Jan. 14, 2011

January 14, 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

Marching for

A new Viewpoint The Poor Clare Nuns of Perpetual Adoration explain why Ordinary Time is so special, in a new monthly column starting this week.

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Missal changes Changes in our prayers at Mass will go into effect next Advent.

Our year-long series highlighting the changes continues.

8-9

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

LIFE From faith to action Catholics across the diocese are working to end abortion.

Inside, three inspiring stories.

10-13 ALSO: Practical information and online resources to help you learn more, pray and get involved.

Calendar 4 Diocese 3-13

FAITH 2

mix 17

nation & World 18-21 Schools 14

Viewpoints 22-24

Call us: 704-370-3333 E-mail us: catholicnews@charlottediocese.org

Our faith

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charlottediocese.org/catholicnews | January 14, 2011 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

St. Sava, archbishop of Serbia Pope Benedict XVI

Rediscover the joy of baptism

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aith is the “most beautiful reason to live,” said Pope Benedict XVI on Sunday, the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord. Faith is sought through baptism and brought to maturity within the Church community.

The pope celebrated Sunday’s feast with a rare Mass in the Sistine Chapel followed by the Angelus prayer in St. Peter’s Square. During the Mass, a Vatican tradition every Jan. 9, he baptized 21 children.

With baptism, he said during his homily, the child is inserted into the “mutual exchange of love” between God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

“The love of God is poured out over them, inundating them with His gifts.”

The pope told the parents that in the sacrament their children join in the life of Christ, crucified to free man from sin and resurrected to conquer death.

They are thus “immersed spiritually in His death and resurrection.”

Parents and godparents ask the Church to pass on the gift of faith, “that which is most precious in life, and that is the truest and most beautiful reason to live,” he explained.

Through baptism, children are called to follow God and to realize the vocation He has for them. Education in the faith is important, so “the seed of faith that they receive today will grow in them and they might reach full Christian maturity.”

Through Christ’s own baptism by John the Baptist, He “established the regeneration in the Spirit and opened, to all who want it, the opportunity to become children of God. “Not by chance – in fact, every baptized person acquires the character of ‘son’ starting with his or her Christian name, an unmistakable sign that the Holy Spirit gives birth ‘anew ‘ to man from the womb of the Church.

“This is a great responsibility that comes from a great gift!”

With those words, he encouraged Christians “to rediscover the beauty of being baptized and to give joyful witness of their faith, so that it may generate fruits of good and harmony.”

— CNA/EWTN News

Feast day: Friday, Jan. 14 Born Prince Rastko Nemanjic (son of the Serbian ruler and founder of the Serbian medieval state, Stefan Nemanja), St. Sava was the first patriarch of Serbia (1219-1233) and is an important saint in the Catholic and Serbian Orthodox churches.

About age 17 (around 1192), Rastko left his comfortable home to join the monastic colony on Mount Athos (the holy mountain in Greece) and was given the name Sava. He first traveled to a Russian monastery, then moved to a Greek monastery. At the end of 1197 his father abdicated as Serbian ruler and joined St. Sava in the ascetic life. In 1198 together they moved to and restored the abandoned monastery Hilandar, and it became the center of Christian monastic life in Serbia.

St. Sava’s father took monastic vows under the name Simeon, and he died in Hilandar on Feb. 13, 1200. He was canonized as St. Simeon.

After his father’s death, St. Sava retreated to an ascetic monastery in Kareya, which Sava had built himself. He wrote the “Kareya Typicon,” a set of instructions for the services and ceremonies at the monastery. It still exists today, inscribed into a marble board at the monastery. He wrote two other typicons, as well as a set of church laws that later became the basis for a constitution in the young country of Serbia.

St. Sava stayed on Mount Athos until 1207. The next year, he returned to Serbia to reconcile his two brothers, who had dragged the country into civil war fighting over their father’s throne. It is said that he showed his brothers the uncorrupt remains of their saintly father, which he had brought with him to establish a monastery at Studenitsa, and they were instantly reunited.

From his new monastery, he and his monks worked to educate the people and teach them the faith, because during the war education and

A saintly life

religion had greatly deteriorated.

He was named metropolitan of a new Serbian hierarchy by Emperor Theodore II Laskaris at Nicaea; was consecrated, though for political reasons unwillingly, by the Orthodox patriarch in 1219, to create the independent Serbian Church; returned home bringing more monks from Mount Athos; and in 1222 crowned his brother Stefan II king of Serbia. Through his efforts, he finished the uniting of his people begun by his father, translated important religious works into Serbian, and gave his people a native clergy and hierarchy.

After stepping down as head of the Serbian Church, he died in Trnovo, Bulgaria, while on his way back from a second pilgrimage to the Holy Land to found a hospice for pilgrims in Jerusalem.

After participating in the blessing of the waters (“agiasmo”), performed during the Divine Liturgy on the Feast of Jesus’ baptism (“Theophany”), he developed a cough that progressed into pneumonia. He died from pneumonia two days later on Jan. 14, 1235. He was buried at the Cathedral of the Holy Forty Martyrs in Trnovo.

In 1237 St. Sava’s remains were moved to the monastery of Mileseva in southern Serbia. (When the monastery at Mileseva was conquered in 1448, its conquerer proclaimed himself “Herzog of St. Sava” – and the area he ruled became called Herzegovina.) More than 300 years later, the Ottoman Turks unearthed his bones and burned them on the main square in Belgrade. St. Sava Cathedral, one of the largest churches in the world, was recently built on that spot.

St. Sava is celebrated as founder of the independent Serbian Orthodox Church and patron saint of education and medicine among Serbs.

— Sources: CatholicNewsAgency.com, Wikipedia.com, CatholicOnline.com

Your daily Scripture readings SCRIPTURE FOR THE WEEK OF JAN. 16 - JAN. 22

Sunday, Isaiah 49:3, 5-6, 1 Corinthians 1:1-3, John 1:2934; Monday (St. Anthony), Hebrews 5:1-10, Mark 2:18-22; Tuesday, Hebrews 6:10-20, Mark 2:23-28; Wednesday, Hebrews 7:1-3, 15-17, Mark 3:1-6; Thursday (St. Fabian, St. Sebastian), Hebrews 7:25-8:6, Mark 3:7-12; Friday (St. Agnes), Hebrews 8:6-13, Mark 3:13-19; Saturday (St. Vincent), Hebrews 9:2-3, 11-14, Mark 3:20-21

SCRIPTURE FOR THE WEEK OF JAN. 23 - JAN. 29

Sunday, Isaiah 8:23-9:3, 1 Corinthians 1:10-13, 17, Matthew 4:12-23; Monday (St. Francis de Sales), Hebrews 9:15, 24-28, Mark 3:22-30; Tuesday, Acts 22:3-16, Mark 16:15-18; Wednesday (Sts. Timothy and Titus), 2 Timothy 1:1-8, Mark 4:1-20; Thursday (St. Angela Merici), Hebrews 10:1925, Mark 4:21-25; Friday (St. Thomas Aquinas), Hebrews 10:32-39, Mark 4:26-34; Saturday, Hebrews 11:1-2, 8-19, Luke 1:69-75, Mark 4:35-41

The facts of faith Why are babies baptized?

By our baptism we are configured to Christ as priest, prophet and king. It is the most important day of our lives: we are given supernatural, sanctifying grace – adopted into the very life of God. We become “partakers” of the divine nature, St. Peter tells us.

The baptism of infants in the first few weeks after their birth is the privilege and duty of parents.

Baptizing an infant in those first few weeks indicates a love for the soul which is dependent upon the care of the parents. The faith of parents would obviously lead them to make sure the gift of grace is given as soon as possible even if parents and godparents cannot be there at the moment. (Parties celebrating the fact of the baptism can appropriately be celebrated later.)

Just as parents need to care for the physical needs of the infant, so they need to care for his or her spiritual needs. That begins by having the child baptized and teaching them the “practice” of the faith, choosing a Christian name, and making sure there are ways to encourage the active living of the faith as the child grows in awareness of his or her Catholic identity. This will, of course, lead to their total happiness.

Each time we renew our baptismal promises, we recommit ourselves to the vibrant Catholic life, which will not only save our souls but assist others on the pilgrimage to Heaven by bringing the message of hope to them. To know, love and serve God in this life is to move toward eternal life in the Beatific Vision of God: Heaven. Our baptism then leads us to bring the Gospel message to the culture in which we live.

— Father Roger K. Arnsparger, vicar of education of the Diocese of Charlotte

Our parishes

January 14, 2011 | charlottediocese.org/catholicnews

catholic news heraldI

Adult faith program kicks off Patricia Guilfoyle Editor

CHARLOTTE — Seven parishes in the Charlotte vicariate are teaming up to offer a substantial new adult religious education program taught by some of the most qualified instructors in the diocese.

Growing in Faith and Theology, or GIFT, will be comprised of eight courses geared towards adults who want to learn more about the faith. Courses include basic Catholic doctrine; the Benedictine, Franciscan and Ignatian spiritual traditions; a scripture course about women in the Bible; Mary in theology and history; how to strengthen your marriage; and the Church in the 21st century. There will also be a course to review the revised translation of the Roman Missal, and a course in Spanish about the Gospel of St. John.

Instructors include Dr. Ron Thomas, Dr. David Williams and Abbot Placid Solari from Belmont Abbey College; Father Frank Cancro of Queen of Apostles Church in Belmont; Father Patrick Earl of St. Peter Church in Charlotte; Father Filipe Scarcella of Our Lady of the Assumption Church in Charlotte; Mercy Sister Mary Hugh Mauldin; Dr. Richard Gaillardetz of the University of Toledo; Julie McElmurry, founder of Franciscan Passages; and Susan Brady, who teaches in several Charlotte parishes.

Courses will be offered at five of the seven sponsoring churches over the course of four weeks in February at varying times in the evenings and weekends aimed to be the most convenient for busy adults. The sponsoring churches are Our Lady of the Assumption, St. Gabriel, St. John Neumann, St. Mark, St. Matthew, St. Peter and St. Thomas Aquinas.

Registration is open to anyone. The registration fee is $30; the Hispanic program is free.

Michael Burck, who helped set up the GIFT program for the Diocese of Paterson, N.J., and led it for 17 years, is excited about bringing this catechetical program to his new home in Charlotte. A member of St. Matthew Church, he’s joined the parish staff as adult enrichment coordinator.

“I think people reach a point in life where they feel they want to learn more,” Burck said, and this program offers people a broader experience of Church than just their individual parishes.

GIFT also offers the sponsoring parishes an economy of resources in working together. It would be very expensive and labor intensive for one parish to do. This program is also tapping into the nearby teaching talent at Belmont Abbey College.

GIFT, SEE page 15

Water is poured over their heads three times and they are baptized in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

photos by Patricia Guilfoyle | Catholic News Herald

Carina Forrest, 11, and Natasha Forrest, 13, (far right) of Asheville were baptized Jan. 5 into the Eastern Catholic Church, at St. Basil Mission in Charlotte. At one point during the rite, both girls processed around the baptismal font three times, holding Father Sean Labatt’s vestments as he prayed. Also pictured, holding the censor, is Father Deacon Daniel Dozier.

Baptism into new life Two Asheville girls were baptized at St. Basil the Great Eastern Catholic Mission in Charlotte Jan. 5. In the Eastern Catholic rite, the holy mystery (sacrament) of baptism is much the same as in the Roman Catholic rite, but following the command of the Lord to ‘let the little children come to me’ (Mt 19:14), the priest administers the two other sacraments of initiation – chrismation (confirmation) and first Holy Eucharist – on the same day, so they may become full participants in the gift of new life in Christ.

Natasha Forrest, 13, and Carina Forrest, 11, were On the Feast of Theophany (Jesus’ baptism

by St. John the Baptist in the Jordan River), services include the Great Blessing of Waters. The blessing includes hymns and Scripture readings (Isaiah 35:1-10, Isaiah 55:1-13, Isaiah 13:3-6, and 1 Corinthians 10:1-4), culminating in the baptism account from the Gospel of St. Mark (1:9-11) followed by the Great Litany. Father Sean then blesses the water while holding a blessing cross, which he then immerses into the water in imitation of Christ’s baptism.

The priest blesses the entire church and the congregation with the newly consecrated water, using an aspergillum of basil branches. The faithful then come forward to be sprinkled with the Theophany Water as they kiss the blessing cross.

received into the Church during Divine Liturgy (Mass) celebrated by Father Sean Labatt, assistant pastor. They are the adopted daughters of Greg and Renee Forrest of Asheville.

Members of St. Basil Mission – part of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Eparchy (diocese) of St. Josaphat in Parma, Ohio – gather for services in English at Charlotte Catholic High School’s chapel each Saturday evening.

For more, check out their Web site at stbasil.weebly.com.

— Patricia Guilfoyle

Father Sean anoints them with holy oil during baptism, and then immediately confirms them by anointing them with sacred chrism (representing the bishop) during chrismation. He prays that they receive “the seal of the gift of the Holy Spirit” – a safeguarding by the Holy Spirit of the graces conferred on them at baptism.

Near the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy, both receive first Holy Eucharist.

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charlottediocese.org/catholicnews | January 14, 2011 OUR PARISHES

Diocesan calendar ARDEN ST. BARNABAS CHURCH, 109 CRESCENT HILL ROAD

Bishop Peter J. Jugis

— Catholic End of Life: Funeral Planning, 11 a.m. Jan. 17

BELMONT Bishop Peter J. Jugis will participate in the following events over the next week: Jan. 14 – 11 a.m.

Charlotte March for Life Diocesan Pastoral Center, Charlotte Jan. 17 – 7 p.m.

Respect Life Mass St. Pius X Church, Greensboro

st. matthew church, 8015 Ballantyne commons pkwy.

— St. Peregrine Healing Prayer Service, 7:30 p.m. Jan. 20

QUEEN OF THE APOSTLES CHURCH, 503 N. MAIN ST. — Centering Prayer Sessions, Room B, 7-8:30 p.m. Mondays.

