August 31, 2012

August 31, 2012

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

School begins First day of school in photos, 22 Charlotte Catholic welcomes new full-time chaplain, 23

Young applicants line up for deferred deportation, 3

Catholics to DNC: ‘Listen up!’

INDEX Contact us.......................... 4 Events calendar................. 4 Our Parishes.................. 3-9 Our Faith............................. 2 Schools........................ 22-25 Scripture readings............ 2 TV & Movies...................... 26 U.S. news.......................... 28 Viewpoints...................30-31 World news...................... 29

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INSIDE, 10-19 Advance coverage of the DNC in Charlotte, from a Catholic perspective n Cardinal Dolan to offer closing prayer at DNC n

100 years of gratitude to God

Details on planned DNC programs, protest demonstrations and prayer vigils n Bishop Jugis to speak on ‘Faithful Citizenship’ n

Immaculate Conception Parish in Hendersonville celebrates centennial anniversary, welcomes new friars,

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Our faith 2

catholicnewsherald.com | August 31, 2012 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Pope Benedict XVI

Christians must not compromise Christ’s truth Marking the feast of the martyrdom of St. John the Baptist, Pope Benedict XVI said Christians must not bow to the pressure of the powerful who demand a denial of Christ or of the truth He taught.

“The truth is the truth and there is no compromise,” the pope said at his weekly general audience Aug. 29, the day the Church remembers St. John the Baptist’s beheading.

An estimated 2,500 people gathered in the town square just outside the papal summer villa in Castel Gandolfo for the main part of the pope’s audience.

Walking with a cane, the pope then held a second, mini-audience in the courtyard of the papal villa with 2,600 French altar servers – boys and girls – who were on a pilgrimage to Rome.

Pope Benedict told the young people they were blessed to be “particularly close to Christ Jesus in the Eucharist.

You have the enormous privilege of being close to the altar, close to the Lord.”

The pope prayed that being an altar server would help the young people deepen their friendship with Christ and enthusiastically share God’s love with their friends and families.

“And, if one day you feel called to follow the path to the priesthood or religious life, respond generously,” he told the youngsters.

In his main audience talk, the pope said St. John the Baptist, “out of love for the truth, would not compromise with the powerful” who wanted him to deny Christ.

Celebrating the martyrdom of St. John the Baptist is a reminder that “we cannot accept compromises about the love of Christ, His word, His Truth,” he said.

Pope Benedict said St. John’s strength to preach conversion, to lead people to Jesus and to face martyrdom flowed from prayer and a total reliance on God. The periods St. John spent in the desert were part of his preparation.

The desert is a place “where man experiences his own poverty because, deprived of support and material security, he understands that the only solid point of reference remaining is God,” the pope said.

His example of prayer, he said, teaches believers that “prayer isn’t time wasted, it does not steal time away from work – even apostolic work.”

Rather, he said, St. John the Baptist’s life is a reminder that “only if we have a faithful, constant, trusting prayer life, God Himself will give us the ability and strength to live happily and serenely, to overcome difficulty and witness to Him courageously.”

St. John Chrysostom: Golden-tongued Father of the Church

The facts of faith

A saintly life

Why is confession still done in person in this modern technological age?

Feast day: Sept. 13 St. John Chrysostom (from the Greek “chrysostomos,” meaning golden-mouthed) was perhaps the greatest preacher in the history of the Church and the most prominent Greek Father of the Church. The Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Churches also honor him as a saint and count him among the Three Holy Hierarchs, together with St. Basil the Great and St. Gregory Nazianzus.

St. John Chrysostom was born in Antioch around 344 or 347. Soon after his birth, his father, a high-ranking military leader in the Roman Empire, died. John was raised by his mother, and thanks to her influential connections in Roman society he received an excellent classical education under the pagan teacher Libanius. From Libanius, he acquired the skills for a career in rhetoric, as well as a love of the Greek language and literature.

As he grew older, however, he became more deeply committed to Christianity. According to the Christian historian Sozomen, Libanius was supposed to have said on his deathbed that John would have been his successor “if the Christians had not taken him from us.”

After meeting the holy bishop St. Meletus, John decided to devote his time to the study of religious works and Scripture. He was baptized after three years of study and set out for the desert to live the ascetic life of a hermit. His extreme mortifications left him in fragile health, so he returned to Antioch after two years of recovery and prepared for the priesthood.

He was ordained a priest in 386 and served in the Cathedral of Antioch for 12 years, winning widespread fame for his preaching with insightful expositions of Bible passages and moral teaching.

The themes of his talks were practical, explaining the Bible’s application to everyday life.

The most valuable of his works from this period are hundreds of homilies on various books of the Bible, which were written down by the audience and subsequently circulated. In them he emphasized charitable giving and was concerned with the spiritual and temporal needs of the poor. He spoke against materialism, conspicuous consumption and the abuse of wealth: “It is not

possible for one to be wealthy and just at the same time,” he preached in one homily that drew on the Gospel of Matthew. “Do you pay such honor to your excrements as to receive them into a silver chamber-pot when another man made in the image of God is perishing in the cold?”

In 398 John was forcefully appointed Patriarch (Archbishop) of Constantinople, and fast became very popular with his flock through his example of preaching and courage in front of the imperial power, whose corruption and decadence he never shirked from criticizing in public.

He adamantly refused to host lavish social gatherings, which made him popular with the common people but unpopular with wealthy citizens and the clergy. His efforts were met with resistance and limited success, and his outspoken attacks earned him enemies – notably the empress Eudoxia and Theophilus, the bishop of Alexandria, who had him condemned on false charges in 403.

He was exiled to Armenia, where he continued to be a great presence in the Church of the East through his many letters.

In the midst of his sufferings, like St. Paul, the Apostle whom he so greatly admired, he found the greatest peace and happiness. He had the consolation of knowing that the pope, Innocent I, remained his friend and did for him what lay in his power.

His enemies were not satisfied with the sufferings he had already endured, and they banished him still further – from Armenia to Pythius, an isolated place along the Black Sea, at the very extremity of the Roman Empire. He died on his way there on Sept. 14, 407. His last words are said to have been, “Glory be to God for all things.”

— Sources: Catholic News Agency, Catholic Online, Wikipedia

Q: Why can’t priests hear confessions through electronic media such as telephone, email, or Internet?

A: Confession on the telephone or by email is not permitted by the Church for a couple of reasons. First, the sacrament of confession is a personal encounter with Jesus in which He personally addresses every sinner: “My son, your sins are forgiven.” He is the physician tending each one of the sick who need Him to cure them. He raises them up and reintegrates them into fraternal communion.

Personal confession is thus the form most expressive of reconciliation with God and with the Church. (CCC 1484) Second, maintaining secrecy is essential. The “Church declares that every priest who hears confessions is bound under very severe penalties to keep absolute secrecy regarding the sins that his penitents have confessed to him” (CCC 1467). Email, the Internet, and telephones are never completely private.

The Pontifical Council on Social Communications on The Church and Internet says: “Virtual reality is no substitute for the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist, the sacramental reality of the other sacraments, and shared worship in a flesh-andblood human community.

There are no sacraments on the Internet; and even the religious experiences possible there by the grace of God are insufficient apart from real-world interaction with other persons of faith.”

— Peggy Frye for Catholic Answers, online at www.catholic.com

Your daily Scripture readings SCRIPTURE FOR THE WEEK OF SEPT. 2 - SEPT. 8

Sunday, Deuteronomy 4:1-2, 6-8, James 1:1718, 21-22, 27, Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23; Monday (St. Gregory the Great), 1 Corinthians 2:1-5, Luke 4:16-30; Tuesday, 1 Corinthians 2:1016, Luke 4:31-17; Wednesday, 1 Corinthians 3:1-9, Luke 4:38-44; Thursday, 1 Corinthians 3:18-23, Luke 5:1-11; Friday, 1 Corinthians 4:1-5, Luke 5:33-39; Saturday (The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary), Micah 5:1-4, Matthew 1:1-16, 18-23

SCRIPTURE FOR THE WEEK OF SEPT. 9 - SEPT. 15

Sunday, Isaiah 35:4-7, James 2:1-5, Mark 7:31-37; Monday, 1 Corinthians 5:1-8, Luke 6:611; Tuesday, 1 Corinthians 6:1-11, Luke 6:12-19; Wednesday (The Most Holy Name of Mary), 1 Corinthians 7:25-31, Luke 6:20-26; Thursday (St. John Chrysostom), 1 Corinthians 8:1-7, 1113, Luke 6:27-38; Friday (The Exaltation of the Holy Cross), Numbers 21:4-9, Philippians 2:6-11, John 3:13-17; Saturday (Our Lady of Sorrows), 1 Corinthians 10:14-22, John 19:25-27

SCRIPTURE FOR THE WEEK OF SEPT. 16 - SEPT. 22

Sunday, Isaiah 50:4-9, James 2:14-18, Mark 8:27-35; Monday (St. Robert Bellarmine), 1 Corinthians 11:17-26, 33, Luke 7:1-10; Tuesday, 1 Corinthians 12:12-14, 27-31, Luke 7:11-17; Wednesday (St. Januarius), 1 Corinthians 12:31-13:13, Luke 7:31-35; Thursday (Sts. Andrew kim Tae-gon, Paul Chong Ha-sang and Companions), 1 Corinthians 15:1-11, Luke 7:36-50; Friday (St. Matthew), Ephesians 4:1-7, 11-13, Matthew 9:9-13; Saturday, 1 Corinthians 15:35-37, 42-49, Luke 8:4-15

Our parishes

August 31, 2012 | catholicnewsherald.com catholic news heraldI

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Young applicants line up for deferred deportation Catholic Social Services advises ‘measured response’

In Brief

Patricia Zapor and Patricia L. Guilfoyle Catholic News Service/Catholic News Herald

Maronite Mass to be celebrated Sept. 8 CHARLOTTE — Celebrate the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary on Saturday, Sept. 8, during a Mass said in Arabic and English at the Maronite Mission of Charlotte. Maronite Catholics are in full communion with the universal Church. Father Kamil Chouaifati will be the celebrant at the 7 p.m. Mass.

The celebration will be followed by a light Middle Eastern dinner. The Maronite Mission of Charlotte worships at the chapel of St. Matthew Church, 8015 Ballantyne Commons Pkwy., Charlotte. For more information, call 704-236-4994 or follow them on Facebook under “Maronite Mission of Charlotte.”

— Natasha Beathe

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The first days of applying for deferred deportation for some young adults under a program to use prosecutorial discretion brought out tens of thousands of applicants to workshops around the country, including hundreds of people in the Diocese of Charlotte.

Immigration staff with Catholic Social Services have been inundated with inquiries to get information and apply for deferred deportation status for 15- to 30-year-olds since Aug. 15, the first day applications could be filed under a move announced by President Barack Obama in June.

“The phones have been ringing off the hook,” said Andrea B. Slusser, JD, the immigration supervisor for CSS. Embassies and consulates around the country have seen long lines of people seeking documents they might need to apply for the program, called Deferred

Action for Childhood Arrivals or DACA. DACA is open to people who arrived in the U.S. before age 16, have lived here at least five years and were not yet age 31 by June 15, when the program was announced. People younger than 15 who otherwise qualify will be able to apply once they turn 15, the government announced.

Despite the intense interest, though, agency staff are expressing caution over DACA, an executive order which the government has warned may be changed or stopped for any reason at any time without notice.

The application process involves giving federal officials a person’s biographical details, information on how and when they entered the U.S. illegally, and any employment history in the U.S. It requires an applicant to admit, in writing, to violating numerous federal immigration laws. It also records their fingerprints and photos, and places the applicant on a list that potentially could be shared with other federal agencies, including Immigration

Learn more More about the deferred deportation program – including the application, eligibility requirements and documentation needed, plus answers to frequently asked questions – is online at: (English) www.uscis.gov/childhoodarrivals (Spanish) www.uscis.gov/acciondiferida

and Customs Enforcement.

“If they decide to remove you from the country, the federal government doesn’t have to make their case,” Slusser noted.

“You’ve made it for them.”

“Because there are so many risks to this, we are taking a measured response,” she said.

Also still evolving just two weeks after the program launched is information about DEPORTATION, SEE page 9

FROM ALLEYS TO RALLIES

Pro-life activist speaks out in latest book, ‘Abandoned’ SueAnn Howell Staff writer

Two pastors installed Father Eric Kowalski was installed as the 13th pastor of Our Lady of Grace Church in Greensboro July 27. Father Patrick Winslow was installed as pastor of St. Thomas Aquinas Church in Charlotte Aug. 14.

Read about their installations and see more photos from the celebrations online at www.catholicnewsherald.com.

Confirmation celebrated at Lexington parish LEXINGTON — Thirteen young people from Our Lady of the Rosary Church in Lexington recently received the sacrament of confirmation from Bishop Peter J. Jugis.

— Linda McAdam

CHARLOTTE — Victims of abortion have a voice in the rightto-life battle thanks to the efforts of Dr. Monica Migliorino Miller, founder of Citizens for a Pro-life Society. Her commitment to documenting the killing that has taken place in the U.S. since abortion was legalized in 1973 has taken her to alleys, where she has recovered the broken bodies of unborn children carelessly tossed in dumpsters, to rallies where she has determinedly bemoaned the destruction of those lives.

Miller, an associate professor of theology and religious studies at Madonna University in Michigan, joined the war against abortion more than 36 years ago. She is responsible for capturing many of the images of the babies killed in abortion by photographing them after they were discovered in garbage bags and dumpsters outside abortion mills.

“I am one of the few people in the history of the human race that has taken pictures of abortion victims,” Miller says.

Her latest work from Saint Benedict Press, “Abandoned: The Untold Story of the Abortion Wars,” is a snapshot of her pro-life work from 1976 to 1994. In it she chronicles her work counseling pregnant women outside abortion facilities, where she often also organized pro-life groups and sit-ins. She relates stories of how she blocked abortionists’ cars, was arrested and went to jail. And she tells how she pulled the bodies of thousands of unborn babies out of dumpsters and gave them proper burials.

Miller was in Charlotte recently, filming two “Catholic Courses” for Saint Benedict Press. In an exclusive interview, she recounted her efforts in the pro-life movement over the past three decades: CNH: What did you have to overcome within yourself to retrieve the bodies of the babies and photograph them to show the horror of abortion?

MILLER: By the time we made the first discovery in 1987, I was prepared. It was not as if I had never seen a photograph of a dismembered or mangled human being. I was already well shocked by then. It was really, truly shock. I had a frozen emotion.

So I had already been baptized in that. But the biggest burden, in some ways, was that abortion victim photography is very difficult.

So many of the victims are very small.

My husband and I are not photographers. We had to teach ourselves. It takes a very long time to take the photos, so even

photo provided by citizens for a pro-life society

Dr. Monica Miller leads a rally June 8, 2012, in Detroit. She has been active in the pro-life movement for the past 36 years. physically it is an endurance issue. The remains are often in a very potent solution and you are always breathing it in. It can burn your nostrils. The smell stays with you forever.

For years afterward, seeing the bodies, handling the bodies, photographing the bodies – the images get imprinted, you carry them around wherever you go. I’ve seen things that the human eye is not supposed to look at. You have a deep, tragic awareness of what we are dealing with when we are talking about abortion.

CNH: What do you hope people take away from seeing these images and reading your book?

MILLER: I hope they take away an awakening of their souls and that they are plunged into a whole new reality that they simply did not know was there, and that it awakens a sense of justice – that they would want to end this, that there is something really wrong ACTIVIST, SEE page 9

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catholicnewsherald.com | August 31, 2012 OUR PARISHES

Diocesan calendar of events CHARLOTTE Congreso Eucarístico, Centro de Convenciones de Charlotte — “He Aquí el Cordero de Dios,” 21 y 22 de sept. Visite www.goeucharist.com.

Bishop Peter J. Jugis

eucharistic congress, charlotte convention center Bishop Peter J. Jugis will participate in the following events over the next two weeks:

— “Behold the Lamb of God,” Sept. 21 and Sept. 22. Visit www.goeucharist.com.

Sept. 1 – 5:30 p.m.

Pastor Installation of Father John P. Timlin, C.M. St. Mary Church, Greensboro

ST. gabriel CHURCH, 3016 providence road

Sept. 4 - 12:10 p.m. holy mass with homily on religious liberty St. patrick cathedral, charlotte

— Young Widowed Group, Ministry Center, 7-9 p.m. first Tuesdays. Contact Sister Eileen McLoughlin, MSBT, at 704-543-7677, ext. 1043.

Mass in the Extraordinary Form Several Catholic churches in the diocese will begin offering the Latin Mass: OUR LADY OF THE ANGELS MISSION: 258 N. Garden St., Marion - Beginning Sunday, Sept. 9, at 9 a.m., weekly Mass in the Extraordinary Form

ST. JOHN NEUMANN CHURCH, 8451 IDLEWILD ROAD — “Legion of Mary” group invites you to join them, Council Room, 9:30 a.m. Tuesdays. Contact Janice Kemble at mazaly6@aol.com or 704-301-7331.

Sept. 8 – 7 p.m.

Sacrament of Confirmation St. Andrew Church, Mars Hill

ST. MATTHEW CHURCH, 8015 BALLANTYNE COMMONS PKWY.

— Charismatic Prayer Group, 7:15 p.m. Mondays

CONCORD ST. JAMES THE GREATER CHURCH 139 MANOR AVE. St. James’ middle/high school religious education kicks off its faith formation year on Sunday, Sept. 23, with national youth ministry speaker Mary Bielski, 6:15 p.m.-8 p.m. Contact the church office at 704-7200600 for details.

— St. Peregrine Healing Prayer Service, 7:30 p.m. Sept. 27 SEPT. 11 – 11 A.M. Presbyteral Council Meeting Pastoral Center, Charlotte

— Charismatic Prayer Group, Choir Room, 7:30-9 p.m.

Mondays. Contact Barbara Gardner at chlt5nc@aol. com.

SEPT. 11 – 4 P.M. Jubilee Celebration of Priestly Ordinations Mass of Thanksgiving sT. Patrick cATHEDRAL, Charlotte

— Centering Prayer Group, NLC Room 206, 7-8:30 p.m. second and fourth Wednesdays. Contact Bruce Hassett at 704-641-9041 or Janie Normile at 803-396-8016.

ST. patrick cathedral, 1621 dilworth road east

Sept. 13 – 10 a.m.

Diocesan Foundation Board Meeting Catholic Conference Center, Hickory

— Vigil for Liberty, Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration, begins 8 a.m. Monday, Sept. 3, through 9 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 6.

Go to www.stpatricks.org to volunteer for a Holy Hour.

Sept. 13 – 7 p.m.

Consecration of Altars sT. Aloysius Church, Hickory

— Bishop Peter Jugis will celebrate Mass and serve as homilist at the 12:10 p.m. Mass on Sept. 4 during the Vigil for Liberty.

Sept. 15 – 5 p.m.

Sacrament of Confirmation sT. Joan of Arc Church, Candler

— The Charlotte Catholic Women’s Group (CCWG) reflection and luncheon, Mass at 9 a.m. followed by a fall reflection led by Father Roger K. Arnsparger at 10 a.m. RSVP to Kara Carroll at dalton.kara@gmail.com

by Sept. 3.

ST. THOMAS AQUINAS CHURCH, 1400 SUTHER ROAD — The diocesan 25th and 50th Wedding Anniversary Mass for those married in 1962 or 1987 will be celebrated on Sunday, Oct. 21. Mass begins at 2 p.m. and will be followed by a reception. Check with your parish office for details and to register for an invitation. The deadline for submission of names to be included in the Mass is Friday, Sept. 7.

HOLY FAMILY CHURCH, 4820 Kinnamon Road — Natural Family Planning Introduction and Full Course, 1-5 p.m. Sept. 8. RSVP to Batrice Adcock, MSN, RN, at cssnfp@charlottediocese.org or 704-370-3230.

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

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

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

DENVER HOLY SPIRIT CHURCH, 537 N. Hwy. 16 — “Moving On After Moving In” is a 10-week class for women that deals with the spiritual, emotional and practical needs after a move or a life transition. Class starts Thursday, Sept. 13, 10 a.m.-11:30 a.m. To register or get more information, contact Candy at 704-4891696.

— The Ancient Order of Hibernians, an Irish Catholic Men organization welcomes all men who are practicing Catholics and who are Irish by birth or descent, to attend our meeting in the parish center on Thursday, Sept. 13 at 7:30 PM. Contact uniteire@ yahoo.com.

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

— Walking with Purpose, 8-10:30 a.m. Sept. 8, Mass followed by brunch and reflection with Dr. Lewis Lipscomb on “Discovering our Dignity.”

Contact Patty Disney at 336-382-2558. Visit www. walkingwithpurpose.com.

