Oct. 21, 2011

October 21, 2011

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

‘Marvelous miracle of grace’ St. Vincent de Paul Church marks 50th anniversary with ‘native son’ Bishop Peter Jugis, 3 Pope names ‘Year of Faith’ to renew Church’s missionary energy, 28

Building blessings

Charlotte parishioners reach out to disadvantaged students, teachers

St. Gerard House dedicated in Hendersonville,

St. Luke and St. Peter churches team up with two public schools in need, 22

5 FUNDED by the parishioners of the diocese of charlotte THANK YOU!

El Señor de los Milagros La comunidad hispana de Charlotte le rinde homenaje al Cristo Moreno, Calendar 4 Diocese 3-14

FAITH 2

mix 25

18-19

nation & World 26-29 Schools 22-24

Viewpoints 30-32

Our faith

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catholicnewsherald.com | October 21, 2011 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

St. Alonso Rodriguez, mystic Pope Benedict XVI

Knowing God’s love never ends pulls people out of despair VATICAN CITY — Remembering God’s love is forever helps lead the faithful out of darkness and despair and toward a future of hope, Pope Benedict XVI said.

It’s important to remember all of God’s gifts to humanity – from creating the earth to giving humanity His only Son – because it is that very recollection of His generosity that “becomes the strength of hope,” he said during his weekly general audience Oct. 19.

Remembering God’s goodness and mercy “also opens up the path of light toward the future during times of darkness,” the pope said.

In his audience talk to about 15,000 people in St. Peter’s Square, Pope Benedict spoke about praising God for His everlasting love, an attitude reflected in Psalm 136.

The psalm praises “God’s mighty deeds in the creation of the world and in the history of Israel,” saving His people from their enemies and leading them to the Promised Land, the pope said.

After each recollection of something God has given or done for His people, the psalm repeats the refrain “God’s love endures forever.”

Human history has been marked by periods of darkness and light, and the lives of individuals, too, have been colored by difficulties and great happiness, the pope said.

While it may be hard to imagine the difficulties endured by the early Israelites as recounted in the Psalms, there are plenty of recent episodes in history like the “dark period of Nazi and Communist persecution,” the pope said.

No matter how dark the world got, “God came to us, He showed He is good, has strength and that His mercy lasts forever,” he said.

— Catholic News Service

Jesuit lay brother encountered God in every task Feast day: Oct. 30 On Oct. 30, the Catholic Church honors a man whose humble occupation gave the world only glimpses of his extraordinary holiness. During his lifetime, Brother Alonso Rodriguez never became a priest, published a book or advanced professionally. But writings discovered after his death revealed a true mystic, who attended to a rich spiritual life while he worked as a doorkeeper and porter.

Born in Spain during 1532, Rodriguez married at 26 and worked as a cloth merchant, coming to religious life only through a string of crushing tragedies. His wife and two of their children died by the time he was 31, and his turn toward a life of prayer and penance could not prevent the subsequent death of his third and last remaining child – nor the discouraging failure of his business.

Without his wife and children, and having few prospects due to his lack of a higher education, the Spanish layman turned his thoughts to religious life. Even there, however, he faced difficulties. In his early years, Rodriguez had met one of the first Jesuits, Blessed Peter Faber. With his old life in ruins, he developed an interest in joining the recently established Society of Jesus.

His lack of education prevented Rodriguez from pursuing their course of priestly ordination, and he failed to acquire a diploma from the College of Barcelona despite attending for two years. The Jesuit Fathers in Valencia said he was unfit to join. But Rodriguez’s years of prayer had not been in vain: they were answered when a provincial of the society, sensing his dedication, admitted him as a lay-brother.

In modern times, Jesuit brothers work in a wide range of fields, with few limitations apart from their lack of priestly ordination.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, however, the lay-brothers of the Society of Jesus were known as “temporal coadjutors,” and assisted the priests of the order by performing its

A saintly life

more routine duties such as cooking, construction and farming.

The Jesuits sent Rodriguez to the college of Montesión, on the island of Majorca, to work as a porter and door-keeper. He assumed the responsibilities of receiving visitors and guests and carrying their luggage, tracking down students or priests when they were needed, delivering messages, and distributing alms to the poor. While other Jesuits traveled the globe evangelizing whole nations, and undertook a vast reform of the Catholic Church throughout Europe, Rodriguez carried bags and ran errands for 46 years.

But students began to seek him out, realizing that their doorkeeper was a man of unusual wisdom and faith. His Jesuit superiors started to take notice as well, and asked him to begin a private record of his life and thoughts. Rodriguez struck up a notable friendship with one young man, Peter Claver, and advised him to volunteer for the South American missions. Following his advice, St. Peter Claver eventually catechized, baptized and spoke out for the rights of 300,000 slaves in South America.

When Rodriguez died in 1617, his superiors examined the written records he had left behind describing his spiritual life. What they found was the life of a saint and mystic. His approach was simple: Christ was appearing in every person who appeared at the door; the task was to encounter God in any task. From this awareness, he proceeded to a life of contemplation akin to the renowned saints of his era (such as St. Ignatius or St. Teresa of Avila), whose grand achievements are better known.

Brother Alonso Rodriguez was declared a saint in 1887. He is buried on the same island of Majorca where he answered the door and

“Vision of Blessed Alonso Rodriguez” by Francisco de Zurbaran

carried bags for five decades.

— Catholic News Agency

Your daily Scripture readings SCRIPTURE FOR THE WEEK OF OCT. 23 - OCT. 29

Sunday, Exodus 22:20-26, 1 Thessalonians 1:5-10, Matthew 22:34-40; Monday (St. Anthony Mary Claret), Romans 8:12-17, Luke 13:1017; Tuesday, Romans 8:18-25, Luke 13:18-21; Wednesday, Romans 8:26-30, Luke 13:22-30; Thursday, Romans 8:31-39, Luke 13:31-35; Friday (Sts. Simon and Jude), Ephesians 2:19-22, Luke 6:12-16; Saturday, Romans 11:1-2, 11-12, 25-29, Luke 14:1, 7-11

SCRIPTURE FOR THE WEEK OF OCT. 30 - NOV. 5

Sunday, Malachi 1:14-2:2, 8-10, 1 Thessalonians 2:7-9, 13, Matthew 23:1-12; Monday, Romans 11:29-36, Luke 14:12-14; Tuesday (All Saints Day), Revelation 7:2-4, 9-14, 1 John 3:1-3, Matthew 5:112; Wednesday (All Souls Day), Wisdom 3:1-9, Romans 5:5-11, John 6:37-40; Thursday (St. Martin de Porres), Romans 14:7-12, Luke 15:1-10; Friday (St. Charles Borromeo), Romans 15:14-21, Luke 16:1-8, Saturday, Romans 16:3-9, 16, 22-27, Luke 16:9-15

SCRIPTURE FOR THE WEEK OF NOV. 6 - NOV. 12

Sunday, Wisdom 6:12-16, 1 Thessalonians 4:1318, Matthew 25:1-13; Monday, Wisdom 1:1-7, Luke 17:1-6; Tuesday, Wisdom 2:23-3:9, Luke 17:7-10; Wednesday, Ezekiel 47:1-12, 8-9, 12, Corinthians 3:9-11, 16-17, John 2:13-22; Thursday (St. Leo the Great), Wisdom 7:22-8:1, Luke 17:20-25; Friday (St. Martin of Tours), Wisdom 13:1-9, Luke 17:2637; Saturday (St. Josaphat), Wisdom 18:14-16, 19:6-9, Luke 18:1-8

Our parishes

October 21, 2011 | catholicnewsherald.com

For the latest news 24/7: catholicnewsherald.com

In Brief Regional education coordinator hired

Beal

CHARLOTTE — Chris Beal has joined the diocesan staff as the new regional coordinator for the Asheville-Central Faith Formation Office. He will work as the liaison between the diocesan Education Vicariate office and the pastors, parish catechetical program leaders and youth ministers in each parish of the Asheville, Boone, Hickory and Gastonia vicariates.

catholic news heraldI

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Important dates

St. Vincent de Paul Church in Charlotte celebrated its 50th anniversary on Oct. 15 with a special concert, Mass and reception.

Pictured (from left) are Bishop Peter J. Jugis who grew up at the parish and Father Mark Lawlor, pastor of St. Vincent de Paul, during the Mass.

To see more photos from the anniversary Mass and reception, go online to the Diocese of Charlotte’s YouTube channel.

Jan. 23, 1961 Bishop Vincent S. Waters of the Raleigh Diocese buys 8 acres on Old Reid Road.

Oct. 29, 1961 Bishop Waters dedicates St. Vincent Mission, a mission of St. Ann Church.

Monsignor Michael Begley, pastor of St. Ann Church, assisted at Mass.

July 9, 1965 Bishop Waters proclaims St. Vincent de Paul a parish in its own right. Father James Noonan becomes the first pastor.

The parish purchases a home on the corner of Old Reid Road and Colchester Place to serve as a rectory and office.

1975 sueann howell | catholic news herald

Animals receive blessing at Holy Cross Parish KERNERSVILLE — Oblates of St. Francis de Sales Father Paul Dechant, pastor of Holy Cross Church in Kernersville, offered blessings to approximately 70 parishioners’ pets on Oct. 1 in honor of the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi, celebrated Oct. 4. At the ceremony were dogs of all sizes, as well as cats and gerbils.

— Fred Hogan

Thomasville parishioner named Woman of Year THOMASVILLE — Kimberly Sebastian, a detective lieutenant with the Thomasville Police Department and parishioner at Our Lady of the Highways Church in Thomasville, has been named Woman of the Year by the N.C. Law Enforcement Women’s Association.

Besides her significant community and law enforcement activities, Sebastian serves at her parish in many ways: on the parish council, faith formation commission, RCIA team, rosary makers guild, prayer shawl ministry, Angel Tree ministry, Eucharistic Congress parish committee, food pantry ministry, quilting guild and ladies’ guild. She also serves as a catechist for confirmation classes. She has served with the Thomasville Police Department since 1989.

— Jerry Chambers

St. Vincent de Paul Church given ‘marvelous miracle of grace’ Bishop celebrates 50th anniversary Mass at childhood parish home SueAnn Howell Staff writer

CHARLOTTE — St. Vincent de Paul Church marked an auspicious anniversary Oct. 15 with the celebration of its 50th anniversary in the Diocese of Charlotte.

What made the event especially meaningful is that Bishop Peter J. Jugis also happens to be a “native son” of the parish.

His parents, Joe and Peggy Jugis, are founding members who joined the parish in 1965. Bishop Jugis was an active member of St. Vincent de Paul and was confirmed there in 1969. He is the first priestly vocation from the parish.

“What a marvelous miracle of grace that the Holy Spirit has been working here the past 50 years, to unite the people of God around the altar, strengthening them in the life of grace, the life of holiness and charity,” Bishop Jugis said during his

homily during the anniversary Mass Oct. 15.

“Everything here speaks to us of Jesus,” he emphasized.

He then enumerated all the beautiful outward signs in the church that help the faithful recognize Jesus: the statues and images of the Blessed Mother and the saints throughout the church; the unique architecture which allows the light to stream in from above; the Stations of the Cross; the congregation itself “which is the Body of Christ,” he noted; and the sacraments – most especially the Eucharist.

A touching moment during the Mass occurred at the presentation of the gifts when Bishop Jugis’ parents helped bring up the Communion hosts, presenting them to their son to be consecrated and broken as the Body of Christ.

The parish’s past 50 years “went so fast,” St. Vincent, SEE page 14

The parish adds a new wing to provide additional seating for Mass as well as class and meeting rooms, nursery and religious education office. The St. Vincent de Paul Society forms and begins a charitable outreach at the parish.

1983 The Charlotte diocese ordains its first permanent deacons, and Deacons Gerald Hickey and John Charnisky begin serving St. Vincent de Paul parish. Father Peter J. Jugis (now Bishop Jugis) is also ordained as a priest.

1980s Three Sisters come to serve the parish: Sister Rose Harmsen, ACJ (education and visitation); Sister Marian Arroyo, RSM (music and liturgy); and Sister Monica Perez, RSM (office and computer). Sister Monica continues in her position.

1997-1999 St. Vincent de Paul Parish meets in the newly-built activity center while a new church is built.

Feb. 27, 1999 Bishop William G. Curlin dedicates the new church.

2010 A capital campaign kicks off to build a new facility to meet the growing needs of the parish and include a chapel for prayer, baptisms and other liturgies.

Oct. 15, 2011 Bishop Jugis celebrates the parish’s 50th anniversary with a Mass and reception.

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catholicnewsherald.com | October 21, 2011 OUR PARISHES

Diocesan calendar ARDEN

ST. JOHN NEUMAnN CHURCH, 8451 IDLEWILD ROAD

ST. BARNABAS CHURCH, 109 CRESCENT HILL DR. — Holocaust Survivor Charlene Schiff from Horochow, Poland, will speak of her experiences, 7 p.m. Nov. 9. A 6 p.m. Mass will precede, refreshments will follow.

Contact 828-684-6098.

Bishop Peter J. Jugis Bishop Peter J. Jugis will participate in the following events over the next two weeks: Oct. 22 – 6 p.m.

Mass for 100th Anniversary of parish St. John the Baptist Church, Tryon Oct. 26 – 7 p.m.

Sacrament of Confirmation Our Lady of Mercy Church, Winston-Salem Oct. 27 – 6:30 p.m.

Room at the Inn Banquet Charlotte Convention Center Oct. 28 – Nov. 1 Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre Investiture Washington, D.C. Nov. 4 – 7 p.m.

Sacrament of Confirmation St. Vincent de Paul Church, Charlotte

— “Here is Your Mother: Full of Grace.” Fall women’s program will present approved Marian apparitions, messages and reflections. 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Nov. 19. Lunch provided. Contact Marcia Torres at johnandmarciatorres@yahoo.com or 828697-1235 by Nov. 15.

ASHEVILLE

— Interfaith “Prayer of Remembrance,” 7 p.m. Nov. 7. Bring a photo of your departed to be placed on the “table of remembrance.” RSVP to Maria Romeo at mromeo@ carolina.rr.com.

— Bereavement Care Training Seminar, 9:30-11 a.m. Nov. 19.

Contact Al Tinson at 704-575-6898.

ST. luke CHURCH, 13700 lawyers road — “Human Trafficking/Modern Day Slavery: Look Behind the Surface,” Family Life Center, 6:15 p.m. Oct. 29. Contact paxchristi@stlukechurch.net. Subject matter will not be appropriate for children.

ST. lawrence basilica, 97 haywood st.

— “Breaking Down the Walls of Forbidden Grief,” a discussion on how to reach out to someone wounded by abortion, Laurentine Hall, 10:30-11:30 a.m. Oct. 23.

Contact Patricia Glass at 828-689-9544.

ST. MATTHEW CHURCH, 8015 BALLANTYNE COMMONS PKWY.

BELMONT

ST. patrick cathedral, 1621 dilworth road east

BELMONT ABBEY COLLEGE, 100 Belmont-Mt. Holly Road — Arts at the Abbey: Thomas Pandolfi, concert pianist.

8 p.m. Nov. 3. Visit www.carolinapromusica.org.

Queen of the Apostles Church, 503 N. Main St. — Conversations: “Living Bread, Saving Meal,” Reflections on the Eucharist, 1:30-3:30 p.m. or 7:30-9:30 p.m. Oct. 31.

— St. Peregrine Healing Prayer Service, 7:30 p.m. Oct. 27 — Lectio Divina, 10-11 a.m. first and third Thursdays. Contact Pat Donlevy at 704-541-8960.

— Fall Scripture Study: “Understanding the Mystery of the Mass,” 10-11 a.m. Oct. 23, and Nov. 6 and 20. Contact Margaret at jmgusto@bellsouth.net.

ST. thomas aquinas church, 1400 Suther Road — “Circle of Friends” Grief Support Group, office conference room, 7 p.m. Thursdays. Contact Robyn Magyar at 704707-5070.

This week’s spotlight: Catholic Campus Ministry: Catholic Campus Ministry provides a rich array of spiritual, liturgical, educational and social opportunities for college students in the Charlotte community. bible study: To prepare for the upcoming Sunday Liturgy. Join us and share your scriptural insights! 6:30 p.m. Tuesdays. dinners: Evenings of food, faith and fellowship.

Make sandwiches; learn more about short- and long-term volunteer opportunities; learn more about the sacraments. 6:30 p.m. Wednesdays.

CONTACT: 9408 Sandburg Avenue, Charlotte; www. sco.uncc.edu/catholic/index.htm; catholic@uncc.edu.

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

— “Learn to Pray the Liturgy of the Hours,” Kloster Center, 7-8:30 p.m. Tuesdays. Contact Elliott Suttle at spiusx. lothclass@gmail.com.

ST. vincent de paul church, 6828 old reid road Nov. 6 – 2 p.m.

Mass for Wedding Anniversaries St. Thomas Aquinas Church, Charlotte

BREVARD sacred heart church, 100 Brian Berg Lane — Craft Show, 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Oct. 28 and 29. Contact 828-884-4552.

CHAPEL HILL st. THOMAS MORE church, 940 CARMICHAEL ST. — The John Paul II Legacy Lecture Series, 7 p.m. Nov. 14, 15, and 16.

CHARLOTTE st. ann church, 3635 park road — Missa Cantata in honor of the Feast of Christ the King, 12:30 p.m. Oct. 30 ST. gabriel CHURCH, 3016 providence road — Military Appreciation Mass, 10:45 a.m. Nov. 6. Active duty military are encouraged to wear their uniforms. Contact Fred or Janet Mercer at frickmm@bellsouth.net.

October 21, 2011 Volume 20 • Number 35

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

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

EDITOR: Patricia L. Guilfoyle 704-370-3334, plguilfoyle@charlottediocese.org COMMUNICATIONS ASSISTANT/CIRCULATION: Denise Onativia 704-370-3333, catholicnews@charlottediocese.org ADVERTISING MANAGER: Kevin Eagan 704-370-3332, keeagan@charlottediocese.org STAFF WRITER: SueAnn Howell 704-370-3354, sahowell@charlottediocese.org HISPANIC COMMUNICATIONS: Carlos Castañeda 704-370-3375, cmcastaneda@charlottediocese.org GRAPHIC DESIGNER: Tim Faragher 704-370-3331, tpfaragher@charlottediocese.org Online reporter: Kimberly Bender kdbender@charlottediocese.org

— Catholics Returning Home Program, Faith Formation Center, 7:30-9 p.m. Oct. 24, and Nov. 8 and 14. Register at 704-554-7088.

