August 29, 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
Mass, Holy Hour offered for peace in Iraq and the Middle East, 3 ‘Can You Drink the Cup?’ France trip, Nouwen book inspire potter to create One Hundred Chalices exhibition,
16 INDEX
Contact us.......................... 4 Español..................................11 Events calendar................. 4 Our Faith............................. 2 Our Parishes................. 3-10 Schools......................... 14-15 Scripture readings............ 2 TV & Movies.......................16 U.S. news...................... 18-19 Viewpoints.................. 22-23 World news.................. 20-21
Subscribe today! Call:
704-370-3333
FUNDED by the parishioners of the diocese of charlotte
A new mountain church home St. Francis of Assisi Church dedicated in Jefferson, 12-13
THANK YOU!
Annual Polish Mass, celebration a big hit, 8-9
House of Mercy cares for increasing number of Latino patients, 5
Catholic students return to school, 14-15
Our faith 2
catholicnewsherald.com | August 29, 2014 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD
Father Tadeusz Pacholczyk
Renegade researchers and the future of biomedical research
P
St. Gregory the Great Feast day: Sept. 3 St. Gregory the Great, a central figure of the medieval western Church and one of the most admired popes in history, is commemorated in the Ordinary Form of the Roman Catholic liturgy on Sept. 3. Born near the middle of the 6th century into a noble Roman family, Gregory received a classical education in liberal arts and the law. He also had strong religious formation from his devout family, particularly from his mother Silvia, also a canonized saint. By around the age of 30, Gregory had advanced to high political office in Rome, during what was nevertheless a period of marked decline for the city. Some time after becoming the prefect of the former imperial capital, Gregory chose to leave the civil administration to become a monk during the rise of the Benedictine order. In reality, however, the new monk’s great career in public life was yet to come. After three years of strict monastic life, he was called personally by the pope to assume the office of a deacon in Rome. From Rome, he was dispatched to Constantinople to seek aid from the emperor for Rome’s civic troubles and to aid in resolving the Eastern Church’s theological controversies. He returned to Rome in 586 after six years of service as the papal representative to the eastern Church and empire. Rome faced a series of disasters caused by flooding in 589, followed by the death of Pope Pelagius II the next year. Gregory, then serving as abbot in a monastery, reluctantly accepted his election to replace him as the Bishop of Rome.
Despite this initial reluctance, however, Pope Gregory began working tirelessly to reform and solidify the Roman liturgy, the disciplines of the Church, the military and economic security of Rome, and the Church’s spreading influence in western Europe. As pope, Gregory brought his political experience at Rome and Constantinople to bear in the task of preventing the Catholic Church from becoming subservient to any of the various groups struggling for control of the former imperial capital. As the former abbot of a monastery, he strongly supported the Benedictine movement as a bedrock of the western Church. He sent missionaries to England and is given much of the credit for the nation’s conversion. He is known above all for his magnificent contributions to the Liturgy of the Mass and Office. He is one of the four great Doctors of the Latin Church. In undertaking these works, Pope Gregory saw himself as the “servant of the servants of God.” He was the first of the Bishops of Rome to popularize the now-traditional papal title, which referred to Christ’s command that those in the highest position of leadership should be “the last of all and the servant of all.” Even as he undertook to consolidate papal power and shore up the West during the crumbling of the Roman empire, St. Gregory the Great maintained a humble sense of his mission as a servant and pastor of souls from the time of his election until his death on March 12, 604. He is the patron of teachers. — Catholic News Agency
Your daily Scripture readings AUG. 31-SEPT. 6
Sunday: Jeremiah 20:7-9, Romans 12:1-2, Matthew 16:21-27; Monday: 1 Corinthians 2:1-5, Luke 4:16-30; Tuesday: 1 Corinthians 2:10-16, Luke 4:31-37; Wednesday (St. Gregory the Great): 1 Corinthians 3:1-9, Luke 4:38-44; Thursday: 1 Corinthians 3:18-23, Luke 5:1-11; Friday: 1 Corinthians 4:1-5, Luke 5:33-39; Saturday: 1 Corinthians 4:6-15, Luke 6:1-5
SEPT. 7-13
Sunday: Ezekiel 33:7-9, Romans 13:8-10, Matthew 18:15-20; Monday (The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary): Micah 5:1-4, Romans 8:28-20, Matthew 1:1-16, 18-23; Tuesday (St. Peter Claver): 1 Corinthians 6:1-11, Luke 6:12-19; Wednesday: 1 Corinthians 7:25-31, Luke 6:20-26; Thursday: 1 Corinthians 8:1-17, 11-13, Luke 6:27-38; Friday (The Most Holy Name of Mary): 1 Corinthians 9:16-19, 22-27, Luke 6:39-42; Saturday (St. John Chrysostom): 1 Corinthians 10:14-22, Luke 6:43-49.
SEPT. 14-20
Sunday (The Exaltation of the Holy Cross): Numbers 21:4-9, Philippians 2:611, John 3:13-17; Monday (Our Lady of Sorrows): 1 Corinthians 11:17-26, 33, John 19:25-27; Tuesday (Sts. Cornelius and Cyprian): 1 Corinthians 12:12-14, 27-31, Luke 7:11-17; Wednesday (St. Robert Bellarmine): 1 Corinthians 12:31-13:13, Luke 7:31-35; Thursday: 1 Corinthians 15:1-11, Luke 7:36-50; Friday (St. Januarius): 1 Corinthians 15:12-20, Luke 8:1-3; Saturday (Sts. Andrew Kim Tae-gon, Paul Chong Ha-sang and Companions): 1 Corinthians 15:35-37, 42-49, Luke 8:4-15.
roducing human embryos in the laboratory for research purposes makes most people uneasy. Even those who tolerate the creation of embryos in test tubes so that infertile couples might have children will often have reservations about the creation of embryos to serve as experimental research material or to destroy them for their cellular parts. Twenty years ago, when a deeply divided government panel recommended allowing such research experiments on human embryos for the first time, even President Bill Clinton summarily rejected the idea. Two years later, Rep. Nancy Pelosi concurred in the Congressional Record: “We should not be involved in the creation of embryos for research. I completely agree with my colleagues on that score.” The proposal to engender human embryos by cloning has similarly drawn strong opposition from Americans for many years. Yet society’s views are shifting. Clinton, Pelosi and many others have reversed their views in recent years. Scientists and politicians now seem ready to draw ethical lines – and then erase them – as expediency demands. Last month, with little fanfare, the journal Nature published a paper from a major research laboratory describing a study that would have been largely unthinkable when the embryo research debates first began in the early 1990s. Dr. Shoukhrat Mitalipov and his colleagues at Oregon Health and Science University described the creation of multiple human embryos in the laboratory for research purposes. Two of the embryos were produced by in vitro fertilization (IVF), and four more were generated by nuclear transfer or cloning, the same technique used to produce Dolly the sheep. All six of the human embryos were engendered for the purpose of “disaggregating” them for their embryonic stem
‘Embryos are as human as you and I; they’re simply younger, smaller and more vulnerable.’
RESEARCH, SEE page 17
Our parishes
August 29, 2014 | catholicnewsherald.com catholic news heraldI
3
PRAYING FOR PEACE
For the latest news 24/7: catholicnewsherald.com
In Brief
‘Celebrating the Celebrants’ Priests’ Retirement Collection set for Sept. 6-7
Photo provided by Bishop Gregory J. Hartmayer
Bishops gather at assembly in Savannah SAVANNAH — Bishop Peter J. Jugis joined his brother bishops and priests from across the Atlanta Province at their biannual assembly last week in downtown Savannah, Ga. On Aug. 19, Archbishop Wilton D. Gregory celebrated Mass at St. John the Baptist Cathedral in Savannah with the seven other bishops and 105 priests from dioceses in the Atlanta Province. The three-day biannual assembly was hosted in the Diocese of Savannah this year, featuring special guest speaker Dominican Father Nicanor Pier Austriaco. After the second day of meetings focused on “The ethics of end of life care in the Catholic Moral Tradition,” the priests and bishops gathered at the cathedral for Mass. In his homily, Archbishop Gregory posed the question, “What’s in it for me?” and addressed the need to surrender ourselves to the path of Christ. For Archbishop Gregory’s full homily, go online to www.diosav.org. — Diocese of Savannah, Ga.
Diocesan anniversary Mass set for Sept. 28
Photos by David Hains | Catholic News Herald
Catholics came to St. Mark Church in Huntersville to pray for peace in the Middle East during Mass and a special Holy Hour hosted by the parish. An unidentified parishioner prays as Father John Putnam, pastor, is flanked, from left, by seminarian Thomas Rider, and Deacons Louie Pais and Robert Murphy.
Mass, Holy Hour offered for peace in Iraq and the Middle East
CHARLOTTE — Couples who are celebrating their 25th or 50th wedding anniversaries in 2014 will be honored during a special anniversary Mass on Sunday, Sept. 28. The annual diocesan Mass will be celebrated this year at St. Matthew Church, located at 8015 Ballantyne Commons Pkwy. The Mass will begin at 2 p.m. and a reception will follow. Bishop Peter Jugis will be the celebrant. Call your parish office to register and get more details.
Calling for choir volunteers for the 2014 Eucharistic Congress CHARLOTTE — Would you like to be part of the music program for the Sept. 19-20 Eucharistic Congress? There are three ways you can take part. If you are a priest of our diocese and have an interest in and willingness to chant, you can join our priests’ chant choir. If you are a choral director, including of children’s choirs, you are invited to join our directors’ choir. If you are someone who enjoys singing, even if you are not able to commit yourself to your church choir at the moment, but have the ability to commit to music just for the summer, you are invited to join our volunteer choir. All three of these choirs will sing in the concert, balancing sacred music off each other’s group. If you are considering the director’s or volunteer’s choir, consider singing for Holy Mass on Saturday. To get more information and to sign up, contact Tiffany Gallozzi at music@saintbarnabasarden.org.
Father Putnam makes a point in his homily about praying for peace in the Middle East on Aug. 20.
HUNTERSVILLE —The faithful attended a special Mass on Aug. 20, at St. Mark Church in Huntersville, to pray for peace in the Middle East and stand in solidarity with the Christians being persecuted there. The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass for Peace and an End to Violence in Iraq and the Middle East was offered by Father John T. Putnam, pastor. Following the Mass was a Holy Hour of Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament and Benediction. “The tragic plight of Christians and other minorities in Iraq has pulled strongly at the heart strings of many of us,” Father Putnam said. “While Pope Francis has indicated that this situation may warrant armed intervention, our first ‘weapon’ as Christians is prayer. So often when we hear about war, violence and terrorism around the world, we feel helpless. As Christians, however, we are never without the means to change things by uniting ourselves in prayer and supplication to the God who made us.” — David Hains, diocesan director of communication
More online At www.catholicnewsherald.com: Listen to Father John Putnam’s homily from this special Mass BRIEFS, SEE page 10
CHARLOTTE — Priests are there for us during some of the most important moments of our lives. Through their anointed hands and by the grace of holy orders, they baptize us, offer us the Body and Blood of Christ in Holy Communion and reconcile us to God in the sacrament of reconciliation. They pray for us, they sacrifice for us, and at the end of our lives they are there to prepare us to spend eternity with God. During the first weekend in September, we have the opportunity to express our gratitude and celebrate the priests who have faithfully served our Church for decades through the Priests’ Retirement and Benefits Collection, taken up in all parishes in the diocese Sept. 6 and 7. Each parish is assessed 3.5 percent of its annual offertory collection to raise the funds needed to support the Priests’ Retirement and Benefits. In most parishes the assessment amounts to slightly less than two times the regular Sunday offertory. Your contribution will provide for the 25 retired priests of the diocese who still continue to give generously of their time and talent, as well as provide for the future retirement of 77 diocesan priests in active ministry. This ensures the funds will be available when every priest becomes eligible for retirement benefits. The collection also supports the retirement funds of 28 priests in seven religious orders serving in the diocese. For details, contact Kerry Ann Tornesello, associate development director, at katornesello@ charlottediocese.org or 704370-3302. — SueAnn Howell, senior reporter
4
catholicnewsherald.com | August 29, 2014 OUR PARISHES
Diocesan calendar of events ASHEVILLE — Rachel’s Vineyard Weekend Retreat: Sept. 5-7. Retreat is open to both men and women wanting to begin their healing journey after an abortion. For details, contact Shelley at 828-230-4940 or visit www. rachelsvineyard.org.
Bishop Peter J. Jugis Bishop Peter J. Jugis will participate in the following events over the coming weeks: Sept. 1 – 7 p.m. Mass for 75th Anniversary of the Dedication of St. Patrick Cathedral St. Patrick Cathedral, Charlotte
Sept. 7 – 4 p.m. Blessing of St. Peter Yu Korean Church Greensboro
Sept. 9 – 4 p.m. Jubilee Mass for Priesthood Anniversaries and Retirements St. Patrick Cathedral, Charlotte Sept. 11 – 10 a.m. Diocesan Foundation Board Meeting Catholic Conference Center, Hickory
Sept. 19-20 10th Eucharistic Congress Charlotte Convention Center, Charlotte Sept. 24 – 7 p.m. Sacrament of Confirmation Sacred Heart Church, Brevard
Sept. 28 – 2 p.m. Wedding Anniversaries Mass St. Matthew Church, Charlotte Sept. 29 – 12 p.m. Forward in Faith, Hope, and Love Campaign Meeting Pastoral Center, Charlotte
704-370-3333 PUBLISHER: The Most Reverend Peter J. Jugis, Bishop of Charlotte
ST. GABRIEL CHURCH, 3016 Providence Road — “Pope Francis: Taking the World by Storm”: 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 10, in the church. Take a closer look at what drives this charismatic and popular pontiff. Presented by renowned homilist, Monsignor Henry Kriegel. For details, email Cathy Esposito at cesposito@stgabrielchurch.org. — 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. St. Matthew church, 8015 BALLANTYNE COMmONS PKWY.
Sept. 26 – 7 p.m. Sacrament of Confirmation Sacred Heart Church, Burnsville
1123 S. Church St. Charlotte, N.C. 28203-4003 catholicnews@charlottediocese.org
St. Joseph Church, 316 Main St. — “Elder Investment Fraud and Financial Exploitation Prevention”: 5:30-6:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 4. Barbara Bennett, investment education specialist and militaryliaison with the N.C. Department of Secretary of State, will be presenting. For details and registration, contact Catholic Charities Diocese of Charlotte Elder Ministry at 704-370-3220 or email sabreakfield@charlottediocese.org.
CHARLOTTE
Sept. 12 – 7 p.m. Sacrament of Confirmation St. Joan of Arc Church, Candler
Volume 23 • Number 23
QUEEN OF THE APOSTLES church, 503 North Main St. — New Evening Group for Moms: 7-8 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 10. This evening group is intended for fellowship and study of spiritual growth. For details, contact Jayme at jaymeqoaformation@gmail.com
BRYSON CITY
Sept. 9 – 11 a.m. Presbyteral Council Meeting Pastoral Center, Charlotte
August 29, 2014
BELMONT
— Young at Heart Covered Dish Supper: 5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 13, in the MAK Family Life Center. All parishioners over the age of 50 are invited to attend. For details, call Cathy Boyd at 704-825-4669.