Contact Peggy Geiger at 704-865-0898.

CHARLOTTE

— Christian Coffeehouse, NLC Banquet Room, 7:30-9:30 p.m. Jan. 22. To reserve a table for 6 or more, contact Kathy Bartlett at kschwabent@aol.com or 704-400-2213

by Jan. 21.

— Back to Basics Catholicism 101: The Church, presented by Sister Mary Hugh Mauldin, RSM, NLC Room 203, 11 a.m.12:15 p.m. Jan. 26, Feb. 2, 9, 16, Mar. 2

CAMPUS MINISTRY, 9408 Sandburg Road — Wednesday Dinners, 6:30 p.m. every Wednesday, open to all college students. Visit sco.uncc.edu/catholic.

— Back to Basics: Survey of the New Testament, presented

by Sister Mary Hugh Mauldin, RSM, NLC Room 203, 7-8:15 p.m. Mondays, 9:30-10:45 a.m. Wednesdays

ST. GABRIEL CHURCH, 3016 Providence Road

— Cancer Support Group, New Life Center, 10 a.m.-noon first Thursday of each month

— St. Gabriel in Transition, for those who are, or soon will be, facing a job layoff or employment transition, Ministry Center, 7-9 p.m. Jan. 20. RSVP to kganzert@bellsouth.net or 704-364-5431.

— A Survivor’s Daughter, A Writer and the Holocaust: A Conversation on Forgiveness, Ministry Center, 6:30 p.m.

Jan. 26. Contact Susan Krasniewski at skrasniewski@ stgabrielchurch.org or 704-362-5047 ext. 210.

— Welcome Home for Returning Catholics, welcome Catholics who have been away from the Church, program offers a one on one companion to walk with the returning individual as they journey the path to full communion with the body of Christ. Contact Julie Jahn at urblessed@carolina.rr.com or 704-560-9202. st. peter church, 507 s. tryon st.

DENVER holy spirit church, 537 n. highway 16 — Moving On After Moving In, class open to women which deals with the spiritual, emotional and practical needs of making a move or life transition, 10-11:30 a.m. Feb. 3.

Contact Candy at 704-489-1696 or Maureen at 704-4890544.

— Cancer Support Group, PAC Room 8, 2-3 p.m. Feb 8

FRANKLIN st. FRANCIS OF ASSISI church, 299 MAPLE ST. — Life Prayer Vigil, 1:30-4:30 p.m. Jan. 24

GREENSBORO st. paul the apostle church, 2715 horse pen creek road — Greensboro Council of Catholic Women Covered Dish Luncheon, noon Jan. 26. Local author, Carol Kenny, will be the speaker. Bring your favorite dish to share. Contact Anne Crooks at 336-855-1402.

— Eucharistic Adoration, 5:30-7 p.m. and 9:30 a.m.-4 p.m. every first Friday of the month

— Social Justice Ministry Film Screening: Dying to Live, 6:30 p.m. Jan. 26. Film will follow Wednesday night dinner. If attending dinner, RSVP to 704-362-5047 ext. 282.

— Eleventh Annual Kennedy Lecture: “And You Welcomed Me,” Biss Hall, 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Jan. 15. RSVP to kennedylecture@gmail.com.

st. pius x church, 220 state st.

— Shining Stars Adult Day Respite for those with early to moderate Alzheimer’s Disease, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays. Contact Suzanne Bach at 704-335-0253.

— Islam Education Series Book Discussion, Ignatius Center, 10:15 a.m. Jan. 23. Free parking in the Green Parking Garage next door.

HUNTERSVILLE

— Shining Stars Adult Day Respite Caregivers Support Group, Ministry Center Room E, 10-11:30 a.m. last Monday of each month. Contact Suzanne Bach at 704-335-0253.

— Ignatian Retreat for Women, 8:30 a.m.-noon Jan. 29. Free parking in the Green Parking Garage next door. Register at ignatianretreat@gmail.com or 704-332-2901.

st. john neumann church, 8451 idlewild road — Week of Christian Unity Prayer Service, 7 p.m. Jan. 20.

RSVP to carol@4sjnc.org.

ST. THOMAS AQUINAS CHURCH, 1400 SUTHER ROAD — Support for Unemployed, Aquinas Hall, 10-11:30 a.m.

Mondays. Contact Steve Basinski at jsbas@carolina. rr.com or 704-456-7434. st. vincent de paul church, 6828 old reid road

— Respect Life Mass, 7 p.m. Jan. 17

st. mark church, 14740 stumptown road — Our Lady of Perpetual Help Novenas, 6:30 p.m. Mondays — Eucharistic Adoration, Chapel, 7:30 a.m. Fridays-8:45 a.m.

Saturdays

WINSTON-SALEM HOLY FAMILY CHURCH, 4820 Kinnamon Road — Charismatic Prayer Group, Chapel, 7:15 p.m. Mondays — Eucharistic Adoration, Curlin Center, 9:30 a.m.-8 p.m.

Thursdays

— Catholics Returning Home Program, Faith Formation Center, 7:30-9 p.m. Jan. 31, Feb. 7, 14, 21, Mar. 1, and 7.

Register at 704-554-7088.

Is your parish or school hosting a free event open to the public? Deadline for all submissions for the Diocesan Calendar is 10 days prior to desired publication date. Submit in writing to catholicnews@charlottediocese.org or fax to 704-370-3382.

January 14, 2011 Volume 20 • Number 7

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: Cindi Feerick 704-370-3332, ckfeerick@charlottediocese.org STAFF WRITER: SueAnn Howell 704-370-3354, sahowell@charlottediocese.org GRAPHIC DESIGNER: Tim Faragher 704-370-3331, tpfaragher@charlottediocese.org

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January 14, 2011 | charlottediocese.org/catholicnews

OUR PARISHESI

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In Brief Learn about Church’s teaching on immigration Jesuit Father William O’Neill, associate professor of social ethics at Santa Clara University in Santa Clara, Calif., will give the 11th annual Kennedy Lecture on Saturday, Jan. 15, at St. Peter Church, 507 S. Tryon St. in Charlotte. His lecture is entitled “And You Welcomed Me: Immigration and Catholic Social Teaching.” Father O’Neill will discuss the theological origins of Church teaching on migration and what Catholics can do to promote a Christian approach to immigration issues. The free lecture will begin at 9 a.m. in Biss Hall.

In addition, St. Eugene Church in Asheville will have two gatherings to learn more about Church teaching on immigration on Monday, Jan. 17, and Monday, Jan. 24. For details, contact event coordinator Bruce Cahoon at bcahoon@unca.edu or 828-275-2967.

Deacon Reyes leaves parish MONROE — Deacon Jesus Reyes has left Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Monroe, moving to Texas with wife Leandra to be closer to relatives. During his seven years at the parish, he baptized more than 700, officiated at 115 weddings, encouraged RCIA participants and delivered many homilies for the Spanish community in addition to numerous other tasks. Leandra Reyes worked with faith formation classes and retreats.

Parishioners threw a farewell celebration for him Jan. 2.

He plans a brief sabbatical before resuming ministry as a deacon in his new parish in Texas.

Father Thomas Kessler, pastor, said, “We are most grateful to God and Deacon Jesus for his very capable and generous service in our parish of Our Lady of Lourdes.”

— Vonn Stone

Annette Tenny | Catholic News Herald

Members of more than 20 churches in the Winston-Salem area recently completed a virtual “Walk to Bethlehem,” logging more than a 6,000-mile distance from North Carolina to Bethlehem by walking, eating healthfully, and, for these folks above, doing a few laps in the pool. Pictured are Alice Elsner, Ann Miller, Becky Edwards, David Parrish, Becky King and Jeanne Bohrer from St. Timothy Episcopal Church.

Spiritual, physical health improved during virtual ‘walk’ to Bethlehem Annette Tenny Correspondent

Quilt raffle a success ASHEBORO — Parishioners of St. Joseph Church in Asheboro recently held a quilt raffle and raised more than $800 for their new building fund. Above, pictured with the “Quilts and Friends are Lifetime Treasures” quilt are the quilters and the winner of the raffle: Veronica Myers, Sandy McCarthy Sheila Hornyak. The St. Joseph Ladies Guild was in charge of the raffle.

— Mary Sampson

WINSTON-SALEM — Laura Rapp knows the importance of physical health. As a registered nurse who holds a master’s degree in nursing, she has years of experience under her belt working hands-on in clinical settings and in teaching others what true physical health is, how to get it and how to keep it.

As a faithful Catholic, Laura is a parishioner at Our Lady of Mercy Church in Winston-Salem and is the director for the Congregational Nurse and Health Ministry program at The Shepherd’s Center. She also knows the importance of spiritual health.

While on a retreat about a year ago, her roommate told her about a virtual walking program she had been involved in called “Walk to Jerusalem by Easter/Walk to walk, SEE page 16

Laura Rapp was the regional coordinator for the “Walk to Bethlehem by Christmas” program. A member of Our Lady of Mercy Church in Winston-Salem, Rapp is a registered nurse who works teaching others what true physical health is, how to get it and how to keep it.

Annette Tenny | Catholic News Herald

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charlottediocese.org/catholicnews | January 14, 2011 OUR PARISHES

Christopher Tonsing

Stewardship and Welcome Home A Catholics Come Home reflection

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lmost three years ago, I made a decision to come home to the Church. I had a very difficult time. Unanswered phone calls led to messages that went un-returned along with e-mails that never saw a reply. I finally decided to just start coming to Mass and hoped that I might meet someone who could help. It was almost a year before I met anyone and close to 18 months before anyone even said, “Welcome home.”

One night 2,000 years ago three Magi, compelled by a calling that they did not fully understand, began a similar journey to find the fulfillment of a promise: the promise of a king who would bring them peace and salvation.

They brought Him gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. But the most precious gift they brought Him did not come in a box. It was themselves – their presence, their devotion and their willingness to travel a long road to find Him. Just like the Magi so long ago, many in our Catholic family who have been away from the Church for a while are beginning that same journey. Their roads may be filled with uncertainty, questions, doubts and maybe even a little fear. As a Church, we should be committed to making sure that these travelers, our returning family members, never have to travel that road alone.

As Catholics, we have a beautiful faith: a Church rooted in absolute truth and founded not by a mere man, but Jesus Christ Himself, God made man. Sometimes, however, we don’t always do a good job of extending that sense of community that was so important and present in the early Church.

I have had people tell me that, when they were coming back, it felt like nobody really cared – come, go, stay, don’t ... nobody really cares. I don’t think that’s the case at all.

In fact, I have seen a sense of excitement

Catholics being welcomed home TV and radio stations throughout the diocese are airing commercials with compelling messages of welcome for fallen-away Catholics and non-Catholics. Spots will air more than 2,100 times until Jan. 23. The campaign, which cost $335,000, is being funded by a special parish collection and a diocesan contribution.

To learn more about how you can get involved in encouraging returning Catholics, go to CatholicsComeHome.org.

‘What I hope this Catholics Come Home campaign does is reinvigorate that sense of evangelism we read about in Acts.’ and enthusiasm about this ministry in my parish of St. John Neumann that makes it quite clear that our church, the Catholic Church, is ready to call for the “fatted calf” and throw a feast for these returning friends.

I think what does happen, however, is that TONSING, SEE page 16

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Annette Tenny | Catholic News Herald

Father Bill Robinson pauses during the Blessing of the Animals at Our Lady of Mercy Church in Winston-Salem Oct. 2 to speak with Marge Youngblood and her cat Loven.

Living in the world the Franciscan way Learn more in upcoming information sessions Annette Tenny Correspondent

WINSTON-SALEM — If you’ve ever attended a Blessing of the Animals, it may have been hosted by your local Secular Franciscan fraternity. If you’re not exactly sure what a Secular Franciscan is, you’re not alone.

What is a Secular Franciscan? Secular Franciscans will give different answers, but many agree that one never really finishes becoming a Secular Franciscan. When one professes, he or she commits to a lifelong journey of learning about the Gospel and how to live it by following in the footsteps of St. Francis.

And while the call and journey within

the Franciscan life is often deeply personal, the living of the way of St. Francis cannot be done alone.

This is where fraternity in a literal and structural sense is important. St. Francis understood the need for brothers and sisters – for comfort and support along the way to a Christ-centered life.

Sometime around 1221, St. Francis founded the Brothers and Sisters of Penance, or Third Order of St. Francis, in response to the lay men and women who felt called to follow his ministry of penance and conversion.

Eventually two branches within the Third Order formed: Third Order Regulars, FRANCISCANS, SEE page 15

Pilgrimage with Father Kottar of St. Mary Parish in Shelby Fatima and Lourdes with Barcelona — November 7-15, 2011 Fatima • Aljustrel • Valinhos • Nazare • Alcobaca Monastery • Cathedral of Burgos • Lourdes • Massabielle • Holy Hill • Carcassone • Barcelona • La Sagrada Familia—the basilica recently blessed by Pope Benedict XVI 9 Days / 14 Meals (7 Breakfasts/1 Lunch/6 Dinners) — Daily Mass *Per Person: Double $2599/Single $2899/Triple $2569

*Included in price: Hotel transfers, Round trip air from CLT *Not included in price: Air taxes & fees/surcharges of $120 (subject to increase until paid in full), Cancellation waiver, Insurance of $150 per person.

For more information, or to register, contact the St. Mary parish office at 704-487-7697 ext. 103.

January 14, 2011 | charlottediocese.org/catholicnews

OUR PARISHESI

2011 CHARLOTTE DIOCESE CELEBRATION OF DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. sponsored by the Diocesan African American Affairs Ministry and featuring

Rev. Dr. Sheldon Shipman, Pastor Greenville Memorial A.M.E. Zion Church in Charlotte

A FREE EVENT FOR YOU, YOUR FAMILY AND YOUR FRIENDS! ALL FAITHS ARE WELCOME! Saturday, January 22 9 am – 3 pm St. Mary’s Catholic Church 812 Duke Street Greensboro, NC (free bus transportation)*

Join us to commemorate the life and vision of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. This FREE event will be a spirit-filled occasion celebrating the life of a brilliant man who was a pioneer for our society and world.

