Jan. 2, 2015

January 2, 2015

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

2014: A look back at a year of renewal, 12-17

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LIFE

INDEX

Contact us.......................... 4 Events calendar................. 4 Our Faith............................. 2 Our Parishes.................. 3-6 Scripture readings............ 2 TV & Movies........................ 7 U.S. news............................ 8 Viewpoints................... 18-19 World news........................ 9

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10-11

Catholic Conference Center completes $1M renovation,

Bishop Jugis: Welcome Jesus into your heart this Christmas,

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Our faith 2

catholicnewsherald.com | January 2, 2015 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

A saintly life

Pope Francis

Embrace, be amazed

by God’s great gift of children Becoming a mother or father is a gift from God, but women and men have a duty to embrace that gift and be astonished by its beauty, Pope Francis said. When people recognize that every child is unique and wanted by God, they will be “amazed by what a great miracle a child is,” he said Dec. 28, the feast of the Holy Family.

During an audience with an Italian association for large families, the pope said, “Dear parents, I am grateful for the example of your love of life that you safeguard from conception to its natural end, even with all of life’s difficulties and burdens, which unfortunately the government doesn’t always help you bear.”

The pope greeted the multiple generations present at the audience, who came from all over Italy, as well as other parts of Europe. Holding the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph up as a model for all the world’s families, the pope said, “maternity and paternity are a gift from God, but welcoming that gift, being astonished by its beauty and making it shine in society, that is your task.”

“Each one of your children is a unique creature who will never be repeated in the history of humanity,” he said.

“A child is a miracle” that changes the lives of his or her parents, he added.

A family is “a cell” that together builds the body of society, but large families are “a hope for society,” he said. Governments should recognize the importance of “investing in” large families.

He asked that Italy, with its low birthrate, pay greater attention to creating and carrying out policies that offer real support for families.

The pope, who is one of five children, said having lots of siblings “is good for you” and better equips new generations with what it takes to share and be united, which is especially needed “in a world often marked by selfishness.”

Just a bit later in the day, the pope again highlighted the family, especially the role grandparents play, before praying the Angelus with visitors gathered in St. Peter’s Square.

Close loving relationships between the younger and older generations are “crucial” for both society and the Church, he said.

The Holy Family is a simple but powerful model as it radiates “a light of mercy and salvation for the whole world, the light of truth for every human being, for the human family and for individual families,” he said.

That light “encourages us to offer human warmth” to those families that, for whatever reason, are struggling with “a lack of peace, harmony and forgiveness,” he said.

— Catholic News Service

St. Hilary of Poitiers ‘A searcher after God,’ a ‘troublemaker’ “They didn’t know who they were.” This is how Hilary summed up the problem with the Arian heretics of the fourth century.

Hilary, on the other hand, knew who he was – a child of a loving God who had inherited eternal life through belief in the Son of God. He hadn’t been raised as a Christian, but he had felt a wonder at the gift of life. Yet his search for the meaning of life wasn’t easy.

In the words of Olivier Clément, “For a long time he was a searcher after God. He moved from hedonism, to stoicism, he tried out sects and esoteric cults... .”

In his heart, Hilary knew he wasn’t a beast grazing in a pasture. Human beings should rise above desires and live lives of virtue, philosophers wrote. But Hilary knew deep down that humans were meant for even more than living a good life.

So he kept looking. He was told many things about the divine, many that we still hear today: that there were many gods, that God didn’t exist and that all creation was the result of random acts of nature, that God existed but didn’t really care for His creation, that God was in creatures or images. His soul told him these ideas were wrong.

At that point, Hilary later wrote, he “chanced upon” the Hebrew and Christian Scriptures. When he read the verse where God tells Moses “I AM WHO I AM” (Exodus 3:14), Hilary said, “I was frankly amazed at such a clear definition of God, which expressed the incomprehensible knowledge of the divine nature in words most suited to human intelligence.” Then he also found the Gospel of John, where he read about the Son of God and how Jesus had been sent to bring eternal life to those who believed.

Finally, Hilary’s soul was at rest. He wrote, “No longer did it look upon the life of this body as troublesome or wearisome, but believed it to be what the alphabet is to children ... namely, as the patient endurance of the present trials of life in order to gain a blissful eternity.”

He was baptized in about 345, and about 350 the clergy and laity of his hometown, Poitiers, France, elected him bishop because of his intellect and zeal. And it wasn’t long before his newfound faith got him into trouble.

The Arians, who did not believe in Christ’s divinity, were growing in power and persecuting many faithful. When Hilary refused to support the Arians, he was exiled from Poitiers to Phrygia (in modern-day Turkey) in 356. The Arians couldn’t have had a worse plan – for themselves.

Hilary had known little of the whole Arian controversy before being banished.

But being exiled from his home and his duties gave him plenty of time to study and write. He learned everything he could about the Arians, and then he began to write: “Although in exile we shall speak through these books, and the word of God, which cannot be bound, shall move about in freedom.” Writings of his that still exist include the 12-book series “On the Trinity,” “Commentary on St. Matthew’s Gospel” and “Treatises on the Psalms.”

After three years the emperor kicked him back to Poitiers because he was tired of having to deal with the troublemaker, “a sower of discord and a disturber of the Orient.” But no one told Hilary he had to go straight back home, so he took a leisurely route through Greece and Italy, preaching against the Arians as he went.

In the East he had heard the hymns used by Arians as propaganda. So when he was back at home, Hilary started writing hymns of propaganda himself to spread the true faith. These hymns are the first in the West with a known writer.

A favorite motto of his was “Ministros veritatis decet vera proferre” (“Servants of the truth ought to speak the truth”).

Hilary died in 367 or 368 and was proclaimed a Doctor of the Church in 1851. His feast day is Jan. 13.

— www.catholic.org

Sister Jeanne M. McNally

Problems in marriage

B

efore proposing a partial listing of problems that may occur in a marriage, it is exceptionally important to note that most problems in a marriage were present before the marriage began.

They were overlooked or ignored during the time of dating and of courtship. When there are such issues prior to the marriage, one can be reasonably certain they will not only continue in the marriage, but will probably escalate and may well destroy the union. It cannot be stressed enough that one should not ignore certain red flags.

Let us consider some of the most common red flags that could cause serious problems in a marriage: All too often one thinks that their love will change the other person, that the other person will not be like that when married. Wrong! We cannot change another person who is not to our liking. Having said this, however, a person can change if they are motivated to do so. It is possible to let go of negative behaviors. Selfishness, jealousy, the need to control and manipulate are destructive behaviors that require counseling to determine their underlying cause. Being the best person you can be is the first step to building a healthy relationship. Change is possible, but not without insight into yourself, new information, motivation and time.

Poor communication has been discussed previously in this series. Communication requires consistency in attitudes, openness, and the ability to manage conflict, truth, honesty and trust.

Another red flag is the attitude that one cannot commit forever because they do not know what tomorrow may bring. Such presents a problem for a lifelong commitment to the marital union. There is no certainty in life; life is an ongoing mystery, but one is capable of committing to another and to a relationship. Strong commitments can carry one through challenging times. One’s level of commitment indicates the degree of responsibility one has to maintain a marital relationship.

Any type of abuse that was present before the marriage is likely to continue in the marriage. This includes emotional, physical or psychological abuse.

One partner denigrating the other with insults, put-downs, and a variety of negative comments is abusive. Abusive behaviors can damage the body, but they can also deeply hurt the soul. Abusive persons may have come from a family where abuse seemed to present the answer to problems. This became the role model for a marriage, and thus it is imitated.

One who cannot control their emotions and becomes abusive should seek professional help to avoid a toxic MARRIAGE, page 20

Your daily Scripture readings JAN. 4-10

Sunday (The Epiphany of the Lord): Isaiah 60:1-6, Ephesians 3:2-3, 5-6, Matthew 2:1-12; Monday (St. John Neumann): 1 John 3:224:6, Matthew 4:12-17, 23-25; Tuesday (St. Andre Bessette): 1 John 4:7-10, Mark 6:34-44; Wednesday (St. Raymond of Penafort): 1 John 4:11-18, Mark 6:45-52; Thursday: 1 John 4:195:4, Luke 4:14-22; Friday: 1 John 5:5-13, Luke 5:12-16; Saturday: 1 John 5:14-21, John 3:22-30

JAN. 11-17

Sunday (The Baptism of the Lord): Isaiah 42:1-4, 6-7, Acts 10:34-38, Mark 1:7-11; Monday: Hebrews 1:1-6, Mark 1:14-20; Tuesday (St. Hilary): Hebrews 2:5-12, Mark 1:21-28; Wednesday: Hebrews 2:14-18, Mark 1:29-39; Thursday: Hebrews 3:7-14, Mark 1:40-45; Friday: Hebrews 4:1-5, 11, Mark 2:1-12; Saturday (St. Anthony): Hebrews 4:12-16, Mark 2:13-17

JAN. 18-24

Sunday: 1 Samuel 3:3-10, 19, 1 Corinthians 6:13-15, 17-20, John 1:35-42; Monday: Hebrews 5:1-10, Mark 2:18-22; Tuesday (St. Fabian, St. Sebastian): Hebrews 6:10-20, Mark 2:23-28; Wednesday (St. Agnes): Hebrews 7:1-3, 15-17, Mark 3:1-6; Thursday (Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children): Hebrews 7:25, 8:6, Mark 3:7-12; Friday (St. Vincent, St. Marianne Cope): Hebrews 8:6-13, Mark 3:13-19; Saturday (St. Francis de Sales): Hebrews 9:2-3, 11-14, Mark 3:20-21

Our parishes

January 2, 2015 | catholicnewsherald.com catholic news heraldI

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Bishop Jugis: Welcome Jesus into your heart this Christmas Patricia L. Guilfoyle Editor

CHARLOTTE — “Are you ready to welcome Jesus this Christmas? Have you prepared a place worthy to be a dwelling place for the Savior?”

Bishop Peter J. Jugis posed these questions at the start of his homily for Mass at midnight Dec. 25, the feast of the Nativity of Our Lord, at St. Patrick Cathedral in Charlotte.

The cathedral, ablaze with candles and decorated with red poinsettias and evergreens, was filled to capacity with worshippers who had gathered to celebrate the birth of Christ. Bishop Jugis underscored the joyful celebration by urging everyone to open their hearts to Jesus and make room for Him in their lives.

“The Savior, for His part, is desiring to enter your heart once again,” he said.

Look to the people gathered around the manger on that first Christmas in Bethlehem, he said, for examples of how we should respond to Jesus and welcome Him into our hearts.

“The Blessed Mother was most ready to welcome Jesus.

She, being the Immaculate Conception, always enjoyed a most intimate union with Almighty God,” he noted. St. Joseph, the Wise Men, and the shepherds also welcomed Jesus at His birth, each in their own way.

“The presence of these individuals – the Blessed Mother, St. Joseph, the Wise Men who will come, the good shepherds who come on this night – indicate to us that it’s not hard to welcome Jesus into our hearts,” he said.

“No matter where we have been in life, no matter what we have done, what sins may have been committed, what wrongs may have been done, it is always possible to turn to Jesus once again and to welcome Him as a most desired guest, a most welcome guest and needed guest, into our heart.”

“It is worth asking ourselves the question: what is the state of your soul at this Christmas midnight Mass? Are you ready to welcome Jesus – truly, sincerely, totally – into your heart once again?”

Advent is a time to prepare for the Lord’s coming, Bishop

Patricia L. Guilfoyle | Catholic News Herald

Bishop Peter jugis incenses the manger scene near the altar of St. Patrick Cathedral at the start of Mass at midnight on Christmas. In his homily, Bishop Jugis noted the outstretched arms of the baby Jesus are an invitation to each one of us to welcome God into our hearts and into our lives.

