May 25, 2012
catholicnewsherald.com charlottediocese.org S E RV I N G C H R I ST A N D C O N N EC T I N G C AT H O L I C S I N W E ST E R N N O R T H C A R O L I N A
Watch the Mass live! Three men will be ordained on June 2 at St. Mark Church in Huntersville. Everyone is invited, or you can watch it live online with us. Details inside,
3 INDEX Contact us.......................... 4 Events calendar................. 4 Our Parishes........... 3-16, 25 Our Faith............................. 2 Schools.........................18-20 Scripture readings............ 2 TV & Movies.......................21 U.S. news..................... 22-23 Viewpoints.................. 26-27 World news...................... 24
Honoring our Mother INSIDE: May crownings, May processions and more events across the diocese honor Mary,
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Pilgrims and Bishop Jugis reflect on their experiences in Rome, 14-15, 26
St. Matthew students treated to lunch at ‘Mel’s Diner,’ 18
Our faith 2
catholicnewsherald.com | May 25, 2012 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD
Pope Benedict XVI
Each human being is a miracle loved by God the father
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ddressing God as “Father” is an acknowledgement that God is the one who created, supports and guides humanity, Pope Benedict XVI said. “Maybe people today do not understand the beauty, greatness and deep consolation” that comes from recognizing God as father, “because the paternal figure is not sufficiently present today,” the pope said May 23 during his weekly general audience. Addressing an estimated 20,000 people gathered in St. Peter’s Square, Pope Benedict continued a series of audience talks about prayer in the letters of St. Paul. Focusing on St. Paul’s assertion that it is the Holy Spirit that enables people to pray and to address God as “Abba, Father,” the pope said, “the absence of one’s father or the lack of a father’s presence in a child’s life today is a big problem that always makes it difficult to understand fully what it means to say that God is our father.” From the beginning of Christianity, believers adopted Jesus’ form of addressing God as father, especially in the Lord’s Prayer, the pope said. “Christianity is not a religion of fear, but of trust and love for the Father who loves us,” he said. Pope Benedict acknowledged that “critics of religion have said that speaking of God as ‘father’ is simply a projection” of our own longings and desires, but the Gospel shows that the opposite is true, because “Christ shows us who the father is and what a true father is, so that we can understand and also learn what true fatherhood is.” Jesus demonstrated that God is love, he said, and when people pray to God as father, they enter into “a cycle of love” that offers them support, but also correction and guidance. The assertion that human beings are made in God’s image and likeness means that He is their father, the pope said. “A line in the Psalms always touches me when I pray it: ‘Your hands made me and fashioned me.’” “Every one of us, every man and woman, is a miracle of God, desired by God and personally known by Him,” he said.
A saintly life
The facts of faith
Roman martyrs Sts. Marcellinus and Peter remembered June 2
Should we hold our hands up while praying at Mass?
Benjamin Mann Catholic News Agency
On June 2, the Catholic Church remembers two fourth-century martyrs, Sts. Marcellinus and Peter, who were highly venerated after the discovery of their tomb and the conversion of their executioner. Although the biographical details of these two martyrs are largely unknown, it is known that they lived and died during the reign of the Roman Emperor Diocletian. In 302, the ruler changed his tolerant stance towards Christians and pursued a brutal policy intended to eliminate the Church from the empire. Diocletian and his subordinate ordered the burning of Catholic churches and their sacred texts, as well as the imprisonment and torture of clergy and laypersons. His goal was to force Christians to submit to the Roman pagan religion, including the worship of the emperor himself as divine. It was at the mid-point of this persecution, around 303, that a Roman exorcist by the name of Peter was imprisoned for his faith. While in prison, tradition holds that Peter freed Paulina, the daughter of the prison-keeper Artemius, from demonic influence by his prayers. This demonstration of Christ’s power over demons is said to have brought about the conversion of Paulina, Artemius, his wife and the entire household – all of whom were baptized by the Roman priest Marcellinus. After this, both Marcellinus and Peter were called before a judge who was determined to enforce the emperor’s decree against the Church. When Marcellinus testified courageously to his faith in Christ, he was beaten, stripped of his clothes and deprived of food in a dark cell filled with broken glass shards. Peter, too, was returned to his confinement. But neither man would deny Christ, and both preferred death over submission to the cult of pagan worship.. It was arranged for the two men to be executed secretly, to prevent the faithful from gathering in prayer and veneration at the place of their burial. Their executioner forced them to clear away a tangle of thorns and briars, which the two men did cheerfully, accepting their death with joy. Both men were beheaded in the forest and buried in the clearing they had made. The location of the saints’ bodies remained unknown for some time, until a devout woman named Lucilla received a revelation informing her where the priest and exorcist lay. With the assistance of another woman, Firmina, Lucilla recovered the two saints’ bodies and had them re-interred in the Roman Catacombs. Sts. Marcellinus and Peter are among the saints named in the Western Church’s most traditional Eucharistic prayer, the Roman Canon. Pope St. Damasus I, who was himself a great devotee of the Church’s saints during his life, composed an epitaph to mark the tombs of the two martyrs. The source of his knowledge, he said, was the executioner himself, who had subsequently repented and joined the Catholic Church.
Q: In my parish many people at Mass hold their hands up while praying, like the priest does. I heard that this is an ancient posture of prayer and that it is good to pray this way. Is this true? A: One can pray in whatever posture one feels is most conducive to prayer if one is engaging in private, non-liturgical prayer. However, when one is praying in a liturgical service, such as Mass, there are rules to be followed. It is true that praying with arms outstretched is one of the historic postures of prayer. However, this fact alone does not mean that it is to be used in any circumstance. Prostrating oneself on one’s face is also a historic posture of prayer, but neither the priest nor the laity are directed to assume this posture during a regular Mass. During a Mass where ordinations are taking place, the candidates for ordination are directed to prostrate themselves during the Litany of the Saints. However, if people were to assume this posture willy-nilly, in any Mass, the liturgy could be seriously impeded. This is why people are supposed to adopt those postures the rubrics direct them to adopt and not other ones. Praying with outstretched arms can cause physical problems because the laity typically sit right next to each other in pews. If they fully extend their arms, people could be whapped in the face or knocked out of the pew. If they only partially extend their arms, everybody gets cramped unnecessarily. There are also symbolic problems associated with the laity praying with outstretched arms. No matter how the posture may or may not have been used in antiquity, today it is a priestly posture in the liturgy. This is repeatedly made clear in the Church’s liturgical documents. For example, the Ceremonial of Bishops notes: “Customarily in the Church a bishop or presbyter addresses prayers to God while standing with hands slightly raised and outstretched” (CB 104). Similarly, in the Book of Blessings, whenever there is a blessing which can be performed either by a member of the clergy or the laity, the rubrics invariably directs that “A minister who is a priest or deacon says the prayer of blessing with hands outstretched; a lay minister says the prayer with hands joined” (BB 1999). Over and over again, the rubrics direct clergy to pray with hands outstretched and laity with hands joined. Because of the special association praying with hands outstretched has with the priestly office, some dissident elements in the Church have desired to get the laity into the habit of praying in this posture during Mass. This furthers the dissident agenda of blurring the FAITH FACTS, SEE page 13
Your daily Scripture readings SCRIPTURE FOR THE WEEK OF MAY 27-JUNE 2
Sunday (Pentecost Sunday), Acts 2:1-11, 1 Corinthians 12:3-7, 12-13, John 20:19-23; Monday, 1 Peter 1:3-9, Mark 10:17-27; Tuesday, 1 Peter 1:10-16, Mark 10:28-31; Wednesday, 1 Peter 1:18-25, Mark 10:32-45; Thursday (Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary), Zephaniah 3:14-18, Isaiah 12:2-6, Luke 1:39-56; Friday (St. Justin), 1 Peter 4:7-13, Mark 11:11-26; Saturday (Sts. Marcellinus and Peter), Jude 17, 20-25, Mark 11:27-33
SCRIPTURE FOR THE WEEK OF JUNE 3-9
Sunday (Most Holy Trinity), Deuteronomy 4:32-34, 39-40, Romans 8:14-17, Matthew 28:16-20; Monday, 2 Peter 1:2-7, Mark 12:1-12; Tuesday (St. Boniface), 2 Peter 3:12-15, 17-18, Mark 12:13-17; Wednesday (St. Norbert), 2 Timothy 1:1-3, 6-12, Mark 12:18-27; Thursday, 2 Timothy 2:8-15, Mark 12:28-34; Friday, 2 Timothy 3:10-17, Mark 12:35-37; Saturday (St. Ephrem), 2 Timothy 4:1-8, Mark 12:38-44
SCRIPTURE FOR THE WEEK OF JUNE 10-16
Sunday (Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ), Exodus 24:3-8, Hebrews 9:11-15, Mark 14:12-16, 22-26; Monday (St. Barnabas), Acts 11:21-26, 13:1-3, Matthew 5:1-12; Tuesday, 1 Kings 17:7-16, Matthew 5:13-16; Wednesday (St. Anthony of Padua), 1 Kings 18:20-39, Matthew 5:17-19; Thursday, 1 Kings 18:41-46, Matthew 5:20-26; Friday (Most Sacred Heart of Jesus), Hosea 11:1, 3-4, 8-9, Isaiah 12:2-6, Ephesians 3:812, 14-19, John 19:31-37; Saturday (Immaculate Heart of Mary), 1 Kings 19:19-21, Luke 2:41-51
Our parishes
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In Brief
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Three men to be ordained June 2 St. Mark Church to host ordination Mass
Ordination, Holy Hour for priest candidates set CHARLOTTE — Bishop Peter J. Jugis invites the faithful to a Holy Hour of Prayer for the three priesthood ordination candidates Jason Kemble Barone, Matthew Paul Codd, Peter James Shaw and their families starting at 5 p.m. Friday, June 1, at St. Patrick Cathedral, 1621 Dilworth Road East in Charlotte. The faithful are also invited to attend the Liturgy of Ordination to the Holy Priesthood for the three candidates starting at 10 a.m. Saturday, June 2, at St. Mark Church, 14740 Stumptown Road in Huntersville.
Corpus Christi celebration with Bishop Emeritus Curlin HIGH POINT — Bishop Emeritus William G. Curlin will preside at a Corpus Christi Mass and Eucharistic Procession at Maryfield in High Point starting at 1 p.m. Sunday, June 10. All are welcome to attend this annual celebration. Maryfield, a continuing care retirement community operated by the sisters of the Poor Servants of the Mother of God for more than 60 years, is one of a few locations in the diocese that has perpetual Eucharistic Adoration in a beautiful chapel attached to the health care facility. — Deacon Ron Steinkamp
Photo provided by Pontifical College Josephinum
Father James Wehner, rector of Pontifical College Josephinum, with Cory Catron, who just graduated with a Bachelor of Philosophy.
Catron graduates from Pontifical College Josephinum COLUMBUS, Ohio — “The Pontifical College Josephinum sends you forth to be heralds of Jesus Christ and His Gospel,” said Very Rev. James A. Wehner, rector/president, to the seminary’s 2012 graduating class. May 12 was “a glorious day” for the graduates and their family and friends, who gathered for the 113th baccalaureate Mass and commencement exercises. Among the 30 seminarians graduating this year was Cory Catron of the Diocese of Charlotte, who earned a Bachelor of Science in philosophy. “This pontifical, national seminary provides a formation experience in which seminarians can hear the word of God, study the word of God, and discern the word of God within an apostolic community,” said Father Wehner during the baccalaureate Mass. “Yet no seminary can do this alone. The whole Church stands in solidarity with each of our seminarians today, as we salute these men and thank God for their accomplishments.” — Carolyn Dinovo
SueAnn Howell Staff writer
HUNTERSVILLE — Three men from the Diocese of Charlotte are due to be ordained to the priesthood on Saturday, June 2, at St. Mark Church in Huntersville. Bishop Peter J. Jugis will preside over the ordination and will be the main celebrant for the ordination Mass. Deacons Jason Kemble Barone and Peter James Shaw were ordained to the transitional diaconate at St. Patrick Cathedral in Charlotte on Dec. 17, 2011. Deacon Matthew Codd was ordained to the transitional diaconate last June. That milestone marked one of the final steps before their priestly ordinations next month. The ordination Mass at St. Mark Church will begin at 10 a.m. at the church, located at 14740 Stumptown Road in Huntersville. Everyone is invited to attend. Deacon Barone, 28, received a Bachelor of Arts in political science from the University of North CarolinaChapel Hill before completing his degree in theology Deacon Barone from Mount St. Mary’s Seminary in Emmitsburg, Md. He is the son of Dr. Russell J. Barone and Laurie Barone of Arden. His home parish is St. John the Baptist Church in Tryon. His previous summer assignments included St. Vincent de Paul Church in Charlotte and St. Michael Church in Gastonia. Deacon Codd, 29, studied at North Carolina State for two years and the University of Illinois in UrbanaChampaign for two years. He completed his theology studies at Mount Saint Mary’s. He is the son of R. Trent Codd Jr. and Celine Codd of Fairview. His home parish Deacon Codd is St. Lawrence Basilica in Asheville. His previous summer assignments included Sacred Heart Church in Salisbury and St. Vincent de Paul in Charlotte. Deacon Shaw, 27, who attended the Pontifical College Josephinum and Mount St. Mary’s Seminary, was born in New York but moved to North Carolina in his childhood. He is the son of Deacon William S. Shaw and Ann Shaw of Oak Ridge. His home parish is St. Pius X Church in Greensboro. His summer assignments included St. Ann Church and St. Vincent de Paul Church in Charlotte. Deacon Shaw “As I approach my ordination to the holy priesthood, I am overwhelmed with a sense of gratitude,” Deacon Barone said. “First and foremost, I’m grateful to Almighty God who has given me this lofty vocation, but also for my family who brought me up in the Catholic faith, to those priests and friends who inspired and nurtured my vocation, to those countless souls who have prayed and sacrificed for me, and for Bishop Jugis who has called me to be one of his priests. Please continue to pray for priests, that we will be sanctified by the love of Christ and so become more effective ministers of God’s heavenly gifts.”
Watch the ordination live! Can’t make it to the ordination Mass on Saturday, June 2? You can still join in! LIVE VIDEO & CHAT: Watch the ordination Mass live online, beginning at 10 a.m. ET. The Catholic New Herald will broadcast the two-hour Mass over the Internet at www. catholicnewsherald.com. Viewers can also chat in our online forum and ask questions. MORE COVERAGE IN PRINT & ONLINE: Video footage and highlights will also be published online afterwards, along with news and photos from the Mass. And the June 8 print edition of the Catholic News Herald will feature even more news as well as a special look at religious vocations. YOUTUBE: Meet the three priest candidates in personal interviews posted to the Diocese of Charlotte’s YouTube channel starting May 29. FACEBOOK: Share messages of your support and prayers for our three new priests on our Facebook page. Go to www.catholicnewsherald.com for all of the details. — Patricia L. Guilfoyle, editor
Where are their first Masses? CHARLOTTE — On Sunday, June 3, the three newlyordained priests of the Diocese of Charlotte have plans to celebrate their first Masses: n Father Jason Barone will celebrate his first Mass, which will be a Mass in the Extraordinary Form, at St. Ann Church in Charlotte starting at 2:30 p.m. n Father Matthew Codd will celebrate his first Mass at St. Lawrence Basilica in Asheville starting at noon. n Father Peter Shaw will celebrate his first Mass at his home parish, St. Pius X Church in Greensboro, starting at 11:30 a.m.
Father John Putnam celebrates 20 years of priesthood this month SueAnn Howell Staff writer
SALISBURY — Twenty years ago this month, Father John Putnam was ordained to the priesthood by the late Bishop John Donoghue at St. Patrick Cathedral in Charlotte. Over the past 20 years, Father Putnam continued his studies, specializing in canon law, and accepted several positions in parishes around the Diocese of Charlotte. His first assignment was as interim parochial vicar of St. Lucien Church in Spruce Pine and St. Bernadette Church in Linville. Since then he has also served as parochial vicar of Holy Family Church in Clemmons and as the administrator of Holy
Infant Church in Reidsville. He served as sacramental minister of St. Joseph Church in Eden as well. Father Putnam is currently the pastor at Sacred Heart Church in Salisbury, a position he has held for the past 12 years. Since 2003, he has held the position of judicial vicar for the diocese, overseeing the marriage tribunal. He has also served as Tribunal Assessor, Tribunal Judge, Vicar Forane for the Salisbury Vicariate and Interim Vocation Director. The various boards and councils he has served on include the Priest Vocations ANNIVERSARY, SEE page 13
— SueAnn Howell, staff writer
‘Don’t forget that God’s in charge and sometimes you just have to get out of the way.’
