GRANBURY, Texas (CNS) — “Overwhelmed.” That’s how relief volunteer Julie Lyssy described the families who sought shelter inside St. Frances Cabrini’s Family Life Center after a tornado ravaged their neighborhoods May 15.

The deadly funnel cloud, one of several tornadoes that ripped through parts of north Texas, killed six, injured more than 100, left seven missing and destroyed more than 50 homes and trailers in the Rancho Brazos subdivision. Injuries and damage were also reported in the nearby Pecan Plantation community.

Many of the affected — including some of the deceased — are members of St. Frances Cabrini Parish, 35 miles southwest of Fort Worth.

“The 15 to 20 people who came here last night knew there was nothing else they could do,” said Lyssy, the church’s communications spokesperson, who coordinated emergency outreach efforts with her husband, Thomas. “As soon as they realized they were safe, everyone turned to prayer.”

Storm victims formed two circles inside the parish hall. One group recited the rosary in English and the other in Spanish. The church’s pastor, Msgr. Juan Rivero, spent the night comforting visitors and offering a blessing when asked.

An aerial view shows the damage after tornadoes swept through Hood County, Texas, May 16. (CNS photo/Brandon Wade, Reuters)

At sunrise, people left the emergency Red Cross shelter to inspect damage or look for loved ones.

The tornado that swept through Granbury with winds up to 200 mph was part of a larger weather system generating 10 funnel clouds, thunderstorms and large hail across north Texas.

By the afternoon after the twister, the Red Cross was directing the newly homeless to Granbury’s First Christian Church, where the organization set up its primary assistance center. Granbury churches have received clothing, food, and water. One moving company dropped off boxes.

“We’re overloaded, which is a good thing, but we’re running out of places to put things,” Lyssy explained. “There’s been a huge outpouring. During a community meeting, a man from the American Red Cross was duly impressed by how much had been mobilized in three hours.”

“We are saddened by these events, but also proud of how quickly our community has come together to serve those in need,” Msgr. Rivero said in a statement to the North Texas Catholic, newspaper of the Diocese of Fort Worth. “God is providing in so many ways. We ask for prayers as we help rebuild not only the physical (needs of the community), but spiritual. We thank God for the light he will bring to this darkness.”

Although a tragedy of this magnitude hasn’t happened to Granbury in recent history, Lissy said, the city is better prepared to handle a crisis than most places. An emergency plan is always in place because of the community’s proximity to the Comanche Peak Nuclear Power Plant in nearby Glen Rose.

“That emergency plan was mobilized last night,” said Lyssy, describing how a torrent of hail, high winds and an oddly colored sky preceded the twister.

Moments after the tornado hit, church volunteers stepped in to help. Spanish speakers arrived to assist residents of the heavily Hispanic Rancho Brazos neighborhood leveled by the storm. Other church members set up the 72 cots, blankets and pillows stored inside the Family Life Center. The bedding is used twice a year during St. Frances’ Christ Renews His Parish retreat.

“It was easy to organize because we had all the equipment we needed on hand,” the volunteer said. “Wal-Mart came out last night and donated things we needed. Kroger offered to make sandwiches. All the businesses are reaching out to help.”

The morning after the storm was spent trying to contact parishioners in affected neighborhoods – a task hampered by downed power lines.

“We put together a list and are trying to check on parishioners and anyone else who needs help,” Lyssy explained.

Lyssy said she’s extremely proud of her church’s quick response to the crisis. Thirty minutes after the tornado hit, 25 volunteers drove to the parish without being called, provisions were in place, and interpreters were available to help distraught victims cope with the tragedy without the added stress of a language barrier.

“Until God raises you to the task, you don’t know what you can accomplish,” she said. “This is the first time the Lord has put us through the test, and I do feel we rose to the occasion. And I think we’ll continue to do so throughout this.”

MADISON, Ind. (CNS) — Although Grote Industries in Madison has been in business for more than a century, one date in May holds particular significance to the family-owned, worldwide manufacturer of vehicle lighting products.