Sept. 5 – 7 p.m. Sacrament of Confirmation St. John Neumann Church, Charlotte
Sept. 30 – 7 p.m. Sacrament of Confirmation St. Francis of Assisi Church, Jefferson
St. Patrick Cathedral, 1621 Dilworth road — Charlotte Catholic Women’s Group Luncheon and Reflection: 9:30 a.m. Monday, Sept. 8. Mass is at 9 a.m. The CCWG welcomes all women of the diocese to learn how to reconnect with your faith. For details, visit www.charlottecatholicwomensgroup.org. — 75th Anniversary Mass, honoring the dedication of St. Patrick Cathedral: 7 p.m. Monday, Sept. 1 — Post-Abortion Scripture Study: 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 11, in the Family Life Center. This 12-week study is open to men and women who are recovering from an abortion. For details and registration, email brice@charlottecenterforwomen.org. ST. Thomas aquinas church, 1400 suther road — Fatima Procession: 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 13. Monthly devotion to Our Lady of Fatima in the church. We will recite the rosary, have a candlelit procession and close with a litany. Everyone welcome. — Charlotte Lay Dominicans Meeting Group: 8:30 a.m. Meets once a month on Saturdays. The Charlotte Lay Dominicans are a Tertiary/Laity group of the Dominican Order (OP) belonging to the Southern Province of St. Martin de Porres. They live the charism of St. Dominic and the Four Pillars of the Dominican Order: prayer, study, community and apostolate. For details, visit www. charlottelaydominicans.org. — “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. — “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. Maronite Mission of Charlotte, meets at St. Matthew Church, 8015 BALLANTYNE COMmONS PKWY. — Annual Lebanese Festival: 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 27. Entertainment and foods will be provided. Everyone welcome.
GREENSBORO St. Paul the Apostle, 2715 Horse Pen Creek Road — 40th Anniversary and Multicultural Celebration: 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 13, followed by 5 p.m. Mass. Multicultural dishes, games and much more will be provided. For details, contact Chris Nunez at cassal@stpaulcc.org.
— Protecting God’s Children Workshop: 9:30 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 18, in the Banquet Room. All volunteers must attend a workshop. This program is intended to educate volunteers to recognize and prevent sexual abuse. To register, visit www.virtus. org.
St. Pius X, 2210 N. Elm St. — Seasons of Hope Grief Ministry: 2-4 p.m. Sept. 28-Nov. 2. Meets for six weeks on Sundays. Anyone who is mourning the loss of a loved one is encouraged to attend. To register, call the parish office at 336-2724681.
The Catholic News Herald is published by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte 26 times a year. NEWS: The Catholic News Herald welcomes your news and photos. Please e-mail information, attaching photos in JPG format with a recommended resolution of 150 dpi or higher, to catholicnews@charlottediocese.org. All submitted items become the property of the Catholic News Herald and are subject to reuse, in whole or in part, in print, electronic formats and archives. ADVERTISING: Reach 165,000 Catholics across western North Carolina! For advertising rates and information,
IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY CHURCH, 4145 JOHNSON St. — Pro-Life Rosary: 9 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 6, at 901 North Main St. and Sunset Drive to pray for the end of abortion. For details, call Jim Hoyng at 336-882-9593 or Paul Klosterman at 336-848-6835. CHRIST THE KING CHURCH, 1505 East Kivett Dr. — Natural Family Planning Introduction and Full Course: 1-5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 6. Topics include: Effectiveness of modern NFP, health risks of popular contraceptives and what the Church teaches about responsible parenting. Sponsored by Catholic Charities Diocese of Charlotte. RSVP to Batrice Adcock, MSN, RN, at 704-370-3230.
LENOIR St. Francis of Assisi Church, 328 B Woodsway Lane — The rosary, led by Father Gabriel Meehan, is prayed every Monday evening at 7 p.m., in the Our Lady of Guadalupe Chapel. Everyone welcome.
MAGGIE VALLEY St. Margaret of Scotland CHURCH, 37 Murphy Dr. — Life in the Spirit Seminar: 6:30-8:30 p.m. Sept. 17-Oct. 29. For information and registration, call Don or Janet Zander at 828-926-2654. — Healing Mass and Anointing of the Sick: 2 p.m. Meets every third Sunday of the month. Individual prayers over people after Mass by charismatic prayer group members.
MURPHY ST. WILLIAM CHURCH, 765 ANDREWS Road — Grief Support Group: 10:30 a.m. Tuesdays in the conference room. “Embracing Your Grief” should be helpful for those mourning the recent loss of a loved one.
SWANNANOA VALLEY St. Margaret Mary church, 102 Andrew Place — Rummage Sale: 8 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 13. Hosted by the Knights of Columbus Council 13016.
— Special Prayer Service for Our Lady of Sorrows: 7:30 p.m. Monday, Sept. 15, in the church. All parents who have suffered the death of a child, regardless of age, are welcome to this special prayer service celebrating the lives of their children. For details, call Rita Brennan at 704-543-7677, ext. 1007.
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
HIGH POINT
WAYNESVILLE St. John the Evangelist Church, 234 Church St. — “Elder Investment Fraud and Financial Exploitation Prevention” program: 10-11 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 4. Barbara Bennett, investment education specialist and military liaison with the N.C. Department of Secretary of State, will be presenting. For details and registration, contact Catholic Charities Diocese of Charlotte Elder Ministry at 704-370-3220 or email sabreakfield@charlottediocese.org. 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. SUBSCRIPTIONS: $15 per year for all registered parishioners of the Diocese of Charlotte and $23 per year for all others. POSTMASTER: Periodicals class postage (USPC 007-393) paid at Charlotte, N.C. Send address corrections to the Catholic News Herald, 1123 S. Church St., Charlotte, N.C. 28203.
facebook.com/ catholic news HERALD Diocese of Charlotte
@CatholicNewsCLT
Pinterest.com/ charlottecnh
August 29, 2014 | catholicnewsherald.com
Catholic recording artist Matt Maher headlines ‘Celebrate Life’ benefit dinner CHARLOTTE — The Pregnancy Resource Center of Charlotte is hosting “An Evening with Matt Maher” featuring guest speaker Brian Fisher, on Thursday, Sept. 18, at the Charlotte Convention Center. The 2014 Celebrate Life Benefit Dinner funds and creates awareness for the Pregnancy Resource Center of Charlotte. PRC is a non-profit, nondenominational, non-political organization that is committed to providing compassion, information and support to anyone facing an unintended pregnancy. Serving more than 3,000 women and men each year, the Pregnancy Resource Center of Charlotte is a non-profit, Christ-centered ministry that provides a safe place to work through pregnancy-related issues. Services – which range from pregnancy tests and ultrasounds to parenting classes and support groups – are confidential and free of charge. The PRC has served nearly 75,000 people since opening in 1982. Contemporary Christian musician Matt Maher was born in Newfoundland, Canada, but it was not until his parents’ Maher divorce and his subsequent move to Arizona that he would find his calling and begin a musical career which would find him composing work for genre artists such as Bethany Dillon and Chris Tomlin, as well as releasing albums and playing shows across the Southwest and eventually the world. The four-time Grammy nominee and six-time GMA Dove Fisher Award nominee has had popular hits such as “Hold Us Together,” “Your Grace Is Enough,” “Christ Is Risen,” “Turn Around” and “As It Is in Heaven.” The Catholic musician and youth ministry leader has become a popular performer at youth ministry conferences and rallies, including World Youth Day. He has toured extensively over the past five years with the likes of Michael W. Smith, Leeland, Phil Wickham, Jars of Clay, Third Day, Tenth Avenue North and Mercy Me. “The Pregnancy Resource Center is doing amazing work with women and families in Charlotte, and I’m excited to help support their mission of saving lives, healing hearts and ministering compassion,” said Maher. Guest speaker will be Brian Fisher, an author, blogger and co-founder/president of Online for Life. Fisher started the volunteer non-profit on the side in 2009 to start realizing the dream of using compassion, truth and business applications to rescue babies. In early 2012, he left the for-profit world to become president of the rapidly expanding Online for Life. “The Pregnancy Resource Center of Charlotte desires to reach more and more women and see abortion end in our great city,” said Erin Forsythe, executive director of the PRC. “With Matt Maher coming to lead a night of worship and carrying the theme of life and God’s heart at this annual Celebrate Life Benefit Dinner, I can’t think of a better way to share all God is doing. Let’s come together as the body of Christ – churches in Charlotte – united and standing together under the cause of life.” Registration and a VIP reception begins at 5:30 p.m., with the dinner and program starting at 6 p.m. There is no cost to attend but donations will be accepted. Dress is business attire. For more information go to www.friendsofprc. com or call 704-372-5981. — SueAnn Howell, senior reporter
OUR PARISHESI
5
House of Mercy cares for increasing number of Latino patients Rico De Silva Hispanic Communications Reporter
BELMONT — Javier’s last wish was to return home to die in his native Honduras. Javier was only 26 years old, his body ravaged by the AIDS virus. He had come to House of Mercy in Belmont just a week before Christmas last year after being in and out of hospitals, no longer able to live on his own. House of Mercy, a ministry of the Sisters of Mercy, provides 24-hour care for people living with AIDS who are unable to care for themselves or who do not have a home. House of Mercy welcomed Javier after Shirley Stowe, House of Mercy’s nursing director, found him in a hospital bed curled up in a fetal position. He looked like he had given up. Speaking very little English, the native Honduran found it difficult to navigate the health system. He had not been taking his medications or going to his doctor appointments, and now his condition was critical. Although Stowe knew the language barrier would pose a challenge to caring for him, she also knew that House of Mercy was the best place for Javier to go. The isolation and problems experienced by those who speak a different language and who live in a new culture can be overwhelming, especially for those who are gravely ill. Stowe said that admitting Javier to House of Mercy was a great opportunity to “do what we do best – provide a loving, secure place to be cared for during the holiday and beyond.” “When he came to us, he was terminal. It took a little while to build a relationship with him,” recalled Sister of Mercy Carmelita Hagan, who does pastoral care and counseling for House of Mercy clients. “And it was also difficult to understand him because I don’t speak Spanish, and his primary language was Spanish. “But we were able to relate spiritually. He knew a little bit of English, and he was always very pleased when I would come in and visit and pray with him. Prayer seemed to be so important in his life.” Having only a fourth-grade education, Javier found it difficult to express himself even in Spanish, interpreters told House of Mercy staff. They marveled at how the House of Mercy staff managed to care for him without an interpreter’s aid. Despite restarting antiviral medications to combat the progress of his AIDS, Javier’s condition continued to deteriorate. He was readmitted to the hospital, where he told House of Mercy staff that he wanted to go home to reunite with his family before he died. “In his opinion, he did not have a good relationship with his family. So, deep down, he probably wanted to reconcile with his family,” Sister Carmelita said. House of Mercy staff started the effort to get a Honduran passport issued from the consulate in Atlanta, but by the time the paperwork was finalized Javier was too weak to travel. Javier died at House of Mercy in April, at age 26. A Sister of Mercy personally carried his cremated remains back to his relatives in Gracias, Honduras, in early May.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY HOUSE OF MERCY
Javier (second from left) enjoys a card game and a cheerful moment with House of Mercy staff and another resident. Javier arrived at House of Mercy a week before last Christmas and passed away in April.
More online At www.catholicnewsherald.com: Hear more of Javier’s story from Sister Carmelita Hagan and what House of Mercy is doing to care for its Latino residents
With House of Mercy’s capacity of six residents at a time, Javier was one of approximately six Latino clients it has welcomed over the past two years. The number of Latino clients has increased noticeably enough that several staff have learned some basic Spanish, and they call on bilingual volunteers more often. House of Mercy has also hired Johaly Chávez as a bilingual coordinator of resident recreation and volunteers to better serve the needs of Latino residents. Marjorie Storch, development director for House of Mercy, attributes the increase in Latinos to two factors. “The Centers for Disease Control have noted that Hispanics in the U.S. have three times the infection rate of HIV/AIDS as Caucasians,” she said. And as the Latino population grows in western North Carolina, the word has spread to the Latino community that House of Mercy is a resource for HIV-positive people in need. “Some of our most dedicated volunteers are from the Hispanic-American community,” Storch also noted. The new focus on caring for Latino residents is not much different than what House of Mercy has done for the past 23 years, staff said. Noted Sister Carmelita, “You don’t have to speak Spanish to pray with people. You hold their hands and they know you’re praying with them. They’re at peace about that.” — Note: Out of respect for the privacy of House of Mercy residents, the name of the patient featured above has been changed. Portions of this story are reprinted from House of Mercy’s Summer 2014 newsletter.
Father Kelleher passes away HIGH POINT — Father Michael Joseph Kelleher passed away Aug. 20, 2014, at Pennybyrn at Maryfield retirement community in High Point. He was 86. Bishop Peter Jugis and priests of the Diocese of Charlotte will celebrate a memorial Mass on Sept. 3, 2014, at Holy Cross Church in Kernersville. The memorial Mass is being celebrated in place of the Mass of Christian Burial because Father Kelleher wanted his body to be donated to science. It has been turned over to the Wake Forest Medical School in Winston-Salem, according to Father Paul Gary, Father Kelleher’s executor. The homily at the memorial Mass will be delivered by Monsignor Joseph
Showfety. During his more than 40 years in priestly ministry, Father Kelleher served in nine parishes in the Diocese of Charlotte. He had most recently served as chaplain of Bishop McGuinness Kelleher High School in Kernersville. Father Kelleher was ordained in 1953 in Ireland. He was a Trappist monk at Southern Star Abbey in Hawkes Bay, New Zealand, until he joined the Diocese of Raleigh in 1966. In 1972 when the Charlotte diocese
was carved out of the Raleigh diocese, he was serving as pastor of St. John the Evangelist Church in Waynesville. He remained with the Charlotte diocese until he retired in 1999. Other parishes in the Charlotte diocese where he served include: Our Lady of the Assumption Church in Charlotte, St. Joseph Church in Asheboro, St. Lawrence Basilica in Asheville, St. Patrick Cathedral in Charlotte, Immaculate Conception Church in Hendersonville, Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in High Point, Our Lady of the Rosary Church in Lexington, and St. Dorothy Church in Lincolnton. — Catholic News Herald
6
catholicnewsherald.com | August 29, 2014 OUR PARISHES
St. Mark parishioners work alongside MOP brothers in Jamaica Donna Smith Special to the Catholic News Herald
HUNTERSVILLE — Twenty-three missionaries from St. Mark Church traveled to Kingston, Jamaica, to work with the Missionaries of the Poor from June 25 to July 3. The Missionaries of the Poor, founded by Father Richard Ho Lung, is an international organization of brothers whose charism is to joyfully serve the least of our brothers. Their only U.S.-based monastery is in Monroe, just east of Charlotte. Having been involved with MOP for more than two years now, both with the Monroe community and in Jamaica, I can say that “joyful” certainly describes the heart of each brother as they follow a life of daily prayer, sacrifice and service. For many of the St. Mark participants on the trip, this was a milestone in their lives as it tested their strength and courage. Days began early with prayer, Mass and Eucharistic Adoration and they ended late with everyone gathered for night prayer and silence. Each day participants worked at five MOP-run centers which provide a home for more than 500 men, women
and children. Many of these residents have been abandoned by their families due to illness, or through life’s circumstances have been left in the streets to die. At each center there is a sense of family, not only among
the staff of brothers who care for the residents but also, and probably just as importantly, a sense of family among the residents for each other. This was most apparent at lunchtime as I watched residents feeding weaker residents, forgoing often the larger portion to assure that their friend, their brother, their sister would have enough to eat. As Christians we are called to serve the poor, but the challenge before each of us is to replace the amorphous label of “the poor” with names, faces and stories. It is by immersing ourselves in something beyond ourselves that we find growth of character and resolve, and to appreciate the gifts we have been given. More importantly, it is to realize our vocation as the hands and feet of Christ to serve humanity in whatever way possible, and to do so with compassion and love. Plans are underway among St. Mark parishioners to return in 2015 to Jamaica, as well as travel to Haiti where the Missionaries of the Poor has recently taken over an orphanage serving more than 100 children. Donna Smith is the faith formation director for St. Mark Church in Huntersville.