— Charlotte Catholic Women’s Group (CCWG) Reflection with Father David Miller, 9 a.m. Nov. 7. Contact Mary Catherine Surface at mcsurface@gmail.com or 704-651-5860.

HENDERSONVILLE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION CHURCH, 208 Seventh Avenue West — St. Francis of the Hills Fraternity of the Secular Franciscan order invites you to a “Come and See.” They meet 1-3:30 p.m. fourth Sundays. Contact Randy Hair, S.F.O., at 828698-6466 or Tim Gibson, S.F.O., at 828-606-1728.

GREENSBORO

LINCOLNTON

our lady of grace CHURCH, 2205 w. market st.

— “The Catholic Faith and Muslims,” cafeteria, 7-8:30 p.m.

Oct. 25

St. Dorothy Church, 148 Saint Dorothy’s Lane — Sacred Heart Mission: Discover the Love of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, 7 p.m. Nov. 6-9

—Presentation: “Blessed Chiara Luce Badano,” school library, 3 p.m. Oct. 29. Contact Greg at 336-665-5899. st. PAUL THE APOSTLE CHURCH, 2715 HORSE PEN CREEK ROAD — “Pilgrims of Truth, Pilgrims of Peace,” 9 a.m. Mass Oct. 27

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

NEWS: The Catholic News Herald welcomes your news and photos. Please e-mail information, attaching photos in JPG format with a recommended resolution of 150 dpi or higher, to catholicnews@charlottediocese.org. All submitted items become the property of the Catholic News Herald and are subject to reuse, in whole or in part, in print, electronic formats and archives.

ADVERTISING: Reach 165,000 Catholics across western North Carolina! For advertising rates and information,

MURPHY St. William Church, 765 Andrews Road — “Come Home for the Holidays,” Open House to welcome Catholics who have been away from the Church, 2-3 p.m.

Nov. 6. Contact Linda Ammerman at fireyes414@yahoo. com or 706-897-0363.

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

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

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facebook.com/ catholic news HERALD Diocese of Charlotte

October 21, 2011 | catholicnewsherald.com

Diocese to break ground on Good Shepherd Gardens

Bishop Peter Jugis uses holy water to bless people attending a ceremony Oct. 10 for the new expansion of Immaculata School in Hendersonville, which includes the St. Gerard House, a nonprofit that offers treatment for autism, learning disabilities and developmental delays.

Immaculata School will use the building for prekindergarten and middle school classes. To view a slideshow of photos from the dedication, go online to www.blueridgenow.com and go to the Multimedia Photos page.

Sacred Heart Church campus site of more affordable housing for seniors SueAnn Howell Staff writer

SALISBURY — For the second time in two years, the Diocese of Charlotte and the North Carolina Housing Foundation are partnering to build affordable apartments for seniors in western North Carolina.

The current project, Good Shepherd Gardens, will be an 18-unit senior apartment community similar to Curlin Commons, which opened in 2010 in Mooresville just north of Charlotte.

A groundbreaking ceremony will be held Oct. 27 on the Sacred Heart Church campus at Lumen Christi Lane in Salisbury.

Good Shepherd Gardens will feature Energy Star appliances in each of the 540-square-foot units, and will be built using environmentally-friendly “green” building materials. Some units will be handicap-accessible. Other amenities include on-site periodic social, educational, health and spiritual activities. There will also be a community room, community kitchen, parlor, library, porch, patio, storage units and an elevator. Each floor will also have a laundry room. There will be emergency call alarms in each apartment, and the building’s access will be electronically controlled.

“Good Shepherd Gardens will complement the range of senior housing the diocese is trying to provide, for moderate to limited income seniors,” said Jerry Widelski, director of the Diocese of Charlotte Housing Corp.

The anticipated date of completion for Good Shepherd Gardens is October 2012.

To apply for an apartment, seniors or heads of households must be 62 or older. There is a maximum income limit of $21,000 for individuals and $24,000 for a two-person household to qualify. People with incomes less than these limits may qualify for reduced rent.

For more information about Good Shepherd Gardens, contact Jerry Widelski at jvwidelski@ charlottediocese.org or 704-370-3248.

Photo courtesy of MIKE DIRKS, Hendersonville TIMES-NEWS

New building for St. Gerard House dedicated in Hendersonville Kathleen Schmeider Correspondent

HENDERSONVILLE — St. Gerard House held a dedication ceremony Oct. 10 for a new building that houses classrooms for Immaculata School, St. Gerard House, and the Grotto ABA School in Hendersonville.

St. Gerard House is a resource center for children and families facing autism and other developmental disabilities.

The project took just under a year to complete and now provides facilities designed to assure a positive learning environment and connection to the existing school building. The new building includes four large classrooms used by Immaculata’s pre-kindergarten and middle school. The Grotto ABA School uses six rooms for specialized child development and an outdoor play court; the two schools share a playground for pre-K students.

Six offices and a conference room provide space for the operation of St. Gerard House.

The Grotto ABA (Applied Behavior Analysis) Preschool works with children and their families to provide assessments and education regarding ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder), learning disabilities, developmental delays and behavioral health needs. Established in March 2010, the services are provided to families at minimal cost.

One out of every 110 children born today develops some form of autism disorder.

With more than 50,000 North Carolinians living with ASD, the need for assessment and education about the disease has become vital to providing for the needs of the children and their families. St. Gerard House offers evaluations for needs,

functional behavior and formal behavior as well as education in the practice of applied behavior analysis, the use of behavioral assessments, social skills training, tiered training for the application of behavior analysis, parent and professional training, and biomedical and nutritional consultations.

Besides these services for children, St. Gerard House offers a parent support group to enhance the understanding of autism and to offer encouragement and education in how to handle the daily realities of this condition.

Bishop Peter Jugis led the dedication ceremony, which featured prayers and readings, and the blessing of the grounds and of each room of the building.

Participants in the ceremony included Monsignor Mauricio West, vicar general and chancellor of the diocese; Capuchin Father Nick Mormando, pastor of Immaculate Conception Church in Hendersonville; Carole Breerwood, principal of Immaculata School; Caroline Long, executive director of St. Gerard House; and members of the Knights of Columbus.

They were joined by students of Immaculata School, Immaculate Conception parishioners, the board of directors of St. Gerard House, and many community supporters and friends.

Following the dedication ceremony, a tour of the facility was offered.

St. Gerard House is located at 718 Oakland St. Hendersonville. For more information, call 828-693-4223 or go online to www.stgerardhouse.com.

— Contributing to this article was Amanda Armstrong, assistant director of St. Gerard House.

OUR PARISHESI

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Congress satisfaction rating improves David Hains Director of Communication

CHARLOTTE — People like the Eucharistic Congress. That sums up the results of a satisfaction survey conducted after the Sept. 23-24 congress.

Since the first diocesan Eucharistic Congress in 2005, survey data have been collected to determine satisfaction levels with the spiritual experience, the organization of the liturgical events, the audiovisual support, the vendors and even the food served at the Charlotte Convention Center.

In all, more than 240 people filled out the eight-question survey this year. Each question measured satisfaction on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being the highest score.

Overall satisfaction received a rating of 4.27. Satisfaction with the spiritual experience was 4.08. Both numbers represent an increase in the satisfaction level from last year’s survey results.

“I have attended most of Eucharistic Congresses and this was the best. It was larger, I thought, but organized super.

Congrats to all,” wrote one person.

Another wrote, “Each year the Eucharistic Congress grows and grows, like yeast rising.

Each year there is a new call to live our faith.”

Also receiving high marks were the satisfaction ratings with the audiovisual support in the main halls of the event, the vendor area and the check-in process for the children’s tracks. Volunteers at the check-in desk used the online documentation service Google Docs for the first time to speed up the process.

Not every comment was positive. “Ask vendors to have more Spanish materials,” wrote one person. Several comments were made about the hard concrete when it came to kneeling during the Holy Hour and the Mass.

And one person complained about the rainy weather during the morning procession: “The only disappointment was the brief procession necessitated by the rain.”

Rated lowest was the food offered at the convention center, although the 3.17 score was an improvement over the 2010 congress, which received a score of 3.12. Comments in the survey complained about the cost of the food items being offered. Jori Goodman, a representative of the convention center, responded, “We continuously evaluate our menu options for events and will use this information.”

Information gathered in the survey is used by the Eucharistic Congress steering committee, which is planning for next year’s congress. It will be held Sept. 21-22, 2012.

What did you think?

It’s not too late to submit an evaluation of the 2011 Eucharistic Congress. Go online to www.

GoEucharist.com to share your comments.

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catholicnewsherald.com | October 21, 2011 OUR PARISHES

A question answered becomes ‘a life emptied out’ Father Frank Cancro reflects on 30 years as a diocesan priest SueAnn Howell Staff writer

BELMONT — A question changed Father Frank Cancro’s life more than 30 years ago. That question, “How come you’re not a priest?” was posed to him repeatedly during the 1970s by an older Sister of Divine Providence. She would point her finger at him as she’d pass him in the halls at a tiny hospital in Martin, Ky., where he worked.

“I decided I didn’t want her to ask me that question anymore, so I was going to go away for a weekend and come up with an answer, give it to her and then she wouldn’t bother me anymore,” Father Cancro said.

“The Glenmarys ran a little reflection center north of where I was, and I spent a weekend there thinking about that very question and had to come back admitting to myself that maybe that is actually what I ought to be open to the possibility of.”

What happened next can only be described as divine providence.

“I didn’t know what to do about that, so I talked to the only person I knew to talk to.”

That was the man who was in charge of a pastoral letter process that Father Cancro was also working on besides his mission work. The man, Bishop Michael J. Begley, just happened

to be head of the Diocese of Charlotte at the time.

Father Cancro called him and asked if he could come over the mountains one weekend to talk about the priesthood, but when he got there he instead spent the weekend talking with the vocations director and meeting with the vocation team, with whom Bishop Begley had arranged meetings for him.

“After that process it all seemed very comfortable to me and I said ‘yes’ to it and started seminary in Baltimore the following fall to study for the Diocese of Charlotte.”

Father Cancro greatly enjoyed the graduate work in the seminary and found it to be exciting, so he worked on two degrees there.

He also appreciated the help of a spiritual director during that time.

“It was also energizing to be in a community of like-minded people… It made for good friendships and the kind of support that you find when people share a common commitment,” he added.

Father Cancro’s first assignment after ordination in 1981 was at Bishop McGuinness High School, which was located in WinstonSalem at the time. He found it to be a positive experience to be part of the administration of CANCRO, SEE page 14

photo provided by father frank cancro

Father Frank Cancro (kneeling far left), pastor of Our Lady Queen of Apostles in Belmont, is pictured during his ordination in 1981. Also pictured (from left) are the late Father John Parsons, the late Bishop Michael J. Begley, and Monsignor Joseph Kerin, now retired.

Father Gondek honored on 45th anniversary of priesthood Parishioners at Our Lady of the Rosary Church in Lexington recently honored their pastor – Oblates of St. Francis de Sales Father Albert J. Gondek – by naming their parish center after him. Father Gondek helped spearhead the renovation and expansion of the parish center in 2007. On Oct. 8 the parish celebrated the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary and also the 45th anniversary of Father Gondek’s ordination to the priesthood. At a dinner that evening, parishioners unveiled the new parish center sign to a very surprised and humbled Father Gondek (pictured at left).

Father Gondek was ordained on Oct. 1, 1966, by Bishop William Hyle at St. Anthony Church in Wilmington, Del. As a teenager, he was the first in his family to attend a Catholic high school, Salesianum High School, in Wilmington. The Oblates of St. Francis de Sales were influential in his decision to become an Oblate priest, he said. Father Gondek has served as pastor at Our Lady of the Rosary Church since 1998, and has led a renovation of the church and Rosary hall besides the renovation and expansion of the parish center.

The parish center was expanded to 3,000 square feet in 2007 to include faith formation classrooms and a commercial kitchen.

Photo courtesy of Linda McAdam

October 21, 2011 | catholicnewsherald.com

OUR PARISHESI

Rosary maker earns public service award Tim Reid Correspondent

ARDEN — The rosary is a big part of Albert Kampf’s life.

Not only does he pray the rosary every day, but he also makes rosaries to give to people everywhere from his home parish, St. Barnabas Church in Arden, to remote places around the world.

The 87-year-old Arden resident recently received the U.S. Army Commander’s Award for Public Service. He was recognized for making and donating more than 7,000 rosaries to Army soldiers over an eight-year period.

Kampf’s son-in-law, Philip C. Williams, delivered the rosaries to chaplains while deployed at Army bases in Texas, Georgia, South Carolina and in Afghanistan.

“He just enjoys doing it,” said Mary Kampf, Albert’s wife of 59 years. “He’s not a big television watcher. He just goes in his room and works on his rosaries. People also ask him to repair their rosaries.”

A Chicago native from a big Catholic family, Kampf credits his late sister Barbara, who was a nun, with having a great spiritual influence on him and showing him how to make rosaries.

Kampf said that praying the rosary has always enriched his faith journey, and he wants to help others have that experience.

“It (the rosary) gives me the strength to continue doing

whatever I’m wanting to do,” he said.

The rosaries for the military are only a part of Kampf’s ministry. He makes and sends rosaries to Catholic missions in the Philippines, Honduras, Mexico, Peru and other impoverished places around the world.

“He usually sends out 50 to 100 rosaries wherever there’s a need,” Mrs. Kampf said. He buys all the materials for the rosaries that he gives away, saying the satisfaction he gets far outweighs the expense.

Kamp served 21 years in the U.S. Air Force, first as navigator on B-24s during World War II and then in various positions in personnel and supply. After his military career, the Kampfs moved to the Waynesville area, where he operated Kampf’s Tax Service for more than 30 years, and they were very active in St. John the Evangelist Church.

Kampf says it takes him about 20 minutes to string a rosary, and he makes them using all types of materials.

Rosaries for the military must be black or brown, while a right-to-life rosary is multi-colored. Men like wooden beads, he said, while women generally prefer faux pearls.

Kampf also gives his rosaries to young people at confirmations and first Communions.

Ironically, Kampf does not use one of his hand-crafted rosaries for his personal use. He prays with a rosary given to him by the late Father Thomas Stoll, who arranged to have it blessed by Pope John Paul II. Kampf retired from tax preparation after complications from hip surgery, and the couple moved to Arden to be closer to regional medical facilities. The Kampfs enjoy family vacations and visits with their three daughters, Valerie Williams of Arden, Rosemary Allen of Marshall and Loretta Buckner of Charlotte.

Tim Reid | Catholic News Herald

Albert Kampf of Arden recently received the U.S. Army Commander’s Award for Public Service. He was recognized for making and donating more than 7,000 rosaries to Army soldiers over an eightyear period.

Kevin Eagan | Catholic News Herald SueAnn Howell | Catholic News Herald

On behalf of the Marian Movement of Priests Father Joshua Voitius (left), parochial vicar at St. Vincent de Paul Church in Charlotte, concelebrates Mass with Scalabrinian Father Francis Geremia, on the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary at St. Vincent de Paul Church in Charlotte Oct. 7. Father Geremia, national director of the Marian Movement of Priests, came to Charlotte on behalf of the Marian Movement of Priests and led a Rosary Cenacle at the church prior to celebrating Mass.

Marian Congress held in Concord Hundreds of faithful gathered at the Cabarrus Arena and Events Center in Concord Sept. 30-Oct. 1 for the Carolina Rosary Congress 2011. There was a sacred music concert Friday evening featuring the Lake Norman Orchestra and a combined parish choir (pictured above), as well as a keynote address by Bishop Emeritus William Curlin, followed by presentations in English and Spanish all day Saturday. Bishop Peter Jugis celebrated Mass on Saturday. Speakers at the Rosary Congress included Redemptorist Father Alvaro A. Riquelme, pastor of St. Joseph Church in Kannapolis; Redemptorist Father Joseph Dionne, pastor of St. James the Greater Church in Concord; Dr. Courtenay Bartholomew, a Marian author; Father Rafael Chávez of Venezuela; Redemptorist Father Oscar Rojas of Honduras; Father Paul Bergeron of New Orleans; Aida Laguitao Gamolo of New York; and Dr. Rosalie A. Turton of New Jersey.

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catholicnewsherald.com | October 21, 2011 OUR PARISHES

Room at the Inn’s 17th Annual Banquet set for Oct. 27 SueAnn Howell Staff writer

CHARLOTTE — Attendees at this year’s Room at the Inn fundraising banquet on Oct. 27 are in for a dynamic talk by a speaker who brings a unique perspective to the pro-life conversation: Dr. Gerald Nadal.

Dr. Nadal, a member of the American Society for Microbiology, and the New York Academy of Sciences, spent seven years working with homeless teens at Covenant House in New York City, and now speaks of his experiences and his significant knowledge of several sciences.

He has a doctorate in molecular microbiology from St. John’s University, a Master of Philosophy in biology and a Bachelor of Arts in psychology. He defends life from an airtight perspective that combines scientific, psychological and spiritual truth.

He has also served as a professor of microbiology, medical microbiology, immunology, genetics, anatomy and physiology, biochemistry, and molecular biology for 16 years; both at St. John’s University, New York City and Manhattan College, Riverdale, N.Y., as a visiting professor of biology.

His written work regularly appears at the Center for Morality in Public Life, Headline Bistro, Lifenews.com and Lifesitenews.com.

He has recently accepted a position with Students for Life of America and will serve as

the national director of Medical Students for Life. Dr. Nadal is a fourth degree Knight of Columbus, and is currently pursuing an M.A. in theology through Franciscan University in Steubenville, Ohio. He and his wife Regina home school their three children.

