March 29, 2013

March 29, 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

Traditional marriage supporters march to U.S. Supreme Court,

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JOYFUL?

INDEX Contact us.......................... 4 Español.................................13 Events calendar................. 4 Our Parishes................. 4-12 Schools......................... 14-15 Scripture readings............ 2 TV & Movies.......................16 U.S. news...........................18 Viewpoints.................. 22-23 World news.................. 19-21 Year of Faith.................... 2-3

INSIDE: ‘A Christian can never be sad! Never give way to discouragement! It is through the Cross that He has conquered evil. We must bear the victory of Christ’s Cross to everyone everywhere.’ — Pope Francis

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‘Before iPad, iPod… there was “iChoose” ’ Youth ‘open the door to Jesus’ at Bishop’s Lenten pilgrimage,

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DEFERRED ACTION: Coming out of the immigration shadows, 8

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Year of faith

catholicnewsherald.com | March 29, 2013 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Pope Francis

Holy Week is time to follow Jesus in search of lost sheep

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oly Week is a time to follow Jesus out of one’s parish or group and out of one’s comfort zone to go with Him in search of the lost sheep, Pope Francis said.

“There is such a great need to bring (people) the living presence of Jesus, who is merciful and rich in love,” the pope said March 27 at his weekly general audience in St. Peter’s Square.

The pope began very simply, saying in Italian: “Good morning. I’m happy to welcome you to my first general audience.”

After Easter, he said, he will return to the audience series Pope Benedict XVI began on the creed for the Year of Faith, but he wanted to continue the tradition of speaking about the Holy Week liturgies on the Wednesday before Easter.

Introducing the Triduum liturgies that commemorate the Last Supper, Jesus’ Passion, death and resurrection, Pope Francis said Holy Week “is not primarily about pain and death, but about love and the gift of self that gives life.”

Holy Week is a call to follow Jesus more closely, he said, which means going with Jesus “to the margins of existence, making the first move toward our brothers and sisters, especially those who are farthest away, those who are forgotten, those who have the greatest need for understanding, consolation and help.”

Christians are called to be merciful as God is merciful, the pope said, reminding the crowd of the father in the story of the Prodigal Son: “Every day he goes out to see if his son has returned.”

The pope said those who want to follow Christ “cannot remain in the sheepfold with the 99 sheep; we must go out, seek the lost sheep with Him.” “Someone might say, ‘But Father, I don’t have time.’ ‘I have too many things to do.’ ‘It’s difficult,’” the pope said. “Often we settle for a little prayer, a distracted Sunday Mass or some gesture of charity, but we do not have the courage to go out to bring Christ to others.”

Pope Francis said he is pained when he sees “so many closed parishes,” churches locked except for Mass, and communities without a strong outreach to others.

He was very clear that following Jesus means bringing His merciful love to others, letting them know God is always ready to forgive and that Jesus died for them, too.

“Always go out. And do so with the love and tenderness of God, with respect and patience, knowing that we use our hands, our feet, our hearts, but it is God who guides them and makes our actions bear fruit.”

Pope Francis on the Year of Faith Pope Francis spoke about the Year of Faith in his audience with representatives of the Churches and Ecclesial Communities, and other religions March 20:

“I begin my apostolic ministry in this year that my venerated predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI, with a truly inspired intuition, proclaimed the Year of Faith for the Catholic Church. With this initiative, which I wish to continue and which I hope serves as a stimulus for each of us in our journey of faith, he wanted to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Second Vatican Council, proposing a type of pilgrimage to what is essential for every Christian: a personal and transforming relationship with Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who died and rose again for our salvation. The heart of the Council’s message lies precisely in the desire to proclaim this ever-valid treasure of the faith to the persons of our time.”

St. Peter, an oil on canvas by El Greco, 1610-13, in the Monastery of San Lorenzo de El Escorial in Spain

Your daily Scripture readings SCRIPTURE READINGS FOR THE WEEK OF MARCH 31-APRIL 6

Sunday (The Resurrection of the Lord): Acts 10:34, 37-43, Colossians 3:1-4, John 20:1-9; Monday: Acts 2:14, 22-33, Matthew 28:8-15; Tuesday: Acts 2:36-41, John 20:1118; Wednesday: Acts 3:1-10, Luke 24:13-35; Thursday: Acts 3:11-26, Luke 24:35-48; Friday: Acts 4:1-12, John 21:1-14; Saturday: Acts 4:13-21, Mark 16:9-15

SCRIPTURE READINGS FOR THE WEEK OF APRIL 7-13

Sunday: Acts 5:12-16, Revelation 1:9-11a, 12-13, 17-19, John 20:19-31; Monday (Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord): Isaiah 7:10-14, 8:10, Hebrews 10:4-10, Luke 1:26-38; Tuesday: Acts 4:32-37, John 3:7b-15; Wednesday: Acts 5:17-26, John 3:16-21; Thursday (Memorial of St. Stanislaus): Acts 5:27-33, John 3:31-36; Friday: Acts 5:34-42, John 6:1-15; Saturday: Acts 6:1-7, John 6:16-21

SCRIPTURE READINGS FOR THE WEEK OF APRIL 14-20

Sunday: Acts 5:27-32, 40b-41, Revelation 5:11-14, John 21:1-19; Monday: Acts 6:8-15, John 6:22-29; Tuesday: Acts 7:51—8:1a, John 6:3035; Wednesday: Acts 8:1b-8, John 6:35-40; Thursday: Acts 8:26-40, John 6:44-51; Friday: Acts 9:1-20, John 6:52-59; Saturday: Acts 9:3142, John 6:60-69,

March 29, 2013 | catholicnewsherald.com catholic news heraldI

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Papal reflections on St. Peter

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he recent transition from Pope Benedict XVI to Pope Francis has all eyes on the papacy and the pope’s ministry as shepherd and spiritual leader of the Church.

Pope Benedict gave a series of reflections on St. Peter and the Petrine ministry during his general audiences in 2006, and not only do his words speak to the historic events in Rome, they also provide us with a meditation on the events of Holy Week and Easter. Excerpts from the pope’s reflections are below:

Peter the fisherman After Jesus, Peter is the figure best known and most frequently cited in the New Testament writings: he is mentioned 154 times with the nickname of Pétros, “rock,” the Greek translation of the Aramaic name Jesus gave him directly; Cephas, attested to nine times; and Simon, a hellenization of his original Hebrew name “Symeon,” 75 times.

Simon was from Bethsaida, a little town to the east of the Sea of Galilee.

Like his brother Andrew, he too was a fisherman: he ran a small fishing business on the Lake of Gennesaret.

Thus, he must have been reasonably well-off and was motivated by a sincere interest in religion, by a desire for God – a desire that impelled him to go with his brother as far as Judea to hear the preaching of John the Baptist.

He was a believing and practicing Jew who trusted in the active presence of God in His people’s history. He was married and his mother-in-law, whom Jesus was one day to heal, lived in the city of Capernaum, in the house where Simon also stayed when he was in that town.

The Gospels tell us Peter was one of the first four disciples of the Nazarene, to whom a fifth was added – complying with the custom of every rabbi to have five disciples. When Jesus went from five disciples to 12, the newness of His mission became evident: He was not one of the numerous rabbis but had come to gather together the eschatological Israel, symbolized by the number 12, the number of the tribes of Israel.

Simon appears in the Gospels with a determined and impulsive character: he is ready to assert his own opinions even with force (remember him using the sword in the Garden of Olives). At the same time he is also ingenuous and fearful, yet he is honest to the point of the most sincere repentance.

The Gospels enable us to follow Peter step by step on his spiritual journey.

The starting point was Jesus’ call. It happened on an ordinary day while Peter was busy with his fisherman’s tasks. Jesus was at the Lake of Gennesaret and crowds had gathered around Him to listen. The size of the audience created a certain discomfort.

The Teacher saw two boats moored by the shore. He asked permission to board Simon’s boat, then requested him to put out a little from the land. Sitting on that improvised seat, He began to teach the crowds from the boat. Thus, the boat of Peter becomes the chair of Jesus.

Peter could not imagine that one day he would arrive in Rome and that here he would be a “fisher of men” for the Lord. He accepted this surprising call, he let himself be involved in this great adventure: he was generous; he recognized his limits but believed in the One who was calling him and followed the dream of his heart. He said “yes,” a

courageous and generous “yes.”

When at Caesarea Philippi Jesus asked the disciples a precise question, “Who do you say that I am?” it was Peter who answered on behalf of the others: “You are the Christ,” that is, the Messiah. But Peter did not yet understand the profound content of Jesus’ Messianic mission, demonstrated when he expresses shock when the Lord describes His coming Passion.

Peter wanted a messiah who would fulfil people’s expectations by imposing his power upon them all. We would also like the Lord to impose His power and transform the world instantly.

Jesus presented Himself as the Servant of God, who turned the crowd’s expectations upside down by taking a path of humility and suffering.

This is the great alternative that we must learn over and over again: to give priority to our own expectations, rejecting Jesus, or to accept Jesus in the truth of His mission and set aside our expectations.

Peter’s spiritual journey is a great consolation and lesson for us. We too have a desire for God, we too want to be generous, but we too expect God to be strong in the world and to transform the world on the spot, according to our ideas and the needs we perceive.

God chooses a different way. God chooses the way of the transformation of hearts in suffering and in humility.

And we, like Peter, must convert, over and over again. We must follow Jesus and not go before Him: it is He who shows us the way.

— May 17, 2006, general audience

Peter the apostle When the people witnessed the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves, they wanted to make Jesus king. But Jesus did not accept and withdrew into the hills by Himself to pray. The following day, on the other side of the lake in the Synagogue of Capernaum, Jesus explained the miracle – not in the sense of a worldly kingship over Israel in the way the crowds hoped, but in the sense of the gift of self: “The bread which I shall give for the life of the world is my flesh” (Jn 6:51).

Jesus announces the Cross and with the Cross the true multiplication of the loaves, the Eucharistic bread – His absolutely new way of kingship, a way completely contrary to people’s expectations.

We can understand that these words of the Master, who does not want to multiply bread every day, who does not want to offer Israel a worldly power, would be really difficult, indeed, unacceptable, for the people. “He gives his flesh”: what does this mean?

Even for the disciples what Jesus says in this moment seems unacceptable, and many went away. They wanted someone to renew the State of Israel, not someone

who said: “I give my flesh.”

We can imagine that Jesus’ words were difficult for Peter, too. However, when Jesus asked the Twelve: “Will you also go away?”, Peter reacted with the enthusiasm of his generous heart, guided by the Holy Spirit. Speaking on everyone’s behalf, he answered with immortal words, which are also our words: “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life; and we have believed, and have come to know, that You are the Holy One of God.” Here, Peter confesses the Church’s Christological faith and becomes spokesman for the other Apostles, and of we believers of all times. This does not mean he fully understood the mystery of Christ; his faith was still at the beginning of a journey of faith.

Nonetheless, it was already faith, open to the greatest reality; open especially because it was not faith in something, it was faith in Someone: Jesus Christ.

And so, our faith too is always an initial one and we have still to carry out a great journey. But it is essential that it is an open faith and that we allow ourselves to be led by Jesus.

Peter’s rash generosity does not protect him, however, from the risks connected with human weakness.

Moreover, it is what we too can recognize in our own lives. Peter followed Jesus with enthusiasm, he overcame the trial of faith, abandoning himself to Christ.

The moment comes, however, when he gives in to fear and falls: he betrays the Master.

The school of faith is not a triumphal march but a journey marked daily by suffering and love, trials and faithfulness.

Peter, who promised absolute fidelity, knew the bitterness and humiliation of denial. Peter, too, must learn he is weak and in need of forgiveness.

Once he understands the truth of his weak heart, he weeps in a fit of liberating repentance. After this weeping he is finally ready for his mission.

On a spring morning, this mission will be entrusted to him by the Risen Christ. The encounter takes place on the shore of the Lake of Tiberias. John the Evangelist recounts the conversation between Jesus and Peter in that circumstance. There is a very significant play on words.

In Greek, the word “fileo” means the love of friendship, tender but not all-encompassing; instead, the word “agapao” means love without reserve, total and unconditional. Jesus asks Peter the first time: “Simon ... do you love me (agapas-me)” with this total and unconditional love?

Prior to the experience of betrayal, the Apostle certainly would have said: “I love you (agapo-se) unconditionally.”

Now that he has known the bitter sadness of infidelity, the drama of his ST. PETER, SEE page 12

Kimberly Bender | Catholic News Herald

Learn more about the Holy Land on our ‘virtual pilgrimage’ Pilgrims Lia Beard, front, and Mary Alice Girardi from St. Barnabas Church in Arden pray at the Basilica of Agony in Jerusalem during their recent Holy Land pilgrimage. Walk in the footsteps of Jesus and become a pilgrim yourself at lentholyland.tumblr.com.

Also, explore Catholic sites in Italy and France through our previous pilgrimages: charlotteadlimina.tumblr.com and triptofrance.tumblr.com.

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

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

The Brothers in Black A group of Legionaries of Christ seminarians at the Pontifical Athenaeum Regina Apostolorum in Rome, led by Brother Matthew Schmitz, are producing short videos on various elements of the faith. They explain the teachings of the Church, using the YOUCAT, with lots of humor and popculture references. For example, they explain the value of confession in the style of a laundry detergent commercial. Fasting, almsgiving and prayer for Lent is a video game. What it means to be a seminarian is depicted as a mobile app. Check them out on YouTube at www.youtube.com/user/ thebrothersinblack, and follow them on Facebook at www.facebook.com/thebrothersinblack.

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catholicnewsherald.com | March 29, 2013 OUR PARISHES

Diocesan calendar of events ASHEVILLE — Healing Retreat: Rachel’s Vineyard Retreat Weekend, April 26-28, sponsored by Catholic Social Services Respect Life Program. Retreat will be held in the Asheville area and is open to both men and women beginning their healing journey after an abortion.

For more information, contact Carla at 282-342-4655.

Bishop Peter J. Jugis Bishop Peter J. Jugis will participate in the following events over the coming weeks: April 2 Ordination of Auxiliary Bishop David Talley Atlanta April 3 - 4:30 p.m.

Diaconate Ordination of Brother Elias, OSB Belmont Abbey, Belmont April 4 – 7 p.m.

Sacrament of Confirmation Queen of the apostles Church, belmont April 5 – 10 a.m.

Diocesan Finance Council Meeting Pastoral center, charlotte

ST. EUGENE CHURCH, 72 CULVERN ST. — Day of Faith Formation and Fellowship entitled, “Alive in the Promise: The New Evangelization and the Year of Faith”: 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday, April 13. Father Robert Williams will be presenting. All parishes in the Asheville area are welcome to attend. To Register, contact Tracy Jedd at 828-254-5193.

— Respect Life Rosary Committee: 7 p.m. Monday, April 1, in the Church, to pray for respect for life at all stages and for parish families.

— El grupo de oración se reúne todos los sábados a las 7 p.m. en la Iglesia.

BELMONT QUEEN OF THE APOSTLES Church, 503 North Main St. — “Without a Home,” A panel discussion on homelessness and solutions to end this affront to human dignity: 7 p.m. Sunday, April 7. For details, contact George Burazer at 704-820-3163.

— Faith Formation Group, “Triple B”: 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 9. All parish members 45 years old and younger are welcome to attend. For more information, email qoatripleb@gmail.com.

— Walk for AIDS: To raise AIDS awareness and funds for our most vulnerable neighbors living at House of Mercy: Saturday, April 13. For more information, contact Marjorie Storch at 704-825-4711.

and Peppie Calvar’s “Mass of Reconciliation”. For reservations, call the parish office at 704-536-6520.

ST. MATTHEW CHURCH, 8015 BALLANTYNE COMMONS PKWY. — Traditional Solemn benediction and recitation of the Divine Mercy Chaplet: 3 p.m. Sunday, April 7. For details, call the parish at 704-543-7677.

— Open discussion group for mothers, “Called to be Mom”: 10 a.m.-noon, Thursday, April 11. All mothers are welcome. Contact Kerry Long at 704-243-6319.

OUR LADY OF THE AMERICAS CHURCH, 298 Farmers Market Road — A day of reflection, “Growing in Age and Grace”: 10:30 a.m. Thursday, April 4. Presented by Monsignor Mauricio West. Light lunch will be provided. To register, contact Trudy at 910-400-5034.

ST. PIUS X Church, 2210 North elm st.

— Natural Family Planning Introduction and Full Course: 1-5 p.m. April 6. RSVP to Batrice Adcock, MSN, RN, at cssnfp@charlottediocese.org or 704-370-3230.

— Afternoon discussion presented by Grief Ministries, “Seasons of Hope”: 1:45- 4 p.m. Sundays, April 7-May 19, in the Kloster Center. Anyone mourning the loss of a loved one is encouraged to attend. To register, call the parish office at 336-272-4681.

