Archbishop Dennis Schnurr leads the congregation in applause as ordinands Jerome Richard Bishop and James Steven Romanello are introduced Saturday, May 18, at The Cathedral of Saint Peter in Chains in Cincinnati. (CT Photo/E.L. Hubbard)

By Eileen Connelly, OSU
The Catholic Telegraph

During a Mass that was both reverent and joyous, two men who have completed their studies at Mount St. Mary’s Seminary were ordained to the priesthood at the Cathedral of St. Peter in Chains on April 18.

Archbishop Dennis M. Schnurr ordained Father Jerome Bishop from St. Teresa Parish in Springfield, and Father James Romanello from Holy Trinity Parish in Norwood. Concelebrating the Mass were Auxiliary Bishop Joseph R. Binzer, Bishop Emeritus of Marquette James H. Garland, Father Benedict O’Cinnsealaigh, seminary rector, and priest faculty of Mount St. Mary’s Seminary. Family members, friends and well wishers filled the cathedral for the occasion.

The Rite of Ordination took place after the Gospel reading as the candidates for the priesthood were called forward to express their readiness to be ordained. Father O’Cinnsealaigh presented the candidates to Archbishop Schnurr and testified to their worthiness. The archbishop then announced his consent to ordain the candidates and led the congregation in a round of applause.

As he began his homily, Archbishop Schnurr spoke of the “undeniable sense of joy and accomplishment that colors today’s ceremonies. We feel; we rejoice in it. Yes, I would say that our spirits soar! Perhaps that is because we recognize years invested, demands made, and goals achieved. And yet, we see more. As we celebrate ordination to the priesthood today, we are conscious of the fact that our brothers, James Romanello and Jerome Bishop, have heard God’s call in their lives, and they have remained faithful to the call which they heard even before they entered the seminary. By their response in their lives, they keep alive the words of Christ, uttered to the first disciples, which invite them just as firmly: “As the Father sent me, so I send you.”

Addressing the candidates, the archbishop continued, “Jim and Jerry, I know that you would be the first to agree that this day, on which we celebrate fidelity to the call of Christ, [that this day] belongs to the entire church in southwest Ohio. For this reason, we gather in the cathedral church of the archdiocese. Families and parishes, school children and your brother seminarians and the priests, whom you will now call brothers, welcomed, adopted, and supported you. They were the prayers and voices that faithfully kept those words of Christ alive in you. As they all rejoice with you today and offer prayerful congratulations, let them know of your gratitude, especially your own family members to whom I also wish to express gratitude in the name of all members of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati.”

Archbishop Schnurr went on to remind the ordinands of the message of Luke’s Gospel that their focus each day must be twofold: 1) on Christ Jesus, in whose person you teach, sanctify and serve — “do this in memory of me” — and 2) on the people of God to whom you are sent as the “one who serves.”

“May Mary, the servant of the Lord, and mother of priests guide you in your service and fill your hearts with love, as now we proceed to ordination surrounded by the prayers and good wishes of all God’s holy people,” the archbishop said in conclusion.

Following the homily, the candidates prostrated themselves before the archbishop while the congregation sang an ancient prayer of the church, asking the saints to pray for God’s blessing on the men. The archbishop then laid his hands on each of the candidates in silence, an action followed by the concelebrating priests. This ancient sign has been used throughout the church for the conferral of ministry.

After a prayer of praise and thanksgiving for the gift of ministry to the church, the newly ordained were vested with the eucharistic garments of their office: the stole and chasuble. This was followed by Archbishop Schnurr anointing the palms of each new priest with holy chrism and saying, “The Lord Jesus Christ, whom the Father anointed with the Holy Spirit and power, guard and preserve you, that you may sanctify the Christian people and offer sacrifice to God.”

Then, presenting the paten of bread and chalice of wine to the men, the archbishop said, “Receive the oblation of the holy people, to be offered to God. Understand what you do, imitate what you celebrate, and conform your life to the mystery the Lord’s cross,” after which he and the priests in the sanctuary welcomed the newly ordained into the order of presbyters.

The new priests also received their first assignments during the Mass. Father Bishop will serve as parochial vicar for St. Susanna Parish, Mason, and Father Romanello as parochial vicar for St. Maximilian Kolbe Parish. The assignments begin July 1.

