March 15, 2002

The Catholic News & Herald 1

March 15, 2002

March 15, 2002 Volume 11 t Number 26

Inside Sister’s charity embodied in community center

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Diocesan In-Service Day given high marks by teachers

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Diocesan Support Appeal Sunday

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Local News New Knights continue a long, noble tradition

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Catholic and Lutheran churches celebrate Lent together

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Every Week Entertainment ...Pages 10-11

Editorials & Columns ...Pages 12-13 Those who obey their human nature cannot please God. But you do not live as your human nature tells you to; Instead, you live as the Spirit tells you - if, in fact, God’s Spirit lives in you.

Whoever does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.

— Romans 8:8-9

S e r v i n g C a t h o l i c s in Western North Carolina in the Diocese of Charlotte

A hunger for the cause

By KEVIN E. MURRAY Associate Editor BELMONT — The idea of going hungry can be a hard one to swallow, but not for these kids.

Approximately 60 youth ministry members from four area churches — two Catholic and two non-Catholic — gathered at First Presbyterian Church for 30 Hours of Famine March 8 and 9. The youths went without food, learned about global famine, and helped deliver a truckload of potatoes to those in need.

“It was really enlightening. We learned what other countries go through every day,” said Catherine Butterfield, 18, from Queen of the Apostles in Belmont.

30 Hours of Famine is an international youth movement sponsored by World Vision, a Christian humanitarian organization serving the poor in nearly 100 countries, according to World Vision’s Web site.

“The fast is an opportunity to see Jesus in the people that they help,” said Dennis Teall-Fleming, director of faith formation at Queen of the Apostles. “We minister to Christ when we help Christ’s people.”

Teall-Fleming had done the 30 Hours of Famine with other youth ministries before. When the Queen of the Apostles youth ministry saw videotape of hungry children, they wanted to get involved.

“We started by looking at the problem of hunger in the world,” said Teall-Fleming.

“They said, ‘We need to do something about that. This is what God needs of us — to help the poor.’”

The teens found sponsors to raise money during their fast, which will assist a specific child in Kenya, Africa.

“It really helps to have a certain kid for the money to help,” said Christine Irvine, 14, of Queen of the Apostles. “A lot of times, you don’t know where it’s going or who it’s helping.”

The Queen of the Apostles teens got together with their youth ministry comrades from Holy Spirit Catholic Church in Denver, N.C., and First Presbyterian Church and First United Methodist Church in Belmont.

“We have the people here who God wants to be here, and they’ve come together really well,” said Teall-Fleming.

The fasting began at noon, with the teens encouraged to drink nothing but water and juice. They gathered from 5 p.m.

Friday until 6 p.m. Saturday, when they were allowed to have their first meal. The night consisted of small group sessions and a late evening worship service.

“That put everything into a spiritual perspective,” said Teall-Fleming. “We sang, read scripture and prayed for people in different areas of the world.”

“It was a good experience because for a

Photos by Kevin E. Murray

Above, youth ministry from Queen of the Apostles Church in Belmont and Holy Spirit Church in Denver sorted 44,000 pounds of potatoes during the 30 Hours of Famine at First Presbyterian Church in Belmont March 8 and 9. Left, the potatoes were boxed and bagged for delivery to area homeless shelters, soup kitchens and food banks. little bit of time, we stopped thinking about ourselves and started thinking about others,” said Katie Bess, 17, from Queen of the Apostles. “I was glad to be here because it was for a good cause.”

An 18-wheeler truck dumped 44,000 pounds of potatoes into the church parking lot, which the teens put into boxes and bags Saturday morning. The food was to be delivered to food banks and needy homes in the immediate area, said Teall-Fleming.

Numerous soup kitchens and shelters came with vans and trucks to pick up shipments.

“I think the kids are awesome,” said Marilyn Marks, the Western North Carolina coordinator for Society of St. Andrew, the nonprofit group that salvaged and supplied the potatoes from farms in North Carolina.

“Their commitment to the poor is overwhelming. They’re an inspiration to me,” said Marks.

“I think the kids are wonderful,” said Susan Rozycki, a youth minister at Holy Spirit Church. “And it’s great to see that several denominations are working together.”

“It (the famine) brought me closer to my friends,” said Katie Rozycki, 16, “It took the materialism out of our lives so we could concentrate on each other.”

The teens were quick to recommend 30 Hours of Famine to other youth ministries.

“We’re only doing this for 30 hours.

We really can’t get the full impact of what others in the world go through day after day,” said Butterfield. “But we’re starting to.

We learned how lucky we really are.”

Teall-Fleming said the experience would last with the teens long after the fast was over. “Some teens want to do more because they remember there are people around the world, and around the country, who are hungry and need our help,” he said.

Contact Associate Editor Kevin E. Murray by calling (704) 370-3334 or e-mail kemurray@charlottediocese.org.

2 The Catholic News & Herald Long Island priest, parishioner killed by gunman during Mass LYNBROOK, N.Y. (CNS) — A Long Island priest and a 73-year-old parishioner were killed by a gunman during morning Mass March 12.

Father Lawrence M. Penzes, 50, and Eileen Tosner were shot just after the priest finished the homily during the 9 a.m. Mass at Our Lady of Peace Church in Lynbrook, according to Karen Montalbano, a spokeswoman for the Rockville Centre Diocese.

Associated Press reported that Father Penzes was shot in the back and Tosner was shot in the face. About seven hours later police captured a suspect after storming a nearby apartment where he had been holed up all day. The man reportedly had been fired from a custodian job at the parish.

Father Penzes was taken to Mercy Medical Center in Rockville Centre, where he was pronounced dead shortly after arriving. Tosner was pronounced dead at the church. No one else was shot, although several members of the congregation went to area hospitals.

A police spokesman told the Long Island daily newspaper, Newsday, that the gunman fled after firing the shots. He was chased by two members of the congregation, including an off-duty Lynbrook police officer. The men were able to wrestle a rifle away from the suspect, who then ran into a nearby apartment building.

Newsday quoted Lynbrook Mayor Eugene Scarapato as saying the suspect was Peter Troy, 34, who had been fired a few months earlier from a job as parish custodian over the theft of money from the collection box. Scarapato said Troy hid a rifle in a long coat until he walked into the back of the church.

Police did not immediately confirm the mayor’s identification of the suspect.

He was arrested after police in riot gear stormed the building and brought him out. The suspect apparently tried to stab one of the officers with a small knife, Newsday reported.

The 400 students at the parish’s elementary school were kept in their classrooms all day and parents were told they would not be released until the suspect was in custody.

Approximately 40 people attended

CNS photo from Reuters

Rosary hangs from tree near Pentagon A rosary hangs from a tree near the Pentagon March 11, six months after a hijacked jetliner was flown into the U.S. defense headquarters just outside of Washington. People gathered at emotional ceremonies in New York, the Washington area and Pennsylvania to mark a half-year since the devastating Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. the morning Mass.

At the same time, people are in a real crisis,” he said in a telephone interview.

In early March, Ramallah and other Palestinian cities came under heavy fire by Israeli forces retaliating for a series of suicide bombings. Since the current Palestinian uprising began nearly 18 months ago, more than 1,000 Palestinians and more than 300 Israelis have been killed.

Faith helps New York’s ‘singing cop’ persevere WASHINGTON (CNS) — Until six months ago, New Yorkers knew Officer Daniel Rodriguez as the city’s singing cop.

But since the Sept. 11 terror attacks that brought down the World Trade Center, America and the world also have begun to know the talents of the Catholic policeman.

Rodriguez has sung “God Bless America,”

Episcopal March 15, 2002 Volume 11 • Number 26 Publisher: Most Reverend William G. Curlin Editor: Joann S. Keane Associate Editor: Kevin E. Murray Staff Writer: Alesha M. Price Graphic Designer: Tim Faragher Advertising Representative: Cindi Feerick Secretary: Sherill Beason 1123 South Church St., Charlotte, NC 28203 Mail: P.O. Box 37267, Charlotte, NC 28237 Phone: (704) 370-3333 FAX: (704) 370-3382 E-mail: catholicnews@charlottediocese.org The Catholic News & Herald, USPC 007-393, is published by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte, 1123 South Church St., Charlotte, NC 28203, 44 times a year, weekly except for Christmas week and Easter week and every two weeks during June, July and August for $15 per year for enrollees in parishes of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte and $18 per year for all other subscribers. Second-class postage paid at Charlotte NC and other cities. POSTMASTER: Send address corrections to The Catholic News & Herald, P.O. Box 37267, Charlotte, NC 28237.

March 15, 2002

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c a l e n-

Bishop William G. Curlin will take part in the following events: March 24 — Palm Sunday 11 a.m. Mass St. Patrick, Charlotte March 26 — 11 a.m.

Chrism Mass St. Patrick, Charlotte March 28 — Holy Thursday 7:30 p.m. Mass of the Lord’s Supper St. Patrick, Charlotte March 29 — Good Friday 7:30 p.m. Mass St. Patrick, Charlotte March 30 — Holy Saturday 8 p.m. Easter vigil St. Patrick, Charlotte March 31 — Easter Sunday

colon tumor, Cardinal Bille resigned as head of the French bishops’ conference and began chemotherapy treatment.

The archdiocese’s statement said he died in Bordeaux surrounded by friends and family. Cardinal Bille had served as president of the bishops’ conference since 1996 and archbishop of Lyons since 1998. He was named a cardinal by Pope John Paul II in 2001.

Ramallah parish perseveres despite escalating violence, priest says JERUSALEM (CNS) — Parishioners in Ramallah on the West Bank are trying to lead normal lives despite escalating Mideast violence, said a Ramallah priest. “In spite of it all, we are trying our best to continue,” Father Ibrahim Hijazin of Holy Family Parish told Catholic News Service. “Even if there is shooting, we will continue, because life should go on and we can’t accept to (bow) to the Israeli shooting.

Diocesan

plan -

and friends suffering from Alzheimer’s/ dementia will be held today and every fourth Monday from 10-11:30 a.m. in room E of the ministry center at St. Gabriel Church, 3016 Providence Rd. With advanced notification, activities for the memory-impaired can be provided. For more information about the support group or the Shining Stars Adult Day Respite Program for the memory-impaired, which meets every Monday and Wednesday at St. Gabriel from 9:30 a.m.-2 p.m. and every Thursday at Sardis Presbyterian Church from 10 a.m.-2:30 p.m., call Suzanne Bach at (704) 376-4135.

25 NEWTON — The Little Flowers Catholic Girls’ Group is for all Catholic girls ages five and up. The group will be meeting at St. Joseph Church, 720 West 13th St., at 4 p.m. in the Holy Family Hall. For more details, call Debbie Vickers at (828) 495-2039.

