Sept. 26, 2014

September 26, 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

Diocese announces priest assignment changes, 3

‘BEHOLD, I MAKE ALL THINGS NEW’

Faith renewed

Taking it to the streets Immaculate Conception parishioners preach by public witness, 5

INDEX

Contact us.......................... 4 Español.................................15 Events calendar................. 4 Our Faith............................. 2 Our Parishes................. 3-11 Schools..............................16 Scripture readings............ 2 TV & Movies.......................17 U.S. news...................... 18-19 Viewpoints.................. 22-23 World news.................. 20-21

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10th annual Eucharistic Congress draws more than 13,000 people to celebrate their faith in Jesus, 12-14

Cardinal Francis George: ‘A tale of two churches,’ 22

First Mass at St. Matthew South planned for Sunday, Oct. 4 Building dedicated to The Divine Mercy

will serve 2,900 families in the Waxhaw area, 3

Our faith 2

catholicnewsherald.com | September 26, 2014 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Synod to focus on family, marriage Pope Francis

Albania proves to world that diverse religions can live in peace

P

eople of different religious beliefs can and must live together in peace, Pope Francis said.

The Muslim majority and Christian minorities in Albania cooperate beautifully for the common good and prove to the world that it can be done, he said. “I could see, with great satisfaction, that the peaceful and fruitful coexistence between people and communities belonging to different religions is not only beneficial, but is concretely possible and practical. They put it into practice” in Albania, he said.

During his general audience in St. Peter’s Square Sept. 24, the pope reviewed his one-day trip to Albania Sept. 21.

He told the more than 30,000 people in the square that he wanted to visit a country where people of different religious traditions were peacefully living and working together, despite suffering decades of violent oppression “by an atheist and heartless regime.”

“I thought it seemed important to encourage them on this path” of religious respect and to urge them to never give up looking for ways to benefit the common good, he said.

Catholics make up only about 16 percent of Albania’s 3 million inhabitants; about 65 percent are Muslim and 20 percent Orthodox.

Pope Francis said the different communities are engaged in an “authentic dialogue” that “avoids relativism” or a watering down of their own religious beliefs in order to find common ground. Each community takes into account each other’s identity and what unites them is the genuine willingness “to do good” and serve their neighbor.

The pope said another reason he went to the Balkan nation was to express his gratitude and to honor all those who held on tight to their faith, despite the risk of arrest, torture, incarceration and execution. People of all religious beliefs were persecuted between 1944 and 1991 as Albania’s dictator-led government waged a war against religion and became the first officially atheist nation in the world.

The only way to confront difficulties, he said, is by drawing upon God for the needed strength, courage and hope, just like the martyrs did.

“The strength of the Church isn’t grounded so much in its organizational or structural capacity,” he said. While such structure is necessary, the Church’s strength “is Christ’s love, a strength that bolsters us during difficult times” and inspires Christians to offer everyone “goodness and forgiveness, giving witness to God’s mercy.”

An Extraordinary Synod of Bishops will meet at the Vatican Oct. 5-19, bringing together the presidents of national bishops’ conferences, the heads of Eastern Catholic churches, Vatican officials and papally appointed delegates – including married couples and experts active in family ministries and pastoral care, canon law and moral theology. Focusing on “the pastoral challenges of the family in the context of evangelization,” synod members will be called upon to find ways to improve the pastoral application of Church teachings, ways to explain it and to help Catholics live it. The group of about 250 people will prepare the agenda for a larger, worldwide Synod of Bishops that will meet at the Vatican Oct. 4-25, 2015, to continue the discussion on pastoral approaches to the challenges facing families.

Pope Francis has written that the two synods will discuss the “challenges of marriage, of family life, of the education of children, and the role of the family in the life of the Church,” exploring a “somewhat deeper pastoral care of marriage.” Discussions will be based

Batrice Adcock

A

More online At www.catholicnewsherald.com: Follow daily coverage of the upcoming Extraordinary Synod of Bishops, the first of two bishops’ synods on the family that begins Oct. 5.

At usccb.org: Download intercessory prayers which may be used during Masses, other liturgical settings, and in family or personal prayer for the Sept.

28 Day of Prayer for the synod.

largely on responses to a questionnaire sent out to the world’s bishops last

November. Artificial birth control and the eligibility of divorced and civilly remarried Catholics to receive Communion will be among the topics covered. However, Italian Archbishop Bruno Forte of Chieti-Vasto, chosen by Pope Francis to be the special secretary of the extraordinary synod, said the “doctrine of the Church is not up for discussion, but rather the discussion will concern improving the ‘pastoral application’ of Church teaching.”

Pope Francis, the office for the Synod of Bishops, and U.S. bishops’ president Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz is encouraging a universal day of prayer Sunday, Sept. 28, for the upcoming synod. Archbishop Kurtz called the synod “an important moment for the Church and for families.” “As the Church turns with special attention to the family, may God’s plan for marriage and the family be a source of hope and healing for all,” he said. For the day of prayer, Catholics are encouraged to say a prayer to the Holy Family written by Pope Francis.

Catholics are also being encouraged to pray the rosary each day of the synod.

— Catholic News Service

Theology of the Body provides insights on marriages, families

s I listen to the baby bird’s persistent cries for food and marvel at the mother bird’s constant work to satiate her charge, I consider my own fatigue as a mother of young children. Is it really true that “man fully finds himself only in the sincere gift of himself” (“Gaudium et Spes,” 24)? I recall the times I have felt joyful and fulfilled: after giving birth, resting with my husband on the porch swing after our children are tucked in bed, teaching all day on the truth and beauty of marital sexuality.

The gift of oneself is the embodiment of love for Christian marriages and families, both of which face so many challenges in today’s world.

Pope Francis has called two Synods of Bishops, one in October 2014 and the other in October 2015, to focus on the problems now facing married couples and families around the world. These will address the responses to survey questions sent throughout the Church in the latter part of 2013, which demonstrated very little familiarity with Church teachings regarding marriage and family. Synod organizers published a working document which summarized the responses and determined what the synods will address: n How to preach the Gospel of the Family n How to deal with contemporary pastoral issues n How to promote openness to children in Catholic marriages Interestingly, the beatification of Pope Paul VI is scheduled to take place on Oct. 19, 2014, at the conclusion of the first synod.

Pope Paul VI’s connection with the themes expected to be raised include the encyclical for which he is most known, “Humanae

Vitae,” which affirms the Church’s prohibition against artificial contraception in the context of Catholic teaching on the beauty and purpose of marriage, married love and procreation.

The theme of the October 2015 Synod will be “Jesus Christ reveals the Mystery and Vocation of the Family,” which echoes “Gaudium et Spes”: Christ, “by the revelation of the mystery of the Father and His love, fully reveals man to Himself and makes His supreme calling clear” (22). It is this same Christ-like love, then, that we are called to live – a love which is free, total, faithful, and fruitful, and a love which embodies self-gift.

Pope St. John Paul II gave us the “Theology of the Body,” essentially a reflection on “Humanae Vitae.” In it he sought to answer two questions: What does it mean to be human, and how do I live my life in a way that will bring true happiness?

In the same way that Pope St. John Paul II eagerly anticipated the Family Synod of 1980 and began his Theology of the Body addresses in 1979 in part for the purpose of “accompanying from afar, so to speak, the work of preparation for the Synod” (“Theology of the Body,” 1:5) let us reflect on the wisdom found in Theology of the Body, so that we might come to know and live the self-giving love that Jesus reveals which will bring us true happiness in our marriages and families.

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

Your daily Scripture readings SEPT. 28-OCT. 4

Sunday: Ezekiel 18:25-28, Philippians 2:1-11, Matthew 21:28-32; Monday (Sts. Michael, Gabriel and Raphael): Daniel 7:9-10, 13-14, John 1:47-51; Tuesday (St. Jerome): Job 3:1-3, 11-17, 20-23, Luke 9:51-56; Wednesday (St. Therese of the Child Jesus): Job 9:1-12, 14-16, Luke 9:57-62; Thursday (The Holy Guardian Angels): Job 19:21-27, Matthew 18:1-5, 10; Friday: Job 38:1, 12-21, 40:3-5, Luke 10:13-16; Saturday (St. Francis of Assisi): Job 42:1-3, 5-6, 12-17, Luke 10:17-24.

OCT. 5-11

Sunday: Isaiah 5:1-7, Philippians 4:6-9, Matthew 21:33-43; Monday (St. Bruno, BI. Marie Rose Durocher): Galatians 1:6-12, Luke 10:25-37; Tuesday (Our Lady of the Rosary): Galatians 1:13-24, Luke 10:38-42; Wednesday: Galatians 2:1-2, 7-14, Luke 11:1-4; Thursday (St. Denis and Companions, St. John Leonardi): Galatians 3:1-5, Luke 1:69-75, Luke 11:5-13; Friday: Galatians 3:7-14, Luke 11-15-26; Saturday: Galatians 3:22-29, Luke 11:27-28

0CT. 12-18

Sunday: Isaiah 25:6-10, Philippians 4:12-14, 19-20, Matthew 22:1-14; Monday: Galatians 4:22-24, 26-27, 31:5-1, Luke 11:29-32; Tuesday (St. Callistus I): Galatians 5:1-6, Luke 11:37-41; Wednesday (St. Teresa of Jesus): Galatians 5:18-25, Luke 11:42-46; Thursday (St. Hedwig, St. Margaret Mary Alacoque): Ephesians 1:1-10, Luke 11:47-54; Friday (St. Ignatius of Antioch): Ephesians 1:11-14, Luke 12:1-7; Saturday (St. Luke): 2 Timothy 4:10-17, Luke 10:1-9

Our parishes

September 26, 2014 | catholicnewsherald.com catholic news heraldI

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Diocese announces priest assignment changes

photos provided by antoinette usher

The main entrance of the new St. Matthew South multipurpose facility in Waxhaw features a three-tiered fountain symbolizing the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. (Below) A beautiful wooded backdrop frames the crucifix that hangs behind the altar in the main worship space. See a video tour produced by St. Matthew Church at www.catholicnewsherald.com.

St. Matthew South to open for first Mass Oct. 4 Building dedicated to The Divine Mercy will serve 2,900 nearby families SueAnn Howell Senior reporter

WAXHAW — A new chapter in the history of St. Matthew Church begins next month with the opening of a 16,000-square-foot multipurpose facility designed to house worship space and faith formation classes for the growing southeast Charlotte area.

“St. Matthew South” will officially open at 4116 Waxhaw-Marvin Road in Waxhaw with a vigil Mass celebrated at 5:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 4, by Monsignor John J. McSweeney, pastor of St. Matthew Church.