On May 22, a three-judge panel of the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago was scheduled to hear arguments in the lawsuit the Grote family filed last October to gain relief from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services mandate that forces most employers to provide abortion-inducing drugs, sterilizations and contraceptives to their employees in company health plans.

The mandate is a part of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, called Obamacare by some, which was signed into law in 2010.

The Grote family was granted a preliminary injunction in January. On May 22, however, arguments will be made on the merits of their case that could lead to permanent relief from the mandate.

Bill Grote talks with worker Debbie Randall at the Grote Industries factory in Madison, Ind., May 13. (CNS photo/Sean Gallagher, The Criterion)

Although many other Catholic organizations and businesses owned by Catholics and other people morally opposed to the mandate have been granted preliminary injunctions, the Grote case is the first to receive a hearing on the merits of their case.

“This is the court directly under the U.S. Supreme Court,” said Matt Bowman, senior legal counsel for Alliance Defending Freedom, which is helping to represent the Grote family in their suit. “So its decision on this religious freedom issue will be a precursor to whether Obamacare can be used against religious freedom across the country.”

Alliance Defending Freedom, until recently known as the Alliance Defense Fund, is a Christian legal organization founded in 1994 that advocates for the religious liberty of Americans and people around the world. According to Bowman, it is currently involved in 25 lawsuits that seek to overturn the HHS mandate.

In an interview with The Criterion, newspaper of the Indianapolis Archdiocese, Bowman said he believes the prospects are good for a positive outcome for his clients. That’s because in granting the preliminary injunction, courts across the country that have granted preliminary injunctions have already addressed “the substance of the dispute.”

“Even though these cases are procedurally preliminary, the judges are ruling on the question, ‘Can the federal government declare that people of faith have no religious freedom when they are living their daily lives by trying to earn a living?’” he said.

Under new rules proposed Feb. 1 to implement the mandate, HHS widened the exemption for religious organizations but said no exemption would be given to “for-profit, secular employers” whose owners have moral objections to providing the coverage. The rules are to be finalized in August.

Taking such a high-profile position in a legal action that could have wide-ranging implications is unusual in the 112-year history of Grote Industries.

But Bill Grote, chairman of the board of his family’s business, said the mandate went too far and that public action in response was needed.

“The intrusion upon the freedom for us to practice our beliefs was too much, such that we said if there is a way to voice loudly that this is wrong, then let’s do it,” said Grote, 74, a member of Prince of Peace Parish in Madison.

The Grote family’s initial request for an injunction was denied by Judge Sarah Evans Barker of the U.S. District Court of the Southern District of Indiana in New Albany.

Bowman was scheduled to present the arguments in favor of the Grote family May 22. Also representing the family are Indianapolis attorneys Mike Wilkins and Michael Cork, who are affiliated with Alliance Defending Freedom.

Jay Mercer, attorney for the Archdiocese of Indianapolis, filed an amicus brief with the court in favor of the Grote family’s claim.

Grote Industries is one of the largest employers in Madison and the surrounding regions, providing jobs to approximately 800 people. Worldwide its employees number about 1,200.

That relatively large number, however, does not mean Grote leaders are distant from the workers. As Bill Grote walks through his family’s factory in Madison, employees wave as they drive by on forklifts. Others stop to chat with the man they have worked with for decades.

Grote is concerned, however, that the mandate, if it stays in place and his company does not gain permanent relief, could put the jobs of those employees at risk.

That is because employers that offer health insurance to workers but do not comply with the mandate could face severe fines.

“It would be a disastrous fine,” said Grote. “If you added it up for our situation here, it would run somewhere between $18 million to $22 million per year, depending on how many people we have (insured). That is an onerous penalty and fine. That would destroy this business.”

When their lawsuit was made public, they heard from a number of people, most of whom they had never met, sent notes and e-mails of encouragement.