CCDOC.ORG
A New Start Each year nearly 400 new refugees are resettled in the Charlotte area. A dedicated team of professionals at Catholic Charities works closely with these refugees to prepare them for the local workforce. If you are a small business owner or hiring manager we would like to invite you to learn about refugee employment benefits. Catholic Charities will host two informational workshops at the Pastoral Center (1123 S. Church Street, Charlotte). With a strong work ethic and determination to succeed, refugees can help your business grow.
Monday, September 8 - 7:30 AM Thursday, September 11 - 6:30 PM Serve your community by hiring reliable and hardworking refugees. Visit ccdoc.org for more information about refugee employment and call 704-370-3283 to RSVP.
Photos provided by Rosie Bornoty
Rosie Bornoty took a video of Pope Francis as he rode in the “popemobile” at St. Peter’s Square.
Western N.C. pilgrims see Pope Francis on Italy tour Carol Viau Correspondent
A group of 31 pilgrims from western North Carolina and beyond made a pilgrimage to Italy in late April to deepen their faith and see art treasures and historical landmarks in Assisi, Siena, Florence, Pompeii and Rome. The group, led by Father Lawrence LoMonaco, the former pastor of St. John the Evangelist Church in Waynesville and Immaculate Conception Mission in Canton, had tickets to a general papal audience at St. Peter’s, but little did they know they would get within just a few feet of Pope Francis.
The Italian tour director told the group to stand by a certain barrier in St. Peter’s Square, because the pontiff usually comes near the barrier in the “popemobile.” To the delight of the group, Pope Francis made two slow passes within five feet of the local pilgrims. “Pope Francis radiated like a saint,” said Candy Keener of Waynesville. “I could have touched him. We got lucky since there were tens of thousands of people in St. Peter’s Square.” It wasn’t just a drive-by. The popemobile was open and the pope did not appear PILGRIMS, SEE page 17
August 29, 2014 | catholicnewsherald.com
Refugee assistance program looks for employers Tracy Winsor Special to the Catholic News Herald
CHARLOTTE — “The work ethic of the refugees we’ve hired is exceptional,” observes Deborah Rouse, Human Resources Manager at Cardinal Health. “They have exceeded our expectations.” Cardinal Health, a health care services company, is one of the employers who collaborate with the Refugee Resettlement Office at Catholic Charities Diocese of Charlotte. Employers provide Catholic Charities with information about their staffing needs, and Catholic Charities provides highly motivated, hard-working refugee applicants. Last year, 42 different companies employed 353 refugees in the Charlotte area. “Refugees are willing to learn a new skill and trade,” Rouse says. “They are committed to company goals and objectives, and are highly engaged. They have a higher job retention rate as well.” Catholic Charities resettles 300-350 refugees each year from all over the world, including Iraq, Cuba, Burma, Bhutan and Somalia. These people have fled their home countries because of a well-founded fear of persecution based on race, religion, nationality, political beliefs or membership in a particular political group. The refugee resettlement process is rigorous, as refugees must authenticate their claim of refugee status. Those resettled in the United States must also complete numerous background and security checks. Because of the complicated nature of the application and approval process, refugees often spend years in refugee camps around the world waiting for the possibility of resettlement and a new life in a host country. Only 0.5 to 1 percent of the applicants awaiting resettlement are approved to come to the U.S. Finding a job is an important part of the refugee resettlement process. Refugees are eligible for public assistance for only a limited period of time. “We try to have at least one person working in the family as soon as possible because in many cases the available public assistance is not sufficient to cover even their initial monthly expenses, rent, etc.,” says Leon Shoats, an employment specialist with Catholic Charities. “Our goal is provide every client with permanent, full-time employment within 90 days of their date of arrival.” Refugees come to Charlotte with a wide variety of skills. Some are farmers, others have multiple advanced degrees. Most are unskilled or semi-skilled and need entry level employment. Preference is given to positions that also provide health insurance benefits. In recent years, refugees relocated to Charlotte have been hired to work in accounting, welding, assembly, furniture making, food preparation and cooking, cleaning, laundry and computer positions. In addition, refugees have secured employment as electricians and electrician helpers and civil engineers. Employers control the hiring process, interviewing and vetting potential refugee employees just as they would any other applicant. Catholic Charities employment staff provides follow-up with the employer after a refugee is hired, to monitor the new employee and assist with any issues that may develop, including language translation as necessary. “Our hiring experience in utilizing this
Come learn more Catholic Charities Diocese of Charlotte will host two workshops – one at 7:30 a.m. on Sept. 8, the other at 6:30 p.m. on Sept. 11 – for business owners and hiring managers to provide details about the refugee employment services and benefits. Both will be held at the Diocese of Charlotte Pastoral Center, located at 1123 S. Church St. in Charlotte. RSVP to Sandy Buck at skbuck@ charlottediocese.org or 704-370-3283.
service has been very positive,” Rouse says. “We receive candidates who are engaged, committed and dedicated to the company.” Two employment workshops for potential employers will be held next month to inform new companies about Catholic Charities’ refugee employment services, to give an overview of the benefits and process of hiring refugees. “We are hoping to recruit some new companies so that we have more options for our refugees – both in terms of jobs availability and diversity for the higher skilled refugees who are resettling in Charlotte,” says Sandy Buck, Catholic Charities’ volunteer coordinator. Adds Shoats, “We want to place refugees with companies that offer the possibility of growth and advancement.” Wepak Corporation, a Charlotte area private label manufacturer of janitorial and industrial chemical products, currently employs three refugees referred by Catholic Charities. Kim Sabatini, Wepak’s personnel director, heard about the Refugee Resettlement program through her church. “We have two refugees that are working in the silk screen department printing bottles, and one working in production making boxes and working on the line when needed,” Sabatini says. “These workers are very dedicated, hardworking, loyal and very dependable. I would love to hire more in the future.” To speak with an employment specialist for more information regarding Catholic Charities’ refugee employment program, call 704-370-3285 or 704-370-3257.
O Holy St. Jude! Apostle and Martyr, great in virtue and rich in miracles, near kinsman of Jesus Christ, faithful intercessor for all who invoke your, special patronage in time of need; to you I have recourse from the depth of my heart, and humbly beg you, to whom God has given such great power, come to my assistance. In return I promise to make your name known and cause you to be invoked. St. Jude pray for us who invoke your aid. (Say 3 Our Fathers, 3 Hail Mary’s, 3 Glory Be)
OUR PARISHESI
Help God save babies in Charlotte 'Celebrate Life' Benefit Dinner & Concert September 18 - 6 p.m. Charlotte Convention Center Featuring a performance by award-winning
Catholic musician
MATT MAHER Also hear from special guest speaker Brian Fisher
No cost to attend - donations accepted Proceeds will aid Pregnancy Resource Center of Charlotte. Dress is business attire.
www.friendsofprc.com or 704-372-5981 Table Host opportunities are also available
God saved 827 babies from abortion at the Pregnancy Resource Center in Charlotte last year. Help us in God's work to end abortion in Charlotte. Pregnancy Resource Center of Charlotte is a 501(c)(3) non-denominational, non-political organization providing compassion, information and support to anyone facing an unintended pregnancy. It has served nearly 75,000 women since 1982.
7
8
catholicnewsherald.com | August 29, 2014 OUR PARISHES
Annual Polish Mass, celebration a big hit Doreen Sugierski Correspondent
CHARLOTTE — More than 600 people attended a Mass said in Polish in honor of Our Lady of Czestochowa, the Black Madonna, at St. Thomas Aquinas Church, and venerated a relic of Pope St. John Paul II. The third annual Polish Mass on Aug. 24 was celebrated by Father Matt Nycz, a Polish-born pastor from the Diocese of Buffalo, N.Y. The liturgy was in Polish, with beautiful singing of traditional Polish hymns by a Polish choir and many members of the congregation. In his homily, which he delivered in English, Father Nycz explained the significance and made connections between Our Lady of Czestochowa, Pope St. John Paul II, Our Lady of Fatima and the Divine Mercy devotion. After Mass a first-class relic of Pope St. John Paul II was transferred in a solemn procession to the place of veneration in the chapel across the courtyard. Hundreds of people stood in a steady line to venerate the relic being held by Deacon James Witulski, assisted by Knights of Columbus and altar servers. After the veneration of the relic, people went to St. Thomas Aquinas Hall next door for a taste of delicious Polish foods donated by many members and friends of the Charlotte Polonia (members of the local Polish community). The foods included pierogi, golabki, kapusta, kielbasa, and chrusciki and other pastries. In addition to traditional Polish fare, other attending nonPolonia members brought American food to share. At least one family drove in from Raleigh to receive the sacrament of confession in Polish before Mass. Father Nycz and Father Jason Christian, of St. Thomas Aquinas Parish, heard confessions for an hour before Mass in both Polish and English, plus for one hour in Polish after Mass. It was definitely one of the highlights of the entire celebration. Many people expressed their personal appreciation to the organizers for having the opportunity to experience the Mass in the Polish language with traditional sung Polish hymns and be able to venerate the relic. Once woman said, “I am so glad to be here. I attended the Pope St. John Paul II canonization in Rome and I came today to venerate his relic.” “I read about last year’s Mass in the Catholic News Herald and I waited with great anticipation for almost a year for this one,” said another Mass-goer. “I was moved to tears from the experience.” The next annual Polish Mass in honor of Our Lady of Czestochowa and Pope St. John Paul II is planned for Aug. 23, 2015.
More online At www.catholicnewsherald.com: See more photos from the third annual Polish Mass
Photos by Doreen Sugierski | Catholic News Herald
The third annual Polish Mass celebrated at St. Thomas Aquinas Church in Charlotte drew hundreds of people, many of whom were dressed in native Polish attire. The boys are wearing the krakuska, the famous red tufted hat traditionally worn by men in the western region of Krakow. Hanging from the side of the hats over their shoulders are long bunches of ribbons and peacock feathers. Father Matt Nycz, a Polish-born priest from the Diocese of Buffalo, N.Y., (pictured at right) celebrated the Mass in Polish and delivered his homily in English. Assisting at Mass were Deacon James Witulski and Deacon Joseph Diaz. After Mass, everyone enjoyed a sampling of traditional Polish food. In addition to the Mass, people were able to venerate a first-class relic of Pope St. John Paul II, and someone also brought with them a relic of St. Bartholomew (below right).
August 29, 2014 | catholicnewsherald.com
OUR PARISHESI
(Far left) An image of Pope St. John Paul II and an icon of Our Lady of Czestochowa were on display during and after Mass. (Left) Stella Jalowy from Claremont prepares for the sacrament of reconciliation with Father Nycz before Mass. Father Nycz heard confessions in Polish as well as English during his visit, and that aspect of the cultural celebration has become especially meaningful, said Deacon Witulski, who helps to organize the annual event with his wife Mary.
(Above) Deacon Witulski holds the relic of Pope St. John Paul II as hundreds of people, young and old, lined up in the chapel to venerate it. (Left) After Mass, people enjoy Polish food, music and dancing in the parish hall. (Right) Mary Witulski was among those who wore traditional Polish clothing for the celebration.
(Below) Patrick Sewak, 5, carries the incense boat and helps to lead a solemn procession of the image of Pope St. John Paul II and the icon of Our Lady of Czestochowa, and the late pontiff’s relic after Mass to the chapel. Children from the Polish School of Charlotte brought up the offertory gifts.
9
10
catholicnewsherald.com | August 29, 2014 OUR PARISHES
His Excellency The Most Reverend Peter J. Jugis Bishop of Charlotte invites all the faithful of the diocese to the Holy Mass honoring Priest Jubilarians and Priest Retirees on the occasion of their anniversaries of Priesthood Ordination and Retirement
65 Years
Photo provided by Tom Barbour
Celebrating their confirmation EDEN — Twenty-five youths received the sacrament of confirmation Aug. 10 at St. Joseph of the Hills Church in Eden from Bishop Peter J. Jugis. Their confirmations were part of the parish’s 75th anniversary celebrations. In his homily, Bishop Jugis told the teens that the gift of the Holy Spirit is meant to strengthen them in their faith. He encouraged them to pray for the Spirit to guide and help them in their lives, especially as they go out into the world to share the truth of Christ with others. “The rest of the days of your lives, you will be living your confirmation,” he said. “Always remember this day.” To read more about the parish and its special celebration, go to www.catholicnewsherald.com.