“America the Beautiful” and “The StarSpangled Banner” at baseball’s World Series, the opening ceremonies of the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, and a host of other public events. “Faith” is how Rodriguez says he has gotten through the past half-year knowing that his growing fame is the result of a collective national tragedy — and thousands of individual tragedies. Rodriguez, a lyric “spinto” — a tenor with the range to reach lower notes — is on leave from the New York Police Department for three months of lessons with opera star Placido Domingo, artistic director of the Washington Opera.

Ten named to Cardinal Law’s commission on protecting children BOSTON (CNS) — With the addition of 10 new members, Cardinal Bernard F. Law of Boston completed the selection process March 7 for his Commission for the Protection of Children.

“Our priority has been to have a good balance of expertise, talent, gender and diversity,” said Dr. Michael Collins, the cardinal’s point man for the commission.

“We wanted the commission to be representative of experts and society.” The announcement increases the number on the commission from the initial five selected by the cardinal in late January to 15. They were slated to have their first meeting March 16. Members include leading figures in psychiatry, medicine, law, education, social services, child welfare, child development and law enforcement. There are eight women and seven men. Only one is a priest or religious: Jesuit Father Edwin H. Cassem, a professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and former chief of psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital.

Army Ranger’s family, friends share memories at his funeral ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (CNS) — As proud as they were of his military heroism, the family and friends of fallen Army Ranger Marc A. Anderson wanted people to know that he was a wonderful person long before he was killed trying to save a Navy SEAL in Afghanistan. Through their shared memories, those who gathered for Anderson’s funeral Mass March 11 at St. Raphael Parish in St. Petersburg saw many aspects of the 30-year-old who died March

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GUILFORD COUNTY — The Ancient Order of Hibernians Guilford County Division, the oldest and largest order of Irish Catholic men, is looking for more Irish Catholic men to join them for meetings, educational seminars and social events. Contact Michael Slane at (336) 665-9264 for time and location.

Ongoing CHARLOTTE — The Knights of Columbus Council 770 will host bingo every Monday night at 7:30 p.m. in the St. Ann Church activity center, 3635 Park Rd. Call Charles Nesto at (704) 398-0879 for more information.

CHARLOTTE — Catholic Singles of Charlotte is a social group for singles 21 and over striving to maintain a warm and caring environment for singles by fostering friendships and enriching personal growth in the light of Christianity. Monthly events include Mass and brunch, weekend trips, movies, dinners and much more. For more information and a calendar, call (704) 5479844 or (704) 504-8509 or visit the Web site

March 15, 2002

JERUSALEM (CNS) — Two Catholic institutions and the home of a Catholic Bethlehem resident were hit by Israeli guided missiles in the latest round of violence to rock the Middle East. The latest escalation of violence provoked the heads of churches in Jerusalem March 9 to issue a letter titled “A Call to All the People of the Holy Land,” which expressed deep concern over the spiraling violence. The church leaders called on “everyone to take the appropriate measures to stop further massacres or tragedies for our two peoples.” Latin Patriarch Michel Sabbah and the Franciscan custodian of the Holy Land, Father Giovanni Battistelli, were among the 13 signatories of the letter.

Irish bishops disappointed by narrow defeat of abortion referendum DUBLIN, Ireland (CNS) — The Irish bishops are disappointed at the narrow defeat of an abortion referendum, said a spokesman for the bishops’ conference.

The spokesman, Father Martin Clarke, told Catholic News Service that Irish citizens missed an opportunity to tighten the country’s abortion laws. “Obviously, we are disappointed, particularly as the result means that the constitutional protection of the unborn continues to be undermined by the ‘X case’ judgment,” Father Clarke said, referring to the 1992 Irish Supreme Court case that allowed an abortion if a pregnant woman threatened suicide. The March 6 referendum included a measure to end the suicide provision, but the proposal was rejected by a margin of less than 1 percent.

Latin American bishops look to form theology from indigenous values BOGOTA, Colombia (CNS) — Latin American bishops plan to examine the religious elements of indigenous cultures to form a native theology compatible with Catholicism, said the general secretary of the Latin American bishops’ council. “We want to collect religious expressions and not just purify them, but develop them as a Catholic theology,” said Bishop Carlos Aguiar Retes of Texcoco, Mexico. The bishops hope to avoid a politicized theology that could be used for partisan purposes, he said. Bishop Aguiar was interviewed Feb. 27 at the bishops’ council headquarters in Bogota. The bishops’ council, known by its acronym as CELAM, is a service and coordinating body of C-sponsored pancake breakfast on March 24; 7 p.m. memorial Mass for the deceased on March 25; Tenebrae service at 7 p.m. on March 26; 7 p.m. reconciliation on March 27; 7:30 p.m.

Mass with procession and adoration of Eucharist on March 28; 3 p.m. Mass with living Stations of the Cross at 7:30 p.m. on March 29; noon blessing of Easter food baskets with vigil at 7:30 p.m. on March 30; and 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. (Spanish) Masses on March 31. Call the church office at (336) 2482463 for details.

24 CHARLOTTE — St. Matthew Church, 8015 Ballantyne Pkwy., will be having its Christian Coffeehouse tonight from 7:30-9 p.m. following 6 p.m. Mass. Through food, fellowship and Christian music from Kathy and David with Redeemed, participants can join in the spiritual celebration.

For reservations of a table of six or more and sponsorship opportunities, call Kathy Bartlett at (704) 614-9100.

25 CHARLOTTE — A support group meeting for caregivers of family

The Catholic News & Herald 3

The World in

CNS photo by Bill Wittman

Pilgrims holding palms look toward Jerusalem Pilgrims from Toronto hold palms as they stop to look toward the Old City of Jerusalem during a walk along a traditional route marking Jesus’ triumphant entry into the city. Touring the Holy Land in late February, the pilgrims found themselves alone at sites normally packed with tourists and pilgrims. Ongoing violence in the Mideast has kept most visitors away. Palm Sunday is celebrated March 24 this year.

Pope donates $30,000 for famine relief in Malawi, Zambia VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Pope John Paul II has given $30,000 to the bishops of Malawi and Zambia to help them feed the millions of people who risk starving in their nations. The papal donations of $15,000 for each country were sent through the Pontifical Council “Cor Unum,” the Vatican’s charity promotion and coordination office, said Msgr. Karel Kasteel, council secretary. The U.N.’s Food and Agriculture Organization said 4 million people in Zambia, Malawi and Zimbabwe need emergency food assistance this spring because of low corn stockpiles, high prices and persistent transportation problems with the food the governments have managed to buy.

Quebec bishops reaffirm church stance on gay marriage, stem

cells MONTREAL (CNS) — Quebec’s bishops have reaffirmed church teaching against homosexual marriage and stemcell research involving human embryos.

In their plenary assembly held in Cap de la Madeleine March 6-8, the bishops urged the province’s government to carefully weigh all the ethical aspects surrounding rapidly developing genetic information before legislating on the subject. They also expressed concern about a bill proposing rights equal to marriage for same-sex partners. The bill, currently under review by the Parliamentary Commission, proposes equal rights and obligations in financial, legal and medical matters for homosexual partners.

Catholic institutions in Bethlehem hit by Israeli guided missiles

March 22 CHARLOTTE — The St. Gabriel Church Men’s Club will hold its world famous fish fry this evening from 5-7 p.m. in the St. Gabriel School cafeteria, 3016 Providence Rd. Menu includes fried and baked fish, clam chowder, Cole slaw, French fries, hush puppies, dessert and beverages. For details, call the church office at (704) 364-5431.

22 HICKORY — Engaged Encounter is for couples planning marriage, who desire a richer, fuller life together.

Although the encounter weekend is Catholic in origin and orientation, it is open to couples of any faith. Couples are encouraged to attend the weekend three to six months prior to their wedding date. Engaged couples may take part in one of several Engaged Encounter weekends, which will take place at the Catholic Conference Center, 1551 Trinity Lane: today through Mar. 24, April 5-7, May 10-12, Aug. 23-25, Sept. 20-22 and Oct. 25-27. For registration and other information,

call Carl Whitesel at (704) 987-9420 or (888) 310-9040 or e-mail eeregistration@yahoo.com.

22 SWANANNOA — The Lenten and Easter week schedules for St. Margaret Mary Church, 102 Andrew Place, will be as follows: penance service tonight at 7 p.m.; palms at all Masses on March 24; seder meal at 6 p.m. on March 25 with covered dish meal; 7 p.m. Mass on March 28 with washing of the feet followed with eucharistic adoration from 8 p.m.midnight; Stations of the Cross on March 29 at noon for youth and teens and Mass at 3 p.m. with veneration of the cross and presentation of the heart of the cross at 7 p.m.; blessing of food baskets at 10 a.m. and Easter vigil Mass at 8 p.m. on March 30; and Easter day Masses at 8:30 and 11 a.m. on March 31. For more information, call the church office at (828) 686-8833.

23 CHARLOTTE — All women are invited to St. Matthew Church, 8015 Ballantyne Commons Pkwy., for its 3rd Annual Women’s Day, today from

for 22 national bishops’ conferences in Latin American and the Caribbean.

German diocese told to withdraw from abortion counseling program COLOGNE, Germany (CNS) — Pope John Paul II has instructed the Diocese of Limburg to withdraw from a state-sponsored pregnancy counseling system, 15 months after other German dioceses withdrew. In a letter to Bishop Franz Kamphaus of Limburg, Pope John Paul said that, while he respected Bishop Kamphaus’ conflict of conscience over the issue, “for the sake of the clarity and unity of the witness for life of the Catholic Church” he was requiring the diocese to follow the German bishops’ decision to leave the program.

“The withdrawal from the state system is to be carried out as quickly as possible,” the letter said. The pope asked Bishop Kamphaus to have Auxiliary Bishop Gerhard Pieschl carry out the decision.

Swiss church leaders welcome vote approving country’s U.N. membership GENEVA (CNS) — Church leaders in Switzerland expressed “relief and happiness” after a national referendum favored entry into the United Nations.

“The national churches declared themselves in favor of entering the community of nations,” the Catholic bishops’ conference and Protestant Federation said in a joint statement. “Swiss foreign policy stresses human rights and humanitarian involvement. Joining the U.N. will reinforce our country’s influence in this area,” the statement said. A 54.6 percent majority voted March 3 to make Switzerland the United Nations’ 190th member-state.

Church leaders cautioned that “worries and doubts” by those who had voted against membership also should be taken into account.

French Cardinal Jean-Louis Bille, 64, dies of cancer PARIS (CNS) — French Cardinal Jean-Louis Bille of Lyons died March 12 after a months-long battle with cancer.