“I’ve been impressed by the support we’ve gotten locally and nationally,” said Dominic Grote, Bill’s son, who is the company’s president and chief executive officer.

Some of that encouragement has come from employees.

“I’ve had a lot of people out in the plant that just sit there and say, ‘Thank you. You’re standing up for something. People don’t do that anymore in this day and age,’ ” said Mike Grote, Bill’s nephew who manages the Madison facility.

Bill hopes the legal action that his family is taking might inspire other business owners to make their faith a more conscious part of the way their carry out their work.

“It would be great if the mandate is pushed back and the ruling comes clear that you’re able to practice your faith,” he said. “Those that may be wavering or not have as strong a conviction may feel much more comfortable in weaving their faith into their cultural and business activities.”

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — With slightly more of a swipe than a tap, Pope Francis helped the Pontifical Mission Societies of the United States broaden its reach around the world by unlocking a smartphone app.

At the end of an audience with national directors of pontifical mission societies from around the world May 17, Oblate Father Andrew Small, national director of the Pontifical Mission Societies in the United States, brought an iPad up to the pope for the launch.

Father Small — who brought two iPads and two mobile hotspots with him to the papal audience — had been called into the office of the pope’s secretary before the audience to explain precisely what he wanted the pope to do.

After the pope’s formal speech to the national directors and after personally greeting each one, it was Father Small’s turn.

Pope Francis launches the smartphone app Missio during an audience with national directors of pontifical mission societies May 17 at the Vatican. Holding the iPad for the pope is Oblate Father Andrew Small, national director of the Pontifical Mission Societies in the United States. (CNS photo/L’Osservatore Romano via Catholic Press Photo)

“It was fantastic. Everything went according to plan,” the priest said.

He gave the pope one of the iPads and told him, “We want to put the missionary Gospel in the pockets of every young person around the world.” The pope responded, “Good.”

Then the pope asked, “With my finger? Here? Here?” and, Father Small said, the pope “used the index finger of his right hand — the one with the ring — very gingerly” to unlock the app.

The Missio app offers news and information in English, Spanish, Italian, German, French, Portuguese, Chinese and Arabic from Fides, the Vatican’s missionary news agency, and news.va. The news appears in the default language set on the mobile device. The app also includes videos from news.va and Catholic News Service.

“The app is a way for the church and our Holy Father to reach the growing number of the world’s people who have access to handheld mobile devices, a way to connect as the body of Christ,” Father Small said in a statement.

The app was available for download before the official launch, but remained locked. When the pope activated the app by pushing a button marked “evangelizantur,” Latin for “they have been evangelized,” users were notified.

The app is supported by Apple and Android devices. It can be downloaded for free wherever apps are available.

The introduction of the app comes as the Vatican has increasingly taken advantage of new communication technologies, including a papal Twitter account, @Pontifex. Father Small said social media helps the church call more people to be followers of Christ, “and if used properly the new media allow for a more intimate relationship between peoples and nations, fostering peace and mutual understanding.”

VATICAN CITY — Between Pentecost and his trip to Brazil, Pope Francis will preside over a prayer service with all the bishops of Italy, visit a Rome parish and celebrate other liturgies — both those traditionally part of a pope’s schedule and those designed specifically for the Year of Faith.

On May 17, the Vatican released the pope’s liturgical schedule for late May, June and early July. It includes:

– May 23: The pope will preside over a prayer service with the bishops of Italy, who will be holding their plenary assembly at the Vatican. Marking the Year of Faith, they formally will reaffirm their profession of faith in St. Peter’s Basilica.

– May 26: Pope Francis will visit the Parish of Sts. Elizabeth and Zachariah in Rome’s northern suburbs and celebrate Mass. Italian newspapers have said the pope also will give first Communion to more than 40 children at the parish.

– May 30: The pope will celebrate an evening Mass on the feast of the Body and Blood of Christ at the Basilica of St. John Lateran, and then participate in the Corpus Christi procession to the Basilica of St. Mary Major.

