March 1, 2013

March 1, 2013

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

Give Your Heart Away retreat helps college students share faith through prayer, service, 5

Latin Mass now offered on Sundays in Charlotte

As Pope Benedict XVI withdraws to a life of prayer,

WHO WILL BE POPE?

To be celebrated weekly at St. Ann beginning March 3,

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INDEX Contact us.......................... 4 Events calendar................. 4 Our Parishes.................. 4-11 Schools..............................14 Scripture readings............ 3 TV & Movies.......................15 U.S. news...................... 16-17 Viewpoints.................. 22-23 World news.................. 18-21 Year of Faith....................... 3

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INSIDE: What happens during the papal ‘interregnum’?

The upcoming conclave and rules for electing a new pope More reflections on Pope Benedict’s legacy

18-21

THANK YOU!

Maronite Catholics in Charlotte Growing in faith while honoring their ancient heritage,

12-13

MEN OF PRAYER, MEN OF ACTION Conference brings together 850 Catholic men to worship, listen, confess,

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catholicnewsherald.com | March 1, 2013 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

WALK IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF JESUS Lenten Holy Land Pilgrimage March 4-11 LentHolyLand.tumblr.com Come with the Catholic News Herald and parishioners from St. Barnabas in Arden and Holy Family in Clemmons on an unforgettable journey to the Holy Land. Grow in your personal relationship with Jesus as a virtual pilgrim, following along on Facebook, Twitter and our blog as the pilgrims travel from Bethlehem and Nazareth to the Sea of Galilee and Jerusalem. Immerse yourself in the land where Jesus lived and preached through facts and interviews, photos and videos, join with us in prayer and explore the faith.

OF FAITH RY R TO CHRIST:

THE MYS

T EN THE D E OP O

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O

“Knowledge of faith opens a door into the fullness of the saving mystery revealed by God.”

NINTH EUCHARISTIC CONGRESS DIOCESE OF CHARLOTTE, SEPTEMBER 13 &14, 2013

— His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI, Apostolic letter "Porta Fidei" announcing the Year of Faith

Year of faith

March 1, 2013 | catholicnewsherald.com catholic news heraldI

Pope Benedict XVI

Pope delivers emotional farewell

O

n his last full day as pope, Pope Benedict XVI delivered an unusually personal and emotional farewell address, thanking the faithful for their support and assuring them he would remain in their service even in retirement.

“I will continue to accompany the path of the Church with prayer and reflection, with that dedication to the Lord and to His bride that I have tried to live every day ’til now and that I want to live always,” he told the estimated 150,000 people in St. Peter’s Square Feb. 27.

Abandoning his usual practice of giving a catechetical talk on a devotional text or theme at his audiences, he spoke about his time as pope and his historic decision to resign.

He looked tired but composed as he read his speech, and he smiled at the frequent interruptions by applause.

Pope Benedict recalled his pontificate as a time of “joy and light, but also difficult moments.”

“The Lord has given us so many days of sun and light breeze, days in which the catch of fish has been abundant,” he said, likening himself to St. Peter on the Sea of Galilee. “There have also been moments in which the waters were turbulent and the wind contrary, as throughout the history of the Church, and the Lord seemed to be asleep. But I have always known that the Lord is in that boat and that the boat of the Church is not mine, it is not ours, but it is His and He does not let it sink.”

He told the crowd he had decided to resign “in full consciousness of its gravity and also novelty, but with profound serenity of soul.”

Although he will retire to a life of prayer, meditation and study, he said, he will continue to serve the Church. “Whoever assumes the Petrine ministry no longer has any privacy. He belongs always and totally to all, to the whole Church. I am not abandoning the cross, but remain in a new way beside the crucified Lord.”

He acknowledged messages he had received over the preceding two weeks from heads of state, religious leaders and other dignitaries. But he made special mention of letters from “simple people,” who he said had written to him not as to a “prince or a great man whom they do not know,” but as “brothers and sisters or sons and daughters.” The pope called their expressions of affection and solidarity “reason for joy at a time when so many speak of the (Church’s) decline, but we see how the Church is alive today.”

The end of his talk, his last as pontiff, set off a lengthy standing ovation, which he acknowledged by smiling broadly and standing with outstretched arms.

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Walk in the footsteps of Jesus this Lent A Holy Land pilgrimage with Father Porras and the Catholic News Herald CHARLOTTE — For the Year of Faith, Pope Benedict XVI has challenged the faithful to visit the Holy Land, the place which first witnessed the presence of Jesus, Our Savior, and Mary, His Mother.

Father Adrian Porras, pastor of St. Barnabas Church in Arden, is taking up that challenge. During Lent, he will lead a pilgrimage of a dozen first-time pilgrims to Israel. I will be covering the March 4-11 pilgrimage for readers of the Catholic News Herald to experience a virtual pilgrimage of their own this Lent.

“I thought it would be a great time to finally go see all the holy sites we read about in the Bible all the time,” Father Porras Bender said. “To finally see the Jordan River and the Mount of Beatitudes where Jesus preached.

“I’m most looking forward to being in the place where Jesus carried the cross and was crucified. I think it’s going to be very intense.”

In addition to those holy grounds, the pilgrims will cruise on the Sea of Galilee, visit the location of the miracle of the loaves and fishes, where the angel Gabriel spoke to Mary, Joseph’s carpentry workshop, the wedding at Cana, the Church of the Nativity, the site of the Last Supper and more.

“The trip stops at the major Biblical places, the places that we hear of Jesus in His public ministry. To stand in those places, it will be astounding,” Father Porras said. “To be where Jesus preached the Sermon on the Mount, I think will be really important.”

Father Porras said he also hopes pilgrims will gain a deeper knowledge of Scripture through the pilgrimage.

“I’ve never been in that area of the world, ever. To be in that part of the world will be fascinating.

CNS | Debbie Hill

Shizuko Pieta Hanson, 64, from Fairfax, Va., (in back) joins other pilgrims at the Stone of Unction inside the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem March 29, 2012. Although the stone’s connection to Christ’s burial is improbable, that does not deter believers from devotion. The stone has been smoothed by centuries of veneration.

For retired “I think it will English teacher be beneficial to Walk in the footsteps of Jesus Barbara Kolesar, have a visual of this pilgrimage these places I read During the Year of Faith, the Holy Father has was on her “bucket about, to feel the encouraged the faithful to go on pilgrimage to the list.” desert experience Holy Land. Come along with us!

Originally Apostles lived Visit www.catholicnewsherald.com and from New York, through and LentHolyLand.tumblr.com during Lent Kolesar moved traveled in, to have to see photos, videos and stories on this to Advance, N.C., a visual of all the unique virtual pilgrimage. with her now-late places we read and husband in 2006. hear about.”

Kolesar is an active Father Porras volunteer and also said he hopes tutor in her community, and she also this experience will help him in telling serves at Holy Family Church as a lector homilies in the future. “When we talk and extraordinary minister of Holy about the miracle of the loaves and fishes, Communion. She travels often to see her to have that experience to have been where daughters and grandchildren, and she said that happened, hopefully, it will help with she felt this was her “year to go” to the my preaching.”

Holy Land.

The intimate pilgrimage is being attended by about a dozen parishioners of St. Barnabas Church and Holy Family Church in Clemmons.

PILGRIMAGE, SEE page 11

Your daily Scripture readings SCRIPTURE READINGS FOR THE WEEK OF MARCH 3-9

Sunday (Third Sunday of Lent): Exodus 3:1-8, 13-15, 1 Corinthians 10:1-6, 10-12, Luke 13:19; Monday (St. Casimir): 2 Kings 5:1-15, Luke 4:24-30; Tuesday: Daniel 3:25, 34-43, Matthew 18:21-25; Wednesday: Deuteronomy 4:1, 5-9, Matthew 5:17-19; Thursday (Sts. Perpetua and Felicity): Jeremiah 7:23-28, Luke 11:14-23; Friday (St. John of God): Hosea 14:2-10, Mark 12:28-34; Saturday (St. Frances of Rome): Hosea 6:1-6, Luke 18:9-14

SCRIPTURE READINGS FOR THE WEEK OF MARCH 10-16

Sunday (Fourth Sunday of Lent): Joshua 5:9-12, 2 Corinthians 5:17-21, Luke 15:1-3, 11-32; Monday: Isaiah 65:17-21, John 4:4354; Tuesday: Ezekiel 47:1-9, 12, John 5:1-16; Wednesday: Isaiah 49:8-15, John 5:17-30; Thursday: Exodus 32:7-14, John 5:31-47; Friday: Wisdom 2:1, 12-22, John 7:1-2, 10, 25-30; Saturday: Jeremiah 11:18-20, John 7:40-53

SCRIPTURE READINGS FOR THE WEEK OF MARCH 17-23

Sunday (Fifth Sunday of Lent): Isaiah 43:1621, Philippians 3:8-14, John 8:1-11; Monday (St. Cyril of Jerusalem): Daniel 13:1-9,, 15-17, 19-30, 33-62, John 8:12-20; Tuesday (St. Joseph): 2 Samuel 7:4-5, 12-14, 16, Romans 4:13, 16-18, 22, Matthew 1:16, 18-21, 24; Wednesday: Daniel 3:1420, 91-92, 95, Daniel 3:52-56, John 8:31-42; Thursday: Genesis 17:3-9, John 8:51-59; Friday: Jeremiah 20:10-13, John 10:31-42; Saturday (St. Turibius of Mogrovejo): Ezekiel 37:21-28, Jeremiah 31:10-13, John 11:45-56

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catholicnewsherald.com | March 1, 2013 OUR PARISHES

Lenten services ARDEN

Bishop Peter J. Jugis Bishop Peter J. Jugis will participate in the following events over the coming weeks: March 6 – 10 a.m.

Diocesan Foundation Board Meeting Catholic Conference Center, Hickory

March 12 – 11 A.M. Presbyteral council meeting Pastoral center, charlotte March 16 Bishop’s Lenten youth pilgrimage Belmont abbey college, belmont March 17 – 10 a.m.

Boy Scout Camporee Mass Camp Bud Shiele, Rutherfordton March 21 – 10:30 a.m.

St. Benedict Day Mass Belmont Abbey March 26 – 10 A.M. Chrism Mass St. Patrick Cathedral, Charlotte

St. John Neumann, 8451 Idlewild Road — Parish Lenten Mission, “Living the Faith as Catholics in Today’s World”: 7 p.m.

March 3-5. Presented by Al Barbarino.

ST. MATTHEW CHURCH, 8015 BALLANTYNE COMMONS PKWY. — Stations of the Cross, 7:30 p.m. Fridays — Communal Penance Service, 7:30-9 p.m. Tuesday, March 5

ASHEVILLE St. EugenE Church, 72 Culvern St. — Stations of the Cross, 12:15 p.m. Fridays

March 7 – 6 p.m.

Friend to Seminarians Dinner Graylyn International Conference Center, Winston-Salem March 10 – 12:30 p.m.

Scroll Mass For Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre St. Patrick Cathedral, Charlotte

St. Barnabas church, 109 Crescent Hill Road — Annual Women’s Lenten Program, “The Truth Will Set You Free!”: 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday, March 2. All women, including high school age, are welcome. For details, contact Marcia Torres at stbarvol@bellsouth.net.

— Communal Penance Service: 7 p.m.

Monday, March 11 — Living Stations of the Cross: 7:30 p.m.

Friday, March 22. Presented by the St. Eugene Youth Group.

BELMONT Queen of the Apostles, 503 N. Main St. — Stations of the Cross, 1 and 7:15 p.m.

Fridays — Lenten evening discussions: 7:15 p.m.

Monday, March 18 and 25. Led by Father Frank Cancro.

CHARLOTTE ST. BASIL MISSION, 1400 SUTHER ROAD (St. THOMAS AQUINAS CHAPEL) — Lenten Vespers with homily: 7 p.m. March 7. For details: www.stbasil.weebly.com.

— Parish Mission, “Give God a Second Thought”: March 16-20. Presented by Father John Collins, CSP. Our Lady of the Assumption Church, 4207 Shamrock Dr. — Stations of the Cross, 7:30 p.m. Fridays ST. PATRICK CATHEDRAL, 1621 DILWORTH ROAD East — Stations of the Cross, 2 and 7:30 p.m.

Fridays — Communal Penance Service: 7 p.m.

Monday, March 11

— Stations of the Cross, 7 p.m. Fridays

MINT HILL

— Estaciones de la Cruz 6 p.m. Todos los Viernes

St. Luke Church, 13700 Lawyers Road — Stations of the Cross, 7:30 p.m.

— Communal Penance Service: 7 p.m.

Monday, March 18 — Living Stations of the Cross: Friday, March 15. Presented by middle and high school youth groups.

ST. VINCENT DE PAUL CHURCH, 6828 old reid road — Stations of the Cross, 7 p.m. Fridays — Communal Penance Service, 7 p.m.

Monday, March 4

St. Thomas aquinas CHURCH, 1400 suther road — Blessing of Easter Food Baskets: Noon, Saturday, March 30. Deacon James Witulski will be blessing the food.

Contact: Mary Witulski, 704-628-7209

MOORESVILLE St. ThÉrÈse of Lisieux church, 217 Brawley School road — Stations of the Cross, 7 p.m. Fridays — Lenten Meditation Service, 7 p.m.

Wednesday, March 6 — Communal Penance Service, 7 p.m.

Monday, March 11

GREENSBORO ST. MARY CHURCH, 812 Duke St. — Stations of the Cross and Benediction, 5:30 p.m. Fridays St. PIUS X CHURCH 2210 North Elm St. — Stations of the Cross, 7 p.m. Fridays

— Lenten Meals 6:30 p.m. Fridays — Penance, extended hours for Lent: 4-5:30 p.m. Saturdays; 7-8 p.m. Wednesdays; 1011 a.m. Sundays; and half an hour before daily Mass at 12:10 p.m.

— Communal Penance Service, 7:30 p.m.

Thursday, March 7

MURPHY St. William Church, 765 Andrews Road — Stations of the Cross, following 5 p.m. Mass

SWANNANOA

LEXINGTON Our Lady of the Rosary CHURCH, 619 S. Main St. — Lenten Meals, “Soup and Soul”: 6 p.m.

Fridays — Stations of the Cross, 8 p.m. Fridays

St. Margaret Mary Church, 102 aNDREW pLACE — Stations of the Cross, 6:30 p.m.

Fridays — Estaciones de la Cruz, 7:30 p.m.

Todos los Viernes

— Lenten Presentation, 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 12. Presented by Mercy Sister Laretta Williams.

— Lenten meals, 6 p.m. Fridays

Diocesan calendar of events ARDEN

St. John Neumann, 8451 Idlewild Road

St. Vincent de Paul CHURCH, 6828 old Reid road

ST. BARNABAS CHURCH, 109 CRESCENT HILL ROAD — CSS Presentation, “Medicare Made Easy”: 2-4 p.m.

March 19. Open to adults aged 65 and older. Contact CSS Elder Ministry at 704-370-3220.

— St. Patrick’s Day Event, “The Confession of St. Patrick”: 6:30-8 p.m. Sunday, March 17. Presented by Roger Nelson. Families and children of all ages are welcome.

— CCWG Morning Reflection: 9-10 a.m. Monday, March 11.

Reflection given by Father Jason Barone of Sacred Heart Church in Salisbury. For details: Anita Di Pietro, 704-543-0314

— CSS presenta, “Medicare Muy fácil”: 2-4 p.m. 19 de Marzo. Abierto a los adultos mayores de 65 años.

Para obtener más información, póngase en contacto con CSS Ministerio de Ancianos al 704-370-3220.

BELMONT QUEEN OF THE APOSTLES, 503 North Main St. — Men’s evening gathering, “Reflecting on God’s Word”: 7 p.m.

Monday, March 4. Contact: Roger Duncan, 412-289-9147

CHARLOTTE ST. BASIL MISSION, 1400 SUTHER ROAD (sT. tHOMAS aQUINAS CHAPEL) — Matins followed by Typica Service: 11 a.m. Sunday, March 3

ST. MATTHEW CHURCH, 8015 BALLANTYNE COMMONS PKWY. — Scripture Study Day, “Finding Our Place in the Story of Faith”: 9:15 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Saturday, March 9. Presented by author Alice Camille. Visit www.stmatthewcatholic.org.

— Women’s Day discussion, “Communication: Do you hear what I hear?”: 8:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, March 16. Presented by Charlene Grattan, LCSW, BCD. — Open discussion group for mothers, “Called to be Mom”: 10 a.m.-noon Thursday, March 14. All mothers are welcome. Contact Kerry Long at 704-243-6319.

ST. PATRICK Cathedral, 1621 DILWORTH ROAD EAST — Evening study during Lent, “Seven Deadly Sins & Seven Lively Virtues.” To register contact Margaret Gustafson at jmgusto@bellsouth.net.