BRIEFS: FROM PAGE 3
Reverend Charles T. Reese
55 Years Reverend Gabriel J. Meehan Jesuits celebrate feast day
50 Years Reverend Arthur J. Pendleton, O.S.B. Reverend Francis P. Forster, O.S.B.
25 Years Reverend Joseph W. Mack Reverend Conrad C. Hoover RECOGNITION OF SERVICE FOR THOSE ENTERING INTO RETIREMENT Reverend Robert R. Conway Reverend Robert M. Ferris September 9, 2014 4:00 p.m. Cathedral of Saint Patrick Charlotte, North Carolina
Servers achieve highest rank CHARLOTTE — Kneeling at the Communion rail at St. Ann Church on July 30, four of St. Ann’s Latin Mass servers asked for “the blessing of Almighty God and advancement in the rank of altar servers.” After promising, with the help of God, to serve reverently and follow the rules of their ministry, these young men were each ranked as a master of ceremony, the highest altar server rank. Harry Ohlhaut, 18, A.J. Ohlhaut, 17, Peter Rusciolelli, 17, and Nathanael Rusciolelli, 16, have been serving the Latin Mass for nearly four years. They have gone through training under Father Timothy Reid, pastor; David Liberto, former leader of the program; and current program leader Stephano Monaco. They’ve served a wide variety of Masses including Missa Cantatas (the sung Mass) and requiems (funeral Masses). Additionally, they’ve passed a series of written tests. Now after serving in three previous ranks, they have achieved the top altar server rank as an MC. They will be responsible for the behind-thescenes planning of the Mass, as well as ensuring that the rubrics are followed and that all goes smoothly during the celebration of the Mass. “Being that close to Mass has a profound effect on my participation in the Mass and relationship with God,” said A.J. Ohlhaut. His brother Harry Ohlhaut added that being near the altar and close to the priest is inspirational and helpful for the growth of his faith. Peter Rusciolelli said he sees himself “growing holier and teaching younger servers” as things he will accomplish as an MC. — Molly Rusciolelli
MOORESVILLE — The Jesuits, staff members and parishioners of St. Thérèse Church in Mooresville celebrated the feast day of St. Ignatius of Loyola on July 31 with a morning Mass, followed by refreshments. “Ignatian Fun Facts” led parishioners to a deeper understanding of this Jesuit founder whose spirituality is so alive in the parish. — JoAnn Horan
Knights honor vets at ballgame WINSTON-SALEM — Fourth Degree Knights of Columbus from Triad Assembly 2282 hosted seven veterans and three staff members from the VA Medical Center in Salisbury for an outing at a Winston-Salem Dash baseball game earlier this summer. It was a great evening of fellowship, ballpark food and fireworks. The game was preceded by the Triad Assembly honor guard participating in the presentation of the colors during the National Anthem. It was topped off when one of the Knights’ guests, a 90-year-old World War II veteran, rose from his wheelchair and threw out the first pitch of the game. — Mitch Miller
11
August 29, 2014 | catholicnewsherald.com
House of Mercy en Belmont, un hogar para que pacientes con SIDA vivan dignamente Rico De Silva Hispanic Communications Reporter
BELMONT — House of Mercy (Casa de la Misericordia) en Belmont se ha dedicado a cuidar personas con el SIDA desde 1991. Generalmente los clientes, o personas que viven en la House of Mercy, no tienen otro lugar donde vivir y generalmente es el último lugar donde esas personas viven antes de morir. Los contagiados con el virus HIV que causa el SIDA generalmente se aíslan de la sociedad, primordialmente por el estigma impuesto por la sociedad en esas personas. Por desgracia, la comunidad hispana no es la excepción al caso. La historia de Javier Enpira (nombre ficticio para proteger la identidad de esta persona) es un ejemplo de esta triste realidad. Javier llegó a House Mercy una semana antes de la Navidad del 2013 después que el hospital llamó a la Directora de Enfermería de House Mercy, Shirley Stowe. Cuando Stowe fue al hospital a visitar a Enpira, él había sido movido de cuidados intensivos y estaba acostado en su cama en posición fetal y parecía que había perdido todas las esperanzas de vivir. Javier había venido a los Estados Unidos hace siete años de Honduras, su país de origen. Javier no hablaba nada de inglés. Javier había estado dentro y fuera del hospital muchas veces y se quedaba con un amigo llamado ‘Diego’ cuando no estaba hospitalizado porque Javier no tenía familia aquí en los Estados Unidos.
El hospital se comunicó con House Mercy cuando Diego descubrió que Javier estaba muy enfermo para poder regresar a quedarse donde Diego. Aparentemente, Javier tampoco había cumplido con asistir a sus citas en la clínica de enfermedades infecciosas. “Javier se quedó con nosotros por varios meses,” dijo la Hermana Carmelita Hagan quien se encarga del cuidado pastoral de los residentes de House of Mercy. “Cuando él llegó ya estaba en estado terminal. Tomó un poco de tiempo para poder establecer una relación con él, y también era difícil de entenderle porque yo no habló español… Eventualmente pudimos comunicarnos espiritualmente. Él hablaba un poquito de inglés,” dijo ella. El último deseo de Javier era de morir en su tierra natal. Desafortunadamente su condición empeoró en Febrero y tuvo que ser hospitalizado otra vez. Sin embargo, Stove contactó al Consulado de Honduras en Atlanta para que se le diera un pasaporte a Javier por su situación especial y de emergencia. La Hermana Carmelita y miembros de la organización Hospice asistieron Javier con consejería y cuidado pastoral durante su estadía en House of Mercy. “En su opinión, él no tenía una buena relación con su familia, entonces en el fondo, él quería la oportunidad de reconciliarse con su familia antes de morir,” dijo la Hermana Carmelita. La familia de Javier envió todos los documentos necesarios para su regreso a
Honduras, pero su condición empeoró y paso al período llamado ‘transición’ --- la etapa final de los pacientes inmediatamente antes de morir. Para poder regresar a Honduras, Javier hubiera tenido que ir al Consulado de Atlanta en persona, pero su condición no le permitió regresar a su país. Javier murió en House of Mercy a los 26 años. Su cuerpo fue cremado para poder ser regresado a Honduras ya que la ley de ese país no permite transportar cadáveres a ese país. La Hermana de la Caridad, Deborah Kern viajó a Honduras y dio las cenizas de Javier a sus familiares en Gracias, Honduras, a principios de Mayo. El número de residentes hispanos en la House of Mercy ha incrementado en los últimos años y el personal de ese lugar ha tomado clases de español básico para poder comunicarse mejor con los residentes Latinos. “El Centro de Control de Enfermedades (de los Estados Unidos) ha comunicado que los hispanos en los Estados Unidos tiene un promedio triple de estar infectados con el virus HIV del SIDA,” dijo Marjorie Storch, Directora de Desarrollo de House of Mercy. “Y definitivamente hemos visto un incremento de residentes miembros de la comunidad Hispano-Americana en la House of Mercy,” destacó Storch. La House of Mercy también contrató recientemente a Johaly Chávez, que es la directora de recreación de House of Mercy y es completamente bilingüe. También, miembros de la Parroquia de Nuestra Sra. de Guadalupe en Charlotte
Foto proporcionada por House of Mercy
Johaly Chávez funciona como la Directora de Recreación de House of Mercy en Belmont, un hogar para pacientes con SIDA. Chávez es completamente bilingüe y fue contratada a principios de año para servir mejor a los residentes de habla-hispana de House of Mercy. hace una colecta durante la Cuaresma especialmente para la House of Mercy y para contribuir al Walk for Aids que se celebra anualmente en Abril en Belmont para recaudar fondos para House of Mercy. “Él (Javier) era una persona muy gentil y muy compasiva con los otros residentes, y el apreció mucho todo lo que hicimos por él en House of Mercy,” concluyó la Hermana Carmelita.
Parroquia de la Asunción en Charlotte celebra Misa de Vigilia en honor a su Patrona CHARLOTTE — Cerca de 400 personas asistieron a la Misa de Vigilia de la Solemnidad de la Asunción de la Virgen María, la noche del 14 de Agosto en la Parroquia de Nuestra Sra. de la Asunción en Charlotte. El Párroco, Padre Felipe Scarcella, celebró la Misa en español en honor de la Patrona de esa parroquia. Los Diáconos Luis Flores y David Reiser, asistieron al Padre Scarcella durante la celebración de la Eucaristía. Con cerca de un 75 por ciento de feligreses Latinos, los hispanos actualmente forman la mayoría de los miembros de la Iglesia de la Asunción al este de Charlotte. RICO DE SILVA | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD
12
iiiAugust 29, 2014 | catholicnewsherald.com
FROM TH
A new mountain chur Patricia L. Guilfoyle Editor
JEFFERSON — It was an auspiciously sunny day in Jefferson, but not even the spectacular views of the Blue Ridge Mountains could distract people’s attention as they gathered for the dedication of the new St. Francis of Assisi Church on Aug. 16. “Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord,” the hundreds of faithful sang, gathered outside the church’s front entrance to witness as their pastor, Father James Stuhrenberg, presented the building plans and keys to Bishop Peter J. Jugis. The front doors were thrown open wide, and the people joyfully processed in for the start of the dedication Mass, which was celebrated in both English and Spanish. “We give thanks to Almighty God for this gift of a beautiful new church here in Jefferson,” Bishop Jugis said in his homily. “We really can see the Lord’s hand that has been guiding you from the very beginning of this process. You parishioners, under the guidance of your pastor, have worked together finally to produce this beautiful church for the glory of God.” Bishop Jugis explained the symbolism of each part of the dedication rite, noting that it was not just the consecration of a building, but a dedication of the people gathered there to the service of God. The church is a structural temple of God, and the people are a living temple of God, he said. The significance of both the physical temple and the living temple come together poignantly in the dedication of a church, he said, and every aspect of the rite reminds us of Christ’s sacrifice and the offering up of ourselves in service to the Lord. “This place is now, through this consecration today, symbolically by the consecration of the altar and the four crosses, is set apart – not to be used for any other purpose, but solely and exclusively for the worship of God,” he said. Located near the Virginia and Tennessee state lines, Jefferson and St. Francis of Assisi Parish have grown thanks to the popularity of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Local Christmas tree farms that dot the area also have attracted jobs and related businesses. But the growth has come with a price. The small church on East Main Street, built in 1899 originally as a Presbyterian church and used by the parish since 1963, became too small to fit all of the Catholics who come together each Sunday for Mass, particularly during the summer months. The new 10,205-square-foot church will better accommodate the swelling number of Catholics in Jefferson – which now numbers 227 registered families, double that in the summertime – as well as the parish’s many vibrant ministries. It has a “Gothic mountain”
style, featuring Gothic pointed arches, stonework and a vaulted wooden ceiling. It is laid out in the traditional cruciform shape, with a seating capacity for nearly 300 people and future capability to be expanded as the parish’s needs change. The building has two levels, with the upper level as the church and the lower level used for classrooms, office space and a 100-plus-seat fellowship hall with a kitchen. A signature feature of the church is its soaring bell tower, which people can see through the trees as they approach the church on a long, winding entrance up from the main road. Just as in the old church, worshippers will enter the church under the bell tower, Father Stuhrenberg noted, and there are other nods to the old church, too. “The cross, ambo, sanctuary light holder, and Stations of the Cross are all from the old church building,” he said. “One of the concerns about the new church building was that it would be so big that it would lose the homey feel, but I have been told it doesn’t.” Father Stuhrenberg also said he’s glad to have a larger sanctuary, a dedicated confessional and a larger social hall. The church is a reality thanks to a donation in 2006 of 60,000 shares of common stock – worth $1.36 million – specifically to construct a new church. It was the largest single stock donation in the history of the diocese. In 2008 with help from the diocese, the parish bought 15 acres at the foot of Mount Jefferson, just off Highway 221, and in 2012 they broke ground on the $2.9 million project. Parishioners helped to design the new church within a fiscally conservative budget, under the direction of Father Stuhrenberg and Appalachian Architecture Services, and in coordination with diocesan planning and development officials. Enterline & Russell Builders oversaw construction, and parishioner David Thomas chaired the parish’s building and planning committee. Besides helping with construction, parishioners built a prayer garden and outdoor Stations of the Cross on the new property. Hispanic parishioners particularly worked hard to clear part of the land, a difficult task given the wooded terrain, and they helped to build the prayer garden. “I am proud of this parish community and all of the work that went into building this new church building,” Father Stuhrenberg said. “It was truly a parish wide commitment and effort.” The new St. Francis of Assisi Church is now a beacon of faith and hope for the people of Jefferson. “When I first came to the mountains four years ago, if I mentioned that I was the Catholic priest in Jefferson folks might ask, ‘Where is the Catholic church in town?’” Father Stuhrenberg said. “Now they all seem to know where it is.” Photos by Patricia L. Guilfoyle | Catholic News Herald
More online At www.catholicnewsherald.com: See more photos and video highlights from the dedication Mass of St. Francis of Assisi Church in Jefferson
At the start of the dedication Mass, Bishop Peter J. Jugis sprinkles the walls and altar of the new St. Francis of Assisi Church, as well as the people inside, with holy water. The blessing rite prayer states in part, “It is a sign of our repentance, a reminder of our baptism, and a symbol of the cleansing of these walls and this altar.” The church is to become “a sign of the saving waters of baptism, by which we become one in Christ,” he prayed. Below are detail images from the church including the reliquary for the new altar, which holds relics of St. Francis of Assisi, St. Clare and St. John Neumann.
HE COVER
August 29, 2014 | catholicnewsherald.comiii
13
rch home in Jefferson (Left) Parishioners sitting in front of three stained glass windows featuring St. Francis of Assisi are illuminated by the afternoon sun during the dedication Mass. (Below) In his homily, Bishop Jugis thanks parishioners for their hard work in building the new church.
Father James Stuhrenberg, pastor, and the leaders of the parish building committee present Bishop Jugis with the building plans of the new St. Francis of Assisi Church in Jefferson, before the start of the dedication Mass. The new 10,205-square-foot church, which sits on 15 acres at the foot of Mount Jefferson, has a seating capacity of nearly 300.
(Left) During the rite of dedication, Bishop Jugis anoints the altar and wall crosses of the new church with sacred chrism. The anointing consecrates the altar and the church forever to God, and reminds Catholics of their own dedication to Christ by the seal of the Holy Spirit. Then the bishop incenses the altar. “As this building is filled with fragrance so may your Church fill the world with the fragrance of Christ,” he prayed to God during this part of the dedication rite. Finally, the altar is “dressed” with linens, candles and a crucifix, in preparation for the first Liturgy of the Eucharist to be celebrated.
(Left) Bishop Jugis prays during the Liturgy of the Eucharist during the dedication Mass. Concelebrating the Mass were Father Stuhrenberg, pastor, and former pastor Father Joseph Dinh (not pictured). (Above) Bishop Jugis and Father Stuhrenberg distribute Holy Communion to the hundreds of faithful who gathered for the special Mass.
Our schools 14
catholicnewsherald.com | August 29, 2014 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD
For the latest news 24/7: catholicnewsherald.com
In Brief
Back to School
OLA plans barbecue CHARLOTTE — Our Lady of the Assumption School will host its second annual fall barbecue from 2 to 5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 13. Proceeds will benefit the OLA Athletic Association as well as Don Baker, a former OLA employee and member of St. Ann Church in Charlotte. Our Lady of the Assumption School is located at 4225 Shamrock Drive in Charlotte. For preorders and further details, call 704-531-0067 or visit the OLA website at ww.edline.net/ pages/Our_Lady_of_Assumption_School. — Tammy Harris
Debate team elects officers CHARLOTTE — The Charlotte Catholic High School Debate and Speech Team has elected officers for the 2014-’15 academic year. They are: President – Angeline-Marie Morales (senior); Vice President of Debate – Ian Miller (senior); Vice President of Speech – Thomas Dickerson (senior); Secretary/ Historian – Ryan Kennedy (junior); LincolnDouglas Debate Captain – Marissa Muller (junior); Public Forum Captain – Nolan McDonald (senior); Congress Captain – Daniel Chavez (senior); Policy Debate Captain – Ryan Kennedy (junior); and Speech Captain – Alexandria Osborne (senior). The team will host its first tournament on Dec. 6. — Mary A. Morales We welcome your school’s news! Please email news items to Editor Patricia L. Guilfoyle at catholicnews@ charlottediocese.org.
Photo courtesy of Facebook
CHARLOTTE — Pictured above, the second annual blessing of the backpacks was held at St. John Neumann Church. Father Pat Hoare, pastor, blessed students’ backpacks as they prepared to return to school. Photos courtesy of Facebook
GREENSBORO — At right and below, St. Pius X welcomes back its students and kindergartners are excited to start school. Photo courtesy of Facebook
KERNERSVILLE — Pictured below, Father Martin Ikeago from Nigeria with the Don Okafor family of St. Pius X and Martha Lawrence, Bishop McGuinness High School English teacher, on a recent visit to BMHS.