Fr. Putnam
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catholicnewsherald.com | May 25, 2012 OUR PARISHES
Diocesan calendar of events BELMONT BELMONT ABBEY COLLEGE, 100 BELMONT-MT. HOLLY ROAD
Bishop Peter J. Jugis Bishop Peter J. Jugis will participate in the following events over the next two weeks: May 26 – 5:30 p.m. Sacrament of Confirmation St. Patrick Cathedral, Charlotte May 30 – 5:30 p.m. Baccalaureate Mass for Charlotte Catholic High School St. Matthew Church, Charlotte May 31 – 10 a.m. Diocesan Foundation Board Meeting Catholic Conference Center, Hickory June 1 – 5 p.m. Holy Hour for Priesthood Candidates St. Patrick Cathedral, Charlotte June 2 – 10 a.m. Liturgy of Ordination to the Holy Priesthood St. Mark Church, Huntersville June 4 – 7 p.m. Sacrament of Confirmation St. Aloysius Church, Hickory
— Adult Degree Program Information Session, 6 p.m. May 30. Limited seating. Reserve your spot at www. belmontabbeycollege.edu/adult-education or 704461-6666.
BOONE
mlarrea@dilworthcenter.org or 704-372-6969.
CHARLOTTE belk theater at blumenthal performing arts center, 130 n. tryon st. — “From Common Ground to Higher Ground,” live performances, video pictorials and speakers reflecting the diverse religious faiths in the local community, 7:30 p.m. June 5. Tickets are free, but required. Visit www.meckmin.org to reserve and print. holy trinity middle school, 3100 Park Road — Taller Para Servidores: “Renovando la Unción,” con Salvador Gómez, predicador Católico internacional. 9 a.m.-3 p.m. 27 de mayo. No se permiten niños menores de 10 años. Para mas información, llame al 704-491-4570 o 704-363-7817. pastoral center, 1123 s. church st. — Entrenamiento de Catequista en español, 10 a.m.2 p.m. 26 de mayo — Catechist training in Spanish, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. May 26 ST. ann CHURCH, 3635 park road
June 7 – 7 p.m. Sacrament of Confirmation Divine Redeemer Church, Boonville
ST. JOHN NEUMANN CHURCH, 8451 IDLEWILD ROAD
June 10 – 4 p.m. Mass honoring Father John Putnam Sacred Heart Church, Salisbury
— Missa Solemnis for the Feast of the Holy Trinity, 2:30 p.m. June 3. Visit www.stanncharlotte.org. — Join the “Fathers Pat,” Father Patrick Hoare, Father Patrick Cahill and Father Patrick Toole, for an informational meeting about their upcoming pilgrimage to Ireland, 7 p.m. May 31. — Area high school graduates in the Class of 2012 will be honored at Mass, 5 p.m. June 10. To be recognized, contact Jennifer McDermott at jennifer@4sjnc.org or 704-535-4197. — SonFest (parish carnival), 5-10 p.m. June 15 and noon10 p.m. June 16 — “Legion of Mary” group invites you to join them, Council Room, noon Mondays. Contact Janice Kemble at janicekemble@aol.com or 704-301-7331. ST. MATTHEW CHURCH, 8015 BALLANTYNE COMMONS PKWY. — Seminar: “Understanding Addiction & Recovery Within the Faith Community,” for clergy, religious, and industry professionals, NLC Banquet Room, 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. June 1. Contact and registration with Margaret Larrea at
may 25, 2012 Volume 21 • Number 15
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
Volunteer to host an international high school exchange student through the Council on International Education Exchange. For each referral from this announcement that results in a student placement, CIEE will make a $50 contribution to the St. John Neumann Youth Group (Y.E.S.). For more information or to apply, visit www.ciee.org/host, or contact Delores Maxen at deloresmaxen@gmail.com or 704-905-5361.
st. elizabeth of the hill country church, 259 pilgrims way — Parish Picnic, following 11 a.m. Mass June 3. Bring a dish to go with barbecue.
June 6 – 7 p.m. Sacrament of Confirmation Our Lady of the Rosary Church, Lexington
June 9 – 5 p.m. Sacrament of Confirmation Our Lady of Consolation Church, Charlotte
Celebrate the diversity of St. John Neumann Church!
EDITOR: Patricia L. Guilfoyle 704-370-3334, plguilfoyle@charlottediocese.org COMMUNICATIONS ASSISTANT/CIRCULATION: Denise Onativia 704-370-3333, catholicnews@charlottediocese.org ADVERTISING MANAGER: Kevin Eagan 704-370-3332, keeagan@charlottediocese.org STAFF WRITER: SueAnn Howell 704-370-3354, sahowell@charlottediocese.org GRAPHIC DESIGNER: Tim Faragher 704-370-3331, tpfaragher@charlottediocese.org Online reporter: Kimberly Bender 704-808-7341, kdbender@charlottediocese.org
— Baccalaureate Mass for high school and college graduates, 5:30 p.m. June 3. College graduates (or their parents) are asked to contact Heather King at hking@stmatthewcatholic.org or 704-543-7677, ext. 1061, for an invitation. — Opus Dei Recollection for Men, 7-9 p.m. June 8. Confession begins at 6:30 p.m. Contact Joe Ignacio at joremy.ignacio@gmail.com or 704-752-7155. — Opus Dei Recollection for Women, 10 a.m.-noon June 9. Confession begins at 9:30 a.m. Contact Remy Ignacio at remy_ignacio@hotmail.com or 704-752-7155. — Centering Prayer Introductory Workshop, NLC Banquet Room, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. June 16. Register at www. cpcharlotte.org. Contact Michael Burck at mburck@ stmatthewcatholic.org or 704-541-8362, ext. 4. — “Alive in the Spirit,” Charismatic Prayer group, 7:30 p.m. third Mondays. Contact Barbara Gardner at chlt5nc@aol.com. — Centering Prayer Group, NLC 206, 7-8:30 p.m. second and fourth Wednesdays. Contact Bruce Hassett at 704-641-9041 or Janie Normile at 803-396-8016. ST. THOMAS AQUINAS CHURCH, 1400 SUTHER ROAD — Healing Mass, 11 a.m. June 2. Contact annettemorales@carolina.rr.com. — New chapter starting: Men of Veritas, following 9 a.m. Mass second and fourth Saturdays. Contact Charlie at menofveritas@stacharlotte.com. ST. VINCENT DE PAUL CHURCH, 6828 Old Reid Road — “Ministry Retreat Day”: Faith Formation Retreat for St. Vincent de Paul Church, St. Patrick Cathedral, St. Ann Church, Our Lady of the Assumption Church and St. Michael the Archangel Church, July 14. Contact Aida Tamayo at atamayo@stvincentdepaulchurch. com or 704-554-1622.
GREENSBORO st. PAUL THE APOSTLE CHURCH, 2715 HORSE PENN CREEK ROAD — The Ladies Ancient Order of Hibernians welcomes all women who are practicing Roman Catholics, and who are Irish by birth descent, who are the wife of
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a member of the Ancient Order of Hibernians, or the mother of a junior member. Meetings are first Thursdays. Contact marylisk @aol.com.
HAYESVILLE IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY MISSION, HWY. 64 West — Kindred Spirits Bereavement Group, 10-11:30 a.m. Wednesdays through June 20. Contact Shirley Moran at 706-896-1358.
HENDERSONVILLE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION CHURCH, 208 Seventh Avenue West — Guest speaker, author Father Michael Gaitley, MIC, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. June 9. Bring a bag lunch. Contact johnwilde@bellsouth.net.
HIGH POINT IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY CHURCH, 4145 johnson st. — International Festival: “Many Voices, One Spirit,” 3:30-7:30 p.m. May 27. Bring a favorite ethnic or local family-sized dish to share. pennybyrn at maryfield, 109 Penny Road — Corpus Christi Mass celebrated by Bishop Emeritus William G. Curlin, 1 p.m. June 10
HUNTERSVILLE ST. MARK CHURCH, 14740 STUMPTOWN ROAD — The Ladies Ancient Order of Hibernians welcomes all women who are practicing Roman Catholics, and who are Irish by birth descent, who are the wife of a member of the Ancient Order of Hibernians, or the mother of a junior member. Meetings are in room 200, 7:30 p.m. first Thursdays. Contact Bernadette Brady at mcbernie38@msn.com or 704-210-8060. — Retiro Pentecostés: “Renovando la Unción,” con Salvador Gómez, predicador Católico internacional. 7-9 p.m. 25 de mayo y 8 a.m.-4 p.m. 26 de mayo. No se permiten niños menores de 10 años. Para mas información, llame al 704-491-4570 o 704-363-7817. — An evening with Father David Miller, and a presentation on “The Last Four Things,” 8 p.m. June 29. Bring an appetizer to share. RSVP to Donna Smith at dsmith18@bellsouth.net or 704-948-1306.
contact Advertising Manager Kevin Eagan at 704-370-3332 or keeagan@charlottediocese.org. The Catholic News Herald reserves the right to reject or cancel advertising for any reason, and does not recommend or guarantee any product, service or benefit claimed by our advertisers. SUBSCRIPTIONS: $15 per year for all registered parishioners of the Diocese of Charlotte and $23 per year for all others. POSTMASTER: Periodicals class postage (USPC 007-393) paid at Charlotte, N.C. Send address corrections to the Catholic News Herald, 1123 S. Church St., Charlotte, N.C. 28203.
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May 25, 2012 | catholicnewsherald.com
Women religious who are celebrating their jubilees this year were honored April 28 at the Diocese of Charlotte Pastoral Center in Charlotte. Pictured with Bishop Peter Jugis are Mercy Sister Monica Perez, Mercy Sister Carmen Cruz and Mercy Sister Mary Andrew Ray. All three sisters are celebrating the 60th anniversaries of their profession of vows.
Patricia L. Guilfoyle Editor
Photo provided by Mercy Sister Joanne Kuhlmann
St. Matthew teens go without food, shelter to raise awareness, funds for the hungry Just Cause Fast seeks to raise $30,000 to benefit hunger organizations CHARLOTTE — While many will be firing up their grills this Memorial Day Weekend, teens at St. Matthew Church will go without food and shelter to raise awareness and funds for the world’s hungry. Just Cause Fast 2012, a tradition at the church for nearly 20 years, will have teens fast for 29 hours, collect non-perishable food items for local food pantries and raise funds to benefit two state hunger organizations.
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Next religious freedom rallies set for June 8 in Charlotte, Winston-Salem
Jubilarians honored
Jenny Cox Special to the Catholic News Herald
OUR PARISHESI
“We fast to create a hunger – not just for food but more importantly for justice for those less fortunate than ourselves; those who may not have a bed to sleep in or a roof over their heads; those who fear for their safety in their own neighborhoods,” said Youth Minister Katie Dunne. Each year, teens use the hunger fast to draw attention to important social justice issues and generate funds for agencies serving those most vulnerable. This year, participants hope to raise $30,000 to benefit Stop Hunger Now and Second Harvest
Food Bank of Metrolina. An estimated 925 million people around the world go hungry each year. Just Cause Fast 2012 begins Saturday, May 26, at 9 a.m. and concludes with Mass at the church at 5:30 p.m. Sunday followed by dinner in the parish center. Over the weekend, teens will hear presentations on local, national and global hunger, spend time in prayer and sleep outside in cardboard boxes to align themselves with the homeless.
Rosary makers at St. Mark’s aim to reach 10,000 mark Susan P. Dennis Special to the Catholic News Herald
HUNTERSVILLE — Rosary makers at St. Mark Church in Huntersville are aiming to make 10,000 rosaries by August, to mark the group’s fourth anniversary at the parish. The rosaries are distributed locally as well as sent overseas to missions and to U.S. military personnel. Ministry members have made 8,000 rosaries over the past three years, so they are just about 2,000 shy of reaching the 10,000 milestone by the date of their fourth anniversary. “We are still looking for more activities this August and increasing production is a priority,” said Susan Claire Wild, the group’s coordinator. “There is a demand for rosaries even here at Charlotte and Huntersville areas.” A majority of the group’s members are women bound together by their love for the Virgin Mary. They meet once a month for two hours: one hour for training and sharing of new ideas on how to tie a knot or thread the crystals and beads, and the second hour devoted to prayer while they make the rosaries. The ministry’s rosaries are distributed for free to the
CHARLOTTE — Opponents of the federal contraception mandate in health insurance coverage are marshaling their efforts to conduct a second rally outside federal courthouses across the U.S. on Friday, June 8. The next “Stand Up for Religious Freedom” rally will be held starting at noon on June 8. Local rallies will be held outside the federal buildings in Charlotte and Winston-Salem. The nationwide rally is being organized by the Pro-Life Action League in Chicago and Citizens for a Pro-Life Society, based in Michigan. Similar to the first rally held in March, this public vigil and protest aims to raise awareness about the new federal mandate that will force nearly all employers to provide free contraception in their health insurance plans, despite religious objections. The mandate – part of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 and written by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services without outside input – narrowly defines which religious employers may be exempt from the mandate to provide free artificial contraception, abortion-causing drugs and sterilization services as ones that serve primarily people of their own faith and hire people primarily of their own faith. Most Catholic employers would not meet the requirements of that exemption, as they serve and hire people of any faith, so they face the stark choice of either compromising on Church teaching by providing free artificial contraception or risk shutting down. The Obama Administration has affirmed the HHS mandate and given religious employers a year to figure out how they will follow the mandate, but Catholic leaders and other religious organizations have vowed to fight the mandate as an unjust restriction of religious liberty. n In Charlotte, the “Stand Up for Religious Freedom” rally will be held outside the Charles R. Jonas Federal Building, 401 West Trade St. n In Winston-Salem, the rally will be held outside the Hiram H. Ward Federal Building, 251 North Main St. To learn more about the upcoming rally, go to www. standupforreligiousfreedom.com.
What is the HHS mandate? The HHS mandate is a new federal regulation would require nearly all employers to provide free artificial contraception, abortifacients and sterilization services in their employees’ health insurance plans. It is part of implementing the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010, which sets up new preventative health care coverage specifically for women at no cost. That coverage includes services such as mammograms, prenatal care and cervical cancer screenings, but it also mandates free artificial birth control pills, sterilizations and drugs considered by the Church to be abortifacients – all of which are contrary to Catholic teaching. For a religious employer that does not want to offer such services, the regulation sets out a narrow exemption: An exempt religious employer is one that “(1) has the inculcation of religious values as its purpose; (2) primarily employs persons who share its religious tenets; (3) primarily serves persons who share its religious tenets; and (4) is a nonprofit organization” under specific sections of the Internal Revenue Code. The exact language of the exemption was announced Aug. 1 by the federal Department of Health and Human Services.
military, to youth groups, and abroad to Africa, Japan, Peru, Philippines and Ecuador, the Cayman Islands and Japan. They also distribute the rosaries for free to charitable institutions, nursing homes, hospice ministries and parish teen retreats. Their rosaries are also placed in St. Mark Church’s Adoration Chapel.
Since the mandate was announced last fall and reaffirmed by the Obama administration in February, Catholic and other religious leaders across the country are decrying this exemption as too narrowly written – particularly parts 2 and 3 – and violates the Church’s religious liberty. The Church’s ministries do and should go beyond serving and employing Catholics, they emphasize. Several federal lawsuits, including one by Belmont Abbey College, have been filed to challenge the mandate. For more, see page 22.
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catholicnewsherald.com | May 25, 2012 OUR PARISHES
Gireesh Gupta
The noble Belmont Abbey basilica
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Patricia L. Guilfoyle | Catholic News Herald
Elizabeth O’Malley high-fives fellow Belmont Abbey College graduate Harris Moriarty May 12 as they and nearly 400 other students received their bachelor’s degrees in the Benedictine college’s 134th annual commencement exercises.