ST. PETER CHURCH, 507 South Tryon St. — 3rd Annual Jesuit Heritage Celebration: 5 p.m.

Saturday, April 6. Jesuit Father Tom Shubeck will present a brief discussion entitled “Hope and Justice.” A small reception will follow Mass. For more details, contact Ray Natale at raynatale@carolina. rr.com.

ST. THOMAS AQUINAS CHURCH, 1400 SUTHER ROAD — Please join us for “Divine Mercy Holy Hour”: Exposition and readings from the Diary of St. Maria Faustina Kowalska: 7-8 p.m. every first Friday. For questions, contact Paul Deer at 704-948-0628.

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

— Living The Faith Book club: 8 p.m. Thursday, April 11.

Everyone welcome. For details, contact Kevin Berent at berentski@yahoo.com.

HENDERSONVILLE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION CHURCH, 208 Seventh Avenue, West — Divine Mercy Sunday: 4 p.m. Sunday, April 7, in the chapel. Capuchin Father Robert Williams will officiate at Mass.

ST. MARK CHURCH, 14740 STUMPTOWN ROAD

BISCOE

call 828-274-4901.

— Catholics Come Home program beginning April 21: Individuals interested in becoming Catholic or have been away from the Church are encouraged to attend. For details, contact Kathleen Rose at kmr10@ earthlink.net.

MURPHY St. William church, 765 Andrews Road — Catholic Social Services presentation, “Medicare Made Easy”: 2-4 p.m. April 9. Open to adults aged 65 and older. Registration required. Please contact, CSS Elder Ministry at 704-370-3220 or Council on Aging Buncombe County at 828-277-8288.

SYLVA ST. MARY Mother of God CHURCH, 22 BARTLETT ST. — Divine Mercy Sunday: 3-4 p.m. Sunday, April 7. The feast day will be observed with Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and communal prayer. For details, call 828-586-9496.

— CSS presenta, “Medicare Muy fácil”: 6-8 p.m. 9 de Abril. Abierto a los adultos mayores de 65 años. Para obtener más información, póngase en contacto con CSS Ministerio de Ancianos al 704-370-3220.

WINSTON-SALEM ST. Leo the Great church, 335 Springdale Ave. — Women’s retreat, “Blessed Are You: The Beatitudes Walk”: 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, April 20. Sarah Hart will be presenting. For registration, call 336-724-0561 or email mgschumacher@stleocatholic.com.

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

HIGH POINT CHARLOTTE St. John Neumann Church, 8451 Idlewild Road — Peacemaking Workshop: 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, April 20, in the Austin Hall. The movie “Soldiers of Conscience” will be shown. Adults and high school students only. For more information, contact Shea Barja at 704-451-3629.

— Jazz music program: Saturday, May 11. Featuring regional jazz instrumental artists as well as vocalists from the St. John Neumann choir and from Northwest School of the Arts. They will present selections from Duke Ellington’s “Sacred Concerts”

Immaculate heart of Mary church, 4145 Johnson st.

— Annual Walk/Run: 10 a.m.-noon Saturday, April 27.

Sponsored by the Pregnancy Care Center, to support the unborn and their parents. To participate or get details, contact Lisa Hubbard at 828-306-0606.

GREENSBORO — Walk for Life: 9 a.m. Saturday, April 20. Sponsored by the Pregnancy Care Center Walk for Life 2013, to support women and men during and after pregnancy. To participate in the walk, register at www.firstgiving.com/GPCC. For more information,

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March 29, 2013 Volume 22 • Number 11

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.

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March 29, 2013 | catholicnewsherald.com catholic news heraldI

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In Brief

Holy Week 2013

Promises renewed, holy oils blessed at annual Chrism Mass SueAnn Howell Senior reporter

Kids celebrate Feast of St. Joseph CHARLOTTE — The FACES mom’s group invited the St. Vincent de Paul Preschool to join them in a celebration of the Feast of St. Joseph on March 19. To prepare, students visited the church to see the statue of St. Joseph. Then they had a lesson about St. Joseph and followed up by making paper lilies from the children’s handprints. The 4-year-old classes and some of the parents joined the FACES families at the 12:10 p.m. Mass. Then some of the families and the teachers attended a luncheon at the parish’s activity center. FACES had created a beautiful three-tiered altar in honor of St. Joseph, featuring a statue of him and many symbols of him such as bread, wheat and the children’s lilies. Pictured above are three of the preschool classes (3- and 4-year-olds).

— Mary Helen Cushing and Ruben Tamayo

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CHARLOTTE — Bishop Peter J. Jugis and more than 90 priests from around the Diocese of Charlotte celebrated a Chrism Mass at St. Patrick Cathedral on March 26. During the Mass, the priests renewed their priestly promises and witnessed Bishop Jugis bless the holy oils that are used in the anointing of the sick and the candidates for baptism, as well as the sacred chrism used in the sacraments of initiation, holy orders and the dedication of churches and altars.

During his homily, Bishop Jugis spoke directly to the priests, highlighting the Gospel reading from Luke in which Jesus reads a passage from Isaiah in the synagogue in Nazareth.

“Jesus finds the passage in Isaiah,” Bishop Jugis said, “and He uses this to introduce Himself and His mission. The Spirit of the Lord is upon Him and He is the anointed One. His message is sketched in broad strokes to bring glad tidings to the poor, to proclaim liberty to captives, recovery of sight to the blind, letting the oppressed go free and proclaiming a year acceptable to the Lord.”

Bishop Jugis explained that in just a few short sentences Jesus has told them who He is and proclaimed His Gospel, before rolling up the scroll and handing it to the minister in attendance.

“Might we not say, brother priests, that we are that minister?

He placed into our hands all that He said and all that He did. He accomplished the broad strokes, winning salvation for all people – and when He had finished He placed the work into our hands for safekeeping and for sharing, to complete His work in all the

myriad details of salvation in the lives of His people.”

Looking out over the rows and rows of priests seated inside the cathedral, Bishop Jugis continued, “We come to this Chrism Mass as Jesus’ attendants, His ministers, His sacred ministers, His priests. Into our hands, He has entrusted His work.”

Bishop Jugis explained that the renewal of priestly promises is not like renewing anything that is going to expire. Rather, it is a time to refresh oneself and renew that lifetime commitment to the priesthood: “Taking a look once again at our lifetime commitment, so we continue to grow in our priesthood. To renew ourselves. To reinvigorate ourselves in our vocation as Jesus’ priests … If we don’t grow and mature, we die. The fruit on the vine that does not grow and mature eventually shrivels up and drops off the vine.”

He then reminded the priests of the six promises from the Rite of priesthood ordination. He also encouraged them to take time to renew themselves in prayer during the busy time of Holy Week leading up to the Resurrection.

Following his homily, Mass proceeded with the Liturgy of the Eucharist and then the blessing of the holy oils and sacred chrism.

Also in attendance at the Chrism Mass were Bishop Emeritus William G. Curlin; Benedictine Abbot Placid Solari of Belmont Abbey; Monsignor Mauricio West, vicar general and chancellor of the diocese; and permanent deacons and seminarians of the diocese.

In the final comments of his homily to the standing-room-only congregation, Bishop Jugis said, “May the Lord refresh us, renew us and reinvigorate us all in His grace.”

‘May the Lord refresh us, renew us and reinvigorate us all in His grace.’

— Bishop Peter Jugis

SueAnn Howell | Catholic News Herald

Pictured: The purple set of diocesan vestments for the Latin Mass which were used on Palm Sunday for a Solemn High Mass at St. Ann Church in Charlotte.

Photos by SueAnn Howell and Doreen Sugierski | catholic news herald

(Above) Children in traditional Polish costumes gathered in the narthex at St. Matthew Church in Charlotte awaiting the blessing of the palms before a Polish Mass offered on Palm Sunday. (Top) Bishop Peter Jugis blesses the oils at the Chrism Mass at St. Patrick Cathedral in Charlotte, a traditional ritual of Holy Week each year.

(Left) Father Timothy Reid (center) distributes palms to altar servers at a Mass in the Extraordinary Form on Palm Sunday at St. Ann Church, the first traditional Latin liturgy on Palm Sunday in Charlotte.

Latin Mass to be offered weekly in Salisbury SALISBURY — The traditional Latin Mass, also known as the Mass in the Extraordinary Form, will be offered every Sunday at 4 p.m. starting April 7 at Sacred Heart Church in Salisbury. For details and updates on the MEF in North Carolina, go online to www. nctlmmef.com.

More online At www.catholicnewsherald.com: More photos and daily news from Holy Week observances, plus Bishop Jugis’ Easter homily

At www.youtube.com/dioceseofcharlotte: Video highlights from the Chrism Mass celebrated at St. Patrick Cathedral in Charlotte

At www.facebook.com/catholicnewsherald: Share your favorite family photos from Holy Week and Easter

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catholicnewsherald.com | March 29, 2013 OUR PARISHES

ALTERNATIVE SPRING BREAK

As we served people in need, our understanding of Catholic teaching grew Note: At this time of year, college students across the United States have their annual spring break. Some of our young people flock to beaches, others take the opportunity to relax and recharge at home and, for an increasing number of students, it is a time to give service to those less fortunate than themselves.

This type of activity is not just offered by the religious groups on campus but also by the institutions of higher education themselves. As one can imagine, the larger schools can offer many more opportunities for “national and international service” at lower cost to the student.

The Campus Ministry office of the Diocese of Charlotte made the decision not to try and compete with the college-sponsored trips but to instead plan a simple experience rooted intentionally in our Catholic faith and geared toward witness to Catholic social teaching.

This year we offered students the opportunity to serve in a wonderful ministry founded by a Capuchin Franciscan in Wilmington, Del. As the campus minister who accompanied the students, I can assure you that our young people comported themselves well and were a credit to their families and our diocese.

— Grey Nuns of the Sacred Heart Sister Eileen Spanier, Charlotte area campus ministry Sueann Howell | catholic news herald

Middle school and high school youth from around the Diocese of Charlotte attended the Bishop’s Lenten Youth Pilgrimage at Belmont Abbey College on March 16. More than 700 people participated in the day-long retreat that featured inspirational talks, Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, vocation information and live music.

encouraged the youth to open that door by going to confession during the day of the pilgrimage. Seven priests from the Diocese of Charlotte attended the pilgrimage, many of them hearing confessions.

Father Lucas Rossi, pastor of St. Benedict the Moor Church in WinstonSalem and Good Shepherd Mission in King, brought 30 youth and adult chaperones to the pilgrimage.

It was important to him that both the parish and the mission made the pilgrimage together.

“I want them to experience Jesus in the Eucharist together,” Father Rossi said. “I have two churches – they share a priest – and I want them to be able to do things as one body because we are the Body of Christ in the Church. I want them to experience the unity that exists between churches.”

Houston Eton, a youth from St. Benedict the Moor Parish, said, “I came today to learn about my Catholic faith and better help my relationship with Jesus and God. I’ve learned a lot. I’ve learned about how Catholics do different things and what we believe in.”

Brianna Hartman, from Good Shepherd Mission, was making the Lenten pilgrimage for the first time.

“It’s big and awesome,” Hartman said.

Over the course of our spring break, we spent a week working and visiting some of the numerous branches of the Ministry of Caring Inc. in Wilmington, Del. We witnessed a variety of hardships that the poor among us experience and became knowledgeable of some of the forms of assistance that is available to them.

Photo provided by Sister Eileen Spanier, GNSH It was through the Andrew Lanier and Catherine Schricker stand with Sister Eileen Spanier, course of this week that GNSH, during their spring break spent working with the Ministry of we came to embrace the Caring Inc. in Wilmington, Del. attitude of the ministry’s founder, Brother Ronald Giannone, OFM Cap., to provide the needy and vulnerable with shelters and houses that truly become their homes. In this way, they are able to have the necessary support to change their lives in meaningful and concrete ways. Through the Ministry of Caring, needy individuals and families receive extraordinary care from numerous employees and volunteers consisting of friars, religious sisters and lay people who do not condemn or judge them in any way.

One of the special aspects of this trip due to the group’s small size was that we were able to rotate from one branch of the Ministry of Caring to another, appreciating the full reach of the ministry. We were able to work in a dining hall, clothes closet, retirement center, house for people living with AIDS, a childcare facility, and a job placement office.

A highlight of the week was our visit to House of Joseph II, designed for people living with AIDS. This was an extremely fruitful experience, as we had never interacted with a person dealing with AIDS. We saw how many of the people at the home came from similar backgrounds as ourselves and how life-changing the effects of AIDS can be on those suffering from the virus. We also learned the power of human touch and personal interaction – the impact that a simple hug can have on both the patient and ourselves was amazing.

Relying upon our Catholic faith as the foundation for the trip, our small group intertwined daily prayer and reflection time in our week of service. Celebrating Mass with the Grey Nuns of the Sacred Heart one day, Poor Clares and Franciscan friars other days, and praying the Stations of the Cross and sitting in Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, we felt God’s presence keenly. A theological mindset enveloped every interaction and discussion we had together and with — Brother Ronald the people we served, and because of that we certainly grew Giannone, OFM Cap. in our understanding of our faith and its teachings about serving our brothers and sisters in need.

Being able to interact closely with Sister Eileen Spanier, praying the Liturgy of the Hours, asking her questions and discussing religious issues highlighted our everyday agenda. Going forward, we certainly feel a stronger calling to serve the less fortunate with compassion and patience.

We would like to thank all those in the Ministry of Caring who organized our trip, the nuns, priests and campus ministers who supported us, all the Americorps volunteers, and most importantly Sister Eileen, who so kindly put up with us, was our chauffeur, teacher and friend for the entire week.

PILGRIMAGE, SEE page 17

Catherine Schricker is a student at Davidson College, and Andrew Lanier is a student at High Point University.

‘Before iPad, iPod… there was “iChoose” ’ Youth ‘open the door to Jesus’ at Lenten Youth Pilgrimage SueAnn Howell Senior Reporter

BELMONT — The Bishop’s Lenten Youth Pilgrimage was a day filled with grace for the more than 700 youth and their chaperones who braved the “winds of the Holy Spirit” at Belmont Abbey College March 16.

As the morning progressed, a sea of turquoise blue T-shirts stamped with the theme ‘iChoose’ filled the lawn in front of the Abbey Basilica as busloads of middle school and high school students joined the pilgrimage.

Each shirt had the visual of a door opening, the “Porta Fidei,” or “Door of Faith” invoked by then Pope Benedict XVI when he announced the Year of Faith – and a quote by the pope emeritus explaining that the door of faith is always open for us and that entering through that door we “set out on a journey that lasts a lifetime.”

In keeping with the theme of the pilgrimage Father Matthew Kauth, chaplain of Charlotte Catholic High School and keynote speaker at the pilgrimage, reminded the youth that “long before there was an iPad, iPod or any other ‘i’ device, there was ‘iChoose.’”

“He (Christ) is the One who said, ‘I am the door. I am the way to eternal life …

There is only one entrance.”

Father Kauth also explained that one must choose Christ, leave all worldly things behind, and walk through the door of faith to find life.

Jimmy Mitchell, a Catholic motivational speaker and emcee for the pilgrimage,

Catherine Schricker and Andrew Lanier Special to the Catholic News Herald

‘The poor should never be treated poorly.’

March 29, 2013 | catholicnewsherald.com

OUR PARISHESI

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Deacon Paul Teich of Greensboro passes away, aged 62 GREENSBORO — Deacon Paul Armand Teich of Greensboro passed away at his home after a long illness on March 13, 2013, one day before his 63rd birthday.

A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated on March 16, 2013, at Our Lady of Grace Church in Greensboro, Deacon Teich’s parish, following the evening wake service held on March 15. Celebrants were Father Eric Kowalski and Father Christopher Davis, assisted by Deacons Timothy Rohan, James Toner and Anthony Pynes.

Deacon Teich was born in Chicago to the late Armand and Kathryn Martin Teich on March 14, 1950. He had a long career as a master plumber, including 15 years at John’s Plumbing in Greensboro.

Along with 10 other men, he was ordained a permanent deacon for the Diocese of Charlotte on July 1, 1995, by then Bishop William G. Curlin, and he was assigned to serve at Our Lady of Grace Parish. He loved being a deacon and felt privileged to serve the people of Our Lady of Grace during his entire diaconal ministry. He felt privileged to offer homilies and his words engaged the congregation with a

working man’s perspective and love for a good story. He continued to serve until his health deteriorated.

The editor of the Rhinoceros Times of Greensboro always cited Deacon Paul Teich as the spiritual advisor for the weekly paper. In the March 21 edition, the editor wrote, “Not all newspapers have a spiritual advisor, but we had one until last week when Deacon Paul Teich died after a long illness. Paul was our spiritual advisor and he gave us good spiritual advice. In fact, I wish I had taken more of it.”