– June 2: At 6 p.m. Rome time, Pope Francis will lead eucharistic adoration. Bishops around the world have been asked to hold similar adoration services at the same time or at least on the same day.

– June 16: The pope will celebrate Mass in St. Peter’s Square with participants in the Year of Faith “Evangelium Vitae” pilgrimage of those dedicated to promoting and defending the sacredness of all human life.

– June 29: On the feast of Sts. Peter and Paul, the pope will celebrate Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica and give the pallium — a woolen band worn around the shoulders — to archbishops named in the past year.

– July 7: Pope Francis will celebrate Mass with seminarians and male and female novices at the conclusion of the Year of Faith pilgrimage to the Vatican.

– July 22-29: The pope travels to Brazil for World Youth Day.

Archbishop Francis A. Chullikatt told the world body May 15 that the Vatican continues to be gravely concerned by the situation in Syria and called upon the country’s factions to remember their obligations under international humanitarian law to guarantee safe passage for humanitarian workers and the safety of health care institutions.

The archbishop also appealed to the international community to help secure the release of kidnap victims, including Syriac Orthodox Metropolitan Gregorios Yohanna of Aleppo and Greek Orthodox Metropolitan Paul of Aleppo, who were abducted April 22 in northern Syria while on a humanitarian mission.

His comments came as the U.N. continued discussing a resolution to address the armed conflict in Syria.

A Free Syrian Army fighter throws an improvised hand grenade toward forces loyal to Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad in Deir al-Zor May 15. (CNS photo/Khalil Ashawi, Reuters)

“It is a priority that those in a position to exercise influence over the parties to the conflict call upon them to halt immediately the blood bath and the continual violations of human rights that only open the door to further retaliation and recrimination,” Archbishop Chullikatt said. “If we wish to reconstitute a peaceable society and avoid the abandonment of the Syrian people to a violent and uncertain future, a clear change of course is needed.”

Peace will come to Syria only when all of the country’s political parties and members of civil society, including representatives of religious groups, gather together to chart a course for the future, he said.

The rebuilding of Syria must be based on “the principles of human rights and fundamental freedoms, the rule of law and good governance of public affairs, together with respect for the diverse ethnic and religious identities,” he said.

“Before the judgment of history and of anyone of good will, it behooves all individuals and state or international institutions to facilitate the closure of this painful chapter of Syrian history once and for all, and to find a lasting solution worthy of the dignity of the people of that great nation,” the archbishop added.

MANCHESTER, England (CNS) — England’s Catholic leaders have asked politicians to “think again” about redefining marriage to include same-sex couples, but to protect conscience rights if they pass the legislation.

The Marriage (Same-Sex Couples) Bill poses “grave risks to freedom of speech and freedom of religion”, said Archbishops Vincent Nichols of Westminster and Peter Smith of Southwark, president and vice president of the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales.

“If the bill is to proceed through Parliament, we urge members to ensure it is amended so that these fundamental freedoms we all cherish are clearly and demonstrably safeguarded,” they said in a May 15 statement. The bill was headed for its report stage and third reading in the House of Commons May 20-21.

“It is not too late for Parliament to think again,” they added.

The archbishops said that, if passed, the bill would effectively destroy the understanding of marriage as a lifelong union between a man and a woman open to the procreation and education of children.

They set out their fears in a six-page briefing released with their statement. The briefing explains in detail how the church would suffer if the bill was not amended. It contains draft amendments for sympathetic politicians to introduce.

Among the threats, according to the May 9 briefing, is the possibility that Catholic schools will be compelled “to promote and endorse same-sex marriage” because the 1996 Education Act imposes a statutory obligation on schools to ensure that children learn about “the nature of marriage and its importance for family life and the bringing up of children.”

Marriage in any government guidance “will mean both opposite-sex and same-sex marriage if the bill becomes law,” the briefing said.