More online At www.catholicnewsherald.com: See more photos from Christmas at St. Patrick Cathedral

Jugis also said.

“In the ancient world, the word ‘advent’ was sometimes used to describe the visit of the king to the provinces of his kingdom,” he explained, and people used that time before the king’s imminent visit to prepare to greet him.

“The early Christians saw in this a perfect word – advent – to describe the visit of the King of Heaven to His people

in the province of Earth,” he said.

“Well, Advent is over, Christmas is here, the King has indeed come to visit us. He is visiting His Kingdom, and He is here with us. Are you ready to open the door of your heart once again to receive Him?” Bishop Jugis continued, “Some people might find it easier to barricade the door of their heart – to keep it blockaded from within, pushing all the furniture, everything, up against the door so that no one may enter, least of all Jesus. Some people may prefer their sins, and remain blockaded within a style of life they have chosen, to keep their bad habits or their bad choices, and maybe think that they cannot change.

“But it really is not hard to welcome Jesus. All it requires is just an opening of the heart once again, and a turning towards Him, and beginning to methodically, systematically remove those barriers, those blockades that we have placed against the door of our heart.”

“At Christmas, God opens wide His arms to welcome us into His embrace. Those tiny arms of Jesus that are reaching up to us from the manger ... represent the arms of God reaching out to you. He desires to enter into your heart and live with you.”

Then Bishop Jugis posed another question: “What gift can we possibly give Our Blessed Lord in return for the priceless gift of Himself at Christmas? What can we give that would possibly measure up to His gift of Himself to us?”

He answered, “All we have is the gift of our ourselves. It is the most precious gift that our Savior desires: a heart, cleansed and purified, repented of any wrongdoing and sins, made holy once again by the gift of His forgiveness and His Holy Spirit.”

“Christmas calls us to conversion, to have a change of heart, to let the loving Savior change us,” he said. “This Christmas, take a look once again at the people who are taking their place with Jesus at His manger: the Blessed Mother, most pure, sinless; St. Joseph, the righteous man; the holy, humble and poor-in-spirit shepherds of the field; and the Wise Men. And let us, with open hearts, eagerly welcome Him, taking our place with them at His manger’s side.”

More online

Doreen Sugierski | Catholic News Herald

DENVER — “Shepherds” keep watch over their “sheep” during a Nativity play before the children’s Mass Dec. 24 at Holy Spirit Church.

Photo provided by Sally McArdle

CHARLOTTE — Charlotte Catholic High School students collected more than $8,000 in gifts and gift cards for families who may not hot otherwise have had much of a Christmas this year.

Through this year’s homeroom Christmas Project, students helped to fulfill the wish lists of 39 children and families and an additional 32 developmentally challenged children who did not have families.

“The response was as generous as I can remember in my five plus years of coordinating the project,” said Shawn Panther, Student Council Advisor.

As the student council members were unloading the bus at the Diocese of Charlotte Pastoral Center Dec. 17, the Catholic Charities workers commented that they wished the entire Charlotte Catholic community could see firsthand what a difference their acts of charity make in the lives of these children and their families.

At www. catholicnewsherald. com: See lots more Christmas photos from parishes and schools across the diocese

KERNERSVILLE — Kevin Guerara (as Joseph) and Johanna Nunez (as Mary) lead a procession of Holy Cross parishioners and pastor, Father Paul Dechant, during Las Posadas in December. Las Posadas (Spanish for “room at the inn”) is a traditional Mexican procession in honor of Mary and Joseph’s pilgrimage to Bethlehem and their search for lodging the night the Christ Child was born.

The devotion is celebrated for nine consecutive evenings before Christmas Eve, culminating the evening of Dec. 23.

During Las Posadas, prayers in honor of the Holy Family are recited either at a family’s home or parish hall. The celebration culminates with participants sharing a meal with the “Holy Family.”

John Bunyea | Catholic News Herald

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catholicnewsherald.com | January 2, 2015 OUR PARISHES

Diocesan calendar of events ASHEVILLE — Marriage Encounter Weekend: Feb. 6-8. For details, call 704-315-2144.

Bishop Peter J. Jugis BELMONT Bishop Peter J. Jugis will participate in the following event over the coming weeks: Jan. 3-10, 2015 Annual Retreat for Bishops Jan. 13 – 11 a.m.

Presbyteral Council Meeting Pastoral Center Jan, 22 – 11:30 a.m.

Holy Mass for Life Bascilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, Washington, D.C.

QUEEN OF THE APOSTLES church, 503 North Main St. — Young at Heart Covered Dish Supper: Saturday, Jan. 10. Following 5 p.m. Mass in the MAK Family Life Center. All parishioners over 50 years of age are invited to attend.

— Protecting God’s Children Workshop: 9 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 17, in the Conference Room. All volunteers must attend a workshop. This program is intended to educate volunteers to recognize and prevent sexual abuse. To register, visit www.virtus.org.

CHARLOTTE ST. GABRIEL CHURCH, 3016 Providence Road — Young Widowed Support Group: 6 p.m. Meets second Tuesday of the month. Group is intended for widowed persons, around 55 years of age and younger. For details, call Sister Marie Frechette at 704-543-7677, ext. 1073.

Jan. 30 – 10 a.m.

Mass for Catholic Schools Week Sacred Heart Catholic School, Salisbury

— Polish Prayer Group: 7 p.m. Meets first Thursday of the month in the chapel. For details, call Evona Cholewa at 704-488-7490.

ST. John Neumann Church, 8451 IDLEWILD ROAD. — Film series, “The Popes of Vatican II: John Paul I The Smile of God”: 6 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 29 in the Parish Hall. Presented by Father Patrick H oare. All are encouraged to attend. Light refreshments will be available. Please bring a side dish to share. For details, visit www.4sjnc.org.

ST. MATTHEW CHURCH, 8015 Ballantyne Commons Parkway — Natural Family Planning Introduction and Full Course: 1-5 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 10. Topics include: Effectiveness of modern NFP, health risks of popular contraceptives and what the Church teaches about responsible parenting. Sponsored by Catholic Charities. RSVP to Batrice Adcock, MSN, RN, at 704370-3230.

— Called to be Mom: 10 a.m.- Noon. Thursday, Jan. 15. Called to be Mom Supports the vocation of motherhood by strengthening faith through scriptures readings.

ST. Patrick Cathedral, 1621 Dilworth Road.

— Ephiphany Celebration: 4 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 4 in the Family Life Center. There will be games for the kids, Christmas Carols and festivities. Parishioners are asked to bring a soup or Christmas cookies to share.

— Young Adult Ministry Evening Reflection: 7 p.m.

Monday, Jan. 5. Event begins in the Cathedral with a Divine Mercy Chaplet followed by a reflection and a light social reception afterwards.

Volume 23 • Number 7

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

— CCWG to host “Couples Night Out”: 7 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 24. Followed by a talk by Father Patrick Winslow, Pastor of St. Thomas Aquinas. For details, and to RSVP, visit www.charlottecatholicwomensgroup.org or contact Sara Edel at 704-222-2772.

St. Peter Church, 507 South Tryon St. — 15th Annual Kennedy Lecture entitled, “Discipleship: Giving Birth to God in a Contemporary World”: 8:30 a.m.-Noon. Saturday, Jan. 24. Guest speaker, Edwina Gateley, will focus on the ways in which we are called to be Christ’s disciples in the 21st Century. To register, call the parish office at 704-332-2901.

ST. Thomas aquinas church, 1400 suther road

Jan. 28 – 11 a.m.

Mass for Catholic Schools Week Our Lady of Mercy Catholic School, Winston-Salem

January 2, 2015

— Men’s Book club, “The Restless Fame: A Novel About St. Augustine”: 7 p.m. Sunday, January 11. All men are welcome to attend. For details, contact Dan Nass at daniel.nass@wellsfargo.com.

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 Hispanic communications reporter: Rico De Silva, 704-370-3375, rdesilva@charlottediocese.org

— “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.

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

St. Vincent De Paul Church, 6828 Old Reid Road — Mass for the Unborn: 9 a.m. Friday, Jan. 9. Guest homilist, Father Denis G. Wilde from Priest for Life.

— Prayer Vigil at Latrobe Abortion Center: Saturday, Jan. 10 following the 9 a.m. Mass. Father Denis G. Wilde, from Priests for Life, will lead the prayer. For details, contact Tina at 704-301-2531.

— CCWG Reflection: 9 a.m. Monday, Jan. 12. Father John Eckert, pastor of Sacred Heart, will be the Reflection speaker. Holy Mass will be at 9 a.m, followed by refreshments and talk at 10:30 a.m. For details and to RSVP, visit www.charlottecatholicwomensgroup.org or contact Mary Sample at 704-965-8228.

CLEMMONS HOLY FAMILY CHURCH, 4820 KINNAMON ROAD — Charismatic Prayer Group: 7:15 p.m. Mondays.

Everyone welcome.

CONCORD St. James the Greater church, 139 Manor AvE. — Night of Prayer and Adult Education with Catherine Adair: 7:45 p.m. Monday, Jan. 19. Listen to Catherine Adair speak about her life changing events from a pro-choice Planned Parenthood employee to a Respect for Life Advocate.

GASTONIA St. Michael the Archangel church, 708 St. Michael’s Lane — Holy Happy Hour “Making Grace Real” with guest speaker Dr. Ron Thomas: 7 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 24 at Tequilas Mexican Grill, 238 W. Main St. Open to adults 21 and over. For details, email

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GREENSBORO St. Paul the Apostle, 2715 Horse Pen Creek Road — Family Honor’s Leading & Loving Program: 7-9 p.m.

Saturday, Feb. 6. Program is intended for parents of young children, newborn through early teen. For details, contact Susan Rabold at srabold@stpaulcc. org.

ST. PIUS X Church, 2210 N. Elm St. — Knights of Columbus blood drive: 9:30 a.m.-6:30 p.m.

Friday, Jan. 30

HIGH POINT — The First Saturday Pro-Life Rosary for the Anniversary Month of the 1973 U. S. Supreme Court Decision, Roe v. Wade: 11 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 3 at 901 North Main St. and Sunset Drive. Outdoors, rain or shine. Come and help us pray for the end of abortion, and feel free to invite anyone who would be morally supportive of this very important cause.

Immaculate Heart of Mary Church, 4145 Johnson St. — Scripture Sharing Group: 9:45 -10:45 a.m. Meets every Thursday in Meeting Room 1.

LENOIR St. Francis of Assisi Church, 328 B Woodsway Lane — The rosary, led by Father Gabriel Meehan, is prayed every Monday evening at 7 p.m., in the Our Lady of Guadalupe Chapel. Everyone welcome.

MAGGIE VALLEY St. Margaret of Scotland CHURCH, 37 Murphy Dr. — Healing Mass and Anointing of the Sick: Every third Sunday of the month. Individual prayers over people after Mass by Charismatic Prayer Group members.

MOUNT HOLLY New Creation Monastery, 100 Madora St. — Mass: 4 p.m. Sundays in the Chapel.

MURPHY ST. WILLIAM CHURCH, 765 ANDREWS Road — Grief Support Group: 10:30 a.m. Tuesdays in the conference room. “Embracing Your Grief” should be helpful for those mourning the recent loss of a loved one.

WAYNESVILLE St. John the Evangelist Church, 234 Church St. — Exposition, Holy Hour and Confession: 6-7 p.m. First Wednesday of the month.

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OUR PARISHESI

January 2, 2015 | catholicnewsherald.com

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Experience the World Meeting of Families and see Pope Francis Diocesan pilgrimage set for Sept. 23-27, 2015 CHARLOTTE — Parishioners of the Diocese of Charlotte have the opportunity to travel to Philadelphia on a diocesan pilgrimage Sept. 23-27 to attend the World Meeting of Families and the papal Mass with Pope Francis, during his first visit to the United States.