Father Kowalski, his pastor, led everyone at the funeral Mass in the prayer that Deacon Teich had asked of him during a visit before his death: “Good and gracious Lord, give Deacon Paul a break. Amen.”

Deacon Teich is survived by Annie Teich, his wife of 35 years. She always encouraged her deacon husband in his ministry, having attended the years of diaconal formation with him under the direction of Monsignor Anthony Kovacic.

He is also survived by two sons: Matthew Teich and

his wife Kelly of Chicago, and Patrick Teich and his wife Shannon of Las Vegas; and two beautiful granddaughters, Zoe and Phoebe. They all were able to attend his funeral Mass.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in his memory to Hospice of Greensboro. The care, friendship, and support of Hospice allowed him to remain comfortably at home in their care during the last six months of his Deacon Paul Teich life.

Forbis & Dick Funeral Service in Greensboro was in charge of the arrangements.

Waynesville’s St. John Parish campaigns for life and liberty Paul Viau Correspondent

WAYNESVILLE — St. John the Evangelist Church in Waynesville has one of the most active Respect Life committees in western North Carolina. So when Maggi Nadol, Respect Life director for the Diocese of Charlotte, sent information to the parish about the U.S. bishops’ new national campaign – named “A Call to Prayer for Life, Marriage and Religious Liberty” – she knew good things would happen at the parish.

The campaign is a pastoral strategy to advance support for life, marriage and religious liberty. It is essentially a call to prayer, penance and sacrifice for the sake of renewing a culture of life in our country, and Bishop Peter Jugis is encouraging all Catholics in the diocese to participate.

Christine Ryan, chairperson of the parish’s Respect Life committee, was on the receiving end of Nadol’s e-mail and immediately went to work.

The goal of A Call to Prayer for Life, Marriage and Religious Liberty is to impact the newly-seated Congress with postcards from concerned people of faith – urging them to support and strengthen existing laws prohibiting government funding of abortion, as well as to improve religious freedom protections. Both issues have been in the spotlight since the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act was passed in 2010, when the U.S. bishops began raising concerns about federal abortion funding and the inability of Churchrun institutions to opt out of mandated contraceptive coverage, in addition to other attacks on religious liberty at home and abroad.

“The Call to Prayer for Life, Marriage and Religious Liberty is an invitation to pray for a conversion of hearts. We are living in the midst of a continual erosion of respect for life and many institutions that we hold as sacred,” Nadol said. “It is also our responsibility as Catholics to be a witness in our community and our own families to live the Gospel message through example. This can be done through Eucharistic Adoration, praying the family rosary, special prayers of the faithful, fasting and abstaining on Fridays, and participation in the Fortnight for Freedom.”

With such an important goal, Ryan had little trouble getting Father Lawrence LoMonaco’s enthusiastic support and blessing. According to Ryan, “Father

Larry has always been a Right-to-Life priest. He has gone to the March for Life in Washington, D.C., several times and isn’t afraid to speak out for life.”

Ryan and Father LoMonaco conferred about the diocese’s guidelines for the campaign, picked the weekend of Feb. 2324, and Ryan’s committee – which averages a dozen active parishioners, including many Knights of Columbus – went into action.

The committee began by praying for God’s blessing on their efforts and for God’s assistance in establishing public policies that respect the dignity of all human life. Since the project is among other things a postcard campaign, they next worked out the details for the mailing with a Waynesville printer, Print Haus.

Nearly 1,000 postcards were printed, three per sheet: one card each targeting Waynesville’s representative in the U.S. House, Mark Meadows, and the state’s two U.S. senators, Richard Burr and Kay Hagan. Printing of the postcards was underwritten by a donation from St. John’s Knights of Columbus Council 15085. The parish picked up the cost of the stamps for those cards mailed by the church.

With information and postcards in hand, St. John’s Respect Life Committee actively promoted the campaign with announcements in the parish bulletin, both the weekend preceding and the weekend of the effort. Posters were designed and placed in prominent locations at St. John and at its mission, Immaculate Conception in Canton.

Committee member Samuel Edwards also wrote an impassioned letter to the editor in the local newspaper, which was published the week preceding the campaign.

On the weekend of Feb. 23-24, committee members made announcements at the conclusion of all Masses, based on information provided by the U.S. bishops and the diocesan Respect Life office.

At the 11 a.m. Mass, parishioner John LaFata, M.D., also made a plea for life and liberty, reading from the Catechism of the Catholic Church and citing the “scandal of abortion.”

After all Masses, both Respect Life Committee members and Knights of Columbus manned tables where parishioners signed postcards en masse.

The Knights’ table offered campaign participants “Precious Feet” charms – the exact size of an unborn child’s foot at 10 weeks’ gestation.

Photo provided by Christine Ryan

Waynesville Respect Life committee members help get the word out about the U.S. bishops’ campaign for life, marriage and religious liberty. All parishes have been encouraged to participate in the pastoral initiative.

All told, St. John the Evangelist’s campaign resulted in 990 cards mailed out to North Carolina’s congressional leaders, 330 mailed from the church, and 630 given out to parishioners to be mailed from home.

Father LoMonaco said he is grateful for the parish-wide effort.

“I thank God for providing Christine Ryan and her Respect Life Committee, the Knights of Columbus Council, the Catholic Women’s Circle and our Hispanic community with the grace and the desire to promote a culture of life. I also praise the parishioners of St. John the Evangelist and Immaculate Conception parishes for consistently supporting our efforts on behalf of unborn children,” he said.

“We would like to inform our legislators that we have a voice and we have a vote.

We desire for them to enact and enforce legislation that respects the dignity of all human life from conception to natural death. We pray that all people of faith will speak up for our children who do not yet have a voice. In a world of dwindling natural resources, prayer is the most powerful and the greatest untapped resource.”

More online At www.usccb.org: Download more information and prayer resources to encourage support for a culture of life, marriage and religious liberty.

Review the five ways you can participate in the campaign: attend a monthly Holy Hour, pray a daily rosary, include the campaign in the Prayers of the Faithful at Mass, fast and abstain from meat on Fridays, and participate in the secondannual Fortnight for Freedom campaign starting in June. Watch educational videos to learn more about domestic and international threats to religious liberty, and sign up for text alerts to help defend religious freedom.

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catholicnewsherald.com | March 29, 2013 OUR PARISHES

Deferred action immigration program going strong WINSTON-SALEM — Since August 2012, undocumented young people aged 15 to 30 have been able to apply for a federal program called Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). This provides them with temporary relief from possible deportation and opens the door for them to receive a provisional Social Security card and driver’s license – giving them the ability to find a job or go to school.

Young people aided by this program are here because their parents brought them in illegally when they were children.

Most do not know any other home than this country. They are stuck in legal limbo – something the U.S. bishops including Bishop Peter Jugis have campaigned for years to have corrected with legislation such as the DREAM Act, and more broadly, general immigration reform.

Edward recently shared his story with the Catholic News Herald on a sunny afternoon at a local mall. In that quintessential American setting, it’s hard to imagine the difficulties Edward has navigated. Too many of America’s children live in a shadow world.

The process Applying for deferred status under DACA appears straightforward – the reality is anything but. Getting through the hundreds of pages of paperwork takes time, money and often travel, notes Andrea Slusser, immigration supervisor for Catholic Social Services. Applicants need to show a continuous presence in the U.S. Sacramental records, school records, or letters proving membership in an organization can all be used to meet these guidelines, Slusser notes. Applicants also need the addresses of every place they’ve ever lived since coming to the U.S. Then they must complete more paperwork and pay a $465 non-refundable application fee.

If the applicants survive the initial review of all their documents, they are then fingerprinted by immigration officials. Then they wait.

DACA does not confer legal status, nor does it grant citizenship.

Local response Natalie B. Teague, lead attorney for CSS’ immigration program at its western regional Office, had to hit the ground running when she took on her job in July 2012, not long after President Barack Obama announced the nationwide DACA program.

“I came on board at the end of July and there was a waiting list of about 80 people,” Teague said.

At first the calls came in a deluge, but since mid-October the number of inquiries has leveled off. Many parishes have partnered with her office to host informational meetings. Although the CSS immigration office can take on only a limited number of applicants, officials can direct people to qualified attorneys.

Expensive legal counsel is not required for DACA, but it is often advisable for applicants to consider getting help depending on the complexity of their situation.

It might be tempting to offer a fellow parishioner help with completing the application package, but Slusser and Teague advise against it. There are many other ways parishioners can help, Slusser said: holding parish fund raisers to help defray the application fee, or organizing rides to and from cities where applicants may have to travel, such as the Mexican consulate in Raleigh.

The numbers Due to the confidentiality of the application process, it’s impossible to determine how many people locally have applied for deferred status. According to federal immigration reports, as of Feb. 15 North Carolina ranked sixth out of the top 10 states in total number of applications at 15,637. Since the program began, 199,460 applicants nationwide have been granted deferred status.

Annette Tenny | Catholic News Herald

Coming out of the immigration shadows: Edward tells his story Annette Tenny Correspondent

WINSTON-SALEM — Edward is a happy, energetic and optimistic young man, yet nothing in his life has ever been easy. He takes nothing for granted. He wants the same thing any other 21-year-old in America wants: opportunity.

The opportunity to go to school, to build a career, to help his family, to make a difference in the country he calls home.

Every young person who has or is applying for DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) has their own story about how they came to the United States and what their lives have been like since then.

For Edward, just getting here was difficult and dangerous.

Sacrifice and risk

Edward’s mother and sister came to the United States in 2000 on temporary work visas. For six years Edward’s mother worked hard, sent money back to El Salvador for Edward’s care, and dreamed of a time when her family could be united.

In 2006 she sent what money she could for Edward to attempt the journey to the United States accompanied by a friend of his sister, a brother from the church they attended.

He was only 14 and, for the most part, he

and his friend walked from El Salvador to the southern end of Mexico. At that point, Edward was alone, traveling with strangers who had come from all over El Salvador.

Sometimes they rode buses, and though that was easier than walking, it was every bit as dangerous. They were stopped all the time.

He was detained by local police twice.

“I remember this one small town in Mexico – we were in a small bus and they (police) recognized us. They always knew who we were, they knew it. They didn’t know our names but they would point, ‘You, you and you – come out!’ just like that,” Edward explains. “They took us to a detention house.

I was there for, I would say, a couple of hours.

They made us take off almost all our clothes and put everything we had out, so they could see how much money we had. They said how much money we had to pay, so we had to pay it, and then they let us go.”

It was difficult and frightening, but he braved the journey to be reunited with his mother. Like so many children in El Salvador whose parents have come to the United States to work and send money home to support their children, he missed his family.

They may be able to attend good schools, have clothes and many other things, but they cannot help but miss their parents, Edward says.

“It’s hard on them. They’re just kids. It’s very hard.”

Shadow people

Once over the border, Edward stayed in a safe house in Texas for a few weeks, then rode in a van with several others to North Carolina to finally join his mother. He attended high school and for the whole of his freshman year, his main goal was to learn English. He did well in high school and graduated with good grades, but, he recalls, the reality of his illegal status hung over him constantly. He always feared the risk of being deported.

“We live in the shadows,” he says, “but we are really just like everyone else.”

One thing Edward says frustrates him is how little people understand about what it’s like to be an undocumented immigrant – even sometimes his friends. It’s not that they don’t care so much as they don’t inform themselves, he says. His life and the lives of so many other young people just like him should matter to the native-born people in this country because, he says, they are a big part of America’s future – a good future, a bright future. He thinks the DACA program is a start in the right direction, a beginning, but it’s not nearly enough.

After graduating from high school, Edward took jobs whenever he could get them, to help his mother and to save money for a car and college tuition. He worked one job at the mall in Winston-Salem, then he walked to a second job about a quarter-mile away. At one point, he says, he was working three jobs to save money.

Dreaming with a small ‘d’

When the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program was announced in August 2012, people realized right away that while it was far from being the DREAM Act that so many people, including the U.S. bishops, had campaigned for, it granted legal relief to undocumented young people who had been brought here when they were children.

It was a step in the right direction, Edward says.

He began collecting his documents, a monumental process by itself. He obtained referral letters from friends at his parish and from teachers. He borrowed the money to pay the $465 application fee, and a Winston-Salem lawyer he had interned for helped him put his application package together. All told, it cost Edward $800 to complete his application.

DACA, SEE page 12

March 29, 2013 | catholicnewsherald.com

OUR PARISHESI

Classified MODERN, CHARMING CABIN Secluded location (Lake Russell, SC) 2.5 hours away, Two bedrooms plus loft, $119,000.

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Joanita M. Nellenbach | Catholic News Herald

The Puzerewski family, parishioners at St. Barnabas Church in Arden, gather in their kitchen March 4 for prayer with the parish’s traveling vocation cross. As Max, 12, reads Scripture, dad Mark, mom Jennifer, and Henry, 5, Michael, 6, and Alex, 13, listen.

Traveling vocation cross encourages awareness of our call to holiness Joanita M. Nellenbach Correspondent

ARDEN — It’s noon. The Puzerewski family – dad Mark, mom Jennifer, and sons Alex, 13; Max, 12; Michael, 6; and Henry, 5 – gather around their kitchen island.

Michael lights the thick white candle beside the golden “vocation cross” on a scarf – purple for Lent.

“It seems like we’re always in the kitchen,” Mark said, “so this is where we decided to put it.”

It’s the family’s week with St. Barnabas Church’s Traveling Vocation Cross Program to pray for vocations: priests, deacons, married people, religious and single life.

The boys take turns reading Scripture passages. This is March 4, so Mark reads about St. Casimir (1461-1484), a Polish prince who rejected court values for a life of prayer, study, and helping the poor.

Prayer for vocations follows.

Discussing St. Casimir’s example, Alex notes it’s about “giving up worldly things.”

Max adds that a way to serve God is to be an altar server; he and Alex are servers at St. Barnabas.

“If you’re more aware of the notion of vocations,” Mark said, “you’re more open to the Holy Spirit to guide your own vocation as parents.”

This program, Jennifer said, “helps us to understand our vocations and to teach our children about vocations.”

St. Barnabas began the Vocation Cross Program on the Feast of Christ the King; some 30 families and individuals signed up. The Vocations Committee (Father Adrian Porras, pastor, and Andrea Chirieleison and Marcia Torres) had been looking for ways to promote vocations, and patterned its program after one used by the Church of the Ascension in Overland Park, Kan. “In our own parish, we have some young men who are discerning and entering the

seminary,” Chirieleison said. “We were praying for them during Adoration. The Faith and Education Commission wanted to take this further. Some members had been at parishes that did this.”

Committee members prepared laminated materials in a three-ring binder, which includes an explanation of how to use the program, prayers for vocations, and suggestions for each day. Catholic Association of Family Educators (Home Schoolers) at the parish donated two crucifixes; one is available to go out on Saturday even if the other won’t be returned until Sunday.

At the end of Mass on Saturday or Sunday, Jack Welsh explained, the participating family (or individual) is “called forward before the final blessing, Father blesses them and the cross, and they take it home with them for the week.”

In the binder, which they also take home, is a letter from Father Porras that notes: “In the broadest sense, God calls everyone to grow in holiness, to become more like Jesus Christ, to exercise love of God and love of neighbor, and to be united with God and all the angels and saints in heaven.

The Second Vatican Council called this ‘the universal call to holiness.’ Everyone has this vocation, and we formally accept it at baptism.”

The family returns the crucifix and binder at the end of the week.

Andrea and Chris Chirieleison and their sons Rocco, Christian and Andrew were among the first families to bring home the crucifix.

“As a family,” Chris said, “the week with the traveling cross gave us an impetus to focus on our spiritual path together and as individuals. It gave us a framework for sharing our hearts, minds and souls, as they relate to the Lord.”

“This is amazing,” 10-year-old Andrew told his mother. “We have to keep doing this after we return the cross. We have to keep praying like this.”

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Come meet new friends as we experience the beauty, history and Old World charm of many of Eastern Canada’s most impressive landmarks. Highlights of your visit include: • NIAGARA FALLS –experience the thundering, awe-inspiring falls on our up-close “Maid of the Mist” cruise • MONTREAL – spectacular view from atop Mt Royal; see McGill University, Notre Dame Cathedral and visit St. Joseph’s Oratory, too • QUEBEC -- both old and new cities, Parliament, Place Royale and 2 luxurious nights at Fairmont Chateau Frontenac! Plus a special Epicurean Evening!