ELKIN ST. STEPHEN CHURCH, 101 HAWTHORNE ROAD — “Children: Reaching Your Child’s Heart”, Scripture group for women: 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 19, in the church. All women welcome. For details: 336-835-3007

JEFFERSON ST. FRANCIS OF ASSISI, 326 EAST MAIN ST. — Natural Family Planning Introduction and Full Course: 10 a.m-2 p.m. March 16. RSVP to Batrice Adcock, MSN, RN at cssnfp@charlottediocese.org or 704-370-3230.

ST. THOMAS AQUINAS CHURCH, 1400 SUTHER ROAD — Bi-annual blood drive: 8 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Saturday, March 2. To sign up, contact Lana DeWitte, 704-455-2334.

facebook.com/ catholic news HERALD

March 1, 2013 Volume 22 • Number 9

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

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

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

The Catholic News Herald is published by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte 26 times a year.

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

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

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

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

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Our parishes

March 1, 2013 | catholicnewsherald.com catholic news heraldI

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Photo provided by Gloria Schweizer

Diocesan youth invited to ‘Open the Door to Jesus’ March 16 SueAnn Howell Senior reporter

BELMONT — Bishop Peter J. Jugis invites Catholic youth in middle school and high school to “Open the Door to Jesus” at the annual Lenten Youth Pilgrimage to be held at Belmont Abbey College Saturday, March 16, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The Lenten Youth Pilgrimage is a prelude to the Diocese of Charlotte’s Ninth Annual Eucharistic Congress: “The Mystery of Faith, Open the Door to Christ,” which will be held at the Charlotte Convention Center Sept. 13-14.

The day-long youth retreat at Belmont Abbey College on March 16 will include music, a keynote address, inspirational talks, Eucharistic Adoration, confession, Mass, a Eucharistic Procession and Benediction.

This year’s keynote speaker will be Father Matthew Kauth, a priest in residence at St. Thomas Aquinas Church in Charlotte, who recently completed his doctorate in Rome. Father Kauth is also the chaplain at Charlotte Catholic High School.

There will also be a vocations fair featuring clergy and religious active in the diocese and elsewhere to answer questions about the call to consecrated life.

The cost to attend the Lenten Youth Pilgrimage is $15 and includes a T-shirt and lunch.

Youth groups and attendees can start checking in at 8 a.m.

For more information, permission forms and full event schedule, go to www. goeucharist.com and click on the Bishop’s Lenten Youth Pilgrimage schedule link.

During the annual Catholic Campus Ministry retreat for college students, “Give Your Heart Away 2013,” students from various colleges in our diocese pause while working on a service project at Father Ed Sheridan’s hermitage.

Give Your Heart Away retreat helps college students share faith Bill Washington | Catholic News Herald

Approximately 850 men attended the third annual Charlotte Catholic Men’s Conference held Feb. 16 at St. Matthew Church. Entitled “Man of Prayer, Man of Action,” the conference featured the return of Father Larry Richards of the Diocese of Erie, Penn., a well-known speaker, author and retreat master, and the founder and president of the Reason for Our Hope Foundation. Dr. Ray Guarendi, a clinical psychologist, author, public speaker and syndicated radio host, was also featured as a keynote speaker.

MEN OF PRAYER, MEN OF ACTION

Conference brings together 850 Catholic men to worship, listen, confess Rico De Silva Correspondent

CHARLOTTE — Dreary weather on Saturday did not deter approximately 850 Catholic men, some traveling from as far away as Charleston, S.C., and Raleigh, from attending the third annual Charlotte Catholic Men’s Conference.

The Feb. 16 conference held at St. Matthew Church – entitled “Man of Prayer, Man of Action” – featured the return of Father Larry Richards of the Diocese of Erie, Penn. Father Richards was the keynote speaker for the inaugural conference in 2011. Father Richards is a well-known speaker, author and retreat master, and the founder and president of the Reason for Our Hope Foundation. Dr. Ray Guarendi, a clinical psychologist, author, public speaker and syndicated radio host, was also featured as a keynote speaker.

During the first of two talks at the conference, Father Richards spoke about “Knowing God’s Mercy,” in which he quickly denounced the current belief among some Catholics who shrug off the need for the sacrament of reconciliation.

“Benedict XVI said that ‘the lines to confession should be as long as the lines to Communion,’” Father Richards told the men.

With his trademark style of fiery preaching and quick wit, Father Richards challenged the

More online At www.catholicnewsherald.com: See more photos from the third annual Charlotte Catholic Men’s Conference.

At www.cltcmc.org: Learn more about the conference’s sponsor, Catholic Men’s Fellowship of the Carolinas; get resources; watch videos from the conference; and lots more

men in the crowd. He put the hammer down with authority on a lackadaisical approach to following Jesus Christ: “People that are closest to God are the ones that know their sinfulness,” he said. “The more grace a soul has, the more they see the need for God’s mercy.”

The men attending the conference responded to his call for repentance. A steady stream of penitents queued up for confession, with the line stretching through the hallways of the meeting area all the way to the front of the church for most of the day. Several priests from the Diocese of Charlotte, including Bishop Emeritus William Curlin, were on hand CONFERENCE, SEE page 11

Ian Dear Special to the Catholic News Herald

HICKORY — The cold and snow forecasted for Hickory did not dampen the spirits of the college students who participated in the annual Give Your Heart Away retreat. Students from UNCCharlotte, Appalachian State University, UNC-Asheville, UNC-Greensboro, Davidson College, Bennett College, North Carolina A&T State University and Wingate College broke away from the world and spent a recent weekend singing, discussing and praising God. Students were first divided into groups to help get to know each other and meet new and returning students. Then each group received a service project that ranged from something as simple as picking up trash off the street to organizing a Valentine’s Day party for senior citizens.

Students were able to receive the sacrament of reconciliation over the course of the weekend, participate in Mass, and, of course, engage in fellowship with each other. The most important part of the weekend was the interaction between the students – who created an atmosphere that could at times be loose and energetic, but in the blink of an eye turn serious and reverent.

One of the most important lessons the students learned was that “giving your heart away” does not always occur in a large glorious moment. Sometimes it’s picking up a piece of trash with the Mary Vale Sisters, or removing a fallen tree limb at the hermitage of Father Ed Sheridan, or playing piano with an elderly woman at the Lutheran Nursing Home. It is a moment that seems so insignificant, so brief, so small that we wouldn’t even remember it if we were not reminded.

Robin Peeples, a sophomore at UNCAsheville, said, “Give Your Heart Away was a wonderful retreat where collegeaged Catholics gathered together to share their faith through service. I learned a lot about myself, saw how God can work through others, and felt the presence of the Holy Spirit throughout the weekend.”

Ian Dear is a senior at North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro.

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catholicnewsherald.com | March 1, 2013 OUR PARISHES

Old Latin Mass to be offered on Sundays in Charlotte

Pro-life ministry training with nationallyknown priest to be offered March 8-9

To be celebrated weekly at St. Ann beginning March 3

Msgr. Reilly coming to Charlotte to help launch Helpers of God’s Precious Infants

SueAnn Howell Senior reporter

CHARLOTTE — Traditional Latin Mass devotees in the Charlotte area now have a place to worship regularly on Sundays, thanks to Vatican approval of a petition from local Catholics calling themselves Coetus Fidelium.

Coetus Fidelium (Latin for “group of faithful”) aims to support awareness and celebration of the traditional Latin Mass, also known as the Mass in the Extraordinary Form (compared to Mass in the Ordinary Form, which most Catholics are now familiar with). The group’s name comes from Pope Benedict XVI’s 2007 apostolic letter “Summorum Pontificum,” which encourages the celebration of the traditional Latin Mass. The group is comprised of 65 families from 11 parishes in the Charlotte area.

Under “Summorum Pontificum,” faithful could petition Rome for permission to seek a regular Sunday observance of the traditional Latin Mass, and that’s just what Coetus Fidelium did nearly two years ago, with the blessing of Bishop Peter J. Jugis.

Bishop Jugis recently received notice from the Pontifical Commission Ecclesia Dei, the Vatican office responsible for the observance and application of “Summorum Pontificum,” encouraging him to offer the traditional Latin Mass on Sundays.

Fitting in a Latin Mass amid what are already busy schedules for the diocese’s priests was not easy. Priests are restricted from celebrating more than three Masses on Sunday.

The traditional Latin Mass will be offered at St. Ann Church in Charlotte by Father Timothy Reid, pastor, following

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Get more info For details about the traditional Latin Mass in Charlotte, go to St. Ann Church’s website at www.stanncharlotte.org and click on the Latin Mass Information link.

For details about the traditional Latin Mass elsewhere in North Carolina, go to www.nctlmmef.com.

his discussions with Bishop Jugis about how to accommodate the liturgy into the parish’s Sunday schedule.

Father Reid also celebrates a weekly Wednesday evening Latin Mass, and helps to educate the faithful about the traditional liturgy of the Church prior to the liturgical reforms of the Second Vatican Council.

The most viable solution was to take the 12:30 p.m. Spanish bilingual Mass, the least attended Mass at the parish, and offer the Latin Mass in its place, Father Reid said in a recent announcement.

“As St. Ann’s is the only parish in Charlotte that regularly offers the Latin Mass, Bishop Jugis recently asked me to make it available every Sunday,” Father Reid said in his notice to parishioners. “To be frank, I have mixed feelings about this.

While I love the Traditional Latin Mass and believe it has a very positive impact on our parish’s liturgy as a whole, I also know that changing the 12:30 p.m. bilingual Mass to Latin will be a hardship for some of you. I regret that this is the case. And I sincerely hope that our Spanish-speaking parishioners will continue coming to St. Ann’s, as we will continue to offer other services in Spanish. At the same time, I do believe this is an answer to prayer. In fact, I’ve been praying for a year for the wisdom to know if and when to make this change in our parish.”

Chris Lauer, president of Coetus Fidelium, expressed his joy at the news in a recent email.

“This is such great news,” Lauer said. “I want everyone to be aware and appreciative of the great burden that Father Reid will have as a result of this accommodation. Father Reid will now have to manage two liturgical calendars, and on most Sundays will have to write two different homilies. As the only priest at a parish the size of St. Ann’s this is not a small feat.”

Father Reid also noted in his announcement, “While this may not be an easy change for some of you, I do believe this is what Our Lord desires for our parish. Moreover, I am very pleased that we are able to offer both the ordinary and extraordinary forms of the Mass, as is the expressed desire of the Holy Father.

Thank you for your generosity, patience and understanding.”

The traditional Latin Mass is also celebrated regularly at Our Lady of the Angels Church in Marion, St. Dorothy Church in Lincolnton, Sacred Heart Church in Salisbury, and Our Lady of Grace Church in Greensboro.

Mary B. Worthington Correspondent

CHARLOTTE — “Your primary reason for going is to save the people who are part of the culture of death, because the unborn children never did anything wrong. They go directly to God. Your presence outside an abortion clinic is more important for those who are living doing this than for the unborn children that are dying.”

This trusting mentality has led Monsignor Philip Reilly, a priest of the Diocese of Brooklyn, to have a hand in closing 25 abortion clinics in Brooklyn and Queens in addition to starting prayer ministries in 40 states and five continents to bring an end to the culture of death.

Monsignor Reilly will be in Charlotte Friday and Saturday, March 8-9, to lead one of these prayer vigils at St. Patrick Cathedral and to kick-start a local chapter of the Helpers of God’s Precious Infants, his sidewalk counseling ministry.

All people interested in learning more about how to get involved with prolife work – from individual prayer and education to vigils outside abortion mills in their community – are encouraged to attend this free workshop.

“I attended the D.C. March for Life on the St. Mark’s bus, and I asked some people if they had ever attended a vigil at an abortion clinic. They all said no,” said Gretchen Filz, Respect Life coordinator at St. Thomas Aquinas Parish in Charlotte.

“I wanted people to learn the spirituality of prayerful presence at an abortion mill from someone who understands it and lives it.”

Wanting to meet that need, Filz is serving on a committee with members from St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Patrick and St. Ann parishes who are bringing Monsignor Reilly to Charlotte.

On the first night, Friday, March 8, Monsignor Reilly will explain the spirituality of the Helpers of God’s Precious Infants during a reflection after Stations of the Cross at St. Patrick Cathedral. Stations of the Cross begin at 7:30 p.m.

On Saturday morning, Mass will be offered at 8 a.m. at St. Patrick Cathedral before the day’s activities begin.

“We’re starting in church, then there will be Exposition and Adoration. Some people stay and do Adoration. Then we start the rosary, and go to the site.

Then we come back and have closing Benediction,” explained Monsignor Reilly.

After a brown-bag lunch, there will be a presentation from noon to 3 p.m. to provide people with information on effective pro-life outreach.

Not only will this be a workshop and training session, but this will also be the launch of a Charlotte chapter of Helpers of God’s Precious Infants, or simply, the Charlotte Helpers.

“I am happy Monsignor Reilly is visiting our diocese to share his wisdom and vision for those speaking in defense of the unborn and their mothers,” said Maggi Nadol, director of the diocese’s

Learn more For additional details about the vigil or talks, email Gretchen Filz at gmfilz@gmail.com or go to www. charlottehelpers.org.

To learn more about Monsignor Philip Reilly and Helpers of God’s Precious Infants, go to www. helpersofgodspreciousinfants.org.

To learn more about general Charlotte area pro-life efforts, go to www.charlottecoalitionforlife.com.

Respect Life program. “While it is often frustrating to see the continual downward spiral of respect for life, it is conversion of hearts that is necessary.

“I believe Monsignor Reilly will speak to that and the need for prayer both in our lives and those we seek to help.”

After being involved in pro-life activities for nearly 20 years, Monsignor Reilly was asked by then Bishop Francis Mugavero to start a new kind of pro-life apostolate: one of prayer and fasting.

Now 78 years old, Monsignor Reilly can be found five days a week on the streets praying and helping women in crisis pregnancy situations.

“We decided we would go to the source of our strength,” Monsignor Reilly said.

“St. Pius V in the Battle of Lepanto, he knew that he didn’t have any source of strength in this world, so he started the rosary and asked everybody to say the rosary to overcome the Ottoman Empire taking over Western Europe. And the great armada was defeated. And he said that’s the result of the intercession of Our Lady. The one who gave us the victory was Mary.

“Our source of strength has to come from outside this world because the culture of death is all over the place,” he continued. “So, once you start asking the intercession of Our Lady, you find new strength.”

This approach means that the Helpers mentality is not one of selfrighteousness, Monsignor Reilly said, but one of love.

He is also the chaplain for the Monastery of the Precious Blood nuns in Brooklyn, and he invites pro-life people from around the world to their monastery for retreats and training.

About 10 years ago, he had a young couple from Texas, Margaret and David Bereit, come for a weekend retreat.

They returned to College Station, Texas, where they went on to found the worldwide pro-life campaign called 40 Days for Life.

“40 Days is great,” noted Monsignor Reilly, laughing. “But we still encourage you: when you’re finished with your 40 days, to join the 365-day one! That’s just the warming up, my friend!”

March 1, 2013 | catholicnewsherald.com

OUR PARISHESI

7

Following a ‘better way’ Wife, mother shares her NFP journey SueAnn Howell Senior reporter

Photo provided by Megan Barnes

St. Michael Church in Gastonia welcomed five Sisters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul on Sunday, Jan. 13.

Exploring a religious vocation at St. Michael Parish Megan Barnes Correspondent

GASTONIA — St. Michael Church in Gastonia welcomed five Sisters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul on Sunday, Jan. 13.

Looking to start out National Vocations Week on a strong note, St. Michael Parish’s vocation committee invited the women religious to visit from their convent, St. Joseph’s in High Point.

The sisters joined parishioners for the 10 o’clock Mass followed by a reception and gathering for the sisters to share the history of their order and answer questions regarding their lives and religious vocation in general.

The Sisters of Charity were founded in 1633 by St. Vincent de Paul to serve the poor, needy, downtrodden and neglected.

After four to six years of schooling and serving in the community, the sisters take initial vows of poverty, obedience and chastity followed by another five years of serious contemplation and prayer before professing final vows.

Today, there are more than 23 major convents in Germany, the United States and India. The five sisters who visited St. Michael Parish all moved to the High Point convent after formation, training and taking their vows in India.

At the reception following Mass on Sunday, Sisters Elsa (Mother Superior), Julia, Christina, Lissy Tom and Josna shared their stories of being called to join St. Vincent’s order.

Sister Elsa, who serves as Mother Superior for the High Point convent, entered the order 27 years ago. From first grade through high school, Sister Elsa told people at the vocations program, she felt called to the religious life. She originally looked into the Sisters of St. Clare and the Sisters of Nazareth, but when the Sisters of Charity came to her hometown to talk about vocations, she felt an immediate connection.