The bishops’ briefing also expressed fear that the bill provides insufficient legal protection for individuals who criticize same-sex marriage, leaving them vulnerable to harassment from authorities and dismissal by their employers. It also called for an amendment to allow a right of conscientious objection for marriage registrars, who on religious grounds do not wish to take part in same-sex marriages.

It said although the bill states that churches will not be compelled to perform same-sex marriages, the absence of a definition of “compulsion” means those that do not opt in to the practice could still be penalized through unfavorable treatment, such as the denial of grants by disapproving public authorities.

The bill was overwhelmingly approved by the House of Commons in February when it came to a vote for the first time.

Its final stages in the House of Commons represent the last chance for members to vote on its provisions before it is sent to the House of Lords, Britain’s second political chamber.

If the measures successfully pass through the Lords, the bill is likely to become law later this year.

ANNANDALE, Va. (CNS) — Behind all the musical prowess of Carlos Ibay is a young man whose strong connection to the heart of Jesus can be recognized through the many outlets of his ingenuity.

It’s evident in his life, his voice and his song.

On a recent Sunday, seated high above the congregation in the choir loft of St. Michael Church in Annandale, the self-taught organist glides his fingers across the keys of an organ as he sings memorized hymn after hymn in an unforgettable voice.

“You do see the grace of God flowing through him when he plays and … sings,” Sharon Shafer, the parish’s music director, told Catholic News Service.

Pianist and tenor Carlos Ibay poses for a photo at his home in Fairfax, Va., April 9. He was born premature and spent the first three months of his life in an incubator, where he lost his sight because of too much oxygen. (CNS photo /Bob Roller)

“He … encourages folks to respond … (and) doesn’t overwhelm the congregation,” said Father Jerry Pokorsky, pastor.

Music is Ibay’s passion. Ibay, 33, has been blind since soon after birth. He has used his love of music to inspire others to see the good works of God.

“I want to see God’s creation, to see his goodness,” he told CNS in a recent interview. “(But) the Lord deprived me of my sight.”

Born premature weighing a little less than 2 pounds, Ibay spent the first three months of his life in an incubator. He lost his eyesight because of retinitis pigmentosa, caused by too much oxygen in incubator.

As an infant, Ibay, better known as Chucky, would sit in his crib listening to a toy train that would go round and round playing the song “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.” Then one day he climbed up on the bench of his parents’ Hammond organ and played the song perfectly on the first try. Realizing they had a little Mozart in the family, his parents bought him a Steinway piano.

Ibay taught himself to play the piano and began singing along to the music at age 3.

“Accompanying myself became second nature for me,” he said.

“He is fully capable of accompanying himself,” said Harry Dunstan, founding artistic director of the American Center for Puccini Studies and Ibay’s current voice instructor. “(There are) very few people on the planet who can play and sing as well as Carlos.”

Ibay started taking piano lessons at age 6 and voice lessons at 15. He continued his studies at George Mason University in Virginia and later studied piano at the Mannes College The New School for Music, a classical music conservatory in New York.

But because he was busy with concerts and competitions around the world, Ibay dropped out of Mannes during his junior year. “It was tough,” he said.

He continued to take piano and voice lessons, performing in venues worldwide: from the Weil Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, to the Arthur Rubenstein Master Piano Competition in Tel Aviv, Israel, to the Rachmaninoff Concert Hall in Novgorod, Russia.

“I met him when I was at St. Clare’s Catholic Church 10 or 11 years ago,” Shafer said, explaining that Ibay would play as a guest during the liturgy at the parish from time to time.

In 2008, Ibay started serving as an organist and cantor at St. Michael Church.

“Whenever I play and sing (even just practicing), I always offer it up for the glory of God,” he said.

Ibay has memorized the notes to hundreds of hymns and the words to many others. His mother will often pitch him the words to each new verse just before he has to sing them. When he cantors the Responsorial Psalm, he generally sings a cappella with no microphone so he can use his hands to read the Braille. With an indelible ability to project, his voice can be heard easily throughout the church.