The expansion campus of St. Matthew Church will serve the parish’s 2,900 registered families who live within about five miles of the 32-acre property.

The completion of the $3.2 million project is the realization of the first phase of a four-phase plan for the expansion of the church, which is already the largest parish in the diocese and one of the largest in the United States with 9,623 registered families.

The new location will enable them to cease using nearby St. Margaret Episcopal Church in Waxhaw for Mass. It has 10 classrooms for the approximately 650 children in the parish’s faith formation program

who live in the vicinity and used to travel to the main campus on Ballantyne Commons Parkway 10 miles away. It also has a nursery.

The worship space features religious items and artwork of special significance to the parish and to Monsignor McSweeney.

The tabernacle which will house the Blessed Sacrament during Mass is one formerly used at St. Gabriel Church in Charlotte, the parish where Monsignor McSweeney once served as a deacon and where he was ordained a priest 40 years ago. The altar and ambo are from St. Matthew’s humble beginnings 28 years ago, and have been restored for use in the new space.

Dedicated to The Divine Mercy, the building features statues of the Divine Mercy image of Jesus, St. Faustina Kowalska and Pope St. John Paul II. The statues were crafted by artist Ivo Demetz of Ortisei, Italy, and were donated by a parishioner in honor of a family member.

“As you walk into the (new) building it says, ‘Jesus, I trust in You,’” Monsignor McSweeney said, noting that St. Matthew members have long history of devotion to The Divine Mercy.

The parish hosts a special Divine Mercy prayer vigil each year on the feast of Divine Mercy, which is the Sunday after Easter Sunday.

And besides the first Mass at the new facility on Oct. 4, St. Matthew Church will host a “Divine Mercy Day of Healing” on its main campus that same day.

Faith formation classes are also scheduled to begin at the new St. Matthew South location on Wednesday, Oct. 8. According to Monsignor McSweeney, moving into the new space will be a gradual process for the faith formation program, particularly.

“The whole month of October will be slow as we integrate into the new building,” he explained.

Parish faith formation staff will float as needed between the main church office on Ballantyne Commons Parkway and a satellite office at the new campus, he said.

The Waxhaw property is large enough that in the future it could feature a separate church and parish fellowship hall, he said, which could mean eventual formation as a separate parish depending on the growth of the area and the approval of the bishop.

In the meantime, he noted, St. Matthew South is “another place to accommodate the needs of St. Matthew Church. I see it as one building on the campus – just a little farther away,” whose “primary purpose is to give glory and honor to Almighty God through the Masses that take place there.”

CHARLOTTE — Bishop Peter J. Jugis announced the following priest appointments effective Sept.

17.

Two of the priests ordained earlier this year, Father Paul M. Buchanan and Father Noah C. Carter, will forego returning to Rome, where they had been expecting to continue their studies for a Licentiate in Sacred Theology (STL). Because of increasing pastoral needs in the diocese, they will remain at the parishes where they had been serving in residence since being ordained June 28.

Father Buchanan will remain to serve as parochial vicar at St. Matthew Church in Charlotte, and Father Carter will remain to serve as parochial vicar at Sacred Heart Church in Salisbury.

Additional priest appointments are: Father Francis Xavier Arockiasamy, who has been serving as chaplain at Bishop McGuinness High School, will move to administrator of Our Lady of the Mountains Mission in Highlands and St. Jude Mission in Sapphire.

Father Jason K. Barone will serve as parochial vicar at Our Lady of Grace Church in Greensboro, moving from Sacred Heart Church in Salisbury, where he had been serving as parochial vicar since being ordained in 2012.

Father George D. Byers, CPM, will serve as administrator of Holy Redeemer Church in Andrews and Prince of Peace Mission in Robbinsville.

Father Andrew Nowak, OFM Cap., has moved from serving as pastor of Sacred Heart Church in Brevard and St. Jude Mission in Sapphire, to ministry outside the diocese.

Father Shawn M. O’Neal, will move from serving as pastor of St. Joseph Church in Bryson City and Our Lady of Guadalupe Mission in Cherokee, to serve as pastor of Sacred Heart Church in Brevard and St. Jude Mission in Sapphire.

Father Peter J. Shaw will move from serving as parochial vicar of St. Vincent de Paul Church in Charlotte, to serve as pastor of St. Joseph Church in Bryson City and Our Lady of Guadalupe Mission in Cherokee.

— Catholic News Herald

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catholicnewsherald.com | September 26, 2014 OUR PARISHES

Diocesan calendar of events ASHEVILLE

ST. PETER CHURCH, 507 SOUTH TRYON ST.

St. Eugene Church, 72 Culvern St. — Mass and brunch for all college students in the Asheville area: 11 a.m. Sundays. Rides to Mass leave UNCA Highsmith Bridge at 10:45 a.m.

Bishop Peter J. Jugis Bishop Peter J. Jugis will participate in the following events over the coming weeks: Sept. 26 – 7 p.m.

Sacrament of Confirmation Sacred Heart Church, Burnsville

— Respect Life Seminar: 2-5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 4.

Topics include Catholic teachings on life issues, our response and actions to protect life, pre-birth and end-of-life issues. Light refreshments will be served.

For details, call the parish office at 828-254-5193.

BELMONT QUEEN OF THE APOSTLES church, 503 North Main St. — Young at Heart Covered Dish Supper: 5 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 4 in the MAK Family Life Center. All parishioners over 50 are invited to attend.

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

— Blessing of the Animals: Sunday, Oct. 5, after 8 a.m.

Mass

CHARLOTTE

Sept. 30 – 7 p.m.

Sacrament of Confirmation St. Francis of Assisi Church, Jefferson

— Rachel’s Vineyard Weekend Retreat: Nov. 21-23.

Retreat is intended for men and women to begin their healing journey after an abortion. For details, call Shelley at 828-230-4940.

Oct. 2 – 6 P.M. Red Mass St. Patrick Cathedral, Charlotte Oct. 5 – 4:30 P.M. Mass for Catholic Charities USA Annual Gathering St. JosepH Vietnamese Church, Charlotte Oct. 5-10 Priests’ Retreat Living Waters Catholic Reflection Center, Maggie Valley

— 20th Annual Fundraising Dinner for MiraVia: Thursday, Oct. 23, in the Crown Ballroom of the Charlotte Convention Center. For reservations, call 704-5254673, ext. 10.

— 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. — Annual Lebanese Festival: 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 27. Entertainment and food will be provided.

Hosted by the Maronite Mission of Charlotte.

St. Patrick cathedral, 1621 dilworth road

The Sept. 12 story “Charlotte Catholic High School getting parking deck, stadium expansion” incorrectly stated that no funds for the project were coming from the independently-run Charlotte Catholic High School Foundation. Funding for current architectural planning and future construction is not coming from the separate non-profit entity, but it funded approximately $45,000 in upfront architectural planning expenses about two years ago, according to Norm George, vice president of the group.

September 26, 2014 Volume 23 • Number 25

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

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

ST. Thomas aquinas church, 1400 suther road — Fatima Procession: 7:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 13. Monthly devotion to Our Lady of Fatima. We will recite the rosary, have a candlelit procession and close with a litany. All are welcome.

— “Alan Ames – Healing Ministry”: 9:15 a.m.-3:30 p.m.

Saturday, Oct. 25. Alan Ames is a motorcycle club member who travels the world sharing his “Saul to Paul” conversion story and powerful healing ministry. For details, visit www.alanames.org.

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

ST. VINCENT DE PAUL CHURCH, 6828 Old Reid Road — Natural Family Planning Introduction and Full Course: 1- 5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 4. Topics include: Effectiveness of modern NFP, health risks of popular contraceptives and what the Church teaches about responsible parenting. Sponsored by Catholic Charities. RSVP to Batrice Adcock, MSN, RN, at 704370-3230.

learn more are welcome to attend. For details, call 336-884-5097.

HUNTERSVILLE St. Mark Church, 14740 Stumptown Road — Community Shredding Event Fundraiser: 9-11 a.m.

Saturday, Sept. 27. For details, call 704-370-3225.

— The Ladies Ancient Order of Hibernians welcomes all women who are practicing Roman Catholics, and who are Irish by birth, who are the wife of a member of the Ancient Order of Hibernians, or the mother of a junior member to join. For details, call Bernadette Brady at 704-210-8060.

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. Meets until Oct. 29. For details, call Don or Janet Zander at 828926-2654 for information and pre-registration.

— Healing Mass and Anointing of the Sick: Every third Sunday of the month. Individual prayers over people after Mass by Charismatic Prayer Group members.

ST. GABRIEL CHURCH, 3016 Providence Road

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

Correction

— “In our Backyard – Human Trafficking”: 10:15-11:15 a.m.

Sunday, Sept. 28 in Benedict Hall. Carla Tweedale of Lily Pad Haven will explain the reality of human trafficking and its repercussions in the Charlotte area. Join in the discussion and learn what to do.

Recommended for adults only. For details, email Martha Schmitt at schmitt.martha@gmail.com.

— Natural Family Planning Introduction and Full Course: 1- 5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 27. Topics include: Effectiveness of modern NFP, health risks of popular contraceptives and what the Church teaches about responsible parenting. Sponsored by Catholic Charities. RSVP to Batrice Adcock, MSN, RN, at 704370-3230.

— Our Lady of the Rosary Prayer Vigil: 6:30 p.m.

Tuesday, Oct. 7. Come pray for peace and an end to violence in the Middle East during evening prayer and a rosary procession around the grounds of the cathedral. For details, call Michelle McNulty at 704996-6411.

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

GREENSBORO

MINT HILL

ST. Mary Church, 812 Duke St. — Parish Picnic: After trilingual Mass at noon. Sunday, Sept. 28. Please bring food typical of your culture.

St. Luke Church, 13700 Lawyers Road — Adult Education Fall Film Festival, “Moving Movies”: 7-9 p.m. Fridays, until Oct. 3. Popcorn and light refreshments available. For details, call Mary Adams at 704-545-1224.

St. Pius X Church, 2210 N. Elm St. — Seasons of Hope, Grief Ministry: 2-4 p.m. Meets for six weeks on Sunday afternoons. Sept. 28-Nov. 2. Anyone mourning the loss of a loved one is encouraged to attend. To register, call the parish office at 336-2724681.

HIGH POINT Immaculate Heart of Mary Church, 4145 Johnson St. — Free Spanish classes: 7-8:30 p.m. Meets on Thursdays until Nov. 6. For details, call Nancy at 336-884-0522.