Your day will include: - interactive workshops - parish teen talent - lunch (provided free of charge) - visit to the Greensboro Civil Rights Museum

*Free bus transportation – - leaves Our Lady of Consolation Church in Charlotte at 7:30 am - leaves St. Benedict the Moor at 8:30 am Please CALL 704/568-1573 TO REGISTER by Wednesday, Jan. 19!

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charlottediocese.org/catholicnews | January 14, 2011 OUR PARISHES

Louie Verrecchio

To understand changes, first rediscover Vatican II I

am sure that you’re anxious to explore the new prayers and responses contained in the forthcoming English translation of the Roman Missal, but before we delve into the text itself, it’s important for us to take the time to build a solid foundation upon which our understanding may rest, and it is easily constructed of just three simple building blocks: First, it’s going to be helpful for us to review a bit of background on the Missal; how we moved from the First Edition to the Third Edition, what kinds of changes (beyond just matters of translation) can be found between them, and what motivated the changes in the first place.

Second, catechesis has been so severely lacking over the past 40-plus years that we desperately need to take time to consider exactly what Holy Mass truly is. The poorly translated liturgical texts that are soon to be replaced – as well as the sometimes misguided approaches taken to promote “active participation” – have also contributed to an environment in which many Catholics simply lack an awareness of what liturgy truly is. It’s important that we rectify this situation in preparation for the revised Missal.

Last, St. Pio of Pietrelcina put things in perspective as well as anyone when he said, “The world could better survive without the sun than to do without Holy Mass!” This being the case, we really need to give some sober and humble consideration to what “active participation” in Holy Mass as Holy Mother Church understands it truly means, so we might be properly disposed to receive all that the Lord wishes to give us.

Then we will be prepared to examine the revised texts of the Missal. Specifically, we’re going to take a look at the forthcoming changes to the people’s parts of Mass.

The first edition of the Roman Missal for the Ordinary Form of Holy Mass, or the “Novus Ordo Missae” (Latin for “new order of Mass”) as it is sometimes called, was promulgated by Pope Paul VI in 1969.

Minor revisions were made in 1975 (the second edition) and the typical edition (or the official Latin text upon which all other translations are based) for the third edition – the one that we will begin using this Advent – was approved by Pope John Paul II in 2000.

That’s right, a full decade ago!

Wow! There must have been a whole lot of changes between the second and third editions, right?

Not really. The actual changes between the most recent editions of the Missal – in their official Latin form – are rather small in number.

Among them are more opportunities for Communion under both species, and prayers that acknowledge the some three hundred saints canonized between 1975 and 2000.

Why did it take so long?

Previous English translations were carried out using “dynamic equivalence,” an approach that sought to translate the Latin text into the socalled “language of the people.”

Even though the intentions may have been good, it soon became clear that this approach stripped away critical theological significance from certain texts.

Similar to Sacred Scripture, the prayers and responses that we offer at Holy Mass often have multiple layers of meaning. In their purest form, they serve to elevate the hearts and our minds of the faithful toward God fostering union with the Divine.

They should, in other words, move us beyond ourselves and the present world in a way that draws us ever more deeply into the realm of sacred mystery.

By bringing the language of the Mass “down to earth,” so to speak, the text was often “made flat” as Cardinal Francis George, former president of the U.S. bishops, described it. This caused the richly-layered content of the Missal to be obscured at times, while in some cases the text was

rendered just plain incorrect.

As a result, we as a people – clergy and laity – began to lose our grip on something very valuable: our sense of the sacred.

Recognizing the need to recover what had been lost, the Church called for a more literal and faithful translation of the Latin text to be carried out in the third edition. This made it necessary for English-speaking bishops and liturgical experts to re-examine the entirety of the Missal, not just those parts that had changed between the second and third editions, so they could make improvements or corrections.

To say the least, this was a substantial undertaking!

At great cost, we learned a valuable lesson over the past 40 years. The Latin prayers and responses in the Roman Missal – drawn as they are from a rich liturgical tradition that includes texts that are often hundreds and some even more than a thousand years old – must be treated with the utmost care when attempts are made to translate them into the vernacular.

With this in mind, guidelines for the revised translation were set by the Congregation for Divine Worship in a 2002 document, “Liturgiam Authenticam,” the full name of which includes, “The Fifth Instruction for the Right Implementation of the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy.”

This refers to the first document that emerged from the Second Vatican Council, “Sacrosanctum Concilium,” in which the Council Fathers outlined their vision for liturgical reform. This tells us something important: the forthcoming revised English translation of the Roman Missal is directly related to Vatican II!

‘At great cost, we learned a valuable lesson over the past 40 years. The Latin prayers and responses in the Roman Missal must be treated with the utmost care when attempts are made to translate them into the vernacular.’

To prepare for the new Missal, both pastors and their people need to discover and embrace what the Council Fathers actually taught, because apart from this, the revised translation will lack vital context.

Even those Catholics who are largely unfamiliar with the council’s treatment of the sacred liturgy as expressed in “Sacrosanctum Concilium” are aware of at least one crucial fact: there is much confusion over the council’s true intentions.

While this is not the place to cover in great detail the many misconceptions surrounding the matter, consider just the following handful of changes to the Mass since Vatican II: n Turning the priest around to face the congregation n Constructing free-standing altars to accommodate the practice n Removing altar rails and giving Communion in the hand n Eliminating Latin n Introducing popular music and the “Folk Mass” What do all of these things have in common? None of them was even remotely suggested, much less encouraged, by the council, and yet most Catholics simply assume that Vatican II was the author of each!

If we’re serious about living in the light of truth and recovering our sense of the sacred, it’s time to put an end to the confusion.

We simply must explore the Mass anew to rediscover (for some, for the first time) the true essence of the sacred liturgy. We must be humble enough to look at Mass through the eyes of the Church as expressed by the Council Fathers, so we might understand their vision for the liturgy’s renewal, preparing ourselves well for the great treasure that is offered in the revised English translation of the Roman Missal.

This is where we will pick up next week in part three of this series.

Louie Verrecchio is a Catholic speaker and Catholic News Agency columnist. For more, go to harvestingthefruit.com.

Excerpted from “And with Your Spirit – Recovering a sense of the sacred in the English translation of the Roman Missal – 3rd Edition.”

January 14, 2011 | charlottediocese.org/catholicnews

Revised texts attempt to capture complex concepts of the faith James Breig U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops

Microsoft Vista and “New Coke” have proven that not every change is for the better. Furthermore, when change comes to important elements of life, it is often resisted with the cry of “we never did it that way before.”

However, experts who are enthusiastic about the changes to the Roman Missal – the book that contains the prayers for the Mass – think the alterations are improvements that will lead to a deeper spiritual experience.

“Because a new edition of the Latin Roman Missal was issued in 2002, it is This is part 2 of necessary for all a year-long series the countries of the featuring the world to translate revised translation this Missal into the of the Third Missal. vernacular,” said Our series will be Monsignor Anthony compiled online at Sherman, executive catholicnewsherald. director of the U.S. com. bishops’ Secretariat of Divine Worship, For even more in explaining why resources, check the changes are out the U.S. bishops’ being made. extensive material But translation online at usccb.org/ is not something romanmissal. easy to accomplish, conceded Monsignor Kevin Irwin, dean of the School of Theology and Religious Studies at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. “We all bring our own prejudices and ideas to translation,” he said.

“It is hoped that the new texts will be more accurate so that our faith and our statements of faith are reliable.”

Monsignor Irwin said changes to the Roman Missal are rare.

“The previous Roman Missal (in Latin) was published in 1570, with minor adjustments [being made] in editions through 1962,” he said.

“After the Second Vatican Council, the new [Roman Missal] was published in 1970, followed by a 1975 edition with minor adjustments and then the third edition in 2002 with additional prayers for new saints’ feasts, etc.”

Father Paul Turner of the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph in Missouri elaborated on the latter point, saying that the Missal “includes additional saints’ days that are now on the calendar, as well as some Masses for other circumstances. In addition, the rubrics in Holy Week have many small emendations.”

More online

What makes the translation of the 2002 edition of the Missal different is that this translation is carried out under the latest Vatican guidelines for translating the Mass into vernacular languages.

This guideline, “Liturgiam Authenticam,” published in 2001, urged a stronger adherence to Latin wording and structure than earlier directives.

The results have led to some concern, voiced even by bishops, that the revised English translations of the Missal are not user-friendly.

In the words of one critic, the language “tends to be elitist and remote from everyday speech and frequently not understandable. The vast majority of God’s people in the assembly are not familiar with words ‘ineffable,’ ‘consubstantial’ and ‘inviolate.’”

Monsignor Sherman counters that “in the United States today, people are almost daily learning new vocabulary, and sometimes it is quite technical. The words in our liturgical prayers can afford celebrants the opportunity to reflect on the broader context of those words and so lead the faithful in a deeper understanding of the beliefs being explained.”

He grants that the revised translation “is not perfect because, in a certain sense, no translation can be perfect. The differences of opinion on the translation will be wide. At some future date, the Holy See may substitute a different prayer for what we now have. On the other hand, some have already expressed the opinion that this translation sometimes captures with a greater eloquence the content of the particular prayers.”

Monsignor Irwin said the Church uses technical words in its vocabulary sometimes because those words capture concepts of the faith that would not be easy to understand without using a lot of other words.

“For example, since the 13th century, we have used the term ‘transubstantiation’ to describe the change that occurs in the bread and wine at Mass. Before the change, it is bread and wine. After the change, it looks like, smells like and tastes like bread and wine, but now it is something totally different.”

In Father Turner’s view, vocabulary is not a major problem.

“People will readily understand the texts,” he said. “The reason the Missal includes such words is that the vocabulary in the Latin originals is so broad.”

In recognition of the disturbance change can bring, he added that bishops’ conferences around the world have repeatedly stressed that these translations should not be used without prior and significant explanation.

“One of the things we did not do 40 years ago, when the liturgy was first put into the vernacular, was to explain the changes fully,” he said.

OUR PARISHESI

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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...

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. ...

We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is seen and unseen...

I believe in one God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible. ...

...one in being with the Father. Through Him all things were made. ...

...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)

Gloria

Nicene Creed

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LIFE

charlottediocese.org/catholicnews | January 14, 2011 FROM THE COVER

Marching for In January we especially remember the rights of the unborn with the tragic anniversary of the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision. This week, coverage continues with stories of people across our diocese who are campaigning to protect life and put an end to abortion. Plus, there are ideas for how you can help. In coming weeks, we’ll feature the Jan. 17 Right to Life Mass in Greensboro and the Jan. 24 March for Life in Washington, D.C.

Passionate for the pro-life cause Local pro-life activist Tina Witt shares her love for the unborn SueAnn Howell Staff writer

CHARLOTTE — Tina Witt is a force to be reckoned with. For the past five years, Witt has been the primary coordinator for the March for Life Charlotte. This devout Catholic wife, mother and pro-life activist shares her faith life and her passion for saving the lives of the unborn during a recent interview with the Catholic News Herald: CNH: Please tell us about yourself – your family, your volunteer work, your faith life.

Witt: My husband and I moved to the Charlotte area in November of 1992. We have six children and I am homeschooling the youngest three at this time. I belong to the St. Patrick Respect Life Committee and try to do whatever devotional and pro-life work I can for the Lord or whatever He calls me to do to build up His Kingdom.

My faith life is central and essential to me. I practice daily devotions and attend Mass every day. Praying the rosary every day with my family is vital, also.

CNH: What precipitated your involvement in the pro-life movement?

Witt: I had been away from the Catholic faith since a child. When I experienced a conversion back to the Catholic Church, I learned the truth about abortion through approved and unapproved apparition sites and the teachings of Holy Mother Church. I felt very driven to do all I could to help end this evil.

CNH: What fuels your passion for pro-life activism?

Witt: God fuels my passion! We are all called to protect the innocent and the unborn. The unborn are created in His image and likeness. How we engage our wills to do so will depend on our prayer life, our duty and the gifts that God has given us. But we should all be participating spiritually together to end this evil, and physically too, in any way we can.

CNH: What do you hope to accomplish with this year’s March for Life Charlotte?

Witt: We hope to end abortion! We will first, and most importantly, be worshipping Our King by participating in Holy Mass – receiving Our Lord in Holy Communion and leaving His palace at St. Peter’s to go out and bring Him to others on the streets of Charlotte. We hope to educate Charlotteans by our prayerful witness and the powerful preaching of our priest and a post-abortive woman to wake up Charlotte so we can make our county, state and country a home for the precious unborn! To open up peoples’ hearts, minds and eyes that abortion is a death sentence for these children. That we will send a message throughout our state that North Carolina will not put up with child murder on a daily basis at all! There were 30,596 abortions in North Carolina alone in 2009!

CNH: What advice do you have for someone who is hesitant to step out of his or her comfort zone to stand up for the right to life?

Witt: Just do it! There is nothing easy about the Cross! If you engage your will, God will give you the grace to do it.

We must be strong everywhere for God – at home, at work and in our parishes. We must not be afraid to evangelize the truth on the streets. If the Apostles had been afraid, we would never have the Church as we know it today!

CNH: What resources would you recommend for people who want to learn more about the pro-life movement?

Witt: Please watch Father Pavone’s show “Defending Life” on EWTN. The Web sites for Priests for Life, Human Life International, One More Soul, American Life League, National Right to Life, N.C. Right to Life and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops are some great resources.

Get a catalog from Heritage House, Life Cycle Books or other pro-life companies which have many books and CDs available.

SueAnn Howell | Catholic News Herald

Tina Witt, the organizer of the Charlotte March for Life, pictured at St. Patrick Cathedral’s Family Life Center Wednesday.