“He represents every possible positive aspect of the Catholic faith,” Dunstan told CNS. “Carlos is one of the great champions and finest ambassadors of the Catholic faith you could possibly have. His personality is irrepressible. People instinctively love Carlos.”

Many people come up to Ibay after Mass to express how his music has touched their hearts.

“The goodness of God (seems to) come out of my music and it goes immediately to their souls,” he said.

Although he cannot see the people he meets, he remembers them by name and by voice. He also fluently speaks seven languages — French, German, Italian, Spanish, Russian, Japanese and Portuguese — which helps him connect with people.

Ibay spends four hours daily practicing piano and an hour on vocals. He said he believes in taking care of his health and regularly works out on an exercise bike and treadmill, which are each outfitted with a rosary and a water bottle.

Years of learning and playing music by ear have given him a heightened sense of hearing and smell, skills that those with sight usually do not have.

“The Lord deprived me of my sight not to look at bad things, (but rather) that God’s works might show forth (from my music),” Ibay told CNS. “I just keep going because God helps me go. All the angels and saints are pulling for me, and so I know I’m going to be all right.”

After talking with CNS, he sat down at the piano in his house to sing and play the popular duet “The Prayer.”

“I pray you’ll be our eyes, watch us where we go, and help us to be wise in times when we don’t know. Let this be our prayer, when we lose our way. Lead us to the place, guide us with your grace to a place where we’ll be safe,” he sang.

A member of the Holy Spirit Catholic Church youth group and other young adult activities in Northern Virginia, Ibay is an inspiring witness for his peers.

“Don’t give up on your dreams,” he said. “You have your whole life ahead of you. The Lord wants you to accept the gift of the Holy Spirit to open up your mind. You will succeed.”

During an audience with national directors of pontifical mission societies from around the world, the pope was set to launch the organization’s new Missio app from the Vatican May 17, sending news and content in eight languages.

A screen from the new smartphone app Missio is seen on a Google Android in this image released by Little i Apps. An effort of the Pontifical Mission Societies in the United States, the app features Pope Francis’ daily homily and news from Rome and around the world in eight languages. It is set to be launched by the pope May 17. (CNS photo/courtesy of Little i Apps)

News and information will be available in English, Spanish, Italian, German, French, Portuguese, Chinese and Arabic from Fides, the Vatican’s missionary news agency, and news.va. The app also includes videos from news.va and Catholic News Service.

“The app is a way for the church and our Holy Father to reach the growing number of the world’s people who have access to handheld mobile devices, a way to connect as the body of Christ,” Oblate Father Andrew Small, national director of the Pontifical Mission Societies in the United States, said in a statement.

The app was available for download before the official launch, but remained locked. When the pope activates the app by pushing a button marked “evangelizantur,” Latin for “they have been evangelized,” users were to be notified.

The app is supported by Apple and Android devices. It can be downloaded for free wherever apps are available.

The introduction of the app comes as the Vatican has increasingly taken advantage of new communication technologies, including a papal Twitter account, @Pontifex. Father Small said social media helps the church call more people to be followers of Christ, “and if used properly the new media allow for a more intimate relationship between peoples and nations, fostering peace and mutual understanding.”

WASHINGTON (CNS) — Worker advocates have turned to a new tool to educate low-wage employees about wage theft.

Welcome the comic book.

The first issue of “Wage Theft: Crime & Justice,” published by Chicago-based Interfaith Worker Justice, may not be coveted by comic book collectors, but clients at worker centers around the country are poring over the bilingual book to learn how best to regain wages owed to them by deceitful employers.

“The combination of story and art can be very powerful,” said Jeffry Korgen, executive director of planning and communications for the Diocese of Metuchen, N.J., who wrote the book and teamed with artist Kevin C. Pyle in the effort.

 (CNS)

A longtime worker rights advocate, Korgen said he was inspired to develop a short graphic novel in English and Spanish to tell the stories of workers who were cheated out of wages owed to them under state and federal laws.