• SHRINE OF ST ANNE DE BEAUPRE – optional tour to one of the oldest pilgrimage sites in North America; gorgeous countryside and 275-ft waterfall • OTTAWA – breakfast cruise and city tour showcasing Rideau Canal, Parliament buildings; free time to stroll Byward Market, shops – whatever you choose!

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catholicnewsherald.com | March 29, 2013 OUR PARISHES

sueann howell | catholic news herald

Pictured from left are Dr. Mary Edmuson, Jacque and Chris Young at a March 10 fund raiser for the North Carolina Center for the Care of Huntington’s Disease, held at Ri Ra Irish Pub in Charlotte. Jacque Young was diagnosed with the incurable disease in 2007.

Catholic couple works to bring hope to families grappling with Huntington’s Disease SueAnn Howell Senior reporter

CHARLOTTE — Chris and Jacque Young began their lives as most college sweethearts do. They met during their undergraduate studies at Belmont Abbey College in the 1980s, fell in love and were married in 1990 at St. Vincent de Paul Church in Charlotte.

Over the course of the next 17 years, they built their careers and enjoyed the American dream until one day in 2007 when Jacque was diagnosed with Huntington’s Disease – a progressive, terminal neurological disorder with no cure and no treatment.

“Jacque was diagnosed with HD on July 9, 2007, the day before her 41st birthday,” Chris Young recalls. “Since her diagnosis, Jacque has had to stop working, driving, and been forced to give up many of the day-to-day things people take for granted. As her disease progresses, she will have to continue to give up more things to the point she will eventually be dependent on me and others to care for her every need.”

The Youngs, who are parishioners at St. Mark Church in Huntersville, find that their Catholic faith is a great source of comfort and strength.

“What HD has done is bring us closer together and strengthen our faith in our bond, each other and God,” Young says. “We have the chance to live out our marriage vows for better or worse, in sickness and in health – and know what we pledged before God and our families and friends on our wedding day 22 years ago was truly a promise we continue to honor.”

Jacque agrees that her faith is critical in dealing with the disease and working to help others.

“If it wasn’t for our Catholic faith and all the help we’ve gotten from the Church, helping us with coming events on a day-to-day basis, I don’t know how we’d do it. It’s been important to have that community. A lot of our friends are Catholic and went to Belmont Abbey. That has been important. With the help of friends and family we have been able to keep it together.”

Since Jacque’s diagnosis five years ago, Young has been determined that no family experiences what he and Jacque

did in the doctor’s office, when news of her diagnosis was given in a cold, dismissive way, offering them no hope.

“We went home feeling completely devastated and very scared and very alone,” Young recounts.

Since then he has thrown himself wholeheartedly into making a difference in the lives of other families living with Huntington’s Disease.

“What we are trying to do is improve the lives of other people in Charlotte and North Carolina that are battling HD. I sit on the board of the N.C. Center for the Care of Huntington’s Disease.

That organization is dedicated to improving access to care for individuals and families in North Carolina battling HD.” Since its founding in 2008, the N.C. Center for the Care of — Chris Young, whose wife Jacque Huntington’s Disease suffers from Huntington’s Disease, a has helped many terminal neurological disorder families throughout the state in getting competent medical care, counseling, testing services, assistance and government aid in their local communities.

The center now has four clinical sites throughout North Carolina: the Wake Forest University HD Clinic in Winston-Salem; the Duke University HD Clinic in Durham; the Triangle Psychiatry Clinic in Raleigh; and the UNC Genetic Testing Clinic in Chapel Hill.

Each site offers Huntington’s patients access to the best medical care by physicians specializing in treatment of the disease, community support and opportunities to participate in clinical trials and studies to help find a cure.

‘We take life day by day rather than on planning for the future that isn’t guaranteed to any of us.’

Dr. Francis O. Walker, who has been working with Huntington’s patients for more than 25 years, set up the first clinical site at Wake Forest. He is a professor of neurology and director of the Movement Disorder Clinic at Wake Forest University.

Dr. Mary C. Edmonson, who founded the N.C. Center for the Care of Huntington’s Disease and works closely with Walker, spoke in Charlotte March 10 at a fundraising event for the center. She serves on the center’s board with Walker and is a clinical associate in psychiatry at Duke University and liaison to the Psychiatry Consultation Service at Duke Raleigh Hospital.

She has been involved in the care of Huntington’s Disease for most of her life and is another driving force in creating a community of hope and medical professionals dedicated to treatment and research.

Her father suffered from the disease, which eventually took his life, and several of her family members also have the genetic disorder. In fact, HD is an “autosomal dominant disorder,” which means that people with Huntington’s Disease have a 50 percent chance of passing the neurological disorder onto their children.

In her remarks at the fundraiser, Edmonson gave attendees a sense of what it is like to live in a family impacted by Huntington’s Disease as the symptoms of the disease progress.

“For people who have Huntington’s Disease, it doesn’t get better – it gets worse,” Edmonson explains. “The things that you and I take for granted, people with Huntington’s Disease slowly have difficulty doing.”

Tasks like managing finances, driving, cooking, housework and personal hygiene all become difficult, to the point where eventually the person can no longer perform even the simplest tasks of daily living.

That is why proper medical care and community support are so critical to Huntington’s patients and their families.

When Edmonson was contacted by Young shortly after Jacque’s diagnosis, he shared his desire to help other families. In particular, he asked her to form a support group in the Charlotte area to mirror what was being Huntington’s, SEE page 11

March 29, 2013 | catholicnewsherald.com

OUR PARISHESI

‘Angels of the Abbey’ helps those diagnosed with Huntington’s Disease BELMONT — Belmont Abbey College is a tightknit Catholic college known for its commitment to the faith and to its community. When the Youngs were faced with Jacque’s diagnosis of Huntington’s Disease in 2007, their friends and fellow alumni were eager to help them in any way as they navigated the challenges that the disease presented.

Abbey alumni formed “Angels of the Abbey” in 2009 – an independent, non-profit 501(c)3 entity whose mission is to provide financial assistance towards the care and medical needs of people, like Jacque, affected by HD and to provide the best future possible given the challenges they are enduring.

Angels of the Abbey has also established a separate assistance fund for the children of military personnel whose parents have died in the line of duty. This part of Angels of the Abbey’s mission was undertaken to honor the memory of Lt. Col. Joseph J. Fenty, a 1986 alumnus of Belmont Abbey College who was killed in Afghanistan six years ago.

To date, Angels of the Abbey has raised more than $65,000 from fundraising events and golf tournaments. Gifts totaling over $18,000 have been made to the N.C. Center for the Care of Huntington’s Disease. The center is dedicated to providing assistance and improving access to care for North Carolina patients and family members living with HD. Angels of the Abbey has also contributed educational assistance funds of more than $3,000 to a young North Carolina teen with HD. The next golf tournament fundraiser to benefit Angels of the Abbey, sponsored by Rí Rá Irish Pub in Charlotte, will be held on May 8. Last year the event raised more than $10,000.

There is also an annual Angels of the Abbey golf tournament held each September in Atlantic City, N.J. This year the event is planned for Friday, Sept.

20.

For details or to donate to Angels of the Abbey, go to www.angelsoftheabbey.com.

— SueAnn Howell, senior reporter

International meeting of Huntington’s Disease researchers set for Nov. 7-10 in Charlotte The Huntington’s Study Group will hold its annual convention Nov. 7-10 at the Omni Hotel in downtown Charlotte.

The Huntington’s Study Group is an independent, notfor-profit consortium of clinical investigators from the United States, Canada, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and South America that is experienced in the care of Huntington’s Disease patients and dedicated to clinical research, including observational studies and controlled clinical trials.

It is expected that the conference will bring 125-150 researchers and scientists from around the world to Charlotte.

The final day of the conference, Nov. 10, will include a public forum for anyone affected by or interested in Huntington’s Disease. All are encouraged to come and learn about the latest research and advances in treatment.

The N.C. Center for the Care of Huntington’s Disease is raising money to fund a couple of initiatives relating to the November conference.

According to Chris Young, a member of the center’s board of directors, the center is “trying to get every neurologist, primary care doctor and psychiatrist in the state to come attend the conference and learn how to treat people with Huntington’s Disease.”

Also, he said, “we’re trying to raise money for people in the state who are dealing with HD and don’t have the financial wherewithal to come to Charlotte on their own, so we’re raising money for scholarships so they can come attend the conference.”

For details or to donate, go to www.nc-cchd.org or call 919-803-8128.

FAQ What is Huntington’s Disease?

Huntington’s Disease is an inherited progressive neuropsychiatric disorder. It affects physical movement, cognitive abilities, mood and behavior. The disease can strike at any age, with peak age of onset at 35-45 years old. Men and women are equally at risk.

Each child of a Huntington’s Disease parent has a 50 percent chance of developing the disease.

Presently, there is no cure or treatment to slow or stop the degenerative disease.

Some medications can help manage symptoms, and environmental adjustments and lifestyle choices can improve quality of life.

Complications and progressive disease typically result in death 15-25 years after onset of the motor signs of the disease, but the first signs of the disease’s cognitive damage start showing up 8-15 years earlier than the physical symptoms.

How many people are affected?

Based on national estimates, there are 1,000 Huntington’s patients in North Carolina. Including their families and caregivers, there is an estimated 6,500 people in the state directly affected by HD. Nationwide estimates predict that 7-10 out of every 100,000 people in the United States suffer from HD, about the same rate as for ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease) and cystic fibrosis.

Where can families turn for help?

There are several experienced and compassionate medical clinicians in North Carolina available to help Huntington’s patients, families and community health care providers.

Education and caregiver support help family members cope with their affected loved one, and anticipate and plan for future needs.

For more information about the N.C. Center for the Care of Huntington’s Disease, go to www.nc-cchd.org or contact Sarah Dawson, LCSW, at 919-803-8128 or email sdawson@nc-cchd.org.

Wash Away Your Sins* On the 2nd Sunday of Easter

Divine Mercy Sunday April 7, 2013

— The N.C. Center for the Care of Huntington’s Disease

HUNTINGTON’S: FROM PAGE 10

offered in other parts of the state.

Edmonson, through the center, was able to allocate resources to provide a Huntington’s support group in Charlotte. It now meets the fourth Thursday of every month from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at Sharon United Methodist Church near Southpark.

Martha Lentz, a certified case manager and facilitator of the support group, was selected to head up the group, which was formed using a new model of care.

“It’s such a tragic illness to hit a family,” Lents says. “You realize that people are eager to have the resources and information that can help them battle the disease for themselves or for their family. As soon as they get the resources, it’s not as stressful as it can be at the beginning.”

Lentz, the Youngs and the center’s staff are excited that the upcoming international Huntington’s Study Group convention will be held in Charlotte in November. More than 125 medical professionals from around the world will gather at the conference to discuss the latest research on the disease.

“I’ve actually been asked to co-chair the regional planning committee for the conference,

with doctors and scientists from Wake Forest, Duke and UNC, some of whom Jacque has seen for treatment,” Young explains.

“This conference in our fair city represents a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Charlotte to make an impact in the North Carolina medical and HD community that can positively make a difference in the quality of care HD individuals and families receive for generations to come.”

He summarizes what his life and his wife’s life are like now as they work to help other families and continue to adapt to the degenerative disease: “Since we were given a strong foundation in our Catholic faith by our parents and teachers, through prayer and the love and support of our families and friends, particularly those from Belmont Abbey, in some ways our lives have become better due to HD. “We focus now more on being thankful for what we have, take life day by day rather than on planning for the future that isn’t guaranteed to any of us, and we are more appreciative of each other, our family and friends and the good things we can still share.

“I often think of the poem ‘Footprints’ and how when times are worst, God is there to carry you when you are unable to lift yourself, and how true that is in times of struggle.”

*Attend Sunday Mass

Venerate the Divine Mercy Image Receive the Eucharist Go to Reconciliation (within 20 days before or after) Earn a plenary indulgence Divine Mercy Holy Hour 3pm in the Church Prayer, Homily, Adoration Sing Chaplet & Benediction St. Matthew Catholic Church 8015 Ballentyne Commons Pkwy Charlotte, NC 28277 704-543-7677 Enjoy Light Refreshments

11

12

catholicnewsherald.com | March 29, 2013 OUR PARISHES

‘Seasons of Hope’ begins again at St. Pius X Church Georgianna Penn Correspondent

GREENSBORO — The loss of a loved one is devastating. Seasons of Hope, a national program created by a hospice specialist more than a decade ago, helps people carry the weight of that cross, supporting people through their journey of grief while providing them with encouragement and hope.

Grounded in Jesus Christ and the teachings of the Catholic Church, Seasons of Hope is a six-week comprehensive program in which participants meet four times a year.

A new series of sessions for Seasons of Hope is beginning April 7 at St. Pius X Church in Greensboro, which adapted the national program for parishioners’ needs over a year ago.

The church has always had an active consolation ministry to organize funerals and wakes for the parish.

Now, the Seasons of Hope grief ministry complements the parish’s outreach efforts.

In a recent interview, the group’s leaders explained that Seasons of Hope is different from secular grief programs in that it “deals in matters of the soul.”

“We can’t take away their pain, we can only walk with them on their journey,” said Marge Birge, one of the group’s leaders.

Each Seasons of Hope get-together consists of a greeting and opening prayer, a journal assignment and sharing, then closes with another prayer, followed by snacks and fellowship.

“Everything just falls into place each time,” explained St. Pius X staff member, Carolyn Painley.

“It’s interesting how people can find their niche within the program,” added Sallie Luedtke, a peer minister with the group. “There’s a different facilitator for each meeting.”

This gives the group sort of a ‘peer ministry’ feel and brings a new perspective to each meeting, Luedtke said.

“We each have our strengths, and it has just worked out beautifully,” said peer minister Gail McGrail.

The most special part of Seasons of Hope are its participants, the leaders all agree.

People “begin to open up by the third or fourth session,” noted Deacon Bob Morris. They bring photos of their deceased loved ones and their favorite foods to share – all ways they can mourn the loss of their loved ones while at the same time talking about their grief with others who understand what they are suffering.

Seasons of Hope is not only a gift of healing, but also a gift of the joy and hope in heaven, organizers also said.

“This is one of the most joyful ministries,” said Gail McGrail. “You laugh and you cry together.”

Learn more about the ministry at St. Pius X Church: Contact Sallie Luedtke at sallie.luedtke@gmail.com, the St. Pius X parish office at 336-2724681, or Seasons of Hope directly at seasonsofhope@cfl.rr.com.

Knights of the Holy Sepulchre bestow honors during ‘Scroll Mass’

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In Brief SJN youths learn about seder meal CHARLOTTE — Parishioners at St. John Neumann Church in Charlotte recently learned about the Jewish tradition of the seder meal. Parish youth group members gathered at the church to celebrate an authentic seder meal led by Deacon David Riser from Our Lady of the Assumption Church in Charlotte. In addition, one of the parish’s first Communion classes celebrated a seder meal while learning about the importance of the Passover as they prepare for their first Holy Communion on May 11.

— Meredith Paul

IHM holds Lenten renewal program HIGH POINT — A Lenten Renewal Program for Women was held at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in High Point Feb. 25. A similar program was held for the men of the parish on Feb. 26. Pictured is Carol Andrews, local news anchor and IHM parishioner, moderating the Lenten Renewal for Women.

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

— Kathy Roach

DACA: FROM PAGE 8

After federal immigration officials notified him that his application was ready for review, he needed to submit his fingerprints. The closest immigration office he could go to was in Charlotte – not far for him, especially since his mother, who is in the U.S. legally as a temporary worker and has a North Carolina driver’s license, could take him. For many other applicants, however, just finding a way to travel around to get the necessary documents and keep

ST. PETER: FROM PAGE 3

own weakness, he says with humility: “Lord; you know that I love you (filo-se),” that is, “I love you with my poor human love.” Christ insists: “Simon, do you love me with this total love that I want?”.And Peter repeats the response of his humble human love: “Kyrie, filo-se,” “Lord, I love you as I am able to love you.” The third time Jesus only says to Simon: “Fileis-me?” – “Do you love me?”

Simon understands that his poor love is enough for Jesus, it is the only one he is capable of, but he is grieved that the Lord spoke to him in this way. He replies: “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you (filo-se).”

This is to say that Jesus has put Himself on the level of Peter, rather than Peter on Jesus’ level! It is exactly this divine conformity that gives hope to the disciple who experienced the pain of infidelity.

CHARLOTTE — The Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem invested four local Catholics and promoted seven others in rank during a special Mass at St. Patrick Cathedral in Charlotte March 10.

Invested in the Order were: Father Christopher Gober, pastor of St. Bernadette Church in Linville; Julian Seale Hobson, Thomas Neil Buckley and Gwenneth Ho Hobson.

