Dec. 19, 2014

December 19, 2014

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

Pope praises Our Lady of Guadalupe as great missionary of ‘our America,’

Honoring Mary, our Mother, at Advent

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Vatican report calls U.S. women religious to continued dialogue, 14 INDEX

Contact us.......................... 4 Español.................................12 Events calendar................. 4 Our Faith............................. 2 Our Parishes......... 3-7, 10-11 Schools............................8-9 Scripture readings............ 2 TV & Movies.......................13 U.S. news...................... 14-15 Viewpoints................... 18-19 World news.................. 16-17

Celebrating the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, 5

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Offering a candlelit Rorate Mass,

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Consecrating to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, 6

Room in the Inn brings together churches to help the homeless, 3

‘O Come, O Come Emmanuel’ Priests bring Jesus to us through their love of music,

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Our faith

catholicnewsherald.com | December 19, 2014 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

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Batrice Adcock

Pope Francis

Opening series of talks on the family, pope extols Mary, St. Joseph

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t his last weekly public audience of 2014, Pope Francis started a series of talks on the family with a reflection on the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and St. Joseph as a model for all Christian families.

The pope spoke Dec. 17 after getting cheers, balloons and even a birthday cake as he arrived for the audience that coincided with his 78th birthday. He said his remarks were first of a series in preparation for the October 2015 Synod of Bishops on the family, which he described as the conclusion of a process begun at the October extraordinary synod on the same subject.

“I have decided to reflect with you, in this year, on the very subject of the family, on this great gift that the Lord has given the world from the start, when He gave Adam and Eve the mission of multiplying and filling the earth,” the pope said.

The series of talks, which the pope announced at the previous week’s audience, Dec. 10, could amount to the most extensive papal teaching on the subject since Pope St. John Paul II gave more than 120 audience talks on human sexuality, later compiled as his “Theology of the Body.”

If the first installment of Pope Francis’ talks is indicative, they will be in his usual conversational and folksy style, in contrast to the philosophical meditations of St. John Paul.

In the talk, delivered a week before Christmas Eve, Pope Francis reflected that God chose to become man not “spectacularly, or as a warrior, an emperor” but as the son of a “pious and hardworking Israelite family” in a “forlorn village on the periphery of the Roman empire.”

Noting that the Gospels offer no details on Jesus’ youth and upbringing, the pope imagined the Holy Family’s daily life: “The mother cooked, kept house, ironed the shirts, did all the work of a mom. The dad, a carpenter, worked, taught his son to work.”

“It is not difficult to imagine how much moms could learn from Mary’s care for that son, and how much dads could benefit from the example of Joseph, a just man, who devoted his life to supporting and defending his child and wife, his family, in difficult periods. Not to speak of how much the adolescent Jesus might encourage kids to understand the necessity and beauty of cultivating their deepest vocation, and of dreaming big dreams,” Pope Francis said.

“The family of Nazareth calls on us to rediscover the vocation of the family, of every family, to make love normal instead of hate, to make mutual assistance a common thing, rather than indifference or enmity.”

“This is the great mission of the family: to make a place for Jesus when He comes, to welcome Jesus in the family, in the form of children, husband, wife, grandparents,” he said. “Jesus is there. Welcome Him there, that He might grow spiritually in that family.”

Sexuality, the gift of communion

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ope St. John Paul II’s “Theology of the Body” is a catechesis in defense of Pope Paul VI’s 1968 encyclical “Humanae Vitae” (“Of Human Life”), which reaffirms Church teaching against artificial contraception, in the context of Catholic teaching on the beauty and purpose of marriage, married love and procreation. However, the purpose of Theology of the Body is to defend the spousal meaning of the body against our culture’s pervasive tendency to separate body from soul. In doing so, Theology of the Body answers fundamental questions about the meanings of the body and of love.

Modern rationalism makes a radical contrast between body and soul. This separation “has led to a growing tendency to consider the human body, not in accordance with the categories of its specific likeness to God, but rather on the basis of its similarity to all the other bodies present in the world of nature, bodies which man uses as raw material in his efforts to produce goods for consumption…”(“Letter to Families,” 19).

As a result, the human person becomes something to be used and objectified. Human sexuality, in particular, has come to be regarded “more as an area for manipulation and exploitation than as the basis of that primordial wonder which led Adam on the morning of creation to exclaim before Eve: ‘This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh’ (Gen. 2:23)” (“Letter to Families”, 19).

Rather than being reduced to physical, self-seeking lust, human sexuality should be a celebration of the dignity, equality and communion between the sexes, within the context of marital love.

In Theology of the Body, Pope St. John Paul II takes us back to the creation of man, to help us begin to explore what it means to be a human person created in God’s image and likeness. He reflects on the body, sexuality, and marriage as man and woman experienced them “in the beginning” before the fall.

Just as we understand God to be a communion of three Persons – Father, Son and Holy Spirit – we know that He designed us also to be relational in nature. Therefore, Pope St. John Paul II recalls in Theology of the Body that “It is not good that the man should be alone” (Gen 2:18), and the “rib which the Lord God had taken from the man He made into a woman and brought her to the man” (Gen 2:22).

He explains that with the creation of woman, man becomes more fully human and made in the image and likeness of God: “Man now emerges in the dimension of

reciprocal gift, the expression of which ... is the human body in all the original truth of its masculinity and femininity” (Theology of the Body, 14:4). The “whole truth of their bodies and of their sexes … is the simple and pure truth of communion between the persons” (Theology of the Body, 14:5). “Communion of persons means living in … a relationship of reciprocal gift” (Theology of the Body, 14:2).

Male and female complementarity point not only to the ability to procreate, but to this gift of self. “The human body … is not only a source of fruitfulness … as in the whole natural order, but contains … the spousal attribute, that is, the power to express love: precisely that love in which the human person becomes a gift and – through this gift – fulfills the very meaning of his being and existence” (Theology of the Body, 15:1). It is by this self-giving love, then, that we find our true selves and experience fulfillment and happiness as God intends.

How can we live in such a way that is not self-seeking?

Our “fullness and deepest dimension is determined by grace, that is, by participation in the interior life of God Himself, in His holiness” (Theology of the Body, 16:3).

Grace is God penetrating the person with the gifts of the Spirit, the help needed to grow in a life of virtue.

Growth in holiness is not restrictive, but freeing.

Pope St. John Paul II explains in “Memory and Identity: Conversations at the Dawn of a Millennium” that if “we persevere in following Christ our Teacher, we move with ever greater freedom within the whole created world.

This same freedom and simplicity characterizes our relations with … the opposite sex. Created things cease to be a danger for us as once they were … Creation, and other people in particular, not only regain their true light … they lead us to God Himself” (30).

The very same Life that was breathed into Adam by the Creator is given to us through our redemption in Christ at baptism. Pope St. John Paul II follows his discussion of man (male and female) “in the beginning” by describing how we experience the body, sexuality and marriage after the fall, in a way influenced by sin but, more importantly, redeemed by Christ. We will continue our study of Theology of the Body with this topic in the next article of this series.

Batrice Adcock, MSN, is the Natural Family Planning program director of Catholic Charities Diocese of Charlotte. This is the third in a series of her reflections on Theology of the Body. She can be reached at bnadcock@ charlottediocese.org.

Your daily Scripture readings DEC. 21-27

Sunday: 2 Samuel 7:1-5, 8-12, 14, 16, Romans 16:25-27, Luke 1:26-38; Monday: 1 Samuel 1:24-28, 1 Samuel 2:1, 4-8, Luke 1:46-56; Tuesday (St. John of Kanty): Malachi 3:1-4, 23-24, Luke 1:57-66; Wednesday: 2 Samuel 7:1-5, 8-12, 14, 16, Luke 1:67-79; Thursday (The Nativity of the Lord): Isaiah 9:1-6, Titus 2:11-14, Luke 2:1-14; Friday (St. Stephen): Acts 6:8-10, 7:54-59, Matthew 10:17-22; Saturday (St. John): 1 John 1:1-4, John 20:1-8

DEC. 28-JAN. 3

Sunday (The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph): Sirach 3:2-6, 1214, Colossians 3:12-21, Luke 2:22-40; Monday ( St. Thomas Becket): 1 John 2:3-11, Luke 2:22-35; Tuesday: 1 John 2:12-17, Luke 2:36-40; Wednesday (St. Sylvester I): 1 John 2:18-21, John 1:1-18; Thursday (Mary, The Mother of God): Numbers 6:22-27, Galatians 4:4-7, Luke 2:16-21; Friday (Sts. Basil the Great and Gregory Nazianzen): 1 John 2:2228, John 1:19-28; Saturday (The Most Holy Name of Jesus): 1 John 2:29-3:6, John 1:29-34

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 3:22-4:6, 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 4:19-5:4, Luke 4:14-22; Friday: 1 John 5:5-13, Luke 5:12-16; Saturday: 1 John 5:14-21, John 3:22-30

Our parishes

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In Brief Deacon reassigned DENVER — Deacon Matthew Reilly Jr. has been assigned as permanent deacon for Holy Spirit Church in Denver by Bishop Peter J. Jugis effective Dec. 5. Deacon Reilly was ordained on Sept. 27, 1987, for the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C., by Cardinal James A. Hickey.

In 1988 he was assigned to St. Matthew Cathedral, where his service included being an assistant master of ceremonies. Upon Reilly relocating to be near family in the Diocese of Charlotte, he was assigned to St. Philip the Apostle Church in Statesville in 2007, where he served until recently.

At Holy Spirit Parish, he has been assigned director of the RCIA program.

Originally from Mechanicville, New York, Deacon Reilly also served four years in the U.S. Navy and his professional career included 12 years in grocery store chain management and 31 years in the railroad industry. Married for 48 years, he and his wife Donna have two married children and four grandchildren.

— Deacon Ron Steinkamp, Doreen Sugierski

Noted priest chef celebrates Simbang Gabi in Charlotte CHARLOTTE — Father Leo Patalinghug, the priest and chef who defeated celebrity chef Bobby Flay in a cooking contest and currently hosts EWTN’s “Savoring the Faith,” recently joined Father Patrick Winslow, pastor of St. Thomas Aquinas Church in Charlotte, to celebrate Simbang Gabi. Simbang Gabi is the spiritual tradition of pre-dawn Masses celebrated for nine consecutive days, usually from Dec. 16 to 24, to prepare for Jesus’ coming. It is approximately a 427-year-old tradition in the Philippines. The Filipino native and priest with Voluntas Dei, who wrote “Grace Before Meals” and is a former classmate of Father Winslow’s, was the celebrant and homilist at the Dec. 5 Mass.

— Dr. Cris Villapando

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 336-882-9593 or Paul Klosterman at 336-848-6835.