Belmont Abbey graduates celebrate their moment in time Patricia L. Guilfoyle Editor
BELMONT — The graduates of Belmont Abbey College should appreciate each and every moment and live in the present – not worrying about the past or the future. That piece of wisdom came from Dr. William Thierfelder, president of the Benedictine Catholic college in Belmont, during its 134th annual commencement exercises May 12. “All of time is present to God,” Thierfelder said, so appreciating each moment of the present puts us in closer union with Him. “Trust in Divine Providence,” he told the graduates, and do your best out of love for God and one’s neighbor. “That is the secret to peace and happiness.” The graduating class of nearly 400 students, gathered outside in front of the century-old Mary Help of Christians Abbey Basilica, applauded loudly in response. But their loudest cheers were reserved for their fellow student speakers: senior class president John Hohenstein IV and Adult Degree Program representative Curtis Lamar Milner. They echoed Thierfelder’s point that this was a special moment in their lives – one they will not forget. “It’s official, we’re getting old,” joked Hohenstein before he continued with his senior address, sometimes choking back tears. “For four years we have lived together, worked together and prayed together. “ He and his fellow students had made the choice to come to this close-knit college community, learning not just the rigorous academics but also the timeless lessons of our Catholic faith and the example of the Benedictine monastic life. That tradition, stability and hospitality will always remain with them, he said. “Wherever we end up, we take the Abbey with us,” Hohenstein said. Then he cracked, “Just think, one day
we will be one of those random creepy people we see wandering the hallways.” Then before wrapping up his remarks, Hohenstein took out his smartphone, snapped a photo of the graduating class seated in front of him, and tweeted it. “To my family, the Class of 2012, congratulations. We did it!” “I thank God, this is a beautiful day,” said Milner. He and his fellow ADP graduates had sacrificed time and money to return to college, and it had all been worth it. “We took the time and invested in ourselves,” Milner said. Now, knowing the value of education and satisfaction in achieving one’s goals are legacies he can leave his two daughters. During the commencement program, Jesuit Father Robert Spitzer, the former president of Gonzaga University, an acclaimed author and leader in Catholic higher education, was awarded an honorary degree for his exemplary service to Catholic higher education and to the Church. He was also the homilist at the Baccalaureate Mass that preceded the graduation ceremony. Father Spitzer is the president of the Magis Center of Reason and Faith, and the Spitzer Center for Catholic Organizations. He is also the chief educational officer for the Ethics and Performance Institute. The Magis Center produces documentaries, books, high school curricula, college courses, adult-education curricula and new media materials to show the close connection between faith and reason in contemporary astrophysics, philosophy and the historical study of the New Testament. Also honored during the graduation ceremony were: n Abbey Student of the Year: Paula Isabel Santos Regalado n Valedictorian: Alexis Boyce Hess n Adrian Award For Teaching Excellence: Dr. Angela Miss, associate professor of English and chair-elect of the English Department
pril 21, 1876, was a day of historical and religious significance. Benedictine Father Herman Wolfe arrived at the Caldwell Plantation in the town of Garibaldi, known today as Belmont, from St. Vincent Abbey in Latrobe, Penn. He was accompanied by two students, Harry Plageman and Anthony Lauman. Father J.J. O’Connell had generously donated the 500acre Caldwell Plantation to the St. Vincent’s Abbey for education and God’s service. Immediately upon arrival at the farm, Father Wolfe founded the monastery and named it Mary Help of Christians. Having no means to build a church, Father Wolfe converted a room in the farmhouse as the chapel. On April 22, 1876, Father Wolfe celebrated the monastery’s first Mass, praying that this sacrifice would never be interrupted here. The lack of resources hindered the building of a church. In 1877, a humble chapel of frame and board was constructed and daily prayers were offered at this chapel for many years to come. Benedictine Abbot Leo Haid, the first abbot of Mary Help of Christians Abbey, and Benedictine Father Felix Michael Hintemeyer worked tirelessly and selflessly to raise money. They broke ground for a new chapel on March 21, 1892 – the Feast of St. Benedict. On May 4, 1892, Abbot Haid blessed the church’s cornerstone and named the new church Mary Help of Christians. The blessing was attended by hundreds of guests brought to Belmont on specially scheduled trains. The earnest dedication and tireless hard work of volunteers bore fruit when on Dec. 17,1893 (Gaudete Sunday, a day of rejoicing), Abbot Haid offered the first Mass at the new church. On April 11, 1894, the Abbey Church of Mary Help was blessed by James Cardinal Gibbons, Archbishop of Baltimore. Father Hintemeyer arranged trains that brought laity and clerics from throughout the Carolinas. Overjoyed guests stood in the aisles and outside and watched the blessing of the new church. The Abbey church was adorned with a tower clock in 1909. In 1910, the church was named a cathedral by the Holy See, the only abbey cathedral ever built in the U.S. In 1964, under Benedictine Abbot Walter Coggin’s visionary leadership, the Italian-made noble statue of St. Benedict was placed on the piazza of the cathedral. In 1973 the cathedral became a historic landmark and was listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The leadership of Benedictine Abbot Oscar Burnett brought great honor to the abbey church when, in 1998, Pope John Paul II named it a minor basilica. The splendor and the beauty of the holy basilica are preserved and glow during the liturgies, and the vision of the founding fathers lives on in the daily offerings of Vigils, Lauds, Midday Prayers, Vespers, and Holy Mass under the leadership of Benedictine Abbot Placid Solari. The magnificent abbey basilica is a house of prayer, a sanctuary for the rich and for the poor, a place of peace that can bring comfort to anyone in despair. The sweet and melodious ringing of the bells on the tall tower is heard in the surrounding areas of the city of Belmont and fills the hearts and souls of the people of Belmont with devotion, love and praise for God. The academic pursuit of the young minds at Belmont Abbey College commences and completes at the abbey basilica. At the start of each academic year in August, the eager freshman class is matriculated in the basilica with prayers and blessings to the Almighty Father. At the completion of each academic year in May, hundreds of happy graduates gather at the basilica to attend the baccalaureate Mass and invoke God’s blessings before receiving their diplomas. Gireesh Gupta is an associate professor of computer information systems at Belmont Abbey College in Belmont. Historical information is from “A Carolina Cathedral” by Benedictine Father Paschal Baumstein.
May 25, 2012 | catholicnewsherald.com
Homosexuality ministry leader visits Charlotte to educate Catholics Patricia L. Guilfoyle Editor
CHARLOTTE — Father Paul Check, director of Courage, a national Catholic apostolate for people with same-sex attraction, spoke to about 100 local Catholics May 4 at St. Ann Church in Charlotte. Endorsed by the Pontifical Council for the Family, Courage ministers to people with same-sex attraction and their loved ones. Based out of the Diocese of Bridgeport, Conn., Courage has grown to more than 100 chapters worldwide since its founding in 1980 by Cardinal Terence Cardinal Cooke, the late archbishop of New York. Father Check, a U.S. Marine Corps captain before becoming a priest, first began working with Courage in 2002 and became director in 2008 after working with founding director Father John Harvey, OSFS. The Church teaches that homosexual behavior is disordered: sexual activity between two men or two women ignore the complementary physical natures of each gender and the fact that God created men and women to unite as “one flesh” within the marital bond and be open to the gift of children. But the Church also cautions in the Catechism, “The number of men and women who have deep-seated homosexual tendencies is not negligible. They do not choose their homosexual condition; for most of them it is a trial.” (CCC 2358) Through Courage, Father Check said, people with same-sex attraction can find spiritual guidance and hope. Courage’s five pillars are to enable Catholics with same-sex attraction to live chaste lives according to God’s purpose; to dedicate their Fr. Check lives to Christ through prayer, the sacraments and service; to foster fellowship; to receive support from fellow Catholics; and to serve as role models. Father Check explained that most of the people he has counseled want to live their Catholic faith, but their same-sex attraction is like an open wound. They see only two ways to escape their pain: either abandon Church teaching by embracing a sinful homosexual lifestyle, or suppress their hurt feelings and live in loneliness and isolation. “Both of these things are unhappy choices. So we try to provide a third choice – a fellowship of a group of like-minded people under the guidance of a priest,” he said. “Our strongest desire is for love,” Father Check explained. We are designed by God to look for completion outside ourselves, seeking love through our family and friends, and within the Church. As George Strait once sang, Father Check joked, “You can’t have it all, all by yourself.” However, the Church is often seen as an authority that says “no” a lot, he said. “They are hearing a very strong ‘no,’ and they are hearing it from a very strong institution that represents the love of God,” he said. Catholics have an obligation to hold up Church teaching in all its fullness. The faithful must recognize disordered behaviors of any kind and live virtuous lives, he said. Just as lying is disordered speech that subverts the purpose of communication, and gluttony is disordered eating that abuses the purpose of food as nourishment, aberrant sexual appetites go against the purposes of sex – that is, complementary unity between a man and woman within the bonds of marriage, and procreation.
Learn more online Courage – A Roman Catholic Apostolate: www.couragerc.net Get answers to frequently asked questions about marriage and homosexuality, including why the Church cares so much about marriage, why gender matters, and why children have a right to both a mother and a father: www.usccb.org/issuesand-action/marriage-and-family/marriage/ promotion-and-defense-of-marriage What the U.S. bishops have written: “Ministry to Persons with a Homosexual Inclination: Guidelines for Pastoral Care” (2006), online and downloadable from www.catholicnewsherald.com
Pervasive elements in our culture, though, seek to redefine sexuality and gender as being unnecessary – even unwanted, he said. “The procreative power of the sexual faculty must always be respected,” and that includes the gamut of issues, not just samesex attraction, he said. Catholics must also live up to Church teaching regarding contraception, adultery, pornography, invitro fertilization and cohabitation. Why does the Church teach what she does? Because living the fullness of the Gospel leads to joy. God gave us the rules for right living because He loves us, and Jesus taught us that keeping the commandments will bring us happiness. “He does not want us to be on a selfdefeating search for joy,” he said. Understanding why the Church teaches what she does, and then putting it into practice in our own lives, he said, will enable us to reach out to our brothers and sisters in Christ who carry the burden of same-sex attraction. Much of what many Catholics think today, however, is based on either misplaced compassion or a lack of true Christian charity – expressed as “tolerance” or condescension, he noted. People suffering from same-sex attraction deserve better, he said. Most of the people Father Check has counseled through Courage follow a similar pattern in their backgrounds, he noted: They suffered from sexual trauma at an early age, their sexual appetites were warped by pornography, and their understanding of their masculine or feminine identity was deficient. Many lacked fathers who were “strong, loving and wise” – leading boys to look for approval from other men and leading girls to seek “safe” emotional bonds with other women, relationships that then became sexualized. The early sexual trauma damaged their budding sexual identity, that development was further twisted by the objectification of sex found in pornography, and they sought a fuller understanding of their own sexual identities by looking for it among fellow men or women, he said. No matter what, “normalizing” same-sex attraction “does not exist,” he emphasized. “People are at cross purposes with themselves, even if they don’t recognize it.” It’s as if their sexual identity is like an open wound that just will not heal, he said. Instead of seeking to “tolerate” that wound, Father Check said, “We think about the wounds and what can be done to heal them.” That must include mental health counseling, spiritual direction from a priest, and support from fellow Catholics.
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catholicnewsherald.com | May 25, 2012 OUR PARISHES
St. Mary’s music minister retires after 40 years of service Ryan Murray Correspondent
GREENSBORO — For decades, Carl Foster has been a mainstay at St. Mary Church in Greensboro as the parish music minister. Now, after more than 40 years in this role, Foster has retired. “The Lord knows best,” Foster said recently when asked about his decision to retire. “The Lord giveth and He taketh away.” Born in Greensboro in 1926, Foster was born a Baptist but converted to Catholicism in 1958 and has been at St. Mary’s ever since. “I found a liturgy that satisfied my curiosity,” Foster said regarding his conversion. “Catholicism really spelled things out for me.” As a member of the music ministry at St. Mary’s, one of the priests at the time asked Foster to play the organ at one of the Masses in 1958. However, Foster was not accustomed to playing the organ. “The father at the time asked me to play the organ, but I told him that I didn’t play the organ – I played the piano,” Foster said. “But the priest said, ‘I need you to play the organ,’ so I did.” The rest is history. Following that experience, Foster became the music minister at St. Mary’s. Throughout his time in ministry, Foster has served in a number of roles, not only for St. Mary’s but for the Diocese of Charlotte including as the coordinator of the diocesan African American Affairs Office for seven years. Along the way, Foster said, he has also learned a thing or two about the parishioners at St. Mary’s. “The parishioners were always very devoted to the Catholic faith,” Foster said. “And they still are devoted to the faith.”
Foster is also dedicated to the faith, according to St. Mary’s pastor, Father Michael Manh Nguyen. “Carl is a very faithful member of the church,” Nguyen said. “He enjoys music and has set a great example by being so faithful and joyful through his service. He has been very generous to share his gift with us every Sunday to help us praise God better and share the liturgy together.” Throughout his time, Foster said, he has also learned a bit about Foster himself. “I’ve learned to be honest with myself and try to do the best I can with the obstacles that seemingly prevent me from reaching my goal – which is to create a better life for all individuals in the parish, myself and my family.” Certainly, Foster has been able to create a better life for members of the parish through his ministry and as a result, was honored by the parish. “One of my favorite memories was the day St. Mary’s honored the musicians,” Foster said. “I was very happy that everyone thought enough of what we did here to honor us.” After more than 40 years as music minister at St. Mary’s, Foster has certainly learned many things during his time and can pass some advice on to others. “The influx of other ethnicities has made an impact on the parish and the challenge is being able to bring us all together,” Foster said. “We make progress on it every day, and my hope is that we continue to strive for greater unity among parishioners.”
WELCOMING THE STRANGER
Father Reid: Helping refugees is like helping Christ Himself Editor’s note: This is an ongoing series of articles showcasing how the faithful of the Diocese of Charlotte welcome and support refugees through Catholic Social Services’ Refugee Resettlement Office, which has helped 10,705 refugees from 27 different nationalities since 1975. Tracy Winsor Special to the Catholic News Herald
CHARLOTTE — Father Timothy Reid has served as pastor of St. Ann Church for the past five years, but before he became a priest for the Diocese of Charlotte, he worked in Washington, D.C., helping to resettle refugees. For several years Father Reid worked with the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, in its Office of Migration and Refugee Services (USCCB/MRS) in Washington, D.C. That office resettles about 30 percent of the refugees who arrive in the U.S. each year. The Catholic refugee resettlement network includes more than 100 diocesan offices across the country, including the Catholic Social Services Refugee Resettlement Office here in the Charlotte diocese. In a recent conversation, Father Reid shared the following experiences and insights regarding his work in refugee resettlement: Q: What did you do at the USCCB? Father Reid: I served as a field support coordinator for USCCB/MRS. In this role I was responsible for overseeing a portion of the USCCB’s network of refugee resettlement offices operated through various Catholic Charities and Catholic Social Services agencies. Ultimately, it was my responsibility to ensure that the local refugee offices were providing all the necessary services to refugees (such as adequate housing, food, medical care, cultural orientation and employment services) per the guidelines set forth by the U.S. Department of State. I spent half of my time in the national office in Washington. The other half of my time was spent visiting the various local offices around the country (including our program here in Charlotte) to audit their programs and provide training and support. Q: Did you have any other responsibilities in that capacity? Father Reid: I was also responsible for helping Cubans and Haitians coming into the U.S., people seeking political asylum, as well as Chinese minors smuggled into the country, and victims of human trafficking. Q: Chinese minors are smuggled into the U.S.? Father Reid: Yes. Chinese families will contract with gangs who, for a large sum of money, will smuggle a child (usually a teenager) into the U.S. The teen then gets a job, begins to pay the sum back, and eventually seeks citizenship in the U.S. to bring over his/her family by legitimate means. Often these young people are caught at the U.S. border, at which point they are turned over to federal immigration officials, who often put them into detention. I oversaw the Catholic Charities programs that took these young people out of detention and put them into foster care or reconciled them with family members (if they had any family in the U.S.). As with the refugees, my job was to ensure that these young people were being provided proper services: housing, food, clothing, education, health care, etc. Q: What work did you do in support of victims
of human trafficking? Father Reid: USCCB had just started working with victims of human trafficking during my last year there. Generally, our clients were young women and children who were brought into the U.S. through either the sex or drug trade. Some were “drug mules” who were brought to the U.S. to be prostitutes as well. These were very difficult and delicate clients. Not only did we have to provide the usual things that we would for refugees (food, housing, clothing, etc.), but we also had to provide a great deal of counseling, seek to reunite them with family in their country of origin, and in many cases, hide them from the gangs who had smuggled them in so that they could testify against them in court. Q: What insights did you gain as a result of your experience working in refugee resettlement? Father Reid: In my work with refugees, of course, I learned a great deal about other cultures. But I also learned about the importance of helping people maintain a sense of Fr. Reid human dignity. We take so much for granted in this country, especially when it comes to material goods and the liberty to live our lives as we choose. Refugees often suffer all sorts of deprivations. But the worst deprivation of all is the loss of one’s own dignity. And honestly, a kind smile, a willingness to listen and the courage to advocate for the needs of another is all it really takes to help restore that lost dignity. Doing refugee resettlement work certainly gave me a much greater appreciation for the sufferings of others, and it taught me that it’s usually not that difficult to make a real difference in the lives of others...often just a bit of selflessness. Q: What was one aspect of your work wherein you could see the importance of helping refugees regain a sense of dignity? Father Reid: When I was assigned as a parochial vicar at St. Mark Church in Huntersville, we volunteered to sponsor a large extended family for resettlement. I got our youth group there involved, and the kids did most of the labor of collecting furniture and household goods, and preparing the house we had found for the family. I remember how excited the family was to move into this home, and how appreciative they were for the small things, the little details, that we provided. We had worked hard to make this house a home for them before they arrived so that they wouldn’t need anything once they arrived. The family felt respected and welcomed.
