Thanks for joining us. Im joie chen. This brought a number of firsts to the Catholic Church in america. Pope francis led the way to new conversations about immigrants, the poor and our environment. His first major teaching document focused on a subject no pope addressed that way before, Global Warming and Climate Change, and for american catholics longcommitted to activism, the popes words mark a turning point for the faith. In the beginning god created the heavens and earth and the earth was without form and void. To hear john rousch tell it, the idea of protecting our earth began with the one who was there in the beginning. When you think about the first chapter of genesis, the first couple of chapters of genesis, you really have a plan of god, that god was the god of life. Out here in the heart of appalachia under the vast blue Eastern Kentucky sky, it is hard to separate god from the glory of nature. As we walked through here, theres such a biodiversity and interdependence on the life structures. Whether its a little ant or a little spider, a tree, a shrub, all these things are integrated together. Does this have to do with faith . It sure does, because we are part of nature. Rousch learned to approach that when he arrived in appalachia 45 years ago to work with the regions poor. After a while i started to look over their shoulder, and i would see the mountains in the background. It slowly made a change in me. I could still see the person, but i could now see the person in a context. The context the context of the beauty of creation. Im sorry. Im really passionate about this. It was their human suffering that redefined his lifes work. Im not an environmentalist, im a theologin. I integrate with my faith with how i try to live. And the pope . The pope is the same. Hes a priest. A priest basically this is the amazing thing. The priest is supposed to be one who kind of like is bringing heaven and earth together in a harmony. [ singing ] here in the heart of coal country usa, father john also learned thats not always an easy case to make. You formed us in your own image and set us over the whole world in all its wonder. The faithful here have long lived dependent on an industry often seen at odds with the environment. Discover god in all things. Theres a mystical meaning to be found in a leaf, in a mountain trail, in a dewdrop, in a poor persons face. In a churn that sits directly across from an abandoned coal plant, a sermon about Climate Change is often not welcome. When you deliver a homily, do you know there are people out there that would like you to stop talking about these issues . Yes. Some people have gotten up and walked out. Now, thats not something i want to encourage. Why do they want walk out . They walk out, i believe, because they dont they feel like i have become too partisan political. But here in the other america of Eastern Kentucky where coal mining jobs dropped to ha what they were a few years ago and catholics make up only 3 of the population, father john has maintained something of a personal ministry pressing his flock to understand that close connection between earth and man. We listened in as father john drove out to a former strip mine with parishioner rick whitley. I know what coal mining is not going to, you know, suit everybody. As they study the mountain blasted away for the riches beneath its surface, whitley gently reminds his pastor of the priorities in this community. You know, i dont really push coal. Yeah. But these people actually around this area love in it in that it provides jobs and the economy booms with the coal. While coal is so essential to the industrialization of america, right now it just strikes me that were into another era altogether. I think were into the era of looking after the environment, because unless we do that, we are going to be sick. We are going to be strapped for resources that we need. After four decades of preaching that message about the wilderness god created man in his image. Father john found it echoed in pope francis document on the environment. It was released this summer. If i can quote from it, we have a god of life, and its from the scriptures in all these verses that, you know, point to let us know be stewards and really cultivate and not just take. For the pastor, it was an unexpected shot of support. Youve been campaigning for the environment for decades. Yeah. What did you think . I wanted to say yay. I wanted to say yay. Did you feel vindicated . Absolutely correct. Also, i also had some more information and moral persuasion to apply to congregations to say that, you know, this is part of catholic social teachings now, is that we look after the environment. A chemist by training, the pope signaled his determination to press Environmental Issues from the start. Taking the name francis, the patron saint of nature. His encyclical mentions Climate Change and ties Global Warming to human activity generated controversy even before its release. Prominent american catholics urged him to steer clear of political subjects. Too. Every sermon is political. If you sit around saying love, love, love and dont make it concrete, then everybody goes home, oh, thats a lovely sermon. Is this what the pope should be talking about . He has no choice but to speak out on that. The same way if one country decides to go to war against another country. You would say, wait a minute, we better speak against violence against people. If you destroy the earth, youre doing violence against people. Youre also doing violence against gods garden, god peace gift. Our society is bombarding us with noise. Now 70 father john finds himself renewed by daily con tell me plagues and by his connection with nature. You can play skip the rock, okay . Im going to try it, okay . Here we go. That was awesome. That was about four. Its places like these, he says, that spiritual leaders must protect as true evidence of their faith. Is this what the pope meant . I would think pope francis would be right alongside us, and he would be skipping rocks the same as us and maybe wed have a prayer together. It would be a prayer of thankfulness and nice going, god. Next, a prayer for another future. The nut centerhood. And why a young woman would choose it today. We always portray it as no sex, no money, you have to do what the superior says. That sounds horrible. Who would do that . America tonight with a spirited choice. Later looking up. Long hidden from view, the rebirth of americas mother church. Sunday on hard earned. Losing control. 