Room in the Inn brings together churches to help the homeless Gretchen Filz Correspondent

CHARLOTTE — Room in the Inn, the annual outreach program to Charlotte’s homeless population, began again Dec. 1 and will continue through the winter months until March 31.

Room in the Inn is an assistance program maintained by the Urban Ministry Center, a local faith-based organization that helps our homeless population by providing food, temporary shelter, housing, jobs and other means of support.

In operation since 1996, Room in the Inn partners locals churches together to provide meals and overnight accommodations for the homeless community during the cold winter months, seven days a week. It offers a unique way for the city’s religious communities to put their faith into practice.

Each evening Room in the Inn volunteers transport the homeless program recipients, “neighbors,” from uptown Charlotte to the overnight accommodations provided at their local church.

The individuals Room in the Inn serves are always called “neighbors,” which preserves their dignity and calls to mind Christ’s commandment that we should love our neighbor as ourselves, which often means doing whatever we can to provide for the basic material needs of the poorest among us.

Neighbors arrive at the church at 5:30 p.m., where they’re provided a hot meal and a warm bed. Following dinner there is also time for Christian fellowship and various activities. At 5 a.m. the neighbors wake up and are served breakfast and a bag lunch before being returned to the transit center in uptown Charlotte by 6 a.m. The cycle starts again each evening as neighbors are transported to the next participating church.

To fill the Monday night slot, St. Thomas Aquinas Parish partners with three other university-area churches: Advent

Photos by Gretchen Filz | Catholic News Herald

Room in the Inn, the annual outreach program to Charlotte’s homeless population, began again Dec. 1. Volunteers from local churches, including St. Thomas Aquinas parishioners Monica Rowe and her children (pictured above), come together to provide food, temporary shelter, housing, jobs and other means of support for the homeless over the winter months.

Lutheran, Harrisburg United Methodist and Newell Presbyterian. The overnight accommodations are held at Advent Lutheran. Volunteers from each of the four churches take a variety of jobs including transportation, preparing meals, setting up air mattress beds, and staying overnight with the guests. Additionally, the Advent Lutheran youth group provides a time of prayer and praise for any who want to participate.

This is the 15th year that St. Thomas Aquinas Parish has been active in the Room in the Inn ministry in conjunction with their neighboring church, Advent

Lutheran.

Deacon Joe Diaz currently heads up the ministry for St. Thomas Aquinas Parish, taking the reins from former Deacon Mark Nash. The neighbors receive “overnight accommodations, a safe place, a hot meal, and showers,” Deacon Diaz said. “They’re also given a bag of snacks, games, pens, paper and other small things.”

Room in the Inn serves women or men with children and families as their first priority. “A lot of the neighbors have jobs – they aren’t necessarily destitute people,” ROOM, SEE page 20

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catholicnewsherald.com | December 19, 2014 OUR PARISHES

Diocesan calendar of events CANTON Immaculate Conception Mission, 42 Newfound St. — Byzantine Rite Vespers and Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom: 4 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 20

Bishop Peter J. Jugis

CHARLOTTE ST. ANN CHURCH, 3635 Park Road Bishop Peter J. Jugis will participate in the following events over the coming weeks: Dec. 22 Advent Dinner with Seminarians

— Rorate Mass: 6:30 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 20 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.

Dec. 25 – MIDNIGHT Mass for the Feast of the Nativity of Our Lord St. Patrick Cathedral

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

Dec. 25 – 11 a.m.

Mass for the Feast of the Nativity of Our Lord St. Patrick Cathedral

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 Hoare. All are encouraged to attend. Bring a side dish to share. For details, visit www.4sjnc.org.

Jan. 3-10, 2015 Annual Retreat for Bishops

ST. MATTHEW CHURCH, 8015 Ballantyne Commons Parkway — Polish Mass: 3 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 21. For details, call Elizabeth Spytkowski at 704-948-1678.

— 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 Scripture readings.

ST. Thomas aquinas church, 1400 suther road — “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.

About the cover The stained glass window of the Nativity is from St. Pius X Church in Greensboro.

This window is the main one above the altar, measuring 95 square feet. The windows were made by Dr. H. Oidtmann of Linnich, Germany, the oldest continuous manufacturer of stained glass in Germany.

Originally installed in Sts. Peter & Paul Church, Merrillville, Ind., in 1908, they were restored and installed in the new St. Pius X Church by Statesville Stained Glass Co.

December 19, 2014 Volume 23 • Number 6

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

— “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.

GREENSBORO

n BELMONT QUEEN OF THE APOSTLES CHURCH, 503 NORTH MAIN ST. — Children’s Mass: 4 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 24 — Family Mass: 6 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 24, bilingual Mass. All families welcome to attend.

— Solemn Mass: 10 a.m. Thursday, Dec. 25 — Mass for New Year’s Eve: 7:15 p.m.

Wednesday — Mass for News Year’s Day: 10 a.m.

Thursday

n CHARLOTTE ST. John Neumann Church, 8451 IDLEWILD ROAD. — Advent Lessons and Carols: 7 p.m.

Sunday, Dec. 21. Meet in the Parish Hall afterwards for refreshments and a visit from Santa Claus.

ST. PATRICK CATHEDRAL, 1621 Dilworth Road — Children’s Nativity Pageant: 3:30 p.m.

Wednesday, Dec. 24 — Christmas Eve Mass: 4 p.m., 6:30 p.m. and midnight — Christmas Day Mass: 9 a.m. and 11 a.m.

ST. PETER church, 507 South Tryon St. — Christmas Eve Mass: 4:30 p.m., 7:30 p.m. and 11 p.m.

— Christmas Day Mass: 10 a.m.

ST. THOMAS Aquinas CHURCH, 1400 suther rd.

— Christmas Motets and Polyphony: 11:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 24 — Christmas Eve Mass: Midnight. Cocoa and Caroling after Mass in the courtyard

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

Friday, Jan. 30

Decision, Roe v. Wade: 11 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 3. 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.

— The First Saturday Pro-Life Rosary for the Anniversary Month of the 1973 U. S. Supreme Court

JEFFERSON St. Francis of Assisi Church, 167 St. Francis Place — Christmas Eve Vigil Mass: 9 p.m.

— Christmas Day Mass: 8:30 a.m.

LEXINGTON OUR LADY OF THE ROSARY church, 619 South Main St. — Christmas Eve Mass: 5 p.m.

— Solemn Christmas Day Liturgy: 11 a.m.

— New Year’s Eve Liturgy: 5 p.m.

SPARTA St. Frances of Rome Mission, 29 Highland DR. — Christmas Eve Mass: 4 p.m. and 6 p.m.

(Spanish)

SWANNANOA VALLEY St. Margaret Mary Church, 102 Andrews Place — Christmas Eve Mass: 5 p.m. (Children’s Mass), 9 p.m. (Spanish) and midnight.

— Christmas Day Mass: 10 a.m.

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.

Our Lady of the Rosary Church, 619 South Main St.

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— Las Posadas will begin: 7 p.m. Monday, Dec. 15-23

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.

WAYNESVILLE

LEXINGTON

HIGH POINT

ST. Mary Church, 812 Duke St. — Christmas Eve Mass: 5 p.m., 7 p.m.

(Spanish), 9 p.m. (Vietnamese) and midnight — Christmas Day Mass: 10 a.m.

— New Year’s Eve Mass: 5:30 p.m., 7 p.m.

(Spanish), 9 p.m. (Vietnamese) ST. PIUS X Church, 2210 N. Elm St. — Christmas Eve Mass: 5 p.m. (Children’s Mass), 8 p.m. and midnight — Christmas Day Mass: 10 a.m.

(This list is as of press time Dec. 19. Please see the other church advertisements within this issue of the paper or check with your local parish to confirm dates and times.)

LENOIR

GREENSBORO

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

Advent and Christmas Services

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

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

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

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December 19, 2014 | catholicnewsherald.com

OUR PARISHESI

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Honoring Our Lady of Guadalupe

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housands of Catholics honored Our Lady of Guadalupe during special celebrations Dec. 11-12 across the Diocese of Charlotte.

In Charlotte, thousands of people gathered at Bojangles’ Coliseum Dec. 11 for Mass with Vincentian Father Vincent Finnerty, pastor of Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in Charlotte. The colorful event also featured traditional Aztec dances, Marian hymns and a procession in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary, ending after midnight with “Las Mañanitas,” a traditional serenade to Mary.

Processions and Masses were also celebrated in Greensboro, Salisbury, Huntersville, Boonville, Mooresville, Morganton and Monroe, among other parishes. Boonville parishioners also held a marathon in honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe, with about 90 people running 26 miles from Mount Airy to Boonville in four hours the night of Dec. 12.

— Photos by Leyda Carrillo, Mike FitzGerald, SueAnn Howell, Sergio Lopez, Romy Machicao, Addy Jean Mullis, Marty Schneider and Bill Washington

More online At www.catholicnewsherald.com: See lots more photos from Our Lady of Guadalupe celebrations across the diocese

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catholicnewsherald.com | December 19, 2014 OUR PARISHES

St. Mark parishioners consecrate themselves to Mary HUNTERSVILLE — More than 300 parishioners of St. Mark Church in Huntersville consecrated themselves to the Immaculate Heart of Mary during a special bilingual Mass for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception Dec. 8. The Mass drew nearly 1,000 people.

Those who had been preparing for the consecration, using Father Michael Gaitley’s popular book “33 Days to Morning Glory,” included both English-speaking and Spanishspeaking parishioners. The parish-wide consecration was a first for the Huntersville parish.

After his homily, Pastor Father John Putnam, who himself renewed his Marian consecration that evening, asked those wishing to make or renew their consecration to Mary to kneel. Then everyone repeated the vows as he led them in prayer: “I, John, a repentant sinner, renew and ratify today in your hands, O Immaculate Mother, the vows of my baptism…”

After the prayer of consecration was said, all those who made it were presented with a Miraculous Medal. The Miraculous Medal is a popular Marian sacramental which dates back to Nov. 27, 1830, when the Blessed Virgin Mary herself asked St. Catherine Labouré, then a novice with the Daughters of Charity in Paris, to have a medal made after Mary’s image standing over the globe and crushing the head of a serpent. The front of the medal reads: “O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to Thee.” As the medal was being presented to the consecrated, mostly wearing white as a symbol of their baptism, Father Putnam noted, “The inscription ‘O Mary conceived without sin’ refers to Mary’s Immaculate Conception.”

Father Putnam expressed joy after the Mass. “It really was a beautiful celebration for the parish – especially for those who made their consecration or renewed their consecration,” he said.

— Rico De Silva, Hispanic Communications Reporter

Sacred Heart members consecrate themselves to Mary SALISBURY — Ten parishioners of Sacred Heart Church in Salisbury also consecrated themselves to Mary earlier this month. They are pictured with Father John Eckert, pastor.