‘Doing refugee resettlement work certainly gave me a much greater appreciation for the sufferings of others...’
REFUGEES, SEE page 25
May 25, 2012 | catholicnewsherald.com
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Celebrating first Communion
Photo provided by Ruben Tamayo
CHARLOTTE — Several youths who participated in the Special Religious Development (SPRED) program made their first holy Communion at St. Vincent de Paul Church in Charlotte April 21. They were joined by other youth from their families who received their first Communion at the same Mass. Celebrating the sacrament were (pictured above with Father Joshua Voitus, parochial vicar) Veronica Guzman, Michelle Ramon, Brandon Morales, Mariano Ramon and Gerardo Guerra, and Zaid Ramon (not pictured). They were prepared by parish catechists Karen Devore, Gina Freile, Jackie Villacura, Helen Williams and Katelyn Townsend, as well as Jan Clemens, who brought the SPRED program to the Charlotte area and who has worked closely with the catechists.
Photo provided by Our Lady of Consolation Church
CHARLOTTE — Six children at Our Lady of Consolation Church in Charlotte celebrated their first holy Communion on May 19. Pictured with Capuchin Franciscan Father Martin Schratz, pastor, are (from left) K’mya Bond, Chinecherem Ezechukwu, Godwin Nsianya, Spencer Pope, Brook Carter and Chimdindu Oduh.
Photos provided by Donna Gagne and Vonn Stone
MONROE — More than 100 children made their first holy Communion May 12 during two Masses at Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Monroe. Pictured are Father Tom Kessler and 39 first Communicants after Mass May 12, and the 70 additional first Communicants following the second Mass. Amber Mellon | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD
BOONE — Children at St. Elizabeth of the Hill Country Church in Boone celebrated first holy Communion May 6. Pictured with the first Communicants is Father David Brzoska, pastor. CHARLOTTE — During two recent Masses, 135 children celebrated their first holy Communion at St. John Neumann Church in Charlotte.
Photo provided by Betsy McLeod
MAGGIE VALLEY — Children at St. Margaret of Scotland Church in Maggie Valley celebrated their first holy Communion May 6. Pictured are (front row, from left): First Communicants Joseph Lormand, Kayden Mallette, Martin Tox, Ryan Quigley and Trinity Wenzel; and (back row, from left) Steven Wenzel (altar server), Erin Peterson (cross bearer), Father Richard Benonis (pastor) and Thomas Graham (altar server).
Photos provided by Meredith Paul and iphotoclassic
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catholicnewsherald.com | May 25, 2012 OUR PARISHES
Honoring our Mother in May
Photo provided by Ann Marie Vincent and Kathy Succop
HICKORY — Families at St. Aloysius Church in Hickory participated in a May crowning on May 13. Pictured with the parish’s statue of Mary are Antony and Thomas ShajuPonimany.
Photo provided by Karen L. Hornfeck
GREENSBORO — On May 7, second-graders at Our Lady of Grace School participated in the annual May crowning of Mary. Anna Bagnoli placed the crown of flowers with the assistance of Elijah Miller.
CHARLOTTE — On May 13, 50 first Communicants gathered at Sunday Mass at St. John Neumann Church in Charlotte to celebrate Mary, our spiritual mother and all mothers on the special day. Neyda Guzman, one of the 135 students who received first Communion on May 12, crowned Mary with flowers and then joined the other Communicants as they processed out of Mass with Father Patrick Hoare, pastor. Photo provided by Linda McAdam
LEXINGTON — Parishioners and faith formation students at Our Lady of the Rosary Church in Lexington held a joyous May crowning May 6, presided over by Oblates of St. Francis de Sales Father Albert Gondek. Pictured are JoDee Day crowning Mary and Sarah Beeker presenting the flowers.
Photo provided by Meredith Paul
Photo provided by Lara Davenport
WINSTON-SALEM — Regina Marie Koesters, Our Lady of Mercy School eighth-grader, crowns Mary during the school’s annual May crowning May 8. The eighth-graders led the service, with Koesters and other classmates giving their own reflections about what Mary means in their lives. Having been given the name that means “Queen Mary,” Koesters said Our Mother has always been an important part of her life. CHARLOTTE — Teachers Marion Scherger and Sharon Browxterman and Father Frank O’Rourke, pastor, celebrate the May crowning of Mary May 16 with Scherger’s second-grade class at St. Gabriel Church in Charlotte. The class received first holy Communion earlier this month as well. Photo provided by Shannon C. Habenicht
May 25, 2012 | catholicnewsherald.com
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Kathy Roach | Catholic News Herald
HIGH POINT — The first Communion class at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church participated in a May crowning on May 9. Photo provided by Mary Helen Cushing
CHARLOTTE — St. Vincent de Paul Preschool in Charlotte held a May crowning May 16 with its 4-year-old classes. Students and teachers sang “Immaculate Mary” after crowning Mary the Queen of Heaven.
Photo provided by Gerry Bratt and Mendy Yarborough
HIGH POINT — Youths at Immaculate Heart of Mary School in High Point held a May crowning on May 9. Emma Ware and Joey Schumacher crowned Mary, while the rest of the second-grade class (pictured, preparing to go to Mass) carried flowers.
Photo provided by Mary Catherine Surface
CHARLOTTE — The Charlotte Catholic Women’s Group teamed up with the Rosary Rally organizers at St. Patrick Cathedral in Charlotte earlier this month to host a Family Rosary and May crowning May 6. Father Joshua Voitus, parochial vicar at St. Vincent de Paul Church in Charlotte, gave a reflection, and the faithful participated in Eucharistic Adoration, Benediction and a Eucharistic Procession as well as the May crowning and rosary.
Photos provided by Shannon C. Habenicht
CHARLOTTE — Children in the 3-year-old class at St. Gabriel Cradle Preschool listen May 7 as Kate Stephens, Cradle’s director, teaches them about Mary and explains the meaning and reasons for honoring the Mother of God. On May 10, Father Andre Mangongo and B.J. Dengler of St. Gabriel Church in Charlotte visited with Carriage Club Assisted Living residents as they took part in their Living Weekly Rosary Group, which is held every Thursday thanks to volunteers from St. Gabriel Church. Pictured from left are residents Charlie Boesch, Anne Hightower, Lillian Pekar, Kathryn Claiborne (former librarian of Charlotte Catholic High School) and Do Morris (who worked for the Charlotte diocese for 17 years).
Photo provided by Dr. Jim Taylor
DEEP GAP — Katherine Corts, a parishioner at St. Elizabeth of the Hill Country Church in Boone, crowns Mary at the grotto following a procession from Hope Chapel at Taylors Peak in Deep Gap, as Dr. Jim Taylor guides her. The 12th annual May crowning at Taylors Peak was led by Father Francisco Cruz from St. Elizabeth of the Hill Country Church and John Fulkerson, parish music director. Families who attended the May crowning lit candles at the grotto as well.
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catholicnewsherald.com | May 25, 2012 OUR PARISHES
In Brief
Emergency responders awarded GREENSBORO — The Piedmont Knights of Columbus Council 939 held an awards ceremony and dinner March 24 to recognize four superior emergency responders selected by their management and peers from the Greensboro Police Department, Greensboro Fire Department, Guilford County Sheriff’s Department and Guilford County Emergency Medical Services. From the four departments, 34 people attended, along with 76 council members and their wives. Monsignor Joseph Showfety, retired priest and chancellor of the Diocese of Charlotte, gave a brief description of the military chaplains program. Winners were Captain John Wolfe, Greensboro Police Department; Captain Michael “Brett” Combs, Greensboro Fire Department; Deputy Sheriff Ryan C. Cole, Guilford County Sheriff’s Department; and Steve Manns, Guilford County Emergency Medical Services. Pictured are (from left): Captain John Wolfe, Captain Michael “Brett” Combs, Piedmont Council 939 Grand Knight Jerome Dixon, Steve Manns, and Deputy Sheriff Ryan C. Cole. — Tom Thompson
OEO wins award ASHEVILLE — The Office of Economic Opportunity of Catholic Social Services was recently given the “Credit Where Credit is Due Award” from OnTrack Financial Education and Counseling in Asheville for its work in promoting financial literacy and foreclosure relief assistance in western North Carolina. “Thanks to the Office of Economic Opportunity, people in Cherokee, Graham and Clay counties have access to foreclosure prevention assistance and quality financial counseling to help them achieve their financial goals,” stated the OnTrack Award Citation. Pictured above are (from left) OEO CSS Far West Families First Coordinator Netta McFaddin, OEO Program Director Claudie Burchfield, OnTrack Executive Director Celeste Collins, and St. William Church Pastor and OEO Advisory Board Chair Father George Kloster. Read more about OEO and this award at www.cssnc.org/oeo.
JustFaith graduates HUNTERSVILLE — Several people have recently graduated from JustFaith Ministries 30-week program. The graduates are Gail O’Brien of St. Matthew Church, Lynn Cialdella Kam of St. Mark Church, and Suzie Shermer and Whitney Norton of St. Peter Church. Pictured with them are cofacilitators Terri Jarina of St. Matthew Church and Tricia Vasil of Queen of the Apostles Church. Graduates not pictured are Mary Ann Brownlee of St. Peter Church and Donna Smith of St. Mark Church. JustFaith Ministries, begun in 1991, offers extended programs that provide opportunities for Catholics to study and be formed by the justice tradition articulated by the Scriptures, the Church’s historical witness, theological inquiry and Church social teaching. Programs help people experience conversion, integrating their personal spirituality with social commitment. Participants are empowered to develop a passion and thirst for justice and to express this passion in concrete acts of social ministry and advocacy in their parish and in the community. There are plans in the Charlotte diocese to offer JustFaith groups beginning in September at St. Matthew Church in Charlotte and at Queen of the Apostles Church in Belmont. Both parishes are offering information sessions about the JustFaith program for those who would like to consider being a part of these groups. St. Matthew’s information session will be held at 2 p.m. Sunday, June 3. Queen of the Apostle’s information session will be held at 7 p.m. Tuesday, June 12. For details, contact Michael Burck at St. Matthew Church at 704-541-8362, ext. 4, or mburck@stmatthewcatholic.org. — Donna F. Smith
— Joe Purello
Reed earns Eagle Scout
Reed
Little Flowers visit Poor Clares
CHARLOTTE — Henry Reed has completed the rank of Eagle Scout. He is a member of Troop 9, attends school at Charlotte Catholic High School, and is a parishioner at St. Patrick Cathedral in Charlotte.
CHARLOTTE — Girls in a Little Flowers group headed by Molly Beckert had a field trip to meet the Poor Clares of Perpetual Adoration at St. Joseph Monastery last week. “It’s a neat group of girls from a variety of parishes and schools,” Beckert said. The girls attend St. Patrick Cathedral, St. Ann and St. Matthew churches in Charlotte.
— Jennifer Reed
— Molly Beckert
May 25, 2012 | catholicnewsherald.com
In Brief Totus Tuus camps starting soon
Make plans for SonFest 2012
Registration is under way for Totus Tuus, a fun and energetic parish-based summer catechetical program for both grade-school aged children and junior and senior high school youths based on the Catechism of the Catholic Church and Sacred Scriptures. The mission of Totus Tuus (Latin for “Totally Yours”) is to inspire in young people a longing for holiness, a desire for daily conversion, and an openness to their vocation by constantly challenging them to give themselves entirely to Christ through Mary and by continually strengthening their prayer lives. The five pillars of Totus Tuus are the Eucharist, Marian devotion, catechesis, vocational discernment and fun. The grade school program (grades 1-6) will run Mondays through Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. The junior high and high school program (grades 7-12) will run Sundays through Thursdays from 7 to 9:30 p.m. The following parishes are hosting: n June 10-15: St. Francis of Assisi in Lenoir, Holy Spirit in Denver n June 17-22: St. Elizabeth of the Hill Country in Boone, St. Patrick Cathedral in Charlotte, St. Bernadette in Linville n June 24-29: St. Mark in Huntersville, St. Thomas Aquinas in Charlotte, St. Aloysius in Hickory n July 8-13: Our Lady of Grace in Greensboro, St. James the Greater in Concord, St. Mary in Shelby n July 15-20: St. Barnabas in Arden, St. Pius X in Greensboro n July 29-Aug. 3: Sacred Heart in Salisbury, St. Joseph in Asheboro, St. Dorothy in Lincolnton For details and registration information, go online to education.charlottediocese.org/faithformation/totus-tuus or contact Chris Beal, diocesan Totus Tuus coordinator, at 704-3703247 or cabeal@charlottediocese.org.
CHARLOTTE — St. John Neumann Church in Charlotte will host its second-annual SonFest Friday and Saturday, June 15-16. More than a parish fair, this carnival will include rides and games, featuring a ferris wheel and a bungee trampoline; a wide range of live entertainment, including Irish and Polish dancers, Christian rock and Big Band music; an extensive variety of food including ethnic foods such as Latin American, Vietnamese, Polish, Eritrean and American; plus a silent auction and raffle. SonFest will be held 5-10 p.m. Friday, June 15 and noon-10 p.m. Saturday, June 16, at the church, located at 8451 Idlewild Road, Charlotte. — Al Tinson
Photo provided by Erica Bleffer
Popple, a Catholic humor/acoustic rock band, performs at St. Thomas Aquinas Church in Charlotte.
STA celebrates faith formation CHARLOTTE — Families at St. Thomas Aquinas Church gathered May 6 to celebrate the end of another successful faith formation year. After a picnic lunch, games on the lawn, and an Easter Egg hunt, the families enjoyed music from Popple, a Catholic humor/acoustic rock band founded by Dan Harms and Kyle Heimann. They spread the message of the Gospel through music (guitar, ukulele, and professional kazoo playing), humor and witness. Families who attended had a great time singing along and dancing to familiar and new songs. Learn more about Dan and Kyle’s music at www.popple.us. — Katie Herzing
FAITH FACTS: FROM PAGE 2
line between the laity and the clergy. Fortunately, the Instruction on Collaboration (Nov. 13, 1997) drew the line on this issue and specifically mandated that “Neither may ... nonordained members of the faithful use gestures or actions which are proper to the ... priest
Photo provided by John Laurents
Pictured are John Laurents, district oratorical contest chairman, Nicole Adams and Carolyn Mullins, president of the Matthews Mint Hill Optimist Club.