“I told them I wanted a week to really

At www.goeucharist.com: All middle school and high school-aged youths are invited to attend the Bishop’s annual Lenten Youth Pilgrimage at Belmont Abbey College on Saturday, March 16.

decide. That seemed like a short time for them, but a long time for me since I already felt called to them. I knew this life and process would come with great difficulty, but I had a great desire to serve the poor,” said Sister Elsa.

Sister Christina also felt a call starting at the age of 7. She used to imitate the sisters she saw in her hometown, dressing up like them and mimicking their prayers. Her parents were not happy about their daughter’s decision, but Sister Christina recalls that she was persistent in her desire. At night, she would take a weekly vocations magazine and read it alone in the dark by candlelight. She finally decided to write a letter to the vocations committee running the newsletter and got a quick reply from a local Sister of Charity.

“That was my sign and proof to my parents. I knew I wanted to go out and serve. I never, never felt that there was no vocation. Once I left my home for the convent, I felt like I was really home,” said Sister Christina.

The sisters will be coming down from their convent in High Point for the Bishop’s annual Lenten Youth Pilgrimage March 16, where members of local religious orders gather with young people from across the Diocese of Charlotte to pray, worship God, and enjoy fellowship together.

To contact the Sisters with any vocation questions, email them at scusisters@northstate.net.

Also online

KERNERSVILLE — Alexandra Rice, a cradle Catholic whose family did not really practice the faith in her childhood, learned about birth control at an early age.

Her mother was a nurse for an OB/GYN practice and instructed women about the options available to them.

And so, when Alexandra was at an age when pregnancy was a possibility according to her lifestyle, her mother recommended she use the pill and gave her the name of a physician to contact for a prescription.

“When I met my husband Cliff, we did not use any type of birth control at first, and eventually we experienced an unplanned pregnancy,” Rice explained.

“My husband was not too thrilled that we were having a baby, especially since we already had a son and we were in the middle of career moves. However, I did not believe in abortion and was fully prepared to carry to full term.”

Unfortunately, she suffered a miscarriage during the third month of her pregnancy.

“Those of you that have been through one know that it is very emotional and heartbreaking. After the miscarriage, my doctor insisted that I start taking birth control right away to prevent another unplanned pregnancy. Vulnerable and still very emotional, I agreed and of course chose the pill since my mother had always been such a strong advocate for it.”

When her husband, who is not Catholic, started traveling for business, she started taking her young son Austin to Mass every Sunday at Holy Cross Church.

“I began to see our lives changing for the better, and made a conscious effort to live my life according to the Catholic faith,” Rice recalled. “Everything was going great, but I realized that one aspect of my life was not matching up to my Catholic expectations. I had been taking birth control pills for years, and knew it was time to stop.”

She saw an ad in the Catholic News Herald for a free Natural Family Planning class in the Diocese of Charlotte and did some research to find out more about the latest methods of NFP. She contacted Batrice Adcock, the diocese’s Natural Family Planning program director, and accepted Adcock’s invitation to attend the free NFP class.

“I drove almost two hours to listen to her presentation and learned that the Catholic Church no longer suggested a rhythm method for preventing pregnancy,” Rice explained. “Rather, a new system had been developed called the Sympto-Thermal method. I found out that this method had been tested and was shown to be close to 99 percent effective.

I left with a lot of hope but a little bit of anxiety. I discussed the plan with my loving and supportive husband, and after explaining the system he joked that he was going to get the nursery ready!

“However, on a serious note, he said I had his blessing and genuinely meant it.”

Rice admits that she has a competitive streak in her, so she took his comments as a challenge and was determined to make it work.

Within the first month of using NFP, her husband noted her increased energy level and said she seemed much more alert and vibrant.

“I had to agree, and told him that I felt

really good.”

Her husband then became interested and took note of her temperature readings in the morning and wanted to understand what information the fertility monitor she had purchased provided.

Rice kept diligent records and even used www.fertility.com to confirm her ovulation day.

“With all these tools, and several successful months under my belt, I can really see how this system is rated at 99 percent effective,” Rice said.

“Today, I am very passionate about NFP and tell every woman who complains about her birth control methods about it. And believe me, there are a ton of women who are dissatisfied since every single method comes with its share of dreadful side effects – except natural family planning, of course.”

Rice wishes she had known about NFP sooner. She is concerned that very few people talk about it, especially with doctors, and is alarmed by the dangers of birth control that are not discussed.

“I have read article after article about the dangers of birth control, and side effects that women suffer, and it just breaks my heart because there is truly a better way,” Rice said. “Not only is there a better way, but there is a better and effective way!

It’s a wonderful feeling to know that I am following God’s plan and allowing Him into our marriage.”

Learn more Get more information about NFP and free courses offered year-round across the diocese at www.cssnc.org/nfp or contact Batrice Adcock at 704-370-3230 or email her at cssnfp@ charlottediocese.org.

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catholicnewsherald.com | March 1, 2013 OUR PARISHES

For the latest news 24/7: catholicnewsherald.com

In Brief

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Celebrating the 96th Anniversary Of Our Lady’s Appearance at Fatima

Application period opens for permanent deacons

July 17 – July 30, 2013 Join Father John Putnam and Father Christopher Roux on the Fatima Peace Pilgrimage to Portugal and Santiago de Compostela, Spain Total Cost from Newark – $2,800 (Price includes air-fare, meals, accommodations and side trips. Taxes not included)

Registration deadline: April 1 For more information, contact:

Te Deum Foundation, Inc. 336 -765-1815 or Carol Stefanec (evenings) 804-346-3049

Our pilgrimages support seminarians and foster vocations.

For more information, visit www.tedeumfoundation.org

a dedication date was chosen: the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes.

The Feb. 11 dedication included Mass, concelebrated by Father Rossi and Father John Eckert of St. John the Baptist Church in Tryon.

The statue’s donors, Good Shepherd members Joseph and Lilly Thannikary, were also recognized for their contribution. The couple has gone on pilgrimages to the Holy Land, Fatima and many other sacred places, but they have a special love for Lourdes and the beautiful story of our Blessed Mother’s visitations there.

Pictured above are Father Rossi and donor Joseph Thannikary. “I have always felt especially drawn to Our Lady of Lourdes,� Father Rossi said during the dedication. Mary is such a perfect and beautiful model of prayer, he explained, and he said he hopes that the image of her holding the rosary will draw the parishioners in to a heartfelt devotion to her and to praying the rosary.

Father Rossi and the members of Good Shepherd are now planning to raise funds to build a grotto and small garden around the new statue and a Rosary Walk on the parish grounds. — Annette Tenny

Good Shepherd celebrates Lourdes feast day, dedicates new statue KING — When Father Lucas Rossi came to Good Shepherd Mission last summer, one of the first conversations he had with his new congregation concerned the need to replace the church’s statue of the Blessed Mother. The statue, which stood in a small garden near the church’s entrance, was damaged and worn with age. He asked that they keep this need in their prayers and a fund was set up for donations.

Within just a short while, Father Rossi announced that a member of Good Shepherd Mission had contributed the entire amount necessary to buy a new marble statue of Our Lady of Lourdes.

In late January, the statue was completed and

The diocesan Office of the Permanent Diaconate will soon open the application period for the next formation class of permanent deacons. Men interested in applying to the program will need to attend a March 9 information meeting. Applications will be distributed following this meeting.

Basic requirements for becoming a permanent deacon can be found online at www. charlottediocese.org/ministries-a-departments/ permanent-diaconate. These include completion of the diocesan Lay Ecclesial Ministry program by 2014.

To attend the information meeting or get more information about the permanent diaconate, email the Director of Formation for the Permanent Diaconate, Deacon Scott Gilfillan, at sdgilfillan@charlottediocese.org, or the Director of the Permanent Diaconate, Deacon Ron Steinkamp, at rfsteinkamp@ charlottediocese.org.

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 Charlotte Region: 1123 South Church St., Charlotte, NC 28203 Area Director: Sharon Davis (704) 370-3218 Your Local Catholic Charities Agency

Western Region: 50 Orange Street, Asheville, NC 28801 Area Director: Michele Sheppard (828) 255-0146 Piedmont-Triad: 627 W. Second St., Winston-Salem, NC 27101 Area Director: Diane Bullard (336) 727-0705 Greensboro Satellite Office (336) 274-5577

For information on specific programs, please call your local office.

www.cssnc.org

Strengthening Families. Building Communities. Reducing Poverty.

Sarah Hart in Concert Friday, March 15 at 7pm St. Pius X Catholic Church

2210 North Elm Street - Greensboro, NC 27408

Come hear this talented Catholic singer/songwriter who has written songs recorded by Matt Maher, Newsong, Newsboys, Celtic Women and Amy Grant.

All are welcome to this FREE concert!

March 1, 2013 | catholicnewsherald.com

OUR PARISHESI

in the New York City prison system.

— Al Tinson

40 Hours of Adoration planned at St. Patrick Cathedral for Feast of St. Joseph

Candlemas celebrated at St. Thomas Aquinas Parish CHARLOTTE — St. Thomas Aquinas Church in Charlotte celebrated the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, also known as “Candlemas,” on Feb. 2. Father Patrick J. Winslow, pastor, was the celebrant, assisted

by Father Deacon Matthew Hanes. During the celebration there was a blessing of candles.

Following the singing of the plainchant for the feast day, the faithful processed through the darkened church while “All the Earth Proclaim the Lord” (Psalm 100) was sung.

— Mary “Annette” Morales

CHARLOTTE — The Catholic Men’s Fellowship of the Carolinas in conjunction with St. Patrick Cathedral invites everyone to 40 Hours Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament during the Vigil of St. Joseph, Guardian of Families, from 7 p.m. Sunday, March 17, to 8 p.m. Tuesday, March 19, at St. Patrick Cathedral, 1621 Dilworth Road East in Charlotte.

This time of prayer, adoration and supplication will focus on protecting and preserving families and traditional marriage, with particular intercession for men in their vocations as husbands, fathers and leaders. They will especially offer this time for the continued purity of all priests as well as holy vocations to the priesthood and consecrated life.

A Holy Hour from 7 to 8 p.m. on March 19, will feature a reflection with Father John Eckert: “St. Joseph: Humble Model of Fearless Faith.”

A dessert reception will follow Holy Hour and Benediction in the cathedral’s Family Life Center at 8 p.m. Go online to sign up for Adoration and RSVP for the reflection and reception to: www. signupgenius.com/go/30E0A4EABAF2BA75the vigil.

Lenten parish mission to feature international singer and lay Franciscan

St. Patrick’s Day to be commemorated at historic St. Joseph Church

CHARLOTTE — Internationally known singer Al Barbarino, a lay Franciscan from New York, will lead a Lenten Parish Mission on March 3, 4 and 5 at 7 p.m. at St. John Neumann Church, 8451 Idlewild Road in Charlotte. The mission is entitled “Living the Faith as Catholics in Today’s World.” Barbarino’s program includes both spiritual music and inspirational messages.

As a lay Franciscan, Barbarino has traveled throughout the world and has put on programs at Charlotte area churches on numerous occasions.

Over the past 20 years Barbarino has recorded many CDs to support a shelter for homeless men in the South Bronx section of New York City run by the Franciscan Friars. Through the sales of his music, the singer raises financial support for Croatian Relief Services, an international outreach for the poor, as well as those in need within the parishes where he ministers. He also has worked as a counselor for incarcerated youth

MOUNT HOLLY — On Saturday, March 9, the three divisions of the Ancient Order of Hibernians and the Ladies Ancient Order of Hibernians in the Charlotte area will once again honor their Irish heritage and Catholic faith with a Mass at historic St. Joseph Church in Mount Holly. This will be the fifth year that a Mass will be offered at the church in honor of St. Patrick.

St. Joseph Church was built in 1843 by Irish immigrants and its first pastor was Father T.J. Cronin, who was also Irish born and is buried at the church. The ceremony to honor Father Cronin will begin at 8 a.m. and Mass will follow. Father Joshua Voitus, the chaplain of the Mecklenburg County Board of the AOH, will be the celebrant. The public is welcome to attend both the ceremony and Mass. The Church is located on Sandy Ford Road in Gaston County. Contact Joe Dougherty, County Board President, at uniteire@yahoo.com for details.

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IS GOD CALLING YOU TO BE A PERMANENT DEACON? Ordained Minister of the Liturgy, the Word, of Charity Application Period for Permanent Deacons

The application period for the next formation class of permanent deacons will open soon: Interested men will be invited to attend the information meeting on March 9, 2013. Applications will be distributed following this meeting.

The basic norms expected of applicants can be found on the Charlotte Diocese Website (www.charlottediocese.org) Permanent Deacon page. These include completion of the diocesan Lay Ecclesial Ministry program by the year 2014. If you would like to attend the information meeting or would like more information please email.

Director of Formation, Deacon Scott Gilfillan, at sdgilfillan@charlottediocese.org or Director of the Permanent Diaconate, Deacon Ron Steinkamp, at rfsteinkamp@charlottediocese.org.

Wednesday, March 6 6 PM Call 704-461-6666

9

10

catholicnewsherald.com | March 1, 2013 OUR PARISHES

For the latest news 24/7: catholicnewsherald.com

In Brief

National catechetical leaders meet in Atlanta ATLANTA — Laura Ling keynoted a session at the Diversity Summit in Atlanta Jan. 2325, a gathering of the National Conference of Catechetical Leaders including Dr. Cris Villapando from the Diocese of Charlotte, who

is the new chairman of the group’s Inculturation Committee.

Ling shared the story of being captured by North Korean soldiers while she was working on an investigative piece about human trafficking of Korean women. She was captured by the Tumen River near Yanji, China, and sentenced to 12 years in prison plus hard labor. She broke down and cried profusely but never lost hope in God and in her family, she said. Her faith in God sustained her for 140 days, until her release was negotiated by former President Bill Clinton.

Other delegates who attended the conference included national and diocesan directors of various cultural groups: Sister Roberta Fulton of the National Black Sisters’ Conference, Ntal Alimasi, president of the National Association of African Catholics in the U.S.; Alaina ArchuletaDean from the First Nations Development Institute; and May Yang from the Hmong District of the Christian and Missionary Alliance.

— Dr. Cris Villapando

Annulment: What it is and what it is not

program will be held at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church, 4145 Johnson St. and Skeet Club, High Point. All are welcome.

For details, contact Paulette Cushing at 336869-7739.

St. Mark Parish holds Lenten Mission HUNTERSVILLE — “Open Wide the Doors to Christ” was the theme of this year’s St. Mark Parish Lenten Mission. Each night more than 300 people came to hear Franciscan Father Kenneth Paulli, Franciscan priest and professor of education at Siena College in New York, speak about how the Year of Faith encourages us to deepen understanding of our faith through study, prayer and service.

Using the Gospel stories of the Samaritan Woman at the Well, the Blind Beggar and the Raising of Lazarus, Father Paulli pointed out how we naturally let the obstacles of our lives deflect our commitment to Christ, looking at these obstacles as roadblocks rather than stepping stones. Each night was wrapped up with lay witness testimonies from members of the parish who through study, prayer, sacraments and service have over the years developed a genuine love of Christ that is enriched daily.

The nightly mission talks are posted online at www.stmarknc.org.

— Donna F. Smith

Tilt’n B Farm

HIGH POINT — The Immaculate Heart of Mary Separated and Divorced Group will host an evening of information regarding annulment in the Diocese of Charlotte on March 17 at 6 p.m.

Diocesan Judicial Vicar and head of the Tribunal, Father John T. Putnam, JCL, will present, assisted by Deacon William Shaw. The

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CALL TO PRAYER

FOR LIFE, MARRIAGE AND RELIGIOUS LIBERTY

Protecting God’s Children We proclaim Christ to the world around us by our efforts to provide a safe environment for all people, especially the young and the vulnerable.

In 2002, the bishops of the United States issued the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People. The charter addresses the Church’s commitment to respond effectively, appropriately and compassionately to cases of abuse of minors by priests, deacons or other church personnel.

DIOCESAN REQUIREMENTS FOR REPORTING MINISTRY-RELATED SEXUAL ABUSE OF A MINOR 1. Any individual having actual knowledge of or reasonable cause to suspect an incident of ministry-related sexual abuse is to immediately report the incident to the Chancery.

Your Local Catholic Charities Agency Respect Life Program

In this Year of Faith, the Catholic Bishops of the United States have called for a nationwide effort to advance a movement for Life, Marriage, and Religious Liberty through prayer, penance, and sacrifice.

The Call to Prayer for Life, Marriage and Religious Liberty has five components: • Monthly Eucharistic Holy Hours in cathedrals and parishes • Daily Rosary by families and individuals • Special Prayers of the Faithful at all Masses • Fasting and abstinence from meat on Fridays • A Fortnight for Freedom in June/July 2013

2. The Chancery will then report the incident to the proper civil authorities. The individual reporting the incident to the Chancery will be notified of the particulars regarding the Chancery’s filing of the incident with civil authorities.

