Feb. 17, 2012

February 17, 2012

catholicnewsherald.com charlottediocese.org S E RV I N G C H R I ST A N D C O N N EC T I N G C AT H O L I C S I N W E ST E R N N O R T H C A R O L I N A

HHS CONTRACEPTION MANDATE: A new look for St. Dorothy Lincolnton designs new sanctuary for glory of God,

5 Charlotte housing for disabled gets HUD grant,

3 Fund set up for Asheville tuition aid,

18 INDEX Contact us.......................... 4 Events calendar................. 4 Our Parishes................. 3-13 Schools......................... 18-19 Scripture readings............ 2 TV & Movies...................... 20 U.S./World news.......... 22-25 Viewpoints.................. 26-27

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Concerns continue among local Catholics,

LENT 2012 Seeking true conversion of our hearts INSIDE: 14-15

Deacon Ed Konarski: Operation Rice Bowl CRS aid recipient visits to say ‘thank you’ Fasting & abstinence guidelines Resources online

3, 27

Our faith 2

catholicnewsherald.com | February 17, 2012 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Pope Benedict XVI

Pope urges support for large families Pope Benedict XVI called on governments and communities to help large families, saying children represent hope and the well-being of every nation.

“There is no future without children,” he said at the end of his general audience Feb. 15 in a greeting to members of an Italian association of large families.

“In today’s social context, a family made up of many children constitutes a witness of faith, courage and optimism,” he said.

“I hope that adequate social and legislative measures are promoted that safeguard and sustain large families, which represent richness and hope for the whole country,” he said.

In his catechesis, the pope continued a series of talks on prayer by highlighting some of Jesus’ prayers during His crucifixion.

Jesus’ willingness to forgive His tormenters and executioners is an invitation to all Christians to forgive those who cause harm or are in the wrong, the pope said.

People should pray for those who have done them wrong with “the same attitude of mercy and love that God has for us,” he said.

Jesus called on God to forgive His executioners as they nailed Him to the cross and divided up His clothing.

He said the soldiers “do not know what they are doing” and, by forgiving them, He showed “the depths of His reconciling love for humanity,” which often sins out of ignorance, the pope said.

His prayer invites all Christians to follow the same “difficult gesture of also praying for those who do us wrong or hurt us – always knowing to forgive so that God’s light may illuminate their hearts,” Pope Benedict said.

Jesus then prayed for the man crucified next to Him – the good thief – who recognized Jesus as the Son of God and asked Him to “remember me when You come into Your kingdom.”

Jesus’ final prayer on the cross was when He commended His spirit to God, showing His complete surrender to His Father’s will.

“It shows us the certainty that no matter how hard the trials, difficult the problems and oppressive the suffering, we will never fall out of God’s hands – those hands that created us, sustain us and accompany us on the journey of life guided by an infinite and faithful love,” he said.

St. Polycarp: Bishop defied emperor upon martyrdom, ‘Bring forth what you will’ Feast day: Feb. 23

A saintly life

Benjamin Mann Catholic News Agency

On Feb. 23, the Church will remember the life and martyrdom of St. Polycarp, a disciple of the apostle and evangelist St. John.

Polycarp is celebrated on the same date by Eastern Orthodox Christians, who also honor him as a saint.

Polycarp is known to later generations primarily through the account of his martyrdom, rather than by a formal biography.

However, it can be determined from that account that he was born around the year 69 A.D. From the testimony he gave to his persecutors – stating he had served Christ for 86 years – it is clear that he was either raised as a Christian or became one in his youth.

Growing up among the Greek-speaking Christians of the Roman Empire, Polycarp received the teachings and recollections of people who had seen and known Jesus during His earthly life.

This important connection – between Jesus’ first disciples and apostles and their respective students – served to protect the Catholic Church against the influence of heresy during its earliest days, particularly against early attempts to deny Jesus’ bodily incarnation and full humanity.

Polycarp’s most eloquent testimony to his faith in Jesus came not through his words, but through his martyrdom, described in another early Christian work. The Church of Smyrna, in presentday Turkey, compiled its recollections of their bishop’s death at the hands of public authorities in a letter to another local church.

“We have written to you, brethren, as to what relates to the martyrs, and especially to the blessed Polycarp” – who, in the words of the Catholics of Smyrna, “put an end to the persecution – having, as it were, set a seal upon it by his martyrdom.”

Around the year 155, Polycarp became aware that government authorities were on the lookout for him, seeking to stamp out the Catholic Church’s claim of obeying a higher authority than the emperor. He retreated to a country house and occupied himself with constant prayer, before receiving a vision of his death that prompted him to inform his friends: “I must be burned alive.” He changed locations but was betrayed by a young man who knew his whereabouts and confessed under torture.

He was captured on a Saturday evening by two public officials who urged him to submit to the state demands. “What harm is there,” one asked, “in saying, ‘Caesar is Lord,’ and in sacrificing to him, with the other ceremonies observed on such occasions, so as to make sure of safety?”

“I shall not do as you advise me,” Polycarp answered. Outraged by his response, the officials had him violently thrown from their chariot and taken to an arena for execution. Entering the stadium, the bishop – along with some of his companions, who survived to tell of it – heard a heavenly voice saying: “Be strong, and show yourself a man, O Polycarp!”

Before the crowd, the Roman proconsul demanded again that he worship the emperor.

“Hear me declare with boldness, I am a Christian,” Polycarp responded. “And if you wish to learn what the doctrines of Christianity are, appoint me a day, and you shall hear them.

“You threaten me with fire,” he continued, “which burns for an hour, and after a little is extinguished. But you are ignorant of the fire of the coming judgment and of eternal punishment, reserved for the ungodly.

“But,” he challenged the proconsul, “what are you waiting for?

Bring forth what you will.”

Although the crowds clamored for Polycarp to be devoured by beasts, it was decided he should be burned alive, just as he had prophesied. He prayed aloud to God: “May I be accepted this day before You as an acceptable sacrifice -- just as You, the evertruthful God, have foreordained, revealed beforehand to me, and now have fulfilled.”

What happened next struck Polycarp’s companions with amazement. They recorded the sight in the letter that they circulated after Polycarp’s death.

“As the flame blazed forth in great fury,” they wrote, “we to whom it was given to witness it, beheld a great miracle.” The fire did not seem to touch the bishop’s body. Rather, as they described, “shaping itself into the form of an arch, it encompassed – as by a circle – the body of the martyr. And he appeared within not like flesh which is burnt, but as bread that is baked, or as gold and silver glowing in a furnace.

“Moreover, we perceived such a sweet odor coming from the flames – as if frankincense or some such precious spices had been burning there.”

The executioners perceived that Polycarp’s death was not going as planned. Losing patience, they stabbed him to death. From the resulting wound, “there came forth a dove and a great quantity of blood, so that the fire was extinguished.”

The crowd, as the Christian witnesses recalled, was shocked.

“All the people marveled,” they wrote, “that there should be such a difference between the unbelievers and the elect.”

Polycarp, they proclaimed, had been among that elect – “having in our own times been an apostolic and prophetic teacher, and bishop of the Catholic Church which is in Smyrna.”

St. Polycarp has been venerated as a saint since his death in 155.

Your daily Scripture readings SCRIPTURE FOR THE WEEK OF FEB. 19 - FEB. 25

Sunday, Isaiah 43:18-19, 21-22, 24-25, 2 Corinthians 1:18-22, Mark 2:1-12; Monday, James 3:13-18, Mark 9:14-29; Tuesday (St. Peter Damian), James 4:1-10, Mark 9:30-37; Wednesday (Ash Wednesday), Joel 2:12-18, 2 Corinthians 5:20-6:2, Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18; Thursday (St. Polycarp), Deuteronomy 30:15-20, Luke 9:22-25; Friday, Isaiah 58:1-9, Matthew 9:14-15; Saturday, Isaiah 58:9-14, Luke 5:27-32

SCRIPTURE FOR THE WEEK OF FEB. 26 - MAR. 3

Sunday (First Sunday of Lent), Genesis 9:8015, 1 Peter 3:18-22, Mark 1:12-15; Monday, Leviticus 19:1-2, 11-18, Matthew 25:31-46; Tuesday, Isaiah 55:10-11, Matthew 6:7-15; Wednesday, Jonah 3:1-10, Luke 11:29-32; Thursday, Esther C:12, 14-16, 23-25 or 4:17 (Esther’s prayer), Matthew 7:7-12; Friday, Ezekiel 18:21-28, Matthew 5:20-26; Saturday (St. Katharine Drexel), Deuteronomy 26:16-19, Matthew 5:43-48

SCRIPTURE FOR THE WEEK OF MAR. 4 - MAR. 10

Sunday (Second Sunday of Lent), Genesis 22:1-2, 9-13, 15-18, Romans 8:31-34, Mark 9:2-10; Monday, Daniel 9:4-10, Luke 6:36-38; Tuesday, Isaiah 1:10, 16-20, Matthew 23:1-12; Wednesday (Sts. Perpetua and Felicity), Jeremiah 18:1820, Matthew 20:17-28; Thursday (St. John of God), Jeremiah 17:5-10, Luke 16:19-31; Friday (St. Frances of Rome), Genesis 37:3-4, 12-13, 17-28, Matthew 21:33-43, 45-46; Saturday, Micah 7:14-15, 18-20, Luke 15:1-3, 11-32

Our parishes

February 17, 2012 | catholicnewsherald.com catholic news heraldI

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Housing for disabled adults gets green light with HUD funding Patricia L. Guilfoyle Editor

CHARLOTTE — A $2 million federal housing grant is paving the way for a new supportive housing development for developmentally-disabled adults in Charlotte, cosponsored by the Catholic Diocese of Charlotte Housing Corp. and InReach.

The grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development will fund Mother Teresa Villa, part of a 20-acre housing development that the diocese will build on Highway 49 in the Steele Creek area. Mother Teresa Villa will feature 12 apartments for very low-income adults who are physically or intellectually disabled and can live independently.

This is the third housing project for the diocese and the first for adults with developmental disabilities. It is also the first being built in Charlotte.

The diocese is partnering with InReach, a non-profit organization in Charlotte that has provided residential services and community support to the disabled since 1974.

InReach already operates 14 group homes and numerous scattered apartments in Charlotte for very low-income disabled adults.

“I am so pleased that we have received this HUD grant,” said Jerry Widelski, executive director of the diocesan housing corporation. “We strive to advance our mission of developing affordable housing for seniors and special needs citizens. We have been exploring opportunities for housing for the disabled with InReach for a few years,

and now our efforts have paid off. We will continue our searches for further developments around the diocese.”

“InReach is thrilled for this opportunity to partner with the Catholic Diocese of Charlotte and provide new, safe and affordable housing to our citizens with developmental disabilities in Mecklenburg County,” added Lori Gougeon of InReach.

Mother Teresa Villa will feature 13 units: 10 onebedroom apartments, two two-bedroom apartments, and one apartment for an on-site property manager provided

by InReach. Disabled residents will pay 30 percent of their adjusted income for rent, and the federal government will subsidize the rest as part of HUD’s Section 811 program.

This project is the first phase on the 20-acre site approved for affordable senior housing, a future adult day care center and a chapel. The site could accommodate up to 240 units of affordable senior housing when it is eventually completed. The project will also feature

gardens, open space and an outdoor activity area.

The grant was part of $749 million in HUD funding recently awarded by the Obama Administration to help non-profit organizations like the diocesan housing corporation build affordable housing, offer rental assistance and provide supportive services for the elderly and disabled.

Mother Teresa Villa is one of 92 projects being funded through these HUD grants. Upgrades to the site – including a deceleration lane off Highway 49, water/sewer service, additional tree plantings and fencing that were suggested following neighbors’ suggestions during the city’s rezoning process last summer – as well as upgrades to the building itself will be funded separately by the diocese.

“The waiting list for existing supportive housing resources for people with developmental disabilities is very long, since there is virtually no turnover in the occupancy of the occupied units,” InReach reported in its HUD grant application. “People with developmental disabilities are living longer than ever, and often outlive their family support networks. In addition, the treatment of people with developmental disabilities has evolved from institutionalization … to recognizing the benefits that result from living as independently as possible and being integrated into the larger society. (These) apartments will allow the developmentally disabled resident to live to his or her highest potential in a supportive yet independent setting.”

HOUSING, SEE page 21

Concerns remain among local Catholics over HHS contraception mandate Patricia L. Guilfoyle Editor

CHARLOTTE — Local Catholics’ concern continues to deepen over a new federal health insurance mandate requiring all employers to provide free contraception and sterilization services in their insurance plans by 2013, despite a slight change announced Feb. 10 by the Obama Administration in reaction to a backlash from Catholics nationwide.

Under the change President Barack Obama announced Feb. 10 with Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sibelius, religiouslyaffiliated universities and hospitals will not be forced to offer contraception coverage to their employees. Insurers themselves will be required, however, to offer complete coverage free of charge to any women who work for those institutions. There will be a one-year transition period for religious organizations after the policy formally takes effect on Aug. 1.

The administration’s change does not help religious organizations that are selfinsured, including the Diocese of Charlotte, Bishop Peter J. Jugis notes in a pastoral letter being issued Feb. 19. The letter is to be read out or distributed in all parishes during Mass this weekend.

As a self-insured employer, the Diocese of Charlotte essentially is its own health insurance company. So either way, the diocese could be forced under the HHS contraception mandate to cover contraception, abortion-causing drugs and sterilization services – starting either in 2013 or when the diocese’s insurance plan

year begins in July 2014.

The U.S. bishops, including Bishop Jugis, have mounted a nationwide opposition effort in response to the HHS contraception mandate, set by HHS in late 2011 as part of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 and reaffirmed

by HHS Jan. 20.

“The Administration’s sole concession was to give our institutions one year to comply. We cannot – we will not – comply with this unjust law,” Bishop Jugis wrote in his first pastoral letter last month.

On Feb. 10, the U.S. bishops reiterated their opposition to the contraception mandate.

Within hours of Obama’s announcement the bishops, led by Cardinal-designate Timothy Dolan, said the change does not address their objection to the mandate itself: that the government will be able to force religious employers to pay for contraception coverage over their religious objections.

In part, the U.S. bishops’ statement said, “today’s proposal continues to involve needless government intrusion in the internal governance of religious institutions, and to threaten government coercion of religious people and groups to violate their most deeply held convictions.

In a nation dedicated to religious liberty as its first and founding principle, we should not be limited to negotiating within these parameters. The only complete solution to this religious liberty problem is for HHS to rescind the mandate of these objectionable services.”

On our website n Get the latest developments on the controversy over the HHS contraception mandate. n Read Bishop Jugis’ two pastoral letters, asking the faithful of the diocese to pray, fast and contact their congressional leaders. n Get updates on Belmont Abbey College’s federal lawsuit, as well as other cases recently filed by EWTN and Priests for Life.

Readers’ reactions

Anthony Perlas | Catholic News Herald

Dr. Bill Theirfelder, president of Belmont Abbey College, speaks during the HHS presentation Feb. 11.

Order of Malta hosts presentation on HHS and religious liberty

The controversy has sparked faithful of the diocese to write letters to the editor of the Catholic News Herald, supporting the bishops’ protest as well as criticizing the overall situation that Catholics now find themselves in.

Estelle Wisneski encouraged the U.S. bishops to see this as a wake-up call on catechesis, which she believes has been sadly deficient for the past 40 years.

Particularly on the issue of artificial contraceptive use, Wisneski said, some clergy have looked the other way and remained silent instead of correcting Catholics who contracept.

“I pray that in the future they will take more seriously their mandate to teach the Truth, in season and out of season, welcome or unwelcome, so that their sheep will be able to hear our Lord’s voice and follow Him on the path to holiness of life and salvation,” she wrote.

BELMONT — The Order of Malta is not backing down in its defense of religious liberty and the Catholic faith.

That was evident on Feb. 11, as the Charlotte Chapter of the Order of Malta hosted a forum on religious liberty in the Haid Theatre at Belmont Abbey College, actively living its charism to “defend the Catholic, the Apostolic, the Roman Faith against the enemies of religion.”

More than 100 people attended the event.

It was hosted in light of recent attempts by the Obama Administration to seek compromise between Catholic leaders and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on its recent mandate to include contraception in all health insurance plans over religious organizations’ objections.

HHS, SEE page 13

COLLEGE, SEE page 12

Charlie Jackson Intern

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catholicnewsherald.com | February 17, 2012 OUR PARISHES

Diocesan calendar of events ASHEVILLE ST. LAWRENCE BASILICA, 97 HAYWOOD ST. — St. Martin DePorres Dominican Lay Chapter of Asheville Meeting, open to those interested in learning about this group, lower conference room, 7 p.m. Feb. 19. Contact Gail Atkinson at chloris58@ catholic.org or 828-216-7227.

Bishop Peter J. Jugis Bishop Peter J. Jugis will participate in the following events over the next two weeks: Feb. 18 - 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

2nd Charlotte Catholic Men’s Conference St. Matthew Church, Charlotte Feb. 23 – 5:30 p.m.

Partners In Hope Marriott Hotel, Winston-Salem Feb. 26 – 4 p.m.

Rite of Election Holy Cross Church, Kernersville Feb. 28 – 1:30 p.m.

Diocesan Building Commission Meeting Pastoral Center March 3 – 11 a.m.

Rite of Election St. Thomas Aquinas Church, Charlotte March 4 – 2 p.m.

Rite of Election St. Lawrence Basilica, Asheville

BELMONT belmont abbey college, 100 belmont-mt. holly road — “First Fridays at the Abbey,” 5 p.m. first Fridays, followed by dinner. Information and RSVP at alumni. belmontabbeycollege.edu/firstfriday.

CHARLOTTE CATHOLIC CAMPUS MINISTRY, 9408 SANDBURG ROAD — Wednesday Dinners, open to college students in the area, 6:30 p.m. Wednesdays. Contact Sister Eileen Spanier at ccmuncc@gmail.com or 704-717-7104.

ST. basil the great eastern mission, 7702 Pineville-Matthews Road — Forgiveness Vespers, 4 p.m. Feb. 19. Visit www.stbasil. weebly.com.

Lenten Activities ST. ANN CHURCH, 3635 Park Road, Charlotte — Lenten Meditations with Father Reid, 7 p.m. Fridays beginning March 9 ST. barnabas CHURCH, 109 Crescent Hill Dr., Arden — Women’s Lenten Program: “The Book of Ruth – A portrayal of faith, loyalty and trust,” 9:30 a.m.-2:15 p.m. March 24. Stations of the Cross, 8:15 a.m. and 9 a.m. Lunch provided. Contact Marcia Torres at johnandmarciatorres@yahoo.com or 828-697-1235.

— Programa de Cuaresma para Mujeres: “El libro de Ruth – Un retrato de la fe, la lealtad y la confianza”, 9:30 am-2: 15 pm 24 de marzo. Estaciones de la Cruz, a las 8:15 a.m. y 9 a.m. Almuerzo incluido.