‘Children truly are the family’s greatest treasure and most precious good. Consequently,

January 14, 2011 | charlottediocese.org/catholicnews

there I’m going to keep filing it until I get it passed,” Gillespie says.

Currently North Carolina drivers can choose from among 135 specialty license plates, according to CatholicVoiceNC. org. Choose Life plates are available in 24 states. In 2009 50 specialty plates were approved by committee, and the Choose Life plate was the only one for which a vote was not allowed.

Go to CatholicVoiceNC.org to learn more.

— David Hains

Graphic designer proud to play pro-life role Patricia L. Guilfoyle Editor

BREVARD — Deborah Scott lost nearly everything before she found what she was looking for.

She was living in Bay St. Louis, Miss., working as a development director for two Catholic schools, when Hurricane Katrina hit. She evacuated and moved back to North Carolina to be closer to her family, which lives in Pisgah Forest.

Rather than feeling sorry for herself for having lost what she had in Mississippi, she says, she got busy in her new home – learning more about her faith and getting involved in parish life at St. Barnabas Church, and especially the pro-life cause. She joined the Respect Life committee at the parish, then the local chapter of the National Right to Life organization.

With her background in graphic design – she has a Bachelor of Fine Arts from State University of New York at Oswego – Scott began helping out these groups with small design projects. Then she was asked to design the proposed Choose Life license plate, and she felt honored to be part of the effort, she says.

The design (see above) is largely based on the original Choose Life plate in Florida. It features waves and mountains to symbolize the state’s varied geography, as well as the cardinal, the North Carolina state bird. A nonpartisan committee of various church and civic leaders provided input.

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Winston-Salem doctor puts Catholic principles into practice

Choose Life license plate could come up for state vote One of the first pieces of legislation the newly Republican N.C. House of Representatives is expected to pass is the Choose Life license plate bill, says McDowell County Representative Mitch Gillespie.

Gillespie, a Republican, has spoken with the incoming Speaker of the House, Representative Thom Tillis of Mecklenburg County, and with House majority leader Skip Stam of Wake County and has received assurances from both that the bill will be considered by the House early in the session.

Gillespie has introduced the bill for the Choose Life plates nine times since 2001.

The measure passed a committee vote in 2008 but has never been voted on by either chamber of the state legislature.

“I’ve always said, that as long as I’m down

FROM THE COVER

Proceeds from the plate’s fees will go to Carolina Pregnancy Care Fellowship, which will disburse the money to about 80 pregnancy care centers across the state. No taxpayer money is used, and the money directly benefits women and children, which is why Scott says she can’t understand why it hasn’t been approved by state legislators.

“There are over 130 specialty license plates in North Carolina – everything from watermelon farmers to sea turtles.

It’s a matter of fairness to allow this plate to come up for a vote,” she says.

Through this experience, Scott says, she’s learned that there’s more to being Catholic than just going to church. We all need to “take baby steps – pardon the pun,” she says: vote pro-life, sign petitions, call our legislators, go on marches, join the parish Respect Life committee. Go to ncchoose-life.org to learn more.

“We all need to be the voice for the voiceless. There’s something everybody can do, no matter what their age or health,” she says.

Now, Scott runs her own non-profit graphic design business and chairs her parish’s Respect Life group. She says she never imagined being in a leadership role in her church or on pro-life issues.

“My faith grew stronger,” she says of having to start life anew following Katrina. “In retrospect, going through what I went through, losing everything, you realize through that experience how precious life is.”

Conversion spawns new life, new NFP career SueAnn Howell Staff writer

WINSTON-SALEM — Being a pro-life obstetrician/gynecologist in a culture of death poses some serious challenges. For Dr. Lewis Lipscomb, who went through RCIA and converted to Catholicism in 2004, the first challenge was coming to terms with Church teaching on contraception and sterilization in the context of his medical practice.

“It was a bit of a challenge at first, being an ob-gyn in the RCIA class,” Lipscomb says.

“My instructor at Sacred Heart Church in Pinehurst was so devout and was so gracious to me. I found out after I moved that she and her friends had prayed that I would become an NFPonly doctor.”

NFP, or Natural Family Planning, refers to various proven methods married couples may use to space the conception of children naturally and therefore avoid contraception, which is contrary to the sanctity of Lipscomb life and of the marital act.

Lipscomb, who married in 1999 and began his private practice in 2003, has three children aged 9, 6 and 3. He credits many courageous patients, friends and family with nudging him over the years to decide to stop prescribing artificial contraceptives, recommending sterilization or discussing abortion as an option with his patients.

“When I became a medical doctor, I took an oath that all medical doctors take called the Hippocratic Oath. One of the most important themes of the Hippocratic Oath is ‘First, do no harm.’ I am now convinced that contraception is generally harmful on several levels.”

Searching for truth To overcome the challenge of the prevalent belief in the medical profession that NFP is ineffective or “out there,” Lipscomb said he spent a great deal of time researching methods and reading about other doctors who had reached the same conclusion that he had about the validity of Natural Family Planning.

Lipscomb came across an article about Dr. Richard Brennan of St. Louis, Mo., which appeared in the Archdiocese of St. Louis’ newspaper.

“When I was reading the article, his story was remarkably similar to mine,” he says.

It inspired him to enroll last October in the Pope Paul VI Institute in Omaha, Neb., where Brennan had studied to become an NFP Creighton model medical consultant.

Lipscomb said he hopes to become a certified fertility care medical consultant in Natural Procreative Technology (NaProTechnology).

NaProTechnology, based on more than 30 years of research in women’s health, uses methods that work in harmony with a woman’s body. Many common problems women experience can be managed with this method, including premenstrual syndrome (PMS), premenstrual dysphoria disorder (PMDD), endometriosis, abnormal bleeding and postpartum depression.

Changing course Another significant challenge Lipscomb had to overcome was informing his peers and his patients that he was going to follow the teachings of his faith in his practice.

“Once I knew that if I didn’t stop (prescribing contraceptives), I would be disobeying, I knew I had to do the right thing.

“All of my partners and colleagues have been very supportive of me. As I have educated them on the medical benefits of NFP, shared scientific data and legitimate information, they have come to understand that there is clinical evidence for this.”

Lipscomb is pleased that they are now taking strides to make their practice, WomanCare in Winston-Salem, an “NFP friendly” office. “I find that women and couples are very interested in what I have to say. Couples are excited about cooperative ways to deal with fertility,” Lipscomb says.

“That’s very heartening.”

Joining forces Lipscomb’s latest challenge happens to be one his wife Leslie plans to help him with: becoming an instuctor for the Creighton Model. She hopes to begin her studies in February. They are also helping to raise money for another couple in their area to attend the same training in the near future.

“It’s been stressful, but I have a lot of peace,” Lipscomb says of the changes he has made in his medical practice to live up to his Catholic faith. “Now that I view my profession through a different prism, I see my patients are refreshed when I present to them more options. Every day I see patients decide to use NFP and say ‘no’ to pills and sterilization.

They really welcome the natural alternatives.”

everyone must be helped to become aware of the intrinsic evil of the crime of abortion.‘ — Pope Benedict XVI

12 January 14, 2011 | charlottediocese.org/catholicnews

Novena of Reparation for Roe v. Wade, Jan. 14-22 God and Father of Life, You have created every human person, And have opened the way for each to have eternal life.

We live in the shadow of death.

Tens of millions of your children have been killed because of the Roe vs. Wade decision legalizing abortion.

Father, have mercy on us.

Heal our land And accept our offering of prayer and penance.

In your love for us, Turn back the scourge of abortion.

May each of us exult in hearts full of hope And hands full of mercy And work together to build a culture of life.

We pray through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Go online to learn more Details about the annual March for Life in Washington, D.C.: marchforlifecharlotte.org Priests for Life: PriestsforLife.org Silent No More awareness campaign: SilentNoMoreAwareness.org Rachel’s Vineyard: RachelsVineyard.org All of these groups are also on Facebook.

Check out the following: Go to prolifeprayers.com to join the Pray to End Abortion cause.

Two Facebook pages supporting the prolife cause are at facebook.com/prolifepage and facebook.com/noabortion.

Priests for Life is at: facebook.com/ priestsforlife.org Silent No More is at: facebook.com/ silentnomoreawarenesscampaign Rachel’s Vineyard is at: facebook.com/ rachelsvineyard You can also follow Father Frank Pavone on his blog at priestsforlife.org/blog, or on Twitter at twitter.com/frfrankpavone.

FROM THE

To stand for life, ‘first kneel and pray’ Right to Life Mass set for Jan. 17 GEORGIANNA PENN CORRESPONDENT

GREENSBORO — The Greensboro vicariate’s annual Right to Life Mass will be celebrated by Bishop Peter J. Jugis on Monday, Jan. 17. The Mass will begin at 7 p.m. at St. Pius Church, 2210 N. Elm Street in Greensboro. A reception will follow the Mass.

With the Jan. 22 anniversary of Roe v.

Wade approaching, many parishes are hosting prayer vigils and special Masses in hopeful prayer for the restoration of the legal right to life for future generations. According to Monsignor Anthony Marcaccio, pastor of St. Pius X, “It is my hope that our liturgy will empower us for real action.”

Monsignor Marcaccio said this Mass has an extra blessing attached to it, one that fits well with the civil rights history of Greensboro.

“When the bishop’s office gave us the date for this Mass, I was originally concerned

that it fell on the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday. Rather than diminish in any way the memory and spirit of the civil rights movement – especially with the sitins being so much a part of Greensboro’s history – I hope that our celebration of the liturgy will connect us to a tradition of peaceful and prayerful opportunities that take a stand for the most basic of human rights.”

“There is no need to guarantee the right to assemble, or the freedom to take part in government, if we do not first respect and protect the right to life,” he continued.

Spiritual leader Hannah Hammer, who leads the St. Joseph’s Prayer group in Greensboro, said the group plans to attend the Right to Life Mass and pray for an end to abortion. “Mass is the highest form of prayer,” she said.

With the many pro-life events scheduled during January, it is important to first remember that it is God’s love and compassion that changes hearts, and pro-life advocates say prayer is a critical way in which the faithful can get involved in support of the right to life.

“I hope you’ll agree, that with such an important stand to take, it’s best to first kneel and pray,” noted Monsignor Marcaccio.

Make your voice heard in D.C. Join more than half a million others Jan. 23-24 SUEANN HOWELL STAFF WRITER

CHARLOTTE — Americans from all across the U.S. will soon board buses, trains, planes and anything with wheels to make the pilgrimage to our nation’s capital to stand up for the Right to Life in this year’s March for Life D.C. In 2010, more than half a million people joined forces to march up Constitution Avenue past the Capitol Building and the U.S. Supreme Court to voice support for the Right to Life for the unborn, the disabled and the elderly.

The annual march is in its 37th year and marks the 1973 anniversary of the Roe v.

Wade decision that legalized abortion in the U.S. Participants include pro-life politicians

from all levels of government as well as clergy and laity from many faiths. Hundreds of thousands of the marchers are youth who hope to end the scourge of abortion, which has killed millions of the unborn of their generation.

A vigil Mass will be celebrated at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception at 6:30 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 23. Daniel Cardinal DiNardo, chairman of the U.S. Catholic Conference of Bishops Committee on Pro-Life Activities and the current archbishop of the Diocese of Galveston-Houston, will be the main celebrant and homilist. The basilica is located adjacent to the Catholic University of America.

A Mass especially for North Carolina residents will be said at the basilica at 11:30 a.m. Monday, Jan. 24.

Raleigh Bishop Michael F. Burbidge will be the main celebrant, and Bishop Peter J. Jugis will be the homilist. Priests from both North Carolina dioceses will concelebrate.

For a complete listing of March for Life events on Jan. 23 and 24 and for detailed information about the March for Life procession route, hotel accommodations and local transportation options, go to marchforlife.org.

Marchin

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January 14, 2011 | charlottediocese.org/catholicnews

ng for

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Any woman who is pregnant and in need can turn to the pro-life movement for help.

She never has to feel that abortion is the only option. Thousands of pregnancy centers, churches and other organizations are providing counseling, medical services, legal advice, job and education opportunities, adoption services, or just the understanding ear of a friend.

There is forgiveness after abortion Catholics who reject abortion do not reject those who have had abortions. Counseling, forgiveness and healing can be found for both men and women after abortion. Priests for Life operates the world’s largest ministry for healing after abortion. Known as “Rachel’s Vineyard,” this ministry holds hundreds of retreats worldwide each year and provides follow-up services as well. For more information: Diocese of Charlotte, Maggi Nadol, 704-370-3229 Rachel’s Vineyard: 1-877-HOPE-4-ME; RachelsVineyard.org National Helpline for Abortion Recovery: 1-866-482-LIFE; NationalHelpLine.org

Other opportunities to help and to learn more ■ Join the prayer campaign. Prayer is the foundation of everything Catholics do in the pro-life movement. Strengthen the movement, save lives, and change hearts and minds by praying explicitly each day for an end to abortion, for the babies and their parents, for doctors and public officials, and for all who are working in this great cause.

At PrayerCampaign.org is a source for prayers to end abortion.

■ Partner with the Silent No More awareness campaign. At SilentNoMoreAwareness. org, Catholics can partner with the world’s largest movement of women and men who have lost children to abortion. Doing so spreads the word that healing and forgiveness are available to those who have had abortions.

■ Exercise political responsibility. The pro-life movement works across party lines and calls everyone to rediscover that the foundational principle of government is the right to life, and the duty of government is to protect life. Moreover, if Catholics want public policies to be based on that principle, then it’s necessary to participate in elections and in communicating with those who are elected.

North Carolina residents gathered in Washington, D.C., last January for the annual March for Life and to speak out for an end to abortion.