As the liturgy ended, the congregation prayed the Archdiocese of Cincinnati’s Vocation prayer together, asking God for “the grace to know the path you have planned for us in this life and to respond with a generous ‘yes.’”

The Mass was followed by a reception hosted by the Serra Club in the cathedral undercroft, giving Fathers Bishop and Romanello the opportunity to greet those in attendance and express their gratitude for the prayers and support of family members, friends and all who have been part of their journey to the priesthood.

More than 33,000 Catholics in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati have helped the CMA – Catholic Ministries Appeal – break through the $5 million ceiling for the first time in the fund drive’s 35-year history.

Michael Vanderburgh, Stewardship Director, The Archdiocese of Cincinnati’s largest annual fund drive is on target to set an all-time record this year, raising more than $5 million for Catholic causes.

Archbishop of Cincinnati, Dennis M. Schnurr, was elated by the news. “I am very grateful for the extraordinary support of the faithful for the Catholic Ministries Appeal this year. Because of their generosity, we have the financial resources to feed, teach, and heal many thousands of people in our region,” he said.

Vanderburgh said the Catholic Come Home campaign and the spiritual energy from the New Evangelization contributed to the success of the campaign. Before the campaign began, Vanderburgh credited the pastors of the parishes because “where we get support from the pulpit, we are most successful.”

The annual fund drive, the Catholic Ministries Appeal, benefits food pantries, social service groups, retired priests, youth activities, Catholic education and evangelization programs. The parishes of the Archdiocese are given a goal. Anything they raise over and above the goal stays in the parish. The most recent tally of the parish-by-parish activity shows many exceeded their goals by significant amounts this year.

Vanderburgh said last year’s drive beat its $4 million goal by more than $200,000. He expects the final tally to be closer to $5.5 million. He also said the archdiocese collects roughly 99% of all pledges Just less than 20 percent of the archdiocese’s parishioners have participated in the drive to date.

The archdiocese has more than 200 parishes in 19 counties serving more than 150,000 homes with a half-million Catholics.

A U.S. flag stands May 21 near a destroyed car in the rubble outside the Plaza Towers Elementary school in Moore, Okla., after a massive tornado struck the previous day. The tornado touched down outside Oklahoma City leaving a 20-mile path of death and destruction. (CNS photo/Richard Rowe, Reuters)

Press Release

CINCINNATI – The Society of St. Vincent de Paul is asking for help in bringing relief to the residents of Moore, Okla. following the devastation of Monday’s tornado. St. Vincent de Paul volunteers living in the affected area are already on the ground giving relief to their neighbors who have been impacted by the storm. We are asking for financial donations to directly support those local volunteers in their efforts.

St. Vincent de Paul is also collecting personal care items and toiletries, cleaning supplies, first aid supplies, blankets and baby care products. We are partnering with Matthew 25 Ministries to deliver these items to the affected area.

Here’s how you can help:

Make a financial donation online at www.SVDPcincinnati.org or by calling 513-421-HOPE (4673).

Donate personal care items, cleaning supplies, first aid supplies, blankets and baby care products at any St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Store location or at our West End Outreach Center. Visit www.SVDPcincinnati.org for locations.

Spread the word to friends and family who are looking for ways to help volunteers working on the ground in the affected area.

“Our prayers go out to the victims of the storm,” said Liz Carter, executive director, St. Vincent de Paul-Cincinnati. “We are always grateful for the giving spirit of our own community. We encourage everyone to support the relief efforts through prayers and through giving.”

For more information on St. Vincent de Paul-Cincinnati’s relief efforts contact Eric Young, community relations manager, at 513-614-1943.

About St. Vincent de Paul
The Society of St. Vincent de Paul (SVDP) has been helping Greater Cincinnati and Hamilton County residents in need with the basic necessities of life for more than 140 years. The organization works personally with those in need, regardless of race or creed, to bridge the spiritual, emotional and material gaps in their lives through home visits provided by neighborhood-based volunteer groups, and groundbreaking initiatives like the Charitable Pharmacy as well as our network of seven food pantries and seven thrift stores and donation centers across Cincinnati. The Society of St. Vincent de Paul continues to be a leading community service organization, recently recognized as a One Award Finalist, by The Better Business Bureau (BBB) as a Torch Award for Marketplace Ethics winner and by The CincinnatiUSA Regional Chamber of Commerce as Non-Profit of the Year. For more information visit www.SVDPcincinnati.org.