The all-inclusive pilgrimage includes: deluxe motorcoach transportation from Charlotte to Philadelphia and back; four nights’ accommodations at a Springhill Suites Hotel; four breakfasts and four dinners; a half-day guided tour of Philadelphia; visits to two Philadelphia area shrines; and daily Mass.

Diocesan pilgrims will also be able to attend part of the World Meeting of Families on Sept. 24 and 25 as well as the Festival of Families Celebration on Sept. 26.

The papal Mass on Sunday, Sept.

27, is also on the itinerary.

Father Michael T. Kottar, pastor of St. Mary Help of Christians Church in Shelby, will serve as the chaplain for the pilgrimage.

“I look forward to leading this pilgrimage,” Father Kottar said.

“It’s great that it’s all happening in the city of the birthplace of our nation – our nation built on family values. I know it will be a spiritually energizing time and, of course, a wonderful conclusion – the Festival of Families representing cultures from around the world and the papal Mass celebrated by His Holiness Pope Francis!”

The cost of the pilgrimage ranges as follows: $1,144 per person, double occupancy; $1,679 single occupancy; $1,097 per person, triple occupancy; and $1,075 per person, quad occupancy. An additional registration fee for the conference applies and is $125 per person, aged 17 and up; $98 per person, aged 3-16.

The pilgrimage is being organized through AAA Vacations, and individuals of all ages as well as families are encouraged to attend.

But hurry! Deposits of $200 per person are due to AAA by Monday, Jan. 19.

For more information and registration, contact: Henry Dennis, AAA Vacations, at 800-759-8728, ext. 13611; or email hddennis@mailaaa.com. Or contact Jean Judge, secretary of St. Mary Help of Christians, at 704-487-7697, ext. 103, or at jmjudge@charlottediocese.org.

— SueAnn Howell, senior reporter

sueann howell | catholic news herald

Bishop Peter Jugis walks past the images of former Charlotte bishops, Bishop Emeritus William G. Curlin and Bishop John F. Donoghue (now deceased), as he blesses the newly renovated Catholic Conference Center in Hickory Dec. 18. He is assisted by Deacon Carlos Medina, who serves at St. Patrick Cathedral in Charlotte.

Catholic Conference Center completes $1M renovation SueAnn Howell Senior Reporter

HICKORY — The past year has been one of transformation for the Catholic Conference Center. Originally built in 1988, the conference center nestled in the rolling hills outside Hickory was in desperate need of improvements to attract people for meetings and retreats.

Thanks to funds from the “Forward in Faith, Hope, and Love” campaign, the Diocese of Charlotte embarked on a $1 million renovation project of the 35-000-square-foot conference center this past summer, and on Dec. 18 diocesan leaders celebrated the completed work with a blessing ceremony led by Bishop Peter J. Jugis. The celebration was held exactly 26 years to the day from when the Catholic Conference Center was originally blessed by then-Bishop John F. Donoghue.

“This conference center will do its part to contribute to building up the Church,” noted Bishop Jugis in remarks during the ceremony, calling it “a convenient and attractive place for meetings and conferences, for prayer and study with the faithful” and “for our friends in the larger community.”

The renovations cap a successful first year for Paul Cronin, the

Catholic Conference Center’s new director, who has led the project in coordination with K2M Architects.

“It has been a very interesting first year working for the diocese,” Cronin said. “This renovation project was something that the center needed in order for us to be competitive in the marketplace. I believe we now have a first-class facility that the diocese can be very proud of, and I am very excited about our future.”

Almost every area in the conference center has been renovated with the exception of Cronin’s office.

RENOVATION, page 20

More online At www.catholicnewsherald.com: See photos of the renovated Catholic Conference Center and watch a video of the blessing ceremony At www.catholicconference.org: Learn more about the conference center and book your event or retreat

Combined Mission Collection to be taken up at Masses Jan. 17-18 CHARLOTTE — Catholics in the Diocese of Charlotte will join in the worldwide effort to support missions in the United States and abroad in the Combined Mission Collection that will be taken up in all parishes the weekend of Jan. 18.

This annual collection funds five separate initiatives: the Collection for the Church in Latin America; the Collection to Aid the Church in Central and Eastern Europe; the Catholic Home Missions Appeal; the United States Mission Collection; and the Solidarity Fund for the Church in Africa.

Here is how donations to the Combined Mission Collection make a difference: n The Collection for the Church in Latin America funds formation programs for

priests, religious, lay leaders, missionaries and pastoral workers, and supports the Church’s work with the poor in the poorest areas of Latin America. n The Collection to Aid the Church in Central and Eastern Europe helps to rebuild the Church in those countries where communism once prohibited public acts of religion. n The Catholic Home Missions Appeal provides funding for evangelization efforts in remote parishes throughout rural America. n The United States Mission Collection supports evangelization programs among African Americans and Native Americans in almost every diocese in our country. n The Solidarity Fund for the Church in

Africa supports the pastoral works of the Church through grants for projects like pastoral care for the sick, evangelization, youth ministry, religious education, and peace-building workshops.

In his letter to parishioners of the Diocese of Charlotte, Monsignor Mauricio West, vicar general and chancellor of the diocese, urged Catholics in western North Carolina to “recognize the importance of spreading the Good News of our Lord to people of all nations.”

Last year, parishioners in the Diocese of Charlotte contributed $285,100 to the Combined Missions Collection.

— SueAnn Howell, senior reporter

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catholicnewsherald.com | January 2, 2015 OUR PARISHES

For the latest news 24/7: catholicnewsherald.com

In Brief Pro-Life Rosary set for Jan. 3 HIGH POINT — A Pro-Life Rosary will be prayed at 11 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 3, 2015, outdoors, rain or shine, at 901 North Main St. and Sunset Drive in High Point. Come and help pray for the end of abortion, especially during the anniversary month of Roe v. Wade. Parking is available on site. Call Jim Hoyng at 336-8829593 or Paul Klosterman at 336-848-6835.

heralding the arrival of winter and the anticipation of spring, will be presented by the Carolina Catholic Chorale and the CPCC Early Music Consort starting at 7 p.m. Friday, Jan. 23. The program, part of the Gaudium Musicae Concert Series, will be held at St. Ann Church, 3635 Park Road, Charlotte. It will include works by Weelkes, Monteverdi, Hassler, Vaughan-Williams, Willan and more, and it will be narrated by award-winning local poet Maureen Ryan Griffin. Ticket prices are $12 for adults and $8 for students. A reception will follow the program. For details, go to www.stanncharlotte. org and click on “Gaudium Musicae.”

Catholic women donate to Knights’ cause Scouts clean up park CHARLOTTE — Members and leaders of Cub Scout Pack 9 (pictured above), affiliated with St. Patrick Cathedral in Charlotte, spent an afternoon picking up trash and recyclables throughout Freedom Park Nov. 16 as part of their annual service work in the community.

Winter concert to be performed CHARLOTTE — “Winter Songs and Spring Trifles,” a celebration of poetry and music

GREENSBORO — During the Greensboro Council of Catholic Women’s annual Christmas Tea Dec. 4, Carolyn Kingman, president, presented a check to Bill Eastwood of the Knights of Columbus for Operation L.A.M.B., as part of their ongoing community service work.

The ladies also brought non-perishable items to distribute to families in need.

— Anne Crooks We welcome your parish’s news! Please email news items to Editor Patricia L. Guilfoyle at catholicnews@ charlottediocese.org.

Diocese of Charlotte Pilgrimage WORLD MEETING OF FAMILIES and PAPAL VISIT - Philadelphia 2015 | September 23-27, 2015 All individuals welcome.

Join us as we celebrate the family and its role in our society, and rejoice in the Holy Father’s first visit the to the U.S.

SEPTEMBER 23 - 27, 2015 • • • • • • • • • •

Lead by Rev. Fr. Michael Kottar, chaplain of the pilgrimage and priest of the Charlotte Diocese 4 nights’ accommodations at the Springhill Suites Roundtrip motorcoach transportation from Charlotte to Philadelphia 4 dinners * 4 breakfasts Half-day guided city tour of Philadelphia Visit to two local shrines World Meeting of Families - Thursday & Friday Festival of Families Celebration - Saturday Papal Mass on Sunday Mass daily

$1144 per person, double occupancy $1679 single occupancy $1097 per person, triple occupancy $1075 per person, quad occupancy Registration fee (not included): $125 per person, ages 17+; $98 per person ages 3-16

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Mrs. Jean Judge

Secretary, St. Mary Help of Christians 704-487-7697 x103 jmjudge@charlottediocese.org A $200 per person deposit is due to AAA by January 19, 2015

12/15/14 10:23 AM

Mix

January 2, 2015 | catholicnewsherald.com catholic news heraldI

For the latest movie reviews: catholicnewsherald.com

In Brief

‘Annie’ Exuberant, updated adaptation of the 1977 Broadway musical (and 1982 film), based on the “Little Orphan Annie” comic strip by Harold Gray. In present-day Manhattan, a foster child (Quvenzhane Wallis) dreams of finding her real parents, while living with four other girls and a wicked, drunken mess (Cameron Diaz) of a temporary guardian. Her rescuer arrives in an unlikely form: a billionaire businessman (Jamie Foxx) who takes her in for publicity purposes as he campaigns for mayor.

The fun begins as she casts a spell on her new benefactor, and vice versa. Director and co-writer Will Gluck’s wholesome story for all ages carries positive messages about love, family, and forgiveness. A couple of crass terms, fleeting mature references.

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

‘The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies’ Director and co-writer Peter Jackson’s trilogy of films based on Catholic novelist J.R.R. Tolkien’s 1937 fantasy for children, set in Tolkien’s imaginary world of Middle-earth, reaches a rousing finale as the forces of good and evil, both within and surrounding its characters, confront each other in a climactic struggle. After the fearsome dragon (voice of Benedict Cumberbatch) who long ago exiled them from their ancestral bastion is slain, the brave band of Dwarves whose quest to reclaim their fabled citadel has been aided by the formerly fainthearted Hobbit Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) is finally able to recover their stronghold. But the untold wealth stored up in the mountain fortress begins to obsess their king (Richard Armitage), making him hopelessly greedy and paranoid just as a vast army of evil Orcs (led by Manu Bennett) is on the march against them. The warping effects of avarice are poised against the redeeming consequences of heroic selflessness in this combat-heavy parable, which also sees the return of Ian McKellen as the wizard who first prompted Bilbo’s transformation. The film offers valuable lessons for those viewers mature enough to endure its many armed confrontations. Pervasive, sometimes harsh battle violence with minimal gore, a couple of crass expressions.

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

Additional reviews: n ‘The Theory of Everything’: CNS: A-III (adults); MPAA: PG-13 n ‘Top Five’: CNS: O (morally offensive); MPAA: R

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On TV n Friday, Jan. 2, 6:30 p.m. (EWTN) “The Seton Legacy: The Daughters of Charity.” The life and work of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton and her legacy with the Daughters of Charity, the order she founded. n Saturday, Jan. 3. 8 p.m. (EWTN) “St. Peter.” The story of the life of St. Peter, the man chosen by Jesus Christ to lead His Church as the first pope. n Saturday, Jan. 3. 11 p.m. (EWTN) “A Miracle in Lanciano.” A oneperson drama concerning the most ancient and ongoing Eucharist miracle in Church history. n Sunday, Jan. 4, 4 p.m. (EWTN) “The Star of Bethlehem.” Rick Larson walks you through this documentary of Biblical and historical clues revealing the incredible significance of the Star of Bethlehem. n Monday, Jan. 5, 6:30 p.m.