Catholic Voice North Carolina, CatholicVoiceNC.org is the non-partisan voice of the state’s two Catholic bishops: the Most Reverend Peter J. Jugis, bishop of Charlotte, and the Most Reverend Michael F. Burbidge, bishop of Raleigh. Over the past two years Catholic Voice North Carolina participants have sent thousands of e-mails to legislators and other public officials when life issues were under consideration. Participants receive e-mail alerts when a public policy issue regarding life is under consideration. There is no cost to join. Also visit PoliticalResponsibility.com.

■ Make a tax-deductible donation. The diocesan Respect Life office welcomes donations online at cssnc.org, or by mail: Catholic Social Services, 1123 South Church Street, Charlotte, N.C. 28203-4003. You can also donate to Priests for Life online at priestsforlife.org/donate.

■ Tune in to “Defending Life.” Experts talk about the best pro-life strategies and most compelling pro-life stories on “Defending Life,” the world’s largest, longest-running TV series about abortion and the pro-life movement. Hosted by Father Frank Pavone, this series airs on EWTN, the world’s largest religious broadcasting network. It can also be heard online and on the radio.

SUEANN HOWELL | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

SueAnn Howell

Save a life, learn more about abortion

Diocese of Charlotte support services: Pregnancy Support: 1-888-789-4989 Natural Family Planning: 704-370-3230 Adoption: Asheville: 828-255-0146; Charlotte: 704-370-3262; Winston-Salem: 336-714-3203 Option Line of Care Net/Heartbeat: 1-800-395-HELP; PregnancyCenters.org National Life Center: 1-800-848-LOVE Sign up for pro-life updates: subscribe@priestsforlife.org

— Source: PriestsforLife.org

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Every life is worth living

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here’s a good chance that I wouldn’t be here if abortion were legal and widely available in 1966. My parents were high school sweethearts in their teens and I was, well, “unplanned.”

I didn’t really think much about this until I became a mother at the age of 32. After nine long months of illness and then the “joy” that is labor and childbirth, I was faced with the beauty of life in my newborn son – a gift after five years of marriage.

Looking back now, I see that his birth changed the course of my life and my Catholic faith in the most wondrous of ways.

I spent hours on my knees being sick during pregnancy. It gave me a lot of time to pray, which was something I hadn’t done a whole lot in my life up to then. I told God that if He would protect my baby, I would start going to church every week and reconcile myself to the Catholic Church.

That was a pretty big promise from a one-time pro-choice, contracepting moral relativist who only went to Mass for weddings, funerals and some holidays.

What I found over the course of my pregnancy – even during the darkest days of forced bed rest, foul-tasting medication, an IV and the inability to ingest food – was the desire to protect and nurture the life growing within me. It was the most selfless, and the most humiliating, time of my life. And yet it was one of the most fruitful in the growth of my faith and my understanding of the sanctity of all life.

After the birth of my son, my Catholic faith life skyrocketed! I became active in my parish. I started women’s ministries, reaching out to other moms and women who had distanced themselves from the Church. I volunteered with the youth group, the choir, a church Girl Scout troop and many parish outreach efforts.

Over the course of many years my faith, which was forged during my pregnancy, brought me through the greatest trials of my life as well: the death of loved ones, loss of homes, unemployment, poverty and divorce.

What might seem personal tragedies have been turned into blessings by God’s grace. I have reciprocated His faithfulness to the best of my ability over the past 12 years and I have seen a shower of blessings.

I often think to myself: What would have happened if my parents had denied my right to life? All the corporal and spiritual works of mercy I have performed with love for others, none of them would have occurred. It makes me realize that all life, no matter when it is conceived, is worth living.

SUEANN HOWELL is a staff writer for the Catholic News Herald and is a parishioner at St. Ann Church in Charlotte.

Our schools

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charlottediocese.org/catholicnews | January 14, 2011 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Mary Polking Editor’s note: Fifth-grader Mary Polking wrote this for a class project at St. Gabriel School last Christmas. It tells the story of two lambs seeing the Star of Bethlehem and going home to their stable, only to find someone special there, lying in the manger...

“ photo courtesy of Anne Knapke and Jean Navarro

Celebrating Christmas Students at St. Pius X School in Greensboro enjoyed their annual Christmas program Jan. 4 after a snowfall delayed the festivities before Christmas break. At the end of the performance, students reenacted the Nativity scene.

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“light up for Christ” was the for the blessin theme g crèche outsid and lighting of the e holy Spirit Church in Denver. For more Christmas celebr scenes of ations around diocese, turn the to pages 8-9.

Missal changes Changes in our prayers at Mass will go into effect next advent. our year-long series highlig hting the changes kicks off this week. 6-7

The Charlotte March for Life wil be held Friday, l Jan featuring Fathe . 14, r Frank Pavone of Priest s for Life.

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704-370-3332

My gift to God

Really Agatha,” Perpetua had told me a few days later. “I do not see what the fussing was all about. I was born on the same day only a year ago, and there was not a fireworks display for me.” That is Perpetua for you. The most snobbish sheepdog a lamb would ever see. But she’s my friend, and we all enjoy her creativity and imagination.

The fireworks display Perpetua mentioned was actually the stars dancing to the music of some half person-half bird creatures in the sky. It seemed special.

Then the shepherds started talking to them. I heard the words “King” and “find.” I got excited, thinking. Just then, Perpetua nudged me. “Come on,” she said. “We are going home early.” That is where we seemed to be going, no detours to any palaces. We got back to our stable.

“Home sweet home.”

It was then I noticed the baby in the manger. I viewed the gifts people were giving to Him. He was the King! Perpetua yelped and lay down at His feet. I wanted to give Him something, too. For a while I kept time with the music of a drum, but that was not enough. I then saw an aged woman come in. She dropped an apple with a bite out of it at His feet. I gave it to Him before Perpetua got hungry, and His mother smiled. “Good-bye, Eve,” she said as the old woman walked away. Eve waved.

Suddenly, I knew what this King needed. Even we lambs cannot sleep well without something under our heads.

I closed my eyes. It would hurt, but it was worth it. I bit off some wool and laid it under His head. A perfect pillow!

Perpetua smiled at me, and I smiled back.

I scrutinized Eve as she walked away. I wonder, even today, if she had something to do with this. I think she did. Perpetua and I enjoy pondering where Eve came from, but I have enough happiness from the event and telling others about it. I do not need to know.

Mary Polking, 11, is a fifth-grader in Kristine Calderone’s class at St. Gabriel School in Charlotte. She is the daughter of Jean and Christian Polking of Charlotte.

January 14, 2011 | charlottediocese.org/catholicnews

FRANCISCANS: FROM PAGE 6

comprised of men and women who live in community, and Third Order Seculars, comprised of men and women who live in the world. In the late 1970s, the Third Order Seculars changed their name to the Secular Franciscan Order.

Secular Franciscans live guided by the promises they make and the Rule they follow. Like all Franciscans, there are certain activities they are called to, such as service to the poor and the dispossessed.

“Being a (Secular) Franciscan isn’t about doing, it’s about becoming … [in] relationship with Jesus and relationship with other people,” says Mary Ellen Humphrey, a Secular Franciscan who is a founding

member of the Fraternity of St. Clare in Winston-Salem. “You have to allow yourself to be open and to be surprised by change and willing to accept it.”

Betti Longinotti, an artist and teacher who serves as the minister for the Fraternity of St. Clare in Winston-Salem, says St. Francis’s love for Christ and his devotion to all of God’s creation has always resonated with her.

Finding ways to express that resonance through her art has been greatly influenced by her commitment as a Secular Franciscan. For her, being a Secular Franciscan and living in the world means connection.

“The Lord said in John, I am the Vine, you are the branches …

I think Francis is a main branch of the Lord’s Vine. And I feel that as Francis is our Seraphic Father we are connected into that Vine,”

GIFT: FROM PAGE 3

There’s no homework, and even though the instructors are experts in their fields, the courses will be accessible for the average layperson.

This first semester of GIFT will become

Longinotti says. “And fraternity means community – being bonded to Christ through Francis and being bonded to each other – and not just our lay order, but being connected to the whole Franciscan family of religious and lay orders.”

As with any order, becoming a Secular Franciscan is a process involving guided study and regular formation classes. Discernment follows three phases: orientation, inquiry and candidacy.

To find out more about the Secular Franciscans or to find a community in your area, go to the National Fraternity of the Secular Franciscan Order-USA’s Web site, nafra-sfo.org.

In the Winston-Salem area, the Fraternity of St. Clare is hosting information sessions called “Come And See” starting Jan. 25. Call Frank O’Neil at 336-765-8775 or go online to sites.google.com/site/ fraternityofstclare.

an annual program for adult religious education in the Charlotte area, Burck said, with different courses offered each year.

Courses and instructors will be set based on the sponsoring parishes’ needs and requests.

More parishes are welcome to join this collaborative effort.

To view a full listing of course titles, descriptions and a registration form, go online to the home pages ofstgabrielchurch. org; stmarknc.org orstmatthewcatholic.org, or call 704-541-8362, ext. 4.

Pre-K through 8th grade Open House on Thursday, January 20th at 9:30 a.m.

Middle School Readiness Seminar and Middle School Open House on Tuesday, January 25th at 6:30 p.m.

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Father Bill Robinson speaks to Betti Longinotti, who serves as the minister for the Secular Franciscans Order’s Fraternity of St. Clare in Winston-Salem, during the Blessing of the Animals at Our Lady of Mercy Church in WinstonSalem Oct. 2.

Annette Tenny | Catholic News Herald

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charlottediocese.org/catholicnews | January 14, 2011 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

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WALK: FROM PAGE 5

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Experiencing difficulties in your marriage?

A Lifeline for Marriage October 21-23, 2011 in Raleigh Come for a weekend to rediscover your spouse under the ministry of Retrouvaille, (pronounced "retro-vi").

Designed to provide tools for difficult times, this weekend will help married couples examine their lives in new, positive ways.

Retrouvaille has helped many thousands of couples experiencing everything from disillusionment to deep misery.

For confidential info or to register: (434) 793-0242, (336) 297-0295 or retrouvaillenc@msn.com. Visit our Web site: www.retrouvaille.org.

Bethlehem by Christmas.” After purchasing the toolkit and making some changes, Laura chose the “Walk to Bethlehem by Christmas” program and planned to involve her fellow parishioners.“But then I thought, you know, this would be a lot of fun to get a lot of other congregations involved,” she said.

She sent out notices to various congregations in the Winston-Salem area, and 20 churches and congregation coordinators eventually signed up. Just like a real world journey, this virtual walk would require recruiting people to walk the 6,175 miles from Winston-Salem to Bethlehem and gathering the necessary supplies.

It was up to each individual congregational coordinator to gather the walkers, structure the program, collect the weekly miles and report them to Rapp. In turn, each congregational coordinator was given a weekly Scripture reading with questions for reflection and short geography lessons about the countries the walkers would be passing through.

Some congregations offered pedometers as incentives and some gathered together for a meal before the “walk” began.

By the time the 12-week virtual walk started Sept. 26, more than 400 people had joined. Some of them walked in groups, some incorporated the walking into their weekly exercise routine. For those unable to walk or those too young to walk, Rapp worked out conversions – for example, eating one serving of fruits or vegetables (half a cup) was the equivalent of walking one-half mile. Fifteen minutes of armchair exercise also equaled one-half mile. For those nonwalking participants, 20 minutes of aerobic activity equaled one mile.

Once the walk began, it was up to Rapp to keep the congregational coordinators motivated and inspired so they in turn could encourage their walkers to keep up with the 6,000-mile journey. She logged all of the congregations’ miles, updated the coordinators each week, answered questions such as “Are we taking a boat across the

TONSING: FROM PAGE 6

Catholics assume everyone knows that they are invited and that we want everyone to come home to the Church. Along with that, they assume that there is “someone else” who is “more qualified” to help returning Catholics.

What I hope this Catholics Come Home campaign does is reinvigorate that sense of evangelism we read about in Acts. I hope it reminds every Catholic that, at our baptism, we were all ordained with a spirit that made us the “voice that cries out in the wilderness”; that makes us uniquely suited to help returning Catholics.

Atlantic – or do we get to walk on water?”, and generally kept everyone on track following the Star to Bethlehem.

Each of the congregations arrived in Bethlehem “on time” for Christmas, and the congregational coordinators breathed sighs of relief that all their charges were safe and sound in time to celebrate the birth that changed the world. Participants walked a total of 138,388 miles.

Said Velma White, congregational coordinator for Galilee Missionary Baptist Church, “I have been wonderfully blessed at seeing how people of God can do anything as long as He is in the midst! The coming together of all these churches, people, nurses, friends and children for such a cause as this!”

Elvenia Johnson, coordinator for Mt. Zion Church, said members had participated in other walks but had never had the participation or health benefits of the “Walk to Bethlehem by Christmas” program. One walker shed five pounds, she said.

“The best part has been having the participants come up and ask where we are in our walk. Our missionary group leader wanted to contribute to our efforts, so as part of their program we had a Saturday morning prayer walk,” she added.

For Rapp, the “Walk to Bethlehem” program exceeded her wildest dreams.

“I was shocked to end up with 20 congregations,” she said. “I know now that people will commit to a long-term healthrelated program that is faith based and supported by their church.”

As for future plans, St. Timothy Episcopal Church is offering an End of Walk Celebration Jan. 29 for all of the coordinators and walkers. It is a chance for all those who journeyed together to meet face to face, enjoy fellowship and gear up for the next walk.

“People are already asking what happens next,” said Rapp. “We will be doing a ‘Walk To Jerusalem by Easter’ to start at the end of January and run for the 12 weeks prior to Easter Sunday.”

For more information or to sign up your parish for the next virtual walk, contact Laura Rapp, regional coordinator at the Shepherd’s Center, at 336-748-0217 or Lrapp@ shepherdscenter.org.

I hope it helps people understand that each one of us is called to be that “someone else.”

I like to remind people that God called an old, white-haired man to build the ark, the adopted son of a pagan Egyptian pharaoh to free His people, a scrawny sheep herder to slay a giant, and a burly fisherman to be the first pope. All He is asking you to do is be a friend to a returning Catholic.