Join the movement! www.usccb.org/life-marriage-liberty

3. This reporting requirement is not intended to supersede the right of an individual to make a report to civil authorities, but is to ensure proper, complete and timely reporting.

Should an individual choose to make a report to civil authorities, a report is still to be made to the Chancery.

Special Call To Prayer Event with Msgr. Philip Reilly of the Diocese of Brooklyn, NY

The charter can be found on the diocesan website, Charlottediocese.org, click on the tab, “Safe Environment.”

Hosted by St. Patrick Cathedral – Charlotte, NC

www.charlottehelpers.org March 8, 7:30pm – Stations of the Cross followed by a talk by Msgr. Reilly March 9, 8:00am – Mass and Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament Noon – 3:00pm - talk and workshop with Msgr. Reilly

March 1, 2013 | catholicnewsherald.com

CONFERENCE: FROM PAGE 5

to hear confessions.

Dan Trapini, one of the conference organizers, said later that the priests hearing confessions told him the conference was “‘getting through to the men by the quality of their confessions.’”

“Gentlemen, Christians don’t go to heaven. Disciples go to heaven,” Father Richards entreated the men during the conclusion of his first talk. Then he described the three traits found in a disciple of Christ: First, a disciple “sits at the feet of Jesus and listens.” Second, a disciple develops the same attitude as Christ by thinking as Christ does. Third, a disciple is someone transformed by Jesus Christ.

To allow Christ to transform you, he emphasized, you must surrender. “And the first part of surrender is repentance ... Mercy is only given if we ask for it,” he said.

Dr. Ray Guarendi followed Father Richards and spoke about “Laughter: The Sanity of Family.”

“I gotta apologize for what my profession has done to you,” the psychologist said half jokingly in his opening remarks. “Shrinks have permeated everything today.”

Speaking on authority within the context of the family and raising children, Guarendi noted that authority has become a “bad word,” and contemporary society has become a culture of “psychological correctness” instead of moral correctness.

“The moment we ask: ‘Is it normal?’ instead of ‘Is it right?’ – we’re wrong,” he said.

Guarendi encouraged the conference goers to take their roles as Catholic fathers and leaders seriously. He spoke with humor, but also much substance.

“I learned about authority from my dad.

He had ‘the look’!” he shared.

“Guys, kids haven’t changed. Adults have changed,” he continued. “Discipline without love is harsh. Love without discipline is child abuse,” he said.

Guarendi concluded by exhorting the men not to underestimate their God-given power to lead, protect and exercise their authority while raising their families.

Andy McMurry, a catechist from St. Mary Help of Christians Parish in Shelby

who prepares teenagers for confirmation and who has attended all three men’s conferences, said both speakers “give us confidence to do what you have to do.”

McMurry said cultural pressures are the biggest obstacle to imparting the faith to his teenaged students during what is such a critical stage in their faith journey.

Bishop Peter Jugis celebrated Mass following Guarendi’s talk. During his homily, Bishop Jugis encouraged the men to become men of prayer and men of action after the example of Pope Benedict XVI by becoming “humble workers in the vineyard of the Lord.”

After the lunch intermission, Bishop Curlin led a Holy Hour Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, and Father Peter Shaw, parochial vicar at St. Leo the Great Church in Winston-Salem, gave a vocation testimony during the Holy Hour with his father, Deacon Bill Shaw, standing by his side.

Father Richards concluded the conference with his second talk, entitled “Surrender! The Secret to a Peaceful Life.”

Tempered with a healthy dose of humor, the priest reminded the audience that Christianity is about forgetting oneself.

“The way to change is to surrender it all to God,” Father Richards said. But this surrender is possible only once a person allows himself or herself to be loved by Our Heavenly Father. He told the men to meditate on Mark 1:11, and let “your ‘Dad’ love you in prayer.”

Who is the truest example of Catholic manhood? he asked the crowd. Then he pointed to the crucifix on the altar.

The ideal model for men, displaying the ultimate in self-sacrificial love, leadership and authority, is Jesus Christ, he said.

Father Richards also said that a prayerful man of action lays down his life for his wife and family on a daily basis. “To be a disciple of Christ is going to cost you everything, including your life.”

The men’s conference was sponsored by the Knights of Columbus and Fathers for Good, a national initiative for men created by the Knights of Columbus.

Next year’s event

OUR PARISHESI

11

PILGRIMAGE: FROM PAGE 3

“I know there will always be political issues in the area,” she wrote recently via email. “I am delighted to go with an experienced group leader to this most special place on earth, especially around the Easter holy days.”

She said she looks forward to traveling with her friend, attending daily Mass and walking in the steps of Our Lord. “I am eager to deepen my understanding of this holy ground and share the mysteries of our faith with other Christians.”

For fellow New York transplant Anne Rega, this pilgrimage will be her first trip across the Atlantic. Rega moved to North Carolina in 1992. She said an ad in her parish bulletin inspired her to think about the pilgrimage.

“My two adult children encouraged me to take this trip. They said their dad would have wanted me to take this trip, as I am very happy when I am in church,” she said.

For St. Barnabas parishioner Letha Hinman, it’s finally her time to visit the Holy Land. Her husband was there during a Navy deployment many years ago.

“We both agreed this would be a good time of my life to go,” Hinman said.

Despite an uptick in violence over the past few months in the region, Father Porras said he isn’t worried about any danger during the pilgrimage.

“It does concern me, but the tourist area is so very vital to the people,” he said. “They go above and beyond to ensure the visitors are safe.”

About Father Adrian Porras Born in El Paso, Texas, Father Adrian Porras moved with his family to Greensboro in 1980.

After attending college in Brevard and finishing at Belmont Abbey College, Father Porras joined a religious order, Marians of the Immaculate Conception, and continued his education at Dominican House of Studies and The Catholic University of America.

When his order decided to leave the Diocese of Charlotte, Father Porras received permission to remain in the diocese and serve as a diocesan priest. Prior to his ordination, he served as a deacon at St. Mark Church in Huntersville. After ordination in 2001, he served as parochial vicar at Holy Family Church in Clemmons, pastor of St. Andrew the Apostle Church in Mars Hill and Sacred Heart Mission in Burnsville. In 2008, he was named pastor of St. Barnabas Church in Arden.

He spends his free time reading, seeing movies and playing sports, including being active in adult soccer leagues in Asheville.

His favorite reading topics include theology, history, spirituality and biographies.

He has two beagles, Oliver and Petey.

Father Adrian has led two prior pilgrimages: in 2010 to Assisi and Rome, Italy, and in 2011 to Lourdes and Fatima.

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12

iiiMarch 1, 2013 | catholicnewsherald.com

FROM TH

MARONITE CATHOLICS: ‘Lebanon is more than a country, it is a message.’

— Pope John Paul II, during his 1997 visit to Lebanon

Who are the Maronite Catholics?

The Maronite Catholic Church, one of 23 rites in the universal Church, was founded by disciples of St. Maron, an ascetic hermit who lived between the fourth and the fifth centuries A.D. near Antioch.

It was in Antioch that the followers of Jesus were first called “Christians” (Acts 11:26). St. Peter fled to Antioch when a persecution broke out in Jerusalem, and according to tradition, St. Peter founded the Church at Antioch and became its first bishop.

St. Maron was a contemporary and friend of St. John Chrysostom, a Father and Doctor of the Church. Leaving Antioch to live as a hermit, he attracted many followers because of his holiness. After he died in 410 A.D., his disciples built a monastery in his memory.

Maronites soon came under threat from the rise of Islam and the power of the Byzantine Empire throughout the region now known as Lebanon and Syria. Amid the political, social and religious chaos, the Maronites elected Maron their first patriarch, St. John Maron, in 687 A.D., setting themselves up as a distinct rite within the Church that recognized the authority of the pope.

When Muslim invaders stormed through, they fled to safety in the mountains of Lebanon.

There they remained – at first living and worshipping in caves and grottos and later in small churches and monasteries – cut off from the rest of the Christian world for about 400 years.

During the Crusades, Christians from the West reconnected with the Maronites. Rome, previously unaware that the Maronites still existed, reached out to help them, and in turn the Maronites provided aid to the crusaders.

After the Ottoman Empire rose from the remnants of the Byzantine Empire in the mid1400s, its Muslim rulers set up an alliance with the Maronites to govern together in Lebanon – forming the basis of the modern Lebanese republic, in which Christians and Muslims share the top positions in government.

Maronite Catholics profess the same apostolic faith and celebrate the same sacraments as Roman Catholics, but retain a distinct liturgy, hierarchy and code of canon law.

In the Maronite Church, the celebration of the Eucharist is also called Qurbono (Syriac), Quddas (Arabic) and Divine Liturgy.

The liturgical language is Syriac, a dialect of Aramaic – the language of Jesus. Aramaic is still used in the Divine Liturgy, notably during the Consecration.

Many of the prayers are also derived from the Liturgy of St. James and the writings of ancient Eastern Fathers, especially St. Ephrem, a Doctor of the Church.

The Maronite Catholic Church is led worldwide by Patriarch Bechara Peter Rai, who was also named a cardinal in 2012 by Pope Benedict XVI. The See is in Bkerke, Lebanon.

The Maronite population is estimated at more than 3 million, including 1 million in Lebanon and more than 200,000 in the United States.

Besides the growing community in Charlotte, there is St. Sharbel Maronite Rai Mission in Raleigh, a church in Fayetteville, and a mission in Greenville, S.C.

Notable Maronites of today n Jesuit Father Mitch Pacwa: Priest with bi-ritual (Roman rite, Maronite rite) faculties, renowned Scripture scholar, author, speaker, and TV and radio host on EWTN n Tony Shalhoub, three-time Emmy Award and Golden Globe-winning TV and film actor n Danny Thomas, actor and founder of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital n Jamie Farr, actor n John Abizaid, former commander-in-chief of the U.S. Central Command n Ray LaHood, U.S. Secretary of Transportation (whose son was recently detained in Egypt) n George Mitchell, former U.S. Senate majority leader, peace negotiator, and U.S. envoy to the Middle East n Donna Shalala, former U.S. Secretary of Health — Sources: From the Maronite League website, Catholic Near East Welfare Association, www.maronitemonks.org, www.usmaronites.com, Wikipedia, and Our Lady of Purgatory Maronite Eastern Catholic Church in New Bedford, Mass.

More online On Facebook: Learn more about the Maronite Mission of Charlotte. (Search their name to find their page.)

On YouTube: Listen to the Consecration chanted in ancient Aramaic during a Maronite Catholic Mass, at www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mn6Ltcv978

CHARLOTTE — Maronite Catholics first came to North Carolina from Lebanon 120 years ago, seeking a better future for their families – like so many immigrants in America’s history. Even as they have blended into their adopted homeland, though, their abiding and ancient faith has sustained the Church in North Carolina.

Many Catholics do not know about the Maronite rite and its history.

Lebanese Catholics in Charlotte and Raleigh are working to change that.

HISTORY

Since 1890, more than 16,000 Lebanese immigrants have settled in North Carolina.

These early Lebanese settlers came to America looking for a better life. Some were fleeing the upheavals wrought by World War I, many others were escaping the collapsed Lebanese economy.

America was a land of promise, where anyone could get ahead if they worked hard.

They adopted American lifestyles, prospering even though they were sometimes discriminated

against in the South because they had darke they were Catholic, and they were foreigner They became successful entrepreneurs ac state – Mt. Olive Pickles was started by a Le American, for example – but their Catholic remained at the center of their lives. In the years, there were no Maronite Catholic chu in North Carolina, so they joined in worship Roman Catholics in Greensboro, North Wilk Charlotte, Raleigh, Fayetteville and other pl Monsignor Joseph Showfety, one of the fi native priests in the Charlotte diocese and i chancellor (1972-1979), is one example. The s Lebanese immigrants, he grew up in Green and his family attended St. Benedict Church More recent immigrants have joined the Lebanese American community in the area well. They were part of the wave of an estim million who fled during the 1975 civil war an subsequent Israeli invasion and 18-year occ Charlotte Catholics may recall the assistan the late Mercy Sister Mary Michel Boulus, h Lebanese-American, provided to Lebanese c students in the late 1970s and early 1980s – ar scholarships for them to come to Sacred Hea College in Belmont and continue their studie One of those scholarship recipients, Walid M now a U.S. citizen, philanthropist and diploma has served with the U.S. government and at th Nations, spoke often of Sister Michel’s influen young Lebanese who came to North Carolina

HE COVER

March 1, 2013 | catholicnewsherald.comiii

13

Local community is growing in faith, remembering their ancient roots

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Maalouf, at who he United nce on a.

Maronite Catholic bishop to make official visit to Charlotte March 8 CHARLOTTE — Maronite Bishop Gregory Mansour, shepherd of the Eparchy of St. Maron of Brooklyn, N.Y., which encompasses much of the East Coast, will be in Charlotte Friday, March 8, to celebrate Mass and meet with the local Lebanese Catholic community.

Maronite Catholics are an Eastern rite of the Church that originated in Lebanon. Led by Father Kamil Al-Chouefati of Raleigh, local Maronite Catholics gather for Mass each month at St. Matthew Church in Charlotte.

Bishop Mansour will offer Mass at 7 p.m.

March 8, along with Bishop Peter J. Jugis. All are welcome to attend the Mass, which will be celebrated in English, Arabic and Aramaic. A Mansour dinner reception in Bishop Mansour’s honor will be held after Mass in St. Matthew Church’s banquet hall, at a cost of $10 per person (children free). For details, go to the Maronite Mission of Charlotte’s Facebook page.

In January 2004, Pope John Paul II named Bishop Mansour to the Eparchy of St. Maron of Brooklyn. He was ordained in Lebanon by Patriarch Nasrallah Peter Cardinal Sfeir on March 2, 2004. He serves on three committees of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops: Pro-Life, Catechesis, and Catholic-Oriental Orthodox Dialogue. He also serves as the secretary for Christian Arab and Middle Eastern Churches Together, and he is a member of the Maronite Synod of Bishops.

The Eparchy of St. Maron of Brooklyn was established in 1966 and comprises 16 U.S. states. For details, visit www.stmaron.org.

(Far left and top) Father Kamil Al-Chouefati of Raleigh celebrates Divine Liturgy for local Maronite Catholics at the chapel of St. Matthew Church in Charlotte each month. During the distribution of Holy Communion, he blesses the children by briefly touching the tops of their heads with the chalice containing the Precious Blood. Here he is pictured blessing Alex Yazigi, who is being held by his mother Eliana Yazigi of Matthews.

(Left) Members of the Maronite Catholic community participate during Divine Liturgy, which is celebrated in a mixture of English, Arabic and Aramaic. All are welcome to attend Mass and experience a distinct liturgy from the Roman rite most Catholics know.

Photos by Patricia L. Guilfoyle | Catholic News Herald

“She has lighted a single candle in this land of liberty,” Maalouf said in 1985, during a special event in Belmont held to honor her. “And the light of this one candle is joined by the light of many, drawing from her flame, shattering the darkness of chaos and war with its brilliance.”

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

Stories and photos from North Carolina Lebanese like Sister Michel are now being archived by the Khayrallah Program for Lebanese-American Studies at North Carolina State University. This oral and folk history project aims to highlight the contributions of North Carolinians of Lebanese descent and educate others about their religious and cultural traditions.

The program’s first effort was an hour-long documentary launched in 2012, “Cedars in the Pines: The Lebanese in North Carolina,” and work is under way to open a museum exhibit at the North Carolina Museum of History in Raleigh next year.

THE CHARLOTTE MISSION

Today, local Lebanese are working to build a faith community that enables them to continue their Maronite Catholic tradition. Led by Father Kamil Al-Chouefati, pastor of St. Sharbel Mission in Raleigh, they come together monthly to celebrate the Eucharist in their native language, as well as to support and pray for one another.

Father Al-Chouefati celebrates Divine Liturgy (Mass)

at the chapel of St. Matthew Church in Charlotte. All Catholics are welcome to attend and participate in the Mass, where you will hear the prayers and hymns in a mixture of English, Arabic and Aramaic.

The Maronite community has been worshipping there for about two years, said Monsignor John McSweeney, pastor of St. Matthew Church. Many of his parishioners are second- and third-generation Lebanese, he noted.

He encourages greater awareness of the Maronite rite in general, he added. He wants Roman Catholics to realize they are just one among many different rites of the “one holy, catholic and apostolic Church.”

Bishop Mansour’s visit

Monsignor McSweeney said he is honored that Bishop Gregory Mansour, who shepherds North Carolina’s Maronite Catholics, is coming to Charlotte and will celebrate Mass.