— The Women’s Club will begin meeting the third Thursday of each month starting Sept. 20 in the media center of OLG School at 6:30 p.m. All ladies of the parish are invited. Contact Carol Stratton at 336-851-0436.

HICKORY

CLEMMONS

Volume 21 • Number 22

SACRED HEART CHURCH: 375 Lumen Christi Lane, Salisbury - Beginning Wednesday, Sept. 5, at 6 p.m., weekly Mass in the Extraordinary Form

— Respect Life Rosary, at the Blessed Virgin Grotto, following 10:45 a.m. Mass first Sundays

Sept. 8 – 2:30 p.m.

Sacrament of Confirmation Sacred Heart Mission, Burnsville

August 31, 2012

OUR LADY OF GRACE CHURCH: 2205 W. Market St., Greensboro - Beginning Friday, Sept. 14, at 6 p.m. for the Feast of the Triumph of the Cross, then every Sunday beginning Sept. 16 at 1:30 p.m.

ST. ALOYSIUS CHURCH, 921 SECOND STREET N.E. — Bishop Peter Jugis will bless the altar in the main sanctuary and the Adoration chapel on Sept. 13 at 7 p.m. All are invited to attend.

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HIGH POINT christ the king church, IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY Church, and our lady of the highways church — Pro-Life Rosary, 9 a.m. Sept. 1, rain or shine, at 901 N. Main St. and Sunset Dr. Contact Jim Hoyng at 336882-9593 or Paul Klosterman at 336-848-6835.

IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY Church, 4145 Johnson ST. — Free beginner and advanced Spanish classes (8week program) starting Thursday, Sept. 20, from 7-8:30 p.m. For more information or to register, contact Nancy at 336-884-0522 or email Dr. Kwan at Hinglkwan@gmail.com

HUNTERSVILLE St. mark Church, 14740 stumptown road — “Are you thirsty?” with Chris Stefanick (youth minister and national speaker), a talk geared toward high school teens and their parents, Family Center, 7-8:30 p.m. Sept. 30.

— Our Lady of Perpetual Help Novenas, following 6:30 p.m. Mass Wednesdays — Hora Santa en español, 7:30-8:30 p.m. primeros viernes

KERNERSVILLE HOLY CROSS CHURCH, 616 S. Cherry ST. — Charismatic Prayer Group, 8 p.m. first and second Fridays. Contact Gary and Richelle Stacy at 828-8987295 or 336-792-2932.

TRYON ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST CHURCH 180 LAUREL AVE. — Second Annual Italian Feast celebrating 101 years of the parish, Friday, Sept. 7, through Saturday, Sept.

8. Eucharistic procession 7:45 p.m. Sept. 7, followed by refreshments. Feast with music, food, dancing and games all day Sept. 8. Contact 828-859-9574 for more information.

Is your parish or school hosting a free event open to the public? Deadline for all submissions for the Diocesan Calendar is 10 days prior to desired publication date.

Submit in writing to catholicnews@charlottediocese.org.

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

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facebook.com/ catholic news HERALD Diocese of Charlotte

August 31, 2012 | catholicnewsherald.com

OUR PARISHESI

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Father William Evans, who served parishes in western N.C., dies HIGHLANDS — Father William Morris Evans passed away Aug. 20, 2012, at Highlands Cashiers Hospital in Highlands.

He was 77.

The Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated on Aug. 30, 2012, at St. Jude Mission in Sapphire. Bishop Peter J. Jugis was the main celebrant and Father James Cahill was the homilist.

Father Evans served at Catholic churches in Statesville, Maggie Valley, Sylva and Highlands/Cashiers before retiring.

Father Evans came to his vocation in life by following the call of the Holy Spirit.

He was raised a Baptist but converted to Catholicism at 18, prompting his grandmother to say he was “doomed to hell.”

After four years as a U.S. Navy medical corpsman during the Korean War, he attended the University of North CarolinaChapel Hill, earning a doctorate in French studies. He taught French language and literature at Appalachian State University until he was 40, when he felt the call to the priesthood.

“I thought God had lost His mind,” Evans quipped in a 2011 interview with the Catholic News Herald, but nevertheless, he said, he joined the Dominican order and was ordained in 1981. The Dominicans put his teaching skills to use at universities in the Memphis, Tenn., area until 1986 when he decided to become a parish priest with the Diocese of Charlotte.

He subsequently served at Catholic parishes in Statesville, Maggie Valley, Sylva and finally Highlands/Cashiers,

where he retired several years ago.

In 1988 Father Evans started teaching French classes at Western Carolina University, which he continued to do until his retirement. Then Charlotte Bishop John F. Donoghue allowed Father Evans to teach in addition to being a priest because he said he liked having a Catholic presence on a state university campus.

“Teaching and being a priest are two jobs I love dearly,” Father Evans said in the 2011 interview. “Even as a priest, I was a teacher trying to explain what the Scriptures say to us today.”

Even in retirement, he taught a Bible study class at St. Jude Mission in Cashiers and occasionally celebrated Mass when needed.

A lifelong teacher, Father Evans had a keen mind and enjoyed learning as well as teaching. He took flute lessons with Rita Hayes, a member of the Asheville Symphony.

Tina Cone was one of the parishioners who often helped Father Evans when needed. She said parishioners were glad to give back to the man who had brought so much to their lives.

“Father Evans is a very good speaker and an inspiration to be around,” Cone said in 2011. “He puts you at ease. You can talk to him about anything.”

Melton Funeral Home and Cremation Service Inc. of Sylva was in charge of the arrangements.

— Catholic News Herald Tim Reid, correspondent, contributed.

Public hearing set in Asheville on competing plans for land next to basilica Kimberly Bender Online reporter

Tim Reid | Catholic News Herald

In this archive photo, Father William Evans plays the piccolo for his beloved dachshund Tobey. The two were among the clergy featured in an April 2011 cover story about priests and their dogs.

A change of guard at Frances Warde Medical Service: Two founding Sisters of Mercy retire Dorice Narins Correspondent

BREVARD — Two Sisters of Mercy who established a medical clinic for the needy in the western North Carolina mountains are retiring after almost 29 years of service.

Mercy Sister Gretchen Hermanny, M.D., and Mercy Sister Jacquie Dewar set up Frances Warde Medical Service near Balsam Gap in 1984 – one year after arriving in the area following Sister Gretchen’s extensive research to find a rural mountain community that was medically underserved.

Their first “home” was a small travel trailer parked in the middle of a field on Tennessee Gap Road near Balsam Gap. It had neither electricity nor running water.

Their association with Sacred Heart Church in Brevard started immediately.

Father Joe Mulligan, the pastor of Sacred Heart Church at the time, allowed the sisters to use the bathroom at the rectory since they had no running water available.

Life improved somewhat when they rented a house while looking for land to purchase. Buy land they did, and the owner offered to move a house up there for them. The house had a definite problem: termites had ruined half of it. The Men’s Club of Sacred Heart Parish, spearheaded

by Bud Cole and Steve Fitzgerald, tore out the ruined parts and replaced them. They worked every Tuesday morning. On Dec. 15, 1984, the sisters moved in.

But the sisters did not wait until they had moved in before they started seeing patients; they had hung up the Frances Warde Medical Service sign in July 1984.

Patients were seen in a small trailer

Dorice Narins | Catholic News Herald

Mercy Sister Gretchen Hermanny, M.D., (center) and Mercy Sister Jacqueline Dewar (right) are retiring from a medical clinic they established near Brevard almost 29 years ago, and Mercy Sister Carol Hoban (left) will continue their mission. In this file photo, the three Mercy sisters received certificates of appreciation from the Ladies Guild of Sacred Heart Church in Brevard. purchased with funds from the Catholic Extension Society. One woman made fliers for them to help get the word out. Once the house was repaired, the living room became the waiting room and the kitchen held their medical supplies as well as food.

There was no extra room anywhere, not even for an Advent wreath on a small table.

In April 1988, the sisters moved to a new facility in Rosman and their patients followed them. When Sister Jacquie asked the postman, “What is our new address so we can tell people?”, his response was, “I know where you are.” One of the blessings

of living in a small community!

The two will be missed by Sacred Heart Church parishioners, who enjoyed listening to them in the choir and hand bell choir.

Most of all, they will be missed for their outstanding service to countless people of the area, who would have had little or no medical care if not for the two sisters.

The two sisters will be returning to their mother house in New Jersey. Following their departure, Frances Warde Medical Service will continue in a slightly different form, but with a familiar face: Mercy Sister Carol Hoban.

ASHEVILLE — Basilica of St. Lawrence supporters will have their last chance to sell Asheville city leaders on the idea of a plaza on city-owned property across the street from the century-old church.

A public hearing about the proposed sale of the .80-acre Haywood Street property to a hotel group, which wants to build a 140-room high-rise (pictured above) across from the historically significant church, will be held during the Asheville City Council meeting on Sept. 11. Basilica supporters hope to pack the meeting and encourage attendees to bring signs.

After hearing from the public, the Asheville City Council will have the opportunity to vote on the contract to sell that property to the McKibbon Group, a Georgia-based company.

Before the public hearing, the basilica will hold two informational meetings.

A parish town hall meeting will be held at Laurentine Hall from 10:15 to 11:45 a.m. Sept. 2. A public presentation is scheduled for Sept. 7 from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Renaissance Hotel in Asheville. For details, go to www.stlawrenceplaza.com.

Last month McKibbon unveiled sketches and plans for a seven-story “boutique” hotel with retail shops, a public plaza and underground parking across the street from the basilica.

In that presentation an engineer working with the hotelier said precautions could be taken to make monitor the seismic activity on the construction site to prevent further cracks in the basilica’s fragile dome, the largest free-standing tiled dome in the U.S. The brick color of the hotel would also match the historic church, he noted.

Fears about possible damage to the basilica from the nearby construction of a hotel, as well as traffic and aesthetic concerns, prompted basilica supporters to organize an effort to block the hotel deal in favor of a competing BASILICA, SEE page 9

Want to go?

On Sept. 11, the Asheville City Council will consider competing proposals from a hotelier and the Diocese of Charlotte to develop land on Haywood Street, adjacent to St. Lawrence Basilica. The meeting will start at 5 p.m. at City Hall, 70 Court Plaza (second floor). Individuals have up to three minutes to speak during a public hearing; representatives of groups may speak up to 10 minutes.

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catholicnewsherald.com | August 31, 2012 OUR PARISHES

Priests’ Retirement and Benefits Collection set for Sept. 8-9 SueAnn Howell Staff writer

CHARLOTTE — Each year, parishioners from around the Diocese of Charlotte are given the opportunity to say “thank you” to our priests for their service to our parish communities in the form of a donation to the annual Priests’ Retirement and Benefits Collection.

This year’s collection will be taken up in all parishes during Mass on the weekend of Sept. 8-9.

There are 22 retired priests in the diocese and a total of 81 active diocesan priests who will one day need retirement benefits. There are 27 religious order priests for whom retirement contributions will be made.

The goal to fund the Priests’ Retirement and Benefits Program for 2012-2013 is $1,584,000, of which $700,000 will be used for the retired diocesan priests’ health plan.

Each parish is assessed 3.5 percent of its annual offertory income. In most parishes, that amounts to slightly less than two times their average weekly offertory.

This year’s campaign – “Celebrate Our Past, Embrace Our Future” – features Monsignor Joseph Showfety, the first chancellor of the Diocese of Charlotte, who is now retired and living in Greensboro. He is pictured laying hands on Father Jason Barone during the ordination Mass on June 3.

Monsignor Showfety is pictured with his walker in view and the image capturing their moment together speaks volumes about the importance of our retired priests’ continued presence in our midst, passing on their wisdom to the next generation of clergy.

Bishop Peter Jugis reminds us, “Our retired diocesan priests have collectively given us more than 1,000 years of priestly ministry. These holy men still give generously of their time through their daily prayer for the people of the diocese, celebration of Mass for the intentions of parishioners, visiting the sick and imprisoned, and helping in parishes throughout western North Carolina. They gave us years of faithful service, and now we celebrate their presence among us.”

Four Belmont Abbey College graduates – (from left) Kate Drinkwater, Caitlin O’Malley, Harris Moriarty and Henry Wilson – are spending the next eight months working together halfway around the world, in Nairobi, Kenya. They are the inaugural team of Belmont Abbey’s new Benedictine Volunteer Corps. The Benedictine Volunteer Corps is a unique way of participating in the Benedictine monastic life while at the same time serving others in some of the poorest corners of the world.

Christopher Lux | Catholic News Herald

Belmont Abbey alumni leave for volunteer work in Kenya Christopher Lux Correspondent

BELMONT— Four Belmont Abbey College graduates recently spent a week living a far different life than what they had in college.

But this is not a typical “life after graduation” story, and that story is only just beginning.

These former students have been experiencing the Benedictine monastic life firsthand at Belmont Abbey, preparing themselves to live for eight months in Kenya as part of a newly-formed Benedictine Volunteer Corps. The Benedictine Volunteer Corps is a unique way of participating in the Benedictine monastic life while at the same time serving others in some of the poorest corners of the world.

Each morning for a week, Kate Drinkwater, Harris Moriarty, Caitlin O’Malley and Henry Wilson woke up early for Vigils, starting their daily routine of work and prayer with the monks of Belmont Abbey. They studied The Rule of St. Benedict. They prayed in the Abbey Basilica five times a day and worked odd jobs around the monastery to both learn about Benedictine monasticism and form a bond before spending the next several months working together halfway around the world.

They ended their week at the monastery by taking a 22-hour flight to Nairobi, Kenya, on Aug. 23. But their lives of work and prayer have not ended.

In Kenya they will live in monastic communities, continuing a similar life of prayer with two Benedictine monasteries there for the next eight months. Their work and environment, though, will be far different than what they experienced at Belmont Abbey.

Moriarty and Wilson will live and work in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya. Nairobi is a financially and politically prominent city in Africa. It is also home to Mathare Slum, one of the oldest and largest slums on the continent, where life is a daily battle for survival.

“There’s a ton of different religious orders and communities there.

Why would they choose that space of all places to settle? Because they happen to be snuggled up right next to Mathare ... Some 250,000 people in hundreds of high-rise buildings with no electricity or running water,” writes Harris Moriarty in a blog he is writing about the trip.

Moriarty and Wilson will stay in a guest house and retreat center, the Amani Center, run by a Benedictine community of about five monks. They are looking forward to working at St. Maurus School, which serves the mentally challenged and the physically handicapped.

Drinkwater and O’Malley will spend their six months in Karen, a suburb of Nairobi, about 45 minutes from their fellow volunteers.

They will live with the Missionary Benedictine Sisters in the Sacred Heart Priory. Though their work will vary and is subject to change, they expect to work in a medical center operated and staffed by the Benedictine sisters.

The monks of Belmont Abbey decided to make a commitment to send former Belmont Abbey College students abroad as part of a Benedictine Volunteer Corps, joining other Benedictine colleges with similar volunteer service programs.

The monks fund the airfare, health care and monthly stipend for the volunteers. In return, the host monasteries in Africa commit to providing lodging, food and meaningful work. It’s the start of what the monks hope is a long-term relationship of service to others, all to

glorify God. “The whole point is for our volunteers to live with the Benedictines in Kenya, and to join them in their ministry,” says Benedictine Father Christopher Kirchgessner, Benedictine Volunteer Corps director. Father Kirchgessner recruits interested students for the program and keeps in touch with the volunteers while they are abroad. In February he traveled to the locations in Kenya to get a feel for the life the volunteers will live and to visit the various ministry opportunities.

While staying in the Photo provided by Belmont Abbey monastery of Belmont Benedictine Father Christopher Kirchgessner Abbey for a week, the of Belmont Abbey, director of the Benedictine four grads learned about Volunteer Corps, recently traveled to Nairobi to Kenyan culture, foods, visit with the Benedictine religious working with languages and religious children and the poor there and to prepare the traditions. way for the four Belmont Abbey College grads “But,” Drinkwater who will join them in their ministry. notes, “there have been other things that have really helped me get ready for this trip. We have gotten up at 6 a.m. for prayer and have prayed multiple times a day.”

Though they have worked to prepare physically and spiritually for this trip, Drinkwater admits that she can never be fully prepared for a journey like this.

“I am physically prepared,” she says, “but not mentally or emotionally prepared for this. I have packed all my things up … gotten all my shots, made copies of my passport, checked out the airports online and what time layovers are, and have prayed a lot about it. However, I am not prepared for what I am going to see over there. I know these people are poor, but I know that it is going to shock me how poor they really are.”

“I’m really excited,” O’Malley adds. “This is the biggest thing I have ever done.”

Follow them online Several of the Belmont graduates are blogging about their experiences with the Benedictine Volunteer Corps in Kenya. Check them out at: inauguralbvcmissiontrip.blogspot.com, hakunamatatabvc.blogspot.com and katemdrinkwater.wordpress.com.

The Benedictine Volunteer Corps program is also on Facebook: www.facebook.com/BelmontAbbeyBVC.

August 31, 2012 | catholicnewsherald.com

OUR PARISHESI

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Photos provided by Dr. Jim Taylor

Dr. Jim Taylor is pictured with Samantha, a child with autism spectrum disorder, and her mother Victoria, a parent advisor to KAMPN, enjoying a little time out in nature. Taylor is developing a special summer camp for children with autism and their families. Pictured at left are Taylor and his wife Sue.

SPECIAL KIDS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS GET SPECIAL CAMP

Summer camp for children with autism, families coming to Boone Amber Mellon Correspondent

DEEP GAP — Beginning in the summer of 2013, four North Carolina families will get to spend a week in a cabin.

They’ll hike, swim and fish together.

At night, the parents will sleep in one room, the children in another. But in one other room, two counselors will also stay.

The counselors are there to help the child in the families with autism, as well as give the parents a break during their week away.

It is all part of a camp being built by a retired East Carolina University professor on family land, to help children suffering from autism and their families.

Autism spectrum disorders are a group of serious developmental problems that appear in early childhood – usually before age 3. Symptoms and severity vary, but all autism disorders affect a child’s ability to communicate and interact with others.

One in 88 children is currently diagnosed with autism, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Dr. Jim Taylor of St. Elizabeth of Hill Country Church in Boone and his wife Sue are trying to help these children have the fullest lives possible. The special outdoor summer camp is geared especially for them and their families.

Taylor started working with children and adults with special needs in the 1960s. He has helped establish organizations for people with special needs all over the world with his wife at his side. The Taylors moved to North Carolina in 1985 so Dr. Taylor could work at ECU. “I have fond memories of Dr. Taylor as the director of East Carolina University’s REAP, a special developmental preschool where my son attended,” said Jill Scercy, an assistant professor in the psychiatry department at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. “Dr. Taylor was a critical part in my son’s development, often in the classroom providing support for the teachers, getting to know the children and, of course, always offering a smile or word of encouragement to the parents.”

Working with special needs people became personal for the Taylors when their 10th grandchild was diagnosed with autism.

The Taylors retired to Deep Gap and soon began

working with New Life Mobility Assistance Dogs. After volunteering for this organization for several years, Dr. Taylor felt he was redirected by God to work with children with autism.

Soon, an idea for an outdoor summer camp hatched, and it began to develop. On May 1, 2011, KAMPN Inc. (Kids with Autism Making Progress in Nature) was given non-profit status and incorporated in the state of North Carolina.

KAMPN is dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Its three major goals are to: n provide a relaxed and meaningful camping experience in nature for children with autism and their families, n provide an opportunity for university students training to become professional in fields in which they will work with children on the autism spectrum, and n develop a model program that can be replicated throughout North Carolina and the United States.

The organization is raising money right now, but plans to operate its first summer sessions next year.

The plans are for four week-long sessions, with each week serving four families.

The camp is to be built on 25 acres the Taylor family owns. Four cabins will be built with a room for the parents, a room for the child and any siblings, a room for two trained college students who will live with the family, as well as a living area.

In addition to the outdoor activities available in the wooded areas, the camp has a chapel on site with pictures of various Marian sites from around the world that the Taylors have visited.

The families will arrive on Sundays, and they will enjoy all the various activities children in summer camps enjoy.

But the camp will be specially geared for the special needs of children with autism: there will be art, occupational, language and music therapy for the child, as well as therapy and assistance for the entire family.

On Wednesdays and Thursdays, the parents will be able to leave camp and enjoy activities in Boone so they can have a bit of a rest as well. The families will then leave on Saturdays.

Each week of camp is projected to cost the family about $1,000, but the Taylors hope to find sponsors for the families to help defray that cost.

Want to help?