He was 64. “Up to the very end, despite the ordeal of suffering, he showed an extraordinary fighting spirit, rooted in the faith he had in Christ,” the Lyons Archdiocese said in a statement. In October, after being diagnosed with a 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Mercy Sister Helen Burns will speak on the topic, “Check Your Baggage.” The day of prayer and reflection is dedicated to Mary, the mother of God. Mass is at 8 a.m. in the sanctuary with a continental breakfast at 8:30 a.m. in the parish center. For registration and other information, call Kathy Murray at (704) 849-0398.

23 STATESVILLE — The Family Life Ministry of St. Philip the Apostle Church, 525 Camden Dr., will be hosting its annual Easter egg hunt at 1 p.m. this afternoon. All are asked to bring a basket for the eggs and a baked dessert to share. For further details, call the church office at (704) 872-2579.

23 LEXINGTON — The Easter week schedule for Our Lady of the Rosary Church, 619 S. Main St., is as follows: 5 p.m. vigil and procession of palms tonight; 8:30 and 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. (Spanish Mass) blessing and procession of palms with a K

4 The Catholic News & Herald

March 15, 2002

Around the Di-

New Knights continue a long, noble

By DIANNE M. A. RIGGS Correspondent SWANNANOA — Chivalry is not dead. But instead of thundering horses and clashing broadswords, today’s knights fight for the church’s ethical code and strive to embody Jesus’ command to “love one another.” Of course, these knights are the Knights of Columbus, the Catholic fraternal benefit society.

Their ranks just grew stronger with the organization, chartering and first meeting of Council 13016 at St. Margaret Mary Church. In a simple, meaningful ceremony, District Deputy Knight David Smith of St. Barnabas Church legally installed 11 officers Feb. 24.

Smith encouraged the men to serve the church and their fellow man with the accords of God. He stressed that each has talents and anticipated that the newly elected officers would use those talents in Knightly service.

Married officeholders’ wives presented the jewel of their office, while Smith bestowed the others. Then, newly installed Grand Knight Joseph Madden gave charter members their certificates.

“We want to help the parish out any way we can with Father Andy’s direction,” said Madden, who functions as the council’s president. He said the men’s current plan is to assist with youth group activities and support other parish activities throughout the year. “As we grow and mature, (we will) make other goals in the future,” he said.

Why does a man become a Knight?

The answers varied. Mark Owens said he felt like he was not doing enough to help other people. When he heard of the Knights, he thought it would be a way to do something. “I felt it was really a calling for me — a start,” he said. “I don’t know what the Lord has for me further down the road.”

“Lots of friends (were) joining. I heard a lot about it... wanted to be helpful,” said Edmund Fiore. “(They) do a lot of good for charity and underprivileged children.”

At St. Margaret Mary, Father Andrew Latsko was particularly interested in having a Knight’s council at the church. He had heard that Father McGivney, the Knight’s founder, and Bishop William G. Curlin both believed every Catholic church should have a Knight’s council.

“This preyed on my mind,” he said.

“But the real reason is that the Knights of Columbus have a balanced agenda — spiritual and temporal.”

Knights are particularly known in the United States for their Tootsie Roll drive that supports Project Lamb (monies given for the mentally challenged, including the Special Olympics), the RSVP program, which assists seminarians, as well as their support for many local community needs, especially in the areas of youth work.

Family life is very important to the Knights. During the luncheon immediately following the installation, Financial Secretary Anthony Marcaccio handed out Knights’ coloring books to the children present. The luncheon itself was prepared by Knights’ wives.

The fact that spouses presented the officers’ jewels during the ceremony

Photo by Dianne M.A. Riggs

District Deputy Knight David Smith inducts Joseph Madden as the grand knight of Council 13016. was symbolic of the role wives and children play in a married Knight’s life.

“As a wife of an active Knight, (I try) to set a good example for the children to be active in the church and charities. It is important to (support the Knights) and make sure they can do their work,” said Rosine Marcaccio.

According to Smith, Knights support five distinct areas in a parish: the church, the council and its needs, youth, family life and the local community beyond the church. They support these areas not only with their time, but also with money raised.

“What we (as Knights) make in money, we try to give away. If we make $300, we give $3,000 away. We generally don’t have reserve funds,” said Smith.

While most Catholics have occasionally seen the colorful Knights’ robes at various Catholic events, not all are acquainted with the Society’s origins.

good standing with the church is eligible for membership as a Knight, said Madden.

Officers for Council number 13016 are: Grand Knight Joseph Madden; Deputy Grand Knight George Frazier; Financial Secretary Anthony Marcaccio; Treasurer Dr. Rodolfo Valencia; Warden David Law; Advocate J. Chris Gibbs; Chancellor Edward Papay; Guard Robert Riegger; Recorder Paul McCrane; Trustee William Armstrong; Trustee

Father Michael McGivney, whose priestly ministries began at St. Mary in New Haven, Conn., on Christmas Day 1877, knew from his own humble beginnings the plight of the working class and immigrant poor of his church. He was deeply concerned. Weekly he saw widows and orphans who were destitute, following the death of the breadwinner from sickness or an industrial accident. He also wanted a way to strengthen the Catholic Christian faith and fraternity of the men in his parish. Finally, he was concerned that his male parishioners were turning to secret societies prevalent at that time.

After exploring the idea of a Catholic fraternal organization during the year 1881, the first council meeting was held in February 1882. The name Knights of Columbus was chosen to identify both as Catholics and as Americans. Four degrees, or levels of membership, were chosen: charity, unity, fraternity and later, patriotism.

By the time of Father McGivney’s death in 1890, there were 57 Knights of Columbus councils chartered in New England. Today there are 1.6 million members spread throughout the United States, Canada, the Philippines, Mexico and several Central American and Caribbean countries.

The Knights are a hybrid organization, providing members with an avenue for brotherhood and charity, and at the same time, an insurance benefit in the case of the accidental death of a brother Knight or his wife. Unknown to some Catholics and others, the Knights of Columbus constitute one of the most successful insurance companies in the world.

Any man, 18 years of age or over, of sound Catholic Christian character and in

March 15, 2002

Around the Di-

The Catholic News & Herald 5

Sister’s charity embodied in community

By JOANITA M. NELLENBACH Correspondent HAYESVILLE — When Charity Sister Loretto John Meehan came to this mountain community in 1971, health services — or any kind of services for lowincome people — were minimal. As one of the healthcare pioneers in this region, Sister John’s name and memory remain strong here.

She now works in New York as one of four assistants to the administrator of the senior sisters’ facility at Mount St. Vincent, her order’s motherhouse. On March 10, though, she was back in Hayesville when the Sister Loretto John Meehan Community Services Center was dedicated in her honor to carry on the work she and other nuns of various religious orders began. Her sisters, Sister Mary Martin Meehan and Helen White, also attended.

The dedication was held in the nearby Hayesville United Methodist Church Fellowship Hall because the Sister John Center did not have a room large enough for the crowd anticipated to attend the dedication.

People who could not find seats lined the walls around the room.

Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church hosted an open house at the center following the dedication.

This is not the first time Sister John has been feted. The Sister L. John Meehan Bridge was named for her in July 2000.

The bridge, across the Hiawassee River, straddles the Clay/Cherokee County line.

“The reason they did that is because she worked in both counties, and they thought that in 30 years she probably crossed that bridge a thousand times,” said Father George M. Kloster, pastor of Im-

Photos by Joanita M. Nellenbach

Above left, Sister Loretto John Meehan (third from right) receives a standing ovation during the dedication of the Sister Loretto John Meehan Community Services Center in Hayesville March 10. Above right, Ed Moeller, a parishioner at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church, and Sister John pause after the dedication. The conference room in the Sister John Center was named for Moeller and his late wife, Barbara, in honor of their community service.

“Any good cause in the community, and the Moellers were part of it,” said Father George M. Kloster, IHM pastor. maculate Heart of Mary (IHM) and St. William Church in Murphy and a member of the committee to develop the Sister John Center.

“Where many served, none served better than Sister John,” said Dr. Brian Mitchell, of the Hinton Rural Life Center, at the dedication. Sister John served on the board of the center, which provides support for rural Methodist churches.

“She spent many hours with patients here and in their homes as a nurse and a friend. She took patients to medical appointments. She provided solace to the dying

before there was Hospice. She became the most well-known nurse in these mountain communities. Sister John brought health care in such a fine way that trust was established with Good Shepherd (Home Health and Hospice), perhaps at a time when these people were thought of as outsiders,” he said.

“The nicest part of my work here was getting to know people,” Sister John said during the dedication. “Each person was part of me. It didn’t matter what religion you were. I hope there are a lot of Methodists and Baptists and Jehovah’s Witnesses waiting for me somewhere. The Glenmary Sisters were the foundation, but there were many communities. We didn’t even think about what community we were.”

The Sister Loretto John Meehan Community Services Center houses Western North Carolina Legal Services, MPD Counseling Services, REACH of Clay County, Mountain Youth Services and the Fraternal Order of Police.

The Catholic Church has owned the facility since 1957. It had been the Carolina Motor Court and Restaurant before the Diocese of Raleigh purchased it in 1957.

Glenmary Sisters established the Good Shepherd Home Health and Hospice in the building, and Mass was celebrated there be-

cause the town had no Catholic church.

The sisters also lived in the building.

When the Diocese of Charlotte was established in 1971, it became the building’s owner.

That was the same year that Sister John, then in her late 30s, arrived to become a staff nurse, working with two Glenmary sisters and a home health aid at Good Shepherd. She had always been interested in Appalachia, and wrote to Bishop Vincent S. Waters of Raleigh asking about opportunities. Sister John visited Hayesville for two weeks and returned the following year for what would be a nearly 30-year stay.

Hayesville was certainly different from New York. “We had one blinking light, one bank,” Sister John said. “The old jail was still in operation; now it’s a museum. One community had just gotten electricity a couple of years before.

People still had outhouses.”

Good Shepherd was a welcoming presence in the community.

“The kids would feel free to stop in on their way home from school and go

See SISTER’S CHARITY, next page

6 The Catholic News & Herald

SISTER’S CHARITY, from previous page to the refrigerator,” Sister John said. “The sheriff would call and say, ‘There’s a family stranded over the mountain. Can you do something?’”

Going out to help families and others who needed assistance meant traveling in a pickup truck on dirt roads. When the trail became too narrow for a vehicle, she hiked in. Sometimes she had to figure out which of the many bridges over small creeks was the one referred to in the directions to her location.

“We cut wood for people,” she said.

“We cooked. We would do laundry for people who didn’t have electricity. There were no Laundromats. We were on call all the time. Wherever there was a need, we just went out. We weren’t bogged down with all the laws there are today. You never got lost, and you never went hungry. No matter what door you knocked on, you were always invited in.”

If medical needs exceeded the locally available information, Sister John phoned home. “I’d call my sister, Sister Martin. She was at St. Vincent Hospital in New York.

I’d tell her what we were up against, and she’d get the information we needed.”