August 29, 2014 | catholicnewsherald.com catholic news heraldI
15
WINSTON-SALEM — Our Lady of Mercy School opened the year with BooHoo/Hooray breakfast for parents, then the Kindergarten Bear Hunt and Picnic and ending with a prayer service. Photos courtesy of Facebook
PHOTOS provided by Karen Hornfeck
GREENSBORO — Students return this year to a new school building at Our Lady of Grace. Father Eric Kowalski recently blessed the school.
Photo courtesy of Facebook Photo provided by Kevin Parks
ASHEVILLE — Students return to Asheville Catholic School, excited to learn in the classrooms.
CHARLOTTE — Students at Holy Trinity Middle School are excited to return for a new school year.
CCDOC.ORG
Invites You
Twentieth Annual Fundraising Banquet
Featured Speaker ~ Raymond Arroyo Celebrate with us! “Twenty Years of Life, Love, and Service” is not only our banquet theme for 2014, but it is a milestone worth celebrating. Twenty years two decades - a score - a really long time! Few small ministries make it to this milestone, but through the grace of God, our donors’ love for their fellow man, and a commitment to life and service, MiraVia has endured. We have made room at the inn for so many in need and have traveled that miraculous way with so many others...now it’s time to celebrate.
Celebrating your Silver or Golden Wedding Anniversary in 2014? In thanksgiving for your witness to the Sacrament of Matrimony over the past 25 or 50 years, Bishop Peter Jugis invites you and your family to the celebration of Holy Mass on Sunday, September 28, 2014 at St. Matthew Catholic Church in Charlotte. Mass begins at 2:00 p.m. and will be followed by a reception. To register for the Diocesan Anniversary Mass, please contact your local parish. Deadline for registration is September 5, 2014.
Hosted by Catholic Charities
Our featured speaker for this special evening will be Raymond Arroyo, award-winning journalist and New York Times bestselling author. His exemplary career has taken him from Capitol Hill to the Vatican as he has interviewed Popes and pundits, saints and sinners, and all along the way he has integrated his love of and commitment to his Catholic faith. As the creator and host of EWTN’s international news magazine, "The World Over Live", Arroyo is seen in more than 100 million homes around the globe each week. Committed to life and social justice, he is an inspiring speaker and an astute student of our times.
Charlotte Convention Center Crown Ballroom Thursday, October 23, 2014 Registration/Reception, 5:30 pm – Seating for Dinner, 6:15 pm
Reservations are free but REQUIRED To make a reservation or to host a table of (8-10) go to http://miraviabanquet20.eventbrite.com OR contact Banquet Reservations at (704) 525-4673, ext. 10
by October 10, 2014 MiraVia, Inc. is a Catholic non-profit maternity and after-care program serving women and their children in the Charlotte, N.C. region. All material support and services are offered free of charge to clients. Please visit our website, www.mira-via.org, for more information.
Mix 16
catholicnewsherald.com | August 29, 2014 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD
For the latest news 24/7: catholicnewsherald.com
On TV n Friday, Aug. 29, 2 p.m. (EWTN) “Jeanne Jugan: Yesterday and Today.” A look at the life and ministry of the Little Sisters of the Poor, founded by Jeanne Jugan with a special mission of hospitality, particularly towards the elderly.
In Brief
n Friday, Aug. 29, 6:30 p.m. (EWTN) “Mother Teresa: A Carriers of God’s Love.” After a brief introduction of his background, Father Maasburg shares memories of how he first came to meet Mother Teresa and become a part of her global ministry.
‘When the Game Stands Tall’
n Saturday, Aug. 30, 8 p.m. (EWTN) “Bakhita.” Dramatic life of Josephine Bakhita, a Sudanese-born slave who became a nun in the Order of the Cannossian Sisters and was canonized by Pope St. John Paul II.
Idealistic fact-based sports drama in which a dedicated football coach (Jim Caviezel), his like-minded assistant (Michael Chiklis) and his players struggle to maintain the recordbreaking winning streak that has made their Catholic high school renowned. Motivated by his faith, the trainer is more interested in instilling positive values than in gridiron victory for its own sake. But his professional success comes at the cost of tension with his wife and son. Much to honor in director Thomas Carter’s film, which promotes humility, teamwork, good sportsmanship.Brief bloodless violence. CNS: A-II (adults and adolescents); MPAA: PG
n Saturday, Aug. 30, 11 p.m. (EWTN) “We Shall Not Be Moved: The Catholic Sisters of New Orleans.” A moving documentary of Faith, Hope and Charity in the midst of Hurricane Katrina in 2005 as six Catholic communities of sisters, despite losing their convents and other facilities, decide to remain to continue their service to the people of New Orleans.
‘A Most Wanted Man’ John le Carre’s 2008 espionage thriller is adapted for the big screen, showcasing the extreme measures spies take to combat terrorism, and the moral compromises that go with them. Philip Seymour Hoffman, in his final leading role, portrays a veteran German intelligence agent overseeing a top-secret team working to expose terrorist cells by infiltrating the local Muslim community and obtaining information. An idealistic immigration lawyer (Rachel McAdams) is his link to a shady refugee from Chechnya, who may or may not be an extremist. The chase is on, and fans of le Carre’s novels will know to expect the unexpected. The film’s pronounced anti-American bias and cynicism, however, may leave a bitter aftertaste. Stylized violence. CNS: A-III (adults); MPAA: R
‘If I Stay’ Comatose after a car accident that claimed the lives of her parents and gravely injured her little brother, an aspiring cellist (Chloe Grace Moretz) has an out-of-body experience during which she must decide whether to fight for life in order to be reunited with her rocker boyfriend (Jamie Blackley) or follow her folks into eternity. While director R.J. Cutler’s teen tearjerker, adapted from Gayle Forman’s best-selling novel, implicitly affirms the existence of an afterlife, its glamorization of the physical relationship between Moretz’s character and Blackley’s makes it totally unsuitable for its target audience. A benign view of teen sexuality, nongraphic premarital sexual activity, considerable crude language. CNS: A-III (adults); MPAA: PG-13
Additional reviews: n ‘Let’s Be Cops’: CNS: L (limited adult audience); MPAA: R n ‘Magic in the Moonlight’: CNS: A-III (adults); MPAA: PG-13 n ‘The Expendables 3’: CNS: A-III (adults); MPAA: PG-13 n ‘The Giver’: CNS: A-II (adults and adolescents); MPAA: PG-13
photo provided by peter strafaci
Artist Peter Strafaci spent 10 months creating clay chalices for his “One Hundred Chalices” exhibit.
‘Can You Drink the Cup?’ France trip, Nouwen book inspire potter to create One Hundred Chalices exhibition SueAnn Howell Senior reporter
OAK RIDGE — Eighteen years ago, artist Peter Strafaci took a trip to the Provence region of France to visit his daughter Christina, who was volunteering in a L’Arche community in Gordes. He had no idea at the time that this trip and a book he would read some years later would inspire a unique exhibition of handmade chalices. Strafaci, who spent two days with his daughter at the L’Arche community, which ministers to physically and mentally challenged men and women of all ages, came away from the experience with a better understanding of the value of each person created in the image and likeness of God. “Though my visit was brief, I learned that each resident, despite their physical and mental disabilities, had a purpose to live life to its fullest,” Strafaci says. “That purpose was manifested in their nightly community gatherings, at dinnertime,
Want to go? ‘One Hundred Chalices’ is a free exhibit and talk by local artist Peter Strafaci, followed by a question-and-answer period. It will be held from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at the education building of St. Paul the Apostle Church in Greensboro, 2715 Horse Pen Creek Road. For more information about hosting the exhibit, contact him at ppstrafaci@yahoo.com or 336-931-1239.
birthday celebrations and when they went to work in the neighboring town making communion hosts for the local churches.” Shortly after his return, Strafaci picked up the novel “Can You Drink The Cup?” by Father Henri J.M. Nouwen. Before his untimely death in 1996, Father Nouwen spent a decade living and ministering at the L’Arche Daybreak community in Toronto, Canada. “Can You Drink the Cup?” was the last of 39 books published by him, and it reflects on his personal encounters with the Daybreak residents and the chalice as a symbol of Christian discipleship. The title comes from the Gospel of Matthew, when Jesus questions the sons of Zebedee: “Can you drink the cup that I am going to drink?” (Mt. 20, CUP, SEE page 17
n Sunday, Aug. 31, 10 p.m. (EWTN) “If Only We Had Listened.” Immaculée Ilibagiza, accompanied by filmmaker Sean Bloomfield, returns to Rwanda to uncover the secrets of Kibeho and reconcile with her painful past. n Monday, Sept. 1, 6:30 p.m. (EWTN) “Mother Teresa: All for Jesus.” Father Maasburg discusses the various kinds of poverty tackled by Mother Teresa, as well as her concept of the meaning of suffering and the redemptive power contained therein. n Thursday, Sept. 4, 1 p.m. (EWTN) “The Grunt Padre in Vietnam.” The life of Father Vincent Capodanno, who committed his life and ultimately gave it up for the service of U.S. Marines fighting in Vietnam. n Saturday, Sept. 6, 1 p.m. (EWTN) “Parish Priest of Majdanek: St. Omelian Kovch.” The story of Father Omelian Kovch, a kind priest from the Ukraine town of Peremyshliany who died in a Nazi concentration camp in Lublin, Poland. n Monday, Sept. 8, 6:30 p.m. (EWTN) “Cuba: Our Lady of Charity, Mother of the Cuban People.” Our Lady of Charity is Cuba’s most profound symbol. She is their queen and a big part of their history. Despite Communist takeover, devotion to her has not been eroded. This documentary illustrates the 400th anniversary of her statue’s discovery in 1612. n Tuesday, Sept. 9, 6:30 p.m. (EWTN) “Angels and Saints at Ephesus.” Learn about the contemplative life and sacred music of the Benedictine Sisters of Mary, Queen of Apostles of Gower, Mo. Their daily life includes praying for priests, singing to God eight times each day, gardening and sewing sacred vestments.
August 29, 2014 | catholicnewsherald.com catholic news heraldI
CUP: FROM PAGE 16
20-23). “It was this personal encounter, along with my own at Gordes, that has remained with me and was only brought to a conscious level again in the fall of 2013,” Strafaci explains. He had a conversation with a couple that tried unsuccessfully to have a chalice made by a potter, so he told them he would take up the task to make a few and let them know when they were completed. The chalices were ready a few weeks later and when the couple came to Strafaci’s studio, they loved them and purchased one. He decided then to take on the challenge of completing 100 chalices. “Each time I set out to make a chalice, instead of making one, I would make 12 to 13 at a time,” Strafaci recalls. “During the first sitting at my wheel, I would make the cup portion of the chalice first. During the second sitting at my wheel, the stem of the chalice would be made. At a third sitting, but not at the wheel, the cup and stem would be joined together.” He estimates it took at least 40 minutes to create each chalice on the potter’s wheel and additional time to glaze each one before firing it in the kiln. He completed all 100 chalices in 10 months. “As I sat at my potter’s wheel, each chalice became a challenge as if I was creating something new for the first time. As the chalices grew in number, each one different from the last and different from the last 25, 50 or 75, I began to see that my work went beyond the physical challenge of making each chalice. “I saw that each one began to have their
RESEARCH: FROM PAGE 2
cells to enable further study and detailed comparisons of their genetic and epigenetic patterns. If those human embryos derived by IVF or by cloning had not been destroyed but instead implanted into their mothers, pregnancies could reasonably have been expected to ensue. Human embryos, our own progeny, surely deserve better than being reduced to a kind of raw material, a commodity to be used for research and commercial purposes. Embryos, of course, are strikingly unfamiliar to us. They lack hands and feet and voices. Even their brains have not yet developed. They look nothing like what we expect when we imagine a human being. But they are as human as you and I; they’re simply younger, smaller and more vulnerable. Embryos may not register with us on first glance; we may need to make a concerted effort to avoid disconnecting them from what we once were ourselves, given that each of us is precisely an embryo who has grown up. Human embryos ought to be accorded the same respect that every human being deserves, as a matter of basic human rights. Human dignity demands nothing less. Respect for our own progeny, then, will have the obvious consequence that human embryos should not be generated in the laboratory for premeditated destruction, nor for cellular cannibalization by scientists. Dr. Mitalipov’s laboratory, of course, is not the first to carry out human embryo-
own personality, their own sacredness, their own voice – just as Christ sees us. “Likewise, I began to once again connect with Nouwen’s personal story and my personal encounter with nine residents in Gordes. What I saw in each new chalice, Nouwen also saw in the residents at Daybreak.” Strafaci says the more he saw the connections between Nouwen’s book title and the creation of the chalices, the more he came to believe there was something beyond what he was experiencing. “That ‘something’ was the realization that I needed to share both the meaning behind Nouwen’s book title and the works being formed on my wheel,” he says. “Five months into the creation of the chalices, the idea of a traveling exhibit and a written talk was born.” Strafaci is looking forward to sharing the chalices and his experiences with people around the diocese. To date, he has three confirmed locations for the free exhibit and talk. He will visit Holy Cross Church in Kernersville from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 18; St. Paul the Apostle Church in Greensboro on Oct. 28; and All Saints Episcopal Church next February. Strafaci looks to Nouwen’s writings as he contemplates daily living and uses some of these writings in his talk that accompanies the exhibit. “Can we embrace fully the sorrows and joys that come to us day after day?” he asks. “At one moment it might seem so easy to drink the cup, and we give a quick ‘yes’ to Jesus’ question. Shortly afterwards everything might look and feel quite different, and our whole being might cry out, ‘No, never!’ “We have to let the ‘yes’ and the ‘no’ both speak in us so that we can come to know ever more deeply the enormous challenge of Jesus’ question.”
destructive research. But if he and his 25 co-authors on the paper are able routinely to create human life merely to extinguish it for research ends – and are able to chronicle their exploits in professional journals without engendering so much as an ethical hiccup from the scientific community – perhaps it really is time to ask whether our corporate practice of science is returning to its pre-Nuremberg days, when weak and vulnerable human subjects did not need to be accorded unconditional protections, particularly if expedient and important research agendas happened to be at stake. On the other hand, one might argue that the biomedical sciences have not yet lost their ethical footing, concluding instead that a few renegade and influential scientists have managed to hold sway over a silent majority of other researchers who actually harbor substantive ethical objections to human embryo research. In that case, we can hope that papers like the one published last month may trigger the research community to begin drawing some long overdue ethical lines, and to reign in some of their own rogue investigators. We can hope for a new measure of courage in taking the important step of joining science to ethics, and working to protect the youngest and most voiceless members of the human family from research exploitation. Father Tadeusz Pacholczyk earned his doctorate in neuroscience from Yale and did post-doctoral work at Harvard. He is a priest of the diocese of Fall River, Mass., and serves as the director of education at the National Catholic Bioethics Center in Philadelphia. See www. ncbcenter.org.