Members of the Maronite community are looking forward to his visit, his first to the region.

Natasha Beathe, a member of the community, said she hopes the visit and increased attention on local Maronites will improve understanding of the Maronite rite and its history.

“Bishop Mansour’s visit is mainly to support our community’s dream of establishing a Maronite church in Charlotte, but at the same time I hope it would help increase the awareness locally of the Maronite faith, in the same way that Pope Benedict’s recent visit to Lebanon highlighted these Middle East Christians on a global stage,” she said.

‘The just shall flourish like the palm tree, shall grow like a cedar of Lebanon.’

— Psalm 92:13

Our schools 14

catholicnewsherald.com | March 1, 2013 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

For the latest news 24/7: catholicnewsherald.com

St. Leo School wins national award for innovative curriculum Jean Anne Semke Special to the Catholic News Herald

In Brief CCHS students win awards CHARLOTTE — Congratulations to the following Charlotte Catholic High School students who received Scholastic Art awards for 2013: Morgan Lochbihle - Gold, Painting Annie Corah - Gold, Photography Elaine St. Onge - Silver, Photography Nick Rudd - Silver, Digital Photography Hannah Weeks - Silver, Photography Jenny Mai - Honorable Mention, Painting Benton Lietz - Honorable Mention, Ceramics Dillon Lloyd - Honorable Mention, Digital Photography Tyler Martino - Honorable Mention, Digital Photography Craig Jones - Honorable Mention, Digital Photography Gold recipient works are on display at Spirit Square and will advance to competition in New York City. Silver recipient works will be on display at the Mint Museum on Randolph Road.

This year, the Mid-Carolina Region received 2,569 entries. The Mid-Carolina Region is comprised of Alexander, Alleghany, Anson, Cabarrus, Caldwell, Catawba, Cleveland, Davie, Gaston, Iredell, Lincoln, Mecklenburg, Rowan, Stanly, Surry, Union, Wilkes and Yadkin counties and is administered by the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Arts Education Department. Public, private and parochial schools in these counties are eligible to enter the competition.

— Joann Keane

Check presented to OLG GREENSBORO — Our Lady of Grace School was recently presented with a check for $1,000 from the Harris Teeter at Friendly Center as part of the store’s “Together in Education” program. OLG students Emily Snell and Laura Yow accepted the check from store manager David Fulp during a presentation ceremony on Jan. 14.

— Karen L. Hornfeck

Levy helps lead MLK parade SALISBURY — Joseph Earl Levy III was the junior grand marshal of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. parade in Salisbury Jan. 21. Levy is a secondgrader at Sacred Heart School. He won a drawing competition to help lead the parade, and his drawing was used in promotional posters.

— Frank Cardelle

WINSTON-SALEM — St. Leo School in Winston-Salem has been named a “School of Innovation” in curriculum and instruction by Today’s Catholic Teacher. St. Leo is one of only 12 schools across the country to win this award.

“We are thrilled to be recognized for our dedication to innovatively teach and prepare students for life outside the classroom. To be honored by our peers – fellow teachers – has great significance,” said Principal Georgette Schraeder.

St. Leo was judged to be among the top 12 schools for innovation in education across the nation.

St. Leo School has a rigorous academic curriculum that includes three foreign languages. Students in grades K-8 learn Spanish, French and Mandarin Chinese. It is this broad foreign language offering and the many creative ways the languages and different cultures are incorporated into the curriculum that earned St. Leo School this national award.

The well-rounded foreign culture and language classes include prayer; learning to speak, read and write using all three languages; singing “Happy Birthday” in all three languages; and celebrating holidays from around

the world as well. Also, faculty and students use technology tools to assist students in understanding the variety of opportunities around the world, focusing a global perspective on different subjects. The celebration of cultural diversity also brings hope for peaceful solutions to the world’s concerns regarding the environment, respect for individual freedom, and the nurturing of creativity.

“The language classes promote academic excellence and provide an enriching curriculum,” Schraeder said.

St. Leo students have opportunities for cultural awareness that deepen their academic experience, she added.

When asked, “What do you like about the offering of three languages at St. Leo’s,” students responded: “You get to learn about a mixture of cultures.” “I like that we can communicate with people from all over the world.” “We can learn about different countries.” “I like it because different students are interested in different things.”

The School of Innovation Award will be presented to school leaders on April 3 at the Majestic Metro in Houston, Texas, during the National Catholic Educators Association Convention.

Christ the King High School construction continues in Kannapolis KANNAPOLIS — Bishop Peter J. Jugis visited Christ the King High School’s future location Feb. 20. He was joined by current students of Christ the King, Dr. Dan Dolan, principal; Father Roger K. Arnsparger, vicar of education; Dr. Janice Ritter, superintendent of Mecklenburg Area Catholic Schools; Mike Ford, marketing director for MACS; and Christ the King High School faculty.

Bishop Jugis surveyed construction progress on the school building and offered a prayer for the safety of the construction workers and for the students who will move into the new school building in August. He also blessed several medals that will be interred in the concrete foundation of the school.

Construction is well under way for the permanent home of the diocese’s third high school, situated at 10860 Davidson Hwy. in Cabarrus County. The 100-acre site is located north of Charlotte on Hwy. 73 near Poplar Tent Road, just outside Huntersville.

The new school that started in a temporary location in Mooresville will open in its permanent facility this August, when it will also welcome the freshman through junior classes (and adding an additional class in the following year). It will graduate its first senior class at this new facility in 2015.

(Above) Bishop Peter J. Jugis leads the students and faculty of Christ the King High School in prayer Feb. 20 at the permanent location for the school now under construction.

(Left) The new school building starts to take shape as steel beams are lifted and secured in place.

Photos by sueann Howell | catholic news herald

To learn more about Christ the King High School, visit www.ChristtheKingHS.com.

— SueAnn Howell, senior reporter, and Michael J. Ford, MACS director of marketing

Mix

March 1, 2013 | catholicnewsherald.com catholic news heraldI

For the latest movie reviews: catholicnewsherald.com

On TV n Friday, March 1, 3:20 p.m. (EWTN) “Rome’s Hidden Churches: A Lenten Pilgrimage.” Come explore the great station churches of Rome on a Lenten pilgrimage with Dr. Timothy O’Donnell. In this episode, he will go to the Church of San Vitale, San Vitalis. He was a father who suffered martyrdom along with his sons. This church is designated as the station for the Friday after the second Sunday in Lent.

In theaters

n Saturday, March 2, 8 p.m. (EWTN) “The Way To Life.” A look into the mysterious way in which God calls men to follow Him, including a story of the life of a young man who travels the road of St. James and is inspired to know more about a religious vocation.

‘Snitch’ With his naive son (Rafi Gavron) facing a mandatory 10 years in prison for dabbling in the drug trade, a successful trucking executive (Dwayne Johnson) makes a deal with the federal prosecutor (Susan Sarandon) on the case: If he can infiltrate a local narcotics cartel and garner sufficient evidence to convict its boss, she’ll reduce the lad’s sentence. Director and co-writer Ric Roman Waugh enhances his factbased action outing with human drama and social commentary. Though the latter element gives rise to some clunky dialogue, the overall result is both suspenseful and morally rich. Much stylized and some graphic violence, mature themes, considerable crude and crass language.

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

‘Escape From Planet Earth’ This animated adventure for children is goodhearted but only moderately entertaining. To the blue-skinned inhabitants of Planet Baab, the film’s initial setting, Earth is known as the mysterious and frightening “Dark Planet.” So, when his heroic but dimwitted astronaut brother (voice of Brendan Fraser) undertakes a voyage there, only to be taken prisoner by a gung-ho Air Force general (voiced by William Shatner), a nerdy space engineer (voice of Rob Corddry) feels compelled to follow and rescue him, despite their long-standing rivalry. Family solidarity is showcased not only through the siblings’ eventual teamwork, but through the scientist’s bonds with his loving wife (voice of Sarah Jessica Parker) and plucky young son (voiced by Jonathan Morgan Heit).

Parents will note passing instances of mild potty humor and a scene of implied comic nudity. Much cartoon violence.

CNS: A-I (general patronage); MPAA: PG

Additional movies: n ‘A Good Day to Die Hard’: CNS: L (limited adult audience); MPAA: R n ‘Beautiful Creatures’: CNS: L (limited adult audience); MPAA: PG-13 n ‘Safe Haven’: CNS: L (limited adult audience); MPAA: PG-13 n ’Dark Skies’: CNS: A-III (adults); MPAA: PG-13

15

CNS | courtesy of The History Channel

Diogo Morgado portrays Christ in a scene from the television miniseries “The Bible.” The miniseries runs on the History Channel 8-10 p.m. each Sunday in March through March 31, Easter Sunday.

‘The Bible’ miniseries comes to History channel starting March 3 John Mulderig Catholic News Service

NEW YORK — Considered strictly as a work of literature, few volumes can rival the Bible for high-stakes drama, intriguing characters, tumultuous action and sheer spectacle.

So it’s no surprise that Hollywood turned to the Good Book early on – director Sidney Olcott’s short film “David and Goliath,” for example, was released in 1908 – or that Scripture-based stories remained a big-screen fixture well into the 1960s.

Television has also seen its fair share of Bible adaptations. In fact, Franco Zeffirelli’s 1977 miniseries “Jesus of Nazareth” – cowritten primarily with Catholic-reared novelist Anthony Burgess and celebrated Italian screenwriter Suso Cecchi d’Amico – is arguably superior to any cinematic treatment of its sacred subject. It aired on ITV in Britain and on NBC in the United States.

The latest small-screen offering in the genre is the History Channel’s 10-hour miniseries “The Bible.” Created by the husband-and-wife team of Mark Burnett and Roma Downey, and narrated by Keith David – who has narrated many Ken Burns documentaries – this survey of salvation history from Genesis to Revelation premieres with back-to-back episodes Sunday, March 3, 8-10 p.m.

Even with such a large canvas to fill, considerable compression is needed to encompass the many centuries that separate the Garden of Eden from St. John’s vision of the end times. This becomes obvious right at the start as the story of creation and the fall of Adam and Eve are recounted by Noah to his companions in the already storm-tossed ark.

It’s a reasonably deft solution, and sets the brisk pace that will carry the audience, by the end of the second episode screened, through the Exodus and on to Joshua’s (Andrew Scarborough) siege of Jericho.

Among the early passages dramatized, two

stand out as highlights: Abraham’s (Gary Oliver) interaction with his sons and Moses’ (William Houston) parting of the Red Sea. Both Ishmael’s exile and the preparations for the sacrifice of Isaac (Hugo Rossi) are poignant, while the computer-generated imagery used to recreate the separation of the waters represents technical wizardry at its best.

Along with the impressive special effects, the script manages to make the Egyptians’ pursuit of the escaping Israelites feel like a genuine cliffhanger.

Whether in the interests of family-friendly viewing or political correctness, the goings-on at Sodom are sanitized to make it seem that the locals are macho warriors looking to kill Lot’s (Antonio Magro) angelic guests rather than abuse them.

While there’s little, overall, of concern in the portrayal of sexuality – one character does insult a woman by calling her a “whore” – violence is another matter. A good deal of screen time is devoted to combat and, while much of it is stylized, there is some brutality and gore. Parents will have to assess whether children old enough to benefit from this shortcut to biblical literacy will also be able to take such mayhem in stride.

Beyond introducing stories with which every well-educated adult should be familiar, will “The Bible” serve to awaken or enhance viewers’ faith? Devotion to the will of God is certainly the underlying motivation for all the major characters. But, as many of the Scripture-themed features of yesteryear demonstrate, faith is among the more difficult aspects of the human experiences to portray.

The sheer gravity of the test to which Abraham is subjected makes his unlimited trust in God clear. But at other times “The Bible” seems more focused on swords and sandals than on souls.

Back-to-back installments of “The Bible” continue Sundays through Easter, March 31, 8-10 p.m. each night.

n Saturday, March 2, 9 a.m. (EWTN) “Alter Christus.” Reflections from various cardinals on important aspects of the priesthood. n Wednesday, March 6, 6:30 p.m.

(EWTN) “Hermits of Bethlehem.”

Jesus’ birthplace bears a special sacredness. This documentary explores the radical lifestyle of the Hermits of Bethlehem, who have chosen this sacred ground to carry out their unique way of life. n Thursday, March 7, 6:30 p.m.

(EWTN) “Called To Hope.” This engaging overview of the priestly formation process explores its four major aspects: intellectual, spiritual, pastoral and human. n Saturday, March 9, 8-9:30 p.m.

(EWTN) “Loyola, the Soldier Saint.”

This special traces the life of St. Ignatius of Loyola (1491-1556) from the Spanish court of his youth, to his military career and the nearfatal battlefield injury that brought about his religious awakening. It also relates how St. Ignatius eventually founded the Society of Jesus with three main goals in mind: to reform the Church through education and the sacraments, to be involved in missionary work, and to fight heresy. n Sunday, March 10, 3:20 p.m.

(EWTN) “Rome’s Hidden Churches: A Lenten Pilgrimage – Holy Cross in Jerusalem.” Come explore the great station churches of Rome on a Lenten pilgrimage with Dr. Timothy O’Donnell. In this episode, the Fourth Sunday of Lent, he visits Santa Croce en Jerusaleme – the Church of the Holy Cross in Jerusalem. The actual relic of the true cross and a shipload of dirt from Calvary and Jerusalem were brought to Rome by the Empress Helena, the mother of Constantine. n Monday, March 11, 6 p.m. (EWTN) “Lenten Reflections: The Fourth Week Of Lent: Rediscovering God’s Loving Fatherhood.” Father Behruz Rafat of the Archdiocese of Southwark offers a reflection on the fourth week of Lent, suggesting that the Parable of the Prodigal Son is a sign for today’s society needing to return to God, the source of all happiness.

Our nation 16

catholicnewsherald.com | March 1, 2013 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Archbishop calls death penalty ‘tragic illusion’ Maria Wiering Catholic News Service

ANNAPOLIS, Md. — The Catholic Church’s objection to the death penalty comes from its consistent teaching that life must be protected from conception to natural death, said Baltimore Archbishop William E. Lori.

“At the core of all of (the Church’s) public witness is an evident consistency that reflects our reasoned belief that every human life is sacred and to be protected, because every life comes from God, and is destined to return to God as our final judge,” he said.

Archbishop Lori said that view compels him to advocate Lori against Maryland’s death penalty.

He testified Feb. 14 to support a proposed repeal of Maryland’s death penalty at back-toback committee hearings in the state’s Senate and House of Delegates.

His testimony followed Gov. Martin J. O’Malley, who also spoke in support of the repeal bill he introduced. Other Maryland officials also testified as part of the governor’s panel.

Late Feb. 21, the state Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee voted 6-5 to send the measure to the Senate floor. It was the first time in many years that the committee advanced repeal of the death penalty to a full Senate vote.

The state House of Delegates was to consider the measure in coming weeks.

The death penalty hearings, held by the Senate committee and the House Judiciary

11 congressional Republicans file brief opposing HHS mandate Catholic News Service

Committee, were the first time Archbishop Lori has personally testified before the Maryland Legislature.

The archbishop told lawmakers there are many “worthy arguments” for death penalty repeal, but that the faith community’s perspective “goes beyond these issues.”

“While those who have done terrible harm to others deserve punishment, we urge a response that meets evil with a justice worthy of our best nature as human beings, enlightened by faith in the possibility of redemption and forgiveness,” he said.

Archbishop Lori told The Catholic Review, newspaper of the Baltimore Archdiocese, that the issue affects him personally, as the wife of a now-deceased cousin was murdered “years ago.”

His family did not seek capital punishment because they did not expect it to bring them closure, he said.

“Once it touches your family, it gives (the issue) a little more impetus,” he said. “It’s closer to home.”

In his testimony, Archbishop Lori expressed “respect and compassion” for victims’ families, and urged lawmakers to devote more resources to helping them.

“I hope my presence today conveys to you a sense of how important this issue is to the Catholic Church,” he said.

Archbishop Lori is aware that not all Catholics agree that the death penalty should be repealed, and he said he urges those who disagree “to look at the reasonable position that the Church is offering.”

“We also have the example of Blessed John Paul II, who many times intervened before the execution of someone on death row. I think that should also speak powerfully to us,” he said.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Eleven Republican members of Congress filed a brief supporting conscience provisions in one lawsuit fighting the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ contraceptive mandate.

In their friend-of-the-court brief, filed Feb. 21, the congressmen invoked the Religious Freedom Restoration Act in supporting the Hobby Lobby craft store chain in its bid for an exemption from the mandate.

The Religious Freedom Restoration Act was passed 20 years ago -unanimously in the House, and by a 97-3 vote in the Senate --- to prohibit the federal government from substantially restricting a person’s religious freedom, except when it can demonstrate “a compelling government interest” and that the government’s action is “the least restrictive means” of furthering that interest.