A “zipline” fundraiser will be held from Oct. 17-21 with Hawsknest Zipline. “Zippers” can fly at 10 a.m., noon, 2 p.m., 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. All of the proceeds will go to help build a KAMPN Kabin for children with autism and their families. General donations are also accepted. Send donations to: KAMPN Inc., 1255 Wildcat Ridge Road, Deep Gap, NC 28618. For details, contact 828-264-0054 or KAMPN4autism@yahoo.com. They are online at www.KAMPN4autism. appstate.edu.

In July, St. Joseph the Worker Council of the Knights of Columbus in Newton, unanimously selected KAMPN as one of its special ongoing charitable projects. The camp was renamed Camp Cogger at the same time, in honor of Frank Cogger, a 4th degree Knight who passed away on June 24. The Knights council and Cogger’s family approved of the naming. “(The) plans for KAMPN are so exciting because they incorporate the family needs as well as a wonderful opportunity to train future professionals in the field,” Scercy said. “As a parent of a now 19-year-old, I can express the challenges that occur for families to find vacation opportunities that include their child with autism.”

The Taylors say they are excited as plans come together and they are eager to welcome the first families.

Father David Brzoska, pastor of St. Elizabeth in Boone, expressed his support for the project: “Dr. Taylor and his wife Sue are very faith-filled persons, which is reflected in all aspects of their lives. The way they live their lives inspires those who come to know them. Dr. Taylor brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to this project. His success in the development of other educational programs promises the success of KAMPN. It is a pleasure and honor to be Dr. Taylor’s pastor, and I am excited to help support the KAMPN program, which I know will enhance the lives of those with autism and their families.”

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catholicnewsherald.com | August 31, 2012 OUR PARISHES

St. Thomas Aquinas celebrates Feast of the Divine Child CHARLOTTE — St. Thomas Aquinas Church in Charlotte celebrated the Feast of the Divine Child with a special liturgy July 20. More than 250 people attended. The parish, known for its diverse population, has a growing Hispanic participation. The parish’s Hispanic Ministry, with the parish’s Liturgy and Worship Commission, worked together in organizing this celebration. It followed cultural traditions, which included the procession at Mass of the Divine Child image led by children dressed in cultural attire. The Hispanic Ministry is under the parish’s Evangelization and Communication Commission. The Mass was celebrated by Father Gabriel Carvajal, and assisted by Deacon Dario Garcia. A dinner of favorite Colombian dishes specially prepared by the community was served during the reception that followed immediately after the Mass.

La Iglesia de Santo Tomas de Aquino celebro la misa especial en honor al Divino Nino el pasado viernes 20 de julio. La parroquia conocida por su diversidad cultural, tiene una creciente participacion hispana; mas de doscientos cincuenta personas atendieron la celebracion. Esta es la primera misa en espanol que se celebro en Santo Tomas de Aquino, el Ministerio Hispano junto con la Comision de Liturgia y Oracion de la parroquia, trabajaron juntos en la realizacion de la misa, siguiendo tradiciones culturales como la procesion de la imagen del Divino Nino, y ninos vestidos con sus trajes tipicos. La misa fue celebrada por el padre Gabriel Carvajal, y asistida por el diacono Dario Garcia. Despues de la misa se concluyo con la recepcion donde se compartieron platos tradicionales colombianos preparados por la comunidad.

Pictures provided by Mary “Annette” Morales, Fabian Araujo and Lota Mascarenas

For the latest news 24/7: catholicnewsherald.com

education, will discuss the upcoming Year of Faith. Members and guests are welcome. For more details and to RSVP, contact Margaret at jmgusto@bellsouth.net by Sept. 3.

must be postmarked by Oct. 15, 2012. The grant application, guidelines and eligibility criteria are available at www.cssnc.org/cchdcrs.

In Brief Blessing for two altars planned HICKORY — St. Aloysius Church in Hickory will celebrate the blessing of its two altars during a Mass Thursday, Sept. 13, to be celebrated by Bishop Peter J. Jugis starting at 7 p.m. The altar in the sanctuary as well as the altar in the perpetual adoration chapel will be blessed.

Several necessary changes were recently made to the altar, altar of repose and ambry in the church by Joe Lamonica, the parish’s maintenance committee chairman. As a result, these items need to be consecrated. Bishop Jugis will also add to the altar relics from three saints: St. Boniface, St. Thomas à Becket and St. Josaphat, all of whom stood up for their faith in God despite hardship and suffering. Everyone is welcome to attend this special event.

— Joyce Corbett

Diocesan wedding anniversary Mass set for Oct. 21 CHARLOTTE — If you were married during 1962 or 1987, you and your family are invited to the Diocese of Charlotte’s annual wedding anniversary Mass, to be celebrated at St. Thomas Aquinas Church in Charlotte on Sunday, Oct. 21. Mass begins at 2 p.m. and will be followed by a reception. Check with your parish office for details and to register for an invitation. The deadline for submission of names to be included in the Mass is Friday, Sept. 7.

CCWG luncheon will be Sept. 10 CHARLOTTE — The Charlotte Catholic Women’s Group Reflections begins Sept.

10. All women are encouraged to attend a Reflection and Luncheon at St. Patrick Cathedral in Charlotte. Mass will be offered at 9 a.m., followed by the gathering at 10 a.m.

Father Roger Arnsparger, diocesan vicar of

Confirmation celebrated at Highlands mission HIGHLANDS — Three youths at Our Lady of the Mountains Mission in Highlands received the sacrament of confirmation from Bishop Peter J. Jugis during Mass on Aug. 12. Pictured with Bishop Jugis are Father Dean Cesa, pastor; Marianne Vines, faith formation director; and confirmands Jamie Walsh, Ali Mae Walsh and Eden Ingate. The confirmation rite was just one of many that Bishop Jugis traveled around the diocese to celebrate this month. On Aug. 8, youths at St. John the Baptist Church in Tryon were confirmed; and on Sept. 8 Bishop Jugis will travel to Sacred Heart Mission in Burnsville and St. Andrew Church in Mars Hill to administer the sacrament of confirmation to youths there.

— Our Lady of the Mountains Mission

ORB grant deadline nears Applications are available for Catholic Relief Services Operation Rice Bowl Mini-Grants of up to $1,000, administered by Catholic Social Services’ Office of Justice and Peace, to assist hunger and poverty efforts within the Diocese of Charlotte. All grant-funded projects must be sponsored by Catholic entities of the Diocese of Charlotte and conform to grant eligibility criteria. Approval and signature by a Diocese of Charlotte parish pastor, office/department head, or school principal are required. Applications

St. Matthew Parish exceeds 1 million-pound target for World Food Drive CHARLOTTE — Food for the hungry poured in during the month of July at St. Matthew Church, enabling the parish to exceed its goal of collecting one million pounds of food for the poor over a 10-year period. During its 10th anniversary food drive, parishioners donated more than 170,000 pounds of food – 10,000 more than expected – and assembled over 285,000 meals at a one-day, mealpackaging event. Earlier this month, three 40-foot containers of food were shipped to the Missionaries of the Poor in Cap-Haitien, Haiti; one container was sent to the Salesians of Don Bosco in Zambia, Africa; and 6,000 pounds of food helped feed families here at home through Second Harvest Food Bank and Catholic Social Services. The parish also surpassed its goal of 10,000 total volunteer hours over the life of the food drive, with more than 11,500 service hours given. Food items sent included 47,000 pounds of rice, 18,900 pounds of pinto beans, 9,800 pounds of spaghetti and 13,700 pounds of flour.

In addition, the parish sent First Communion dresses and 160 hand-made posters from parish families.

— Jenny Cox

Columbiettes support charities CLEMMONS — The Bishop Greco Columbiettes from Holy Family Parish in Clemmons recently presented checks to selected charitable

organizations for 2012. Contributions in the amount of $1,200 each were presented to: Arts for Life Organization in Winston-Salem, which provides arts and crafts materials to several surrounding hospitals for pediatrics; Cure Search for Children’s Cancer, which provides research and research protocols to hospitals throughout the U.S. to treat children with cancer; Pencils for Promises, which provides schools and school materials in underdeveloped countries; and Hand to Hand of Catholic Social Services, which provides services and education to young mothers and families while also helping them complete their education.

The Columbiettes are a service and charitable organization that aid the Knights of Columbus and Church when needed. The first Columbiettes in North Carolina started in 1992 at Holy Family Parish. Today there are nine auxiliaries in the state. For more information about starting a Columbiette auxiliary through your Knights of Columbus council, contact Maggie Herbstritt at dmherb3816@yahoo.com or call 336-391-0170.

— Maggie Herbstritt

Knights host LAMB golf tourney KERNERSVILLE — The Knights of Columbus Council 8509 recently hosted one of its largest fund raisers, the LAMB (Least Amongst My Brethren) Golf Tournament, at Pine Knolls Golf Club. Pictured is the winning team: (from left) Phil Bauguess, Justin Lang, Frank Hill and Danny Jefferson (captain). The Knights thank all those who participated from playing through donating time, supplies and advertisements of all kinds.

— Fred Hogan and Herb Pennington

August 31, 2012 | catholicnewsherald.com

OUR PARISHESI

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Photos by Doreen Sugierski | Catholic News Herald

Polish Mass celebrated in honor of Our Lady of Czestochowa CHARLOTTE — A Polish Mass in honor of Our Lady of Czestochowa was offered Aug. 25 at St. Thomas Aquinas Church in Charlotte, celebrated

by Conventual Franciscan Father Jacek Leszczynski and assisted by Deacon James Witulski. Deacon Witulski and his wife Mary Witulski planned and organized this first Polish Mass at the Charlotte church. The Mass included traditional Polish hymns, and children wore native Polish attire to honor Mary. About 225 people came from all over the diocese and elsewhere to attend the Polish Mass. A reception followed in Aquinas Hall, hosted by the Polish community, featuring Polish food.

At www.catholicnewsherald.com: See more photos from the Mass and celebration.

DEPORTATION:

ACTIVIST:

BASILICA:

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how individual states may treat recipients of the DACA status. It’s expected that it will take a couple of months or more before the first approved participants have completed the process and receive their documents.

So what will DACA do? It will grant young people two years’ reprieve from the possibility of being deported – plus the option of getting authorization to work, which could bring with it a Social Security card. Depending on the state where the applicant lives, the Social Security card could open up the chance to get a driver’s license and attend college at less expensive in-state tuition rates.

Government officials emphasize that DACA “does not confer any lawful status” such as a visa or citizenship status.

The application process is pretty complicated and costly at a fee of $465, so Slusser and the rest of the CSS staff are encouraging people to apply through reputable immigration professionals to avoid scams like paying extra fees to download an application (which is free online) or to expedite an application (which is not possible to do).

CSS officials in Asheville and the Triad have been responding to the most inquiries so far, Slusser said.

Besides five CSS staffers and three volunteers, Hispanic Ministry coordinators across the diocese, parish ministries and community organizations, and pastors are taking an active role in getting the word out about DACA and hosting workshops.

One of the most helpful things churches can do is provide proof of

the five-year residency requirement, Slusser said, through parish registrations, sacramental records and ministry participation. This is all “benign evidence” for the DACA application that will not put the person at potential risk of legal trouble later on.

“Kudos to all of the churches, who’ve gotten it,” Slusser said. “The clergy have gotten it, and they’re reaching out.”

Who are they reaching out to?

Young people, either in their teens or early 20s, who want to go to college or find jobs legally. Most came to the U.S. when they were too young to remember.

“They have lived so long in the U.S., they barely speak Spanish.

They were so young that they were carried across the border in the arms of their parents,” Slusser said.

DACA offers these young people a chance for a reprieve – even it is brief, uncertain and filled with risk – but Catholic leaders continue to seek a more permanent fix.

The U.S. bishops, including Bishop Peter J. Jugis, have long advocated that these immigrant children be allowed to remain legally in the U.S., through legislation known as the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors, or DREAM, Act. Slusser said she was talking to young people at a recent workshop in the western part of the diocese who are anxious to apply. She said she told them, “Please be patient and think about what you are doing.” She also told them that she personally thinks, “You guys deserve better than this. Keep struggling for the DREAM Act.”

‘I’ve seen things that the human eye is not supposed to look at.’

that they didn’t know was that wrong for these many years. I hope after they read my book they say they have to be a part of the solution, that they realize there is something seriously unjust about all this and we really have to stop it.

CNH: You have had to counsel people and work with people who should know better. How do you deal with this?

MILLER: Abortion is a blindness. Those who believe in abortion are blind. We take the bodies out of the trash, we see exactly what the abortionist sees – and especially if it is a D&E (dilation and evacuation) abortion, he has to see every body part that he takes out. How is it that I see a human hand, a human rib cage, a human foot, but when he sees it, he sees it literally as trash? How does one go from seeing life as sacred and at least something that we should respect, to treating the exact same human remains like trash?

It’s insanity, a blindness, a hardness of heart.

CNH: How can people come to know the truth?

MILLER: The first thing is, you have to get over your fear of having the discussion. It’s not an easy thing. You have to water this with a lot of prayer.

You’re not going to die if you have a discussion on abortion. People are afraid to say something to a friend or family member because they are afraid they are not going to win the debate. You have to have some preparation before you can enter into a discussion. You have to be honest. You have to get them to recognize that the unborn child is a human being, because once you get them to that place – even if they continue to argue that the woman has the right to make this decision – they will leave the discussion a little less secure in their own justification.

For details about Miller’s pro-life work, go to www.prolifesociety.com.

proposal by the Diocese of Charlotte.

A week after the hotel’s public presentation of its plans, the Asheville City Council heard an update on the property and scheduled the public hearing and possible vote for Sept. 11. During the Aug. 14 city council meeting, Sam Powers, the city’s economic development director, gave a history of the project and city’s interest in developing the land dating back to 2005.

The Diocese of Charlotte has offered more than $2 million to buy the city-owned land where McKibbon has proposed the hotel. The city’s Planning and Economic Development committee reviewed the Diocese of Charlotte’s proposal earlier this year and decided to recommend building the hotel instead, Powers said.

The diocese has proposed using the land for a possible multistory building, along with a plaza with seating and a fountain.

A rendering of the proposed St. Lawrence Plaza shows a one-to-two-story building that would bring tax revenue to the city – something city leaders have specified they want from whatever is developed on the property once they sell it.

The hotel developer offered $2.3 million for the site in 2008 to build a $30 million hotel, but the proposal idled while the developer focused on another project in Asheville. After the diocese expressed its interest in the land in December, McKibbon renewed its offer, saying it was ready to proceed with its bid since its other hotel project was nearly finished.

More than 850 people have signed a petition in support of the preservation of the basilica. According to an Asheville political action committee poll, 38 percent of those polled backed selling the land to the basilica and only 13 percent wanted a hotel at that location. But the highest votegetter was a city-owned park – something city council members said is not in the master plans for the land no matter who wants to buy it.

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catholicnewsherald.com | August 31, 2012 FROM THE COVER

VOTING CATHOLIC ... and the Charlotte convention

Catholics to the DNC: ‘Listen up!’

Catholics in the convention spotlight Stephen Guilfoyle Correspondent

CHARLOTTE — An estimated 6,000 delegates, the most-ever at a Democratic National Convention, will gather in Charlotte next week to nominate President Barack Obama as its candidate for president.

This is the first time the Queen City has hosted a national party convention. North Carolina is considered a swing state, and both the Democrats and the Republicans are fighting hard for votes here in an election considered too close to call by most polls. In 2008, Obama took North Carolina and helped usher in Democrat Bev Perdue as governor.

The Republican Party held its national convention in Tampa, Fla., to nominate former Mass. Gov. Mitt Romney.

Florida is also a battleground state.

In both conventions and campaigns, Catholics are playing prominent roles. Both vice presidential candidates are Catholic, keynote speakers at both conventions are Catholic, and Catholic teaching on abortion, marriage, immigration and social justice has come into play with each party’s platform. The Catholic vote is expected to be a crucial one in this hotly contested presidential campaign.

Much of the Democratic National Convention will be held at Time Warner Cable Arena and the Charlotte Convention Center in the uptown area, but delegates, visitors and media are scattered all over the city. Much of uptown will be closed off for security reasons during the convention, with the tightest security on Thursday when Obama comes to Bank of America Stadium to give his

acceptance speech, concluding the convention and kickstarting the fall election season in earnest.

What else can Catholics – especially North Carolina Catholics – expect to see next week?

Connect with us At www.catholicnewsherald.com/features/vote2012:

The Church In The Zone

Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York, head of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, is delivering the closing prayer of the DNC just as he did at the Republican convention – a nonpartisan move signalling that Catholics are an important constituency which the parties ignore at their peril.

St. Peter Church, the oldest Catholic church in the city, is steps away from the convention action, and parish leaders are planning to use the national attention to spotlight social justice issues of concern to Catholics: immigration reform, income disparities and poverty, among them. Mass at 12:10 p.m. will also be celebrated as usual each day.

Perpetual Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament will take place at St. Patrick Cathedral beginning Monday, Sept. 3, and continuing throughout the days of the convention.

Bishop Peter J. Jugis will celebrate Mass at the cathedral on Tuesday, Sept. 4. His homily will address the formation of conscience when preparing to vote.

The Diocese of Charlotte also is displaying two large banners at St. Peter Church calling for the protection of the unborn, traditional marriage and religious liberty.

Catholic Votes Important

The tight presidential race means every vote counts, and Catholics have traditionally been a powerful voting bloc.

According to the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, 54 percent of Catholics voted for Obama in the 2008 election,

— Engage with readers and put in your two cents’ worth: ‘What would you like to say to the presidential candidates?’

— Get Information about the candidates, including views on issues important to Catholics — Check out resources on ‘Faithful Citizenship’ and voter guides — Review the Catholic News Herald’s daily convention coverage, as well the demonstrations and other DNC-related events Glimpse the DNC through our eyes, see photos and read all about the Catholic programs, the protests, the pro-life conversations and more at Facebook.com/CatholicNewsHerald and on Twitter at @CatholicNewsCLT.

an improvement of 7 percentage points for Democrats from the 2004 election, in which Sen. John Kerry, a Catholic Democrat, received just 47 percent. Catholic support for Obama was 9 percentage points better than its support for the Republican candidate Sen. John McCain in 2008.

The Pew poll said Catholics comprised 27 percent of the electorate in 2008, which would be about 34 million voters.

SPOTLIGHT, SEE page 18

Cardinal Dolan to deliver closing prayer at DNC in Charlotte Kimberly Bender Online reporter

CHARLOTTE — Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan of New York, the head of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, will deliver the closing benediction at next week’s Democratic National Convention, according to a statement from Archdiocese of New York spokesman Joseph Zwilling.

Cardinal Dolan already gave the concluding prayer on the final night of the GOP convention in Tampa, Fla., earlier this week.

It was made clear to the Democratic National Convention organizers, as it was to the Republicans, that the cardinal was coming solely as a pastor, only to pray, and not to endorse any party, platform or candidate, Zwilling noted in his statement.

The cardinal consulted Bishop Peter J. Jugis of the Diocese of Charlotte, who gave the cardinal his consent to take part in the convention within his diocese. It is customary among brother bishops to

extend this courtesy.

“I am happy to welcome His Eminence Timothy Cardinal Dolan of the Archdiocese of New York to Charlotte,” Bishop Jugis said. “His presence here on Sept. 6 will be a blessing to all Dolan those in attendance at the Democratic National Convention and to all the people of North Carolina.”

The cardinal has not endorsed either candidate in the 2012 presidential race.

However, he has been an outspoken critic of a mandate issued by the Obama administration to require nearly all employers to offer health insurance plans that cover free contraception, sterilization and abortion-inducing drugs, even if doing so violates their consciences.

Numerous dioceses including the Archdiocese of New York, various nonprofit organizations, Catholic universities

and Catholic-owned businesses have sued the Obama administration, arguing that the mandate violates the First Amendment by forcing them to compromise their deeply-held religious convictions.

Democratic President Barack Obama has also voiced support for abortion and is the first U.S. president to openly advocate a redefinition of marriage to include homosexual couples.

The Catholic Church teaches that abortion is intrinsically evil, and that marriage has been instituted by God as being exclusively between one man and one woman.

As of press time Wednesday, the Democratic Party had not commented on Cardinal Dolan’s planned appearance or offered details about his visit.

Clergy from several faiths are scheduled to pray at the opening and closing of each day’s sessions of both party conventions.

The tradition of such prayers goes back more than 100 years.

It is unusual for the same person to pray at both conventions in the same year, but

More online At www.catholicnewsherald.com: Cardinal Dolan asks both presidential candidates to sign a civility petition.

it is not without precedent. For example, in 1948, Philadelphia Cardinal Dennis J. Dougherty prayed with both parties when the nominating conventions met in Philadelphia.