In this way Sister John learned the physical therapy she used to help a severely crippled girl who “couldn’t even move one finger.” The girl, now in her 20s, recovered full mobility.

“We were very conscious of the needs of health and of the people,” she said. The sisters at Good Shepherd invited senior

People in the citizens to their facility for Christmas and Thanksgiving dinners and provided holiday meals to prisoners and staff at the local jail.

“At Christmas I’d make big pans of cookies and take them around,” Sister John said. “Everybody, including businesses, got cookies. At the jail, they got the same.”

Sister John admires the people she served. “They had great respect for their land and the mountains and nature,” she said. “They were content. I learned a lot from them. They had their land, their gardens. Everyone knew each other.”

Eventually, though, the Good Shepherd facility changed. Catholic services moved to IHM when the church opened in 1985. The sisters had other living quarters.

Briefly, the building was a homeless shelter.

Good Shepherd moved out of the building when Murphy Medical Center bought it in 2000.

“When Good Shepherd moved out, the diocese was faced with an issue: What do we do with the building?” Father Kloster said. “It was still a vibrant source of life for the community. We decided to name it for Sister John and rent it, at minimal rent, to agencies that were close to Sister John’s heart.”

Contact Correspondent Joanita M. Nellenbach by calling (828) 627-9209 or e-mail jnell@dnet.net.

March 15, 2002

Rev. Mr. Joseph E. Garavaglia, dead at HICKORY — Rev. Mr. Joseph E. Point, Garavaglia was shipped out to Garavaglia, a permanent deacon at Vietnam in 1965 for the first of two St. Aloysius Church, died of a stroke tours of duty. Retirement came after on Feb. 25 at Frye Regional Medical he was asked to go back for a third Center. Funeral services were held at time to Vietnam, and they went to visit his parish on March 1 at 11 a.m. with a friends in Hickory, N.C., in 1970. They military guard and a 21-gun salute in liked the area and made it their home.

He was ordained to the permanent honor of his military career. diaconate in 1983 and Bor n on Oct. was assigned to St. 10, 1930, Rev. Mr. Aloysius. His years Garavaglia, a Deof diaconate duties troit, Mich., native, included hospital grew up during the ministry as an associDepression era, the ate chaplain and othson of Italian immier ministerial work. grants. His signing He is survived up for the reserves by his wife, Ilah; chilled to active duty dren, Bruce Garavain the Marines after glia and Vanda Howhigh school graduard; his sister, Mary ation in 1949. The Hamilton; six grandcradle Catholic marc h i l d r e n , Jo s e p h , ried Ilah Barnes in Dominic, Christen 1951. Six months latand Savannah Gaer, he was shipped to ravaglia and Robert Korea to serve in the and Lauren Howard; war. Frostbite from and many nieces and the extreme temperatures sidelined him Rev. Mr. Joseph E. Garavaglia nephews. He was preceded in death by his for a while during parents, Anthony and his 13-month tour of duty, and he and his wife were sent Carmelia Cudine Garavaglia; a brother to Cherry Point, N.C., for three years and two sisters. where their son, Bruce, was born.

After four years in New Hampshire, the family was shipped to Naples, Italy, where they adopted their daughter, Vanda. After returning to Cherry

March 15, 2002

From the

The Catholic News & Herald 7

Diocesan In-Service Day given high marks by

By REV. MR. GERALD POTKAY Correspondent KERNERSVILLE — It was a beautiful day for diocesan teachers to travel to the Triad for a Diocesan In-Service Day at Bishop McGuinness Catholic High School (BMHS) March 8.

Some teachers started the day with an 8 a.m. Mass celebrated by Father Christopher Roux, the school chaplain.

During the homily, Father Roux reminded the teachers, “God must be the center of your lives. Then, all else will flow from there. If we keep the children from walking through the gates of the Kingdom of God, you and I will not be able to walk through those gates.”

The in-service started at 9 a.m. with a prayer by Father James Hawker, diocesan vicar for education. Father Hawker said the two great commandments are “intimately integrated and must be proclaimed throughout the world. In response to these commands, you folks are here.”

Somewhat sadly, he told his audience, “This is the last opportunity I have to publicly express my thanks to Dr. Michael Skube,” diocesan superintendent of schools for the last 13 years. Father Hawker told Skube that everyone would miss his presence greatly.

Skube, who finishes supervision of the 17 diocesan schools on June 14,

will become superintendent of the 50 schools in the Diocese of Youngtown, Ohio.

Skube thanked Janice Ritter, assistant superintendent, and Mercy Sister Maureen Meehan, director of religious formation of schools, for their time and energy in putting the in-service together.

“This format, last used four years ago, gives us the opportunity to target diverse needs and to pinpoint what is most sensitive to individual teachers,” said Ritter. “It also gives them an opportunity to share ideas and successful techniques with their peers.”

Each teacher had the opportunity to attend any four of the 113 sessions presented primarily by teachers and staff within the system. Topics ranged from “Improving Test Taking Skills” to “Image and Social Justice.” Many teachers felt that the return to this format was needed, and they gave this year’s in-service high marks for creativity and interest.

In the session entitled “The Teacher in the Catholic School: Witness of Christ,” Father Hawker told his audience that the practical issues were good and necessary but that the most basic tool was the cross. “(The cross) reminds us of the degree of the love that Jesus has for us as sinners,” said Father Hawker.

Using the words of Richard Cardinal Cushing, he said, “Every Christian is a

Photo by Rev. Mr. Gerald Potkay

Dr. Michael Skube, diocesan superintendent of schools, discussing the days events with several vendors at the Diocesan In-Service Day for teachers at Bishop McGuinnes’s Catholic High School March 8. good tool in the hands of God. New or old, sharp or dull, impressive or not, in the hands of a skilled craftsman — in this case God himself — the work is unbelievable.”

Dr. Cris Villapando, director of faith formation programs, presented the workshop “Listening to the Foreigner.” Throughout his presentation he showed that the Eucharist, the cross and the sacraments were seen in a different light as knowledge and language changed.

According to Villapando, there is “no truth which is not culturally enfleshed.” At the same time, “diversity is the real gift of God, which can be seen when viewing the contributions made by the African, Asian and Hispanic populations within the church and within this country,” he said.

“This workshop was important because it clarified that our culture is of our truth, a part of who we are,” said Sister of Saint Joseph Anne Thomas Taylor, BMHS dean of students. “Each of us needs to respect and understand where the other is coming from and that their truth in faith is the same as everyone else’s.”

Detective John Sturm of the Greensboro Police Department gave the most

sought after session entitled “New Drugs in a New Age.” In a “facts-only” presentation, Sturm bluntly told his listeners that rave parties are nothing more than all night drug parties. He described the effects of the drug “ecstasy,” a mild hallucinate that stimulates the brain and heightens the senses while causing extreme dryness and an inability to be still.

Like with all street drugs, one can never be sure of a pill’s dosage, said Sturm. A single pill may be OK, but a single pill another time can be lethal, he said. Sturm also said that at raves, a dealer can make a $25-$40 profit on a 12-cent pill plus charge $10 for a bottle of water.

Lisa Blanton, a Charlotte Catholic High School teacher, attended the workshop on “Perfectionism.” Blanton said, “I have a lot of students who are perfectionists who feel they are not good enough. This workshop helped me by demonstrating methods of overcoming their feelings of inadequacy.”

At the end of the day, teachers were given longevity awards, with one for 40 years of service going to Ofelia Alverez, a Spanish teacher at Immaculate Heart of Mary School.

Each school had an award for a distinguished teacher. The award for principal of the year went to Betsy Desnoyer of All Saints School in Charlotte.

Contact Correspondent Rev. Mr. Gerald Potkay by calling (336) 427-8218 or e-mail gpotkay@triad.rr.com.

8 The Catholic News & Herald

Veteran CCHS teacher dies at 87 LANGHORNE, Pa. — Grey Nuns of the Sacred Heart Sister Terese Matthews, 87, died Jan. 21 at Frankford Hospital-Bucks County, Langhorne, Pa., in the 69th year of her religious life.

Sister Terese lived in Charlotte for nine years from 1983 to 1992, during which she was assistant librarian at Charlotte Catholic High School, and taught two years of calligraphy classes at Central Piedmont Community College. At St. Ann Church, at the request of Monsignor John McSweeney, then-pastor, she instituted classes for the senior citizens in calligraphy, oil painting and ceramics.

Petite, gentle of manner and with a touch of Ireland in her voice, Sister Terese shared her beautiful gift of art with students of all ages before retiring to the Motherhouse in June 2000.

The Liturgy of Christian Burial was held Jan. 25 at the Grey Nuns Motherhouse. Memorial contributions may be made to the Grey Nuns of the Sacred Heart, 1750 Quarry Rd., Yardley, Pa. 19067-3998.

March 15, 2002

Around the DiBy ELLEN NEERINCX SIGMON Correspondent HICKORY — For the second consecutive year, members of the churches belonging to the Hickory Roman Catholic/Lutheran Covenant came together in the middle of the Lenten season for dinner and worship at St. Aloysius Catholic Church March 6.

The theme for the service was unity among the churches in their common Lenten journeys. Each of the pastors in the four-church covenant chose a hymn to be sung at the service and gave a brief meditation before the chosen hymn.

Father Ed Sheridan of St. Aloysius chose “We Walk by Faith,” written by Henry Alford and based on the biblical text of John 20:24-29. “It does give us a challenge to reflect on what we believe and why we believe it,” said Father Sheridan. “It has to be by faith — in good times and bad times, when it’s convenient and inconvenient.”

Rev. Richard Fritz from St. Andrew’s Lutheran Church spoke about the hymn “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross,” written by Isaac Watts. “The man who wrote this hymn would have disapproved of (our worshipping together) mightily,” said Rev. Fritz. “He was a Puritan ... but the Holy Spirit used him to write glorious hymns.”

Rev. David Keck of Mt. Olive Lutheran Church spoke about the hymn “In Christ There is No East or West,” written by John Oxenham. The hymn is based on the biblical text of Galatians 3:28 that says, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”

“This Christian author himself crossed many of these boundaries, as Jesus did,” said Rev. Keck. “The tune of the hymn also crosses boundaries — it’s an African-American spiritual.”

Rev. Bob Shoffner from Holy Trinity Lutheran Church chose the Lutheran hymn “Let Us Ever Walk with Jesus,” written by Sigismund von Birken. Rev. Shoffner said that the hymn was meant to be used during Holy Week. “It welcomes us into a certain kind of journey — one led

by Jesus Christ,” he said. “The walk will not be without its distractions... but in giving ourselves as the body of

Catholic and Lutheran churches celebrate Lent

Photo by Ellen N. Sigmon

Father Ed Sheridan and St. Aloysius Catholic Church choir members look on as Rev. Bob Shoffner of Holy Trinity Lutheran Church leads the confession of faith during the Hickory Roman Catholic/Lutheran Covenant Lenten service at St. Aloysius March 6.