— Photo provided by Father Noah Carter

More online

Rico De Silva | Catholic News Herald

More than 300 parishioners at St. Mark Church consecrated themselves to Mary during Mass on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception Dec. 8.

At www.catholicnewsherald. com: See more photos and video highlights from the Dec. 8 consecration

Photos by Mike FitzGerald and John Cosmas | Catholic News Herald

‘Drop down dew, ye heavens, from above’ CHARLOTTE — St. Thomas Aquinas Church paid homage to an ancient tradition of the Church by offering a “Rorate Mass” Dec. 6. The Mass in the Extraordinary Form is a votive Mass for the Blessed Virgin Mary during Advent, and is typically celebrated by candlelight before sunrise. Nearly 135 people traveled in the cold rain of a December dawn to attend the 6 a.m. Mass at St. Thomas Aquinas Church in Charlotte. The Solemn High Mass was offered by St. Thomas Aquinas Church’s priest in residence, Father Matthew Kauth. He was assisted by Father Noah Carter, parochial vicar of Sacred Heart Church in Salisbury, as deacon, and Father Jason Christian, parochial vicar at St. Thomas Aquinas Church, as subdeacon. The

Rorate Mass is named after first words of the Introit (the Entrance antiphon), which comes from Isaiah 45:8: “Roráte caéli désuper, et núbes plúant jústum (Drop down dew, ye heavens, from above, and let the clouds rain the just).” Another Rorate Mass will be offered at St. Ann Church in Charlotte on Saturday, Dec. 20, starting at 6:30 a.m.

At www.catholicnewsherald.com: See more photos from the candlelight Rorate Mass

December 19, 2014 | catholicnewsherald.com

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In Brief

parish’s Food Closet ministry (members pictured below), recently donated 100 hams and 80 turkeys to distribute to families in need over the holidays.

— Lisa Artuso Stafford

Eastern Catholic liturgies planned in Canton CANTON — Father Mark Shuey, an Eastern Catholic priest from Cary, will celebrate Byzantine rite Vespers and the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom at Immaculate Conception Mission in Canton on Saturday, Dec. 20. Vespers will begin at 4 p.m. and Divine Liturgy (Mass) at 5 p.m. Services will be in English. Participating in Divine Liturgy fulfills the Sunday obligation for Catholics of any rite. Immaculate Conception Mission is located at 42 Newfound St., Canton.

O Holy St. Jude!

Celebrating the feast of St. Nick SYLVA — Younger parishioners of St. Mary, Mother of God Church in Sylva gathered Dec. 5 for Mass with Father Joshua Voitus, pastor, and students from Western Carolina University’s Catholic Campus Ministry to mark the feast of St. Nicholas. Father Peter Shaw, pastor at St. Joseph Church in Bryson City, also joined in the festivities. Everyone enjoyed the fellowship, singing, and even storytime with Father Voitus, during the second-annual St. Nick Party.

— Della Sue Bryson

Statesville parish donates to families in need

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)

STATESVILLE — Parishioners at St. Philip the Apostle Church in Statesville, through the

OUR PARISHESI

A priest of the Ukrainian Catholic eparchy of St. Josaphat in Parma, Ohio, serving under Bishop Bohdan Danylo, Father Mark is pastor of St. Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic Mission in Cary and St. Basil the Great Ukrainian Catholic Mission in Charlotte.

GLOBAL CATHOLIC TOURS OF VIRGINIA 2015 PILGRIMAGES

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.

With Fr Mattingley from Williamsburg, VA..

11 Days Catholic Ireland Sep 7-17, $3,250 3 nights each in Dublin and Galway, 2 nights Killarney, 1 night in Limerick.

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.

With Fr Goldsmith from Harrisonburg, VA.

For brochures or information, contact John Tagnesi PH 1-888-544-4461 or jtag1964@ verizon.net

“Everything we needed in terms of our faith was right here.”

—Joe and Helen Drozd, Pennybyrn residents

This beautiful community captures the heart and soul of the Catholic faith.

“We looked at a number of communities,” says Helen Drozd, “and came to see Pennybyrn because it was Catholic. As soon as we arrived we realized it was where we wanted to be.”

The Sisters of the Poor Servants of the Mother of God founded what would later become Pennybyrn at Maryfield. Today, three chapels grace our community; our main chapel with Daily Mass, Adoration Chapel with 24 hour adoration and our Meditation Chapel for private reflection.

“We feel this is holy ground,” says Helen.

“We were also looking for a continuum of care,” noted Joe, “because my mother had been living with us, and she needed a higher level of care.” Pennybyrn allowed the three of them to move to the community together. “Joe’s mom had probably the best three years of her life here,” says Helen.

Pennybyrn’s location is ideal for the couple. They appreciate the amenities, and love the ambiance and beauty of the 71-acre campus, with its well-kept grounds and winding paths. “I attend swimming classes, and Joe uses the fitness center,” says Helen. “There are concerts and activities all the time, and at dinnertime we have our choice of venues, with a friendly wait staff and an expansive menu.”

“We chose to move to Pennybyrn because it simply felt unlike any other community we visited,” says Helen.

7

Call 336-821-4050 to receive the popular Planning Guide for Seniors or details about one of our Discover Pennybyrn events.

Where retirement living takes on a whole new spirit.

Sponsored by the Sisters of the Poor Servants of the Mother of God

109 Penny Road • High Point, NC 27260 www.PennybyrnAtMaryfield.org Located less than a mile from downtown Jamestown and only 10 minutes from Greensboro. All faiths welcome.

Our schools 8

catholicnewsherald.com | December 19, 2014 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

A jolly big sound

For the latest news 24/7: catholicnewsherald.com

CHARLOTTE — Members of the Charlotte Catholic High School bands gathered for a Christmas performance at St. Gabriel Church in Charlotte Dec. 9. The 80 concert performers came from the school’s marching band, concert band, jazz band and the chamber and percussion ensembles. Timothy Cook, Charlotte Catholic’s director of bands, conducted along with David Schoff, and Patrick McGinty of the school, and Stanley Michalski, the Mecklenburg Area Catholic Schools Instrumental Music Coordinator, conducted “Sleigh Ride,” the final number of the hourlong performance. In addition to several sophisticated percussion pieces, the band performed sacred music favorites from the Christmas season with the audience providing robust singing voices.

In Brief

At www.catholicnewsherald.com: See a video highlight from the bands’ performance

CCHS senior surprised with $140,000 scholarship CHARLOTTE —Charlotte Catholic High School senior Marissa Lopez has received a fouryear scholarship worth up to $140,000 from TimkenSteel – one of only eight recipients in the U.S. and the only one in North Carolina.

Lopez was pulled out of class Dec. 10 for the surprise announcement made by Tim Timken, chairman, CEO and President of TimkenSteel, who flew in from the Canton, Ohio-based company to present the award.

The scholarship was awarded after a competitive application process open to children of employees around the world and based upon academic and extracurricular achievements. TimkenSteel awarded a total of $245,000 in scholarship funds this year.

Lopez was the top-ranked applicant for this year’s scholarship. She will receive a $35,000 scholarship, renewable for up to three additional years. She is the daughter of Patti and Tony Lopez, who is the manager of global bearing industrial sales for TimkenSteel. She plans to study global business and economics and may use the fund for the academic pursuit of her choice at any accredited university.

She and her parents are pictured with Tim Timken, CEO of TimkenSteel, and Kurt Telford, principal of Charlotte Catholic High School.

David Hains | Catholic News Herald

Photos provided by Jean Navarro

Spreading Christmas cheer GREENSBORO — Students at St. Pius X School collected hundreds of gifts for this year’s Christmas Giving Tree Project in hopes of making Christmas a little brighter for those in need. And on Dec. 10 they visited the residents of Hall Towers to spread some holiday cheer with Christmas carols and cookies.

— Sally McArdle

BMHS student honored for work with Special Olympics KERNERSVILLE — Bishop McGuinness Catholic High School student Andrew Rowley received the Guilford County/High Point Special Olympics Coach of the Year Award Dec. 3.

He was nominated for the award by Stephanie and Stayce Hedgecock of High Point Parks and Recreation. Hedgecock wrote in her nomination letter that Andrew, along Rowley with his co-coach, “are of a special breed and have gained the respect, trust and admiration of the entire Special Olympics High Point family.”

Rowley, a senior, has been coaching with Special Olympics since his freshman year. He is also a Northwest Conference All-Conference quarterback who has committed to play football next year for Washington and Lee University.

— Jeff Stoller

Photos provided by Mary Stapleton

A preschool Nativity scene HUNTERSVILLE — Preschool students in Mary Stapleton’s and Paige McCall’s class at St. Mark Preschool performed a live Nativity scene at the school Dec. 17.

December 19, 2014 | catholicnewsherald.com catholic news heraldI

For the latest news 24/7: catholicnewsherald.com

In Brief

CCDOC.ORG

to talk to approximately 40 veterans who attended a morning assembly in the school gym on Nov. 11, many of whom are part of the school and parish community. After having prayers and saying the Pledge of Allegiance, the middle school girls sang “I’m Proud to be an American.” Speeches were made by some students thanking the vets for their service to our country, and afterwards the veterans enjoyed breakfast served in the Parish Center.

Save the Date for the 12th Annual

Partners in Hope

— Pat Burr

Join more than 600 neighbors and friends as they celebrate the work of Catholic Charities in the Piedmont Triad Region. The event is free but reservations are required and attendees will be asked to generously support the work of Catholic Charities to strengthen families, build communities and reduce poverty in the Winston-Salem area.

Vets visit Sacred Heart School SALISBURY — Sacred Heart School and its Student Government Association sponsored a Veterans Program during Morning Assembly that followed with a special breakfast. Officers of the SGA welcomed veterans, many who were grandparents and parents of students or members of Sacred Heart Parish. Retired Col. Robert Hackett spoke with students about the meaning of Veterans Day. Students gave all the veterans “Thank You” cards for their commitment and dedication. After breakfast, 1st Class Sgt. Patrick Malloy and 1st Lt. Doug Smith visited classrooms to teach students the proper way to raise, hold and fold an American flag.

— Robin Fisher

St. Michael students honor vets GASTONIA — Students, faculty and staff at St. Michael School in Gastonia had an opportunity

9

Students ask for Pope St. Leo’s prayers for vets WINSTON-SALEM — In celebration of the Feast of St. Leo Nov. 10, Pope St. Leo the Great was portrayed by fifth-grader Matthew Agarwala. His classmates joined him as Roman senators, citizens, Attila the Hun, and soldiers.

Students then prayed through the intercession of St. Leo for diplomats and veterans, and all service persons.

Thursday, March 19, 5:30PM Benton Convention Center 301 W. 5th Street Winston-Salem, NC, 27101 Table Captain hosting opportunities are available by calling 336.714.3227 or email partnersinhope2015@gmail.com.

