Dec. 21, 2012

December 21, 2012

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Appeals court sides with Belmont Abbey College: Fix HHS mandate, 5 INDEX

Contact us.......................... 4 Events calendar................. 4 Our Parishes................. 3-14 Schools......................... 18-19 Scripture readings............ 2 TV & Movies...................... 20 U.S. news..................... 22-23 Viewpoints.................. 26-27 World news................. 24-25 Year of Faith.................... 2-3

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Peggy Bowes: The 12 Days of Christmas Honor the 12 days between Christmas and the Epiphany with these activities,

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First band director at Holy Trinity takes final bow Alan Kaufman retires after 20 years with Mecklenburg Area Catholic Schools,

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Year of faith

catholicnewsherald.com | December 21, 2012 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Pope Benedict XVI

Strength of faith comes from trusting God

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ary’s role in the birth and life of Jesus shows all Christians that the strength of faith lies in trusting God, even when His will is mysterious and life seems dark, Pope Benedict XVI said.

“The power of God, in our lives as well, works with the often silent power of truth and love,” the pope said Dec. 19 at his weekly general audience.

Preparing for Christmas and continuing his Year of Faith series of audience talks, the pope focused on what Christians can learn about faith from Mary.

“Faith tells us that the defenseless power of that baby will vanquish the clamor of the powers of the world,” he said.

“The glory of God does not show itself in the triumph and power of a king and does not shine forth from a famous city or a sumptuous palace, but takes up its dwelling place in the womb of a virgin and is revealed in the poverty of a baby,” Pope Benedict said.

With a Nativity scene already decorating the stage in the Vatican audience hall, the pope’s weekly meeting with visitors and pilgrims already had a Christmas feel. The atmosphere was even more festive given the presence of a group of “zampognari,” Italian bagpipe players who shared their renditions of “Adeste Fideles” and other traditional carols.

Pope Benedict told the pilgrims that when the Angel Gabriel appeared to Mary, telling her that she would bear Jesus, rejoicing was the most natural response because the coming of the Messiah “proclaimed the end of the sadness in the world due to the limits of life, suffering, death, wickedness and the darkness of evil that seemed to obscure the light of divine goodness.”

At the same time, the pope said, Mary’s joy was not something superficial and it did not mean that she would never be sad or heartbroken again. In fact, he said, she would have to endure the crushing pain of seeing her son crucified.

“The same holds for each of us in our journey of faith: We will encounter moments of light, but also places where God seems absent, His silence weighs on our hearts and His will does not correspond to what we want,” the pope said.

But the more we follow Mary’s example and place ourselves completely in God’s hands, “the more He will enable us to live every situation of our lives in the peace and certainty of His faithfulness and love.”

A stained-glass image of St. Hildegard of Bingen, the newest Doctor of the Church, depicting her at work composing hymns

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Doctors of the Church

octors of the Church are great saints known for their defense and explanation of the truths of the Catholic faith. The original eight Doctors of the Church were named by acclamation, or common acknowledgment; the rest have been named by various popes, starting with the addition of St. Thomas Aquinas to the list by Pope St. Pius V in 1568.

This title indicates that the writings and preachings of such a person are useful to Christians “in any age of the Church.” Such men and women are also particularly known for the depth of understanding and the orthodoxy of their theological teachings. While the writings of the Doctors are often considered inspired by the Holy Spirit, this does not mean they are infallible. It does mean that they contributed significantly to the formulation of Christian teaching in at least one area.

Today, there are 35 Doctors of the Church: 27 from the West and 8 from the East; four women; 18 bishops, 12 priests, one deacon, three nuns and one consecrated virgin; 26 from Europe, three from Africa, six from Asia. Who are they?

LATIN (WESTERN) DOCTORS

GREEK (EASTERN) DOCTORS

1 – St. Ambrose, 340-397 (Pastoral Doctor): Archbishop of Milan, one of the most influential Church figures of the 4th century.

2 – St. Jerome, 345-420 (Doctor of Biblical Science): A Christian apologist, best known as the translator of the Bible from Greek and Hebrew into Latin, what’s known as the Vulgate.

3 – St. Augustine, 354-430 (Doctor of Grace): Bishop of Hippo, philosopher and theologian, and one of the most important figures in the Church.

4 – Pope St. Gregory the Great, 540-604 (Doctor of Hymnology): The first pope with a monastic background.

5 – St. Athanasius, 295-373 (Doctor of Orthodoxy): Remembered for his role in the conflict with Arianism and for his affirmation of the Trinity. He argued against political leaders and errant theologians so much and was exiled so often that he earned the nickname “Athanasius Contra Mundum” (Athanasius Against the World”).

6 – St. Basil the Great, 330-379 (Doctor of Monasticism): Noted scholar, lawyer and public speaker, he converted from paganism in a dramatic fashion: selling everything he had, giving the money to the poor, and becoming a monk. His Monastic Rule forms the basis of virtually all religious life in the Eastern Churches. He, his brother, St. Gregory of Nyssa, and his best friend, St. Gregory Nazianzus, are known as “the Cappadocian Fathers” after

the region of Asia Minor (modern Turkey) from which they came.

7 – St. Gregory Nazianzus, 330-390 (Doctor of Theologians, Doctor of the Trinity): Archbishop of Constantinople who once was attacked during Mass by an Arian mob, which wounded him and killed a fellow bishop. Convened the Ecumenical Council in Constantinople in 381 to resolve questions about the Nicene Creed and help unify the Eastern and Western Churches, but got so frustrated that he resigned in the middle of it.

8 – St. John Chrysostom, 345-407 (Doctor of Preachers): Perhaps the greatest preacher in Church history. Known for his eloquence in preaching and public speaking, he was nicknamed “chrysostomos” (Greek for DOCTORS, SEE page 3

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

Sunday: Micah 5:1-4, Hebrews 10:5-10, Luke 1:39-45; Monday: 2 Samuel 7:1-5, 8-12, 14,16, Luke: 1:67-79; Tuesday: Isaiah 9:1-6, Titus 2:1114, Luke 2:1-14; Wednesday (St. Stephen): Acts 6:8-10; 7:54-59, Matthew 10:17-22; Thursday (St. John): 1 John 1:1-4, John 20:1-8; Friday: 1 John 1:5-2:2, Matthew 2:13-18; Saturday (St. Thomas Becket): 1 John 2:3-11, Luke 2:2235

SCRIPTURE READINGS FOR THE WEEK OF DEC. 30-JAN. 5

Sunday: Sirah 3:2-6, 12-14, Colossians 3:12-21, Luke 2:41-52; Monday (St. Sylvester I): 1 John 2:18-21, John 1:1-18; Tuesday: Numbers 6:22-27, Galatians 4:4-7, Luke 2:16-21; Wednesday (St. Basil the Great, St. Gregory Nazianzus): 1 John 2:22-28, John 1:19-28; Thursday: 1 John 2:29-3:6, John 1:29-34; Friday (St. Elizabeth Ann Seton): 1 John 3:7-10, John 1:35-42; Saturday (St. John Neumann): 1 John 3:11-21, John 1:43-51

SCRIPTURE READINGS FOR THE WEEK OF JAN. 6-12

Sunday: Isaiah 60:1-6, Ephesians 3:2-3, 5-6, Matthews 2:1-12; Monday (St. Raymond of Penafort): 1 John 3:22-4:6, Matthew 4:12-17, 23-25; Tuesday: 1 John 4:7-10, Mark 6:34-44; Wednesday: 1 John 4:11-18, Mark 6:45-52; Thursday: 1 John 4:19-5:4, Luke 4:14-22; Friday: 1 John 5:5-13, Luke 5:12-16; Saturday: 1 John 5:14-21, John 3:22-30

December 21, 2012 | catholicnewsherald.com catholic news heraldI

Pope adds two saints to list of Church ‘doctors’ Francis X. Rocca Catholic News Service

CNS | Paul Haring

An image of St. John of Avila and a banner thanking Pope Benedict XVI are seen as the pontiff greets pilgrims after celebrating the opening Mass of the Synod of Bishops on the new evangelization in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican Oct. 7. The banner in Spanish thanked the pope for proclaiming St. John of Avila as the 34th Doctor of the Church.

DOCTORS: FROM PAGE 2

“golden tongued”). The themes of his talks were always practical, explaining how to apply the Bible in everyday life, and he lived a simple, unpretentious lifestyle even after being pushed into becoming archbishop of Constantinople. There he denounced the lavish lifestyles of local Church and political leaders – making him popular with the laity but causing his exile to a desolate area along the Black Sea, where he died from ill health.

EARLY CHURCH DOCTORS 9 – St. Ephraem, 306-373 (Doctor of Deacons and Poets): Died tending plague victims in 373.

10 – St. Hilary of Poitiers, 315368 (Doctor of Christ’s Divinity): Sometimes called the “Hammer of the Arians,” so popular that he was unanimously elected bishop of Poitiers in Gaul (modern France) in about 353.

11 – St. Cyril of Jerusalem, 315387 (Doctor of Faith and against Heresy): Bishop of Jerusalem who was deposed and exiled more than once by jealous opponents.

Disagreed at first with the Nicene Creed’s clause that Jesus is “consubstantial with the Father,” but by the Ecumenical Council of 381 he voted for the wording, seeing no better alternative to unifying the Eastern and Western Churches.

12 – St. Cyril of Alexandria, 376444 (Doctor of the Incarnation): Bishop of Alexandria when the city was at its height of influence and power within the Roman Empire. He wrote extensively and was a leading defender of Christ’s identity as fully

VATICAN CITY — Pope Benedict recently added a 16th-century Spanish priest and a 12th-century German abbess to the roster of doctors of the universal Church.

The pope proclaimed the new doctors, St. John of Avila and St. Hildegard of Bingen, at Mass Oct. 7 in St. Peter’s Square, where the thousands in attendance included pilgrims waving Spanish flags, and German nuns in traditional habits.

In his homily, Pope Benedict said that St. John, “a profound expert on the sacred Scriptures,” knew how to “penetrate in a uniquely profound way the mysteries of the redemption worked by Christ for humanity.”

Noting St. Hildegard’s knowledge of medicine, poetry and music, the pope called her a “woman of brilliant intelligence, deep sensitivity and recognized spiritual authority. The Lord granted her a prophetic spirit and fervent capacity to discern the signs of the times.”

Doctors of the Church, saints

divine and fully human.

13 – Pope St. Leo the Great, 390461 (Doctor of Doctrine): First pope to have been called “the Great,” reaffirmed papal authority, perhaps best known for having met Attila the Hun in 452 and persuading him to turn back from his invasion of Italy.

14 – St. Peter Chrysologus, 400450 (Doctor of Homilies): Made Bishop of Ravenna, Italy, in about 433 by Pope Sixtus III, after Sixtus had a vision of St. Peter and St. Apollinaris (the first bishops of Rome and Ravenna) showed him a young man and said he would be the next bishop of Ravenna.

When Sixtus met Peter shortly afterwards, he recognized him as the young man in his vision and consecrated him as bishop even though he was only a deacon at the time.

15 – St. Isidore, 560-636 (Doctor of Education): Archbishop of Seville for more than three decades. At a time when the remnants of the Roman Empire were crumbling and aristocratic violence and illiteracy were spreading, he helped convert the royal Visigothic Arians to Catholicism and played a prominent role in developing Visigothic legislation – regarded by historians as having influenced the beginnings of representative government.

16 – St. Bede the Venerable, 673735 (Doctor of English History) 17 – St. John Damascene, 676749 (The Icon or Image Doctor, or Doctor of the Assumption): A Syrian Christian monk and priest, and the last of the Church Fathers. Wrote extensively on the Assumption of Mary.

18 – St. Peter Damian, 1007-1072 (Doctor of Reform and Renewal)

More online At www.catholicnewsherald. com: Read the full texts of Pope Benedict’s remarks upon naming St. John of Avila and St. Hildegard of Bingen the newest Doctors of the Church

honored for particularly important contributions to theology and spirituality, come from both the Eastern and Western Church traditions.

The 35 doctors include early Church Fathers such as Sts. Jerome, John Chrysostom and Augustine, and theologians such as Sts. Thomas Aquinas, Bonaventure and John of the Cross, but also St. Thérèse of Lisieux, who was honored by Blessed John Paul II in 1997, despite her lack of scholarly accomplishment.

St. Hildegard is the fourth female Doctor of the Church, joining Sts. Thérèse, Catherine of Siena and Teresa of Avila.

MIDDLE AGE CHURCH DOCTORS 19 – St. Anselm, 1033-1109 (Doctor of Scholasticism) 20 – St. Bernard of Clairvaux, 1090-1153 (Devotional and Eloquent Doctor) 21 – St. Anthony of Padua, 11951231 (Evangelical Doctor) 22 – St. Albertus Magnus, 12001280 (Doctor of Science) 23 – St. Bonaventure, 1217-1274 (Seraphic Doctor) 24 – St. Thomas Aquinas, 12251274 (Angelic Doctor) 25 – St. Catherine of Siena, 13471379 (Doctor of Unity)

COUNTER REFORMATION CHURCH DOCTORS 26 – St. Teresa of Avila 1515-1582 (Doctor of Prayer): The first woman to be named a Doctor, in 1970.

27 – St. Peter Canisius, 1521-1597 (Doctor of Catechetical Studies) 28 – St. John of the Cross, 15421591 (Mystical Doctor) 29 – St. Robert Bellarmine, 1542-1621 (Doctor of Church State Relations) 30 – St. Lawrence of Brindisi, 1559-1622 (Doctor of Conversions and Missions) 31 – St. Francis de Sales, 15671622 (Doctor of Authors and the Press)

MODERN ERA CHURCH DOCTORS 32 – St. Alphonsus Liguori, 16961787 (Morality and Marian Doctor) 33 – St. Thérèse of Lisieux, 18731897 (Doctor of Confidence and Missionaries) 34 – St. John of Avila, 1500-1569: Missionary, preacher, and reformer of clerical life in Spain. Pope Benedict said he was a “profound expert on the sacred Scriptures ... a man of God, he united constant prayer to apostolic action. He

More online At www. catholicnewsherald.com: Read full biographies of all 35 Doctors of the Church At www.annusfidei. va: Read Pope Benedict XVI’s take on Doctors of the Church including St. Augustine, St. Thérèse of Lisieux, St. Jerome, St. John Chrysostom, St. Teresa of Avila, St. Ambrose and others.

(Click on “We Believe.”)

dedicated himself to preaching and to the more frequent practice of the sacraments, concentrating his commitment on improving the formation of candidates for the priesthood, of religious and of lay people, with a view to a fruitful reform of the Church.”

35 – St. Hildegard of Bingen, 1098-1179: German Benedictine nun who was a named composer when most music was anonymous, a visionary who wrote three books describing the mystical visions she had since the age of 3, a preacher at a time when canon law forbade women to preach, prolific letterwriter to popes, and early scientist, botanist, herbalist, physician and healer. Even invented her own coded language.

— Sources: The Catholic Encyclopedia, www.catholiconline.com, www.doctorsofthecatholicchurch.com

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Online resources for your Year of Faith www.annusfidei.va The official Vatican site for the Year of Faith, this is a must-see for your own journey. Here you’ll find: – the full text of “Porta Fidei,” Pope Benedict XVI’s apostolic letter announcing the Year of Faith – the full text of all the Vatican II documents, including the four constitutions: “Dei Verbum,” “Lumen Gentium,” “Sacrosanctum Concilium” and “Gaudium et Spes” – catechetical talks by Pope Benedict on the Apostles and saints, the Church Fathers, leading Catholic women, medieval theologians, and prayer

www.usccb.org At the U.S. bishops’ website, check out a video series on the Year of Faith, download Catholic prayers and catechetical resources for free, search the Catechism of the Catholic Church, get games for kids, check out resources for families, and more.

‘My Year of Faith’ app An app with daily content updates to help you to a deeper understanding of Catholicism, an increased prayer life, and reflections and thoughts from nationally known Catholic bloggers, writers and speakers – including blogger Lisa Hendey of CatholicMom.com. Produced by the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend, the app is available for iOS (iPhones, iPads) and Android (smartphones, Kindle Fire) for 99 cents. Don’t have a smartphone?

Follow the companion blog at www. myyearoffaith.com.

www.vcat.org A new website featuring “Video Catechism for Teens,” produced by the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston in association with Outside da Box. Besides the video series on the Nicene Creed, check out free resources geared toward youths and young adults.

www.crs.org/yof Learn how Catholic Relief Services proclaims the Gospel through justice and charity and explore ways to make the Year of Faith a richer, more fulfilling time of renewal and spiritual discovery.

www.flocknote.com/caTechism Read the Catechism over the course of this year: Get daily reflections from the Catechism to your email inbox, for free.

www.OnceCatholic.org A general website geared for people who have left their Catholic faith behind for various reasons. Produced by the Franciscan Friars of St. John the Baptist Province in Cincinnati, Ohio. It offers resources and FAQs on Church teaching, reconnects people with local communities, and features online forums.

Year of Faith indulgence offered Catholics who participate in events connected with the Year of Faith can receive a plenary, or full, indulgence, Pope Benedict XVI has announced. An indulgence is a remission of the temporal punishment a person is due for sins that have been forgiven.

At www.catholicnewsherald.com/ ourfaith: Details on obtaining the indulgence.

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catholicnewsherald.com | December 21, 2012 OUR PARISHES

Diocesan calendar of events ASHEVILLE ST. EUGENE CHURCH, 72 CULVERN ST. — Christmas Eve Masses: 4 p.m., 6:30 p.m., 9 p.m.

— Christmas Day Masses: 10 a.m. and noon (Spanish)

Bishop Peter J. Jugis Bishop Peter J. Jugis will participate in the following events in the coming weeks: Jan. 3, 2013 – 10 a.m.

Blessing and Dedication of Good Shepherd Gardens Salisbury Jan. 7-11 Annual Retreat for Bishops

ARDEN St. Barnabas Church, 109 Crescent Hill Road — Bilingual Charismatic Mass: Every Monday at 7 p.m.

CHARLOTTE

ST. MATTHEW church, 8015 BALLANTYNE COMMONS Pkwy.

— Christmas Eve Masses: 4 p.m., 6 p.m., 8 p.m. and midnight Mass — Christmas Day Masses: 7:30 a.m., 9 a.m., 10:45 a.m., 12:30 p.m.

— Protecting God’s Children workshop: 9:45 a.m.-12:45 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 12. In the New Life Center. Must register at www.virtus.org.