Christ, we too are called to die to our passions.”

The service also included a prayer of thanksgiving for baptism during which the pastors used evergreen branches to sprinkle water from the font on those in attendance.

Marie-Alix Geisler of St. Aloysius, a member of the covenant committee, presented a written meditation that included slides and music, and other members of the committee read the Scriptures. Rev. Deborah Michaels of Holy Trinity led the prayers with various members of the four churches reading the petitions from their seats in the sanctuary.

Members of St. Aloysius prepared and served the meal before the service.

St. Aloysius also hosted the event last year.

The four churches signed a local covenant in 1994, and members of each church have been meeting as a committee on a monthly basis since then for conversation, study and prayer, and for planning joint services and other events.

The group also co-sponsors the Aquinas/ Luther conference each year, along with the Lenoir-Rhyne College Center for Theology.

March 15, 2002

Around the Di-

The Catholic News & Herald 9

Parishioners give hope to others Auction helps school’s through Diocesan Support From Staff Reports CHARLOTTE — Diocesan and parish-level leaders and workers here in the Diocese of Charlotte are “Planting Seeds of Hope.” Now, as Diocesan Support Appeal Sunday Weekend approaches, March 16-17, parishioners across the diocese are asked to support these men and women through their endeavors in their various ministries.

This year’s theme focuses on the work and dedication of campus ministers, youth ministers, parish catechetical leaders, permanent deacons, lay ministers and many others from which all people of the diocese benefit in some way.

The appeal is the diocese’s main fund-raising effort, which provides funds for 35 ministries supported by the DSA. The focus areas include Catholic Social Services, Multicultural, Educational Ministries and Vocations. While letters and pledge cards have already been mailed to registered

Catholics in the diocese, DSA Appeal Sunday Weekend and a second letter from Bishop William G. Curlin, mailed the week ending March 9, invite those who have not yet made a pledge to respond to give.

As of March 11, 52 percent of this year’s $3,550,000 goal has been pledged at the halfway point for a total of $1,856,562 from 8,444 donors.

“All things considered, we are within just a few percentage points of where we were this time last year,” said Barbara Gaddy, associate director of development.

Gaddy said that the response to the initial mailing further supports the way people in this diocese embrace stewardship as a way of life. “The generosity of the people is something that has always been gratifying, and it shows that people do look beyond their own immediate needs.”

The Charlotte Catholic High School Foundation annual Gala and Auction was held at Carmel Country Club March 2. More than 250 parents, alumni and friends of the school attended the sold out event and vied for fabulous auction items, such as fur coats, international gourmet baskets, fine jewelry, sporting event tickets, restaurant gift certificates and so much more.

Sheri Lynch from radio station 109.7 the Link was the auctioneer for the live auction.

The highlight of the evening was when a prime parking space for a CCHS student was sold for $3,000. CCHS Principal Father Jim Cassidy then approved the sale of a sec-

ond parking space that also sold for $3,000.

The winner of the Grand Spree trip to Hawaii, Bermuda or Caribbean Cruise was Charles McNealy, a parent at CCHS. Proceeds from the 2002 Gala and Auction are being used to furnish a new 350-seat chapel at CCHS. Past fundraising efforts have allowed the Foundation to contribute to the purchase of a campus-wide security system, new crosses and lettering for the school building, numerous computers and other necessary items requested by the teachers not covered in the school budget.

1 0 The Catholic News & Herald Book Review

Writer offers insight, reflection of

Reviewed by Wayne A. Holst Catholic News Service In 1940 Simone Weil, the French philosopher raised in a secular Jewish home, wrote: “If there is a religious tradition I consider my patrimony, it is the Catholic tradition. The Christian, French, Hellenic tradition is mine; the Hebrew tradition is foreign to me.”

Who was Simone Weil, and how seriously should modern Catholics take her writings? In “Simone Weil,” a carefully developed study by author Francine du Plessix Gray, much can be learned about the church’s spiritual influence in Western secular societies.

Many of Weil’s concerns have become our own.

In spite of her great adoration of the Eucharist, her intrigue with Catholic mysticism and her acceptance of many of the church’s teachings, Weil remained unbaptized until just prior to her death at age 34. An unordained friend performed the “baptism.”

“Go ahead,” she motioned with a certain resignation as she spoke, “it can’t do any harm.”

A simple plaque marks her grave in an English cemetery. It states: “In 1942 Simone Weil joined the Provisional French Government (under Charles de Gaulle) in London, but developed tuberculosis and died in Grosvenor Sanatorium, Ashford. Her writings have established her as one of the foremost modern philosophers.”

Weil’s gift to us is the alternative perspectives she offers. It would not be the first time God has worked through seeming heretics.

The principal features of her character and thought are her asceticism, her quest for moral purity and martyrdom, as well as her striking insights into how the world’s poor are dominated and oppressed. Weil’s penetrating mind offers startling insight while at the same time provoking serious reflection. Some of

March 15, 2002

Read-

her ideas were impractical and absurd.

Yet Pope Paul VI considered her one of the three most important influences on his intellectual development.

Gray writes, “It was clear, by the time she was 14, that the most singular trait of Simone’s character was her almost pathological receptiveness to the sufferings of others, and her strong tendency to cultivate her own. A former schoolmate recalls: ‘Physically, she was a little child, unable to use her hands, but of extraordinary intelligence. She looked as if she belonged to another order of being, and her mind didn’t seem to belong to our age or our milieu. She felt like a very old soul.’”

Weil not only wrote about the sufferings of the poor, she also worked in the fields and the shops with them. Her factory journal, for example, records in often harrowing detail the tasks she was assigned to do for pitifully modest wages, her impressions of her fellow workers and her own states of mind. It does not take much expertise to adapt her insights to immigrant farm workers and sweatshop seamstresses in North America.

It is still too soon for a final stocktaking on Weil’s life. Catholic readers will doubtless find considerable merit in Gray’s assessments. A more spiritually attuned biographer might have better appreciated and elucidated Weil’s deep mysticism and her powers of religious insight. There is ambiguity in Gray’s attitude toward her subject. In the end, whether Weil was a mystic or a masochist is a matter Gray rather enticingly leaves unanswered.

Holst is a writer who has taught religion and culture at the University of Calgary.

Word to Life

Sunday Scripture Readings: March 17, 2002 Cycle A Readings: March 17, Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time 1) Ezekiel 37:12-14 Psalm 130:1-8 2) Romans 8:8-11 3) Gospel: John 11:1-45

By BEVERLY CORZINE Catholic News Service On an unseasonably warm afternoon in late January, my two youngest grandchildren and I had just finished feeding the ducks, a ritual for all our visiting grandchildren. However, it’s an activity that can lead to serious conversations concerning the mysteries of life.

This day would be no exception.

We spotted a great blue heron fishing from the opposite bank. In a blink of an eye, the bird caught an unsuspecting fish and brought it back to shore. Shelby and his younger sister Olivia watched the bird eat his afternoon “snack” with intense curiosity. Shelby, the kindergartner in our little group, said, “Grandma, does Jesus take care of that fish after the bird eats it?”

I think I gave a reasonably satisfactory answer. However, it triggered a discussion of God’s role in creating the world as well as incredulity over God’s logic for creating bugs, spiders and snakes. The three of us sat in the winter sun, enjoying each other’s closeness, the blessed bond that unites grandparent and grandchild. Then Shelby said, “I have two papaws but only one

grandma.”

I said, “That’s right, Shelby.”

Looking up at me with wrinkled brow, Shelby asked, “Grandma, do you think you’ll be alive when Olivia and I get big?”

I hugged these two precious children and looked into two sets of brown questioning eyes. “Oh, Shelby,” I said, “I hope God lets me live until you and Olivia are as big as Mommy and Daddy.”

Then he looked straight into my eyes, cutting to the heart of matter, his question like a scalpel in the hands of a skilled surgeon. “What if you don’t?” he asked.

Long after I am gone, I know these two children will remember my response. “Shelby,” I answered, “no matter when I die, I will always love you and Olivia because love never dies. Remember God sent Jesus to us so that we would know how much God loves us.”

“Will you be with Jesus?” he asked with that soul-piercing look of innocence.

“Yes.” “Grandma, will you miss us?”

“Yes, but I’ll be there, waiting for you.”

“Grandma, when you’re with Jesus, will you be able to see?”

“Yes, Shelby. Wherever Jesus is, it’s light.”

On this fifth Sunday of Lent, God assures us through Jesus that we will never be stranded in some dark place.

QUESTIONS: Have you considered how Jesus’

Weekly Scripture Scripture for the week of March 17 - March 23 Sunday (Fifth Sunday of Lent), Ezekiel 37:12-14, Romans 8:8-11, John 11:1-45; Monday (Lenten Weekday), Daniel 13:1-9, 15-17, 19-30, 33-62, John 8:1-11; Tuesday (St. Joseph, Husband of Mary), 2 Samuel 7:4-5, 12-14, 16, Romans 4:13, 16-18, 22, Matthew 1:16, 18-21, 24; Wednesday (Lenten Weekday), Daniel 3:14-20, 91-92, 95, John 8:31-42; Thursday (Lenten Weekday), Genesis 17:3-9, John 8:51-59; Friday (Lenten Weekday), Jeremiah 20:10-13, John 10:31-42; Saturday (Lenten Weekday), Ezekiel 37:21-28, John 11:45-57 Scripture for the week of March 24 - March 30 Sunday (Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion), Matthew 21:1-11, Isaiah 50:4-7, Philippians 2:6-11, Matthew 26:14—27:66; Monday (Monday of Holy Week), Isaiah 42:1-7, John 12:1-11; Tuesday (Tuesday of Holy Week), Isaiah 49:1-6, John 13:21-33, 36-38; Wednesday (Wednesday of Holy Week), Isaiah 50:5-9, Matthew 26:14-25; Thursday (Holy Thursday), Exodus 12:1-8, 11-14, 1 Corinthians 11:23-26, John 13:1-15; Friday (Good Friday), Isaiah 52:13—53:12, Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:7-9, John 18:1—19:42; Saturday (Holy Saturday), Exodus

March 15, 2002

“The Time

By Anne Navarro Catholic News Service NEW YORK (CNS) — Though possibly unfair, moviegoers are likely to have high expectations for an adaptation of H.G. Wells’ novel, “The Time Machine,” directed by his great-grandson, Simon Wells. But instead of preserving the political and social implications of the novel, which made the story layered and thought-provoking, director Wells strips them away, churning out a very Hollywoodesque fluff piece, and a poor one at that.