50 and broke. I live with the consequences every day. Harsh realities. I did two tours in iraq, when i came back i couldnt find a job. Fighting to survive. Bein a man and cant put my family in a home that they deserve. Thats a problem for me. Hard earned pride. Hard earned respect. Hard earned future. A real look at the american dream. Hard earned. Sunday, 10 00 eastern. Only on al jazeera america. Now an acts of faith. When the pope came for the first visit to the united states, he sparked a conversation about inspiring a new enthusiasm for the Catholic Church. Especially among young people. Researchers say that two years into his papacy is early to determine whether there is a francis effect bringing a new generation into religious life. America tonight has found in one community a surge in the sisterhood. [ singing ] society portraying religious life a lot as giving up things. We always portray it as like, okay, no sex. No money. You got to do what the superior says. That sounds horrible. Who would do that, you know . I think thats kind of the idea that i had going into it, which added to my terror. As a teenager in catholic school, tracy never imagined that she might one day become a nun or a sister in the church. Im like, nobody does that anymore, right . Young people dont do that anymore. It wasnt even something i considered. In her early 20s she had a serious boyfriend and plans to eventually walk down the aisle. When she pictured herself growing old with him, something wasnt quite right. I was so in love with him, but when i thought about marrying him, it felt like a door closing. I thought about religious life, even though every ounce of me did not want to feel this way, it felt like a big, blue sky opening up. Shed been volunteers in ecuador and teaching children o underprivileged children. It was a world different than an upper class cincinnati neighborhood. I felt this call to do something with my life to make the world a little place. Thats when the little seed started to grow. At 22 she says she had her first call from god. What does gods call sound like . I wish it was a phone call on a cell phone. That would make it a lot easier. I was sitting on a beach in ecuador when i was praying, and i was thinking about the boyfriend i had just broken up with and i was missing my family. I was just kind of asking god, like, what is all this about . I felt from somewhere its not like a voice i heard, but i felt this feeling like ushgd be a nun. I was like who said that, you know . Over the next couple of days it was really clear that god was inviting me to something. She made her first vows to religious life over the summer. Shes one of six women in the last couple of years to join in cincinnati. Thats six more than than that group has had in the last decade. Though she doesnt wear a traditional habit, she has taken a vow of celibacy, obedience and poverty. Things that reinforce her commitment to god and her live lived in community with others. Part of her poverty vow, is sharing her possessions with her roommates, two of whom are more than twice her age. Whats it like living in a house together four weeks in . Its disgusting. What have you discovered so far . Well, ive discovered peoples interests, people as idios. Theres something in their 50 and their 20s and 60s and 70s. Who would think that this would be a group of roommates . Who would think this would be a group of roommates . What do you say to that . Theres so much more than roommates. Were in this for life. Its a gift in a lot of ways and a struggle in a lot of ways. Were going to use the gospel this morning. The beauty is living together with women with all different experiences, different kinds of wisdom from the age that they are and being able to share that together in prayer in the morning. What has been the most difficulty part of this process for you . Just being a younger cente center younger sister in a world of older sisters. There are very few 28yearolds surrounded all the time by people in their 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s. Theres a lot of sickness and death. People who are coming to the end of their life, whereas im just coming into mine full steam ahead. I wonder, you know, how they do it. They do it well. They seem to fit in easily. I think baudz theres something deeper than just the companionship. 91yearold sister joan mir yam jones sees the small surge of women in her congregation as a welcome surprise. Things are different now from the time she became a sister at age 19. Now the young people are actually much older than that. What do you think of that . Thats right. Well, i think its a sign that of the change, of the evolution that has come about in religious life. You know, that youre not ready as young as we were. Why do you think you were ready so young . You and you ask hard questions. What have you seen change for the way that women are . Well, involvement in ministry, i think, would be a huge one. Time was when we were assigned school, hospital, whatever , and you did what you were asked to do. Now we choose the ministry that appeals to us. She spends her days now doing outreach in cincinnatis latino community. She says her new role as a gift. At the end of the day, theres such a deep sense of joy. Not like happiness. I just ate some really good ice cream so im happy, but a sense of abiding joy that lasts. Some might argue you can still have the things that you have to give up without having to become a sister. Yeah. I have a lot of people ask me that, and that was a question i discerned for myself. I compare it to someone that feels very, very incredibly called to be a mother. Someone could say to them, well, you dont have to have your own kids. You could just like become a babysitter and have people over at your house all the time. You could have that as part of your life. So for me, having this as the number one is the only way that it felt like enough. My number one relationship and commitment in my life is with god and my congregation. For her parents who once watched their daughter play maria, a woman who considers becoming a nun in the High School Performance of the sound of music, growing accustomed to her reallife decision has been a learning experience but one they have come to welcome. Are you happy she made the decision she answer honestly. Im happy that shes doing what she wants to do. You were talking to patty. And she said shes gotten used to it. Do you have any regrets . I dont have any regrets. I feel like i had a really good discernment process, i have a lot of really good people that helped me along the way, and i feel like ive found the life that im meant to live. Al jazeera, cincinnati. Next, raising faith. The basilica reborn and children raised in its image. Finally we look to a change in the home of worship. In many ways the place which gave birth to the spread of catholicism in america, resurrected from a nearly history, it is a worthy place of co contemplation for americas catholics. The ba sis cal of the assumption, a relatively unknown cathedral in baltimore, maryland is considered by many z athe birthplace of catholicism in america, a true symbol of religious freedom. This is the mother church. This is the first catholic cathedral in the united states. So every Catholic Church throughout the united states, they are all daughters of this church. Bob knows this Church Better than just about anybody. As the operations manager, hes the goto guy on every nook, cranny, and historic cal note. The lord be with you. And also with you. A reading from the holy gospel. Here catholic mass takes place every day as it does in thousands of chufrjs and cathedrals across america. But that wasnt always the case. It was a lot of distrust and dislike for catholics in this country. When this church was connecticut received of, the whole concept of having a Catholic Church in a former english colony was unheard of. Prior to 1776 it was against lat you to be a catholic or anything other than a member of the anglican church. Americas independence changed that, and john carroll had the vision and money to build the cathedral. In the early 1800s, as the first catholic archbishop in america, carroll those Benjamin Henry latrobe, one of the architects of the u. S. Capitol, to build the basilica. He decided on the simplest possible neoclassical design. Not a fancy Gothic Church like in europe so all denominations felt welcome. Construction began in 1806. Which baltimore . Baltimore was a major port of debarkation for i am grants coming into the country. Thats why some of the first churches that started here were ethnic churches. Lithuanian, polish and italian. They all started up based on what had happened here. This was a grand experiment. How significant is the dome to why this is such a beautiful building . Its a two piece dome with 100ton of brick. Its a dome within a dome. That is a centerpiece, and the thought was piece the outer dome with skylights to allow light to filter into the church to shoez sitting under the dome see this light from above. What do you like best about this building . For many every piece of this church is beautiful. I especially do like the underkroft. The underkroft is down a set of stairs underneath the main room of the church. This intricate structure in the basement supports everything above, including the double dome, the arches and an architectural device born of necessity. This is the foundation of the building of the american Catholic Church . Thats correct. This is the foundation and the building has stood through the weathering of the community, the changes in faith. Through the 20th century, time was not so kind to the basilica of the assumption as local parish churches grew popular, it lost members. Even more, the church lost its luster. This church became the church that john carroll didnt want. Cathedral. In the spring of 2004 it closed its door for a twoyear 40 million overhaul. It lost members, but not the citys love. For this is my body which will be given up for you. Its rebirth accomplished with money mostly donated by the citizens of baltimore. Its a church that for nearly 200 years has stood the test of time. Its history and symbolism now preserved for a new generation of worshippers. As youre sitting under that dome on a day like today and the light is filtering down through the dome, you dont see the source. You know the direction its coming from. Adam may, al jazeera, baltimore. And that is faith in the future. Thats america tonight. Please tell us what you think at aljazeera. Com americantonight. Talk to us on twitter and facebook and come back. We have more of america tonight tomorrow. Our american story is written everyday. Its not always pretty, but its real. And we show you like noone else can. This is our american story. This is america tonight. Im ali velshi. On target tonight. Homeless on the home front. Lets get those who fought so bravely for america off the street and into stable housing for good. 49,933. That is the governments most recent estimate of how Many American veterans are homeless on any given night in this country. Nearly 50,000 men and women who served their country are living without a roof over their heads. Its a situation that Many Americans find shameful. Some experts say the real number of Homeless Veterans is about twice that figure, 100,000. Whatever the number, the experts agree its about 11 of all homeless adults, but here is the good news. The fish estimate of Homeless Veterans is down by a third from 2010. Tonight i am going to look at how america is trying to eliminate homelessness among veterans entirely and the obstacles it faces. The
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