— Symposium on “Catholicism: The Indispensable Men, Peter and Paul”: 7-9 p.m. Monday, Jan. 14, In the New Life Center Banquet Room

Clarification and update In the Nov. 23 story “St. Matthew Church plans to expand with Waxhaw campus,” the timetable for developing a satellite campus in Waxhaw was not completely described.

The first phase of the project will be completed in three to five years, according to Monsignor John McSweeney, pastor. All stages will be completed within 10 years, he said.

St. Matthew Church plans to buy 33.67 acres at the corner of Waxhaw-Marvin Road and Kensington Drive for a “St. Matthew South.”

Monsignor McSweeney adds in a Dec. 18 update that church leaders will be meeting with parishioners and neighbors of the area around the property after finalizing the contract to buy the land. After the land deal is finalized, a land-use planner will present different options for developing the property, he said.

“We want to tie in as many dreams as we can,” he said.

— Catholic News Herald

HOLY FAMILY CHURCH, 4820 Kinnamon Road — Charismatic Prayer Group: 7:15 p.m. Mondays.

— Healing Retreat: Rachel’s Vineyard Retreat Weekend, Feb. 1-3, sponsored by Catholic Social Services Respect Life Program. Retreat will be held in the Charlotte area and is open to both men and women beginning their healing journey after an abortion.

For more information call Maggi Fitzpatrick at 704-370-3229 or visit www.rachelsvineyard.org.

GREENSBORO Our Lady of Grace church, 2205 West market ST. — Christmas Eve Masses: 4 p.m., 6 p.m., 8 p.m., 11 p.m. (choir program) and midnight Mass — Christmas Day Masses: 9 a.m., 11 a.m. (Spanish), 1 p.m. (traditional Latin Mass) — Traditional Latin Mass: Offered each Sunday at 1:30 p.m.

St. Mary’s Church, 812 duke st.

— Christmas Eve Masses: 5 p.m., 7 p.m. (Spanish) and midnight Mass — Christmas Day Mass: 10 a.m.

— Living the Faith Book Club: Second Thursday of the month, 7-8 p.m. Everyone welcome.

— Para honrar a la Virgen María, rezamos el Santo Rosario: Todos los Domingos a las 5:30 p.m.

— Healing prayer service: first Monday of each month, 7:30 p.m. in the chapel.

St. PAUL THE APOSTLE CHURCH, 2715 HORSE PENN CREEK ROAD

ST. PATRICK Cathedral, 1621 DILWORTH ROAD EAST — Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament: 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. every Wednesday. Eucharistic Adoration is a time of prayer to worship and adore Jesus Christ.

ST. THOMAS AQUINAS CHURCH — Christmas Eve Masses: 4:30 p.m., 6:30 p.m. and midnight Mass — Christmas Day Masses: 9:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m.

— Eastern Reflection on the Baptism of Our Lord, “Theophany: The Mystery of Baptism and the Vocation to Holiness”: 10:45 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 5. Bring a bagged lunch. For more information, visit www.stacharlotte.com.

— Please join us for our first “Divine Mercy Holy Hour”: Exposition and readings from the Diary of St. Maria Faustina Kowalska: 7-8 p.m. every first Friday. Any questions, contact Paul Deer at 704-948-0628.

— Men of Veritas: All men are invited on the second and fourth Saturdays, at 8:30 a.m. Contact menofveritas@ stacharlotte.com.

HIGH POINT — Pro-Life Rosary to pray for an end to abortion: 11 a.m.

Saturday, Jan. 5, rain or shine, at 901 North Main St. and Sunset Drive in High Point. Parking available on site. For more information contact Jim Hoyng 336-8829593 or Paul Klosterman 336-848-6835.

CLEMMONS

DIOCESE OF CHARLOTTE

St. Basil Mission, 7702 Pineville matthews road (Charlotte catholic High school Chapel) — Feast of the Nativity with Matins and Typica Service: 10 a.m. Tuesday, Dec. 25 — Great Vespers for the Feast of St. Basil the Great: 5:30 p.m., Monday, Dec. 31

Jan. 11 – Noon March for Life Charlotte Pastoral Center

— “Rosary for Life”: Join the Respect Life group to pray each Wednesday at 6:30 p.m., followed by Mass at 7 p.m. To participate, contact Gretchen Filz at gfilz10@ ses.edu or 704-919-0935.

— 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 first Thursdays. Contact: marylisk@aol.com.

ST. PIUS X Church, 2210 North elm st.

— Christmas Eve Masses: 5 p.m., 8 p.m. and midnight — Christmas Day Mass: 10 a.m.

— Women’s retreat with Father Michael Klepacki: 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 12. For details, contact Joan Workman at jworkman1963@hotmail.com.

— The Catholic Women Council invites all women to attend their annual covered dish luncheon, featuring “The Art and Vision of Charles Schultz”: Noon Wednesday, Jan. 23. Bring a dish to share. Call Debbie Porter at 336-288-4255 to RSVP. — Knights of Columbus host a recitation of the “Rosary Of Our Lady”: On the second Sunday of each month at 10:20 a.m. All are welcome.

Immaculate HEART OF MARY CHURCH, 605 Barbee ave.

— Christmas Eve Masses: 4 p.m., 7:30 p.m. (Spanish), 10:30 p.m.

— Christmas Day Masses: 9:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m.

— New Year’s Vigil: 7 p.m., 8:30 p.m. (Spanish) — New Year’s Day Mass: 10:30 a.m.

HUNTERSVILLE St. MARK CHURCH, 14740 STUMPTOWN ROAD — Hora Santa en Español: 7:30-8:30 p.m. Primeros Viernes — Our Lady of Perpetual Help Novenas: following 6:30 p.m. Mass on Wednesdays

MINT HILL ST. LUKE CHURCH, 13700 LAWYERS ROAD — Protecting God’s Children Seminar: 9:30 a.m.-noon, Saturday, Jan. 12. Please pre-register at www.Virtus. org.

MOORESVILLE ST. THÉRÈSE CHURCH, 217 BRAWLEY SCHOOL ROAD — Christmas Eve Masses: 4 p.m., 6 p.m., 8 p.m. and midnight Mass — Christmas Day Masses: 10:30 a.m., noon and 2:30 p.m.

(Spanish)

LEXINGTON OUR LADY OF THE ROSARY CHURCH, 619 s. MAIN ST. — Christmas Eve Mass: 5 p.m., followed by a Nativity pageant — Misa de Nochebuena: 7 p.m. Seguido por un desfile de Navidad

WINSTON SALEM — “Partners in Hope Dinner”: Thursday, Feb. 28, at the Benson Convention Center in downtown WinstonSalem. To benefit the work of Catholic Social Services in the Triad area. For details contact Kristin Lennex at 336-714-3227 or Donna Kronner at 336-655-2876.

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

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December 21, 2012 Volume 22 • Number 4

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

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

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

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December 21, 2012 | catholicnewsherald.com catholic news heraldI

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Appeals court rules in favor of Belmont Abbey College Government must rewrite HHS mandate by March 31, federal court orders Online At www.catholicnewsherald.com: Read the appeals court’s Dec. 18 ruling, as well as regular updates on the HHS mandate controversy

Patricia L. Guilfoyle Editor

WASHINGTON, D.C. — A federal appeals court in Washington, D.C., has sided with Belmont Abbey College in its lawsuit challenging the Obama administration’s mandate requiring most employers to provide free contraceptives in their employee insurance plans starting in 2013.

The three judges on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit issued their ruling Dec. 18, only days after sparring with lawyers on both sides of the case during lengthy oral arguments Dec. 14.

The Dec. 18 ruling does not overturn the controversial contraception mandate, yet it uses strong language ordering the Obama administration to rewrite the mandate so that it would not harm religious organizations such as Belmont Abbey College. It also gave the government a deadline of March 31, 2013, saying it will review the administration’s actions every 60 days until it complies.

The ruling also puts the case on hold, so that if the college objects to the government’s rewritten mandate it will not have to refile the case.

HHS, SEE page 13

‘Homeless Santa’ brings hope to families in need “Homeless Santa” (Albert Hodges, president of Room at the Inn of the Triad) sits with 2-year-old Jordan Gillespie, the son of Francis McRae, director of client services for the Nurturing Center of Greensboro, during a fundraising reception last week. The campaign aims to draw attention to the high number of homeless families with children in the Guilford County area, and to raise money for the support networks which assist the homeless.

Georgianna Penn Correspondent

GREENSBORO — “If we really want to find Christ at Christmas, we’ll find Him in our homeless.”

Those words from Albert Hodges, president of Room at the Inn of the Triad in Greensboro, describe the intent of “Homeless Santa” – a 33day campaign to call attention to the high number of homeless children in Guilford County, now estimated at nearly 1,900 based on annual counts by the local school district.

From Thanksgiving to Christmas, Hodges spends the night at shelters throughout Greensboro dressed as Santa Claus.

He expected to see the faces of the children in the shelter to light up, but what really moved him was seeing the faces of the parents when their children greeted Santa each night, he says.

Besides bringing a wondrous figure to children in these shelters, Homeless Santa is a campaign to raise money for the Nurturing Center of Greensboro.

A service of Room at the Inn of the Triad, the Nurturing Center is a daytime child care facility for homeless families with children. The Nurturing Center provides child care, counseling and parenting education to its clients.

Clients must be referred by one of the shelters in the area.

Programming at the Nurturing Center is based on a “trauma informed” framework – that is, the crisis of homelessness can have significant effects on the healthy development of children, so Nurturing Center staff have specific training on how to care for these families with compassion, dignity and respect.

Referring agencies that partner with the Nurturing Center include Mary’s

Georgianna Penn | Catholic News Herald

House, Greensboro Urban Ministry, Salvation Army and Family Services of the Piedmont’s Clara House.

The Nurturing Center also serves clients who are currently participating in any of Room at the Inn’s maternity or college-based programs. Room at the Inn of the Triad supports mothers and their children before and after birth, and has developed partnerships to better serve the community at large.

“When women make the heroic choice to choose life for their unborn child, we have to become their family, their support and their network for life,” Hodges says, adding that Catholic Worker Movement co-founder Dorothy Day has been his inspiration.

When we are trying to solve societal problems and help people, he says, we cannot view them as “other.”

“We can’t just reach out to people who think like us and look like us,” he says.

And while reaching out, “partnership is key” when attempting to provide more complete life services to society. People in these homeless shelters “are not looking for pity or for a handout – they are looking for hope.”

How can you help?

Make a donation to the Homeless Santa Campaign for the Nurturing Center of Greensboro. Go online to www.homeless-santa.org or www. nurturingcenterofgreensboro.org.

St. Vincent de Paul Parish set to construct new ministry center and chapel SueAnn Howell Senior reporter

CHARLOTTE — It has been almost a decade since Father Mark Lawlor came to St. Vincent de Paul Church to serve as pastor of the 2,200-family parish on Park Road. When he arrived nine years ago, parishioners had a preliminary plan to replace the aging parish office, which had also served double-duty as the rectory.

But the vibrant Catholic community, which was founded 51 years ago, needed much more than a new parish office. Now, the parish is poised to move forward with a long-awaited Ministry Center to replace the 30-year-old office, as well as a chapel.

The 19,000-square-foot Ministry Center will house parish administrative offices, meeting rooms suitable for counseling and funeral planning, a large multi-purpose room, a musical resource room, an office for deacons and an office for the parish’s St. Vincent de Paul Society. There will also be eight classrooms and a room for faith formation resources.

The design is the result of work by the parish Buildings and Facilities Commission, which drafted a design about five years ago for a Ministry Center to serve the needs of the parish for many years to come.

Father Lawlor noted that the old parish office had significant structural problems. “It was determined that based on its poor design and condition, it would be better to demolish the old rectory-office and build on the same site. In addition to the need for a more suitable parish office, the faith formation program had outgrown its facility.”

“The last addition to the plan was the inclusion of a small chapel intended for the sanctification of the parish staff, parishioners and their family members,” he said.

“The Ministry Center will support the pastoral, catechetical, administrative and spiritual goals of the parish as expressed in the mission statement.

As a bonus, the parish will also gain about 20 parking spaces with better use of their available land,” he added.

The project will cost a total of $2.8 million.

The parish just concluded a successful capital campaign, raising more than $2 million through parishioners’ pledges, memorial donations and special collections.

Now that the parish has 70 percent of the funding in hand for the project, diocesan officials have given them the green light to proceed.

Father Lawlor said he is looking forward to the New Year and a new beginning for the parish.

“The parish of St. Vincent de Paul is very hopeful for a groundbreaking on the new Ministry Center and Chapel early in 2013, with a projected 10- to 12-month construction period.”

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catholicnewsherald.com | December 21, 2012 OUR PARISHES

For the latest news 24/7: catholicnewsherald.com

CSS car donation program raises $11,000 in six months SueAnn Howell Senior reporter

In Brief

Celebrate Christmas with our bishops CHARLOTTE — Bishop Peter J. Jugis will celebrate Mass for Christmas at St. Patrick Cathedral in Charlotte, at midnight and at 11 a.m. on Christmas Day. Bishop Emeritus William G. Curlin will celebrate Mass at 10 p.m. on Dec. 24 at St. Vincent de Paul Church in Charlotte.

All are welcome to attend these liturgies to celebrate the birth of Our Savior with our bishops.

CHARLOTTE — The vehicle donation program, begun in late July, is off to a great start in the Charlotte diocese.

In just the program’s first six months, 16 donations have been made: 14 cars, one boat and a camper van – bringing in almost $11,000 to benefit Catholic Social Services. A number of the vehicles have been older model vehicles, with mechanical issues requiring the vehicles to be towed.

Catholic Social Services welcomes the donation of any vehicle, in any condition, because even vehicles that need to be towed bring in needed funds to the agency.

The program, which started in late July, is a partnership with Charitable Auto Resources (CARS) and aims to use the money raised from donated vehicles to help further the work of Catholic Social Services in the community.

CARS is a national non-profit organization which works with nearly two dozen Catholic Charities affiliated charitable groups in promoting vehicle donations. CARS helps donors by arranging vehicle pick-up and filling out the necessary paperwork, including tax deduction information.

“The Catholic Social Services vehicle donation program is very easy to navigate,” said Dr. Gerard Carter, executive director of Catholic Social Services. “Just call the toll-

Deacon receives apostolic blessing

St. Barnabas, Arden

MONROE — Deacon Sidney Huff was surprised Dec. 9 by Father Benjamin Roberts, pastor of Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Monroe, with an apostolic blessing from Pope Benedict XVI thanking him for 35 years of service with the permanent diaconate. Pictured with them is Deacon Huff’s wife Elease.

St. Michael, Gastonia

Travel via chartered bus to attend the march with pastor Father Adrian Porras Jan. 24-26. Attend the youth rally, the Mass, and the March for Life, along with a concluding Mass celebrated by Father Porras. Call Debbie Scott at 228493-5923 to find out more and reserve a seat.

Attend the national Mass and the North Carolina Mass, the March for Life, and more Jan. 24-26. Motor coach, group hotel rates, and some meals included. To reserve a seat, contact Linda Mooney at vpmooney@aol.com or 704589-3930. Reservations available until the trip is sold out.

St. Aloysius, Hickory

Parishioners led by Father Bob Ferris, pastor, will travel Jan. 24-25 on two chartered buses to the March for Life. Accommodations at a nearby parish and two meals included. To reserve a seat or get details, email or call Bob Hall at bobnancyhall@charter.net or 828-322-9570.

Our Lady of Grace, Greensboro

OLC choir performs Christmas concert HENDERSONVILLE — People packed Immaculate Conception Church in Hendersonville recently to enjoy a Christmas concert presented by the Perpetual Hope Gospel Choir of Our Lady of Consolation Church in Charlotte.

When they sang “Joy to the World,” it was truly with joyful voices. The audience showed its appreciation with standing ovations throughout the program. The upbeat mood was broken once, however, when the choir performed a prayerful “Amazing Grace” in memory of the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting.

— Dorice Narins

Find out more about Catholic Social Services’ vehicle donation program at www.cssnc.org (click on “Donate”) or call 1-855-9304483.

free number and phone attendants guide you through the process.”

Parishes can also benefit from the program, as Catholic Social Services has invited all parishes in the diocese to advertise the vehicle donation program in their weekly bulletins. Any donation resulting from a bulletin ad will result in 5 percent of the revenue for that donation returning to that parish.

Three parish bulletin driven donations have been made since that incentive was announced in October.

“We greatly appreciate such donations to help us further our mission to strengthen families, build communities and reduce poverty,” Carter said.

Catholic Social Services is the local affiliate of Catholic Charities USA.

Plans under way for 40th annual Marches for Life Churches across the Diocese of Charlotte are making plans to participate in the national March for Life in Washington, D.C., set for Jan. 24-25, 2013. The national event features a Mass at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, another Mass for North Carolinians celebrated jointly by Charlotte Bishop Peter Jugis and Raleigh Bishop Michael Burbidge, a youth rally, the dramatic march up the Mall from the Capitol to the U.S. Supreme Court, and more. This march will mark the 40th anniversary of the legalization of abortion.

Here is a list of some participating parishes as of press time Dec. 19:

— Richard Stone

Learn more

A bus will pick up passengers in the Greensboro, Burlington and Durham areas on the way to D.C. Jan. 25. Participants will go to Mass at the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception and the youth rally, as well as visit their local congressional representatives. Discounted rates for youth and college students available. Reserve a seat with Lydia Manca at 336-617-8798.

St. Francis of Assisi, Franklin / St. Mary, Sylva / St. John, Bryson City

Make reservations before Dec. 24 for this bus to D.C. Jan. 24-27. Seats available on a first-come, first-served basis. Cost includes transportation and lodging. For more information, contact Julie at 828-349-9813.

‑St. mark, Huntersville

Travel to D.C. on a chartered bus to attend the Vigil Mass at the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception Jan. 24, and

Charlotte March for Life set for Jan. 11 CHARLOTTE — Can’t make the trip to the national March for Life? Don’t worry – local pro-life leaders are once again organizing a local March for Life in Charlotte for Friday, Jan. 11. Catholics of all ages, local clergy and Catholic students are encouraged to participate in this powerful witness for the sanctity of human life. It is a time to pray for reparation for the millions of babies killed by abortion since 1973, including more than 26,000 last year in North Carolina, and to pray for the mothers and fathers who are victims of this violence.

The seventh annual march will feature guest preacher Father Peter West, vice president of missions for Human Life International. The event will begin with a 9 a.m.