Oklahoma National Guard soldiers and rescue workers dig through the rubble of Plaza Tower Elementary school May 21 after a devastating tornado ripped through Moore, Okla., the previous day. The tornado touched down outside Oklahoma City leaving a 20-mile path of death and destruction. (CNS photo/Sgt. 1st Class Kendall James, Oklahoma National Guard handout via Reuters)

Staff Report

The Archdiocese of Cincinnati has announced there will be a special collection the weekend of May 25-26, to provide relief for the victims of the disaster, even as the desperate search for survivors of Monday’s devastating tornado in Moore, OK., continues.

“As the nation focuses its attention on the tragic loss of life and destruction that took place in Moore, OK., we pray for all the victims and families devastated by the tornadoes of this past week.  Furthermore, already we are  hearing from the generous faithful of the Archdiocese, who wanted to know how they can help,” said Archbishop Dennis M. Schnurr.

By early Tuesday, in Moore, OK, alone there were 24 confirmed dead, including nine children, and more than 120 injured as the search continued for survivors in the rubble of homes, businesses, a hospital and an elementary school. Accompanying the tragic loss of life is the massive devastation of property.

With that in mind, the Archbishop has asked all parishes to take up a special collection the weekend of May 25-26, for the victims of these horrific storms. The funds collected will be sent to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops for distribution.

“When terrible disasters such as these strike,” Archbishop Schnurr said, “we know we can count on the faithful to generously respond to the spiritual and material needs of the victims.”

More than 4,000 tri-state residents will gather at the World Peace Bell on Sunday, June 2 to participate in the eighth annual Cross the Bridge for Life event held at 421 Monmouth St., Newport, Ky.

As  the battle of protection of life at all stages wages on, thousands will cross the Purple People Bridge, representing their support for life. Festivities begin at 1:30 p.m. and include music from the Office of African American Catholic Ministries Gospel Choir from the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, the Lee Roessler Band, Circus Mojo performers, face painting, balloon artists, and more. Food will be available for purchase from several vendors.

The walk will begin after a short program at 3:00 p.m. featuring Honorary Event Chairman Matt Swaim, producer of the Son Rose Morning Show, Sacred Heart Radio/EWTN; plus Father Mario Tizziani representing the Diocese of Covington and Pastor Peter LaRuffa of Grace Fellowship Church, and the Archdiocese of Cincinnati’s Auxiliary Bishop Joseph R. Binzer.

William Polzin, eminent fetal care specialist and Medical Director for Healthy Beginnings, will ring the World Peace Bell. Bagpipers from the Ancient Order of Hibernians will once again lead the walkers across the bridge. The event will end back at the World Peace Bell with a free picnic by JTM Food Group, and more music by the Lee Roessler Band. A coalition of more than 20 area pro-life organizations present this positive event for the community.

For more information, see CrossTheBridgeforLife.com or contact planning committee co-chair Karen Riegler at driegler4@insightbb.com (Kentucky) or Paula Westwood at mail@cincinnatirighttolife.org (Ohio).

For the third year in a row, Ohio's high schools have voted down a competitive balance proposal aimed and evening the playing field between public and private high schools.

For the third year in a row Ohio schools have voted down an OHSAA competitive balance proposal that seeks to change how schools are assigned to specific divisions in postseason tournament.

While striking down the proposal keeps the status quo for now, OHSAA Commissioner Dr. Dan Ross indicated that it also puts the possibility of splitting public and private schools into separate tournaments back on the table.

This year’s proposal would have affected how divisions were assigned in the team sports of football, soccer, volleyball, basketball, baseball and softball. Rather than place schools into OHSAA tournament divisions based strictly on male or female enrollment, an adjusted enrollment count would have been used. The adjusted count would have been derived by multiplying a sport specific factor by the number of students in grades 9 through 12 on each specific team roster whose parents reside outside the public school district or the attendance zone of the school, then adding that number to the original enrollment count.

In short, the proposal meant Ohio’s 119 private schools (roughly 90 of which are Catholic) could be forced to compete in higher divisions if their students come from neighboring public school districts.

The competitive balance proposal failed 327 to 308 (51.5 percent to 48.5 percent). Similar competitive balance proposals failed 339 to 301 (53 percent to 47 percent) in 2012 and 332 to 303 (52 percent to 48 percent) in 2011. Approval of this year’s proposed amendment would have been implemented in 2015.