— Red Cross Blood Drive: 8 a.m.-12:45 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 27, in St. Edward’s Hall. To register, call Robin at 336-885-2596.

— Pro-Life Rosary: 9 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 4, at 819 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.

— Welcome Back Catholics: 7:15 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 15, and will meet once a week for six weeks. People not practicing their Catholic faith and who want to

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MURPHY ST. WILLIAM CHURCH, 765 ANDREWS Road — Cajun Fall Festival: 5-9 p.m. Friday, Oct. 3-Sunday, Oct. 5. Music, games and food will be available. For details, call the parish office at 828-837-2000.

— Grief Support Group: 10:30 a.m. Tuesdays in the conference room. “Embracing Your Grief” should be helpful for those mourning the recent loss of a loved one.

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

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September 26, 2014 | catholicnewsherald.com

OUR PARISHESI

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Charlotte to host ‘Setting the Pace, Changing the Course’

Photos provided by Immaculate Conception Parish

Immaculate Conception parishioner Bob Gray and others spent time handing out rosaries, pamphlets and other information about the Catholic faith during Hendersonville’s Apple Festival, part of a new effort by the parish to evangelize publicly. The St. Paul Street Evangelization team is one of two active in the Diocese of Charlotte.

Taking it to the streets Hendersonville parishioners preach Gospel through public witness Catholic News Herald

HENDERSONVILLE — Parishioners of Immaculate Conception Church are taking to the streets of Hendersonville, in a grassroots effort to share the Gospel message just as the apostles did 2,000 years ago.

The parish has formed a “St. Paul Street Evangelization” team to do as Jesus commanded and preach the Gospel to all nations – taking the Catholic faith to the streets, engaging the secularized culture in a quiet, non-confrontational method of evangelization.

Wearing crucifixes and armed with pamphlets, these parishioners go wherever people gather in the community, answering questions about the Catholic faith, handing out free rosaries, and praying with anyone who asks. Most recently, they spent time evangelizing at Hendersonville’s hugely popular Apple Festival.

Bob Gray, who heads up the group, said the St. Paul Street Evangelization program is one way he has been able to respond to the call of the Holy Spirit in his life.

And it is organized and designed for Catholics of any age and experience to get involved, he said.

“I have always felt a need to make a stand against the secularism and culture of death that we face today, and I had been reading and hearing a lot about the New Evangelization. It seemed to me that evangelization is the way to respond, each in his or her own community.

SPSE seemed to have done its homework, taking a lot of the pain and fear out of starting an effort,” he said.

Hendersonville is the second St. Paul Street Evangelization team active in the Diocese of Charlotte; the other is in Waxhaw. Across the U.S. there are more than 130 St. Paul Street Evangelization teams who have shared the Gospel with more than 10,000 people. More than 1,400 of those have become Catholic or returned to the Church, according to the organization’s website.

The aim of this evangelization effort is only to plant seeds about the faith, in recognition of the fact that

Get involved yourself Start a St. Paul Street Evangelization team in your community. More information is online at www.streetevangelization. com.

At Immaculate Conception Church in Hendersonville, more men, women and teens are welcome to join at any time. Participation is usually in two-hour shifts at various public events. The group meets as needed, presently on Wednesdays at 4:10 in Meeting Room 2. For details, contact Bob Gray at 828-450-1516 or pohickgeezer@morrisbb.net.

the real work of conversion is up to God, Gray notes.

Evangelizers speak about Jesus Christ and the Church’s message of salvation for all, and they particularly focus on their own relationship with Christ and His Church – particularly how their faith has personally affected them.

“Being a revert and the spouse of a convert, and given my many years of turning my back on the Lord, I have seen firsthand how not to live,” Gray said.

“Wanting to right the wrongs I have done and just wanting others to learn from my mistakes, I now have a fervor, a hunger for Jesus, and for bringing others to Him. I have discovered that many people have similar experiences and change of heart, including some in our evangelization team.”

He added that this evangelization effort is not just a particular program designed for only a few people.

“Jesus has called each of us to evangelization. It is a duty that came with our baptism,” he said. “To those whom much is given, much is expected, and we will be held accountable as it says in Ezekiel 34 and in numerous other places in Sacred Scripture.

“Our shepherds prepare us to go out. What we are given, we must share. The priests can’t be everywhere, in our homes, our neighborhoods, at our places of work, out on the street. We have an opportunity and a special relationship with others we come in contact that the priests do not have.”

CHARLOTTE — The Diocese of Charlotte is hosting the 2014 national conference of Catholic Charities USA next month, drawing hundreds of people involved in the charitable work of the Church to Charlotte for four days of discussions, presentations and fellowship.

The Catholic Charities USA 2014 Annual Gathering, being held at the Westin Hotel in uptown Charlotte Oct. 4-7, is the pre-eminent gathering for Catholic Charities professionals, volunteers and partners to advance their work, strategize about poverty reduction and celebrate their shared identity. Attendees will come away with innovative program ideas, templates for future work and new skills to reduce poverty, organizers said. This year’s event will include a number of sessions on immigration reform, food insecurity as well as disaster relief and recovery.

“We’re exceptionally proud to be hosting this national gathering of Catholic Charities professionals,” says Dr. Gerard Carter, executive director of Catholic Charities for the Diocese of Charlotte. “Through this gathering we will be joining with over 500 dedicated workers at Catholic Charities agencies across this country who collectively serve more than 9 million of our poorest neighbors in need.

Smollin “During this time gathered together in Charlotte, we will explore how we can strengthen families, build communities, and reduce poverty.”

Four keynote speakers will be featured at this year’s gathering: Dr. Ruby K. Payne, William Evans, James Sullivan, and Sister Anne Bryan Smollin, SSJ. Dr. Ruby K. Payne is an internationallyknown lecturer, author and poverty expert. Her “Bridges Out of Poverty” model has been adopted at a number of Catholic Charities agencies serving Payne those in need in communities nationwide.

Payne’s keynote address will take place at noon Sunday, Oct. 5.

William Evans and James Sullivan are principal researchers and co-directors of the Lab for Economic Opportunities (LEO), an innovative research center at the University of Notre Dame created in partnership with CCUSA. They will give a joint presentation starting at 8:30 a.m. Monday, Oct. 6.

An international public speaker and author in wellness and spirituality, Sister Anne Bryan Smollin currently serves as the executive director of the Counseling for Laity center in Albany, N.Y. A Sister of St. Joseph, Smollin has a bachelor’s degree in education and a master’s degree in counseling, as well as a doctorate in counseling psychology from Walden University in Naples, Fla. As an educational coordinator for an Albany Consultation Center, Smollin presented parental effectiveness training workshops along the East Coast. She also worked as an adjunct professor for six colleges and institutes, teaching courses on humor as a tool to communicate and as a method in stress management.

Her keynote address will take place at noon Tuesday, Oct. 7.

Father Larry Snyder, the outgoing president of CCUSA, noted, “Many members of the Catholic Charities network work with thousands of clients that face difficult situations daily, and that can sometimes take a toll on them mentally and physically. Sister Anne’s expertise in stress management and spiritual wellness, and entertaining delivery, will be of great benefit to member agency staff who see first-hand the struggles facing people in their communities across the country.”

There will also be seven pre-conference institutes which offer a deeper dive into important issues of finance, development and communications, social enterprise and more.

For more information about the Catholic Charities USA 2014 Annual Gathering, go online to www.2014AnnualGathering.CatholicCharitiesUSA.org or call 703-549-1390.

— SueAnn Howell, senior reporter

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catholicnewsherald.com | September 26, 2014 OUR PARISHES

Asheville abortion facility under construction; prayer vigils under way Patricia L. Guilfoyle Editor

ASHEVILLE — Construction continues on a larger Planned Parenthood abortion facility near Mission Hospital following the closure of western North Carolina’s only abortion provider earlier this year. The new abortion facility will be the first to open in western North Carolina in years, and local pro-life advocates are gearing up for prayer vigils in response.

Raleigh-based Planned Parenthood Health Systems Inc. had planned to move into the 5,300-square-foot facility at 16 McDowell St. this summer, but that timeline has been delayed until probably sometime in December, according to Melissa Reed, Planned Parenthood Health Systems’ vice president of public affairs.

“We were delayed a little bit on getting all the permitting done and we needed to reconfigure some of our architectural drawings and so forth,” Reed said. “We’re excited about it. It’s going to be a beautiful facility.”

Meanwhile, Planned Parenthood’s application to open the Asheville Health Center remains under review by the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), pending an inspection of the new facility by state regulators.

Planned Parenthood hopes the facility, a former OBGYN clinic which it purchased last year and is renovating for $2.6 million, will enable it to “see a higher patient volume and offer an expanded array of services,” it told supporters in its 2013 annual report.

In its application for an abortion clinic license, Planned Parenthood told state health officials that it estimates performing 500 abortions per year there.

The new Asheville location would be the first expansion of abortion services in western North Carolina in years, but Planned Parenthood has had a presence in the city since the 1960s. According to Planned Parenthood Health Systems’ website, Asheville was the site of the first Planned Parenthood affiliate in North Carolina.

In its official announcement last spring, Planned Parenthood touted the purchased building as a step forward from its current rented space just a few blocks away on Biltmore Avenue, adjacent to Mission Hospital.

That location refers women for abortions elsewhere, but does not currently perform chemical or surgical abortions.

In July Planned Parenthood scaled back its operating hours there from every Friday and Saturday to alternating Fridays and Saturdays. The physician listed at its Asheville location is Dr. Jack W. Simmons Jr., who runs a women’s clinic in Charleston, S.C., but also works at Planned Parenthood’s other locations in Winston-Salem, Charlotte, Greensboro and Raleigh.

The medical director for the new facility will be Dr. Katherine Farris, according to the license application.

Farris works at Planned Parenthood’s Winston-Salem location, which is one of two Planned Parenthood Health Systems locations in the state that performs abortions.

From Oct. 1, 2012, to Sept. 30, 2013 (the latest data reported to state regulators), the Winston-Salem facility performed 1,134 abortions – ranking it fourth among the seven abortion mills operating within the area encompassed by the Diocese of Charlotte.

Planned Parenthood Health Systems’ operations span four states, with health centers also operating in South Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia. It is an affiliate of Planned Parenthood Federation of America Inc., the largest abortion provider in the United States founded in 1916 by eugenics proponent Margaret Sanger. According to its latest 2012-2013 annual report, Planned Parenthood clinics nationwide performed 327,166 abortions.

Construction of the new abortion facility in downtown Asheville is being handled by Beverly-Grant Inc., a general contractor that specializes in building medical offices in western North Carolina.