For more information, visit ccdoc.org/partnersinhope.

— Nicole Witten We welcome your school’s news! Please email news and photos to Editor Patricia L. Guilfoyle at plguilfoyle@ 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

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Henry Dennis

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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

10

iiiDecember 19, 2014 | catholicnewsherald.com

FROM TH

‘O Come, O Com

Priests bring Jesus to us t SueAnn Howell Senior reporter

CHARLOTTE — Advent and Christmas are marked by cherished hymns and music that carry us back to our childhood, awaiting the birth of Christ and all the liturgies and festivities that surround this most wonderful time of the year.

You only need to hear a few notes of “O Come, O Come Emmanuel” or “Angels We Have Heard on High” to put you in the Christmas spirit. For those who are musically gifted, this can be a time when they share their talents with others, making the season bright.

Several priests of the Diocese of Charlotte have a love of music and some have even received classical training. The Catholic News Herald asked them to talk about their musical gifts and what they enjoy about being able to share these gifts with their parishioners.

FATHER MORRIS BOYD

Father Morris Boyd, parochial vicar of St. Lawrence Basilica in Asheville, has a musical past. When he was a child growing up in Mobile, Ala., he became interested in the accordion, which later le to an interest in the organ.

He initially took organ lessons at Oakdale Baptist Church for several years, studying with Sue Lamb Whatley, before attending t Benedictine college of St. Bernard Abbey in Cullman, Ala. “When I went to St. Bernard, they were singing all of the music capella,” Father Boyd recalls. “They needed an organist, so they se me to study with Dr. Betty Louise Lumby (professor of music and organ of the University of Montevallo in Alabama).”

For the next year he drove 82 miles each way to study with Lumb while at the same time continuing his studies at St. Bernard Abbey It was during this time that he discerned becoming a monk and entered religious life there.

“My organ practice time was built into my monastic schedule,” h notes.

Father Boyd was later sent to St. Meinrad Archabbey where he studied organ with Benedictine Father Columba Kelly. “I was the organist for the theology chapel. I played once a week.”

He was in the midst of his theology studies when an opportunity to consider becoming a diocesan priest for the Diocese of Charlotte presented itself.

“Bishop Michael Begley basically recruited me for the Diocese of Charlotte,” Father Boyd says, laughing. “He talked to me for 45 minutes – I never got a word in edgewise. He says he hoped I’d consider becoming a priest for the Diocese of Charlotte.” He was ordained on May 6, 1978.

Father Boyd, now 64 and a priest for 36 years, believes that his musical past has helped shape his priestly ministry.

“It taught me the basics of music and helped me understand the problems church musicians have. It taught me an appreciation for that.”

He admits he is a functional musician. “I learned how to play hymns. I could do that very well.”

But he hasn’t played the 1909 Estey organ at St. Lawrence Basilic or picked up the accordion in years.

“I haven’t been serious about it in a long, long time. I still love it.

I still love my music. I love to hear music and I love to play music,” but, he adds, “It’s been a long time since I’ve had an opportunity to sit down at a keyboard.”

He feels strongly that music enriches people’s lives and expands their horizons.

“I had fun getting knowledge for what the church musicians go through. I can always sympathize with church musicians. And mu is the way in which you get into another culture. It has certainly helped me with our Latino culture. You get more into a culture and more into the liturgy through the music.”

HE COVER

December 19, 2014 | catholicnewsherald.comiii

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FATHER ED SHERIDAN

Father Ed Sheridan is now retired but that doesn’t mean he has relaxed in his priestly ministry or in serving the community. He is now serving as a chaplain at the hospital in Hickory near where he lives. He also enjoys sharing a hobby of his from time to time: playing the mountain dulcimer.

“I wanted to try playing the dulcimer when I was a young priest, but did not get the instrument until much later,” Father Sheridan explains. “I took a course at Central Piedmont Community College in Charlotte in 1998.”

He says he has played a few times in public in Charlotte, where he once served as pastor of St. Gabriel Church. He has also played for parish groups in Hickory.

“I am not proficient by any stretch of the imagination, but I do try to play it occasionally,” he says. “My main repertoire is limited to a few hymns and a few Irish songs.”

A North Carolinian by birth, he also appreciates that the mountain dulcimer is one of the few instruments which are native to the state.

“It is an easy instrument to play,” he adds.

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FATHER KEN WHITTINGTON

St. Charles of Borromeo Church in Morganton has been Father Ken Whittington’s home for the past 23 years. It is a diverse parish of 600 Anglo, Guatemalan and Hmong families. Father Ken, as he prefers to be called, is a classically trained organist who is intimately involved in the parish’s music ministry, rehearsing the choir in addition to his pastoral duties.

Father Ken, a convert to the Catholic faith, started playing the

piano when he was 5 years old and began organ studies in seventh grade. When he was about 9 years old, he heard an organ piece by Mozart on the radio and it captivated him. He decided to study music, specifically the organ, after that. Upon completion of high school, he enrolled in the Peabody Conservatory of Music in Baltimore, Md. After completing a master’s degree in performance, he was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to continue his studies at the Staatliche Hochschule für Musik in Frankfurt, Germany, under renowned German organist Helmut Walcha, who is known for his recordings of the complete organ works of Johann Sebastian Bach. Walcha taught many of the 20th century’s most significant American organists, who traveled to Germany as Fulbright scholars.

Like many of Walcha’s students, Father Ken became a music teacher after completing his studies, serving as the head of the music department at Chatham Hall, a girl’s preparatory school in Chatham, Va., for 10 years. He also later worked as a music director at an Episcopal church in Southport, Conn., and also in California.

While his music career kept him busy, he enjoyed traveling and he spent many summers in Europe. And even though he was not Catholic at the time, his studies and his travels took him to some of Europe’s greatest cathedrals, and he became enamored with the Catholic faith, even spending three months at Solesmes Monastery studying chant.

That attraction to the faith and his love of church music led him eventually to Our Lady of Grace Church in Greensboro, where he had been recruited by its pastor, then Father Bill Pharr, to work as the parish music director.

“At first I said no,” he recalls with a laugh. “After some negotiations, I said yes.” Their close friendship was to be the catalyst for Father Ken’s conversion to Catholicism and his vocation to the priesthood.

He entered the seminary and was ordained a priest of the Diocese of Charlotte in 1988 at the age of 46. After spending four years at St. Patrick Cathedral in Charlotte (known for its 1,492-pipe Zimmer organ), Father Ken was named pastor of St. Charles Borromeo Church.

At 73, he is going strong, offering daily Mass at the parish. He celebrates Mass in English, Hmong and Latin, and on occasion in German, and he is deeply involved in planning the music for the liturgy and directing the choir rehearsals.

“When I was ordained, I made a vow not to mix my priestly duties with my music,” Father Ken says with a note of humor in his voice, adding that he quickly realized he couldn’t keep that vow, especially with working in a small parish like St. Charles Borromeo.

What he loves most about playing the organ is that it requires a challenging coordination of hands and feet, he says.

“It’s an extremely mechanical instrument. I am in awe at the power of it! I appreciate its range, from great delicacy to great power. So much of the music I really love is written for the organ.”

Even though the organ at St. Charles Borromeo Church is a small electric organ that he purchased not long after he arrived in Morganton, Father Ken has his memories of playing some of Europe’s most famous organs, including the Christian Muller 5,068pipe organ at St. Bavo Church in Haarlem, Holland. Both Handel and Mozart played that organ.

“That is a beautiful organ – both to see and hear. It has hosted many great players throughout the centuries,” he notes.

Father Ken says it has been a joy to share his musical talents with his parishioners, combining his love of the faith with his love of music, and he plans to continue his ministry for as long as the Lord will allow him. He is particularly looking forward to the music for the coming Christmas celebration.

“We do a lot of chant here. This Christmas we will sing traditional chant for Propers during our liturgy. We will sing the Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus and Agnus Dei from Hans Leo Hassler’s ‘Missa Secunda,’ which is very beautiful and simple.” And, he says, the choir will also sing a setting of the Magnificat by Orlandus Lassus for Christmas.

Online At www.catholicnewsherald.com: See short videos of Father Whittington and Father Sheridan playing their instruments

The importance of the organ in Church music The pipe organ has played a pivotal role in the music of the Roman Catholic Church music for centuries. Even with the liturgical reforms brought about with the Second Vatican Council, the value of sacred music and the pipe organ were affirmed as ways to enable the laity to participate more fully at Mass and to lift their hearts up in solemn worship of God. The 1963 Vatican II constitution “Sacrosanctum Concilium” (“On the Sacred Liturgy”) stated, “In the Latin Church the pipe organ is to be held in high esteem, for it is the traditional musical instrument which adds a wonderful splendor to the Church’s ceremonies and powerfully lifts up man’s mind to God and to higher things.” (120) At www. catholicnewsherald. com: Read more from “ Sacrosanctum Concilium” as well as the followup Church document, “Musicam Sacram” (“Instruction on Music in the Liturgy,” 1967)

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catholicnewsherald.com | December 19, 2014 12

Foto de Romy Machicao | Catholic News Herald

Padre John Putnam celebra la misa bilingüe el pasado lunes 8 de diciembre.

Más de 300 personas se consagran a Jesús por María Romy Machicao Corresponsal

HUNTERSVILLE — “Yo soy la Inmaculada Concepción”, con estas palabras la Virgen María reveló su identidad cuando se apareció a la pequeña niña Bernardita en Lourdes, Francia en 1858. Y también con estas palabras el padre John Putnam inició su homilía en honor de la Virgen María en su día, el pasado 8 de diciembre en la Iglesia Saint Mark en Huntersville.

En esta ocasión y por primera vez, 372 personas de habla inglesa y hispana hicieron su Consagración a Jesús por María en una misa bilingüe la noche del lunes pasado.

“María fue concebida sin pecado original y fue escogida por Dios para que a través de ella se iniciara el plan de salvación para los hombres. Es la única llena de gracia “kecharitomene” y ha sido escogida por el Padre para que fuera la Madre de Jesús y de todos los hombres”, agrego el párroco cuando invitaba a los consagrados a imponerse la Medalla Milagrosa. “Nosotros como María, estamos llamados a dar el sí constante a la voluntad de Dios, vivir en armonía y dar testimonio con nuestras vidas. Ella es también el “Sagrario del Espíritu Santo”.

Consagración Desde hace más de un mes, fieles de esta iglesia y de otras en todo Charlotte leyeron y analizaron las enseñanzas de San Luis de Montfort, San Maximiliano Kolbe, Beata Madre Teresa y el recientemente proclamado Santo, Papa Juan Pablo II, por medio del libro de preparación “33 días hacia un Glorioso Amanecer” del Padre Michael E. Gailey.

