Father Grandfather

Felix Luis Rivera's grandchildren can now call him “Father” if they wish. He was ordained a priest Sunday, Sept. 21 in Chicago.

As Adrienne Dell explains in the Sept. 22 Chicago Sun Times, Rivera, “has two sons, a daughter, and five grandchildren from a long, happy marriage to his late wife, Mary.”

The 59-year-old priest celebrated his first Mass in Spanish at St. Michael's Church in Old Town. A deacon for some time, Father Rivera has lived his adult life both in Chicago and Puerto Rico, according to the article.

“On her deathbed in 1993, Mary made her husband promise to return to the seminary where he had studied before their marriage many years before.

“‘I tookyou from the seminary, and Jesus lost you. But I am going to die first, and you will return and become a priest,’ said Father Rivera, recalling his wife's words. His left hand still bears the wedding band that ‘Mary gave me. I will never take it off. She is always with me.’”

Speaking of his children and his new parish, Father Rivera said “I am twice a father,” according to the article.

Involuntary Charity?

Are hefty government contributions—often amounting from 60 to 80 percent of their budgets—a boon to cash-starved charities—or doom?

At a Washington meeting last week, public policy scholar Joe Loconte shared some of the results of a study he has done that suggests government's involvement in charity has a strong down-side. He surveyed Massachusetts charities, including the local Catholic Charities, and found growing concern among them that government rules “lock them into inefficient practices.”

Larry Witham reported the story in The Washington Times Sept. 26.

“‘These sorts of warnings are coming from some of the most savvy providers in one of the most progressive states,’ Mr. Loconte said, surprised at how candid charity officials were when he requested interviews.

“The head of Catholic Charities in Boston told him the government contract system has expanded to the point where there is the ‘disappearance of a truly voluntary sector.’”

Some maintain that government's involvement is a safeguard against fraud and abuse in charities, according to the article. Others worry that, “‘Government rules paralyze decision-making and force providers to waste resources,’ he said… ‘[allowing] distant politicians rather than front-line workers to set the priorities.’”

The arrangement also tends to separate “public” charity from religious faith.

“Thus a Catholic charity cannot seek to hire Catholic personnel over non-Catholics. ‘That, to me, is a real problem,’” Mr. Loconte said.