Officials with Beverly-Grant did not respond for comment on the Planned Parenthood project and whether they have received any complaints or protests.

Pat Glass, coordinator of the Respect Life ministry at St. Lawrence Basilica, is among people from several Catholic churches in the Asheville area who have been encouraging prayer vigils outside the future abortion facility, which is located a little more than a mile away from the basilica.

A small group, led by local anti-abortion activist and blogger Meredith “Mick” Hunt, is already meeting each Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the construction site.

Hunt said he is also organizing a vigil for All Saints Day Nov. 1, from 9 a.m. to noon.

Patricia L. Guilfoyle | Catholic News Herald

Construction work on Planned Parenthood Health Systems’ larger facility in Asheville is under way, with the opening delayed until sometime in December. Unlike its current facility, the larger location will offer abortions, and Planned Parenthood told state regulators in its application that it expects to perform 500 abortions per year there.

Glass commended the “steely perseverance” of Hunt and others who have already been praying at the construction site, and echoed the words of Pope Francis: “Every child who, rather than being born, is condemned unjustly to being aborted, bears the face of Jesus Christ.”

Asheville’s only abortion facility, Femcare, closed in June after 29 years in business. Femcare’s owner and sole OB-GYN, Dr. Lorraine M. Cummings, put the building up for sale in March. Earlier this year Cummings and Planned Parenthood announced plans to partner to continue providing abortions following Femcare’s closure, but on Sept. 16 Cummings told the Catholic News Herald that is no longer the case. Cummings did not offer further comment.

Femcare, the only abortion facility operating west of Charlotte, had its license temporarily revoked last year after state health inspectors discovered dirty operating rooms and tattered anesthesia equipment during a surprise inspection. It reopened a few weeks later after state regulators conducted a follow-up inspection and found the problems corrected. It was the third clinic temporarily shut down by state regulators last summer even as North Carolina lawmakers were considering legislation to strengthen regulations governing abortion facilities.

That legislation, passed last summer, called for DHHS to adopt rules to make abortion facilities conform to stricter safety standards similar to that of outpatient surgery centers – the first regulatory overhaul for abortion facilities since 1994.

Since the legislation took effect Oct. 1, 2013, DHHS staff have been reviewing current rules for abortion facilities and outpatient surgery centers. A year later, DHHS staff

More online At www.catholicnewsherald.com: Read more about the chronic violators of abortion clinic regulations, learn more about the work being done behind the scenes to revise those rules, and see a map of the abortion mills located in western North Carolina

have yet to finish drafting new rules or to present any proposals for legislative review or public comment.

DHHS spokesman Kevin Howell said work on the new rules is “ongoing,” but mentioned no specific timetable on when they might be announced.

One of six consultants helping DHHS to revise the abortion facility rules is the medical director of A Preferred Women’s Health Center in Charlotte. The busiest of Charlotte’s three abortion mills, A Preferred Women’s Health Center has a history of health code violations: DHHS has documented more than 40 problems there at least six different times over the past 14 years.

Until last summer, it was the only abortion facility ever shut down, albeit only temporarily, by state regulators in the past two decades.

Reed noted that the future Planned Parenthood Asheville Health Center is being designed to meet the standards for outpatient surgery centers, in anticipation of the impending regulatory changes for abortion facilities.

September 26, 2014 | catholicnewsherald.com

OUR PARISHESI

7

MiraVia fundraiser set for Oct. 23 Features EWTN journalist Raymond Arroyo

Photo provided by John and Jo Ann VanCamp and Liliana Salas

Parishioners of St. Matthew Church in Charlotte formed a “Life Chain” along Ballantyne Commons Parkway to mark Respect Life Sunday last October. The Life Chain is a powerful witness to life, and the faithful gathered to pray that the seeds planted in people’s hearts will blossom into a culture that values all human beings from conception to natural death.

Vicki Dorsey, Catholic News Herald

People from many local churches joined parishioners of St. Mary, Mother of God Church in Sylva last October for the community’s ninth annual Life Chain.

Join hands and pray for life Faithful across the Diocese of Charlotte are encouraged gather on Sunday, Oct. 5, to kick off Respect Life Month and form “Life Chains” as a public witness for the dignity of all human life, from conception to natural death.

Life Chains are being organized in the following communities:

BELMONT North Main Street at North Central Avenue, 2:454 p.m.; Seth Dobson, 704-293-7741

BREVARD Broad Street at Main Street, 2-3 p.m.; Janice Castevens, 828-883-4811

CHARLOTTE Arboretum - Providence Road at Windbluff Drive, 12:30-1:30 p.m.; Susan Lerch, 704-907-3076 Ballantyne Commons Parkway at Rea Road, 2-3 p.m.; Liliana Salas, 704-293-5001 East Boulevard at Buchanan Street, 2-3 p.m.; Tina Witt, 704-846-7361 Pineville-Matthews Road (Hwy. 51) at Rea Road, 2-4 p.m.; Deborah Ware, 704-650-6095 Hillside Avenue at Park Road, 2-3 p.m.; Mary Beth Richardson, 704-595-7974 Park Road at Old Reid Road at St. Vincent de Paul Church, 12:45-1:45 p.m.; Susan Collis, 704-5547088

FRANKLIN 299 Maple Street at St. Francis of Assisi Church, 3-4 p.m.; Julie Tastinger, 828-421-2473

GASTONIA Franklin Boulevard at Cox Road, 2-3 p.m.; Linda Mooney, 704-589-3930

GREENSBORO Battleground Avenue from Westridge Road to Elam, 2:30-3:30 p.m.; Bernie and Elaine McHale,

336-292-1118

HENDERSONVILLE

MT. HOLLY Mt. Holly-Huntersville Road at Rozzelles Ferry Road, 5:30-7 p.m.; Brian Taule, 704-394-6181

U.S. 25 (Asheville Highway) at Patton Park (Clairmont Drive), 2-3 p.m.; Sharon Asbury, 828697-6188 Hwy. 64 at Howard Gap Road, 2-3 p.m.; Sue Kuchler, 828-692-0170

MURPHY

HICKORY

SALISBURY

Hwy. 70 at 16th Street South East, 2:30-3:30 p.m.; Mark Welsh, 828-352-9305

Main Street at Innes Street, 2-3 p.m.; Barbara Franklin, 704-636-2117

HUNTERSVILLE

SHELBY

Stumptown Road at Ranson Road, 2-3 p.m.; Dexter and Mary Louise Koehl, 704-894-9420

Gidney Street at Dekalb Street, in the lower lot of Bethel Baptist Church, 2:30-3:30 p.m.; Ingeborg Collins

KANNAPOLIS

Peachtree Street, in front of the courthouse, 2-3 p.m.; Nancy Lorie, 305-978-0724

Cannon Boulevard (Hwy. 29) at First Street, near the overpass, 2-3:30 p.m.; Timothy Brennan, 704938-7393

SPARTA

KERNERSVILLE

STATESVILLE

600 Main Street at Cherry Street, 9:30-10:30 a.m.; Melanie Feeney Lewis, 336-996-5109

Glenway Drive at Crossroads, 2-3:30 p.m.; Geraldine Houston, 704-902-7018

LINCOLNTON

SYLVA/JACKSON COUNTY

East Main Street at Hwy. 321 Business, 2-3:30 p.m.; Alan Hoyle, 704-732-3011

Main Street at the old courthouse, 2:30-3:30 p.m.; David and Allene Ramsey, 828-586-8822

MINT HILL

THOMASVILLE

13700 Lawyers Road at I-485, 12:30-1:30 p.m.; Joe Vrendenberg, 704-545-1224

Southgate Shopping Center, 2:30-3:30 p.m.; Yvonne Ford, 336-301-9891

MOCKSVILLE

WAYNESVILLE/HAYWOOD COUNTY

Hwy. 601/Valley Road at Yadkinville Road, 2-3 p.m.; David Taylor, 336-751-2973

Walnut Street at Russ Avenue, 2:30-3:30 p.m.; Cynthia Hall, 828-926-9706

MOORESVILLE

WINSTON-SALEM

Hwy. 150 at Williamson Road, 2-3:30 p.m.; Terri Geraci, 704-493-8439 Iredell Avenue at East Statesville Avenue, 2:303:30 p.m.; Pastor Bill Tietje 704-664-0724

Hanes Mall Boulevard, west of Stratford Road, 2-3:30 p.m.; Lori Bowser, 336-655-9479

Main Street at Hwy. 18, 2:30-3:30 p.m.; Marie Carlson, 336-657-8013

For details about the Life Chain events, go online to www.lifechain.net.

CHARLOTTE — For two decades MiraVia, formerly known as Room at the Inn in Charlotte, has been supporting pregnant mothers and their children.

This year’s fundraising Arroyo banquet on Thursday, Oct. 23, will celebrate Miravia’s 20th anniversary and is entitled “Twenty Years of Life, Love, and Service.”

This year’s speaker will be Raymond Arroyo, awardwinning 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, all along the way integrating 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 world each week.

Committed to life and social justice, he is an inspiring speaker and an astute student of our times.

The evening begins with check-in at 5:30 p.m. at the Crown Ballroom of the Charlotte Convention Center (located in the NASCAR Hall of Fame building).

Reservations are free but required and must be made

by Oct. 10. Attendees will have an opportunity to make a donation to the ministry at the end of the evening.

To make a reservation, go to www.miraviabanquet20. eventbrite.com or call 704-525-4673, ext. 10. Email Mary Paul Forsyth at marypaulforsyth@mira-via. org for more information.

— SueAnn Howell, senior reporter

8

catholicnewsherald.com | September 26, 2014 OUR PARISHES

‘These 40 years have been a great 40 years and I don’t regret any of them.’

— Monsignor John J. McSweeney

photo provided by the Charlotte Observer

(Above) Bishop Michael J. Begley embraces then Father John McSweeney at his ordination Mass in 1974.

(At left) Monsignor McSweeney prays over Father Paul Buchanan, later named parochial vicar at St. Matthew Church, at the ordination Mass this past June.

Patricia L. guilfoyle | catholic news herald

First priest ordained for the Charlotte diocese celebrates milestone anniversary SueAnn Howell Senior reporter

CHARLOTTE — Forty years ago on Sept.

29, 1974, the Feast of the Archangels, the new Diocese of Charlotte ordained its first priest, Father John J. McSweeney. The ordination Mass at St. Gabriel Church in Charlotte was celebrated by the diocese’s first bishop, Bishop Michael J. Begley.

It was a special moment for them both, as the two had a father-son-type relationship, Monsignor McSweeney recalls.