Mass for the Unborn at St. Vincent de Paul Church, 6828 Old Reid Road. Marchers will gather starting at 11 a.m. outside the Diocese of Charlotte Pastoral Center, 1123 South Church St., and the 1.2-mile march will commence at noon to the corner of Trade and Tryon streets, where Father West will preach and testimonies will be offered.

Marchers will then continue to the Charles Jonas Federal Building and Courthouse at 401 W. Trade St., a little after 1 p.m., to pray the rosary and Divine Mercy Chaplet.

Signs conveying pro-life messages will be available for participants who want them.

Even if you cannot attend the local march, donations to underwrite the Charlotte march are always welcome.

Go online to www.marchforlifecharlotte.org for details, or mail contributions to: March for Life Charlotte, P.O. Box 78575, Charlotte, N.C. 28271.

Additional details about the Charlotte March for Life will be published in the Jan. 4 edition of the Catholic News Herald.

— Patricia L. Guilfoyle, editor

the N.C. Mass and the March for Life on Jan. 25. Cost is $10 per person and includes lodging at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Arlington. Contact Gini Bond at 704-562-9573 or email allen_gini@bellsouth.net to reserve a seat before Dec. 31.

St. Paul the Apostle and St. Pius X, Greensboro

Parishioners from both churches are partnering to attend the March for Life Jan. 25-26, including a bus of students. Call 336-272-4681 for details.

OUR PARISHESI

December 21, 2012 | catholicnewsherald.com

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N.C. bishops ‘deeply saddened’ at ruling about pro-life license plates RALEIGH — The Catholic bishops of North Carolina said they were “deeply saddened” that a federal judge ruled the state cannot issue “Choose Life” license plates without offering a choice of plates with a different viewpoint.

U.S. District Court Judge James C. Fox ruled Dec. 7 that North Carolina’s attempt to offer “Choose Life” plates only is unconstitutional because it is “viewpoint discrimination in violation of the First Amendment. Fox ruled on a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union on behalf of four “pro-choice automobile owners” who contended the “Choose Life” plates were state-sponsored discrimination.

“The decision by a federal judge to ban the ‘Choose Life’ license plate in North Carolina

is a tremendous disappointment,” Bishops Peter J. Jugis of Charlotte and Michael F. Burbidge of Raleigh said in a joint statement.

“We are deeply saddened that North Carolina cannot join the many other states that allow their citizens to display the ‘Choose Life’ plates. We support the effort to encourage the attorney general of our state to appeal this decision.”

The North Carolina bishops have supported the Choose Life license plates since 2008, when they established Catholic Voice NC as their non-profit public policy

arm. It was the first issue that the bishops asked supporters to contact their legislators about.

Rep. Mitch Gillespie, R-McDowell, who sponsored the “Choose Life” bill in the N.C. House, said he will encourage the North Carolina Attorney General’s Office to appeal the decision, the Diocese of Raleigh reported.

The Choose Life plates were approved by the legislature in 2011 after a seven-year effort on the part of supporters.

The state already issues specialty license plates for everything from the Blue Ridge

Parkway to NASCAR. Opponents of the pro-life plates said the state should offer one that supports legal abortion slogans such as “Respect Choice.”

The license plates were scheduled to be distributed starting this year by the N.C. Department of Motor Vehicles to drivers willing to pay a $25 premium, with $15 of the fee to be distributed through the Carolina Pregnancy Care Fellowship to education efforts for women considering an abortion.

According to the website of the organization Choose Life Inc., 29 states have pro-life specialty license plates available to car owners. The organization is working with pro-life groups in 12 other states to make the plates available.

— Catholic News Herald and Catholic News Service

Auditor finds Charlotte diocese in compliance with abuse prevention charter Patricia L. Guilfoyle Editor

CHARLOTTE — An outside audit has found the Diocese of Charlotte to be complying fully with the “Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People” during the past fiscal year.

The charter is part of the U.S. bishops’ response to the Church workers abuse scandal that erupted nationally in 2002.

It addresses the Catholic Church’s commitment to respond effectively, appropriately and compassionately to cases of abuse of young people by priests, deacons or other Church personnel.

The charter calls for an annual review of how each diocese in the U.S. is complying with the charter’s requirements for reporting cases of abuse, screening clergy and lay employees, providing ongoing training, and ensuring communication.

Audits are conducted either on site or through electronic data collection, which

for the past two years has been conducted

by StoneBridge Business Partners of Rochester, N.Y. In its Dec. 5 letter to Bishop Peter J. Jugis, StoneBridge wrote, “We are writing to inform you that the Diocese of Charlotte is in compliance with the data collection requirements for the 2011/2012 Charter audit period.

“Thank you for your cooperation and for participating in the 2012 data collection process.”

The audit period covered July 1, 2011, to June 30, 2012, and examined all aspects of the diocese’s Safe Environment program.

Under canon law, dioceses cannot be required to participate in the audit, but it is strongly recommended.

The Diocese of Charlotte’s Safe Environment program includes: effective policies for the protection of children; appropriate screening of employees and volunteers; education for both adults and children in recognizing and preventing

The Very Reverend Christopher Roux, Rector Fr. David Miller, Parochial Vicar Rev. Dr. Brian McNulty, Deacon Rev. Mr. Carlos Medina, Deacon

CHRISTMAS EVE MASSES 4:00 p.m. Mass with children’s pageant at 3:30 p.m.

6:30 p.m. Mass Midnight Mass at 12:00 a.m.

Carols at 11:30 p.m.

(Bishop Jugis main celebrant) CHRISTMAS DAY MASSES 9:00 a.m. Mass 11:00 a.m. Mass (Bishop Jugis main celebrant)

1621 Dilworth Road East Charlotte, NC 28203 (704) 334-2283 Visit our website at www.stpatricks.com

abuse; and procedures for reporting concerns to the proper authorities. All employees and volunteers are required to comply with diocesan safe environment policies.

The diocese has been in compliance with each audit that has been conducted since the first one in 2003.

The Charlotte diocese’s policy “Concerning Ministry-Related Sexual Misconduct by Church Personnel” covers requirements for reporting abuse; screening of clergy, religious, seminarians and lay employees; procedures when allegations are made; education; media and communications; and sanctions for

More online At www.charlottediocese.org/ safe-environment: Read more about the Diocese of Charlotte’s Safe Environment program

non-compliance. All diocesan personnel who work with young people receive a copy of the policy, acknowledge its receipt and are required to comply with the policy in its entirety. In addition, the “Code of AUDITOR , SEE page 21

The Diocese of Charlotte Respect Life Program wishes you a very blessed Christmas.

Let the Stable Still Astonish Let the stable still astonish; Straw-dirt floor, dull eyes, Dusty flanks of Donkeys, oxen; Crumbling, crooked walls; No bed to carry that pain, And then, the child, Rag-wrapped, laid to cry In a trough.

Your Local Catholic Charities Agency Who would have chosen this?

Who would have said: “Yes, Let the God of all the heavens And earth Be born here, in this place?”

Who but the same God Who stands in the darker, fouler rooms of our hearts and says, “Yes let the God of heaven and earth be born hereIn this place.”

- Leslie Leyland Fields

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catholicnewsherald.com | December 21, 2012 OUR PARISHES

Mercy Sister Mary Michel Boulus, noted Lebanese American, passes away Sacred Heart College president made ‘lasting investment’ in young people from Lebanon and the U.S. BELMONT — Mercy Sister Mary Michel Boulus, former president of Sacred Heart College and advocate for the LebaneseAmerican community, died peacefully Dec. 9, 2012, at the Marian Center on the Sacred Heart Campus of the Sisters of Mercy in Belmont after a period of declining health.

She was 86.

A vigil service and visitation were held Dec. 11, 2012, at the convent in Belmont.

The funeral Mass was celebrated Dec. 12, 2012, at Cardinal Gibbons Memorial Chapel, Sacred Heart Convent, followed by interment at Belmont Abbey Cemetery.

SISTER OF MERCY

Sister Michel was born Jumela Boulus on July 27, 1926, in China Grove, N.C. She was the daughter of Mike and Lammia Boulus, who came to the United States from Lebanon. In 1943, she graduated from Concord High School and entered Woman’s College of the University of North Carolina, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics.

She taught math at Concord High School from 1947 to 1949 and in the summer earned certificates in guidance and constitutional law at Columbia University in New York and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In 1959, she also earned a master’s degree in math from John Carroll University in Cleveland, Ohio.

She entered the Sisters of Mercy on Aug. 2, 1949.

Decades later, Sister Michel described with a smile how she “was trapped from the beginning” after meeting Mercy Sister Mary Immaculata Dulohery in the spring of 1949, when she was fresh out of college and working as a teacher at Concord High School. In a 1989 eulogy for Sister Mary Immaculata, Sister Michel recalled that she had volunteered to drive one of the Mercy sisters back to the convent in Belmont after Sunday Mass: “As Sophia of ‘The Golden Girls’ would say, ‘Picture this’: Belmont, Sacred Heart Convent, Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, street veils, long sleeves, church cloaks, statue-like Sisters of Mercy kneeling or sitting motionless. In walks innocent me, sitting on an end seat afraid to turn right or left, afraid to breathe too

hard or break the dead silence in some way.

I just knew that those kneeling on the back row were persons of some importance, and I knew I was the object of some scrutiny. After Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament, the sisters fled out of the chapel. Sister Regis proceeded to introduce me to Sister Immaculata, who exchanged a few greetings with me, and Sister Regis vanished into thin air. After exchanging a few pleasantries, Sister Immaculata said to me, ‘Why don’t you come teach for the greatest principal on earth and you’ll never have to worry about money again?’ Then she sent me out the door where Sister Mary Stephen was waiting to finish the job. Be that as it may, in August of the same year, Sister Mary Immaculata placed on me the postulant cap. For my perseverance and for the appreciation I have for the vows I made at my profession, I have her to credit.”

Photo provided by the Sisters of Mercy

MATH TEACHER TO COLLEGE PRESIDENT

Sister Michel served most recently as director of food services for Sacred Heart Convent and Mercy Administration Center, the headquarters of the Sisters of MercySouth Central Community. She also served as Community treasurer for 15 years.

Although her ministry was in administration for many years, Sister Michel once said that she would most like to be remembered as a math teacher. She taught high school and college math at O’Donoghue High School (a forerunner of Charlotte Catholic High, located at presentday St. Patrick School), Charlotte Catholic and Asheville Catholic high schools, and at Sacred Heart Academy and College.

She was president of Sacred Heart College in Belmont from 1975 until its closing in 1987.

During her tenure as president, Sister Michel campaigned to reverse declining enrollment at Sacred Heart College, which had opened in 1892 as a Catholic girls’ school.

Under her leadership the college created several innovative programs to expand educational opportunities for people in need. In 1976 the college began offering a special education teaching certificate. In 1978 an English language institute was established for foreign students, many of

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In this 2011 photo, Mercy Sister Mary Michel Boulus stands with the Lebanese ambassador to the U.S., Antoine Chedid, and Walid Maalouf, one of Lebanese scholarship students she helped decades ago who went on to become a U.S. citizen and diplomat. whom later stayed to earn degrees. These English as a second language courses attracted students from all over the world.

In 1979 the college started offering an adult degree program, and in 1982 it began offering 12 credit hours of classes free to Gaston County’s unemployed. When Sacred Heart College closed in 1987, the adult degree program was taken up by Belmont Abbey College, where it continues today.

In recognition of her many contributions in the field of education, Sister Michel received several honorary degrees. Her alma mater in Greensboro bestowed on her an honorary doctor of laws degree recognizing her as the first alumna from their college to serve as president of a fouryear liberal arts college in North Carolina.

Belmont Abbey College also honored her with an honorary doctor of humane letters degree for the many specialized programs she started at Sacred Heart College.

She was a former member of the boards of a number of organizations, including Holy Angels Nursery, Sacred Heart College, Mercy Hospital in Charlotte, St Joseph’s Hospital in Asheville, General

Council of the Sisters of Mercy, and Sisters of Mercy Services.

One of the students Sister Michel taught at O’Donoghue High School was Mercy Sister Mary-Andrew Ray, who remembers her as conscientious and generous – someone who always looked out for others’ needs before her own. From her efforts to raise funds for the Mercy sisters’ ministries, to her work starting ESL classes and offering free tuition to unemployed adults at Sacred Heart College, Sister Michel “was always giving and persistent,” Sister Ray said. Sister Michel also had a great sense of humor, she added.

LEBANESE AMERICAN

As a child of Lebanese parents who had emigrated to the United States, Sister Michel was also instrumental in providing scholarships to Lebanese students in the late 1970s and early 1980s, when Lebanon was racked by civil war, so they could come to the U.S. and receive a college education.

SISTER MICHEL, SEE page 28

OUR PARISHESI

December 21, 2012 | catholicnewsherald.com

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RESPONDING IN A CRISIS

Photos provided by Joseph Purello

At left, Father George Kloster, pastor of St. William Church in Murphy, is pictured (wearing a Catholic Charities USA Disaster Response vest) with a group of volunteers from his parish and from Methodist Men who repaired a home damaged from a tornado that devastated the Murphy area last March – part of several months of rebuilding work to help the area in its recovery. The repair work was funded with disaster relief funds from Catholic Charities USA and donors from throughout the Diocese of Charlotte.

The local Catholic Social Services office, located on the grounds of St. William Church, came within 100 yards of the tornado’s path, which actually crossed the back end of the parish’s campus and damaged the parish’s Maria Seiglie Center for Faith Formation (pictured above).

CSS helps with disaster recovery efforts following March tornado in Murphy ‘The community really came together after this tornado – someone even donated a home.

So many blessings to thank God for.’

— Claudie Burchfield

Program Director, Catholic Social Services’ Office of Economic Opportunity

Joseph Purello Special to the Catholic News Herald

MURPHY — When an F2 tornado, with winds up to 120 miles per hour, tore through Murphy in the early morning hours of Saturday, March 3, local Catholics first gave thanks that no one was killed. Then they rallied with others in their community, located in the far western corner of the state, to aid in emergency relief efforts and to start rebuilding.

Parishioners of St. William Church in Murphy, led by their pastor Father George Kloster, and employees of the Murphy office of Catholic Social Services set to work the day after the tornado struck.

The physical damage they saw was extensive – more than 60 homes and businesses suffered major damage and another 60-plus buildings had minor damage. The local Catholic Social Services office, located on the grounds of St. William Church, came within 100 yards of the tornado’s path. It actually crossed the back end of the parish’s campus and damaged the parish’s Maria Seiglie Center for Faith Formation.

Claudie Burchfield, Catholic Social Services’ Office of Economic Opportunity program director, joined with other disaster responders, assessing the damage and laying plans for an agency response.

Burchfield conferred with Father Kloster to offer assistance to any parishioners affected and to determine together how the Catholic community in Murphy could assist in relief efforts. She also joined other community

advocates in speaking with representatives from Congressman Heath Shuler’s office about initial clean-up efforts and making sure local news outlets were planning adequate coverage of the disaster.

“We did not want to compete or get in the way of the good efforts of the first responders,” Burchfield noted, “but we knew there was role for us to play, so one of first things Father George and I decided to do was to provide help to these first responders, like North Carolina Baptist Men.” Catholic Social Services chose to go ahead and host its annual Soup for Sharing event the Monday after the tornado hit, and teams of local Advisory Board volunteers brought hot soup, bread and dessert to local Baptist churches to help feed the recovery teams.

“We decided it didn’t make sense to cancel an event that so many had planned for,” Burchfield said, “and we knew homemade soup would boost community spirits.”

In the week after the disaster, Catholic Social Services and St. William Parish were able to quickly access $10,000 in emergency disaster funds from Catholic Charities USA, as well as additional donations that came in from around the diocese, to aid the recovery effort.

Over the next seven months, Catholic Social Services staff and volunteers from St. William Church and Immaculate Heart of Mary Mission in Hayesville worked with a range of community and ecumenical partners (including the United Methodist Nehemiah’s Neighbors and Methodist Men, the Truett Baptist Association and Texana Community

How can you help?

Catholic Social Services has set up a special “disaster response” account to collect donations that CSS will use when disasters strike. To make a donation to support CSS disaster relief efforts, go online to www.cssnc.org (type “disaster response” in the special instructions box), or send donations to: Catholic Social Services, 1123 South Church St., Charlotte, N.C. 28203 (note checks for CSS Disaster Response).

volunteers) on several recovery projects to benefit families hit hard by the tornado.

“We replaced windows in homes, and built a front and back stoop and a ramp for an elderly lady who had moved into another home after hers was destroyed,” Burchfield said. “We also purchased major appliances for another rebuilt home, and paid for the relocation and set-up of a donated mobile home on an empty lot so that a family of five could have a place to stay warm as the cold of autumn and winter approached.”

“The community really came together after this tornado – someone even donated a home,” she added. “So many blessings to thank God for.”

Joseph Purello is the director of the Office of Justice and Peace for the Diocese of Charlotte’s Catholic Social Services.

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catholicnewsherald.com | December 21, 2012 OUR PARISHES

photos by anthony perlas | Catholic News herald

An Advent Latin Mass by candlelight On Dec. 15 Catholics attended what is thought to be the first Rorate Mass celebrated in the Diocese of Charlotte since the Second Vatican Council. The pre-dawn traditional Latin Mass, an ancient custom during Advent in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary, was held “in media nocte” (“in the middle of the night”) and was illuminated only by candlelight. Father Matthew Kauth, a priest in residence at St. Thomas Aquinas Church in Charlotte, celebrated the Rorate Mass in the early morning hours of Dec. 15 in memory of his late father, Deacon Richard Kauth, on the seventh anniversary of his passing.

The Rorate Mass gets its name from the opening words of the Introit, taken from Isaiah 45:8 – in Latin: “Rorate, cæli, desuper, et nubes pluant justum; aperiatur terra, et germinet Salvatorem, et justitia oriatur simul: ego Dominus creavi eum,” and in English: “Drop down dew, you heavens, from above, and let the clouds rain on the just: let the earth be opened, and bud forth a savior: and let justice spring up together: I the Lord have created him.”

More online At www.catholicnewsherald.com: See video highlights from the Rorate Mass

Principal Christ Our King – Stella Maris School, a K-4 through 8th grade Catholic School with an enrollment of 600 students is accepting applications for principal.

Located in Mt Pleasant, SC, near Charleston, our school enjoys an excellent reputation as thoroughly Catholic and academically excellent.

St. Ann Catholic Church 3635 Park Road Charlotte, NC 28209

Christmas Masses: Christmas Eve: 4:30 p.m., 6:30 p.m., 12 Midnight (choral music beginning at 11:30 p.m.)