(EWTN) “The Site of the Transfiguration of Jesus: Mount Tabor.” Standing over the Jezreel Valley in the Lower Galilee region of Israel is Mount Tabor, a Christian site that pilgrims from all over the world visit because it is the place of the Transfiguration of Jesus

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mentioned in Mark 9:2-4. n Tuesday, Jan. 6, 6:30 p.m.

(EWTN) “A Start Shall Rise.” A classic retelling of the story of the Three Wise Men featuring Raymond Burr and other well-known actors. n Saturday, Jan. 10, 8 p.m.

(EWTN) “Pope John Paul I: The Smile of God.” Pope John Paul I’s peasant origins, his years as a student and parish priest, and his sunny personality are some of the features in this movie. He succeeded Pope Paul VI in 1978, serving as pontiff for only 33 days before his death. n Sunday, Jan. 11, 10 p.m. (EWTN) “Isabel the Catholic.” The life of Queen Isabel of Spain, whose zeal for the Church and complete dependence on God transformed the corrupt kingdom she inherited into the most powerful nation of 15th- and 16th-century Europe. n Wednesday, Jan. 14, 6:30 p.m.

(EWTN) “Evangelizing the Culture for Marriage and Family: Rebuilding a Marriage Culture.” The breakdown of marriage in our country has become more obvious and puts a child at risk in developing a distorted understanding of it. Our culture is in need of a new marriage movement.

Our nation 8

catholicnewsherald.com | January 2, 2015 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Cuba-U.S. reset long promoted

by Church leaders in both countries

For the latest news 24/7: catholicnewsherald.com

In Brief Fatal shooting of New York police officers called ‘brutal, irrational’ NEW YORK — New York Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan joined in mourning what he called the “brutal and irrational execution of two young, promising and devoted police officers” fatally shot Dec. 20 as they sat in their New York Police Department cruiser on a Brooklyn street.

“God’s holy Word, which we just heard, and the sermon that follows, are supposed to be good news. Some days that’s tough to give, this good news, and this is one of them,” the cardinal said in his homily during Mass Dec. 21 at St. Patrick’s Cathedral. “We tear up thinking about their heartbroken families; as we are in solidarity with our police officers who experience a ‘death in the family’; as we worry about a city tempted to tension and division,” he said.

According to police, officers Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu were ambushed as they sat in their marked police car in the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn. A gunman opened fire on them, shooting both fatally in the head. The shooter then fled to the subway and committed suicide, police said.

Ind. diocese to appeal $1.9M verdict in teacher’s firing WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Diocese of FortWayne-South Bend, Indiana, plans to appeal a $1.9 million judgment against it in a lawsuit over the firing of an elementary school teacher who it claimed violated the morals clause of her contract. A U.S. District Court jury determined Dec. 19 that the diocese discriminated against Emily Herx, a former language arts teacher at St. Vincent de Paul School in Fort Wayne, when her contract was not renewed in June 2011 after she informed a school official that she had undergone in vitro fertilization a second time.

Diocesan spokesman Sean McBride said work on an appeal was underway and would be filed in the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago.

In a statement, Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades said the jury’s decision was disappointing. “The diocese considers it important to defend its constitutional and statutorily granted freedom to make faith-based employment decisions without inappropriate interference,” he said.

— Catholic News Service

Patricia Zapor Catholic News Service

WASHINGTON, D.C. — A not-insignificant part of the diplomatic coup pulled off by the White House and Cuban leaders Dec. 17 was that hardly anyone knew they had been working toward a reset in relations between the two neighbors and longtime antagonists.

That the two nations had been negotiating in secret for 18 months and that the Vatican had played a key role in keeping the discussions moving were among the factors that no doubt made the dramatic shift in policies possible. By keeping negotiations among a small number of diplomats and out of the public eye, outside pressures were kept to a minimum.

In simultaneous news conferences that day, U.S. President Barack Obama in Washington and Cuban President Raul Castro in Havana announced that their countries were re-establishing official diplomatic relations. Obama detailed a lengthy list of things that will become easier: sales of materials to Cuba’s small-business owners, for Internet technology and for housing construction; visits to Cuba by more Americans; banking and use of credit cards by Americans visiting Cuba; remittances of greater amounts of cash, to name some of the major changes.

That’s not to say the 54-year U.S. embargo has gone away altogether. Congress still holds the reins to portions of the laws prohibiting trade with Cuba, intended as a sanction for repression and human rights abuses after the Marxist revolution that put Fidel Castro in power in 1959. He or his brother Raul, who took over from the ailing Fidel in 2006, have ruled the country ever since.

U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower first imposed an embargo on Cuba in October 1960. President John F. Kennedy expanded the embargo, and every president since has maintained it until Obama. He is the first to significantly loosen the controls, in 2009 easing restrictions on travel for family and cultural visits and allowing Americans to send more money to their relatives there.

Critics of the shift in policy, most conspicuously a handful of Cuban-American members of Congress, say they will attempt to block the changes. Among the steps they suggested are opposing the nomination of an ambassador and restricting funds needed to reopen an embassy in Havana.

But Congress also holds the power to retain or end the key parts of the embargo, which were put in place by federal law.

The law established the main prohibitions on commerce with Cuba and the ban on travel except as permitted for family, cultural, educational, religious and humanitarian purposes.

The most recent national polling on the embargo done by the Pew Research Center in 2009 found a bare majority, 52 percent, of respondents said the U.S. should renew ties with Cuba. But only 33 percent opposed renewing ties. That poll came not long before the Cuban government began a series of changes, including allowing individuals to buy and sell property and to open businesses. More recently, Cuba began allowing its citizens to travel freely, without government authorization.

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Annual polling of Cuban-Americans in Miami-Dade County by Florida International University has found steadily increasing support for ending the embargo, reinstating diplomatic ties and permitting U.S. citizens to freely travel to Cuba. This year, 68 percent favored reinstating diplomatic relations, with younger Cuban-Americans and recent arrivals backing the changes by even greater numbers, as much as 90 percent and 80 percent, respectively.

Tom Quigley, former foreign policy adviser on Latin America and the Caribbean to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, said it’s true what one of the chief critics, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., says about the need for more progress in changing the political systems in Cuba that prompted the call for an embargo in the first place.

“But it’s not going to get any better by leaving the status quo in place,” he added.

The Catholic Church in both countries has long worked to end the embargo. Yet Stephen Colecchi, director of the USCCB’s Office of International Justice and Peace, said he was unaware of the talks between Cuban and U.S. diplomats until the day of the announcement.

“The seeds were planted a long time ago,” Colecchi said. “We encouraged this, but we had no idea it was happening.”

Boston daily and Catholic newspapers reported that Cardinal Sean P. O’Malley, one of Pope Francis’ key advisers, played a behind-the-scenes role, helping relay messages between a Boston nonprofit group, Beyond Conflict, that encouraged Pope Francis to intervene with Obama to press for an end to the embargo.

When Obama and Pope Francis met in March, Cuba was reportedly one of their main topics of conversation.

For years, the Cuban bishops have worked steadfastly to diminish the emotional distance between Cubans and their Cuban-American relatives. Archbishop Dionisio Garcia Ibanez of Santiago de Cuba, president of the Cuban bishops’ conference, used the 2012 observance of the 400th anniversary of Our Lady of Charity of El Cobre, to encourage Cubans worldwide to unite across borders.

He became a regular visitor to the U.S., especially to Cuban emigre communities in Florida and New York.

By the time Pope Benedict visited Havana, Santiago and the shrine of El Cobre in 2012, thousands of Americans went to join him. From Miami alone, nearly 1,000 people went on flights chartered by the archdiocese.

Under Obama’s 2009 orders allowing more “people to people” travel to Cuba, the idea was for interactions between everyday citizens of both countries to help pressure Cuba’s leaders to bring about more improvements.

Archbishop Garcia’s goal was framed in more theological terms, but he was clear about what he hoped would happen if people would come together in a spirit of pilgrimage.

“La Caridad nos une,” (the Virgin of Charity unites us), Archbishop Garcia said repeatedly on visits to the U.S. preceding the anniversary. “Whether inside Cuba or outside Cuba, there is a sense that we are all one Church.”

Our world

January 2, 2015 | catholicnewsherald.com catholic news heraldI

On Christmas, pope urges people to hear the cry of suffering children Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service

9

Pope: Prolong Christmas joy by serving others, witnessing to Christ Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service

VATICAN CITY — The crying of Baby Jesus is not the only cry people should hear on Christmas; many children around the world are crying because of war, maltreatment and abuse, Pope Francis said.

“My thoughts today go to all children who are abused and mistreated: those killed before they are born; those deprived of the generous love of their parents who are buried under the selfishness of a culture that does not love life; those children displaced by war and persecution, abused and exploited under our eyes and the silence that makes us accomplices.”

Before giving his solemn Christmas blessing “urbi et orbi” (to the city and the world) Dec. 25, Pope Francis addressed an estimated 80,000 people in St. Peter’s Square, urging them to pray for peace in Ukraine, in the Middle East, Nigeria, Libya, South Sudan, Central African Republic and Congo.

With thousands of children looking at the Vatican’s Nativity scene and receiving the pope’s blessing with their parents Christmas morning, Pope Francis’ strongest words were about less-fortunate children.

“May Jesus save the vast numbers of children who are victims of violence, made objects of trade and trafficking or forced to become soldiers,” he said. He added special prayers for the families of the dozens of children killed Dec. 16 by a Taliban attack on a school in Peshawar, Pakistan.

“There are so many tears this Christmas, together with the tears of the infant Jesus,” he said. Children are dying “under bombardment, even there where the son of God was born. Today their silence cries out under the sword of so many Herods,” those who kill children just as Herod did in Jesus’ time.

The pope prayed that Christ’s “divine power, by its meekness,” would “take away the hardness of heart of so

CNS | Paul Haring

Pope Francis kisses a figurine of the baby Jesus as he arrives to celebrate Christmas Eve Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican Dec. 24. many men and women immersed in worldliness and indifference. May His redeeming strength transform arms into ploughshares, destruction into creativity, hatred into love and tenderness.”

In this homily, the pope said, “The birth of the Son of God in a lowly manger is the sign of “the humility of God taken to the extreme; it is the love with which, that night, He assumed our frailty, our suffering, our anxieties, our desires and our limitations.”

Ever since sin entered the world, humanity was yearning for light and for peace, the pope said. The birth of Jesus revealed that “the message that everyone was expecting, that everyone was searching for in the depths of their souls, was none other than the tenderness of God: God who looks upon us with eyes full of love, who accepts our poverty, God who is in love with our smallness.”

“On this holy night, while we contemplate the infant Jesus just born and placed in the manger, we are invited to reflect,” he said. “How do we welcome the tenderness of God? Do I allow myself to be taken up by God, to be embraced by Him, or do I prevent Him from drawing close?”

In the face of difficulties and problems, the pope said, “the Christian response cannot be different from God’s response to our smallness. Life must be met with goodness, with meekness.”

“When we realize that God is in love with our smallness, that He made himself small in order to better encounter us,” the pope said, “we cannot help but open our hearts to Him, and beseech Him: ‘Lord, help me to be like you, give me the grace of tenderness in the most difficult circumstances of life, give me the grace of closeness in the face of every need, of meekness in every conflict.’”

VATICAN CITY — The day after Christmas, Pope Francis warned Catholics about two related temptations: giving Christmas a “false, sugary coating” and not putting the faith one professes into action.

Reciting the Angelus Dec. 26 – a holiday in Italy and the feast of St. Stephen, the martyred deacon who served the poor – the pope said Stephen “honored the coming into the world of the King of Kings, gave witness to Him and offered as a gift his life in service for the poorest. In that way, he shows us how to fully live the mystery of Christmas.”

In the day’s Gospel reading from St. Matthew, Jesus tells His disciples, “You will be hated by all because of my name, but whoever endures to the end will be saved.”