“La Consagración nos da una alegría infinita, nos acerca a Jesús por medio de María y nos hace quererlo más y respetar sus mandamientos”, dijo Norma Zitnik, coordinadora de la preparación en español. “La Virgen María me ha dado la luz, la paz y la fuerza que necesitaba en mi vida. Todo lo podemos con su ayuda y hasta nuestras cargas son menos pesadas”.

“Es maravilloso, este es el primer año que lo hacemos y vamos a realizarlo cada año”, dijo Donna Smith, Directora de Formación de Fe de esta iglesia.

Para Susana Martínez esta celebración ha sido muy emotiva porque sintió que cada persona que se consagraba daba de corazón el sí a María, para hacer lo que dice su hijo, Jesús.

Mas online En el www.catholicnewsherald.com: Vean mas fotos y el video de la celebracion.

Fotos de Romy Machicao | Catholic News Herald

Miembros del grupo de teatro “Amanecer del Tepeyac” de la Parroquia de Nuestra Sra. de Guadalupe en Charlotte haciendo la dramatización de las apariciones de la Virgen de Guadalupe durante la celebración de la fiesta de la Virgen de Guadalupe la noche del 11 de Diciembre en el Coliseo Bojangles en Charlotte.

Más de 4000 personas rindieron homenaje a la Virgen de Guadalupe Romy Machicao Corresponsal

CHARLOTTE — Cuatrocientos ochenta y tres años han pasado desde que una hermosa mujer vestida de luz se apareciera al humilde Juan Diego en el cerro Tepeyac y se develara como la Siempre Virgen Santa María de Guadalupe la que pidiera un templo en su honor para prodigar su amor y protección a sus fieles.

Desde ese entonces, cientos de templos se han construido para honrar a la madre de Dios que amorosamente cuida de todos sus fieles y que lleva grabado en sus ojos la imagen de cada uno de sus hijos y que “conoce y llama por su nombre a todos los que recurren a ella”, como lo dijo en su homilía el Padre Vicente Finnerty, párroco de la Iglesia Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe.

Por ello desde hace 19 años, cada 11 de diciembre por la noche se realiza la celebración masiva a la “Morenita del Tepeyac” en el Bojangles’ Coliseum. Este año este religioso evento tuvo la presencia de más de 4000 personas que con devoción y recogimiento empezaron la fiesta de su Madre en el cielo con el rezo del rosario.

Noche de devoción y alegría Después del rosario, los asistentes que llegaban con sus hijos, vestidos con trajes tradicionales las niñas, y como Juan Dieguito, los niños, se ubicaron en todo el coliseo para participar de la alegría de esta fiesta.

Juan Villalobos, Ministro de la Eucaristía de esta iglesia, recitó un poema en su honor, mas tarde llenarían de color el escenario con dos danzas tradicionales, para luego pasar a la representación de la aparición de la Virgen María en 1531. “Es un gran honor haber sido invitada a representar a la virgencita”, dijo la joven Joanna Morales de 14 años. “Al principio pensé que no podía hacerlo porque es una gran responsabilidad, pero luego de los ensayos supe que si

podía por la confianza y el gran amor que le tengo a la ‘morenita’”.

La Virgen de Guadalupe es llamada también la “Emperatriz de América”, por ello un grupo de personas hicieron una coreografía portando las banderas de todos los países de América, incluyendo las de Estados Unidos y México. Ellos también fueron la escolta de la procesión de la virgen que fue llevada al estrado seguida de personas llevando rosas de diversos colores, que luego pusieron a sus pies, flores características de esta advocación a la Virgen María.

El padre Vicente Finnerty en su homilía dijo que María es el ejemplo de lo que debemos hacer todas las personas, estar cerca de los más necesitados, empezando en nuestros hogares con miradas de amor, ternura, aceptación y comprensión. “María es la primera peregrina en decir “sí” a Dios, nosotros debemos hacer lo mismo. Debemos decir no al pecado, rutina, insensibilidad, dureza y frialdad y sí a la gracia de Dios, acogida, cordialidad, respeto, alegría y a la generosidad.

“Es para mí una gran alegría poder celebrar y agradecer a la Virgen María”, dijo Gloria Polanco, quien después de dos accidentes de auto fatales y quien estuviera sin caminar algún tiempo haya podido estar la noche del jueves pasado junto a la Virgen para agradecerle todas sus gracias y bendiciones. “Es ella que me puso de pie y por ella lo hago todo, más ahora que estoy consagrada a ella”.

Mas online En el www.catholicnewsherald.com: Vean mas fotos y el video de la celebracion de Nuestra Sra. de Guadalupe el 11 de Diciembre en el Coliseo Bojangles.

Mix

December 19, 2014 | catholicnewsherald.com catholic news heraldI

In Brief

Glass Nativity scene turns heads in Charlotte gallery Rico De Silva Hispanic Communications Reporter

‘Exodus: Gods and Kings’ A take on the biblical event, the title is skittish where miracles are concerned and revisionist in its treatment of the relationship between Moses (Christian Bale) and the Almighty. Raised as a foster son to Egypt’s Pharaoh (John Turturro) and adoptive brother of the heir to the throne (Joel Edgerton), the future patriarch is sent into exile when a corrupt official (Ben Mendelsohn) whose wrongdoing he has uncovered reveals his lowly origin as the child of a Hebrew slave.

Working as a shepherd, he finds solace in married life (with Maria Valverde) until his contentment is once again disturbed when God oddly personified by an 11-yearold boy calls on him to lead his enslaved compatriots to freedom.

Considerable violence with some gore, religious themes requiring mature discernment, restrained sexual content, CNS: A-III (adults); MPAA: PG-13

‘The Pyramid’ Horror film about scary things that go bump in the Egyptian night, directed by Gregory Levasseur. His documentary format purports to tell the “true” story of an American archeological expedition in Cairo in 2013. A father-daughter team of scientists (Denis O’Hare and Ashley Hinshaw) have discovered a pyramid buried deep under the desert. Bloody violence and gory images.

CNS: A-III (adults); MPAA: R

CHARLOTTE — A work of art by one of the foremost Italian glassmakers of the 20th century is on display this month at a Charlotte art gallery – thanks to a local Catholic woman who wanted to unwrap the legacy of her father’s art and let his work be a light for all to see.

The artwork is a 15-piece stunning glass creation of the Nativity scene, crafted by renowned glassworker Roberto Moretti in 1976.

Moretti was born in Murano, Italy, considered by many as “the glass capital of the world.” The artist moved to the U.S. in 1958 and was a pioneer of the American glass movement.

But Moretti’s glass creation of the Nativity was almost forgotten.

While cleaning out her mother’s attic five years ago, Sandra Moretti and her mother unwrapped the 15-piece Nativity set that Moretti had crafted in clear glass. The crèche had been packed up in her mother’s attic since Moretti’s death in 1986.

“I was, like, this is such a shame because my dad always said, ‘Don’t leave my stuff wrapped up in boxes!” Sandra Moretti recalls.

It struck her that the glass Nativity set needed to be displayed publicly in Charlotte over the holidays, so for two months she tirelessly pored through her father’s archives and searched for an art gallery to showcase the set of glass figures.

She knew she needed to prepare information about her late father to accompany the glass art.

“I had to pull all the boxes with all his newspaper clippings, and all the articles and all the shows he was in, in order to substantiate that he was somebody, because I knew nobody would know him anymore because he’s been gone for so long,” she explains.

Moretti’s hard work and determination eventually paid off, and she found the perfect spot for the Nativity set to be displayed: an intimate Uptown Charlotte gallery called Sozo Gallery.

Sozo’s owner Hannah Blanton recalled seeing

Moretti’s crèche for the first time. “I was moved to tears and had goosebumps. This was Sozo’s opportunity to represent something beyond my dreams. Once you see it, this masterpiece will pull you in and you’ll immediately feel its power, movement and grace.”

The Nativity scene on display at the Sozo Gallery is the last of three such sets Moretti

On TV n Saturday, Dec. 20, 1 p.m. (EWTN) “Path of the Messiah.” Hosts Raymond Arroyo and Jeff Cavins journey through the Holy Land as they retrace the footsteps of Jesus. n Saturday, Dec. 20, 8 p.m. (EWTN) “Time to Remember.” The story of a young boy who develops his gift of song, with the help of a beloved priest. n Sunday, Dec. 21, 5:30 p.m. (EWTN) “The Promise.” A touching and insightful dramatization, looking inside Gospel events relating to the Annunciation and the birth of Christ. n Wednesday, Dec. 24, 3:30 p.m. (EWTN) “Solemn Mass of Christmas Eve in Rome.” Mass with Pope Francis from St. Peter’s Basilica. n Wednesday, Dec. 24, 5:30 p.m.

(EWTN) “The First Christmas.” A colorful, animated production, narrated

by Christopher Plummer, that tells the traditional story of the birth of Jesus. n Thursday, Dec. 25, 6 a.m, (EWTN) “Urbi et Orbi: Message and Blessing.” Pope Francis gives his Christmas blessing to the city of Rome and the world.

crafted in 1976. It was last exhibited at the Corning Museum of Glass in Corning, N.Y., in the late 1970s.

The Nativity scene has been on display since Dec. 10 and Blanton said it has turned plenty of heads since.

“We have a lot of foot traffic at the Hearst Plaza. It’s been fun watching folks out the windows literally stop, and back up to see the crèche and read about Mr. Moretti’s masterpiece,” Blanton says.

“My father used to say, ‘If God gives me the talent to see, then I must return my gift to Him in my work.’ The crèche, or manger scene in glass, is his ‘gift back to God.’ It contains figures whose grace of line and fluidity of effect seem impossible to achieve in the glass medium,” Sandra Moretti notes.

Blanton noted that “Sozo” in Greek means “to be healed by God,” making the Charlotte gallery a fitting stage to showcase Moretti’s Nativity set.

“It stands alone in its rarity, elegance, and to me, when the lights hit the glass, the figures come alive with a story. As a Christian, this ‘story’ is one that is most meaningful to me: The birth of our Savior, our salvation.”

n Thursday, Dec. 25, 5:30 p.m. (EWTN) “The Chimes.” Charles Dickens’ story of a poor 19th century porter who is magically transported to the future from the sounds of chiming bells, and his hope is restored. Narrated by Derek Jacobi. n Thursday, Dec. 25, 6 p.m. (EWTN) “A Star Shall Rise.” A classic retelling of the story of the Three Wise Men. n Friday, Dec. 26, 4 p.m. (EWTN) “Martin the Cobbler.” Based on the classic children’s tale by the great Russian author Leo Tolstoy, a lonely shoemaker rediscovers his faith in God. Narrated by Tolstoy’s daughter Alexandra Tolstoy. n Saturday, Dec. 27, 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 Thursday, Jan. 1, 12 p.m. (EWTN) “Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God.” Pope Francis celebrates from St. Peter’s Basilica, New Year’s Day.