SJN parishioner wins Optimist oratorical honors CHARLOTTE — Matthews homeschool student Nicole Adams, the daughter of Rich and Yolanda Adams of Matthews, took top honors at Optimist International’s N.C. West District Oratorical Competition in Hickory May 5. She advanced to the district competition from a field of more than 400 students throughout western North Carolina, and earned a $2,500 college scholarship. Adams is a parishioner at St. John Neumann Church in Charlotte, where she serves on the parish youth council and serves as a fourth-grade catechist. She was sponsored by the Matthews Mint Hill Optimist Club. Organized in 2008, the club is a group of men and women who “Bring out the Best in Kids.” The Optimist International Oratorical contest began in 1928 and is the longest continuously running youth program of Optimist International. — John Laurents
Hero for Life Award applications sought Applications for the 2012 Hero for Life Award, sponsored by Room at The Inn, are due May 31. The Hero for Life Award grants a $2,000 educational scholarship to the winning applicant whose service project best champions the unborn or respect for human life. The scholarship is open to students aged 14-18 who live in North or South Carolina who have performed exemplary pro-life service or leadership project work sometime between May 1, 2011, and April 30, 2012. For details, contact Debbie Capen, assistant director of Room at The Inn, at 704-525-4673, ext. 14, or debbiecapen@rati.org.
celebrant” (ICP, Practical Provisions 6 §2). The reference to gestures that are appropriate to the priest celebrating the Mass certainly includes praying with arms outstretched, which is probably the single most frequent gesture the rubrics direct him to make during Mass and which is clearly tied to the office of priest in the Church’s liturgical documents. — Jimmy Akin for Catholic Answers, online at www.catholic.com
ANNIVERSARY: FROM PAGE 3
Board, Presbyteral Council, College of Consultors, Priest Personnel Committee, and the Eucharistic Congress Steering Committee. To mark Father Putnam’s 20th anniversary, there will be a Mass at 4 p.m. Sunday, June 10, at Sacred Heart Church at 375 Lumen Christi Lane in Salisbury. A celebration dinner will follow. The Catholic News Herald recently interviewed him about his priestly ministry over the past 20 years: CNH: What do you enjoy most about your priestly ministry? Father Putnam: In addition to the celebration of the sacraments, I think being able to celebrate significant milestones in the lives of parishioners and parish families. CNH: What is the biggest lesson you have learned over the past 20 years, now that you are a “seasoned” pastor? Father Putnam: Don’t forget that God’s in charge and sometimes you just have to
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Other ordination milestones in May Other priests of the diocese celebrating major milestones this month include: n Bishop Emeritus William G. Curlin: 55 years. Look for a special in-depth interview with Bishop Curlin in our June 8 edition. n Father Andrew Latsko: 20 years, now retired and living in Pennsylvania n Father Bernard Manley: 25 years, retired and living at Pennybyrn at Maryfield in High Point n Father Carlo Di Natale Tarasi: 40 years, now living in Charlotte
get out of the way. CNH: What advice would you give to a man discerning a vocation to the priesthood? Father Putnam: Be faithful to prayer and the sacraments and seek out guidance from a priest whom you trust and admire.
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CATHOLIC N
In their own words
Pilgrims reflect on their ‘ad limina’ experiences SueAnn Howell Staff writer
ROME — For more than 40 pilgrims from the Diocese of Charlotte and the Archdiocese of Atlanta who made the journey to Italy May 2-12 to accompany their bishops to Rome for the ad limina pilgrimage, the 10-day sojourn through Assisi, Siena, Orvieto and Rome created memories that will last a lifetime. Retrace the footsteps of the pilgrimage each day PHOTO PROVIDED BY L’Osservatore Romano
The ad limina pilgrims got up extra early and raced to obtain front-row seats at Pope Benedict’s general audience May 9. SueAnn Howell recounts in her blog, “When he started greeting pilgrims from various places around the world, we stood up and gave a resounding cheer when he announced both the Archdiocese of Atlanta and the Diocese of Charlotte. I screamed
out, ‘We love you, Holy Father! We love you!’ It was an emotional moment for all of us, well worth the sunburn and lost sleep… A family reunion we will never forget.” Read more about their day at the general audience, and see more photos and video of the pope’s audience (translated into English) on the blog.
Photos, audio, video, virtual tours and more: Online at charlotteadlimina.tumblr.com and www.catholicnewsherald.com
The pilgrims on seeing Pope Benedict at the general audience: “I was thinking we are so privileged to be where we are sitting. To see him speaking in so many languages…there is really only one language – your heart. No matter what it is – English, Spanish, Polish, anything – it’s all the same meaning. And as I was looking when he was doing the English address for us, my daughter was a butterfly fanatic, a yellow butterfly came between my husband and I and as it went higher it disappeared, and I knew she is with me… God gave me a sign that she is OK! The pope talking to us and giving us the blessing – it filled my heart because it put me back on my journey again. I have a purpose, and whatever God leads me to do I will do.” — Charlotte Stargel, a Catholic convert from Atlanta whose adult daughter passed away five years ago
Charlotte ad limina pilgrims Steven McCormick and his mother Joyce are pictured before the general audience at St. Peter’s Basilica May 9.
“I was so happy to see him. It was my ‘Papa.’ So often we think of him as a frail old man, but what I saw was an 85-year-old man who is very strong for his age. His voice was very clear. It was a blessing to see that. It was like I came home, like my ‘Papa’ was there. There was a sense of peace and well-being that washed over me. It was pure joy.”
“Here’s this man that’s the head of our Church who is just a humble, good holy man who is doing the job that has been given to him. We know just from reading about him that if he had his druthers, he would be in Germany in a university somewhere teaching. He’s carried the burden of caring for the sheep of the world because that is the job that God has given him. He has done it faithfully and well.”
— Adrienne Wlodarczyk
— Deacon Brian McNulty
Father Michael Silloway of Atlanta (center) is the main celebrant at Mass at the Church of Chiesa Nuova on May 3. Diocese of Charlotte Deacon Brian McNulty (left) and Father John Eckert and Father Christopher Roux also participated in the Mass.
NEWS HERALD
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Come along on the virtual pilgrimage! charlotteadlimina.tumblr.com
www.catholicnewsherald.com
Dr. Elizabeth Lev (left), renowned professor of Christian art and architecture at Duquesne University’s Italian campus and host of the “Catholic Canvas” series on EWTN, was the pilgrims’ enthusiastic tour guide in Rome. Links to her series and other writings are posted on the blog.
On the pilgrimage as a whole: “I just converted a few years ago, so I went from not knowing anything about the Catholic faith, to diving in and learning so much from Father (Christopher) Roux, my CSS group, and through my pro-life work. This trip, being in the presence of the saints and so many priests and the Holy Father, it just really reaffirmed for me that I am doing the right thing. Like Father Eckert said, ‘We’re on the winning team.’”
Bishop Peter J. Jugis spends a brief moment in prayer at the Basilica of St. John Lateran after the bishops’ ad limina Mass on May 10. He is pictured kneeling in front of the tabernacle and a relic of the table believed to have been used at the Last Supper.
— Brice Griffin “To think that we are walking in the footsteps of all these saints is so powerful. I can’t wait to get back and share the joy and encourage people to go on a pilgrimage. I knew it was going to be a wonderful experience, but I had no idea how just impactful it would be.” — Kathy Hinton “It’s really funny, when we got on the bus when we first were all together, I didn’t know anybody. And now I’ve made friendships that I know I will have for life. It’s the most wonderful feeling in the world. It just lifts you up. It’s wonderful to be with people who believe like you do. I have never been so lifted up in my life.” — Adrienne Wlodarczyk “It seemed like every day something better happened than the day before!” — Mike Griffin “To be with Benedict XVI on Wednesday and then the first pope (at the Tomb of St. Peter) today, I don’t think we could have had more beautiful experiences as pilgrims than to do those two things.” — Father Christopher Roux, spiritual advisor “The saints have become more real in a city where the bones and burial places of so many of them are here. People can hear about them and pray to them sometimes and we hear their names at Sunday Mass all the time. Their bones are here! They really were people who lived and died and struggled, and we have those memories in our Church. It’s very special.” — Deacon Brian McNulty “What helps about coming here is you can see it happen in people. Things click for the first time and for a lot of people. It’s a moment where they are truly being evangelized – by the architecture, by the art, the stories of the saints, just their own personal encounters in prayer. These stories from the Bible aren’t just ancient tales, they are truth!” — Father Michael Silloway, from the Atlanta archdiocese
All photos by SueAnn Howell | Catholic News Herald (unless otherwise noted)
Bishop Jugis spends time in prayer, with seminarians The ad limina visit was a busy week for Bishop Jugis and his brother bishops from North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida and Georgia. Each day included Mass and meetings, which didn’t leave them a lot of free time. Bishop Jugis used the little bit of free time he had while in Rome to attend to two of the things most important to him: his prayer life and his seminarians. The diocese has five seminarians studying at the Pontifical North American College in Rome, where Bishop Jugis himself once studied. On May 10, he used a couple of hours of free time to visit the seminarians at the university where they attend their classes – Santa Croce University. The university is about a 20-minute walk from the North American College where the seminarians live. “We had a nice walk over to the university strolling through Rome, visiting the university, their classrooms, the nice church which is attached to the university, the Basilica of Sant’Apollinare. They were able to obtain a key for us to go up on the roof of the university and get a nice view of the skyline of Rome,” he said. He added, “I was happy to do that because now I have been able to visit our seminarians at all three seminaries.” Read more about Bishop Jugis’ ad limina activities, especially the very special Mass at the Tomb of St. Peter, on the blog.
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In Brief Retiro Pentecostés HUNTERSVILLE — “Renovando la Unción,” con Salvador Gómez, predicador Católico internacional. 7-9 p.m. 25 de mayo y 8 a.m.-4 p.m. 26 de mayo. Iglesia San Marcos, 14740 Stumptown Road, Huntersville. No se permiten niños menores de 10 años. Para mas información, llame al 704-491-4570 o 704-363-7817.
Taller Para Servidores CHARLOTTE — “Renovando la Unción,” con Salvador Gómez, predicador Católico internacional. 9 a.m.-3 p.m. 27 de mayo. Holy Trinity Middle School, 3100 Park Road, Charlotte. No se permiten niños menores de 10 años. Para mas información, llame al 704-491-4570 o 704-363-7817.
Entrenamiento de Catequista en español
Consecrating themselves to the Immaculate Heart CHARLOTTE — Miembros de la Iglesia de San Gabriel en Charlotte (foto a la izquierda), y miembros de la Iglesia de San Mateo en Charlotte participaron en el Acto de Consagración al Inmaculado Corazón de María en el mes de marzo. Para obtener más información sobre esta consagración y sus beneficios espirituales, visite www.fatima.org. CHARLOTTE — Members of St. Gabriel Church in Charlotte (pictured at left) as well as members of St. Matthew Church in Charlotte participated in the Act of Consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary in March. To learn more about this consecration and its spiritual benefits, go online to www.fatima.org.
Photo provided by Mariella Buscaglia
CHARLOTTE — Este evento será en el centro pastoral de la diocesis, 1123 S. Church St., Charlotte, de 10 a.m.-2 p.m. el sábado, 26 de mayo. Para mas información, llame a Jorge Gomiz al 704370-3289. — Denise Onativia
HUNTERSVILLE — Nuevo grupo de personas que se consagraron al Inmaculado Corazon de Maria en la ceremonia realizada en la Iglesia de San Marcos en Huntersville el 14 de mayo. HUNTERSVILLE — Pictured (at left) is a new group of people who devoted themselves to the Immaculate Heart of Mary at St. Mark Church in Huntersville May 14.
Photo provided by Mariella Buscaglia
May 25, 2012 | catholicnewsherald.com catholic news heraldI
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catholicnewsherald.com | May 25, 2012 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD
In Brief CCHS Debate and Speech Team competes at state forensic league CHARLOTTE — Eleven members of the Charlotte Catholic High School Debate and Speech Team participated in the 2012 Tar Heel Forensic League state tournament April 20-21 in Waxhaw. Winners were: junior Frankie Pray, second place in the novice congress debate event; sophomore Brett Heinz, seventh place in the novice congress debate event; freshman Tom Dickerson, fourth place in the radio speaking speech event; and sophomore Wil Mulligan, semifinalist in the impromptu speaking speech event. Coached by Mary A. Morales and Matt Morales, the team belongs to the Catholic Forensic League and Tar Heel Forensic League. Members are being recruited for the next school year. For details, go to www. charlottecatholic.org. — Mary Morales
Students earn Girl Scout Silver Awards GREENSBORO — Our Lady of Grace eighth-graders Maddie Heyn, Erica Justice, Caroline Scherzer and Karina Sennati recently completed their Girl Scout Silver Award project. The girls assisted Jane Carlson, executive director of Food Assistance Inc. This non-profit organization delivers groceries each month to fixed income senior citizens in Greensboro. The girls met regularly to sort and bag food in the warehouse, make food deliveries to senior citizens, and create a slideshow for development presentations. The girls also acquired 15 grocery carts for the warehouse. Bill Black Chevy Cadillac sponsored the project with $750, used to purchase polyvinyl reusable grocery bags for the food. Earthfare also assisted by giving the troop a discount on the bags and by donating 50 reusable bags. — Karen L. Hornfeck
sueann howell | catholic news herald
(Above) Fifth-grade students at St. Matthew School in Charlotte were treated to lunch by the volunteers of Mel’s Diner on May 18. The students spent four weeks collecting money and food donations for the hunger outreach ministry based out of St. Matthew Church. (Below) Duke Oxford, far right, dishes out homemade macaroni and cheese to the fifth-grade students who donated a tent, fresh food and beverages to the ministry he founded.
St. Matthew students treated to lunch at ‘Mel’s Diner’ Hunger outreach ministry thankful for donations SueAnn Howell Staff writer
CHARLOTTE — Duke Oxford has been feeding the hungry in the Queen City for the past 11 years, going out every Saturday and Sunday morning looking for people who have nothing to eat and have slipped through the cracks of governmental assistance. Week in and week out, he loads up his own personal vehicle with fresh food and beverages, going out in search of people who are most in need. Oxford, a parishioner at St. Matthew Church who is extremely humble about his efforts to combat hunger, founded a nondenominational outreach ministry in conjunction with St. Matthew Church in Charlotte. Since then, he and a group of five men have converted an old bread truck into a diner on wheels, lovingly calling it “Ms. Daisy.” They named the outreach ministry “Mel’s Diner” after the TV show. Mel’s Diner now serves more than 600 children and adults in the community every weekend. The men get tips from the Missionaries of Charity in Charlotte on where to go to find people who might need help. “The ministry grew from a group of swim parents, 10 of us, who had a party with ‘Mel’s Diner’ as a theme,” said Oxford. “And when we came back together for the Superbowl, I thought it was time that I donated some of my time because I never did. We came up with Mel’s Diner and I used to take my truck and drive around and pick up the nuns for two years every Wednesday, and I’d drive to the 10 houses to pick up different parts of the meal.” Over the years several people and stores have helped contribute donations to keep the ministry afloat. The ministry is now supported in part by St. Matthew Church, students at Omni Montessori School in south Charlotte and more than 35 volunteers who take turns preparing and providing food weekly to support the diner. Recently, the fifth-grade students at St. Matthew School spent
four weeks collecting food and financial donations to assist Mel’s Diner in its efforts to provide fresh and homemade meals every weekend to those suffering from hunger. On May 18, the students were invited to a lunch held in the St. Matthew Church parking lot, right alongside the Mel’s Diner food truck. The lunch was held in their honor in thanksgiving for their efforts to assist the ministry. At that time, the fifth-graders presented Oxford and Mel’s Diner with a tent, which will provide a much-needed addition to the mobile diner during the long hot days of summer and protection from the rain, wind and cold throughout the year. The students also presented Mel’s Diner with a monetary donation to assist with supplies during the summer. “The children have provided hundreds of bags of apples, oranges, just as many cases of water and juice boxes to support the ministry, and enough paper supplies to last until Christmas!” said Oxford. “The enthusiasm and support of these students has been overwhelming.” St. Matthew fifth-graders Annie Corser and Tara Fitzpatrick shared their thoughts on helping those most in need, especially children their age who are facing hunger. “We collected money for the tent so more people can be served,” said Corser. “It’s been really fun to do. It’s been a great experience.” Tara Fitzpatrick agreed. “It’s been nice because we know we’ve been helping people who need it. It gives me a good feeling, especially to help people my age.” To learn more about Mel’s Diner, go to www.mels-diner.com or contact Duke Oxford at 704-904-8968.