Because of his distinction as the first priest ordained for the diocese and his close connection to its development over the past 40 years, Monsignor McSweeney is perhaps one of the few pioneers of the diocese who understands first-hand the transformation of this former mission territory into the vibrant diocese it is today.

“It was the new diocese beginning, and I had the privilege of being the first guy being ordained for service in the Diocese of Charlotte,” the 72-year-old priest says.

He admits he was a bit scared on his ordination day. “It was funny because the bishop didn’t really know what he was doing. He had never ordained anyone, and I had never been ordained.”

He remembers both Monsignor Joseph Showfety, the diocese’s first chancellor, and Father Frank O’Rourke, now pastor of St. Gabriel Church, being extremely helpful that day.

“Frank O’Rourke (then a seminarian) knew all the ceremonies inside and out. He put together the book that Bishop Begley used at my ordination. He literally typed it, because at that time in history the liturgy was being changed. He was an integral

part of the ordination that was held at St. Gabriel.”

Monsignor McSweeney says it was no accident his ordination was held at that particular parish on the Feast of Sts. Michael, Gabriel and Rafael, the Archangels. “Bishop Michael Begley ordained me at St. Gabriel (in the old church), where I was a deacon.”

Monsignor Showfety, now retired, served as master of ceremonies for Bishop Begley that day. “It was a beautiful ceremony,” he remembers.

Father O’Rourke also recalls, “Almost every priest of the diocese was there and the Sisters of Mercy and many school children from all over were there. It was very beautiful coming together as a faith community. Bishop Begley had a very warm, caring, inclusive way about him, and everybody felt part of something bigger than themselves that day.”

Both Monsignor Showfety and Father O’Rourke acknowledge Monsignor McSweeney’s work for the diocese over the years.

A New York native and graduate of The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., Monsignor McSweeney has pastored 12 churches in the diocese. He served as diocesan vocation director and director of planning and development, and then as vicar general and chancellor for eight years for Bishop John F. Donoghue.

Then, prior to Bishop William G. Curlin’s appointment as the third Bishop of Charlotte, McSweeney served as diocesan administrator and later as Bishop Curlin’s vicar general and chancellor.

After spending a year in the U.S. Virgin Islands serving as pastor of Sts.

Peter and Paul Cathedral in St. Thomas, Monsignor McSweeney returned to the diocese to shepherd St. Lawrence Basilica in Asheville in 1996. Then in 1999, he was appointed pastor of St. Matthew Church.

Now, 15 years later, St. Matthew is the largest parish in the diocese and one of the largest in the United States, with 9,623 registered families.

“He has worked very hard and has done very well,” Monsignor Showfety notes. “He has done work that people on the outside may not know. He has done so much for the diocese over the years.”

“I think John has a lot of confidence in himself and others and finds great satisfaction in calling forth from other people their gifts, and he does that as a man of faith,” Father O’Rourke says. “He is very inclusive in his understanding of ‘church,’ and invites others to find meaning in their lives through that.”

On Sept. 29, Monsignor McSweeney will celebrate his 40th anniversary by offering Mass in honor of the sacraments of holy orders and holy matrimony. He has invited all couples at St. Matthew celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary to attend the Mass.

“We have many couples who are celebrating their 40th anniversaries. My goal is to recognize the couples celebrating marriage, and the holy priesthood. So I am going to ask them to renew their vows (at Mass), and I am going to renew my vows.”

Parish Council Chairman Mark Schuler will ask him the same questions Bishop Begley asked him 40 years ago, he says.

“The reason I am doing that is for the recognition of the baptismal commitment of everyone,” he notes.

Reflecting on his 40 years of priesthood, Monsignor McSweeney shares his thoughts on his priestly ministry.

“My motto of priesthood has always been servant leadership. These 40 years have been a great 40 years and I don’t regret any of them. I don’t. I haven’t always liked what I’ve had to do, but I don’t regret it as far as being in the priesthood. Like married couples, I have been through the ups and downs of life in my vocation.”

“I’ve watched (the diocese’s) growth in many different ways. My emphasis has always been the spiritual growth of adults.

I am also impressed with the international sense of our diocese – that we have people now, Catholic people, from all over the world.

“We have that sense of mercy, compassion and hospitality here. That is my philosophy as a priest, and that is what this parish represents.”

The whole parish is invited to the anniversary Mass at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Sept. 29, with a reception afterwards at the church, located at 8015 Ballantyne Commons Pkwy.

Also celebrating a milestone Another priest celebrating 40 years of priesthood this month is Jesuit Father Pat Earl, pastor of St. Peter Church in Charlotte.

September 26, 2014 | catholicnewsherald.com

OUR PARISHESI

9

O’Connell family history runs deep in the Carolinas, Irish historian explains Mike FitzGerald Correspondent

BELMONT — The establishment of Catholicism in the Carolinas has its roots in the English occupation of Ireland and its subsequent persecution of Irish Catholics, noted historian John O’Connell who spoke at Belmont Abbey College Sept. 15 for its Irish History lecture series.

O’Connell, a lifelong resident of Donoughmore in County Cork, Ireland, is chairman of the Donoughmore Historical Society in County Cork and a contributor to the bestselling book “Atlas of the Great Irish Famine.” He is also related to Father Jeremiah O’Connell, who ministered to the Charlotte area in the mid-1800s and purchased the land that later became Belmont Abbey Monastery and Belmont Abbey College.

O’Connell’s talk, “The Connells, from Donoughmore to the Carolinas: A Colonial Experience” traced the Connell/ O’Connell family from its origins in Donoughmore to settlement in the Carolinas in the 19th century. It began in the 12th century when England’s colonization of Ireland fostered demonization of the Irish. “For the English, the Irish became the richest and most enduring source of demonization,” O’Connell noted in his talk. Antipathy toward the Irish grew when England broke away from the Catholic Church in the 16th century and the country began a persecution of Catholics that continued for the next 300 years.

The story of the Carolinas’ O’Connell family began with Patrick O’Connell, who was born in Donoughmore, Cork, in 1783. He later married Ann Wray and they had seven children, including Jeremiah O’Connell. Although it was still suppressed at that time, the Catholic faith was an important influence in Patrick O’Connell’s family: three of his sons, including Jeremiah, became priests and two of his daughters joined the Sisters of Mercy.

Charleston, S.C., Bishop John England, also a Cork native, was instrumental in bringing the O’Connell family to the United States when he invited Father Jeremiah O’Connell to become a priest in his diocese in 1840. By 1848, the ravages of the Irish famine and persecution forced the rest of Patrick O’Connell’s family to immigrate to the

Mike FitzGerald | Catholic News Herald

John O’Connell and Belmont Abbey College history professor Dr. Patrick Wadden are pictured with local members of the Ancient Order of Hibernians after O’Connell’s talk on the history of his family in North Carolina Sept. 15.

Carolinas. They arrived in Savannah and later helped Father Jeremiah O’Connell establish two Catholic schools in Columbia, S.C., O’Connell noted in his talk.

By 1871 Father Jeremiah O’Connell moved to North Carolina, where his brother Father J.P. O’Connell served as pastor of the now inactive St. Joseph Parish in Mount Holly (now called Old St. Joseph’s). In 1872 Father Jeremiah O’Connell bought more than 100 acres nearby in what would become Belmont, then donated it to the Benedictines of St. Vincent Archabbey in Pennsylvania.

Benedictine monks arrived in 1876 and founded Belmont Abbey.

When Father Jeremiah O’Connell died in 1894, the O’Connell legacy continued as his nephew Denis O’Connell became a priest and eventually served as the bishop of Richmond, Va., from 1912 to 1926. In his talk O’Connell said he could not identify any current descendants of his family in the Carolinas, but their contributions can still be seen today through the continued growth of Catholicism in the Carolinas.

Photo provided by Belmont Abbey College

Former ambassador decries erosion of religious freedom protections

RICO DE SILVA | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

OLC honors Ladies Rosary Society’s founding member CHARLOTTE — Alberta Lewis, a member of Our Lady of Consolation Church in Charlotte, was honored for her service as a founding member of the parish’s Ladies Rosary Society during Mass Sept. 14. The Ladies Rosary Society was founded in 1943, and Lewis is the only surviving member of the group. The Rosary Society makes rosaries and organizes an annual parish dinner with proceeds going to help Our Lady of Consolation’s needy. Three other members of the Ladies Rosary Society were also recognized for their service during the event: Marie Scott, Virginia Williamson and Wilhelmina Wright.

Fitzmore Duncan was also recognized for his volunteer service on behalf of the Ladies Rosary Society since 2008.

BELMONT — The Honorable Dr. Mary Ann Glendon delivered the annual Cuthbert Allen Lecture Sept. 16 at Belmont Abbey College. Glendon is the Learned Hand Professor of Law at Harvard University and a former U.S. ambassador to the Holy See. Her talk, entitled “Religious Liberty Under Siege,” was held at Belmont Abbey’s Mary Help of Christians Basilica.

Glendon argued that commitment to religious liberty is weakening both internationally and domestically. This “first of freedoms” is in serious danger of becoming a second-class right, too easily trumped by other rights, claims and interests in the West and too often violently attacked in other parts of the world. She noted that religious freedom protections are continuing to erode particularly in Western nations including the U.S. She observed the U.S. court system will face increasingly sharp conflicts in cases that pit religious rights against other rights. Ultimately, she said, religious freedom will depend on believers’ ability to generate interest in the problem. Glendon also briefly noted Belmont Abbey College’s own role in this battle as it took legal steps to preserve its own religious freedom against the HHS contraception mandate.

Glendon now serves on the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom and writes and teaches in the fields of human rights, law and political theory. Her widely published works include “The Forum and the Tower,” “Traditions in Turmoil,” “A World Made New: Eleanor Roosevelt and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,” “A Nation Under Lawyers” and “Rights Talk.”

— Mike FitzGerald, correspondent

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catholicnewsherald.com | September 26, 2014 OUR PARISHES

For the latest news 24/7: catholicnewsherald.com

In Brief Annual Red Mass an invitation to pray for those working in the justice system CHARLOTTE — Join Bishop Peter J. Jugis and members of the legal and law enforcement communities as they celebrate the 12th annual Red Mass at 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 2, at St. Patrick Cathedral in Charlotte.

The Red Mass is celebrated annually throughout the United States in conjunction with the opening session of the U.S. Supreme Court. This special Mass gives all attending members of the legal community, including judges, attorneys, government officials and law enforcement, the opportunity to reflect on the God-given responsibilities of their profession.

All are welcome to attend.