Organizers of Room at the Inn’s 17th annual banquet hope the event will generate more than 30 percent of Room at the Inn’s operating revenues for the coming fiscal year. Individual donations are the primary source of funds for its programs, which provide a safe haven for pregnant mothers and their children.

Since 1994, more than 465 mothers and children have been served by Room at the Inn in Charlotte. The non-residential outreach program, established in 2004, has served more than 4,737 mothers and children.

There is currently a waiting list, as the need for service exceeds Room at the Inn’s capacity. Room at the Inn serves women of all religious, economic, social, racial and ethnic backgrounds.

A new college-based maternity center is currently under construction on the Belmont Abbey College campus. When completed, more than 15 college-aged mothers and their children can be accommodated, enabling those mothers to complete their education and become self-sufficient.

For more information about Room at the Inn and how you can donate, go to www.rati. org or call Room at the Inn at 704-525-4673.

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Healing Bread – Cenacles of Divine Mercy Day of Healing held at St. Matthew Church Jenny Cox Special to the Catholic News Herald

CHARLOTTE — More than 150 came out to celebrate and share at Healing Bread – Cenacles of Divine Mercy Day of Healing at St. Matthew Church on Oct. 8. The event was dedicated to exploring the Divine Mercy Way of Life, which calls us to place our complete trust in Jesus, to be filled with His mercy and to extend that mercy to others in real and tangible ways.

Monsignor John McSweeney, pastor of St. Matthew Church, began the day with a special Mass, which included the exposition of the Blessed Flynn Sacrament, anointing of the sick,and singing of the Chaplet of Divine Mercy.

Following Mass, five Catholic authors gave powerful witness to what it means to “Live the Divine Mercy Way of Life.”

Headlining the event was Vinny Flynn, President of Mercy Song Inc., author of “The Seven Secrets of the Eucharist” and a frequent guest on EWTN. He began in signature style with guitar in hand – singing a song he wrote for his grandchild’s baptism, “Mother of Mercy,” a tribute to Mary, the Mother of Divine Mercy.

Flynn talked about God’s overarching plan for humanity, His desire to love us always and the connection between the Eucharist and Divine Mercy.

“The Eucharist and Divine Mercy are not just things we do as Catholics, not just ritualistic devotions. They are part of something that’s huge and incredibly important,” he said.

“The goal of Divine Mercy and the goal of Eucharist are the same,” he continued. “You can remember it as TNT: transparency, new life and transformation.”

We are called to be transparent to God, he said, so that when others see us, they see God. As we become more transparent, reflecting God, we become new creatures, and that results in a complete transformation – a new way of living in Christ here and now.

Also speaking at the event were the following authors and members of St. Matthew: n Fred Berretta, author of “My Flight to Faith,” who told the story of Flight 1549’s landing in the Hudson River and the calming influence of placing his trust in Jesus Christ. n Jon Gauthier, author of “Embracing Goodness,” a book he wrote for his children to give them a road map to respond to suffering through meditations on God’s mercy, His love and His Sacraments. n Ralph Sullivan, leader of Cenacles of the Divine Mercy at St. Matthew Church and the author of “Do You Know What Your Son Said to Me,” Berretta which chronicles his son Jimmy’s quest to channel his suffering into a way to bring souls closer to God. n Bruce Brodowski, president of Carolinas Ecumenical Healing Ministries and author of “My Heart with the Father’s Love.” His ministry seeks restorative healing through the Word, forgiveness and love.

St. Matthew began forming Cenacles of Divine Mercy on Divine Mercy Sunday 2010. Three groups of 8 to 12 people began studying the heartfelt, instructive conversations between St. Maria Faustina Kowalska and Jesus as told in her diary. Today, there are 10 active cenacles at St. Matthew and new groups forming this fall.

“Divine Mercy is a way of being in the world, and the way you change your life is in direct proportion to the degree that you trust and turn your cares Sullivan and woes over to Jesus,” said Sullivan. “It’s a message of Jesus Christ’s incredible love and mercy and His call for us to share that mercy with others.”

For more information about local Cenacles of Divine Mercy, contact Sullivan at rscsm@aol.com. To find out more about the Divine Mercy movement, visit thedivinemercy.org.

October 21, 2011 | catholicnewsherald.com

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“That’s a really big holy card!” exclaimed 7-year-old Patrick Gallagher when he saw the four-foot image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus displayed prominently at the First Friday devotion now being held at Belmont Abbey College.

All are welcome to attend the devotion, which includes Mass at the Abbey Basilica and supper.

First Friday at Belmont Abbey College

Hearts and stomachs are fed during Sacred Heart devotions Mary B. Worthington Correspondent

BELMONT — “Whatever our vocation or task within the Church, and whatever our personal preferences are for practicing specific devotions, devotion to the Sacred Heart encompasses them all, since the love of His Heart is at the center of them all.”

With this motivation, Mary Thierfelder has organized devotion to the Sacred Heart at Belmont Abbey College, where her husband Bill is the president.

First Friday devotions held during the academic year at Belmont Abbey College are about more than just the novena of Masses.

They are also a chance to gather for dinner and fellowship.

At these “short and sweet” gatherings, families can “come without preparing a covered dish. We also encourage families of young children to leave when they must without being concerned about helping with clean up,” Thierfelder explained.

Donations are accepted to cover food costs, and volunteers help to prepare and transport the meal.

After a successful novena last academic year attended primarily by professors’ families, Thierfelder received the blessing of Bishop Peter Jugis to open up the event to the whole diocese. Since then, families have traveled from as far as St. Matthew Church in Charlotte, she said. Each of the first two First Fridays so far this year had more than 150 participants.

Concurrent with the First Friday at the Abbey, Thierfelder organizes First Saturday

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“The particular goal of this devotion is to console the Heart of Jesus by our attentiveness and affection for Him in the Blessed Sacrament, responding specifically to His request – in a private revelation to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque in the 17th century – to receive Him in Holy Communions of reparation on nine consecutive First Fridays of the month,” Thierfelder explained.

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catholicnewsherald.com | October 21, 2011 OUR PARISHES

Historical exhibit about Catholicism on display in western N.C. Beth Searles Correspondent

Beth Searles | Catholic News Herald

Yolanda Smith, a parishioner of St. Margaret Mary Church in Swannanoa and Swannanoa Valley Museum volunteer, views the museum’s exhibit “Catholicism in Western North Carolina” on display in Black Mountain through the end of this month.

BLACK MOUNTAIN — If you visit the lovely town of Black Mountain this month, you owe it to yourself to check out the travelling exhibit “Catholicism in Western North Carolina” at the Swannanoa Valley Museum.

Recognizing the 75th anniversary of St. Margaret Mary Church in Black Mountain, this small but intriguing collection of vintage photos and historical information is a surprising little treasure.

The exhibit was originally created for Asheville’s St. Lawrence Basilica and its 100th anniversary in 2009, and compiled by parishioners Florence Bannon and Alice Cella from various sources including Diocese of Charlotte archives. This display at the Swannanoa Valley Museum is an abbreviated version but offers important highlights of an area that early Catholics considered a missionary territory – complete with harsh circumstances and plenty of opportunities for heroes and heroines of the faith to emerge.

You’ll learn of the first Catholic family in North Carolina with a name you’ll recognize – Gaston – which inspired the name for the county, the lake and the town in central North Carolina. Dr. Alexander Gaston came to the colonies in early 1760s and settled in New Bern. His son William was the first Catholic to attend Georgetown University. He became a lawyer,

Don’t miss this The exhibit “Catholicism in Western North Carolina” will be on display at the Swannanoa Valley Museum until the end of this month. The museum, located in downtown Black Mountain at 203 West State St., is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays.

For more information, call 828-669-9566.

politician and congressman and helped establish the first Catholic church in North Carolina. In 1838 William defended the rights of free black people under the state constitution, and also persuaded delegates to change the requirement that elected officials and civil servants be Protestant, inserting “Christian” instead.

One eye-catching panel includes a vintage photo of a priest speaking to a throng of mountain families from the back of an outfitted trailer. Despite its novelty, this “Trailer Apostolate” illustrates the innovation and dedication of the Catholic effort in North Carolina, under the post-World War II leadership of Bishop EXHIBIT, SEE page 11

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OUR PARISHESI

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EXHIBIT: FROM PAGE 10

Vincent S. Waters. Priests were assigned to travel the rural and mountain roads during the week and come back to their parishes on weekends. One trailer used in 1948 was dubbed “Madonna of the Highways.” Roughly 35 feet long, these mobile chapels could seat 20 people, had a living area for priests that was about 11 feet by 5 feet, and a 7-square-foot reception area. These trailers were a curiosity to some and a spiritual lifeline to the few devout Catholics in remote communities.

Highlights of the exhibit also include the early development of health care in the mountain regions, thanks to religious orders like the Sisters of Mercy who tackled the needs of the poor as teachers, nurses and social workers.

The Catholic mission in North Carolina also established many schools, particularly providing the first opportunities for the education of AfricanAmericans and women.

Interesting Catholic figures stand out in the exhibit, including Father Thomas Price, known as the “Tarheel Apostle” who is under consideration for canonization; and Father Thomas Hadden, now a monsignor, who was the first black priest to serve in North Carolina.

Claudia Graham was the task force coordinator for the anniversary celebration at St. Margaret Mary Church and for this exhibit. She sees it as an inspiration for Catholics to “not hide our lamp under a bushel basket … and to cherish and honor our Catholic history and be vigilant about continuing to do good work.”

Beth Searles | Catholic News Herald

Celebrating the Feast of St. Lorenzo Ruiz Parishioners of St. Lawrence Basilica in Asheville celebrated the Feast of St. Lorenzo Ruiz, the first Filipino martyr and saint, on Sept 30. The well-attended event included the Hispanic community and other parishioners, and featured popular Filipino dishes including a traditional roasted pig. Father Norberto Eyule from Thunder Bay, Canada, and Father Morris Boyd of St. Lawrence Basilica concelebrated the Mass. Father Eyule’s homily spoke of St. Lorenzo Ruiz’s faith and the inspiring and often joyous devotion exhibited by Filipinos and other immigrant Catholics to this country. St. Lorenzo Ruiz died at the hands of his torturers, never recanting his faith: “I am a Catholic and happy to die for God. If I have a thousand lives to offer, I will offer them to God.”

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Living Waters plans to increase number of retreats under new leadership Joanita M. Nellenbach Correspondent

MAGGIE VALLEY — Wolves, friendly. Retreatants, captivated.

Rob Gudger, a local wildlife biologist, and his assistant Robert Edwards brought hybrid wolves (up to 97 percent wolf, 3 percent husky) to the beginning of a nature retreat at Living Waters Catholic Reflection Center in July. The event was just one of many programs and retreats held at Living Waters – located in picturesque Maggie Valley and staffed by a new team of women religious who took over earlier this year from the departing Augustinian friars.

For an hour, in a grassy area beside Jonathan Creek, which flows past Living Waters, the biologists presented facts and debunked misinformation about wolves. The wolves, held firmly on chain leashes, were content to Joanita M. Nellenbach | Catholic News Herald have their soft, coarse fur stroked.

Sister Carol McKean, a Sister of Charity of Nazareth, Ky., Occasionally they flopped down on enjoys a moment with an arctic wolf hybrid July 21 during a someone’s feet. nature retreat at Living Waters Catholic Reflection Center in The rest of the week, the retreatants, Maggie Valley. The retreat center is under new leadership and mostly Sisters of Charity of Nazareth, planning to expand its program offerings.

Ky., and Ursuline Sisters of Mount St. Joseph, Bardstown, Ky., prayed and until he died in 1990. reflected during days spent in the natural This year’s retreats at Living Waters are beauty of the western North Carolina on schedule, and there are plans to increase mountains. what will be offered in the future, Sister “I love it because it really gives you a Grady said. chance to be outside,” said Sister of Charity “We’re going to try to make the mission of Nazareth Carol McKean. “We even had of Father Murphy and Sister Jane more some of our conferences outside.”

The retreat featured a different theme each visible,” Sister Grady said. “We’re going to reach out to young adults. People are day. asking for retreats for married couples, and “One day the theme was water,” Sister we’re going to work on that. We’re trying to McKean said. “Water relaxes and refreshes increase and diversify retreat opportunities, you, and all these also apply to prayer.” especially directed, private and guided Though the Augustinian friars who staffed retreats.”

Living Waters and the adjacent St. Margaret Plus, they plan to host groups retreats of Scotland Church for 12 years have such as RCIA, parish councils and staffs, departed, the church and the center remain men’s and women’s groups, and parish days in full operation. of recollection.

Sister Fran Grady, a Sister of Charity of There are also plans for retreats on prayer Leavenworth, is the center’s director. Three methods and vocational discernment. more Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth Monthly prayer days have been offered arrived at Living Waters in mid-July. Sisters for several years during the winter, but Bonnie Backle and Susan Newland are on Sister Grady hopes to organize a sabbatical staff; Sister Eileen Sheehy is in residence. program, increase wintertime retreats, and Sister Grady has been associated with Living Waters since the early 1990s, when she add more structure to the Holy Week retreat.

She would like to start a volunteer group began traveling from Texas to give several to help at the center and to develop more retreats each year. In 2003, she became the quiet places of prayer on the property. center’s full-time sabbatical coordinator.

Retreatants, however, already find Living Now, she succeeds well-remembered Waters a contemplative place. directors Augustinian Brother William “I just love it,” said Sister of Charity of C. Harkin, Augustinian Father Terrance Nazareth Mary Ninette Manning, near the W. Hyland, and Sister Jane Schmenk, a end of her nature retreat. “[Living Waters] Franciscan sister from Tiffin, Ohio. Also still is a special place in God’s universe. The present is the memory of Father Michael mountains, the quiet. It’s just a holy place.

William Murphy, ordained at St. Margaret Jonathan Creek is so soothing, ever present.” of Scotland in 1972 at age 81 and pastor there

October 21, 2011 | catholicnewsherald.com

Photo courtesy of Father Martin Schratz

OLC celebrates healing Mass Oct. 7 Parishioners of Our Lady of Consolation Church in Charlotte gathered Oct. 7 for a healing Mass, which was sponsored by the parish’s Prayer Shawl Ministry. Capuchin Franciscan Father Martin Schratz, pastor, celebrated the Mass. Pictured above, Father Schratz anoints Terence Moore.

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received a “traveling trophy’ from the Ashe Pregnancy Center for having the most walkers participating in the event. The St. Francis Men’s Club donated $5 per walker to the pregnancy center. Above, club treasurer Patrick Hession presents a $175 check to Greg Schuster, chairman of the center’s board and a member of St. Francis of Assisi Church.

Blessing of the animals in Monroe MONROE — Also in observance for the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals and ecology, Father Thomas Kessler of Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Monroe held a blessing of the animals outside the church earlier this month.

He explained the tradition of the blessing of the animals as dozens of dogs, cats, horses and their families listened and prayed in the warm sunshine of the church yard.

— Vonn Ivy Stone and Richard Stone

St. Francis of Assisi wins ‘traveling trophy’ JEFFERSON — About three dozen parishioners of St. Francis of Assisi Church in Jefferson recently turned out for the annual “Walk for Life” to benefit the Ashe Pregnancy Center. The parish

— Patrick J. Hession

Teens spend time with well-known Catholic author, speaker HUNTERSVILLE — More than 300 teens and their parents attended an evening with Jim Burnham at St. Mark Church in Huntersville Oct. 16. Burnham shared with the teens the importance of being more than just Catholic in name only, but living one’s faith through service, evangelization and prayer.

Burnham is an internationally known cradleCatholic author and speaker, and co-founder with his father of San Juan Catholic Seminars, an apologetics ministry that offers seminars, tapes, and the hugely popular series of “Beginning Apologetics” booklets.

— Donna F. Smith

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catholicnewsherald.com | October 21, 2011 OUR PARISHES

CANCRO: FROM PAGE 6

the school and responsible for the spiritual development of students and faculty, he said.

“That was a very gratifying time, where I think I was able to help shape some things and was able to be taught myself by the experience of those who had been in secondary work for a long time, and the students themselves.”

He also really enjoys teaching and has made great contributions over the course of the past 30 years, serving as a professor at Wake Forest University and the Catholic University of America, and also in the Diocese of Charlotte in the area of adult religious education.

“We were only about 10 years old as a diocese and still developing when I was ordained, so I was very much a part of helping to shape what has become our adult formation program here. I found it a joy to not only teach people but to see them make connections, and to recognize something they have learned that might have been just one-dimensional in terms of the theological perspective, now all of a sudden have meaning for them.”

In 2005, Father Cancro took a sabbatical and traveled to Asia and the Pacific.

“I experienced that the Church lives and breathes in many different ways around

the world and to be in situations where Catholics are in a minority, or where there is still some persecution of the Church, or the presence of the Church is fragile because of the history of a country, and to see that still the faith lives there and that people seek to do the best they can to be Catholic. That was an amazing experience…. You really get a sense of what matters.”

Father Cancro, now pastor at Queen of the Apostles Church in Belmont, has also always enjoyed parish life.

“I think the give and take of creating a community, nourishing it in Word and sacrament and being part of how a parish family grows with its challenges as well as its joys – I find it energizing as well as exciting.”

In reflecting on the priesthood, Father Cancro shared that “the life of a priest is a life of being emptied out. There are two significant things that a priest does, I believe, in terms of some of the ritual actions of his life. The first is at his ordination: he lays flat on the floor. That prostration is an important sign, not just as who you are humbly before God, but before the rest of the Church as they pray over you. And there is only one other time that a priest gets down on the floor: that is on Good Friday. For me, that is always a sign – a powerful connection of priesthood and the Cross.”

His advice to men discerning a priestly vocation? “Pray, pray some more, and let go.”

Pastors of St. Vincent de Paul Church 1961-1965

Monsignor Michael Begley, parish administrator 1965-1971 Father James Noonan 1971-1973 Monsignor John Roesche 1973-1975 Father Vincent Stokes 1975-1977 Father Joseph Waters 1977-1984 Monsignor William Wellein 1984-1991 Monsignor Felix Kelleher 1991-2001 Monsignor William Pharr 2001-2003 Father Mark Lamprich 2003-present Father Mark Lawlor

Photo provided by St. Vincent de Paul Church

Bishop Peter Jugis (far left) is pictured on his confirmation day with fellow confirmandi and Bishop Vincent S. Waters at St. Vincent de Paul Church in 1969.