May 25, 2012 | catholicnewsherald.com catholic news heraldI
Students at CTKHS use technology to debate peers in Canada Kimberly Bender Online reporter
MOORESVILLE — Students at Christ the King Catholic High School held an international debate – without leaving their own gym. Five traditional logic and argumentation students presented well-researched arguments and answered questions from students at St. James Catholic School in Ontario, Canada, on May 10 online via Skype, a web-based video conferencing program. It was the school’s first online debate. Students from Christ the King were tasked with debating how the rising gap between the rich and poor leads to loss of hope in social progress. The debaters touched on topics including rising college tuition rates, loss of trust in government, and health care costs in the United States versus free health care in Canada. “I was really excited to get chosen,” said Hannah Cutlip, one of the five students chosen to represent Christ the King. “It’s another country we’re debating! The research took a lot of hard work. We had to find out all kinds of stuff we never knew about Canada – social, economic information, health care, tuition and more.” Cutlip said the fact she found most interesting is that Catholic schools in Canada are government funded, so students don’t pay tuition. And health care is free for everyone, fellow debater Mary Selzer added. “It was a little nerve wracking (to go first in the debate),” Selzer said. “The whole school was here and it was our first time debating someone other than our classmates.” Christ the King’s principal, Dr. Dan Dolan, said this debate is a fun exercise to engage students and teach them about life in other places. “I think this kind of opportunity is really representative of the broader scope of education today. It’s like no other time before. We are limited only by our imagination,” Dolan said. “We used to be limited by the four walls of our classrooms. Here at Christ the King, we interact seamlessly with other schools in our area
Kimberly Bender | Catholic News Herald
Christ the King High School students Mary Selzer, Hannah Cutlip and Thomas Selzer participate in an online debate with students in Canada May 10. and the world. We only expect these types of programs to grow.” All the students at Christ the King researched for the debate, said logic teacher Michael Smith. As the debate unfolded, other students watched from chairs behind their “team” in the gym. Smith said the logic class he teaches is a “touchstone” course at the school. “We wanted to provide a class to teach students how to reason,” Smith said. “One of the pieces of the course is that the students will have to apply the rules of logic to the system of logic. Debating gives them practical experience to do that.” Through the debate, Smith said, he hopes his students gain practical skills in logic and learn about social justice. Another student, Craig Mundy, said preparing for the debate was fun. “Before we knew we were debating affirmatively, we were each assigned a topic to research for and against. We learned a lot that we didn’t need for our side. It better prepared us to argue our point,” Mundy said. Internet connection issues cut this debate short, but the students plan to resume the debate at a later date. And next time, they said, they’ll be even more comfortable.
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Asheville community celebrates Father Sheridan during Spring Fling Tim Reid Correspondent
ASHEVILLE — A wide cross-section of Asheville’s Catholic community and friends recently turned out to honor revered priest and educator Father Ed Sheridan at Asheville Catholic School’s 10th annual Spring Fling. “What an awesome, awesome night. We respect and deeply love Father Ed. He is truly a servant leader,” Deacon Mike Zboyovski told the enthusiastic crowd that filled the Crowne Plaza Resort’s Expo Center May 4. The Spring Fling is an annual gala dinner for supporters to have fun celebrating Catholic education while raising funds to provide important extras for the school not covered by tuition fees. There is always plenty of “bling” with the fling, and this year was no exception. The evening began with a silent auction of items displayed on balloon-decorated tables at both ends of the room. Attendees marked their bids on an array of gift baskets, spa packages, tickets to area
attractions and restaurants, and more. But the main program centered on Father Sheridan and his 49 years as a Catholic priest and educator, particularly the two years (2009-2011) he came out of retirement to serve as pastor of St. Eugene Church and administrator of Asheville Catholic School. Speakers and individuals thanked Father Sheridan repeatedly throughout the evening for helping the school and parish at a critical time. Father Sheridan took the podium to announce his donation of $50,000 to begin an endowment fund to help students attend Asheville Catholic who could not afford to do so otherwise. “I have received many blessings over my 49 years as a priest,” he said. “I wanted to give something back. I figured, why wait until I die when Asheville Catholic could use the money now.” Father Sheridan named his gift the Sheridan-Mangan Fund to honor his parents, Irish immigrants who made many sacrifices to give him a good Catholic education.
“Catholic schools can do things that public schools cannot,” he said. “They share the message of Jesus Christ, the message of the Gospel, and values that are lasting.” Don Layden, who attends St. Eugene Church, presented an oversized $25,000 check to the scholarship fund in honor of Father Sheridan. “When Father Ed was asked to come out of retirement, he did so with gusto and enthusiasm,” Layden said. “He actually healed the parish and worked tirelessly on behalf of the children. “Father Ed is a completely devoted Catholic priest and a wonderful human being,” Layden added. “God has truly blessed us with Father Ed’s presence.” Layden also announced that he and his wife Barbara were issuing a challenge grant: they will match all other contributions to the scholarship fund up to $25,000 through the end of this year. St. Eugene’s new pastor, Father Pat Cahill, and Asheville Catholic’s principal, Cecilia Rosello, also thanked Father Sheridan for his service to the church and school and for his generous gift. The program was followed by the annual “live” auction during which attendees called out their bids on a diverse assortment of unique items, everything from a brewery tour to explore why Asheville has become “Beer City USA” to front row seats for a Christmas Eve Mass, to a one-week luxury trip to Belize. The auctioneer’s chant heightened the excitement as participants tried to outbid each other for their favorite items, knowing the money would help Catholic education. Two families bid for and won a unique weekend with Father Ed Sheridan at Hermitage, his 35-acre farm in Hickory.
Tim Reid | Catholic News Herald
Don Layden and Father Ed Sheridan talk during Asheville Catholic School’s annual Spring Fling gala fundraiser. Other popular bid items included a Charleston weekend getaway, dessert for a year from Asheville Catholic’s faculty and staff, and a Hilton Head Island beach house vacation. But the item that brought the top price of $3,150 was the wild game dinner: chef Joe Scully of the Corner Kitchen Restaurant will come to the winner’s home to prepare a multi-course dinner for eight, complete with wine for each course. This dinner occurs between December and March due to the availability of wild game. Don Layden submitted the winning bid, saying he does so every year because Scully provides a wonderful dining experience. The Spring Fling concluded with professional singer Kat Williams belting out blues, jazz and pop standards while the crowd filled the dance floor, enjoying everything from classic Motown to more contemporary tunes.
George A. Hoffman Jr. | Catholic News Herald
MACS band concert CHARLOTTE — Members of the elementary and middle school bands from Mecklenburg Area Catholic Schools performed their annual joint band concert May 20 at the auditorium of Charlotte Catholic High School. See more photos from this concert and the May 17 choir performance at Holy Trinity Middle School online at www.catholicnewsherald.com.
Mix
May 25, 2012 | catholicnewsherald.com catholic news heraldI
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In theaters
Find your life’s calling SPX parishioner writes book about vocations Ryan Murray Correspondent
‘Dark Shadows’ Campy comic take on the gothic TV soap opera first broadcast in 1966. Buried alive by an angry mob of New England townsfolk in the mid18th century, a vampire is accidentally exhumed in 1972, only to find himself a bemused fish out of water in psychedelic-era America. Some action violence, semi-graphic sexual activity, an implied aberrant act, a suicide, drug use, mature references, some profanity. CNS: L (limited adult audience), MPAA: PG-13
‘For Greater Glory’ Powerful historical drama recounting the persecution of the Catholic Church in Mexico during the 1920s under the presidency of Plutarco Calles and the popular reactions, both peaceful and violent, it provoked. As Garcia’s character, a religious skeptic, becomes the unlikely commander of an army of the devout, he gains inspiration from a saintly adolescent volunteer. Probably acceptable for mature adolescents. Considerable action violence with some gore and the torture of a child. CNS: A-III (adults), MPAA: R
‘The Perfect Family’ This virulently anti-Catholic dramedy ridicules just about every aspect of the Church, its teachings and members. Director Anne Renton sets a perplexing and often sacrilegious tone in the story of a supermom desperate to win the coveted “Catholic Woman of the Year Award” in her parish. Pervasive anti-Catholic prejudice, sacrilegious humor, a benign view of premarital sex and homosexual acts as well as of same-sex marriage, an abortion theme, some rough language. CNS: O (morally offensive), MPAA: PG-13
Additional movies: n ‘Battleship’ – CNS: A-III, MPAA: PG-13 n ‘The Dictator’ – CNS: O, MPAA: R n ‘What to Expect When You’re Expecting’ – CNS: L, MPAA: PG-13
GREENSBORO — What am I supposed to do with my life and how am I supposed to go about doing it? It’s a question everyone asks of themselves at some point in their lives. In Stephen Martin’s new book, “The Messy Quest for Meaning: Five Catholic Practices for Finding Your Vocation,” he offers direction on discovering what your vocation may be. “It’s a topic that I’m really passionate about,” Martin said. “It really is the most important thing you can do – figure out your callings and how to use them.” Martin, a parishioner at St. Pius X Church in Greensboro, is a speech writer, journalist and an award-winning essayist whose work has appeared in publications such as “America,” “Commonweal” and “Portland.” Martin also directs public relations and executive communications for the nonprofit Center for Creative Leadership in Greensboro where he lives with his wife Dawn, son Evan and daughter Elly. It’s easy to see that Martin has a variety Martin of personal and professional vocations as a husband, father, author and executive. According to Martin, having multiple callings is something that is easily overlooked when thinking about vocations. “I think there are myths about calling,” Martin pointed out. “Many times, we associate calling exclusively with career, and that’s not necessarily true. Career can be part of a calling, but even if you don’t have a professional career, you still need to think about your calling. People have many facets that are part of their overall mission. We need to look at the bigger picture as a whole.” The five practices that Martin details in his book – discovering desires, channeling focus, embracing humility, involving community and living in the margins – were taken from his personal experiences, his work as a journalist and most specifically his reflections on the example of Trappist monks. As the book details, human nature means life can get complicated, confusing and, well, messy. However, a messy quest doesn’t have to be a negative one, as long as we embrace and understand it, according to Martin. “Finding what our callings are is not a clear
For more “The Messy Quest for Meaning” is available at Amazon and Barnes and Noble. You can also follow Stephen Martin’s Messy Quest on his blog at www.messyquest.com.
process. There will be a lot of false starts and mistakes,” Martin said. “Look at the Apostles – their quests were very messy and they spent every day with Jesus! Comparably, our quests will be messy, but that’s not bad as long as we have that expectation, approach life with humor and understand life is a process which is what makes the journey exciting.” A person’s own quest can begin at any time, young or old. “My hope is people will find value in the book no matter what their age or denomination is,” Martin explained. The five practices Martin discusses in the book give a direction on finding a vocation, but the route is not a straight path. “I view the five practices as more of a loop than a linear process,” Martin said. And by using, exercising and building on each of these practices, one can continue on the quest to answering that most important question.
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On TV n Friday, May 25, 6 p.m. (EWTN) “The Church And The Poor: He Is Risen.” Celebrate the Resurrection of our Lord with a Caribbean spirit. n Saturday, May 26, 2 p.m. (EWTN) “Eldest Daughter Of The Church: Part 3.” The third installment of the four-part mini-series that chronicles the history of Catholicism in France. It is estimated that 60 percent of France's population are Catholic, and this can be attributed largely to the early days in which St. Mary Magdalene lived in Provence, in southern France, and the churches where Jesus revealed the treasure of His Sacred Heart to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque. n Sunday, May 27, 1:30 a.m., Wednesday, May 30, 6:30 a.m., and Saturday, June 6, 11 a.m. (EWTN) “For Greater Glory: The True Story Of The Cristeros.” An inside look at the new motion picture “For Greater Glory.” This special chronicles the history of the Cristero War with interviews from leading historians, several cast members and Catholic leaders. n Sunday, May 27, 2 a.m., Friday, June 1, 10 p.m., and Saturday, June 6, 2 p.m. (EWTN) “Eldest Daughter Of The Church: Part 4.” The conclusion of a fourpart documentary on the spiritual destiny of France as the "eldest daughter of the Church." n Sunday, May 27, 3:30-6 a.m. (EWTN) "Solemn Mass of Pentecost with Pope Benedict XVI (Live)." The pope celebrates the Eucharistic liturgy for the feast of Pentecost. The celebration will be rerun noon-2:30 p.m. n Monday, May 28, noon-2 p.m. (EWTN) "Archdiocese for the Military Services Memorial Day Mass." Mass in honor of Memorial Day with the Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio as celebrant and homilist.
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catholicnewsherald.com | May 25, 2012 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD
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In Brief Two counts dismissed in case against Philadelphia priests PHILADELPHIA — For weeks the words of Msgr. William J. Lynn in testimony before a 2004 Philadelphia grand jury investigating clergy sexual abuse were used against him by state prosecutors. They intensified their use of the testimony and a trove of hundreds of archdiocesan memos and letters, narrated by Philadelphia police detectives and assistant district attorneys along with some four dozen witnesses, to show jurors in a landmark criminal case that Msgr. Lynn, 61, former secretary for clergy of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, was part of a conspiracy to protect priests and endanger children. In a significant decision the day the prosecution rested its case, presiding Judge Teresa Sarmina May 17 dismissed two counts of conspiracy against Msgr. Lynn and another defendant, Father James J. Brennan, 48. Only two counts of endangering a child remain against Msgr. Lynn, and one charge remains against Father Brennan. Both have pleaded not guilty.
USCCB joins petition asking U.S. to change nuclear policy WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops joined about four dozen other national organizations in amassing more than 50,000 signatures on a petition asking for a change in the nation’s “outdated” nuclear arms policy. “You must act now to reduce the nuclear danger and the role of nuclear weapons,” said the petition, addressed to President Barack Obama. The petition urges Obama to “end outdated U.S. nuclear war-fighting strategy, dramatically reduce the number of U.S. nuclear weapons and the number of submarines, missiles and bombers that carry those weapons, and take U.S. nuclear weapons off high alert. Maintaining large numbers of nuclear forces on alert increases the risk of accident or miscalculation.” A May 15 announcement from the groups involved said the petition was delivered to the White House May 7. — Catholic News Service
Federal lawsuits by Catholic dioceses, groups seek to stop HHS mandate Nancy Frazier O’Brien Catholic News Service
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Forty-three Catholic dioceses, schools, hospitals, social service agencies and other institutions filed suit in federal court May 21 to stop three government agencies from implementing a mandate that would require them to cover contraceptives and sterilization in their health plans. “Through this lawsuit, plaintiffs do not seek to impose their religious beliefs on others,” said one of the suits, filed in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Indiana by the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend, diocesan Catholic Charities, St. Anne Home and Retirement Community, Franciscan Alliance, University of St. Francis and Our Sunday Visitor. “They simply ask that the government not impose its values and policies on plaintiffs, in direct violation of their religious beliefs,” it added. Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan of New York, whose archdiocese is among the plaintiffs, said the lawsuits were “a compelling display of the unity of the Church in defense of religious liberty” and “a great show of the diversity of the Church’s ministries that serve the common good and that are jeopardized by the mandate.” “We have tried negotiations with the administration and legislation with the Congress – and we’ll keep at it – but there’s still no fix,” the cardinal said. “Time is running out and our valuable ministries and fundamental rights hang in the balance, so we have to resort to the courts now.” Cardinal Dolan also is president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, which is not a party to the lawsuits. Catholic organizations have objected to the contraceptive mandate since it was announced last Aug. 1 by Kathleen Sebelius, secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Unless they are subject to a narrow religious exemption or have a grandfathered health plan, employers will be required to pay for sterilizations and contraceptives, including some abortioninducing drugs, as part of their health coverage beginning as soon as Aug. 1. In all, 12 lawsuits were filed simultaneously May 21 in various U.S. district courts around the country. The defendants in each case were Sebelius, Labor Secretary Hilda Solis and Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, along with their departments. Erin Shields, HHS director of communications for health care, said May 21 that the department cannot comment on pending litigation. In addition to the Archdiocese of New York and Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend, the dioceses involved are the archdioceses of Washington, D.C., and St. Louis and the dioceses of Rockville Centre, N.Y.; Erie, Pa.; Pittsburgh; Dallas; Fort Worth, Texas; Jackson, Miss.; Biloxi, Miss.; Springfield, Ill.; and Joliet, Ill. The Michigan Catholic Conference, which provides medical benefits to more
Patricia Guilfoyle | Catholic News Herald
Protesters hold signs outside the Charles R. Jonas Federal Building in Charlotte March 23 at the “Stand Up for Religious Freedom Rally.” Another rally is planned for June 8 in Charlotte and Winston-Salem. See page 5 for details.