In “The Time Machine” (DreamWorks), 1890s scientist and inventor Alexander Hartdegen (Guy Pearce) is hurtled 800,000 years into the future — using his own time-travel contraption — in an effort to change the past. His fiancee (Sienna Guillory) was murdered four years ago, and his mission is to change the past and prevent her death. But traveling back in time does not change things.

Convinced that the answer then must lie somewhere in the future, he lands in a mysterious time where Earth’s population is divided into the above-ground Eloi and the monstrous, subterranean Morlocks.

In H.G. Wells’ novel, these two futuristic races represented the working and leisure classes of his time. The Eloi enjoy life above ground while the Morlocks toil away in underground caves, working to preserve the Eloi’s lifestyle.

But Wells gave the classes a twisted symbiotic punch. The enjoyment of the Eloi comes at a high price, as they serve as the

Entertain-

Morlocks’ principal food source.

In director Wells’ film, this warped relationship barely sees the light of day.

Sure we see the Morlocks (which look like a fusion of the simians from “Planet of the Apes” and the creatures from “Battlefield Earth”) attacking and scurrying away with the poor Eloi. And yes, the Morlocks’ leader (Jeremy Irons, looking creepy in long white hair and opaque contact lenses), gives some kind of explanation for the world in which Alexander finds himself. But none of it is the least bit coherent or engaging.

The screenplay written by John Logan lacks cohesion and is littered with inconsistencies and loose plot strands. The film devolves from romance to sci-fi to action without capturing the audience’s attention. Alexander’s original quest to bring his fiancee back to life is inexplicably abandoned to save an Eloi woman, Mara (Irish pop singer Samantha Mumba), and her brother (Omero Mumba, the pop singer’s real-life brother) from the deadly Morlocks. There is little time to develop any affection for the Eloi, most of whom don’t speak English, or warm up to the new relationship Alexander seems to be forging with Mara (although the nearly see-through fishnet shirt Mara wears may explain why Alexander suddenly feels compelled to be a hero).

Pearce, who was so good in last year’s “Memento,” is stiff and unsure here, forcing out his lines and unable to make a connection with the audience. Mark Addy, whom movie fans will recognize from “The Full Monty,” does an admi-

The Catholic News & Herald 11

CNS photo from New Line Cinema

Scene from movie ‘Time Machine’ Guy Pearce stars as time traveler Alexander Hartdegen in the film “The Time Machine.” It is the latest film adaptation of the novel by H.G. Wells. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops classification is A-II -- adults and adolescents. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is PG-13 -- parents are strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13. rable job as Alexander’s close friend, but the role gives him little opportunity to stretch. Orlando Jones, making no particular mark, pops up as a computer-generated character able to survive 800,000 years and run without electricity.

The special effects are nothing out of the ordinary, although the sequence where time speeds forward is neat. The time machine itself looks pieced together from discarded bits of a lighthouse beacon, its many glass panels reflecting light in all directions. Early scenes of 19th-century New York are evocative, if a bit staged, as ladies skate on a lake in feathered hats and corseted dresses down to their ankles.

It is interesting to note that, no matter what Alexander does, no matter how he tries to control or manipulate time and circumstances, he cannot change death. From a Catholic perspective, it is reassuring to know that death has been conquered for us, and the living can find comfort in faith.

Because of intermittent sci-fi violence

with a few grisly images and scantily clad women, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops classification is A-II — adults and adolescents. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is PG-13 — parents are strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.

Navarro is on the staff of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Office for Film and Broadcasting.

1 2 The Catholic News & Herald

March 15, 2002

Editorials & Col-

The Pope Speaks

POPE JOHN PAUL II

Pope says religious leaders should help facilitate Middle East peace

By John Norton Catholic News Service VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Meeting Muslim, Jewish and Christian leaders from the Holy Land amid a surge in Israeli-Palestinian violence, Pope John Paul II said religious believers must do everything possible to stop the bloodshed.

“We are all saddened by the daily instances of violence and death in Israel and the Palestinian Territories,” he said March 13 at the end of his weekly general audience.

“Our mission as men and women of religion impels us to pray for peace, to proclaim peace and to do everything in our power to help bring an end to the bloodshed,” he said.

The pope made his remarks to a high-level interreligious dialogue group from the Holy Land that included Latin Patriarch Michel Sabbah of Jerusalem, Sheik Tal el Sider, the Palestinian authority’s minister of state, and Rabbi Michael Melchior, Israel’s deputy foreign minister.

They gave the pope a framed copy of their January “Alexandria Declaration of the Religious Leaders of the Holy Land,” which condemned violence, pledged respect for each other’s faiths, and called for negotiations.

Rabbi Melchior said the group’s declaration, drafted at a meeting in Egypt that lasted 48 straight hours, had the unprecedented support of Sheik Mohammed Tantawi of al-Azhar University in Cairo, spiritual leader of the world’s Sunni Muslims.

Speaking March 12 at a panel discussion in Rome to mark the second anniversary of the pope’s trip to the Holy Land, the rabbi said “now more than ever” Israelis needed the “involvement and care of the Vatican and the pope.”

Cardinal Achille Silvestrini, a panel member and former head of the Vatican’s Congregation for Eastern Churches, suggested that international emphasis on Israel’s right to exist might help give the Jewish state more confidence to enter peace negotiations with Palestinians.

He said Israel did not need to capitulate to terrorists, “but neither to respond in such a way that terrorism finds fertile ground and nourishment.”

Letter From the Vatican, Feb. 28, 2002 Dear Bishop Curlin, The Holy Father was saddened to learn of the death of Bishop Michael J. Begley, and he has asked me to convey his deep sympathy.

With gratitude for Bishop Begley’s apostolic labors as the founding bishop of the Diocese of Charlotte, he offers fervent prayers that God our Father will grant his faithful servant the fullness of eternal life and will comfort all who mourn in the hope of the Resurrection.

To you and all the faithful of the Diocese of Charlotte, His Holiness cordially imparts his Apostolic Blessing as a pledge of strength and peace in the Lord.

Sincerely yours in Christ, Leonardo Sandri Substitute

Homelessness in America This year we will reach the five-year limit set for those on welfare. Thousands upon thousands of poor people all over America will lose their rent subsidies and become homeless.

Some will be fortunate enough to find shelter in a relative’s apartment, becoming part of the “hidden homeless.” Others will be forced out on the street to scramble for a bed in some emergency shelter. Many will be turned away in the cold, even homeless women and children.

Obviously the government cannot return to the old welfare system, but neither can we turn a deaf ear to the cries of the poor.

We the people, including the churches, the synagogues, the temples and the entire private sector, are going to have an enormous rescue challenge on our hands. At a time when millions of men and women in the work force have lost their jobs, Congress’ domestic agenda will be stretched to the limit.

As the former director of one of New Jersey’s largest poverty programs, Eva’s Kitchen and Sheltering Programs Inc., located in Paterson, N.J., I can tell you that shelters all over America will be bursting at the seams.

We should not help freeloaders and cheats, but we do need government assistance to offset the coming emergency.

Many elderly, handicapped and destitute people are already receiving assistance from various government agencies, but a number of them are frauds who should be exposed. Many more, however, are people who are truly deserving, have been denied help.

The system needs an overhaul.

Poverty programs, shelters and soup kitchens nationwide are now the last refuge of the poorest of the poor, and they are often denied the federal assistance they need.

How can we strike a reasonable balance?

The concept of public welfare began in England during the Victorian era when many charitable initia-

Guest Column Sisters of St. Francis of Tiffin, Ohio, and Associates

A Response to the War on Terrorism In our General Assembly meeting Feb 3-6, we have ratified the following response to the war on terrorism: In response to the war on terrorism, we, the Sisters of St. Francis of Tiffin, Ohio, and Associates, gathered in General Assembly, hereby proclaim that: We recognize our oneness with all peoples as brothers and sisters, and abhor the violence within the human family.

We call upon our Church leaders to find an alternative to the Just War Theory and to use their moral authority to work for peace and justice through nonviolent conflict resolution.

We challenge the leaders of our nation to address the roots of terrorism by reducing the political, economic, and social injustices that cause disparities among nations and the oppression of peoples.

We denounce the use of violence as a response to violence. We urge our political leaders to maximize the use of dialogue and diplomacy in resolving conflict and responding to unjust aggression.

We believe that a just response to terrorism can be achieved through such avenues as: following

Spirituality for Today FATHER JOHN CATOIR CNS Columnist

tives were instituted to alleviate the social ills of the times. They all had the same noble idea of restoring people to self-sufficiency and eventually to a full participation in society.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt had the same idea during the Great Depression when he introduced Social Security and many other rescue programs to help the unemployed. But no one ever envisioned the extent to which the welfare bureaucracy would grow.

Lord Shaftesbury, a wise English philanthropist who wanted to keep the government out of the poverty problem entirely, once said, “State benevolence tends to debase a large mass of people.” He was right. When the poor become dependent on the state, many of them do little or nothing to improve their condition. This kind of passive dependence only perpetuates the poverty problem.

But we just can’t have tens of thousands of the homeless out in the cold.

Let’s face it, the problem of homelessness in America is soon going to become a national heartache.

Jesus called the church to have a preferential option for the poor. We have never turned our back on the poorest of the poor, and we never will.

May God help us in the days ahead. There are no easy answers.

international law; utilizing national and international tribunals; using multinational law enforcement in place of further military force for the capture of terrorists; cooperating with multinational intelligence gathering on the activities and location of terrorists, while at the same time safeguarding individual rights; adhering to the Geneva Conventions in the treatment of prisoners and detainees; endorsing and implementing international treaties that reduce arms trade and the proliferation of land mines; formulating a foreign policy that enhances the human rights and human development of peoples.

As a community rooted in the Gospel, we take seriously the call to be peacemakers, and we follow the example of Jesus who publicly forgave his executioners. With the Leadership Conference of Women Religious and the Franciscan Federation in the United States we endorse the establishment of a global nonviolent standing peace force to support local and regional groups striving to resolve conflict.

With the strength that comes from prayer and fasting, we commit ourselves to be forgivers and reconcilers wherever we are. We call on the people of our country to join us in our efforts to break the cycle of violence in our world and to create the conditions necessary for a just and lasting peace.

March 15, 2002

Editorials & Col-

Light One Candle MSGR. JIM LISANTE Guest Columnist

as your virtues and vices, don’t just wait for a crisis or a life-changing event to come into play. And that’s why we need to be generous and gentle and truthful with one another.

Alan Paton, the great South African writer who spoke and worked against apartheid for decades, wrote: “Life has taught me . . . that active loving saves one from the shortcomings of society and the waywardness of men. . . . (Life) has taught me to seek sustenance from the endeavor itself, but to leave the result to God. To try to be free of self-deception, to try to see with clear eyes oneself and others and the world, does not necessarily bring an undiluted happiness. Yet it is something I would not exchange for any happiness built on any other foundation. There is only one way in which one can endure man’s inhumanity to man and that is, to try in one’s own life to exemplify man’s humanity to man.”