ST. VINCENT: FROM PAGE 3

Mrs. Jugis recalled fondly, adding about her son’s vocation, “The Lord has blessed him and blessed the diocese.”

Father Mark Lawlor, pastor of St. Vincent de Paul Church, concelebrated the anniversary Mass and shared his thoughts on the anniversary, “Here it’s been nice because there are a number of people who have lived the whole history of the parish.

They have given me first-hand accounts of it. Also, the great blessing of having been confirmed by Bishop Michael J. Begley, who founded the parish, is a special connection.

Every pastor is indebted to those who have come before him, the clergy and laity that have come before him.”

Also concelebrating the anniversary Mass were Abbot Placid Solari, abbot of Belmont Abbey; Father Kieran Neilson of Belmont Abbey; Father Gabriel CarvajalSalazar, parochial vicar at St. Aloysius Church in Hickory; and Father Joshua Voitus, parochial vicar at St. Vincent de Paul Church. Deacons John Kopfle and Carlos Medina assisted at Mass.

At a dinner reception following the Mass, inside the activity center named for the late pastor Monsignor William N. Pharr, several long-time parishioners recalled the early years and the many ways parishioners came together to support one another and build the parish. Father Neilson, a monk at Belmont Abbey who is a native of Charlotte and helped serve at the mission parish over many years also spoke, sharing anecdotes with his infectious sense of humor.

Those gathered also recognized the more than 17 founding members who were present and also the late Deacon Gerald Hickey, who

sueann howell | catholic news herald

Founding and long-time members of St. Vincent de Paul Church bring up the gifts at the 50th anniversary Mass on Oct. 15. Pictured (from left) are Joseph and Peggy Jugis (Bishop Peter Jugis’ parents), Martin Opyrchal and Dorothy Reuss, the parish’s first secretary.

passed away in June. His wife Joan was in attendance.

Several priests of the diocese who attended the reception included: Bishop Emeritus William G. Curlin; Father Timothy Reid, pastor of St. Ann Church in Charlotte; Father Richard DeClue, parochial vicar at St. Patrick Cathedral in Charlotte; Father Peter Pham, parochial vicar at St. John Neumann Church in Charlotte; and Father John Vianney Hoover of Charlotte.

“You are one family in the Lord, one family of St. Vincent de Paul Church,” said Bishop Jugis at the conclusion of his homily at Mass. “…As we celebrate 50 years of a Catholic presence on this site, let everything here continue speak to us of Jesus and especially Our Lord who is really present and presiding over the assembly in the Holy Eucharist. Let Him transform us so that we become more and more like the Lord whom we love.”

October 21, 2011 | catholicnewsherald.com catholic news heraldI

Faith

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catholicnewsherald.com | October 21, 2011 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD PAID ADVERTISEMENT

Amazing “Before & After” Photo Illustrates Impact of Catholic Outreaches Serving The Poor Overseas Jim Cavnar looked at the two photographs on this desk and found it hard to believe they were taken of the same boy. One child is gaunt, glassyeyed and limp in the arms of a caretaker. The other boy is healthy, alert and focused on play.

How could this possibly be the same child — Javier from Honduras?

“We see before and after photos like this often, but I never cease to be amazed by them.

It makes you marvel at the human body’s ability to rebound from trauma. It makes you realize that even someone who appears to be at death’s door can be rescued and revitalized,” explained Jim Cavnar, president of Cross International Catholic Outreach. “When Javier was brought in to the Prince of Peace Nutrition Center that Cross supports, he was 10 months old and weighed less than 9 pounds. The doctors didn’t think he would survive through the week, but the staff at Prince of Peace did a marvelous job in nursing him back to health. The before and after pictures were taken only four months apart — you can see the profound difference their care made for yourself.”

As one of America’s leading Catholic relief agencies, Cross International Catholic Outreach is literally in the business of creating success stories like this one in developing countries around the globe. Cross achieves this goal by enlisting support from U.S. Catholics who share Cavnar’s concern for the poor and his passion for rescuing children from needless suffering and death. It channels its support through Catholic partners already in place overseas — outreaches like the Prince of Peace Nutrition Center that cared for Javier.

“Prince of Peace is a wonderful organization

Javier’s “before and after”photos provide a shocking reminder of how the poor live — and how important our help is in their lives. with a committed staff, but their programs would be paralyzed without a regular stock of food, medicines and other supplies. They couldn’t properly feed or care for the children,” Cavnar explained. “Providing those resources is Cross International Catholic Outreach’s role. Our support helps them obtain the food and other supplies they need to treat children like Javier.

It’s all about teamwork. The churches overseas provides the daily services, and Cross and its donors help provide the materal resources needed for their outreaches.”

Cavnar is clearly grateful to the American Catholics who have chosen to support the Cross International Catholic Outreach’s work. He emphasizes them often, pointing out that they are the real key to every success story.

“Dramatic turn-arounds like Javier’s are only possible because people step foward and offer a helping hand. The donor is the catalyst or trigger.

Their financial support is criticial in turning a tragic ‘before’ into a triumphant ‘after’ for a child like Javier. So I don’t take their role lightly. I give the credit where the credit is due — to those

who contribute to make success stories like this possible,” Cavnar said. “In the simplest terms, without the donor there wouldn’t be a ‘before and after’ story at all. Javier wouldn’t have recovered.

He wouldn’t have survived.”

According to Cavnar, the scope of work being funded by American Catholics has been growing in recent years. As more and more people learn about Cross International Catholic Outreach in their local parish or through stories in Catholic newspapers, they add their support, allowing Cross to further expand its outreach into new countries, touching more lives.

“With more support from American Catholics, we can take this outreach to whole new levels,” Cavnar said. “When a parish wants to launch a new feeding center, we can partner with them and supply the food. When a poor rural village is facing problems with an unsafe water source, we can dig the well or tap the spring to bring relief. Whether the need is for a clinic to treat the poor or for a school to serve an impoverished community, we can be there to help.

“Whatever their need, Cross has the potential to turn a tragic situation into something wonderful,” he added. “We offer American Catholics the same opportunity. It’s a chance to do something meaningful and profound in God’s name and for His glory.”

Readers interested in supporting Cross International Catholic Outreach, can use the brochure inserted in this issue or send taxdeductible gifts to: Cross International Catholic Outreach, Dept. AC00790, PO Box 63, Akron, OH 44309-0063.

Cross Recognized, Endorsed by Nearly 50 U.S. Catholic Bishops As Cross International Catholic Outreach (CICO) continues its range of relief work to help the poor overseas, its efforts are being recognized by a growing number of Catholic leaders in the U.S. “We’ve received an impressive number of endorsements and letters of support from American Bishops and Archbishops — nearly 50 Catholic leaders at last count,” explained Jim Cavnar, president of Cross International Catholic Outreach. “They’re impressed by the fact that we’ve done outreaches in more than 40 countries and that we undertake a variety of projects; everything from feeding the hungry and housing the homeless to supplying safe water and supporting educational opportunities for the poorest of the poor.”

Archbishop Robert Carlson of St. Louis sent one of the more recent letters of encouragement, writing: “It is my hope that this ministry will continue to flourish and reach as many people as possible. I will inform the priests of the Archdiocese of St. Louis of the important work that Cross International Catholic Outreach does and elicit their prayerful and financial support

for the service you provide to the less fortunate around the world.”

Bishop Kevin Vann of Fort Worth was just as enthusiastic about Cross Catholic and its mission. “I also know that many of the Bishops in Texas think very highly and endorse the work and mission of Cross International Catholic Outreach — as well as do other Bishops whom I know from my days of graduate studies in Rome.

Please know of my prayers and support for this vital work...”

In Archbishop Gregory Aymond’s case, the endorsement came with a personal note of thanks for the role Cross Catholic played in helping families hit hard by Hurricane Katrina.

“I’m happy to acknowledge that Cross International Catholic Outreach was of tremendous help to the Archdiocese of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina,” he said.

Bishop Thomas Rodi of Biloxi had similar praise.

“Your quick response to the needs of the people in south Mississippi in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina will always be remembered and greatly appreciated,” he said. “Thank you for

all the good you do, and may God bless you and your ministry.”

In addition to praising the work CICO accomplishes, many of the Bishops and Archbishops are also impressed by the unique collaborative relationship Cross has with the Pontifical Council Cor Unum in Rome. This allows the charity to participate in the mercy ministries of the Holy Father himself. In his praise of CICO, Archbishop Dennis Schnurr of Cincinnati underscored this unique connection.

“Cross International Catholic Outreach’s close collaboration with the Pontifical Council Cor Unum is a source of encouragement,” the Archbishop said. “The Holy See has unique knowledge of local situations throughout the world through its papal representatives in nearly two hundred countries and through its communications with Bishops and others who care for the poor and needy in every corner of the world.”

CICO president, Jim Cavnar, explained the significance of this connection.

“Our collaboration with Cor Unum allows us to fund outreaches in virtually any area of the

Bishop Kevin W. Vann, a director on the board of Cross International Catholic Outreach, at a recent meeting with Pope Benedict. world, and we have used that method in special cases — to help the victims of natural disasters, for example,” he said. “It only represents a small part of our overall ministry, but it can be a very important benefit in those special cases.”

October 21, 2011 | catholicnewsherald.com catholic news heraldI

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PAID ADVERTISEMENT

U.S. Catholics “Spark A Miracle” — Ultimately Blessing Families On Other Side Of The Globe In the stifling heat of a Mozambique summer dawn, the shrill cry of a hungry baby startles the young man from his dreamless sleep.

It is still dark outside the flimsy hut, and his body screams for more sleep. But there are hungry children who will soon awaken, and he needs to prepare what little food is available.

Suppressing the momentary temptation to escape from the overwhelming responsibility of this new day, he takes the baby a rusty cup half-filled with the last of the milk.

He still grieves the loss of the baby’s mother, and wishes she were here to help him. It isn’t a selfish wish. At age 14, Camal Tila only wants what any young teenager in Mozambique would crave — a few less responsibilities, more time with his friends in the village and a decent education, the starting point for greater opportunities in his life. He wasn’t yet ready for this role of head of household to his younger siblings.

Camal Tila, whose own father, mother and three younger siblings all died of AIDS within the last six years, now cares for 12 younger siblings and child relatives, including his baby sister. Hardly beyond childhood himself, Camal must now struggle to keep the family intact and alive. His dreams of independence and a family of his own fade with each passing day, leaving him to pray for a miracle and some small beacon of hope.

“Tragically, Camal’s heartbreaking story is repeated across much of Africa, where AIDS is decimating the population in many countries — and we are determined to help as many of these poor orphans as possible,” explained Jim Cavnar, president of Cross International Catholic Outreach, one of the nation’s leading relief ministries to the poor. “Thankfully, it’s possible for us to make a difference. Serving as a tool in God’s hands, we can help answer the prayers of these children — spark a miracle, if you will, on their behalf.”

As Cavnar explains it, the “miracle” came to the Tila family through the generosity of American Catholics who responded to Cross’ plea for help in diocesan newspapers and on Christian radio.

“We explained the plight of the children and the contributions we received enabled us to partner with a Catholic orphan-care ministry in Mozambique called Reencontro. Among other things, the support allowed us to build a safe, concrete block house for Camal and his family, and to supply food and medical care to meet their basic human needs,” Cavnar said. “Providing mentoring and building simple houses to keep orphan families together is just one of several creative solutions that Reencontro has employed since its inception in 1988, when a devout Catholic woman, Olinda Mugabe, was compelled by a love of Christ to do what she could for the orphans in Mozambique. She and her group are a treasure and a blessing to the poor, and it’s our

Camal (above) is just one of thousands of orphans who have been helped by Cross. The orphan housing program is particuarly effective — it allows entire families of orphans to stay together. privilege to help them with their outreach.”

Describing the support provided by Cross as “help” is an understatement. When the ministry first encountered Reencontro, it served 600 to 700 children. The support from Cross has allowed the group to expand its capacity significantly in a few short years — it now is a lifeline to more than 7,000 children like Camal. For this, Cavnar again credits the many American Catholics who make up the Cross family of benefactors.

“You could say that Cross International Catholic Outreach is one of God’s funnels. He pours resources through us to help the poorest and neediest people on earth. The orphan crisis in Africa staggers our imagination and at times almost defies belief. But we remember that this is God’s work and we are simply His channel.

So we continue to do everything we can with the gifts God gives us,” he says. “Seeing things this way also helps us to keep the correct perspective on our work. Helping just one orphan family may not seem like a world-changing accomplishment to a skeptic... but we know Camal Tila and his brother and sisters. We know that the help they received changed their world forever, and we can celebrate that human triumph.”

Ultimately, the goals of Cross International are to further expand its outreach to AIDS orphans through other partnering ministries and to avoid putting these children in institutions if at all possible. As Cavnar explains, “keeping orphans in their own culture and in the homes of relatives or family friends is really the best option, and most Christian ministries are committed to that strategy. That’s why we give a priority to supporting organizations that integrate orphaned

children into existing families within their own villages or districts.”

The problem is that most poor African families are already struggling under the weight of poverty and find it difficult to add one more mouth to feed, let alone two or three. If they hesitate to accept another child, it isn’t because they are unwilling — they are simply unable to make ends meet on their already limited resources.

One director of a program in Zambia described how ministries found a solution: “We have made the care of orphans a partnership in which we all share the responsibility and burden. We assure the families that if they will provide basic shelter, we will provide what they can’t give the children: the extra food, the access to health care, additional clothing and fees and supplies needed to provide an education.”

Because the costs are shared, the amount needed to provide food, clothing, health care, education or other services is surprisingly small — just $68 per child per year!

“It is amazing what can be done for so little.

Most people are also shocked to learn how little it can cost to supply a house and keep a family of orphans together. It’s just $3,500 to $5,000 to

build a multi-room, cement-block house,” Cavnar said. “This is another value to working through partnering African ministries run predominately by volunteers. It allows you to stretch donated dollars and have a bigger impact in the lives of the poor.”

“I hope every American Catholic who has supported us in this outreach will join me today in celebrating Camal’s new home and the hope it represents for that family of orphans. I hope they will see it for what it was — an act of God’s mercy made possible by God’s faithful people.

And I hope they will see it as one significant step in a greater, more wide-reaching plan,” he added.

“We celebrate one victory, knowing that scores of other children have yet to be helped. And we can do that because we have no doubt that God will touch other hearts to respond generously, answering the prayers of other children like Camal. There is no more compassionate body of believers than the Catholic Church, and I am confident my Catholic brothers and sisters in the U.S. will continue to respond where the needs are greatest. Jesus came to save the whole world, one lost soul at a time. He is our example, so we will never lose heart.”

How to Help: Your help is needed for Cross International Catholic Outreach to bring Christ’s mercy to the poorest of the poor. Use the enclosed postage-paid brochure to mail your gift or send it to Cross International Catholic Outreach, Dept. AC00790, 490 White Pond Drive, PO Box 63, Akron, OH 44309-0063.

catholicnewsherald.com | October 21, 2011 18

De

Cerca

Más Procesiones Sábado, Oct. 22, 10 A.M.: Misa y Procesión, Iglesia St. Michael the Archangel, en Cary.

Jueves, Oct. 28, 7 P.M.: Misa solemne, Iglesia St. Mark, en Huntersville.

El anda del Señor de los Milagros, conducida en hombros por la Hermandad de Cargadores y escoltada por las Sahumadoras, incensando el recorrido del Cristo Moreno. Para ver más fotos de éste y otros eventos, visite: YouTube.com/ DioceseOfCharlotte.

Photos by carlos castañeda | catholic news herald

Señor de los Milagros carlos castañeda Catholic news herald-español

CHARLOTTE – Gran parte de la comunidad hispana de Charlotte y en especial la comunidad peruana se reunió el pasado domingo 16 de octubre para conmemorar al Señor de los Milagros, acompañando un simbólico recorrido procesional en la Iglesia St. John Neumann, en Charlotte. Cientos de familias hispanas se dieron cita para recordar al Cristo Moreno peruano, una representación del mismo Cristo que fue pintado por un ciudadano angolés en el siglo XVI. Esta devoción ha definido y moldeado mucho de la historia no sólo de la fe y religiosidad popular Católica peruana, sino también la historia civil del Perú. A nivel eclesial, es considerada la concentración periódica de fieles Católicos más grande del mundo. Durante los dias de procesión

del Señor de los Milagros, la ciudad de Lima entera se detiene y las principales autoridades civiles y eclesiásticas le rinden honor a la imagen, con profunda veneración y respeto.

En el año 2005 y luego de constatar la creciente cantidad de comunidades peruanas residentes en el extranjero que veneraban y honraban la tradición del Señor de los Milagros por todo el mundo, el arzobispado de Lima nombró al Señor de los Milagros patrono de los residentes peruanos en el extranjero. Hoy en dia, el Señor de los Milagros recorre en procesión las calles de estados como Nueva York, Nueva Jersey o California.

El año pasado, el Obispo Peter J. Jugis incluyó a la efigie del Señor de los Milagros, durante la realización del sexto Congreso Eucarístico Diocesano, realizado en el Centro de Convenciones de Charlotte, reconociendo su trascendencia en la

espiritualidad y la religiosidad popular hispana.

Julio Mantilla es uno de los dirigentes de la Hermandad. “Llevamos adelante esta iniciativa en Charlotte desde hace ya más de cinco años. Es una devoción que trasciende la peruanidad y une a los hispanos inmigrantes en este país,” puntualizó Mantilla. “La fe que mueve montañas se evidencia en la devoción al Señor de los Milagros,” agregó.

Es justamente esa fe la que mueve a Magaly Romero, una residente peruana que vive en Charlotte, desde hace poco más de cinco años. Romero fue diagnosticada con una enfermedad terminal, hace algunos meses. “Los doctores no me dieron esperanzas de vivir, literalmente me dijeron que no había posibilidad de recuperarme.