Nor does the local Catholic prelate always participate. At the 2008 conventions, neither Archbishop Charles J. Chaput of Denver nor Archbishop John C. Nienstedt of St. Paul-Minneapolis, Minn., participated in the Democratic and Republican conventions, respectively, in their cities. Archbishop Chaput said he was never approached about it, and Archbishop Nienstedt said he declined.

— Catholic News Service contributed.

August 31, 2012 | catholicnewsherald.com

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MACS schools to close for one day; St. Peter Church, Diocesan Pastoral Center alter hours for DNC Kimberly Bender Online reporter

CHARLOTTE — The upcoming Democratic National Convention will prompt some closings and schedule changes for Charlotte area Catholic schools, the Diocesan Pastoral Center and St. Peter Church in uptown Charlotte.

Mecklenburg Area Catholic Schools

All nine Mecklenburg Area Catholic Schools will close Thursday, Sept. 6, because of anticipated road closures and other problems associated with the crowds coming for the president’s nomination acceptance speech at Bank of America Stadium that evening, according to a Aug. 24 letter from Superintendent Janice Ritter.

“Based on the road closures that we do know, and the anticipated unannounced closures and changes, we believe it is in the best interest of our students to close the MACS schools on Thursday, September 6,” her letter stated.

“What makes this particular decision challenging is that we are trying to make a sound decision based on limited information.

However, we feel it is best to make the safety of our students, families and teachers a top priority. We also feel it is better to make that decision now so that families have time to plan for childcare, rather than find ourselves in the position of making a last minute decision to close.

“I appreciate your understanding of this decision. As a parent, I realize that a school closure presents childcare issues for many parents, but as a school administrator, I am concerned with the safety of our school communities.”

Principals are “fairly confident” they can cope with “increased traffic, delays and road closures” on the first two days of the convention, Sept. 4 and 5. Teachers will give students work to do at home on Sept. 6, Ritter’s letter noted.

The MACS school buses have been moved from the Palmer Street parking lot, where some diocesan employees park and where the MACS buses are kept, for storage prior to the DNC. They will be housed at a location just off Westinghouse Boulevard while local police use the parking lot during the DNC.

St. Peter Church

St. Peter Church, located in the heart of the convention area at 507 South Tryon St., will be open to the public from only 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. daily from Sept. 3 through 6, said parish administrative

assistant Rebekah Thompson.

Daily Mass will be celebrated at 12:10 p.m. each weekday, as usual. The parish office will be shuttered for most of the week – closed Sept. 3-6, and reopening under its normal schedule Friday, Sept. 7.

There is no change to Mass times for the Saturday Vigil and Sunday Masses on Sept. 1 and 2. Parishioners will have access to The Green parking garage, but it may be difficult to find parking and people are encouraged to take public transportation.

Diocesan Pastoral Center

The Diocese of Charlotte’s Pastoral Center, located on South Church Street, will be open Sept. 4, 5 and 7.

Coinciding with President Barack Obama’s appearance at nearby Bank of America Stadium, the Pastoral Center will be completely closed on Thursday, Sept. 6.

A law enforcement checkpoint, which will control access inside the security zone encompassing the convention area, will be set up just outside the Pastoral Center.

The diocese is leasing space in the Pastoral Center to the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department for the checkpoint operations, said Deacon Guy Piche, diocesan properties and risk management director. The short-term lease runs Aug. 24 through Sept. 9 for an undisclosed amount of money. Police equipment and vehicles will use part of the Palmer Street parking lot.

The Pastoral Center will also be closed Labor Day weekend between 6 p.m. Aug. 31 and 7:15 a.m. Sept. 4, and on Sept. 8.

St. Patrick Cathedral

No changes to the parish office schedule are expected at nearby St. Patrick Cathedral, said parish office manager Deb Lemmon.

St. Patrick School will close as part of the MACS-wide closure on Sept. 6.

Catholic Social Services

Catholic Social Services Food Pantry in Charlotte will be closed on Sept. 6, said CSS Director Dr. Gerard Carter. The food pantry located in the Pastoral Center will be open on Tuesday, Sept. 4, as usual.

“Probably the biggest issue will be clients’ access to the building – that is, pedestrian and vehicular barriers to them being able to physically get here,” Carter said. “Other than that, it should be business as usual.”

CHARLOTTE — On Tuesday, Sept.

4, Bishop Peter J. Jugis will celebrate the 12:10 p.m. daily Mass at St. Patrick Cathedral in Charlotte.

This Mass, which falls on the first day of the Democratic National Convention being held in uptown Charlotte next week, will feature a homily

by Bishop Jugis focusing on the U.S. Catholic Conference of Bishops’ directives on “Faithful Jugis Citizenship,” a guide for Catholic voters which discusses issues of religious liberty, defense of traditional marriage and right-to-life issues.

U.S. Church leaders have been vocal opponents of the federal mandate requiring free contraception and sterilization coverage in nearly all employers’ health care plans under the new Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. A narrow exemption exists for religious employers who object to such coverage, but they must hire and serve people primarily of their own faith in order to qualify. Employers who do not comply with the mandate will face severe penalties.

The Church opposes the use of contraception and sterilization. The U.S. bishops, Catholic ministry and university leaders, and others have criticized the mandate as an unjust infringement of the First Amendment freedom to worship.

Neither the Diocese of Charlotte nor nearby Belmont Abbey College, run by the Benedictine order, would meet that requirement and so are facing the prospect of being forced to provide free contraception and sterilization coverage in violation of Church teaching.

North Carolina also just fought a successful ballot to protect the definition of marriage in the state constitution, a campaign in which both Bishop Jugis and Raleigh Bishop Michael Burbidge played a visible role advocating for the constitutional amendment.

St. Patrick Cathedral is located at 1621 Dilworth Road East, Charlotte. It is situated outside the restricted area of the Democratic National Convention, so no special access or alternate transportation is needed. All are welcome to attend the Mass.

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catholicnewsherald.com | August 31, 2012 FROM THE COVER

VOTING CATHOLIC ... and the Charlotte convention

Other items of note Watch the convention As it did for the Republican National Convention in Tampa earlier this week, PBS will broadcast live from the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte. Starting Tuesday, Sept.

4, at 8 p.m., “PBS NewsHour” correspondents Gwen Ifill and Judy Woodruff will anchor live gavel-to-gavel coverage. Coverage continues nightly through Thursday, Sept. 6, 8-11 p.m. each night.

Read the USCCB blog Media relations staff of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops office in Washington, D.C., have written a blog series on the current issues related to today’s politics entitled “Catholics Care. Catholics Vote.” In the blog, they discuss Church teaching on a variety of topics – including marriage, poverty, immigration, religious freedom and civil political discourse – and how Catholic voters can apply Catholic teaching to their political choices. Check it out at: www.usccbmedia.blogspot. com/2012/04/catholics-carecatholic-vote-series.html.

Two digital resources Run by an independent group of lay Catholics, the website CatholicVote has numerous voter resources as well as a timely blog on topics of interest to all Catholic voters. Check it out at www. catholicvote.org.

CATHOLIC CHURCH CONVEYS STRONG MESSAGES

Diocese posts two banners at St. Peter Church to be visible during DNC convention SueAnn Howell Staff writer

CHARLOTTE — Mere steps away from the site of the upcoming Democratic National Convention, the Diocese of Charlotte has posted two larger-than-life messages about the sanctity of life, marriage and religious liberty – proclaiming the teaching of the universal Church to the thousands of party delegates, visitors and the national media who will descend on Charlotte next week.

The diocese has suspended two banners on property at St. Peter Church on South Tryon Street: one on St. Peter’s administrative building and another on a large brick wall adjoining the church.

A 6-foot by 10-foot banner will hang from St. Peter’s administrative building, stating: “A Message from the Catholic Church: Religious Liberty, The Soul of Democracy.” This building looks out over The Green between South Tryon and College streets.

A 6-foot by 27-foot banner will be posted on a large brick wall behind the church, and will read: “A Message from the Catholic Church: Protect The Unborn, Defend Marriage, Safeguard Religious Liberty.”

This wall faces an area designated as The Legacy Village, where Charlotte Mayor Anthony Foxx will host special guests during the convention to highlight community efforts

David Hains | Catholic News Herald

The Diocese of Charlotte has hung two large banners on the property of St. Peter Church in uptown Charlotte in advance of the Democratic National Convention next week. One states, “A Message from the Catholic Church: Religious Liberty, The Soul of Democracy”; the other, “A Message from the Catholic Church: Protect The Unborn, Defend Marriage, Safeguard Religious Liberty.” to support Foxx’s Legacy Projects. Some of the topics that will be discussed in programs there will address children, families, youth employment, civic education, the economy, energy, technology and sustainability.

These very visible banners are meant to provoke dialogue and encourage evangelization, diocesan officials said, during BANNER, SEE page 19

Pro-life prayer vigils, march set to coincide with DNC Demonstrations start Aug. 31 SueAnn Howell Staff writer

A mobile app for voters recently adopted by Catholic Online called “Mobile Politics” allows users to follow campaigns and causes via news, alerts, updates and pulse (polls taken in realtime which candidates and organizations can use to get immediate feedback).

The app also allows users to make secure contributions to candidates and organizations they care about.

Mobile Politics can be downloaded for free from the Apple app store.

Learn more at www.imobilepolitics. com.

— Patricia L. Guilfoyle, editor

CHARLOTTE — Catholics from across the Diocese of Charlotte are invited to attend several pro-life demonstrations and prayer vigils that will take place before and during the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte.

The Democratic Party’s platform supports abortion and contraception, which are intrinsically evil. Our Catholic faith teaches that all human life is a gift from God, from the moment of conception to natural death.

This point is what pro-life demonstration organizers hope to get across to conventiongoers and the wider public while the national spotlight shines on Charlotte during the Democratic National Convention.

The three pro-life demonstrations will be: n Friday, Aug. 31: 6:30 p.m.-9 p.m. rosary and prayer vigil outside Time Warner Cable Arena, 333 East Trade St. n Saturday, Sept. 1: 10 a.m.-noon prayer vigil at Planned Parenthood, 4822 Albemarle Road n Wednesday, Sept. 5: noon-2 p.m. Civil Rights for Life March and Rally, starting at the Diocese of Charlotte Pastoral Center, 1123 South Church St., with rally to follow at Independence Square, at the corner of Trade and Tryon streets The Aug. 31 event will be held in front of Time Warner Cable Arena. The peaceful, non-partisan prayer vigil will begin with

Photo provided by Andrea Hines

The children of Matthew and Jennifer Hoefling model the new “America, Defend Life!” T-shirts that supporters will be wearing during several pro-life rallies during the DNC. The T-shirts are available for sale through the organization’s website, www.americadefendlife.com. reciting the rosary at 6:30 p.m. Participants will then lay 3,300 flowers along the sidewalk to symbolize the number of lives destroyed by abortion in America each day. It is being sponsored in part by Charlotte Coalition for Life and America, Defend Life!

America, Defend Life! is a local grassroots pro-life effort which is debuting during the DNC to promote prayer and peaceful support for the sanctity of all human life.

That name was chosen because those are the words that Blessed John Paul II spoke to America, not on just one of his visits, but twice – in 1987 and 1993. “The intent is to officially put action to these words and to unite the pro-life movement under this one banner,” said Brice Griffin, spokeswoman for America, Defend Life!.

Photo provided by Andrea Hines

Pro-life Catholics gathered recently to make signs and banners to carry during the Sept. 5 Civil Rights for Life March and Rally as well as other demonistrations being organized by America, Defend Life!

“This first event will be one of prayer and visible honor and remembrance to the babies killed by abortion and to the mothers diminished by abortion,” Griffin said.

On Sept. 1, America, Defend Life! will hold another prayer vigil – this time in front of VIGILS, SEE page 16

August 31, 2012 | catholicnewsherald.com

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VOTING CATHOLIC ... and the Charlotte convention

FAITH AND WELCOMING THE STRANGER

Immigration documentary to feature Catholic bishop, other leaders Patricia L. Guilfoyle Editor

CHARLOTTE — Bishop Anthony B. Taylor of Little Rock, Ark., will be in Charlotte next week to view and discuss a screening of “Gospel Without Borders,” an award-winning documentary that tells the plight of undocumented immigrants in states including Arkansas and North Carolina.

The Sept. 4 screening is being held at St. Peter Church’s Biss Hall and is by invitation only because of limited seating.

The immigration documentary aims to separate Taylor myth from fact and examines what the Bible says about treatment of the “stranger.” It was produced by EthicsDaily.com, a division of the Baptist Center for Ethics in Nashville, Tenn., and funded by a grant from the United Methodist Foundation of Arkansas. Bishop Taylor is among the religious leaders featured in the film.

The event at St. Peter Church is about “a moral witness of faith leaders to political leaders about the urgency of addressing immigration reform. Nothing more. Nothing less,” said Robert Parham, executive director of the Baptist Center for Ethics and co-producer of the documentary, in a recent editorial.

The purpose of the event is to provide a witness of Christian leaders to political leaders about the moral imperative to prioritize the plight of undocumented immigrants, Parham said.

“We want this to be a moral challenge to

More online To view a clip from “Gospel Without Borders,” order copies of the DVD, and download a free discussion guide about the film, go to www.gospelwithoutborders.net.

the Obama administration and to Democratic officials,” he said.

Bishop Taylor will participate in a panel discussion with two other religious leaders, highlighting the need for all Christians to engage on this issue. The other panelists are Minerva Carcaño, bishop of the Desert Southwest Conference of the United Methodist Church, and Julian Gordy, bishop of the Southeastern Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Clifford Jones, pastor of Friendship Missionary Baptist Church in Charlotte, will welcome delegates, party officials, members of the faith community and others. Also attending will be an interviewee in the documentary:

Hector Villanueva, a bivocational Baptist pastor associated with the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of North Carolina.

“Gospel Without Borders” focuses on the intersection of faith and immigration, highlighting stories of undocumented Christians living in Arizona, Arkansas, North Carolina, Alabama and Iowa. It depicts how Catholics, Baptists, Methodists and Presbyterians address immigration from a faith-based perspective, without delving into the partisan divide on the issue.

“This is one of the major areas where human rights are violated in our country,” Bishop Taylor said in a 2011 article in Arkansas Catholic, the newspaper of the Little Rock Diocese. “The Church is very clear on its teaching regarding the human rights of immigrants. In the general population there’s a lot of fear and a lot of misinformation about immigration, much of it misinformation that is coming from vitriolic things and demagogues who demonize immigrants and magnify single incidents as if they are somehow representative of the larger reality of immigration.”

“This is not intended to be a political effort,” Bishop Taylor said. “Our role is to preach the truth in season and out of season.”

Bishop Taylor, who has worked more than 25 years in Hispanic ministry, was interviewed in the documentary about his leadership on the issue.

“Jesus in Matthew 25 in His parable, ‘The Last Judgment,’ says that we will be judged on the welcome we give or do not give the stranger,” he said. “He makes it clear that we will be judged on how we treat the stranger in our midst. I’m trying to get as many people into heaven as I possibly can.”

As the world watches: St. Peter Church to host social justice programs, proclaim Church teaching Patricia L. Guilfoyle Editor

Schmidt

Campbell

Hill

CHARLOTTE — The oldest Catholic church in Charlotte is taking advantage of the national spotlight from the Democratic National Convention by hosting several programs that week to highlight Church teaching on issues of social justice – including immigration reform, workers’ rights and wage disparities, the death penalty, and the protection of human rights around the world.

“The topics being presented are the topics that the Holy Father and our bishops have emphasized – the dignity of human life, immigrants’ rights, workers’ dignity,” said Deacon Chip Wilson of Queen of Apostles Church in Belmont, who is handling publicity inquiries for the events being hosted at St. Peter Church. Along with St. Peter’s parish social justice ministry, parishioners from Queen of Apostles Church and St. Luke Church in Mint Hill have been working on the programming for the past two months, Deacon Wilson said.

“Many of the Church’s teaching and public-policy views do line up with the Democratic Party’s aims. But there are places where the Democrats are inconsistent and woefully underemphasized.”

Things will kick off over the Labor Day weekend, when Glenmary Father Les Schmidt will give the homily at the Saturday vigil and Sunday Masses Sept. 1-2. Masses will be celebrated at the regular times: go online to www. stpeterscatholic.org for details.

Father Schmidt, a retired Glenmary Home Missioner priest in residence at Sacred Heart Church in Big Stone Gap, Va., is well known for his work with social justice issues such as workers’ rights, mountain-top removal and criminal justice. In addition to his advocacy work, he played a key role in two pastoral letters from the Catholic bishops of Appalachia: “This Land is Home

to Me” (1975) and “At Home in the Web of Life” (1995). A second edition of the letters was published in 2000. For more about the work of the Glenmary Home Missioners, go online to www. glenmary.org.

On Wednesday, Sept. 5, Sister Simone Campbell – a Sister of Social Service and executive director of Network, a national Catholic social justice lobby – returns to St. Peter Church to give the first of two presentations during the DNC. From 10 a.m. to noon, Sister Campbell will speak on “Mind the Gap,” a long-running public awareness campaign by Network highlighting the wealth gap in the U.S. To learn more about this campaign, go online to www.networklobby.org/campaign/mindthe-gap.

Sister Campbell will also speak at the DNC, said Stephanie Niedringhaus, Network’s communications coordinator.

Then from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m., the parish will host the Rev. Johnny B. Hill, a racial justice advocate, teacher, author and Baptist minister. Author of the book, “The First Black President: Barack Obama, Race, Politics, and the American Dream,” Hill now serves as president of the Foundation for Reconciliation and Dialogue. He is also theologian-in-residence at the Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel at Morehouse College in Atlanta and serves on the Justice and Advocacy Commission of the National Council of Churches USA. The title of Hill’s presentation is “Building the World House.”

From 4 to 6 p.m. the parish, which is staffed by Jesuits, will host a performance of “Imago Dei – Journeys of Courage, Hope and Home,” a work of documentary theater written and produced by the students of Jesuit High School of Sacramento for Jesuit Refugee Service/USA. The purpose of the program is to raise awareness of the refugee experience and refugee issues, PROGRAMS, SEE page 17

St. Patrick Cathedral to host ‘Vigil for Liberty’ Sept. 3-6 SueAnn Howell Staff writer

CHARLOTTE — Continuous Eucharistic Adoration will be conducted at St. Patrick Cathedral in Charlotte Sept. 3-6, coinciding with the Democratic National Convention.

The faithful of the Diocese of Charlotte are invited to continuously adore Our Eucharistic Lord during this threeday period of Adoration that is being called a “Vigil for Liberty,” said Father Christopher Roux, rector and pastor of St. Patrick Cathedral.

The time of Adoration and prayer will focus on petitions for our country, our leaders and ourselves in atonement for our sins – particularly in reparation for the tragedy of abortion – and for the future of our nation.

Among the petitions being offered during the “Vigil For Liberty” are the right to live, unthreatened by government mandate, from natural conception to natural death, and for the freedom of conscience and the unhindered worship of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

Participants will also ask Our Lord for an increase in vocations to the priesthood and religious life in the diocese and across the world.

Volunteers are welcome to sign up for an hour, or more if they wish, but children younger than 18 are not permitted in the church without a chaperoning adult between the hours of 9 p.m. and 7 a.m.

St. Patrick Cathedral is located at 1621 Dilworth Road East. For more information, go to www. stpatricks.org or call the church office at 704-3342283.

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catholicnewsherald.com | August 31, 2012 FROM THE COVER

VOTING CATHOLIC ... and the Charlotte convention

Democrats for Life message to DNC: ‘Remember North Carolina’

By David Hains Director of Communication

CHARLOTTE — Eva Ritchey, president of North Carolina’s chapter of Democrats for Life of America, has some advice for the national Democratic Party: “Look at what happened to North Carolina in 2010,” she says.

Two years ago the state legislature – which had been solidly Democratic for more than a century – switched, putting the Republican Party in power. Ritchey, who rose to prominence in pro-life circles for her involvement with the passage of the Choose Life license plates, has been fighting to persuade the Democratic Party to be more pro-life in its platform. She talked with the Catholic News Herald this week about the continued struggle over abortion in the political arena and who she plans to vote for in November: CNH: What do you see as the message from the pro-lifers to the Democratic Party?

RITCHEY: The truth is, our culture has changed. Support for abortion that was strong in the ’60s and ’70s doesn’t exist

anymore. While it is true that Americans support a woman’s right to choose, a majority don’t support abortion.

CNH: What can the national Democratic Party learn from North Carolina?

RITCHEY: I call it “choose to lose.”

When you won’t moderate on a position that the voting public wants, you choose to lose. When you run polls that show 60 percent of North Carolina voters support Choose Life license plates and you have a party that says no, then (the party) is on the wrong side of that issue. (Editor’s note: Choose Life license plates bills were introduced into Democrat-controlled legislative sessions on several occasions but were never voted on. The measure to pass the plates was approved in 2011 after Republicans took control of the legislature.