God never meant “being human” to be something we should be sorry about, but rather something to rejoice about.

and their responsibility. The most you can do is to support them with your prayer and example, and help them, in every way they are open to, to be good spouses and parents now for their families.

This is the hard part for parents in situations like yours.

After years of caring for the large and small aches and hurts of their children, parents come to feel as if there should be a solution to everything, something that will make things “well” again, the way they want them for their children.

It’s a major step to peace of heart to acknowledge this just isn’t true and never has been. Some things are possible, as I said, but there is much you will never be able to control, nor should you. They’re adults, and the burden is on them.

Second, it is wrong to assume they will “lose their souls.” There is no way you can possibly know how they stand before God. You regret that they are missing something very important to you, the advantages of a full Catholic life of prayer, the Eucharist and the sacraments. I understand that regret and share it with you.

But God has a unique relationship with every human being, and that relationship is conditioned, on our side, by countless factors. Even the same circumstances (same parents, same education) affect each child differently.

According to their diverse personalities and emotional makeup, children react with greater or lesser adaptability to traumatic circumstances in their environment. The alcohol problem you mention would be one; but others too, which may not be as visible, inevitably affect children’s spiritual and religious strengths and outlook in future years.

It seems clear to me from your description of what is happening in your family today that God’s grace is working in their lives and producing much good. Maybe you need to be satisfied with that for now.

What you have done for them out of love will never be lost, though the results of your caring may not be evident in the way or at the time you would like. Have confidence in the ways God’s grace has worked through you, and try to continue loving them and be present for them in the ways I said.

On the benefit of the doubt — and being human Ever have one of those days when you’re going along, feeling fine and then somebody does something to really aggravate you?

After all, whether a driver snags your parking space or a co-worker infringes on your turf or a friend criticizes your child’s behavior, it’s their fault. There’s no doubt about it, it’s hard to cut other folks any slack when they are so obviously unreasonable. What is the matter with people? They can be so thoughtless. Or worse, what they’re doing is so stupid and wrong, it must be intentional.

Well, maybe. When we calm down, most of us know that making mistakes is one part of being human.

Here’s a quote by the often-wise Anonymous that I find appropriate in a lot of situations: When the other person acts that way, he’s ugly . . .

When you do it, it’s nerves.

When she’s set in her ways, she’s obstinate . . .

When you are, it’s just firmness.

When he doesn’t like your friends, he’s prejudiced . . .

When you don’t like his, you’re showing good judgment of human nature.

When she tries to be accommodating, she’s “apple-polishing” . . .

When you do it, you’re using tact.

When he takes time to do things, he’s slow . . .

When you take ages, you’re deliberate.

When she picks flaws, she’s cranky . . .

When you do, you’re discriminating.

None of us want to be judged on the occasional foolish things we do, but on our overall conduct and character. We want to be given the benefit of the doubt. More than that, we want to see ourselves as open-minded and large-hearted people who are willing to offer that gift, as well.

As time goes by, though, I become more and more convinced that it is in the small everyday moments of life that we show what we are really made of. Your personality, your beliefs, your values, as well

Question Corner FATHER JOHN DIETZEN CNS Columnist

Adult children and the practice of Catholic faith Q. We have five children. All went 12 years to Catholic schools and never missed Mass while they were growing up.

We went through some rough times because of their father’s alcohol problems, but now at least that is stopped.

Now one misses Mass constantly and receives Communion when he does go. Another is a devout Methodist.

Another goes to Mass and the sacraments regularly. The fourth attends church only on Christmas and Easter. Our fifth goes fairly regularly, but doesn’t mind missing.

All of them have good families and raise their children well, but practicing their faith isn’t important. We usually get along well together, big holiday celebrations and so on.

I keep wondering why God is letting them lose their souls.

What is your opinion of this mess? (Kentucky) A. My first reaction is, and I don’t mean this at all flippantly, join the crowd. I hardly know a family today which, at least to some degree, doesn’t have a similar story to tell.

That may be no great consolation, but at least it starts to put your experience in perspective.

If I understand correctly, it seems you’re asking two questions: What is the spiritual condition of your children?

And what can you do about their religious lifestyles?

To address the second first, the answer is “not very much,” at least directly. You’ve done your best to give them a good religious education and training. It’s now their life

The Catholic News & Herald 13

Family Reflections ANDREW & TERRI LYKE Guest Columnists Finding new meaning in the Gospels The story of the man born blind from John’s gospel poignantly shows how the truth of the gospel is revealed not all at once but little by little. This is also true in families. We begin to see more clearly over time as we grow and develop.

The intricacies of the story-Jesus making the saliva and dirt compound for the man’s eyes, his command to “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam, the miraculous cure, the contemptuous Pharisees, the parents under scrutiny-and all the political posturing in the story make this important transformation so subtle it can easily be missed.

The truth about Jesus-God’s compassionate love for humanity-was to open up to the man born blind in stages and after four separate inquiries. After he was cured of his blindness the man born blind was asked by his neighbors and others, “How were your eyes opened?” In his reply to this first query he attributed this great miracle to “the man called Jesus.”

When later quizzed by the Pharisees and others, he referred to Jesus as “a prophet.” After much clamoring over this amazing event the Pharisees summoned him again and pressed him asking, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?” This time his response was that Jesus was “from God.” Finally, Jesus himself asked him if he believed in the Son of Man, and revealed himself to him. And the man born blind believed in him and worshipped him.

As children learn about Jesus, their understanding unfolds over time and develops as they mature into adulthood. Even as adults we begin to see God’s redeeming action through Christ as we traverse life’s tragedies and setbacks.

Every time a family relationship is broken and restored, for every reconciliation between married partners, for every new dream that arises from a broken promise, for every loving action in the face of disillusionment, we see Jesus more clearly for who he is.

The intricacies of family life-from the drama of birth through the many marking events of growing up: school, sports, vacations, graduations, hopes and joys, disappointments an sorrows, etc.-can easily push our faith development into the background as a subplot to our story.

Yet, the transformation from blindness to seeing Jesus as he is-the Son of God-is perhaps the most riveting story of our lives. It is truly amazing grace! I once was lost but now I’m found; was blind but now I see.

Questions for reflection: • How has your understanding of who Jesus is changed over time?

• How have you been blind to the gospel?

• Read John: 9:1-41 • Who is Jesus to you?

1 4 The Catholic News & Herald

Maryfield goes all out

By REV. MR. GERALD POTKAY Correspondent HIGH POINT — The Poor Servants of the Mother of God Sisters Community opened the doors of Maryfield Nursing Home to new and old friends alike for a St. Patrick’s Tea March 10. A deep-seated tradition of 42 years, the Poor Servants continue to recognize and thank the people of High Point, Greensboro, Winston-Salem, Jamestown and other communities for their deep moral and financial support, which keeps the dream of Maryfield ever growing.

In some cases this assistance goes back for generations. Others have just begun helping in this endeavor.

The Bishop Hafey Council, #4507 of the Knights of Columbus plays a large role in the festivities of the day. The 3rd-degree Knights handled valet parking for visitors to the day’s events, while 4thdegree Knights, dressed in tuxedos, were on hand to make and serve Irish Coffee to the over 300 guests.

According to Emily Ragsdale, chairperson of the Advisory Council for Maryfield, she and Frances Craycroft began preparations for this event in early January. After all of these years, “it has become a well-oiled machine,” said Ragsdale.

Preparations included designing and printing 1,000 invitations for mailing in mid-February to all friends of Maryfield. In past years there were “addressing parties” to accomplish this awesome task; this year it was done by databases and computers. Ragsdale said the community actually misses the parties.

“Preparation of the food has been easier in recent years,” noted Ragsdale.

“In the last few years, all the food is catered in-house. The fun thing is that we get to try out the menu long before the tea itself.”

The menu consisted of ham and Swiss cheese biscuits, a herb and cheese pinwheel, assorted canapés, shrimp and chicken salad in pastry bites, a vegetable tray with cheeses, assorted fruits, petite fours, strawberries dipped in chocolate, fruit punch and Irish coffee.

“It’s been fun,” said Craycroft. “It is truly amazing how everything just falls into place and — here it is.”

The entire community of Poor Servants Sisters was on hand for the tea. Everyone involved was pleased that so many people were able to attend.

Among those in attendance was Dick Douglas, great-grandson of Steven Douglas of the Lincoln-Douglas debate. Douglas, a benefactor of Maryfield long before the beginning of the St. Patrick’s Tea, was instrumental in having Maryfield become incorporated. Douglas said that both his mother and father were residents at Maryfield and that both have long since passed away.

George and Virginia Frank were

March 15, 2002

Around the Di-

at the tea to learn more about the living accommodations and the cottages. There were impressed by the motivation of the Poor Servant Sisters and the concept behind the non-profit Maryfield facility. Both said they were at the age where they needed to look for potential accommodations for their future.

Another benefactor, Ann Pope Baumgardner, felt very connected to Maryfield because her brother was a

Photos by Rev. Mr. Gerald Potkay

A b ove , t h re e g e n e rat i o n s o f volunteers and benefactors at Maryfield Nursing Home from left are Katharine, Emily and Margaret Ragsdale. Below, Poor Servant Sister Lucy Hennessy, president of Maryfield, is flanked by Joseph Deering, George Coppedge and Robert Lodding, 4th degree Knights from Bishop Hafey Counsel #4507.

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Elementary Principal: The Archdiocese

TAC News Bytes

Network offers many benefits for diocese

By KEVIN E. MURRAY Associate Editor CHARLOTTE — The 46-county Diocese of Charlotte continues to get a little closer as its new technology expands.

Now up and running is the new diocesan high bandwidth WAN (Wide Area Network), a network that allows schools and parishes to connect and share information with the diocese and each other.

Benefits of the network include reduced costs, less maintenance and better updating and protection for participating schools and parishes.

“The diocese has invested in the resources for top-notch security.

We’ve got the best software and equipment in here,” said Kevin Geter, director of Information Technology for the Diocese of Charlotte.

With the market saturation of DSL, cable modems and the increase of high-speed Internet connections in other schools, the diocesan network — a product of the Technology Plan to enhance the ministry of the diocese — is intended to meet the growing demand of diocesan employees and students for high bandwidth connections.

High speed Internet access is only the first application of this network.

Video conferencing, online training and more accessible diocesan information are potential future additions.

Utilizing one network means one firewall, a program used to prevent unauthorized access to a network. The network’s firewall, considered by Geter to be one of the best in the country, will provide security for all sites, files, confidential documents, e-mail and more. The firewall’s content filtering

package will also be extremely beneficial to the schools, said Geter.

“Parents can worry a lot less about their children viewing inappropriate Web sites online,” he said.