The reading, Pope Francis said, doesn’t “break up the celebration of Christmas, but it strips it of that false, sugary coating that does not belong to it.”

“If we really want to welcome Jesus into our lives and prolong the joy of that holy night,” he said, “the path is indicated by this Gospel: Give witness to Christ in humility, in silent service, without being afraid of going against the current and paying the price.”

Not everyone is called to martyrdom, he said, “but every Christian is called in every situation to be consistent with the faith he or she professes.”

One cannot say, “’I’m a Christian,’ and live like a pagan,” the pope said.

Remembering St. Stephen as the first Christian martyr, Pope Francis also urged the thousands of people gathered in St. Peter’s Square to pray for “all those who are discriminated against, persecuted and killed for their witness of Christ.

I want to say to each of them: If you carry this cross with love, you have entered into the mystery of Christmas, and you are in the heart of Christ and of the Church.”

The pope also asked for prayers that “the sacrifice of today’s martyrs – and they are many – would strengthen in every part of the world the commitment to recognizing and concretely assuring religious freedom, which is the inalienable right of every human person.”

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January 2, 2015 | catholicnewsherald.com

FROM TH

MARCHING FOR

LIFE Pray for an end to abortion

Join the Jan. 9 March for Life Charlotte – in person or online CHARLOTTE — Parishioners in the Diocese of Charlotte are encouraged to attend the ninth annual March for Life Charlotte events that will be held Jan. 9-10 to mark the 42nd anniversary of the Roe vs. Wade decision that legalized abortion. The events are meant to be a time of prayer to call attention to the more than 56 million lives lost to abortion since 1973 and the need to end the tragedy of abortion.

On Friday, Jan. 9, a Mass for the Unborn will be celebrated starting at 9 a.m. at St. Vincent de Paul Church, located at 6828 Old Reid Road in Charlotte. Father Denis G. Wilde of Priests for Life will be the guest homilist.

The ninth annual March for Life Charlotte will be held not long after the conclusion of Mass. Marchers will gather starting at 11 a.m. outside the Diocese of Charlotte Pastoral Center, located at 1123 South Church St. At noon the march will kick off and head from the Pastoral Center towards Independence Square at the corner of Trade and Tryon streets. Father Wilde will then give the keynote address. Chris Hailey, who recently ran for Mecklenburg County Sheriff, will also speak to those

gathered in the square.

After the addresses and testimonies by local representatives from the national Silent No More Campaign, the march will proceed to the Charles R. Jonas Federal Building and Courthouse on West Trade Street, where a rosary and the Chaplet of Divine Mercy will be prayed outside the courthouse.

On Saturday, Jan. 10, the pro-life witness continues with Mass at 9 a.m. at St. Vincent de Paul Church, followed by a prayer vigil outside A Preferred Women’s Health Center, the busiest of Charlotte’s three abortion mills, located at 3220 Latrobe Dr. Father Wilde will also preach during Sunday Masses at St. Patrick Cathedral the weekend of Jan. 10-11.

March for Life Charlotte billboards will again be placed around the Charlotte area to create awareness about the ninth annual March for Life.

See all schedule details at www.marchforlifecharlotte. org. For inquiries, contact Tina Witt with March for Life Charlotte at 704-301-2531 or email marchforlifecharlotte@ windstream.net.

FOLLOW THE MARCH ONLINE! Join in the March for Life Charlotte through live snippet video coverage starting at 11 a.m. Friday, Jan. 9. Go to www.facebook. com/catholicnewsherald to walk alongside the marchers, hear their testimonies and join your voices in prayer for an end to abortion through short video highlights as they happen. Full video coverage will be posted at catholicnewsherald.com after the march.

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The March for Life will Jan. 9. Line up beginni the diocesan Pastoral C the corner of West Palm streets. Free parking w accessible from West P from the Pastoral Cent cannot park in the over buses should park whe sides of West Palmer S nearby. The LYNX rail s Boulevard is also one b are available on the firs Center.

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January 2, 2015 | catholicnewsherald.com i

March for Life events in Raleigh and Washington, D.C.

END HERE

‘Every Life is a Gift’ is theme of this year’s March for Life in D.C.

Marchers will then proceed down West Trade Street toward the federal courthouse. After the recitation of the rosary and the Divine Mercy Chaplet, the march will conclude.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The March for Life Education and Defense Fund has announced the details for the 2015 March for Life to be held on Thursday, Jan. 22. “Every Life is a Gift” will be the theme of the 42nd annual march, and seeks to draw attention to the pre-born populations that are at the greatest risk for abortion: those who receive a prenatal disability diagnosis.

A Mass for prolife advocates from North Carolina will be celebrated at the National Basilica of the Immaculate Conception on the campus of the Catholic University of America at X:XX a.m. Thursday, Jan. 22. Raleigh Bishop Michael F. Burbidge will serve as the principal celebrant. Charlotte Bishop Peter J. Jugis will give the homily.

The March for Life events will begin with a rally at noon on the National Mall, which will be followed at 1 p.m. by a march to the U.S. Supreme Court to hear testimony from women who regret their abortion.

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At the corners of Trade and Tryon streets, presentations and testimonies will be given, including preaching by Father Denis Wilde.

A time of quiet prayer will conclude the presentations. March organizers caution everyone to be mindful of the busy uptown traffic and obey all laws for pedestrians.

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Marchers will proceed up South Church Street, turning right onto West Carson Boulevard.

LYNX STATION CARSON BLVD.

Marchers will then turn left at the intersection of South Tryon Street and West Carson Boulevard, towards uptown Charlotte, and will continue past St. Peter Church to the corner of Trade and Tryon streets.

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start at noon Friday, ing at 11 a.m. outside Center parking lot at mer and South Church will be in the overflow lot Palmer Street, across ter. Non-MACS buses erflow lot – instead, ere available along the Street or elsewhere stop at Carson block away. Restrooms rst floor of the Pastoral

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Other D.C. March for Life events A Youth Rally and Mass for Life hosted by the Archdiocese of Washington will take place on Jan. 22.

The ticketed event will be held at the Verizon Center and the D.C. Armory, both in Washington, D.C. For more information about the event, visit youthrallyandmassforlife.org.

The Paulus Institute for the Propagation of Sacred Liturgy, Washington, D.C., will hold the Third Annual Nellie Gray Mass after the 42nd March for Life, at 4 p.m. in the Extraordinary Form (traditional Latin Mass) at St. Mary Mother of God Church at 5th and H Sts. NW in downtown Washington, D.C. On Friday, Jan. 23, Latinos Por La Vida will host its Second Annual ProLife Conference in the Silver Spring Marriott hotel after the March for Life.

There will be two keynote speakers: Astrid Bennett-Gutiérrez and Alejandro Bermudez from EWTN. Astrid BennettGutierrez is the executive director of “Los Angeles Pregnancy Services” and co-host of “The Catholic View for Women” and Alejandro Bermudez is a journalist and host of “Cara a Cara.”

There will be several workshops at the conference given by pro-life leaders from different dioceses. The conference will conclude with dinner and a concert.

Diocese of Raleigh events The Diocese of Raleigh will celebrate a diocesan Mass for Life at noon Saturday, Jan. 17, at Halifax Mall in downtown Raleigh. Bishop Michael F. Burbidge will celebrate the Mass under a tent at Halifax Mall for youth and adults.

The Rally and March for Life with North Carolina Right to Life will immediately follow the Mass at 1 p.m.

For details, go to www. dioceseofraleigh.com.

The crucifix will lead the march with participating priests and deacons, followed by the Divine Mercy image carried by the Missionaries of the Poor, the Blessed Mother statue carried with the Knights of Columbus, followed by all other religious and lay people.

Photos by SueAnn Howell | Catholic News Herald graphic by Tim P. Faragher | Catholic News Herald

— SueAnn Howell, senior reporter

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catholicnewsherald.com | January 2, 2015 FROM THE COVER

“What is encompassed in ‘Behold, I make all things new?’ It’s hope,” said Belmont Abbey College sophomore Mary Kate Reid, who helped organize the 10th annual Bishop’s Lenten Youth Pilgrimage April 5. Approximately 1,000 young people attended. “With renewal comes hope.

No matter what, no matter how down you are, Christ will always be there as a beacon of light. We’re not to hide that light under a bushel basket.

We’re supposed to have it up and out for everyone to see.”

2014

Doreen Sugierski | Catholic News Herald

A look back at a year of renewal TAKE A LOOK BACK: MORE PHOTOS, VIDEOS AND STORIES ONLINE At www. catholicnewsherald.com: Review the year’s big local, international and national news, read a past print edition you may have missed, and check out some of our favorite videos from 2014 At www.facebook.com/ catholicnewsherald: Tell us: What was your favorite story of 2014?

At www.pinterest.com/ charlottecnh: Read all these stories and see more photos and videos, all in one place, on our Year in Review board

1. ‘Behold, I make all things new’ “A Catholic without the Eucharist will not remain a strong Catholic for long.”

In his homily for the closing Mass of the 2014 Eucharistic Congress in Charlotte, Bishop Peter J. Jugis emphasized that Catholics need the Eucharist to remain focused on Jesus and keep their faith alive.

The 10th annual Congress organized by the Diocese of Charlotte, featuring the theme “Behold, I make all things new” from Revelation 21:5, drew an estimated 13,000 people to the Charlotte Convention Center Sept. 19-20 for Mass and Adoration, confession, educational talks and music.

“Sometimes if we are not careful,” Bishop Jugis said in his homily, “our Mass attendance can become routine,” a habit that Catholics don’t really think about.

Bishop Jugis and the other keynote speakers reminded Congress-goers that we must have the same faith, the same fervor and the same confidence in Jesus as His first disciples had, and that we cannot let our faith become dull or routine.

He said, “You need the Eucharist. You need Jesus. If you think you can live a Christian life without Jesus, you are mistaken. You are not really living. A Catholic without the Eucharist will not remain a strong Catholic for long. One’s faith will become watered down, if he is not

constantly being fed by Jesus.”

We cannot live as “watered down Christians,” he said. “After all, why did Jesus give us the Eucharist? He wants the Eucharist to be a real part of our life – not just something we do once in a while” but an essential part of our lives.

“He wants to live in us, He wants us to be holy.”

Receiving the Eucharist also renews us, he said. “Jesus is always doing new things: lifting up those who have fallen down, forgiving sins and giving us a new start, healing the wounded ... There is no limit to His ability to make all things new. And in the Eucharist He lifts us up, He renews us, He fills us with His love, He refreshes us, He makes us new.”

That message was echoed by the Congress’ two other keynote speakers: Cardinal Edwin F. O’Brien, Grand Master of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulcher, and Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz of Louisville, Ky., president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Attendees at this year’s Eucharistic Congress praised the beauty of the Eucharistic procession through uptown Charlotte, the opportunity they had to spend time in Adoration, and to experience firsthand the unity and diversity of the diocese.

“It’s very uplifting spiritually. Just to see all these people is humbling, that so many people

SueAnn Howell | Catholic News Herald

Bishop Peter Jugis poses for a “selfie” with a youth inside the Charlotte Convention Center during the Eucharistic Congress in September. The event attracted more than 13,000 people from across the diocese. from so many different places can come together to do one thing – to honor God,” said Joseph Kakhu from St. Mary Church in Greensboro.

January 2, 2015 | catholicnewsherald.com

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Patricia L. Guilfoyle | Catholic News Herald

3. ‘We are the people of life’

Photo provided by Allana-Rae Ramkissoon

Second-grade students at Our Lady of the Assumption School in Charlotte offered up a decade of the rosary at the opening assembly for Catholic Schools Week in January. Prayer and community service projects were the cornerstones of the week-long celebration of Catholic education at the diocese’s 19 schools.