One night 2,000 years ago everyone from shepherds to magi was drawn to the manger, each one invited and each one welcomed.

Returning Catholics, let us join you as you find your way back to the manger with the most precious gift of all: you.

Christopher Tonsing is the parish leader for the Catholics Come Home ministry at St. John Neumann Church in Charlotte. Contact him at chris@charlottecatholics.com or 704-430-9711.

January 14, 2011 | charlottediocese.org/catholicnews

In theaters

‘The King’s Speech’ Stirring historical drama about the unlikely relationship between the Duke of York (Colin Firth) – second in line to the British crown – and the eccentric speech therapist (Geoffrey Rush) under whose care he reluctantly places himself at the instigation of his loyal wife (Helena Bonham Carter) to overcome his stammer. This task becomes more urgent as the death of the duke’s father (Michael Gambon) and the abdication of his brother (Guy Pearce) propel the unwilling heir toward the throne. A couple instances of profanity.

CNS: A-III (adults); MPAA: R

‘Country Strong’ This music-filled drama about a troubled country singer (Gwyneth Paltrow) wears its mawkish clichés proudly on its flannel sleeves. Writer-director Shana Feste creates four one-dimensional characters in a shopworn tale of substance abuse, adultery and the grim lifestyle on a tour bus. Implied adultery and premarital sex, pervasive crude language.

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

‘Season of the Witch’ Boring medieval adventure in which two warriors (Nicolas Cage and Ron Perlman), disenchanted with the Crusades, go AWOL. They face incarceration unless they escort a young prisoner (Claire Foy) to an abbey to stand trial as a witch whose black magic has caused the plague, which is ravaging the land.

Pervasive anti-Catholic bias, occult themes, partial nudity, violence, vulgarity.

CNS: O (morally offensive); MPAA: PG-13

‘Black Swan’ A shy ballet dancer (Natalie Portman) rebels against her overprotective mother (Barbara Hershey) and seeks to imitate a rival (Mila Kunis) by embracing a hedonistic lifestyle to fit her for the major role in Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s “Swan Lake,” an onstage embodiment of guile and sensuality.

Strong sexual content, including lesbian and nonmarital heterosexual activity and masturbation, drug use, profanity.

CNS: O (morally offensive): MPAA: R

‘Unplanned’ reveals secrets of abortion business

n Saturday, Jan. 15, 9 a.m.

(EWTN) “A Morning of Prayerful Remembrance and Intercession.” Live from St. Patrick Cathedral in New York City. A prayer service, created in the spirit of the New Evangelization, reflections and testimonies acknowledging abortion’s universal impact.

The day includes Eucharistic Adoration and concludes with Mass. n Sunday, Jan. 16, 1:30-3 p.m. (EWTN) “In Concert: Popular Choral Classics.” The Choir of St. John’s College performs favorite anthems and hymns by Mozart, Haydn, Brahms, Byrd, Grieg, Bruckner and Mendelssohn, among others. Christopher Robinson conducts this concert from St. John’s College Chapel in Cambridge, England.

abortion business.”

When she quit her job, Planned Parenthood sued in an effort to gag both Johnson and Carney from speaking publicly about the abortion business. The lawsuit was dismissed.

In the 268-page book published by Ignatius Press, Johnson talks about the court battle and details what it brought to light about Planned Parenthood’s agenda. It contains a foreward by Father Frank Pavone of Priests for Life.

Now, Johnson advocates for the pro-life movement and is enrolled in RCIA classes to convert to Catholicism. She blogs at abbyjohnson.org.

— compiled from news reports

Vatican not working with Discovery on exorcism series CNA/EWTN News

VATICAN CITY — Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi has denied claims there is any official collaboration between the Holy See and Discovery Channel for a series launching this spring called “The Exorcist Files.”

The network had announced that it would be “teaming with the Vatican” to recreate documented cases of possession based on cases investigated by the Church, Entertainment Weekly said Jan. 5. The report included several statements from Discovery Channel president W. Clark Bunting on the difficulty and nature of an apparent agreement with the Vatican, touting it as “an unprecedented new series hunting the deadliest catch of all: demons.”

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On TV

Ex-Planned Parenthood leader tells why she became pro-life A former Planned Parenthood clinic director who shot to national attention in 2009 after quitting to join the pro-life movement is telling her story in a book released earlier this week.

In “Unplanned: The Dramatic True Story of the Planned Parenthood Leader Who Crossed the Life Line to Fight for Women in Crisis,” Abby Johnson describes her conversion from abortion clinic director in Bryan, Texas, to pro-life advocate in 2009 after witnessing an ultrasound-assisted abortion for the first time. In her book, she recounts seeing the struggling fetus being sucked out of the crying patient’s uterus by the abortion doctor’s instrument and her feelings of confusion, shock and guilt. It wasn’t long before she walked literally across the road from the Bryan/College Station clinic to join the Coalition for Life – the same location where the first 40 Days for Life campaign was launched five years earlier.

“Six 40 Days for Life campaigns were conducted outside her workplace,” said 40 Days for Life Campaign director Shawn Carney, “before Abby experienced a profound conversion during the fall 2009 campaign ... and literally walked into my office with deep remorse to tell me she wanted out of the

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Bunting claimed producers had “access into the Vatican’s case files” and “the organization’s top exorcists – religious experts who are rarely seen on television.” “The Vatican is an extraordinarily hard place to get access to, but we explained we’re not going to try to tell people what to think,” he said.

Father Lombardi’s comments, however, suggest that publicity for the show has been distorted.

In remarks to media Jan. 8, he said no Vatican organizations are working with Discovery. “I deny that supposed collaboration,” he told the Spanish EFE agency. He called the claimed relationship “totally out of place,” and he denied any involvement with the Pontifical Council for Social Communications or the Vatican Television Center, of which he is also the director.

n Saturday, Jan. 22, 1-3:30 p.m. (EWTN) “Walk for Life West Coast (Live).” Father Mark Mary and Doug Barry host live coverage of the Walk for Life West Coast in San Francisco. Rebroadcast 9:30noon Sunday, Jan. 23. n Sunday, Jan. 23, 6:30 p.m.

(EWTN) “Solemn Vigil Mass for Life (Live).” From the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C., Holy Mass on the eve of the March for Life with celebrant and homilist Daniel Cardinal DiNardo. n Monday, Jan. 24, 7:30 a.m. (EWTN) “Solemn Mass for Life (Live).” Holy Mass preparing for the March for Life celebrated at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception with celebrant and homilist Archbishop Timothy Broglio. n Monday, Jan. 24, 11 a.m.

(EWTN) “March For Life (Live).” Exclusive live and complete coverage of the most important pro-life event of the year: the 2011 March For Life in Washington, D.C. This prayerful event starts with the Rally for Life and leads to the march up Constitution Avenue. Coverage includes interviews, panel discussions and speeches by pro-life advocates around the country.

Our nation

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charlottediocese.org/catholicnews | January 14, 2011 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Revised New American Bible to be released Ash Wednesday

In Brief Boehner takes over from Pelosi in House WASHINGTON, D.C. — Incoming U.S. House Speaker John Boehner uses the gavel during the first votes of the 112th U.S. Congress on Capitol Hill Jan. 5. The Catholic Republican from CNS | Kevin Lamarque, Reuters Ohio took the helm last week from California Democrat Nancy Pelosi, also a Catholic.

Milwaukee archdiocese files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy ST. FRANCIS, Wis. — The Archdiocese of Milwaukee filed for Chapter 11 reorganization Jan. 4 in the wake of costly clerical sex abuse lawsuits. It is the largest archdiocese to file for bankruptcy, and the second U.S. archdiocese and the eighth diocese overall.

Archbishop Jerome E. Listecki announced the move a year to the day after his installation. He said in a letter to Catholics and at a news conference that Chapter 11 reorganization is the best way to achieve two goals: “First, we want to do as much as we can, as fairly as we can, to compensate victims/ survivors (of clergy sex abuse) with unresolved claims – both those with claims pending and those who will come forward because of this proceeding. Second, we want to carry on the essential ministries of the archdiocese so we can continue to meet the needs of our parishes, parishioners and others who rely upon the Church for assistance.”

The action makes it possible for the archdiocese to use its available funds to compensate victims/survivors with unresolved claims “in a single process overseen by a court, ensuring that all are treated equitably,” he said.

Dolan among members of New Evangelization council VATICAN CITY — The new Pontifical Council for Promoting New Evangelization has its first members, including Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan of New York. The council is charged with renewing and strengthening the faith in traditionally Christian countries where religious belief and practice are threatened by secularism and indifference. Pope Benedict XVI named 19 cardinals and bishops to be members of the council Jan. 5.

— Catholic News Service

CNA/EWTN News

CNS | Rick Wilking, Reuters

A girl and her father light a candle at a memorial Jan. 9 outside Tucson University Medical Center in Arizona where victims of a Jan. 8 shooting rampage are recovering. U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., was in critical condition at the center after being shot in the head by Jared Lee Loughner, 22. He is accused of killing six people and wounding 14 others.

As Tucson mourns, victims remembered Patricia Zapor Catholic News Service

TUCSON, Ariz. — As Tucsonans continued to reel from the Jan. 8 shooting spree that left six dead and another 14 wounded, religious leaders looked to help heal the emotional pain through prayer and memorial services this week. The victims were remembered for their warmth and goodness, some for their sense of public service, and several for their church involvement.

The attack during a meet-yourcongressional-representative event at a Safeway shopping center killed six and severely injured U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, 40, who hosted the event. The alleged shooter, Jared Lee Loughner, 22, was tackled by bystanders and is being held on five federal charges – two counts of murder and three counts of attempted murder, related to the deaths of two U.S. government employees (a federal judge and a congressional aide) and the attempted murder of Giffords and two of her staff members. He appeared in a Phoenix court Jan. 10.

Amid the outpouring of grief and shock, personal stories of the shooting victims were putting their faces into focus for the world.

Those killed included U.S. District Court

Judge John M. Roll, 63, and Christina Taylor Green, 9, who were both active in their Catholic parishes.

Roll, the chief judge of the Tucson federal court, had stopped by the shopping center in northwest Tucson to see Giffords on his way home from daily Mass at St. Thomas the Apostle Church. He was a fourth-degree member of the Knights of Columbus and “a dedicated public servant,” according to Supreme Knight Carl Anderson.

Roll for many years began his day by serving at Mass as a lector at Sts. Peter and Paul Church or St. Thomas the Apostle Church.

Fred Allison, spokesman for the Tucson diocese, said he regularly saw Roll at daily Mass at St. Augustine Cathedral, a few blocks from the federal courthouse. “He was absolutely dedicated and devoted in terms of daily Mass attendance and dedicated to the ministry as a lector,” he said. “His faith was a wellspring of who he was as a judge and in his marriage.”

Green came to meet Giffords with a neighbor because she was interested in civics, having just been elected to the student council at Mesa Verde Elementary School. The third-grader also was part of a children’s choir at St. Odilia TUCSON, SEE page 19

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The New American Bible, Revised Edition has been approved for publication and will be available on March 9, Ash Wednesday. The new translation aims for better accuracy, better adaptation to contemporary English, and easy singing or recitation of the Psalms.

Cardinal Francis George, former president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, approved the publication on Sept. 30, 2010, while he was still the head of the conference. The new edition will be available in a variety of print, audio and electronic formats, the bishops’ conference reported.

The translation takes into account both advances in the study of the biblical languages and changes in the English language.

It also takes into account newly discovered and more accurate ancient manuscripts so that the best possible text is used.

The revised edition includes the first revised translation of the Old Testament since 1970 and a complete revision of the Psalter. Work on most books of the Old Testament began in 1994 and finished in 2001.

The 1991 revision of the Psalter was further revised from 2009 to 2010.

The new edition retains the 1986 edition of the New Testament.

The revision is in many ways a more literal translation than the original New American Bible and aims to be more consistent in its rendering of Hebrew or Greek words and idioms, especially in technical contexts like rules for sacrifices.

Special effort was made in translating the Psalter to provide a “smooth, rhythmic translation” for easy singing and to retain the concrete imagery of the Hebrew text, the U.S. bishops’ conference explained.

The New American Bible, Revised Edition is approved for private use and study and will not be used for the Mass, which uses an earlier modified version of the New American Bible translation.

January January 14, 14, 2011 2011 || charlottediocese.org/catholicnews charlottediocese.org/catholicnews

21 U.S. bishops could retire for age reasons in 2011 Nancy Frazier O’Brien Catholic News Service

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Five U.S. cardinals and more than two dozen other U.S. bishops could retire because of age this year.

There are 12 active U.S. bishops, including three cardinals, who have already turned 75. Two cardinals and seven other bishops will celebrate their 75th birthdays in 2011.

At age 75, bishops are requested to submit their resignations to the pope.

Cardinal Bernard F. Law, archpriest of St. Mary Major Basilica in Rome and a cardinal since 1985, turned 75 on Nov. 4, 2006. A former bishop of Springfield-Cape Girardeau, Mo., he was archbishop of Boston from 1984 until his resignation from that post in 2002 in the wake of controversy over his handling of cases of clergy sex abuse there. He was named to his Rome post in 2004.

Cardinal Justin Rigali of Philadelphia turned 75 on April 19, 2010. Born in Los Angeles, he was ordained an archbishop in 1985 while serving as head of the school that educates future Vatican diplomats.

He returned to the U.S. in 1994 to become archbishop of St. Louis, holding that post until his appointment as archbishop of Philadelphia in 2003. He was elevated to the College of Cardinals that same year.

Also, Philadelphia-born Cardinal John P. Foley, grand master of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulcher since 2007, turned 75 Nov. 11. A former editor of the Catholic Standard and Times newspaper in Philadelphia, he was president of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications at the Vatican for more than 23 years. He became a cardinal in 2007.