The first recorded Red Mass, a special Mass for members of the legal profession, was celebrated in Paris in 1245. For many centuries it was held in the chapel of the Order of Advocates, La Sainte Chapelle. In certain localities of France, the Red Mass was celebrated in honor of St. Ives, the patron saint of lawyers.

In England, the tradition began around 1310 during the reign of King Edward II. The entire Bench and the Bar attended the Red Mass at the opening of each term of court. The priests and the judges of the High Court wore red robes; thus, the Eucharistic celebration became popularly known as the Red Mass.

In keeping with our country’s rich tradition

of religious freedom and diversity, the Red Mass has continued in the United States. The first Red Mass was held at Sts. Peter and Paul Church in Detroit in 1877. Each year in Washington, D.C., the members of the Supreme Court join the president and members of Congress in the celebration of the Red Mass.

The Red Mass will be followed by a reception in the St. Patrick Cathedral Family Life Center.

No RSVP is needed for the Red Mass, but anyone wishing to attend the award banquet needs to RSVP in advance. For more information about the St. Thomas More Society for legal and law enforcement professionals, or to RSVP, contact Michael Hoefling at mhoefling@jahlaw.com or call 704-998-2205.

— SueAnn Howell, senior reporter

confidential documents shredded and recycled and help raise money for energy efficiency projects and environmental stewardship, during a Community Shredding Event Fundraiser being held from 9 to 11:30 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 27, in the parking lot of St. Mark Church, 14740 Stumptown Road. Thanks to event partner PROSHRED Security, your documents will be shredded in a mobile shredding truck while you watch. Paper items only, though paper clips and staples are OK. Donations of $5 to $10 per file size box of paper is requested.

This event is sponsored by the Charlotte Region Catholic Environmental Advisory Council, which includes representatives from five Charlotte region parishes, Catholic Charities Diocese of Charlotte and the Sisters of Mercy.

St. Peter Church hosts human trafficking forum

New youth ministers take the helm CHARLOTTE — Several parishes in the diocese welcomed youth ministers this summer. The new parish staff members include: recent Franciscan University graduate Meg VanGoethem, who will serve as coordinator of youth and young adult ministries at St. John Neumann Church in Charlotte; former seminarian Brian Kaup, who will serve as coordinator of high school ministry at St. Mark Church in Huntersville; and Mark Bartholet, formerly of St. Peter Church in Charlotte, who will now serve as the coordinator of LifeTeen high school youth ministry at St. Matthew Church in Charlotte.

— SueAnn Howell, senior reporter

Shredding event to benefit environmental projects HUNTERSVILLE — Have your personal and

CHARLOTTE — Carla Tweedale of Lily Pad Haven will explain the reality of human trafficking and its repercussions in the Charlotte area on Sunday, Sept. 28, at St. Peter Church in Charlotte. This adults-only presentation will be held from 10:15 to 11:15 a.m. in Benedict Hall (new second floor North meeting area). All are welcome to join in the discussion. For details, email Martha Schmitt at schmitt.martha@gmail.com.

Our Lady of the Rosary prayer vigil planned CHARLOTTE — Everyone is invited to pray for peace and an end to the violence around the world, especially in the Middle East, during a special Evening Prayer and candlelight rosary procession around St. Patrick Cathedral campus at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 7, the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary.

Sacred Heart Parish raises the flag SALISBURY — Since moving to their new campus in 2009, Sacred Heart Church and School have been working to build a flag pole park in front of the church so that they could fly the American Flag, the North Carolina Flag and the Vatican City Flag. Thanks to the parish’s Fund A Need Campaign, Taylor Clay Products, Mid-Carolina Electrical, Central Piedmont Builders, Wooten Irrigation, and many more supporters, the project is nearly finished.

The official dedication is set for Oct. 23, but the school flew the American Flag on Sept. 11 in memory of those who lost their lives in the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

— Robin Fisher BRIEFS, SEE page 11

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Our Lady of the Assumption Catholic School (PK-8) 4225 Shamrock Drive • Charlotte St. Ann Catholic School (TK,PK-5) 600 Hillside Avenue • Charlotte St. Gabriel Catholic School (K-5) 3028 Providence Road • Charlotte

St. Mark Catholic School (K-8) 14750 Stumptown Road • Huntersville St. Matthew Catholic School (TK-5) 11525 Elm Lane • Charlotte St. Patrick Catholic School (K-5) 1125 Buchanan Street • Charlotte

Holy Trinity Catholic Middle School (6-8) 3100 Park Road • Charlotte

Charlotte Catholic High School 7702 Pineville-Matthews Road • Charlotte Christ the King Catholic High School 2011 Crusader Way • Huntersville

MACS admits students of any race, color, sex, religion and national or ethnic origin.

For more information visit: www.MACSOpenHouses.com/nh or call Admissions: 704-370-3273

September 26, 2014 | catholicnewsherald.com

BRIEFS:

starting at 8:30 a.m. All are welcome to attend.

The First Saturday devotion started after the Blessed Virgin Mary asked that Five First Saturdays be offered in reparation to her Immaculate Heart and became more widespread after her appearance at Fatima in 1917. Her promise for this devotion is to assist at the moment of each person’s hour of death.

— Mike FitzGerald, correspondent

FROM PAGE 10

Emily Sevier, Immaculate Conception parish’s youth minister. Capuchin Franciscan Father Namdev Dagam, parochial vicar of Immaculate Conception Church, also took part, hearing confessions all day at the youth conference.

— Pam Temby

OUR PARISHESI

11

of Charlotte will host its annual Lebanese Festival on Saturday, Sept. 27, at St. Matthew Church in Charlotte. The festivities will run from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. and will feature Lebanese music and entertainment, as well as Lebanese food and sweets. St. Matthew Church is located at 8015 Ballantyne Commons Pkwy. For details, email abouna@mmocnc.org.

Tran receives SJN scholarship Hendersonville teens attend Steubenville conference First Saturday MEF offered CHARLOTTE — Father Jason Christian offered a special First Saturday Mass in the Extraordinary Form devoted to the Immaculate Heart of Mary Sept. 6 at St. Thomas Aquinas Church. The Charlotte Latin Mass Community has been praying to have this First Saturday devotion regularly offered in the Extraordinary Form and this devotional Mass will now be offered at St. Thomas Aquinas Church each First Saturday in the Extraordinary Form,

HENDERSONVILLE — Sixty teens from Immaculate Conception Church’s youth group in Hendersonville recently attended the Steubenville Atlanta Youth Conference, where they heard a variety of inspirational speakers and musicians during the weekendlong event. Organized by Franciscan University in Steubenville, Ohio, and Life Teen Inc., the conference aimed to inspire teens to grow in their faith by introducing them to messages from the Gospel. The event also gave them opportunities for prayer and fellowship.

Participants were given time to reflect on their personal relationship with God, said

CHARLOTTE — St. John Neumann Parish’s fifth annual Jordan Michael Horeth Scholarship was recently presented to Kevin Michael Tran, who is now attending Wake Forest University.

Kevin has been a member of the parish’s faith formation program, youth group and youth council. A goal of his is “to lead a life where I find happiness in my honesty to myself, my trust in God, and my service to His children.”

The award was presented by his family and Father Pat Hoare, pastor. Pictured are (from left): Madison Gregory, Kyleigh Gregory, Karen Horeth, Mike Horeth, Tran and Father Hoare.

CAC helps out HUNTERSVILLE — Catholic Athletes for Christ (CAC), one of the youth groups at St. Mark Parish, recently made sandwiches for Urban Ministries.

— Craig Gaitan

Lebanese festival coming up Sept. 27 CHARLOTTE — The Maronite Catholic Mission

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

St. Matthew Catholic Church 5th Annual Divine Mercy Day of Healing

Mercy In Action Under the Maternal Guidance of Mary ~St. John Paul II

October 4, 2014 9 am to 3 pm

REGISTRATION Name Address City ST Zip Phone Email Parish Additional attendees: Name Name Cost: $35 per person; $25 for students and seniors Checks payable to St. Matthew Catholic Church (Memo: Mercy in Action) may be dropped off at 8015 Ballantyne Commons Pkwy., or mailed to PO Box 49349, Charlotte, NC, 28277.

(704-543-7677)

Come Be Refreshed at the Font of His Mercy 9:00 10:15 10:45 11:45

Pastor Msgr. John J. McSweeney Celebrant

Fr. Mark Baron, MIC Novice Master Mother of Mercy

Jeannie Wray, Executive Director MiraVia Fostering Life

Dr. Grattan Brown, STD Belmont Abbey College When There is No Cure

am am am am

Mass, Anointing of the Sick, Chaplet Continental breakfast Symposium Box lunch provided

Download brochure at www.stmatthewcatholic.org.

Jesus, I Trust in You

12

iiiSeptember 26, 2014 | catholicnewsherald.com

FROM TH

Faith renewed

Bill Washington | Catholic News Herald

Bishop Peter J. Jugis (center) processes in front of the Blessed Sacrament during the Eucharistic Procession Sept. 20 in uptown Charlotte. More than 13,000 people attended the 10th annual Eucharistic Congress held at the Charlotte Convention Center.

At Eucharistic Congress, Catholics encouraged to be like the Apostles, don’t let faith get ‘watered down’ Catholic News Herald

CHARLOTTE — “A Catholic without the Eucharist will not remain a strong Catholic for long.”

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

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

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

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

We should remember that we go to Mass to receive the Eucharist, “to be fed by Jesus on His Body and Blood,” Bishop Jugis said.

“So take a moment to ask yourself: Why do you go to Mass?”

He continued, “You need the Eucharist.

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

We cannot live as “watered down

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

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

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

The Eucharist helps give each of us a new heart, strengthening us on our spiritual journey and enabling us to love CONGRESS, SEE page 14

Get more online!

The 10th annual Eucharistic Congress was the biggest ever, and the Catholic News Herald has lots more coverage online: At www.goeucharist.tumblr.com: Relive the Eucharistic Congress through quotes, photos and videos At www.catholicnewsherald.com: Read full stories and see hundreds of photos from all aspects of the two-day event At www.youtube.com/ DioceseofCharlotte: See the complete video of the Eucharistic Procession from its start at St. Peter Church to the Charlotte Convention Center At www.facebook.com/ CatholicNewsHerald: Were you at the first Eucharistic Congress 10 years ago? What did you think of this year’s Congress? Share your thoughts and memories with fellow readers on Facebook.

HE COVER

September 26, 2014 | catholicnewsherald.comiii

BEHOLD, I MAKE ALL THINGS NEW

(Above) Bishop Peter Jugis greets youth in the K-5 track Sept.