Sacraments

As of Sept. 30 in the diocese, there were: 3,586 baptisms 5,608 first Holy Communions 4,155 confirmations 935 marriages 834 people received into the Church

Photo provided by Robin Fisher

Children from Sacred Heart School receive ashes during Ash Wednesday Mass celebrated by Father Jason Barone at Sacred Heart Church in Salisbury.

The faithful gave public witness in 2014 to the value of all life, the sanctity of traditional marriage, and the need to protect religious liberty at home and abroad.

Several hundred people braved a cold and rainy January day for the annual Charlotte March for Life, and in June a religious liberty march was also held through the streets of uptown Charlotte. But the need for public witness to the Gospel will continue, as the number of states which allow same-sex “marriage” doubled in 2014, including North Carolina after a federal judge struck down the state’s popular constitutional amendment protecting traditional marriage. Bishop Peter Jugis and Bishop Michael Burbidge of Raleigh called the ruling “unjust,” saying it is the duty of all Catholics to affirm the truth that “marriage is a permanent, faithful and fruitful covenant joining a man and a woman.”

4. ‘I do truly believe God is real’

2. ‘Here I am, Lord. Send me.’

SueAnn Howell | Catholic News Herald; photo provided by Whitmeyer Photography

The 16 deacons lay prostrate during the Litany of Supplication during their ordination Mass in May. (Above) Newly ordained Father Noah Carter distributes Holy Communion during his first Mass, celebrated in the Extraordinary Form, on Sunday, June 29 at St. Barnabas Church in Arden.

The diocese celebrated the ordination of 16 men to the permanent diaconate and three men to the priesthood in 2014.

“Relying on the help of the Lord God and our Savior, Jesus Christ, we choose these, our brothers, for the order of the diaconate.”

These words by Bishop Peter J. Jugis were met by thunderous applause from the congregation at the permanent diaconate ordination Mass at St. Mark Church in May. “Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, our brothers have now been chosen for ordination to the diaconate,” Bishop Jugis said. “They will now receive the gift of the Holy Spirit and the grace of the sacrament of holy orders to assist me and the priests in the ministry of the Word, in the ministry of the Altar and the ministry of Charity.”

A month later, the faithful gathered again at St. Mark Church with joy and gratitude as the diocese’s three newest priests were ordained.

With their faces filled with emotion, Paul Buchanan, Noah Carter and Paul McNulty stood before Bishop Peter J. Jugis to present themselves for priestly ordination at the start of the ordination Mass June 28.

In his homily, Bishop Jugis explained that the three young men are to become coworkers with the order of bishops to continue Christ’s mission to teach His Gospel, to offer His sacrifice which reconciles the world to Almighty God, and to shepherd His people to heaven. “Now, dear sons, you are to be raised to the order of the priesthood,” he said.

There were many stories of inspiring Catholics in 2014, from the St. Matthew parishioner who started a ministry for motorcyclists to Charlotte Catholic High school grad Nick Andrade, who is battling back from a severe spinal injury thanks to support from many in the community. They weren’t the only ones who showed us that faith in God can uplift us and light our way through the darkest experiences.

ALS sufferer Marty D’Amore turned his pain into a spiritual autobiography – “Joy and Suffering: My Life with ALS,” co-written with Belmont Abbey College professor Grattan Brown and published in January.

D’Amore said he wrote the book “so that my loved ones can one day see the good in my illness – the good in all our suffering – and be better for it.”

St. Leo graduate and spina bifida sufferer Lisa Pubantz competed in her first 10K in WinstonSalem in March.

The entire St. Leo School community celebrated her accomplishment.

“I feel deeply blessed to live in a community where so many people not only want to see me succeed, but sueann howell | catholic news herald also celebrate my successes and achievements with me,” she said afterwards.

Eighth-grader Ali Southard has been an inspiration to fellow students at Our Lady of Grace School, where she played varsity basketball despite being born with only one hand. She hasn’t let her disability stop her from achieving her dreams. “No matter what Ali tries, she finds a way to do it. She may do some things differently, but she figures it out. I’m amazed,” said her mom Kelly.

Donielle Wilde kept alive her trust in God and His Providence despite a cancer diagnosis during her 10th pregnancy and a recommendation from doctors that she abort her baby girl to undergo cancer treatments. She delayed her cancer treatments and gave birth to a healthy baby girl, Sylvia Hope, in November.

Two-time cancer survivor Spencer Wilson, 17, hit an unbelievable game-winning basket during the final seconds of a Bishop McGuinness High School basketball game in January, landing the shot from across the court just as the scoreboard clock ran out. “Dedicate yourself to the day,” Wilson said, “because tomorrow’s never promised.” History repeated itself for Bishop McGuinness with another incredible game-winning shot during the final seconds of a girls basketball game in March, scored by Alex Putnam.

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catholicnewsherald.com | January 2, 2015 FROM THE COVER

Patricia L. Guilfoyle | Catholic News Herald

Deacon Gerald Potkay incenses the Gospel during Mass at St. Joseph of the Hills Church’s 75th anniversary celebration in Eden.

Patricia L. Guilfoyle | Catholic News Herald

Bishop Peter Jugis sprinkles holy water during the dedication of St. Peter Yu Korean Church in Greensboro, to the delight of children in the cry room.

Photo provided by Karen Hornfeck

Father Eric Kowalski, pastor, blessed the new Our Lady of Grace School in Greensboro before students returned to classes in August.

Photo provided by John Kenny

The Missionaries of the Poor celebrated two special occasions in 2014: The order dedicated its new Monroe location, Our Lady of Guadalupe Monastery, with Bishop Peter Jugis and M.O.P. founder Father Richard Ho Lung, and Brother Augusto Silot was named the order’s new superior general.

(Pictured from left) Breaking ground on Mother Teresa Villa in July were Bishop Peter J. Jugis; Bishop Emeritus William G. Curlin; Lori Gougeon, InReach president; Monsignor Mauricio West, vicar general and chancellor of the Diocese of Charlotte; Gary Stanley, coowner of Garanco Construction and MTV project manager; and Jerry Widelski, executive director for the Diocese of Charlotte Housing Corp.

RICO DE SILVA | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Parish anniversaries in 2014 n St. Helen Mission in Spencer Mountain, 100 n St. Patrick Cathedral in Charlotte, 75 n St. Joseph of the Hills Church in Eden, 75 n Our Lady of the Highways Church in Thomasville, 60 n St. Barnabas Church in Arden, 50 n St. Elizabeth of the Hill Country in Boone, 50

Growth, growth and more growth Parishes continued to respond to growth in 2014 with groundbreakings, expansions and renovations – all to meet the needs of an estimated 450,000 Catholics: n St. Francis of Assisi Church in Jefferson dedicated a spectacular new 10,205-square-foot church. n Immaculate Heart of Mary Mission dedicated a 30,000-square-foot church and parish hall in Hayesville. n St. Matthew Church opened a 16,000-square-foot multipurpose facility on its new campus in Waxhaw to serve the growing number of parishioners from that area.

n St. Vincent de Paul Church in Charlotte dedicated a new 19,000-square-foot ministry center and Holy Family Chapel. n St. Peter Yu Korean Church dedicated its new church in Greensboro. n In August, Our Lady of Grace School began classes in its new state-of-the-art school, a three-story building with 16 classrooms that is linked to an existing school building that houses the school library, offices, cafeteria and gym.

n A groundbreaking was held for Mother Teresa Villa, a project by the Diocese of Charlotte Housing Corp. to serve developmentally disabled adults in Charlotte. n The Missionaries of the Poor dedicated their new Our Lady of Guadalupe Monastery in Monroe, and a new superior general, Brother Augusto Silot, was named to succeed retiring founder Father Richard Ho Lung. n The Catholic Conference Center got a new director, and a $1 million makeover funded in part by

the diocese’s “Forward in Faith, Hope, and Love” campaign.

Other milestones n The historic diocesan campaign “Forward in Faith, Hope, and Love” ended, having raised more than $68 million from nearly 16,000 donors to fund long-range initiatives across the Diocese of Charlotte, including about $25 million for parish projects and about $43 million for broader ministries. n Mecklenburg Area Catholic Schools launched a special needs program for students in grades 2-5 who have been diagnosed with specific learning disabilities in reading and writing. Housed at Our Lady of the Assumption School in Charlotte, PACE (Providing an Appropriate Academic Catholic Education) helps students who have learning disabilities such as dyslexia, teaching them to adapt to and overcome their disability so they can return to regular classes.

n St. Matthew Parish’s SPRED ministry celebrated its 10th anniversary. n Pennybyrn at Maryfield in High Point marked 20 years of Eucharistic Adoration. n MiraVia in Belmont, formerly known as Room at the Inn, celebrated its 20th anniversary in October. n Coach Jim Oddo retired after more than four decades at Charlotte Catholic High School. n The Diocese of Charlotte unveiled a new diocesan shield. n Catholic Charities Diocese of Charlotte hosted the annual national conference of Catholic Charities USA in October, and the Catholic News Herald hosted the annual national conference of

January 2, 2015 | catholicnewsherald.com

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Top stories online In 2014, 161,232 visitors to www.catholicnewsherald. com viewed a total of 383,283 pages. The 10 most popular stories last year were: n Triad couple trusts in God throughout cancer diagnosis, high-risk pregnancy ..........................30,795 n Dominican nun at heart of Charlotte Catholic controversy takes leave from teaching............ 21,054 n Charlotte Catholic student petition taken offline..........................................................................14,363 n Hundreds gather for seminarian Michael Kitson’s funeral Mass.................................................................7,775 n Charlotte Catholic principal Jerry Healy resigns .........................................................................................6,921 n Priest assignment changes for 2014 announced .......................................................................................6,546 n Father Joseph Kelleher passes away ............ 4,978 n Monsignor Kerin, Charlotte diocese’s second chancellor, passes away ......................................... 3,032 n Clergy, parishioners celebrate opening of new St. Matthew South .......................................... 2,275 Sueann howell | catholic news herald

Bishop Peter Jugis served as the main celebrant of the funeral Mass for Monsignor Joseph A. Kerin, the diocese’s second chancellor. Bishop Emeritus William G. Curlin and nearly two dozen diocesan priests concelebrated the Mass in April at St. Mark Church in Huntersville, one of two parishes Monsignor Kerin helped build during his service to the diocese.

n Buchanan, Carter, McNulty await June 28 ordination to the priesthood ................................2,225

Photo provided by bobby singleton

CCDOC.ORG

In memoriam FATHER FRANK CINTULA, who served St. Joseph of the Hills in Eden, St. Pius X Church in Greensboro, St. John Baptist de la Salle Church in North Wilkesboro and St. Stephen Mission in Elkin before retiring from the Diocese of Charlotte, died April 27, 2014, aged 83.

DEACON JOSEPH HENRY FUGERE, who served St. John the Baptist Church in Tryon from 2010 to 2013, died Aug. 14, 2014, aged 74.

FATHER MICHAEL Joseph KELLEHER, who served for more than 40 years as priest in nine parishes in the Diocese of Charlotte, and most recently served as chaplain of Bishop McGuinness High School in Kernersville, died Aug. 20, 2014, aged 86.

SEMINARIAN MICHAEL GERARD KITSON, who served as a seminarian for the Diocese of Charlotte and studied at the Pontifical College Josephinum in Columbus, Ohio, from 2012 to 2014, died April 27, 2014, aged 20.

Molly Rusciolelli | Catholic News Herald

A statue of the Divine Mercy at St. Ann Church in Charlotte was blessed in July by Bishop Peter Jugis, after a Mass in the Extraordinary Form was celebrated for the feast of St. Anne.