Cardinal Roger M. Mahony of Los Angeles turns 75 on Feb. 27, and Coadjutor Archbishop Jose H. Gomez already has been named to succeed him when he retires. Cardinal Mahony has been archbishop of Los Angeles for almost 25 years. He was elevated to the College of Cardinals in June 1991.

Cardinal William J. Levada, former archbishop of San Francisco and Portland, Ore., and a former auxiliary bishop in Los Angeles, will be 75 on June 15, but is expected to continue as prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, a post he has held since 2005, until Pope Benedict XVI names his successor. He became a cardinal in 2006.

Pope Benedict, like his predecessor Pope John Paul II, often has asked cardinals to stay on the job after they reach 75. Even when a cardinal retires in his 70s, he remains an active member of the College of Cardinals, eligible to enter a conclave and vote for a new pope, until the age of 80.

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TUCSON: FROM PAGE 18

Church, a few blocks from the shooting scene.

The young athlete was also part of a sports-focused family. Her grandfather is former major league pitcher and manager Dallas Green, and her father, John Green, is a scout for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The only girl on her Little League team, Christina was born Sept. 11, 2001, and was featured in a book called “Faces of Hope,” about 50 babies born on that day.

As soon as he heard about the shootings, Tucson Bishop Gerald F. Kicanas came home to Tucson hastily from the Middle East, where he was to attend the annual Coordination of Episcopal Conferences for the Church in the Holy Land, representing the U.S. bishops.

Bishop Kicanis presided over a public commemoration Mass and a healing service Jan. 11 at St. Odilia Church, where Christina Green made her first Communion last spring.

He was also expected to participate in the funerals later in the week for Roll and Green.

Earlier this week, he put words to the emotions felt by people in Tucson and around the world following the shooting rampage: “It is incomprehensible that such a horrible tragedy could happen in the community that we love so much,” he wrote in a letter to the faithful. “I am shocked and devastated as I see the horrible pictures on the news and hear the reports of those who have been killed and injured.”

In a message Bishop Kicanas sent to

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Allison as he left Jerusalem to return to Tucson, he said watching the TV coverage from afar was overwhelming. “I could not sleep. I just wanted to return home as soon as possible.”

He noted that “as I would expect, the community has risen to the occasion,” with bystanders stepping up to help at the scene, medical personnel working feverishly, and public servants “trying to find answers to a horrific act of violence perpetrated against innocent people, everyone praying and offering support and condolences.”

He said that before he left the Middle East, he concelebrated a Mass with 10 other bishops in a small Catholic church in Jericho, where about only 50 Catholic families are in the village, “but they all expressed to me their condolences for what happened in Tucson and promised their prayers as did each of the bishops from Canada, Albania, France, Germany, England and the Holy Land. Their comfort and heartfelt prayers meant a lot.”

He added that the people in Jericho, hearing about the Tucson events, asked him how to prevent such acts of violence.

“I wish I knew the answer,” he wrote. “But as the world continues to seek an answer to that question we can, each in our own way, strive to respect others, speak with civility, try to understand one another and to find healthy ways to resolve our conflicts.”

Impromptu and organized vigils and prayer services took place around Tucson, at the hospital where most victims were treated, outside Giffords’ office in Tucson, at the U.S. Capitol, and elsewhere this week. President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle attended a large public memorial service Jan. 12 on the University of Arizona campus.

Our world

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charlottediocese.org/catholicnews | January 14, 2011 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Bishops: Pray for Haitians

In Brief Pope donates $50k to help Australian flood victims PERTH, Australia — Pope Benedict XVI has donated US$50,000 to help the victims of the worst floods the state of Queensland has suffered in 50 years. The flood, which has claimed at least one life and has affected more than 200,000 people in two dozen towns, is estimated to have already caused nearly $5 billion in damages.

Catholic News Service

Three former Anglican bishops received into Catholic Church LONDON — Three former Anglican bishops were received into the Catholic Church just hours after they officially gave up their ministries in the Church of England. Bishops Andrew Burnham of Ebbsfleet, John Broadhurst of Fulham and Keith Newton of Richborough will be soon ordained as priests for a special Anglican ordinariate that will be set up in England later this month.

Their resignations took effect at midnight Dec. 31, and they were received into the Church Jan. 1 during a Mass in London’s Westminster Cathedral.

They were ordained as deacons Jan. 13, then will be ordained priests Jan. 15. They will join the English ordinariate, expected to be formed by papal decree this week.

The ordinariate will be the first to be created since the pope issued the 2009 apostolic constitution “Anglicanorum coetibus” to allow the group reception of disaffected Anglo-Catholics into the Church. Similar in structure to a military diocese, it permits former Anglicans to retain much of the patrimony and liturgical practices, such as married priests.

Report says Pope John Paul II miracle nears final recognition VATICAN CITY — A presumed miracle needed for the beatification of the late Pope John Paul II reportedly has reached the final stages of approval. The miracle – involving a French nun said to have been cured of Parkinson’s disease – has been approved by a Vatican medical board and a group of theologians and is now awaiting judgment from the Congregation for Saints’ Causes, according to Italian journalist Andrea Tornielli.

If the congregation accepts the healing as a miracle attributable to the late pope’s intercession, then Pope Benedict XVI still would have to sign a decree formally recognizing it before a beatification ceremony can be scheduled. Tornielli, who covers the Vatican for the newspaper Il Giornale, wrote Jan. 4 that the process is so far advanced that Pope John Paul could be beatified sometime in 2011.

Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, the Vatican spokesman, said that the final step before beatification requires the pope’s approval and that the pope is free to make his own decision on the matter.

— Catholic News Service

CNS | Jorge Silva, Reuters

A woman walks at a mass grave site in Tituyan, on the outskirts of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Jan. 11. Haitians were decorating and visiting the grave sites of those who perished in last year’s Jan. 12 earthquake.

Pope sends envoy, funds for Haiti on quake anniversary John Thavis Catholic News Service

VATICAN CITY — Pope Benedict XVI offered special prayers and a $1.2 million contribution to Haiti as the country struggled to recover a year after a deadly earthquake.

The pope, speaking at his noon blessing at the Vatican Jan. 9, announced that he was sending a top Vatican official to Haiti to express his “continual closeness and that of the entire Church” to the people of the Caribbean nation.

“At this moment of Marian prayer, I wish to reserve a particular thought for the people of Haiti, one year after the terrible earthquake, which has unfortunately been followed by a serious cholera epidemic,” the pope said.

More than 1 million Haitians continue to live in hundreds of temporary settlements that sprouted after the magnitude 7 earthquake struck on Jan. 12, 2010.

At least 230,000 people were killed. Cholera has claimed more than 3,600 lives over the past three months.

The pope said Cardinal Robert Sarah, head of the Pontifical Council Cor Unum, will travel to the

Caribbean nation as it marks the anniversary of the earthquake. The pontifical council coordinates international Catholic charitable activities.

Cardinal Sarah brought funds collected by the Vatican for Haiti’s recovery: $800,000 for reconstruction of schools and $400,000 for reconstruction of churches.

Cardinal Sarah read a papal message during Mass Jan. 12. The cardinal met with Haitian President Rene Preval Jan. 11 and celebrated Mass in the Terrain Acra settlement camp in the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince.

Cardinal Sarah also visited with members of three religious orders that ran a hospital, a home for the elderly, a center for AIDS and tuberculosis patients and a school. All were damaged or destroyed in the earthquake. He also laid the foundation stone for a new Church-run school.

Before leaving Haiti, Cardinal Sarah celebrated Mass Jan. 13 at the convent of the Daughters of Mary, where 15 sisters died in the collapse of a convent building.

In Rome, meanwhile, the Vatican secretary of state, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, celebrated a commemorative Mass Jan. 12 in the Basilica of St. Mary Major.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The one-year anniversary of the massive earthquake that affected a wide swath of Haiti gives Catholics an opportunity to stand in prayerful solidarity with the people of the impoverish Caribbean nation.

Archbishop Thomas G. Wenski of Miami, chairman of the Haiti Advisory Group of the U.S. bishops’ Subcommittee on the Church in Latin America, invited Catholics to pray and reflect for nine days using the novena to Our Lady of Guadalupe.

The novena started on the evening of Jan. 12, the anniversary of the quake, and will end with the celebration of Mass the weekend of Jan. 22-23, the date of the bishops’ annual collection for Latin America, which includes Haiti.

“Haiti and its people still very much need our prayers and solidarity,” Archbishop Wenski said in a statement. “As we approach the anniversary of the earthquake in Haiti, we join together with parishes, Catholic schools, youth groups, colleges and universities from across the country to remember the tragic events of that fateful afternoon and to respond in a faith-filled way.”

Besides the novena, other catechetical and reflection resources – including material from Catholic Relief Services, the U.S. Catholic Church’s overseas aid and development agency, which has an extensive aid effort in Haiti – are available at a new Web site: usccb.org/haiti/oneyear-later.shtml.

January 14, 2011 | charlottediocese.org/catholicnews

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U.S. protests beating of diplomat visiting ill Vietnamese priest Police bar bishop from celebrating Christmas Mass Marianne Medlin Catholic News Agency

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The State Department has protested to the Vietnamese government after a U.S. diplomat was beaten for attempting to visit an ailing Catholic priest under house arrest.

The recent incident joins a string of human rights abuses involving Vietnamese police using violence against the country’s inhabitants.

Radio Free Asia reported Jan. 5 that the U.S. has lodged a “strong protest” with Vietnam after local police attacked Christian Marchant – a political officer with the U.S. embassy in Hanoi – as he was trying to visit a Catholic priest.

Marchant, a practicing Mormon who lives in Hanoi, was allegedly beaten outside a home for retired priests in Hue, where 63-year-old Father Nguyen Van Ly, a prodemocracy activist, is under house arrest.

Father Ly was released from prison on medical parole last year. The diplomat had a pre-arranged meeting with Father Ly, who later told RFA that he witnessed Marchant being wrestled to the ground, placed in a police vehicle and driven away. Police reportedly shut a car door numerous times on Marchant’s legs.

“The United States government, both here in Hanoi and in Washington, has lodged a strong, official protest with the government of Vietnam,” said U.S. Ambassador Michael W. Michalak. “We are waiting for an official response from the government of Vietnam.”

Mark Toner, a State Department spokesman, said in a Jan. 6 briefing that although Marchant was “injured during that incident,” he was “up and walking around now.”

Officials from the Vietnamese embassy in Washington, D.C., did not respond to a request for comment.

Reports on human rights abuses in Vietnam – particularly against religious minorities such as Catholics – have caused

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an outcry among U.S. political leaders.

Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.) recently condemned violence against Catholics by the Vietnamese government.

Beatings, church raids, arrests – and even deaths – are some of the abuses inflicted on Catholics by authorities in Vietnam over increased conflict related to property rights. Tensions have mounted between the Communist government and local parishioners as officials have repeatedly attempted to claim land where Catholic churches and facilities are situated.

“Congress, the president, and all those who espouse fundamental human rights ought to be outraged at Vietnam’s turn for the worse,” Smith said recently. “We should stand with the oppressed, not the oppressor.”

Two weeks ago, the Web site AsiaNews. it reported that Monsignor Michael Hoang Duc Oanh, bishop of Kontum (one of the largest dioceses in Vietnam), was banned from celebrating Christmas Mass with the Montagnards in Lang Son. Monsignor Hoang had asked for permission for the Mass, he said, but when he gathered with the faithful for the start of Mass, Vietnamese police stopped him.

“If you want to celebrate your Mass you can do so, but not for everyone here. You have to go to each family and each Mass cannot last for more than one hour,” he was told. He gave his blessings to the people and cancelled the Mass in protest.

The popular Church leader is known as the “vagabond bishop” because of the many miles he travels up and down his 25,750-square-kilometer diocese.

CNS | L’Osservatore Romano via Reuters

Pope Benedict visits children in Rome hospital Pope Benedict XVI greets an infant while visiting Rome’s Gemelli Hospital Jan. 5, on the eve of Epiphany. The pope blessed a ward for the treatment of children with the birth defect spina bifida and brought stuffed animals, books and candy for the children.

The pope added that he had come to give them strength, and that Jesus was sent by God to show us how much we are loved by Him. “Dear babies and young people, I’ve also wanted to come see you that I might be a little like the Magi we celebrate on this Epiphany Feast: they brought some gifts to Jesus – gold, frankincense and myrrh – to show adoration and love. Today I’ve also brought you some gifts, that you might feel in them a little sign of the care, the closeness and affection of the pope. But I would wish that in these Christmas days, all of us, adults and children alike, remember that God has given the greatest gift to each one of us.”

The next day, the pope celebrated Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica to mark Epiphany. In his homily he said Christ is not found on the thrones of power or in the halls of learning, but defenseless among the poor and humble.

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“At times, power – including that of knowledge – blocks the path to encountering that child. God does not manifest Himself in the power of this world, but in the humility of His love, that love that asks us, in our freedom, to welcome it so that we may be transformed,” he said.

He said the Magi were in search of something more – for “the true light that would be able to indicate the path to follow in life.” On the other hand, Herod considered Jesus to be a rival and wanted to kill Him. Even today, God can seem like “a particularly dangerous rival who would want to deprive people of their personal space, of their autonomy and their power,” he noted. “We have to ask ourselves, is there perhaps a little bit of Herod in us as well? Perhaps we, too, sometimes see God as a kind of rival” who needs to be removed so we could have unlimited power to do whatever we want, he said. However, letting God into one’s life “does not take anything away and does not threaten anything; rather, He is the only one capable of offering us the possibility of living to the full and feeling real joy.”

ViewPoints

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charlottediocese.org/catholicnews | January 14, 2011 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

By the numbers

Father Frank Pavone

Witness to the dignity of every human life

E

ach January, three observances converge that reinforce each other and summon the Christian world to work together against injustice.