Comuníquese con Marcia Torres al 828-697-1235 o johnandmarciatorres@yahoo.com.

ST. JOHN NEUMANN CHURCH, 8451 Idlewild Road, Charlotte — Lenten Series: “The Power of Small Choices,” 7:30 p.m. for 4 weeks beginning Feb. 29. Contact meredith@4sjnc.org or 704-535-4197.

— Intellectual/ Developmental disABILITIES Mass, 5 p.m.

Feb. 25. Contact Mary Kennedy at 704-364-6964.

ST. LUKE CHURCH, 13700 Lawyers Road — Anointing of the Sick Mass, 10 a.m. Feb. 18. Contact Mary Adams at 704-545-1224.

ST. MATTHEW CHURCH, 8015 BALLANTYNE COMMONS PKWY.

— Charismatic Prayer Group, Choir Room, 7:30-9 p.m.

Mondays. Contact Barbara Gardner at chlt5nc@aol.com.

— Centering Prayer Group, NLC 206, 7-8:30 p.m. second and fourth Wednesdays. Contact Bruce Hassett at 704-641-9041 or Janie Normile at 803-396-8016.

ST. PATRICK cATHEDRAL, 1621 DILWORTH ROAD EAST — Scripture Study Program: “Jesus’ Passion – The Story of Redemptive Suffering,” 1-2:30 p.m. Tuesdays (Feb. 28-March 27) and “The Epistle of St. James,” 10-11 a.m.

Sundays (Jan. 29-May 6). Contact Michelle Rahilly at rahillyhome@carolina.rr.com or Margaret Gustafson at jmgusto@bellsouth.net.

ST. thomas aquinas church, 1400 Suther Road — Charismatic Prayer Group, following 7 p.m. Mass Wednesdays

— Pray the Rosary: for life, 6:30 p.m. Wednesdays; for priests and vocations to religious life, 5 p.m.

Saturdays ST. VINCENT DE PAUL CHURCH, 6828 Old Reid Road — Charlotte Catholic Women’s Group (CCWG) Reflection with Capuchin Father Remo DiSalvatore, 9 a.m. March 5. Reconciliation available. Contact Mary Catherine Surface at mcsurface@gmail.com or 704-651-5860.

DENVER hOLY SPIRIT CHURCH, 537 N. HIGHWAY 16 — Moving On After Moving In (for Women), 10-11:30 a.m. for 10 weeks beginning Jan. 26. Contact Candy at 704-489-1696 or Maureen at 704-489-0544.

1123 S. Church St. Charlotte, N.C. 28203-4003 catholicnews@charlottediocese.org

704-370-3333 PUBLISHER: The Most Reverend Peter J. Jugis, Bishop of Charlotte

Note: This is a limited list. Check with your local parish for more information.

EDITOR: Patricia L. Guilfoyle 704-370-3334, plguilfoyle@charlottediocese.org COMMUNICATIONS ASSISTANT/CIRCULATION: Denise Onativia 704-370-3333, catholicnews@charlottediocese.org ADVERTISING MANAGER: Kevin Eagan 704-370-3332, keeagan@charlottediocese.org STAFF WRITER: SueAnn Howell 704-370-3354, sahowell@charlottediocese.org GRAPHIC DESIGNER: Tim Faragher 704-370-3331, tpfaragher@charlottediocese.org Online reporter: Kimberly Bender 704-808-7341, kdbender@charlottediocese.org

st. pius x CHURCH, 2210 n. elm st.

— Seasons of Hope Grief Ministry, Kloster Center, 2-4 p.m. for 6 weeks beginning March 18. Register at 336-272-4681.

HENDERSONVILLE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION CHURCH, 208 Seventh Avenue West — St. Francis of the Hills Fraternity of the Secular Franciscan order invites you to a “Come and See.” They meet 1-3:30 p.m. fourth Sundays. Contact Randy Hair, S.F.O., at 828-698-6466 or Tim Gibson, S.F.O., at 828-606-1728.

The Catholic News Herald is published by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte 28 times a year.

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HICKORY ST. ALOYSIUS CHURCH, 921 sECOND sT. ne — Natural Family Planning introduction and full course, 1-5 p.m. March 10. RSVP required to Batrice Adcock, MSN, RN at cssnfp@charlottediocese.org or 704-3703230.

HIGH POINT IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY CHURCH, 4145 JOHNSON ST. — Free Spanish classes for “beginners” and “advanced,” 7-8:30 p.m. for 8 weeks beginning Jan. 26. Contact Nancy at 336-884-0522 or Dr. Kwan at hinglkwan@ gmail.com.

MOUNT HOLLY

GREENSBORO

— “Circle of Friends” Grief Support Group, office conference room, 7 p.m. Thursdays. Contact Robyn Magyar at 704-707-5070.

Volume 21 • Number 8

ST. peter church, 507 S. Tryon St., Charlotte — Ignatian Lenten Retreat: “Into the Desert – Navigating the Dry Times,” Biss Hall, 9 a.m.noon Feb. 25 and “Finding God Amid Feelings of Abandonment,” 9 a.m.-noon March 24. Registration required to ignatianretreat@gmail.com or 704-3322901. Free parking in the Green parking garage.

ST. gabriel CHURCH, 3016 Providence Road

— “Called to be Mom,” supports the vocation of motherhood, NLC 239/240, 10 a.m.-noon, March 1, 15 and 19, April 18, and May 2. Childcare available by calling 704-543-7677, ext. 1011, 48 hours in advance.

Contact Kerry Long at klong003@carolina.rr.com or 704-243-6319.

February 17, 2012

ST. patrick cathedral, 1621 Dilworth Road East, Charlotte — Ash Wednesday Mass, 7:30 a.m., 8:30 a.m. (school Mass), 12:10 p.m. and 7 p.m.

— 40 Hours Devotion, 9 p.m. March 15-March 17. Contact 704-334-2283 or register at www. signupgenius.com/go/20F0C44AFAD2CA20-40hours.

— Lenten meal, Fridays, followed by Stations of the Cross, 6:30 p.m.

— Stations of the Cross, 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Fridays — Lenten Vespers, 6 p.m. Sundays — Sacrament of Penance, 4-5:30 p.m. Saturdays, 7-9 p.m. Wednesdays, 10-11 a.m. Sundays

st. JOSEPH church, MOUNTAIN ISLAND HWY. (ROUTE 273) AND SANDY FORD ROAD — St. Patrick’s Day Mass, 8 a.m. March 17

RALEIGH St. Francis of Assisi Friary, 11401 Leesville Road — Spend a Day with the Franciscan Friars, March 17.

For men 21 to 38 years of age discerning a call to the Franciscan way of life. Registration required by March 9. Contact vocation@hnp.org or 800 677-7788.

Is your parish or school hosting a free event open to the public? Deadline for all submissions for the Diocesan Calendar is 10 days prior to desired publication date.

Submit in writing to catholicnews@charlottediocese.org or fax to 704-370-3382.

contact Advertising Manager Kevin Eagan at 704-370-3332 or keeagan@charlottediocese.org. The Catholic News Herald reserves the right to reject or cancel advertising for any reason, and does not recommend or guarantee any product, service or benefit claimed by our advertisers.

SUBSCRIPTIONS: $15 per year for all registered parishioners of the Diocese of Charlotte and $23 per year for all others.

POSTMASTER: Periodicals class postage (USPC 007-393) paid at Charlotte, N.C. Send address corrections to the Catholic News Herald, 1123 S. Church St., Charlotte, N.C. 28203.

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A NEW LOOK FOR ST. DOROTHY

In Brief Rome pilgrimage planned with ad limina visit CHARLOTTE — A pilgrimage to Rome and surrounding areas is planned for May 2-12 in conjunction with Bishop Peter Jugis’ ad limina visit with Pope Benedict XVI. The 11-day pilgrimage includes trips to Assisi, Siena and Orvieto, besides the pope’s general Wednesday audience in St. Peter’s Square. Early reservations are encouraged. For details, go online to www. catholicnewsherald.com.

High school Lenten retreat set for March 2-4 BOONE — Plans are under way for the Diocese of Charlotte’s annual high school Lenten retreat, “Love Never Fails!” scheduled for March 2-4 at St. Elizabeth of the Hill Country Church in Boone. The weekend retreat is open to all high schoolaged youth of the diocese and will include Mass, Adoration, confession, prayer, presentations and small group sharing.

Registration fee is $40, and the deadline to sign up is Friday, Feb. 24. For details contact the Office for Youth Ministry at 704370-3211 or e-mail pjkym@ymail.com.

Begin your Lent with ‘Forgiveness Vespers’ CHARLOTTE — St. Basil Eastern Catholic Mission in Charlotte welcomes everyone to Forgiveness Vespers at 4 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 19, at the Charlotte Catholic High School chapel. In the Eastern Catholic rite, Forgiveness Vespers marks the beginning of the penitential season of Lent. It is equivalent to the Roman rite’s Ash Wednesday liturgy, but also includes a unique ritual of forgiveness and a symbolic visual changing of the liturgical season from Ordinary Time to Lent. For details, go to www.stbasil.weebly.com.

SJN deacon retires CHARLOTTE — Deacon John Parrish retired on Jan. 31 after 28 years of service as a permanent deacon. His last 12 years of service were in Charlotte at St. John Neumann Church. He was honored by St. John Neumann’s pastor, Father Pat Hoare, as his wife Pauline looked on proudly.

Among his many responsibilities at St. John Neumann Church was working as facilities manager. The Parrishes have been married for 54 years and have five children, 13 grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

— Al Tinson and Marty Schneider

Patricia L. Guilfoyle | Catholic News Herald

(Above) Bishop Peter J. Jugis anoints the new altar at St. Dorothy Church in Lincolnton with sacred chrism during the Mass and dedication of the altar Feb. 6, the feast of St. Dorothy. The new altar is the centerpiece for a completely redesigned sanctuary, an effort by multiple parishioners at St. Dorothy over the past year. (Below) A photo of the sanctuary before the renovation last year.

Lincolnton parishioners design new altar, sanctuary for glory of God Patricia L. Guilfoyle Editor

LINCOLNTON — Members of St. Dorothy Church in Lincolnton gathered proudly Feb. 6 to welcome Bishop Peter J. Jugis as he consecrated a new altar in the church’s redesigned sanctuary.

The sanctuary makeover was a parishwide effort over the past two years, as members sought to beautify their beloved parish church. The project was capped off with the installation of a new wood and marble altar that was dedicated during a special Mass on their patroness’s feast day.

The altar will feature a wood carving of the Lamb of God, made by Jacob Wolf, encircled by apple and rose medallions symbolic of the church’s patroness. Wolf, a member of the diocese, is known for his recent renovation work at St. John the Baptist Church in Tryon.

The tabernacle sits behind the main altar on an altar of repose, placed in front of a red velvet backdrop. Two angel statues holding candles sit on either side of the tabernacle, and suspended above it is a crucifix. The intention, said parishioner and designer Gene Courtemanche, was to add the appearance of depth to the tabernacle area and frame it dramatically within the sanctuary – so that upon entering the nave, the eyes of the faithful could not help but be drawn to Christ in

the Tabernacle.

The redesigned sanctuary is flanked by statues of the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Joseph, which had already been in the church, and racks of votive candles. It is set off by a wooden communion rail that features pointed Gothic arches, a pattern repeated in the dark-stained wood paneling and arches along the back walls of the sanctuary. Set into the wood paneling’s arches are nine sedilia (Latin for seats) and the pastor’s chair. Similar dark-stained wood was used to build a new ambo.

During the dedication ritual Feb. 6, relics of St. Peter Verona, Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos and Blessed John Paul II were permanently encased in the altar stone. Bishop Jugis anointed the altar with sacred chrism and burned incense, then the altar was “dressed” with a white altar cloth and six candles.

In his homily, Bishop Jugis explained the symbolism of the ancient dedication ritual, in which the altar is anointed with the same sacred chrism that we receive at our baptism and confirmation and which is used to anoint a priest’s hands at his ordination. The sacred chrism is a sign of belonging to God, he said.

“With the consecration that we have received from this same sacred chrism, may we rededicate ourselves to being living altars – who, after communion at this altar in our parish church, go forth into the world to say yes to God, to say, ‘We want to do Your will, Heavenly Father.’”

Volunteers who worked for so many months on the renovation said they were thrilled with the beautiful result.

Members of the volunteer committee included: Kristen Levine, Dan Houser, Ralph Zello, Gene Courtemanche, Ron ST. DOROTHY, SEE page 12

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catholicnewsherald.com | February 17, 2012 OUR PARISHES

St. Gabriel Parish employee terminated from music ministry Patricia L. Guilfoyle Editor

CHARLOTTE — Steav Congdon, the leader of the music ministry at St. Gabriel Parish, was terminated from his position Jan. 19 after violating the Diocese of Charlotte employee ethics policy, diocesan officials said Feb. 10.

St. Gabriel’s pastor, Father Francis O’Rourke, sent an email to parishioners about the termination on Feb. 10 after learning that the former employee had spoken with Charlotte area media about being fired.

The diocese does not typically comment on personnel matters in individual parishes, but diocesan officials decided to comment in this case after a Charlotte area newspaper indicated it planned to publish a story about Congdon’s termination later this week.

According to the termination letter, Congdon was fired from his post as music minister at St. Gabriel Parish by Father O’Rourke when it came to Father O’Rourke’s attention that Congdon had joined another man in a civil union recognized as a marriage by the State of New York – a public act that is in disobedience to Church teaching and which violates the diocese’s employee ethics policy.

Marriage can only be the union between one man and one woman, as established in natural law and set forth as a holy sacrament by Christ and His Church. Church teaching emphasizes that all people, including those with a homosexual orientation, are made in the image of God and therefore deserving of dignity and respect, but that the sacrament of matrimony is designed by God as the basis for family life and the conceiving and raising of children.

As with all employees of the Diocese of Charlotte, Congdon agreed upon his employment in 2004 to follow the diocese’s ethics policy and a personnel policy that requires employees to conduct themselves in a manner consistent with the teachings of the Catholic Church. The employee handbook requiring this standard of conduct was updated in 2009, along with an ethics policy that requires employee conduct that is in keeping with Church teaching.

“His same-sex union in 2011 was in direct opposition to those policies and the teachings of the Catholic Church, and his termination was based on this alone,” said David Hains, diocesan director of communication. Hains continued, “Individuals engaged in ministry while at the same time in opposition to Church teaching present a confusing message to the people of faith who look to the Church for guidance on their journey to salvation.”

Mary B. Worthington | Catholic News Herald

Sister Gertrude and Sister Scholastica, two Benedictine sisters who recently moved to the Diocese of Charlotte, meet with Bishop Peter J. Jugis.

GOING WHERE THE LORD LEADS

SueAnn Howell | Catholic News Herald

Bishop Peter J. Jugis visited Feb. 10 with Dr. Deal Hudson (left) and Matt Smith of Catholic Advocate. The lay Catholic lobbying organization, based in Washington, D.C., encourages Catholics to get active in the political process and to support elected officials and policies that are in line with Church teaching.

‘Catholic Advocate’ shares thoughts on critical issues facing Catholic voters SueAnn Howell Staff writer

CHARLOTTE — This is a presidential election year, and the race leading up to the November vote promises to be contentious.

Issues of life, religious liberty and the possible redefinition of marriage are on the table on both the state and national level.

Dr. Deal Hudson, chairman of Catholic Advocate, a political activist organization based in Washington, D.C., is working to awaken Catholics and people of good will to rise above the rhetoric and educate themselves about the issues and the candidates, and compare what is promised to traditional American values and, for Catholics especially, what our faith teaches so that we can vote accordingly.

On a recent trip to Charlotte Feb. 10, Hudson met with Bishop Peter J. Jugis to discuss the work of Catholic Advocate in this election year. Hudson, a Catholic convert, professor, author and political activist, also shared his thoughts with the Catholic News Herald in an exclusive interview. Excerpts from that interview follow: CNH: What is “Catholic Advocate?”

Hudson: Catholic Advocate is an organization that Matt Smith and I founded to encourage more Catholics to be politically involved as Catholics, to be involved in what we call a “faithful way.” We have a very simple approach. The Church very clearly teaches that there is a hierarchy of issues in politics, beginning with life and marriage, and that we should make our political judgments in accord with that hierarchy. This involves

Benedictine sisters start community near Charlotte Mary B. Worthington Correspondent

CNH: What are the key issues facing Catholic voters?

Hudson: Once you get off the list of settled issues which are things like life, marriage, euthanasia and fetal stem-cell research, you start making prudential judgments.

People don’t always understand the simple distinction between what a settled issue is and what a prudential issue is. We sometimes call a settled issue a “non-negotiable,” but that doesn’t have any resonance in the Catholic tradition. But “settled” does.

One reason people don’t have that distinction is because it’s not talked about enough. The word prudential itself, from

MOUNT HOLLY — In a simple little home in Mount Holly – with the looks of the typical American dream: two stories and a two-car garage – something more than the American dream is being realized for a budding community of sisters following the Rule of St. Benedict. On Thursday, Feb. 9, they were acknowledged by Bishop Peter J. Jugis as a “Private Association of the Faithful” within the Diocese of Charlotte.

It is the first step for the two Benedictine women religious – now known as the Benedictines of Mary Queen of Peace – who moved to Mount Holly last fall.

“The Holy Spirit moves where He wills,” said Sister Gertrude Gillette, superior of the new community, “but these steps must be taken as we move toward becoming a religious institute in the diocese.”

“Anything new must be tested to see if it is true,” she added. Anticipating and hoping for vocations, she continued, “There is a certain kind of character that goes with a certain type of vocation.

To join a new community, it takes someone with a pioneering spirit and courage, someone with flexibility and ability to take a risk.”

The sisters came to Charlotte specifically to discern founding a community near Belmont Abbey College, a Catholic liberal arts college founded by Benedictine monks more than 130 years ago in Belmont.

Sister Gertrude Gillette, who explains that she has been “under St. Benedict’s wing since the age of 14,” is the visionary and superior of the new community, which lives the complete Benedictine style of monastic life while teaching at parishes and schools.

Since Benedictine women first came to the U.S. in 1852 from Eichstätt, Germany, they have always been either very active sisters or very contemplative nuns,

ISSUES, SEE page 11

SISTERS, SEE page 11

not just judgment of specific candidates but legislation, which all of course builds culture.

We would like to build a culture of life.

We get reports about Catholic voters doing this and doing that and sometimes it’s discouraging that Catholic voters will support things that are opposed to Church teaching, or that specific members of Congress who are Catholic will oppose things – and there are lots of reasons for this. But one of the main reasons is that the Catholic laity don’t demand that their representatives who call themselves Catholic represent what the Church teaches.

I’ve always said that our work at Catholic Advocate will be done when 100 percent of the Catholic members of the United States Congress have a pro-life voting record and consistently defend marriage as between a man and a woman.