More online Daily updates to this issue are available online at www.catholicnewsherald.com.
than 1,100 Catholic institutions and approximately 10,000 employees in the state, also is a plaintiff. “We need to go to the court and say we are a church institution, we are a provider of health care and, according to the U.S. Constitution, the laws must protect our religious freedom,” said Detroit Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron. “We have a very particular case to make.” Catholic universities joining in the lawsuits included the University of Notre Dame, the Catholic University of America and Franciscan University of Steubenville, Ohio, as well as the University of St. Francis in Indiana. Holy Cross Father John I. Jenkins, president of Notre Dame, said the decision to file the lawsuit “came after much deliberation, discussion and efforts to find a solution acceptable to the various parties.” “This filing is about the freedom of a religious organization to live its mission, and its significance goes well beyond any debate about contraceptives,” he said. “For if we concede that the government can decide which religious organizations are sufficiently religious to be awarded the freedom to follow the principles that define their mission, then we have begun to walk down a path that ultimately leads to the undermining of those institutions.” Others filing suit include a Catholic cemeteries association, an agency that
serves the deaf, health care and socialservices organizations, and Catholic elementary and secondary schools. Each of the lawsuits uses similar wording to make its case and each asks for a jury trial. Noting that the Founding Fathers agreed “that the mixture of government and religion is destructive to both institutions and divisive to the social fabric upon which the country depends,” the lawsuits contend that the U.S. Constitution and federal law “stand as bulwarks against oppressive government actions even if supported by a majority of citizens.” “Despite repeated requests from church leaders, the government has insisted that it will not change the core principle of the U.S. government mandate – that plaintiffs must subsidize and/or facilitate providing their employees free access to drugs and services that are contrary to plaintiffs’ religious beliefs,” the suits state. “If the government can force religious institutions to violate their beliefs in such a manner, there is no apparent limit to the government’s power.” The suits were filed by Jones Day, an international law firm with more than 2,400 attorneys on five continents. Jones Day said in a statement that the firm “looks forward to presenting its clients’ cases in court.” The contraceptive mandate “unconstitutionally authorizes the federal government to determine which organizations are sufficiently ‘religious’ to warrant an exemption from the requirement,” the statement says. “This regulation is in violation of the religious liberties guaranteed by the First Amendment, the Religious Freedom Restoration Act and other federal laws.”
May 25, 2012 | catholicnewsherald.com catholic news heraldI
Georgetown criticized for having Sebelius speak at commencement event Catholic News Service
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius delivered her remarks as scheduled May 18 at Georgetown University at an awards ceremony during the university’s commencement week events. According to The Hill newspaper, she was interrupted after she began her speech by a protester shouting something about “abortion.” The paper said the individual was escorted from the room “and continued yelling for several minutes outside.” In her remarks at Georgetown’s Public Policy Institute ceremony, Sebelius did not mention the criticism of the university’s invitation to her to speak on campus, but the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C., was among those who strongly criticized her appearance at the Catholic university because of her role in the HHS contraceptive mandate. The nation’s Catholic bishops have repeatedly criticized the mandate, saying it threatens the religious freedom of Catholic institutions such as universities, hospitals and social service agencies because it would force them to provide employees with health insurance coverage for abortion-inducing drugs, contraceptives and sterilization procedures in violation of Church teaching. In its May 15 statement, the Washington archdiocese noted that because of the “dramatic impact this mandate will have on Georgetown and all Catholic institutions, it is understandable that Catholics across the country would find shocking the choice of Secretary Sebelius, the architect of the mandate, to receive such special recognition at a Catholic university. It is also understandable that Catholics would view this as a challenge to the bishops.” In a May 14 statement Georgetown’s president, John DeGioia, acknowledged concerns were “expressed by some” on the campus and in the larger American Catholic community objecting to Sebelius participating in the institute’s awards ceremony. But he said the university had extended
its invitation in early January, prior to the Obama administration’s Jan. 20 announcement about the HHS mandate. DeGioia also said the invitation to Sebelius was not made as a challenge to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, and her presence on campus “should not be viewed as an endorsement of her views.” As “a Catholic and Jesuit university,” Georgetown “disassociates itself from any positions that are in conflict with traditional Church teachings.” In the days leading up to Sebelius’ address, more than 27,000 people had signed a petition on the website of the Cardinal Newman Society urging DeGioia to “withdraw the invitation to Secretary Sebelius immediately.” Based in Manassas, Va., the society has as its mission “to help renew and strengthen Catholic identity in Catholic higher education.” DeGioia in his statement said the HHS secretary had been identified by students as a potential speaker “given her role in crafting the landmark legislation that will make health care more accessible to 34 million Americans who are currently uninsured.” He also said the university is “committed to the free exchange of ideas” and is “a community that draws inspiration from a religious tradition that provides us with an intellectual, moral and spiritual foundation.” The Washington archdiocese said it had withheld comment on the controversy until Georgetown addressed it. In response to DeGioia’s statement, the archdiocese said the university’s president did not “address the real issue for concern – the selection of a featured speaker whose actions as a public official present the most direct challenge to religious liberty in recent history and the apparent lack of unity with and disregard for the bishops and so many others across the nation who are committed to the defense of freedom of religion.” It also said the HHS mandate’s “radical redefining of ministry should prompt Georgetown as a Catholic and Jesuit university to do more to challenge the mandate and speak up for freedom of religion.” — Contributing to this story was Mark Zimmermann, editor of the Catholic Standard in Washington, D.C.
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catholicnewsherald.com | May 25, 2012 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD
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In Brief Vatican says publication of ‘VatiLeaks’ letters ‘criminal act’ VATICAN CITY — The Italian television journalist who set off the “VatiLeaks” controversy by releasing private letters to Pope Benedict XVI and between Vatican officials has published a large collection of leaked documents in a new book called “Your Holiness.” In a statement May 19, Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, Vatican spokesman, called the publication of the letters for commercial gain a “criminal act” and said the Vatican would take legal action.
Vatican says reconciliation talks with SSPX still ongoing VATICAN CITY — Reconciliation talks between the Vatican and the Society of St. Pius X have not reached their conclusion but will continue, the Vatican said May 16, after members of its doctrinal congregation examined the latest communication from the head of the breakaway traditionalist group. “Some observations were formulated which will be kept in mind in further discussions,” said Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, Vatican spokesman, following a meeting of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Those observations regarded the SSPX’s official response to a “doctrinal preamble,” prepared by the Vatican in September, outlining “some doctrinal principles and criteria for the interpretation of Catholic doctrine necessary to guarantee fidelity” to the formal teaching of the Church, including the teaching of the Second Vatican Council. The response was submitted in April by Bishop Bernard Fellay, the society’s superior general.
Pope: Christians’ civic commitment must respect others’ beliefs SANSEPOLCRO, Italy — Celebrating the 1,000th anniversary of a town founded to be a model of Gospel peace and justice, Pope Benedict XVI said Christians today must find ways to infuse their cities and nations with Gospel values while welcoming and respecting people with other beliefs. In his evening visit May 13 to Sansepolcro, named after the Holy Sepulcher of Jerusalem, the pope urged the townspeople to use the anniversary to emulate Sts. Arcanus and Aegidius, who established the town after returning from Jerusalem. The saints saw the town as a place where Christians could fulfill their vocation to build a society marked by peace through the practice of justice, he said. “Today there is a particular need for the Church’s service to the world to be expressed through enlightened lay faithful,” involved in civil society “with a desire to serve that goes beyond their private interests and beyond partisan views,” he said. “The common good counts more than the good of the individual, and it’s up to Christians to contribute to the birth of new public ethics,” the pope said. — Catholic News Service
‘The immense promise and the vibrant energies of a new generation of Catholics are waiting to be tapped for the renewal of the Church’s life and the rebuilding of the fabric of American society.’ — Pope Benedict XVI
Secular society needs Catholicism, pope tells U.S. bishops Francis X. Rocca Catholic News Service
VATICAN CITY — In five speeches over a period of six months, Pope Benedict XVI has warned visiting U.S. bishops of the threats that an increasingly secularized society poses to the Catholic Church in America, especially in the areas of religious liberty, sexual morality and the definition of marriage. Yet the pope did not advise that American Catholics withdraw from a largely hostile environment in order to preserve their values and faith. Instead, as part of his call for a “New Evangelization” within the Church and beyond, he urged believers to engage even more closely with wider society for the benefit of all Americans. Pope Benedict addressed five of the 15 regional groups of U.S. bishops making their periodic “ad limina” visits to the Vatican, which began in late November and ended May 19. The speeches touched on themes applicable to dioceses across the country. One constant was the pope’s warning against the demoralizing effects of secular culture, which he said had led to a “quiet attrition” among the Church’s members, who must therefore be the first targets of “re-evangelization.” Yet the pope argued that moral decay is also threatening the stability of secular society itself. He noted what he called an “increased sense of concern on the part of many men and women, whatever their religious or political views” that a “troubling breakdown in the intellectual, cultural and moral foundations of social life” has imperiled the “future of our democratic societies.” Therefore, he said, “despite attempts to still the Church’s voice in the public square,” Catholics should insist on providing “wisdom, insight and sound guidance” to “people of good will.” Using the non-religious “language” of natural law, he explained, the Church should promote social justice by “proposing rational arguments in the public square.” This duty is incumbent not only on bishops, the pope said, but also on Catholic politicians, who have a “personal responsibility to offer public witness to their faith, especially with regard to the great moral issues of our time.” He identified the issues as “respect for God’s gift of life, the protection of human dignity and the promotion of authentic human rights.” In particular, Pope Benedict called Catholics to the front lines in defense of “that most cherished of American freedoms, the freedom of religion,” which he said was especially threatened by “concerted efforts” against the “right of conscientious objection ... to cooperation in intrinsically evil practices.” The pope’s presumed reference there was to an Obama Administration plan,
CNS | L’Osservatore Romano
Pope Benedict XVI meets May 7 with bishops from Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina during their “ad limina” visits to the Vatican. Seated (at left) are Bishop Gregory J. Hartmayer of Savannah, Ga.; Bishop Peter J. Jugis of Charlotte, N.C.; Auxiliary Bishop Luis R. Zarama of Atlanta; and Archbishop Wilton D. Gregory of Atlanta. Seated (at right, partially obscured) are Bishop Robert E. Guglielmone of Charleston, S.C.; retired Bishop David B. Thompson of Charleston; Bishop Michael F. Burbidge of Raleigh; and retired Bishop J. Kevin Boland of Savannah, Ga.
More online Full coverage of Bishop Peter Jugis’ ad limina visit to Rome is online at www. catholicnewsherald.com.
vociferously protested by U.S. bishops, which would require that the private health insurance plans of most Catholic institutions cover surgical sterilization procedures and artificial birth control. American society also is served by the Church’s promotion of sexual morality, Pope Benedict said, since a “weakened appreciation of the indissolubility of the marriage covenant, and the widespread rejection of a responsible, mature sexual ethic grounded in the practice of chastity, have led to grave societal problems bearing an immense human and economic cost.” The pope characterized the bishops’ defense of traditional marriage against proponents of same-sex unions as a matter of “justice, since it entails safeguarding the good of the entire human community and the rights of parents and children alike.” Despite the Church’s most terrible scandal in living memory – the widespread sexual abuse of minors by priests and lack of responsiveness on their superiors’ part – Pope Benedict noted benefits that the Church can offer the non-Catholic world. “It is my hope that the Church’s
conscientious efforts to confront this reality will help the broader community to recognize the causes, true extent and devastating consequences of sexual abuse, and to respond effectively to this scourge which affects every level of society,” he said. Although designed to serve Catholics, the Church’s educational institutions also enrich society at large, the pope said. Catholic schools’ “significant contribution ... to American society as a whole ought to be better appreciated and more generously supported,” he said. And Catholic universities, following in a tradition that professes the “essential unity of all knowledge,” can be a bulwark against a current trend toward academic overspecialization. Unity among Catholics can also promote harmony across American society, the pope said. Noting the “difficult and complex” legal, political, social and economic issues surrounding immigration in the U.S. today, the pope suggested that a closer “communion of cultures” among the ethnic groups that make up the Church in America could reduce ethnic tensions outside the Church. “The immense promise and the vibrant energies of a new generation of Catholics are waiting to be tapped,” the pope said, “for the renewal of the Church’s life and the rebuilding of the fabric of American society.”
May 25, 2012 | catholicnewsherald.com catholic news heraldI
REFUGEES: FROM PAGE 8
After all the indignities that come with fleeing home and living in a refugee camp for years, this family couldn’t believe the generosity they were shown here by people they didn’t even know. They felt human again. Q: What was one unexpected aspect of your work with refugees? Father Reid: Once I was in Brooklyn, N.Y., where I did a great deal of work, and as usual I was making visits to the homes of various refugee families to check on them and ensure that they had everything they needed. It was really my favorite part of the job because it gave me an opportunity not only to see how they were living, but also to talk with them and learn about their experiences as refugees and moving to the U.S. This particular Croatian family in Brooklyn with whom I was visiting not only welcomed me into their home, but they had an enormous meal prepared for me. I couldn’t believe it! I ended up sitting with them in their kitchen for three hours (I almost missed my flight back to Washington!). What impressed me and touched me was that it was my job to provide for them, and yet despite the horrible things they had been through, they wanted to provide for me. They all hugged me and kissed me and thanked me so warmly at the end of our visit. Here it was my job to welcome and care for the stranger, and I was being welcomed and cared for. And that’s just one story. I was very blessed to meet so many wonderful families like this over the years. Q: In what ways do our Catholic teachings call upon us to “welcome the stranger?” Father Reid: Our mandate to serve refugees and welcome the stranger comes from Matthew 25:31-46, where we find Christ explaining the judgment of all the nations. Jesus is very clear in this passage that we are called to serve the poor and needy and to welcome the stranger. And when we do these corporal works of mercy, we serve Christ Himself. But when we neglect to serve the poor, care for the needy or welcome the stranger, we neglect Christ
How you can get involved To schedule a presentation, request information regarding refugee apartment sponsorship or to volunteer with the Refugee Resettlement Office, call 704-370-3283. To learn more about Catholic Social Services, go online to www.cssnc.org.
Himself. Our Lord is clear that this choice to serve or not serve will have eternal ramifications. What’s important to remember about refugees is that they have been forced to flee their homelands because of circumstances such as war, political oppression or religious persecution. And every person, because of our inherent human dignity, should be welcomed by us Christians as if he or she were Christ. To fail to do this is a sin against the virtue of charity. The virtue of charity is a supernatural virtue that flows from the nature of God and directs us toward a limitless love of God and neighbor. It is by nature selfless and sacrificial, and it desires the good of others. As Catholics we are called to practice this most important of virtues! Welcoming the stranger is a great way to serve others. Q: What would you say to encourage others to support refugee resettlement? Father Reid: Doing this type of work is certainly challenging, but very rewarding. If you would like a great way to grow in virtue, then volunteer to help refugees. Today volunteers are needed to drive refugees to cancer treatments, and to tutor children and mentor parents. Help in setting up housing for newly arrived refugees is always needed – donating or collecting donated furniture and household items. Volunteer information is available at www.cssnc.org. And as is always the case when serving the poor and needy, you will find Christ in the refugee! Tracy Winsor is a volunteer coordinator with Catholic Social Services.