The new law is currently being challenged in the courts.)

CNH: What is your message for pro-life Democrats?

RITCHEY: The message is: You are going to have to get involved. In North

Carolina (involvement) is being helped by the Catholic dioceses. Bishop (Peter) Jugis and Bishop (Michael) Burbidge have been willing to get involved through Catholic Voice North Carolina to make these issues known and to get Ritchey Catholics more involved in the social and civic issues of their lives.

And I believe it helped swing that election (in 2010).

CNH: Democrats for Life is sponsoring a forum during the DNC entitled “Can you be prolife in a pro-choice party?” Can you?

RITCHEY: My answer is … no. Yes, you can be affiliated with (the Democrats), but you won’t have any say. You can say you are a pro-life Democrat, but when you do, you’re not going to have the access to funds, to decision-making, to policy, you’re not going to have access. So, basically, you’re going to be ignored.

CNH: It sounds like you are saying pro-life

More coverage At www.catholicnewsherald.com: Coverage of the Democrats for Life program on Sept. 4, “Can you be pro-life in a pro-choice party?”

Democrats should leave the party.

RITCHEY: No, I would like to see it more positively as, “Ignore us at your peril.”

We’re giving them a choice. They can accept us, they can work with us, give us some of the policy changes we are asking for, or moderate the platform. Or they will lose our vote at that ballot box in November.

CNH: Will you be voting for President Obama in November?

RITCHEY: I am not going to vote for President Obama. The only thing that would change my mind would be if the party platform goes neutral on abortion.

Democrats’ party platform not totally in line with what Catholics believe Stephen Guilfoyle Correspondent

CHARLOTTE — Democratic Party delegates are expected to give final approval to the national party’s platform on Tuesday, Sept. 4, kicking off the three-day Democratic National Convention in Charlotte.

From a Catholic perspective, the Democrats’ proposed platform is a mix of issues – some of which are supported

by Church teaching, but many others that are not.

The platform is basically set, after a platform committee recently completed hearings on a draft. A draft version has not yet been made public, but a few of the “planks” of the 2012 platform are already known and others can be gleaned from Democratic Party principles and issues listed on its website, www.democrats.org.

The site lists 12 separate sections of the party’s core issues, from civil rights to education, the environment, immigrant rights, voting security jobs and health care.

Some of the issues of particular concern to Catholics:

Abortion

For the first time in more than 20 years, the Democratic Party’s platform committee heard testimony in July from Democrats for Life of America about adding general pro-life language to the platform – welcoming “differing positions” on the issue of abortion – but the committee ultimately rejected the proposal and reaffirmed the party’s unrestricted pro-abortion stance.

The consistently pro-abortion stance of the Democratic Party is the most problematic issue for Catholics, because, while the Church says the faithful can weigh some policies against others in choosing for whom to vote, the right to life trumps all other issues. Catholics believe all human life is a sacred gift from God and must be protected and nurtured – from conception to natural death.

Democrats for Life leader Kristen Day, a Catholic, said her group will continue fighting to persuade party leaders to acknowledge that most Democrats are pro-life – just as a majority of Americans say they are – and that the party platform must change if Democrats want to win elections.

Same-sex ‘marriage’

For the first time, the Democrats’ platform will call for support of same-sex “marriage.” North Carolina voters

recently addressed that issue, approving by a 3-to-2 margin a statewide constitutional amendment in May that protects the definition of marriage as the exclusive union of one man and one woman.

The Church teaches that marriage was created by God as being between a man and a woman. Both of North Carolina’s bishops, through their public policy website Catholic Voice North Carolina, strongly supported the amendment.

North Carolina’s debate put the issue on the national party’s stage. Vice President Joe Biden, a Catholic, voiced support for same-sex “marriage.” A few days after the May referendum, President Barack Obama told ABC News his position on the issue had “evolved” to supporting same-sex “marriage.”

Immigration

Church teaching and the Democratic Party tend to agree more than disagree on the issue of immigration reform.

The party’s website states, “Democrats support comprehensive reform grounded in the principles of responsibility and accountability, including protecting immigrants from unscrupulous businesses that break the law: Employers who exploit undocumented workers undermine American workers, and they have to be held accountable.

“Undocumented workers who are in good standing must admit that they broke the law, pay taxes and a penalty, learn English, and get right with the law before they can get in line to earn their citizenship. … Comprehensive immigration reform is essential to continue the tradition of innovation that immigrants have brought to the American economy and to ensure a level playing field for American workers.”

The U.S. bishops and Mexican bishops have long advocated for comprehensive immigration reform that protects human dignity and ensures just wages and employment conditions.

According to a statement, “In a landmark pastoral letter issued by the Catholic bishops of Mexico and the United States, ‘Strangers No Longer: Together on the Journey of Hope,’ the bishops acknowledge the current immigration system is badly in need of reform and a comprehensive approach to fixing it is required.”

U.S. bishops also support passage of reforms such as the DREAM Act, which would enable undocumented young people who came here as children to remain here and obtain permanent legal status or citizenship.

Congressional action has stalled on the DREAM Act, in part due to Republican resistence in the U.S. House. Earlier this year, Obama issued an executive order allowing those brought here illegally as children to register and receive a temporary work permit.

Contraception and religious liberty

Along with abortion, the Democrats’ platform supports contraception as a basic component of women’s health care.

The Church teaches that contraception and sterilization are intrinsically wrong: it is an unnatural suppression of physiology and prevents women and men from total union with each other according to God’s plan.

This disagreement reached a crescendo recently as the 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act began to be implemented.

The ACA is perhaps the signature achievement of Obama’s first term, but the U.S. bishops fought its passage, saying it did not adequately preclude federal funding of abortions. Then the federal Health and Human Services department issued regulations mandating that nearly all employers pay for free contraception coverage. Catholic leaders across the country are protesting with more than 20 federal lawsuits filed, charging the HHS mandate is an assault on the First Amendment’s freedom of religion.

Obama responded to the criticism earlier this year, saying employers who object to paying for contraception coverage can shift the responsibility to their insurance carrier, but he reiterated that all employers must comply with the HHS mandate by 2014 or face severe penalties.

The Diocese of Charlotte, like many Catholic institutions, is self-insured and would not be exempt from the contraception mandate.

The U.S. bishops have repeated their long-standing position that health care is a basic human right that should be available to everyone, but the ACA has serious flaws that must be corrected – either by legislative or judicial action.

Welfare

Anti-poverty efforts and greater assistance for the poor are Democratic Party positions that are in line with Church teaching.

PLATFORM, SEE page 16

August 31, 2012 | catholicnewsherald.com

FROM THE COVERI

15

VOTING CATHOLIC ... and the Charlotte convention

Deacon George Szalony walks the concourse at the Charlotte Douglas International Airport most days, comforting travelers and assisting anyone in need of spiritual guidance.

The chapel at the airport is staffed by 18 people, under the direction of Deacon Szalony. Father Conrad Hoover regularly celebrates Mass for Catholic travelers and airport employees.

Kimberly Bender Catholic News Herald

Democratic National Convention brings thousands of extra travelers to Charlotte CHARLOTTE — With more than 30,000 people expected to descend on Charlotte for the Democratic National Convention, Deacon George Szalony and the other airport chaplains plan to step up their presence at Charlotte Douglas International Airport.

“One of the rare times we’ll have more than one chaplain here is during the Democratic National Convention,” Deacon Szalony said.

“We’ll have teams of chaplains. We’ll have an influx of delegates and reporters and reasonably important people coming in before the convention and flying out the Friday after President (Barack) Obama’s speech.”

Normally, there’s only one or two chaplains on shift at a time, slowly walking the concourses, letting people see them and looking for anyone in need.

But for the time the Democratic National Convention is under way, Deacon Szalony said, he plans to double the chaplains on shift at the airport at one time.

“We’ll have at least four or five chaplains here working both secured and unsecured areas during those expected peak days,” he said.

Their plan, however, won’t change. The chaplains will be doing what they always do: help people who need help, listen to those who need to talk and provide a place for anyone to pray.

“Our role is to represent Charlotte and be good hosts and assist however needed,” he said.

— Kimberly Bender, online reporter

At the airport, a place of prayer and peace amid the hustle and bustle Kimberly Bender Online reporter

CHARLOTTE — The business traveler, checking email on his smart phone while dragging behind his carry-on.

The parents, gripping their children’s hands as they walk swiftly to their gate pushing a cart full of luggage.

The irate flyer, yelling at an airline employee about delays in his trip.

The woman in a wheelchair, left alone near the gate, hoping to make it to her grandson’s party thousands of miles away.

Deacon George Szalony sees them all every day as he walks the concourses at Charlotte Douglas International Airport. The director of the Airport Chaplaincy team looks for travelers in need, in distress or who would simply need someone to talk to.

Since 1988 there has been a Catholic presence at Charlotte’s airport, Deacon Szalony says. For the past four years, he has led an 18-person team of Catholic deacons and Father Conrad Hoover, ministers of other faiths and volunteers who make up the interfaith ministry at the airport. Eleven are Catholic.

Charlotte is one of more than 130 airports internationally that have a designated chapel. More than 250 have airport chaplains, according to the International Association of Civil Aviation Chaplains.

Nearly 40 million passengers passed through the Charlotte airport last year, and the airport chaplains seek to serve the spiritual needs of those passengers and visitors to Charlotte, Deacon Szalony says.

“It’s a very exciting environment in that we’re always dealing with people who need

See more online At www.catholicnewsherald.com: Watch a video of a day in the life of the airport chaplain and see more pictures.

the presence of God in their lives, and we’re able to bring that to them every day, seven days a week.”

Airport chaplains listen to people dealing with the stress of both flying and daily living. Some travelers are filled with anxiety because of circumstance – they are on their way to funerals, medical treatment or family emergencies. Many don’t have the time to go to church before rushing to the airport.

The chaplains follow two rules, he notes: 1) No proselytizing is allowed: The chaplains are here to just meet the person, whoever they are.

2) “Where you’re here, you’re a chaplain.

We want people who are passionate about their faith, but when you’re here, you’re neither Catholic, nor Jewish, nor Baptist ...

You deal with what’s in front of you.”

THE CHAPEL

Above the chaos of barefoot passengers gathering their belongings at security checkpoints and the busy restaurants and shops, travelers can retreat to a silent, peaceful chapel.

The inviting inter-faith room is equipped with prayer necessities: yarmulkes, prayer rugs, books and rosaries. A Christian Bible,

Torah and Quran sit on a small altar.

“Most visitors are happy they have somewhere to spend a few minutes with God or in prayer,” Deacon Szalony says. “To use this space, you’re obviously on your way out (of Charlotte). So if you’re here early enough, it gives you some time to pray or compose yourself before your flight.”

There is no tabernacle in the chapel, and crosses and the Mass kit sit behind the office door. Eucharist is only at the airport for Masses on Sunday, Deacon Szalony says.

“And we’re asked for it all the time, almost daily. But the program doesn’t have the resources to offer it,” he says.

Since June 2011, more than 400 people have signed the chapel’s guest register, but there’s no way of really knowing how many people visit the chapel. On signs inside the airport, a small symbol of a kneeling person – the international sign for a house of worship – points the way to the chapel, he says.

From encountering people of different faiths in the chapel, he says, he learns something new every day.

“Just how much God means to different people. People just come in here to stop and pray. In a way it’s exciting, and it renews your own faith.”

The non-profit chaplaincy program leases space for the chapel from the airport, Deacon Szalony says. Most team members volunteer their service. The chapel and its ministry, which includes helping stranded or hungry passengers in need, operate on a small stipend from the Diocese of Charlotte and donations.

AIRPORT, SEE page 17

16

catholicnewsherald.com | August 31, 2012 FROM THE COVER

VOTING CATHOLIC ... and the Charlotte convention

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CONCORD — The Knights of Columbus Council 6700 from St. Michael Church in Gastonia anticipates raising hundreds of dollars for its general fund during the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte Sept. 3-6.

The Knights will man three shuttles from the Charlotte Motor Speedway to uptown Charlotte on Sept. 6, when President Barack Obama gives his nomination acceptance speech during the closing part of the convention.

Charlie Dow, a parishioner and Knight from St. Michael Church, is the coordinator for the Charlotte Motor Speedway shuttle

VIGILS: FROM PAGE 12

Planned Parenthood at 4822 Albemarle Road in east Charlotte, from 10 a.m. to noon. An aerial banner reading “Stop Abortions – Defund Planned Parenthood� will be flown overhead during the vigil.

Planned Parenthood is the nation’s leading abortion provider, with more than 800 centers across the U.S. – many of which provide abortions (either by medication or by surgery), “emergency� contraception medication, and birth control pills. Planned Parenthood has four such centers located within the Diocese of Charlotte: Asheville, Charlotte, Greensboro and Winston-Salem.

Asheville, Charlotte and Greensboro provide contraception and referrals to local abortion facilities. Winston-Salem conducts abortions via medication and surgery (for unborn babies up to 14 weeks’ gestation).

Capping off the week’s pro-life events will be a Civil Rights for Life March and Rally in Charlotte on Wednesday, Sept. 5, from noon to 2 p.m.

Marchers will gather at 11:30 a.m. and process from the Diocese of Charlotte Pastoral Center at 1123 South Church St. and proceed along Carson Boulevard to South Tryon Street into uptown Charlotte, where they will gather at the corner of Trade and Tryon streets to listen to pro-life guest speaker Bobby Schindler and others, plus hear personal testimonies from postabortive women.

Schindler is the brother of Terri Schiavo, a severely disabled woman who was starved to death by court order in 2005 following a contentious battle between members of her family. Schindler is the executive director of the Terri Schiavo Life & Hope Network, which works to protect the lives of the medically vulnerable and disabled from the threat of euthanasia.

Buses to shuttle marchers from two locations outside the uptown area – one from St. ThÊrèse Church in Mooresville

PLATFORM: FROM PAGE 14

In fact, the U.S. bishops recently criticized the U.S. House budget proposal drafted

by U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, a Catholic who has since been chosen as the Republican nominee for vice president.

fundraisers for the Knights. He says the Knights are “glad to have the opportunity to make guaranteed money� for its general fund.

Five men from Council 6700 at St. Michael Church will man the shuttles from noon on Sept. 6 until 5 a.m. Sept. 7 during the convention and the after parties in uptown Charlotte. The Knights – who are contracted directly by the speedway for events throughout the year, and not through the DNC – hope to raise more than $560 for their efforts. — SueAnn Howell, staff writer

Get more info For details about any of these events, go online to www.americadefendlife.com.

and one from St. Vincent De Paul Church in south Charlotte – are available.

Members of the Knights of Columbus will serve as marshals during the Civil Rights for Life March and Rally, expected to be similar to the March for Life rally that the Diocese of Charlotte conducts each January to mark the anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Roe vs.

Wade, which legalized abortion in the U.S. Since 1973, more than 54 million babies have been aborted in the U.S. Pro-life Catholics from Charlotte recently gathered to prepare for the demonstrations, making signs and banners that they will display during all of the pro-life events. The sign-making was an occasion for pro-lifers to come together and create compelling messages about the cause for protecting all human life. “The main poster we’re using for the DNC events, especially for Sept. 5, is ‘I AM A PERSON,’� said Andrea Hines, head of the DNC event planning committee for America, Defend Life!.

Hines said signs will available for marchers to use, adding, “People can bring their own favorite signs if they want, too.

Handmade signs have become popular, so this ‘poster party’ was a way for us to come together and make them.�

For people who want to bring their own signs, only poster-size, handheld signs will be allowed, she noted.

Organizers said everyone is welcome to attend any of these pro-life events, which have secured all the necessary permits for during the DNC. But, they caution, these events are peaceful, non-partisan events, so they ask participants not to bring signs or information that mention a particular candidate or political party.

That budget proposal substantially cut several poverty programs, including Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. SNAP helps poor families buy food, and also helps food pantries stock their shelves.

The U.S. bishops urged lawmakers to “put a circle of protection� around three “essential programs� including SNAP, the Child Tax Credit and the Social Services Block Grant, according to a statement from the conference.

August 31, 2012 | catholicnewsherald.com

FROM THE COVERI

17

VOTING CATHOLIC ... and the Charlotte convention

AIRPORT: FROM PAGE 15

DEACON GEORGE

Deacon Szalony spends 30-40 hours a week at the airport. He splits shifts with the other members of the chaplaincy team, staffing the chapel as many hours as they can while it’s open, from 5:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. daily.

He was ordained a permanent deacon in 1968 in Illinois, and he worked at Pelton & Crane, a dental equipment company, before retiring.

Prior to being assigned the director of the chaplaincy at the Charlotte airport, he served as the director of diaconate formation for the Diocese of Charlotte.

When he’s not at the airport, he enjoys ballroom dancing with his wife and spending time with his seven grandchildren.

WALKING THE CONCOURSE

The life of the chaplain here at the airport is to spend time out walking the concourses, Deacon Szalony says.

More than 90 percent of their time is outside of the chapel, interacting with travelers and airport employees.

To borrow from a chaplain in London, Deacon Szalony says, “‘What airport chaplains do is loiter with intent.’ – If in effect, we’re wandering looking for somebody who looks lost or appears to have some sort of emotional distress or we’ve been called by one of the gate agents. Most of the time we’re just helping people.

“In the event where we have flights delayed or diverted to Charlotte, having someone come in with a collar and just be present at the gate, kind of calms people. It has a tendency to defuse their anger.”

When they’re at the airport, the chaplains and volunteers carry a special cell phone. All employees of the airport have the number to call to dispatch someone to the needed location.

When someone is going through some sort of situation at home, the “hustle and bustle of the airport” often catches up to them. Deacon Szalony and his team “are simply looking at people; looking for the signs that someone might want to talk.

“There’s something about travel that brings out the pressure in people,” he says.

The chaplains also see a lot of senior

PROGRAMS: FROM PAGE 13

as well as to invite communities to take action to accompany, serve and advocate for the rights of refugees around the world.

To learn more, go online to jrsusa.org.

On Thursday, Sept. 6, from 10 a.m. to noon, Sister Campbell will review “Nuns on the Bus,” a recent public relations effort

by Network to highlight the economic problems in the Midwest. Earlier this summer women religious traveled through nine states, ending in Washington, D.C., to speak out against cuts to social welfare spending in the House budget proposal drafted by Republican Rep. Paul Ryan, also a Catholic who has since been named the Republican vice presidential candidate.

“There are going to be a lot of loud voices in Charlotte this week. Hopefully,

citizens who get lost and confused, and they are often called just to sit with some people who are overwhelmed. They also carry meal cards that they can hand out to travelers who may have had several delayed flights or didn’t have any cash left to buy a meal.

“People are humbled. Embarrassed.

Thankful,” he says. “When you need help, you need help. I’m just glad I can help.”

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OTHER SERVICES

On Sundays, announcements over the airport loudspeaker and temporary signs alert travelers to the two Masses and an interfaith service held in an auditorium near the chapel. The 8:30 and 10:30 a.m.

Masses, celebrated by Father Conrad Hoover, are kept to about 30 minutes.

Each Sunday, about 15 to 20 people attend the services, Deacon Szalony says.

Last year, more than 1,500 people attended these Masses. More than 630 attended from January to April this year.

“We never quite know who’s going to be there,” notes Father Hoover. “We have some employees who come regularly and travelers going all over the place.

“I just see it as being very important that we can provide that, and the travelers are amazed that we have Mass for them and they can come and participate when they didn’t think they would.”

Father Hoover also often hears confessions in the chapel’s office at the airport.

“You just never know what someone’s going to open up about. In one situation, I was called over after the end of the Mass.

It turned out a young woman had just learned, at the airport, that her husband had taken his own life. She was at the airport with her 4-year-old daughter. We spent time with her and talked to her about she was feeling.

“It was incredible to be able to listen to her in her shock and her grief.”

Father Hoover has been involved in the airport chaplaincy ministry for two years.

When he first started, he says, he was asked to be there one Sunday a month. But he’s there nearly every Sunday now.

“I’ve been very enthusiastic about it. I find this to be a very fulfilling ministry.

I feel we’re offering something,” he says.

“It’s wonderful to be able to be available to people in that way. We feel like we’re part of a process that could be exhausting for people. I love it. I just love it.”

convention visitors and participants can find this as a place of reflective dialogue.

The aim is not to win political arguments, but to win hearts and minds by spreading the Good News of Jesus. And that Good News includes the Church’s social teaching,” Deacon Wilson noted, adding that everyone is welcome to attend the programs, which are not affiliated with the Democratic Party or the DNC. “All are welcome, but there hasn’t been an effort to invite any political leaders. This isn’t about partisanship, but proclamation,” he said.