Hoy, luego de seis meses, siento que mi fe es el estímulo y soporte más grande para caminar con la certeza que el Señor me va a

continuar curando. Mi devoción por El Señor de los Milagros es una forma de apoyar mi fe.

El me acompaña y sé que cuida de mi,” acotó Romero.

Uno de los detalles de esta devoción, tal como fue concebida desde hace más de cuatro siglos, es que no sólo reúne a los fieles en oración con Dios, sino que además reúne al pueblo para expresarse con gratitud a Dios a través del arte, la música o la comida, elementos culturales que expresan una reciprocidad espiritual con Dios. Diversos grupos musicales y artísticos como El Alma de la Luna, la cantante peruana Iraida Valdivia y decenas de negocios brindaron lo mejor del pueblo hacia Dios, a través de la música, la danza o la comida típica peruana.

La devoción al Señor de los Milagros es una fiesta en la que el pueblo inmigrante conecta con el mismo Cristo, ofreciendo el fruto de sus propias manos, mientras pide su intercesión con mucha fe.

October 21, 2011 | catholicnewsherald.com catholic news heraldI

Aqui

estamos!

Encuentro Conyugal Diocesano 2011 El Ministerio Católico Hispano de la Diócesis de Charlotte invita al Encuentro Conyugal 2011, para parejas en Unión Libre, casadas por civil o por la Iglesia. Se llevará a cabo en la Iglesia La Sagrada Familia, en Clemmons, el sábado 19 de Noviembre, de 8:00 a.m. a 10:00 p.m. El costo es de $30.00 por pareja. Informes con Marcos y Adarely al 336-491-2039, 336-273-2343 y nino05@ hotmail.com.

La Antorcha Guadalupana El vicariato de Greensboro está preparando la llegada de la Antorcha Guadalupana.

Llegará el dia martes 29 de noviembre a las 6:00 p.m.; a las 7 p.m. habrá misa solemne en la Iglesia Nuestra Señora de la Gracia, en Greensboro, El mismo martes 29, a las 10:30 p.m., habrá Vigilia y Misa Solemne en la Iglesia Nuestra Señora de los Caminos, en Thomasville. La Antorcha continuará su camino el dia miércoles 30 de Noviembre, a las 8:00 a.m. Informes: Delmy Ayala al 336465-1571, o a los teléfonos 336-963-3704, 336-273-2343 o nino05@hotmail.com.

Mi

19

Pueblo El dia de los muertos

El calendario litúrgico de la Iglesia registra el 1 de noviembre, como el dia de todos los santos y el 2 de noviembre, como el dia de todas las almas difuntas.

Sin embargo, esta fiesta tiene una raíz mucho más profunda en la cultura hispana, principalmente mexicana. En todo México, así como en muchas partes de Centro y Sudamérica, la tradición católica en honor a los difuntos se funde son muchos elementos sincréticos de la religiosidad pre-hispánica, es decir, específicamente con ritos que conmemoraban a los ancestros de las diferentes etnias de lo que hoy conocemos como México y gran parte de Centroamérica.

La fiesta por el Dia de los Muertos en México se inicia el 1 de noviembre por la noche, principalmente de dos formas: la primera es en las casas, donde las familias construyen altares en los que colocan las fotos, pertenencias y hasta comida y hasta objetos que los familiares difuntos más disfrutaban en vida, recordando a sus familiares difuntos. La segunda forma de

celebración es la vigilia en los cementerios, especies de romerías que las familias enteras realizan en las tumbas en las que descansan sus difuntos. En este caso, el altar y la celebración se desplazan masivamente hasta los cementerios y pasan la noche entera, acompañando esta noche de recuerdo de los seres queridos.

Aunque la Iglesia recuerda el 1 de noviembre como una fiesta de guardar obligatoria para honrar a todos los santos, el dia 2 de noviembre en el Dia de los Muertos la tradición popular católica hispana recuerda y celebra el emotivo y respetuoso recuerdo de los seres queridos que murieron, en una íntima celebración.

Retiro Juvenil en Greensboro El ministerio hispano de la Vicaría de Greensboro está organizando un Retiro para Jóvenes, del 28 al 30 de octubre, en la parroquia Nuestra Señora de la Merced, de Winston-Salem. Se necesita tener mínimo 15 años para poder participar y el costo de es $30 por persona. Mayores informes al 336273-2343 o a nino05@hotmail.com.

Festival en St. Luke El pasado sábado 15 de octubre se realizó el Festival en la Iglesia de St. Luke, en Mint Hill. Para ver fotos del evento, visite: YouTube. com/DioceseofCharlotte.

Photos by carlos castañeda | catholic news herald

(Arriba) El Señor de los Milagros bendiciendo a los niños de Charlotte. (Centro) Familias hispanas vestidas de morado, acompañando la Procesión.

(Abajo) Grupos locales de danza y música, como El Alma de la Luna, homenajearon con alegria al Señor.

En

contacto

Envíenos sus noticias o anuncios y forme parte de esta sección Este espacio y sección es para promover y conectar a nuestra comunidad. Todos los comentarios y sugerencias son bienvenidas. Si desea escribirnos, dejar sus comentarios, sugerencias u opiniones, así como para enviar alguna noticia o promover algún evento de su parroquia o grupo, por favor contáctenos: Carlos Castañeda (cmcastaneda@charlottediocese.org,

704-370-3375.

Si desea participar escribiendo o formando parte del ministerio de comunicaciones, no dude en unirse! Contáctenos por email o visite: www. catholicnewsherald.com (Sección Español) e ingrese su información. Nosotros le contactaremos tan pronto como sea posible.

carlos castañeda | catholic news herald

Cruzada del Rosario Miembros de la Parroquia San Marcos, en Huntersville, participantes del Rosario patrocinado por America necesita de Fátima. El grupo fue uno de los 7,000 Rosarios efectuados a lo largo de los Estados Unidos, el mismo dia (sábado 15 de octubre). El objetivo fue ofrecer reparación por los pecados y ofensas cometidos en contra del Corazón Inmaculado de María y para pedir con mucho fervor por la conversión de los Estados Unidos.

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catholicnewsherald.com | October 21, 2011 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Changes coming Some changes in wording at Mass that will come with the revised Roman Missal in English at Advent 2011 Part of Mass

Present Wording

Revised Wording

People’s response at the Greeting, Preface Dialogue, Sign of Peace and Concluding Rites

And also with you.

And with your spirit.

...I have sinned through my own fault...

...I have greatly sinned... through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault...

Gloria

Glory to God in the highest, and peace to His people on earth. Lord God, heavenly King, almighty God and Father, we worship you, we give you thanks, we praise you for your glory...

Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to people of good will. We praise You, we bless You, we adore You, we glorify You, we give You thanks for Your great glory, Lord God, heavenly King, O God, almighty Father. ...

Nicene Creed

We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is seen and unseen... ...one in being with the Father. Through Him all things were made. ...

I believe in one God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible. ... ...consubstantial with the Father; through Him all things were made. ...

Sanctus

Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might. ...

Holy, holy, holy Lord God of hosts. ...

Mystery of Faith (Memorial Acclamation, form A)

Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again.

We proclaim Your death, O Lord, and profess Your Resurrection until You come again.

Penitential Act (form A)

Father Brandon H. Jones

S

Rubrics: what we do during Mass

o far on “Missal Moments,” we have been talking about how the changes to the Roman Missal affect what we say. Today, we will talk about rubrics – what we do during Mass.

Rubrics are directions given by the Church to the celebrant and the assembly for the proper celebration of the Liturgy. The word “rubric” derives from the Latin word “ruber,” or “red,” because in any liturgical book the rubrics are printed in red, while the actual liturgical texts are printed in black.

Hence the wise maxim that, in the celebration of the Sacred Liturgy, we are to “say the black and do the red.”

One of the most often ignored rubrics occurs during the Creed, when everyone is to bow during these two lines: “By the power of the Holy Spirit, He was born of the Virgin Mary, and became man.”

Why are we to bow at this point in the Creed?

The answers comes into clearer focus when we look at the revised English translation: “and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and became man.”

The Lord Jesus was not simply born but “incarnatus est” – He “was incarnate” of the Virgin Mary.

Nowadays, many people understand what it means when speaking of “reincarnation,” but how many of those people could speak of the Incarnation?

The beautiful prologue of St. John’s Gospel proclaims: “And the Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us, and we saw His glory…” (John 1:14).

“Incarnate” means taking on flesh: “Belief in the true Incarnation of the Son of God is the distinctive sign of Christian faith.”

The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches us that the Word became flesh in order to save us by reconciling us with God, so that thus we might know God’s love, to be our model of holiness, and to make us partakers of the divine nature. (CCC 457-460) Indeed, “The unique and altogether singular event of the Incarnation of the Son of God does not mean that Jesus Christ is part God and part man, nor does it imply that He is the result of a confused mixture of the divine and the human. He became truly man while remaining truly God. Jesus Christ is true God and true man.” (CCC 464) Each time we sing or recite the Creed we call to mind the event in which, to quote Father Robert Barron, “the Word of God – the mind by which the whole universe came to be – did not remain sequestered in heaven but rather entered into this ordinary world of bodies, this grubby arena of history, this compromised and tear-stained human condition of ours.”

Such love, such mercy on God’s part deserves our gratitude, indeed, our adoration expressed bodily. This is why the General Instruction of the Roman Missal tells us, “At the words…and by the Holy Spirit…all make a profound bow; but on the Solemnities of the Annunciation and of the Nativity of the Lord, all genuflect.” (GIRM 137) “No one, whether shepherd or wise man, can approach God here below except by kneeling before the manger at Bethlehem and adoring Him hidden in the weakness of a new-born child.” (CCC 563) Father Brandon Jones is the pastor of Holy Redeemer Church in Andrews. This is a transcript of the sixth video in the “Missal Moments” series produced by the Diocese of Charlotte. View the entire video series online at www. missalmoment.com.

October 21, 2011 | catholicnewsherald.com catholic news heraldI

Father Matthew Buettner

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n the Liturgy of the Eucharist, the drama of our redemption is unfolded in three movements during the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass: the Offertory, the Eucharistic Prayer and Holy Communion.

The Communion Rite begins at the conclusion of the Eucharistic Prayer. The faithful stand and, at the invitation of the celebrant, sing or recite the Lord’s Prayer: “At the Savior’s command and formed by divine teaching, we dare to say....”

From the most ancient historical documents and records of theologians and saints, the Lord’s Prayer was included in the Holy Mass prior to receiving Holy Communion. It is fitting that this prayer is placed between the Eucharistic Prayer and reception of Holy Communion because the seven petitions of the Lord’s Prayer summarize the petitions offered in the Eucharistic Prayer, and because the Lord’s Prayer is the proper prayer of the whole Church, uniting and preparing the faithful for divine communion.

In the Mass, the celebrant invites us to pray to our heavenly Father with filial boldness, since it was Jesus, the Son of God, who taught us to call God “Our Father.”

Through the sacrament of baptism, we have truly become adopted sons and daughters of the heavenly Father through His Son. Therefore, when we pray to the Father, we are in communion with Him and His Son, Jesus Christ. But this communion is a spiritual communion, one which prepares us for sacramental communion when we receive the Holy Eucharist.

From early on, reciting the Lord’s Prayer in the Mass contained a unique conclusion.

The Didache and the Apostolic Constitutions added a doxology to the end of the Lord’s Prayer. This practice is retained in the Mass, but the final doxology follows a prayer recited by the celebrant, known as the embolism, meaning “extension.” Developing the final petition of the Lord’s Prayer, the celebrant prays for deliverance from evil for the entire community of the faithful and ends with the hope of the Second Coming of our Lord Jesus Christ: “Deliver us, Lord, we pray, from every evil, graciously grant peace in our days, that, by the help of Your mercy, we may be always free from sin and safe from all distress, as we await the blessed hope and the coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ.”

The short ritual known as the Rite of Peace follows the Lord’s Prayer and is

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Holy Communion: Approaching the sacred banquet with humility and reverence introduced by the celebrant with a prayer directed to Jesus Christ, truly present on the altar. This prayer recalls the gift of the risen Christ to His Apostles on the day of His glorious resurrection, and it expresses ecclesial communion and mutual charity before receiving Holy Communion. If appropriate, the deacon or priest may invite us to exchange the sign of peace with those nearest to us. The priest and ministers are not normally allowed to leave the sanctuary to exchange the sign of peace, since the priest has already exchanged peace with the faithful.

Ultimately, what we discover as we approach Holy Communion is that our communion with another (in faith, as well as charity) is to be established spiritually before it is to be expressed sacramentally by receiving Communion.

‘BEHOLD, THE LAMB OF GOD’

After the Rite of Peace is a subtle, yet highly significant act called the Fraction Rite. The celebrant, following the example of Our Lord, now takes up the consecrated host and reverently breaks it over the paten. Although this action is accomplished without drama or commentary, it bears great significance in the history and tradition of the Mass. All of the sacred writers of the New Testament affirm that Christ took bread and broke it when He offered the sacrifice of the Last Supper.

After His resurrection, He was recognized

by His disciples “in the breaking of the bread.” And the Acts of the Apostles testifies that the early Church continued “the breaking of the bread” faithfully each day.

To the present day, the Church continues “the breaking of the bread” precisely because Christ the Lord instructed His Apostles to “Do this in memory of me.”

But why does Our Lord break the bread?

Certainly it was Jewish custom to “break bread” with one’s relatives and friends as an act of charity and a sign of unity. And ancient custom dictated that breaking bread was appropriate rather than slicing or cutting it with a knife. But perhaps more important is the spiritual significance of breaking the bread that not only represented Christ’s body, but sacramentally becomes His body, pierced and nailed to the cross.

A fragment of the broken host is then placed into the chalice, a gesture called “the commingling.” The origin of this custom is uncertain, but there are a number of

Learn more This is part 28 of a year-long series featuring the revised translation of the Third Missal.

Previous articles in this series are archived online at www.catholicnewsherald.com. For more resources, check out the U.S. bishops’ link at www.usccb.org/romanmissal.

possible explanations. Centuries ago there was the custom of taking pieces of the consecrated host from the Mass offered by the bishop of a diocese and distributing them to the various parishes in his diocese.

The priest would then place the fragment into his chalice, signifying unity with the local bishop.

It is also plausible that this commingling of the Body and Blood of Christ has a more spiritual explanation. The consecration of the Mass occurs in two separate consecrations: first the bread, then the wine. Since this separate consecration symbolically represents death, as Our Lord’s Precious Blood was separated from His Sacred Body, uniting and commingling the Body and Blood of Christ in the chalice would symbolically represent the resurrection, the re-union of Christ’s Body and Blood. The celebrant recites a prayer in silence during this commingling: “May this mingling of the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ bring eternal life to us who receive it.”

Meanwhile, the Agnus Dei is recited or sung. At first, the breaking of the bread was done in silence. But in the seventh century, Pope St. Sergius established the chanting of this hymn, which had been familiar to him since his childhood. The Agnus Dei or “Lamb of God” as a title of Our Lord is most appropriate at this point in the Mass. In the Old Testament, the “lamb of God” was slaughtered for the Passover feast and saved the Israelites from the angel of death. St. John the Baptist saw Jesus walking toward him on the banks of the Jordan River and cried out, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” And the evangelist St. John recorded his visions in the Book of Revelation of the slain Lamb, Jesus Christ, glorious and victorious in heaven.

After the priest has completed his private

preparatory prayers, he genuflects and raises the host above the paten or chalice and recites the words of St. John the Baptist: “Behold the Lamb of God, behold Him who takes away the sins of the world. Blessed are those called to the supper of the Lamb.”

We must pause for a moment, look, adore, and behold Him, who alone takes away the sins of the world. It is not mere bread or symbol, but the same Lord who once walked along the banks of the Jordan River.

‘Lord, I am not worthy’

All then respond with the words of the Centurion soldier from the Gospel: “Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed.”

This final act of humility and trust is the most appropriate preparation for Holy Communion. No one is worthy, per se, to receive the most sublime gift of the Church’s treasury, namely, Christ Himself.

It is only necessary that the priest receives Holy Communion at the Mass for the sacrifice to be complete and the Mass to be offered validly. However, the Church has encouraged the faithful to receive Holy Communion, so that they too might partake of the innumerable spiritual graces and benefits of the Eucharistic Banquet.

The Church even mandates the faithful to receive Holy Communion at least once a year during the Easter season.

Who is allowed to receive Holy Communion?

According to canon law, “Any baptized person not prohibited by law can and must be admitted to Holy Communion.”

Those prohibited by law would include those not in communion with the Catholic Church, children under the age of reason, those who persevere in manifest grave sin, those who are not married by the Church and therefore not married in the eyes of God, etc. For those not permitted to receive Holy Communion, it should be noted that they are not excluded from the worship of God by attending Mass, and they should be encouraged to make a “spiritual communion” – the traditional practice of uniting oneself to Christ in a prayer of selfoffering that seeks to receive the graces and benefits of Christ’s sacrifice.

Then the priest receives the consecrated host after saying silently, “May the Body BUETTNER, SEE page 32

Our schools

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charlottediocese.org/catholicnews catholicnewsherald.com | October 21, 2011 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Charlotte parishioners reach out to disadvantaged students, teachers St. Luke and St. Peter churches team up with two public schools in need CHRISTOPHER LUX CORRESPONDENT

MINT HILL — After years of volunteering at Thomasboro Elementary, Kathy Capps still felt like she was not making a difference.

She had spent a great deal of time setting up a partnership between the school and her parish, St. Luke Church in Mint Hill.

Her mission was to live her Catholic faith by helping the less fortunate. But, she said, “at times I didn’t think it would matter if I was there or not. They didn’t trust me … and for the past six years, they still didn’t ask for help when they needed it.”

When she was faced with a timeconsuming family issue, she “really thought it was time for me to leave Thomasboro and move on.”

Then, “out of the blue,” a week of special occurrences made her think: “Thomasboro and St. Luke’s may have been meant to save each other.”

All at once that week, results of her hard work became evident. Families from the school wanted to come to St. Luke to thank the church for their help. Capps had extra donated food she was able to provide to grateful families who were living in motels.