PILGRIMS: FROM PAGE 6
17
The group had a lot of fun, too. When they visited the Trevi Fountain, Bornoty was so excited to see the iconic landmark she said her mind “went blank” and she threw in four coins instead of the traditional three coins: “one for love, one for money and one to return to Rome.” The group had the option to visit Pompeii. The ruins of the city and the plaster casts of the people covered by volcanic ash during the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79 A.D. left quite an impression on the pilgrims. “What we saw in Pompeii reminded us how foolish we are with material things,” said Bornoty. “The people there were consumed with having fun, and look what happened to them.” The last, and greatest, stop on the pilgrimage for the group was the Vatican,
fearful in the crowd, noted Father LoMonaco. “The pope was kissing babies and hugging people. Pope Francis was genuinely joyful. He was really engaged with the people there. It was obvious how much the people love him. You could feel the spirit.” The pope’s care and concern for other people was evident to pilgrim Rosie Bornoty of Waynesville. “He’s so humble,” Bornoty said. “A woman in the crowd was so emotional, she was crying. The Holy Father kept calling out to her, ‘Señora, why are you crying?’ Seeing him was the most amazing experience ever.” It was hard to beat seeing Pope Francis up close, but the pilgrims had many other meaningful experiences during their trip to Italy. Father LoMonaco served as spiritual director on the tour, which was organized by Catholic Travel Center. Father LoMonaco celebrated Mass each day, along with group member Father Raju Devasia Murinsayil from Lowell, Mass. The group, with members aged from 28 to over 80, started in Orvieto, then traveled to Assisi. There they celebrated Mass at the Basilica of St. Also pictured is the group of pilgrims from western North Carolina Francis, at the altar where the during the pilgrimage to Italy. saint is interred. Assisi was described as “beautiful” by the with the general papal audience. Some of pilgrims – a small town with beautiful hills the pilgrims said they were so excited after and a feeling of spirituality. It is full of seeing Pope Francis that they didn’t feel historical and spiritual importance in the like eating lunch afterwards. lives of St. Francis and of St. Clare. The whole trip brought the pilgrims The next stop was Siena, an ancient together. walled town set on three hills, where “Everybody was looking out for each the pilgrims enjoyed the architecture, other,” said Father LoMonaco. “It was a history and churches. St. Catherine of spiritual awakening.” Siena worked to get the papacy of Gregory It proved to be an awakening not only XI returned to Rome from Avignon, for those already active in their faith, but France. In recognition of their many also for the five or six people in the group accomplishments, St. Catherine and St. who didn’t go to church as regularly, Francis were named as co-patron saints of Father LoMonaco said. He felt the trip had Italy. a profound influence on the non-church A day in Florence was spent viewing goers and their developing spirituality. magnificent works of art, sightseeing and Said Keener, “I’ve been all around the doing a little shopping. world. I’ve been to Rome before, but it was The pilgrims headed to Rome for never what I felt on this trip, through the spiritual reflection at St. Peter’s Basilica, grace of God, from beginning to end. I have the Papal Basilica of St. John Lateran a feeling of joy, and I’ll never forget it. We and other major churches and, of course, all came back refreshed and happy.” visited many of Rome’s historical sites, including the Colosseum.
Experiencing difficulties in your marriage? A Lifeline for Marriage SEPTEMBER 12-14, 2014 in Raleigh The Retrouvaille Program consists of a weekend experience combined with a series of 6 post-weekend sessions. It provides the tools to help put your marriage in order again. The main emphasis of the program is on communication in marriage between husband and wife. It will give you the opportunity to rediscover each other and examine your lives together in a new and positive way. For confidential info or to register: (434) 793-0242 or retrouvaillenc@msn.com. Visit our Web site: www.retrouvaille.org.
Our nation 18
catholicnewsherald.com | August 29, 2014 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD
Archbishop says workers, especially young adults, need decent jobs, pay Catholic News Service
WASHINGTON, D.C. — In their 2014 Labor Day statement, the U.S. bishops denounced the fact young adults have “borne the brunt” of unemployment and underemployment in this country and around the world. “Our younger generations are counting on us to leave them a world better than the one we inherited,” wrote Miami Archbishop Thomas G. Wenski, chairman of the U.S. bishops’ Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development. Writing the statement on behalf of the bishops for Labor Day, which is Sept. 1, the archbishop spoke of Pope Francis’ teaching against an “economy of exclusion” and applied it to the millions of unemployed young adults in the United States. Some Americans, he said, have found “stability and security” in an economy that has seen some improvements. There are signs the country “may finally be healing economically after years of suffering and pain.” “For those men and women, and their children, this is good news,” he said, but a little digging shows there is an “enduring hardship for millions of workers and their families.” And the poverty rate remains high, he said, with 46 million Americans struggling “to make ends meet.” “For those fortunate enough to have jobs, many pay poorly. Greater numbers of debtstrapped college graduates move back in with their parents, while high school graduates and others may have less debt but very few decent job opportunities,” he wrote. The statement notes that in the United States, the unemployment rate for young adults exceeds 13 percent and is more than double the national average. In other countries, it says, unemployment among young adults is as high as three to four times the national average. “Pope Francis has reserved some of his strongest language for speaking about young adult unemployment, calling it ‘evil,’ an ‘atrocity,’ and emblematic of the ‘throwaway culture,’” Archbishop Wenski said in the statement. He also pointed out that the pope has called young people a source of hope for humanity. “We need to do more to nurture this hopefulness and provide our young adults with skills, support and opportunities to flourish,” he said. Archbishop Wenski said meaningful and decent work is “vital if young adults hope to form healthy and stable families.” He also said policies and institutions “that create decent jobs, pay just wages and support family formation and stability” help honor the dignity of workers. “Raising the minimum wage, more and better workforce training programs, and smarter regulations that minimize negative unintended consequences would be good places to start.” The archbishop called for greater solidarity, noting that “each of us is made in the image of God and bound by his love, possessing a profound human dignity; we have an obligation to love and honor that dignity in one another, and especially in our work.” “Our challenge this Labor Day is to rise to the challenge of solidarity posed by Jesus when he commanded, ‘Love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another,’” he said.
CNS | John Stegeman, The Catholic Telegraph
Tom Otten, principal of Elder High School in Cincinnati, and Jim Rigg, superintendent of Catholic schools for the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, take the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge at the school Aug. 21. Their donations will go to the John Paul II Medical Research Institute in Iowa.
Catholic schools determine how to take part in ALS fundraising effort Carol Zimmermann Catholic News Service
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, a major fundraising effort that began this summer to raise money to research a cure for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or Lou Gehrig’s disease, has left many people scratching their heads. The challenge involves dumping a bucket of ice water on someone’s head and nominating others to go through the same process within 24 hours or make a donation to the charity of one’s choice to support further research to treat and cure ALS. The ALS Association, based in Washington, is the largest organization researching the disease. The challenge went viral on social media. As of Aug. 26, the ALS Association had received $88.5 million in donations from July 29-Aug. 26 compared to $2.6 million during the same time period a year ago. Friends have challenged friends on Facebook and celebrities have joined the fundraising fray. Now with schools starting their new year, Catholic schools across the country have also considered the challenge. But there has been some hesitation, particularly after reports that the ALS Association, which is researching for a cure for the disease, uses embryonic stem cells in some of its research. Some dioceses have issued statements urging schools that participate to send donations to other research organizations, such as the John Paul II Medical Research Institute in Iowa City, Iowa, which does not use embryonic stem cells in its research. At St. Mark Church in Huntersville on Aug. 24, parishioners listened to a cautionary message from Father John Putnam, in which he asked for people to support medical research that conforms to Catholic teaching. The Catholic Church opposes any research involving the destruction of human embryos to create stem cells. Adult stem cells, so called because they are derived from living human beings, also have promising scientific value but do not require destruction of an embryo. The reprogrammed stem cells can sometimes be used to replace damaged cells. Carrie Munk, a spokeswoman for the ALS Association, told Catholic News Service in an Aug. 26 email that the organization primarily funds adult stem cell research and is at the end of funding one single embryonic study, which is funded by one specific donor.
She said that if someone “is uncomfortable with any type of research we do, they can restrict their gift” stipulating that it not be used in the embryonic stem study or any stem cell research. In a statement about its research funding, the association said it “primarily funds adult stem cell research. Currently, the association is funding one study using embryonic stem cells, and the stem cell line was established many years ago under ethical guidelines set by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.” An Aug. 20 statement from the Archdiocese of St. Louis points out: “There is nothing immoral about raising awareness for diseases and ethical research towards curing diseases; there is no reason Catholics can’t participate” in the ice bucket challenge.” The key, however, is to ensure that donations from participation are being utilized to support morally licit research.” The statement also explains the Church’s stance against embryonic stem cell research, saying it is “always morally objectionable because a human person must be destroyed to harvest his or her stem cells.” The archdiocesan statement quotes the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, which said: “The use of embryonic stem cells or differentiated cells derived from them – even when these are provided by other researchers through destruction of embryos or when such cells are commercially available – presents serious problems from the standpoint of cooperation in evil and scandal.” The archdiocesan statement urged Catholic participants in the challenge to send donations to the John Paul II Medical Research Institute. Similarly, New Orleans Archbishop Gregory M. Aymond told archdiocesan priests and employees in an Aug. 13 email that is “possible to participate in the ice bucket challenge and to do so in a way that is morally acceptable.” The archbishop urged participants in the challenge to specify how their donations should be used or to send their money to charities that do not use embryonic stem cells in research. The New Orleans memo urged Church leaders to “be present, as Christ wants us to be, to those who may approach us with the idea of participating in a particular fundraising event because someone in his or her family suffers from the disease.” “That person’s pain and anguish is very real, and as a Church, we should work to ease that burden,” it said.
August 29, 2014 | catholicnewsherald.com catholic news heraldI
For the latest news 24/7: catholicnewsherald.com
In Brief Foley lauded for living his faith through his reporting ROCHESTER, N.H. — Slain journalist James Foley, who sent images and copy from different war zones, was described as living his faith through his work. The Associated Press reported that at a memorial Mass Aug. 24, Bishop Peter A. Libasci of Manchester, New Hampshire, lauded Foley for bringing important images of war and oppressive regimes to the rest of the world. Foley was kidnapped in November 2012 while covering the war in Syria. The Islamic State posted a video on the Web Aug. 19 showing him being beheaded, saying it was in retaliation for U.S. airstrikes in northern Iraq. Pope Francis phoned Foley’s parents, John and Diane Foley, on Aug. 21. “Pope Francis was so dear because he is grieving himself, having just lost three members of his family and (with) his nephew critically ill,’’ Diane Foley said on NBC’s “Today” show Aug. 22. “Here in the midst of his tremendous grief, he took the time to call. He was just so kind.” Foley, a 1996 graduate of Marquette who had been a freelance journalist for the past several years, worked mostly in the world’s trouble spots. In 2011, he was kidnapped on a Libyan battlefield and held captive in Tripoli for 45 days.
Western leaders press for help to Iraqi minorities WASHINGTON, D.C. — Western leaders pressed their governments to increase humanitarian efforts on behalf of persecuted Christians and other minorities in northern Iraq. Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz of Louisville, Kentucky, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, urged President Barack Obama to heed the call of Pope Francis to do everything possible “to stop and to prevent further systematic violence against ethnic and religious minorities” in Iraq. English and Canadian cardinals made similar appeals to their governments as Iraqi Christians increasingly expressed the sense that they have been deserted by the international community. “Violence may begin against minorities, but it does not end there,” Archbishop Kurtz wrote Aug. 14. “The rights of all Iraqis are at risk from the current situation.”
Groups lash out at new opt-out rules for HHS mandate WASHINGTON, D.C. — Pro-life groups that have battled with the federal government since the first rules were issued on contraceptive coverage in 2012 derided the government’s latest rules allowing religious institutions – and potentially some for-profit companies – to opt out of the contraceptive mandate in the Affordable Care Act. “Once again HHS (the federal Department of Health and Human Services) continues to violate the conscience rights of Americans while claiming just the opposite,” said an Aug. 22 statement from Charmaine Yoest, president and CEO of Americans United for Life. “Our own organization is a good example of the challenge posed: Americans United for Life is a public interest law firm that opposes life-ending drugs and devices required under the HHS mandate. Nevertheless, because we are not a faith-based group, we may be forced to purchase life-ending drugs and devices following the radical proabortion political agenda of this administration.” An Aug. 22 fact sheet from the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services outlined the interim final regulations, issued after two Supreme Court actions: a June 30 ruling that under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, closely held companies may be exempted from the contraceptive coverage requirement as a religious right, and a July 3 temporary stay granted to Christian-run Wheaton College in Illinois from complying with the HHS mandate.
Same-sex ‘marriages’ in Virginia put on hold; Fla. ban overturned WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Supreme Court put same-sex “marriages” in Virginia on hold Aug. 20, one day before the ban was scheduled to be lifted. On Aug. 21, a federal judge in Tallahassee, Florida, struck down a voter-approved ban on same-sex “marriage” in that state, saying it violated the guarantees of equal protection and due process provided in the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. “We are sadly disappointed by the court’s decision to reject marriage as the union of only one man and one woman as husband and wife,” said an Aug. 21 statement from Florida’s Catholic bishops. “The decision fails to adequately consider that marriage unites a man and a woman with any children born from their union and protects a child’s right to both a mother and a father.” — Catholic News Service
Live Your Faith Be affirmed in your present ministry. Upgrade your certification as a catechist and religion teacher. Fulfill the prerequisite for the Permanent Diaconate.
Grow in your faith. help you understand more fully your baptismal call to minister to your family, to others in the Church, and to those in your daily life. Sites include Arden, Bryson City, Charlotte, Greensboro and Lenoir. We are currently accepting applications for the 2014-2016 program. For more information:
Dr. Frank Villaronga Director, Evangelization and Adult Education Office
At t o r n ey a t L aw, P L L C
Wills – Trusts – Advanced Directives – Planning for Children Special Needs – Probate – Veterans Benefits • Member of the Charlotte Estate Planning Council & Mecklenburg County Bar Association • 15 years of exclusive practice in the area of Estate Planning • Speaker at St. Matthew's annual End of Life Planning Seminar • Blog voted by LexisNexis as one of the top 25 Blogs on Estate Planning and Probate • Elite Attorney Honoree by Women With Know How
15720 John J. Delaney Drive - Suite 300 - Charlotte, North Carolina 28277 (704) 843-1446 swinters@sabrinawinterslaw.com www.ncestateplanninginfo.com
THE ORATORY Center for Spirituality 434 Charlotte Avenue, P.O. Box 11586 Rock Hill, SC 29731-1586
(803) 327-2097
rockhilloratory.org
oratorycenter@gmail.com
From St. Francis to Pope Francis to You The Interconnectedness of Spirituality and Creation
Sr. Rose Marie Tresp, RSM Saturday, September 13, 2014 9am – 3pm In Christian ecological theology there is a relationship between our faith in Jesus, our prayer life and our choices with an ecological commitment. The morning session will explore these relationships and the afternoon session will explore practical ways to both share and carry out this ecological commitment. Cost: $40 which includes Eucharist and lunch
Pope Francis: The Joy of the Gospel Fr. Paul Maier Thursday, September 25 or Saturday, September 27, 2014 9am – 3:30pm The same program is offered both days.