Christmas Day: 9 a.m.

Confessions: Thursdays 5:30 – 6:30 p.m.

Saturdays 3 – 4 p.m.

The school is one of only a few elementary schools operating under the President – Principal Model. Our Middle School is an International Baccalaureate World School where our 5th – 8th grade students are issued iPads. We are a Nationally Recognized Blue Ribbon School and we are accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS).

The successful candidate must be a practicing Catholic who is able to continue the spirit of academic achievement and provide essential educational leadership in maintaining a vigorous Christian environment. Candidate must hold a Master’s Degree in Administration or Education and have at least 5 years of teaching experience. This position reports to the School President.

Salary will be commensurate with degree and experience. Position is available for the 2013 – 2014 school year. A curriculum vitae and references may be submitted to: Christ our King Stella Maris School Search Committee, c/o John Byrnes, President, Christ Our King Stella Maris School 1183 Russell Drive, Mt Pleasant, SC 29464 or by email to coksmprincipalsearch@coksm.org. These items must be received by Tuesday January 15, 2013. www.coksm.org.

December 21, 2012 | catholicnewsherald.com

OUR PARISHESI

11

Catherine’s House welcomes moms, children in need In our blog, learn more about the Sisters of Mercy Megan Barnes Intern

BELMONT — After spending several weeks at Catherine’s House, I can honestly say that it was one of the best and most heart-warming experiences I have had while living in Belmont.

I truly had no idea what to expect when I started my blog. I had an idea of what I wanted to do, but the outcome became much more than I imagined. I figured I would get a few hours in a week talking to different people in the house and then write about it, and that’s it. But my heart has been touched deeply by the women, children, volunteers and employees at Catherine’s House.

I knew the mission of Catherine’s House: Providing transitional housing in a safe and caring environment as well as supportive programs and services for women and children who are homeless.

But as soon as I stepped foot inside, I immediately felt an energy, a love, and a place where service to people in need comes first and foremost. I met women from extremely different backgrounds who share a deep appreciation for the good Catherine’s House has done them; children who reminded me what it means to be an innocent ball of energy; volunteers who are passionate about the mission of the House and dedicated to their service; employees who are some of the nicest, warmest and welcoming people I have ever met in my life.

Though I was there only for a short time, my heart is now tied to Catherine’s House. I feel a kinship and connection to the people I had the pleasure of meeting and working with. I cannot adequately say how grateful I am for Catherine’s House opening its doors to me. I will not forget that although these women have faced some strenuous difficulties in their lives, they know that Catherine’s House offers them the chance to reach the light at the end of the tunnel.

In the bitterness of life, Catherine’s House gives them the means to move forward with success and smiles.

Here are a few excerpts from the blog:

Nov. 2 – Mercy House

“Sister Catherine McAuley’s dream was to help women through their difficulties and put them on the path to self-sufficiency, dignity and success. She gave them the tools needed to make the best out of their particular situations and to see the silver lining in even the darkest cloud.”

Nov. 9 – Playing With Clay

“I wasn’t sure what to expect going in to the House yesterday. It was my first time and my nerves were definitely active. I knew I would be attending the Children’s Programming, but I had no idea what that meant beforehand.”

Nov. 13 – Personal to Practical

“Lauren’s efforts in the Children’s Program are truly admirable. It used to be offered a few years ago, but the modified program has only run for about a month now. Given the demographics of the children in residence (the majority are over

Photo provided by the Montcross Chamber of Commerce

During its annual Christmas celebration, supporters and volunteers with Catherine’s House give thanks and look forward to another year of assisting women and children in need. Above, former resident Okemia Credle tells about her experience of being helped at Catherine’s House.

Your Local Catholic Charities Agency

10 years old), Lauren had to rethink the entire program. This is where her personal gifts have created, literally, a world of difference.”

Nov. 19 – Mother of the Night

“All children are innocent. There was one little boy who moved in with his mom and on their first night here, I went in to check on them. The boy looks at me and asks, ‘Who is in charge here?’ and I looked at him and said, ‘God is.’ Do you want to know what he said? ‘Figures. He’s in charge of everything,’” said Lynn. She has a picture of that boy sitting above her desk with his quote written out next to it.”

Nov. 21 – Safe at Home

“On the first day, Sister Carmelita looked at me point blank and said ‘You are OK.’ She didn’t say it like I needed to be pitied or caressed. She said it like it was the most absolute truth in the world. And I believed her, amazingly.”

Nov. 26 – Give a Little Bit

8,461 babies killed in Mecklenburg County alone last year!!

“Catherine’s House can always use donations. Always. They rely heavily on the donations and benevolence of anyone willing to help. From groceries to finances to even donating time, like myself and the others did. With the Season of Giving rapidly approaching, consider Catherine’s House if you are looking to donate somewhere.”

Dec. 3 – O Christmas Tree!

“Each year, Catherine’s House displays a beautiful Christmas tree in its lobby, decorated with ornaments and twinkly lights. The 14 women and 11 children living in the House pass by the tree every day as they exit and enter the House.”

Come and save our children today… join the 7th Annual March for life Charlotte and pray.

Friday, January 11

Be a witness for the sanctity of human life and an act of reparation for an end to abortion.

March for Life Schedule

Mass for the Unborn 9:00am St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church 6828 Old Reid Road, Charlotte, NC 28210

Dec. 10 – Called to Kids

“To be honest, I didn’t quite plan to actually babysit with them. I figured I would get in, ask a few questions, and stay out of the way. But as soon as I saw these kids I put my bag down and sat cross-legged on the carpet and began playing with a noisy lightup truck to entertain one of the babies.

I couldn’t resist being a part of the fun.”

Guest Preacher Fr. Peter West, Vice President of Missions - Human Life International 11:00am Start to gather in overflow parking lot across from the Pastoral Center at 1123 S. Church St. to prepare for march Fr. Peter West

Read it all online At www.catherinecup.blogspot. com: Look back on Megan’s blog about Catherine’s House and the people she met while volunteering there

11:45am Instructions for march and prayer before march 12:00pm Begin march to Trade and Tryon Streets where Fr. Peter West will preach; then to the courthouse at 401 W. Trade St. to pray the Rosary and Chaplet of Divine Mercy

Go to www.marchforlifecharlotte.org for details on parking and signs

12

catholicnewsherald.com | December 21, 2012 OUR PARISHES

For the latest news 24/7: catholicnewsherald.com

In Brief CCHS gives chaplain ‘spiritual bouquet’ CHARLOTTE — Students, staff, families and friends of the Charlotte Catholic High School community gathered more than 1,479 spiritual gifts to place in a “spiritual bouquet” for the school’s chaplain, Father Matthew Kauth. Cards, posters, prayers, rosaries, Mass offerings and sacrifices were offered for Father Kauth to thank him for his service to the high school. Donna Tarney (left) also presented him with a framed icon of Christ the Teacher from the CCHS community.

— SueAnn Howell, senior reporter

Latin Masses for Christmas The following parishes have announced plans to celebrate the Mass in the Extraordinary Form (traditional Latin Mass) for Christmas. n Greensboro: 1 p.m. Dec. 25, Missa Cantata at Our Lady of Grace, 2205 West Market St. Call 336-274-6520. n Marion: Midnight Mass Dec. 25, Low Mass, Our Lady of the Angels, 258 North Garden St. Call 828-559-0678. n Salisbury: 4 p.m. Dec. 23, Fourth Sunday of Advent, Solemn High Mass, Sacred Heart Church, 375 Lumen Christi Lane. Call 704633-0591.

For details, contact each parish or go online to www.nctlmmef.com.

Challenge grant issued for cathedral stair renovation CHARLOTTE — A local resident is offering a matching grant of up to $35,000 to help fund the Bishop Curlin Commemorative Stair project at St. Patrick Cathedral. For every $2 raised by Dec. 31, the anonymous donor will add $1.

The Bishop Curlin Commemorative Stair project will completely redesign the stairway and entrance to the cathedral, making the entrance safer and more attractive. The entrance will feature various Catholic symbols and Celtic design details, as well as the diocesan shield and the coats of arms of its four bishops. Donors can purchase engraved bricks to be used in the stair project for $100 each.

You can make a donation to the brick program or by making a direct donation to the St. Patrick Cathedral Stair renovation project.

Go online to www.stpatricks.org or call the parish office at 704-334-2283 for details.

Eastern reflection on Baptism of Our Lord to be presented CHARLOTTE — On Saturday, Jan. 5, St. Thomas Aquinas Church will host a talk entitled “Theophany: The Mystery of Baptism and the Vocation to Holiness,” presented by Father Deacon Matthew Hanes of St. Basil the Great Ukrainian Catholic Mission in Charlotte.

This talk will explore, through an Eastern Catholic perspective, the fall of Adam and Eve and how Christ as the new Adam restores

and refashions man through His own baptism.

Byzantine rite liturgical texts as well as writings of the Church Fathers and saints will be examined to gain a deeper understanding of the fall of Adam, the sacrament of baptism and our own vocation to holiness as Christians.

Mass will be celebrated at 10 a.m., and the presentation will begin at about 10:45 a.m., with a break for lunch, and the second session will begin at 1 p.m. Bring a bagged lunch. A free-will offering will be taken.

Come find out more about one of the great feasts of the Eastern Catholic Church, the sublime dignity of the baptized, and why we are all called to be saints.

St. Thomas Aquinas Church is located at 1400 Suther Road, Charlotte. Go online to www.stacharlotte.com for details.

Ryan Murray | Catholic News Herald

Tracy Earl Welliver, pastoral associate at St. Pius X Church in Greensboro, is pictured with Bishop Peter Connors of the Diocese of Ballarat, Australia.

Filipino Americans rally to support typhoon victims CHARLOTTE — Filipino Americans in the Charlotte area have established a nonprofit group to aid disaster victims in the Philippines, following the devastation recently caused by Typhoon Bopha. More than 700 people were killed and hundreds were missing following the powerful typhoon that slammed into the Philippines and then stalled over the island nation. While typhoons are a common occurrence in the region, the number and severity of these storms are growing.

In anticipation of future disasters, the Filipino American leaders of the community have started The Filipino-American Spirit Inc. – a non-profit 501(c)(3) to conduct tax-deductible fund-raising for victims of calamities. Pictured above are the founding members.

This non-profit group will also aim to reach out to the homeless in the Charlotte area.

— Dr. Cris Villapando

Divine Mercy Holy Hour held every First Friday CHARLOTTE — All are welcome to attend a Divine Mercy Holy Hour with Exposition and Benediction, sung Chaplet of Divine Mercy, and readings from the Diary of St. Maria Faustina Kowalska from 7 to 8 p.m. Friday, Jan. 4, 2013, and on every First Friday (except for Lent), at St. Thomas Aquinas Church, 1400 Suther Road, Charlotte. Deacon James Witulski will preside.

Call Paul Deer at 704-948-0628 for details.

Pro-Life Rosary set for Jan. 5 HIGH POINT — A Pro-Life Rosary will be prayed at 11 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 5, 2013, outdoors, rain or shine, at 901 North Main St. and Sunset Drive in High Point. Come and help pray for the end of abortion, especially during the 40th anniversary month of Roe v.

Wade. The Pro-Life Rosary is held on the first Saturday of each month. Parking is available on site. Contact Jim Hoyng at 336-882-9593 or Paul Klosterman at 336-848-6835.

Take a trip to the Holy Land Join Father Lucas Rossi and Father Christopher Roux on a grace-filled pilgrimage to the Holy Land March 1-9, 2013. Call the parish office at 704-334-2283 for details.

We welcome your parish’s news! Please email news items and photos to Editor Patricia L. Guilfoyle at plguilfoyle@charlottediocese.org.

Greensboro parish leader marks 20 years in parish ministry Ryan Murray Correspondent

GREENSBORO — Pastoral Associate Tracy Earl Welliver recently celebrated his 20th anniversary as a staff member at St. Pius X in Greensboro. Lucky for the parishioners at St. Pius X, Welliver responded to a simple ad for an opening at the parish.

“I was finishing up graduate work at Duke and I had been interviewing for jobs in Maryland and Delaware, so my wife Mariann and I could move back up north,” Welliver said. “I saw an ad in a Catholic newspaper for an opening at St. Pius X, and I thought I’d interview for the heck of it.”

What started out as an interview for Welliver has ended up turning into twoplus decades of stewardship at the parish.

“St. Pius felt like a great fit,” Welliver said. “I never dreamed of staying in North Carolina! In the end, St. Pius X is home and I have always believed in the fundamental vision of who we are as a parish and have wanted to stay to make that vision a reality.”

Welliver was originally hired as faith formation director, then named pastoral associate a few years later. Throughout his time at St. Pius X, Welliver has seen many changes in the parish, including the 2010 dedication of a new, larger church building on the Greensboro campus.

“The new church is by far the biggest change in my 20 years,” Welliver said.

“St. Pius X has always been known in the Greensboro community for our actions, and now people know for sure where we are located.”

With the new church, there certainly is opportunity for St. Pius X Parish to continue to be a beacon of stewardship in the future, he noted.

“We are enjoying a rapid rate of growth and with that comes many challenges.

We can no longer do things the same way we have done them for years. I pray that we can grow our ministries and improve our parish communications, but maintain that strong sense of community and hospitality along the way.”

Some of the changes involve efforts Welliver is currently working on.

“I think our push with new technology – including our website, WeGather, and faith formation digital books – will be key for our growing parish. I am happy to be working hard on some of these efforts and then watch them become reality.”

Besides the changes that Welliver has seen and been a part of during his two decades at St. Pius X Church, he has also made lifelong memories.

“My most treasured moments have centered around music. Hearing children sing for the first time at a first Communion Mass a psalm setting I wrote felt awesome.

“Also, I wrote a song we used for several years during confirmation. The first time you hear a congregation sing your song is unbelievable. Finally, I played an opening set for John Angott’s second concert here and I received a loud standing ovation.

Those times just make a musician feel so good.”

Throughout his time at St. Pius X Church, Welliver has used his many talents in leading a life of stewardship by example.

“When I think of the ministry of faith formation, it is not enough to have knowledge of the faith, but also the pastoral ability to communicate it,” said Monsignor Anthony Marcaccio, pastor of St. Pius X Church. “Tracy, over his many years of ministry, has exhibited that he has a good blend of both qualities. He helps me to get the message of salvation out to people, helps others to grow in knowledge of the Lord, to receive critical information that will influence their moral choices, to provide opportunities for people to share their story, and coordinates the liturgical ministries. All of these things Tracy assists me with are geared to our ongoing conversion to Christ as a parish family.”

As Welliver closes the chapter on his first 20 years at St. Pius X Church, he looks forward to beginning the next chapter.

“My goal is to continue to expand and diversify what we offer, so that there truly is a formation opportunity for everyone.

I would love for St. Pius X to be known as the church where people go to really learn about their faith.”

December 21, 2012 | catholicnewsherald.com

HHS: FROM PAGE 5

Dr. William Thierfelder, president of Belmont Abbey College, called the favorable ruling “a major victory” and “the answers to our prayers.”

“Christmas came early this year!” he said in a written statement issued late Tuesday.

THE HHS MANDATE

The Health and Human Services (HHS) mandate is part of implementing the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010, which requires nearly all employers to provide free preventative health care coverage specifically for women. That coverage includes services such as mammograms, prenatal care and cervical cancer screenings, but it also mandates free contraceptives, sterilizations and abortion-inducing drugs – all of which are contrary to Catholic teaching.

Religious employers may be exempted from the HHS mandate only if they hire and serve people primarily of their own faith – so Catholic colleges, hospitals, charities and others would not qualify.

The mandate does not include a conscience clause for employers who object to providing such coverage on moral grounds. Self-insured religious organizations, including the Diocese of Charlotte, would also not be able to avoid the — Dr. William mandate.

Thierfelder Belmont Abbey President, Belmont College was the first Abbey College to sue the Obama administration, charging that the HHS mandate is an unconstitutional violation of religious freedom. Its case – bundled last fall with a similar case by Wheaton College, a Christian liberal arts college in Illinois, and fast-tracked through the federal courts – is the highest judicial review of the HHS mandate to date.

Approximately 30 other lawsuits are working their way through the federal courts on behalf of more than 50 Catholic dioceses, religious colleges, charity agencies and concerned business owners – including the archdioceses of Washington, New York, Atlanta and Miami, EWTN, Domino’s Pizza and Hobby Lobby.

‘Christmas came early this year!’

‘A WIN’

Both colleges were represented by the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, a Washington, D.C.-based non-profit law firm handling several of the HHS mandate cases.

“This is a win not just for Belmont Abbey and Wheaton, but for all religious non-profits challenging the mandate,” said Kyle Duncan, the Becket Fund lawyer who argued the case for the colleges, in a written statement.

In their three-page ruling, the judges overturned a lower court’s decision tossing out the case on the grounds that the religious colleges lacked legal standing and that the issue was “not ripe” – that is, the colleges had not been harmed yet by the mandate, which takes effect in August 2013. After 2013, employers who do not comply will face fines of $100 per employee per day. Belmont Abbey College and Wheaton College have about 200 employees and 700 employees, respectively, so estimated fines would total $300,000 per year for Belmont Abbey and $1.35 million per year for Wheaton – an urgent concern for them as the government’s unfulfilled promises to rewrite the mandate have put them in limbo, Duncan argued.

The colleges “clearly had standing,” the judges said, yet they noted, “The ripeness question is more difficult.”

In their order, the judges acknowledged the government’s promise made during the Dec. 14 oral arguments to “ never enforce” the mandate “in its current form” against religious organizations like Belmont Abbey and Wheaton colleges. The government also promised to fix the mandate “in the first quarter of 2013 and would issue a new Final Rule before August 2013.”

“We take that as a binding commitment,” the judges said in their order.

Thierfelder said afterwards, “The two concessions made by the government lawyers in court to never enforce the

current mandate against Belmont Abbey College and to publish a proposed new rule by the end of the first quarter in 2013, are the answers to our prayers.”

The judges will monitor the government’s compliance. The Obama administration was ordered to report back to the court every 60 days, starting in mid-February.

“We take the government at its word and will hold it to it,” the judges said in their order.

“The D.C. Circuit has now made it clear that government promises and press conferences are not enough to protect religious freedom,” noted the Becket Fund’s Duncan. “The court is not going to let the government slide by on non-binding promises to fix the problem down the road.”