“Poverty is awful and something we should try to alleviate,” Korgen said. “Jesus told us it is essential toward our salvation. But when you look at people working full time, maybe several jobs, and they still can’t feed their children or provide health care, and on top of that employers are stealing their wages, that just cries for action.”

The 32-page book tells the stories of four real-life workers who failed to be paid for overtime hours or extra hours off the clock, whose pay was below the minimum wage (currently $7.25 an hour) or who waited weeks for a paycheck. The stories end with examples of how the workers took steps to recover their wages by learning about their legal rights, coming together with co-workers to act and educating the public about their situation.

The stories come from among clients at some of the 27 worker centers affiliated with Interfaith Worker Justice. Some of the centers, as well as the Chicago justice organization, have received Catholic Campaign for Human Development grants for their worker advocacy efforts. CCHD also provided a $5,000 education grant for the book project. In addition, the CCHD program in the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston supported the project.

“It’s a great way for people to understand the issues of wage theft who may not be aware of it at all,” Kathy Saile, director of domestic social development at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and an Interfaith Worker Justice board member, said of the comic book. “It’s also a way to help to help victims learn about wage theft. Maybe they don’t realize wages are being stolen … and there are ways to fix it.”

Wage theft is most prevalent in low-paying employment sectors, among them construction, restaurant, domestic and hotel services, nursing homes and home health care. “Broken Laws, Unprotected Workers,” a 2008 study involving 4,387 low-wage workers in New York, Chicago and Los Angeles found numerous workplace violations involving both wages and working conditions.

Some of the findings include:

– 25.9 percent of workers were paid below minimum wage.

– 19.1 percent worked overtime and 76.3 percent of them were not paid overtime wages

– 16.9 percent worked off the clock and 70.1 percent were not paid for that work.

– 58.3 percent experienced meal break violations.

– 12 percent of tipped workers had tips stolen by an employer or supervisor.

– 4.6 percent of workers experienced retaliation from an employer for making a complaint or organizing a union.

“Organizationally, we have tried to promote the concept that this is not a just a minor problem, that this is a widespread, systematic abuse of workers across the country,” Kim Bobo, Interfaith Worker Justice’s executive director, told Catholic News Service.

Enforcement actions by the Department of Labor tend to support Bobo’s statement. In fiscal year 2012, the department’s Wage and Hour Division secured employer agreements to pay more than $280 million in back wages while assisting more than 308,000 workers. Spokesman Jason Surbey said it’s the largest amount recovered in the division’s history. That compares with $172 million recovered and 219,759 workers helped in fiscal year 2009.

Bobo said several factors contribute to wage theft, including lessening sense of responsibility to workers on the part of business owners, the falling number of unionized jobs and the subsequent loss of union oversight of employer actions and a backlog in enforcement of labor laws by the Department of Labor.

On top of that, many low-wage jobs are largely filled by immigrants, many of whom are in the country illegally and face threats of deportation by employers if they complain about working conditions or lost wages, she said.

Laura Perez-Boston, executive director of Fe y Justicia Worker Center in Houston, described wage theft as “rampant workplace abuse.”

The center runs twice-a-month workshops for workers who have experienced wage theft. Each session has at least 40 workers who learn about the complex steps necessary to recover unpaid wages. Perez-Boston said the center has 140 active cases and another 64 in process. All of the cases are handled by one full-time staffer and a crew of volunteers.

“The point for us is the workers are helping to educate these employers,” she explained. “It’s not just about me (the worker). It’s not about money. It’s about ‘My work has dignity. You don’t have the right to treat me like this.’”

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Editor’s Note: In addition to the print version, “Wage Theft: Crime & Justice” is available online in English (bit.ly/ZKYlMj) and Spanish (bit.ly/13FRTdc). Information about wage theft is available through Interfaith Worker Justice at www.iwj.org/issues/wage-theft. “Broken Laws, Unprotected Workers” can be found online at bit.ly/1QR4FV.