“When this new proposal was placed on the ballot, we said at the time that the vote would come down to the wire, and it certainly did,” Ross said. “It’s disappointing that it did not pass because we believed this formula addressed the main issue to which schools voiced concern: the impact on athletic success by students on a school’s team roster who are from outside that school’s geographic boundary or attendance zone.

While Ross was disappointed, Alter High School Athletic Director Christina Hart had a different take.

“I think we’re very excited,” she said. “I think it’s a good thing for private schools of our size. There’s only 119 private schools in Ohio, so for almost 52 percent of the membership to vote the way they did is sending a message. Certainly what we have is not perfect, but it’s ok for right now, especially compared to the choices we’ve been given three years in a row now.”

Hart shared concerns expressed by other area athletic directors that this proposal’s failure could renew calls to separate private and public schools completely.

“I know that’s exactly what’s going to happen,” Hart said. “We were told when Dr. Ross introduced this new referendum. He said if this does not pass, the public-private split would be put back on the ballot next spring.”

A proposal that called for all OHSAA tournaments to be conducted separately for public schools and private schools was removed from this year’s ballot in late March when it was replaced by the latest competitive balance proposal.

“I believe separation of our tournaments is not the best option,” Ross said. “That being said, I also believe almost 50 percent of our member schools believe some type of change is needed, but no one seems to have the answer for what change would satisfy the most people. One thing seems pretty certain, though: this issue is not going to go away. It’s something in which many, many other states are also struggling to find an answer.”

High school principals had between May 1 and 15 to cast their votes on this and seven other issues. A total of 156 schools failed to vote on the competitive balance proposal. An additional 27 schools voted past the deadline and and four returned invalid ballots.

The complete final voting results are available on the OHSAA website, and the 2013-14 OHSAA Constitution and Bylaws will be posted on the site sometime in late June or early July.

A Review of the Other 2013 OHSAA Referendum Issues

Constitution 5, Governance — Changes the ex-officio member on the OHSAA Board of Directors from the Ohio Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (OIAAA) to a representative of the OIAAA rather than the president-elect. Effective date: August 1, 2013.
551 in favor; 85 opposed

Constitution Article 8, Amendments to the Constitution and Bylaws — In the event that a conflict would arise with Ohio state law or proposed legislative action that necessitates an immediate change in the bylaws or constitution, this change permits the Board to authorize an emergency petition for vote of the membership to change or modify a bylaw or article of the constitution. Effective date: August 1, 2013.
561 in favor; 75 opposed

Bylaw 4-3, Enrollment and Attendance — Adds a note preceding Section 3 to clarify enrollment status; amends exception 7 of Bylaw 4-3-1 to note that students who attend STEM schools are also subject to the transfer bylaws, and modifies Bylaw 4-3-2 to make it clear that the bylaw applies only to the application of the semester bylaws within this section and also clarifies that a student is still considered to have transferred whenever his or her enrollment is changed to another high school, even if the student has not been officially withdrawn from the former high school. Effective date: June 1, 2013.
557 in favor; 79 opposed

Bylaw 4-6-3, Residence — Adds language that would permit the Commissioner’s Office to grant eligibility to a student who moves into Ohio with an individual who has had legal custody of the student for more than one year and the parents do not reside in Ohio. The student would not be eligible until ruled so by the Commissioner’s Office. This also adds another exception that addresses an unusual situation in which a United States citizen, who is precluded from obtaining a J-1 visa due to his or her U.S. citizenship, cannot study in the United States for one year when the parents are not U.S. citizens and live outside the United States. This exception would permit just one year of participation in interscholastic athletics. Effective August 1, 2013.
562 opposed; 71 in favor

Bylaw 4-9, Recruiting — This proposal would have permitted open houses to take place in specified facilities other than just the high school campus.
324 opposed; 309 in favor

Bylaw 4-10, Amateur— Modifies the bylaw by permitting students to receive travel expenses to competitions from sponsors that are not connected with their school. Effective date: June 1, 2013.
460 in favor; 171 opposed

Bylaw 4-4-5, Scholarship (7th-8th Grade Issue) — Adds exceptions 1 and 2 to this scholarship bylaw to track the same provisions that are found in the high school scholarship bylaw (waiver for a student who has been withdrawn of removed from school due to accident, illness or family hardship; ability to restore eligibility when an ‘incomplete’ has been received in one or more courses due to calamity days, family tragedy or illness/accident and the ‘incomplete’ is recorded in accordance with board policy). Effective date: August 1, 2013.
347 in favor; 183 opposed

This report complied from the OHSAA press release on the referendum and The Catholic Telegraph staff reports.