E-mail and domain names are another plus of the network. Each participating location will have access to the diocesan e-mail server and use of the diocesan domain name (charlottediocese.org). Centralizing e-mail will allow for better maintenance and support, as well as better utilization of features, such as distribution lists.

Network availability is open to all parishes and schools within the diocese. Because of the frame relay, distance is not a restriction, said Geter.

“If they have a phone line, they can be on the network,” he said.

Currently on the network are nine outside entities — the seven local schools in the Charlotte area, St. Gabriel Church and Bishop McGuinness Catholic High School in WinstonSalem.

Being on the network would offer better and more consistent technical support, said Geter, as supporting multiple Internet access methods is inefficient and costly. The diocese recently restructured its Information Technology Department to facilitate better management of the Information Technology infrastructure and offer one point of contact for all technology-related issues.

Geter encouraged other parishes and schools to consider joining the network. “The more entities on the diocesan WAN, the greater the information flow,” he said.

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March 15, 2002

Around the Di-

Aging is a gift to be

By REV. MR. GERALD POTKAY Correspondent WINSTON-SALEM — Richard Von Stamwitz provided the presentation “Faithful Living in Later Life” to a group of 30 people at St. Benedict the Moor March 5.

“This is the most creative time of my entire life,” said Von Stamwitz to his audience.

Hailing from Brooklyn, N.Y., Von Stamwitz received his master’s degree from Fordham University and taught high school Latin for six years in his native Brooklyn. From there he became a counselor and then a manager for the Department of Labor Employment Security Commission, where he remained until retirement 26 years later.

At age 59, Von Stamwitz went back to school to study gerontology at Caldwell College in New Jersey. Armed as a national certified and licensed professional gerontological counselor, he taught for five years at New York University.

From that point on, Von Stamwitz, a motivational speaker, has given over 100 presentations and workshops at assisted living communities and senior residences.

He has written a booklet published by the Ligouri Press entitled “Creative Aging: Making a Difference in Later Life.”

“We carry on in place of those who pass life on to us because we need what has gone on before,” he said. “And we are needed to pass on what we have to those who follow after. Everyone is needed.”

Von Stamwitz said no one should be afraid of aging. “Aging is part of ministry.

Vocations do not stop at retirement. Everyone can make a difference by launching out into the deep.”

Stressing “we are all someone,” Von Stamwitz went on to say that “we need to celebrate age.” Even though you may be wounded, love and God are in this present moment. “Therefore, accept...redefine who and where you are in order to live in God’s present moment,” he said.

“You are living in a secret garden, a paradise where you can blossom. Without getting stuck in the past or worrying about the future, you need to embrace the present circumstances of your life,” said Von Stamwitz. “The mission God gave us at birth is not over.”

Since aging is only a part of a continuum, Von Stamwitz asked, “Why are we told to step aside? Who is helping us with these new transitions? The world needs to help launch people from middle life on into later life. There is already a yearly renewal of baptismal vows. Why not renew also our confirmation promises to call upon the Holy Spirit to renew his strength, wisdom and joy in our lives.”

Von Stamwitz pointed out some interesting statistics. “We are growing older and yet, healthier. There are more over the age 65 than there are teenagers. The fastest growing age group is over 85 years,” he said. “Therefore, we must tell today’s culture and community that we are not over the hill but close to the top.”

Quoting an unknown author, Von Stamwitz said, “Today I am as old as I will ever be ... from this moment on I grow younger to eternity.”

“God accepts you just as you are.

From this point on he takes us and makes our failings come out OK,” he

added. “His grace builds on our natural gifts and talents. God consecrates them and uses them. That is why we should not be afraid. That is why we must move on to become mentors, mediators, monitors and motivators.”

Then Von Stamwitz encouraged his listeners by saying, “Older people need not be people to be taken care of.

Let us contribute to society by ministering to people our own age.”

Concluding, Von Stamwitz said, “Aging is a challenge. To be successful we must be full of love, compassion, and humility while keeping a sense of the sacred. Above all, we must persevere. We may not be young anymore, but we are wonderful.”

“I am rare,” he said. “All rarity has great value.”

“The presentation helped me take a closer look at a broken family relationship and allowed me to understand that forgiving and forgetting does not mean hiding the past but coming to peace with it,” said Agnes Umstatter,

The Catholic News & Herald 15

a St. Benedict the Moor parishioner.

“We cannot destroy it. We cannot change it, but we can give it to God and learn to live in his present.”

Another parishioner, Mary Turner, 79, thoroughly enjoyed the presentation. “I try to be an example to younger people. I agree ‘we are not getting older, we are getting better.’ I still have much to be thankful for and continually count my blessings.”

Contact Correspondent Rev. Mr. Ger-

1 6 The Catholic News & Herald

Living the

March 15, 2002

Deacon triumphs over adversity to serve

while in school. He also accepted inBy ALESHA M. PRICE vitations to Mass from another of his Staff Writer teachers and became fascinated with GREENSBORO — It was the first Christianity. time that Pierre K’Briuh had ever seen “One of my teachers brought snow. Even though the winter weather in us to catechism classes. I had always the nation’s capital amazed him, his mind admired a Catholic was never far from the lush neighbor back home landscape of the mounand was curious about tainous regions of South the religion,” said Rev. Vietnam. It was 1966, Mr. K’Briuh. “I learned and he and other young Catholic doctrine and men from his country had how to live a Christian traveled to study English life.” at Georgetown UniverHe was baptized in sity in Washington, D.C., the Catholic Church on through the United States Easter in 1954 with one Agency for International of his teachers serving Development (USAID), as his godfather and an independent federal chose Pierre-Marie as government agency workhis baptismal name. He ing in areas of humanitariwas confirmed in 1955. anism and international “My father was sad economic development. about it (his becoming He had more opporRev. Mr. K’Briuh Catholic). He was stubtunities for education than born and didn’t want anyone in his family, and to convert.

He followed in his anceshe had taken advantage of his good fortors’ footsteps,” said Rev. Mr. K’Briuh. tunes. His people, Vietnamese from Mon“After my siblings later converted to tagnard descent, were farmers and because Catholicism, my father looked grim labor was needed in the rice fields, many during his sacrifices. I would not parpeople were not educated. K’Briuh’s parents ticipate with him after I was baptized. could not read or write, so he is not sure of I thought about becoming a priest, but his exact birthdate. However, he thinks he my father wouldn’t allow it. He wanted was about 6 or 7 at the end of World War II. me to bring honor to the family.”

His family practiced a form of polytheAfter returning home from middle ism, the worship of many gods, and made school, he and four others were selectofferings and sacrifices to their gods or their ed for high school scholarships from ancestors during planting and harvesting the French Embassy. It was the opporseasons. K’Briuh served as the “buffalo boy” tunity of a lifetime for K’Briuh. Most in charge of his father’s buffalo that helped of the students attending the school were to plow the fields in the province of Lam from wealthy and prominent families in Dong. his country and neighboring countries “We depended on nature and viceincluding the children from the royal versa. In the forest, birds were everyfamilies in Cambodia, Laos and Thailand. where, and everything was green,” “I went from a buffalo boy to someone said Rev. Mr. K’Briuh. “There was a who knew big shots in school,” he said. kind of freedom you can’t have when After high school graduation in 1961, you live in the city. The air smelled he was able to go to Dalat University to fresh. You can almost suffocate by civistudy French. During his time in college, lization in the city.” he met Anna and married in 1963. They In 1948, he began attending a had the first of eight children in 1964.

French-run elementary school. He He earned his degree, also in 1964, later transferred to a boarding school which led to a teaching position in the where he met children from other middle school he had attended. He was Montagnard provinces. He began the first to go to college, and he wanted learning French and other languages to make his family proud and be a role while making new friends from all model. His attendance at Georgetown walks of life. “I met other kids and was University led him to Southern Illinois exposed to different dialects, but I was University for two years where he earned so far away from home and was isoa bachelor’s degree in education. He lated. I missed my family, friends and retuned home to become an assistant the freedom from roaming around,” principal working with student teachers. he said.

His political affiliation began when he He had his first exposure to Caaccepted a position as part of the Ethnic tholicism in elementary school where Minority Council advisory team with the teachers talked about Jesus. He learned about the church from his host family

Vietnamese Congress. He moved through the ranks and served as the director general for operations for the Ethnic Minority Ministry, the vice minister for politics and the secretary general. “The higher up you go, you believe you can serve your people. I knew the needs of the people and developed human rights programs and could talk to different ministers of South Vietnam,” he said.

The world K’Briuh had built up came crumbling down in 1975 at the end of the Vietnam War when the Communists from North Vietnam overthrew the government. The family lost everything. “I was at the top, then, boom, I was nobody.

The North Vietnamese came to conquer our lives, and the government was in disarray. It was terrible; we weren’t prepared for it. My wife didn’t have a job, and she was pregnant at the time,” he said. “The government in Saigon provided everything, and the Communists seized everything. We were literally on the street.”

The family moved back to Mrs. K’Briuh’s childhood home, while K’Briuh was taken to a re-education camp. For several years, he existed on meager meals and worked for hours in the fields. He was reminded of his days as a buffalo boy, but those memories did little to comfort him.

He was imprisoned with others who had served in top government positions. Many committed suicide.

“You think you are better off if you didn’t exist. It is a very humbling experience to come from so high. I think what helped me was my faith. My wife had put a rosary in my bag, and I began to pray.

Somewhere in the misery, you find God,” he said. “I felt I still had some life to live.”

After he was released, he returned to his in-laws’ home where over 60 children,

some orphaned, were living along with his family. “You worry how you will eat the next day. That is why I decided to escape,” he said.

With the help of a priest, he and 22 others escaped via boat and were picked up by a French freight in the midst of sharks and a typhoon. K’Briuh spent time in Singapore before writing to the U.S. government to be admitted as a refugee.

In 1983, through the help of Catholic Social Services in Sacramento, Calif., he came to the U.S. He worked in a bakery and as a teacher before becoming the resettlement director for Montagnard refugees in 1986. He moved to Greensboro in 1986 with hundreds of his people and settled at St. Mary Church. Although he had worked for years to bring his family out of Vietnam, they were not able to come to the U.S. until 1993 because of his government association.

His knowledge of several dialects of his people helped him to translate for them. He became the voice of his people in the parish. When the permanent diaconate was mentioned, he thought it was a natural next step. He was ordained in 2001 and works primarily with Montagnard Ministry.

“I thought I could serve God in that capacity. I think I was called to the ministry, and I am happy to be a deacon. Part of my being involved with the diaconate is in thanksgiving for what God has done for me,” said the grandfather of 13. “Here we are in a strange country, and we can celebrate the Eucharist together in our own atmosphere. At least we can keep our heritage alive.”

Contact Staff Writer Alesha M.