Jan. 15 is the birthday of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and on or around that day we observe a national holiday in his honor. A week later, on Jan. 22, we recall the tragic decision made that day in 1973 by the Supreme Court in Roe v. Wade, unleashing a policy of abortion on demand. On or around Jan. 22, large rallies and marches for life are held from coast to coast. And from Jan. 18 to 25 each year, the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity is observed.

These three great movements are deeply intertwined.

Jesus Christ prayed that His followers would be one, as He and the Father are one. Authentic Christian unity does not mean pretending there are no serious doctrinal disagreements between denominations. It does mean working to come to a deeper understanding of what those differences are and are not, as well as recognizing and building on the real unity that does exist in our common affirmation of Christ and His Lordship in our lives and in the world.

That affirmation of Christ requires that we work to fight injustice. In his encyclical letter on Christian unity, issued in 1995, Pope John Paul II wrote, “Many Christians from all Communities, by reason of their faith, are jointly involved in bold projects aimed at changing the world by inculcating respect for the rights and needs of everyone, especially the poor, the lowly, and the defenseless…Christians who once acted independently are now engaged together in the service of this cause, so that God’s mercy may triumph” (n. 43).

PAVONE, SEE page 24

Religion and views on abortion

Abortion Views

Do you think abortion should be legal or illegal?

60

Legal in all/most cases

50

40 Ilegal in all/most cases ‘95 ’96

‘98 ’99 ‘00 ’01

‘03 ’04 ‘05 ’06 ‘07 ’08 ‘09 ’10

Of those who expressed an opinion about abortion, the following political and religious breakdowns are:

Total Republican Democrat Independent Protestant White evangelical White mainline Black Protestant Catholic White Catholic Hispanic Catholic Unaffiliated Atheist/ Agnostic Nothing in Particular Top influence on views Religion Other influence

Legal in all/ most cases % 50 37 59 53 43 32 60 41 47 50 41 69 85 63 18 64

Illegal in all/ most cases % 44 59 34 41 51 63 33 50 45 42 52 25 11 30 82 36

Don’t know % 7 4 7 6 6 5 6 9 8 9 9 6 4 7 NA NA

PEW RESEARCH CENTER July 21-Aug. 5, 2010. Figures may not add up to 100% because of rounding.

According to the 2010 Annual Religion and Public Life Survey conducted by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, many Americans continue to say their religious beliefs have been highly influential in shaping their views about abortion.

Significant numbers of Americans report that religion is the most important factor in their thinking, and sizeable numbers of churchgoers hear about it from their clergy.

On the issue of abortion, 50 percent of those surveyed said abortion should be legal in all (17 percent) or most (33 percent) cases while fewer, 44 percent, said it should be illegal in all (17 percent) or most (27 percent) cases.

Support for legal abortion has edged upward since last 2009, when 47 percent said it should be legal in all or most cases.

Almost six in 10 Democrats (59 percent) and 53 percent of independents said abortion should be legal in all or most cases, while 59 percent of Republicans said it should be illegal in all or most cases.

Religious groups also varied widely in the extent to which they support abortion. Almost seven in 10 (69 percent) of the religiously unaffiliated (including 85 percent of atheists and agnostics) said abortion should be legal, as do 60 percent of white mainline Protestants and 50 percent of white Catholics.

Fully 45 percent of those who said abortion should be illegal in all or most cases cite religious beliefs as their top influence, compared with just 9 percent of those who said abortion should be legal.

Almost six in 10 regular churchgoers (59 percent) said their clergy speak out on the issue of abortion, higher than for any other issue in the survey except hunger and poverty (88 percent). Despite divided opinions on abortion among Catholics as a whole, seven in 10 Catholics (70 percent) who attend church at least once a month report that their clergy speak out on abortion.

Among those who attend religious services at least once a month and said abortion should be illegal in most or all cases, 66 percent reported having heard about the issue from their clergy.

Survey results are based on phone interviews conducted under the direction of Princeton Survey Research Associates International among a national sample July 21 to Aug. 5 of 3,003 U.S. adults. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.5 percentage points.

— Source: Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life

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January 14, 2011 | charlottediocese.org/catholicnews

Rico De Silva

The Year of the Bucket

I

want 2011 to be my best year ever in all areas of my life, so I have tried to find a way for my New Year’s resolutions to last for more than three weeks. I found the perfect motivation: imminent death. No, I’m not terminally ill, but like each one of us, one day, known to God alone, I will kick the proverbial bucket.

One of my favorite movies of all time is “The Bucket List” starring Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman.

Freeman and Nicholson share the same hospital room and find out they both have terminal cancer and have just a few months to live. Nicholson’s character is a multimillionaire who has multiple ex-wives and a estranged relationship with his only daughter.

Freeman is a mechanic who sacrificed his career ambitions to put his three kids through college. Chemotherapy and sleepless nights become their common bond, and the two men become friends. Act Two begins with Freeman making a list of all the things he would like to do before he dies. He calls it a “bucket list.” Nicholson sees the list, adds a few more exciting things and decides to pick up the tab to complete the list. They go skydiving, race car driving, and even take a trip around the world in Nicholson’s private jet.

I watched “The Bucket List” again last week as a source of inspiration before writing down any resolutions.

While watching it, I asked myself, “What would I do if I knew I was going to die on Dec. 31, 2011?” My New Year’s resolutions then became my “Last Year’s” resolutions. It was a sobering thought. At the beginning of “The Bucket List,” the narrator – Freeman, of course – says when Jack Nicholson’s character died, “His eyes were closed, and his heart was open.” That was the clue to what I would do with my resolutions: Instead of things to do, I had people to love.

First on my list is to deepen my relationship with God and neighbor.

However, to love God is always easier than to love God in people around us.

Our families and those close to us can be the toughest people to love at times.

(They would probably say the same thing about us.)

John Meyer’s “Say” was the theme song for the movie. The lyrics De Silva, SEE page 24

The Poor Clares

Extraordinary Time A

s elegant Christmas clothes return to the closet, everyday shirts, pants and skirts take their places in our wardrobes. Decorations come down to create a simpler atmosphere in our homes.

The parties and festivities cease, and people return to work, school and the daily grind. The Church Herself enters into the first weeks of Ordinary Time – a time, however, that really is not so ordinary.

The Christmas season draws to a close with the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord. In the liturgy we celebrate Christ’s Baptism as the mystery and source of our own baptism. When Jesus allowed Himself to be submerged into the Jordan River

by St. John the Baptist, He sanctified the sacramental waters so that they would wash away our sins and restore our inheritance as children of God. Scripture relates that after Christ’s Baptism, He left the hidden life of Nazareth to fulfill His public ministry. “He went about doing good works and healing all who were in the grip of the devil, and God was with him” (Acts 10:38).

With the Feast of the Baptism of Christ, we gratefully reflect on the gift of our own baptism and what it means to live out our vocation as children of God. It is a daily call to holiness of life and the pursuit of a real and deep relationship with Jesus, a time to embrace the Messiah, who was born for us, and to get to know Him and His teachings better.

Immediately on embarking upon His public ministry, Jesus sought out His apostles and invited them to follow Him (Matthew 5: 18-22). In these weeks of Ordinary Time He now comes to us with that same invitation. For some it may involve the discovery this year of their state in life vocation – whether to marriage, priesthood, religious life or consecrated single life. For all of us, it will entail the summons to reach into the deep and grow in our spiritual lives (Luke 5:4).

St. Matthew relates that Jesus “went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and preaching the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every infirmity among the people” (Matt. 4:23). Then He went up the mountain and taught the people how to live the life of grace through the Beatitudes. These guidelines give us the strategy for living out Ordinary Time in an extraordinary way.

Ordinary Time is far from mundane.

Rather, it is the opportunity to live out all the mysteries of Christ’s life. Far

from boring, it is a real challenge to embrace Christ’s teachings and to imitate Him. Having recently experienced the excitement and thrill of the holy season of Christmas, we know that we have the grace to take the message of Bethlehem and allow it to change our lives and the lives of others.

In the liturgy for Ordinary Time, the priest wears dark green vestments – symbolic of new life and growth. Let us spend these weeks witnessing to the power of grace and new life that came to us during the Christmas mysteries and festivities.

It is in the daily, ordinary events of life that we can live out extraordinary lives of grace. The Holy Spirit drives us to a specific mission and calling, to be His disciples and witnesses in the home, in the workplace and in all of society.

G.K. Chesterton artistically wrote about the “thrill of monotony”: “[Children] often say, ‘Do it again’; and the grown up person does it again til he is nearly dead.

For grownup people are not strong enough to exult in monotony. But perhaps, God is strong enough to exult in monotony. It is possible that God says every morning, ‘Do it again’ to the sun; and every evening, ‘Do it again’ to the moon. It may not be automatic necessity that makes all daisies alike; it may be that God makes each daisy separately, but never got tired of making them.”

Think about the monotony of one of your typical days. Every morning you might go the office to answer phone calls, take care of mail, make appointments, and try to clear the desk off – yet again. You may prepare daily meals, do household chores, run errands, spend time in prayer, and drop into bed at night with a sigh, “Into your hands, Lord, I commend my spirit ...” hoping for the grace to start over again tomorrow. It is routine, simple, not all that exciting. But do you realize that, amidst all that, you can become a saint?

In this time that is called “ordinary,” if we listen to God’s Word and seek Him and His love in these little moments, our lives can become truly extraordinary.

Sister Mary Raphael of the Divine Physician is newly professed with the Poor Clare Nuns of Perpetual Adoration St. Joseph Monastery in Charlotte. This is the first in 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 stjosephmonastery. com.

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Bishop Timothy L. Doherty

Pray for vocations

W

e plant seeds when we ask a child what he wants to be when he grows up. The first is that we want and need him to grow up. The second helps him to see himself as a welcome participant in social and civic life.

There is a better question. If someone has taken the trouble to carry a child through baptism, we should ask him or her, “What does God want you to be when you grow up?” If God wills our happiness in this life, which God does, then the question matters. It sets a tone and direction. And we know that a free response to God will be answered with wisdom, grace and strength.

Back when I was reading Swiss theologian Karl Barth to prepare for some graduate examinations, I was struck by his 1930s observation that Jesus is not the answer. Rather, Barth wrote, Jesus is the question. The Lord was sent to us to remind us that God loves the world. When Christians discern their vocation and life-direction, we ask ourselves how we can cooperate and share that love.

This week, Jan. 9-15, our Church asks that we pray for vocations to priesthood and consecrated life. At the same time, I ask you to consider how we can positively encourage the possible directions that our young (and not so young) take.

The content of our conversations and the objects of our praise are powerful influences on the young. We trust that God always will call enough of our sons and daughters to serve Christ in the Church. The problem, some say, is that some block their own ears. And sometimes people cannot hear their own vocation because others discourage them.

Over time we gain wisdom about religious vocations, about how we imagine them to be. When I was a deacon, a wonderful priest told me about some unnamed young men who were struggling with the idea of becoming priests. He might have perceived a question in my own heart. He said that it was too scary to imagine “going from zero to priesthood” in a single leap. The first thing that a man needs to decide is whether he wants to be a Christian.

“After that, the leap to priesthood is a relatively short hop,” he said. I imagine that something of this same dynamic applies to women who contemplate lives as nuns or sisters.

Of course, one is never alone in discerning God’s will in these matters.

DOHERTY, SEE page 24

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charlottediocese.org/catholicnews | January 14, 2011 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

PAVONE: FROM PAGE 22

Both the civil rights movement and the pro-life movement are evidence of this common engagement. Both movements seek to secure equal rights for marginalized human beings, despite their appearances, and to apply to law and culture the promises of the Gospel. Both movements have found their “meeting place” and their “launching pad” in the churches, manifesting this declaration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.: “I’m always happy to see a relevant ministry. It’s alright to talk about ‘long white robes over yonder,’ in all of its symbolism. But ultimately people want some suits and dresses and shoes to wear down here. It’s alright to talk about ‘streets flowing with milk and honey,’ but God has commanded us to be concerned about the slums down here, and His

‘That affirmation of Christ requires that we work to fight injustice.’ children who can’t eat three square meals a day. It’s alright to talk about the new Jerusalem, but one day, God’s preacher must talk about the new New York, the new Atlanta, the new Philadelphia, the new Los Angeles, the new Memphis, Tenn.

This is what we have to do.”

Defending the equal dignity of every human being after birth strengthens our witness to the rights of those in danger before birth, and vice versa. The witness, in fact, is ultimately one: the witness to the one Christ, who restores dignity to every human life.

Father Frank Pavone is the national director of Priests for Life. Read his blog at priestsforlife.org/blogs.

DOHERTY: FROM PAGE 23

There is lots of help from priests and sisters and brothers, vocation directors, parents, spiritual directors and confessors.

One remains eminently free, whether one eventually enters a religious vocation or whether it becomes apparent that God has other plans for one’s life.

One thing is for sure: God has too much love for us ever to waste the time we give Him. He will not be outdone in generosity.

This is why we should not hesitate to encourage someone who wants to investigate whether God is calling him or her.

Yes, you can say that I have a bias in this matter. But I also speak from long experience of my Lord and Savior.

Bishop Timothy L. Doherty leads the Diocese of Lafayette-in-Indiana. Reprinted with permission from The Catholic Moment.

DE SILVA: FROM PAGE 23

appropriately chime: “Say what you need to say; for it’s better to say too much than to say nothing at all.”

To live without regrets is to have no unresolved issues with those around us at the hour of our death. And perhaps three

‘One thing is for sure: God has too much love for us ever to waste the time we give him.’

Discerning a religious vocation?

Consider following Christ as a priest or in consecrated life. Call the diocesan Vocation Office at 704-370-3327, or go online to charlottediocese.org/vocations.html.

of the most difficult phrases to say in the English language are: “I am sorry,” “I love you,” or “I forgive you.”

While I don’t wish for anyone to die this year, I think it’s important to keep our mortality always before us. If we do, it will remind us to love God and our neighbor at all times, so, like Jesus, we could die with our eyes closed and our hearts open.

Rico De Silva is a member of St. Gabriel Church in Charlotte.