February 17, 2012 | catholicnewsherald.com

OUR PARISHESI

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Finding love online

Diocesan Youth Council is 35 years young

A Catholic Valentine’s Day story

CHARLOTTE — This year, the Diocese of Charlotte’s Youth Advisory Council is celebrating its 35th anniversary and is making plans for a special convocation in April.

The diocesan youth council is comprised of high school students who are called to serve the Church throughout western North Carolina – part of Vatican II’s call for the laity to be active participants in the life of the Church. They are recommended by their parishes to plan numerous retreats and activities for diocesan youth throughout the year. Efforts are made to ensure equal representation among vicariates, age levels and gender.

The council provides youth with “exposure to the Church at the diocesan level, the opportunity to grow in their leadership abilities and to assist their diocese in its work,” notes Paul Kotlowski, diocesan director of youth ministry.

To mark the 35th anniversary, this year’s annual Diocesan Youth Conference (DYC) is actively seeking youth delegates to participate in a special Youth Ministry Convocation April 27-29 at the Ridgecrest Conference Center in Black Mountain.

The high school-aged delegates who attend the conference and convocation will discuss the special needs and gifts of the youth ministry in the diocese, and help prioritize programs and pastoral activities from the parish to diocesan levels, Kotlowski said. During the event, opinions from youth will be gathered and participants will learn the results of a diocesewide survey among youth being that will take place prior to the event.

Parishes will soon receive a web link to the survey, with an invitation for all active and inactive youth in each parish to take part. The deadline for the completed surveys is March 31, Kotlowski said.

Parishes will also be asked to select one or two high-school aged youths to participate in the conference and convocation as parish delegates.

Delegates should be prayerful, practicing Catholics who understand the necessity of not only making their opinions known, but also of functioning as representatives of all the parish youth on whose behalf they will attend the events, he said.

Mary-Kate Reid, a homeschooled Catholic senior from St. Mark Church in Huntersville, said she is looking forward to the spring celebrations and planning work. She has been part of the Diocesan Youth Advisory Council during her high school years.

“Being a part of the council is one of the biggest blessings in my life,” Reid said. “It’s comforting to know I’m not alone in my struggle when it comes to keeping and sharing the faith.

The council is an environment that inspires me to be closer to Christ, drawing others closer to the light of Christ.”

Reid said she hopes more diocesan youth will share their passion for the faith by taking part in the DYC this year.

Charlie Jackson Intern

Kimberly Bender Online reporter

GASTONIA — Some people might hesitate in using an online dating service to find a mate, but it can work.

Case in point: St. Ann parishioners Aaron and Mary Condon, who just celebrated their first wedding anniversary last month.

The couple owes their relationship to Catholicmatch.com, an online dating website that has served more than half a million Catholics worldwide over the past decade.

Mary Condon, 30, wants to share her story in hopes of inspiring other people to put aside their apprehensions when they see the ad on the back of their parish bulletins for a faithbased online dating site.

“There’s been a stigma about online dating for so long, that people are hesitant to do it – and rightfully so because there are some crazy people out there,” Mary says. “You can find people of the same faith, who are out there to find someone who God wants you to be their match.”

She turned to Catholicmatch.com after giving up dating for Lent three years ago. After a bad breakup, she decided to concentrate on finding out what God wanted for her life, and she contemplated both marriage and a religious vocation.

She says she decided to place her profile on Catholicmatch.com because she had found it difficult to find someone who was “practicing his faith and would live his life as a Roman Catholic first and foremost.” There she found an interesting profile: Aaron’s.

“Aaron was a man of few words on his profile. When you look at a picture, you can tell if you are attracted to them. He was wearing a tuxedo in the picture, so of course he looked really handsome,” Mary recalls.

She messaged him, but he didn’t reply right away.

“My mom encouraged me to pray a novena to St. Ann – the same one she prayed before she met my dad. And six days into the novena, I received a message from Aaron.”

Turns out, he was out of the country with his family, Mary recalls, but on the ninth day of the novena, Mary and Aaron set a date to meet.

At the time, Mary lived in Greensboro and attended St. Pius X Church where her father, William Shaw, serves as a permanent deacon.

Aaron, 35, asked to join Mary for Mass at St. Ann Church the next time she was in Charlotte. The couple met each other in the parking lot of the church, then they went to the same restaurant where Aaron’s parents first met.

The couple started dating soon afterwards, and then quickly got acquainted with each other’s families.

“I knew right away Aaron was the man I was going to marry,” Mary says. About a year after meeting, they were engaged. The couple married in Mary’s home parish in Greensboro on New Year’s Day 2011.

The hardest part for the newlyweds at first was adjusting to their new life together and LOVE, SEE page 12

Get more information PhotoS provided by Maggie Phillips of Bliss Photography

(Top) Mary and Aaron Condon were married Jan. 1, 2011, at St. Pius X Church in Greensboro. The couple met through the online dating website Catholicmatch.com.

(Above) Mary and Aaron Condon pose with the clergy who attended their wedding: Father Joshua Voitus, Deacon Peter Shaw (Mary’s brother), Deacon William Shaw (Mary’s father, who officiated over the wedding vows), Monsignor Anthony Marcaccio (celebrant of the nuptial Mass), Deacon Brian McNulty, Deacon Phil Cooper and Deacon Ronald Steinkamp.

The 35th annual Diocesan Youth Conference will be held April 27-29 at the Ridgecrest Conference Center in Black Mountain.

The cost for each parish youth delegate to attend is $100, and covers room and board expenses for the conference and convocation.

For details, go to education.charlottediocese.net/ youth-ministry or call Paul Kotlowski at 704-370-3211.

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catholicnewsherald.com | February 17, 2012 OUR PARISHES

Deacon training addresses contraception, HHS mandate SueAnn Howell Staff writer

CHARLOTTE — Twice a year, in February and August, permanent deacons of the Diocese of Charlotte gather for continuing education and fellowship. On Feb. 4, more than 32 deacons and 11 of their wives gathered at St. Vincent de Paul Church in Charlotte to hear presentations

by Father Joshua Voitus, parochial vicar at the church, and Batrice Adcock, MSN, RN, diocesan program director of natural family planning for Catholic Social Services.

Permanent deacons play an invaluable part in the diocese’s marriage preparation efforts, from instructing couples to officiating weddings, so increasing their understanding on these key issues will strengthen the overall marriage prep program.

The continuing education session addressed three key issues facing people in the diocese: the call for Catholic couples to faithfully live out their vocations to marriage and family by avoiding artificial birth control, the Church’s teaching on natural family planning, and the recent Health and Human Services contraception mandate.

In his opening statements to the deacons, Father Voitus said, “My purpose today is not to argue against the use of contraception. As we are all faithful Catholics, I presuppose that we all accept the fundamental premise that artificial contraception – sterilization, condoms, the birth-control pill and a myriad of other devices and techniques – are, as defined by the Church, immoral.

“My purpose, hopefully, is to assist you in spreading this teaching to people in a way that will be effective and useful… We must, in teaching, preaching and other aspects of our ministry (such as marriage prep, etc.) be able to express these teachings in a manner that demonstrates that the Church’s moral teaching is not merely a series of ‘nos’ which prevent people from doing what they want, but is a method which calls every individual and couple to live in a manner which embraces all aspects of human life in a totality of love.”

Father Voitus then provided the deacons and their wives two 45-minute talks highlighting the history of the Church’s teaching about contraception; statistics on the number of Catholics using artificial birth control (83 to 90 percent, according to some studies, demonstrating why people don’t really seem to accept or take seriously the Church’s teaching on contraception); and the Church’s reasoning for why artificial contraception is immoral.

Adcock then presented the deacons with research statistics on the effectiveness and science behind natural family planning (NFP) – the only birth control method that the Church endorses.

“The deacons and their wives are indispensable in promoting Church teaching regarding marriage and sexuality in marriage preparation and from the pulpit,” said Adcock, adding, “We are seeing how important education on these topics is in light of the recent legislation surrounding marriage and conscience protection.”

Deacon Ronald Steinkamp, director of the office of the permanent diaconate for the Diocese of Charlotte, stressed the importance of continued education like this for all permanent deacons.

“This continuing education is in addition to regular spiritual growth that is essential to a deacon’s effective ministry. An annual retreat, contact with a spiritual director and the sacramental life of the Church are essential to the life of a deacon.”

Currently 16 men are in formation in the permanent diaconate program, with hopes for a diaconate ordination in 2014.

BIG TENT, BIG MISSION

Missionaries on the move under the big top MARIAN COWHIG OWEN Correspondent

GREENSBORO — Say “missionary,” and you might think of Spanish friars in California, Father Damien with the lepers in Hawaii, St. Peter Claver in Colombia. But mission work is being done in the United States – and it’s as close as the big top at your local circus, thanks to two nuns and the trailer/chapel they haul behind a pickup truck.

Sister Dorothy Fabritze and Sister Bernard Overkamp, both members of the Missionary Sisters of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, have spent most of the past 12 years ministering to the spiritual needs of the performers and crew of America’s circuses.

There are 50-60 circuses and between 300-400 carnivals in the U.S., and Catholics comprise about 40 percent of the circus worker population.

This is partly because so many of the performers are from Europe and Latin America, which have strong Catholic traditions.

Through religious instruction, Bible studies and counseling, the sisters help the performers on their spiritual journeys, regardless of their faith. They’re currently working with the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey circus, which stopped in Greensboro for a few days last week.

The sisters work to “convince people that God loves them no matter what,” says Sister Dorothy.

“No matter what’s happened to them, no matter what they’ve done.”

For the first 10 years of their ministry, the sisters combined their missionary work with circus work. At their first circus, Sister Bernard was the cook; in a later circus, she worked in the wardrobe department. Sister Dorothy operated the curtains. Their circus work meant they could join the Teamsters union, and today they each receive a pension, which goes to their order.

After a sabbatical in 2011, the sisters returned to circus work with a new purpose: to train catechists within each circus troupe. To that end, they’ve established a group called SPEC, or Show People’s Evangelization of Catechists.

(In circus lingo, a spec, short for spectacle, is a parade showcasing all the performers and animals.) The sisters will spend time with each of Ringling’s three circus units, and then with other circuses around the country. They travel in their own truck, hauling their sleeping quarters behind them in a small trailer that also serves as a chapel. While on the road, they stay in touch with catechists and other students through e-mail, text and Skype.

Performers need a certain kind of spiritual guidance, says Father Frank Cancro, pastor of Queen of the Apostles in Belmont. He knows from experience – before he was ordained a priest in 1981, he worked as a clown for several years in the early 1970s.

Today he’s one of a handful of priests who work with the sisters when the circus stops near him. Last week in Greensboro, he heard confessions and administered the sacraments: a baptism, a confirmation and a convalidation of marriage.

Circus work and other traveling professions can be draining, as each stop on a tour takes energy and enthusiasm, without much time to recharge.

“Their life is about giving over,” Father Cancro says. “But, what’s needed to continue to do that?”

The traveling aspect of circus work presents its own challenges. Living in tight quarters with co-workers, not to mention culture clashes and language barriers, can put a strain on performers’ spiritual lives. But prayer and study help the performers renew and refresh, so they can support each other.

“The circle’s got to be tight,” says performer Sandor Eke, the unit’s “boss,” or lead, clown. “We depend on each other.”

It’s that tight-knit community that lets the sisters do the last part of their job: leaving the circus unit behind so the performers can minister to each other.

Photos provided by Angelo Pino Fuentes

Father Frank Cancro distributes Communion to Bianca and John Fulkerson during a ceremony Feb. 10 to validate their marriage. They met while working for the circus.

The married couple are pictured with their circus friends, Sister Dorothy and Sister Bernard.

“We empower the local people to proclaim the love of God to their own people,” says Sister Dorothy. And that’s true in California or Colombia … or behind the scenes at the greatest show on earth.

Learn more The Missionary Sisters of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus (MSC) are online at www.mscreading.org.

Office for Pastoral Care of Migrants, Refugees and Travelers: This apostolate of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops is devoted to ministering to migrants and traveling populations, including carnivals and circuses, car racing, horse racing and bull riding. Details are online at nccbuscc.org/pcmrt/onmove/circus.shtml.

February 17, 2012 | catholicnewsherald.com

OUR PARISHESI

9

Father Kenneth Geyer, Benedictine monk and musician, dies Feb. 8 Christopher Lux Correspondent

BELMONT — A funeral Mass was celebrated Feb. 11, 2012, for Benedictine Father Kenneth Geyer, who died on Feb. 8, 2012, at Belmont Abbey Monastery in Belmont. Interment followed at the abbey cemetery.

Father Geyer had been a professed monk at the Benedictine abbey for nearly 70 years, and for 50 years he served as the organist at Our Lady Mary, Help of Christians Basilica.

A native of Lancaster, N.Y., he was born on Geyer April 1, 1927, the son of the late Joseph A. and Kathryn Nuwer Geyer. He earned his A.A. degree from Belmont Abbey Junior College, his B.A. from St. Benedict’s College, and his M.A. in Musicology from the Catholic University of America In Washington, D.C. In 1945, at the age of 18, he vowed to live

by The Rule of Saint Benedict, the guide for the daily life, temporal and spiritual, of the Benedictine monastic community.

In his rule, St. Benedict instructs the monks to “run on the path of God’s commandments…Never swerving from his instructions, then, but faithfully observing his teaching in the monastery until death.”

He was professed a monk on July 11, 1946, and ordained a priest on June 13, 1953.

Except for two years when he was assigned to teach at Benedictine High School in Richmond, Va., Father Geyer spent the remainder of his life in the monastery of Belmont Abbey – a total of 67 years.

At the funeral Mass Feb. 11, Abbot Placid Solari noted that Father Geyer “has, with the grace of God accomplished what he vowed to do.” Until death, he lived a life of fidelity to the monastery.

He taught generations of Belmont Abbey College students the history of music and art, according to the monastery’s website, and he coordinated all fine arts programs on the campus. “In the monastic community and beyond, Father Kenneth is appreciated for his original works of art – both his paintings and his music – and his knowledge of current literature,” it stated.

In addition to teaching, he led numerous recitals on campus and taught French, as well as served as prior of the monastery and master-of-novices. He was chairman

and founder of the Department of Music and Fine Arts at Belmont Abbey College, directed plays in the Abbey Theater, and was the organist and choir director at Belmont Abbey for 50 years. He was also a member of the Board of Trustees of Belmont Abbey College.

As he was called to live a life in a monastery affiliated with academic institutions, it seems only appropriate that he was a teacher for 44 years. Teaching art, music and French, Father Geyer had a positive impact on many students of Belmont Abbey College.

His passion for teaching and serving as chapter counselor of the fraternity Sigma Phi Epsilon was accompanied by a love of music and candy. His last days on this earth, Abbot Placid said, “were made especially joyful by the visit of four men he had mentored as students 45 years ago.”

Their visit made his last days joyful ones.

And, Abbot Placid pointed out, “their visit included a substantial offering of candy.”

Benedictine Brother Edward Mancuso remembered Father Geyer as “one of my best friends. He will be greatly missed and greatly remembered.”

A senior monk in years at the monastery, Benedictine Father Matthew McSorley recalled Father Geyer’s interest in both theater and putt-putt golf – he played frequently at a putt-putt course in Gastonia and also inside the long corridors of the monastery.

“He was a loner and liked to keep to himself,” Father McSorley says. “He took everything seriously – except movies.” His favorite movie was the 1953 comedy “Mr. Hulot’s Holiday,” but he also took a special liking to “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,” a 1986 comedy about a high school student who skips one day of school.

Though Father Geyer relied on using a wheelchair during the final years of his life, he regularly ventured out on his own (against the advice of other people) to enjoy Belmont Abbey’s beautiful grounds. The appearance of peacefulness he gave during these trips made it seem that he was taking the advice of Ferris Bueller: “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”

Father Geyer was preceded in death by his brothers, Robert Geyer and Benedictine Father Raymond Geyer, and his sister, Sister Marie Canice Geyer.

He is survived by the monks of Belmont Abbey; by his sister-in-law, Bernice Geyer of Lancaster, N.Y.; and by his nieces and

Photos provided by Belmont Abbey College ARCHIVES

(Top) Father Kenneth Geyer taught at Belmont Abbey College for more than four decades. (Above left) Father Geyer hosted many recitals during his decades of teaching and service at the college and monastery. (Above right) He was ordained a priest in 1953 at Belmont Abbey. nephews.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Kenneth Geyer Scholarship at

Belmont Abbey College.

McLean Funeral Directors of Belmont was in charge of the arrangements.

‘LET YOUR LIGHT SHINE’

Volare Women’s Mass said at St. Pius X Church Georgianna Penn Correspondent

GREENSBORO — Tiny candles illuminated the faces of more than 160 women at the inaugural Volare Women’s Mass at St. Pius X Church in Greensboro Feb. 2. “Let your light shine,” said Monsignor Anthony Marcaccio, pastor, during his homily encouraging and praising the role of women in the parish and the local Church who have organized a new group called Volare Women.

Coincidentally, this Mass – the first of its kind for the parish – was celebrated during the same week as the World Day for Consecrated Life. Similarly, “magnifying the talents of women to reply ‘yes’ to the greatest commandments of loving God with all your

heart, soul and mind, and our neighbor as ourselves” is the mission of Volare Women.

Volare Women of St. Pius is a much-needed and divinely inspired gift to the community of women at St. Pius X Parish. The inspiration came to parishioner and Volare’s founder Allison Ray through many discussions with friends and fellow parishioners Shannon Dahlstedt and Cecilia Riek.

“The hope is to connect all the gems of the parish together to share and grow in our faith,” Ray said – forming a group for women much like the Knights of Columbus is for men.

After only a few months of inspiration, a proposal to Monsignor Marcaccio and the staff of St. Pius Church, the three found themselves saying “yes” to Volare Women.

The effort soon grew to include a core planning group of 13 women.

Volare Women plans to meet monthly as well as sponsor a special women’s Mass four times a year. Each quarter will focus on one quadrant of Volare’s mission: heart, soul, mind and neighbor. The group hopes to “create a measurable increase in the presence of women as participants and leaders in stewardship” by reaching out to ministry leaders and parish offices. The hope is to develop inter-parish relationships for women as well. The group’s monthly meetings will consist of guest speakers, workshops and mentoring programs for women.

The next meeting will be held at 7 p.m.

March 1 in the Kloster Center of St. Pius. For details, go online to www.volarewomen.com.

Georgianna Penn | Catholic News Herald

These nine women said “yes” to God’s call of organizing a special women’s group at St. Pius X Church called Volare Women. From left are Lori Thomas, Allison Ray, Lorraine Malphurs, Carolyn Painley, Cecilia Riek, Shannon Dahlstedt, Emma Linn, Lisa Michaels and Sue Rochette.