The Diocesan Office of Lay Ministry offers a two-year program designed to
F O R M AT I O N P R O G R A M
!"#$%&"'(%&)*$+
704-370-3274
favillaronga@charlottediocese.org
The first Apostolic Exhortation of Pope Francis is clear, easy to read, powerful and challenging. This day will provide an opportunity to look at and reflect on this work. The recommended text for this program is the summary and commentary by Bill Huebsch, available for purchase at the Oratory Center prior to the presentation. Cost: $40 which includes Eucharist and lunch
19
Our world 20
catholicnewsherald.com | August 29, 2014 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD
Priest says he was shocked at condition for Iraqis displaced in Irbil Doreen Abi Raad Catholic News Service
BEIRUT — As secretary to Melkite Catholic Patriarch Gregoire III Laham, Father Rami Wakim has met scores of Syrian refugees, but said he was shocked at the flood of displaced Iraqis he encountered in Irbil, Iraq. The Melkite priest accompanied the Aug. 20 delegation of Catholic and Orthodox patriarchs to Irbil, the capital of the Kurdish region of Iraq, on a mission to show their support for the persecuted Christians and other minorities who sought refuge there after being expelled from their homes by the Islamic State fighters. The delegation visited the displaced at three different churches, and Father Wakim described mattresses scattered around church altars. Various rooms in the churches were filled to capacity – up to 50 people sleeping in areas the size of a single bedroom – with the overflow spreading onto church grounds, parking lots and streets, now dotted with makeshift tents in the 105-degree heat. Mosul is now completely empty of Christians as is Qaraqosh, a town dating back to 1,000 years before Christ and inhabited by mostly Christians for 2,000 years. More than 100,000 people are displaced from Mosul alone. “They all fled at the same time without taking anything” with them, Father Wakim said. Expelled from their ancestral lands by the militants of the Islamic State, the displaced Iraqis have put their trust in Church leaders and are leaning heavily on their own faith. This was evident, Father Wakim said, in the way swarms of people crowded around the patriarchs, kissing the crosses and medals adorning their vestments, asking the prelates for blessings and to pray over the sick. “It was very touching. The (Melkite) patriarch cried many times when he saw these people. He was hugging and kissing them as he cried. Of course, I cried, too. I think all the patriarchs cried because they felt helpless, there was nothing they could do at that very moment,” even though they came laden with funds from Church collections and donors, Father Wakim said. One of the major objectives of the visit was for the patriarchs, as a unified voice, to plead together for help, not just because most of those affected are Christians but because they are human beings and they are being eradicated. Patriarch Laham had just ordained Father Wakim a few days earlier, Aug. 16, in Damascus, Syria. Seeing the situation in Irbil “made me realize that the mission of a priest is very difficult, and very heavy at this time,” particularly in the Middle East, Father Wakim said. “People look up to priests and bishops as the only solution, the only help they can get at a time where – of course we need to pray with them – but at this time prayer alone doesn’t seem enough and actions are required.” The displaced Iraqis pleaded with the patriarchs to find a solution for them; many asked to either help them leave the country for the West, or to arrange for a safe return to their homes. The patriarchs tried to encourage them to not be afraid, Father Wakim said. The prelates encouraged the displaced to be patient and to try to stay in Iraq, where Christianity dates back 2,000 years.
CNS | Ahmed Jallanzo, EPA
Liberian police in protective clothing control residents of Monrovia’s West Point neighborhood waiting for food rations to be handed out Aug. 21. Church workers say hunger and panic are major problems in Liberia and Sierra Leone as neighborhoods are sealed off in an effort to curb the spread of Ebola.
Panic, hunger spread among quarantined West Africans in Ebola areas Bronwen Dachs Catholic News Service
CAPE TOWN, South Africa — Hunger and panic are spreading among people unable to work because of restrictions aimed at containing the spread of Ebola in Liberia and Sierra Leone, say church workers in West Africa. In Liberia’s capital, Monrovia, Church groups “are trying to get food and distribute it to families who have asked us to help, but movement is heavily restricted and there is little we can do,” Salesian Father Jorge Crisafulli, provincial superior in West Africa, said in an Aug. 22 telephone interview from Accra, Ghana. Neighborhoods in Monrovia have been sealed off under terms of the government-imposed state of emergency. The World Health Organization has estimated that more than 2,600 people in West Africa have been infected with Ebola since March. More than 1,400 people have died from the virus. Food prices in Liberia are “rising steeply and people are hungry,” Father Crisafulli said, noting that “markets in the city that are usually bustling are now empty and no trading is happening.” People are unable to get to work and, “while they still have to buy food, they have no money because they can’t work.” “There is great fear of spread of disease where there are large groups of people,” he said. Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea are the countries mainly affected by the current Ebola outbreak. “Particularly in Liberia, Ebola has become an economic and social problem as well as a health problem,” Father Crisafulli said, noting that “panic and fear are now greater problems than the disease itself.” “Feelings of isolation are brought on by international fear of ‘Ebola countries’ and banning of flights,” he said, adding that “people feel like lepers of earlier centuries.” Many people recover from Ebola and return to their families, and there are “stories of extraordinary courage” in the face of death, he said. Hunger is also a major problem in Sierra Leone, said Father Peter Konteh, executive director of Caritas for the Archdiocese of Freetown, citing as an example a complex near his own home that has been quarantined. Security guards were placed at the gate of the Freetown complex
that is home to 54 people after the Aug. 6 death of an Ebolainfected doctor who lived there, he said. While the guards ensure no one enters or leaves, there are stories that some have been bribed by residents “who said they were desperate to get out to buy food,” he said in an Aug. 25 telephone interview. Places affected by Ebola are quarantined for 21 days, he said. Father Konteh said he and other Church workers were investigating ways to provide food to people in similar situations “to help prevent desperation.” While Caritas’ European staffers have returned home, the local staff continue their work, he said, noting that “one of our finance clerks who has lost nine members of her family to Ebola still comes to work every day.” Food prices have escalated, particularly since the border between Sierra Leone and Guinea was closed in June, Father Konteh said. Many people in Sierra Leone buy their food with money earned the same day, mostly through informal trading, he said, noting that the closure of trading places has led to severe levels of hunger. Salesians in Liberia are “also worrying about how to pay teachers’ salaries” after they had to shut their schools in line with the state of emergency, Father Crisafulli said. “We still need to pay salaries, but we have no school fees to use for this,” he said, adding that “the education system here is already in crisis and now everyone has the added setback of losing an academic year.” In Sierra Leone, the government has asked the Salesians to take responsibility for children who have been orphaned through Ebola, Father Crisafulli said, noting that the order “accepted this challenge” after making careful preparations to do so safely. “We are planning our interventions in an organized manner, taking people’s long-term as well as immediate needs into consideration,” he said. Recognizing that “prevention education can reduce levels of fear,” the Salesians have produced and distributed leaflets and billboards in Nigeria and Ghana as well as Sierra Leone and Liberia, he said. Ebola is spread among humans through direct contact with infected bodily fluids.
August 29, 2014 | catholicnewsherald.com catholic news heraldI
For the latest news 24/7: catholicnewsherald.com
In Brief Vatican: Laicized nuncio could stand trial in Dominican Republic VATICAN CITY — The Vatican denied covering up for a former papal ambassador accused of sexually abusing boys and suggested he might have to stand trial on the charges in the Dominican Republic. Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, the Vatican spokesman, released a statement Aug. 25 in response to journalists’ questions about former Archbishop Jozef Wesolowski, a Pole who served as nuncio to the Dominican Republic until August 2013. According to an Aug. 23 article in the New York Times, the Vatican “secretly recalled (Wesolowski) to Rome last year before he could be investigated, and then invoked diplomatic immunity for Mr. Wesolowski so that he could not face trial in the Dominican Republic.” Father Lombardi responded that the Vatican, by recalling the diplomat from his post last summer, “moved without delay and correctly in light of the fact that former nuncio Wesolowski held the position of a diplomatic representative of the Holy See.” The spokesman added that, “since former nuncio Wesolowski has ended all diplomatic activity and its related immunity, he might also be subjected to judicial procedures from the courts that could have specific jurisdiction over him.”
Pope’s 2015 World Peace Day message will focus on trafficking VATICAN CITY — Human trafficking destroys the lives of millions of children, women and men
each year, making it a real threat to peace, the Vatican said as it announced Pope Francis’ 2015 World Peace Day message would focus on the phenomenon. “Slaves no more, but brothers and sisters” will be the theme for the Jan. 1, 2015, commemoration and for the message Pope Francis will write for the occasion, according to the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace. Pope Francis has called human trafficking “a crime against humanity” and “an open wound on the body of contemporary society, a scourge upon the body of Christ.”
Pope thanks people for prayers for his family after deadly crash VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis, in mourning for the deaths of his nephew’s wife and two small children, thanked people at his weekly general audience Aug. 20 for their prayers. The pope said that after the crash in the early morning hours Aug. 19, his 35-year-old nephew, Emanuel Horacio Bergoglio, “is in critical condition right now. I thank you, I thank you very much, for your condolences and prayers.”
800,000 watch as 124 Korean martyrs move closer to sainthood SEOUL, South Korea — Pope Francis placed 124 Korean martyrs on the last step toward sainthood in a beatification Mass Aug. 16 that brought elation to the 800,000 people in attendance. The 124 were killed for their beliefs, setting off a 100-year period in the 18th and 19th centuries when the Korean government went after about 10,000 faithful who pledged filial piety to God, not the king of Joseon. Among this group was Paul Yun Ji-Chung, the very first Korean to be executed for his faith after he buried his mother using Catholic rites that went against the norms of the heavily Confucian society. — Catholic News Service
21
Prices are ALL-INCLUSIVE w/Airfare from anywhere in the continental USA
Journey to the Holy Land with Fr. Hanic, Oct. 20-30 ~ $3,999 With Janis McQuade, SSJ as Spiritual Director
Italy/Switzerland: Aug 28-Sep 9, Sep 6-18, Sep 11-23, Sep 18-30... Italy Regular: Aug 30-Sep 7, Sep 6-14, Sep 13-21, Sep 20-28... Holy Land/Italy: Aug 25-Sep 7, Sep 1-14, Sep 8-21, Sep 15-28...
Trips to Ireland, Shrines of Europe and much more.. ranging from $3,599—$4,899 for 2014. www.proximotravel.com Call us 24/7 415-729-9410 | 855-842-8001
email: anthony@proximotravel.com
Carmela Manago - Executive Director
Have You Had A Financial Check Up Lately? For the past 18 years it has been my pleasure to help the employees of the Diocese of Charlotte plan for a secure retirement. I would be happy to do the same for you! Retirement planning – Life – LTC – Auto & Home Insurance 704-839-3755 kaltman1@metlife.com www.kenaltman.metlife.com
Ken Altman
Member: National Association of Insurance & Financial Advisors (NAIFA) St. Mark Catholic Church – Huntersville
L0213304211(exp1215) NC
CCDOC.ORG
In 2010, Haiti was hit by a devastating earthquake.
Job Developer
Based out of Murphy, NC
Today, the country is still reeling.
Catholic Charities is seeking an experienced professional to assist underemployed and unemployed clients in moving out of poverty through paid employment. This individual will train, coach and support participants through training and development to help them successfully secure permanent, stable employment.
Watch the Mercy for Haiti film and help us continue to make a difference for those forgotten. Visit urgentcares.org/haiti
Successful candidate must hold at least an undergraduate degree from an accredited institution and have job coaching/workforce development experience. Cover letter and resume must be submitted electronically by 5pm Friday, September 19, 2014 to sbluc@charlottediocese.org. No telephone calls please. For a complete job description visit ccdoc.org/jobs.
Visit urgentcares.org to make a donation, or mail your gift (payable to CMMF) to P.O. Box 16367, Asheville, NC 28816
ViewPoints 22
catholicnewsherald.com | August 29, 2014 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD
Rico De Silva
Fred Gallagher
No Christian dies alone
S
t. Maximilian Kolbe was a Franciscan priest and martyr of the Auschwitz concentration camp during World War II whose feast day is celebrated on Aug. 14. I have a close friendship with St. Maximilian Kolbe, as my confirmation saint and the saint of multimedia journalists. He believed in using only the best and latest technology to publish and distribute his Knight of the Immaculata newspaper and to broadcast his radio station in Poland during the late 1920s until his death in 1941. I credit St. Maximilian Kolbe, Our Lady and St. Joseph for landing my current post as a reporter for the Catholic News Herald last year. This column was initially intended to be my thank you note to “Uncle Max,” as I call him. This idea changed Aug. 20, when I read about the death of American journalist James Foley. Foley, a Catholic, was beheaded Aug. 19 in Syria by members of the Islamic terrorist group ISIS. The horrific murder was posted on YouTube by his killers. Foley’s execution shook me to the core – first as a Catholic, and second as a journalist. I became interested in learning more about the events leading up to his death. In 2011, Foley and another American journalist were imprisoned in Libya while they were covering the Libyan civil war. They were released by their captors 45 days later. Foley wrote an article about his experiences in captivity for the Marquette University magazine, a Catholic school run by the Jesuits in Wisconsin and Foley’s alma mater. The more I read, the more similarities I saw between St. Maximilian Kolbe’s imprisonment and eventual martyr’s death at Auschwitz and Foley’s life and death. Not only did they both suffer brutal deaths at the hands of evildoers, but they both expressed heroic Christian charity despite their harsh imprisonment and they both relied on Mary and the rosary for consolation. St. Maximilian Kolbe had an incredible and filial devotion to Mary, and the motto that fueled his great apostolic zeal was “to win the whole world for the Immaculata,” his favorite name for Our Lady. In his 2011 Marquette Magazine article, Foley, another who honored Mary, wrote about praying the rosary during his captivity in Libya: “I began to pray the rosary. It was what my mother and grandmother would have prayed. I said 10 Hail Marys between each Our Father. It took a long time, almost an hour, to count 100 Hail Marys off on my knuckles. And it helped to keep my mind focused. Clare (the other American journalist with him) and I prayed together out loud. It felt energizing to speak our weaknesses and hopes together, as if in a conversation with
God, rather than silently and alone.” William Thorn, one of Foley’s former professors at Marquette, described him in a recent Catholic News Agency article as a journalist driven to change the world for the better and as someone “offended” by social injustice. “He thought that his video documentaries on the problems that these people faced in war-torn areas, the injustices, would lead to change. That was his whole agenda. He wanted to be a journalist to change the world,” Thorn said. It was this intention that drove Foley back to the Middle East. He was kidnapped by armed militants in Syria in November 2012, while covering the civil war in that country. In an interview for the BBC, French journalist and former fellow hostage Nicolas Henin described the American as a giving person. Henin spent seven months imprisoned with Foley, including a week where they were handcuffed together. When people are held captive and under extreme threat, Henin said, they can develop a sort of survival instinct and the tendency to grab everything in sight. “James was the total opposite. If we were cold and missing blankets, he would share his blanket. If we were starving and missing food, he would share his ration,” Henin said. St. Maximilian Kolbe volunteered to die in place of a stranger in the starvation chamber at Auschwitz. He spent the last two weeks of his life encouraging his nine fellow prisoners by praying and singing hymns with them. Finally, on Aug. 14, he was one of only four prisoners still alive. His impatient captors executed him with a lethal injection of carbolic acid, and cremated his remains on the eve of the Assumption of Mary. I heard a priest once say that because Christ died on the Cross for us, He filled human death with His Presence and “no Christian dies alone.” It can also be said that since Mary was at the foot of the Cross during Christ’s death, Mary, as the Queen of Martyrs, was present during St. Maximilian Kolbe’s death, as she surely was at James Foley’s death. In his Marquette Magazine article, Foley thanked the school’s staff and student body for their prayers during his Libyan captivity and for his eventual release: “If nothing else, prayer was the glue that enabled my freedom, an inner freedom first and later the miracle of being released during a war in which the regime had no real incentive to free us. It didn’t make sense, but faith did.” Our Lady, Help of Christians and Queen of Martyrs, pray for us. Rico De Silva is the Hispanic Communications Reporter for the Catholic News Herald.
