeros.” José Sánchez del Río replied, “Never, never! I will die first! I will not join the enemies of Christ the King! I am your enemy! Shoot me!” The general had him locked up in the Cotija prison. José asked for ink and paper and wrote a letter to his mother: “Cotija, February 6, 1928. My dear mother: On this day, I was captured in battle. I think I’m going to die, but it doesn’t matter. Resign yourself to God’s will. Don’t worry about my death...do God’s will, have courage and send me your blessing along with my father’s blessing . . .” On February 10, 1928, the government’s forces skinned his feet with a knife and made him walk to a cemetery while beating him. The soldiers wanted to force him to renounce his faith and allegiance to the Cristeros. Instead, he called out “vivas” to Christ the King and Our Lady of Guadalupe while walking to his death. Once in the cemetery, he asked where his grave was and walked to its edge so the executioners would not have to carry his body. Then, he was repeatedly stabbed, but with each stab, he cried out, “Long live Christ the King, long live the Virgin of Guadalupe!” During the torture, the captain in charge asked him what he should tell José’s parents. José responded, “That we will meet in heaven. Long live Christ the King! Long live the Virgin of Guadalupe! While he was still uttering these words, the captain shot him in the head, and the boy fell into the grave covered in blood. It was February 10, 1928. José Sánchez del Río was 14 years old. His body remained without a shroud or coffin until years later when his remains were moved to the shrine of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, where other Cristero martyrs were buried. His body was finally transferred to the parish church of Santiago Apóstol in Sahuayo, Michoacán, where José Sánchez del Río was born. He was beatified on November 20, 2005. He was canonized by Pope Francis on October 16, 2016. His feast day is February 10.