Promoted in the Order were: Robert Francis Eggleston Jr., Knight promoted to rank of Knight Commander; Angela Mary Eggleston, Lady promoted to rank of Lady Commander; Wilhelmina Da Silva Mobley, Lady promoted to rank of Lady Commander with Star; Knights promoted to Knight Grand Cross were: James Harper Bell, William Edmund Rabil Sr. and Cleatus Joseph Tate; and Rose O’Gara Bell, Lady promoted to Lady Grand Cross.

During what’s colloquially called the “Scroll Mass,” Bishop Peter J. Jugis, on behalf of the Holy See, presented scrolls to each.

Founded during the Crusades to protect the sacred places of Jerusalem, the Knights of the Holy Sepulchre fraternal order has about 23,000 men and women members worldwide and is under papal protection. Its modern mission is to sustain the religious and humanitarian efforts of the Catholic Church in the Holy Land; and to propagate the faith in the Holy Land and the rights of the Catholic Church there.

— Patricia L. Guilfoyle

appointments at distant immigration offices can be a real hardship.

After months of working and waiting, Edward was told in December that he had been granted deferred status through DACA. He was given a work authorization card, which he then could use to obtain a Social Security card and a driver’s license.

He received both and immediately insured and registered his car, something he had waited a long time to do.

The weeks since he received the news about his deferment have been good, Edward says. He has been busy looking for another job and he is considering going to college. For the first time in his life, he hasn’t had to worry about not having his

“papers.” He says he won’t have to dread getting called into a manager’s office and interrogated about whether or not he’s legal. He won’t have to choose between telling the truth and maybe getting fired or lying and feeling terrible about it.

There have also been disappointments, he says. He had hoped to attend nearby Guilford College but cannot afford to pay the out-of-state tuition rates.

“I feel like I’m in limbo,” he says. “They (state government) should make it easier for us, not harder. I’m not planning to move back to El Salvador and live in El Salvador anymore. I live here. I’m a new American, and I want to be here and I want to be successful. I want to do something for this country.”

From here is born the trust that makes him able to follow Christ to the end. From that day, Peter “followed” the Master with the precise awareness of his own fragility, but this understanding did not discourage him. Indeed, he knew he could count on the presence of the Risen One beside him.

In this way he shows us the Way, notwithstanding all of our weakness.

— May 24, 2006, general audience

continuity between the pre-eminence he had in the group of the Apostles and the pre-eminence he would continue to have in the community born with the paschal events, as the Book of Acts testifies.

Moreover, the fact that several of the key texts that refer to Peter can be traced back to the context of the Last Supper, during which Christ conferred upon Peter the ministry of strengthening his brethren, shows that the ministry entrusted to Peter was one of the constitutive elements of the Church, which was born from the commemoration of the Pasch celebrated in the Eucharist.

This contextualization of the Primacy of Peter at the Last Supper, at the moment of the Institution of the Eucharist, the Lord’s Pasch, also points to the ultimate meaning of this Primacy: Peter must be the custodian of communion with Christ for all time. He must guide people to communion with Christ; he must ensure that the net does not break, and consequently that universal communion endures. Only together can we be with Christ, who is Lord of all.

— June 7, 2006, general audience

Peter the rock The pre-eminent position Jesus wanted to bestow upon Peter is encountered after the Resurrection: Jesus charges the women to announce it especially to Peter, as distinct from the other Apostles; it is to Peter and John that Mary Magdalene runs to tell them that the stone has been rolled away from the tomb, and John was to stand back to let Peter enter first when they arrived at the empty tomb.

Then, Peter was to be the first witness of an appearance of the Risen One. His role, decisively emphasized, marks the

13

March 29, 2013 | catholicnewsherald.com

Sueño americano hecho realidad después de más de dos décadas de espera Alexandra Vilchez Correspondent

CHARLOTTE — El pasado 14 de febrero, Eduardo Bernal, coordinador del Ministerio Hispano del Vicariato de Smoky Mountain, recibió un regalo especial del día del amor y la amistad: convertirse en ciudadano americano después de más de dos décadas de haber llegado a Estados Unidos.

“Ese día este gran país me demostró su gran amor convirtiéndome en uno de sus ciudadanos. Fue una ceremonia muy bonita y diversa, ya que nos juramentamos 90 inmigrantes de 41 diferentes naciones”, dijo Bernal, de 44 años.

Oriundo de la ciudad de San Salvador (El Salvador), Bernal cuenta que con apenas 20 años tuvo que abandonar el país centroamericano en la década de los años noventa huyendo de la guerra civil que dejó más de 75.000 muertos y desaparecidos.

“Crucé por la frontera por McAllen (Texas) con un sobrino de 6 años que me encargó mi madre y hermana que vivían en Nueva York. Fue un viaje muy difícil, no hablaba inglés, y por varios días tuve

que comer sólo café y donas, lo único que sabía decir”, añade.

Recuerda que llegó a la Gran Estación Central de trenes en Manhattan en horas de la madrugada de un mes de agosto muy lluvioso, de donde tuvo que arreglársela para reunirse con su familia en Long Island.

Dos años después, el salvadoreño se incorporó al grupo juvenil de la Parroquia San Patricio, de la Diócesis Rockville Center (Nueva York) por casualidad para cuidar de una prima, pero en ese lugar terminó encontrando “gente buena” y la misión de su vida.

“La iglesia terminó por criarme”, cuenta. “En El Salvador iba a misa, fui bautizado e hice la primera comunión, pero no frecuentábamos tanto la iglesia, a mi madre, que era madre soltera, le preocupaba que tuviéramos comida en la casa”.

A su corta edad, fundó el grupo de jóvenes “Nuevos Horizontes”, que año y medio después se convirtió en “Fuerza Nueva”, que continúa funcionando después de 15 años apoyando a la comunidad y educándola sobre la vida cristiana.

Una visita de un seminarista de

American dream comes true after more than two decades of waiting Alexandra Vilchez Correspondent

CHARLOTTE — On Feb. 14, Eduardo Bernal, the head of the Hispanic Ministry of the Smoky Mountain Vicariate, received a special gift on the day of love and friendship: he became a U.S. citizen after more than two decades after arriving in the United States.

“That day this great country showed me their love by allowing me to become one of its citizens. The ceremony was very beautiful and very diverse as 90 immigrants from 41 different nations were sworn in,” said the 44-year-old Bernal.

A native of San Salvador (El Salvador), Bernal explained that at only 20 years old he had to leave the Central American country in the early 1990s, fleeing a civil war that left more than 75,000 dead and missing.

“I crossed the border at McAllen (Texas) with a 6-year-old nephew that my mother and sister asked me to take care of and bring him to them in New York. It was a very difficult journey, I did not speak English, and for several days, I had to eat just coffee and donuts – that’s all I could say,” Bernal recalls.

He remembers that when he reached Grand Central Station in Manhattan in the early morning hours of a rainy August, he had to find the way to join his family on Long Island.

Two years later, he was caring for his niece and by chance the Salvadoran joined the youth group of St. Patrick Parish in the

Diocese of Rockville Centre (New York).

He ended up finding “good people” and the mission of his life.

“The Church ended up raising me,” he says. “In El Salvador we went to church, I was baptized and did first Communion, but did not frequent the church. My mother, a single mother, was concerned that we had food in the house.”

At his young age, he created the group “New Horizons,” which a year and a half later became “New Force” and which continues to function after 15 years by supporting and educating the community about Christian life.

A visit in 2001 by a seminarian from Charlotte again changed the fate of Bernal’s life by proposing the idea of working in North Carolina with its growing Hispanic community.

“Again, it was a difficult decision to leave the family, my church, leave everything behind, but I was on a mission to serve the people and the Church,” he says.

Bernal came to Winston-Salem and then moved to Asheville, the largest vicariate of the Diocese of Charlotte. The territory of seven counties has the lowest number of Catholics and about 15,000 Hispanic parishioners, mostly of Mexican heritage.

Bernal recalls that he had to start from scratch to create the Hispanic ministry, which at that time offered only one Mass in Spanish. Now there are six Spanish Masses offered regularly, besides catechism classes, retreats, marriage preparation DREAM, SEE page 17

Charlotte en 2001 a la parroquia en Nueva York volvió a cambiar el destino de la vida de Bernal al proponer la idea de trabajar en Carolina del Norte con la creciente comunidad hispana del estado.

“Otra vez fue una decisión difícil, abandonar la familia, mi iglesia, dejar todo atrás, pero era por la misión de servir a la gente y a la iglesia”, apunta.

El laico llegó a la ciudad de WinstonSalem y luego se trasladó a Asheville, al Vicariato más grande de la Diócesis de Charlotte en territorio -con siete condados- pero el más pequeño en población, con cerca de 15.000 feligreses hispanos, la mayoría mexicanos.

Bernal recuerda que tuvo que empezar de cero para crear el Ministerio Hispano, que en aquella época apenas se ofrecía una misa en español y ahora seis, incluyendo la organización de las clases de catequismo, retiros espirituales, preparación de matrimonios, y formación de la comunidad de base.

“Los sacerdotes y yo apenas hacemos el 1 por ciento del trabajo, el resto lo hace la comunidad, hay mucha gente hispana REALIDAD, SEE page 17

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Our schools 14

catholicnewsherald.com | March 29, 2013 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

St. Mark School dedicates new lion statue Amy Burger Special to the Catholic News Herald

HUNTERSVILLE — Families, eighthgrade students, administrators and teachers from St. Mark School gathered on Jan. 24 as Monsignor Richard Bellow gave a special blessing to dedicate a new lion statue installed outside the school’s courtyard on Stumptown Road. The lion, which is the school mascot, was chosen because of its association with St. Mark the Evangelist, for whom the school is named.

But for many families, this lion symbolizes much more.

It’s been 10 years since St. Mark School opened its doors. As the school continues to celebrate the growth and expansion that has occurred since that first bell rang in August 2003, many families are marking this year as the end of an era. More than 30 families will watch their last child graduate from St. Mark this coming May. Several of those families were influential in persuading the Mecklenburg Area Catholic Schools system to build a school in northern Mecklenburg County. All of those families have, in some way, shaped what St. Mark School is today.

The lion statue is a gift from more than

Mass for Pope Francis GREENSBORO — Our Lady of Grace students Chase Wiedwald, Autumn Wilde and Maggie Foppe walk down the aisle at Our Lady of Grace Church carrying a “spiritual bouquet” full of prayers for the new Holy Father, Pope Francis. Classes presented these special collections of prayers to Father Eric Kowalski, pastor, for blessings.

Photo provided by Karen Hornfeck

30 families, who wanted to commemorate their time at St. Mark School.

“Words cannot express the gratitude we have for all that this school has given to our families,” said Gail Ferraro, former PTO president and coordinator of the Photo provided by group gift. “We Kristen O’Malley wanted to leave behind a symbol that would inspire other families for years to come.”

The lion statue stands more than six feet tall, weighs more than 1,700 pounds, and stares regally from a custom-built foundation, guarding the gateway into the St. Mark School. A plaque at the base of the sculpture reads: “A time to celebrate the beauty, gift and blessing of being part of the St. Mark community. Thanks for the Memories! With Love, The departing families of 2013. ‘Start as a cub ... leave as a LION!’”

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Mary: The Mother of Faith Presented by Thomas Smith

In Brief

Saturday, April 13th 7-9 pm St. Mark Family Life Center 14740 Stumptown Road Huntersville, NC 28078 The pastoral recommendations for the Year of Faith say that local churches should encourage “every initiative that helps the faithful to recognize the larger story of Mary in our salvation history, discover her amazing prefigurements in the Old Testament and explored the riches of her life where she models faithfulness and discipleship for us today.”

Cost for this evening is $10.00 a person, which includes a reception with heavy appetizers preceding the talk. Tickets can be purchased through www.stmarknc.org.

On front page click link to purchase tickets (credit cards accepted) National speaker and renown theologian, Thomas Smith holds a Degree in Philosophy from the Pontifical Lateran University in Rome, and did his graduate theology at St. John Vianney Theological Seminary in Denver. Thomas currently writes bible study material for Ascension Press and travels throughout the US giving workshops and retreats. We are extremely excited about Thomas coming to St. Mark and encourage all to participate in this rare opportunity.

SPX honors student winners GREENSBORO — St. Pius X School students recently participated in three competitions. The Geography Bee and Spelling Bee were held at the school. The Model UN Competition was held at Bishop McGuinness Catholic High School.

The Geography Bee winner was Thomas Gessner, and runner-up was Neal Kordsmeier.

Spelling Bee winners were Mahlon Brady and Noah Hudson.

Model UN winners were: – Best Delegation: Devon O’Brian (eighth) and Zach Becker (eighth) representing Togo – Best Delegation: Neil Kordsmeier (eighth), Fraser Welsford (eighth), and Nathan Strasser (seventh) representing Pakistan – Best Delegation: Drew Ritzel (seventh) and Brenda Chase (seventh) representing Azerbaijan – Superior Delegation: Alexis Pean (eighth) and Mary Elizabeth Hudson (eighth) representing France – Superior Delegation: Molly Garner (eighth) and Kelly King (eighth) representing the Russian Federation – Honorable Mention: Kennedy Barber (eighth) and Blair Patton (eighth) representing Morocco — Jean Navarro and Anne W. Knapke

March 29, 2013 | catholicnewsherald.com catholic news heraldI

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In Brief

15

OLM students ‘visit’ Ireland for St. Patrick’s Day

through customs with their passports, boarded their Kinder-Air plane (pictured above) and went to Dublin, Ireland (which looked a lot like the classroom next door). Parents and teachers had decorated the classroom to look like a castle, and the students rotated through fun stations that included Irish bingo, kissing the Blarney stone, getting a shamrock “tattoo,” eating at the Celtic Café, coloring a Celtic cross and getting Celtic nametags from St. Patrick, and even dancing an Irish jig with a leprechaun.

— Lara Davenport

WINSTON-SALEM — To celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, Our Lady of Mercy School’s pre-K and kindergarten classes packed a bag, went

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

achieved: raising $5,000 for Holy Angels.

The challenge was: If the money were raised, Assistant Principal Randy Belk would shave off his moustache, which he has worn for a long time. The composite photo shows what happened next.

— Joann Keane and Elena St. Onge

Battle of the Books competition held Students raise money ASHEVILLE — Asheville Catholic School won the N.C. Battle of the Books Region 9 Competition on March 5. The team went on to compete at the regional competition March 20.

Pictured front row (kneeling, from left) are the team captains, eighth-graders Annalise Mangone, Lana Camille, David Mathews and Elizabeth Mangone; standing (from left) are Coach Shonra McManus (ACS librarian), Benjamin Greever, Drew Hamilton, Kendall Henretta, Audrey Meigs, Abbey Ende, Sarah Abernethy and Ilze Greever; and (back) Daniel Beale and parent coaches, Linda Greever and Lee Anne Mangone.

CHARLOTTE — During Catholic Schools Week, St. Ann students raised more than $1,000 for research on Smith-Magenis Syndrome by challenging one another in “Penny Wars.”

Pictured is Michael Daly, a St. Ann LLSP student diagnosed with SMS, along with the school’s transitional kindergarten class. Smith-Magenis Syndrome is a rare chromosomal anomaly.

— Peggy Mazzola

OLG students dress up for CSW

— Jane Mathews

Belk has a close shave, thanks to students CHARLOTTE — On March 11 , Charlotte Catholic High School students gathered for an assembly for the culmination of a challenge

Celebrating 60 years of excellence!

GREENSBORO — During Catholic Schools Week, Our Lady of Grace first-graders dressed up as their favorite famous Americans and presented their own living history show to fellow students and other visitors. Shown are OLG first-graders Jackson Davis dressed up as Dwayne Wade, a basketball player with the Miami Heat, and Ian Cottingham, dressed up as moviemaker George Lucas.

— Karen L. Hornfeck

Service learning

Open House:

April 11th at 9:30 a.m. (Pre-K to 8th grade) 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

BUILD UP THE CHURCH ONLINE!

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

Are you a website designer who understand the power of the internet to connect with people? The Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte seeks a full-time webmaster to build and maintain its websites and further its mission of evangelization and outreach.

Working knowledge of Joomla, Apache, Linux, HTML/HTML 5, PHP, CSS, Java, Microsoft OS, IIS, Google Analytics and web security a must. Bachelor’s degree preferred, with 2+ years’ experience as webmaster. EOE. Email resume and salary history by April 30th to IT Director Scott Long, selong@charlottediocese.org. No phone calls, please.

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.

Mix 16

catholicnewsherald.com | March 29, 2013 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

For the latest movie reviews: catholicnewsherald.com

On TV

In theaters ‘The Croods’ Beautifully rendered and refreshingly goodhumored, this 3-D animated comedy follows the adventures of the Stone Age family of the title as they face the perils of climate change.