It was dedicated to the memory of Michael Kitson, a St. Ann parishioner and seminarian who died April 27. The 20-year-old had a strong devotion to the Divine Mercy, and his sudden death on Divine Mercy Sunday shocked family and friends, brother seminarians, priests and mentors from around the diocese.

FATHER L. EUGENE “GENE” SCHELLBERG, who, as a retired priest from the Diocese of Trenton, N.J., served St. Matthew Church in Charlotte as a priest in residence, died Nov. 6, 2014, aged 84.

Glenmary Brother Bernie Stern, who served at St. Joseph Church in Bryson City in the 1970s, died Jan. 5, 2014, aged 76.

MERCY SISTER MARY GERTRUDE WELDON, who served in many nursing capacities at St. Joseph Hospital in Asheville and Mercy Hospital in Charlotte, as well as at Sacred Heart College in Belmont as guidance counselor and director of admissions and recruiting, died July 15, 2014, aged 93.

MERCY SISTER MARY LOUISE WIESENFORTh, who served for most of her 80 years of ministry in elementary education and administration, and retired to Sacred Heart Convent in Belmont in 1982, died Oct. 22, 2014, aged 100.

Jubilarians 65 YEARS: Father Charles Reese, Notre Dame Sister Therese Martin 60 YEARS: Sister Fran Grady, SCL 55 YEARS: Father Gabriel Meehan 50 YEARS: Benedictine Father Francis Forster, Benedictine Father Arthur Pendleton 45 YEARS: Capuchin Franciscan Father Louis Canino 40 YEARS: Jesuit Father Patrick Earl, Monsignor John McSweeney, Conventional Franciscan Father William Robinson, Father Paul Wilderotter; Deacon Michael Leahy 35 YEARS: Vincentian Father Vincent Finnerty, Vincentian Father John Timlin; Deacons Gordon Forrester, William S. Shaw and John Sims 30 YEARS: Father Peter Fitzgibbons, Father Paul Gary, Father Thomas Kessler, Father Philip Kollithanath; Deacons Tom Kak, R. Timothy Ritchey and Ramon Tejada 25 YEARS: Father Conrad Hoover 20 Years: Father Michael Kottar; Deacons Phil Cooper and Rich McCarron

Discover Natural Family Planning Modern Natural Family Planning (NFP) provides a practical and empowering alternative used to achieve or avoid pregnancy. It upholds the dignity of the person within the context of marriage and family and promotes openness to life by respecting the love-giving and life-giving natures of marriage.

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January 10 - St. Matthew Catholic Church, Charlotte January 31 - St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church, Charlotte For more information visit our website or contact Batrice Adcock, MSN at 704.370.3230 or bnadcock@charlottediocese.org.

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catholicnewsherald.com | January 2, 2015 FROM THE COVER

Celebrating diversity Many backgrounds, languages, gifts and experiences converge to create a diverse Church in western North Carolina. The diocese features a strong and active AfricanAmerican community, which was celebrated recently during Black Catholic History Month in November. The Hispanic community totals more than 230,000 faithful, and the diocese also features vibrant Vietnamese, Korean and Hmong communities.

Among the highlights of 2014 were the first-

ever Afro-Latino Mass and celebration, held at St. Peter Church in Charlotte in October. The Hispanic Ministry, in coordination with local black Catholics including parishioners from Our Lady of Consolation Church in Charlotte, organized the celebration to coincide with the Afro-Peruvian devotion to “El Señor de los Milagros,” the Lord of Miracles, to celebrate the shared Catholic roots of African and Latino Americans.

Nigerian Catholics celebrated their Igbo

heritage in July with a Mass said in Igbo at St. Mary Church in Greensboro. The Mass was only the second one offered in the native Nigerian language in the diocese.

The Hispanic community also participated in a Marian Congress in February, and Father Fidel Melo, vicar for Hispanic Ministry, led the ministry’s first pilgrimage to the Holy Land during Lent.

Polish Catholics also gathered for their largest-ever Mass said in Polish, held at St.

Thomas Aquinas Church in Charlotte. The celebration of Polish Catholicism and heritage included veneration of a relic of Pope St. John Paul II and a replica of the famed icon of Our Lady of Czestochowa.

In September, the growing Korean community in Greensboro celebrated the dedication of their new church, St. Peter Yu. The church serves the second majority-Korean community in the diocese, with the first and largest being St. John Lee Korean Church in Charlotte.

Photos by Doreen Sugierski, Rico De Silva, Patricia L. Guilfoyle and SueAnn Howell | Catholic News Herald

FULLY ALIVE

A day retreat for young adults featuring the band GREG & LIZZY

Greg&Lizzy's combination of creative artistry and faithful witness provides an outstanding outreach of hope for all.

Saturday, January 10 – 9:30am to 4:30pm St. Leo Catholic Church Parish Center 335 Springdale Avenue – Winston Salem, NC 27104

$20/person or $30/couple includes light breakfast and lunch Register online at www.wsfrassati.com by January 5

O Holy St. Jude!

Apostle and Martyr, great in virtue and rich in miracles, near kinsman of Jesus Christ, faithful intercessor for all who invoke your, special patronage in time of need; to you I have recourse from the depth of my heart, and humbly beg you, to whom God has given such great power, come to my assistance.

In return I promise to make your name known and cause you to be invoked.

St. Jude pray for us who invoke your aid.

(Say 3 Our Fathers, 3 Hail Mary’s, 3 Glory Be)

January 2, 2015 | catholicnewsherald.com Ad1_mock.pdf

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Tim Reid | Catholic News Herald

Volunteers from Asheville area churches – including St. Lawrence Basilica, St. Barnabas Parish, St. Eugene Parish and St. Margaret Mary – raised the walls in May on Habitat for Humanity’s first “Pope Francis House,” funded and built in the spirit of the Holy Father’s words that “work confers dignity.”

Lending a helping hand Lastly, in what may be the most special aspect of 2014, people across the diocese continued to reach out and help our brothers and sisters in need, both locally and abroad.

Every edition of the Catholic News Herald in 2014 contained stories of how local parishes, lay organizations such as the Knights of Columbus, schools and faith formation classes were engaged in serving the community. Among the stories that were featured: Two Habitat for Humanity houses dedicated to Pope Francis were built, one in Asheville and the other in Huntersville.

Multiple parishes – including St. Matthew, St. Therese and St. Barnabas – collected money and packaged thousands of pounds in food donations to send overseas to combat hunger.

Asheville Catholic students raised funds and supplies to help schools in Jebba, Nigeria.

St. Matthew teens pitched in to help “Serve Charlotte’s Homeless.”

Several Catholic school principals in Charlotte took the ALS “Ice Bucket Challenge” last fall, raising money for a local ALS support group.

Sacred Heart Parish in Brevard donated $14,000 and thousands of pounds of food and volunteer hours to Sharing House, which helps the local needy.

Catholic Charities Diocese of Charlotte received increased funding to aid incoming refugees. The diocesan permanent diaconate also dedicated more resources to prison ministry in Mecklenburg County.

Dr. Carolyn Woo, head of Catholic Relief Services, visited St. Gabriel Parish and School to help kick off the 2014 Rice Bowl collection, which brought in funding for local and international food relief efforts.

A Gift for the Ages Our daughter’s baptism. Her first Communion and confirmation. Last week she was married.

We are grateful that we were able to establish a charitable gift annuity with the Foundation of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte to benefit our Catholic school.

To receive the free brochure, “A Simple Guide to Gift Planning” contact Judy Smith, Director of Planned Giving at 704-370-3320 or jmsmith@ charlottediocese.org

CCDOC.ORG

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1730 Link Road Winston-Salem, NC 27103 (336) 722.7204 www.ourladyofmercyschool.org Welcoming students of all races, religions, ethnic and national origins.

Help and Hope For Youth & Their Families The Piedmont Triad Office of Catholic Charities offers professional youth and family counseling services free of charge, in English and Spanish. Individual and family counseling can help school-age young people who may be dealing with behavioral issues, trauma, changing family dynamics, school issues, depression and anxiety, and life transitions.

Licensed, Masters level counselors at Catholic Charities strive to help people in crisis cope with daily challenges and reduce stress, fear, and uncertainty. Parenting Education classes are also available free of charge. All families qualify for services regardless of income.

To request services or make referrals, contact Becky DuBois at 336-714-3203/bjdubois@charlottediocese.org.

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627 West Second Street, Winston-Salem, NC 27120

ViewPoints 18

catholicnewsherald.com | January 2, 2015 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Cardinal Timothy Dolan

Boring Mass?

‘The Mass is not some tedious chore we do for God, but a miracle Jesus does with and for us.’

“

Mass is so boring!”

How often have you parents heard that from your kids on Sunday morning? How often have our teachers and catechists heard it as they prepare our children for Mass? And, let’s admit it, how often have we said it to ourselves?

What do we say to that unfortunate and almost sacrilegious statement?

Well, for one, we simply reply: No, it’s not! You may find the Mass boring, but, that’s more your problem than the fault of the Mass.

We may find a lot of very important activities in life “boring”: visits to the dentist can be that way; kidney patients tell me dialysis three times a week is hardly a thrill; voting is no barrel of laughs.

But all three of them are very significant to our well-being, and their value hardly depends on us being ecstatic while doing them. The Mass is even more important for the health of our soul than those examples.

Boredom is our problem, and social commentators tell us we today, so used to 30-second sound bites, or flipping the channel when we yawn at a program, are susceptible to it.

Thank God, a person’s or an event’s value does not depend on its tendency to sometimes “bore” us. People and significant events exist not to thrill us, unless we are the most narcissistic and spoiled of brats!

This is especially true of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. We believe that every Mass is the renewal of the most important, critical event that ever occurred: the eternal, infinite sacrifice of praise of God the Son, Jesus, to God the Father, on a cross on Calvary on a Friday called “good.”

Come to think of it, the Roman soldiers were “bored” there, too, as they mocked Jesus and rolled dice for His tunic, the only property He had.

Two, we hardly go to Mass to be entertained, but to pray. If the flowers on the altar are pretty, if the music is good, if the air conditioning is working, if the sermon is short and meaningful, if the folks are friendly ... all that sure helps.

But the Mass works even when all of the above may be missing – and, sadly, they often are!

Because the Mass is not about us, but about God. And the value of the Mass comes from our simple yet profound conviction, based on

faith, that, for an hour on Sunday, we’re part of the beyond, lifted up to the eternal, a participant in a mystery as we unite with Jesus in the thanks, love, atonement and sacrifice He eternally offers His Father.

What Jesus does always works, and is never boring. The Mass is not some tedious chore we do for God, but a miracle Jesus does with and for us.

A gentleman was just telling me about his family Sunday dinner, the heart of the week when he was growing up. The food was so good because his mom cooked it so well, and the table so happy because his dad was always there!

Even after he got married and had his own kids, they’d all go to his mom and dad’s for that Sunday dinner. When his kids got a bit older they asked if they “had to go,” because, yes, at times they found it “boring.” Yes, you, do, he would reply, because we don’t just go for the food, but because of love, because mom and dad are there!

He teared up as he recalled that, as mom and dad got old, the food wasn’t as good and the company not as sparkling, but he’d never miss, because that Sunday event had a depth of meaning even when mom burned the lasagna and dad nodded off.

And now, he concluded, he’d give anything to be there again, because mom’s gone and dad’s in a nursing home.

So now he and his wife host it, and he hopes his three kids will one day bring their spouses and children to their Sunday table.

See, the value of that Sunday dinner doesn’t depend on how good the food is, how expensive the wine, how interesting the conversation. All that sure helps, but it’s the event that has the real value.

Same with the Sunday dinner of our spiritual family: Mass.

Some folks think a game at Yankee Stadium is boring; some consider country music the same; some people tell me that values such as friendship, volunteer work, family, loyalty, generosity and patriotism are “passe,” no longer “exciting.”