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catholicnewsherald.com | February 17, 2012 OUR PARISHES

Catholics stand in peaceful protest of blasphemous play in Charlotte SueAnn Howell and Patricia L. Guilfoyle Catholic News Herald

CHARLOTTE — Under the bright lights of the Queen City, men, women and children of the diocese gathered peacefully to pray in reparation for all those involved with a blasphemous play that opened Feb. 2 at the Blumenthal Performing Arts Center in Charlotte.

“The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told,” an off-Broadway play written

by Paul Rudnick in 1998 and being performed by the Queen City Theatre Company until Feb. 18, retells the Creation story with two homosexual couples, portrays Mary as a lesbian and mocks the Virgin Birth.

More than 100 Catholics stood in peaceful witness against the sacrilege the play represents on the sidewalk in front of the Duke Energy Theater at Spirit Square in Charlotte Feb. 2, praying a Rosary of Reparation, singing hymns and a Divine Mercy Chaplet immediately before the opening night performance.

They gathered in part in response to a letter released by Charlotte Bishop Peter J. Jugis, which explained the gravity of the blasphemy involved with this play and asked that it not be performed.

Charlotte area Catholics also organized a Holy Hour of Reparation during each day the play was to be performed. More than 142 people had signed up as of press time Wednesday.

During the opening night performance it was standing room only

at the St. Gabriel Church Perpetual Adoration Chapel on Providence Road as adorers prayed in reparation.

Kelly Rusk, who recently moved to Charlotte from Wisconsin with his wife and now attends St. Ann Church on Park Road, came out to pray in front of the theater during the Rosary of Reparation on Feb. 2 and participate in the peaceful witness.

“It’s about defending what’s right.

It’s freedom of speech ... We’ve got the right to spread the word and to pray for those people. This is not about hate or anything of that nature. It’s about love and saying, ‘OK, we understand you have a position, we’d like to let you know about an alternate position and we’re going to pray for you and do it in a calm, civil manner in hopes that it gives you some thought.’”

Why is blasphemy so bad?

Blasphemy sounds like an outdated term. One might ask, why is it such a real problem? Because it’s unjust – denigrating God damages us, His creation and our connections with each other.

On our website: Father Robert Barron, host of the acclaimed “Catholicism” series, explains this sin and why even a countercultural activist like Bob Dylan understands why reverence is good.

SueAnn Howell | Catholic News Herald

More than 100 people prayed the rosary and Divine Mercy chaplet, lit candles and held signs that read “Father forgive them; they know not what they are doing” in front of the Blumenthal Performing Arts Center in Charlotte Feb. 2. Men, women and children of all ages joined in the peaceful prayer in opposition to a blasphemous play being performed

by Queen City Theatre Company: “The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told,” which retells the Creation story with two homosexual couples, portrays Mary as a lesbian and mocks the Virgin Birth. The play runs through Feb. 18.

February 17, 2012 | catholicnewsherald.com

ISSUES: FROM PAGE 6

the Latin “prudentia,” is kind of a fancy word. It’s a virtue, one of the four natural virtues. It means the ability to apply a first principal to a specific situation.

For example, the Church teaches us to care for others, to love the stranger. So you take immigration and the issue of the undocumented immigrant. Well, the prudential challenge is to translate what loving others, caring for the stranger means when you pass laws and create programs.

Most issues in politics are prudential.

Most issues in politics we’re not obliged to follow one specific solution or another.

All the issues about the budget and foreign policy, etc., you have to have a sense of what your first principals are and what is the best solution on the table…

One of the challenges we face is being truly non-partisan, being Catholic first…

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could get to the point in politics in America where both parties were strongly pro-life and strongly pro-marriage and we were arguing about other things? Where we could focus on what is the best kind of approach to the budget, to reduce the deficit…we could talk about all these prudential matters in a more profound way because we’re not expending energy fighting these basic moral battles over protection of life and protection of marriage.

CNH: How is Catholic Advocate making a

SISTERS: FROM PAGE 6

Sister Gertrude explained.

Originally from one of these contemplative orders in Massachusetts, Sister Gertrude spent several years studying at the Catholic University of America, where she met monks from monasteries affiliated with Catholic colleges. Her eyes were opened when she saw that they lived the whole monastic life but at the same time taught students.

Her decision to pursue a similar vocation led her to Rome.

“In Rome, I was learning Italian, getting into the system, and then the Lord very strongly one day told me in His own mystical way that I would be returning to the United States and founding a house of Benedictine women near a Catholic college,” Sister Gertrude explained.

“But He didn’t tell me which one!” she continued with a laugh.

In 2006, a friend invited her to attend the Eucharistic Congress in Charlotte, and there she ran into a priest friend from her time at Catholic University – who is now Bishop Jugis.

This reignited a friendship that eventually led to an invitation to come to the diocese.

Sister Gertrude and one other sister, Sister Scholastica Auguste, arrived in Charlotte in late August. Last semester, Sister Gertrude taught two theology classes at Belmont Abbey. Currently, she is teaching women at St. Mark Church in Huntersville and will be the featured speaker at the upcoming Charlotte Catholic Women’s Guild retreat on Feb. 25.

Sister Gertrude said she loves her students and has already noted how the Holy Spirit is moving quickly. For example, last semester, one non-Catholic student told her: “Sister, I’ve learned more Scripture from you in two classes than I

difference in the political process?

Hudson: Catholic Advocate is an independent c3, c4 and political action committee (PAC). It’s typical of a Washington political organization to have all three. We have an arm that is educational (c3), and arm that is c4 which is the biggest part, which means we can support specific issues and specific candidates, and we have a PAC that allows us to give money to specific candidates.

It’s unusual to do this under the name Catholic, but if you read through the Catechism and encyclicals on the obligations of Catholics to be involved in politics, there is no limit; we are encouraged to be fully engaged to have all the expertise and to educate our children to be involved in politics.

My first choice in life is not to be involved in politics. My first choice in life is ideas, beauty…I became a Catholic because of the beauty of the Church…I’d much rather watch classic films or listen to classical music than to talk to people about politics.

But God opened doors for me unexpectedly and I was asked to do a job and I’m doing it…I really like defending America and the role of the Catholic Church in America and trying to rebuild our culture toward something healthier for our children.

www.catholicadvocate.com Get more information about Catholic Advocate and a free 2012 voter’s guide.

learned as a Baptist in the past 45 years!”

Sister Scholastica does everything necessary around the house from cooking to cleaning to shopping.

Together, they keep the monastic schedule of praying five hours of the Divine Office, attend Holy Mass at the Belmont Abbey basilica, practice Lectio Divina, and spend a half hour daily in Adoration. They are also devoted to praying the rosary and observing monastic silence, speaking only when necessary.

Sister Scholastica said she didn’t consider becoming a woman religious until she was about 20, when she attended a silent retreat with her mother in her home country of St. Lucia.

She felt a mysterious voice during a Holy Hour tell her, “I do not want you to get married.” To which she replied, “Not even to have children?!” When she heard no, she began to cry, but this experience opened the door for her to consider a religious vocation. She moved to America six years ago to join the Benedictines.

They often have people approach them, remarking in a positive way on their religious habits or asking questions about the Benedictine way of life, they said.

“One man asked, ‘How could you live if you can’t have children, can’t have a husband?’” Sister Scholastica recalled.

“I simply answered, ‘Only for the love of Christ’.”

Those interested in visiting or inviting Sister Gertrude to speak at their parishes can call 704-827-2490.

OUR PARISHESI

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catholicnewsherald.com | February 17, 2012 OUR PARISHES

For the latest news 24/7: catholicnewsherald.com

In Brief Institute for Black Catholic Studies registration opens

Patricia L. Guilfoyle | Catholic News Herald

Bishop Peter Jugis, Father Matthew Buettner, pastor, and Father Roger Arnsparger, diocesan vicar of education, concelebrated the Mass Feb. 6 on the feast day of the parish’s patron saint, St. Dorothy.

ST. DOROTHY: FROM PAGE 5

Thomas, Eugene Courtemanche, Danielle Wofford and Teresa Brandt.

The altar was constructed by Alex Campbell and family, and Melanie Hensley sewed the new altar cloths. The woodwork was designed and installed by Gene Courtemanche, Eugene Courtemanche and Jeremy Price.

Others who worked on the project included Jason Smith, George Kalivoda, Gary and Becky Adams, Denver Hensley, Richard Concato and Dan Houser. The

COLLEGE: FROM PAGE 3

The forum began with the recitation of the rosary, followed by several talks during the afternoon, each with a question-and-answer session. The day concluded with Mass.

Dr. Grattan Brown, assistant professor of theology at Belmont Abbey, spoke on natural law and bioethical issues at the forum, noting that despite promised concessions that Obama announced Feb. 10, “there is good reason to believe that this change does not exempt the Church from cooperation in evil.”

The HHS contraception mandate

CCW women’s group and Hispanic Group also pitched in by organizing the reception following the special Mass.

“It’s really been a parish-wide project, with lots of people helping and contributing their talents,” said Father Matthew Buettner, pastor. And the renovation effort, which was dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, has helped parishioners grow spiritually as well, he added.

In the dedication program, he noted that the beautification effort “is both a testimony of the divine love of the Sacred Heart of Jesus for our parish, as well as an expression of our parishioners’ love of God.”

would threaten the ability of religious institutions to identify actions that they believe would ultimately threaten the common good.

Also speaking at the forum were Kyle Duncan, senior legal counsel of the Becket Fund, representing Belmont Abbey College in its federal lawsuit over the HHS contraception mandate; and Nancy Matthews, retired chancellor for the Diocese of Bridgeport.

Matthews, who is working alongside the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and its ad hoc committee on religious liberty, spoke on the necessity of the Church to organize and publicly defend its moral teachings against government encroachment.

The Institute for Black Catholic Studies is a school of ministry for clergy, religious and laypersons working in the black community and Catholic Church that convenes each summer at Xavier University of Louisiana in New Orleans. The 2012 session dates are June 22-July 14. The Master’s Program is a three-week course of pastoral theology studies. Certificate and Enrichment courses (for catechists, youth/young adult ministers, parish leaders, elders) are held in three oneweek modules. Early registration has begun and continues through March 15. For details including the scholarship application deadline, go online to www.xula.edu/ibcs or call 504520-7691.

CHARLOTTE — Confirmation students from St. John Neumann Church in Charlotte helped sort food products and load trailers for Loaves and Fishes on Feb. 4.

— Meredith Magyar

— Glenda A. Brown

St. Aloysius youths participate in 24-hour fast HICKORY — Pray, fast, learn: That’s what 32 seventh- and eighth-graders signed up to do Feb. 4 at St. Aloysius Church in Hickory. They chose to go without food for 24 hours, in the program known as FoodFast. During their fast, the group participated in prayer and engaged in activities which taught them about the challenges faced by those who live in hunger.

They reflected on the statement “Eating is a Moral Act” and played games that enabled them to consider their role in shaping our world and changing it for the better. Issues of clean water, fair trade and food security were examined in a video filmed in Niger, one of the poorest countries in the world.

The parish was invited to sponsor the youths in their challenge to go without food for 24 hours in solidarity with the poor.

Pledges of $24 were solicited after Sunday Masses. The money they raised will go to Catholic Relief Services, which provides emergency relief as well as development assistance to the world’s poor in more than 100 countries.

— Fran Herfurth

LOVE: FROM PAGE 7

settling into a home in Gastonia, Mary says.

She’d never lived more than a few minutes from her family in Greensboro.

“It took an adjustment. Father Benjamin Roberts, my spiritual director, told me to put Aaron first, as he is my family and we make our home. Now, I couldn’t imagine life different.”

St. Ann parishioners have welcomed them and aided in making their new “home,” she adds. “What really holds us together when Aaron and I have our arguments, as every married couple does, is that we know we have our sacrament and the Eucharist, and it makes all the difference in the world.”

Helping out Loaves and Fishes

St. John Neumann, St. Thomas Aquinas parishes host youth retreat CHARLOTTE — Youths from St. John Neumann and St. Thomas Aquinas churches in Charlotte recently gathered with NET Ministries for a “Reality Check Retreat.”

Through funny skits, insightful talks and small groups, members of the team discussed practical ways that teens can deepen their relationship with Jesus Christ and follow the plan God has set forth for us.

— Meredith Magyar and Katie Herzing

Vocations awareness program held at St. John Neumann Church CHARLOTTE — During the month of January, St. John Neumann Church in Charlotte hosted a three-part spiritualities and vocations awareness class. Guest speakers included Jesuit Father Pat Earl; Sister Gertrude Gillette, Ph.D, STL; and Capuchin Franciscan Father Steve Hoyt. The three speakers discussed their religious orders and vocations to hundreds of parish youths.

— Meredith Magyar

40 Hours Devotion planned at cathedral CHARLOTTE — St. Patrick Cathedral in Charlotte will offer a 40 Hour Devotion to our Lord beginning Thursday, March 15, at 9 p.m. until Saturday, March 17. The devotion is a special 40-hour period of continuous prayer made before the Blessed Sacrament in solemn exposition.

The number 40 has always signified a sacred period of time: the rains during the time of Noah lasted 40 days and nights; the Jews wandered through the desert for 40 years; and our Lord fasted and prayed for 40 days before beginning His public ministry.

The 40 Hours Devotion also remembers that traditional “40-hour period” from our Lord’s burial until His Resurrection.

While the Forty Hours Devotion nurtures the love of the faithful for our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament, three special dimensions have also surrounded this devotion: protection from evil and temptation; reparation for our own sins and for the souls in purgatory; and deliverance from political, material or spiritual calamities.

To participate, contact the parish office at 704-334-2283 or go to the online signup form found at www.signupgenius.com/ go/20F0C44AFAD2CA20-40hours.

We welcome your parish’s news. E-mail items to Editor Patricia Guilfoyle at plguilfoyle@charlottediocese.org.

February 17, 2012 | catholicnewsherald.com

HHS: FROM PAGE 3

Gary Chambers of Waxhaw wrote in an e-mail that HHS’s move should be no surprise to anyone.

“What did you folks think you were getting when you voted for this ‘historic’ president?” Chambers asked rhetorically.

“I have to ask: did anyone take even a little time, a modicum of due diligence, and vet this guy? Did you have no inkling from his associations what he was all about? Or take a look at his voting record in the Illinois state senate, especially on abortion?”

Ed Dowd of Etowah made a similar point, writing that some Catholic leaders may have wrongly expected that the Obama Administration would be mindful of Catholic sensitivities in implementing the health care legislation because they publicly split from the U.S. bishops in 2010 and agreed to support it.

“So, now we see outrage from the same Catholics who led us down this path to begin with,” Dowd wrote. “On the plus side, this should bring all people of faith together to be more aggressive with the regulatory clowns in Washington and ensure that we elect representatives who will protect and enhance our religious rights.”

Dowd added, “I think it is refreshing that the leaders in getting this ruling overturned are the monks at Belmont Abbey working with the Becket Fund. They have shown a great deal of courage even though it is literally a David vs. Goliath situation, financially and legally. I don’t think suing the federal government to get back your First Amendment rights is

‘This is nothing more than an accounting shell game.

This really doesn’t change anything.’

— Hannah Smith

Read more Read the letters from readers on this issue on page 27. Also on page 27, a commentary by St. Pius X Church’s Deacon James Toner.

Obama’s compromise on contraceptive mandate ‘unacceptable,’ U.S. bishops say. See page 22.

Belmont Abbey College lawsuit

As Dowd mentioned, Belmont Abbey College is suing the Obama Administration, charging that the HHS contraception mandate is an unconstitutional infringement of religious liberty. The Benedictine college in Belmont is being represented by the Becket Fund, a non-profit law firm based in Washington, D.C., that specializes in religious freedom cases.

Their lawsuit is one of three cases filed by the Becket Fund against the Obama Administration. The others are Colorado Christian University and EWTN. As of Feb. 9, the federal government had delayed issuing a response in the

federal district court where the lawsuit was filed last November, according to a representative with the Becket Fund. A response is now expected for sometime in mid-February, the representative said.

The Becket Fund also said Feb. 10 that the administration’s policy change would have no impact on its litigation, because the change did not resolve the larger question of whether contraception coverage can be mandated over an employer’s religious objections.

“This is nothing more than an accounting shell game,” said Hannah Smith, senior legal counsel for the Becket Fund in Washington, D.C. “This really doesn’t change anything.”

In a press release issued Feb. 10, Smith was quoted as saying, “This is a

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false ‘compromise’ designed to protect the president’s re-election chances, not to protect the right of conscience.

Hundreds, if not thousands, of religious institutions are still left out in the cold and will be forced to violate their religious convictions.”

Catholic businesses

senior legal counsel for the Becket Fund in Washington, D.C.

covered in The Rule of St. Benedict.

“God bless them – we pray for their success, for it will be our success, too.”

OUR PARISHESI

Meanwhile, Catholic business owners across the U.S. are waiting anxiously for the outcome of a bill introduced in Congress Jan. 31 by Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) to protect the rights of both individuals and organizations who object to the mandate for religious reasons.

The bill would protect Catholics who run companies that are not religiouslyaffiliated.

On Feb. 6, Rubio and 150-plus other Republican and Democrat members of Congress also demanded that the Obama Administration rescind the mandate, condemning it as an “unprecedented overreach by the federal government.”

One longtime Charlotte-area Catholic business owner who remains concerned is Robert Gallagher, publisher of Saint Benedict Press.

Gallagher wrote in an e-mail to the Catholic News Herald, “The Obama mandate creates a crisis of conscience for thousands of our nation’s employers, especially Catholics and other men and women of faith. It is a radical infringement upon the free exercise of religion, a persecution of religious belief in the marketplace, and an attempt by a thoroughly secular Administration to remove the expression of one’s religious tenets from the public square.”

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February 17, 2012 | catholicnewsherald.com

Deacon Edward A. Konarski

Operation Rice Bowl: Making a difference for our brothers and sisters in need

I

n his message for the 2012 World Day of Peace, Pope Benedict XVI calls for encouraging and educating young people in the work for “justice and peace.”

Through Catholic Relief Services’ Operation Rice Bowl (ORB) Lenten program, Catholic parishes and schools across our nation provide an opportunity for families and young people to pray, learn and give in support of the humanitarian work of CRS. The CRS ORB program is an excellent way for families, parishes and schools to develop a greater awareness of global poverty and our Catholic call to promote justice and peace.

Catholic Relief Services is the official international humanitarian agency of the U.S. Catholic community.

Founded in 1943 by the U.S. Catholic bishops, CRS alleviates suffering, provides disaster relief and rebuilding, and promotes economic development in more than 100 countries without regard to race, religion or nationality. As a Catholic and as an American, I am proud of the charitable response of CRS to many millions of people who struggle against poverty, disease and hunger.

Working closely with our nation’s Catholic bishops and the bishops of hundreds of dioceses around the world, CRS promotes a vision of justice and peace that rests upon the Church’s vision of human dignity and human development.