All 11 lawmakers filing the brief had voted for the bill, known as RFRA, in 1993; it was signed into law

by President Bill Clinton.

The law was passed to counter a 1990 Supreme Court ruling that the religious rights of two American Indians to smoke peyote during a religious ceremony were superseded by an Oregon state law making the hallucinogenic substance illegal.

“One of the primary reasons Congress enacted RFRA in the first place (was) to prevent those charged with implementing the law from picking and choosing whose exercise

of religion is protected and whose is not,” the lawmakers’ brief says.

“RFRA is a super-statute that protects the free exercise of religion from standard interest-group politics,” the brief added, noting the overwhelming majorities in both houses of Congress that passed it.

Under the Affordable Care Act, HHS mandates that most employers, including religious employers, provide insurance coverage of contraceptives, sterilization and some abortion-inducing drugs free of charge, even if the employer is morally opposed to such services.

Much of the protest over the mandate in the past year has come from religious institutions over what they consider a too-narrow definition by HHS of religious entities are exempt: only those that seek to inculcate their religious values, primarily employ people of their own faith and serve people of their own faith. The mandate does not include a conscience clause for employers who object to such coverage on moral grounds.

Dozens of religious entities have sued the federal government, which responded Feb. 1 with new proposed rules that exempts organizations that are nonprofit organization under specific sections of the Internal Revenue Code.

No exemption, however, will be given to “for-profit, secular employers” who, on moral grounds, object to providing the coverage, such as Hobby Lobby.

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In Brief Cardinal asked about abuse cases during Milwaukee tenure NEW YORK — A Feb. 20 deposition was a “long-awaited opportunity� for New York Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan to discuss decisions he made on clergy sex abuse cases as Milwaukee’s archbishop, his spokesman said.

Joseph Zwilling said the three-hour closed session gave the cardinal a chance “to talk about his decision nine years ago in Milwaukee to publicize the names of priests who had abused children and how he responded to the tragedy of past clergy sexual abuse of minors� as head of the Milwaukee Archdiocese.

Then-Archbishop Dolan headed the archdiocese from 2002 to 2009, when he was appointed to New York. He was made a cardinal in January 2012.

The Milwaukee Archdiocese in 2006 reached an out-of-court, $16.9 million settlement with victims of clerical sexual abuse. ThenArchbishop Dolan said the payout would mean “sacrifices in operations and ministries� but going to trial could have been worse in terms of archdiocesan financial liability. The archdiocese in 2011 filed for bankruptcy protection because of unresolved abuse claims.

Objection raised on benefits to same-sex partners of military WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Defense Department’s new policy that confers some military benefits on the same-sex domestic partners of members of the military undermines the traditional definition of marriage, two archbishops said Feb. 15. Archbishops Timothy P. Broglio of the U.S. Archdiocese for the Military Services and Salvatore J. Cordileone of San Francisco, chairman of the bishops’ Subcommittee for the Promotion and Defense of Marriage, raised objections to the new policy announced Feb. 11.

“This new policy under the guise of ‘equal benefits’ undermines marriage as the union of one man and one woman because it treats two persons of the same sex as spouses,�

Archbishop Broglio said. “Can the secretary of defense establish a policy that undermines federal law as established by DOMA (Defense of Marriage Act)?�

DOMA defines marriage as between one man and one woman. Archbishop Cordileone, in a separate Feb. 15 statement, called the new policy discriminatory. “By singling out two people of the same sex in a sexual relationship for special consideration, the policy excludes other possible types of relationships between two adults, thus treating the same thing differently,� he said.

The Defense Department policy extending marriage-like benefits to same-sex partners of military members was announced Feb. 11 by outgoing Defense Secretary Leon Panetta.

He said the benefits would include access to military identification cards, military commissaries, and various family support programs on bases and posts.

Woodstock Center to close in June WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Jesuit-run Woodstock Theological Center, on the campus of Georgetown University in Washington – another Jesuit-run institution – will close at the end of June, a victim of the shrinking number of Jesuits available to staff it. Hopes are that Georgetown will assume the center’s work and assets. “The trustees made a decision to look at Georgetown first. If that doesn’t work, they’ll look at other places,� said Jesuit Father Thomas Reese, a senior fellow at Woodstock. Woodstock had been supported by the order’s three East Coast provinces: Maryland, New York and New England.

EWTN’s founding president dies HANCEVILLE, Ala. — Deacon Bill Steltemeier, founding president of the Eternal Word Television Network and its longtime board chairman, died Feb. 15 following a lengthy illness. He was 83. The deacon, who died at his home in Hanceville, was known to EWTN viewers around the world as a close associate of Mother Angelica, the network’s foundress. — Catholic News Service

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catholicnewsherald.com | March 1, 2013 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Pope Benedict XVI’s resignation: Plans for the conclave

CNS | Paul Haring

An empty slot indicates where a medallion of the future pope will be placed next to Pope Benedict XVI and his predecessor Blessed John Paul II in the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls in Rome in this Sept. 2, 2011 file

photo. The upper basilica walls contain medallions of all 265 popes.

What the Church needs now: Clues to cardinals’ priorities Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service

VATICAN CITY — The world’s cardinals could begin meeting at the Vatican as soon as March 4, when they will decide to set a start date for the conclave to elect a new pope to succeed Pope Benedict XVI. Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, Vatican spokesman, said Cardinal Angelo Sodano, dean of the College of Cardinals, is sending out letters March 1 formally informing the world’s cardinals that the papacy is vacant and calling them to meet at the Vatican. Under new rules issued Feb. 25

by Pope Benedict, the College of Cardinals may move up the date for the beginning of the conclave to elect his successor.

Meetings are unlikely to begin before Monday, March 4, Father Lombardi said.

One task facing the College of Cardinals has been completed: A job description for the Church’s chief evangelizer and shepherd of more than 1 billion Catholics is already written.

He must be humble, but firmly grounded in Church teaching; joyful and enthusiastic; willing to listen to and dialogue with others; and courageous in defending human rights, including the right to religious freedom.

Before the cardinals enter the Sistine Chapel to begin voting for a successor to Pope Benedict XVI in the coming days, they will hold meetings in the Vatican synod hall to discuss the current needs of the Church.

Many of them sat in the same room for three weeks in October discussing the same thing, so they won’t be starting from scratch.

Cardinal Sodano, and 52 of the 117 cardinals who are under the age of 80 and eligible to vote for a new pope, participated in the world Synod of Bishops on the new evangelization.

Their discussions covered the most crucial issues facing the Church around the world: proclaiming the Gospel; catechesis; the meaning and role of the family; parish life; the role of new movements; liturgy and the sacraments; the clerical sexual abuse crisis; relations with other Christians; dialogue with other religions; challenges to

Online coverage

religious freedom; the message of the Second Vatican Council; the challenges and opportunities raised by science and technology; and dialogue with nonbelievers.

Cardinal Francis E. George of Chicago said that when they begin meeting, the cardinals will discuss all sorts of questions, including whether it may be time to look outside Europe for a candidate.

However, he said: “Usually they raise questions first of all in terms of personality: Who can govern the Church?

Who can teach? Who can sanctify? These are the functions of the papacy, so it matters less where a person is from than whether or not he is capable of being the successor of Peter.”

When asked if the age of the candidates will matter, Cardinal George told reporters in Chicago, “You consider everything.”

Indian Cardinal Oswald Gracias of Mumbai said he will look for a new pope who is holy, intelligent and courageous and has “a breadth of vision” for the universal Church and its role in the world.

Cardinal Gracias was one of more than 50 cardinals who will enter the conclave just months after having participated in the synod.

“For me it’s not important what continent he comes from. We want a person who is most suitable for this assignment and most suitable for the very great responsibility, the one to whom the Holy Spirit guides us,” he said. “When I take part in the conclave, I will look for one who – irrespective of where he comes from – is very holy, very intelligent and has really a world vision, a breadth of vision, a person of compassion, who can reach out to people and a person with courage, unafraid to speak the truth and face criticism for the sake of the Gospel.”

The next pope must also be someone with the requisite energy and mastery of modern communications media to promote a revival of the faith in increasingly secular societies around the world, said Cardinal Donald W. Wuerl of Washington, D.C. “Whoever is going to hold the see of Peter, whoever is going to sit in Peter’s chair is going to have to see the issues as Blessed John Paul did, as Benedict did, as the synod did, as I think most of the cardinals do, that is: that

At www.catholicnewsherald.com: The latest on the papal transition, upcoming conclave and more, including comments from the diocese’s seminarians studying in Rome.

we are very, very much like the early Church in relation to the world around us.”

According to one observer, the next pope will also have an urgent task at home: reforming the Roman Curia, the Church’s central administration at the Vatican.

“The curia not infrequently caused acute embarrassment to (Pope) Benedict XVI, putting obstacles in the way of his evangelical, catechetical and pastoral efforts, and ill-serving the pope’s attempts to reframe the global agenda of debate on the crucial issues facing humanity,” writes George Weigel in his new book, “Evangelical Catholicism.”

The author, a biographer of Blessed John Paul II and a well-known commentator on Catholic issues, paints a picture of an inefficient bureaucracy where incompetence often goes unpunished and all too many players serve their own ambition rather than the interests of the Church.

Cardinal Christoph Schonborn of Vienna said the next pope must have the same “basic requirements” Pope Benedict had, particularly the “strength of faith, which enables him to distinguish between the pillars of Catholic doctrine and mere decoration” so that Catholic doctrine remains authentic.

If Catholics believe the Church teaches what Christ Himself taught and that His teaching brings salvation, no pope can change that teaching without doing serious harm, even if it might make the pope more popular, he said. At the same time, he added, “in today’s media world, the pope is the most visible preacher of the faith” and will have a “key role in determining whether people are inspired” by the path the Church indicates as the way to friendship with God and ultimately to salvation.

Synod members also called for Church leaders who radiate joy and enthusiasm and who are not afraid to use new media and new structures “to move from a pastoral strategy of maintenance to a pastoral position that is truly missionary.”

As Australian Cardinal George Pell said during the synod, “We need fire, energy – that’s what the new evangelization is all about.”

“We’re in the midst of an enormous struggle between good and evil, faith and fear on a supernatural as well as a natural level,” he said. “We could do with a bit more bite.”

At www.facebook.com/catholicnewsherald: Share your thoughts and memories about Pope Benedict, as well as view several photo galleries showcasing his 8-year papacy

March 1, 2013 | catholicnewsherald.com catholic news heraldI

19

Pope Benedict XVI’s resignation: Plans for the conclave

Inside the Conclave

ROME

The world watches with interest as cardinals gather in conclave — literally under lock and key — to elect the next pope. The rarity of the event, the ceremony and secrecy add to the intrigue.

VATICAN CITY Sistine Chapel

Sistine Chapel

St. Peter's Basilica

The centuries-old chapel adorned with Michelangelo's frescoes has been the site of every papal election since 1878.

St. Peter’s Square

The Sistine Chapel ceiling was painted

by Michelangelo between 1508 and 1512. He also painted “The Last Judgment” fresco above the altar between 1535 and 1541.

Its marble floor is covered with wood. The windows and doors are shut as the Master of Papal Liturgical Ceremonies exclaims, “Extra omnes!” (“Everybody else, out!”)

A sweep is performed for electronic devices.

The cardinal electors process into the chapel chanting “Come, Holy Spirit,” invoking divine help with their decision.

Chimney Chimney

Cardinal Electors Placing a hand on the Gospels, each one swears to uphold the rules and secrecy of the conclave.

Any communication with people outside is forbidden. They may not receive messages or news.

During the conclave, cardinals stay in the Domus Sanctae Marthae, a hospitality residence on the edge of Vatican City.

They take short bus rides or walk to their twicedaily voting sessions.

Cardinals under the age of 80 may vote in the conclave. There are 117 eligible cardinals this time.

How long will it last?

The last six conclaves lasted only a few days.

Choir Choir gallery gallery

POPE

Cardinals per region 14

61 19

Benedict XVI John Paul II John Paul I Paul VI John XXIII Pius XII

11

11

A Swiss Guard stands watch outside the door facing the Sala Regia.

1

Ballots and Voting Votes are handwritten and cast individually into special urns.

Countries with the The top of the ballot reads, most cardinal electors “Eligo in Summum Pontificem” Italy 28 (“I elect as the most high pontiff”).

U.S. 11 Ballots are counted by three “scrutineers.” The work is Germany 6 checked by three “revisers.” The Brazil 5 ballot counters and verifiers are chosen by lot at the start of the Spain 5 conclave.

India 5 One round of voting is expected the first day. Each day after, two France 4 votes are taken in the morning Poland 4 and two votes in the afternoon until a successful vote.

Mexico 3 Canada

3

A two-thirds majority is required to elect the new pope.

Stove and Smoke A chimney is installed on the roof of the Sistine Chapel for the conclave. In the back corner of the chapel, a stove is set to burn ballots and related papers, including notes taken by the electors, each morning and afternoon.

If balloting is not successful, the smoke burns black with the help of an added chemical.

If balloting is successful, a chemical is added to produce the celebratory white smoke – the signal that the church has a new pope.

Stove Stove

DAYS BALLOTS

2 2 1 2 3 1

4 8 4 6 11 3

Crowds gather in St. Peter’s Square in anticipation of the announcement.

“Habemus Papam” The elected cardinal is asked if he accepts the election as pope.

If he accepts, he chooses the name he will take.

From the central balcony of St. Peter's Basilica, the senior cardinal deacon proclaims, “Habemus papam!” (”We have a pope!”), and announces his name.

The new pontiff appears on the balcony and imparts his first papal blessing.

Did you know? n The period between popes – known by the Latin term “interregnum” – began exactly at 8 p.m. Rome time Feb. 28, a date and time Pope Benedict stipulated in a declaration he made Feb. 11 for when the See of Rome and the See of St. Peter was to be vacant. Rules governing the interregnum involve Church law, not dogma. n Until there is a pope, the Roman Curia – the Vatican administration – loses most of its cardinal supervisors and cannot handle any new business. n Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone serves as “camerlengo” (chamberlain), managing the temporal goods of the Church. n Electing a pope is the main

responsibility of members of the College of Cardinals. It has 117 eligible voting members, but two of them are not coming: Indonesian Cardinal Julius Darmaatmadja, 78, citing deteriorating eyesight; and Scottish Cardinal Keith O’Brien, 74, who resigned Feb. 18 in the wake of an investigation over “inappropriate conduct” with several priests in the 1980s. n Blessed John Paul II’s apostolic constitution, “Universi Dominici Gregis,” governs papal elections. n The conclave could begin early next week, under new rules issued

by Pope Benedict. It must begin no more than 20 days after the start of

the “sede vacante” (vacant see”). The start date is to be decided by all the cardinals, including those over 80, who participate in the daily general discussions that precede a conclave.

The date is determined by a simple majority vote of cardinals present. n The conclave will be the 75th conclave in the history of the Church.

Counting papal elections conducted while the cardinal-electors were closed off in a room, they date back to Pope Boniface VIII, who was elected in 1295 and inserted the conclave rules into the Code of Canon Law. n During World War II, Pope Pius XII, like several of his predecessors

during wartime, left a document informing the College of Cardinals that if he were taken prisoner, he was no longer to be considered the pope, so the cardinals were to hold a conclave and elect a new pontiff. n Pope Gregory XV, elected in 1621, was the last pope elected by “spontaneous acclamation” when all the cardinals, believed to be acting under the influence of the Holy Spirit, proclaim the same candidate to be pope. He was first to rule that the cardinals must cast their votes secretly, in writing, rather than verbally. n “To put an end to discord” created when candidates received

a similar number of votes, Pope Alexander II in 1169 established the rule that a candidate must receive a two-thirds majority to be elected. n Any baptized Catholic man is eligible to be elected pope. When Blessed Gregory X was elected by a cardinals meeting in Viterbo, Italy, in 1271, he was not even a priest yet. n In modern times, conclaves are usually brief. Conclaves to elect Benedict XVI, John Paul I and II, Paul VI and John XXIII lasted three days or less. Installations typically occur within 1-3 weeks of election.

— Sources: Catholic News Service; “History of Papal Elections,” by Ambrogio Piazzoni

20

catholicnewsherald.com | March 1, 2013 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Pope Benedict XVI’s resignation: His Legacy ‘Shedding his papal vesture to better prepare his baptismal garment’

he loves the Church.

Humility, balance, communication and love: that’s a legacy to appreciate and emulate.