A restless Catholic in a Southern Church
H
ave any of you of European heritage ever stumbled into a Spanish Mass or another gathering of mainly Hispanic Catholics in our diocese? You most likely would have observed a somewhat different demeanor than what you might be used to seeing. Once at a Boy Scout Catholic Camporee my son was attending, we shared the grounds with a retreat for Hispanic Catholics, and I was struck at just how much of an intergenerational family affair it was, and how seemingly comfortable those in attendance were with their various expressions of faith. Another time I attended an ordination into the permanent diaconate for a Hispanic seminarian of the diocese and I heard Bishop Emeritus William Curlin say that within a few years the majority of the Catholics in our diocese would be Hispanic. Studies show that the Catholic world is less and less European/North American and more and more African/Asian/South American. So the term “Southern” Church does not refer to south of the Mason/Dixon Line but rather the Southern Hemisphere, and it is a Church that doesn’t look a whole lot like my father’s. Having spent some of my formative years around Latin Americans, I realized recently that there were cultural ways of expressing one’s faith I had come to miss. I was reminded of this when a dear Latin American friend, a deacon in our diocese, lost a family member. In thanking attendees just after the funeral Mass, he let us know that, though he trusted in God’s mercy and providence implicitly, still his heart was breaking over his loss. It hit me then that I know very few of my fellow Americans of Irish, German or even Italian background that would stand up there in front of a congregation and own up fully and expressively to a broken heart. How generous and inviting it was for my friend to share his vulnerability in such a way as to allow me to relate to it in my own life. How special a Christian witness for my friend, who knew full well that God was with him in the depths of his sorrow. I have also noted that at some Spanish Masses the distribution of the Holy Eucharist can take on a different expression. Rather than an orderly
procession following the nod of an usher, in the sea of congregants not all feel properly disposed for reception of the sacrament. In other words, in the Hispanic heart, reception of Our Lord in the Holy Eucharist may not be automatic. And I’m not so sure that’s a bad thing. There are 20 million more Catholics in Mexico than in the United States and more than twice the number of Catholics in Brazil as in the U.S. There is an explosion of Catholicism in Africa, with crowded seminaries and young priests coming to the United States as missionaries. The northern Church is becoming a southern Church and that fact bears reflection for all of us old schoolers. Of course, our doctrine will not change. The bread and wine become the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ – the source and the summit of all we believe in. And those beliefs will not corrode. We know Our Blessed Mother was conceived without sin; we may just see much more personal expressions of love for her. Our social teachings will always affirm the absolute sanctity of human life and the beauty and truth written in our hearts. Sexual intercourse outside of marriage is still wrong and abortion, as always, abominable. But our focus on reaching the poor where they are in the midst of these evils may sharpen somewhat. Cultural expressions of our faith are taking on some different looks – not heresy, but universal Catholicism in its ever vibrant cultural choreography, a little less ad intra (regarding the Church’s internal life) perhaps and a little more ad extra (regarding a wider spectrum of social engagement). So this restless soul is trying to open his Old World Irish heart to this brown, black, yellow and white Church; the same one, holy, Catholic and apostolic Church in which I have encountered my own heart and my own Savior, for as St. Augustine said, “You have made us for Yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in You.” Fred Gallagher is a restless Catholic who is also an author, book editor and former addictions counselor. He and his wife Kim are members of St. Patrick Cathedral in Charlotte.
Letters policy The Catholic News Herald welcomes letters from readers. We ask that letters be originals of 250 words or fewer, pertain to recent newspaper content or Catholic issues, and be written from a perspective of Christian charity. To be considered for publication, each letter must include the name, address and daytime phone number of the writer for purpose of verification. Letters may be condensed due to space limitations and edited for clarity, style and factual accuracy.
The Catholic News & Herald does not publish poetry, form letters or petitions. Items submitted to The Catholic News & Herald become the property of the newspaper and are subject to reuse, in whole or in part, in print, electronic formats and archives. E-mail: catholicnews@charlottediocese.org Mail: Letters to the Editor Catholic News Herald 1123 S. Church St. Charlotte, N.C. 28203
August 29, 2014 | catholicnewsherald.com catholic news heraldI
Sr. Constance Carolyn Veit
The Poor Clares
O
Forming beauty: Raising women of God
ver the past century women have won important victories in obtaining equal economic, political and social rights with men, and the feminist movement has made great gains in underscoring the equal dignity for women as well as men. But not every advancement in the feminist movement has been beneficial. Our culture has been conditioned and manipulated to see no distinction between the sexes. Some might hear this statement and applaud. But do they realize what has been lost? The meaning of equality and of distinction has been confused. Contraception, pornography and the oversexed culture of our time have degraded women and the unique gifts of the “feminine genius” as Pope St. John Paul II called it – so much so, in fact, that women are often selling themselves short. Women are the keepers of beauty, the guardians of life. To them, in the words of our sainted pope, “has been entrusted the care of the human person.” This amazing dignity of womanhood is not being celebrated and recognized in all of its feminine beauty. Rather, much in contemporary culture encourages the objectification of woman, as merely a sexual being who should be liberated from all sexual restraint, responsibility and consequences. Despite the intentions of feminists to seek higher value for women in society, women have become increasingly trivialized, their bodies seen as objects to be exploited, and woman’s basic vocation – motherhood – derided as a curse and a condition to avoid if women are to be truly “free.” Why paint such a depressing picture? Because we must fight this “war on women” that is raging. There is hope, but the tide will turn only when we start at home, in the formation of our own daughters who will be the women of our next generation. St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, also known as Edith Stein, wrote extensively on womanhood and gave many conferences in her home country of Germany on the subject of educating women. She emphatically believed that the gifts of womanhood must be cultivated, and that the uniqueness of each individual demands an approach geared towards the strengths and weaknesses of the woman in question. Identifying five major feminine types by common traits (the maternal, romantic, sexual, practical and intellectual), Stein sought to formulate a program of tools for education based on the particular needs of each. The sexual type is perhaps more prevalent than ever before as a result of our current culture. Girls of this type are inclined to see themselves as having worth only in relationship to men. They will deal more intensely (and often earlier) with sexual desires and temptations than those of other types. Though she may not recognize it herself, her own sense of dignity may be based on male love and attention, and she can be obsessed with physical beauty and attractiveness.
‘We need women who are not afraid to answer the call to be new heroines, icons of Our Lady’s own beautiful holiness.’
As Edith Stein notes in her writings, “Her whole demeanor changes in the presence of the opposite sex; this makes her an easy prey to seduction.” In the weaknesses of this type, we find the extreme of one of woman’s most basic vocations: that of being the helpmate of man, as we see in the first pages of the Scriptures. Woman is created for man; he is found to be incomplete and longs for another who will understand him, love him and know him. Most importantly, he desires one on whom he can bestow his own love and self-gift. And so God fashions a woman, and the two are now called to be one. The complementary physical, emotional and spiritual traits of man and woman are powerfully appealing, and a woman of the sexual type will feel this deeply. She will have a sense of her personal incompleteness, and will be strongly driven to enter into a relationship with a man where she will be able to express her love and be loved in return. It will be more difficult for her to recognize that she, as an individual, is created by God out of love and, by Him, made worthy of love for her own sake. A spiritual remedy which will greatly benefit her will be meditating on God the Father, who cherishes her as His beloved daughter in all the glory of her femininity. A passionate heart is at the core of her being, and this makes the work of formation delicate. Parents will especially be challenged in the area of rules, limitations and boundaries which for this character type are very necessary. Good training in self-discipline will also be essential. Helping a young woman with these traits to understand the splendor of personal dignity will be the key to true development and growth. Discovering the precious treasure of a pure heart and the jewel of a protective awe for one’s capacity for love and self-gift will capture the heart of a girl of this type. Ignoring the reality of sexual passions and desires will only wreak havoc; forming her in an understanding of the incredible vocation of holy matrimony and of the Theology of the Body as presented by Pope St. John Paul II will draw the desires for human love higher. Linked to these characteristics is a potent longing for beauty. When a young woman finds the treasure of true beauty, as imaged by Our Lady, the Queen of Fair Love, she will blossom as she learns to become the queen in the castle of her own heart. Learning to place all her needs, desires and emotions with deep honesty before Jesus, her love will be purified, deepened and fulfilled. A profound personal union with Him in prayer, particularly through time spent at Holy Mass and Eucharistic Adoration, will lead her to embrace Christ with passionate love as the heart of her life. Frequent reception of the sacraments will strengthen this bond of love and help in fighting the battle our world is presently engaged in. Our world does not want strong, faith-filled, feminine women of God, yet it is hungering for truth, for goodness, for beauty. We need women who are not afraid to answer the call to be new heroines, icons of Our Lady’s own beautiful holiness. By comprehending the gifts of womanhood in our own lives and in the lives of those we have been given to form, we discover the unique way in which we each can reflect that Woman of all perfection, Mary. May we be beacons of hope-filled beauty and goodness in a world that is darkening. May the “feminine genius” of our womanly qualities placed at the service of God and of the human person summon a new dawn for our times. Sister Marie Thérèse of the Divine Child Jesus is professed with the Poor Clare Nuns of Perpetual Adoration St. Joseph Monastery in Charlotte. Learn more about the Poor Clares at www.stjosephmonastery.com. This is part four of her commentary about Edith Stein’s writings on women.
23
Back to basics with a saint
T
he feast day of St. Jeanne Jugan, foundress of the Little Sisters of the Poor, is celebrated annually on Aug. 30. This year we prepare for St. Jeanne’s feast against the backdrop of troubling world events – acts of terror in numerous locations around the world, a humanitarian crisis on our own southern border, continued advances of the culture of death and ongoing debate over the meaning of religious liberty in our country. As we look forward to her feast day, we might ask what Jeanne Jugan would do if she were here today, or how her charism might contribute to the resolution of these tragic situations. We live in difficult times, but so did St. Jeanne Jugan. Born on the cusp of the French Revolution’s infamous “Reign of Terror,” she grew up in the society depicted by Victor Hugo in “Les Misérables.” In a milieu where those considered useless or undesirable too easily became society’s outcasts, Jeanne Jugan believed, as George Weigel once noted, “that there are no disposable human beings, that everyone is a someone for whom the Son of God entered the world, suffered and died.” Jeanne saw in the elderly the suffering members of Jesus Christ, and without distinguishing those who were “worthy” of her charity from those who were not, she responded to each elderly person in need with mercy and compassion. Jeanne Jugan’s approach was simple: she offered a home to the poorest elderly in her midst, welcoming them as Christ, caring for them as family and accompanying them with dignity until God called them to Himself. But what about today? Without getting caught up in the political rhetoric surrounding so many contemporary issues, Jeanne would take us back to basics – to the fundamental principle at the heart of the Church’s social teaching – the inviolable dignity of the human person created in God’s image and likeness, and our duty to treat others as we would care for Jesus Himself, for He said, “As you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to Me.” Jeanne’s reverence for the innate dignity of each person, no matter how difficult that dignity was to discern amidst the trials of poverty, disease and old age, sprang from her faith in the fatherhood of God and the redemptive love of His Son, Jesus Christ. In “Evangelii Guadium” Pope Francis explains how faith is the root of our convictions about the human person: “To believe in a Father who loves all men and women with an infinite love means realizing that He thereby confers upon them an infinite dignity. To believe that the Son of God assumed our human flesh means that each human person has been taken up into the very heart of God. To believe that Jesus shed His blood for us removes any doubt about the boundless love which ennobles each human being.” These words would have resonated in Jeanne Jugan’s heart as she served the elderly, but they apply to any group of people, in any time or place. Bishop Mark Seitz of El Paso, Texas, recently spoke about human dignity as the root of the Church’s outreach in testimony before the Congressional House Judiciary Committee: “The Catholic Church’s work in assisting unaccompanied migrant children stems from the belief that every person has a unique and sacred dignity. This dignity is not bestowed by governments or by laws or based upon their wealth or where they happen to be born. It inheres within the human being. We seek to be consistent in acknowledging the implications of this, namely that from the time we come to be in our mother’s womb until the moment our life comes to an end we are deserving of respect and care. This is true of the unborn child, the person with disabilities, the immigrant, the prisoner and the sick. The more vulnerable and weak a person is the more they are deserving of our love. This we understand to be the mark of the Christian and of a healthy society.” Whether it be the needs of the elderly, the plight of unaccompanied migrant children, or any group in between, as Catholics we cannot deny the inherent dignity of each human person as the foundation of our works of mercy. Taking stock of our commitment to this conviction would be a wonderful way to honor St. Jeanne Jugan on her feast day. Sister Constance Carolyn Veit, LSP, is director of communications for the Little Sisters of the Poor in the United States.
catholicnewsherald.com | August 29, 2014 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD
“Behold I make all things new.”
(Rev. 21:4)
MARK YOUR CALENDARS
DIOCESE OF CHARLOTTE Tenth Eucharistic Congress, September 19 – 20, 2014 Charlotte Convention Center
Dr. Allen Hunt “Why 1 of Every 10 Adults is an Ex-Catholic”
Fr. Angel Espinoza de los Monteros “Es hora de volver a Dios”
Doug Barry and Eric Genuis “The Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ” (A Meditation)
Fr. Angel Espinoza de los Monteros “¿Educas y formas o sólo domesticas?” Fr. Ernesto Caro Una Evangelización Activa para el Nuevo Milenio”
GoEucharist.com
E ALL THI NG S
D, I
M
AK
- Rev. 21:5
Bishop Donald Joseph Hying “Making All Things New in Christ’s Youth”
• Vocation and Catholic Education information • Holy Mass – Concelebrated by Bishop Peter Jugis and the priests of the Diocese of Charlotte
EW
Mother Assumpta Long, O.P. “The Eucharist and Religious Life-Making All Things New”
• K-12 Education Tracks for Students • Concert of Sacred Music (Friday evening) • Religious displays • Vendors of Sacred Art
N
• Eucharistic Procession through the streets of Charlotte • Holy Hour • Confession • English and Spanish Tracks for Adults
BEHOL
24
20
14