In my long association with the work of CRS, it has been my pleasure to share the great work of CRS with my fellow Catholics here in the Diocese of Charlotte. I am now serving in my 15th year as a volunteer member of the Diocesan CRS Advisory Committee, coordinated

by Catholic Social Services’ Office of Justice and Peace. Our committee promotes the work of CRS in the diocese, encourages participation in CRS ORB, and helps distribute CRS ORB Mini-Grants to many hunger and poverty relief efforts throughout our diocese.

With Lent beginning on Ash Wednesday, Feb. 22, parishes and Catholic schools in our diocese and across our nation are preparing for the 2012 Operation Rice Bowl campaign. I support and participate in Operation Rice Bowl at my parish, St. Charles Borromeo in Morganton, where I serve as deacon. Since the fundamental motivating force behind all CRS activities is the Gospel of Jesus Christ, it is fitting that this year’s theme is drawn from Matthew 25:35, “For I Was Hungry and You Gave Me Food.” This Lenten campaign is an opportunity to fulfill our call to feed our brothers and sisters in Christ who are hungry.

Last year, 57 parishes and Catholic schools in our diocese participated in Operation Rice Bowl.

Thank you for your support of CRS. Please join me in prayer for all people who suffer from poverty, hunger and disease, and please remember in prayer the work of CRS employees worldwide.

Deacon Edward A. Konarski is a permanent deacon at St. Charles Borromeo Church in Morganton, member of Catholic Social Services Board of Directors, and chair of the Diocesan CRS Advisory Committee.

Did you know?

Of each dollar sent by the Diocese of Charlotte to Catholic Relief Services, 95 percent goes directly to programs. CRS has received national recognition for its charitable efforts. The CRS website, www.crs.org, reports that the American Institute of Philanthropy, a charity watchdog group which evaluates the U.S.’s largest non-profits, has given CRS an A+ rating.

FROM TH

LENT 2012

Seeking true conversion of L

ent begins with Ash Wednesday, Feb. 22 – marking the start of the Church’s 40-day season of repentance with prayer, fasting and abstinence, good works, and confession. We are preparing for the death of Christ on Good Friday and His Resurrection on Easter Sunday.

Through prayer, we deepen our commitment to God, seeking to be closer to Him and expressing sorrow for our sins. By fasting, we exercise discipline and place our spiritual hunger above our physical needs. With almsgiving and good works (such as participating in Operation Rice Bowl), we place others before ourselves, living in solidarity with the poor and following Jesus’ call to care for the least of our brothers and sisters.

Our penitential actions begin at Mass on Ash Wednesday, when we receive ashes on our foreheads – an ancient penitential practice which symbolizes our dependence on God’s mercy and forgiveness.

They continue with fasting and abstinence. Catholics aged 18 to 59 who are physically able are obliged to fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. In addition, all Catholics 14 years old and older who are able must abstain from meat on Ash Wednesday, Good Friday and all the Fridays of Lent.

Fasting means eating only one full meal. Some food (not equaling another full meal) is permitted at breakfast and around midday or in the evening. Abstinence forbids the use of meat, but not of eggs, milk products or condiments made of animal fat. Abstinence does not include meat juices and liquid foods made from meat. Thus, such foods as chicken broth, consomme, soups cooked or flavored with meat, gravy or sauces, as well

Learn more about ORB

as seasonings or co margarine and lard But we should no they are a means to penance for our sin In his 1966 “Apos reorganize Church that each of us in o to God for our sins love and forgivenes The Code of Can penance: prayer, ac Mass daily or sever attending your par and shut-ins – all o abstaining from m As the U.S. bisho observance of thes not just to abstain followers of Christ

— Sources: U.S. Co

Resources for Lent Pope Benedict’s message for Lent 2012 is online at www.catholicnewsherald.com.

For more about Operation Rice Bowl, go online to www.orb.crs.org.

prayers, resources and more to inspire your Lenten practices are online at www.catholic.org.

Barron

Ghana native a ‘living testimony’ of CR Operation Rice Bowl begins Feb. 22 SueAnn Howell Staff writer

CHARLOTTE — An orphan from Ghana, whose life changed forever thanks to the efforts of Catholic Relief Services, spent a day in the Diocese of Charlotte on Feb. 6 meeting with more than 200 students at Charlotte Catholic High School and a gathering of about 30 people at the Pastoral Center in Charlotte. His visit and presentations were coordinated by Catholic Social Services’ Office of Justice and Peace, Charlotte Catholic High School’s Religion Department and Catholic Relief Services. His message: “thank you.”

Thomas Awiapo, who now works as a CRS senio program officer in Ghana, shared his experiences from a life of poverty, struggling to survive amids famine. His parents died before he was 10 and his youngest brothers died of malnutrition and lack o care. His oldest brother ran away to escape the tra conditions.

When CRS came to his village and opened a sch Awiapo attended at first because he heard they w giving away snacks. The school and the snacks we direct result of CRS’ program, Operation Rice Bo annual program that connects Lenten prayer, fas almsgiving with education about and solidarity w poor and hungry across the world.

During his remarks to the employees at the Pas Center, Awiapo emphasized, “That little snack ch the story of my life.”

He attended school in the village and then conti his education at the University of Ghana. His hun for education then brought him to the U.S., where earned a master’s degree in public administration California State University at Hayward.

Since that time Awiapo has traveled around the

HE COVER

February 17, 2012 | catholicnewsherald.com

our hearts

ondiments made from animal fat are not forbidden. It is OK to use d. ot be scrupulous. Observing these regulations is not the point of Lent – o an end: striving to deepen our relationship with the Lord and seeking ns. stolic Constitution on Penance,” Pope Paul VI did more than simply h law concerning fast and abstinence. He reminded us of the divine law our own way do penance. We must all turn from sin and make reparation s. We must forgive and show love for one another just as we ask for God’s ss. non Law and our bishops remind us of other works and means of doing cts of self-denial, almsgiving and works of personal charity. Attending ral times a week, praying the rosary, making the Way of the Cross, rish’s evening prayer service, helping at a food pantry, visiting the sick of these can be meaningful and sometimes more demanding than simply meat on Friday. ops explain in their annual guidelines for Lent, “The key to fruitful se practices is to recognize their link to baptismal renewal. We are called from sin during Lent, but to true conversion of our hearts and minds as t.”

onference of Catholic Bishops (www.usccb.org), www.catholic.org, www.americancatholic.org

What are the practices of Lent?

Father Robert Barron, host of the acclaimed “Catholicism” series, comments on the three practices of Lent: prayer, fasting and almsgiving. He offers practical advice to enact these three pillars in our own lives.

In addition, he comments on the traditional practice of receiving ashes on Ash Wednesday. Online at www. youtube.com/watch?v=LvsOFWxbyRM.

RS’ life-changing aid

or s going st s two of agic

hool, were ere a owl, an sting and with the

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country, first in California addressing parishes and schools there. He now travels throughout the U.S. on speaking engagements sponsored by CRS as a way to thank Catholic communities for their support and to raise awareness about hunger, relief and development.

Awiapo, now a married father of four, shares his insights with school groups, too.

During his visit to Charlotte Catholic High School, he reiterated that parents are a blessing, and that the students should thank God for their parents. “We don’t sometimes see the value of our parents until they’re gone,” he said.

He can’t really remember his parents, has no photos or memories of them, and now as a parent himself he sees just what a loss that was for him.

“Cherish your parents, love them, and pray for them,” he told the students.

Awiapo also stated that in the face of overwhelming poverty and problems in Africa, people think their little donations of change for Operation Rice Bowl can’t really have an impact. But they do.

He said, “Just a little kindness can make a difference in the world.”

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catholicnewsherald.com | February 17, 2012 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Celebrating40years!

DioceseofCharlotte

Chancellors of the Diocese of Charlotte 1972-1979 1979-1986 1986-1994 1994-

Monsignor Joseph Showfety Monsignor Joseph Kerin Monsignor John McSweeney Monsignor Mauricio West

The Office of Chancellor In an interview for the North Carolina Catholic on July 15, 1979, Monsignor Joseph S. Showfety, first chancellor of the Diocese of Charlotte, gave his reflections on the beginning of the diocese: “The chancellor is involved in the day to day administrative work of the diocese, so that the bishop, overall superior, need not be engaged in lesser operations.

To the chancellor belongs the responsibility of parishes and their financial situations; insurance covering diocesan interests; protection of the diocese in legal matters; the acquisition and sale of diocesan properties, and other business interests. The chancellor deals with the legal and administrative concerns of the diocese, but as the representative of the bishop his chief concern is pastoral and spiritual because of the nature of the Church.”

— “A History of the Early Years of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte,”

by Sister Miriam Miller, O.S.F.

Monsignor Joseph Showfety was the Diocese of Charlotte’s first chancellor

Photos provided by Diocese of Charlotte Archives

Setting a foundation Monsignor Joseph Showfety, first chancellor of the Diocese of Charlotte Patricia L. Guilfoyle Editor

GREENSBORO — Monsignor Joseph Showfety has seen a lot of changes in the Diocese of Charlotte over the years.

A Greensboro native, Monsignor Showfety is one of the first native priests in the diocese and served for seven years as its first chancellor.

Throughout all of the past 40 years, he says, the Holy Spirit has been at work: made evident in the missionary spirit of the clergy and in the enthusiasm and cooperation among the faithful.

And he has lots of stories to tell.

Like the time he and Bishop Michael Begley, the diocese’s first bishop, got food poisoning and landed in the hospital after returning from confirmation at a parish.

Monsignor Showfety was a priest of the new diocese at its inception in January 1972, and one of the first to learn in late 1971 when Raleigh Bishop Vincent Waters told Monsignor Michael Begley that he had petitioned Rome to divide his diocese of 60,000 Catholics and create the Diocese of Charlotte.

The story goes like this: Just before Thanksgiving 1971, Raleigh Bishop Waters visited Monsignor Begley in Greensboro, where he was pastor of Our Lady of Grace Church. Under the guise of looking for property in Greensboro for future parish use, Bishop Waters took the pastor with him.

The Raleigh diocese already owned property nearby to relocate Notre Dame High School.

Bishop Waters drove onto the property, stopped his car and said to Monsignor Begley, “Rome has decided to have a second diocese in Charlotte with you as the first bishop. Will you accept?” The answer was yes. Bishop Waters restarted his car without saying another word.

At the time of the division, Charlotte had 34,000 Catholics. And none of them – priest or laypeople – had any idea of the impending news. The Friday after Thanksgiving, just days after his car ride with Bishop Waters, Monsignor Begley traveled to Washington, D.C., to see the apostolic delegate. The following Tuesday, the big news was announced.

So how did Monsignor Showfety become the first chancellor?

He recalls that there had been a freak snowstorm in Hendersonville, where he served as pastor at Immaculate Conception Church.

He had just come back to the rectory from shoveling a path to the church through the 15 inches of snow. It was a First Friday, Dec. 3, 1971, and he had to prepare to celebrate 11 a.m.

Mass. The phone rang.

“It was Bishop-elect Begley calling. I congratulated him and our conversation continued. He said, ‘I want you to be chancellor.’ My reply was, ‘I want to build a new church in Hendersonville.’ He replied, ‘I know you do. It’ll be built, but not by you. I want you in Charlotte.’”

‘Everything fit in place’

For the next few weeks, Monsignor Showfety traveled back and forth several times to Raleigh and worked with the chancellor there, Monsignor Louis Morton, on arrangements for setting up the new diocese. It was the holiday season, but he had only six weeks to set everything up. The date for Bishop Begley’s ordination had been set for Jan. 12, 1972, at St. Patrick Cathedral, which was being elevated from its status as a parish church.

Titles for all parish properties and all diocesan vehicles had to be transferred from Bishop Waters to Bishop Begley. It was quite a lot to do for the six men involved: two bishops, two chancellors, and two attorneys. Monsignor

February 17, 2012 | catholicnewsherald.com catholic news heraldI

Showfety spent three days just transferring car titles at the state Department of Motor Vehicles in Raleigh.

“Everything was in Bishop Begley’s name as Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte and his successors in office,” making the bishop “one of the largest landholders in the state,” he notes.

That excitement and rapid pace set the tone for the new diocese and Monsignor Showfety’s role as chancellor, but, he adds, “everything fit in place.”

He recalls that from the beginning, Bishop Waters strove to divide the dioceses’ assets equally and with fairness to everyone involved. It was a critical leadership decision that placed both dioceses on good working terms from the start – something not always seen in other dioceses.

Clergy throughout North Carolina were “frozen” in place through the 1971-’72 split, and all property and funds where possible were divided equally.

“I can’t say enough about Bishop Waters.

He was a man who worked and worked and worked – extremely hard – and he traveled this diocese for almost 30 years, east to west. He knew the priests, he knew the parishes.”

“On many occasions, Monsignor Morton said, Bishop Waters was being better to the Diocese of Charlotte than to his own diocese. It cannot be repeated enough how good Bishop Waters was to the Diocese of Charlotte. And after the division was completed, he never in any way interfered with the new diocese. He was just happy and satisfied that the process was so complete and quick,” he said.

An example: Monsignor Showfety recalls that Bishop Waters was always seeking men interested in studying for the priesthood.

“There were three men who belonged to the Raleigh diocese since they had already received the rite of tonsure. However, Bishop Waters freely gave the three a choice: Raleigh or Charlotte. Of the three, Father Wilbur Thomas, whose hometown was Lexington, chose Charlotte. (Father Thomas is now pastor at St. Lawrence Basilica in Asheville.) The other two chose to remain in Raleigh.

Work to create the new diocese and split all of its assets in half was finished in six months, Monsignor Showfety says: “In six months we were finished, and not a cross word was spoken.

“It was so fairly done, you couldn’t improve on it.”

‘Open for business’

A temporary office was set up for the new bishop and the chancellor in a couple of rooms of the rectory at St. Patrick Cathedral by its pastor, Father Richard Allen.

On Jan. 12, 1972, Bishop Begley was ordained, and that night Bishop Waters and Bishop Begley hosted a large dinner at a downtown Charlotte hotel to celebrate.

The next morning, Monsignor Showfety says, “we were open for business.”

Neither Bishop Begley nor Monsignor Showfety – then Father Showfety – had any experience for their new jobs, he recalls with a laugh. They had been parish priests and run schools, and Bishop Begley had led Raleigh’s Catholic Charities office, but neither had worked in a chancery.

“You grew into the job by doing the work,” he recalls. “You were involved in everything.”

The people of the newborn diocese were supportive, he says, and “the priests were extremely, extremely cooperative and helpful.” Particularly Father Allen at the cathedral, Monsignor Showfety says, who “was always extremely helpful in every way.”

That unity made all the difference.

The same month that Bishop Begley was ordained, real estate friends of his in Charlotte located a home for sale a block from the cathedral.

“It was a beautiful home,” but it needed a little work. Within days, Bishop Begley bought it for $82,500, he recalls. Friends from High Point renovated the house and set up a chapel, as well as furnished and decorated it.

When the house was ready, Bishop Begley, Monsignor Showfety and Benedictine Father Joseph Tobin moved in. A few months later, a religious sister whom the bishop knew volunteered to be housekeeper.

“Sister Mary Aquinas Makin, a Sister of St. Francis from Tiffon, Ohio, was a godsend and remained with Bishop Begley until he retired in 1984,” Monsignor Showfety says, and she worked for a time with Bishop Donoghue.

She was always accompanied by her little dachshund “Me-Own.” (Because she could not own anything, the dog was its own owner, Monsignor Showfety explains with a smile.)

Bishop Begley spent a lot of time traveling, particularly for confirmations, and Monsignor Showfety accompanied him to as his master of ceremonies. Monsignor Showfety also remained busy with the new work of the diocese as well as filling in at parishes wherever needed.

The new diocese set up a new fiscal calendar and accounting system, issued its first financial report 18 months after the diocese’s creation, and looked for office property so they could move out of a small house on St. Patrick’s campus that served as the chancery.

In 1974, the diocese purchased and renovated an office building on Morehead Street in downtown Charlotte – its first consolidated office space.

According to “A History of the Early Years of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte” by Sister Miriam Miller, O.S.F., “When the Diocese of Charlotte was set up, it received half of the cash owned by the Diocese of Raleigh at the time of the separation, so that the diocese began without great money problems. In 1974 it was agreed to sell the property used by Asheville Catholic High School and the adjoining Mount Mary property to the Asheville-Buncombe Technical Institute.

Later, in 1979, the Institute also purchased the former St. John Vianney Minor Seminary building, also in Asheville.

The Asheville parishes were repaid the money they had spent in purchasing the high school, and the balance was used in obtaining a new diocesan office building.”

Monsignor Showfety also formed the first diocesan finance council, consisting of lay professionals from around the diocese, and negotiated health insurance coverage for clergy and staff. A process for reviewing building projects and large capital expenditures was also put into place, to ensure that the parishes and the diocese would not take on more debt than they could afford.

‘Anytime the phone rang, it could be anything’ The work of the new diocese occupied much of Monsignor Showfety’s time, even as he continued filling in at parishes and for the first six months in the post, commuting from Concord where he served as interim pastor.

He recalls that there were many surprises, some good, some bad. “Anytime the phone rang, it could be anything.”

One particular tragedy sticks in his mind. He and Bishop Begley were at the residence one evening in June of 1974.

“The phone rang, and I picked it up and

17

Monsignor Showfety served as Bishop Michael Begley’s master of ceremonies on his travels around the diocese for confirmations, blessings, and other occasions.

said hello. The man said, ‘I just want to let you know that Father Donahue’s been murdered.’ I said, ‘What did you say?’

‘Father Donahue’s been murdered.’”

Father Francis Donahue, S.T., beloved pastor of St. John Baptist de La Salle Church in Wilkesboro for two years, had been found dead. The small parish worshipped in a large house that served as the church as well as the rectory.

Monsignor Showfety explains that there had been a robbery, and Father Donahue had been tied up to his bed by the intruder.

The priest hadn’t been murdered, but he suffered a heart attack, police assumed, while attempting to free himself. Police soon caught the wanted man, who had fled from Ohio where he had killed a man.

Monsignor Showfety recalls that a bank headquartered at the time in North Wilkesboro lent a plane to Bishop Begley so he and a large number of priests could fly to Alabama for the funeral Mass.

Proud of the diocese’s growth

One of the last projects Monsignor Showfety was involved in as chancellor was renovation of St. Patrick Cathedral in 1979, to accommodate the changes of Vatican II. Some earlier plans had included a proposal to replace the pews with folding chairs and the altar with a portable altar that could be moved to different places in the church, but that proposal was rejected.

Monsignor Showfety hired Francis Gibbons of Baltimore, who was known for church renovations and also later did work at St. Leo Church in Winston-Salem.

The marble altar was reworked, a new pipe organ were installed, and the ceiling was redesigned. Over the nave, a blue and silver ceiling was painted depicting crowns with a cross along with wheat and grapes, symbols for the Eucharist. The design comes from the diocesan coat of arms and serves as a reminder of Queen Charlotte of Mecklenburg, for whom the city of Charlotte was named.