20. (Right and below) Other scenes from the Eucharistic procession to the Charlotte Convention Center and educational tracks held on Saturday showcase the community of faith in the Diocese of Charlotte.

Engaging faith-filled music, fellowship and Eucharistic Adoration were key elements at this year’s Eucharistic Congress, the 10th such event for the Diocese of Charlotte.

Photos by SueAnn Howell, Sergio Lopez, Doreen Sugierski and Bill Washington | Catholic News Herald

Rev. 21:5

13

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catholicnewsherald.com | September 26, 2014 FROM THE COVER

BEHOLD, I MAKE ALL THINGS NEW

Rev. 21:5

CONGRESS: FROM PAGE 12

one another, he said. It also makes it possible for us to share Jesus’ Gospel message, to be the light of Christ in this darkened world.

“You need the grace and the power of the Eucharist to be made new and refreshed for your mission as Christian disciples. You can never afford to be without the sacrament of the Eucharist,” he emphasized.

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

Cardinal O’Brien spoke following the Sept. 19 sacred music concert that traditionally opens the annual Eucharistic Congress. He recalled Jesus’ life and the perceptible hints of His divinity during the time of His earthly ministry, complementing His words and bolstering the faith of those who believed.

“Before the words of consecration, there is simply bread and wine,” he said. “After the words of consecration, all the senses attest that only bread and wine remain. No proof did Jesus offer of what He said about that bread and wine at the Last Supper – no supporting proofs or evidences of His divinity similar to those He had provided earlier through His many miracles.

“Then as now, only faith justifies us receiving the bread and wine not as the bread and wine but as He insisted: ‘This is My Body. This is My Blood. Here on the altar My Body is real food, My Blood real drink. Only if you eat this food and drink this drink will you have life in you.’”

Cardinal O’Brien noted that for some followers of Jesus this was too much, and many walked away. But others remained, saying, “Lord, You have the words of everlasting life, to whom else should we go?”

We are all called to exercise that same confident faith, he said.

“Ours is a call to a mono-maniacally consuming vocation. There is a single standard of holiness for all of us: the uncompromised and uncompromising following of Jesus.”

The beauty, goodness and truth of the Eucharist are what attract people to Jesus, Cardinal O’Brien noted, and we must not let ourselves become numb to our faith’s profound truths.

At every Mass we should visualize ourselves “at that holy Cenacle, in that Upper Room,” he said, placing ourselves alongside the Apostles during the Last Supper in Jerusalem so long ago.

During the Congress’ Holy Hour Sept. 20, Archbishop Kurtz also harkened back to the Apostles, preaching that our faith in Jesus must be as resolute as that of His first disciples.

Just as the Apostles’ faith in Jesus remained steadfast despite being rocked by persecution and tumult in their times, our faith should be no less certain in the face of today’s challenges to our faith, our families and the Church itself, Archbishop Kurtz said.

Peter and the other Apostles experienced the safe “harbor” of Jesus when a storm blew up around them out on the Sea of Galilee, Archbishop Kurtz noted, referring to the familiar Gospel narrative.

Jesus calmed the storm, reassuring His disciples. And although Peter later denied even knowing Jesus three times during His Passion, Peter ultimately confessed to the Lord that he loved Him, when the Risen Jesus asked him three times if he would love Him and feed His sheep.

“The presence and encounter with Jesus changed Peter once and for all and forever – the kind of thing we hope will occur with us in the presence of Jesus today,” Archbishop Kurtz said, pointing to the Blessed Sacrament on the altar near him.

Jesus got into Peter’s boat, and Peter was never the same again.

Similarly, he said, “We are in the boat and Jesus is in the boat with us.” All the problems of this world “cannot sink the boat of Jesus.

What are we to fear?”

Jesus is “our anchor, our rudder, our lighthouse our lifeboat, and, yes, our harbor,” he said. Jesus, he reassured, “is in His Church and with His Church and He continues to calm the storms of our lives.”

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

“It was awesome to see all the churches out there representing their church and at the same time being united as one Catholic faith,” said Sharon Theriot of St. Mark Church Huntersville, who walked for the first time in the Eucharistic Procession.

“My favorite part is to see how many Catholics gather every year just for Jesus, and to see when Bishop Jugis brings the Eucharist into the Holy Hour. It just overjoys me as well,” said Libby White, who attended the Congress for the second time. “We walked in the procession. It was really nice. It was so lovely that everyone was united together for Christ.”

“I could have gone to work, but I chose to come here. It’s really important to me to teach my kids to learn about the faith and meet fellow parishioners,” said Heatha Snell, a St. Thomas Aquinas parishioner and first-time Eucharistic Congress attendee.

“It’s very uplifting spiritually. Just to see all these people is humbling, that so many people from so many different places can come together to do one thing – to honor God,” said Joseph Kakhu from St. Mary Church in Greensboro.

(At top) Bishop Peter J. Jugis elevates the Host during the closing Mass.

(Above) Dominican Sister Joseph Andrew exudes joy during her time with the teens in the high school track. The Knights of Columbus process in full regalia.

There was a long, steady line of people seeking the sacrament of reconciliation throughout the day. Confession followed

by Eucharistic Adoration are among the most popular aspects of the two-day Congress.

(Above) A young woman prays before the Blessed Sacrament in the Adoration chapel during the Congress Sept. 20. (At right) Priests and deacons of the diocese pray during the Holy Hour. Bishop Jugis poses for a “selfie” with a youth inside the convention center.

September 26, 2014 | catholicnewsherald.com

15

Father Mark Lawlor

San Vicente de Paul, patrono de las obras caritativas

E Doreen Sugierski | Catholic News Herald

Congreso Eucarístico trae bendiciones a muchos Sergio López Corresponsal

CHARLOTTE — “Un Católico sin Eucaristía no podrá permanecer siendo un católico fuerte por siempre.”

Fue la frase inicial que nuestro Obispo Pedro Jugis, usaría en su homilía de la Celebración Eucarística de este Décimo Congreso Eucarístico de la Diócesis de Charlotte, enfatizando que nosotros como católicos debemos mantenernos enfocados en Cristo, y así, ir renovando nuestro llamado bautismal, el de llevar el mensaje del evangelio a todo el mundo.

Este año el tema de nuestro congreso: “He aquí, yo hago nuevas todas las cosas” (Apo 21.5).

Los que han experimentado el Congreso Eucarístico se dieron cuenta de que, efectivamente, Jesús siempre está haciendo cosas nuevas, ya que cada año las comunidades parroquiales de toda la Diócesis de Charlotte siguen creciendo. El Congreso Eucarístico anual ha atraído el interés de muchos católicos que a menudo no eran conscientes de estos eventos, así que es agradable cuando ves sus rostros atónitos y asombrados por lo que habían estado desaparecidos. Personalmente, en mi parroquia, Divino Redentor de Boonville, había muchas personas que nunca habían logrado asistir al Congreso Eucarístico. Ver a estos nuevos asistentes al Congreso de este año me llenó de gran alegría, sobre todo porque yo era uno de los coordinadores de mi parroquia de transporte y la formación durante la Procesión Eucarística. He participado en este Congreso anual durante los últimos siete años, y me recuerdo haber asistido a mi primer Congreso en el 2007, gracias a la gran bendición de nuestro Señor

Jesucristo, que hace nuevas todas las cosas, aproximadamente 300 personas asistieron al Congreso Eucarístico de este año.

Lo bonito y reconfortante es ver el rostro de todas aquellas personas que fueron por primera vez, el cambio que ha surgido dentro de sus corazones, y lo más importante, muchos de ellos se reencontraron con nuestro Señor Jesucristo, y su reencuentro con la comunión, ver los frutos de estos hermanos y las ganas de seguir perseverando en la fe, me llevan a pensar que este “Encuentro Eucarístico” es y será una gran oportunidad para evangelizar, por eso hay que seguir apoyando el Congreso anual, así como su difusión: Con energía y con orgullo.

En la conferencia en español donde abrió Padre Ángel Espinoza de los Monteros, la gente estaba muy atenta e interesada en sus temas: “Es hora de volver a Dios” y “¿Educas y formas o solo domesticas?” fue una plática muy amena, donde todos la pasamos muy bien, y aprendimos mucho.

Después toco el turno de Padre Ernesto María Caro, con su tema: “Una evangelización activa para el nuevo milenio” también un tema muy ameno, y su muestra de uno es lo que come, la verdad muy amena su plática.

Felicitaciones a todo el equipo de organización y voluntarios para este décimo Congreso Eucarístico, a Padre Julio, a Diacono Nino, a todos los sacerdotes, diáconos, religiosas, a todos los coordinadores de vicariatos, a los voluntarios, a la banda de música que hizo un gran trabajo, pero en especial a “¡Jesús!”

Sergio López es miembro de la Iglesia Divino Redentor en Boonville.

s mi experiencia que el nombre de San Vicente de Paul es sinónimo con las obras caritativas de ayuda a los pobres y los necesitados. Muchas personas que tienen poca, o que no profesan ninguna fe o afiliación religiosa, asocian el nombre de San Vicente de Paul con comedores públicos, tiendas de cosas de segunda-mano y ministerios de ayuda a los necesitados.

Nosotros estamos llamados a imitar la vida de los santos. Muchas parroquias están bajo el patronato de un santo, o tienen alguno de los títulos de Nuestro Señor. Nuestra parroquia fue fundada bajo el patronato de San Vicente de Paul, cuya fiesta se celebra el 27 de Septiembre.

San Vicente de Paul nació en 1581 en una familia relativamente pobre, y fue ordenado como sacerdote a la temprana edad de los 19 años. Poco tiempo después fue secuestrado por unos piratas mientras hacia un viaje por mar. San Vicente estuvo prisionero como esclavo por dos años, pero pudo convertir a su amo al cristianismo. Después de eso, él sirvió en una parroquia y también fue capellán de diferentes ministerios durante ese tiempo hasta que pudo formar un grupo que se convertiría en la base de la Congregación de la Misión (conocido como los Vicentinos). Este grupo, formado tanto por sacerdotes como también por hermanos religiosos, se dedicó a las misiones en las parroquias pobres y de personas sin ningún tipo de educación, parroquias que muchas veces se encontraban en las afueras de las ciudades y que eran generalmente desatendidas por las parroquias urbanas.

