My sincere thanks to Clare Lazzuri for her marvellous and clear-sighted article “How we got here and whether Fiducia Supplicans will help” in the Jan. 15 B.C. Catholic.
The Church used to stand as a sign of contradiction against the sexual laxity of our culture. But the recent document on blessings makes it seem like it’s embracing modern sexuality and wokeism.
This is setting off alarm bells for long-time Catholics who see this as a capitulation rather than reaching out to the culture, and a watered-down Catholicism and feel-goodism that belies the universal call to holiness that was one of the central messages of Vatican II.
Kevin O’Mahony
North Vancouver
I have been following Peter Vogel’s analysis of the hearing aid issue and thought I could help clarify a few things for him and all readers from my experience.
I have been wearing my aids for 14 years. I went to a national company and got excellent service. First of all, my hearing was tested, free of course, then re-tested six months later. More loss of hearing had occurred, so it was time to be fitted. This meant setting up the aids perfectly for my individual needs with no other adjustments required by me. (It was becoming very annoying for all the people around me to have to repeat everything and louder every time! That is very inconsiderate when something can be done to fix this problem.)
It was fully explained to me what happens and how I am affected by hearing loss. For one thing, as the brain loses the ability to hear a certain sound - usually in the higher pitches - the brain can never learn that sound again. So, it is important to help one’s hearing before that happens. That is why getting hearing aids later in life when so much has already been lost does little to help with hearing and older people abandon the aids. Noise is simply amplified and one still does not hear as one would like.
Hearing loss means certain brain cells are not being stimulated and used. So, the brain cells die and brain health will decline. This is one of the losses that lead to Alzheimer’s as well as the isolation that occurs when one cannot hear others and so they can’t fit in with people - they begin to be isolated.
Yes, hearing aids are expensive. With the initial purchase costing $5,000 to $6,000 comes service for the rest of the life of the aids, about five or six years. There is an annual hearing test. Aids can be cleaned in their labs at any time. The aids can be adjusted when something seems “off.” This means changing the settings, increasing the volumes, and other standard settings to make them work the best for the client.
There are also apps which may not work perfectly on Android phones, but do work nonetheless.
My app counts my steps and my daily usage, which for me is 100 per cent while I am awake. Also, I can adjust for “noise in large spaces,” “restaurant mode,” and anything else the audiologist can work out for me. I adjust my aids when I am in church and hear the priest so much more clearly. All of this service is covered in the initial cost.
The cost of the aids can be deducted as a medical expense on your taxes. That alone is worth the cost of a reputable clinic and a well-known brand of aids. A friend told me her audiologist has helped a lot of people who tried getting a cheaper brand but came to her when that did not work out at all!
I hope Peter has made a wise choice, and I hope he received some of the information I have outlined here. If not, that is itself unfortunate. If you need them, go to a good clinic and wear them. The adjustment phase is short and so rewarding!
Mary Alice Boyer
Coquitlam
It is reassuring to know the book Grave Error was written and is available now.
What I do not understand is why our Church does not have scientists and lawyers who immediately did question the so-called discovery of unmarked graves.
There is a huge difference between accounts of people who have been abused in residential schools and scientific claims that unmarked graves have been discovered.
When survivors tell their stories about abuse they must be believed and listened to respectfully.
When science claims to have discovered unmarked graves then scientists must question the process and the validity of evidence and conclusions.
Marianne Werner
Vancouver
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