Besides all of the other firsts that Monsignor Showfety was a part of, he was also the first of four monsignors appointed by the new diocese in 1976. (The three others were Monsignors William Pharr, Richard Allen and Michael O’Keefe.)

It was meant to be a surprise, but that day – as on most days – he was the one to open the mail. He couldn’t help but see the confirmation letter from Rome, he recalls with a laugh, and he had to feign surprise when Bishop Begley made the announcement that afternoon.

Of all the changes over the years, Monsignor Showfety is proud of how the diocese has grown and flourished, and he applauds the growing participation of the laity and an emphasis on stewardship.

He notes, “It was the biggest honor and privilege of my priesthood” to serve as the diocese’s first chancellor.

Our schools 18

catholicnewsherald.com | February 17, 2012 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

For the latest news 24/7: catholicnewsherald.com

In Brief

Asheville Catholic tuition endowment set up Kimberly Bender Online reporter

OLM students win in several competitions WINSTON-SALEM — Academic competition was fierce in January as Our Lady of Mercy School in WinstonSalem held its school-wide Science Fair, Spelling Bee and Geography Bee. Science Fair winners were: Eighth-graders Hannah Boone and Chandler Keith; sixth-graders Marilyn Butterworth, Jake Rademaker and Mikie Ioannou; fifth-graders Timmy Kammire, Niel Ingle and Jack Herndon; fourth-grader Ethan Merrill; and third-graders Jack Myszkowski, Sam Haggas, May Cheron and Tatiana Bitting. These winners represented Our Lady of Mercy Jan. 28 at the NonPublic School Regional Science Fair.

May Cheron, Niel Ingle, Jack Herndon and Timmy Kammire all earned honorable mentions in the elementary division. In the junior division, Mikie Ioannou placed third in the physics category, Marilyn Butterworth placed second in the earth/environmental category, and Jake Rademaker placed first in the biology category. As a firstplace winner, Rademaker will present his project “Distracted Video Game Driving” at the Regional Science Fair Feb. 21 at Salem College.

Madison Wynn, a sixth-grader, won the school-level National Geographic Bee, at which students answered oral questions on geography. Chandler Keith, an eighth-grader, and Benjamin Camacho, a fourth-grader, were first and second runners-up. As the winner, Wynn has a chance at a $25,000 college scholarship, sponsored by National Geographic and Google. She has since taken a written test to be submitted to National Geographic, and up to 100 of the top scorers in each state will be eligible to compete in the state-level bee in Raleigh. The National Geographic Society will provide an all-expenses paid trip to Washington, D.C., for state champions and teacherescorts to participate in the Bee national championship rounds in the spring. The national winner will receive the $25,000 college scholarship.

Casey Martin, a seventh-grader, won the school-wide Spelling Bee. Eighth-grader Andres Rodriguez and sixth-grader Matthew Hammes were the first and second runners-up.

— Lara Davenport

OLG girls earn first place in PECSSA GREENSBORO — After a successful season, the girls varsity basketball team at Our Lady of Grace School in Greensboro earned first place in the Piedmont Elementary Catholic Schools Sports Association (PECSSA) conference regular season. Teams advance to the PECSSA tournament in Charlotte later in February.

— Karen L. Hornfeck

ASHEVILLE — Father Ed Sheridan’s parents made sacrifices – including his mom cleaning the school – so that he could attend Catholic schools from elementary grades through college.

In honor of his parents, Father Sheridan, who will celebrate 49 years as a priest in May, has established an endowment that will provide tuition assistance for Catholic education.

This is the first diocesan endowment established by a priest specifically for tuition assistance at a diocesan school.

The Sheridan-Mangan Fund will initially aid families of students attending Asheville Catholic Sheridan School who are in need of tuition assistance, but Father Sheridan said he hopes others will contribute to the fund so it may benefit even more students.

Father Sheridan came out of retirement in 2009 to serve as pastor at St. Eugene Church in Asheville and chaplain for Asheville

Catholic School until 2011. While there, he said, he realized the need for a fund after meeting families who couldn’t afford the tuition costs.

“I want those students to have the same opportunity as others to get a Catholic education,” Father Sheridan said. “The need is great now, so why wait until I die?”

Father Sheridan, 74, named the fund for his late parents to honor them for all they did to provide him and his brother with a Catholic education.

“They are the ones who sacrificed a great deal so we could have that education,” Father Sheridan said. “My mom took a job cleaning up in the school after hours to earn money for our livelihood as a family. Tuition was minor back then … my folks probably couldn’t afford it if the costs were as they are now.”

Attending Catholic schools is a “big expenditure” for families, and Father Sheridan said he doesn’t want to see children missing out on a Catholic education because of its cost. “Any way we can help people go to the schools is very worthwhile,” he said.

Throughout his priesthood, Father Sheridan has worked closely with SHERIDAN, SEE page 21

Permanent site of Christ the King High School prepped for construction SueAnn Howell Staff writer

KANNAPOLIS — The site of the Diocese of Charlotte’s newest Catholic high school at 16800 Davidson Hwy. is now ready and if the weather continues to cooperate, the footings for the first building should be poured any day.

The first building to be constructed on the 100-acre campus will be the 8,000-square-foot main building which will house the chapel, administrative offices and a commons area.

There will also be a group of five smaller buildings with four classrooms in each building that Dr. Dan Dolan, principal of Christ the King, is calling an “academic village.”

“Within the next couple of weeks we will make a decision on classroom design,” Dolan said. “We have been meeting with furniture reps as to decide what the inside of the building will look like. We have at least two options on the designs for each classroom space.”

Dolan has been hosting informational meetings with prospective families in

Photo provided by christ the king high school

More than 100 people gathered at St. Mark School in Huntersville Feb. 9 to hear about enrollment information for the new Christ the King High School, the diocese’s third high school. It will open in its permanent location in August. anticipation of the completion of the new school, which will house a freshman and sophomore class this fall. More than 100 people attended the Feb. 9 meeting at St.

Sketch provided by Christ the King High School

Mark School in Huntersville.

“We’re hoping for a large freshman class CTKHS, SEE page 21

Angelic voices in formation at St. Leo the Great School Marianne DeCristo Special to the Catholic News Herald

WINSTON-SALEM — Anyone who is on staff in or has children attending one of our wonderful Catholic schools in the Diocese of Charlotte knows the great lengths everyone goes to for the students’ academic, spiritual and personal growth. There are only so many hours in the day, but the students are the priority!

At St. Leo the Great School in Winston-Salem, students in grades four through eight have the opportunity to participate in the junior choir that serves at the weekly school Mass. Throughout the entire school year, more than 50 students attend about a dozen rehearsals lasting only 15 minutes. We practice hymns for upcoming liturgical seasons. Students learn posture when singing, to sing as one voice, and lots of little things that are important to choir participation and performance. After rehearsing, they hurry back to their classrooms for their daily activities.

Due to the limited space in our church choir loft, members in the fourth and fifth grades sing at Mass one week, alternating with sixth- and eighth-graders on other weeks. Our weekly rehearsals are held at 8 a.m. before Mass begins, and students come regularly and willingly to participate.

To encourage all Mass attendees to sing during liturgies, music director Barbara Chandler arranged for music to be led from the front of the church. The Junior Cantor training program works with select participants from our current choir members.

Approximately 15 students volunteered to learn to lead the community in the hymns, with the understanding that to do so would mean occasionally missing recess during school to prepare for their roles.

During each Friday’s Mass, two students cooperatively lead our hymns, including the sung parts of the Mass such as the Gospel Acclamation and the Lamb of God. They have to pay attention constantly!

A little nervousness goes with the territory, but that’s to be expected. In accepting this responsibility, the Junior Cantors are gaining self-confidence, the benefit of rehearsing and the ability to encourage others in the Junior Cantor training program. They have also become comfortable with welcoming others at Mass with their eyes, their voices and their smiles.

Parents and staff at St. Leo School have noticed greater participation in hymns during Mass because of our young cantors who are willing to lead us. Our pastor, Father Brian Cook, has been very supportive of the Junior Cantor training program, and for that we are grateful. Over time, the whole school community will be singing as one voice, thanks to our willing Junior Cantors.

February 17, 2012 | catholicnewsherald.com catholic news heraldI

Celebrating the Chinese New Year WINSTON-SALEM — Our Lady of Mercy preschoolers and kindergartners rang in the Year of the Dragon with Chinese New Year festivities earlier this month, capped off with a “Dragon Parade.” Led by their kindergarten teacher, children paraded through the hallways of the school playing Chinese drums and carrying their own dragon while the other classes cheered them on. In preparation for the event, the kindergartners learned about the Chinese zodiac and what attributes the 12 animals of the zodiac possess, tasted Chinese cuisine, practiced writing Chinese symbols and learned to count to 10 in Chinese. For the parade, they made dragons and lanterns to carry along. Part of the prekindergarten classroom was transformed into a “Chinatown” filled with cultural items.

Pre-K students decorated lion puppets, listened to Chinese music, and read children’s books about Chinese New Year traditions. The “Dragon Parade” has become an annual tradition at Our Lady of Mercy School. photo provided by Lara Davenport

In Brief

musical was presented by the SPX Players and directed by former St. Pius X School student Meg Weckworth. The well-attended performances were held Jan. 26-28.

— Jean Navarro

St. Leo road race coming up March 17 WINSTON-SALEM — St. Leo School’s 17th Annual Road Race will be held on Saturday, March 17, in Winston-Salem. All are invited to participate in this USATF-certified 5K/10K and 1 Mile Fun Run. For details, go online to www. stleocatholic.com.

— Donna Birkel

JV girls and boys basketball teams win titles

Lego Robotics team goes to state GREENSBORO — The Lego Robotics team at Our Lady of Grace School in Greensboro, nicknamed the “Sausage Nuggets,” recently advanced to state competition with 60 other teams. Pictured are team members Spencer Cottingham, William Cox, John Paul Stepnowski, Dominick Bagnoli, Patrick McArthur, Will Hornfeck and Jack Fink.

— Karen Hornfeck

SPX Players finish successful performance GREENSBORO — Pictured are the cast and crew from St. Pius X School’s recent production, “Into The Woods, Junior.” The middle school

SALISBURY — The junior varsity girls and boys basketball teams (fifth and sixth grades) at Sacred Heart School in Salisbury recently won their regular season conference and conference tournament championships.

The Sacred Heart JV girls basketball team clinched the CCISAA Championship, defeating Statesville Christian 25-15 in the semi-final game. Julia Honeycutt, Anne Metz and Mary Sobataka led the girls. In the championship game, the girls defeated Hickory Christian 22-9.

Mary Sobataka and Julia Honeycutt both had 8 points to lead the Dolphins. Julia Honeycutt was named team tournament MVP. The team finished the season 10-2 and 10-0 in the conference.

The Sacred Heart JV boys basketball team won the CCISAA Conference Championship and finished the season 12-0 in conference play. In the semifinal game, the Dolphins defeated First Assembly from Winston-Salem 38-21, led by Will Taylor’s game-high 13 points. Alex Antosek added 11 points and Jack Fisher was strong inside with 9 points and 9 rebounds. Sacred Heart went on the win the championship game 33-29 against Hickory Christian Academy.

Michael Childress led all scorers with 16 points.

The team unanimously selected Johnson Huynh, team manager, as tournament MVP. — Robin Fisher We welcome your school’s news. Please e-mail photos and story suggestions to Editor Patricia Guilfoyle at plguilfoyle@charlottediocese.org.

19

Mix 20

catholicnewsherald.com | February 17, 2012 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

For the latest movie reviews: catholicnewsherald.com

On TV

In theaters

Gail Buckley, founder of Catholic Scripture Study International and host of the weekly Radio Maria program “The Bible Lady,” is pictured in her home studio during a live broadcast.

photo provided by Gail Buckley

‘Journey 2: The Mysterious Island’ Leaden adventure, improbably sourced from books by Jules Verne, Robert Louis Stevenson and Jonathan Swift, follows an intrepid teenager and his stepfather to a South Pacific island crawling with natural anomalies and opportunities for derring-do.

Some teen sensuality, several moderately scary sequences CNS: A-II (adults and adolescents), MPAA: PG

‘Chronicle’ Reasonably original, curiously dark exploration of the troubling results that ensue when mere mortals obtain godlike powers. Limited action violence, scenes of physical abuse, an implied premarital encounter.

CNS: A-III (adults), MPAA: PG-13

‘The Woman in Black’ This big-screen version of Susan Hill’s popular 1983 horror novel, previously adapted for radio, television and the London stage, headlines Daniel Radcliffe as a British barrister struggling to unravel the mysteries of a remote mansion and battling the vengeful ghost who inhabits it. Numerous scenes of suicide by children, occasional gore.

CNS: L (limited adult audience), MPAA: PG-13

‘The Vow’ Stricken with partial amnesia as the result of a car accident, a Chicago artist awakens from a coma with no memory of her romance with, or marriage to, her husband. Brief nongraphic marital lovemaking, adultery theme.

CNS: A-III (adults), MPAA: PG-13

‘This Means War’ Director McG’s ill-conceived blend of action flick and romantic comedy tracks the rivalry between two CIA agents and best friends after both fall for a perky consumer goods tester. Considerable action violence, skewed sexual values, brief semigraphic premarital sexual activity.

CNS: A-III (adults), MPAA: PG-13

‘Bible Lady’ now graces Radio Maria’s airwaves Catholic Scripture Study founder embraces new radio show SueAnn Howell Staff writer

CHARLOTTE — Gail Buckley, a Catholic convert who started the international Bible study program Catholic Scripture Study International in 2003, has begun a new venture to reach out to Catholics via the airwaves with a weekly radio program on Radio Maria USA. Radio Maria is a Catholic radio network committed to evangelization through programming about prayer, catechism and human development.

It was started as a parish radio in 1983 in the diocese of Milan, Italy. It now operates in more than 60 countries, spreading the Gospel to millions of listeners in more than a dozen languages.

Buckley now hosts “The Bible Lady” program, which airs in select U.S. markets every Monday at noon and can also be listened to live on the Internet on Radio Maria’s website.

“The first few shows I felt like I was thrown into the deep end of the pool, but it’s been great!” said Buckley of her first foray into radio.

She began her radio show last September after being recruited by Yvonne Florczak-Seeman, a pro-life speaker, activist and author from Chicago, whom Buckley had met at a women’s conference in California a few years ago. Seeman works with Radio Maria in Chicago.

“The Bible Lady” now airs every Monday on radio stations in Illinois, Louisiana, Mississippi, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas and Wisconsin. Listeners can also download the Radio Maria app for their smartphone device to enjoy the live program.

So how does a busy Catholic Scripture Study International executive find the time to tape a weekly radio program?

Says Buckley, “I have my studio in the house.

Today’s technology is so great.”

Buckley tries to line up the guests at least six weeks in advance so she can prepare ahead.

“My show was originally broadcast just around

Online at radiomaria.us Listen to “The Bible Lady” live every Monday at noon. Just click on the “Listen Live” button (Internet Explorer works best). Call in during the show with questions/comments at 1-866-333-6279. Upcoming shows are: n Feb. 20 – Leon Suprenant: Lent n Feb. 27 – Father Dwight Longenecker: Why are so many Anglicans becoming Catholic? n March 5 – Mike Aquilina: Angels n March 12 – Mike Sullivan: How to be an informed Catholic n March 19 – Dorothy Pilawski: Motherhood matters n March 26 – Deal Hudson: Facts Catholics need to know before voting n April 2 – Father Larry Richards: Becoming the person God created you to be

the Chicago area, but now it’s national. It goes to all the (Radio Maria) stations in the U.S. and it’s broadcast out of Alexandria, La. I just call in and I log onto the Internet to communicate with my producer, and I can text to my producer as well during the show.”

“The Bible Lady” addresses various aspects of the Catholic faith and includes guest experts on particular topics.

Guests have included Mark Shea, Carl Olson, Patrick Madrid, Jim Burnham, Hector Molina and Teresa Tomeo. Upcoming guests will include Dr. Deal Hudson of Catholic Advocate, Mike Aquilina, Father Larry Richards, Dorothy Pilawski, Father Dwight Longenecker and Mike Sullivan.

“I’m really enjoying it – it’s fun! My primary reason for doing it is to have another avenue for evangelization ... I felt that the Lord was just expanding my territory to evangelize and so I couldn’t say no to this opportunity to lead people to Christ and help them better understand His Word and His Church.”

n Sunday, Feb. 19, 3:30 a.m. and noon (EWTN) “Eucharistic Concelebration With The New Cardinals (Live).” Pope Benedict XVI celebrates Holy Mass with the 22 new cardinals concelebrating. n Sunday, Feb. 19, 10 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 21, 1 p.m., and Thursday, Feb. 23, 5 a.m.

(EWTN) “Father Pat.” Family Theatre productions presents a unique look at the life of Father Patrick Peyton, whose media efforts on behalf of the Catholic faith had a vast impact on Catholics of the mid-20th century. n Sunday, Feb. 19, 10:30 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 21, 1:30 p.m., and Thursday, Feb. 23, 5:30 a.m. (EWTN) “Dedicated Man.” Media pioneer Father Patrick Peyton tours his homeland of County Mayo, Ireland, and looks at the importance of the rosary in his family life. n Monday, Feb. 20, 5 a.m. and 6 p.m. (EWTN) “Audience For The New Cardinals (Live).” Audience for the new cardinals in Paul VI Hall.

Monday, Feb. 20, 1 p.m.

(EWTN) “The Little Shepherds Of Fatima.” Pope John Paul II’s trip to Fatima for the beatification of Francisco and Jacinta Marto and footage of Sister Lucia’s meeting with the Holy Father. n Wednesday, Feb. 22, 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. and 6-8 p.m. (EWTN) “Blessing and Imposition of Ashes from Rome.” Pope Benedict XVI marks the beginning of Lent with prayers, a penitential procession from the Basilica of St. Anselm and Mass in the Basilica of St. Sabina. n Friday, Feb. 24, 1-2 p.m.

(EWTN) “No Price Too High.”

This special tells the story of former Pentecostal minister Alex Jones, who brought much of his congregation with him into the Catholic Church. n Sunday, Feb. 26, 10-11 p.m. (EWTN) “New Roman Missal: Part 1.” U.S. Cardinal Raymond L. Burke hosts this in-depth look at the new translation of the Missal. n Tuesday, Feb. 28, 11-11:30 p.m. (EWTN) “St. Peter: Icon for Lent.” First installment of a three-part Lenten series in which Cardinal-designate Timothy M. Dolan shows how St. Peter can help us draw closer to Jesus and teach us practical lessons about Christian discipleship.

February 17, 2012 | catholicnewsherald.com catholic news heraldI

CTKHS:

SHERIDAN:

HOUSING:

FROM PAGE 18

FROM PAGE 18

FROM PAGE 3

Catholic schools in North Carolina, including serving as superintendent of schools for the Diocese of Charlotte when it was established in 1972.

He has also served at parishes in Brevard, Charlotte, Winston-Salem and Hickory, including roles as school administrator at three diocesan high schools and one elementary school.