The overprotective father (voice of Nicolas Cage) keeps his clan – including his loving wife (voice of Catherine Keener) and rebellious teenage daughter (voice of Emma Stone) – safe inside a dark cave. But curiosity leads the latter to encounter a resourceful stranger (voice of Ryan Reynolds) who pledges to guide her and her relatives into the light of a safe haven.

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

‘Admission’ ‘Olympus Has Fallen’ Frequently bloody action flick in which North Korean terrorists (led by Rick Yune) seize the White House and take the president (Aaron Eckhart) and other high officials hostage. But they fail to reckon on the fighting skills of a Secret Service agent (Gerard Butler) whose temporary desk job in the Treasury Department saves him from being mowed down in the initial attack – or on the statesmanship of the speaker of the House (Morgan Freeman), who takes the nation’s helm as acting chief executive. Slaughter is interspersed with demonstrations of American ingenuity and moral superiority in director Antoine Fuqua’s shallow fightfest. Gory scenes of combat, murder and torture, several uses of profanity, much rough language.

CNS: L (limited adult audience); MPAA: R

Low-key romantic comedy in which a college admissions officer (Tina Fey) on a recruiting trip falls for an idealistic teacher (Paul Rudd) at an experimental private school.

But complications develop when she discovers that the brilliant student (Nat Wolff) her new love is urging her to accept into her university may be the child she gave up for adoption during her own campus days. Acceptance of cohabitation, a benign view of unethical behavior, occasional crude language.

CNS: L (limited adult audience); MPAA: PG-13

Additional reviews:

n ‘Dead Man Down’: CNS: A-O (morally offensive); MPAA: R n ‘The Call’: CNS: A-o (morally offensive); MPAA: R n ‘The Incredible Burt Wonderstone’: CNS: L (limited adult audience); MPAA: PG-13

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CNS | Paul Haring

Pope Francis blesses a child in St. Peter’s Square after celebrating Palm Sunday Mass at the Vatican March 24.

The pope will give his first “Urbi et Orbi” message on Easter Sunday, to be broadcast on EWTN. n Saturday, March 30, 12 p.m. (EWTN) “Footprints of God: Jesus The Word Became Flesh.” Steve Ray continues his journey through salvation history, taking viewers to key sites from the life of Jesus in this exciting travelogue, Bible study, and history lesson rolled into one. n Saturday, March 30, 2 p.m. (EWTN) “That I May See.” Featuring actress Ruth Hussey and actor Raymond Burr, among others, this program highlights both the Sermon on the Mount and the miracles of Jesus, including His bringing sight to the blind. n Sunday, March 31, 6 a.m. (EWTN) “Urbi Et Orbi: Message and Blessing – Easter.” From St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City, Pope Francis gives the traditional Easter message and blessing “Urbi et Orbi” (“To the city of Rome and to the world”). n Sunday, March 31, noon-2 p.m. (EWTN) “Easter Sunday Mass.” Cardinal Donald W. Wuerl is scheduled to serve as celebrant and homilist at this liturgy, broadcast live from the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C.

n Monday, April 1, 6:30 p.m. (EWTN) “The God of Mercy – Faustina, A Story of Mercy.” Father Bala Udumala shares the life of St. Faustina as permeated with the mission of mercy entrusted to her by Jesus. n Tuesday, April 2, 6:30 p.m. (EWTN) “The God of Mercy – The Five Elements of the Divine Mercy Devotion.” Father Bala Udumala speaks about the Divine Mercy Image, the Feast, the Chaplet, the Hour of Mercy, and of the renewal and proclamation of the message of mercy. n Thursday, April 4, 2 p.m. (EWTN) “Saint Mariana of Jesus.” Priests and religious offer their insights on the life of St. Mariana of Jesus, an Ecuadorean mystic who was blessed with many spiritual gifts and graces. n Sunday, April 7, 1-3:30 p.m. (EWTN) “Mass and Celebration of Divine Mercy.” The celebration of the Solemn Mass of Divine Mercy Sunday, broadcast live from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy in Stockbridge, Mass.

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n Sunday, March 31, 7 p.m. (EWTN) “Solemn Mass of Easter Sunday from Rome.” From St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City.

n Sunday, April 7, 10-11 p.m. (EWTN) “Franciscan University Presents: Divine Mercy and Mary.”

Host Michael Hernon and theology professors Regis Martin and Scott Hahn discuss questions related to Divine Mercy and Marian consecration with Father Michael Gaitley, the director of the Association of Marian Helpers.

From Dulles Airport visit Warsaw, Czestrochowa, Krakow, Wadowice & Prague. With Fr. Pisano from Wellsburg, WV Christmas in the Holy Land Dec 21-29 With Fr. Bufogle from Kingwood, WV

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March 29, 2013 | catholicnewsherald.com catholic news heraldI

PILGRIMAGE FROM PAGE 6

“The (talks) were very moving.”

The youth also participated in breakout sessions for middle schoolers, high school girls and high school boys that offered ageappropriate faith and witness talks aimed at strengthening their faith in a culture that aims to pull them away from God. A Eucharistic Procession around the Belmont Abbey College campus gave them an opportunity to join with Bishop Peter J. Jugis, as he carried the Blessed Sacrament. The youth prayed the rosary or simply prayed silently as they processed.

During his Holy Hour address, Bishop Jugis explained that when we gather together as a community of faith, our faith grows stronger. He also noted that a pilgrimage is by definition a time set aside to spend with God – a journey to a holy place for a time of prayer.

“I am glad that you have come to Belmont Abbey to pray with me and pray with people from around the diocese,” he said.

“We are all gathered in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament.

“It is the Holy Eucharist that brings us together. The Eucharist brings us together as one family. The Eucharist brings us together because love unites. Love unites people and the Eucharist is the sacrament of Christ’s love.”

Bishop Jugis also spoke on the theme of the pilgrimage: “Open the Door to Jesus.”

“God is opening the door of faith for you and inviting you to enter through that door.

In another sense, you can look at that door as something you yourself can open up so God can enter into you.”

Bishop Jugis reflected that there are many ways to open the interior door of one’s heart.

“God is giving you the grace to open that door to Jesus so He can enter in. The Lord, who is standing here on the altar present in the Blessed Sacrament, wants to enter in through a door that you have opened for Him. Open the door for Jesus.”

Contemporary culture is trying to fill our hearts with everything except God, he cautioned. Selfishness, pride, promiscuity, drug abuse and more want to push through that door and overwhelm our lives.

“So many evils are trying to get into that door into your heart. You know it as well as I.” “But, if Jesus has already been given admittance … then you are able to keep out the undesirable influences. If Jesus is there first and foremost in the place of preeminence and prominence, enthroned as the King of your heart, then those other undesirable influences that are trying to find a way in the door will not find a welcome,” Bishop Jugis continued.

“Jesus brings you peace when He comes to live there. Jesus brings you joy. Jesus brings you the Holy Spirit.”

As the winds seemed to pick up during his remarks, Bishop Jugis commented, “I wonder if the wind of the Holy Spirit is blowing into your heart this afternoon, through that open door, and if it is calling some of you to be a priest or a sister like he called St. Patrick on the countryside of Ireland to serve the salvation of your brothers and sisters.”

In his parting remarks to the youth, Bishop Jugis said, “Keep the Eucharist as the center of your spiritual life. Love the Eucharist. Adore the Eucharist. Be at church every Sunday to celebrate the Eucharist on the Lord’s day. Don’t take the Lord for granted, because He doesn’t take you for granted. Make time for him.

“Live the Eucharist. Live the sacrificial love which the Eucharist embodies – carry that Eucharistic love in your heart. Open the door to Jesus.”

FROM PAGE 13

buena, caritativa, y con gran amor a la iglesia”, apunta.

En 2010, el hispano contrajo matrimonio con Brenda Patricia Arroyo, y ahora la pareja espera su primera hija.

“A Estados Unidos le debo todo lo que tengo y agradezco a mi madre la decisión de emigrar a este país, que nos ofreció una buena vida”, concluye.

El hispano ya aplicó para su pasaporte estadounidense y se registrará para votar y cumplir con su deber cívico como nuevo ciudadano.

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“The priests and I just do the 1 percent of the work. The rest is done by the community. There are many good Hispanic people, charitable, and with great love for the Church,” he says.

In 2010, he married Brenda Patricia Arroyo, and now the couple is expecting their first child.

“I owe everything I have to the United States and thanks to my mother for the decision to immigrate to this country, which gave us a good life,” he says.

He has already applied for a U.S. passport and registered to vote to fulfill his civic duty as a new citizen.

704-841-1160

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Let’s keep talking.

REALIDAD:

17

Check in starts at 9am / Program starts at 9:45am Closing Mass at 2:40pm with Fr. Ed Sheridan Registration deadline: Monday, April 15th

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Cost is $15 per person (includes lunch).

Please make checks payable to Catholic Social Services. You may register as a group or individually. Mail your check to: Catholic Social Services – 1123 S. Church St. – Charlotte, NC 28203 – attn: Sandra Breakfield.

For more information: Sandra Breakfield 704-370-3220 / Sherill Beason 704-370-3228

Our nation 18

catholicnewsherald.com | March 29, 2013 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Traditional marriage supporters march to U.S. Supreme Court Carol Zimmermann Catholic News Service

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Thousands of people who gathered at one end of the National Mall March 26 in support of traditional marriage took their message to the U.S. Supreme Court as they walked and held aloft placards with signs saying: “Kids do best with a mom and dad.”

The court began hearing oral arguments that morning on the constitutionality of California’s Proposition 8, the law banning same-sex unions, the day before hearing oral arguments in a challenge to the federal Defense of Marriage Act. Hours before and up to the minute the hearings began, the street in front of the court was filled with protesters on both sides of the same-sex “marriage” issue.

Those in support of traditional marriage came to Washington, D.C., with church or parish groups from nearby or had traveled alone or with one or two others from states across the country, including Massachusetts, New York, Minnesota and Florida.

For the latest news 24/7: catholicnewsherald.com

In Brief Bishop: New laws affirm N.D.’s commitment to life

When the groups dispersed, those supporting traditional marriage continued their march back to the rally point on the mall where numerous speakers echoed the message that marriage should not be redefined.

Under sunny blue skies but chilly temperatures, those taking part in the March for Marriage cheered and applauded speakers who addressed the crowd from a platform under the banner: “Every Child Deserves a Mom and Dad.” The crowd, primarily adults, stood on muddy grass on the mall between the U.S. Capitol and the Washington CNS | Matthew Barrick Monument. Tour groups, A woman displays a sign during the March for Marriage rally in Washington, including some on D.C., March 26. Thousands of people who gathered in support of traditional Segways, passed the marriage took their message to the U.S. Supreme Court as they walked and group, and asked those held aloft placards objecting to legalization of same-sex unions. on the periphery what the rally was about. A same for you.” member of one family visiting Washington He said the message of the day boils found out what was going on by looking it down to the concept that traditional up on her smartphone. marriage “matters to kids.”

Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone “Only men can be fathers and only of San Francisco, chairman of the U.S. women can be mothers,” he added, noting: bishops’ Subcommittee for the Promotion “I find it hard to believe I have to stand and Defense of Marriage and the event’s here and say that.” first speaker, noted that all eyes were upon He urged the Supreme Court justices for the country at this time. the “sake of the children” to “preserve the “I want begin with a word to those who meaning of marriage in the law, a meaning disagree with us on this issue and may be common to every human society since the watching us right now: We love you, we are beginning of the human race.” your neighbors, and we want to be your Other speakers similarly stressed the friends, and we want you to be happy.” importance of preserving marriage as a He continued: “Please understand that union of one man and one woman. They we don’t hate you, and that we are not noted that this was an issue they intended motivated by animus or bigotry; it is not to keep defending, no matter how the our intention to offend anyone, and if we Supreme Court rules. have, I apologize; please try to listen to us As one speaker put it: “We are here to be fairly, and calmly, and try to understand the conscience of America.” us and our position, as we will try to do the

BISMARCK, N.D. — North Dakota Gov. Jack Dalrymple’s signature on three pro-life bills “affirms our state’s commitment to the protection of all human life,” Bishop David D. Kagan of Bismarck said March 26. Protecting life “from the moment of conception to natural death is the primary purpose of government,” the bishop said.

“All persons, including our elected officials, are obligated to unceasingly to seek protection of this basic human right.”

The measures Dalrymple signed into law require doctors who perform abortions to have admitting privileges at a local hospital; ban abortion for the purpose of sex selection or genetic abnormality; and ban abortion after the detection of a fetal heartbeat, which could be as early as six weeks.

North Dakota lawmakers also voted March 22 to put a referendum on the 2014 ballot that would amend the state constitution to say that “the inalienable right to life of every human being at any stage of development must be recognized and protected.”

USCCB: New proposed rules still violate religious freedom WASHINGTON, D.C. — New proposed regulations governing the contraceptive mandate under the Affordable Care Act continue to violate basic principles of religious freedom, said the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. In comments filed March 20 with the Department of Health and Human Services, the USCCB raised a series of concerns, among them being that the new proposals keep in place “an unjust and unlawful mandate” regarding the provision of contraceptive and other pregnancy services and that the rules provide no exemption, or accommodation, for “most stakeholders in the health insurance process, such as individual employees and for-profit employers,” who are morally opposed to such coverage. The 24-page statement was filed during the 60-day comment period established by the Health and Human Services after it introduced the new proposed rules Feb. 1. The deadline for comments is April 8.

— Catholic News Service

Principal Opening

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Our world

March 29, 2013 | catholicnewsherald.com catholic news heraldI

19

Pope Francis greets the crowd as he leaves St. Peter’s Square after celebrating Palm Sunday Mass at the Vatican March 24. A sign in Italian in the square wishes the pope a good day.

CNS | Paul Haring

Pope Francis urges Christians to have joy over Cross In the face of evil, he says, do not be afraid CNA/EWTN News

VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis declared on Palm Sunday that Christians must not be sad or discouraged but filled with joy because Jesus conquered evil and every sin “with the force of God’s love.”

“Jesus on the Cross feels the whole weight of the evil, and with the force of God’s love He conquers it, He defeats it with His resurrection,” he said March 24.

“Dear friends,” Pope Francis told the thousands of pilgrims filling St. Peter’s Square and the street leading to it, “we can all conquer the evil that is in us and in the world: with Christ, with the force of good!”

The liturgy began with the pope touring through the crowd in the open-air popemobile and finishing at the obelisk that stands in the middle of St. Peter’s Square.

Accompanied by cardinals, bishops and laity holding palms, he listened as the readings were proclaimed. The group of clergy and faithful then made their way to the altar in front of the basilica and heard the reading of the Passion of Christ from Matthew’s Gospel.

Pope Francis reflected on three themes in his Palm Sunday homily: the joy that comes from meeting and knowing Christ; the fact that Jesus entered Jerusalem to redeem the world with His loving sacrifice on the Cross; and that young people can teach everyone to embrace the Cross with joy and to live lives of self-sacrifice.

The first word that came to the pope’s mind as he reflected on the entrance of Jesus into Jerusalem was joy.

“Do not be men and women of sadness: a Christian can never be sad! Never give way to discouragement!

“Ours is not a joy that comes from having many possessions, but from having

encountered a Person: Jesus, from knowing that with Him we are never alone, even at difficult moments, even when our life’s journey comes up against problems and obstacles that seem insurmountable,” he said.

The pope then turned to his second point of reflection: the way Jesus entered Jerusalem, as a king who was received “by humble people, simple folk.”

But even more, He entered “to receive a crown of thorns, a staff, a purple robe: His kingship becomes an object of derision.

“And this brings us to the second word: Cross. Jesus enters Jerusalem in order to die on the Cross.

“And it is here that His kingship shines forth in godly fashion: His royal throne is the wood of the Cross,” he underscored.

What Jesus did, Pope Francis said, was to take upon Himself “the evil, the filth, the sin of the world, including our own sin,” and cleanse it “with His blood, with the mercy and the love of God.” He then recalled how the world is filled with the effects of evil and sin: “Wars, violence, economic conflicts that hit the weakest, greed for money, power, corruption, divisions, crimes against human life and against creation! And our personal sins: our failures in love and respect towards God, towards our neighbor and towards the whole of creation.”

In the face of all this, the pope asked, “Do we feel weak, inadequate, powerless?”

“But,” he responded, “God is not looking for powerful means: it is through the Cross that He has conquered evil! We must not believe the Evil One when he tells us: you can do nothing to counter violence, corruption, injustice, your sins!”

“We must never grow accustomed to evil!” he

insisted.

“With Christ,” he declared, “we can transform ourselves and the world. We must bear the victory of Christ’s Cross to everyone everywhere. We must bear this great love of God.” Pope Francis dedicated his final words to the youth, who were in St. Peter’s Square because Palm Sunday is traditionally the day on which World Youth Day is celebrated at the diocesan level.