OUR PARISHESI

‘MOMENTUM’

Over the past several weeks, dozens of religious institutions lined up to support the colleges’ case – a sign of “momentum building,” Thierfelder recently said.

The case attracted numerous amicus (“friend of the court”) briefs from numerous Catholic institutions, including the Catholic University of America, the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C., and Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C. Also supporting the abbey’s case were 13 states, several other religious denominations, numerous medical associations, civil rights groups and legal aid organizations.

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Si cree que hubo errores en la ejecución hipotecaria que le costaron dinero, puede solicitar que una parte neutral revise gratuitamente su archivo de ejecución hipotecaria. No pierde nada por solicitar una revisión y no renuncia a ningún derecho por aceptar una compensación.

SI SE DESCUBRE UN ERROR, USTED PODRÍA RECIBIR UN PAGO U OTRA COMPENSACIÓN QUE PODRÍA INCLUIR EL REEMBOLSO DE CARGOS, LA SUSPENSIÓN DE UNA EJECUCIÓN HIPOTECARIA O PAGOS DE HASTA $125,000 MÁS EL VALOR NETO.* Para solicitar una revisión hoy mismo, visite IndependentForeclosureReview.com o llame al 1-888-952-9105 (marque 1 para recibir atención en español). Debe presentar un Formulario de Solicitud de Revisión a más tardar el 31 de diciembre de 2012.

No pague por recibir ayuda para solicitar una revisión. Los reguladores de bancos federales —la Junta de Gobernadores del Sistema de la Reserva Federal y la Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, una oficina del Departamento del Tesoro de los EE.UU.— están dirigiendo y monitoreando el proceso de revisión.

Para obtener más información, visite los sitios Web del gobierno: occ.gov/independentforeclosurereview (sólo disponible en inglés) o federalreserve.gov/consumerinfo/independent-foreclosure-review.htm (sólo disponible en inglés) Si usted necesita asistencia gratis para completar el Formulario de Solicitud de Revisión, comuníquese con una organización sin fines de lucro aprobada por el Departamento de Vivienda y Desarrollo Urbano (HUD, por sus siglas en inglés) que ayuda a los propietarios de casa en dificultades.

La información sobre las organizaciones sin fines de lucro aprobadas por el HUD que pueden proporcionar asistencia gratis está disponible en makinghomeaffordable.gov/spanish/Pages/default.aspx o llamando al 1-855-778-0855 (marque 2 para recibir atención en español).

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* Los pagos que reciba en el caso de que se descubran errores en su ejecución hipotecaria podrían ser informados al Servicio de Rentas Internas (IRS, por sus siglas en inglés) y podrían tener consecuencias impositivas. Consulte a un asesor de impuestos para analizar dichas consecuencias.

13

Un mensaje importante de la Junta de Gobernadores del Sistema de la Reserva Federal y la Office of the Comptroller of the Currency

REVISIÓN INDEPENDIENTE DE LA EJECUCIÓN HIPOTECARIA

14

catholicnewsherald.com | December 21, 2012 OUR PARISHES

Preparing for Christmas ALBEMARLE — School children of Our Lady of the Annunciation Church sang Christmas carols and re-enacted a “living” manger scene at the parish family life center Dec. 9.

The manger scene included Hayden Towne (left) and Gracie Rinker.

— Done Espina

BELMONT — Chrissy Glisson, director of music and liturgy at Queen of the Apostles Church, conducted the parish’s fourth-annual Christmas Cantata Dec. 2 with pianist Jay Oden and the parish’s four choirs – Cherub (under 5), Children’s, Youth and Adult – at Cardinal Gibbons Chapel of the Sisters of Mercy in Belmont. They performed “A Night for Rejoicing” by Lee and Susan Naus Dengler, the story of Christ’s birth scored for choir, congregation and with four distinct choirs with keyboard accompaniment.

— Larry Capps and Mark Colone

CHARLOTTE — Children of St. Ann Church celebrated the Feast of St. Nicholas with a party Dec. 7. Pastor Father Timothy Reid dressed up as St. Nicholas.

— Katherine Lauer and Mary Worthington

HENDERSONVILLE — At the start of Advent, members of the Knights of Columbus Council 7184 in Hendersonville erected a “Keep Christ in Christmas” banner on the grounds of Immaculata School in Hendersonville to remind us all of the reason for the season.

Pictured are (from left) Bob Gray, Grand Knight Jim Gedwellas and Deputy Grand Knight Birch DeVault.

— John Remensnyder KERNERSVILLE — Holy Cross parishioners attended Family Advent Night Dec. 2, where they made Jesse Tree ornaments and decorated a Jesse Tree. They also learned about the Las Posadas that will be held at the church Dec. 16-23 (bilingual event on Dec. 22).

— Marie Kinney

SALISBURY — Sacred Heart Church members held a Christmas party earlier this month, featuring guest visitors Santa and Mrs. Claus. Pictured is Brandi Anne Malloy sitting on Santa’s knee.

— Wendy Malloy

HIGH POINT — Parishioners at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in High Point had “Breakfast with St. Nick” Dec. 1, and enjoyed a “St. Nick Gift Shoppe,” cookie decorating for kids, and photos. Oblates of St. Francis de Sales Father Joseph C. Zuschmidt, in residence at the parish, dressed up as St. Nicholas for photos with the children and handed out candy canes, explaining their Christian meaning.

Pictured, IHM teen volunteers helped the younger kids shop and decorate cookies and gift bags.

— Kathy Roach

DENVER — Holy Spirit Church’s Youth Group recently packed 98 gift-filled shoeboxes with donated items from the church’s faith formation families. Toys, candy, school supplies and personal hygiene items were lovingly packed in boxes for girls and boys in three age groups. The teens and some parents as well as pastor Father Carmen Malacari went to the Samaritan’s Purse Operation Christmas Child processing center in Charlotte to work a shift inspecting, securing, sorting and packing cartons of boxes to be shipped worldwide to children in need.

— Doreen Sugierski

December 21, 2012 | catholicnewsherald.com

15

Cientos de devotos en Charlotte honraron a la Virgen de Guadalupe Alexandra Vilchez Correspondent

CHARLOTTE — Con profunda fe, cánticos, flores, bailes, representaciones y vivas a “Lupita”, cientos de devotos mexicanos e hispanos de otras nacionalidades abarrotaron el pasado 11 de diciembre el coliseo Bojangles para honrar a la Virgen María de Guadalupe.

Niños de todas las edades llegaron con atuendos del indio Juan Diego y mantos con la imagen de la “Patrona de las Américas”, mientras las niñas con ropas típicas de diversas regiones del país vecino, y los adultos traían sus imágenes de la “morenita” para ser bendecidas.

Se fueron sentando en las gradas de la arena de la avenida Independence, lugar que sin interrupción desde el año 2004 alquila la Parroquia Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe para reunir a la mayor cantidad de “guadalupanos” para celebrar esta fecha.

Cada 12 de diciembre, los mexicanos recuerdan la aparición en 1531 de la virgen en el cerro Tepeyac al humilde indio Juan Diego, donde recibió una túnica con su imagen y nació una de las fiestas tradicionales católicas más importantes de México.

“No importa si estamos lejos de la patria, con el mismo fervor celebramos a nuestra patrona, agradecemos por el nuevo hogar, y las bendiciones ofrecidas, es un día de oración”, contó Apolinar Martínez, mexicano de 42 años.

Trabajo en equipo

Mauricio Martínez, que tiene nueve años colaborando en la coordinación de la celebración, explicó que más de 100 voluntarios de la parroquia trabajan en diferentes labores para sacar adelante el programa que se presenta ese día.

“Pasamos todo el año pensando lo que vamos a ofrecer el siguiente año.

Es nuestra mayor y más importante celebración en la congregación, una fecha que nos une a todos por amor a la virgen”, apuntó el inmigrante de El Salvador.

La actividad comenzó al anochecer, con una presentación de bailes folklóricos mexicanos del grupo “Cielito Lindo”, seguido de danzas indígenas, que acompañaron al grupo de jóvenes de la parroquia, “Amanecer del Tepeyac”, que hicieron una obra de representación de las apariciones de la virgen al indio Juan Diego.

El padre Vincent Finnerty, párroco de la iglesia, explicó que la devoción a la Virgen de Guadalupe es muy grande en la comunidad mexicana inmigrante, ya que forma parte de su cultura y tradición que continúan cuando emigran a Estados Unidos.

Devoción y agradecimiento

Como es costumbre, los mexicanos y otros devotos acuden ante la virgen a pedir favores o agradecerle, como lo hizo la pareja de esposos, Guadalupe y Jesús Torres, que vinieron de Lincolnton a participar de la celebración.

“Somos católicos, pero sobre todo

Photos by Alexandra Vilchez | Catholic News Herald

guadalupanos”, apuntó Jesús. “Tenemos mucha fe en ella, nos inspira a seguir adelante, y a vencer cualquier obstáculo en la vida”, acotó el mexicano, que tiene 25 años residiendo en Estados Unidos.

A pesar de su edad, 87 años, la también mexicana Agripina Alvarado acudió a la arena para encomendarse a la Virgen Morena, y pedirle por más tiempo de vida.

“Vivo sola, y hoy es uno de esos días que estoy feliz, porque mi devoción por la virgencita es grande, y acepto cualquier voluntad que ella disponga sobre mi futuro”, dijo.

Preparación del altar con flores

Mientras las devotas adornaban el altar con flores, se realizó el desfile tradicional de las banderas de 24 países por parte de los parroquianos, que a su vez vestían los trajes típicos de sus naciones, y el público presente gritaba “Viva la Emperatriz de América”.

La misa fue ofrecida por el párroco Finnerty, acompañado de los padres Abel Osorio y Joseph Elzi.

Finnerty, que durante 18 años ha oficializado la celebración, tiene a su cargo la parroquia Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe, a la que asisten alrededor de 4.000 feligreses cada fin de semana a sus 7 misas en español, que se realizan en su sede de Tuckaseegee Road.

“Hoy tenemos que abrir nuestro corazón

a Dios y a la Virgen, hacer un espacio para ellos, reflexionar la vida que llevamos, dejar las adicciones que tanto nos hacen daño”, enfatizó el párroco.

Also online At www.catholicnewsherald.com: Read this story in English

HISPANIC COMMUNICATIONS SPECIALIST The Catholic News Herald, a 56,000-circulation newspaper serving the Diocese of Charlotte, N.C., is seeking an experienced bilingual journalist to cover news and events about the local Hispanic Catholic community – writing stories, taking photos, shooting video and audio, etc. – for publication in the Catholic News Herald, in Spanish and in English, and through a variety of other communications channels. This position also involves developing future radio, online and social media communications for and about the Hispanic community.

Candidates must have previous journalism experience, plus a bachelor’s degree in journalism, marketing or other related field; verbal and written fluency in English and Spanish; proficiency with digital photography and videography, audio and video editing software, Adobe Creative Suite, Microsoft Office, online content management systems, and social media channels (such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube); familiarity with the Catholic Church and its teachings; attention to detail and accuracy; and ability to work under and meet regular deadlines.

We offer a competitive benefits package that includes salary commensurate with experience, health and dental insurance, 403(b) and paid holidays. EOE Please submit resume to: Patricia Guilfoyle, Editor, plguilfoyle@charlottediocese.org.

No phone calls, please.

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catholicnewsherald.com | December 21, 2012 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Celebrating 40 years!

Diocese of Charlotte

Remembering Catholic schools of yesteryear Closed schools enriched Catholic education in western N.C.

T photos provided by diocese of charlotte archives

St. John the Evangelist School, Waynesville, in an undated photo

SueAnn Howell Senior reporter

he Diocese of Charlotte has witnessed significant change in the area of Catholic education during the course of the past 40 years since it was carved out of the Raleigh diocese. Just as the needs and population of the Catholics in the western half of the state have grown and changed, so too has the area of Catholic education.

To adapt to these changes, some cities have seen Catholic schools close or merge with other Catholic schools in the area. Other cities have seen the construction of new schools to better accommodate the growing number of families seeking a Catholic education for their children.

Mecklenburg Area Catholic Schools was founded in Charlotte in 1992 to provide a centralized school system in the Charlotte metropolitan area. (All other Catholic schools in the diocese are either diocesan or parish-based schools.) There are currently 19 Catholic schools in the diocese, serving children in pre-kindergarten through 12th grade.

There have been 17 Catholic schools which have closed, some even before the diocese was established. Here is a brief look at the history of these Catholic schools in western North Carolina:

n Asheville Catholic High School – Asheville Catholic High originated as St. Francis School for Boys established in 1949 by Franciscan Friars. It stood on the old Glen Eden estate.

The Glen Eden mansion was converted into classrooms, and the stable into a laboratory. On Sept. 3, 1957, Bishop Vincent Waters established Asheville Catholic High School as a co-ed institution staffed by three different religious orders: the Sisters of Mercy, the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth, and the Religious of Christian Education. A new high school building and gymnasium/auditorium were constructed on the same Glen Eden estate property in 1959-1960. Bishop Waters dedicated the new facilities on April 24, 1960. Due to declining enrollment, the high school closed in June 1972.

The property was sold to Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College two years later. n St. Anthony of Padua School, Asheville On Sept. 28, 1936, the Franciscan Sisters of Alleghany opened the doors of St. Anthony of Padua School in Asheville. The school, which served primarily African American students, was attached to St. Anthony of Padua Parish, which was also staffed by Franciscans. The sisters remained until 1969 when they withdrew and the school closed. New City Christian School, which was established in 2006, now occupies the building which once housed St. Anthony of Padua School.

Pages from a 1958 book featuring information on Our Lady of Consolation School in Charlotte

n St. Genevieve of the Pines, Asheville – The story of St. Genevieve began in December 1907. At this time, five women professed with Religious of Christian Education moved into a house at 48 Starnes Ave. They quickly established a school in their home by January 1908. By September 1908, they operated the school in two houses located on North Main

December 21, 2012 | catholicnewsherald.com catholic news heraldI

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Celebrating 40 years!

Diocese of Charlotte

St. Anthony of Padua School, Asheville Street (now Broadway) and had an enrollment of 80 students, six of whom were boarding students.

Next, the school moved to the former Victoria Inn on Victoria Road and became St. Genevieve of the Pines. Classes at the new campus started in January 1911. In 1949, the sisters added Gibbons Hall for boys and began St. Genevieve of the Pines School for Secretaries in 1955. The Religious of Christian Education ceased operating St. Genevieve in 1971 due to a shortage of vocations and the age and poor health of the sisters. However, the school continued under the care of a Board of Trustees with some of the sisters remaining as teachers.

St. Genevieve merged with Asheville Country Day School in 1987. Today, it is called Carolina Day School. The St. Genevieve property was sold to Asheville Buncombe Technical Community College. n Our Lady of Consolation School, Charlotte – Our Lady of Consolation School opened on Jan. 28, 1957. It was staffed originally by three African-American Oblate Sisters of Providence. Fifty AfricanAmerican students were enrolled.

Later, enrollment grew to about 150 students in grades K-8. The Oblate Sisters of Providence withdrew from the school in 1983 and only grades 4-8 were offered after that time due to low enrollment. The diocese closed the school in 1988. n Notre Dame High School, Greensboro – The school was established in the former St. Leo Hospital on Summit Avenue. Bishop

St. Benedict the Moor School, Winston-Salem Vincent Waters dedicated Notre Dame High School on Sept. 11, 1955, and classes started that same month. The Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur staffed the high school. A lack of vocations forced the sisters to withdraw in June 1968, resulting in the closing of the high school. Prior to 1971 the building was demolished, and the property was leased in 1972. n St. Benedict School, Greensboro – St. Benedict School opened on Sept.

6, 1926. It started out in a house at 115 East Smith St. Four Sisters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul taught 62 pupils. The sisters’ convent was located on the floor above the classrooms. St. Benedict School closed in 1954 when the newly built St. Pius X School opened. The school property was leased to a business in 1968, and since then it has been converted into a parking lot. n Mt. St. Joseph Academy, Hickory – The Sisters of Mercy established the academy in 1880 as a finishing school for young ladies. Mt. St. Joseph Academy sat on 13 acres

Chapel of St. Genevieve of the Pines, Asheville located between Second and Fourth avenues S.W. and Sixth and Seventh streets S.W. The campus featured a convent, two small dwellings and stables. In 1888, because of financial considerations and infrequent reception of the sacraments, the sisters closed the school and sold the property to Lutherans from Ohio. The Lutherans converted the property into a practical seminary. Later, the seminary became the site of St. Paul Lutheran Church. After closing and selling Mt. St. Joseph Academy, the sisters moved to Charlotte and opened St. Mary’s Seminary, the predecessor to St. Patrick School in Charlotte. n St. Francis of Assisi School, Lenoir – The school was located in a house beside St. Francis Church on West College Avenue. Father Ildephonse Gillogly, O.F.M., founded the school, and it was dedicated in October 1947.

Two Franciscan sisters from Alleghany initially staffed the school. By 1956, the school had 50 students in the first through eighth grades. The school was forced to close in 1960.

n St. John the Evangelist School, Waynesville – The school opened in September 1939 with an initial enrollment of 40 students in grades K-12. Six Sisters of St. Francis from Milwaukee, Wis., taught the students.

Originally, the W.J. Hannah building provided classroom space as well as housing for the sisters. In 1956, Bishop Vincent Waters dedicated the new “modern” school erected on the corner of Church and Meadow streets. High school classes were taught on the lower level of the building, and grammar school grades met on the upper level.

When the Sisters of St. Francis from Milwaukee left in 1963, the school closed temporarily. St. John School reopened in August 1964 upon the arrival of the Sisters of St. Francis from Tiffin, Ohio. They remained until 1979, and then the Daughters of Charity took over. The Daughters of Charity operated the school for one year. After 40 years of service to the Waynesville area, St. John School then closed permanently.

n St. Benedict the Moor School, Winston-Salem – St. Benedict the Moor School opened in 1950 and was staffed by the Sisters of St. Francis from Alleghany, N.Y. For much of its history the school offered education for grades 1-8 besides a day care center for children aged 3-5. St. Benedict closed in 1979 due to declining enrollment, but the day care center remained open for about another year. n Other school closings of note include: St. Joan of Arc School and St. Eugene School in Asheville; St. Leo Military Academy, Sacred Heart College and St. Benedict School in Belmont; Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal School in Greensboro; and Christ the King School in High Point.

Also, Villa Maria Anna Academy in Winston-Salem moved locations in 1959, was renamed Bishop McGuinness Catholic High School and is now located in Kernersville.