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catholicnewsherald.com | May 25, 2012 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD
Bishop Peter J. Jugis
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Our diocese has tremendous enthusiasm for the faith
he ad limina visit which I recently completed is an ancient tradition in the Church, in which the diocesan bishop goes to Rome every five years or so to venerate the tombs of the Apostles Peter and Paul, and to meet with the Holy Father and the offices of the Roman Curia to report on the state of his diocese. There is a spiritual component to the visit – to pray at the tombs of the apostles Peter and Paul. In that sense, there is the idea of a pilgrimage associated with the ad limina visit. In every pilgrimage, one temporarily leaves behind the familiar places of his home and work, to journey to a holy place to spend some time in prayer. In the case of the ad limina visit, the bishop leaves his diocese and journeys to Rome and to the tombs of the Apostles Peter and Paul, to draw inspiration and courage from the faithful witness of these two pillars of the Church, each of whom shed his blood for Christ. Besides the spiritual component to the visit, there is also a pastoral component – to meet with the Holy Father and his top advisors, the cardinals and archbishops in the Roman Curia. The visit gives the diocesan bishop an opportunity to learn firsthand from them about the pastoral challenges facing the universal Church. It also gives the Holy Father and the Roman Curia an opportunity to learn firsthand from the diocesan bishop about the pastoral issues that face him in his part of the Lord’s vineyard. Thus, the ministry of the Holy Father to the universal Church is strengthened by this sharing of information from the diocesan bishop, and the ministry of the diocesan bishop is also strengthened by the sharing of information from the Holy Father and his advisors. This exchange of information among the pastors of the Church serves to strengthen the unity of the Church. In his letter to the Galatians, St. Paul gives us an example of an early ad limina visit. After preaching the Gospel for several years following his conversion, St. Paul went to Jerusalem to confer with St. Peter for 15 days to learn more about Jesus (Gal 1:18). Then after 14 years, St. Paul again journeyed to Jerusalem with Barnabas and Titus to present to the leaders of the Jerusalem Church the Gospel that he was preaching to the Gentiles, to make sure that it was in accord with the truth (Gal 2: 1-2). From the time of the apostles, the pastors of the Church have known the value of maintaining the bond of communion among themselves, to preserve the catholicity and unity of the Church, which is Jesus’ gift to the Church. I was happy to write in my ad limina report that in the Diocese of Charlotte there is tremendous enthusiasm for the faith. The faithful of the diocese are eager to grow in their relationship with Christ, to increase their knowledge of the faith, and to put their faith into practice. The attitude of the faithful is very positive and upbeat, and there is a strong sense of mission throughout the diocese. In addition to this enthusiasm for the faith, the Catholic Church locally is also experiencing amazing growth. Since my ordination as bishop in 2003, I have been privileged to dedicate or rededicate 17 new churches. In addition, eight parishes have built new parish activity centers. During this period, five new parishes have been canonically erected. Ministries have expanded as we seek to bring the truth of Christ and the love of Christ to more of our brothers and sisters. The ad limina visit has been a tremendous blessing. The visit has served to strengthen the bonds of our ecclesial communion with the Chair of Peter, “which presides over the whole assembly of charity.” Bishop Peter Jugis leads the Diocese of Charlotte.
Father John Eckert
We find joy in our faith, whether in Rome or here at home
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Today’s presentation is all about joy.” These were the words of our guide as we pilgrims began our tour through Christian Rome. Although this was the verbal introduction to one part of our trip, joy was the underlying theme of the days leading up to the pilgrimage, our experience in the holy sites of Assisi, Siena, Orvieto and Rome, and my experience since returning. I am not talking about the passing joy that comes with encountering the beautiful scenery of the Italian countryside, eating gelato or enjoying Italian dining, though these are pretty great. I am speaking of the joy that overcomes all things, the joy that is so definitively universal, the joy of our Risen Lord, Jesus Christ! On this pilgrimage we came into contact with some of the monumental treasures of our faith: the bones of St. Peter, the corporal of the Eucharistic Miracle housed in the beautiful Cathedral of Orvieto, the chains that held St. Peter, the original small altar that moved with the early Christians before finding its permanent home in the altar of the Basilica of St. John Lateran, the clothes of St. Francis of Assisi, the head and thumb of St. Catherine of Siena, and the many architectural monuments throughout Rome that would have been seen by the saints of old, even as they were handing over their very lives as martyrs for the faith. The joy that arises as we look upon and encounter these beautiful artifacts of the faith is that they are not confined to some place of the distant past. Though some of these treasures have been around for nearly 2,000 years, the faith they inspire does not find itself living only in antiquity, but is very much alive today! As we looked on the architectural monuments of ancient Rome such as the triumphant arches that marked great military victories, the Forum, and that distinctive Roman icon, the Colosseum, the question that came to mind was, “Where is the strength of the Roman Empire today?” Under the direction of such infamous characters as Emperors Nero or Diocletian, that powerful empire threw all it had at the Christians in an attempt to wipe them out, an ultimate David-and-Goliath fight, so to speak. In that Roman war against Christianity, the only side with any casualties was the Christian side, and yet, that is the very side that proved victorious. To look at Rome today, it is absolutely apparent
which side has won, and the victory does not end at the city limits of Rome. Returning home to the Diocese of Charlotte, we pilgrims encountered again a local Church vibrant with the same joy that is present in the very stones that make up the churches of Rome. We live in a part of the world in which the Catholic population has grown by 21 percent since Bishop Peter Jugis’ last ad limina visit. Our local presbyterate will grow by three on June 2 as Bishop Jugis ordains Deacons Matthew Codd, Jason Barone and Peter Shaw to the priesthood. And our public witness of the faith grows each year as the annual Eucharistic Congress continues to attract more and more participants. Indications of the joy of the faith here at home continue on. With all this talk of joy, it may sound like maybe I had a little too much limoncello along the pilgrimage, or picked up some rose-colored glasses along the way. This joy, however, runs deep. Yes, there are many crosses to be borne by us all. There are challenges that threaten the Church from all angles, from inside and out. We all have our struggles, and temptations abound that attempt to pull us away from the saving hope that continues to succeed against all odds. But we must all constantly be reminded, as Blessed John Paul II told us time and again, “Do not be afraid.” Ultimately, this pilgrimage, which was well documented and is available for all the readers of the Catholic News Herald to see online, emphasized that we are on the winning team. Our faith has withstood epic challenges throughout its history, and there is no indication that those challenges will soon end. But more than that, it is evident that the faith will always triumph. We may ask, “Where are the forces of the Roman Empire today?” We may ask, “Where are other forces that have attempted to eliminate the faith?” One day we will ask, “Where are sin and death?” Ultimately, the answer that rings throughout the ages, throughout the world, is: Jesus Christ is risen from the dead and remains with us always! Father John Eckert serves as parochial vicar at Our Lady of Grace Church in Greensboro. He was one of three priests who accompanied about 40 pilgrims from the Charlotte diocese and Atlanta archdiocese to Rome during Bishop Jugis’ ad limina visit.
Go back and enjoy the pilgrimage again! Photos, video clips, virtual tours, historical information and much more from the ad limina pilgrimage to Assisi, Siena, Orvieto and Rome are still online at www.catholicnewsherald.com. One highlight not to be missed: Seminarian Santiago Mariani singing “Ave Maria” to the pilgrims in a restaurant in Rome. Through press time on May 23, the ad limina pilgrimage blog, charlotteadlimina.tumblr.com, was visited 11,998 times by 5,341 visitors. All total, 5,875 visitors viewed 25,502 total pages on www.catholicnewsherald.com (including the blog). Join these virtual pilgrims and experience for yourself the sites, the history and the spirituality of our faith!
May 25, 2012 | catholicnewsherald.com catholic news heraldI
Deacon James H. Toner
The Poor Clares
The greatest lesson rarely taught
Gardening lessons from a mother’s heart
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uite appropriately we celebrate Mother’s Day in the spring, when nature itself reflects the joy and beauty of new life. Here at St. Joseph Monastery, spring brings with it lots of satisfying recreation in the garden, as well as hands-on lessons from our spiritual mother, our abbess. From planting flower seeds to digging out unwelcome weeds, Reverend Mother Dolores Marie has used the lessons of nature to nurture the garden of our souls toward a fruitful harvest of virtue. When Reverend Mother presented some packages of flower seeds to us early this season, we sisters could hardly wait to start planting. Amazed at their diminutive sizes and dull colors, it was hard to believe that one day they would produce attractive and beautiful flowers in abundance. Our marveling led to lesson number one: Isn’t it astounding that a child, whose soul was created by God in his or her mother’s womb, has the incredible potential to grow and develop into a mature Christian, and even into a saint? If we only grasped the profound degree of holiness we are capable of reaching with God’s graces, we would be overwhelmed. That tiny little seed planted into the earth’s soil should be a continual reminder of hope that, though we may be far from holiness in our faith journey right now, if we nurture our spiritual lives in the proper elements, we too can grow into those spiritual giants called saints. As we planted our tiny, unattractive seeds in the moist soil, it was obvious that their concealment in the ground pointed to a fundamental environment for developing a fertile garden of virtue within the soul. Lesson number two: The saints – from the simple ones to the greatest mystics – could not stress enough the importance of humility for drawing close to God. Interestingly, humility comes from the Latin word “humus,” which means earth. To advance in the life of virtue, we must stay close to the ground, hidden in meekness and lowliness, because humility possesses the nutrients necessary for us to know self and to know God in truth. Though we think of soil as dirty and humbling experiences as unpleasant, without them neither the seed of a plant nor the seed of virtue will be able to germinate and plant deep roots. Now while our flower seeds have been germinating and digging their roots deeply into the earth, our attention was recently drawn toward other unwelcome plant life around the monastery. This past week Reverend Mother asked us to uproot a cluster of ivy that was overrunning an outside wall of the building. Donned in an apron and with shovel in hand, I marched with determination to attack
the invasive greenery. Half an hour later, with sweat trickling down my neck and skin scraped off my hand, I realized that roots dig very deeply and can grow thickly. I had to resist the temptation to simply remove the lightly rooted vines on the surface, while leaving the thick roots hidden in the ground. Leaving the roots meant the vine would soon reappear on the wall in the very near future. Lesson number three: In the spiritual life, bad roots or habits cling strongly to us. If we don’t examine ourselves and make efforts to find the roots of our vices, we will continue to spin in circles in a frustrating pursuit for virtue, puzzled as to why we are not making progress. It takes continual determination, fortified perseverance, and the grace of the Master Gardener to help us uproot those weeds in our lives that threaten to choke out the true flowers. Finally, while we eagerly await the growth of our blossoms, we have been grateful for the beautiful weather God has sent because without the sun, despite all of our efforts, nothing would grow. One day after Reverend Mother had moved our various pots into a sunnier section of the courtyard, I recalled another lesson my own mother taught me growing up. Lesson number four: We need to place ourselves often in the presence of the Son of God in the Most Blessed Sacrament, for grace to continue to grow in our lives. Mom made a point of regularly taking us kids to Eucharistic Adoration, and when we were out of sorts, she wisely remarked, “My flowers are wilting today. Time to sit in front of the Son!” It is in His presence that the Master Gardener tills our souls, prunes our imperfections, and reaps the fruit of a life in union with Him. Our community gardening this spring has led me to take to heart not only Reverend Mother’s gardening techniques, but her spiritual lessons as well. Cultivating a garden of virtue begins with the small seeds of goodwill, faith, hope and charity. Protected under the covering of genuine humility, these seeds germinate and take root in the soul. At the same time, we are required to work diligently and perseveringly to uproot bad vices and weeds of imperfections. Then, having offered our labors to the Master Gardener, we bask in His Presence and wait for Him to reap a harvest of good fruit. Sister Mary Raphael of the Divine Physician is professed with the Poor Clare Nuns of Perpetual Adoration St. Joseph Monastery in Charlotte. This is part of a monthly commentary by the Poor Clares to focus on topics of faith and to address questions about religious life. Learn more about the community and subscribe to their newsletter by going online to www.stjosephmonastery.com.
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ot long ago, I was asked to give a men’s retreat in another state. During one of the conferences, one man seemed puzzled when I referred to the natural law. Later, at a meal, he and I had an opportunity to discuss the subject at some length. Although he was a college graduate, he was unfamiliar with natural law, which “expresses the original moral sense which enables man to discern by reason the good and the evil, the truth and the lie” (Catechism of the Catholic Church 1954). The Church squarely teaches that the natural moral law is written on our hearts (Romans 2:14-15; 2 Corinthians 3:3; Hebrews 10:16, 8:10; Jeremiah 31:33; Ezekiel 36:26). At the core of the natural law is the divine calling to do what is good and to avoid what is evil (see 1 Pt 3:11, 1 Thess 5:22 and Psalm 37:27), and we have the Ten Commandments as guides to lead us in the “paths of righteousness.” The Roman statesman Cicero (106-43 B.C.) wrote that the natural law is true, for it is “right reason ... (and it) is (unchanging) and eternal ... To replace it with a contrary law is a sacrilege” (CCC 1956). When I teach, I often “stomp” on the floor as a signal to students that they will see this again – on the test! The natural law “provides the solid foundation on which man can build the structure of moral rules to guide his choices” (CCC 1959). Martin Luther King Jr., for example, referred to the natural law when, in 1963, he wrote his stirring “Letter from a Birmingham City Jail,” in which he explained to fellow clergymen and to all Americans why he deplored segregation. We must obey just laws, he wrote, and we must disobey unjust laws. But how do we tell the one from the other? “A just law is a man-made code that squares with the moral law or the law of God. An unjust law is a code that is out of harmony with the moral law.” He quoted St. Thomas Aquinas: “An unjust law is a law that is not rooted in eternal law or natural law.” It’s time to foot stomp. High school students used to be generally familiar with “Antigone” by Sophocles (495-406 B.C.), in which Antigone decides to disobey the king because she must follow a higher law in the matter of burying her brother, to whom the king had refused burial after the brother had rebelled against the crown. Antigone recognized the natural law. The soldier “Bates” in Shakespeare’s “Henry V,” though, did not see the natural law when he said that “If his (the king’s) cause be wrong, our obedience to
the king wipes the crime of it out of us.” For nearly two decades I taught ethics to senior-grade military officers, and the essence of what I taught was rooted in the natural law. A soldier must disobey an illegal or immoral order. “I was just following orders” is not a legal excuse for doing evil; it certainly is not a moral excuse. “We must obey God,” says St. Peter, “before men” (Acts 5:29; cf. Ex 1:17, Daniel 3:95). I do not mean to imply that problems of conscience are always easily resolved. (See, for example, Blessed John Paul II’s encyclical “Evangelium Vitae,” 74.) We are called, though, always to form our conscience according to the Word of God (CCC 1802 and Psalm 119:43, 96, 105). The keys to Catholic moral education lie in understanding, first, what Socrates taught – that an unexamined life is unworthy – and, second, in what Christ’s Church teaches – that we must “examine our conscience before the Lord’s Cross” (CCC 1785). We know in a seminal or elementary way right from wrong and good from evil. But that knowledge must be developed by a wise education (cf. CCC 1783), which does not end in the award of a diploma or a degree but continues throughout life. Unless we know about the natural law and understand that there is authority well above and beyond that of the state or that of a higher-ranking officer, we will be morally at sea (see Eph 4:14, Hebrews 13:9), lost in a “dictatorship of relativism.” “If there is no transcendent truth, in obedience to which man achieves his full identity, then there is no sure principle for guaranteeing just relations between people” (Blessed John Paul II, “Veritatis Splendor,” 99). If there is no natural law, then all we have as right moral guidance is the might of the group, of the gang, of the government. As Servant of God Archbishop Fulton Sheen once put it: “Right is still right if nobody is right, and wrong is still wrong if everybody is wrong.” But the natural law does exist, and we are called to know it and to act as it counsels us – to serve as Christ’s witnesses (CCC 2044) and, as members of His holy Church, to “show forth the kingship of Christ over all creation and in particular over human societies” (CCC 2105).
‘If there is no natural law, then all we have as right moral guidance is the might of the group, of the gang, of the government.’
Deacon James H. Toner serves at Our Lady of Grace Church in Greensboro.
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catholicnewsherald.com | May 25, 2012 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD