The first Friday Mass of the fall semester is in the CSC chapel this Friday (August 31) at 12:05, followed by a soup lunch. Then the first Tuesday Mass is in the CSC living room or outside next Tuesday (Sept. 4) at 5:15, followed by a soup dinner.
Monday, August 27, 2012
Monday, August 20, 2012
Open House this Friday
The CSC is hosting an open house for incoming students this Friday, August 24, from 2-4:00. Please drop by to see what the CSC is all about!
Thursday, August 9, 2012
Catholicism and Gun Control
After hearing a number of questions about the Catholic Church's stance on gun control in recent weeks, CSC campus minister Cynthia Enghauser researched the topic to provide the CSC community with some answers. The opinions below are not Cynthia's personal opinions but rather the opinions of the Catholic Church. If you have any information to add that can be substantiated, please post it in the comments--we're still learning about this topic, just as you are.
The atmosphere of cookouts, vacations, and warm weather this summer has been tragically punctuated by the shootings in Aurora, CO and in Oak Creek, WI. As a Catholic community, composed of a diverse body of women and men of faith, these tragedies evoke a spectrum of responses and emotions; from disbelief to compassion and sympathy to frustration. Between these two shootings many were killed and injured, and others traumatically shaken to the core.
The ripple effects of such a tragedy are hard to imagine. In the aftermath, other issues are emerging, and here at the CSC, a recurring question emerges: "What is the Catholic Church's teaching on gun control?" This is a straightforward question with complex implications. For the Catholic Church these shootings are clearly adignity of life issue, but the issues of mental illness, domestic terrorism, and gun control all factor into the equation in a way that deepens the complexity. While the Church supports government sanctioned requirements and restrictions on the possession of personal firearms, it is not a stance that is often boldly proclaimed.
In the last 20 years the US Church has indirectly spoken on the issue of personal firearms and possession laws. In the 1990 United States Conference of Catholic Bishops' (USCCB) document, New Slavery, New Freedom: A Pastoral Message on Substance Abuse the bishops spoke of it in conjunction to drug commerce and drug abuse . Additionally, the availability of firearms was discussed in the 1995 USCCB document Confronting a Culture of Violence: A Catholic Framework for Action. This document also expresses the need for advocacy at the parish and diocesan level to eliminate violent crimes for the promotion of safe communities.
In the 2000 USCCB document Responsibility, Rehabilitation, and Restoration: A Catholic Perspective on Crime and Criminal Justice the bishops address the gun control issue (in relation to violent crime) from a more systemic point of view, challenging us to be more accountable for our actions. This document calls for the elimination of violent crime, but to continue to love those who commit violent crime, and to support them on a path to redemption.
These three documents go a long way to express the Catholic Church's stance on gun control in regard to violent crime, but are less clear about gun ownership in regard to recreational uses. In Responsibility, Rehabilitation, and Restoration, the bishops "reiterate [a] call for sensible regulations of handguns". At the present time the bishops support "sensible regulations of handguns", however, in both USSCB documents from 1990 and 2000 they call for "their eventual elimination from our society". With the caveat for "police officers and military use".
It will be interesting to see if the USCCB provides any pastoral guidance or instruction in the wake of these recent tragedies. In the interim though, there are certainly lively and engaging conversations around these issues in Catholic intellectual samples. Much of the debate centers on power and politics at this particular moment.
I'd recommend starting here and here (as a note, these links/articles are editorials)
The atmosphere of cookouts, vacations, and warm weather this summer has been tragically punctuated by the shootings in Aurora, CO and in Oak Creek, WI. As a Catholic community, composed of a diverse body of women and men of faith, these tragedies evoke a spectrum of responses and emotions; from disbelief to compassion and sympathy to frustration. Between these two shootings many were killed and injured, and others traumatically shaken to the core.
The ripple effects of such a tragedy are hard to imagine. In the aftermath, other issues are emerging, and here at the CSC, a recurring question emerges: "What is the Catholic Church's teaching on gun control?" This is a straightforward question with complex implications. For the Catholic Church these shootings are clearly adignity of life issue, but the issues of mental illness, domestic terrorism, and gun control all factor into the equation in a way that deepens the complexity. While the Church supports government sanctioned requirements and restrictions on the possession of personal firearms, it is not a stance that is often boldly proclaimed.
In the last 20 years the US Church has indirectly spoken on the issue of personal firearms and possession laws. In the 1990 United States Conference of Catholic Bishops' (USCCB) document, New Slavery, New Freedom: A Pastoral Message on Substance Abuse the bishops spoke of it in conjunction to drug commerce and drug abuse . Additionally, the availability of firearms was discussed in the 1995 USCCB document Confronting a Culture of Violence: A Catholic Framework for Action. This document also expresses the need for advocacy at the parish and diocesan level to eliminate violent crimes for the promotion of safe communities.
In the 2000 USCCB document Responsibility, Rehabilitation, and Restoration: A Catholic Perspective on Crime and Criminal Justice the bishops address the gun control issue (in relation to violent crime) from a more systemic point of view, challenging us to be more accountable for our actions. This document calls for the elimination of violent crime, but to continue to love those who commit violent crime, and to support them on a path to redemption.
These three documents go a long way to express the Catholic Church's stance on gun control in regard to violent crime, but are less clear about gun ownership in regard to recreational uses. In Responsibility, Rehabilitation, and Restoration, the bishops "reiterate [a] call for sensible regulations of handguns". At the present time the bishops support "sensible regulations of handguns", however, in both USSCB documents from 1990 and 2000 they call for "their eventual elimination from our society". With the caveat for "police officers and military use".
It will be interesting to see if the USCCB provides any pastoral guidance or instruction in the wake of these recent tragedies. In the interim though, there are certainly lively and engaging conversations around these issues in Catholic intellectual samples. Much of the debate centers on power and politics at this particular moment.
I'd recommend starting here and here (as a note, these links/articles are editorials)
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