Our schools 18

catholicnewsherald.com | December 21, 2012 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

For the latest news 24/7: catholicnewsherald.com

In Brief

Charlotte Catholic students’ personal data posted online through ‘human error’; school working to retract it Kimberly Bender Online reporter

BMHS cross country teams win championship KERNERSVILLE — The Bishop McGuinness High School boys’ and girls’ cross country teams captured the N.C. High School Athletic Association 1A State CrossCountry Championships at Beeson Park in Kernersville Nov. 3. Pictured above is the boys team: (from left) Greg Redden, Leland Lancaster, Nick Stout, William Johnson, Zach Bruns (in back), Jack Brannan, Sam Williams, Zack Jones (in back), Coach Robert Youtz and Bryan Soltis. Pictured below is the girls team: (from left) Brianna Eichhorn, Amanda Kabealo, Sarah Grace Johnson, Alex Errington, Carly Kreber, Bailey Seach, Brynna Tremblay, Lexi Weidman and Coach Robert Youtz.

— Jeff Stoller

CHARLOTTE — Staff and students at Charlotte Catholic High School were recently reminded of a valuable lesson: everything posted online is public and not easy to delete.

Charlotte Catholic High School students’ personal information, which included phone numbers, emails, home addresses and other data, was “inadvertently” posted on the school’s publicly accessible website Oct. 19, said Principal Jerry Healy.

Ten days later, school officials realized the information had been made public. They then took down Learn more the 46-page student directory from the website, Healy said.

At www.dhs.gov/ “We thought it was taken down, stopthinkconnect: but it turned out that it was still Get more information accessible online,” he said. about protecting Once posted online, information you and your family doesn’t just go away when it is online deleted. Google and other search engines crawl web pages on a regular basis and store “cached” pages – back-up versions of the pages that can “live” online long after the original information is gone.

When a concerned parent alerted a Charlotte TV station in early December to the fact that the students’ personal information was posted online for anyone to view, that’s when school officials began taking the extra steps to ensure the information was not only removed from the school’s website, but also from search engines.

“One of the parents notified us, and we took steps to make sure it was taken down,” Healy said. “We’re working with Google to

make sure it’s permanently removed.”

The personal information was posted through “human error,” Healy said. In the future, only the school’s technology coordinator will update the school’s website when it involves sensitive data – so that if the information is supposed to be secure, then it is posted behind a password-protected wall.

“It wasn’t done maliciously, and thankfully we were able to take it down and haven’t heard of any misuse of the information,” Healy said.

In educating students, Healy said, they emphasize that online content is publicly accessible and could “live” online forever. They urge students to use caution in posting anything online.

Diocese of Charlotte Information Technology Director Scott Long said people are often surprised by the amount of personal information available through a simple search on Google, Bing or other search engines.

“I recommend that every parent ‘Google’ themselves and then ‘Google’ each of their children just to see what is available,” Long said, adding, “People can minimize their online presence by limiting information listed on social media outlets.”

Long also suggested that parents talk to their children about the risks inherent on the internet.

“Challenge your children by asking if they personally know every ‘friend’ in his or her Facebook; do they know all of the people they follow on Twitter or all of the people that are following them?” he said.

“Being liberal with information can pose a direct threat to one’s health and financial wellbeing. Even photos and chat or blog strings have ties back to individuals. You don’t need to be afraid of the internet, but you do need to be aware that dangers are lurking, sometimes where we least expect.”

First band director at Holy Trinity takes final bow Kaufman retires after 20 years with MACS SueAnn Howell Senior reporter

OLG celebrates Thanksgiving GREENSBORO — To celebrate the recent Thanksgiving holiday, Our Lady of Grace School students in pre-kindergarten through third grade held a Thanksgiving festival. At the start of the day, students participated in different stations with activities including making beaded necklaces, hearing stories about the first Thanksgiving holiday and creating holiday centerpieces. Afterwards, students chose to be either pilgrims or native Americans and enjoyed a meal together much like the one shared on the first Thanksgiving. Pictured above: OLG students Sofia Arias and Isabella Bagnoli enjoy their Thanksgiving feast.

— Karen L. Hornfeck

CHARLOTTE — Alan Kaufman has helped hundreds of students discover the joy of music in Catholic schools in Charlotte over the past 20 years. In two band concerts on Dec. 11 and 12, Kaufman took his final bow as band director at Holy Trinity Middle School and left his full-time teaching career behind.

In the two concerts, he conducted all three Holy Trinity bands.

On Dec. 11, the students performed a 1999 composition by Kaufman entitled “The Sisters of Mercy Overture,” in honor of the opening of the Mercy Building on the Holy Trinity campus.

Kaufman was hired in 1992 by the late Sister Helene Nagle, S.S.J., who was principal of St. Ann School on Hillside Avenue, to teach music there.

The next year, he was hired to teach band at St. Ann School and Our Lady of Assumption School, as part of the newly-formed Mecklenburg Area Catholic Schools Band Program. By 1994, he was teaching in four out of the five K-8 Catholic schools in the area.

When Holy Trinity Middle School was established in 1995, Kaufman became its first band director. He started out with 50 band students in grades 6-8.

“Since then, I have conducted a total of 73 concerts at HTCMS alone, not counting tours, competitions, festivals, jazz picnics, etc., etc.,” Kaufman noted.

He is one of the two “original” teachers from the Catholic middle school’s opening in 1995.

sueann howell | catholic news herald

Holy Trinity’s band director, Alan Kaufman, waves goodbye after his final concert with Mecklenburg Area Catholic Schools at Charlotte Catholic High School Dec. 17.

“I have seen buildings go up and athletic fields created. I’ve taught in four different ‘band rooms’ (including a trailer), worked under three different principals, three superintendents, and attended over 200 school faculty meetings!”

Kaufman, a professional musician who has lived in Charlotte since 1978, said he plans to continue creating music, performing with his band and teaching private lessons.

“I am leaving Holy Trinity and MACS with a feeling of melancholy and nostalgia,” he said. “I have worked with so many students (you’d be surprised at how many I still remember by name), and hope that my love of life and love of music has enriched their lives as it has mine.”

December 21, 2012 | catholicnewsherald.com catholic news heraldI

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Scenes of Christmas spirit

CHARLOTTE — Charlotte Catholic band members perform during the annual Charlotte Catholic High School Christmas concert Dec. 17.

— SueAnn Howell, senior reporter

CHARLOTTE — Charlotte Catholic High School students unloaded toys at the Diocese of Charlotte’s Pastoral Center on Dec. 14, donated as part of their annual toy drive to benefit needy families through Catholic Social Services. Each year the students collect so many toys that they fill the school’s large white bus!

— SueAnn Howell, senior reporter

GREENSBORO — Students at Our Lady of Grace School joined together Dec. 3 to light the first candle on the Advent wreath.

Kindergartners Andrew Heeden, Evan Burfeind, Anna Aufrance, Maggie Foppe and Jack Lambeth read scripture before the lighting. Each Monday this month the students have gathered to light each Advent candle as they count down the days until Christmas.

— Karen L. Hornfeck

GASTONIA — St. Michael School students, teachers and staff placed one of their shoes in the hallway Dec. 6, the Feast of St. Nicholas, because everyone was told that a special visitor was coming. Pictured are the firstgraders jumping for joy as they find goodies that good ol’ St. Nick secretly left them.

— Pat Burr

HUNTERSVILLE — St. Mark School continued two annual traditions earlier this month: Carols in the Courtyard and the Feast of St. Nick.

The school’s elementary students were served a special treat Dec. 6: a visit from St. Nicholas himself! St. Nicholas (a costumed Monsignor Richard Bellow, pastor of St. Mark Church) addressed the students to celebrate the feast day of the saint widely credited for starting the tradition of gift-giving at Christmas. During his address, Monsignor Bellow reminded the children to keep Jesus in their hearts this holiday season. On Dec. 7, the school’s courtyard came to life with the sounds of Christmas music, during the annual Carols in the Courtyard. Under the direction of band director Brian Joyce, the students, faculty and families of St. Mark gathered to hear a concert by the elementary school band. Afterwards, music teacher LeAnn Callahan directed the fourth- and fifth-grade students in a performance of “The Christmas Present,” a Christmas musical featuring soloists, dancers, narrators and a live Nativity scene. Pictured above, fourthand fifth-grade students sing during Carols in the Courtyard.

— Amy Burger and Kristen O’Malley

WINSTON-SALEM — Our Lady of Mercy School’s kindergarten class started in October to prepare for St. Nicholas Day, when podiatrist Dr. Terry Donovan came to cast each student’s foot in order to create a unique shoe that they then painted and decorated to put out on their cubby shelves for the Feast of St. Nicholas. On Dec. 6, the students came to school to find their shoes filled with goodies from St. Nick.

— Lara Davenport

HIGH POINT — On Dec. 11, Immaculate Heart of Mary School’s talented students took to the stage and presented two exciting musicals Dec. 11, for the school and parish community as well as local nursing homes. The lower school (including the kindergartners pictured above) performed “Christmas Around the World.” Fifth-grade students took the lead by writing the play that took the audience around the world to celebrate many Christmas customs. The middle school performed “The Grinch that Stole Christmas.”

The middle school recreated Whoville and taught the Grinch the true meaning of Christmas.

— Mendy Yarborough

WINSTON-SALEM — The Helping Hands of Mercy group at Our Lady of Mercy School was able to fill Santa’s sleigh recently with supplies for Brenner Children’s Hospital. Since the group’s mission is “children helping children,” they wanted to be mindful of children who are ill, especially through the holidays.

Thanks to the generosity of all the families at Mercy, the HHM group collected three boxes of laundry supplies and two boxes of toiletries for out-of-town families who have an extended stay at Brenner. They also collected four boxes of coloring and activity books, crayons, pencils and markers for the waiting rooms.

— Lara Davenport

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catholicnewsherald.com | December 21, 2012 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

For the latest movie reviews: catholicnewsherald.com

On TV n Saturday, Dec. 22, 7 p.m.

(EWTN) “Mother Angelica Live Classics: Christmas.”

Mother Angelica sheds light on why we celebrate Christmas, getting beyond the gifts and trees and decorations and realizing whose birthday we are really celebrating.

In theaters

‘The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey’ Epic 3-D adaptation of the opening part of Catholic author J.R.R. Tolkien’s 1937 children’s novel “The Hobbit, or There and Back Again,” directed by Peter Jackson. A homebody hobbit (Martin Freeman) is reluctantly convinced by a wizard (Ian McKellen) to accompany and aid a group of dwarves in their quest to recapture their ancient stronghold, a storehouse of fabulous wealth long ago conquered by a rampaging dragon. Much bloodless action violence, some mild gross-out humor.

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

‘Playing for Keeps’ Family values take the field in director Gabriele Muccino’s rather static romantic comedy that recounts the personal travails of a washed-up British soccer star (Gerard Butler).

Shortly after moving to suburban Virginia where his American ex-wife (Jessica Biel) had earlier relocated, he agrees to coach his young son’s (Noah Lomax) youth soccer team, teaching them the finer points of the beautiful game as part of his efforts to become a better, more attentive father. An implied non-marital encounter, brief nongraphic sexual activity, fleeting gory images, some crude language.

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

Additional movies: n ‘Hitchcock’: CNS: A-III (adults); MPAA: PG-13 n ‘The Collection’: CNS: O (morally offensive); MPAA: R

Photo provided by Larry Capps and Mark Colone

In this undated parish photo, Father Frank Cancro delivers a homily during an outdoor Mass at Pentecost. The parish began posting audio recordings of his homilies three years ago, and now the feature is the most popular section of the parish website. About 10 clergy in the diocese are now regularly posting their homilies online, either as blogs, texts, audio or video recordings.

‘The connecting point to get them to the pews’

Belmont pastor posts homilies online, on Twitter to evangelize Christopher Lux Correspondent

BELMONT — On Sundays the Scriptures are read and a homily follows. Few of us, though, think about where that homily comes from or what it means to the person preaching. For Father Frank Cancro, pastor of Queen of the Apostles Church in Belmont, the homily and its preparation are an essential component of his prayer life. And Father Cancro is among a growing number of priests across the Diocese of Charlotte who are publishing their homilies online to spread the Gospel message beyond the church walls.

About 10 priests now post their homilies online – either as texts, blogs, audio files or video clips.

Homilies are a vital part of their pastoral work, and a lot of thought goes into each one.

“One of the major contexts of my personal prayer is preparing the homily,” Father Cancro says. “When I was teaching at Catholic University, I wasn’t presiding very often. I found after a while that my prayer life was really getting stale, and the more I thought about it, I realized it was because preparing for preaching and preaching were such a vital part of my everyday routine that they were really a big part of my prayer life, too. And when I wasn’t doing that any more, I really felt it.”

To anyone who attends Mass at Queen of the Apostles Church, Father Cancro’s homilies contribute greatly to their own experience with God, the Church, and their community. And that is intentional.

“I believe that a homily always has to be an intersection between God’s story, the Church’s story, the people I serve, their story and my story,” he says. “And I think a homily is incomplete if it doesn’t intersect those four

Online At www.catholicnewsherald.com: A list of priests in the Diocese of Charlotte who are posting homilies online or blogging

things.”

Father Cancro spends about 18 hours each week putting together his homilies. When one Sunday Mass ends, he begins preparing his homily for future Masses.

“I stay about five weeks ahead of myself in terms of preparing a homily,” he says. “And I always start on Sunday afternoon on whatever the next week is I’m working on. I start by reading the Scriptures, praying the Scriptures, just spending some time with the Word and seeing what leaps out at me. That’s usually the first day. By Monday, I’m starting to pick out what exactly are the themes that might surface.”

He then begins the exegesis – an interpretation of Scripture which includes the study of the historical and cultural backgrounds of the author, text and original audience. “I will take a day or two and just read the sources. I do some Scripture study and get a sense of what is the truer meaning of the text.”

After spending some time with Scripture, Father Cancro puts together a homily that incorporates the four parts that he considers the essential elements: “What is God’s story; what is the Church’s story, what does the Church say about whatever this is; what’s the story in this community, what do they need to hear, what are they talking about; and then what’s my story, ONLINE, SEE page 21

n Sunday, Dec. 23, 6:30 a.m.

(EWTN) “Feasts & Seasons.”

Host Joanna Bogle explains why Christmas is celebrated on Dec. 25, and why for many of us, it is truly the “happiest feast of the year.” n Sunday, Dec. 23, 10:30 a.m. (EWTN) “Advent Reflections.” From St. Mary’s Church in Drogheda, Ireland, Dominican Father Gabriel Harty of Dublin speaks on the fourth week of Advent. n Sunday, Dec. 23, 9 p.m.

(EWTN) “Christ Comes In History, Mystery And Majesty: Reflections On Advent With His Eminence, Timothy Cardinal Dolan.”

Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York reflects on how Christ comes through the saints, from the proclamation of the kingdom, to the call of repentance and conversion of heart. n Monday, Dec. 24, 4-6 p.m.

(EWTN) “Solemn Mass of Christmas Eve With Pope Benedict XVI.” The pontiff presides at Christmas Eve Mass, broadcast live from St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. n Tuesday, Dec. 25, 6-7 a.m. (EWTN) “Urbi Et Orbi: Message and Blessing.”

From the loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, Pope Benedict XVI gives his blessing to the city and the world. n Tuesday, Dec. 25, noon-2 p.m. (EWTN) “Solemn Mass of Christmas Day.” Cardinal Donald W. Wuerl of Washington, D.C., celebrates this Mass, broadcast live from the capital’s Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.

December 21, 2012 | catholicnewsherald.com catholic news heraldI

AUDITOR: FROM PAGE 7

Ethics Policy of the Diocese of Charlotte” provides the standards for ethical and honest conduct by local Church personnel.

During the past fiscal year, 5,676 criminal background checks were processed by the diocese on clergy, religious, employees and volunteers.

More than 3,000 diocesan personnel participated in the diocese’s educational awareness program “Protecting God’s Children.” Programs are also available for children in diocesan Catholic schools and faith formation programs.

The diocese also has a victim assistance coordinator available to assist victims of sexual abuse, wherever the abuse took place. In 1995, the diocese established a Review Board to serve as a confidential consultative body to the bishop. The board

reviews cases of sexual abuse that are reported to the diocese.

In addition, information about how to report suspected abuse is available on the diocesan website and is disseminated through the Catholic News Herald and in parish bulletins.

The cost of these various initiatives totaled $125,542 during the fiscal year ending June 30, 2012.

When abusive conduct is reported, in addition to immediate action and investigation into the allegation, an immediate response to the alleged victim and his/her family is undertaken.

During this year, the diocese provided financial assistance to or on behalf of victims totaling $20,249, all of which was for counseling and other medical services. The diocese also incurred costs in connection with sexual misconduct lawsuits totaling $206,667. As in years past, none of these funds came from the Diocesan Support Appeal or from parish savings.

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what am I confident in saying and what speaks to me as much as to them.”

Father Cancro invests a lot into his Sunday homily because, he says, “the only place you meet 80 percent of your people is in a pew on Sunday. I was taught and happen to believe that the homily is one of the most important things you do every week in terms of your ability to encounter your folks.”

Parishioners are reached through listening to the homily at Mass, but Father Cancro and his parish staff recognize that not everyone is in the pews on Sunday.

That is one reason the parish publishes audio recordings of his homilies online.

“I didn’t plan to make them available,” he explains. “There was a discussion on the part of the staff and the communications commission about the context of the ministry of the Word in the parish, and someone raised the question about the homily. We had a custom when I got here that one of the Sunday sermons was put on tape, and then copied and taken to the homebound. Then, of course, tape went out of existence, so it moved to CDs that were copied. Then, the communications commission said, ‘Well, rather than copying this stuff and kind of hauling them around, why don’t we put them online as an audio file?’ That way when we go to visit shut-ins we can pull it up for them.”

Now, visitors to the homebound can access the Sunday homily online during their visits. Together they can read Scripture, listen to the homily, and then receive Communion.

About three years ago, the parish decided to make the homilies available online.

Other than the homebound, though, the staff was not sure how many people would be interested. The website audience surpassed their expectations.

Parish webmaster Mark Colone says the weekly homilies are the most viewed contents of the website.

“It is the link that receives most outside commentary, as well, and the analytics show a spike on Sundays, which leads me to believe that parishioners are returning to the site to hear the Gospel reading and Father’s homily again or to share with a family member who may have missed Mass that day,” Colone says. “Each are can’tmiss moments in time.”