“Dear young people,” he said, you have “an important part in the celebration of faith! You bring us the joy of faith and you tell us that we must live the faith with a young heart, always, even at the age of 70 or 80.”

“And you are not ashamed of His Cross! On the contrary, you embrace it, because you have understood that it is in giving ourselves that we have true joy and that God has conquered evil through love,” he told the youth.

Pope Francis also looked ahead to this coming July, when he will participate in his first World Youth Day as pope.

“Dear friends,” he said, “I too am setting out on a journey with you, in the footsteps of Blessed John Paul II and Benedict XVI. “We are already close to the next stage of this great pilgrimage of Christ’s Cross. I look forward joyfully to next July in Rio de Janeiro!” he told the young people in St. Peter’s Square.

“I will see you in that great city in Brazil!

Prepare well – prepare spiritually, above all – in your communities, so that our gathering in Rio may be a sign of faith for the whole world.”

Following Palm Sunday Mass, Pope Francis spent around 25 minutes moving through the piazza greeting the faithful – an unusually long time for a tradition that typically takes about 10 minutes.

‘Ours is not a joy that comes from having many possessions, but from having encountered a Person: Jesus, from knowing that with Him we are never alone, even at difficult moments.’

— Pope Francis

20

catholicnewsherald.com | March 29, 2013 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Bishop Jugis celebrates Mass of Thanksgiving for Pope Francis SueAnn Howell Senior Reporter

CHARLOTTE — During a series of Masses of Thanksgiving he offered for the new pope, Bishop Peter J. Jugis said he has observed three themes in the first days of Pope Francis’ pontificate: the new pope’s prayerfulness, his emphasis on God’s mercy, and his devotion to the Blessed Mother. The March 18 Mass at St. Patrick Cathedral in Charlotte was the first of three Masses of Thanksgiving that Bishop Jugis offered around the Diocese of Charlotte last week in honor of the new pope.

Prayer is foremost in all the Holy Father has been doing, saying and in all of his activities, Bishop Jugis noted in his homily.

“Pope Francis’ papacy was born in prayer,” Bishop Jugis said. “It came forth from the prayers of cardinals in conclave,” as well as the “prayer of the entire Church that has been taking place Photo provided by Sharon Broxterman during these past weeks accompanying the Liane Christmas’ kindergarten students conclave at St. Gabriel School in Charlotte started in their decorating their classroom door earlier prayerful this month in anticipation of the election discernof a new pope, and upon the naming of ment.”

Pope Francis, they completed it.

During his At www.catholicnewsherald. first address com: Read more reactions from March 13, as people around the Diocese of he greeted Charlotte the faithful on the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica, Pope Francis pointed to this primacy of prayer, asking God to bless him in his ministry as pope and asking the whole Church to pray for him. His request for prayers from the faithful came before his blessing upon them – a somewhat unusual and spontaneous action and just one of many unconventional and humble acts people have witnessed from the new pope since his election.

“We are fulfilling that important request our Holy Father has made of us, his humble request for prayers, by offering this Mass for his intentions and for him, that God would bless his

Habemus papam!

ministry,” Bishop Jugis said.

God has made Pope Francis the head of the household of faith, head of the family of the Church, Bishop Jugis also noted. His inauguration Mass on March 19, the Feast of St. Joseph, points to this integral role for the pope and his humility in recognizing that he must rely wholeheartedly on God. “In that humble recognition that God is primary and God is first in all blessings that come from Him, he (Pope Francis) humbly recognizes the need for us to pray to God for His blessings, for His help … to help him in his mission to bring Christ to the world,” Bishop Jugis explained.

In the new pope’s public remarks, he has repeatedly emphasized God’s mercy and love, Bishop Jugis also noted.

Pope Francis called “mercy Jesus’ strongest message,” during Mass at St. Anne Church on March 17 and during his Angelus address later that day to hundreds of thousands of people gathered in St. Peter’s Square.

“The Lord never tires of forgiving us.

Never. We are the ones who tire of asking for forgiveness,” Bishop Jugis said. “Let us ask for the grace to never tire of asking for forgiveness.”

Pope Francis has been preaching Christ’s mercy for six decades. He had a profound experience of God’s mercy in 1953 on the Feast of St. Matthew the Apostle, when he received the sacrament of reconciliation. The 17-yearold’s personal experience of faith changed his whole outlook and set him on the path to the priesthood. Pope Francis said he saw in that moment the same mercy shown to him as what Jesus showed Matthew when He called the sinful tax collector to follow Him. His episcopal motto includes the word mercy, and he has retained it for his papal motto. The Latin words “miserando atque eligendo” translate to “having had mercy, He called him” – a reference to his revelation on the Feast of St. Matthew.

“The Holy Father has been practicing the mercy of Christ all during his years as a priest and bishop, and now he will as pope by his exemplary ministry to the poor,” Bishop Jugis noted.

Bishop Jugis also said the pope’s devotion to the Virgin Mary is noteworthy. On his first morning as pope, March 14, the Holy Father made a pilgrimage to the Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome.

Pope Francis’ love for the Mother of God “has been very strong, very prevalent during these days,” Bishop Jugis said, especially in asking for her protection for the faithful in Rome.

Concluding his homily, Bishop Jugis said, “It is a tremendous joy to have in place the father at the head of the family of the Church after the brief interregnum.”

“We pray that by his teaching and by his example, he may help us grow strong in our Catholic faith and inspire us in joy to bring Christ to others.”

Directors of Pontifical Mission Societies meet in Rome during historic days Father Mark Lawlor, the diocesan director and a member of the National Council of the Pontifical Mission Societies of the United States, recently spent 12 days in Rome. The trip had been planned for a long time, and no one had any idea that they would witness the historic transition from Pope Benedict XVI to Pope Francis. Part of their trip was spent in formation in the Theology of the Missions. The U.S. delegation also made their ad limina visit to the Holy See and met with Vatican officials in the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, the Pontifical Commission for Social Communication, the Congregation for the New Evangelization and the Vatican Secretariat of State. The third part of the trip was a pilgrimage with a number of lay supporters of the missions and a visit to the Pontifical College, Mater Ecclesiae (Mother of the Church) in Castel Gandolfo. It was a historic time to be in Rome as the group attended the final general audience of Pope Benedict XVI. Pictured with Father Lawlor (front row, third from left) at Pope Benedict’s last general audience on Feb. 27 are other diocesan directors and the national director of the Pontifical Mission Societies, Father Andrew Small, OMI (fourth from right). Learn more about the Pontifical Mission Societies of the U.S. online at www.onefamilyinmission.org.

Photo provided by Father Mark Lawlor

Pope Francis Jorge Mario Bergoglio Is the first pope…

• From the Americas • From Jesuit order • To take name Francis

Is known to…

• Take the bus and subway • Cook his meals • Have strong devotion to Mary • Visit the poor • Be very spiritual • Have low-key style • Love soccer and tangos

Speaks

• Spanish, Italian, English, French and German

“Now let's begin this journey, bishop and people… a journey of brotherhood, love and trust among us.”

Then Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio poses with young soccer players from the San Lorenzo soccer club, of which he is known to be a fan.

Dec. 17, 1936

1957

March 11, 1958

March 12, 1960

1960

1961-1963

Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, to Italian immigrant parents

Takes first vows as Jesuit

1964-1965

Teaches high school literature and psychology at Jesuit secondary school in Santa Fe

At age 21, falls gravely ill; eventually severe pneumonia is diagnosed, right lung partially removed

Studies humanities in Padre Hurtado, Chile

Enters novitiate of the Society of Jesus

Studies philosophy at San Miguel Seminary, Buenos Aires

1966

1967-1970

Teaches at prestigious Colegio del Salvador secondary school in Buenos Aires

Studies theology at San Miguel seminary

Dec. 13, 1969

1970-1971

Is ordained priest

Spends “tertianship,” or Third Probation period of Jesuit formation in Spain

1971-1973

Serves as master of novices and vice chancellor, San Miguel seminary

1973

Takes perpetual profession as Jesuit

1973-1979

1979-1985

1986

June 27, 1992

June 3, 1997

Feb. 28, 1998

2001

Feb. 21, 2001

Serves as superior of Jesuit province of Argentina and Uruguay

Is ordained auxiliary bishop of Buenos Aires

Co-presides over Synod of Bishops

2005-2011

Serves as president, Argentine Bishops Conference

Serves as rector of Colegio Maximo and theology teacher

Is named coadjutor archbishop

Is elevated to cardinal

Goes to Germany to finish doctoral thesis

Is installed as archbishop of Buenos Aires

2005

Receives second-highest number of votes in conclave that elected Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger as pope

March 13, 2013 Is elected pope by conclave of 115 cardinals

Sources: Catholic News Service, Vatican Radio, Jesuit Conference of Argentina and Uruguay, Archdiocese of Buenos Aires.

TIM MEKO FOR THE CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

March 29, 2013 | catholicnewsherald.com catholic news heraldI

21

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“I liked this trip so much, I’m going back!”

“Autumn Leaves” Tour CNS | Stefano Rellandini, Reuters

The pallium is fitted on Pope Francis during his inaugural Mass in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican March 19.

With his fisherman’s ring and the pallium, the main symbols of the Petrine office, the pontiff chose styles in continuity with two of his predecessors.

Pope Francis pledges to protect Church, human dignity Pope Francis formally began his ministry as bishop of Rome and as pope by pledging to protect the Church, the dignity of each person and the beauty of creation, just like St. Joseph protected Mary and Jesus. “To protect creation, to protect every man and every woman, to look upon them with tenderness and love is to open up a horizon of hope,” he told between 150,000 and 200,000 people gathered under sunny skies in St. Peter’s Square and the nearby streets.

With representatives of other Christian communities, delegations from 132 countries, Jewish and Muslim leaders as well as others present, Pope Francis preached the Gospel, but insisted the values it espouses are essentially human, “involving everyone.”

While the rites and rituals of the inauguration of his ministry as pope took place immediately before the Mass, the liturgy itself was a celebration of the feast of St. Joseph, patron of the universal Church and “also the name day of my venerable predecessor,” Pope Benedict XVI, the former Joseph Ratzinger. The retired pope was not present at the liturgy, but the crowds applauded enthusiastically when Pope Francis said, “We are close to him with our prayers, full of affection and gratitude.”

Ring, pallium similar to predecessors’ papal symbols The fisherman’s ring Pope Francis chose is made of gold-plated silver and is based on the same design of a papal ring handed down from Pope Paul VI’s personal secretary. It shows an image of St. Peter holding the two keys – one key represents the power in heaven and the other indicates the spiritual authority of the papacy on earth. Pope Francis’ ring was made from the same wax cast of the ring meant for Pope Paul, who never wore it.

The pallium he received was the same one Pope Benedict XVI used – a short woolen band that the retired pope re-introduced in 2008, and similar to the kind worn by Blessed John Paul II. The pallium is a woolen stole that signifies the pope’s or the archbishop’s authority over the Christian community. It also represents the shepherd’s mission of placing the lost, sick or weak sheep on his shoulders.

The coat of arms of Pope Francis chose borrows much from his former episcopal

emblem. On the blue shield is the symbol of the Society of Jesus. Below it is a eight-pointed star and the buds of a spikenard flower, which represent respectively Mary and St. Joseph.

The papal motto is the Latin phrase “Miserando atque eligendo,” which means “because he saw him through the eyes of mercy and chose him” or more simply, “having mercy, he called him.”

The phrase comes from a homily by St. Bede, an English eighth-century Christian writer and Doctor of the Church.

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Pope meets retired pope, says ‘we’re brothers’ With a warm embrace, a helping hand, shared prayer, a long discussion and lunch together, Pope Francis spent several hours with Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI March 23 at the papal summer villa, Castel Gandolfo. Pope Francis gave Pope Benedict an icon of Mary and Jesus that the Russian Orthodox delegation to his inauguration had given him just a few days earlier. “They told me this was Our Lady of Humility. If I may say, I thought of you,” Pope Francis said. Pope Benedict, obviously moved, grasped his successor’s hands.

Pope to live in Vatican guesthouse Pope Francis has decided not to move into the papal apartments in the Apostolic Palace, but to live in a suite in the Vatican guesthouse where he has been since the beginning of the conclave that elected him. “He is experimenting with this type of living arrangement, which is simple,” but allows him “to live in community with others,” both the permanent residents – priests and bishops who work at the Vatican – as well as guests coming to the Vatican for meetings and conferences, said Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, Vatican spokesman.

The Domus Sanctae Marthae, the official name of the guesthouse, was built in 1996 specifically to house cardinals during a conclave.

— Catholic News Service

Youth Minister

Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church in High Point, NC, a vibrant parish of 1700 families, is seeking a full-time Youth Minister. This person would oversee all religious education/youth ministry programs for grades 6 through high school. This person would also oversee the Sacrament of Confirmation. Our new 75,000 square foot Parish Life and Education Center will provide an environment that will maximize the effectiveness of this ministry. Edge and Life Teen resources are in place along with a supportive volunteer team.

Requirements: Candidates are required to be a practicing Catholic, have a Bachelor’s degree in theology or catechesis and youth ministry experience. (Preferably in Life Teen). A working/reading knowledge of Spanish is helpful. Candidates should have strong verbal and written communication skills, the ability to recruit and work with adult volunteers, and to organize and implement ecumenical community outreach.

Applicants should send resume and cover letter to Ann Marie Bullock, Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church, 4145 Johnson St., High Point N.C. 27265 or abullock@ihmchurch.org.

ViewPoints 22

catholicnewsherald.com | March 29, 2013 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

St. Francis: A famous name for a new pope A reflection on St. Francis of Assisi Samuel L. Edwards

T

here is something about St. Francis of Assisi that has proved to have an enduring and nearly universal appeal almost since the time of his death nearly 800 years ago. The assumption of his name by our new Holy Father is but the latest and most prominent example of this.

Sad to say, for some Francis is seen more as a mascot than as a challenging example of holiness, more as a pasteltoned picture of sentimentality than as the vibrantly-colored icon of Christ he truly was. These people are missing the very thing that gives Francis his universal appeal: His likeness to the Lord Jesus, for whose sake Francis was glad to be called a fool – though Jesus never called Francis a fool. Because of this limitation of understanding, these are the very people who more than likely will be shocked that Pope Francis – as I fully expect – adheres comprehensively to the example of his namesake, who was as thoroughly orthodox in faith and morals as he was radical in hope and charity.

A thousand years and more before Francis first drew breath, another great saint – Irenaeus of Lyons – wrote that “the glory of God is a man fully alive; the life of man is the vision of God.” Francis was a man fully alive, and in this he partook of the life of his Lord, who is the Man fully alive and who is the vision of God. Though at first it seems strange to say it, the reason Francis is so broadly admired is the same reason that he makes us uncomfortable: Deep within the heart of each of us, God has implanted the instinct to seek holiness, and so long as we ignore, deny or struggle against it, we are in some sort of torment. When we encounter someone whose radical embrace of the quest for holiness is evident and joyful, our convenient assumption that holiness is beyond our ability is unsettled. The assumption that holiness is unattainable is a denial of the gift of our baptismal incorporation into Christ which makes holiness possible.

When we encounter Jesus, whether directly or in one of His saints, we have limited options. We can scorn Him, we can flee from Him, we can abuse Him and so continue in death – or we can repent, follow His way and live. This is what Francis did when he encountered Jesus.

This is what every saint, each in his or her own special way, has done. This is what each one of us who bears or would bear the name of Christ is to do.

It is possible to concentrate on the legends or the miracles or the simple deeds of St. Francis – even such things as his reception of the stigmata, the wounds of Christ – without acknowledging the one

thing – or, rather, the one Person – who gives coherence to the life of the Little Poor Man of Assisi. When we do this, we miss or distort the whole story of his life.

Today, of course, Francis is acknowledged as the patron saint of the environment, even by many who are not Catholic Christians or any kind of Christian. Our age is quite comfortable with the reverence for creation exhibited

by Francis – a reverence apparentlythat was reciprocated by creation, if we are to believe the tales of his sermons to the birds and of his taming of the Wolf of Gubbio. However, our age is comfortable only so long as it does not have to deal with the Creator from whom Francis learned that reverence. When that subject is brought up, the advocates of secular environmentalism or neo-paganism (really two forms of the same thing) either seek to expel the Christian from the discussion or head for the doors themselves.

The reason for this is that a person’s approach to how we treat the environment

‘The reason Francis is so broadly admired is the same reason that he makes us uncomfortable.’ is conditioned by his answer to the question, “Whose is the earth and all that is in it?” There are three basic answers to this question, and only one of them is correct. Either the earth belongs to us, or the earth belongs to itself, or the earth belongs to God. If the earth belongs to us (that is, there is no Creator God), then we can do what we want. It takes little imagination to see that this is the starting point of the road to Mordor.