In addition to these programs, daily Mass will be offered at 12:10 p.m. as usual so that the local faithful, visitors and Catholic delegates may gather to worship during the DNC, despite the anticipated traffic congestion and security restrictions that will be in place through much of uptown Charlotte. The sacrament of confession will also be offered on Wednesday starting at 11:30 a.m.

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5 DATES & LOCATIONS TO CHOOSE FROM! Wednesday, September 19 – St. Elizabeth of the Hill Country Catholic Church, Boone Presenter: Msgr. Mo West Check-In & Light Refreshment: 10:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.

Program: 11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.

Mass: 12:15 p.m.

Cost: $10 per person includes lunch – Make check payable to Catholic Social Services Deadline for Registration: Wednesday, September 12 Thursday, October 25 – Catholic Conference Center, Hickory Presenter: Msgr. John McSweeney Check-In & Light Refreshment: 10:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.

Program: 10:30 a.m. – 2:15 p.m.

Closing Mass: 2:15 p.m.

Cost: $15 per person includes morning snack and lunch – Make check payable to Catholic Social Services Deadline for Registration: Monday, October 5 Thursday, November 8 – St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church, Greensboro Presenter: Msgr. Mo West Check-In & Light Refreshment: 9:45 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.

Program: 10:30 a.m. – 2:20 p.m.

Closing Mass: 2:30 p.m.

Cost: $10 per person includes morning snack and lunch – Make check payable to Catholic Social Services Deadline for Registration: Tuesday, October 30 Thursday, November 15 – Holy Cross, Kernersville Presenter: Fr. J.T. Putnam Check-In & Light Refreshment: 9:45 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.

Program: 10:30 a.m. – 2:20 p.m.

Closing Mass: 2:30 p.m.

Cost: $12 per person includes morning snack and lunch – Make check payable to Catholic Social Services Deadline for Registration: Monday, November 5 Monday, December 10 – St. Mark Catholic Church, Huntersville Presenter: Fr. Brian Cook Check-In: 10:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.

Program: 11:00 a.m. – 2:25 p.m.

Closing Mass: 2:30 p.m.

Cost: $4 per person includes lunch – Make check payable to St. Mark Elder Ministry Deadline for Registration: Monday, December 3

We ask that all check(s) be made payable to Catholic Social Services unless otherwise noted. The completed form and payment is to be returned to: Catholic Social Services Elder Ministry 1123 S. Church Street Charlotte, NC 28203 Attn: Sandra Breakfield

For more information call Sandra at 704-370-3220 or Sherill at 704-370-3228.

18

catholicnewsherald.com | August 31, 2012 FROM THE COVER

VOTING CATHOLIC ... and the Charlotte convention

SPOTLIGHT: FROM PAGE 10

Obama won by about 9 million votes, and, extrapolating from the poll, about 18 million Catholics voted for Obama.

CATHOLIC KEYNOTERS SPOTLIGHTED

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For the first time, both the Democratic and Republican parties have Catholics giving the keynote addresses at their conventions.

These keynote addresses often signal the upand-coming party leaders to watch for future elections. Particularly in recent Democratic Party history, some keynote speakers have gone on to become the party’s nominee and president, including Obama and former President Bill Clinton.

N.J. Gov. Chris Christie addressed the GOP in Tampa in its prime spot, while San Antonio Mayor Julian Cástro will speak to the DNC.

Latino Votes and MORE

Cástro is the first Latino keynoter at a Democratic national convention.

His speech is aimed to help the Obama campaign’s effort to retain another key demographic that supported him in 2008.

According to the Pew poll mentioned above, 67 percent of Latinos supported Obama, improving the Democrats’ performance from the 2004 campaign by 14 percentage points.

The Obama administration has long been a supporter of the DREAM Act, which would help young undocumented

immigrants who were brought to the U.S. as children obtain work permits and attend college. After the Republican-led U.S. House of Representatives refused to consider the DREAM Act, Obama issued an executive order allowing for some temporary measures to protect young people from deportation (see related story on page 3).

The DREAM Act is a key policy issue for Latino voters, and something that the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has long advocated. But there are other issues just as important to Catholics in this election season – including abortion, traditional marriage, social welfare, religious liberty, immigration and more.

Catholic visibility

For both parties, Catholics have been visible in both conventions this year, and for the first time in U.S. history, both vice presidential candidates are Catholic: For the Democrats, Vice President Joe Biden, and for the Republicans, U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin.

Besides the two Catholic keynoters Christie and Cástro, both conventions have notable Catholics in their speakers line-up.

At the RNC, Catholics who spoke included former Sen. Rick Santorum, House Speaker John Boehner, former N.H. Gov. John Sununu, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, Fla. Sen. Marco Rubio and Va. Rep. Barbara Comstock.

Prominent Catholics scheduled to speak at the DNC include Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts, Md. Gov. Martin O’Malley, Conn. Gov. Dannel Malloy, Sen. Barbara Mikulski, and Sister Simone Campbell of Network. Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is also attending as a delegate.

VOTING CATHOLIC ... and the Charlotte convention All the Catholic news from the Democratic National Convention Sept. 3-6 Continuous updates: — Convention coverage — Catholic delegate interviews — Pro-life and religious liberty demonstrations — Interactive features, photos and voter resources

www.catholicnewsherald.com

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August 31, 2012 | catholicnewsherald.com

FROM THE COVERI

VOTING CATHOLIC ... and the Charlotte convention

BANNER: FROM PAGE 12

a time when the national spotlight will shine on Charlotte like never before – and where attention will especially be drawn near St. Peter Church, the oldest Catholic church in the diocese and located in the heart of the convention area.

The banner conveying the value of religious liberty in our democracy was prompted by the controversial ruling from the Obama administration to require nearly all employers to provide free contraceptive coverage in their health insurance plans, despite their religious objections. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act’s “HHS mandate,” as it has come to be known, would apply to both the Diocese of Charlotte and its ministries and programs, as well as nearby Belmont Abbey College, even though the Church teaches that artificial contraception and abortion are intrinsically evil. If it is not changed by congressional action or overturned by the courts, this mandate will force Catholic employers, religious organizations, hospitals, schools, dioceses and charitable ministries to fund these services in violation of Church teaching or face severe fines. Catholics across the country, led by the U.S. bishops, have voiced strong opposition to the HHS mandate and advocated for fixes in the Affordable Care Act. The second banner that the diocese is displaying stresses the Church’s continued fight to end abortion, which since it

was legalized in 1973 has resulted in the quiet deaths of more than 54 million unborn children. It also addresses the battles that the Church and all people of goodwill have faced in light of the Obama administration’s failure to uphold marriage as God created it – the union between one man and one woman – as well as the Democratic Party’s recent move to add support for same-sex “marriage” in its platform. In North Carolina that battle was recently waged – and won, for now – during a statewide constitutional amendment ballot in which 61 percent of N.C. voters approved protecting the traditional definition of marriage.

Careful planning went into the initiative, diocesan officials said, and the wording of the banners was thoughtfully selected. The banners meet all of the City of Charlotte’s sign ordinances, and were erected on Aug. 25 in order to be visible throughout the duration of the Democratic National Convention and related events that get under way next week.

Bishop Peter J. Jugis was personally involved in the planning for the banners, along with diocesan Respect Life Director Maggi Nadol, diocesan spokesman David Hains and St. Peter’s pastor, Jesuit Father Pat Earl.

“This is a wonderful opportunity for evangelization,” Bishop Jugis said.

Nadol said she is excited about the banners and what impact they might have on visitors to Charlotte.

“The ability to express our beliefs as Americans is a right we treasure, and it must be protected,” she said. “As Catholics, we have a responsibility to witness to the truth and share that with others.”

His Excellency The Most Reverend Peter J. Jugis Bishop of Charlotte Invites all 2012 First Communicants to honor our Lord by participating in the Eucharistic Congress procession at 9:00am on Saturday, September 22 in front of St. Peter’s Catholic Church 501 South Tryon Street, Charlotte, NC. Please have all children wear their First Communion attire for the procession.

Line up for the procession begins at 8:30am.

Parents can register their children for the procession at www.goeucharist.com.

Vessels of Mercy Vessels of Trust Cenacles of Divine Mercy Day of Healing

September 15, 2012 From 9:00a.m. ’til 3:00p.m.

St. Matthew Catholic Church Dr. Bryan Thatcher, MD.,, Founder & Dir. Eucharistic Apostles of The Divine Mercy

“Being an Apostle of The Divine Mercy” Rev. Msgr. John J. Mc Sweeney Jane Brock, MSW, MDiv Deacon Mark King Dr. Bryan Thatcher, MD Ralph Sullivan, Cenacle Leader Jesus, I Trust in You!

8015 Ballantyne Commons Pkwy Charlotte, NC 28277

Come Hear

Dr. Bryan Thatcher, MD Spreading the Divine Mercy Message Worldwide Register at

www.stmatthewcatholic.org 704-543-7677

EADM Carolinas Part I – 9:00a.m. Celebrant Rev. Msgr.

John J. McSweeney. Mass, Exposition, Anointing Sick, Chaplet, Benediction Part II – 10:15a.m. Registration, Continental Breakfast 10:35a.m. Hymn: Earthen Vessels 10:40a.m. Welcome – Ralph Sullivan 10:50 Jane Brock – Merciful Mother 11:45a.m. Box Lunch 12:30p.m. Deacon Mark King talk 1:15p.m. 15 Minute Break 1:30p.m. Dr. Bryan Thatcher Lecture 2:30p.m. Cenacle Reg-ResourceTables 3:00p.m. Acknowledgements - Hymn

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catholicnewsherald.com | August 31, 2012 FROM THE COVER

100 years of gratitude to God

Photos by Patricia L. Guilfoyle | Catholic News Herald

Immaculate Conception Church in Hendersonville concluded its yearlong centennial celebration Aug. 25 with Mass celebrated by Bishop Peter J. Jugis, who also installed Capuchin Franciscan Father Martin Schratz as pastor. Concelebrants were Monsignor Joseph Showfety, who served as Immaculate Conception’s pastor from 1967 to 1972, and the Capuchin Franciscan community’s vicar provincial, Father Ronald Giannone. Also pictured are Capuchin Franciscan Father Robert Williams, parochial vicar, and Deacon Carlos Medina from St. Patrick Cathedral in Charlotte.

Hendersonville parish celebrates centennial anniversary Patricia L. Guilfoyle Editor

HENDERSONVILLE — Parishioners gathered joyfully and gratefully at Immaculate Conception Church on Aug. 25 to mark the 100th anniversary of the parish and welcome its new pastor, Capuchin Franciscan Father Martin Schratz. It marked the culmination of a yearlong celebration of the vibrant Catholic community in Henderson County.

Bishop Peter J. Jugis celebrated the two-hour bilingual Mass in the church, which was filled with hundreds of local Catholics. It was a very different scene from the first Mass celebrated at the parish on Aug. 25, 1912, when Hendersonville had just 19 Catholics. Since then, the parish has grown to 3,000 Catholics of all different backgrounds – but sharing in the same love for Our Lord and His Church, and excited to make the most of the parish’s next 100 years.

Special guests at the Mass and anniversary celebration included Monsignor Joseph Showfety, who served as Immaculate Conception’s pastor from 1967

to 1972, when he was selected to become the first chancellor of the newly formed Diocese of Charlotte. Also present was the Capuchin Franciscan community’s vicar provincial, Father Ronald Giannone, who traveled down from the provincial house in New Jersey.

The evening celebration kicked off with a foot-stomping performance of traditional Aztec dance by a group of six young parishioners of Mexican heritage. Jolin Islas, Melin Islas, Arlin Carachure, Yuriza Carachure, Gabriel Gutierrez and Lisette Bedolla danced to the beat of a drum down the center aisle to offer a dance before the altar in praise of God. At the start of Mass, members of the parish’s commissions processed in bearing banners depicting their ministries. The Knights of Columbus, which have a proud history in Hendersonville, also participated.

Much of the Mass featured the rite of installation for Father Schratz, who made his profession of faith and took the oath of fidelity – formally taking charge of the faith community comprised of both English-speaking and Spanish-speaking Catholics. He will shepherd the parish, Immaculata School, St. Gerard’s House and numerous ministries.

Father Schratz, a Philadelphia native, most recently served as pastor of Our Lady of Consolation Church in Charlotte, a 500-member mostly African-American parish, and before that he was pastor of St. Thomas Aquinas Church, also in Charlotte.

Joining Father Schratz at the parish

are Father Robert Williams, OFM Cap., as parochial vicar and Brother Lombardo D’Auria, OFM Cap., as pastoral associate.

In his homily, Bishop Jugis encouraged Father Schratz to look to the Good Shepherd as his model for leading the parish, teaching the faithful and administering the sacraments so that the faithful can become holy and serve the community for decades to come. To be a good shepherd, the bishop explained, means one must really know each member of the flock – the old and the young, the sick and the healthy, the married and the single, the rich and the poor.

“I understand that when Father Peter Marion said the first Mass here a hundred years ago, he only had to know 19 people,” Bishop Jugis noted with a smile.

The congregation laughed knowingly, then he continued, “But today you have to know more than 1,500 families, which is quite an increase in number that is placed upon you.

“But as St. Paul tells us God said to him, ‘Do not dismay, do not fear, for My grace is sufficient.’ And God’s grace certainly is sufficient for you.”

And, Bishop Jugis added, “You are surrounded by a host of many helpers in the parish to help you, to prepare you as pastor of this wonderful parish.”

In his remarks at the end of Mass, Father Schratz thanked everyone for their hard work, and said he was grateful for the warm welcome he and the other clergy have received. The 100th anniversary, he said, marks an opportunity to give thanks

for all the blessings that God has bestowed.

The 100th anniversary is exciting, he noted, because it offers a good foundation for the parish’s next 100 years.

Parishioner Sherry Glatzer echoed his sentiments, recalling that the parish had warmly welcomed her when she moved to Hendersonville years ago, and everyone’s love for the Lord and for each other is evident in all that they do. “I’m so excited. I can’t wait to see what the Lord has in store for us in the next 100 years!”

Above: Father Schratz is greeted by parishioners following Mass.

August 31, 2012 | catholicnewsherald.com

FROM THE COVERI

21

Important dates in the history of Immaculate Conception Parish 1860 1869 1870s Aug. 24, 1912

1920 July 1924 1926

1927 1936 1962

Above: Gabriel Gutierrez kneels before the altar at the conclusion of a traditional Aztec dance that he and five other young parishioners performed during Immaculate Conception Church’s 100th anniversary celebration.

Nov. 29, 1964 1967 1969 April 1974

Haley Kater plays the flute in a duet with parish music director Steve Aldridge of “Ave Maria.”

More online At www.catholicnewsherald. com: See more photos from Immaculate Conception Church’s 100th anniversary celebration.

1979 1991 Dec. 5, 1998 2009-2011

Aug. 25, 2012

North Carolina has about seven Catholic congregations, about 350 Catholics in the entire state.

St. Lawrence Church (now Basilica) is completed in Asheville, and Hendersonville becomes a mission area for traveling priests including the three Father O’Connell brothers and Father Thomas Price (the “Tarheel Apostle,” whose cause for sainthood is now under way).

Mass is begun to be celebrated regularly by the resident priest in Asheville, who is welcomed to the Seventh Avenue home of the Johnston family.

Father Peter Marion moves in as the first resident pastor in the newly-built Church of the Immaculate Conception, on land donated by the Johnston family at the corner of Seventh Avenue and Church streets. It is a modest little white clapboard church for a parish of 19 people: three men, eight women and eight children. On Aug. 25, Father Marion offers his first Mass there.

The parish numbers 55 permanent members. During the summer months, visitors to the area fill the tiny church.

After Father Marion’s death on July 4, 1924, Father James Manley is transferred from St. Lawrence in Asheville to become the new pastor.

Father Manley wants so much to establish a Catholic school that he moves out of the rectory and rents a room in town so that Immaculata School can be established. It is staffed by three nuns from the Religious of Christian Education from Belgium, who teach 10 students (most of whom are not Catholic). “The general public met us with surprise and were a little fearful since they did not know how to approach us, nor how to address us. Often when we walked the streets of the city, children ran after us calling us witches,” recalled one the sisters.

Father George Watkins becomes pastor, followed by Father Paul Termer later that year. A large brick home is purchased to house the growing school, and a small cottage named Madonna Hall is built for a rectory, meetings and later for the kindergarten.

A second church that seats 200 is built to replace the original church. Made entirely of stone, it costs $5,000.

Present Immaculata School is completed for 125 students, and the rectory moves back to its original location.

First Mass in the English language is celebrated.

Father Showfety (now Monsignor) arrives from Our Lady of the Hills Camp to serve as pastor. He begins repairs to the church and rectory and launches plans for a larger church to suit the parish’s 240 families and numerous summer visitors.

A convent is built and later becomes the Friary.

A third church, in a modern, chalet style, is built by enlarging the 1936 building, at a cost of $275,000. Madonna Hall is demolished to make room. Bishop Michael J. Begley celebrates the dedication Mass on April 24 along with Father Joseph Showfety, former pastor; Father William Pharr, pastor; Benedictine Father Kieran Neilson of Belmont Abbey; and nine other priests.

Father Pharr commissions a local artist, Louis Spegel of Black Mountain, to hand carve the figure of the crucified Christ out of slabs of white oak. Father Pharr also commissions a wooden cross of stained walnut upon which the figure of Christ is hung above the altar – that crucifix hangs above the altar today. The artist also carves a figure of the Madonna, also still in the current church.

A second Madonna Hall (gymnasium and other rooms) is added to Immaculata School.

Capuchin Friars begin their service at Immaculate Conception Parish, which numbers 1,200 families.

Present-day church consecrated by Bishop William G. Curlin.

Father Nicholas Mormando, OFM Cap., becomes pastor and under his leadership, a new building is constructed to house St. Gerard’s House and the Grotto Pre-School where young children with autism and special needs and their families receive training, support and education.

Immaculate Conception Parish marks its 100th year, during Mass celebrated by Bishop Peter J. Jugis, who also installs the new pastor, Father Martin Schratz, OFM Cap.

Pastors of Immaculate Conception Parish

Parish ministry leaders processed in at the start of Mass Aug. 25. The yearlong anniversary celebration involved the entire parish. Kathy and Jim Meersman, who chaired the anniversary celebration committee, noted that the anniversary celebrations began last September with an “Anniversary Fiesta” centering on the multicultural aspects of the parish. Nearly 375 adults and children attended. Parishioners placed special emphasis on praying the rosary throughout the year, they honored couples who had been married in the parish, they marked the 130th anniversary of the Knights of Columbus, and they participated in the Hendersonville Day of Service. Earlier this month, the music ministry welcomed Catholic composer Dan Schutte in concert. In addition, Hendersonville Mayor Barbara Volk issued a proclamation thanking the parish for its 100 years of service to the community and officially designating Aug. 25, 2012, as “Immaculate Conception Church Day.”

1912-1924 1924-1927 1927 1927-1931 1931-1944 1944-1967 1967-1972 1972-1974 1974-1979 1979-1983 1983-1985 1985-1986 1986-1991 1991-1995 1995-2009 2009-2011 2012-

Father Peter Marion Father James Manley Father George Watkins Father Paul Termer Father Philip O’Mara Father Howard Lane Father (now Monsignor) Joseph Showfety Father (later Monsignor) William Pharr Father Thomas Walsh Father Paul Wilderotter Father Conrad Kimbrough Father Charles Reese Father Joseph Kelleher Father Robert Salamone, OFM Cap. Father John Aurilia, OFM Cap. Father Nicholas Mormando, OFM Cap. Father Martin Schratz, OFM Cap.

Our schools 22

catholicnewsherald.com | August 31, 2012 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

It’s back to school time Photo provided

by Robin Fisher

SALISBURY — Friends at Sacred Heart School were all smiles as they got back together when school began Aug. 22.

PHOTO PROVIDED

BY EMILY JANE WALL

WINSTON-SALEM — At St. Leo School, the first day of school brought some unexpected good news: a second-grader lost a tooth!

Photo provided by Peggy Mazzola

CHARLOTTE — Students at St. Ann School get familiar with carpool line duties on the first day of school.

Photo provided by Mike Ford

CHARLOTTE — Students at St. Matthew School raise the flag during the first day of school.

PHoto provided by Michele Snoke

CHARLOTTE — Excited parents and students are pictured with Principal Sharon Broxterman and Father Frank O’Rourke, pastor, in the lobby of St. Gabriel School on Aug. 21.