And St. Luke Church was able to use money from a generous donor to buy clothes and shoes for a student who had just lost his only parent, his father.

Probably the most moving experience of that week, Capps recalled, was when she received a phone call from a person affiliated with the school “who in the past has not cared for me very much.” She was calling to thank Capps and the other St. Luke parishioners for the truckloads of food they had sent to Thomasboro’s neighborhood food pantry.

“She told me we will never know how many families will be blessed by all that our parish donated … She told me they had run out of options to find food for their pantry.

Second Harvest had empty shelves and they have not had luck with any other resources,” Capps recalled. “She asked me for St. Luke’s address and shyly suggested that maybe one

Photo courtesy of Mary Claire Wall Photo courtesy of Kathy Capps

Students of Thomasboro Elementary School in Charlotte express a big “thank you” to volunteers from St. Luke Church in Mint Hill, who have partnered with the school to help students and teachers in need.

Sunday some of the families could come over and thank St. Luke’s in person.”

‘LACKING JUST ABOUT EVERYTHING’

The parish-school partnership was created to improve the education and lives of students at Thomasboro Elementary.

Students at schools like Thomasboro Elementary often face learning challenges because of a lack of school supplies, from pencils to computers. And it is common for some students to struggle in school because of their living situations. A lack of food, electricity, clothes and stable housing makes it difficult for a child to stay focused on learning.

When Capps of St. Luke started volunteering at Thomasboro Elementary, she recalled, “they were lacking just about everything: clothing, shoes and supplies.

It was a whole different side of Charlotte I didn’t even know existed.”

Recognizing the overwhelming needs of the school and students, she “went back to St. Luke’s and started talking to other parishioners about what we could do.”

Capps worked with her parish to create a ministry that has since collected fans over the summers for those who cannot afford air conditioning; organized school supply

drives; provided clothing, food and financial assistance for students and their families; and helped with summer camps for the elementary students.

FROM IRWIN AVENUE TO DRUID HILLS

Also combating the problems at schools in need is St. Peter Church in Charlotte. The parish has established a similar partnership with Irwin Avenue Elementary, and most recently with Druid Hills Academy.

Irwin Avenue Elementary was a disadvantaged school in Charlotte that closed its doors last school year.

Parishioners at St. Peter Church had partnered with that school for three years, helping the school in many ways.

They conducted a fall school supply drive, volunteered as mentors and tutors, worked with the PTA to get more parent involvement, hosted dinners for parents, and provided volunteers in the nurse’s office.

The partnership “had been pretty comprehensive,” said Mary Claire Wall of St. Peter Church.

After Irwin Avenue Elementary closed, the parish recently shifted its partnership to Druid Hills Academy.

“We recently decided to work with another school, Druid Hills Academy, which has

Ray Mennitt, a volunteer from St. Peter Church in Charlotte, brings donations to aid the parish’s partnership with a local impoverished school. become a K-8 school this year. It is also a high-needs school,” Wall said.

Now that the partnership has moved to a new school, “it’s kind of like starting over – we don’t know what we’re going to do at Druid Hills, but we do know they need volunteers with reading and math tutoring.

We had a great turnout for a kick-off meeting earlier this year and have about 35 (parishioners) who signed up to help out at Druid Hills.”

She said the adjustment will take time, though, as “you have to match the needs of the school with what the church has to offer. It will probably take a year or so to get adjusted. We don’t know what we’re going to do at Druid Hills, but we do know they need volunteers and tutors.”

“We’re excited about working with them,” Wall said, “but we have to introduce the parishioners to a whole new school.”

BENEFITING MUTUALLY

Capps has now been at Thomasboro Elementary for nine years. She says the work St. Luke parishioners do has since been welcomed and greatly appreciated by the school and its community: “When PARISHIONERs, SEE page 32

October 21, 2011 | catholicnewsherald.com catholic news heraldI

For the latest news 24/7: catholicnewsherald.com

In Brief

Visit from the Humane Society

Math Olympics held at OLG

WINSTON-SALEM — Susan Doran and her daughter Erin from the Forsyth County Humane Society visited the Our Lady of Mercy School kindergarten and prekindergarten classes in Winston-Salem Oct. 6 to teach students how to safely approach a dog, the difference between companion animals and wild animals, and basic pet care.

GREENSBORO — Our Lady of Grace School sixth-graders recently learned about metric measurements during the first Math Olympics Sept. 27. Math teacher Cheryl Ramsey set up experiments for students to estimate and measure. Pictured are students Will Hornfeck and C.J. Cappucio competing in the “Shotput Throw” by estimating and measuring how far they could throw a cotton ball.

— Karen L. Hornfeck

— Lara Davenport

Photo courtesy of St. Mark School

St. Mark sixth-graders visit Camp Thunderbird HUNTERSVILLE — On Sept. 12-13, 89 sixth-grade students from St. Mark School participated in an overnight field trip to the YMCA’s Camp Thunderbird in Lake Wylie, S.C. The goal of the trip was for students to make the connection between God, nature and daily life. During the camp, students rotated through four different field stations designed to provide a level of personal discovery and challenge, putting some beyond their standard “comfort zone.”

At the high ropes course, students encouraged each other to free fall down a zip line. Rocks spun and balancing was difficult on the unsteady cables of the enormous alpine tower challenge. The low challenge included a series of team-building exercises that forced students to plan and communicate strategies to reach a common goal. During the “ecochallenge,” students learned how to navigate with a hand-held GPS on a course filled with information on how to garden, how to transport food and how to compost. They also reviewed the importance of recycling.

The campers were treated to an evening of wacky races, campfire skits and songs by the Camp Thunderbird counselors. Finally, in the dark and stillness of the night, campers, chaperones and teachers sat with a rosary made out of glow sticks, prayed and gave thanks for all that they had experienced.

Parent chaperone Patty Malyszko summarized the experience by saying, “It was a special way to celebrate the gifts we share through the grace of our faith. This was a perfect opportunity for St. Mark students to demonstrate their values of caring, respect and responsibility, and was an experience that the sixth grade will remember for years to come.”

— Amy Burger

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OPEN HOUSE: Thursday, October 27th at 7:00pm

and Tuesday, March 27th at 7:00pm

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charlottediocese.org/catholicnews catholicnewsherald.com | October 21, 2011 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD The late Joan Regan, a teacher at Our Lady of Grace School, smiles with student Caroline Crater during a field trip in this file photo.

photo courtesy of Jean Navarro

St. Pius X students aid the Urban Ministry Students from St. Pius X School in Greensboro help load a Greensboro Urban Ministry van with hundreds of soup cans they recently collected. Before the students loaded the truck, the student body joined in prayer as a living rosary.

Photo courtesy of Leslie Hannon

School community gives thanks for teacher’s example Photo courtesy of Amy Burger

St. Mark sixth-graders lead living rosary The sixth-grade class of St. Mark School in Huntersville led the entire school in praying a living rosary in the school courtyard on Oct. 6, to celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary. Pictured above are (from left) Seth Frederick, Andrew Santos and Zachary Vaughan praying while waiting for their turn to participate in the living rosary. More than 750 students, staff, clergy and parents filled the school’s courtyard. Deacon Louis Pais from St. Mark Church opened the ceremony, which is now in its ninth year at the school. Parent volunteer Terese Sides said, “It is amazing to see all the sixth-grade kids practice and work together to accomplish the goal of praying to the Blessed Mother as one school.”

The school comes together twice a year to pray a living rosary. The next living rosary will take place in May and will be led by the fourth-grade students.

Beginning a friendly rivalry Athletes from the new diocesan high school Christ the King competed against their new rivals to the south, Charlotte Catholic High School, for the first time Oct. 4. A volleyball match was played at Charlotte Catholic and a friendly match-up of the top two girls’ tennis players took place at South Meck High School. Charlotte Catholic won two out of the three volleyball games, winning the match.

Photo courtesy of Dan Dolan

Joan Regan passed away suddenly last month Karen L. Hornfeck Special to the Catholic News Herald

GREENSBORO — Students, faculty and staff of Greensboro’s Our Lady of Grace School gathered outside on a beautiful fall day for a living rosary Oct. 6. This is an annual tradition for our school, but this year the gathering was especially meaningful for all of us.

On Sept. 27, our tight-knit community lost one of our beloved teachers: Joan Regan, who taught at OLG for more than 15 years.

She had been diagnosed with lymphoma less than a month before, and her rapid passing shook our community hard.

On the morning of Sept. 28, Father John Eckert of Our Lady of Grace Church gathered our school community together for prayer. Joining him to care for our community were Father Fidel Melo and Father Chris Davis of Our Lady of Grace Church; and Father John Allen, pastor of St. Paul the Apostle Church in Greensboro.

They all cleared their calendars for the day to walk among our children and staff – praying with us, talking with us and comforting us all.

As we returned from our prayer service, counselors from nearby St. Pius X, Our Lady of Mercy and St. Leo schools, as well as Greensboro Day School, arrived – they too had cleared their calendars for the day to offer comfort to our students.

The OLG School family was deeply touched by the love and support shown to us. Throughout the week, parents brought in food, alumni called to inquire about what they could do to help, and children wrote heartfelt letters to the Regan family about the impact this devoted teacher had on them.

The message was clear: In times of sorrow, God remains present to comfort through the loving arms of so many. Perhaps this was Mrs. Regan’s last gift to Our Lady of Grace School, a place that she was so devoted to in life. In her death, we were reminded that we are a community based on faith and love. And while we work hard to offer our children an enriching and academically challenging curriculum, we also are offering them a faith that will see them through wherever their journey in life takes them.

So on Oct. 6, the OLG community gathered with truly thankful hearts to begin the living rosary with this: “We offer a prayer of thanksgiving for having had the loving presence of Mrs. Regan in our lives. She was a living example of the love of Mary, through both her love of Christ and her love of others. Like Mary, Mrs. Regan had a strong faith and trust in God. Like Mary, she was a gentle mother to each of her students, a quiet light in our school family, and a peaceful dove to each of us. In thanksgiving, we pray....”

October 21, 2011 | charlottediocese.org/catholicnews

For the latest movie reviews: catholicnewsherald.com

In theaters

and a home contractor vie to win the titular birdwatching competition by spotting the greatest number of different species over the course of a calendar year. Brief nongraphic marital lovemaking, possible cohabitation, a fertility treatment theme, and adultery references.

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

‘Dream House’ Psychological thriller about a couple who ditch the big city for the countryside and the perfect house in which to raise their two small daughters.

But they soon discover that five years ago the previous owner gunned down his wife and two daughters in cold blood. Scenes of bloody violence and terror, brief nongraphic marital lovemaking, some profanity.

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

‘Courageous’ ‘The Way’ After his semi-estranged son dies in a freak storm while hiking the ancient pilgrimage route from France to the Spanish shrine of Santiago de Compostela, a California doctor and self-identified lapsed Catholic resolves to complete the journey as a means of honoring the lad’s memory. Along the mountainous path, he meets three fellow sojourners who together begin to break down both his self-imposed isolation and the mild orneriness by which he enforces it. Brief partial rear nudity, drug use, and references to abortion and sexuality.

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

‘The Big Year’ Warm-hearted seriocomedy in which a business tycoon, a rudderless nuclear power plant worker,

After the tragic death of his young daughter, a devoutly Christian police officer convinces a group of his friends to join him in subscribing to a Bible-based resolution designed to make them better, more dedicated fathers. But a variety of circumstances, including a couple of illustrative moral quandaries, quickly put each dad’s resolve to the test. Some gun violence and mature themes, including drug trafficking.

CNS: A-II (adults and adolescents), MPAA: PG-13

‘Real Steel’ Director Shawn Levy delivers an action-packed drama, driven by computer-generated special effects and set in the not-too-distant future, about robots who box and the dysfunctional humans who train and fix them. One of the latter is a washed-up fighter who finds his world turned upside down by the arrival of his estranged 11-year-old son. Cartoonish action violence, and references to an out-of-wedlock pregnancy.

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

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On TV n Sunday, Oct. 23, 4 a.m. and noon. (EWTN) “Canonizations of the Blesseds.� Pope Benedict XVI will canonize the following: Guido Maria Conforti, Italian archbishop-bishop and founder of the Pious Society of St. Francis Xavier for Foreign Missions; Luigi Guanella, Italian priest and founder of the Congregation of the Servants of Charity and of the Institute of the Daughters of Our Lady of Providence; and Bonifacia Rodriguez Castro, Spanish foundress of the Congregation of the Missionary Sisters, Servants of St. Joseph. n Sunday, Oct. 23, 1:30 p.m. (EWTN) "In Concert: Stabat Mater." The passion of Christ and the grief of Mary are movingly evoked in this musical performance of Giovanni Battista Pergolesi's "Stabat Mater" from All Saint's Church in Aldwingle, England. n Sunday, Oct. 23, 10 p.m. (EWTN) "EWTN on Location: Love and Life in the Divine Plan Family Conference." Coverage featuring Sam Gregg of the Acton Institute discussing human anthropology and marriage. n Thursday, Oct. 27, 10 p.m. (PBS) "Lives Worth Living." Documentary profiles Fred Fay and other pioneers in the disability rights movement. n Friday, Oct. 28, 1 p.m. and Saturday, Oct. 29, 5 a.m. (EWTN) “The Healing Prophet: Solanus Casey.� A look at the life of Solanus Casey, who became a renowned miracle worker and was sought for spiritual advice. n Sunday, Oct. 30, 10 p.m. and Thursday, Nov. 3, 5 a.m. (EWTN) “A Hand Of Peace - Pope

Mix

catholic news heraldI 25 Pius XII And The Holocaust.� Interviews with Dr. David Novak, Ron Rychlak and others, this documentary combats the shameless campaign of misinformation leveled against Pius XII, revealing that, in fact, the pontiff did much to help Jews during World War II.

n Tuesday, Nov. 1, 3:30 a.m. (EWTN) “The Cloak of Juan Diego.â€? This documentary examines the history of the appearance of the Blessed Mother to Juan Diego and explains the current devotion of the Mother of God at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City. n Tuesday, Nov. 1, 4:30 a.m. (EWTN) “ThĂŠrèse.â€?

The mesmerizing story of a young girl’s romance with God. Her faith and sacrifices reveal a way of life based on love and simplicity.

A contemplative film based on the true story of St. ThĂŠrèse of Lisieux, the most popular saint of modern times. n Tuesday, Nov. 1, 9:30 a.m. (EWTN) “St. Gianna Beretta Molla: A Modern Day Hero of Divine Love.â€? The life of St. Gianna Molla, which covers her parents’ background, her childhood in Italy in the 1930s, and later her role as a physician, wife and mother. n Tuesday, Nov. 1, 1:30 p.m. (EWTN) “Meditations On All Saints.â€? This All Saints’ Day meditation led by Father Benedict Groeschel enlarges our understanding of this feast day, which commemorates the lives and works of all the saints in heaven. n Tuesday, Nov. 1, 3 p.m. (EWTN) “St. Giuseppe Moscati - Doctor Of The Poor: Pt. 1 and 2.â€? The story of St. Giuseppe Moscati, and the plight and struggles of the poor and homeless of Naples in the early 20th century during a time of great inequality and poverty.

Our nation

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catholicnewsherald.com | October 21, 2011 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Charlotte CSS head joins other agency leaders in D.C. to discuss poverty WASHINGTON, D.C. — The head of the Diocese of Charlotte’s Catholic Social Services agency, Dr. Gerard Carter, joined more than 150 Catholic Charities officials in meeting with President Barack Obama’s Administration at the White House last week.

Catholic Charities USA hosted leaders Carter from agencies across the country in Washington, D.C. Oct. 13 and 14.

CCUSA is among the nation’s largest human services and disaster response networks and a leading voice in the conversation about how to better serve the millions of Americans living in poverty.

“We are honored to bring the voice and urgency of the people that we serve each and every day to the White House,” said Rev. Larry Snyder, President of Catholic Charities USA. “One out of every six Americans is struggling to simply get by. It’s clear the status quo is simply not working.

We look forward to partnering with the White House to find solutions to improve the lives of millions of Americans while creating a more compassionate and just society.”

On Friday, leaders from Catholic Charities agencies across the country participated in a policy briefing to exchange ideas on human services, housing, immigration and the economy.

Carter, executive director of Catholic Social Services for the Diocese of Charlotte, participated in the meeting at the White House.

“As one of the largest providers of direct services to those in poverty, it is essential that Catholic Charities agencies seek linkages across the public and private spheres to address the current poverty crisis,” Carter said.

This meeting came on the heels of the release of Census bureau data showing historic numbers of Americans living in poverty and the re-introduction of The National Opportunity and Community Renewal Act, legislation developed by CCUSA to identify longterm solutions to the nation’s poverty crisis.

— Catholic News Herald

Pope names Archbishop Vigano new U.S. nuncio Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service

VATICAN CITY — Pope Benedict XVI has named Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, 70, to be the new nuncio to the U.S. In his most recent position, the Italian archbishop had served for two years as secretary general of the commission governing Vatican City. He succeeds the late Archbishop Pietro Sambi in Washington, D.C. Archbishop Vigano said Vigano this week that he hopes to get to the U.S. in time for the U.S. bishops’ general assembly Nov. 14-16.

The archbishop said being U.S. nuncio is an “important, vast and delicate” task; he said he was grateful to Pope Benedict for entrusting him with the mission and he felt called to renew his “trust in the Lord, who asks me to set out again” to a new country.

Being a nuncio, he said, is “a call to know this people, this country and come to love them.”

“For me to take the place of someone who was so loved, so committed, makes it an even greater challenge,” he said.

A nuncio is a Vatican diplomat with the rank of ambassador. He is responsible for diplomatic relations with the government, but also serves as the pope’s representative to the Church in a given country, which includes responsibility for coordinating the search for and vetting of candidates to become bishops.

While at the commission governing Vatican City, Archbishop Vigano earned a reputation as a careful administrator, skilled at cutting costs and improving the efficiency of an office that oversees the care of Vatican buildings, as well as the Vatican post office, police force and the Vatican Museums.