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St. Anne Catholic School, Pre-K-8, in Bristol, Virginia, seeks qualified candidates for the position of Principal beginning June 2015. St. Anne’s is nestled in the heart of the Appalachian region and takes pride in providing 160 children an environment of academic excellence, discipline and Christian values. We are committed to educating the whole child spiritually, intellectually, emotionally, socially and physically.

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Our nation 14

catholicnewsherald.com | December 19, 2014 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Vatican report calls U.S. women religious to continued dialogue Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service

VATICAN CITY — A massive, detailed Vatican-ordered investigation of U.S. communities of women religious ended with a call to the women themselves to continue discerning how best to live the Gospel in fidelity to their orders’ founding ideals while facing steeply declining numbers and a rapidly aging membership.

Although initially seen by many religious and lay Catholics as a punitive measure, the apostolic visitation concluded with the publication Dec. 16 of a 5,000-word final report summarizing the problems and challenges the women themselves see in their communities and thanking them for their service to the Church and to society, especially the poor.

The visitation process, carried out between 2009 and 2012 with detailed questionnaires and on-site visits, mainly by other women religious, “sought to convey the caring support of the Church in respectful, sister-tosister dialogue,” says the final report by the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life.

The process attempted to help the Vatican “and the sisters themselves to be more cognizant of their current situation and challenges in order to formulate realistic, effective plans for the future,” said the report, signed by Cardinal Joao Braz de Aviz, prefect of the congregation for religious, and Archbishop Jose Rodriguez Carballo, secretary.

In summarizing the results, the congregation called for special attention in several areas, including: formation programs for new members; the personal, liturgical and common prayer life of members; ensuring their spiritual practices and ministries are fully in harmony with

Church teaching “about God, creation, the Incarnation and redemption” in Christ; strengthening community life, especially for members living on their own or with just one other sister; living their vow of poverty while wisely administering financial resources; and strengthening communion within the Church, especially with the bishops and Vatican officials.

The Vatican, the report says, “is well aware that the apostolic visitation was met with apprehension and suspicion by some women religious. This resulted in a refusal, on the part of some institutes, to collaborate fully in the process.”

“While the lack of full cooperation was a painful disappointment for us,” the congregation writes, “we use this present opportunity to invite all religious institutes to accept our willingness to engage in respectful and fruitful dialogue with them.”

“A number of sisters conveyed to the apostolic visitator a desire for greater recognition and support of the contribution of women religious to the Church on the part of its pastors,” the report says.

“They noted the ongoing need for honest dialogue with bishops and clergy as a means of clarifying their role in the Church and strengthening their witness and effectiveness as women faithful to the Church’s teaching and mission.”

In addition, it says, “some spoke of their perception of not having enough input into pastoral decisions which affect them or about which they have considerable experience and expertise.”

The current Year of Consecrated Life, the congregation says, should be “a graced opportunity for all of us within the Church – religious, clergy and laity – to take those steps toward forgiveness and reconciliation, which will offer a radiant and attractive witness of fraternal

communion to all.”

The former prefect of the congregation, Cardinal Franc Rode, ordered the visitation in 2008, saying its aim would be to study the community, prayer and apostolic life of the orders to learn why the number of religious women in the United States had declined so sharply since the 1960s.

Almost a year into the study, Cardinal Rode told Vatican Radio that the investigation was a response to concerns – including some expressed by an unnamed “important representative of the U.S. Church” – regarding “some irregularities or omissions in American religious life.

Most of all, you could say, it involves a certain secular mentality that has spread in these religious families and, perhaps, also a certain ‘feminist’ spirit.”

As the process began, the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, which represents about 80 percent of U.S. women religious, questioned what its officials considered a lack of full disclosure about what motivated the visitation.

The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith’s investigation of the LCWR, begun in 2008, was a separate process; in 2011, the congregation ordered a reform of the organization, saying “the current doctrinal and pastoral situation of LCWR is grave and a matter of serious concern, also given the influence the LCWR exercises on religious congregations in other parts of the world.”

At a news conference presenting the report Dec. 16, the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life invited both the president of the LCWR and the chairwoman of the smaller U.S. Council of Major Superiors of Women Religious to address the media.

They were joined by Mother Mary Clare Millea, superior general of the Apostles of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the apostolic visitor appointed by the Vatican.

The congregation’s final report says that while apostolic visits are “a normal instrument of governance” designed to “assist the group in question to improve the way in which it carries out its mission

in the life of the Church,” the visitation of U.S. women religious “was unprecedented” in many ways.

“It involved 341 religious institutes of both diocesan and pontifical right, to which approximately 50,000 women religious throughout the United States belong,” the report says. Only communities of cloistered nuns were excluded.

While not news, the report presents striking statistics: “Today, the median age of apostolic women religious in the United States is in the mid- to late 70s. The current number of approximately 50,000 apostolic women religious is a decline of about 125,000 since the mid-1960s, when the numbers of religious in the United States had reached their peak.”

“It is important to note, however, that the very large numbers of religious in the 1960s was a relatively short-term phenomenon that was not typical of the experience of religious life through most of the nation’s history,” the report says. “The steady growth in the number of women religious peaked dramatically from the late 1940s through the early 1960s, after which it began to decline as many of the sisters who had entered during the peak years left religious life, the remaining sisters aged and considerably fewer women joined religious institutes.”

Citing a wide variety of founding principles, ministries and community sizes, the congregation’s final report notes an overall trend of “aging and diminishment” in the number of members.

Most religious communities, it says, “are expending considerable spiritual and material energies in the area of vocation promotion,” but many of them are obtaining results “not commensurate with the expectations and efforts.”

“Vocation and formation personnel interviewed noted that candidates often desire the experience of living in formative communities, and many wish to be externally recognizable as consecrated women,” it says, in an apparent reference to the wearing of traditional habits. “This is a particular challenge in institutes whose current lifestyle does not emphasize these aspects of religious life.”

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December 19, 2014 | catholicnewsherald.com catholic news heraldI

For the latest news 24/7: catholicnewsherald.com

In Brief Leaders condemn U.S. torture practices as report is released WASHINGTON, D.C. — The chairman of the U.S. bishops’ Committee on International Justice and Peace said acts of torture outlined in a Senate Intelligence Committee report “violated the God-given human dignity inherent in all people and were unequivocally wrong.”

Bishop Oscar Cantu of Las Cruces, New Mexico, also called on President Barack Obama to strengthen the legal prohibitions against torture “to ensure that this never happens again.” The bishop joined several religious leaders who condemned the use of torture by the CIA after Democrats in the Senate released a 500page executive summary of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence findings Dec. 9.

CRS, nonprofits beat back clause in bill to cut food aid to poor WASHINGTON, D.C. — Catholic Relief Services and a host of other nonprofit agencies that distribute food aid overseas were successful in getting lawmakers to purge a provision in a bill

that could have cut the amount of food aid they would be able to distribute in the future. The provision would have increased from 50 percent to 75 percent the amount of food aid that must be transported on privately owned, U.S.-flagged ships. In 2012, Congress had lowered the requirement from 75 percent to 50 percent.

The issue is important to CRS, the U.S. Church’s international relief and development agency, and others, because shipping goods on U.S. ships cost about 2.7 times as much as shipping them on foreign-flagged vessels, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation. CRS and other aid groups have contracts with the federal government for fixed dollar figures on sending food aid to countries in need, said Eric Garduno, CRS’ senior legislative specialist in Washington.

small businesses and other religious ministries from what they are imposing on us – we are simply asking to carry out our mission to serve the elderly poor as we have always done for 175 years,” said Sister Maguire, surrounded by four other sisters, all clad in black habits and gray veils, outside the courthouse.

The Little Sisters of the Poor, a Denver-based religious order that cares for the elderly poor in several facilities around the U.S., has been steadfast in its refusal to provide contraceptive coverage to its employees as required by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under the Affordable Care Act.

Court hears arguments in Little Sisters of the Poor appeal

NEW HAVEN, Conn. — The Knights of Columbus announced its Christian Refugee Relief Fund has

DENVER — The Little Sisters of the Poor aren’t seeking special privileges – they just want the same exemption from the federal contraceptive mandate offered to others, the order’s mother provincial said Dec. 8. Sister Loraine Marie Maguire spoke publicly for the first time after the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver heard oral arguments in an appeal filed by the Little Sisters and in two related cases, Southern Nazarene University in Bethany, Okla., and Reaching Souls International, an Oklahoma nonprofit. Colorado and Oklahoma are two of the six states under the court’s jurisdiction.

“The government exempts huge corporations,

Knights send $2.2M to assist Christian refugees

donated $2.2 million to help displaced Iraqi and Syrian Christians and other religious minorities who continue to face violent persecution “and the very real prospect of extinction. This is a concrete response to the unfolding humanitarian crisis in Iraq and to the urgent appeals from the region as well as Pope Francis’ request for material assistance for those affected by this persecution,” Supreme Knight Carl Anderson said. The funds will help provide permanent housing for the increasing number of displaced families in Iraq. Specifically, it said, the Knights’ donation of $2 million will pay for the construction of new homes on land owned by the Chaldean Catholic Archdiocese of Irbil in the Kurdish-controlled region of northern Iraq.

The Knights’ Supreme Council began the fund in August with $1 million and has since raised an additional $1.7 million in donations from individual Knights, Knights councils and others, for a total of $2.7 million.

— Catholic News Service

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Our world 16

catholicnewsherald.com | December 19, 2014 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Pope praises Our Lady of Guadalupe as great missionary of ‘our America’ Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service

CNS | Paul Haring

Pope Francis celebrates a Mass marking the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe in St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican Dec. 12.

VATICAN CITY — Preceded by a procession of flags from the nations of the Americas and the recitation of the rosary in Spanish, Pope Francis and thousands of Catholics from across the Atlantic celebrated the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe in the Vatican.

The Argentina-born pope celebrated the Dec. 12 Mass to the sounds and rhythms of many of South America’s indigenous peoples; the principal sung parts of the Mass were from the “Misa Criolla,” composed 50 years ago by the late Ariel Ramirez.

His son, Facundo Ramirez, conducted the choir that featured Patricia Sosa, a famous Argentine singer, as well as guitars and traditional instruments from the continent.

With St. Juan Diego’s vision of Our Lady of Guadalupe in 1531, the pope said, Mary “became the great missionary who brought the Gospel to our America.”

In his homily, Pope Francis prayed that Mary would “continue to accompany, assist and protect our peoples” and that she would “lead all the children who are pilgrims on this earth by the hand to an encounter with her Son Jesus Christ.”