St. John Baptist De La Salle Chapel at La Salle High School will be the site of a 25-hour prayer vigil beginning Friday morning. (CT Photo/John Stegeman)

Staff Report

As part of its Year of Faith Celebrations, La Salle High School will host a 25-hour prayer vigil entitled “Prayer Without Ceasing” from Friday May 17 to Saturday May 18.

The prayer vigil will begin with a 7 a.m. Mass for hope and healing celebrated by Father Jon-Paul Bevak in the St. John Baptist De La Salle Chapel on school grounds. The vigil ends at 8 a.m. Saturday with a special Mass.

The chapel will be open to all during the 25-hour vigil and it will also be hosting the Missionary Image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, which has “been blessed to bring conversions, reverence for life, sanctity of the family and solidarity of the Church in America.” It is a replica of the Miraculous Image of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

Because the vigil will take place in part during school hours, security measures for visiting La Salle will remaining in place. Guests visiting during school hours should enter through the main doors and sign in at the main office, where they will be directed by school personal. Visitors should exit the same way when finished praying.

After school hours Friday and on Saturday visitors should enter through the courtyard doors where there will again be a sign in, as well as prayer resources.

Pope Francis holds a dove before his weekly audience in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican May 15. (CNS photo/L'Osservatore Romano via Reuters)

By Cindy Wooden
Catholic News Service 

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The head of the Vatican office promoting new evangelization said that while he does not like the terms “Francis effect” or “Francis bump,” it is true that “Pope Francis has touched the hearts and minds of many people.”

Archbishop Rino Fisichella, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting New Evangelization, said he does not care for the term “Francis effect,” since Pope Francis has not changed church teaching.

But speaking to reporters May 15 about activities for the Year of Faith, he said that during an early May visit to southern Italy and in conversations with priests from northern Italy where he grew up, he repeatedly heard reports that “a lot of people have been going to confession and many have said that while they hadn’t gone in a long time, they felt touched by the words of Pope Francis.”

Archbishop Fisichella noted that requests for tickets to the weekly general audiences held by the pope in St. Peter’s Square have consistently numbered between 50,000 and 70,000, which is significantly higher than in the past. For the April 28 Mass his office organized with the pope and young people receiving confirmation, some 70,000 people signed up in advance, but more than 100,000 showed up. The crowds were similarly large May 6 when, despite the rain, as many as 100,000 people came for the pope’s Mass with members of Catholic confraternities.

“People want to be present, listen to his voice and see him, touch him, because he makes a connection (with people) that is very moving,” the archbishop said, adding that the pope’s popularity reflects the “importance of the faith, the importance of being Christian, and the importance of the pope at this moment in the history of the church.”

Bishop Jose Ruiz Arenas, secretary of the council, said that when he met with bishops and priests from Mexico and Colombia who were at the Vatican for a canonization Mass May 12, he heard “testimony that this phenomenon” of increased confessions is taking place everywhere.

“In Latin America, during Holy Week many people who hadn’t confessed for many years” returned to the sacrament because of things they had heard Pope Francis say.

Officials of the new evangelization council spoke during a press briefing about Year of Faith activities with Pope Francis May 18-19 for members of lay movements and associations.

Movements and groups including Focolare, Communion and Liberation, the charismatic renewal, the Neocatechumenal Way, Shalom and the U.S.-based Fellowship of Catholic University Students are often on the front lines of new evangelization, Archbishop Fisichella said.

“Many young people, men and women in these church groups have not only rediscovered the faith they lost along the way or a faith that had become sterile and indifferent, but they have undergone a real conversion of their lives,” he said.

The archbishop said the groups’ strong identity, their consistency over time and their strong missionary bent often give them an advantage over parishes where the pastor changes every eight or nine years and the parish’s pastoral outreach changes with him.