Born in Varese, in Italy’s far north, he was ordained a priest in 1968 for the Diocese of Pavia. He entered the Vatican’s diplomatic service in 1973 and served at Vatican embassies in Iraq and in Great Britain before working in the Vatican Secretariat of State in 1978-’89. He was the Vatican’s permanent observer at the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, France, from 1989 to 1992, when Pope John Paul II named him an archbishop and nuncio to Nigeria. Pope John Paul personally ordained him a bishop.

Savannah diocese welcomes its 14th bishop Jan Skutch Savannah Morning News

SAVANNAH — Conventual Franciscan Father Gregory John Hartmayer became the 14th bishop of the Diocese of Savannah Oct. 18 in a display of Church grandeur marked by his humor and gratitude.

During the ordination and installation Mass at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Savannah, the Counselor of the Apostolic Nunciature to the United States, Monsignor Jean-Francois Lantheaume, read the apostolic letter from Pope Benedict XVI naming Bishop-elect Hartmayer as the 14th Bishop of Savannah – succeeding Bishop Emeritus J. Kevin Boland as head of the Church in the 90 counties south of Atlanta.

Once the letter was read, witnessed and recorded, Bishop Hartmayer was vested with the symbols of his new position.

Adopting the motto of “Peace and Goodness,” Bishop Hartmayer accepted the bishop’s miter and crosier.

The moment featured presentation of the ring once worn by Bishop Xavier Gartland, Savannah’s first bishop – and worn by Bishop Boland – to the new bishop.

Once vested, Bishop Hartmayer assumed the cathedra, or bishop’s chair, at the altar, where he took canonical possession of the diocese.

Included in the participants for the twoand-a-half hour Mass at the cathedral were 200 priests, 47 deacons and 20 bishops or archbishops, including Bishop Peter Jugis.

“I have to catch my breath,” the newlyordained Bishop Hartmayer said after walking through the crowded Cathedral of St. John the Baptist accompanied by Savannah Bishop Emeritus Boland and

Photo courtesy of Richard Burkhart, Savannah Morning News

Bishop Gregory John Hartmayer lies prostrate in prayer before the altar during his episcopal ordination and installation as the 14th bishop of the Diocese of Savannah.

Auxiliary Bishop Luis Zarama of the Archdiocese of Atlanta.

Bishop Hartmayer pledged to earn respect as a bishop and to pursue a “mission of evangelization” in his new post.

He spent 16 years working in the Atlanta Archdiocese, most recently as the pastor of St. John Vianney Church in Lithia Springs, Ga. He was named to succeed Bishop Boland after his predecessor submitted his resignation to Pope Benedict when reaching retirement age 75 last year, as canon law requires.

During his homily, Atlanta Archbishop Wilton D. Gregory noted that Pope Benedict chose Bishop Hartmayer for the post based on “your experience as teacher, administrator, pastor and priest.”

“Gregory, my brother, today you undertake a humbling new responsibility,” Archbishop Gregory said.

“All your teaching must seek to make known the entire truth that the Church holds as a sacred trust,” Archbishop Gregory said. “This is a daunting task in the world today, which so desperately needs such truth.”

October 21, 2011 | charlottediocese.org/catholicnews catholicnewsherald.com catholic news heraldI

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institutions are carefully monitoring how such laws are being applied and are vigilant for threats to religious liberty in the areas of taxes, housing, education and employment.

In Brief Advance of same-sex ‘marriage’ deepens concern for religious liberty WASHINGTON, D.C. — The widening campaign by gay rights advocates to promote same-sex “marriage” as a civil rights issue is forcing Catholic and other religious institutions to confront charges of intolerance and discrimination. Also at risk, say Church officials working on the legal front, is the way religious institutions and individuals opposed to the issue conduct business from hall rentals to receiving government contracts for social services.

Recently, the Diocese of Peoria, Ill., withdrew from all state-funded social service contracts, citing increasing clashes between state law and Church teaching on same-sex relationships. The Diocese of Rockford stopped offering statefunded adoptions and foster care services when the Illinois civil unions legislation took effect June 1. Catholic Charities in the dioceses of Joliet and Springfield and Catholic Social Services of Southern Illinois in Belleville also have been involved in state legal proceedings.

Elsewhere, including New York where a samesex marriage law took effect July 24, Church

U.S. bishops’ agency denied federal grant to help trafficking victims WASHINGTON, D.C. — Since 2006, the U.S. Catholic bishops’ Migration and Refugee Services has helped more than 2,700 victims of human trafficking obtain food, clothing and access to medical care. That service came to a halt earlier this month because the agency recently learned it did not receive a new grant award for this work from the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Refugee Resettlement.

Bishop Finn, diocese plead not guilty to failure to report abuse KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Bishop Robert W. Finn and the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph entered pleas of not guilty to misdemeanor charges of failure to report child abuse. The charges, brought

by Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker in relation to the diocese’s handling of the case of Father Shawn Ratigan, were acknowledged Oct. 14.

“Bishop Finn denies any criminal wrongdoing and has cooperated at all stages with law enforcement, the grand jury, the prosecutor’s office” and the independent commission appointed by the diocese to study the matter,

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said Gerald Handley, the bishop’s attorney. “We will continue our efforts to resolve this matter.”

Bishop Finn said in a statement after diocesan attorneys entered the pleas in court that he “will meet these announcements with a steady resolve and a vigorous defense.”

Father Ratigan was arrested in May on state charges of possessing child pornography.

Bishop Zipfel of Bismarck retires; Rockford VG is successor WASHINGTON, D.C. — Pope Benedict XVI has accepted the resignation of 76-year-old Bishop Paul A. Zipfel of Bismarck, N.D., and named as his successor Monsignor David Kagan, vicar general of Rockford, Ill. Bishop-designate Kagan, 61, is an Illinois native who has been vicar general of the diocese since 1995.

Crops rotting, families leaving, say critics of Ala. law WASHINGTON, D.C. — Farmers are reporting their fruit and vegetable pickers have fled, leaving crops to rot in the field, and principals say many students have withdrawn from school as even legal U.S. residents flee Alabama after a new immigration law took effect in late September.

A federal district court judge lifted a temporary stay on the law, allowing most of it to take effect.

That includes a requirement that public schools inform the state and federal governments about which students cannot provide proof of legal residency, and other provisions mandating that

police check the papers of anyone they think might not be legal residents.

Mary Bauer, legal director of the Southern Poverty Law Center, said the situation is quickly becoming critical. “Many of the calls (we are receiving) are deeply disturbing and paint a grim picture of the aftermath of this ill-conceived law: people overwhelmed with fear; husbands who cannot take their wives to the hospital to give birth; sick people who refuse to go to the hospital to receive emergency care; thousands of terrorized children who are out of school....”

— Catholic News Service

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In Brief Freedom from hunger is essential right, pope says VATICAN CITY — Pope Benedict XVI appealed for immediate and long-term relief for the world’s hungry, saying the right to adequate nourishment is a fundamental part of the right to life. The hunger crisis that affects millions of people today is a sign of the deep gulf between the haves and the have-nots of the world, the pope said in a message marking World Food Day Oct. 16.

Citing the famine and refugee crisis in the Horn of Africa, the pope said the “painful images” of starving people underline the need for both emergency aid and long-term intervention.

“Freedom from the yoke of hunger is the first concrete manifestation of that right to life which, although solemnly proclaimed, often remains far from being effectively implemented,” he said.

Pope: Silence, solitude needed in ‘frantic’ world VATICAN CITY— Endless news, noise and crowds have made people afraid of silence, which is essential for finding God’s love and love for others, Pope Benedict XVI said. Progress in communications and transportation has made life more comfortable, as well as more “agitated, sometimes frantic.” Young people seem to want to fill every moment with music and video, and there is a growing risk that people are more immersed in a virtual world rather than in reality because of the constant stream of “audiovisual messages that accompany their lives from morning to night,” he said during a visit to an Italian monastery Oct. 9. Monasteries remind people of the need for silent reflection, which lets people delve into the apparent emptiness of solitude and experience real fullness, that is, God’s presence and true reality, he said.

Pope, at audience, condemns attack on Egyptian Christians VATICAN CITY— Condemning an attack on unarmed Christians in Egypt, Pope Benedict XVI said that during the country’s transition to democracy, all of its citizens and institutions must work to guarantee the rights of minorities. Pope Benedict said Oct. 12 that he was “profoundly saddened” by the deaths Oct. 9 of at least 26 people, mostly Christians, after peaceful protesters were attacked by gangs, and then a speeding military vehicle ran into them and officers fired on the crowd. Hundreds were injured. The pope said Egypt, transitioning to democracy since the February ousting of President Hosni Mubarak, has been “lacerated by attempts to undermine peaceful coexistence among its communities.”

CNS | Paul Haring

Young people cheer at the conclusion of an event to promote the new evangelization in Paul VI Hall at the Vatican Oct. 15. Some 8,000 people, mainly from Catholic movements, turned out to support Pope Benedict XVI’s call for a new evangelization.

Pope announces ‘Year of Faith’ to help renew missionary energy Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service

VATICAN CITY — Pope Benedict XVI announced a special “Year of Faith” to help Catholics appreciate the gift of faith, deepen their relationship with God and strengthen their commitment to sharing faith with others.

Celebrating Mass Oct. 16 with participants in a Vatican conference on new evangelization, the pope said the Year of Faith would give “renewed energy to the mission of the whole Church to lead men and women out of the desert they often are in and toward the place of life: friendship with Christ who gives us fullness of life.”

The pope said the observance would begin Oct. 11, 2012 – the 50th anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council – and conclude Nov. 24, 2013 – the feast of Christ the King.

“It will be a moment of grace and commitment to an ever fuller conversion to God, to reinforce our faith in Him and to proclaim Him with joy to the people of our time,” the pope said in his homily.

Pope Benedict explained his intention more fully in “Porta Fidei” (“The Door of Faith”), an apostolic letter released Oct. 17 to formally announce the special year.

“Faith grows when it is lived as an experience of love received and when it is communicated as an experience of grace and joy,” the pope wrote.

He said the Catechism of the Catholic Church, first published in 1992, should serve as the handbook for helping Catholics rediscover the truths of faith and deepen their understanding of Church teaching.

The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, he said, will publish a “note” to help people live the year “in the most effective and appropriate ways at the service of belief and evangelization.”

Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, the Vatican spokesman, told reporters the document would be published by the end of the year; its tone will be pastoral, rather than doctrinal, giving bishops and Catholic faithful ideas for implementing the pope’s call to deeper faith and greater missionary commitment.

In his apostolic letter, the pope said the year’s focus will be on Jesus Christ because “in Him, all the anguish and all the longing of the human heart finds fulfillment.”

Pope Benedict said that in addition to studying the catechism and gaining a greater understanding of the Creed, the Year of Faith also must be accompanied with more acts of charity.

Faith helps people recognize the face of Christ in those who are suffering, and “it is His love that impels us to assist Him whenever He becomes our neighbor along the journey of life,” the pope wrote.

Pope Benedict said Catholics cannot “grow lazy in the faith.”

“What the world is in particular need of today is the credible witness of people enlightened in mind and heart by the Word of the Lord, and capable of opening the hearts and minds of many to the desire for God and for true life, life without end,” he wrote.

The papal Mass and announcement of the Year of Faith followed a daylong conference Oct. 15 sponsored by the Pontifical Council for Promoting New Evangelization.

October 21, 2011 | catholicnewsherald.com catholic news heraldI

Cardinal says Assisi will feature joint pilgrimage, not joint prayer Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service

VATICAN CITY — More than 300 delegates from dozens of Christian churches, the world’s major religions and nonbelievers will join Pope Benedict XVI in Assisi Oct. 27 for a peace gathering focused more on common pilgrimage than on prayer, a Vatican official said.

For the first time, a Buddhist delegation from mainland China will join a Vaticansponsored interreligious meeting and, also for the first time, four nonbelievers – three philosophers and an economist – have accepted a papal invitation to attend.

The delegates, invited to Assisi by Pope Benedict XVI to mark the 25th anniversary of Blessed John Paul II’s interreligious gathering for peace, come from more than 50 countries, Vatican officials said Oct. 18 at a news conference to discuss plans for the gathering.

Each participant will be given a room in a Franciscan guesthouse where he or she can rest, reflect and pray after lunch and before an afternoon pilgrimage, said Cardinal Peter Turkson, president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace.

“During the pilgrimage, the walk, in silence,” the participants also are likely to pray, but “the real prayer will be here at St. Peter’s on the vigil (Oct. 26) when the Holy

Father is with the Catholic faithful.”

Instead of holding his weekly general audience Oct. 26, the pope will lead a special prayer service in preparation for the Assisi event.

Unlike Blessed John Paul’s first Assisi meeting in 1986, there is no moment planned in Assisi when participants will pray in each other’s presence.

“The emphasis is on pilgrimage rather than on praying together,” Cardinal Turkson said.

He said the change was not meant as a judgment on Blessed John Paul’s Assisi meetings, but an attempt to be clear that members of different religions are not praying together and to ensure that the specific identity and the differences of each religion are being respected.

The Chief Rabbinate of Israel and Jewish leaders from Italy will be among the delegates.

Archbishop Pier Luigi Celata, secretary of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, said 176 participants will represent non-Christian, non-Jewish religions.

While there have been some bumps in the road of Catholic-Muslim dialogue, he said the Muslim participation shows how much progress has been made in the dialogue in the past 25 years. At the 1986 Assisi meeting, 11 Muslims participated, he said, while in

2002 there were 32 Muslim representatives and this year there will be 50.

However, the prestigious Muslim university, al-Azhar in Cairo, will not be sending a delegation. Archbishop Celata said the Vatican’s formal dialogue with the university remains “frozen” after leaders there complained that Pope Benedict was interfering in Egypt’s internal affairs when he condemned attacks on Christians late last year. The archbishop said he also thought the current upheaval in Egypt’s national life could be part of the reason why the university will not participate; the leader of al-Azhar was appointed by ousted President Hosni Mubarak.

The Assisi gathering will include 31 separate Christian delegations, said Father Andrea Palmieri, an official at the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity.

The 17 Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox delegations will include Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople; Anglican Archbishop Rowan Williams of Canterbury will participate, as will the Rev. Olav Fykse Tveit, a Lutheran minister and secretary-general of the World Council of Churches.

Other delegates will represent traditional religions of Native Americans, Africans and Asians; Hindu, Sikh, Zoroastrian, Bahai, Confucian, Taoist, Shinto delegations also will participate.

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In Brief For processions, pope adopts wheeled platform VATICAN CITY— Pope Benedict XVI has begun using a wheeled platform to move through crowds at major events, a change the Vatican said was designed to reduce the physical toll on the 84-year-old pontiff. The change does not signal any concern about Pope Benedict’s health, but was made “solely to lighten the burden” of processions, said Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, the Vatican spokesman. The platform was used by Pope John Paul II during his last years, when declining mobility made it impossible for him to walk in processions.

Archbishop Tutu: Africa must shun anti-women practices NAIROBI, Kenya— Africa should shun cultural practices that prevent women from advancement, retired Anglican Archbishop Desmond Tutu said at a memorial Mass Oct. 14 for Wangari Maathai, 2004 Nobel Peace Prize laureate. Maathai, a Catholic environmentalist, died Sept. 25. She was 71.

— Catholic News Service

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“the way is a must see!” “martin sheen gives a powerful performance.”

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- sheri linden, los angeles times

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catholicnewsherald.com | October 21, 2011 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

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Father Mark Lawlor

World Mission Sunday: Our call to evangelize

October is the Month of Our Lady, the Blessed Virgin Mary, as well as Respect Life Month.

It’s one of the times when many of us pray the rosary most frequently – asking our Mother to intercede for us and to help protect the vulnerable and the unborn. As the God-bearer, the Mother of God, the Tabernacle of Our Lord, Mary encourages us as we fight to promote the dignity and value of all human life.

This month we’re asking readers:

How often do you pray the rosary?

There is a stain on the pink ribbon

n Daily n Weekly n Monthly n During Lent, Advent, or other special occasions So far, readers have responded:

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s the diocesan director of the Society for the Propagation of the Faith, I am in contact by mail, email, phone and in person with missionaries throughout the world. It is actually very inspiring as I learn of the struggles and joys of some of the missions of the Church.

Over the summer, two mission bishops and several mission priests visited my parish, St. Vincent de Paul in Charlotte, in the context of their mission appeals. One bishop was from the Tuticorin Diocese of southern India, and the other bishop was from the Apostolic Prelature of Chuquibamba in the mountains of Peru (known as “the altar of the Andes”).

These two bishops live about as far away from each other as is possible in this world, and yet both shared with me their great joy in serving the Lord and the faithful as shepherds. Both also related to me their limited resources.

Evaluating mission appeals and coordinating host parishes for special collections can be a challenge, as we have parishes of varying sizes and resources. Last year, I received about 140 requests for mission appeals from dioceses, religious orders, agencies and ministries throughout the world.

Of course, we receive many more requests than we can accommodate.

This year, 60 parishes and missions were assigned to participate in the Missionary Cooperative Plan and will host 44 different mission dioceses or religious congregations.

Last year, more than $283,000 was donated by parishioners throughout the diocese to assist various missions. Additionally, more than $50,000 was donated to the Society of the Propagation of the Faith via the diocese’s annual Combined Mission Collection and parishioners’ contributions.

I have also seen the missionary spirit right here in our diocese. Several parishes support missions in other parts of the world and many LAWLOR, SEE page 32

Go online to www.catholicnewsherald.com to respond.

— Patricia L. Guilfoyle, editor

Most-read stories on the web From Oct. 1 to 19 at press time, 696 page titles www.catholicnewsherald.com were viewed a total of 5,954 times. The top 5 local headlines in October so far are: n Lawsuit filed against Charlotte diocese over abuse claims involving Father Kelleher.......................97 n Busy moms are also witnesses for the dignity of human life.................................................................... 80 n Charlotte Diocese files response in civil lawsuit involving Farwell abuse allegation...........................73 n Live video: Watch the ordination of new Savannah bishop.........................................................................72 n Who’s who in the Eucharistic Procession.........................................................................................................32

Letter to editor

Words are very powerful My purpose in writing this note is to express my opinion about the use of seemingly insignificant words in our society, and specifically regarding the Catholic News Herald’s Oct. 7 story “Mass planned for families who have lost children.” I feel we diminish the importance of death in our Christian life when we substitute the words “loss” and “lost” for

David Hains

“died.”