If, on the other hand, the earth belongs to itself, then we belong to it. We are subject to its whims, and we are guilty of something approaching impiety when we seek to protect ourselves from its dangerous imperfections by building dams, roads, dikes and such. We are doubly guilty when we benefit from its bounty by availing ourselves of its abundance. This attitude leads inevitably not to anarchy, but to an imposed oppression by a sophomoric elite – wise in their own eyes – who exercise tyrannical rule over the rest of us whom they define as less enlightened than they. They do so in the name of a “Mother Earth” who bears a suspicious resemblance to her devotees and who, in common with many pagan religions centering around feminine deities, demands human blood in sacrifice. Ironically, if not surprisingly, the end of this way of thinking is the same as that of the first: desolation and death.

However, if the earth belongs to God, as Christians assert, then we are neither its indispensable masters nor its disposable slaves. We are its stewards, holding it in trust for the glory of God, for our benefit, and for the benefit of all the creatures of our God and King. If this is our mind, then we neither fall into contempt for creation nor do we hold it in superstitious awe. Instead we see it for what it is: a trust given to us from the Creator.

It was this realization that made Francis rejoice in God’s creation. It was precisely the same realization that governed those aspects of his life that would meet no contemporary test of political and cultural correctness, such as his constant appeal for repentance and his zeal for the conversion of Muslims.

The purveyors of “Christianity lite” don’t like this. They squirm under the implication that anyone ought to repent, instead appealing for the affirmation of whatever mode of self-expression floats one’s boat. They likewise resent the clear implication that anyone should be asked to abandon his birth-religion to follow the Way of Christ, instead alleging – contrary to the Lord’s own words – that there are many paths to God that do not go through the Incarnate Son. Francis knew better, which is why his preaching began (as did his Lord’s) with a call to repentance and amendment of life. It is also why he went to Syria seeking the conversion of the Muslim people and martyrdom in the Name of Jesus.

He achieved neither objective. Instead, he received a courteous hearing from the sultan, followed by an uncommonly gentle expulsion from the Dar al Islam.

Francis’ immediate purpose failed, but only because the Lord had in mind for him a different form of witness and a different kind of martyrdom: Francis was to be recognized as the patron saint of missions to the Muslims, and a few months before his death, his total identification with Jesus was to be outwardly confirmed when he received in his own flesh the wounds of Christ.

Before Francis died, he asked to be taken from his bed and laid on the earth which he had loved for Jesus’ sake, and as he was passing from it to the clearer Presence of the Lord, he summed up both his method and his reward with the words, “My God and my all.”

The same Presence, the same God, the same “all,” awaits us at every Mass, invites us to take Him into ourselves, and to take Him with us as we go out to be the agents of His love in the world. We do not go alone, for He is with us, as He was and is with Francis, in accordance with His solemn promise.

Samuel L. Edwards, who as an Anglican priest once ministered in a parish dedicated to St. Francis, was received into full communion with the Church last year at St. John the Evangelist Church in Waynesville. He aspires to ordination to the Catholic priesthood through the new Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter. This article is a slightly revised version of a sermon preached to his Anglican congregations in Waynesville and Franklin on the Feast of St. Francis, Oct. 4, 2009.

Joanita Nellenbach

What’s in a name?

I

n 1209 a friar named Francesco (Francis), from the Umbrian town of Assisi, sought an audience with Pope Innocent III for approval of a Gospel way of life – ministering to the poor, preaching peace and forgiveness, encouraging love of and care for creation. A little more than 800 years later, Pope Francis spoke of the same things in his inaugural homily.

St. Francis (1182-1226) lived in a time not so different from our own. His family was of the rising middle class, which looked more to profits than to prophets. There was a growing disparity between rich and poor; war (the Crusades, battles between local city-states) was common; and a lack of forgiveness and respect for creation. Within the Church there were problems, including priests who had little education, and prelates who were greedy and who practiced simony.

In the midst of all this, Francis, wanting to know God’s will for his life, prayed before the crucifix in the crumbling little church of San Damiano on the plain below Assisi: “Most High, Glorious God, enlighten the darkness of my heart and give me true faith, certain hope, and perfect charity, sense and knowledge, Lord, that I may carry out your holy and true command.”

“Francis,” said a voice from the crucifix, “don’t you see that my house is being destroyed? Go, then, and rebuild it for me.”

Understanding this to mean “fix up broken-down San Damiano,” Francis set about repairing it, then two other small, dilapidated churches. Gradually, though, he understood that he was to rebuild the Church – God’s house, the People of God. “It is God Himself who builds the house, but from living stones sealed by His Spirit,” Pope Francis said in his inaugural homily.

That is what St. Francis did. He rebuilt the Church with living stones by showing others that they could live like Christ.

We’ve read that as archbishop of Buenos Aires, Jorge Bergoglio rejected living in the archbishop’s palace and instead chose to live in small apartment and take the bus to work.

In St. Francis’ time, the socially acceptable lived within Assisi’s protective walls. Francis went down to the swampy plain to live among the marginalized. He wore a patched tunic tied with an old piece of rope. Like Archbishop Bergoglio, St. Francis took “public transportation” – going on foot, as only wealthy people had horses.

St. Francis’ invitation to us is not to revert to his 13th-century way of life, but to be faithful to the Gospel within the context of our own times. Pope Francis has already begun to call us to that, as well.

Joanita M. Nellenbach, OFS, is a member of St. Francis of the Hills Fraternity of the Secular Franciscan Order in Hendersonville and spiritual assistant to Franciscan Martyrs of Siroki Brijeg Fraternity in Blairsville, Ga.

March 29, 2013 | catholicnewsherald.com catholic news heraldI

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Letters to the editor

Thanks for the pilgrimage memories In 2007, I was fortunate to travel to the Holy Land with a group from the Charlotte diocese.

It was the most amazing week of my life. I so enjoyed the article in the March 15 Catholic News Herald about the group that journeyed there earlier this month. Their awe and enthusiasm were infectious and reignited so many memories I have associated with the sites they visited.

When I returned from my trip, I was eager to share my story with my friends and family, but I was disappointed that most did not seem very interested. I am a dedicated note taker and wrote a description of the trip and sent out a lot of copies. Only three people acknowledged having read it. I decided then that I would only talk about the trip if someone asked a specific question.

I enjoyed the article so much because I felt like I had some friends with whom to share my memories and emotions. My special moment of being close to the Lord came in the cellar of the house of the High Priest Caiaphas, where Jesus was held and tortured by the servants the night before His crucifixion. I remember how the air in that room felt so “thick” with the Lord’s suffering.

It is certainly not a happy memory, but it is one that I will never forget. I was so moved.

Donna Coennen lives in Franklin.

Liturgies are matter of choice, not source of division I am extremely happy to read in a recent edition of the Catholic News Herald that we now have a choice of attending either the Ordinary Form (modern) or Extraordinary Form (Tridentine Latin) of the Mass more regularly. People should not fear divisiveness in the Church over these different liturgies. It is a simply a matter of choice. Older Catholics brought up in the Latin Mass like myself (I am 77) now have an opportunity to attend the Mass they grew up with.

Younger Catholics under 65 will probably choose the present modern Mass. I prefer the traditional Latin Mass; it may be nostalgic, but the mystery of the ancient Latin Mass is appealing to me.

Michael Geremia lives in Brevard.

Recent letters addressed important issues to me Two letters to the editor in your March 1 issue immediately caught my attention because they addressed issues important to me. I wish to thank and commend each of them.

The headline for James Doll’s letter regarding the Latin Mass was well chosen: “Liturgy reflects who we are as church.” A key point for me was that he spoke from his own experience of worship in the past as compared to his experience since Vatican II, where he says, “We, the church, gather in a building to join in celebrating the Eucharistic liturgy.” I totally agree with everything he said, especially that “liturgy is not a place for private devotions.” If the younger generation does prefer the Latin Mass to the present community-oriented worship, could it be that it feeds into the highly individualistic culture that now exists? We hear much more these days about the “I” than “we.”

A good liturgy calls forth active participation by all the “People of God” just as our baptism calls us to actively participate in bringing about God’s kingdom on earth. Passivity is not acceptable, and nostalgia can become an idol.

The letter by Kenneth Schammel, answering a previous letter about life being non-negotiable, had a stark but true sentence. He says, “The fact remains that war can only accomplish its objective by the act of killing.” He reminds us of the many lives of innocent children and woman killed in the Iraq war. Euphemisms such as

“collateral damage” don’t bring them back alive.

I’ve lived in North Carolina for more than 70 years and am still waiting to hear about Catholics chartering buses or hanging posters protesting war or, for that matter, going to Raleigh to protest executions, carried out in the public’s name, sometimes of an innocent person. Let’s at least be consistent. The world is watching us. Are we, as Christians, witnessing to Jesus, the Prince of Peace, who both taught and lived a life of nonviolence, and who often ate with sinners and prostitutes?

Katherine K. Rodgers lives in Greensboro.

Pro-abortion Catholic politicians are not being corrected As a practicing Catholic I take great exception to Vice President Joe Biden’s attendance at the recent installation Mass for Pope Francis.

Abortion is an intrinsic evil, our Catholic faith teaches us. Mr. Biden is an outspoken supporter of abortion, and his position amounts to material cooperation with evil. So how can Mr. Biden’s position be reconciled with his continued participation in the Church? In fact, many prominent Catholics in Washington, D.C., promote and support abortion quite vocally, and are never chastised or corrected by Church leaders.

I believe this apparent tolerance indicates to Catholics in the pews that the Church considers the “pro-choice” option acceptable. If the Church stands by the Catechism and its pro-life teachings, it is not evident in the way vocal pro-abortion Catholic politicians are treated. I believe the Church would be much stronger if we abandoned this deference to powerful politicians and expect them to believe and live their faith in accordance with Catholic teaching.

Jean Williams lives in Hickory.

A Southern Catholic ‘comes out’ After 70 years, it is time for me to stand up and be counted as a Catholic.

My dad was a Southerner, from Greensboro.

While stationed in Detroit in the Navy, he met my mother, who is from Cleveland, married her and brought her to North Carolina. She is Catholic, and she raised my brother and me in the faith.

That made me a rare bird: a Catholic in the South.

Growing up in the “Bible Belt,” less than 1 percent of the N.C. population at one time was Catholic.

We experienced religious prejudice, although it was much less visible than racial prejudice.

My mother taught me early on not to talk about my religion around other people, especially to kids my age. I have listened to off-color and uninformed religious comments all my life. For years I bit my tongue and hoped no one would ask me where I went to church, for fear of being ridiculed for being one of those people who “worshipped” Mary or some other such nonsense.

Too many people didn’t know about Catholicism, and possibly didn’t want to know or take the time to learn the facts.

Now that Pope Francis, a man from the New World, has been elected pope, it may bring more knowledge and understanding to all Christians about the Catholic, or universal, Church. All Christians should realize that the pope is not just the chosen leader of the Catholic Church. He is the spiritual leader of the Christian world and the direct successor to St. Peter.

I still get the same comments and questions about my Church’s “unorthodox” and “funny” religious ceremonies, manner of worship and beliefs. But I no longer shy away from answering them and talking about it.

Ramon Bell is a parishioner at Holy Cross Church in Kernersville.

The Poor Clares

I

First, to serve

f your Bible were electronic, would these verses be marked as a “favorite”?

“As the church is subject to Christ, so let wives also be subject in everything to their husbands.” (Eph 5:24) “For man was not made from woman, but woman from man. Neither was man created for woman, but woman for man.” (1 Cor, 11:8-9) Perhaps we are a bit embarrassed when we read these verses, and quick to remind ourselves that, of course, good St. Paul was nearly 2,000 years distant from the modern-day “emancipation of women” that we now enjoy.

There is a basic fact here, however, that cannot be ignored. Right on the first page of the Bible, it is clear that God did indeed create Adam before creating Eve. Was woman then thrown in as a bonus gift to the first man? No. Women should take pride in the clear fact that Adam was lonely and incomplete until God fashioned for him a beautifully suitable companion whom he welcomed with joyful delight.

The first married couple, joined by God Himself, now stand before us.

Equal, yes. Equivalent, no.

The fabric of our society, and the relationships between human beings, require a practical application of authority. There must be a hierarchy, an ascending order. In simpler terms, the buck must stop somewhere.

Someone has to have the “last word” for anything to be successfully decided. How many mothers use the famous line, “Wait until your father gets home!” in correcting their children?

This brings us to the point at issue. God ordained that men should have the role of leadership within the sacrament of holy matrimony. He has given to man particular gifts for guiding, directing and serving his family as its head.

The key word that may be lost in the previous sentence is “serving.”

Men in our world today have been strategically ousted from their natural position as “head” partly because of a long history of cultural acceptance of domination, brute power and abuse against women, not to mention the absence of certain political, economic and social rights due to women.

The problem is a misunderstanding of what authority means. All roles of leadership should be exercised as a ministry of service. Even the visible head of the Church, the Holy Father, uses the title “Servus Servorum Dei,” or “Servant of the Servants of God.” The head cannot operate without the heart. A husband cannot “reign” over his wife, but he can lead her in love.

St. Paul lays out the tall order of man’s responsibility in the sacrament of holy matrimony: “Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the Church and gave Himself up for her, that He might sanctify her” (Eph 5:25a).

Wives should be able to look to their husbands as an image of Christ through their cherishing and self-sacrificing love. Whether women are willing to admit it or not, they have a deep desire to depend on men to be a steady rock or anchor. Men have an innate ability to calm their partners by their reassurance and reason.

We must not overlook the flip side of the coin, however.

Men should also be able to depend on their wives for a true “counsel of the heart.” The head and heart must work together and may not act independently of each other without doing harm to one of the ends of the sacrament of matrimony itself: union.

Women should strive to be true supports to their husband, as God intended. Antithetical to this would be any belittling of his authority before others, especially their children. Far from being degrading, there is a tremendous freedom and joy to be found in a healthy submitting of one’s own will to another’s. Women should not be afraid to allow their spouse to lead them to heaven. They should not fear to trust in Christ’s provident love and care as reflected through the image of their husbands.

An essential for the authentic flowering of the marital relationship is for women to abdicate the role of spiritual leader of their family. It is true that religious devotion and practice normally come more naturally to the receptive soul of women, but without a doubt a man’s spiritual leadership makes a far greater impact on the faith of his family.

Women may foster this role in their husbands by letting them initiate religious practices of the family and lead family devotions. A man will best fulfill his God-given leadership by the personal witness of being a man of strong and genuine faith.

Men and women alike will find that the more they give of themselves in the way our Creator intends, and the more they accept the complementary gifts and role of their spouse, the more grace-filled and spiritually effective their union will become.

Sister Marie Thérèse of the Divine Child Jesus is professed with the Poor Clare Nuns of Perpetual Adoration St. Joseph Monastery in Charlotte. This is the second in a series of reflections

by Sister Marie Thérèse about St. Paul’s writings on marriage. Learn more about the Poor Clares at www.stjosephmonastery.com.

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catholicnewsherald.com | March 29, 2013 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

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Embassy Suites, Charlotte-Concord 5400 John Q. Hammond Dr. NW Concord, NC 28027

SATURDAY, APRIL 27, 2013  9 A.M. - 4:30 P.M.  CHARLOTTE, NC

BREAKOUT SESSION TOPICS: Profile of Stewardship in a Small Rural Parish Can I Have a Witness?

Catechesis for a New Generation of Stewards Give ‘em Something (Good) to Talk About Introducing Stewardship in Hispanic Ministry “3 R’s” Recruiting, Retaining, and Recognizing Volunteers

WHO WILL BENEFIT FROM ATTENDING THIS CONFERENCE? Anyone interested in embracing Stewardship as a way of life will find inspiration, education, and enthusiasm for living as a good steward of God’s abundant gifts!

Clergy, religious, parish staff, and volunteers will leave this conference filled with ideas to promote stewardship among parishioners.

Parish and school staff will be energized and educated about the concept of stewardship.

Parish leadership such as those serving on Pastoral Council, Finance Council, Stewardship Committee, catechetical and youth ministry will all benefit from attending.

$40 per person with advance registration; $50 at the door

For more information please contact:

Barbara Gaddy

Associate Director of Development Diocese of Charlotte 704-370-3302 bgaddy@charlottediocese.org

KEYNOTE SPEAKER

Most Reverend Robert F. Morneau Auxiliary Bishop of Green Bay, Wisconsin Spirituality of Stewardship Bishop Morneau is also Vicar General of his diocese and pastor of Resurrection Parish.

Over the years he has given conferences on stewardship, directed retreats, and engaged in the writing ministry.

His most recent publication is “Pathways to God” (New City Press).