I’d say they have a problem!

And some tell me “Mass is so boring ...”

Cardinal Timothy Dolan leads the Archdiocese of New York. This is adapted from his blog post of July 21, 2014. Check out his blog and audiotaped homilies online at www.cardinaldolan. org.

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January 2, 2015 | catholicnewsherald.com catholic news heraldI

‘The secret to sanctity is living out my vocation because it is the will of God for me – no matter what that vocation might be.’

Allison Schumacher

Be yourself and embrace God’s will for you

R

ecently I received the great joy of being asked to be a godmother to a precious baby girl. Looking toward her baptism, I cannot help but think about such a seemingly simple ceremony which carries with it profound consequences.

Father will pour water over the child’s head, anoint her, and pray over her. Then he will say, “You have become a new creation, and have clothed yourself in Christ. See in this white garment the outward sign of your Christian dignity” (From the Rite of Baptism). Within an hour that little baby will become a child of God. Along with this incredible transformation comes a challenge – a challenge that every baptized individual is called to undertake – and that is the call to sainthood. God does not offer this opportunity to a mere few, but to each soul. In fact, through our various life circumstances, trials and joys, God provides exactly what each of us needs to overcome our human nature’s weaknesses, to grow in virtue, to reach the perfection of charity, and to win the crown of sanctity.

St. Paul wrote, “For this is the will of God, your sanctification” (1 Thess 4:3; cf Eph 1:4). In the Vatican II constitution “Lumen Gentium” (“Light of the Nations”), the Church tells us, “All Christians in any state or walk of life are called to the fullness of Christian life and to the perfection of love … All the faithful are invited and obliged to holiness and the perfection of their own state of life” (“Lumen Gentium” 40, 42).

It is no small task, that is true. It is a race that brings forth sweat, a fight against fallen human nature that often causes tears, a battle that involves alternations between success and failure.

However, while the activity is tough, the means to sanctity itself is simple and guaranteed to produce the desired effects.

The secret to sanctity is living out my vocation because it is the will of God for me – no matter what that vocation might be. In his book “The Family That Overtook Christ,” Trappist Father M. Raymond put these words into the mouth of one of his characters: “If monks would only realize that all they have to do to become saints is to be monks because being monks is the will of God in their regard; if fathers and mothers would only be fathers and mothers, not because of nature but because of grace and the God of grace, what a different world this would be!”

The characters of the book continued to explain, “‘Be yourself !

For such is the will of God!’ But how many of us are satisfied with being just ourselves? … Few, very few. We are always dreaming or planning, or wishing or hoping or even daring to be something or someone else.”

The truth is, by looking away from our present situation, away from the present moment, we are losing so much time and so many graces!

Holiness is attainable if we whole-heartedly embrace God’s will in our lives and practice charity. St. Alphonsus Liguori said, “All of holiness consists in the love of God, and all of the love of God consists in doing His will.”

This applies to both personal avocations and state-of-life vocations. If you are a nurse, then be the very best nurse you can be for love of God. If you are a priest, then be the very best possible priest you can be for the love of God. If you are a mother, do not daydream of religious habits and bell chimes calling you to Divine Office; but offer your daily oblation of self to God through little eyes looking to you for love and small hands reaching out for a cup of water. And I dare say to the young people who are still searching and discerning what their state-in-life vocation may be, live the present moment to the fullest capacity with as much youthful love as you can!

Father Raymond emphasized this same idea, even in terms of our individual temperaments. He pointed out that “Peter would never have become St. Peter had he striven to be as mild as St. Bartholomew or as delicately loving as St. John. No. He had to be Peter, the bold, blustering, bragging Rock. He had to love with a man’s love, for that was the mold in which God had cast him.”

There is the challenge. It is not always pleasant to face the various trials that come with each vocation or each circumstance in life. Nor is it always easy to bear with one’s own temperament and the faults that come with it. However, with eyes fixed steadfastly on God, and in cooperation with His grace, we can use these means to fully become the persons He created us to be.

Striving for holiness is truly a race worth running, a battle worth the fight, and a struggle worth the effort.

Allison Schumacher is a freelance writer who works with MiraVia in Belmont.

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Gireesh Gupta

Prayer has proven healing powers

P

rayer is known to have healing powers. Intercessory prayer on behalf of the needy, along with all the medical marvels of today, can be effective in the healing of a person suffering from an ailment.

It is difficult to study, analyze and quantify the efficacy of prayer.

However, numerous scientific studies have been done on the efficacy of prayer. Some studies suggest that prayer has beneficial effects on the healing process, while others say that prayer has no effect on healing.

Nevertheless, people of all religions and faiths around the world pray every day for the healing of their family members and friends, and for those they do not even know. A large number of physicians worldwide believe in faith and God and in the healing power of prayer.

Prayer is faith. Prayer is meditation.

A deep prayer calms the anxiety and brings peace to the mind and body.

It gives hope. It is likely that peace and hope positively affect the brain function and the physiological process of the body, resulting in favorable effects on healing. People who pray regularly tend to be calm, caring, gentle and content. They are less likely to engage in domestic violence or abusive behavior.

Prayer is universal. It is a source of hope for billions of people around the world. It brings comfort and good feeling to sick persons to know that someone is making a piteous supplication to God on their behalf. It also is healthy for the persons praying because they are reaping all the spiritual and physiological benefits of prayer.

Prayer is a powerful complement to modern medicine. It is a source of energy for both the sick and their family members. When we pray for our own or someone else’s well-being, it transports us into the protection of the highest power in the universe.

That divine power imbues us with the physical and spiritual strength to face even the most painful situation with fortitude and calm, regardless of the outcome.

Prayer can heal intense emotional pain, if not physical suffering. Prayer will take us into the arms of the Divine Physician whose healing touch will soothe the pain and bolster the spirit. Prayer is the life jacket that helps us ride the turbulence of life and keeps us afloat.

Gireesh Gupta is an associate professor of computer information systems at Belmont Abbey College in Belmont.

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catholicnewsherald.com | January 2, 2015 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

MARRIAGE: FROM PAGE 2

union that will end the marriage.

One who has anger issues requires anger management therapy. When this lack of control develops into violence and rage – evidenced by, for example, in destroying furniture, throwing things, road rage, etc.

– questions such as the following should be asked: How defensive are you? What rights and wrongs do you feel strongly about? Who do you feel accountable to?

How do you consistently react to particular situations?

Pornography may well be the one issue that causes the most major problems in a marriage. Pornography includes sexuallyexplicit materials found in social media, magazines, books, films, and especially the internet. The use of pornographic

CCDOC.ORG

Every Life is a Gift You are invited to be a part of the upcoming pro-life activities. Be a visible witness to the sanctity of life and pray for the protection of all, from conception until natural death.

March for Life, Mass for the Unborn Friday, January 9, 2015 9 a.m. – St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church, 6828 Old Reid Road, Charlotte, NC March for Life Charlotte Friday, January 9, 2015 1123 S. Church St., Charlotte, NC 11 a.m. – Assemble at Pastoral Center, 12 p.m. – March marchforlifecharlotte.org Mass for Life, Washington, D.C. for North Carolina attendees Thursday, January 22, 2015 Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, 400 Michigan Ave NE, Washington, D.C. 11:30 am – Mass concelebrated by Bishop Peter J. Jugis and Bishop Michael F. Burbidge March for Life 2015 Thursday, January 22, 2015 12th St., National Mall, Washington, D.C. 12 p.m. – Rally, 1 p.m. – March marchforlife.org

materials can quickly and easily become addictive. There is no limit to what can be said about the destructiveness which habitual use of pornography causes in a marriage. The use of pornography can readily be assumed as a form of infidelity.

The viewer confuses fantasy with reality, and they may transfer emotions away from their spouse to the object of the pornographic image. Frequently, the use of pornography may result in one person making sexual demands of their spouse that are totally unacceptable to that spouse.

This can be viewed as demeaning and degrading. And when pornography is made available to children, it falls under the category of sexual abuse.

People do not just deviate into aberrant behaviors. Psychological disorders may have been present and not treated. Some psychopathology in a relationship is very deep and subtle until something happens that is a stressor or risk factor. This includes addictions such as alcohol, drugs or sex, and it requires professional therapy.

Parties may grow apart gradually in a relationship over time. To prevent this, each marital partner needs to make efforts to share, care and grow as persons. This takes commitment and a mutual fulfillment of the potential in each spouse.

Where did this list of red flags come from? They came from a review of hundreds of failed marriage cases. This list is certainly not exhaustive, and other issues could be added to it.

Any of these problems may be resolved in appropriate ways in order to help save a marriage. However, if they were present and serious at the time the couple consented to the marriage and they are not resolved, there may well be the serious question of whether the marriage is invalid.

Mercy Sister Jeanne-Margaret McNally, Ph.D., JCL, is a psychologist for the Tribunal of the Diocese of Charlotte and a judge in the Metropolitan Tribunal of the Archdiocese of Miami. This is part four of her five-part series on marriage. Read previous commentaries online at www.catholicnewsherald.com.

Coming next: “Divorce, remarriage and the Synod on the Family”

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9 Days HolyLand. Aug 17-25, $2,800 5 nights in Jerusalem and 2 nights in Nazareth.

With Fr Bartlett from Winchester, VA. 12 Day Pilgrimage to Italy. Aug 31-Sep 11, $3,880.

3 nights Venice, 2 nights Florence, 1 night Assisi, 4 nights Rome. Visit Padua and Siena.

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With Fr Donald Higgs from Elkins, WV. 13 Days Spain-Fatima. Sep 14-26, $3,550 4 nights Madrid, 1 night Burgos, 2 nights Santiago de Compostela, 3 nights Fatima, 1 night Lisbon.With Fr Dan Pisano from Wellsburg, WV. 11Day Poland -Prague. Sep 28-Oct 8, $3,090 From Dulles AP. 2 nights Warsaw, 1 night Czestrochowa, 3 nights each in Krakow & Prague. Visit Wadowice, Divine Mercy Shrine.

With Fr McGinnis from Huntington, WV 6 Days Mexico. Dec 8-13 Anniversary of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

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RENOVATION: FROM PAGE 5

“We have all new carpeting and floor treatments throughout the facility (with the exception of the guest room corridors), new lighting in the lobby, chapel, dining room and main corridor, the addition of a new gift shop off the lobby, and new chairs with kneelers in the chapel,” he said.

Cronin said all of the old exposed concrete block throughout the building has been covered with sheetrock and painted. All of the 50 guest rooms have been completely updated with new furniture, fixtures, window, floor and wall treatments.

The dining room has all new tables and chairs, and the food service area has been redesigned. The lounge has all new furniture as well as two computer work areas and a new wireless laser printer.

The public restrooms have been updated with new vanities and partitions, and new handicap-accessible toilets have been added.

The main conference room has a new state-of-the-art sound system with wireless mics and a large projection screen. High-speed wireless Internet connectivity is now available throughout the entire building, including the guest rooms.

One of the conference rooms on the second floor has been expanded and divided into two separate meeting rooms. There is also a small private parlor available for one-on-one meetings.

The conference center can accommodate 100 guests for overnight lodging. The large conference room can hold 215 people, and the dining room will seat 160 people.

“During the year we also launched a new website and created our own Facebook page to be able to increase our visibility with social media,” Cronin said. “In the coming year we hope to make some enhancements to the grounds, including a Stations of the Cross meditation trail on the lawn adjacent to the main building.”

The Catholic Conference Center, a mission of the diocese, was built primarily as a support facility for the diocese, its programs, parishes and offices. The 180-acre site just minutes from downtown Hickory has grown to become a meeting, education and retreat center for parishes and ministries of the diocese, as well as serving other organizations and businesses.