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (CNS) — Minnesota businessman Cy Laurent remembers the moment the Holy Spirit lit a path for what would become his lay ministry, the Laboure Society. Talking to a young woman about a job, she told him she had discerned a vocation but had been stymied by her debts.

Laurent, a Catholic, rallied some of his business associates to help pay down the woman’s outstanding debt, allowing her to pursue her vocation.

“It’s been 12 years since she professed her final vows, thanks be to God,” Laurent said. “That experience was quite wonderful, and I started to look around to see if there were others in that situation.”

What Laurent discovered — and what few casual observers realize — is the roadblock debt presents to thousands of potential priestly and religious vocations.

While guidelines vary by order, diocese and seminary as to what debt new members are allowed to carry, for many religious orders that number is zero. Such is the case in Arkansas with the Carmelite friars, Benedictine and Olivetan Benedictine sisters, among others.

In other situations, individuals are allowed to have existing student loans but no personal debt such as from credit cards or a mortgage. Many divinity schools observe this guideline, as do the Benedictine monks of Subiaco Abbey who allow new members to enter having educational debt up to $50,000, with the permission of the abbot.

The Diocese of Little Rock also allows seminarians on a case-by-case basis to have educational debt but no personal debts, said Msgr. Scott Friend, vocations director.

“We are going to work with someone and help them,” he said of school loans.

Even with these exceptions, it is estimated that as many as 10,000 individuals discerning a vocation are turned away because of their finances.

In a 2012 study the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate at Georgetown University found 70 percent of institutes turned at least one person away — a person who in all other aspects has been accepted into the community — because of money issues.

Aiden Toombs knows this quandary firsthand. A native of Washington state, he attended graduate school at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock in the 1990s. At the time, his faith had fallen into disrepair.

“By the time I got to Little Rock, I was a devout atheist,” Toombs told the Arkansas Catholic, Little Rock’s diocesan newspaper. “But it was at UAMS that I had my conversion experience. I was reading the Bible in my room and I was reading the Gospel of Matthew and it was very clear that Jesus was talking to me directly.”

It wasn’t long before the rekindled Christian spark led him to Catholicism and he attended the Cathedral of St. Andrew. Moving back to Seattle, he joined the Catholic Church in 1999 and shortly thereafter, his thoughts turned to a religious life and he began to research different vocational options.

The same problem always arose. Having attained both a law degree and completed graduate work in biology, Toombs’ student loans totaled more than $100,000. While that figure is more than the $45,000 the average vocational aspirant carries, it’s not beyond what Laurent had seen in the 10 years since he launched the not-for-profit Laboure Society.

“We are a national organization with the specific purpose of serving the church by delivering vocations which would otherwise be lost,” he said.

The Laboure Society — on the Internet at http://labouresociety.org — assists aspiring religious in addressing their financial situation in several ways. Applicants are thoroughly vetted, including through the order they wish to join. Roughly every six months, those accepted are organized into classes, usually 10 to 15 members in size.

The class is brought together at a three-day financial boot camp where members are taught ethical fundraising skills and work through a strategic plan to tackle the accumulated student loans of the group. Personal debt is not addressed by the society’s program.

Laurent said while class members then return to implement the fundraising plan in their home areas, they are not cut adrift. Each class is assigned a mentor who follows up to assess progress and provide support.

“This is a very well-thought out protocol,” he said. “The individual serves as accountability to the team members.”

Once the money has been collected, it is allocated to each team member in the form of grants with the exact amount each team member receives calculated by a comprehensive formula. The society doesn’t issue checks to team members, but takes over management of loan payment schedules. Individuals who don’t receive grants sufficient to wipe out their debt join a second team to participate in additional rounds of fundraising.

The group makes loan payments as long as the individual continues to advance through their vocational path and returns any unpaid principal if a person abandons their vocation. To date, the nonprofit organization has helped more than 230 individuals into priestly and religious formation.