Bishop Ruiz said the key to the success of most of the movements is their focus on the Scriptures and on formation in small groups. He said the Latin American bishops, for several decades, have been promoting the same focus on small-groups Bible study and faith sharing in all their parishes, which has promoted new evangelization.

Dr. Kermit Barron Gosnell is pictured in an undated mug shot from the Philadelphia Police Department. Gosnell is on trial in Philadelphia and has been charged with murder and other offenses related to illegal, late-term abortions.(CNS photo/handout Philadelphia Police Department) (April 17, 2013)

By Catholic News Service 

PHILADELPHIA (CNS) — Dr. Kermit Gosnell may have been convicted May 13 of murder at his Philadelphia abortion clinic, but “nothing can bring back the innocent children he killed, or make up for the vulnerable women he exploited,” said Archbishop Charles J. Chaput.

And, he added, “the repugnance of his clinic conditions” must be remembered.

In a May 14 statement, the Philadelphia archbishop said, “Gosnell is not an exception. Others just like him run abortion mills throughout our country.”

A Philadelphia jury May 13 found Gosnell guilty of murder in the deaths of three babies born alive during abortions and acquitted him of a fourth similar charge. He also was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in the death by a drug overdose of a patient who had an abortion.

Gosnell, 72, was charged with snipping the spines of babies born alive during illegal late-term abortions. Pennsylvania law prohibits abortions after 24 weeks of gestation.

“We need to stop cloaking the ugliness of abortion with misnomers like ‘proper medical coverage’ or ‘choice,’” Archbishop Chaput said in his statement. “It’s violence of the most intimate sort, and it needs to end.”

A few weeks earlier in the six-week trial, after the prosecution had rested its case, Judge Jeffrey Minehart of the Common Pleas Court, dismissed three other murder charges against Gosnell, saying they lacked evidence.

The same jury was to convene May 21 to consider Gosnell’s sentence. Prosecutors were seeking the death penalty.

Both supporters of legal abortion and abortion opponents praised the verdict, though they pointed to different underlying problems.

Ilyse Hogue, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America, said in a statement that “justice was served to Kermit Gosnell and he will pay the price for the atrocities he committed.” She described Gosnell’s clinic and practices as “a peek into the world before Roe v. Wade made legal a woman’s right to make her own choices.”

Hogue said “anti-choice politicians and their unrelenting efforts to deny women access to safe and legal abortion care, will only drive more women to back-alley butchers like Kermit Gosnell.”

Charmaine Yoest, president and CEO of Americans United for Life, said the “self-interested indifference of an unrepentant, unregulated and unmonitored abortion industry stood front and center among the tragic events that led to the conviction of Kermit Gosnell.”

Yoest’s statement said “the legacy of Gosnell’s trial will be Big Abortion’s collusion in bringing about America’s ‘red-light district of medicine’ — today’s back-alley abortion clinics and renegade abortion profiteers.”

She said “pro-life Americans must fight Big Abortion as they attempt to block commonsense attempts to regulate and monitor abortion clinics where we know that some women and girls have suffered and even died.”

Yoest said the case underscores why abortion clinics must be subject to medical standards and regular inspections. Gosnell’s clinic had not been inspected for nearly two decades, she said.

“Kermit Gosnell is not the aberration that abortion advocates claim,” Yoest added. “Over the last three years at least 15 states have initiated investigations into the conditions and practices of abortion clinics. These investigations were triggered by women’s deaths, reports of dangerous and unsanitary practices that exposed women to injuries and infections, and infants born alive following attempted abortions.”

Gosnell was arrested in 2011 and charged with seven counts of infanticide and one count of murder in the case of a woman from Virginia who died during an abortion.

Several patients and former employees testified about squalid conditions at the clinic, described by some as “a house of horrors.”

Several former workers in the clinic, including Gosnell’s wife, Pearl, a cosmetologist by training, earlier pleaded guilty to charges including third-degree murder, racketeering and performing illegal, late-term abortions.

Prosecutors said one of the babies Gosnell killed was at nearly 30 weeks of gestation and was so big that Gosnell joked it could “walk to the bus,” reported The Associated Press.

The involuntary manslaughter charge came in the death of Karnamaya Mongar, 41, a refugee from Bhutan who lived in Woodbridge, Va., and who was given repeated doses of powerful drugs to induce labor and sedate her.

