A free clinic where vaccine to counter the H1N1 influenza will be administered is scheduled Nov. 7 and 8, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., at Christ the King Church, Los Angeles.

Cosponsored by Christ the King, the Order of Malta and the L.A. County Department of Public Health, the clinic will provide H1N1 vaccine on a first-come, first-served basis, a parish spokeswoman said. Christ the King is located at 617 N. Arden Blvd., Los Angeles; for information, call (323) 465-7605.

Good Shepherd's 'Forget Me Not Luncheon'
set Nov. 7
LOS ANGELES --- The Auxiliary for Good Shepherd Center for Homeless Women and Children will hold its annual Forget Me Not Benefit Luncheon to celebrate the Center's 25th anniversary Nov. 7, at the Wilshire Country Club.

Susan Kneafsey and Marion Plato of NGA Inc. (New Garment Assn.) will receive the Community Partners Award in appreciation for their efforts on behalf of Good Shepherd Center. Auxiliary member Marilyn Roberts will receive the "From The Heart Award" for more than 20 years of service.

Proceeds will benefit Good Shepherd's Women's Village project, completed between 1998 and 2003. It provides housing for homeless women who have successfully completed programs offered through the Center; long-term housing for homeless disabled mothers with minor children; and additional transitional housing and client services, including computer classes, job training, counseling and a referral center.

Good Shepherd Center, a program of Catholic Charities, was founded in 1984 in response to the needs of the rapidly growing homeless population of Los Angeles. The Center annually assists 4000 women and children regardless of their religion or ethnicity, serves more than 75,000 meals, and responds to over 10,000 phone requests for aid to the homeless through various programs.

The day will begin at 11 a.m. and include a reception and silent auction. Tickets are $85; for information, call Kathy Palmer, (562) 296-5777.

Bishop criticizes 'slavishly literal' English translation of missal
WASHINGTON (CNS) --- Bishop Donald Trautman of Erie, Pa., former chairman of the U.S. bishops' liturgy committee, sharply criticized what he called the "slavishly literal" translation into English of the new Roman Missal from the original Latin. He said the "sacred language" used by translators "tends to be elitist and remote from everyday speech and frequently not understandable" and could lead to a "pastoral disaster." "The vast majority of God's people in the assembly are not familiar with words of the new missal like 'ineffable,' 'consubstantial,' 'incarnate,' 'inviolate,' 'oblation,' 'ignominy,' 'precursor,' 'suffused' and 'unvanquished.' The vocabulary is not readily understandable by the average Catholic," Bishop Trautman said. "The (Second Vatican Council's) Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy stipulated vernacular language, not sacred language," he added. "Did Jesus ever speak to the people of his day in words beyond their comprehension? Did Jesus ever use terms or expressions beyond his hearer's understanding?" Bishop Trautman made his remarks in an Oct. 22 lecture at The Catholic University of America in Washington, as part of the Msgr. Frederick R. McManus Lecture Series. Msgr. McManus, a liturgist, served as a peritus, or expert, during Vatican II.

Making pro-life centers name services not provided called 'harassment'
BALTIMORE (CNS) --- A proposal requiring Baltimore pregnancy support centers to post a disclaimer telling clients they do not provide abortion or contraceptive services is harassment of the pro-life centers, say Catholic leaders. Baltimore Archbishop Edwin F. O'Brien and other critics of the measure said abortion clinics are not being similarly required to list all the services they don't provide, such as infant clothes, formula and parenting classes. The president of the Baltimore City Council, Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, and 10 other members are sponsoring the bill, which if passed would levy a fine of $500 per day on centers that do not comply with the requirement. In an Oct. 16 letter to Rawlings-Blake, Archbishop O'Brien said the bill targets nonprofit organizations whose mission is to help women carry pregnancies to term. He said it is "well-known" that pregnancy support centers are exclusively focused on assisting women in their choice for childbirth, and do not provide abortions or contraception. "To fine a center $500 for not posting a sign that states as much is nothing short of harassment," Archbishop O'Brien said, "especially when nothing in a pregnancy support center's Yellow-Page advertisements or Web pages would lead a woman to believe these centers provide abortions or abortion-related services."

Key post: U.S. archbishop will help shape the world's episcopate
VATICAN CITY (CNS) --- Pope Benedict XVI's naming of U.S. Archbishop Raymond Burke to the Congregation for Bishops was a small but significant appointment that could have an impact on the wider church for many years to come. The congregation's members generally meet every two weeks to review candidates for vacant dioceses and make their recommendations to the pope -- recommendations that carry a lot of weight. Precisely for that reason, the Congregation for Bishops is known as one of the most important Roman Curia agencies. Membership on the congregation is a five-year appointment, which could be renewed until a prelate's 80th birthday. It would not be an exaggeration to say that Archbishop Burke, 61, will be helping to shape the episcopate, not only in the United States but also around the world. Formerly the archbishop of St. Louis, Archbishop Burke was named in 2008 as head of the Vatican's highest tribunal, known as the Supreme Court of the Apostolic Signature.

Synod proposals call for change of heart to meet Africa's challenges
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Meeting the challenges of Africa --- from protecting the environment to stopping the spread of AIDS --- requires an individual change of heart, better education and cooperation based on respect for African and Christian values, said Cardinal Peter Turkson of Cape Coast, Ghana. The cardinal, whom Pope Benedict XVI named as president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace Oct. 24, presented the 57 propositions formulated by the Synod of Bishops for Africa and offered as suggestions for a document the pope may write about the work of the church on the continent. Cardinal Turkson, 61, had served as recording secretary of the Oct. 4-25 synod. Presenting the propositions at a press conference, Cardinal Turkson said synod members had looked at Africa's challenges from the point of view of "the work that the church, as the family of God, has to do." While many of the problems involve bad government, ancient ethnic tensions, disease, exploitation by multinational companies or the cultural agenda of foreign aid organizations, he said, the bishops believe they cannot be resolved without "a spirituality that unleashes signs on a social, economic and political level in our countries."

Archbishop Dolan appointed moderator of Jewish affairs for USCCB
WASHINGTON (CNS) --- Archbishop Timothy Dolan of New York has been named moderator of Jewish affairs for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, succeeding Cardinal William Keeler, retired archbishop of Baltimore, in that role. In announcing the appointment Oct. 23, Cardinal Francis George of Chicago, USCCB president, noted the New York Archdiocese's "long history of cooperation and friendship between Catholics and Jews." "Since the Second Vatican Council, important strides in this relationship have been made through dialogue and collaboration in countering racism, anti-Semitism and other offenses against human dignity," Cardinal George said in the letter of appointment. "Our episcopal conference, through the leadership of your predecessors in New York, and especially through the tireless and generous service of Cardinal William Keeler, has sought to contribute to the work of reconciliation between the church and the Jewish people after centuries of mutual estrangement."