May 25: (Afternoon) Catholic Charities meeting, Chancery

May 27: (Morning) Stational Mass, Cathedral

      (Afternoon) Dominican Sisters Jubilee, Fremont

      (Evening) Confirmation, St. Mary Parish

May 29: (Evening) School presidents dinner, Rectory

May 31: (Morning) Bishop's Administrative Council, Chancery

      (Afternoon) Employee Appreciation, Chancery

June 4-5: Catholic University board meeting, Washington DC

June 6: Presentation on New Family Structure Study, Washington, DC

June 7-10: Vacation

June 11-15: USCCB Spring General Assembly, Atlanta

Lourdes reunion Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron, of Detroit, former bishop of Oakland, left, Rev. George Mockel, vicar general of the Oakland diocese, and Most Rev. Salvatore J. Cordileone, bishop of Oakland, were reunited at the Marian shrine in Lourdes, France, for the annual pilgrimage of the Knights of Malta earlier this month. REV. GEORGE MOCKEL PHOTO

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The decision by the voters of North Carolina to define marriage in a constitutional amendment as the union of one man and one woman "affirms the authentic and timeless meaning of marriage," said Bishop Salvatore J. Cordileone of Oakland. Bishop Cordileone, chairman of the Subcommittee on the Promotion and Defense of Marriage of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, applauded the May 8 vote with Bishops Michael F. Burbidge of Raleigh and Peter J. Jugis of Charlotte, North Carolina.

"The success of this amendment demonstrates people's awareness of the essential role that marriage, as the union of a man and a woman, plays for the common good," said Bishop Cordileone. "Despite his comments yesterday, I would hope that President Obama would recognize this essential role as well. This is not a partisan issue, but a matter of justice, fairness and equality for the law to uphold every child's basic right to be welcomed and raised by his or her mother and father together."

North Carolina voters, in a heavy turnout, approved the constitutional amendment by a 3-to-2 margin of 61 percent.

Clergy appointment

Rev. Mark Wiesner, pastor at St. Augustine, Oakland, is appointed pastor for St. Charles Borromeo Parish in Livermore effective Sept. 1.

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Hunger Walk Several hundred people from the Oakland interfaith community joined for the 2012 Oakland CROP Hunger Walk around Lake Merritt on April 28. The same weekend saw 10 other Hunger Walks in other Bay Area communities, including Alameda, Berkeley, East County and Pleasanton. From left, Rev. Carolyn Bolton, deacon of St. Paul's Episcopal Church and 2012 Oakland Hunger Walk Coordinator, Oakland Mayor Jean Quan, who stopped by before the walk, Sandhya Rani Jha, director of the Oakland Peace Center and co-pastor of First Christian Church of Oakland, Joan Suflita of the Cathedral Parish of Christ the Light and Rev. Ray Sacca, rector of the cathedral, who offered a prayer before participants began the walk. Cindy Manly-Fields

Rhythm 'n Views

Weather permitting, the Downtown Oakland YMCA and the Cathedral of Christ the Light, 2121 Harrison St., Oakland, are offering free fitness classes from 5:30 p.m. to 6:45 p.m. Tuesdays in June on the Plaza. These classes — June 5, 12, 19 and 26 — are free. Registration is required at www.ctlca thedral.org. Participants must be 18 or older.

"Landmarks" signing

Local historian and columnist, AnnaLee Allen, and artist Heidi Wyckiff will discuss their new book, "Oakland Landmarks" at a book signing from noon to 1:30 p.m. June 14 inside the Cathedral Shop, 2121 Harrison St., Oakland.

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Obama hit for position

WASHINGTON — Catholic leaders rejected President Barack Obama's May 9 declaration in a television interview that "personally it is important for me to go ahead and affirm that I think same-sex couples should be able to get married." Obama said May 10 he wanted to announce his support for such unions "in my own way, on my own terms" but acknowledged remarks by Vice President Joe Biden, a Catholic, prompted his announcement.

— Catholic News Service

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Oldest bishop dies

VATICAN CITY — The world's oldest Catholic bishop, Vietnamese Bishop Antoine Nguyen Van Thien, died May 13 in France two months after his 106th birthday, the Vatican newspaper reported. The former bishop of Vinh Long, Vietnam, celebrated the 80th anniversary of his ordination to the priesthood in February. He was ordained a bishop in 1961 and he attended all four sessions of the Second Vatican Council in 1962-65.

Quest for peace, truth

VATICAN CITY — The quest for justice and peace will bear fruit only if it's also a quest for the truth about the human person, created by God and "endowed with intelligence and freedom, capable of knowing and loving," Pope Benedict XVI said. Intelligence enables people to discover what is good and beneficial — "the right order that is inscribed within creation itself" — the pope said in a message April 30 to the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences.

Translation troubles

WASHINGTON — Pope Benedict XVI told the German bishops that, as pope, he has celebrated Mass in different languages and "sometimes it is hard to find common ground" in the various translations. "The underlying common text often remains visible only from afar," he told the bishops, who were preparing to send their revised Mass translation to the printers. Pope Benedict said that, over the years, it has become "increasingly clear" to him that not translating liturgical texts literally creates difficulties. The pope's letter was aimed specifically at the translation of the phrase "pro multis" in the eucharistic prayer where Jesus told the disciples to take the chalice of his blood, which was poured out "pro multis." The phrase used to be translated in English, German, Italian and other languages as "for all," but in 2006 the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments sent bishops around the world a note saying Pope Benedict had ordered Catholics to use the more literal translation, "for many."

Interreligious dialogue

VATICAN CITY — Reaffirming the Second Vatican Council's teaching on Christianity's special relationship with Judaism, Pope Benedict XVI said May 10 Catholic-Jewish dialogue is "crucial for the future of our human family. In a world increasingly threatened by the loss of spiritual and moral values, which are those that can guarantee respect for human dignity and lasting peace," dialogue, friendship and collaboration can "give prophetic witness to the power of the truth of God, justice and reconciling love for the good of all mankind."

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