The jury also found Gosnell guilty of infanticide, racketeering and more than 200 violations of Pennsylvania laws, for performing abortions past 24 weeks or failing to counsel women seeking abortions 24 hours before providing the procedure.

He still faces federal drug charges over abuse of prescriptions for OxyContin and for letting staff members make out prescriptions to patients who paid cash.

The case against Gosnell took shape after a team of health inspectors and investigators looking into drug trade raided Gosnell’s clinic, known as the Women’s Medical Society, in February 2010.

A grand jury report that followed reported on filth throughout, including blood on the floor, cat feces on the stairs and surgical rooms that resembled a “bad gas station restroom.” The investigators gathered the remains of 45 fetuses stored in bags, milk jugs, juice cartons and cat food containers.

Gosnell’s license was suspended and he was arrested in January 2011.

Archbishop Chaput said the detailed description of Gosnell’s clinic discussed at trial must remain “sharp in our memories,” and “we should remember the media’s inadequacy in covering his case.”

Deacon Jerome Bishop (CT Photo/John Stegeman)

From the May 2013 print edition of The Catholic Telegraph

By John Stegeman
The Catholic Telegraph 

Deacon Jerome “Jerry” Bishop believes men are still being called by God to the priesthood, just that they’re more reluctant to respond. In the case of his impending ordination, it’s a case of better late than never.

Despite first feeling the call to the priesthood in the third grade, Bishop went on to serve as a police sergeant, member of a SWAT team and as a county court employee before entering Mount St. Mary’s Seminary. He will be ordained in May — at the age of 63.

A study commissioned by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops in 2009 found that that average age or priests ordained that year was 36. Deacon Bishop knows that ordinations of men over 60 are more exception than rule, but he doesn’t think his age is an issue.

“I never subscribed to the fact that you get to a certain age and you just stop doing things or just play the rest of your life away,” Deacon Bishop said. “I think God gave us our lives to live, and to do his will. I don’t think that ends at age 65 or 70. As long as you’re able to do it, you keep doing it.

“I come with a different set of job skills,” he said. “Twenty-six years of dealing with people in difficult situations, and managing people and managing budgets.”

The youngest of eight children, Deacon Bishop spent a portion of his life caring for his parents in addition to advancing in his civil service career. He was always involved in parish life and when he finally made his decision to retire from his secular career to begin his path to ordination, his friends and family weren’t surprised.

“Most of them wondered why I hadn’t done it earlier,” Deacon Bishop said.

Still, despite feeling the call at a young age and remaining open to it later in life, Deacon Bishop wanted to do God’s will as it pertained to his possible ordination.

“I think it’s just something God is calling me to do,” he said. “When I came to the seminary they asked me, ‘Why do I want to be a priest?’ I said, ‘I’m not sure I want to be a priest. I want to do what God is calling me to do and I think this may be it.’ My goal is to do God’s will and if being a priest is what God’s asking me, then that’s what I’m open to.”

Going back to school was a challenge for Deacon Bishop, who doesn’t see himself as an academic. He has bachelor’s degree in communications from Wright State University, earned in 1985.

Deacon Bishop attended St. Raphael and later St. Teresa parochial schools in Springfield. He also attended Catholic Central as a high school freshman and graduated from Springfield North High School. He has been a parishioner at St. Teresa Parish in Springfield for more than 50 years.

A Springfield native, Deacon Bishop said that one of challenges awaiting him after ordination, and one facing all priests, is shepherding a flock that seems to be facing a crisis of moral values.

“It seems like people have lost a sense of sin at its very basis,” Deacon Bishop said. “Everything that was bad is good now and everything that was good is bad. It’s going to take a lot of work for parish priests to re-catechize people. A lot of it has to do with overcoming poor catechesis. It seems at times like a monumental job but I think we’re up to it.”

Deacon Bishop advises anyone who thinks they might have a calling to the priesthood to begin discerning right away, but he adds that it is never too late to do God’s will.

“…If you’ve entertained the notion that God might be calling you to priesthood and wondering about it, there’s only one way to find out, that’s to discern through the seminary,” he said. “If God is calling you, he isn’t going to stop. If you’re having these thoughts, there’s a reason you’re having them. Don’t put it off.”

Deacon Bishop and fellow seminarian Deacon James Romanello will be ordained Saturday, May 18 by Archbishop Dennis M. Schnurr at the Cathedral of St. Peter in Chains.