“We get 2,000 hits a month on my sermon

online,” Father Cancro adds. But it’s not just parishioners who are going online.

“The majority of folks are from all over the world. One individual who lives in California sent an email to say that they download it into their iPod, so when they go running on Monday morning that is what they listen to.”

The number of people listening to the homilies shows a demand and purpose for providing access to the homilies after the Sunday Mass.

“It’s funny,” Father Cancro recalls, “we had a few weeks last month where we didn’t post them, because we had difficulties once with the machine that records it and another time we had to buy more bandwidth for the website. In the two weeks that it was down, the number of emails or even phone calls from folks about where the sermon was – it’s just amazing to me that that’s a focus for people.”

Although Father Cancro recognizes that other homilists “can do just as well if they spend some time with public speaking and work with what skills they do have,” he also knows that he has a gift. “I was a circus clown,” he says, “and I do think you get a little comfortable in that kind of world with some professional skills – with presentation – so I don’t have a problem in front of people.”

Father Cancro’s experience working as a clown in the 1970s, before he was ordained a priest in 1981, has led to more than a talent in public speaking. Today he is one of a handful of priests across the country who minister to Catholics working in traveling circuses. He also uses Twitter to reach those who do circus work. “I reduce my sermons to 140 characters,” he says. “I have a lot of circus folks follow my Twitter on a regular basis. So, I Twitter my homily because they don’t have Mass every week on the show.”

Father Cancro said he is comfortable using the tools of social media and the internet to make his homilies available beyond the church walls, and he encourages other priests to give it a try.

“I think it’s a good idea. The Holy Father talked not too long ago about the importance of the use of social media in terms of evangelization and Catholic life, and I think these are relatively simple tools that allow an individual priest or parish to do just that.”

“If they’re not in your venue on Sunday morning,” he recommends to his fellow clergy, “then capture them in some other way.” Social media and online access to homilies “might be the connecting point to get them to the pews on Sunday.”

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Saturday, January 19, 2013 9:30am – 12:00 noon Cost: $15

Our nation 22

catholicnewsherald.com | December 21, 2012 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Diocesan schools superintendent sends out messages to students, parents and staff CHARLOTTE — Dr. Janice Ritter, superintendent of schools for the Diocese of Charlotte, read a message to students and sent out similar letters to parents and faculty Dec. 17, anticipating questions regarding the safety and security at diocesan schools in the wake of the Newtown school shooting.

“The Catholic schools grieve with our nation over the senseless loss of lives at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn.,” one of the emailed messages stated. “Our hearts go out to the individuals and families who have lost loved ones and we pray for all those affected by this tragedy.”

“The Catholic Schools consider the safety and security of our young people as a top priority,” Ritter also stated.

In a letter directed to parents, Ritter explained that the diocese has security rules in place and each school practices “lockdown drills” so that “teachers and students are familiar with the procedures to take if necessary.

“I want to assure you that we will continue to review our safety policies and procedures and make any changes that are deemed appropriate.

Likewise, we are mindful to the emotional needs of young people that might surface at this time. Please know that we have a broad range of resources across the diocese that we can employ to support our students should that be necessary.”

In her message to teachers and staff, Ritter noted, “I know that as educators we can’t help but relate this event to our own school setting and we ask ourselves what we would do if we were faced with a similar situation.” She commended the schools for their advance planning and adherence to the security procedures already in place, and she reminded staff of the counseling resources available for students if needed.

In a similar letter read out to students, Ritter said, “At this time there is one thing we can do to help those dealing with this tragedy: we can pray.”

She also encouraged faculty and parents to offer their own personal prayers for the victims and their families.

“We as a nation are struggling to make sense of this unfathomable incident. It is at times like this that our faith can be a source of strength for us and our children.”

‘No words’ can describe shock, sadness after shooting, says priest Catholic News Service

NEWTOWN, Conn. — Msgr. Robert Weiss, pastor of St. Rose of Lima Church in Newtown, was at Sandy Hook Elementary School almost immediately after the horrific shooting Dec. 14.

When the enormity of the tragedy began to unfold, other priests, chaplains and Catholic Charities personnel “were on the ground,” Brian Wallace, diocesan director of communications, told Catholic News Service.

In the days since St. Rose of Lima has taken center stage as people gathered for a prayer vigil the night of the shootings and flocked to Sunday Masses seeking solace. They looked to Msgr. Weiss and his staff and other Catholic leaders for pastoral outreach in the aftermath of the violence, which left 20 children and seven adults dead.

Eighteen children died at the school and two others died after they had been rushed to the hospital. All of the children were first-graders. The adults included the principal and five teachers, as well as the gunman.

Police officials identified the shooter as Adam Lanza, 20, and said he killed himself as first responders arrived on the scene.

“There are no words,” Msgr. Weiss told a TV reporter Dec. 15 in an interview for NBC’s “Today” show after spending hours helping law enforcement officials inform parents that their child had died in the shooting. At least eight of the children belonged to the parish and will be buried from St. Rose.

Msgr. Weis said many of the family members thanked him for his presence. “There was a lot of hugging, a lot of crying, a lot of praying, a lot of just being silent,” he said, adding that at the previous evening’s vigil, community members “came together to care and to support. ... People really care here and hopefully we can just keep the community together and they can console each other.”

The priest, along with Lutheran, Episcopal, Jewish, Congregationalist, Methodist, Baha’i and Muslim leaders, participated in an evening interfaith service Dec. 16 at a Newtown auditorium.

President Barack Obama addressed the gathering after meeting separately with each family who lost someone in the shooting. He expressed his condolences and the nation’s support as they face their grief and bury their dead.

“I come to offer the love and prayers of a nation. I am very mindful that mere words cannot match the depths of your sorrow, nor can they heal your wounded hearts,” Obama said at the service.

In a Dec. 16 statement, Msgr. Jerald A. Doyle, administrator of the Bridgeport Diocese, said: “On this Gaudete Sunday we realize how quickly our joy can be turned to sorrow and how our

CNS photo | Joshua Lott, Reuters

Two men pray at St. Rose of Lima Church in Newtown, Conn., Dec. 14, while the church remained open through the night. Earlier that day, 27 people, including 20 children and six adults at Newtown’s Sandy Hook Elementary School, were gunned down by 20-year-old Adam Lanza. faith can be challenged.

“On behalf of the clergy, religious and all the faithful of the Diocese of Bridgeport I extend my prayers and condolences to the families of the victims. ... Our concern and support go out to the whole community of Newtown as you try to assist and support one another, especially those who were directly impacted.”

Msgr. Doyle pledged whatever diocesan resources are needed “to assist those affected by this tragedy,” including counselors from Catholic Charities. “As we continue our journey toward the Christmas feast, may our hope for the peace and comfort of the divine Savior, be a true source of assurance of His loving presence in our lives,” he added.

At Sunday Masses at St. Rose, a letter was read from Baltimore Archbishop William E. Lori, Bridgeport’s bishop from 2001 until he was named to Baltimore in March, which said in part, “Our lives will never be the same. But neither will we have to face a single day without the strength and peace that only Christ can give to us. In that strength and in that peace, I am very much united with you today.”

ACCOUNTING CLERK POSITION The Accounting Department of the Diocese of Charlotte is accepting applications for a part-time accounting clerk with flexibility to work full-time during the peak season (Feb-Apr) as needed. Responsibilities include preparing DSA (Diocesan Support Appeal) pledges and payments for processing, entering data into Raisers Edge software and assisting with various related accounting duties as assigned.

Applicants should be proficient with a ten-key and in Microsoft Excel. Experience with accounting software or Raisers Edge a plus.

Please send resume and salary history by January 11, 2013 to: Mason Beaumont, Controller Diocese of Charlotte Diocese 1123 South Church Street Charlotte, NC 2820 mtbeaumont@charlottediocese.org.

The Diocese of Charlotte is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

December 21, 2012 | catholicnewsherald.com catholic news heraldI

Pope expresses grief over Newtown shooting, calls for acts of peace Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service

VATICAN CITY — After 20 children and six adults were shot dead in Connecticut, Pope Benedict XVI offered his condolences and prayers, urging all to dedicate themselves to acts of peace in the face of such “senseless violence.”

After reciting the Angelus Dec. 17, the pope, speaking in English, said he was “deeply saddened” by the Dec. 14 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn.

“I assure the families of the victims, especially those who lost a child, of my closeness in prayer,” he said. “May the God of consolation touch their hearts and ease their pain.”

Just before blessing the Nativity-scene statues of the baby Jesus that Italian children brought to the square, Pope Benedict urged people to use the rest of Advent to dedicate themselves more “to prayer and to acts of peace.”

Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, Vatican secretary of state, sent a message Dec. 14 to the Diocese of Bridgeport, which includes Newtown, saying the pope had asked the cardinal “to convey his heartfelt grief” and his prayers to the victims, their families and “all affected by the shocking event.”

“In the aftermath of this senseless

tragedy, he asks God our Father to console all those who mourn and to sustain the entire community with the spiritual strength which triumphs over violence by the power of forgiveness, hope and reconciling love,” the cardinal wrote.

A front-page article Dec. 15 in L’Osservatore Romano, the Vatican newspaper, said the people of the United States must look at ways to “stem the violence that strikes them from within, heinous violence that is increased by easy access to increasingly lethal weapons and this time struck children in an elementary school.”

“The Newtown massacre is destined to reopen the debate about the free circulation of guns,” it said. While many individuals and groups called for more stringent gun-control measures in the immediate aftermath of the shooting, “the National Rifle Association, on the other hand, entrenched itself behind an embarrassing silence,” the Vatican newspaper article said.

“In a pure coincidence, the massacre of the Connecticut children occurred on the eve of the anniversary of the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which guarantees the right to have weapons. It was ratified Dec. 15, 1791, and was made to measure for the United States as it was 221 years ago,” the article said.

23

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Our world 24

catholicnewsherald.com | December 21, 2012 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

For the latest news 24/7: catholicnewsherald.com

A Palestinian man lights a candle in the Church of the Nativity in the West Bank town of Bethlehem Dec. 16.

In Brief China revokes bishop’s appointment SHANGHAI — The government-sanctioned Catholic bishops’ conference has revoked Shanghai Auxiliary Bishop Thaddeus Ma Daqin’s appointment, saying he violated their rules for episcopal ordinations, reported the Asian Church news agency UCA News.

Joseph Liu Yuanlong, a vice chair of the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association, confirmed Dec. 12 that the association and the Bishops’ Conference of the Catholic Church in China had decided to revoke Bishop Ma’s approval letter as “coadjutor” bishop and dismiss him from all posts. They also called on the Shanghai diocese to “deal with Ma in a serious manner,” he said. At his ordination July 7, the Vatican-approved bishop became the first to publicly quit the state-run association. Since then, Bishop Ma has been in “retreat” at the Sheshan Regional Seminary in a Shanghai suburb. The patriotic association and the bishops’ conference – neither of which is approved by the Vatican – accused Bishop Ma of deliberately preventing an illegitimate bishop and two other participating bishops from laying hands on his head during his ordination and forbidding them from receiving Communion.

Britain eyes allowing samesex weddings in churches MANCHESTER, England — The British government has expanded its push to legalize same-sex marriage to include allowing same-sex couples to marry in churches. Speaking ahead of the midDecember publication of the proposals, Prime Minister David Cameron said churches would not be coerced into holding weddings for homosexuals. A bill to legalize same-sex marriage will be presented to Parliament in the New Year with the aim of becoming law by 2014. The government has been saying it would push for same-sex marriage in civil offices and hotels, but including churches widens the scope of the legislation. The proposals to redefine marriage have been opposed by the Catholic, Anglican and the Evangelical churches and by Jewish, Sikh and Muslim leaders.

— Catholic News Service

CNS | Ammar Awad, Reuters

Christmas trees remind believers of light of Christ, pope says Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service

VATICAN CITY — The light of Christ has not dimmed over the past 2,000 years, but Christians today have an obligation to resist attempts to extinguish it, knowing that whenever societies have tried to pretend God did not exist, tragedy followed, Pope Benedict XVI said.

Pope Benedict made his remarks Dec. 14 during a morning audience with civic leaders and pilgrims from the town of Pescopennataro and the province of Isneria, which donated the 78-foot silver fir tree that became the Christmas tree in St. Peter’s Square.

Apparently informed that Pescopennataro has a population of about 350 people, the pope seemed a bit surprised at the crowd of 450 people who came to pay their respects and receive his thanks for the gift of the Christmas tree.

“The whole town must be here,” he told them.

In fact, the mayor did manage to get everyone on buses and to the Vatican. Along with regional government officials, they met with the pope just a few hours before

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‘God became human and lived among us to scatter the darkness of error and sin, bringing humanity His divine light.’

Bishop Giuseppe Sciacca, secretarygeneral of the office governing Vatican City, presided over the official treelighting ceremony.

At the ceremony, the Pescopennataro poet, Angelomaria Di Tullio, read in the local dialect a poem he wrote about the tree, growing for decades near his hometown so that one day it proudly would represent the Pescolani people at the Vatican.

At the audience earlier, Pope Benedict said the gift of the tree was a sign of the faith and religiosity of the southern Italian communities that donated the tree for St. Peter’s Square and smaller trees for the Apostolic Palace.

Isaiah prophesied the coming of the Messiah as “a great light for the people who walked in darkness,” the pope said.

“God became human and lived among us to scatter the darkness of error and sin, bringing humanity His divine light.”

“This great light – of which the Christmas tree is a sign and a reminder – not only hasn’t dimmed with the passing of centuries and millennia, but continues to shine on us and enlighten each person who comes into this world, especially when we go through moments of uncertainty and difficulty,” the pope said.

Throughout history when dictators and ideologues have “tried to extinguish God’s light,” he said, “periods marked by tragic violence” and attempts to destroy human beings followed in their wake.

“This is because when one tries to cancel the name of God from the pages of history,” real values and real meaning are skewed, Pope Benedict said.

“Think about words like ‘freedom,’ ‘common good,’ ‘justice’: deprived of their rootedness in God and His love, in the God who showed His face in Jesus Christ, these realities often end up at the mercy of human interests, losing their connection with the requirements of truth and civic responsibility.”

December 21, 2012 | catholicnewsherald.com catholic news heraldI

Irish government announces plans to legalize abortion, with limits Michael Kelly Catholic News Service

DUBLIN — The Irish government has announced plans to legalize abortion in limited circumstances, but Minister for Health James Reilly insisted his plans will take “full account of the equal right to life of the unborn child.�

The announcement contradicts a 2011 campaign promise by Prime Minister Enda Kenny that his government would not introduce abortion in the predominantly Catholic country.

In practice, abortion has been illegal in Ireland under 1861 legislation. However, a 1992 Supreme Court judgment – known as the X case – found that there is a constitutional right to abortion where there is a substantial risk to the life of the mother, including the risk of suicide, up to birth.

Successive governments have not acted on the issue. However, the European Court of Human Rights ruled in 2010 that Ireland must clarify when women can access abortion under the 1992 ruling.

After a Cabinet meeting Dec. 18, Reilly announced that the government would introduce legislation to allow abortion where there is a risk to the life of the mother, including the threat of suicide.

He also confirmed the government

intends to decriminalize abortion in these circumstances.

Speaking after the Cabinet meeting, Reilly said the legislation would clarify “what is available by way of treatment to a woman when a pregnancy gives rise to a threat to a woman’s life.� “We will also clarify what is legal for the professionals who must provide that care, while at all times taking full account of the equal right to life of the unborn child,� he said.

However, Ruth Cullen, spokeswoman for Ireland’s Pro-Life Campaign, said that “any legislation for the X case would blur the distinction between life-saving medical interventions in pregnancy and induced abortion, the sole aim of which is to intentionally end the life of the baby. “Once it is conceded that some human lives may be directly targeted there is no going back. Inevitably over time the grounds for abortion would be widened,� she said.

There was no immediate reaction from members of the Irish bishops’ conference.

However, in November Bishop William Murphy of Kerry warned that experience has shown that “if abortion is introduced, even on a very limited basis, it becomes widespread.�

The Irish parliament will debate the proposed legislation in early 2013.

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Philippine leaders pass reproductive health bill over Church protests MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine House of Representatives and Senate passed legislation that would promote artificial contraception as a family planning method, despite fierce opposition by Catholic bishops and religious groups. The two chambers must meet in conference committee to iron out the differences in the legislation, which had been in the works for 14 years. They were expected to have a bill to President Benigno Aquino III before Christmas.

The Catholic Church had lobbied against the legislation. “Contraception corrupts the soul,� said a statement signed by the conference vice president, Archbishop

Socrates Villegas of Lingayen-Dagupan. He said the legislation was being “gift-wrapped to look like a gift for maternal health care. It is not so. It will lead to greater crimes against women.�

The legislation seeks to integrate the government’s responsible parenthood and family planning efforts into all of its anti-poverty and development programs.

It requires sex education in high school. It also categorizes all products and supplies for modern family planning as “essential,� meaning they must be available at all hospitals and clinics. — Catholic News Service

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25

ViewPoints 26

catholicnewsherald.com | December 21, 2012 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Self-IdentifiedCatholics Catholics Self-identified in in thethe U.S.U.S.

People who self-identify as Catholics have different levels of involvement in the Church:

People who self-indentify as Catholic have different levels of involvement in the church.

Were Catholic at some point in life

97 million

Currently self-identify as Catholic

Sr. Constance Carolyn Veit

74.5

Those that are parish connected In a household registered with a parish

58.3 million

Attend Mass on Christmas and Easter

50.6

Attend Mass at least once a month

36.5

Are in a household that regularly contributes to parish offertory

32.8

Those that are very active and involved

Are adults that are “very” involved in parish outside of Mass

A

17.9 million

Attend Mass every week 3

Source: Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate

©2012 CNS

Illustration by Catholic News Service

Source: Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA)

Most-read stories on the web Through press time on Dec. 19, 4,748 visitors to www.catholicnewsherald.com have viewed a total of 10,975 pages. The top 10 headlines in December so far have been: n Appeals court sides with Belmont Abbey on HHS lawsuit..................................................... 624 n Custodian, friend to diocese retires after nearly 40 years of service ................................438 n Mercy Sister Mary Michel Boulus, noted Lebanese American, passes away.................... 358 n Local ‘Extreme Makeover’ filmed last year to air Dec. 17...................................................... 290 n Imitation of Mary at heart of ‘Wear the Veil Day’ Dec. 8..........................................................277 n ‘Coetus fidelium’ raising funds for traditional Latin Mass vestments................................. 262 n NC bishops deeply saddened at ruling about ‘Choose Life’ plates........................................227 n Greensboro pastor named VP at Pontifical College Josephinum..........................................136 n An Advent Latin Mass by candlelight..............................................................................................135 n Journey in faith - A Marian Pilgrimage to France..........................................................................81

Give the gift of yourself to an older person this Christmas

s a youngster I loved Christmas. I thought everyone did. But when I was 15, a frail, old woman in a wheelchair punched a big hole in my naïve assumptions about “the most wonderful time of the year.”