Photo provided by Lara Davenport

WINSTON-SALEM — In a first day of school tradition, kindergartners at Our Lady of Mercy School bring in their favorite stuffed animals and then go on a “bear hunt” when they discover the toys missing following morning recess. They tour the school building, looking for clues on where their little friends may have gone, stopping at each classroom. Then they visit the pastor, principal and school secretary. Their friends prove hard to find, so they return to their classrooms for a snack to discover that their stuffed animals have surprised them by setting up a picnic for them. (Right) Kindergartners meet Friar Bill Robinson, pastor.

Photo provided by Donna Birkel

WINSTON-SALEM — Father Brian Cook, pastor at St. Leo Church and School, offered a special blessing over students and their religion books during the first school Mass of the year last week.

August 31, 2012 | catholicnewsherald.com catholic news heraldI

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sueann howell | catholic news herald

Father Matthew Kauth, Charlotte Catholic High Schoolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new chaplain, greets senior Marcus Wise after Mass in the school chapel on Aug. 22.

Charlotte Catholic welcomes new full-time chaplain SueAnn Howell Staff writer

CHARLOTTE â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Charlotte Catholic High School has a new chaplain â&#x20AC;&#x201C; who just happens to be a doctor as well as a priest.

He will not be called upon to examine illnesses of the body, however, but of the soul.

Appointed to the post by Bishop Peter J. Jugis, Father Matthew Kauth will serve as the high schoolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s full-time chaplain while also remaining Father Matthew in residence Kauth will be one of at St. Thomas the featured speakers Aquinas Church during the High School in Charlotte. He Track at the 2012 succeeds Father Diocese of Charlotte Robert Conway, Eucharistic Congress who served in Charlotte Sept. 21as chaplain 22. Look for complete in addition to information about the pastoral duties Eucharistic Congress at nearby in our Sept. 14 edition.

St. Matthew Church in south Charlotte.

Father Kauth has spent the past four years studying at the University of Santa Croce in Rome earning a licentiate in moral theology. He will defend for his doctorate in the same discipline this fall.

Prior to pursuing graduate studies, Father Kauth was the pastor of St. Francis of Assisi Church in Franklin for six years.

He also served at several parishes around the diocese since his ordination in 2000.

He is competent in several languages, including Spanish, Latin and Italian, and he is an engaging homilist â&#x20AC;&#x201C; which he hopes will serve him well in his role of shepherd of the Charlotte Catholic

Teens can meet Father Kauth

community. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a great responsibility the bishop has given me, because my primary purpose here is the salvation of the souls of these vulnerable young men and women,â&#x20AC;? Father Kauth said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;They are on the front lines in society and must be prepared. At this age, they have enough interior battles to fight as they mature, without augmenting the exterior battles. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This school is a place for them to train their minds, bodies and wills. My job is to protect them, educate them and lead them ultimately to salvation. I cannot give them divine faith or charity, but I can remove obstacles and provide the sacraments and the environment to encounter Christ, who alone can reveal to them who they are.â&#x20AC;?

Father Kauth said he plans to celebrate Mass in the Charlotte Catholic chapel daily.

He will also offer Eucharistic Adoration regularly, as well as hear confessions. He will assist in religious education classes, working with the teachers as well as with the pastors of the parishes from which the students come. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Aside from the sacraments, I simply must be here consistently for these kids,â&#x20AC;? he said.

On Aug. 22, the first day of school, Father Kauth celebrated Mass at Charlotte Catholic. He was greeted warmly after Mass by several students whose families have known him for many years.

One of those students, senior Marcus Wise, met Father Kauth at St. Michael Church in Gastonia and is happy to have him at Charlotte Catholic. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I love Father Kauth! When I heard he was coming, I was pleased to hear that,â&#x20AC;? Wise said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I am hoping to get more involved, especially with Father here.â&#x20AC;?

Another senior, Chase Hayes, said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;My family first met Father at St. Matthew.

We have become good friends with him and we were excited to hear he would be here.â&#x20AC;? He added that he now wants to CHAPLAIN, SEE page 24

His Excellency The Most Reverend Peter J. Jugis Bishop of Charlotte invites all the faithful of the diocese to the Holy Mass honoring Priest Jubilarians on the occasion of their anniversaries of Priesthood Ordination Most Reverend William G. Curlin â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 55 years Reverend Monsignor Anthony J. Kovacic â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 65 years Reverend Joseph A. Elzi, CM â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 60 years Reverend Monsignor Joseph A. Kerin â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 55 years Reverend Bernard A. Manley â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 25 years Reverend Raymond B. Hourihan â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 25 years September 11, 2012 4:00 p.m.

Cathedral of Saint Patrick Charlotte, North Carolina

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24

catholicnewsherald.com | August 31, 2012 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

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Charlotte area Catholic high schools launch ‘1:1’ initiative SueAnn Howell Staff writer

CHARLOTTE — Students at both Charlotte Catholic and Christ the King Catholic high schools stepped foot on campus just days before the school year officially began on Aug. 22 to pick up their new Apple MacBook Pro laptops as part of the latest technology in schools initiative.

More than 1,530 laptops were distributed at Charlotte Catholic and more than 80 at Christ the King.

The Mecklenburg Area Catholic Schools’ “1:1” or “Technology Infusion” program has been in the planning stages for the past two years, and it follows from the success of a similar, smaller launch at both high schools last year.

Students in social studies and math classes at Charlotte Catholic started using laptops in the classroom last year, and Christ the King began offering laptops to 38 students and teachers with great success when it opened last fall in its temporary Mooresville location.

Beth Acitelli, technology coordinator at Charlotte Catholic, said she is pleased with the initial rollout. The school’s computer network was upgraded, with wireless capability added to each classroom and the common areas, along with a stronger Internet security firewall and content filter.

“The project is going very well,” Acitelli said. “We’re currently working through some firewall issues. Flexibility and collaboration have been the keys to our success.”

PHOTO PROVIDED BY DR. JANICE RITTER

An on-site computer helpdesk that will be run by students who have been trained to assist others is being set up at Charlotte Catholic to respond to questions, repair issues and other needs from students and teachers.

Charlotte Catholic sophomore Maria Picone is getting used to her new computer.

“I like having the computer with me,” Picone said. “It’s convenient for taking notes and researching. It’s also helpful for doing homework.”

Strategically, MACS officials say, the “Technology Infusion” initiative could lead to “paperless” classrooms for teachers and students, as well as savings on textbook costs for parents.

The project will cost MACS approximately $2.2 million over three years.

“It is exciting to see the evolution in our classrooms,” Acitelli added. “We are off to a great start!”

In theatres nationwide on September 14

CHAPLAIN: FROM PAGE 23

serve as an extraordinary minister of Holy Communion if there is the opportunity.

Father Kauth said he looks forward to attending sporting events and school activities during the year, as a way of getting to know more of the students and faculty. He asks for prayers for his ministry at Charlotte Catholic and the impact he will have on the youths.

“The biggest thing for them to see is the faith is real; that Our Lord is here; that the priest is here for them. (And) That when they have questions, there are real answers to these questions, things that are

substantial. We need not take ourselves terribly seriously, but we should take God very seriously. When they see the dignity and the beauty of the faith, they are naturally attracted to it.

“We don’t need gimmicks. We need the Truth preached in love. This we will do.”

He added, “I cannot express enough how grateful I am to the bishop for this opportunity as well as to Principal Gerald Healy and all the staff for their incredibly warm welcome. I am privileged to become a part of the years of loving labor they have already given to this school. I am blessed.”

Principal Healy echoed those sentiments.

“We feel blessed that the bishop and Father (Roger) Arnsparger worked so hard to make this happen.

“It truly will benefit all the students, faculty and families.”

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August 31, 2012 | catholicnewsherald.com catholic news heraldI

25

Christ the King High School students live ‘pura vida’ in Costa Rica on home-stay mission trip SueAnn Howell Staff writer

MOORESVILLE — Most teenagers would be perturbed about waking up at 5 a.m., especially if it involved howling monkeys and crowing roosters. But surprisingly, a group of Christ the King High School students adapted quickly and joyfully to their new environment and host families on a recent 10-day mission trip to Costa Rica.

Margie Henry, assistant principal at Christ the King High School, describes the May 29-June 7 mission trip to Costa Rica with nine students as a very successful service project. Henry, her daughter Laura, a high school counselor, eight Christ the King students and one teen who is a parishioner at Holy Spirit Church in Denver made the 1700-mile journey to the north central region of Costa Rica.

This is Henry’s second trip with students to San Jorge, Costa Rica, with a group called Sustainable Horizon.

“San Jorge is a very special rural farming community in the north central region of Costa Rica, very near the Nicaraguan border,” Henry explained. “What I like about Sustainable Housing’s program is the home-stay feature. Students are paired up and placed with families in their homes.

There they learn about the real culture of Costa Rica – home-cooked meals, how families work together and play together, the genuine love that is demonstrated toward one another, and where they are completely immersed in the Spanish language.”

She was impressed with how quickly the students adapted to the lack of privacy, the stifling heat, the lack of hot water, and the countless insects.

“They learned to appreciate the simpler way of life that is typical of a farming community. We woke up early (5 a.m.) to howler monkeys roaring, roosters crowing, cows mooing and dogs barking. Rice and beans with every meal sustained us

throughout the week. Evenings brought family time centered around the TV and then a fairly early bedtime.”

Henry’s daughter Laura described this type of lifestyle with a Costa Rican phrase: “pura vida.”

“It literally means ‘pure life,’ but is used to capture the essence of the culture – that the conversation that you are having right now is more important than your next obligation,” she said. “It is used as a greeting and a farewell (much like ‘aloha’) and when a person is described as ‘pura vida,’ that person is content with the world and takes each day as it comes.”

The students worked on service projects while they were there: painting the new principal’s office (inside and outside) at the high school, painting the kindergarten classroom, and playing with the kindergarten kids for an afternoon. They also donated supplies for the kindergarten class.

Hannah Cutlip, a sophomore at Christ the King, shared what struck her the most on the trip: “The families welcomed us into their homes with open arms and as soon as we arrived, treated us like their own children … None of the (host families’) kids, during the entire trip, ever fought or back-talked to any of their parents. This aspect struck me hard. At home, we often complain about walking the dog or cleaning our room.

When in Costa Rica, the kids do it without a single complaint and most times with a smile on their faces while doing it, knowing they are making their moms happy.”

Angela Arce, also a sophomore, echoed those sentiments: “Everyone in the community is very close and very friendly, and they are always participating in activities together. I became very close with the people there very fast and did not want to leave them. This trip helped me to realize that computers, iPods, cell phones, or any electronics are not needed to keep you happy and that we would be fine

Photo provided by Margie henry

Students from Christ the King High School who traveled to Costa Rica recently on a mission trip included Gianna Caminiti, Gaby Hurt, Hannah Cutlip, Angela Arce, Alex Cedrone, Patrick Blattner, Matthew Crowell and Craig Mundy.

Joey Redmond, who is a parishioner of Holy Spirit in Denver and a student at The Lincoln Charter School, also went. without them. This trip has changed the way I think and feel, and now I know that you do not need fancy things to be happy. Just the people around you can bring joy to your life.”

After a week in San Jorge, the group said tearful goodbyes to their new friends and headed to the Arenal Volcano region. There they visited an organic farm and learned about sustainable farming techniques.

Their final two days were filled with a visit to thermal springs, zip-lining through the rainforest canopy, and horseback riding around the base of the volcano.

Henry summed up the group’s experience in Costa Rica: “I often refer to this trip as a ‘reverse’ mission trip because the greatest impact is made on the students who go, not on the community we serve,” she said. “The

kids get to see how most of the world’s population lives. The students see that although these families have few material things, they are truly happy. They learn that people are more important than possessions and that a community takes care of all of its members. They learn that we are all stewards of God’s earth and that our actions affect others – that we are all part of a global community.”

See the video See a YouTube video of the Christ the King mission to Costa Rica: www.youtube.com/ watch?v=t5837pgeEEw&feature=share.

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Mix 26

catholicnewsherald.com | August 31, 2012 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

On TV

For the latest movie reviews: catholicnewsherald.com

n Saturday, Sept. 1, 2 p.m.

(EWTN) “What Every Catholic Needs To Know About Hell.”

What you don’t know about Hell can hurt you! This well-rounded documentary presents the Church doctrine of hell.

In theaters

n Monday, Sept. 3, 4 p.m.

(EWTN) “When Children Adore – God My Creator.” In this special children’s program, Father Antoine Thomas and the kids explore what it means to adore God. It means recognizing that God is God! He created the world, and He created us. We show God respect by kneeling as His servants Abraham and Moses did.

‘The Odd Life of Timothy Green’ In this fable that draws on both Christian and wiccan imagery, an infertile couple (Jennifer Garner and Joel Edgerton) bury their written hopes for the perfect child in a cardboard box in their backyard. The next morning, a partially vine-covered boy (CJ Adams) precisely matching their description appears, and proceeds to change their lives in unexpected ways.

Writer-director Peter Hedges, working from an original story by Ahmet Zappa, spins a sentimental tale that celebrates familial love. Some of the subject matter touched on, however, makes this unsuitable for younger children. Mature themes, some pagan overtones.

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

‘Sparkle’ Remake of the 1976 melodrama about a girl trio, set in 1968 Detroit, manages to be both as predictably familiar as your grandmother’s living room and as subtle as a runaway freight train. But the charisma of the performers and the consistently expressed desire of all the principal characters to lead moral lives hold the enterprise together. Marital violence culminating in a homicide, cocaine use, sexual banter, racial epithets.

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

‘The Expendables 2’ Blood-soaked action sequel in which a band of heavily armed mercenaries (most prominently Sylvester Stallone and Jason Statham) tangles with a host of Russian gangsters (led by Jean-Claude Van Damme) over a trove of Soviet-era nukes. Aging action stars (including Dolph Lundgren, Chuck Norris, Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwarzenegger) are thick on the ground in director Simon West’s adventure. Excessive bloody violence, including torture and decapitation, a vengeance theme, crude language.

CNS: O (morally offensive); MPAA: R

More reviews: “ParaNorman”: CNS: A-III (adults); MPAA: PG “Hit and Run”: CNS: O (morally offensive); MPAA: R

n Monday, Sept. 3, 6:30 p.m. (EWTN) “John Paul II and the Sick: The Value of Suffering.” Journey with Pope John Paul II around the world as he reaches out with the love of Christ to the sick and suffering and calls us, as Jesus did, to do the same.

Morgan Castillo | Catholic News Herald

Marilyn and Bruce Putman are celebrating the 10th anniversary of their bookstore in Gastonia, which they see is their ministry to educate and inspire Catholics.

Gastonia Catholic bookstore celebrates 10th anniversary Morgan Castillo Correspondent

GASTONIA — Tucked away in a small shopping center off of New Hope Road in Gastonia, Mary’s Garden Catholic Books and Gifts has been quietly thriving for the past 10 years. September marks the first decade of Bruce and Marilyn Putman’s endeavor to serve their local Catholic community.

The Putmans are from Lawrenceville, Ga., but relocated to Gastonia in 2000 because of Bruce Putman’s work. They were surprised to find that although there was a strong Catholic presence in the area, there was no Catholic store or shop nearby. Marilyn Putman feels she was called to start the store, recalling a moment during Mass where she felt and heard God call out to her, and His encouragement to “feed my sheep.” She said, “When God calls you, you answer,” affirming that their endeavor is not something they sought for money or for the love of business – but because they believe they can perform a real service for those in need of inspiration, information or just some friendly conversation.

Their store started in a 400-square-foot shop.

As the cost of rent there went up, however, the Putmans were forced to begin looking for a new place. They were facing major financial difficulties, as Bruce Putman had been let go by his company, and a new shop would require more money than they had. The outlook was not promising, but God had plans for the Putmans.

As God brings good out of every sorrow, the passing of Marilyn Putman’s mother provided a small sum that allowed them to purchase a new store location and move forward with their store, which they call “an apostolate, a labor of love ...

Check out the store Visit Mary’s Garden’s website, www. marysgardencatholicbooksandgifts.com, or call 704-823-7244.

you don’t do this for earnings,” as Bruce Putman said. The Putmans took “a leap of faith,” and used the inheritance to pay for the new shop – a small, humble, but welcoming and full-to-the-brim store which they know is a way for them to serve their community and the Church.

Of their customers, the Putmans note that they get “all kinds.” They recall a customer from several years ago who came in about “two or three times a month,” to sit in the store, read and ask the Putmans questions about the faith.

“She wound up joining the Church,” Bruce Putman said. “We help people on their journey, no matter where they are. That’s the most important: sharing the faith, feeding the sheep,” said Marilyn Putman.

Many people visit in search of baptism, first Communion or confirmation gifts, as well as sacred art, books, gifts and various accessories.

The Putmans are always willing to go the extra mile for whoever passes through their door, often searching for the right item and always ordering from other vendors when needed.

Bruce Putman noted, “You never know whose life you might touch, and we understand that now after 10 years, you never know who is coming in that door, and what they need, and how we might help them.”

n Tuesday, Sept. 4, 6:308 p.m. (EWTN) “Mass for the Servant of God, Father Vincent Capodanno.”

Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio of the U.S. Archdiocese for the Military Services is scheduled to serve as celebrant and homilist at this liturgy memorializing Maryknoll priest and military chaplain Father Vincent R. Capodanno, who was killed while performing last rites for dying soldiers in Vietnam. The Mass will be broadcast live from the crypt church of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C. n Wednesday, Sept. 5. 1 p.m. (EWTN) “(Best of) The Journey Home.” In this staple of EWTN programming, listen as Father Jay Scott Newman, pastor of St. Mary Church in Greenville, S.C., shares his conversion story. n Friday, Sept. 7, 10 p.m.

(EWTN) “The Knights of St. John.” This compelling overview of the 1,000-year history of the Knights of St. John explores the order’s evolution from hospital service to militaristic defense of the faith, and back again to the care of the sick and needy. n Saturday, Sept. 8, 3 a.m.

(EWTN) “Footprints of God: Mary, Mother of God.” Follow Mary on her extraordinary journey on location in Turkey, Israel and Greece with popular Catholic author and speaker Stephen Ray as guide.

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Former Charlottean releases new book CHARLOTTE â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Brian Kennelly, a native Charlottean who formerly attended St. Ann School, was at Carmel Country Club Aug. 18 with family, friends and the owners of Goodwill Publishers and Tan Books for a book signing of his newest novel, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Two Statues.â&#x20AC;? Kennelly has released several other Catholic-oriented books, and this new work of fiction subtly weaves in his Catholic faith. His parents, Kevin and Aleanne Kennelly, are parishioners at St. Patrick Cathedral.

Kennelly now lives in Charleston. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Two Statuesâ&#x20AC;? is available online at www. tanbooks.com.

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catholicnewsherald.com | August 31, 2012 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Mitchell heir leaves millions, literary rights to Atlanta Archdiocese

For the latest news 24/7: catholicnewsherald.com

In Brief Court OKs federal funding of embryonic stem-cell research WASHINGTON, D.C. — A three-judge federal appeals panel has affirmed a lower court ruling that the U.S. government can fund embryonic stem-cell research despite a federal ban on funding any research that harms or destroys human embryos. Chief Judge David B. Sentelle of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia said the National Institutes of Health’s interpretation of the Dickey-Wicker amendment was “reasonable” in permitting funding of embryonic stem-cell research using cells derived using private funds.

Court blocks state immigration provisions WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Atlantabased 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals blocked parts of Alabama’s and Georgia’s immigration-related laws, but allowed both states to keep their so-called “show me your papers” provisions. The same week, 10 employees of Immigration and Customs Enforcement sued the Obama administration over a program launched Aug. 15 to defer deportation for some young adults who came to the U.S. as children.

In separate Aug. 20 rulings, the appeals court struck down two sections of Alabama’s law and left in place a legal block on pieces of Georgia’s law.

— Catholic News Service

Gretchen Keiser Catholic News Service

ATLANTA — The Archdiocese of Atlanta has received a substantial gift from the estate of Margaret Mitchell’s nephew, including a 50 percent share of the trademark and literary rights to “Gone With the Wind.”

The estate of Joseph Mitchell included a multimillion-dollar bequest to the archdiocese and the donation of his home in Atlanta.

One of two sons of Margaret Mitchell’s brother, Stephens, Joseph Mitchell died in 2011. He was a member of the Cathedral of Christ the King and asked that, if possible, his donation assist the cathedral in a particular way.

“It is a magnificent gift,” said Deacon Steve Swope, who has been overseeing the transition of the bequest on behalf of Atlanta Archbishop Wilton D. Gregory.

The inheritance passed on to the archdiocese includes a collection of signed “Gone With the Wind” first editions published in various languages in countries around the world and an unpublished history of the Mitchell family, handwritten by Margaret’s father, Eugene Muse Mitchell.