“Imploring God’s forgiveness and trusting in His mercy,” the pope prayed that God would help the people of Latin America forge a future of hope, development and opportunity for the poor and suffering, “for the humble, for those who hunger and thirst for justice, for the compassionate, the pure of heart, peacemakers and those persecuted for the sake

of Christ’s name.”

Mary’s “Magnificat,” her hymn of praise to God, he said, proclaims that God “overturns ideologies and worldly hierarchies. He raises up the humble, comes to the aid of the poor and the small, and fills with good things, blessings and hope those who trust in His mercy.”

Pope Francis said the day’s reading from Psalm 66, with its “plea for forgiveness and the blessing of the peoples and nations and, at the same time, its joyful praise, expresses the spiritual sense of this Eucharistic celebration” in honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe, “for whom devotion extends from Alaska to Patagonia.”

The dark-skinned image of Our Lady of Guadalupe traditionally believed to have been miraculously impressed on Juan Diego’s cloak, the pope said, proclaimed to the indigenous peoples of the Americas “the good news that all its inhabitants shared the dignity of children of God. No more would anyone be a servant, but we are all children of the same Father and brothers and sisters to each other.”

Mary did not just want to visit the Americas, the pope said, the image on the cloak or “tilma” is a sign that “she wanted to remain with them.”

“Through her intercession, the Christian faith began to become the greatest treasure” of the American peoples, Pope Francis said, a treasure “transmitted and demonstrated even today in the baptism of multitudes of people, in the faith, hope and charity of many, in their precious popular piety and in that ethos of the people who show that they know the dignity of the human person, in their passion for justice, in solidarity with the poor and suffering.”

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December 19, 2014 | catholicnewsherald.com catholic news heraldI

For the latest news 24/7: catholicnewsherald.com

In Brief Pope: Count down to Christmas by counting your blessings VATICAN CITY — No saint was ever known for having a “funeral face,” Pope Francis said; the joy of knowing one is loved by God and saved by Christ must be seen at least in a sense of peace, if not a smile. Celebrating the third Sunday of Advent, Gaudete Sunday, Dec. 14, Pope Francis paid an evening visit to Rome’s St. Joseph Parish, meeting with the sick, with a group of Gypsies, with a first Communion class and with dozens of couples whose newborn babies were baptized in the past year. “Be joyful as you prepare for Christmas,” he said, urging as a first step that people thank God each day for the blessings they have been given. A Christian’s Christmas joy has nothing to do with “the consumerism that leads to everyone being anxious Dec. 24 because, ‘Oh, I don’t have this, I need that’ – no, that is not God’s joy.” With Christmas “less than 15 days away – no, 13 days – let us pray. Don’t forget, we pray for Christmas joy. We give thanks to God for the many things He has given us and for faith, first of all.”

Pope’s Christmas schedule set VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis’ 2014-’15 Christmas season celebrations will include

exactly what he did a year earlier. Releasing the pope’s schedule Dec. 10, the Vatican said he would: Celebrate Christmas Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica at 9:30 p.m. Dec. 24; Address the crowds gathered in St. Peter’s Square and give his blessing “urbi et orbi” (to the city and the world) at noon on Christmas; Celebrate evening prayer Dec. 31 in St. Peter’s Basilica at 5 p.m. and lead the “Te Deum” to thank God for the year that is ending; Celebrate Mass at 10 a.m. Jan. 1, the feast of Mary, Mother of God, and the World Day of Prayer for Peace, in St. Peter’s Basilica; Celebrate the feast of the Epiphany Jan. 6 with a Mass at 10 a.m. in St. Peter’s Basilica.

Pope: Sacramental marriage brings grace to share God’s love VATICAN CITY — With the strength of the grace that comes from the sacrament of marriage, Catholic families are called to proclaim God’s love to the world, Pope Francis said. God’s love gives birth to the family, and that love must be “the center of all its human and spiritual dynamism,” the pope wrote in a letter Dec. 9 to Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, president of the Pontifical Council for the Family, which will sponsor the Sept.

22-27 World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia next year. The October extraordinary Synod of Bishops on the family, and the general assembly of bishops scheduled to meet in 2015, are attempting to identify the most urgent needs of families today and to devise pastoral responses to them, he said.

However, he wrote, “the values and virtues of the family, its essential truths, are points of strength on which to build the nuclear family and are not up for discussion.”

— Catholic News Service

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catholicnewsherald.com | December 19, 2014 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

‘The freedom to gather on the beautiful and holy Christmas night, and to rejoice in the birth of our Lord, is by no means universal. It is a great gift.’

April Parker

Come to the stable this Christmas

W

Dr. Kamila Valenta

Celebrating Christmas in peace is a privilege T

he times when the celebration of Christmas was banned in New England by the Puritans and people could be fined for saying “Merry Christmas” is now an amusing tale from a longforgotten historical past of this country. Today the vast majority of Christians of all denominations welcome with great joy this festive time to celebrate the birth of their beloved Savior, but there are many people around the world who still do not have the privilege to celebrate Christmas freely and in peace.

For many people in the former Communist countries, the freedom to celebrate this beautiful and heartwarming holiday is relatively new, and for older generations bitter memories of past oppression are still alive. Under the Communist governments of some Eastern European countries, any celebration of Christmas was banned, and trees could only be decorated secretly and behind closed window curtains. In others, all traditional Christmas celebrations were moved and designated to celebrate the New Year, while yet in others, Christmas was publicly celebrated, but only in its secular version with a government ban on public singing of Christmas carols and a general discouragement of church attendance.

While for most of the former Communist countries, this oppression ended with the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, the first year when Cubans were allowed to enjoy the festivities of this special holiday was not until 1998, after the visit of Pope St. John Paul II to this country. Still today, many Christians around the world live under governments that officially ban Christmas – most notably in North Korea, Iran, Saudi Arabia and China, among others.

Even in places where Christmas is allowed, the privilege to celebrate it in peace is by no means granted. The times are over when, even in the midst of the greatest war, the holy night of Christmas invoked enough respect that cease-fires would spontaneously break out on the battlefield. Probably the most famous instance of this is the Christmas truce of World War I. On Christmas Eve 1914 on several European fronts, the German, French and British soldiers defied orders and laid down their weapons, instead joining together in singing “Silent Night” in their respective languages. Not a single shot was fired that night.

In recent times, we can no longer count on this holy night to be silent from bombs and gunfire in war zones. To the contrary, the special time of Christmas is often used as a strategically convenient moment to carefully plan attacks against Christians.

The most striking example of this has been occurring in Nigeria, the most populous country in Africa and the country with the world’s sixth largest Christian population (about 80 million). Sadly, in Nigeria, Christmas church bombings carried out by the Islamic terrorist group Boko Haram have become a horrific tradition in recent years. In 2010, five churches were bombed in the town of Jos during Christmas services. In 2011, Christmas Day bombings were executed in several churches in northern Nigeria, and 2012 saw more attacks on Christian churches at Christmastime. These attacks resulted in many casualties: in just one attack on St. Theresa Catholic Church in the town of Madalla, 37 people were killed and 57 injured during Christmas Mass in 2011.

Likewise in northeastern India, Christians have been able to gather on Christmas only with great fear, ever since the extremist Hindu nationalists’ anti-Christian violence of many years culminated in a carefully planned attack, which (according to the Human Rights Watch) resulted in the torching of 95 churches and 370 Christian homes on Dec. 24 and 25, 2007. Similar incidents of violence have continued to be carried out in this region in subsequent years, targeting both Protestant and Catholic churches, as well as clergy, nuns and monasteries.

The freedom to gather on the beautiful and holy Christmas night, and to rejoice in the birth of our Lord, is by no means universal. It is a great gift.

It is even more special and precious that we here in America can do so without the fear of attack or persecution. As we take advantage of this wonderful opportunity to celebrate Christmas, let’s keep in our prayers all of our fellow Christians around the world who do not have the same privilege, and who are particularly vulnerable at this time of year.

Dr. Kamila Valenta is a member of St. Gabriel Church in Charlotte and is a part-time professor at the University of North CarolinaCharlotte, where she teaches ethnic conflict.

hile visiting family members one evening for an early Christmas dinner, my aunt suggested that my family drive by the live Nativity scene that her church was putting on just down the street.

Since she made mention of live animals, my 4-year-old daughter was enthusiastic to learn more. We ended up stopping and parking.

It was a calm, still night. The sky was clear and the air just of the right crispness to put us in the Christmas spirit. We looked up at hundreds of bright stars and constellations as we made our way down to a myriad of little tents and stables constructed for the event.

Each was far enough away from the other to give a sense of time and place. To the far left was a larger tent with a fire blazing in front. Several grown men were nestled around the fire, one sitting comfortably inside the tent. A few sheep lay at the entrance of the enclosure, enjoying the fire as well. I noticed one man stand and walk over to have a discussion with the gentleman in the tent. As he rose, he gathered up a tall walking stick. This was our clue: these were the shepherds.

Leaving them quietly in the warm glow of their fire, we turned our attention to the small stable to our right. What appeared at first to be an open shack was, at closer inspection, actually an elaborate little stable. The front was open to public viewing, but the many small fenced-in areas allowed Mary and Joseph a private reprieve from curious onlookers. The many corners of the stable were alive with donkeys, sheep, calves, goats and even chickens. Yet it was not a noisy or smelly setting. Each of the various animals seemed to realize the importance of their role as stewards of the stable in which the Christ Child had chosen to be born.

Mary and Joseph quietly sat on either side of the manger. They each wore a peaceful smile, seemingly content there in that barn.

It reminded me of the euphoria that washes over new parents. For a time, the rest of the world disappears and our eyes see only the precious baby God has given us. Behind their shining eyes, maybe they also pondered their young son’s life as the Son of God and what miraculous events still awaited them. But at that moment they were content.

After a time we pulled ourselves away from this holy scene and headed further across the field to the small encampment of the Kings. How juxtaposed it seemed to see men with crowns sitting by a camp fire. Their only shelter was a low lean-to. They were dressed for travel, but they still carried a regal air, with capes draped across their broad shoulders and tailored garments that outshone the shepherds’ humble attire. To our surprise, the three gentlemen looked up from their business around the fire and greeted us. My family returned a pleasant greeting and then the party went back to their dealings.

We too walked on, back past the stable, and up the hill to a picnic shelter where we were welcomed with hot chocolate, cookies and warm smiles from a small group of church members. The ladies inquired enthusiastically of my daughter, asking about the things she had seen, taking great care to make sure her drink was not too hot. The whole night seemed to abound with the themes of love, peace and humility. Here in the midst of a rural community dwelt the Christ Child. We had found Jesus here in all His quiet calm.

The best part was that we did not have to leave Him there. We brought home with us the peace that we found that night.

It is my hope that everyone may be able to find Jesus in such a way this Christmas as we put aside the hustle and bustle, the endless gift-giving, and the stress that invariably comes with the holiday season. Instead, let us take our families back to a quieter time, back to the stable, back to that blessed night so long ago. Let us come to the stable to seek Christ this Christmas.

April Parker is an author, freelance writer and teacher at St. Pius X School in Greensboro.

December 19, 2014 | catholicnewsherald.com catholic news heraldI

Denise Bossert

Sr. Constance Carolyn Veit

Make this Advent a pilgrimage of the heart

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have dipped my toes in the chaos of the Christmas-before-Advent scene. I’ve been to the mall once.

I’ve landed on radio stations that play Christmas music around the clock – and quickly popped in my rosary CD to escape the noise. I’ve seen enough of commercialized Christmas even though I have actively avoided it this year.

Advent is the only antidote.

But Advent only comes to those who know how to get quiet. It hides from those who have to hurry. It will never be found in the crowded places and packed spaces of shopping aisles and city crosswalks.

Advent waits to be invited to your December. It will not show up on its own. It is a polite guest. It will not crash your party.

Christmas-without-Advent is a fake. An imposter. We all know it.

The Christmas we all need, the one we long for, the one we can imagine so clearly – it comes only to those who walk alongside Mary. In the quiet. Away from the crowds. Where Sacred Scripture comes alive and holiness is real.

It’s no mirage – this Advent journey. It’s not an optional side excursion on the way to Christmas. It’s necessary. It’s the way to Christmas. The only road to Bethlehem.

I was blessed to travel to the Holy Land twice in 2014. In fact, I am writing to you now from Bethlehem.

I stood there today, at Shepherds Field, and the idea of the crowded mall seemed so silly, so completely out of step with Advent. I knelt to pray where Christ was born, and the idea of jacking up the credit card

to buy a few more presents seemed almost unholy, almost contradictory.

The two don’t go together, not when you are here, not when you are removed from the bright lights and staged windows of Main Street America.

Today, I imagined a pregnant young woman and her beloved husband as they journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem, over the rugged terrain that I have walked with my own feet, in my own Timberland boots, as my water bottle sloshed against my backpack, and I lifted my camera to capture the real Nazareth, the real Ein Kerem (Zechariah and Elizabeth’s home), the real Bethlehem. And I cannot think of anything but the plan of salvation that brought God into our world.

The part of me that can be so easily abducted and thrown into the chaos of commercialized Christmas is gone.

But this kind of contemplation does not require an international pilgrimage – although it certainly gave me a new perspective. One can find this path – from Nazareth to Bethlehem – by doing some deliberate things.

This pilgrimage begins with receiving God, your very own personal Annunciation-moment: Christ coming to you in the Eucharist and you being sent to go forth once you have received Him. The pilgrimage is a journey with Mary from Nazareth. It happens when we take Christ with us, and we share Him with family and friends, as Mary did at Ein Kerem in the hills of Judea at the Visitation. The Lord grows within us as we feed and nourish our life in the Spirit. We

do this by reading, by praying, by remembering the poor, by listening to Advent hymns (and waiting for Christmas carols), by eating as a family around the table with the Advent wreath as a centerpiece, by saying a prayer for those who send us cards rather than tossing the cards mindlessly in a basket.

This pilgrimage does not require money, or imitation snow, or double-sided wrapping paper. It only requires an undivided heart. We journey with Israel to the coming Messiah. When we set our eyes on Mary and run ahead to take hold of her mantle, we remember. That is the journey that leads to Christ.

Yes, you can make this pilgrimage through the sacramental and liturgical life of the Church. But if you are able to do it, go to the Holy Land. Some day, some way – go.

And kneel there, where you can imagine it all, where the real Advent cannot be usurped.

Nazareth. Ein Kerem. Bethlehem.

These are real places. And the Franciscans are here, waiting for you to come and experience it all for yourself. Pilgrimage: It’s part of our faith tradition, whether it is a quiet pilgrimage of the heart or a pilgrimage that takes us to the other side of the world.

We are a pilgrim people. And we are on a mission to discover Jesus Christ and to share Him with everyone we meet.

Blessed and holy Advent to you and your family, from Bethlehem of Judea.

Denise Bossert is a Catholic columnist and author who blogs at www.denisebossert.com.

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Give the gift of ‘presence’ this Christmas

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hristmas is the feast of encounter, the celebration of God’s love and nearness. “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth,” we read in St. John’s Gospel. God became one of us! He united himself to every man, woman and child in every time and place in Jesus Christ, the sacrament of our encounter with God. Jesus’ coming among us in the Incarnation is the ultimate encounter, but the Gospels also present the Nativity as a time full of meaningful human encounters.

The first to meet the newborn Infant and His parents were the shepherds. They represent the simple and lowly of this world who are receptive to the Good News because they recognize their poverty and their need for God. The Magi who came from the East represent those with wealth, social standing or fame. But the Magi, too, were inwardly seized by God and possessed the humility born of faith, which gave them the courage to leave all and undertake a long and arduous journey into the unknown.

The Christmas season traditionally comes to a close with the feast of Jesus’ Presentation in the Temple, the day when Mary and Joseph brought their Son to the Temple for the first time, where they were greeted by the elderly prophets Simeon and Anna. For me, these two figures have always symbolized the countless elderly residents of our homes, who live far from the public eye, but who lift up the world with their sincere, faith-filled prayers.

Unfortunately, many contemporary Simeons and Annas will spend this Christmas alone. In some cases, they have outlived their loved ones, while in others they have essentially been forgotten by children and grandchildren who are all too caught up in the material pursuits that have come to define the Christmas season in our culture. The irony is that not only do the elderly deserve our attention and care, but spending time with them would enrich us with the gifts that really matter – unconditional love, wisdom, patience and kindness.

I would like to suggest that this Christmas, we focus more on ‘presence’ than ‘presents,’ especially in our relationships with the elderly. Whether we consider ourselves poor shepherds or kings of privilege, we have something to give, and much to receive, from our encounters with the elderly.

Here are five practical suggestions for this Christmas season and the new year: n Offer to help an elderly relative or neighbor decorate for Christmas, or offer to drive them to church for all the important celebrations of the holiday season. n Bring a home-cooked meal to an elderly relative or neighbor and take the time to enjoy it with them. Even better, give them the “homemade dinner of the month club” for the coming year. n Similarly, give an older person the “movie of the month club” by joining them at home once a month for one of their favorite old movies. If your older friend or relative lives in a senior care facility, offer to sponsor a monthly movie night for a group of residents. n Offer to complete some much-needed home repairs for an elderly loved one or neighbor. n Ask an older person to teach you how to knit, crochet, bake or play their favorite card game. Giving them the opportunity to share their experience and expertise will bring them much joy. n Help a grandparent compile family photos into an album, photo book or video that could be shared with the whole family as a Christmas gift. You would be helping to create a precious family heirloom.

The point of all these suggestions is to give the gift of your ‘presence’ rather than ‘presents’ – to nurture a spirituality of encounter between the generations by reaching out to the elders in your midst. In doing so, you will make love incarnate in your midst, and that is what Christmas is all about!

Sister Constance Veit is director of communications for the Little Sisters of the Poor.

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catholicnewsherald.com | December 19, 2014 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

Parish organizers include (pictured above, from left) Cheri Strickland of Advent Lutheran Church, Deacon Joe Diaz of St. Thomas Aquinas Church, and Megan McNutt of Harrisburg United Methodist Church.

ROOM: FROM PAGE 3

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

Deacon Diaz said. “They just can’t afford housing. There’s not a lot of affordable housing in Charlotte for those that make minimum wage.”

There can be other circumstances that bring people to Room in the Inn as well. People who have “fallen on hard times, have economic troubles, or family situations that make them end up on the street,” he said. “There are also people who have had a catastrophic medical situation and lost their house.”

Working closely with people who have gone through an unexpected and devastating turn of events puts the homeless problem closer to home for Deacon Diaz.

Being a coordinator for Room in the Inn “has changed my perception of the homeless. They are not the stereotype of what people think of the homeless,” he said. “They are one bad decision, or one catastrophic medical situation away from where we are.”

Carol Diaz, Deacon Joe Diaz’s wife, emphasized this eye-opening point.

“We’re all one crisis away from being here ourselves. It’s a fine line,” she said. “One major medical event and I could be needing to be served, instead of serving.”

Cheri Strickland, coordinator for Advent Lutheran, works with Deacon Diaz and has been involved with the program for the 14 years that St. Thomas Aquinas and Advent Lutheran have partnered together.

Asked what has kept her going for 14 years, Strickland replied, “After the first week I thought, how can I not do this? This is one small way we can help our fellow human beings. I’m pretty sure that’s one of those things that’s in the Bible: Do unto the least of these ...” she said. “My year pivots around these four months.”

During her time as coordinator, Strickland has witnessed a significant demographic change among the neighbors she serves. “There is a different group of people served now from when we first started,” she said. “Back then people were chronically homeless, had mental health issues, were chronically unemployed, or drug users.” In more recent years things have shifted dramatically. “Now we have professionals, moms with kids, doctors, nurses, attorneys, etc. Since the recession

By the numbers Each year, 5,000 Room In The Inn volunteers throughout the community help in some way. On any given night, 10 to 15 host sites throughout Charlotte each take in 12-14 homeless people on their assigned evening. In the 2013-’14 season, Room In The Inn provided a total of 17,162 overnight accommodations to 1,457 different people.

started there has been a dramatic change,” Strickland said. The program now serves “families who had it all. One neighbor was a volunteer with Room in the Inn, and ended up here herself.”

Megan McNutt from Harrisburg United Methodist has volunteered with the program for the last four years, and has also noticed this trend. “Our community has so much and the homeless situation keeps growing. We’re all two paychecks away from being homeless.”

Monica Rowe is a parishioner from St. Thomas Aquinas who has been involved in the program for the past three years, together with her three children.

“It’s important for kids to learn by example, and to help give to others,” Rowe said. “I’m a social worker, so it’s important for me that my kids sit one on one with them, pray with them. It’s hands-on, and they can see the fruits of their labor.”

Stasia, a neighbor served by the Room in the Inn program, shares why she is thankful for the ministry: “Shelter. A place to be warm during the winter months, and safe. It just takes care of our basic needs.

They feed us and clothe us – it’s nice to be inside. And the care that’s shown to us – it’s more than what is shown by my family.

It is so sad to me that we are distant. My mother is passed. If she was alive I think things would be different.”

Nevertheless, Stasia remains hopeful for an improvement in her situation. “Satan comes to separate. I believe in Jesus Christ all things are possible and we’re going to work it out. God is going to fix this. Thank you to the volunteers. I’ve been here an hour or two, and look what I’ve gotten here.

We are blessed and grateful. It’s good that we have so much to share. Thank you for caring.”