I was volunteering at the Little Sisters’ home for the elderly, along with a couple of other girls. We were helping the infirm residents write Christmas cards. Everything was going well until I approached an old woman named Mae. In my eyes Mae was a celebrity. She had been an expert milliner in an era when welldressed women always wore hats. My grandmother owned a couple of Mae’s creations. Just as I had done with the other residents, I asked Mae if I could help her write Christmas cards for her family.

Looking beyond me, with profound sadness in her voice, Mae replied, “Christmas means nothing to me. All my family is gone; I have no one left; I don’t even have anyone to send a card to.”

I was stunned. How could anyone be unhappy at Christmas? I still remember the impact of that moment. As awkward as it was, my conversation with Mae helped to awaken my calling to be a Little Sister of the Poor. I had suddenly been exposed to the sorrow that can accompany old age, and I wanted to do something about it. That desire is what still drives me today, after 25 years of religious life. As our foundress, St. Jeanne Jugan so often said, it’s all about making the elderly happy – even when the sorrows of life weigh on them and happiness seems like a lost treasure from a bygone era.

Financial difficulties, family issues, grief over the loss of loved ones – these factors can make the holidays a stressful time. But Christmas can be especially sad for older persons whose families live far away or for those – like Mae – who have outlived their loved ones, or for those who have been forced to give up the comforts of home to enter a long-term care facility. For many, being home for Christmas is, as the song goes, only in their dreams.

But there is a gift that the rest of us can give. If you have an elderly relative, friend or neighbor to whom you usually send a card or gift, this year give them the gift of yourself instead. Plan on spending some quality time with them around the holidays.

Bring them something homemade; share your kids’ latest photos or artwork. Tell them about your personal struggles and ask them how they handled similar challenges in their day. If they are able to get out, offer to take them to church. Even better, make room for them at your holiday table.

You won’t regret this gift of yourself to another. You might actually be surprised at how much you receive in return – a valuable bit of wisdom, a childhood memory rekindled, a tip on how to bake a better pie, or perhaps a word of faith and encouragement to lift your own spirits during a dark time.

In November Pope Benedict XVI visited a home for the elderly in Rome. He encouraged the seniors to never let themselves be imprisoned by sorrow. “At every phase of life, it is necessary to be able to discover the presence and blessing of the Lord and the riches they bring,” he told them. “Living is beautiful even at our age … In our faces may there always be the joy of feeling loved by God and not sadness.”

Turning to the younger people in the assembly, the pope said, “The quality of a society, I mean of a civilization, is also judged by how it treats elderly people and by the place it gives them in community life.” This Christmas, why not give an elderly person the place of honor at your Christmas celebration?

Sister Constance Carolyn Veit is director of communications for the Little Sisters of the Poor in the United States.

The Little Sisters of the Poor care for the elderly poor in the spirit of humble service, welcoming the elderly as they would Jesus Christ Himself and serving them with love and respect until God calls them to Himself. Learn more at www. littlesistersofthepoor.org.

Letters policy The Catholic News Herald welcomes letters from readers. We ask that letters be originals of 250 words or fewer, pertain to recent newspaper content or Catholic issues, and be written from a perspective of Christian charity.

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December 21, 2012 | catholicnewsherald.com catholic news heraldI

A.J. Ohlhaut

Obeying divine law

W

e live in a universe with two forms of law: laws of man and laws of God. Speeding laws are examples of human law. They are written by governments, which have the right and duty to pass fair speeding laws to keep all motorists safe. On the other hand, the 10 Commandments are examples of divine law. These are immutable, divinely inspired, and give the rules and values of morality. No one has a right to change those laws.

We always need to obey God’s law, and a good government would not require us to violate it in order to stay out of jail. Man’s law can change as time goes on; for example, laws regarding the use of time machines would be ridiculous today, just as laws about speeding would have seemed ridiculous to the folks in Exodus. But whatever the means of contemporary transportation happen to be, worldly leaders have the prerogative of passing fair laws regarding issues that are not “moral issues,” such as rules for safe driving. On moral issues, they are obliged to issue laws in line with the laws of God. Those in authority in society have received their authority from God, although some of them would go to great lengths to deny it. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states that “God’s fourth commandment also enjoins us to honor all who for our good have received authority in society from God” (CCC 2234). Breaking human law can be a sin. However, when questionable laws are passed things can get complex, as the catechism goes on to say, “No one can command or establish what is contrary to the dignity of persons and the natural law” (CCC 2235).

A true and good government would not pass laws which are contrary to the dignity of the human person, such as abortion and euthanasia. A God-oriented government would pass laws which are in accord with divine law, and not force its citizens to violate their religion and their conscience.

In the Middle Ages, the Church and the state worked together throughout Christendom to bring about the best good for the people, even though there were many disagreements and schisms. That is part of the reason why heretics were looked upon with such horror during that period, as they were seen as tearing the order of society apart by offending both Church and state.

It would be interesting to watch the U.S. government and the Vatican try to cooperate and work together for the common good.

The U.S. government has sat silent as millions of children have been brutally murdered over the past 40 years, since Roe v. Wade legalized abortion in 1973. The Church teaches, “A child is not something owed to one, but is a gift… (T)he child possesses ... the right to be respected as a person from the moment of his conception” (CCC 2378).

In America, the divorce rate has skyrocketed in the late 20th and 21st century. The catechism states, “Divorce is a grave offense against the natural law. It claims to break the contract, to which the spouses freely consented, to live with each other till death...” (CCC 2384).

Some American Catholic politicians have said they refuse to bring their ”private” beliefs into their political lives, as it would be unjust to impose the Church’s teachings on non-Catholics. If politicians would actually uphold the U.S. Constitution, however, they would be spreading Catholic principles and morals, since both Church teaching and the constitution recognize the supremacy of natural law.

Divine law is the ultimate authority. We always obey God’s rules: “Refusing obedience to civil authorities when their demands are contrary to those of an upright conscience, finds its justification in the distinction between serving God and serving the political community.

‘Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.’ We must obey God rather than men” (CCC 2242).

A.J. Ohlhaut is a parishioner of St. Ann Church in Charlotte.

Peggy Bowes

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Deacon James H. Toner

The 12 Days Brother Jeff, the Curé of Ars, and humility of Christmas T W

e Catholics are unlike much of the rest of the world in that we actually start celebrating Christmas on Dec. 25, the day when most people breathe a sigh of relief and declare, “I’m glad that’s over!” We anticipate Christmas and prepare for the birth of the Christ Child throughout Advent, but we don’t really celebrate until our Savior comes into the world. In fact, we rejoice for 12 Days of Christmas, beginning on Christmas Day and continuing to Epiphany on Jan. 6.

Here are a few ideas to honor the Twelve Days of Christmas: Dec. 25: When you serve your Christmas dessert, add a few candles and sing “Happy Birthday” to the Christ Child, then decide as a family how you can help a child in need.

Dec. 26: Celebrate the feast of St. Stephen, the first martyr, by reading his story aloud from Acts 6:1-8:2. This feast is also called “Boxing Day” because Christians would box up items for the poor – a great way to practice charity today.

Dec. 27: A fun tradition for the feast of St. John the Evangelist is to have wine blessed.

Invite your parish priest over for dinner or appetizers and dessert and ask him to bless the wine. Be sure to send him home with a bottle to enjoy later.

Dec. 28: Today’s Feast of the Holy Innocents is rather somber as we honor the young boys killed by Herod (Matt 2:16). Perhaps you can pray the rosary for an end to abortion, preferably in front of your local abortion facility.

Dec. 29: On this fifth day of Christmas, find some quiet time to open your Bible and read for at least 15 minutes. The gospels are always a good place to start.

Dec. 30: Honor the Holy Family for today’s feast by holding a family meeting and brainstorming ways to enrich your family’s spiritual life during 2013. Ask the Holy Spirit to guide you.

Dec. 31: Find time to pray a Holy Hour in front of the Blessed Sacrament, or at least stop by your church for a short visit. Take time to thank God for all the blessings He has given you in 2012.

Jan. 1: Today is the Solemnity of Mary the Mother of God and is a holy day of obligation.

Honor the Blessed Mother by praying a novena to her. My favorite is “Mary Undoer of Knots” (visit www.MaryUndoerOfKnots.com).

Jan. 2: Two saintly friends are honored today, St. Basil and St. Gregory. Why not call a friend and meet for lunch or a cup of coffee?

Jan. 3: Celebrate the Feast of the Most Holy Name of Jesus by starting a lifelong habit of bowing your head in reverence every time the Savior’s name is spoken.

Jan. 4: St. Elizabeth Seton is the first American-born saint. It’s her feast today, so ask her intercession for our nation and its leaders.

Jan. 5: Prepare for tomorrow’s feast of the Epiphany by planning a blessing of your home.

Ask a priest to bless a piece of chalk, then draw a cross over the doorway, the year (2013) and C+M+B (Latin initials for “Christ, bless this home”).

Peggy Bowes is a member of Holy Angels Church in Mount Airy and author of “The Rosary Workout” (www.rosaryworkout.com).

he Catechism of the Catholic Church contains great spiritual wealth. Not for nothing did Blessed John Paul II call it “a sure norm for teaching the faith.” In very many cases, a Scriptural passage can be illuminated when we read the catechism’s commentary about it.

Among the items of the catechism is this one: “...The Holy Spirit can use the humblest to enlighten the learned and those in the highest positions” (CCC 2038).

Most of us are prepared to learn from great thinkers and inspiring speakers. The question is whether we are prepared to learn from those whose teaching is meek (Mt 5:5).

A former professor of philosophy at the University of Notre Dame tells the story of many college students who, when needing advice or consolation, sought out the help of the janitor, Weldon Jeffries (known as “Brother Jeff”), in the building which housed the philosophy department. In Decio Hall at Notre Dame were (and are) some of the best and brightest philosophers in the country, yet Notre Dame students sought the counsel of the janitor. Because of his humility, his wisdom, his love.

The seminary where I taught, Holy Apostles Seminary in Connecticut, also had a wonderful religious brother, untutored in the ways of the world, whose name was also “Brother Jeff.”

Humility, the catechism explains, is the virtue by which we recognize that God is the author of all good and by which we avoid arrogance. It is also known as “poverty of spirit” (page 882).

Too often, non-Christians confuse humility with groveling, meaning behaving in a servile or sycophantic way. God gives all of us some talent and expects us to recognize that talent, to develop it, and to employ it well. Sirach, one of my favorite books in the Bible, states: “Don’t underrate yourself. Humility deserves honor and respect, but a low opinion of yourself leads to sin” (4:20-21 GNB).

Humble people, therefore, as St. Thomas Aquinas wisely told us, know what they know; that is, a humble person is not an intellectual or moral doormat. There are times and places for us to stake out a position and to defend it. The first pope told us to “be ready at all times to (provide an) answer” to anyone questioning us about the faith” (1 Peter 3:15). Humility doesn’t mean “caving in” or “giving up” or “going along with the crowd.” St. Paul was clear: “Be alert, stand firm in the faith, be brave, be strong” (1 Cor 16:13 GNB).

The prophet Isaiah tells us that God warned him (and us) that, “If you do not stand by me, you will not stand at all” (7:9 JB). Indeed, there are times to stand up and be counted.

But anyone who writes or speaks publicly – even priests – sometimes will encounter reprobate attacks not only about what he said, but about his very character. In those cases, the best response is a soft answer (see Proverbs 15:1) or none at all, and instead offering a prayer for the wrathful.

Anyone who has witnessed outside an abortion mill understands the point of humbly turning the other cheek (Mt 5:39). Converts are surely not won by physical, or even verbal, counter-assaults. As Venerable Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen once said: If you wish to gain someone’s attention, whisper!

Catholics might be also reminded of the story of St. John Mary Vianney (1786-1859), the Curé of Ars, a priest known for spending long hours in the confessional, where he was sought out over the years by thousands of penitents because of his holiness, his humility and his great devotion to the sacrament of confession.

The Brother Jeff at Notre Dame and the Brother Jeff at Holy Apostles were holy, helpful and humble men like the Curé of Ars – always with a smile on their faces and a kind word for everyone.

In linking humility and kindness, I depend upon St. Paul, who joins compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience (Col 3:12). St. Peter says that to the extent that we cultivate these virtues, they will keep us from “being idle or unfruitful” (2 Pt 1:7-8).

The two Brother Jeffs were truly great teachers – and the Holy Spirit “can use the humblest to enlighten” philosophers at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana and even seminary professors at Holy Apostles Seminary in Connecticut. May everyone who reads these words have a “Brother Jeff” or two in his or her life!

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

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catholicnewsherald.com | December 21, 2012 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

SISTER MICHEL: FROM PAGE 8

She wanted to help build a path to peace and stability in Lebanon, one young person at a time.

One of those scholarship recipients, Walid Maalouf, now a U.S. citizen, philanthropist and diplomat who has served with the U.S. government and at the United Nations, speaks often of Sister Michel’s influence on his life and the lives of other young Lebanese who came to North Carolina thanks to her.

“She has lighted a single candle in this land of liberty,” Maalouf said in 1985, during a special event in Belmont held to honor Sister Michel for her support of the Lebanese-American community in North Carolina. Archbishop Francis Zayek and Ambassador Abdallah Bouhabib and the Lebanese Community of the Carolinas had come to Belmont to thank her personally for her efforts in providing college educations for Lebanese students.

Maalouf remarked, “While others have abandoned Lebanon as a hopeless situation, Sister Michel has never lost faith in her people and has worked quietly and humbly to find solutions through understanding and proper education.

Now ... we can continue this cause as long as Lebanon needs us. And the light of this one candle is joined by the light of many, drawing from her flame, shattering the darkness of chaos and war with its brilliance. As the Apostle John wrote, ‘The light shines on in the darkness and the darkness has never overcome it.’”

A cedar tree was planted in Sister Michel’s honor on the front lawn of Sacred Heart College that day, and it still stands tall today.

Last year Sister Michel was also honored by the president of Lebanon, General Michel Sleiman, for her remarkable service to the Lebanese people and devotion to the Maronite religious heritage of her Lebanese-American parents.

In presenting her with the presidential honor on Nov. 9, 2011, the Lebanese ambassador to the U.S., Antoine Chedid, called Sister Michel an outstanding public servant whose “wisdom and outstanding dedication have left a high example for the generations to come of the Americans from Lebanese descent.”

Sister Michel is like so many from the “Land of the Cedars,” Chedid said, who are tenacious in their dedication to helping others.

“The Lebanese have always been adept entrepreneurs at home and abroad. They have journeyed throughout the world to build, develop and advance the forces of progress. They have always demonstrated an unshaken commitment to their independence and sovereignty and they have also shown their strong adherence to the principles of democracy,” he said.

“America’s promise of freedom attracted those early immigrants from Lebanon like the parents of Sister Mary Michel. But the Lebanese who came to this land, even though they did not have any money, were so rich in spirit. They decided to build their new towers in America and consequently they devoted themselves to helping their ancient motherland by achieving success in their adopted homeland.

“Sister Mary Michel Boulus, you are a leading example of those American Lebanese. It was you – your generation of American Lebanese – who provided Lebanon with a reservoir of good will.

The Lebanese-American community was not only proud to receive the bounties that America bestows upon those who

adopt her, but many of its members also contributed greatly in a society of fields of endeavor. In politics and government, they have made their mark. Many Americans from Lebanese descent can be named but none is more deserving of recognition than our distinguished honoree today,” he said.

Sister Michel’s life, he noted, “is the story of devotion, humility, rightfulness and of success.”

“Throughout her religious life, Sister Mary Michel has served God, the Church, the human being, the needy and served the American people with vision, love, integrity and silent enthusiasm. In all her activities, the public good has superseded everything else, and the most profound ambition for her has always been to serve to the best of her ability. She is a nun at heart and at Sacred Heart (Convent and College) she wanted to make a difference, and indeed she did. Since she entered the order of the Sisters of Mercy that Aug. 2, 1949, she served her God as a high school and college teacher before becoming the president of Sacred Heart College. Sister Mary Michel never forgot her forefathers’ country, Lebanon. She established the Lebanese scholarship program and many deserving Lebanese students have been awarded full scholarships. You guided them through their education, you acted as their mentor, and here they are – they went on to become business and community leaders both in the United States and in Lebanon. You had a beautiful impact. Your achievement was a lasting investment in the future of Lebanon and her people.”

A social involvement very dear to her heart was the Metrolina Phoenician Club, which kept her in touch with her Lebanese heritage.

Sister Michel was noted for her ability to “make the impossible happen.” Two of the most notable examples were bringing the

late Danny Thomas, a Maronite Catholic, to Belmont and Charlotte for fund raising and sponsoring the Ice Capades.

Sister Michel will long be remembered for her sense of hospitality and her gracious reception of everyone she met. It is said that she never met a stranger. Sister Michel had a lively sense of humor and a great ability to laugh at herself. Former students still remember her with fondness as someone who really cared.

Former student Walid Maalouf said Dec. 10, “We are deeply saddened with the passing of our beloved Sister Mary Michel Boulus. She was the light at the end of the tunnel for many people. She changed so many lives for the better.”

Maalouf said other former students had been contacting each other following the sad news of her passing to share stories and reminisce about Sister Michel. Her “famous three words in her speeches to us students were always ‘I challenge you!’ She challenged us all right, and you see her former students excelling in their professional lives around the world,” he said.

He added, “I believe those who pass on to eternal life during Christmas have a symbolic life of themselves being a gift to the world and this is what Sister Michel was: a gift from God to the world.”

Besides her parents, Sister Michel was preceded in death by brothers Paul Boulus and William Boulus and sister Sara Boulus Abowd. She is survived by the Sisters of Mercy, and her sister Elizabeth Boulus of Belmont, sister-in-law Deneen Boulus of Michigan, and many nieces and nephews.

Memorials may be made to Sisters of Mercy, 100 Mercy Drive, Belmont, N.C. 28012.

Carothers Funeral Home of Gastonia was in charge of the arrangements.

— compiled by Patricia L. Guilfoyle, editor

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