There are few who possess the faith, depth and personal experience of the Catholic Church as His Holiness Benedict XVI. His words and actions regarding the faith, the modern world and God should be reflected upon by all Christians of good will. None will be disappointed. As for his final act as pontiff, it is clear that his humility is second only to his faith, which assures him that Our Lord is the one true shepherd who will never leave His flock unaided. I am both consoled and inspired that my Holy Father has entered Lent shedding his papal vesture to better prepare his baptismal garment to take his place among God’s elect. His life and dedication to God and the Church are a true witness. Until we join him, we will likely never fully know the impact of his pontificate and his subsequent life of prayer in a humble monastery at the Vatican.

Sharing the love of Jesus

Father Patrick Winslow is the pastor of St. Thomas Aquinas Church in Charlotte.

Humility, balance, communication and love I suspect we all knew from the start that the papacy of Benedict XVI would have a different tone. I remember realizing it was him when he did not walk out onto the balcony to announce “habemus papam” (in his role as Dean of the College of Cardinals, he would have normally made that announcement). His remarks when he spoke for the first time as the new Bishop of Rome struck a chord of humility: not born of deference to office, but rather a humility that palpably welled up from his own heart.

It was, I think, his first lesson to us. The same has been true throughout his pontificate. He remained the humble teacher.

Another important aspect of his legacy has been his writing. I have appreciated his trilogy on Jesus Christ. It is a good summary of Christology and a balanced placement of the reality of the Savior in the life of the Church. I have especially enjoyed his encyclical letters. His style, so different from popes before him – and I go back to Pope Pius XII – included allusions to literature, quotes from poetry and examples that helped shape the teaching he offered the Church.

His legacy is also strengthened by his reaching back through the pontificates of John Paul II and Paul VI to recapture in very practical ways the call to evangelization.

He crafted a challenge for the Church in our current social context to re-evangelize itself and has invited us to seek channels to communicate that evangelizing Word to the world. He has done so by not shying away from the world of contemporary media, but with openness to using all of the technological materials available to us in the 21st Century to share the Good News of salvation. The impact of a pope who tweets should not be lost on anyone!

Lastly, he has given the Church a paradigm of service. In a world where selflessness is far from an ideal and where power impacts even our day-to-day interactions, he is willing to be honest about his abilities and the needs of those whom he serves. His abdication is itself a sign of service: a letting go so that the Church can embrace more fully who and what it needs as it moves through these times. I was recently asked by a reporter what I thought of the Holy Father’s announcement. I said it was a great selfless act and a gift which shows just how much

Father Francis T. Cancro is the pastor of Queen of the Apostles Church in Belmont.

From my early years as a seminarian and a priest, I had a great admiration for Joseph Ratzinger’s clarity of thought.

This clarity continued into his papacy.

It was clear from the earliest days of his pontificate that sharing Jesus with the world was his priority. Whether this was expressed in his official writing (“Deus Caritas Est,” “Spe Salvi,” “Verbum Domini”) or his personal writing (“Jesus of Nazareth”), it is clear that the pope’s desire was to share the love of Jesus. Additionally, his love for the liturgy and his desire to bring about authentic liturgical renewal according to the mind of the Second Vatican Council have been other ways in which he has sought to bring people into a deeper communion with God. Father John T. Putnam is the pastor of Sacred Heart Church in Salisbury.

Pope John Paul II planted, Benedict XVI watered, but God gave the growth I am part of what is often referred to as the “John Paul II Generation.” The Holy Father who reigned from a few years before I was born until the spring of my first year of seminary formation had a profound impact on my life, as well as on the lives of countless young men and women throughout the world who have been grouped into the generation bearing his name. I remember the singular feeling of loss on that April afternoon when I saw the news reported that the saintly pontiff from Poland had passed away.

Even though I was in the seminary in 2005, I knew very little about various Church leaders, and the name Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger did not mean much to me before hearing it echoed over St. Peter’s Square following the thrilling phrase “habemus papam.” As I advanced through seminary, that man whose name had become Benedict XVI, would guide me and the rest of the JPII generation deeper and deeper into our love of Jesus Christ. Pope Benedict XVI perpetually pointed to Our Lord, not only in his humble fulfillment of the Petrine ministry, but also through the incredible gift of his voluminous writings, the value of which is inestimable.

As I reflect on the two men who have served the Church as the Successor of St. Peter since 1978, I am reminded of the words of St. Paul in his first letter to the Corinthians: “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.” Blessed John Paul II was a uniquely gifted evangelizer, and the idea of attempting to fill the cavernous red shoes he left must have been an intimidating thought. The brilliance of Pope Benedict XVI is that he did not attempt to fill the shoes of his predecessor. Rather, with all of his cultivated gifts and virtues, he has spent the past eight years watering what John Paul II planted. In this final act of his pontificate, this humble resignation, he is pointing to the fact that planting and watering are of course necessary, but we must remember that it is God who gives the growth.

Although I felt a profound sense of loss after the death of Pope John Paul II, the feeling at the end of this pontificate is different, and not merely because of the

unique circumstances of resignation rather than death. In his ability to point always to Christ in his generous scholarly pursuits, such as the three-part series he wrote on “Jesus of Nazareth,” in his fundamentally focused encyclicals, or in his humble and caring demeanor, Pope Benedict XVI encouraged us all to focus on the fact that while heroically virtuous leadership is always important to the Church, her survival is on the shoulders of no particular person save those of Jesus Christ.

While Pope Benedict XVI deserves our profound gratitude and will be greatly missed, his response at the end of Mass on Ash Wednesday, during which he received thunderous applause, summarizes well where our soon-to-be-retired Holy Father believes our attention belongs. Benedict XVI replied to the adoring congregation, “Thank you. Let us return to prayer.”

Father John Eckert is the pastor of St. John the Baptist Church in Tryon.

Laid foundation for vision of faith to interpret Vatican II Besides the lesson of courageous humility Pope Benedict XVI has taught us through his abdication, the act for which he will probably be most remembered in the annals of history, the Holy Father has bequeathed to the Church the legacy of authentic liturgical reform. Again and again by word and example, Pope Benedict taught that the Sacred Liturgy is, in the words of St. Paul, “logike latreia,” “reasonable or spiritual worship.” As such, it is made possible by the Incarnation of the Word and prolongs it in the midst of this world. Christianity is right belief and right worship. The result is that the liturgy is not created, but received. It is not only our work, but also the Work of God. Even as he was saying farewell to the priests of the Diocese of Rome, the Holy Father gave a masterful discourse in which he explained that many concepts advanced by the Second Vatican Council were poorly understood at that time – among them the idea of “active participation” in the liturgy.

He also explained that what most people know about Vatican II came not from the Council itself but from the secular media coverage of it. The liturgy was no exception.

The Holy Father said on that occasion, “there was no interest in the liturgy as an act of faith, but as a something to be made understandable, similar to a community activity, something profane. And we know that there was a trend, which was also historically based, that said: ‘Sacredness is a pagan thing … In the New Testament the only important thing is that Christ died outside: that is, outside the gates, that is, in the secular world.’ Sacredness ended up as profanity even in worship: worship is not worship but an act that brings people together, communal participation and thus participation as activity. And these translations, trivializing the idea of the Council, were virulent in the practice of implementing the liturgical reform, born in a vision of the Council outside of its own key vision of faith.”

In the final analysis, this is one of the great gifts of Pope Benedict XVI to the Church: laying the foundation for a vision of faith and continuity through which to interpret the Second Vatican Council, especially its liturgical reforms.

It is a vision that has yet to be completely realized.

Father Brandon Jones is the pastor of Holy Redeemer Church in Andrews.

Taught unity of our faith Throughout his life, Pope Benedict XVI has dedicated himself to the study, preaching and teaching of the Catholic faith.

To speak of his legacy, one must consider his work as a parish priest, a professor, an expert theologian of the Second Vatican Council, the Cardinal Archbishop of Munich and Freising, the Prefect for the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, and the Roman Pontiff.

The volume of his work makes a brief exposition of his legacy difficult. He has expounded upon almost every aspect of the Catholic faith. I suggest that his legacy is tied, not to his contribution to any one topic, but to the way in which he shows their unity.

Pope Benedict provides us with a catholic vision of Catholicism. The term “catholic” means universal but in its linguistic roots it also means whole, integral or complete, holding all essential parts in proper relation.

This requires a keen insight into how each truth enlightens and is enlightened by every other truth. Pope Benedict has exhibited this wisdom time and again.

The key for unlocking the coherence of the various mysteries of faith lies in their common origin and end: the Triune God. Every other truth is a derivative of this fundamental and ultimate truth. Since God is the loving communion of three Divine Persons, communion is at the heart of our faith. Everything that God has said and done in salvation history is ordered towards unity in love. God calls each of us to communion with Himself, with one another, and even with oneself.

This core belief undergirds Pope Benedict’s theology and is expressed in the title of his first encyclical: “Deus Caritas Est” (“God is Love”). Knowledge of this truth inspires faith and hope – hence the title of his second encyclical: “Spe Salvi” (“Saved in Hope”). We are also called to share the divine love we have received with others. This is expressed in the pope’s third and final encyclical “Caritas in Veritate” (“Charity in Truth”), where the Holy Father reminds us of the call to love others through active service to the world and those in need. And for Pope Benedict, the Eucharist is the Mystery in which all these other mysteries find their inner-most synthesis.

That is expressed in his post-synodal apostolic exhortation “Sacramentum Caritatis” (“The Sacrament of Charity”).

The pope wants us to view our faith as more than a collection of separate teachings on various, unrelated themes. He wants us to see how it all comes from and is ordered towards man’s eternal loving union with God and others. Therefore, he wants us to be confident that – as difficult as some teachings may seem – they have love at their source.

For him, our faith is a blessing, not a burden. It should be accepted in its totality with loving trust, lived with hope, and shared freely and humbly with all humanity. Our faith is not a restrictive set of arbitrary rules, but the wise, loving revelation of saving truth that alone can truly liberate man for the common destiny given to us by our Creator: eternal, loving communion with God and all the saints in heavenly glory. The pope’s enduring legacy is a vision of the Catholic faith as authentically catholic.

Father Richard G. DeClue Jr. is a diocesan priest studying at The Catholic University of America.

Also online On The Catholic Company’s YouTube channel: Check out a series of interviews with Father Matthew Kauth, priest in residence at St. Thomas Aquinas Church in Charlotte, about the pope’s resignation, his legacy, and the upcoming conclave

March 1, 2013 | catholicnewsherald.com catholic news heraldI

Pope Benedict XVI’s resignation: His next steps Benedict XVI to retain name, white cassock; Will change title, address Pope Benedict XVI will continue to be known as Pope Benedict and addressed as “His Holiness,” but after his resignation, he will add the title “emeritus” in one of two acceptable forms, either “pope emeritus” or “Roman pontiff emeritus.”

In Brief Zanzibar church workers terrified after priest’s murder

How the ‘pope emeritus’ will dress After Feb. 28, Pope Benedict will continue to wear a white cassock, but it will be a simplified version of the papal vestment, mainly without the little white cape piece on the shoulders. He also leaves behind his emblematic red shoes. Instead, he will wear brown shoes, beginning with loafers he was given as a gift last March during a visit to Leon, Mexico. The pope has found the zapatos to be very comfortable, his spokesman said.

A new security detail The safety of the pope emeritus will be ensured by the Vatican police.

Three hours before his pontificate ended, Pope Benedict flew by helicopter to the papal summer villa at Castel Gandolfo.

At 8 p.m. Feb. 28 – the exact moment Pope Benedict ceased being pope – the Swiss Guards stationed at the main doors of the papal villa at Castel Gandolfo withdrew and closed the doors. The Vatican gendarmes then took over.

‘Papal family’ will accompany Benedict XVI Joining him are Archbishop Ganswein, prefect of the papal household, and the consecrated laywomen who belong to the Memores Domini Association of the Communion and Liberation movement and serve as the pope’s domestic staff. They will move back to the Vatican with him upon completion of the Mater Ecclesiae Monastery, a building in the Vatican Gardens being remodeled for their use.

What happens to his papal ring?

Pope Benedict also gave the College of Cardinals his “fisherman’s ring” and seal to be broken, as is usually done upon the death of a pope. The pope resumed wearing the episcopal ring he wore as a cardinal.

His plans for retirement In one of his last public appearances, Pope Benedict

CNS | L’Osservatore Romano via Reuters

Above, Pope Benedict XVI prays in a private chapel on the last day of a retreat Feb. 23. He retired to a life of prayer on Feb. 28. On Feb. 24 he told the crowd in St. Peter’s Square in his Angelus address: “The Lord calls me to ‘climb the mountain,’ to dedicate myself even more to prayer and meditation. But this does not mean abandoning the Church; on the contrary, if God asks this of me it is precisely so that I may continue to serve (the Church) with the same dedication and the same love with which I have done so ’til now, but in a way more suited to my age and strength.”

XVI told an overflow crowd in St. Peter’s Square Feb. 24 he will serve the Church in a new way, through prayer and meditation. “Prayer doesn’t mean isolating one’s self from the world and its contradictions,” the pope said, in his commentary on the day’s Gospel reading (Lk 9:28-36). “Prayer leads one back to the path, to action. Christian existence consists in a continuous climbing of the mountain for an encounter with God, in order to descend again bearing the love and strength derived from it, so as to serve our brothers and sisters with the same love of God.” — Catholic News Service

Pray for the pope and the Church The following prayer is being distributed to all parishes in the diocese for the faithful to pray: God, our Loving Father, we ask Your Blessing on Pope Benedict XVI upon the occasion of his resignation.

Thank You for his years of dedicated leadership in which he faithfully administered the mysteries of Your forgiveness and love.

Thank You, too, for the outstanding pastoral care he has so lovingly offered us as our Holy Father.

May Your Holy Spirit continue to guide him as he

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now walks a new path.

Gracious God, bless the future of Your Holy Church as it now moves forward to choose a new Pope, a new spiritual leader for Your Catholic people.

We pray for the Cardinals as they gather for their Conclave to select the new successor to Saint Peter. With the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, may they choose a worthy steward of Your faith to meet the challenges of today’s world.

We ask all these things in Jesus’ name.

Amen.

St. John Neumann Parish

in East Charlotte is seeking: Director of Religious Education to lead a vibrant Faith Formation department of 600+ students Coordinator of Youth and Young Adult Ministry for a LifeTeen based youth ministry To learn more about these positions please visit our website at www.4sjnc.org and click on “employment opportunities”

CAPE TOWN, South Africa — Zanzibar’s bishop said priests and other clergy in his diocese are terrified after a priest was murdered outside his parish church in what may have been a terrorist attack. “We are very afraid,” Bishop Augustine Shao said, noting clergy “were warned of attacks” before and after the Feb. 17 murder of Father Evaristus Mushi, 56. Father Mushi’s car was followed by two men on motorcycles who blocked his way, shot and killed him, Bishop Shao said.

The Vatican’s Fides news agency reported that a text message, received by bishops and priests in Tanzania after Father Mushi’s death, said: “We thank our young men, trained in Somalia, for killing an infidel. Many more will die. We will burn homes and churches. We have not finished: at Easter, be prepared for disaster” and signed “Muslim Renewal.”

Maronite patriarch visits Syria, prays for peace DAMASCUS, Syria — Lebanon’s Maronite Catholic patriarch, visiting war-torn Syria for the enthronement of Greek Orthodox Patriarch John, prayed for peace in the country. Celebrating Mass on the feast of St. Maron Feb. 9 at the Maronite Cathedral of St. Anthony, Cardinal Bechara Rai said in his homily, “We pray each day for the end of war and violence and that a unanimous peace may be achieved through cooperation. We came to pray for peace in Syria and for the innocent victims and to console their families, and for the return of displaced persons to their homes and lands.” Cardinal Rai’s visit to Syria was the first by a Maronite patriarch since Lebanon’s independence from France in 1943.

Vatican, South Sudan establish diplomatic links JUBA, South Sudan — The Vatican announced it was establishing diplomatic relations with South Sudan.

The move means South Sudan will open an embassy in the Vatican, while

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the Church will open an apostolic nunciature in Juba. While the news was welcomed by many in South Sudan, it also underscored tensions within the Church hierarchy. A move by South Sudan’s Catholic bishops to break away from their colleagues in Sudan and form a separate episcopal conference was squelched by the Vatican last year.

Vatican official: German bishops’ rule on ‘Plan B’ for rape acceptable VATICAN CITY — The Church has long accepted the possibility of preventing ovulation in a woman who has been raped, but rescinds that option if there is a possibility ovulation may have already occurred, said the president of Vatican’s Pontifical Academy for Life. A recent statement by bishops in Germany saying it was acceptable to use medication that hinders conception after rape reflects an “unassailable rule,” said Bishop Ignacio Carrasco de Paula. The Church, however, refuses the administration of an abortive drug in all cases, he added. “In the case of rape, one can do what is necessary to avoid a pregnancy, but you cannot terminate it.”