“I’ve had a relationship and concern for Catholic school education,” Father Sheridan said.

“I hope the endowment will affect many young people – and for their whole lives. I hope, I hope.”

The fund, which is now approximately $52,000, will be put into use “right away,” Father Sheridan said. School and parish officials will determine who will receive assistance on a case-by-case basis rather than on predetermined criteria, he said.

Father Sheridan, who is now back in retirement and living in Hickory, fills in at parishes around the diocese as needed. He said he hopes to continue to contribute to the Sheridan-Mangan Fund and that others will join the effort.

Judy Smith, director of planned giving for the diocese, said “Father Ed’s thoughtful endowment gift for Catholic education will benefit many future generations of families, and he joins thousands of others in the diocese who have made legacy gifts. We are very grateful for his generosity and stewardship.”

For details about how to contribute to the endowment or support other stewardship efforts in the diocese, contact Smith at 704-3703320 or jmsmith@charlottediocese.org.

Diocesan officials hope to break ground on the site in October, and construction is expected to be finished in the fall of 2013.

The diocesan housing corporation was started in 2002 under the leadership of

for fall, and I am confident there will be a growth in enrollment for the sophomore class,” Dolan said.

In anticipation of growth in enrollment, Dolan announced that Margie Henry, a Spanish teacher at the school, will assume the role of assistant principal, effective immediately. She will continue to teach in addition to her new responsibilities in the daily operation of the school.

The first phase of construction of Christ the King will accommodate 300 to 400 students.

The anticipated date of completion for the construction of the new buildings is Aug. 1.

Christ the King will be the diocese’s third high school and the second in the Mecklenburg Area Catholic Schools system.

Get details For more information about Christ the King High School, go to www.christthekinghs.com or call Dr. Dan Dolan at 704-799-4400.

21

Bishop Emeritus William G. Curlin. The diocese’s first housing project, Curlin Commons in Mooresville, was named in his honor.

Mother Teresa Villa is a nod to Bishop Curlin’s personal friendship and service with Blessed Teresa of Calcutta, and her special ministry to the poorest and weakest members of society.

For more information, call Jerry Widelski at the diocese at 704-370-3248 or Lori Gougeon at InReach at 704-536-6661.

Our nation 22

catholicnewsherald.com | February 17, 2012 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Social ministry official: HHS revision still violates religious liberty

For the latest news 24/7: catholicnewsherald.com

In Brief Ga. Supreme Court strikes down assisted suicide law ATLANTA — A unanimous decision by the Georgia Supreme Court that struck down a law banning people from publicly advertising to help with assisted suicide puts the elderly and people with disabilities in “grave danger,” said a national pro-life leader.

The 1994 state law did not prohibit assisted suicides, but it made it a felony for those who promote that they could assist with a suicide. In its Feb. 6 decision, the court said the law violated free speech rights.

“The ruling by the Georgia Supreme Court puts the lives of older people and those with disabilities in grave danger because it opens the door for the fringe advocates of doctorprescribed death to openly advertise the practice in the state of Georgia,” said Burke Balch, director of National Right to Life’s Powell Center for Medical Ethics. “This ruling essentially says if you want to advertise helping people jump off a cliff, you can hang out your shingle in Georgia,” he told National Right to Life News.

The Supreme Court’s 7-0 decision means that four members of the group Final Exit Network, charged in 2009 with helping a 58-year-old man with cancer die at his home in Georgia, will not have to stand trial.

In its eight-page ruling, the court pointed out that if the state had “truly been interested in the preservation of human life it could have imposed a ban on all assisted suicides with no restriction on protected speech whatsoever. Alternatively, the state could have sought to prohibit all offers to assist in suicide when accompanied by an overt act to accomplish that goal. The state here did neither.”

Retired Philadelphia archbishop dies at 88 PHILADELPHIA — Cardinal Anthony J. Bevilacqua, retired archbishop of Philadelphia, died Jan. 31 at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary, where he resided.

He was 88. Cardinal Bevilacqua headed the archdiocese from 1988 to 2003.

Oklahoma City VG named to lead Kansas diocese WASHINGTON, D.C. — Pope Benedict XVI has named the vicar general of the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City, Monsignor Edward J. Weisenburger, to head the Diocese of Salina, Kan. Bishop-designate Weisenburger, 51, succeeds Archbishop Paul S. Coakley, who was appointed Oklahoma City’s archbishop in December 2010.

— Catholic News Service

Dennis Sadowski Catholic News Service

CNS | Larry Downing, Reuters

U.S. President Barack Obama makes a statement at the White House in Washington, D.C., Feb. 10 about the federal mandate on contraceptive coverage.

Change on contraceptive mandate ‘unacceptable,’ bishops say Nancy Frazier O’Brien and Francis X. Rocca Catholic News Service

WASHINGTON, D.C. — In a move that appears unlikely to end the controversy over a federal mandate that all health insurance plans include contraception and sterilization free of charge, President Barack Obama outlined a plan Feb. 10 that would allow religious employers not to offer such services to their employees but would compel insurance companies to do so.

In a statement issued late Feb. 10, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops said Obama’s decision to retain the contraceptive mandate “is both unsupported in the law and remains a grave moral concern.” The conference also said the continued “lack of clear protection for key stakeholders ... is unacceptable and must be corrected.”

“The only complete solution to this religious liberty problem is for (the Department of Health and Human Services) to rescind the mandate of these objectionable services,” it added.

Cardinal-designate Timothy M. Dolan of New York said Feb. 13 that Obama’s revision to the contraceptive mandate in the health reform law did nothing to change the U.S. bishops’ opposition to what they regard as an unconstitutional infringement on religious liberty.

“We bishops are pastors, we’re not politicians, and you can’t compromise on principle,” said Cardinal-designate Dolan, president of the USCCB. “And the goal posts haven’t moved and I don’t think there’s a 50-yard line compromise here.”

“We’re in the business of reconciliation, so it’s not that we hold fast, that we’re stubborn ideologues, no. But we don’t see much sign of any compromise,” he said.

“What (Obama) offered was next to nothing.

There’s no change, for instance, in these terribly restrictive mandates and this grossly restrictive definition of what constitutes a religious entity,”

he said. “The principle wasn’t touched at all.”

Obama said he had spoken to Catholic officials directly “from the very beginning of this process” and had promised them that “we would spend the next year working with institutions like Catholic hospitals and Catholic universities to find an equitable solution that protects religious liberty and ensures that every woman has access to the care that she needs.”

He said the policy announced Jan. 20 had prompted “many genuine concerns, ... as well as, frankly, the more cynical desire on the part of some to make this into a political football.” Because of that, Obama said, he directed HHS “to speed up the process that had already been envisioned.”

But the USCCB’s statement said the conference was “not consulted in advance” about the Obama announcement.

“Stepping away from the particulars, we note that today’s proposal continues to involve needless government intrusion in the internal governance of religious institutions, and to threaten government coercion of religious people and groups to violate their most deeply help convictions,” the statement said. “In a nation dedicated to religious liberty as its first and founding principle, we should not be limited to negotiating within these parameters.”

The bishops pledged to “continue – with no less vigor, no less sense of urgency – our efforts to correct this problem through the two other branches of government.” They have urged Congress to pass the Respect for Rights of Conscience Act and are looking into the possibility of filing suit against the mandate.

Two colleges – Belmont Abbey College in Belmont, which is Catholic, and Colorado Christian University, which is Protestant – and the Eternal Word Television Network have filed lawsuits through the Becket Fund against the policy.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — A revision in a federal health care mandate that would shift the payment of contraception and sterilization coverage from religious employers to health insurance companies still infringes upon religious liberty and must be addressed, said a social ministry official of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

The mandate’s narrow exemption for religious organizations and how the revision pertains to self-insured parties, like many dioceses and Catholic organizations, could still force entities morally opposed to contraception to pay for such services, said John Carr, executive director of the U.S. bishops’ Department of Justice, Peace and Human Development.

“The fact is we have to go back to the beginning,” Carr told several hundred people during the opening session of the Catholic Social Ministry Gathering Feb. 12. “The best way to get out of this is to not get into it. We should not have the government deciding what’s a ministry or not.

We need the administration to revise it, we need the Congress to repeal it or we need the courts to stop it.”

Carr also said that making no-cost contraception available to American women seems to be a top legislative priority of the administration.

“Lots of people have said, ‘What are the priorities of the Obama administration?’”

Carr told the gathering.

“Well, we know one. It’s free birth control for everybody.”

President Barack Obama announced the revision Feb. 10, after three weeks of intensive criticism over a federal mandate that would require most religious institutions to pay for coverage they find morally objectionable. The rule allows religious employers not to offer such services to their employees but would compel insurance companies to do so.

Carr cited the rule’s “exceedingly narrow definition” of what constitutes a religious organization, which remains unchanged.

February 17, 2012 | catholicnewsherald.com catholic news heraldI

Catholic leaders: Government has no authority to redefine marriage Response follows court ruling on Calif. Prop 8, Washington state legalizing same-sex ‘marriage’ WASHINGTON, D.C. — The archbishops of Los Angeles and New York have criticized a federal appellate court decision Feb. 7 that ruled unconstitutional California’s Proposition 8, a 2008 voterapproved initiative that forbade same-sex “marriage” in the state.

Their objections also came at a time when Washington state legalized same-sex “marriage earlier this week.

“The government has no competence and no authority to ‘redefine’ marriage or ‘expand’ its definition to include other kinds of relationships,” said Archbishop Jose H. Gomez of Los Angeles in a Feb. 7 statement. “To do that is to say that marriage no longer exists. And this would have grave consequences for children and for the common good of our society.”

“Our government has a vital interest in promoting marriage for two reasons,” Archbishop Gomez continued. “First, because marriage is the foundation of society. Second, because government has a duty to promote the well-being of children, who have the right to be born and raised in a family with both their mother and their father.”

He added, “This debate over marriage is not about equality or about the needs of individuals. It is much bigger than that. It is about the nature of the human person and the nature of society.”

By a 2-1 vote, the three-judge panel of the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals struck down the California ban on samesex “marriage,” saying it violates the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which guarantees citizens due process and equal protection under the law. The majority opinion said the state, which had given

homosexual couples the right to marry, could not revoke that right.

Auxiliary Bishop Gerald E. Wilkerson of Los Angeles, president of the California Catholic Conference, expressed disappointment in the court’s ruling but also confidence that it would be reversed.

“We are disappointed by the ruling today by a panel of the 9th Circuit that would invalidate the action taken by the people of California affirming that marriage unites a woman and a man and any children from their union,” he said. “However, given the issues involved and the nature of the legal process, it’s always been clear that this case would very likely be decided by the U.S. Supreme Court. Marriage between one man and one woman has been – and always will be – the most basic building block of the family and of our society.”

Meanwhile, members of the House of Representatives in Washington state voted Feb. 8 to legalize same-sex “marriage,” and Gov. Christine Gregoire signed the legislation Feb. 13.

Washington is now the seventh state, along with the District of Columbia, where same-sex “marriage” is legal.

Several Republicans in the House argued against the bill earlier this month, saying it went against the tradition of marriage.

In Jan. 23 testimony before a Senate committee, Seattle Archbishop J. Peter Sartain urged lawmakers to oppose the measure “based on the grave challenge this legislation poses to the common good. By attempting to redefine marriage, it ignores the origin, purpose and value of marriage to individuals, families and society.”

— Catholic News Service

23

Our world 24

catholicnewsherald.com | February 17, 2012 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Vatican sex abuse investigator says bishops should be more accountable ROME — The Vatican’s top sex abuse investigator called for greater accountability under Church law of bishops who shield or fail to discipline pedophile priests.

Monsignor Charles Scicluna, promoter of justice for the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, made his remarks to reporters in Rome Feb. 8, after addressing an international symposium on clerical sex abuse.

“It is a crime in canon law to show malicious or fraudulent negligence in the exercise of one’s duty,” Monsignor Scicluna said, regarding the responsibility of bishops to protect children and punish abusers.

About bishops who fail to apply the Church’s anti-abuse norms, Monsignor Scicluna said, “it is not acceptable that when there are set standards, people do not follow the set standards.”

Acknowledging that the sanctions that canon law provides for the punishment of clergy are sometimes not applied to bishops, he said “ecclesial accountability has to be further developed. What we need to do is to be vigilant in choosing candidates for the important role of bishop, and also to use the tools that canonical law and tradition give for accountability of bishops.”

“It’s not a question of changing laws, it’s a question of applying what we have.”

— Catholic News Service

Don’t wait for explosion: Speakers say Church must prevent abuse Carol Glatz Catholic News Service

VATICAN CITY — The take-away message from a Vatican-backed symposium on clerical sex abuse was clear: Victims, truth and justice come first. And the Church can no longer wait for a crisis to erupt before it begins to address the scandal of abuse.

“We do not need to wait for a bomb to explode. Preventing it from exploding is the best response,” said Philippine Archbishop Luis Tagle. The archbishop of Manila was one of more than 200 bishops, cardinals, priests, religious and laypeople who attended a landmark symposium Feb. 6-9 in Rome.

The conference aimed to inspire and educate bishops’ conferences around the world as they seek to comply with a Vatican mandate to establish anti-abuse guidelines by May. U.S. Cardinal William J. Levada, prefect of the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the office that issued the mandate, said more than 4,000 cases of sexual abuse have been reported to the doctrinal office over the past decade. Those cases revealed that an exclusively canonical response to the crisis has been inadequate, he said, and that a multifaceted and more proactive approach by all bishops and religious orders is needed.

Countries such as the U.S., Canada, Australia and Germany are among those with the most comprehensive and binding guidelines or norms, Cardinal Levada said. “But in many cases such response came only in the wake of the revelation of scandalous behavior by priests in the public media.”

Learning the hard way, after generations of children and vulnerable adults are harmed and traumatized, shouldn’t be the norm, symposium participants said.

“Does each country around the world have to go through this same agonizing process?” asked Monsignor Stephen Rossetti, clinical associate professor of pastoral studies at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. Hard lessons over the decades have taught the Church the essential elements of an effective child-protection program, Monsignor Rossetti said, but such standards need to be implemented today around the world.

Not all bishops or superiors are fully on board, he said, as some believe that no abuse has happened or will happen under their watch.

“It is kind of like moving a mountain,” trying to convince everyone that addressing abuse with swift and effective programs is an urgent obligation.

“It’s not just changing a few policies, it’s a change in the way people think about these issues, and that takes a cultural shift,” he said.

That kind of conversion did happen at the conference, he said, for Church officials who had never heard a victim speak in person about his or her trauma and concerns.

Marie Collins, an abuse survivor from Ireland, said having her abuser’s superiors shift the blame onto her and fail to stop the perpetrator caused her more pain and shock than the abuse itself.

At the symposium’s start, Collins said that she wanted the Church to listen and respect victims and take their accusations seriously. She said hearing a Church leader ask for forgiveness for shielding

abusers was critical to healing, and she wanted to make sure there would be consequences for anyone who did not adhere to Church norms.

It appeared that symposium attendees and organizers were listening.

Canada’s Cardinal Marc Ouellet, prefect of the Congregation for Bishops, and 10 other bishops led a solemn penitential service Feb. 7, in which they asked forgiveness for failing to protect children and serving instead as an “instrument of evil against them.”

The bishops included Cardinal Sean Brady, primate of All Ireland, who two years ago apologized for having failed to report an abuser priest to the police in the 1970s.

The Vatican’s top investigator of clerical sex abuse, Monsignor Charles Scicluna, didn’t leave any wiggle room when it comes to complying with Church and civil laws: Everyone, especially the lay faithful, needs to develop the confidence “to denounce the sin when it happens and to call it a crime – because it is a crime – and to do something about it.”

The “deadly culture of silence ... is in itself wrong and unjust,” Monsignor Scicluna said, and bishops have a duty to cooperate fully with civil authority when civil laws are broken.

Experts, too, insisted that listening to victims and putting truth, justice and their safety must be the top concerns of all Church leaders.

Monsignor Rossetti said if there had ever been any doubt about the Vatican’s position, “those days are over.”

The pope and the Vatican are “all on the same page, and so that’s a powerful message to every bishop in the world,” he said.

Snow at the Vatican A backhoe clears snow in St. Peter’s Square Feb. 11 after overnight snowfall at the Vatican.

This was the second snowfall in a week in a city where snow is as rare as a papal conclave. Dangerously cold temperatures and snow have blanketed much of Europe, and more than 100 people in multiple countries have died as a result of the extreme conditions.

CNS | Paul Haring

February 17, 2012 | catholicnewsherald.com catholic news heraldI

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In Brief Though prayers may seem unheard, God never abandons people, pope says VATICAN CITY — God is near even though it may seem like He does not hear people’s prayers or has abandoned His flock, Pope Benedict XVI said. “Faced with difficult and painful situations, when God seems to not hear us, we must not be afraid to give Him all of the weight we carry in our heart, we should not be afraid to cry out to Him about our suffering,” the pope said.

Speaking at his weekly general audience Feb. 8, Pope Benedict continued his catechesis on prayer by highlighting Christ’s prayer from the cross, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

Jesus’ cry to the Father from the cross was not immediately understood by those nearby, the pope explained. Some thought he was calling Elijah, asking him to prolong His life, but Jesus was quoting Psalm 22, which affirms God’s presence amid His people, the pope said.

“Jesus is praying this psalm with the awareness of the Father’s presence. Many ask how this omnipotent God could not intervene to spare His own Son?” Because Jesus’ cry is not one for help, he said, but rather a prayer for His people and all peoples.

Pope says world must help Africans in Sahel VATICAN CITY — Pope Benedict XVI has urged the international community to address the problems of poverty and malnutrition in Africa’s Sahel region. “The Sahel was seriously threatened again in recent months by a notable decrease in food resources and by famine caused by a lack of rain and the resulting increase in desertification,” the pope told members of the John Paul II Foundation for the Sahel Feb. 10. He said that for residents of the Sahel, “living conditions are deteriorating.”

Pope Benedict noted that Africa is often described as the continent of conflict and infinite problems, but he said the opposite is true. For the Church, he said, Africa “is the continent of hope.”

The Sahel is a region of semiarid grassland and desert south of the Sahara Desert. U.N. agencies and nongovernmental organizations estimate that 6 million people in Niger are highly vulnerable to food insecurity, extreme poverty and malnutrition; 2.9 million in Mali; 700,000 in Mauritania; and more than 2 million in Burkina Faso. Thirteen of Chad’s 22 regions could be affected by food insecurity.

Church officials step up relief efforts to quake victims MANILA, Philippines — Catholic officials are stepping up relief efforts to provide assistance to victims of an earthquake that struck Negros Oriental province Feb. 6. San Carlos Diocese on Negros Island is organizing relief groups to deliver food and water to thousands of people who remain isolated after a magnitude 6.9 earthquake on the eastern part of the island, reported the Asian church news agency UCA News.