Some of Margaret Mitchell’s personal effects, including her wallet with her press card and library card, and furniture from her apartment have been given to the archdiocese.

A library of books includes histories and signed first editions of the late Georgia Catholic author Flannery O’Connor’s novels and short stories.

Catholic Social Services of the Diocese of Charlotte Executive Director: Gerard A. Carter, Ph.D. (704) 370-3250 Refugee Office: Cira Ponce (704) 370-3262 Family Life: Gerard Carter (704) 370-3228 Justice and Peace: Joseph Purello (704) 370-3225 OEO/CSS Murphy Satellite Office (828) 835-3535

Joseph Mitchell, who died at 76, was the last direct descendant of the Mitchell family. His brother Eugene, a generous benefactor of Morehouse College and School of Medicine, as was Margaret Mitchell, died in 2007. The two brothers had each inherited a trust with a half share of the literary and trademark rights to the celebrated novel written by their late aunt.

The movie rights were sold immediately after “Gone With the Wind” was published in 1936 to instantaneous success.

Two million copies of the novel CNS | Michael Alexander, Georgia Bulletin had been sold by 1939. Mitchell Various editions of “Gone With the Wind” – including ones from Spain, was awarded the Pulitzer Prize Germany, Iran, Finland and Vietnam – are part of a multimillion-dollar in 1937. bequest made to the Archdiocese of Atlanta by Joseph Mitchell, The Archdiocese of Atlanta Margaret Mitchell’s nephew. has created a corporation with the Eugene Mitchell trust “The Archdiocese of Atlanta has been to manage the literary inheritance. The blessed with a generous gift through the archdiocese also will continue to use the kindness of Joe Mitchell,” Archbishop group of attorneys, colleagues of Stephens Gregory said. “This gift is a reservoir of Mitchell, who have been safeguarding the the funds earned through the genius of literary work and its appropriate use on Margaret Mitchell and her depiction of the behalf of the Mitchell family for decades. harsh struggles of Southern life during “We want to continue to make ‘Gone and after the Civil War. The Mitchell With the Wind’ available to the widest family has a proud Catholic legacy, and possible audience and to do it in a way that this gift will allow that legacy and that is respectful and dignified and in line with pride to be shared with many others in the the wishes of the late Stephens Mitchell,” archdiocese.”

Deacon Swope said.

The Catholic roots of the Mitchell family The “artifacts that were part of the come through Margaret and Stephens’ provenance of Margaret Mitchell” are mother, Maybelle Stephens Mitchell, whose being preserved by the Archdiocese of father, John Stephens, was born in Ireland Atlanta, Deacon Swope said. It is hoped and whose mother, Annie Fitzgerald that in the future, the collection can be Stephens, descends from one of the earliest loaned to a major institution for public Catholic families in Georgia. display, he said.

Mitchell was educated in a convent From the Joseph Mitchell estate, school and was so concerned with teaching Archbishop Gregory has designated that and defending the Catholic faith she helped $7.5 million be given to the Cathedral of found the Catholic Laymen’s Association Christ the King for its building fund; $1.5 of Georgia, made up of prominent lay million to Catholic Charities Atlanta for its Catholics who wrote and spoke to explain immediate use and an additional $2 million Catholic beliefs and defend the Church to create an endowment fund; and $10,000 each to each parish, mission1and4/30/10 Catholic1:37 PMagainst anti-Catholicism.

PdmVstAng_5_10.pdf school of the archdiocese.

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Our world

August 31, 2012 | catholicnewsherald.com catholic news heraldI

Pope says laypeople share responsibility for Church

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Action.

The Aug. 22-26 assembly in Iasi, Romania, brought together representatives of Catholic Action groups from around the VATICAN CITY — As Catholics prepare world. The international forum promotes to celebrate the 50th anniversary of lay involvement in parish and community the Second Vatican Council, all Church life, particularly through studying and members need to make a renewed effort acting on the principles of Catholic social to ensure laypeople are aware of their teaching. responsibility for the Church and are Pope Benedict’s message, released by the allowed to exercise it, Pope Benedict XVI Vatican Aug. 23, said the Church needs a said. “mature and committed laity, able to make “Co-responsibility requires a change of its specific contribution to the mission mentality, particularly regarding the role of the Church” in a way that respects in the Church of the laity, who should not the different roles and ministries of its be considered ‘collaborators’ of the clergy, members. but people who truly are co-responsible for The Vatican II dogmatic constitution on the being and action of the Church,” the the Church, “Lumen Gentium,” described pope wrote in a message to the assembly the style of relationships within the of the International Forum of Catholic Church as “familial,” the pope said. Viewing the Church as a family emphasizes shared responsibility, mutual support and joint action while, at the same time, recognizing the special role of guidance belonging to the Church’s pastors, he said.

The pope asked Catholic Action members to work with and for the Church through their “prayer, study, active participation in ecclesial CNS | Alessandro Bianchi, Reuters life, (and) with Pope Benedict XVI waves at the end of his weekly audience at the papal summer an attentive residence in Castel Gandolfo, Italy, Aug. 22.

Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service

In Brief Work under way to free girl accused of blasphemy VATICAN CITY — Pakistani officials and religious leaders are working for the release of a Christian girl accused of blasphemy and to reduce the risk of Muslim-Christian violence over the case, said the Pakistani prime minister’s adviser on minorities.

Fides, the news agency of the Vatican’s Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, has reported that the girl, Rimsha Masih, is an 11-year-old with Down syndrome.

She was taken into custody Aug. 18 after allegedly being found with burned pages of the Quran, the Muslim holy book. When the police took her away, hundreds of angry Muslims were reportedly gathering in the mainly poor Christian neighborhood of Islamabad where she lived.

Catholic leaders in Pakistan and human rights activists have said the country’s anti-blasphemy law, which includes offenses against the Quran, has been misused to persecute Christians and other minorities.

Residences of Melkite, Maronite archbishops in Aleppo ransacked VATICAN CITY — Fighting in Aleppo, Syria, has not spared the residences of the local Melkite and Maronite Catholic archbishops, according to the Fides news agency.

The residence of Melkite Archbishop JeanClement Jeanbart was ransacked during clashes Aug. 23. The archbishop and several priests who live in the building had fled a few hours earlier to a Franciscan residence in a safer neighborhood, Fides reported Aug. 27.

The Maronite archbishop’s home and a museum of Byzantine Christian art were also ransacked, Fides said.

— Catholic News Service

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and positive gaze upon the world in a continuous search for the signs of the times.”

He asked the members to help with the new evangelization, proclaiming salvation in Christ “with language and methods understandable in our age.”

In addition, he encouraged them to continue studying and applying Catholic social teaching, particularly with the aim of bringing about a “globalization of solidarity and charity,” which will further the Church’s mission of bringing hope to the world.

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catholicnewsherald.com | August 31, 2012 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Letter to the editor

By the numbers

CHANGE IN U.S. CATHOLICS THE OVERALL U.S. CATHOLIC POPULATION dipped by 5 percent Bishop Peter J. Jugis

The Catholic population by 52010, percent to about 59tomillion between 2000 tooverall aboutU.S. 59 million between dipped 2000 and according a recently and 2010, according released census.to a recently released census. Source: Glenmary Research Center.

Behold the Lamb of God: Behold the sacrifice of Christ

“

Behold the Lamb of God, behold Him who takes away the sins of the world. Blessed are those called to the supper of the Lamb.” With these words, the priest at every Mass calls us to fix our attention on Jesus as we prepare to receive Him in Holy Communion.

With these words, “Behold the Lamb of God,” we also fix our attention this year on the gift of Jesus in the Eucharist as we prepare to celebrate our Diocesan Eucharistic Congress.

The theme of our Congress is: “Behold the Lamb of God.” I look forward to welcoming you to the Congress, Sept. 21 and 22, at the Charlotte Convention Center.

The words, “Behold the Lamb of God, behold Him who takes away the sins of the world,” were first spoken by St. John the Baptist in reference to Jesus (Jn 1:29). But why did St. John use the curious term “Lamb” to refer to a grown man? By calling Jesus the “Lamb of God,” St. John pointed to Jesus’ mission as the suffering Servant who offers His life as a sacrifice for our sins. The Catechism of the Catholic Church tells us that at His baptism, Jesus inaugurated His mission as the Lamb of God to take away our sins: “The baptism of Jesus is on His part the acceptance and inauguration of His mission as God’s suffering Servant. He allows Himself to be numbered among sinners; He is already ‘the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.’ Already He is anticipating the ‘baptism’ of His bloody death. Already He is coming to ‘fulfill all righteousness,’ that is, He is submitting Himself entirely to His Father’s will: out of love He consents to this baptism of death for the remission of our sins.” (CCC 536).

The word “Lamb” entails the notion of sacrifice. In Old Testament times, Moses decreed that a lamb be sacrificed each year at Passover. Jesus was crucified at Passover, and thus He took His place as the true Passover lamb par excellence. St. Peter refers to Jesus as the spotless, unblemished lamb: “You were ransomed from your futile conduct, handed on by your ancestors, not with perishable things like silver and gold but with the precious blood of Christ as of a spotless unblemished lamb.” (1 Pt 1:18-19). St. Paul also refers to Jesus as the paschal lamb: “Our paschal lamb, Christ, has been sacrificed.” (1 Cor 5:7).

The invitation by the priest at Mass to “Behold the Lamb of God” is an invitation to behold the Lamb who has been sacrificed for us. It is an invitation to acknowledge the sacrifice. The Eucharistic sacrifice of Christ’s body and blood makes present the sacrifice that Christ offered on Calvary.

At Mass we offer to the Father in heaven “this pure victim, this holy victim, this spotless victim,” “a holy sacrifice,” as we pray in Eucharistic Prayer I. Out of love for us the Lamb of God lays down His life, and offers Himself to us at Mass to accomplish the work of our redemption.

As we prepare to celebrate this year’s Eucharistic Congress, we look once again to Jesus. Let us behold Him, the Lamb of God, who will walk with us in the Eucharistic Procession, be adored at the Holy Hour Exposition and Benediction, and be received as our nourishment in Holy Communion at Mass.

How are we to celebrate the Eucharistic Congress? In a spirit of joy! The Alleluia verse for Easter Sunday invites us always to celebrate the Eucharistic Sacrifice with joy: “Christ, our paschal lamb, has been sacrificed; let us then feast with joy in the Lord.” So also at the Eucharistic Congress let us feast with joy on the Lord, the holy Lamb of God. Bishop Peter J. Jugis leads the Diocese of Charlotte.

WA

ND

MT OR

ME

WY

MI IA

NE

IL

NV

UT

KS

CO

OH

IN

MO

WV KY

AZ

NM

OK

VA NC

TN

AR LA

TX

AK

VT NH MA NY RI CT PA NJ MD DE

WI

SD

ID

CA

MN

SC MS

AL

GA

FL HI

CHANGE IN PERCENT OF CATHOLICS 2000-2010

REGION

CATHOLICS IN 2010

GROWTH

Northeast

DECLINE

18.3 million

33%

0-10%

less than 10%

North central

13.0 million

19%

more than 10%

10-20%

South

12.6 million

11%

more than 20%

West

14.9 million

21%

Source: Glenmary Research Center from the Religious Congregations and Membership Study 2010

CNS | Emily©2012 Thompson CNS

RELIGIOUS LIBERTY A majority of Catholics (56 percent) agree with the bishops on religious liberty concerns.

Source: Pew Research Center.

Religious Liberty Topic How much Catholics say they have heard about the bishops protesting government policies that they believe restrict religious liberty.

HEARD A LOT

22% 36%

HEARD A LITTLE

HEARD NOTHING/ DON’T KNOW

42%

Of those who have heard a lot or a little...

56% agree with the bishops’ concerns 36% do not agree with the bishops’ concerns Based on telephone interviews June 28-July 9, 2012, among a national sample of 2,973 adults.

The sampling error for the Catholic group is plus or minus 4.6 percentage points.

Source: Pew Research Center ©2012 CNS

CNS | Emily Thompson

Cast your vote for those who will uphold the laws of God

As the presidential election draws closer, I pray that all Catholics will examine not only the candidates’ likability and personality, but also their policies.

As Catholics we need to consider not only their stances on the moral issues, especially on protecting life and traditional marriage, but also, now, the reality that the Church, because of the HHS mandate, will lose her freedom to stand firm in Her teaching on these issues, including the evil of contraception.

In recent years it seems as if many of us who claim the name of Catholic have voted for our own economic and financial interests rather than standing up for the right to life of God’s most vulnerable little ones. We have neglected, too, to recognize the real danger being posed to the institution of marriage and the family by those who deny they are ordained by God and are not of human construct.

Our Lord cautioned us: “What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world but loses his soul in the process?”

Please pray with me that Catholics, and all Christians, will take His warning seriously this November and cast their vote for those who will ensure, by their policies, that America will remain faithful to the intentions of her founding fathers and to the laws of God, who has blessed her so abundantly because she has, until now, been faithful to Him. Estelle Wisneski lives in Charlotte.

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To be considered for publication, each letter must include the name, address and daytime phone number of the writer for purpose of verification. Letters may be condensed due to space limitations and edited for clarity, style and factual accuracy.

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August 31, 2012 | catholicnewsherald.com catholic news heraldI

The Poor Clares

Joseph Bruck

Image of love’s depth T

he story of the sinful woman (often considered to be Mary Magdalen) contained in Luke’s Gospel (7:36-50) poignantly portrays the depth of love of which a woman’s heart is capable.

This woman appears suddenly before Our Lord as He reclines at a banquet. Precious ointment is recklessly and lavishly poured out, dramatic gestures are employed as she bathes the Master’s feet in her tears, and dries them with her hair. Does He gently correct the woman’s passionate outpouring of love or rebuke her for her humbling surrender?

No. Rather, He praises her for “she loved much.”

There is much we can learn from this woman’s actions; likewise, there is much we can learn from the costly flask of ointment she carries. In the symbol of the alabaster jar, we can find a beautiful image of a woman’s heart.

In recent weeks, we have been exploring the qualities of the feminine soul as envisaged by St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (Edith Stein). We have looked closely at the qualities of expansiveness, warmth, clearness and quietness.

These may be symbolized by the precious aromatic oils contained within the vessel brought by the woman to the banquet where Our Lord reclines.

Through the cultivation of these distinctly feminine virtues, the natural powers and pulls of the woman’s heart are gradually purified and concentrated into a priceless treasure.

Yet, this great treasure is not made simply to be preserved unused on a dusty shelf. As the ointment in the jar was meant to be poured out, so the woman’s heart is filled that it may be emptied for others.

Here we see the beauty of the two qualities of soul we shall focus on this week: to be empty of self and to be self-contained. At first glance, it would seem that these two are contradictory. But in fact, they are each necessary for the other to be fully possible.

The proverbial phrase “You can’t give what you don’t have” can also apply to the treasures of the soul. When one, through a life of prayer, has begun to weather the agitating storms of emotion and settled into a tranquility, which puts the heart at peaceful rest, then one can indeed be selfcontained.

This self-containment is vital for the true blossoming of a woman’s spirit. If her interior is not well-ordered and centered squarely on Christ, she will never sound the depths for which she has been created.

And this task is not an easy one.

It requires a daily, constant discipline and a strict guard on the heart to keep love within its proper bounds. Though this may seem

‘In the spiritual life, the soul of every human being is considered to be feminine in relationship to Christ, the Bridegroom.’

31

intimidating, the joys reaped by such daily faithfulness far outweigh the struggles.

Women have a tremendous desire to be whole, to become truly well-rounded and mature people.

This longing will serve as a fuel for the persevering effort needed to reach such personal fulfillment – a desire that is dear to the very Heart of our Creator.

The gift of being self-contained also implies a readiness and potential to then empty one’s self for others.

The movements a woman feels within her soul for complete surrender to another and total self-gift can be alarming in their intensity.

This passionate inclination can all too easily sweep aside even the inborn human need for the recognition of the dignity and respect that she is due as a person.

If she gives herself over completely to another human person, she will never find rest for the longings of her heart. Women crave to be received as totally as possible. This is why the feminine nature is so inclined to emptying of self.

Does this mean all desires for giving oneself fully to others should be resisted? Doesn’t our culture constantly remind us that such submissive inclinations are merely weakness?

Not at all! However, only God is the perfect receiver who will never fail us and who will return our love beyond our heart’s wildest yearnings.

As Mary Magdalene shows us in the pages of Sacred Scripture, only God is worthy to receive such an unreserved gift of self.

Edith Stein states this beautifully: “The surrender to which feminine nature inclines is here appropriate; on the other hand, we also find here the absolute love and surrender for which we seek vainly in people. And surrender to Christ does not make us blind and deaf to the needs of others – on the contrary. We now seek for God’s image in each human being and want, above all, to help each human being win his freedom.”

We see then that such receptivity of soul is a matchless gift and one that is to be bestowed on others when properly ordered stemming from the fundamental outpouring of self for God. This receptivity is also a quality that is intended

by God to be mirrored by women for their masculine counterparts.

In the spiritual life, the soul of every human being is considered to be feminine in relationship to Christ, the Bridegroom. Whether we are created as male or female, receptivity, self-emptying and surrender are essential for the union of our soul with God. What a privilege belongs to women, to so clearly be images of these values to our world! And how great a responsibility it is to pour out upon others what is so deeply implanted in woman’s heart.

Having become by God’s grace more and more self-contained and fulfilled in Him, and having broken the vessels of great worth at His feet for the good of souls, women shall become more truly feminine in the way that Our Lord desires.

We shall look next time at the final and crowning quality of the soul of woman: to be mistress of the castle of her heart at the side of the great King as His handmaid.

Sister Marie Thérèse of the Divine Child Jesus is professed with the Poor Clare Nuns of Perpetual Adoration St. Joseph Monastery in Charlotte. Learn more about the Poor Clares at www. stjosephmonastery.com. This is the fourth in a five-part series exploring Edith Stein’s views on womanhood. In the next edition: “Queen of the Castle.” See previous parts of the series online at www.catholicnewsherald.com.

True freedom comes from doing God’s will

W

hat is freedom? Unfortunately, we live in an age where this concept is commonly attacked and misunderstood. In the light of natural law and Christian revelation, a proper definition will help us to defend our freedoms even as they are trampled underfoot.

According to Blessed John Paul II, “Freedom consists not in doing what we like, but in having the right to do what we ought.” Think about that. In the United States government today, with the recently passed – and unjust – HHS mandate, the uniquely human gift of freedom is bartered for a kind of corrupt power: the power to do whatever we like, whenever we like.

Yet as our holy Mother the Church shows, this is not real liberty at all. The Catechism of the Catholic Church sums up the concept of freedom very well: “The more one does what is good, the freer one becomes. There is no true freedom except in the service of what is good and just. The choice to disobey and do evil is an abuse of freedom and leads to ‘the slavery of sin.’” (CCC 1733).

The Church also teaches that, as rational beings made in God’s image, we have free will and are therefore morally responsible for our actions – both good and bad. Therefore, for Christians and for all people of good will, true freedom must be protected to ensure peace, justice and virtue in our world. Even so, we live in a time when, for many people, the word “freedom” means something like “the unlimited right to do whatever I want.” A consequence of sin, this distorted view has led to many modern evils, such as abortion, contraception and homosexual “marriage.” It is our duty to uphold that freedom which actually makes one free, and not be slaves to passion or depravity.

With the aid of our Blessed Mother, let us go forth to continue fighting for all true freedom, especially the right to religious liberty as guaranteed by our Constitution. Though the times may be dark, it is only a greater opportunity for selfless love and justice to shine through the darkness. May God bless America, now and always!

Joseph Bruck is a parishioner of St. Patrick Cathedral in Charlotte.

On the web Through press time on Aug. 29, 8,578 visitors to www.catholicnewsherald. com have viewed a total of 18,769 pages. The top 10 headlines in August so far are: n Cardinal Dolan to deliver closing prayer at DNC in Charlotte

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n Catholic Church conveys strong messages during DNC in Charlotte 1,198 n VP candidate Paul Ryan attends Mass in Charlotte

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n Aborted baby featured at DNC protest

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n Additional priest assignments announced

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n Permanent deacons, candidates gather at annual Mass

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n To NFP or not to NFP?

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n Father Patrick Winslow takes the helm at Thomas Aquinas Church in Charlotte 134 n Belmont Abbey graduates spending months volunteering in Kenya

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n Nine NC inmates receive sacraments during Mass in prison

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catholicnewsherald.com | August 31, 2012 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

John 1:29 THE SOURCE AND SUMMIT OF THE NEW EVANGELIZATION Bishop Peter J. Jugis Holy Mass Celebrant and homilist

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EUCHARISTIC CONGRESS September 21 & 22 Charlotte Convention Center Concert of Sacred Music - Friday Evening

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