Richard Doerflinger, associate director of the U.S. bishops’ Secretariat for Pro-Life Activities and a member of the pontifical academy, said Catholics “are not violating the teaching on contraception by seeking to stop ovulation or fertilization.” Rape “is not an act of unitive love, it is an act of violence (and) the woman has a right to defend herself against this attack,” he said.

Pioneer NFP developer dies MELBOURNE, Australia — Dr. Evelyn Billings, who with her husband John pioneered a modern form of natural family planning supported by the Church, died Feb. 16 at 95. The Australian pediatrician joined her physician-husband’s team in 1965 as he was researching a more reliable method to prevent pregnancies than the rhythm method. By the late 1960s, they had established procedures for identifying fertile days. The method, known as the Billings ovulation method, allows women to monitor periods of fertility through close examination of naturally occurring physiological signs, and use that information to prevent pregnancy or space births. Methods of natural family planning, or NFP, are approved by the Church as a morally acceptable way for Catholic couples to plan their families.

— Catholic News Service

ViewPoints 22

catholicnewsherald.com | March 1, 2013 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Pope Benedict XVI has been joined by more than 20.5 million people for an audience, Angelus or Mass in the time of his papacy. In 2012, 2,351,200 people saw the pope.

CNS | L’Osservatore Romano via Reuters

Pope Benedict XVI leads his final Angelus as pope from the window of his apartment overlooking St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican Feb. 24. His papacy officially ended Feb. 28.

Vatican says 2.3 million people joined pope for Vatican events in 2012 VATICAN CITY — More than 2.3 million pilgrims and visitors joined Pope Benedict XVI for an audience, liturgy or prayer at the Vatican or Castel Gandolfo in 2012, the Vatican said.

The Prefecture of the Papal Household, the Vatican office that coordinates the audiences and distributes the free tickets to papal audiences and liturgies, said its figures were calculations based on the number of tickets requested and estimates of crowd size.

The total of 2,351,200 people at papal events included those attending the pope’s 43 weekly general audiences at the Vatican or at the papal summer villa in Castel Gandolfo; special audiences for particular groups; Masses and other liturgies; and a rough estimate of the size of the crowds in

St. Peter’s Square or the courtyard of the papal villa for the pope’s recitation of the Angelus or “Regina Coeli” prayer on Sundays and major feast days.

The 2012 total was down by about 200,000 from the number of visitors reported in 2011.

In a statistical table distributed Jan. 4 by the Vatican press office, the prefecture estimated that between Pope Benedict’s election in April 2005 and the end of 2012, more than 20.5 million visitors and pilgrims had joined the pope for an event at the Vatican or in Castel Gandolfo.

The figures released by the prefecture – headed until recently by U.S. Cardinal James M. Harvey – do not include numbers from papal events in the city of Rome, in Italian dioceses or on the pope’s foreign trips.

— Catholic News Service

Most-read stories on the web Through press time on Feb. 27, 6,595 visitors to www.catholicnewsherald.com have viewed a total of 17,236 pages. The top 10 headlines in February were: n Pope Benedict resigns......................................................................................................................................................647 n Bishop Jugis: Pope ‘marvelous gift’ to the Church..................................................................................................503 n Charlotte abortion facility cited for health violations.............................................................................................358 n HHS proposes big changes to contraceptive mandate ..........................................................................................289 n LENT 2013: Seek reconciliation with the One who loves you................................................................................ 271 n Walk in the footsteps of Jesus.......................................................................................................................................207 n This Lent, will I be changed? Will you?........................................................................................................................204 n A Catholic iPhone contract for teens............................................................................................................................ 179 n Pope Benedict changes rituals for new pope’s inauguration.................................................................................195 n Men of prayer, men of action...........................................................................................................................................125

Letters to the editor

Second Amendment is misunderstood In his Feb. 15 commentary “Guns and marriage,” David Hains makes a few comments that I take exception with, and I call into question his understanding of the Second Amendment and its importance in maintaining our liberty.

Most glaring is his opinion that the only guns that would be legal would be 18th-century black powder flintlock muskets that were in use at the time of the drafting of the Constitution. Perhaps then the First Amendment should apply only to newspapers printed using movable type. Or that illegal searches should not include computers, motor vehicles and motor boats because they had not been invented in the 1780s.

The sole purpose of the Second Amendment is for citizens to protect themselves from tyranny, which would be hard to do with muzzleloaders in this day and age.

And secondly, I object to being referred to as a “gun nut” and my opinion and terminology referred to as “theirs,” as if my belief in the Constitution was an aberrant view.

And God forbid, if the powers of darkness decide that it’s high time to stop messing around and finally deal with all these “religious nuts,” it would be comforting to know there are decent, law-abiding, God-fearing Christians who have more than a black powder musket over the fireplace.

Kevin Murray lives in Greensboro.

Liturgy reflects who we are as church In his recent commentary “Try the Latin Mass, the Church’s ancient treasure,” Deacon James Toner pointed out differences and similarities between the Tridentine (Latin) and the Ordinary Form Mass.

He ends by saying that younger generation priests and laity are rediscovering the Latin Mass and that will have influence on reverence and respect in worship.

Deacon Toner prompted me to reflect on my own worship experience. When I was growing up in the 1950s, I went to church and watched as the priest said Mass. I passed time in silent prayer (rosary, novena, St. Joseph Missal). All around me others were preoccupied with silent, personal prayer while the priest said Mass.

After the Second Vatican Council, I realized that all of us are the church.

We, the church, gather in a building to join in celebrating the Eucharistic liturgy. Liturgy is not a place for private devotions. Everyone has an active role, and active celebration is not synonymous with intellectual appreciation and reverential awe for what the priest is doing.

I understand how recently-ordained clergy might find the Tridentine Mass

attractive. But that Mass carries with it an ecclesial mindset that Vatican II put behind us. The Tridentine Mass does not stand alone. It is not simply a church service in a different language. Liturgy expresses who we are as church. The Tridentine Mass mirrors the church of the 1950s.

Vatican II showed us a different way.

That is why I will not return to the Latin Mass.

James Doll lives in Columbus, N.C.

Life vs. war is a non sequitur First, the title of the Feb. 15 letter “War is negotiable, life is not” is what Thomistic philosophers would likely call a “non sequitur” – in other words, bad logic. We have not yet come to the realization that all war is killing, pure and simple. Yes, we claim that war has some peace-keeping benefits and that it is sometimes necessary, but the fact remains that war can only accomplish its objectives by the act of killing: sometimes a guilty party like Saddam Hussein, but mainly innocent participants and civilians.

Therefore, how can the killing in war be negotiable?

Second, our rationalization of “good” war versus “bad” war tends to fall along political lines. The writer proposes that the Iraq war was a “good” war with lots of humanitarian benefits; while the current war of drones is a “bad” war because some innocent lives are being lost. This favors a war started by one political party over that of another, while ignoring the innocent lives lost in the Iraq war. If life is never negotiable, then war killing could no more be justified than abortion or any other form of taking lives, innocent or guilty.

Kenneth Schammel lives in Cornelius.

Letters policy The Catholic News Herald welcomes letters from readers. We ask that letters be originals of 250 words or fewer, pertain to recent newspaper content or Catholic issues, and be in good taste.

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.

Items submitted to the Catholic News Herald become the property of the newspaper and are subject to reuse, in whole or in part, in print, electronic formats and archives.

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March 1, 2013 | catholicnewsherald.com catholic news heraldI

Deacon James H. Toner

Father Robert Barron

How many are saved?

D

r. Ralph Martin, professor of systematic theology at Sacred Heart Seminary in Detroit, has written an important book titled “Will Many Be Saved?” The text received a good deal of attention at the recent synod on the New Evangelization, and its opening pages are filled with endorsements from some of the leading figures in the Church today.

Martin’s argument is straightforward enough: the attitude, much in evidence in the years following Vatican II, that virtually everyone will go to heaven has drastically undercut the Church’s evangelical efforts.

Why then, if salvation is guaranteed to virtually everyone, would Catholics be filled with a passion to propagate the faith around the world with any urgency? Therefore, if the New Evangelization is to get off the ground, we have to recover a vivid sense of the reality of hell, the possibility, even likelihood, of eternal damnation for the many who do not come to a lively faith in Christ.

Martin certainly has some theological heavyweights on his side. Both St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas believed that the majority of human beings end up in hell.

And the official magisterium of the Church has insisted on a number of occasions that missionary work is vital, lest millions wander down the wide path that leads to perdition. Moreover, these theological and magisterial positions are themselves grounded in the witness of Scripture. No one in the Bible speaks of hell more often than Jesus himself. To give just a few examples, in Mark 16, the Lord says, “Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to the whole creation. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.” And in a number of his parables – most notably the story of the sheep and goats in Matthew 25 – Jesus stresses the desperate urgency of the choice that His followers must make.

To be sure, the conviction that hell is a crowded place has been contested from the earliest days of the Church, and Martin fully acknowledges this. Origen, St. Gregory of Nyssa and St. Maximus the Confessor all held to some form of universalism – the belief that, at the end of the day, all people would be gathered to the Lord. And this view was revived during the era of exploration, when it became clear to European Christians that millions upon millions of people in Africa, Asia and the Americas would certainly be condemned if explicit faith in Christ was truly requisite for salvation.

The universalist perspective received a further boost in the 20th century, especially through the work of two of the most influential Catholic thinkers of the time, Karl Rahner and Hans Urs von Balthasar.

Now the heart of Martin’s book is a detailed study and critique of the theories of Rahner and Balthasar, and space prevents me from even sketching his complex argument.

I will mention only one dimension of it, namely his analysis of “Lumen Gentium,” paragraph 16. Both Balthasar and Rahner – as well as their myriad disciples – found justification in the first part of that paragraph, wherein the Vatican II fathers do indeed teach that non-Christians, even nonbelievers, can be saved as long as they “try

in their actions to do God’s will as they know it through the dictates of their conscience.”

However, Martin points out that the defenders of universal salvation have, almost without exception, overlooked the next section of that paragraph, in which the Council Fathers say these decidedly less comforting words: “But very often, deceived by the Evil One, men have become vain in their reasonings, have exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and served the world rather than the Creator…Hence to procure…the salvation of all these, the Church…takes zealous care to foster the missions.”

A fair reading of the entire paragraph, therefore, would seem to yield the following: the unevangelized can be saved, but often (“at saepius”) they do not meet the requirements for salvation. They will, then, be damned without hearing the announcement of the Gospel and coming to an active faith.

So who has it right in regard to this absolutely crucial question?

Even as I deeply appreciate Martin’s scholarship and fully acknowledge that he scores important points against both Balthasar and Rahner, I found his central argument undermined by one of his own footnotes. In a note buried on page 284 of his text, Martin cites some “remarks” of Pope Benedict XVI that have contributed, in his judgment, to confusion on the point in question. He is referring to observations in sections 45-47 of the pope’s 2007 encyclical “Spe Salvi,” which can be summarized as follows. There are a relative handful of truly wicked people in whom the love of God and neighbor has been totally extinguished through sin, and there are a relative handful of people whose lives are utterly pure, completely given over to the demands of love. Those latter few will proceed, upon death, directly to heaven, and those former few will, upon death, enter the state that the Church calls hell. But the pope concludes that “the great majority of people” who, though sinners, still retain a fundamental ordering to God, can and will be brought to heaven after the necessary purification of purgatory. Martin knows that the pope stands athwart the position that he has taken throughout his study, for he says casually enough, “The argument of this book would suggest a need for clarification.”

Obviously, there is no easy answer to the question of who or how many will be saved, but one of the most theologically accomplished popes in history, writing at a very high level of authority, has declared that we oughtn’t to hold that hell is densely populated. To write this off as “remarks” that require “clarification” is precisely analogous to a liberal theologian saying the same thing about Pope Paul VI’s teaching on artificial contraception in the encyclical “Humanae Vitae.” It seems to me that Pope Benedict’s position – affirming the reality of hell but seriously questioning whether that the vast majority of human beings end up there – is the most tenable and actually the most evangelically promising.

Father Robert Barron is the founder of the global ministry Word on Fire and the rector/president of Mundelein Seminary. He is also the creator of the award-winning series, “Catholicism.” Learn more at www.WordonFire.org.

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Our mission is to save souls

I

n the quirky world of management studies, there are numerous fads and fashions. Among them, in the 1990s, was the fashion of “mission statements” and “vision statements.” Company executives busily composed some lavish language concerning the lofty objectives of their businesses. Many Catholic parishes, too, joined the crowd with carefully worded statements about their purpose for existence. In fact, though, such statements can be reduced to three words: “To save souls.”

To save souls? From what? That is the subject of Dr. Ralph Martin’s new book “Will Many Be Saved?” Martin is a professor at Sacred Heart Seminary in Detroit.

This is an academic book which will not have a large direct audience. However, theologians, homilists and catechists will find it to be a valuable compendium of information about many troubling questions about salvation.

Martin’s thesis is perfectly captured in a quotation he takes from the late Cardinal Avery Dulles, S.J.: “Popular piety has become saccharine. Unable to grasp the rationale for eternal punishment, many Christians take it almost for granted that everyone ... must be saved. The Mass for the Dead has turned into a Mass of the Resurrection, which sometimes seems to celebrate not so much the resurrection of the Lord as the salvation of the deceased, without any reference to sin and punishment.

More education is needed to convince people that they ought to fear God who, as Jesus taught, can punish soul and body together in hell (cf. Mt 10:28).”

Serving as a deacon in Connecticut, I mentioned hell in a homily one day. A parishioner approached me after Mass and amicably said, “There is no mention of hell in the Bible, and, besides, we don’t teach that anymore.” One of the reasons we need the Magisterium, or teaching, of the Church is that Bible verses can be, and have been, twisted out of shape – for the Bible clearly mentions and admonishes us about the existence of hell, as does the Catechism of the Catholic Church (see 1033-1037). It may well be true, though, that, as Cardinal Dulles said, we don’t teach that (nearly enough) anymore.

Although we pray in the Roman Canon (Eucharistic Prayer I) of the Mass that the Lord will “command that we be delivered from eternal damnation and counted among the flock of those You have chosen,” we may not hear or pay attention to that petition. Recently, I was asked to give the homily at a funeral Mass. My aim was to provide comfort for the grieving family while still pastorally pleading for lifelong prayer for the deceased. (We do pray for the souls in purgatory, after all, as they pray for us.) I thought I had made the point with appropriate sensitivity. A few days later, though, I received a thoughtful card from the family, thanking me for the kind sermon assuring them that their relative was certainly in heaven. I hope that is true, but I had not said that in my homily.

Martin reminds us that the Vatican II document “Lumen Gentium” is frequently read selectively. Paragraph 16 tells us that those who seek God “with a sincere heart ... may achieve eternal salvation.” Frequently, though, Martin says, we ignore the grave conclusion of that paragraph: “But very often, deceived by the Evil One, men have become vain in their reasonings, have exchanged the truth of God for a lie and served the world rather than the Creator (cf. Rom. 1:21, 25). Or else, living and dying in this world without God, they are exposed to ultimate despair.” “Lumen Gentium” then says that the Church must take “zealous care to foster the missions.”

We know that Jesus died for all and that a merciful God desires the salvation of all, but we forget sometimes that we are stronger than God; that is, God permits us to push Him away, to ignore Him, to turn our backs on Him, to abuse our freedom.

Some, perhaps many, do turn away. St. Augustine put it succinctly: “God created us without us: but He did not will to save us without us.” We often choose darkness over light, and all of us, except Our Lord and Our Lady, have made such corrupt choices. Thank God for the sacrament of penance!

We live at a time and in a place which, much too often, suppresses the truth, Martin says. For example, we desperately need to know that we are fallen creatures in need of salvation, and we need to know from what we seek salvation. There is, after all, a profound reason that Holy Mass begins with a Penitential Act, in which we acknowledge our sins. This is Christian Realism.

Martin’s book reminds us that we are sinners; that we need, and must seek, the mercy of God; that hell and the devil exist; that there has been a “catastrophic failure of modern catechesis”; and that the Catholic Church “is by the will of Christ the teacher of truth” (Vatican II, “Dignitatis Humanae,” 14).

The mission statement of the Church, and all its parishes, therefore, is “to save souls.” Amen!

Jesus died for all and a merciful God desires the salvation of all, but God permits us to push Him away, to turn our backs on Him.

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

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NINTH EUCHARISTIC CONGRESS DIOCESE OF CHARLOTTE, SEPTEMBER 13 &14, 2013

“The ‘door of faith’ is always open for us, ushering us into the life of communion with God and offering entry into His Church.

It is possible to cross that threshold when the word of God is proclaimed and the heart allows itself to be shaped by transforming grace.

To enter through that door is to set out on a journey that lasts a lifetime.”

— His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI, in his apostolic letter “Porta Fidei” proclaiming the Year of Faith