The quake destroyed or damaged bridges and buildings and triggered landslides. As of Feb. 9, the official death toll was 26, but rescuers said there was little hope of finding any of the 71 missing alive, UCA News reported. More than 1,500 families were evacuated from their homes.

Father Edwin Laude, social action director in San Carlos Diocese, said diocesan officials would declare a state of calamity in affected areas

due to the “traumatic experience. Parishes will conduct a second collection to help those in affected areas. Prayers of the faithful will also be recited at Masses for the victims,” he said.

He also said he went to Guihulngan City, south of San Carlos, Feb. 7 to assess the situation and give immediate assistance.

Hong Kong cardinal warns of ‘schism’ within Chinese church VATICAN CITY — Chinese Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-kiun warned that the Chinese Catholic Church is “on the verge of a schism” between communities cooperating with government structures and those who refuse to register with government authorities, and he called on the Vatican and other Catholics to shun “organisms that are not only foreign but clearly hostile to the Church” in China. Cardinal Zen, retired bishop of Hong Kong, made his comments in an article published Feb. 8 by Asia News, a missionary news agency based in Rome.

“The situation of the Church in China is particularly unusual because not bishops, but bodies outside the Church ... are leading our Church,” Cardinal Zen wrote, noting the government’s continued supervision of the Church through the State Administration for Religious Affairs and the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association.

China’s more than 10 million Catholics are divided among communities registered with the communist government and those, sometimes called “underground,” who have refused to register. In recent years, as many as 85 percent of government-approved bishops have been recognized by the Holy See, a “strategy of compromise” that Cardinal Zen argued has demoralized the unregistered communities.

“We can see that the underground community that once flourished so well now runs the risk of dying of frustration and discouragement, because it seems to be neglected and considered inconvenient by the Holy See,” Cardinal Zen wrote.

Poverty, corruption mortally wound Honduras, cardinal tells government VATICAN CITY — Poverty, violence, police corruption and disrespect for human life are mortally wounding Honduras, the country’s cardinal told the nation’s president and top government officials.

Cardinal Oscar Rodriguez Maradiaga of Tegucigalpa said the current violence in Honduras is the result of “the impact of narco-business subculture, unstoppable migration and of religious confusion, a result of the invasion of sects,” according to a Feb. 6 report by Fides, the Vatican missionary news agency. The cardinal made his comments Feb. 3 during the 265th anniversary celebration of the discovery of the Virgin of Suyapa, the patroness of Honduras.

Attending the event was Honduran President Porfirio Lobo, government ministers, top legislators, heads of the judicial branches, local authorities and thousands of Catholics from around the country. The cardinal said the country was bleeding and mortally wounded by violence, growing poverty, a lack of respect for life and corruption among police, reported Fides. It was a difficult yet “urgent imperative,” the cardinal said, to purge corruption from the national police force, which has been accused of a number of crimes and misdemeanors, according to Fides.

The news agency said the government was conducting a corruption sweep of the nation’s police, judges and prosecutors. In an appeal to government leaders, the cardinal said, “We cannot let ourselves be overcome by evil, but we must overcome evil with good; we cannot live in fear, insomnia, nightmares and grief.”

— Catholic News Service

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ViewPoints 26

catholicnewsherald.com | February 17, 2012 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

By the numbers THE TOP FACTORS that congregations identified as having a positive impact on growth:

The Poor Clares

The lost art of fatherhood

T

oo often in our modern day, the irreplaceable role of the father in a family has been ignored, downplayed or denied. Too many children have grown up without knowing their father, or with a father who is, sadly, neglectful of his responsibilities.

Some people focus exclusively or entirely on the role of the mother in the raising of children. But God had something very different in mind when He created the first man and woman and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply.”

The first task which God entrusted to Adam after his creation in the Book of Genesis was that of caregiver. And this role has been entrusted to every man since.

God has created men to be focused on purposeful activity, on making things, formulating ideas and goals, and bringing them to completion. This is true in their chosen field of interest, in the work they do.

But this focus is most perfectly fulfilled in striving for the ultimate goal: eternal life in Heaven.

For most men, whom God has called to marriage, the key position has been given to serve as father and leader of his family. In the close-knit circle of the family, a father is to be a reflection of Christ, the Head of the Church. Here he lives out his call to be a caregiver according to the Divine Plan.

As husband and father, the man is the protector of his family. He supports his wife and children by laboring for them.

Through his own exertion and the “sweat of his brow,” in imitation of Christ, Who gave Himself for us, he pours out his own self on their behalf. He is responsible for guarding and defending his family not only against material deprivations, but against the wiles of the Enemy and the snares of sin. The father, through his own example of a virtuous life, does much to provide for the spiritual needs of his family. As an image of God the Father, a man can use his natural talents of guiding and cultivating to bring to fruition the seeds of grace which have been planted within his family by Our Lord.

What greater goal could there be than to lead your family to the very gates of Heaven?

The more intimate a man’s own relationship with Our Lord, the more he will succeed in fulfilling this great mission.

It is obvious then, once we unpack these responsibilities, that a father is an essential figure in the family. And it follows that when these needs have not been met in the family, there is a deprivation and even a wound that causes much pain.

I once heard a story from a priest that illustrates this fact. He recounted that he had met a religious sister who worked in prison ministry. One year, shortly before Mother’s Day, she brought some Mother’s

Day cards for the inmates in case they would like to write to their mothers. Not sure how this would be received, she was happily surprised that all the cards were quickly snatched up. Having more time to prepare, she ordered plenty of cards for Father’s Day, expecting similar results. Not a single Father’s Day card was sent.

Think about that.

These men were in prison for a variety of crimes. Many of them probably came from deprived or abusive backgrounds. They still had a love and respect for their mothers, regardless of what had happened in the past.

But a similar respect for their fathers was missing.

Why the difference? The answer can be found in what the lack of fatherhood means in the eyes of a child.

From the first moment of conception, a child is intimately united to his or her mother. They are literally “one” for the nine months prior to birth. They are so closely connected as the mother provides for the child’s nourishment and every need.

At birth, an infant is extremely self-centered. The focus is entirely on his own needs and wants. The mother continues to be really an extension of self for the child, an almost indistinguishable source of love and care.

Who is the first “other” whom the child learns to love, outside this mother/child bond? The father. The child learns that there is another human being who loves him, protects him and cares for him. He learns to move beyond himself, and to love and trust this person as his father.

Because God has chosen to reveal Himself to us as Father, here too in this budding familial relationship, the child finds his first and deepest experiences of the love of the Eternal Father.

What happens when this love is not returned, when this trust is not affirmed?

The child’s capacity to give of himself to another and to enter into loving relationships with others is damaged. There is a gap between the child and his own security, and most sadly, between the child and a true image of God’s love.

A fatherless society quickly becomes a godless society. But it doesn’t have to end this way. Fatherhood is not dead, only under attack. Being a good father is not impossible, only challenging.

Let us pray that all fathers come to realize the vital importance of their unique role in the lives of their children. Let us ask the Eternal Father for the graces needed for men to live out this awesome and indispensable vocation.

A fatherless society quickly becomes a godless society.

Sister Marie Thérèse of the Divine Child Jesus is professed with the Poor Clare Nuns of Perpetual Adoration St. Joseph Monastery in Charlotte. Learn more about the local community of Poor Clares and subscribe to their newsletter by going online to www.stjosephmonastery.com.

64

family activities and marriage enrichment

63

a commitment to recruiting new members

57 56 54 50 46

PERCENT of

follow-up on contacts

as a factor

congregations

an innovative worship style

that had a

that reported

age of the church (founded since 1993)

positive impact

age of the congregation (less than 20% of members are 50+)

on growth

downtown or center city location

Source: Faith Communities Today

©2012 CNS

Study examines factors spurring growth of U.S. congregations WASHINGTON, D.C. — A new study of U.S. congregations found that some factors are more prevalent than others in spurring the growth of a congregation, among them the age of a congregation’s members, family activities and a commitment to recruiting new members. But the study’s author noted that only a minority of congregations of all denominations are actually growing.

“There were about 30-35 percent that were experiencing the highest level of growth,” said C. Kirk Hadaway, congregational research officer for the Episcopal Church and chair of the research task force for the Cooperative Congregational Studies Partnership, the study’s sponsors. “There’s as many congregations that are plateaued and declining (as) are experiencing rapid growth,” Hadaway said during a Jan. 31 webinar on the study, “Facts on Growth.”

He added: “A relatively small percentage

of congregations are sort of driving the growth to the extent that is occurring in U.S. society. It’s not really clear to what extent growth is occurring.”

Hadaway said that of the congregations surveyed, only 6.4 percent were either Catholic or Orthodox, but that the numbers were weighted to reflect their proportion in the U.S. population.

“Facts on Growth” is the fourth in a series of national congregational surveys that began in 2000. The sample for this latest study included 11,077 congregations. Faiths represented included the Catholic Church, United Methodist Church, Southern Baptist Convention, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Church of the Nazarene, Baha’i faith, Episcopal Church, Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-day Saints, Muslim, Orthodox and Jewish congregations, and nondenominational and black churches.

— Catholic News Service

Reader poll Lent begins with Ash Wednesday on Feb. 22. In the busyness of our daily lives, Lent can easily get lost in the shuffle as we look forward to Easter. We must strive to remember the purpose of Lent and its importance in our spiritual preparation for Christ’s Resurrection on Easter Sunday. This month, we’re asking readers:

Which Lenten practice is most spiritually meaningful for you?

n Almsgiving n Fasting and abstinence n Prayer Go online to www. catholicnewsherald.com to respond. And join the conversation on our Facebook page to offer your suggestions on making the most of the Lenten season.

— Patricia L. Guilfoyle, editor

Most-read stories on the web Through press time on Feb. 15, 1,086 page titles on www.catholicnewsherald.com were viewed a total of 13,816 times. The top five local headlines in February so far are: n Catholics stand in peaceful protest of blasphemous play in Charlotte............................ 2,802 n Concerns grow among local Catholics over HHS contraception mandate...........................1,113 n Bishop Peter J. Jugis: We must stand up and protect religious freedom........................... 634 n St. Gabriel Parish employee terminated from music ministry..................................................261 n St. Patrick Cathedral renovations under way.............................................................................. 260

February 17, 2012 | catholicnewsherald.com catholic news heraldI

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Letters to the editor

God bless the monks at Belmont Abbey The “poke in the eye” to American Catholics over the conscience clause for Catholic institutions by the Obama Administration was fairly easy to predict because the Catholic hierarchy has led them to believe that they can negotiate just about anything.

This should bring all people of faith together to be more aggressive with the regulatory clowns in Washington, D.C., and ensure that we elect representatives who will protect and enhance our religious rights.

I think it is refreshing that the leaders in getting this ruling overturned are the monks at Belmont Abbey, working with the Becket Fund. They have shown a great deal of courage even though it is literally a David vs. Goliath situation, financially and legally. I don’t think suing the federal government to get back your First Amendment rights is covered in The Rule of St. Benedict. God bless them – we pray for their success, for it will be our success, too.

Ed Dowd lives in Etowah.

Bishops must be serious about teaching the Truth As a loyal daughter of the Church, it is difficult for me to write what would seem to be a letter critical of our bishops. My intent, however, is to gently suggest that they exercise more prudently and courageously their God-given authority to teach, govern and sanctify the souls entrusted to them.

Given the chaos that has reigned in the catechetical realm since Vatican II and the resulting loss of a truly Catholic conscience in what seems to be a majority of their sheep, does it not seem a bit ironic, now that the Obama Administration has mandated that Catholic institutions must provide health coverage that includes contraceptive devices and services, that the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops is expressing concern that this will compel Catholics to violate their consciences?

There are many Catholic couples who now practice some sort of artificial birth control, see no sin in it and regularly receive our Lord in Holy Communion. Though there are surely some Catholic teachers, priests and bishops who do instruct their flock regarding this sin, there are far too many others who have remained silent these past 40 years.

I pray that in the future they will take more seriously their mandate to teach the Truth – in season and out of season, welcome or unwelcome – so that their sheep will be able to hear our Lord’s voice and follow Him on the path to holiness of life and salvation.

Estelle Wisneski lives in Charlotte.

Letters policy The Catholic News Herald welcomes letters from readers. We ask that letters be originals of 250 words or fewer, pertain to recent newspaper content or Catholic issues, and be in good taste. Items submitted to the Catholic News Herald become the property of the newspaper and are subject to reuse, in whole or in part, in print, electronic formats and archives.

Mail: Letters to the Editor Catholic News Herald 1123 S. Church St. Charlotte, N.C. 28203 E-mail: c atholicnews@charlottediocese.org

Deacon James H. Toner

Conscience clauses and Catholics today W

hat we see in our country today is a reprise of the “Kulturkampf,” a bitterly anti-Catholic political program in Prussia from about 1871 until 1880, under the direction of Otto von Bismarck. The ultimate purpose of the “culture struggle” was to destroy the public influence of the Catholic faith. Fines were levied against Catholic institutions, priests were imprisoned, seminaries were closed, and civil (not sacred) marriages were made mandatory.

Under Popes Pius IX and Leo XIII, however, the Church stood firm – as Christ’s Church must always do. Catholics successfully resisted Bismarck’s tyranny.

The Council fathers of Vatican II, moreover, taught with unmistakable emphasis that the Church is “at once the sign and the safeguard of the transcendental dimension of the human person.” The Church must “pass moral judgments even in matters relating to politics, whenever the fundamental rights of man or the salvation of souls requires it” (“Gaudium et Spes,” 76). Always we are to obey God before men.

The most pressing catechetical point of our day is explained by the Catechism in five words: “Caesar is not the Lord” (450).

This truth we Catholics must now explain and expound, teach and preach, and learn and live. Understand: we are now at the beginning of a “kulturkampf” right here – not in Prussia: here. It is that serious.

In 1939, as the storms of war began to cross the European continent, Pope Pius XII wrote a powerful encyclical, “Summi Pontificatus,” which speaks as urgently to us today as it did to the Church more than 70 years ago. “It is certain,” the Holy Father wrote, “that the radical and ultimate cause of the evils which we deplore in modern society is the denial and rejection of a universal norm of morality.”

When we are cut off from the infallible teaching authority of the Church, Pope Pius wrote, we enter a space and time of moral chaos and of great darkness.

The pope quoted from the Holy Gospel, which tells us that when Jesus was crucified “there was darkness over the whole earth” (Mt 27:45). That darkness, he said, is “a terrifying symbol of what happens spiritually wherever incredulity, blind and proud of itself, has succeeded in excluding Christ from modern life, especially from public life, and has undermined faith in God as well as faith in Christ.”

The Catechism tells us that incredulity is the “neglect of revealed truth or the willful refusal to assent to it” (2089).

Incredulity, “blind and proud of itself,” is the intellectual mark of modern times.

In line with it, the role of the Church in society, especially in public affairs, is routinely dismissed or denigrated.

Religion, we are told, is all well and good, provided that it is kept purely personal. It is perfectly fine to be religious, we hear, so long as the convictions of our faith do not spill over into public or political concerns. Our faith is regarded by militant secularists as a kind of germ which must be confined or captured by the “handkerchief” of the church building.

We may worship as we choose but, increasingly, the witness of our faith is to be kept within the boundaries of the church building itself.

This is what is meant by the phrase “freedom of worship” as opposed to the “free exercise” of religion mentioned in the First Amendment. Mere freedom of worship minimizes and marginalizes the faithful and constant Christian testimony to which we Catholics are called.

Moreover, it essentially repudiates the enduring duty of the Church as the “pillar and bulwark of the truth” (1 Tim 3:15), always and everywhere commissioned by Christ to announce and to defend moral principles, evangelize and serve as the Lord’s witness. (See paragraphs 17 and 25 of Vatican II, “Lumen Gentium.”)

We are, of course, Catholic not only at Mass – but in everything we think, say and do; the word Catholic, after all, does mean universal.

Once in Montgomery, Ala., at a Protestant place of worship, I saw a sign, visible only as one left the parking lot, which said: “You are now entering your mission field.” That sign captured the essence of Christian witness and of true freedom of religion, not just a restricted kulturkampf-style freedom of worship inside Church property and only on Sundays, or a kulturkampf-style oppression of seriously Catholic institutions.

I am reminded of another pope, Pius XI, deeply concerned about the circumstances in Mexico, who wrote an encyclical in March 1937 which, in part, said: “The Church ... cannot exist or develop if it does not enjoy liberty of action, and ... its members have the right to find in civil society the possibility of living according to the dictates of their conscience.”

Certainly no Catholic medical or educational institution should ever be legally coerced or manipulated into funding, insuring or otherwise supporting heinous practices contrary to the most profound teachings of the faith; no Catholic doctor or nurse should ever be compelled to assist at an abortion, which is the murder of a baby; no Catholic military chaplain should ever have to refrain from speaking the moral truth in love merely because he is not then on chapel grounds; and no Catholic professor should be intimidated when he or she appropriately refers to settled Church teaching.

There are, of course, self-styled, nominally Catholic institutions which will “accommodate to the culture”; that is, they have already accepted, or they soon will accept, political demands that their benefits packages include support for practices which we know are gravely sinful. “What is all the fuss?” they implicitly ask. Many Catholics and their institutions are, in effect, saying, “Hey, what’s the big deal here?”

The government is telling Catholics to betray the Catholic faith, to abrogate Catholic moral teaching, to deny (what should be) our formed Catholic consciences (and, by the way, trashing the Constitution). And they don’t see that? They “look without seeing and listen without hearing or understanding” (Mt 13:13 JB; cf. 10:36 and Micah 7:6). These institutions are Catholic in name, but they abjectly apologize for it; they are sorry Catholic institutions – as opposed to being serious Catholic institutions. Any person or any institution that stands, in practice, for nothing can fall for anything.

The heart of the debate over “conscience clauses” – the right Americans should have not to participate in, let alone pay for, matters which their faith brands as evil – was understood

by Pope Pius XI in 1937 and by Pope Pius XII in 1939. We are called to be children of the light, not of the darkness; we are called to be faithful witnesses at all times and places; and we are called to educate our consciences in accordance with the truth which sets us free (see CCC 1783-1785).

And the “universal norm of morality” – the Light whose witnesses we are and the Teacher whose truth illuminates our consciences – is Christ the King, whose Church must always be missionary (CCC 851).

Two sources and one quotation may prove very helpful in all this. See Archbishop Charles Chaput’s book “Render Unto Caesar” and read (and consider signing) the Manhattan Declaration about the sanctity of life, traditional marriage and religious liberty. (See manhattandeclaration.org.) The quotation is from Carl Schurz, the great journalist, who once gave this toast: “My country, right or wrong: if right to be kept right, if wrong to be set right.” St. Thomas More, pray for us!

Incredulity, “blind and proud of itself,” is the intellectual mark of modern times.

Deacon James H. Toner, Ph.D., serves at Our Lady of Grace Church in Greensboro.

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catholicnewsherald.com | February 17, 2012 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD