NOVEMBER 24, 2011 Volume LXXXVI • Number 4 www.evangelist.org $1.00 Senior Lifestyles THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE DIOCESE OF ALBANY A special section focuses on issues of interest to senior citizens: Pages 5-15 Advent Begins Rev. John Rosson of Cooperstown begins a series of reflections for the weeks of Advent: Page 4 ADVENT ARRIVES BY ANGELA CAVE STAFF WRITER While many local Catholics roast turkeys this Thanksgiving, one group will reflect on the sacrifices their ances- tors made for the free- dom to practice their religion. The Vietnamese Apostolate, based out of Sacred Heart parish in Albany, will celebrate the feast day of the Vietnamese martyrs — a date observed on Nov. 24 each year. The Vietnamese Americans, many of whom are refugees who emigrated to the Albany Dio- cese, said the coincidence in dates will enhance the meaning of Thanksgiving for them. “What a great way to give thanks,” said Thuy Nguyen, who fled Vietnam and moved to the Capital District more than 30 years ago at the age of 17. She will attend the Mass before eating a tradi- tional American Thanksgiving dinner: “I just feel so happy and so sacred that the two days match up.” Thanksgiving is a Vietnamese holiday, too, though it’s usually combined with other holidays during Tet, the week-long Lunar New Year at the end of January. “They’re thankful for their lives, for their safety. If they make it to America, it’s a miracle,” said Rev. Quy Vo, a native of Vietnam who serves as associate pastor at Blessed Sacrament parish in Albany and occasional minister to the Vietnamese Apostolate. “It’s a day of remembering both the living and the dead,” Father Vo added. “The way we express we’re thankful is to go to church and pray for them.” Sunday Masses in the Vietnamese language are cur- rently offered a maximum of once a month for the 75 families in the apostolate, which spans more than 10 counties in the Diocese. To attend a Marian cel- ebration, a group of Vietnamese Americans from eastern U.S. states, including New York, trav- el to Buffalo each year. This is the first time in more LITURGY PLANNED For Vietnamese Catholics, Thanksgiving coincides with martyrs’ feast day The Mass for the Vietnamese martyrs’ feast day will be held Nov. 24, 10:30 a.m., at Sacred Heart Church in Albany. For information, call Father Vo at 482-3375. A 2006 TRIBUTE TO THE VIETNAMESE MARTYRS, HELD AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA (CNS PHOTO/TIM RUE) VIETNAMESE CATHOLICS, SEE PAGE 17 AS THE BEGINNING of Advent approaches, Stacia and Kevin Malone decorate an Advent candle with 10-year-old daughter Nina during a family faith formation and Advent-wreath-making session at St. Lucy/St. Bernadette parish in Altamont. For more photos, see page 3. (Nate Whitchurch photo) WHAT DO CATHOLICS WANT? RELIGIOUS FREEDOM BY CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE Washington — Current and past members of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom urged Congress Nov. 17 to keep the rights-monitoring agency alive and said its work must be given higher priority in foreign policy. The commission’s congres- sional mandate technically expired Nov. 18, but an exten- sion until Dec. 16 was included in the “minibus” continuing appropriations resolution ap- proved by the House and Senate and signed by President Barack Obama. Legislation to authorize the commission still faces a sepa- rate vote before the continuing resolution — intended to keep the government operating dur- NON-VIOLENCE INITIATIVES BY PETER FINNEY JR. CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE New Orleans — Churches and faith-based groups need to collectively pressure public officials to use initiatives that have been proven to reduce murder and violent crime in several U.S. cities, a New Orleans pastor told the PICO National Gathering of Clergy Nov. 15. The Rev. Antoine Barriere said high rates of violent crime are tied to low-quality public education, “mass incarceration” of African-Americans and Latinos, and ex-offenders’ limit- ed access to decent jobs after they leave prison. His comments wrapped up RELIGIOUS FREEDOM, SEE PAGE 21 NON-VIOLENCE INITIATIVES, SEE PAGE 18