My child died. I never say I lost him because he is not lost; he is dead. I love Jesus and I believe my son is with Him. I did not suffer a loss like not being able to find my keys. I suffered the death of my son. I will not diminish the importance, the sadness and the eventual peace that comes from having a child in heaven.

Words are small, but words are very powerful.

Pam McLoughlin is a member of Our Lady of Consolation Church in Charlotte.

The greatest marketing triumph of this new century has to be changing the focus of the month of October from the horrors of Halloween to the danger of breast cancer.

The predominant early autumn colors have gone from pumpkin orange and midnight black to PeptoBismol pink and white. I never thought I’d see the day when the most macho of athletes, professional football players, were willingly decked out in pink, a color once reserved for 6-year-old girls.

Unfortunately, all of the good done in raising awareness for the scourge of breast cancer is clouded by the participation in the events by the Susan G. Komen for the Cure organization.

Despite marketing attempts by the Komen organization to “own” Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the observance predates its involvement.

It started in 1985 through the joint efforts of the American Academy of Family Physicians and a pharmaceutical company. Komen’s involvement began in the 1990s with the handing out of the now ubiquitous pink ribbons during a foot race in New York.

Older and more established cancerfighting organizations are also involved, including the American Cancer Society and the National Cancer Institute.

The Komen organization supports cancer awareness mostly through education and also does some cancer research. To its credit, it is highly regarded by the group Charity Watchdog. Komen has a four-star rating for its transparency and fundraising efficiency.

It has a strong presence in the Diocese of Charlotte, with billboards in many cities and a Komen Race in Charlotte. Held on the first Saturday of October, the race attracts more than 10,000 participants who walk or run and celebrate a concerted HAINs, SEE page 32

October 21, 2011 | catholicnewsherald.com catholic news heraldI

Deacon James H. Toner

The Poor Clares

Let us join the woman beneath the cross

W

hen a person is called to a specific mission, it becomes part of his or her very identity and manifests itself in various aspects of life. A mother, whose children are grown, still reaches out to nurture life in other ways within her local community. A doctor views the world around him with the eyes of a healer. An artist notices shapes, colors and proportion in places other than the studio; and a musician’s ears are attuned to sounds and rhythm, even outside the concert hall. A person is formed and influenced by that which he gives his heart to.

On Oct. 13, the Te Deum Foundation sponsored a Mass at St. Patrick Cathedral in Charlotte in honor of a significant anniversary: the final apparition of Our Lady of the Rosary to three shepherd children of Fatima in 1917. The message of Fatima came to us from a woman whose Immaculate Heart was completely and perfectly formed in the mission entrusted to her by God and in the vocation to which she generously gave her “Fiat.”

Even today, the Blessed Virgin Mary continues to fulfill her mission as the woman who stood beneath the foot of the Cross, and she is calling us to join her at her post for the sake of sinners.

In every crucifixion scene, we immediately fix our gaze upon our Crucified Lord. When our hearts become overwhelmed by the sight of God crucified, we eagerly look towards the Mater Dolorosa for strength. We take for granted that where Jesus Crucified is, there is His Mother. St. John tells us explicitly, “Standing by the cross of Jesus was His mother” (John 19:25) The “Fiat” of 33 years earlier took her to Calvary, where she silently and bravely lived out her martyrdom of love. There she saw her “Fiat” in flesh and nailed to the Cross. Nothing could have wounded her Immaculate Heart more than to watch her Son die, yet she did not shirk from the pain.

Human love, in its weakness and imperfection, is often blinded by false hope or denial in the sight of pain and death, but Our Lady knew exactly the cost of this sacrifice. Her Son’s life did not slip stealthily away from her grasp. Once again she gave full consent to God’s will, and united her “Fiat” to the Word made flesh on the Cross.

From her post, she became the model of prayer and reparation, and she urges us to join her in such prayer and penance.

Representing us sinners at the foot of the Cross, stood another Mary – Mary Magdalene, who also remained in prayer,

suffering and reparation. She wept with sorrow for her own sins and the sins of others. With Our Lady as her companion, she had a role to play at the foot of the Cross, just as we have a part to play.

Too, when Our Lady appeared in Fatima, she remained ever conscious of her identity as the woman beneath the Cross and implored us to join her in her mission of prayer and reparation.

Calling souls to pray for peace, she who witnessed the scenes of Calvary knew that deep authentic peace comes through the Cross. She said, “Sacrifice yourselves for sinners and say often, “O my Jesus, it is for love of you, for the conversion of sinners, and in reparation for the sins committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary...

If people do what I ask, many souls will be saved and there will be peace.” The woman at the foot of the Cross 2,000 years ago retained her identity and allowed it to influence her mission completely. And she invites others to share this identity.

In 1929 Lucia, the last surviving Fatima seer, had a vision which perfectly portrays the identity we are called to embrace – intercessors at the foot of the Cross. The young nun saw an illuminated Cross on which hung Our Lord, with drops of blood falling from His face and side onto a large host and into a chalice. Above the Cross appeared the Heavenly Father, and upon His breast was a dove. Beneath the right arm of the cross stood Our Lady with her Immaculate Heart surrounded by thorns.

Under the left arm of the cross, large letters ran down upon an altar forming these words: “Grace and Mercy.” In all the depictions of this vision today, Lucia is included, kneeling in front of this mystery of the Trinity.

Our Blessed Mother is inviting each of us today to put ourselves in the place of Mary Magdalene on Calvary and in the place of Lucia before the Trinity. Through our prayers and sacrifices, united with Christ’s Sacrifice through Mary’s Immaculate Heart, we share in the mission of bringing down grace and mercy upon poor sinners. Let us identify ourselves with the woman beneath the Cross.

Sister Mary Raphael of the Divine Physician is professed with the Poor Clare Nuns of Perpetual Adoration St. Joseph Monastery in Charlotte. This is part of a monthly commentary by the Poor Clares to focus on topics of faith and to address questions about religious life. Learn more about the community and subscribe to their newsletter by going online to www.stjosephmonastery.com.

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Sin: The real horror to worry about

Before too long,” wrote Professor J. Budziszewski of the University of Texas, “any culture in deep moral denial must come to its senses or collapse, for the consequences of denying first principles are cumulative and inescapable.” Not long after he wrote those words, he converted to the Catholic faith, persuaded that in the Church he could find the deposit of faith which is the constellation of the first principles he regarded as essential to religious and political life.

To breathe today is to inhale the very air of nihilism, which means belief in nothing. A few years ago in a seminar I was teaching, I had a student who insisted that there is no such thing as “evil,” but only “bad luck.” If there is an up, there must be a down; a left, then a right; a north, then a south. So if we admit that there is evil, then we must admit that there is good. If there is a profane, then there is a sacred.

To believe in the existence of “first principles” means that some things are permanent and good, and to ignore them puts us in moral jeopardy. Moreover, if there are permanent things, then we ought to learn about them, internalize them and commit ourselves to them.

As Budziszewski puts it, there are some things that we cannot not know. There is a truth we cannot, in good conscience, deny.

But there is the rub: “in good conscience.” If my conscience is developed only along the lines pleasing to me, then I can rule out anything that doesn’t give me pleasure. Conscience becomes “all about me.” My ego rules. I get to do what I want, how I want, when I want – unless the police tell me otherwise. Certainly, I will permit no priest and no pope to tell me differently. When I look for an authority, I see it in the reflection in the mirror.

God is permanent and unchanging. The full revelation of God is in His divine Son and in the faith which comes to us from the Apostles, in and through the Catholic Church. Is it then any wonder that the Church, which insists that we form our consciences on the basis of permanent truth, would be hated? The Church tells us that God exists and that we are not that God. Therefore, I cannot morally do anything I please when I please.

The bad news, as Charles Rice of Notre Dame tells us, is that we won’t be able to stop in-vitro fertilization, embryonic

‘There is a truth we cannot, in good conscience, deny.’ stem cell research, abortion or euthanasia “without restoring the conviction that God, and not man, is the arbiter of when and how life begins and ends.” When the Church teaches that our peace and happiness are rooted in knowing, loving and serving God, it infuriates those who tell us, instead, that we are gods.

The late Archbishop John Murphy wrote, “It is the Church which fights for the unborn child, for the rights of parents to educate their children, for the dignity of the marriage contract, for the dignity of the individual being. And in some secular humanistic future, when the only sin will be pain, the only evil ill health; when childbearing will be looked upon as a disease, and terminal illness will not be tolerated, when ... human beings will be forbidden to have a child, ... in that cold, clinical future, you will search in vain for the rebels save in the ranks of the Catholic Church.” That was written in 1967.

Too few people today know the writing of the self-described “hillbilly Thomist” Flannery O’Connor, the brilliant Catholic author from Georgia who died of lupus in 1964, before she turned 40. “I think that the Church is the only thing that is going to make the terrible world we are coming to endurable; the only thing that makes the Church endurable is that it is somehow the Body of Christ and on this we are fed.”

O’Connor was often described as a “horror writer,” and she accepted that, but insisted that reviewers often failed to understand the real horror about which she wrote. That was because reviewers, products of a culture which fails to understand that sin is the actual horror, often ignored real evil and the Evil One. In 1967 Pope Paul VI wrote, “The world is sick.” The Church points us, always, to the truth which sets us free, for the Church “carries the responsibility of reading the signs of the time and of interpreting them in the light of the Gospel” (“Gaudium et Spes,” 4). There is our remedy; there is our salvation. May we have the eyes to see and the ears to hear!

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

October 21, 2011 | catholicnewsherald.com catholic news heraldI

HAINS: FROM PAGE 30

effort against a devastating illness.

Local news coverage in print and on television abounds. Pink is cool.

Pink is also green for the Komen organization. It is huge, and growing rapidly. Last year more than $420million was raised by Komen for its cancer-fighting efforts, an 21 percent increase over the year before, according to Komen’s annual report.

But all of the good the Komen organization does is cancelled out by its persistent support for the culture of death.

The Komen organization willingly and steadfastly supports the wanton killing of innocent unborn children that has been going on in this country for too long, by funding abortions through its donations to Planned Parenthood – the largest abortion provider in America.

Catholics may want to think twice about whom they are raising funds for before they tie on their running shoes for the next “Race for the Cure.”

The Komen organization disputes a direct connection to abortion and claims to provide only breast cancer screening services to low-income women in communities where there is no alternative for the service other

PARISHIONERS: FROM PAGE 22

I come over here (to the school) it’s like family.” And nearly every ministry at St. Luke has participated in the outreach effort.

The partnership they have developed has proven beneficial to both the school and the parish.

For the school and its students, they have been provided with clothes, school supplies, financial assistance and mentors.

And the parishioners of St. Luke Church have had not only the opportunity to live their faith, but they have also been able to see “the paths God has cleared for us to help a neighborhood that is so in need.”

TEACHERS NEED HELP, TOO

The partnerships do not stop at benefiting the students and parishioners. The teachers, too, have experience improved situations.

Teachers at disadvantaged schools like Thomasboro Elementary or Druid Hills Elementary also face many challenges. According to Wall at

than Planned Parenthood.

Within the diocese, the Triad chapter of Komen gave $20,000 to Planned Parenthood for breast cancer screening in 2009.

A spokesperson for the chapter describes it as a drop in the ocean of the $600,000 it gave away via grants. Unfortunately, it is a drop of innocent human blood.

The Komen organization attempts to explain the evil donations in a statement published on its website.

The statement first seeks to blame local Komen affiliates for writing checks to Planned Parenthood and then makes an off-hand admission of the obvious – that abortion is wrong – by stating, “Under no circumstances are Komen funds used to fund abortions or other non-breast services, and any service provider shown to violate those rules would be immediately terminated from the Komen grant program.”

Even if you agree with Komen’s “yes we do, no we don’t” spin on contributions to Planned Parenthood, Catholics and others who support the culture of life must ask themselves: Should I raise money for an organization that helps to keep the lights on in abortion mills?

David Hains is the diocesan director of communication.

St. Peter Church, “they don’t get a lot of appreciation” because it is a “high poverty” school.

Because of the situation of so many of their students, Capps said, “the teachers work hard; they end up being a mom, a social worker and a teacher. They even end up buying school supplies for the kids.”

The parishioners of St. Peter have organized holiday breakfasts for the teachers and given them small gifts – simply to show that the hard work they do is appreciated.

Volunteers from St. Luke have made cookies and bought supplies that the teachers said they needed. And they continuously offer prayers and support for the school’s staff during stressful times.

“We try to make a tough job a little bit easier by letting them know we are here to help,” Capps said.

Bridget Turman, a teacher at Thomasboro Elementary, said she is overjoyed by the amount of help the teachers receive from parishioners.

“I see the difference every week they come here. Whatever we need, they provide for us and the students.”

LAWLOR: FROM PAGE 30

priests and lay persons have been on mission trips.

In my parish, we have supported missions in the jungle region of Peru for several years.

All of this missionary work – abroad and here at home – is noted on World Mission Sunday, which will be celebrated throughout the Church on Oct. 23.

In 1926 Pope Pius XI instituted Mission Sunday for the whole Church and the first worldwide Mission Sunday collection took place in October 1927. On World Mission Sunday, there is a call for all local churches to recognize their common responsibility for evangelization. It is a day set aside for all Catholics to recommit themselves to the Church’s missionary activity through prayer and sacrifice.

Blessed John Paul II taught that “World Mission Sunday is an important day in the life of the Church because it teaches how to give: as an offering made to God, in the Eucharistic celebration and for all the missions of the world” (“Redemptoris Missio,” 81). Blessed John Paul II also spoke of the Propagation of the Faith’s General Fund as a common fund of solidarity that will be distributed, in the pope’s name, among the missions and missionaries of the entire world.

About 1,100 mission dioceses in the world receive financial assistance from the funds collected on World Mission Sunday.

The dioceses of Raleigh and Charlotte, with a history of being in the missions, have received assistance from the World Mission Sunday collection over the years. The office of the Pontifical Mission

BUETTNER: FROM PAGE 21

of Christ keep me safe for eternal life.” Similarly, he receives the Precious Blood after saying silently, “May the Blood of Christ keep me safe for eternal life.”

At this point, the celebrant may be assisted by other ordinary ministers of Holy Communion, such as concelebrating priests or deacons. If there are not enough ordinary ministers, extraordinary ministers approach the altar to receive Communion and assist the priest. After the celebrant has received Communion, the Communion antiphon is recited or the Communion chant begins. The purpose of the hymn is to express unity of voices and joy of heart while the faithful begin the communion procession, the second principal procession of the Holy Mass.

As the faithful approach the minister to receive Holy Communion, the communicant is to make a sign of reverence before receiving. The general norm in the United States is to bow before the Blessed Sacrament and to bow again before the chalice containing the Precious Blood.

The minister shows the consecrated host to the communicant and says, “The Body of Christ.”

Likewise, the minister presents the chalice with the Precious Blood and says, “The Blood of Christ.”

The communicant makes the sign of reverence and responds, “Amen.” This response means, “I believe” or “So be it.” This response is simple, yet essential.

It is an act of faith that, indeed, the communicant is fully aware that he or she is about to receive the true Body and Blood of Christ.

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Societies notes that “every year the needs of the Catholic Church in the Missions grow – as new dioceses are formed, as new seminaries are opened because of the growing number of young men hearing Christ’s call to follow Him as priests, as areas devastated by war or natural disaster are rebuilt, and as other areas, long suppressed, are opening up to hear the message of Christ and His Church.”

We know that all of the baptized share in the continued mission of the Church. In the Decree on the Church’s Missionary Activity of Vatican II, it was noted, “The Church on earth is by its very nature missionary since, according to the plan of the Father, it has its origin in the mission of the Son and the Holy Spirit.”

In a message for World Mission Sunday, Pope Benedict XVI taught that even though parts of the Church have experienced a decline in the number of clergy and religious vocations, this cannot impede the Church’s call to evangelize. Even in the face of “growing difficulties,” Christ’s mandate remains a priority and “no reason can justify a slowing down” or stagnation in the Church’s missionary activity, he said. Countless numbers of people, “thirsty for hope and love,” are waiting to hear the Good News, he said. The pope called on Catholics to trust in God’s help and remember that preaching the Gospel is “a duty and a joy.” He noted that: “Christ is the answer to a troubled world as His Gospel message brings hope and can change one’s life for the better.” The pontiff also expressed his gratitude to missionaries who bear witness to the coming of the Kingdom of God in the most remote and challenging places.

Father Mark Lawlor is the pastor of St. Vincent de Paul Church in Charlotte and diocesan director of the Society for the Propagation of the Faith.

The communicant always has the privilege of receiving Holy Communion on the tongue since this form is the traditional custom. In the U.S. and other countries that have received permission from the Holy See, the communicant may receive Holy Communion in the hand. However, “Redemptionis Sacramentum” warns that “special care should be taken to ensure that the host is consumed by the communicant in the presence of the minister, so that no one goes away carrying the Eucharistic species in his hand. If there is a risk of profanation, then Holy Communion should not be given in the hand to the faithful.”

After the reception of Holy Communion, the priest places the remaining hosts in the tabernacle and purifies the sacred vessels at the altar or credence table. While he carries out the purifications, the priest says the following beautiful prayer silently: “What has passed our lips as food, O Lord, may we possess in purity of heart, that what has been given to us in time may be our healing for eternity.”

At this time, it is highly recommended to observe a few moments of silence, since the Body and Blood of the Lord is truly present in the body and soul of each communicant. These are the most precious moments on earth, where we experience communion with God and with His Church.

After a few moments of silent meditation, the celebrant stands and invites the faithful to pray. The Communion Rite closes with the third proper collect or prayer of the Mass, known as the “Prayer after Communion.”

Father Matthew Buettner is the pastor of St. Dorothy Church in Lincolnton. This is excerpted from “Understanding the Mystery of the Mass – Revisited.” Previous columns are archived online at www. catholicnewsherald.com.