Junto con Santa Luisa de Marillac, San Vicente de Paul fundó en 1633 la congregación de mujeres religiosas conocida como las Hijas de la Caridad. El apostolado de estas religiosas era las obras de ayuda social y de caridad. Tal vez algo no muy conocido acerca de San Vicente de Paul fue su innovador ministerio, el cual salvó la vida de miles de bebés. Yo me enteré de esto al leer una biografía de San Vicente titulada en inglés, ‘St. Vincent de Paul’ por la ya difunta Madre Frances Alicia Mónica Forbes, que era una Hermana de la Sociedad del Sagrado Corazón.

San Vicente de Paul vio una vez a un mendigo maltratando a un bebe en la calle para que las personas tuvieran pena de él y le dieran dinero. San Vicente tomó al bebé y lo llevó a una institución privada para niños sin hogar. Cuando llegó al hogar, la condición del lugar le causó angustia. El hogar recibía cerca de 400 niños al año, y muchas de ellos estaban descuidados, sucios y malnutridos. Algunos de los que sobrevivían eran vendidos por un Franco a

cualquier persona que lo quisiera comprar.

San Vicente entonces se propuso en ese momento a establecer un verdadero hogar para niños, y empezó ‘comprando’ a doce de los niños, y confiándolos a estos al cuidado de las Hermanas de la Caridad. En los primeros 10 años de operación, la institución de San Vicente les abrió las puertas a más de 4,000 niños que fueron bautizados, cuidados y pudieron ser adoptados. Durante épocas de guerra y crisis económicas, el Hospital y orfanato de San Vicente tuvo problemas económicos para poder subsistir. Las Hermanas entonces se limitaban a solo una comida diaria para sacrificarse así por los niños, y el ministerio continuó años después de la muerte de San Vicente.

Esta iniciativa de San Vicente salvó la vida de miles de niños que hubieran muerto por el descuido. Cuando lo criticaban por el alto costo de mantener el hospital, le recordaba al clérigo y a los religiosos que, “… el Salvador misericordioso le dijo a sus Discípulos, ‘dejad que los niños vengan a mí,’ --- ¿podemos entonces nosotros que queremos seguirlo a Él rechazar a los bebés cuando vienen donde nosotros?”

Por medio de su orfanato, San Vicente fue un gran promotor de la santidad de la vida de cada persona, creada a la imagen y semejanza de Dios. San Vicente también sirvió en la formación del clérigo y fundó un seminario. La bondad y generosidad del Padre Vicente atraía a muchas personas, y el dejo un impacto positivo en su tierra natal de Francia. San Vicente de Paul murió en 1660, después de haber sido sacerdote por cerca de 60 años. Él fue canonizado en 1737 y después fue nombrado patrono de todas las obras de caridad en toda la Iglesia.

Como Párroco de la Iglesia de San Vicente de Paul en Charlotte, yo estoy muy agradecido de su gran testimonio de santidad. Puedo decir con toda confianza que yo he aprendido mucho de él. Nosotros tenemos en nuestra parroquia un ministerio de caridad muy activo tratando de seguir el ejemplo de San Vicente de Paul. San Vicente también tuvo que pedir el apoyo de las personas con medios financieros en su país. Esto es algo que ha sido una lección para mí para exhortar el apoyo financiero de los fieles de nuestra parroquia para poder mantener las necesidades pastorales de mi parroquia, los diferentes ministerios diocesanos y para la ayuda a las misiones internacionales.

El Padre Mark Lawlor es el Párroco de la Iglesia de San Vicente de Paul en Charlotte. El Padre Lawlor ofrece Misa en español en esa parroquia todos los Domingos a las 2 p.m.

Our schools 16

catholicnewsherald.com | September 26, 2014 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

For the latest news 24/7: catholicnewsherald.com

In Brief

CCHS announces 7 National Merit semifinalists CHARLOTTE — Charlotte Catholic High School seniors Tyler Caponigro, Elliot Chambers, Polly Jasper, Faith Kressner, Ian Miller, Haley Schilly and Martha Wood have been named semifinalists in the 2015 National Merit Scholarship Competition based on last year’s PSAT scores.

The seven students are among about 16,000 of this year’s National Merit Scholarship semifinalists nationwide. This marks the 60th year of the prestigious National Merit program, which honors academically talented high school seniors. About 15,000 of the semifinalists are expected to advance to the finals, and about half of those will be named National Merit Scholars eligible for scholarship awards.

Nearly 1.5 million high school juniors from more than 22,000 high schools nationwide entered this year’s contest by taking the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. The pool of semifinalists comprises less than 1 percent of all U.S. high school seniors and includes the highest scoring entrants in each state.

Catholic schools in the Diocese of Charlotte marked “Patriot Day” Sept. 11 with various observances, including displaying flags on campus and remembering the valiant people who lost their lives in the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. At Charlotte Catholic High School, students placed 2,977 American flags along the campus entrance, in honor of each person killed in the attacks. At Sacred Heart School in Salisbury, students talked about the meaning of the words “hero” and “peace,” and prayed the St. Francis Prayer as a way to understand the tragedy and appreciate the difference between good and evil. At Our Lady of Grace School in Greensboro, students prayed during their school-wide Mass for those who lost their lives in the attacks, enjoyed visits from Greensboro police officers and firefighters, and made thank-you cards for local first responders.

— Sally McArdle

Photos by SueAnn Howell, Robin Fisher and Karen Hornfeck

Remembering Sept. 11

Wednesday, October 1st 10am – 7pm

Dinner or 3 Sandwiches $8 Hotdogs also available ** $1 off your order with this ad! **

139 Manor Ave SW between 601 & Union Street, Concord, NC

704-720-0600 x 24 for take out orders www.saintjamescatholic.org

Mix

September 26, 2014 | catholicnewsherald.com catholic news heraldI

For the latest news 24/7: catholicnewsherald.com

‘This Is Where I Leave You’

In Brief

‘The Maze Runner’ Cross “The Hunger Games” and “Divergent” and you’ll have this latest angst-ridden drama about teenagers fighting to survive in a post-apocalyptic world. The inhabitants of a walled-in expanse of grass and trees are all teenage boys, wiped of their memories. They must work together and build a community from scratch, all the while looking for a means to escape through an ever-changing labyrinth beyond the walls. A new recruit (Dylan O’Brien) threatens to upset the fragile world order built by the boys’ leader (Will Poulter).

He is inspired by the arrival of the first-ever girl to wage a new assault and gain freedom.

Occasional intense violence, including gory images, and some crude language.

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

Dramatic comedy, tries unsuccessfully to wring laughs and sentiment from one suburban family’s dysfunction. Despondent over the break-up of his marriage and the loss of his job, Judd Altman (Jason Bateman) returns home for his father’s funeral and, at the insistence of his outspoken mother (Jane Fonda), sits Shiva, a weeklong Jewish custom of mourning, with his stolid older brother, sarcastic sister (Tina Fey) and spoiled younger brother. Director Shawn Levy gathers an appealing ensemble to play unlikable characters engaged in tawdry, juvenile behavior many viewers will find discomfiting.

Although a certain degree of regression is to be expected in such circumstances, actions meant to be outrageous and irreverent are predictable and insufficiently entertaining.

Frequent rough, crude and crass language, much profanity and sexual banter, a number of sexual encounters, a glib attitude toward religious faith.

CNS: O (morally offensive); MPAA: R

Additional reviews: n ‘Dolphin Tale 2’: CNS: A-I (general patronage); MPAA: PG n ‘Tusk’: CNS: O (morally offensive); MPAA: R n ‘The Trip to Italy’: CNS: A-III (adults); MPAA: Not Rated n ‘No Good Deed’: CNS: A-III (adults); MPAA: PG-13 n ‘A Walk Among the Tombstones’: CNS: L (limited adult audience); MPAA: R

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On TV n Friday, Sept. 26, 10:30 p.m. (EWTN) “Saxum: Remembering Bishop Alvaro Del Portillo.” The life of Bishop Alvaro del Portillo, the closest associate and successor of Opus Dei founder St. Josemaria Escriva. Known for his fidelity to the Church and to his own vocation, the bishop will be beatified in Madrid Sept. 27. n Saturday, Sept. 27, 6 a.m. (EWTN) “Beatification of Alvaro Del Portillo.”

Beatification of Opus Dei’s first successor to St. Josemaria Escriva with a Solemn Mass celebrated by Cardinal Angelo Amato the Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of the Saints. From Madrid, Spain. n Saturday, Sept. 27, 6 p.m. (EWTN) “Life is Worth Living – The New Taboo.” Archbishop Fulton Sheen analyzes the reason why the subject of death has become taboo. n Monday, Sept. 29, 5:30 a.m. (EWTN) “Angels of God: St. Gabriel Bearer of the Good News.”

As the Gospel of St. Luke tells us, an angel was sent to a virgin, saying, ‘Hail full of grace.

You will bear the Son of the Most High; of His kingdom there will be no end.” n Monday, Sept. 29, 6 a.m. (EWTN) “The Melkite Church in America.” Bishop John Elya continues his study of the rich traditions and history of the Melkite Catholic Church in America, with a look at the use of iconography in the Melkite Tradition.

n Monday, Sept. 29, 6:30 p.m. (EWTN) “Poor Clare Nuns: A Life For God.” An inside look at the thousands of nuns who today still follow the way of St. Clare, spending their lives in prayer and sacrifice behind convent walls. n Tuesday, Sept. 30, 6:30 p.m. (EWTN) “Founders of Church Orders: St. Francis of Assisi.” The story of St. Francis of Assisi, one of the most popular Catholic saints. He founded a new order embracing poverty, and with the help of St. Clare, a female Franciscan order was also founded, known as the Poor Clares. n Saturday, Oct. 4, 10 p.m. (EWTN) “Saint Francis and Saint Clare.” A look at the life and spirituality of St. Clare of Assisi, who founded the Order of St. Clare, better known as the “Poor Clares.” The preaching of St. Francis of Assisi set this noblewoman’s heart on fire to imitate his example and live for Jesus. n Saturday, Oct. 4, 11 p.m. (EWTN) “St. Francis and Brother Leo.” A docudrama presenting the life and spirituality of Brother Leo, the secretary and confessor of St. Francis and considered to be his favorite disciple. Filmed on location in Assisi, Italy. n Thursday, Oct. 2, 6:30 p.m. (EWTN) “Lives of the Saints: St. Francis of Assisi.” A docudrama on the life of St. Francis of Assisi, who renounced everything for God.

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Our nation 18

catholicnewsherald.com | September 26, 2014 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Senate action urged to stop coverage of abortion in health care plans Sarah McCarthy Catholic News Service

CNS | Pete Souza, courtesy White House

U.S. President Barack Obama gestures during a meeting with Lebanese Cardinal Bechara Rai, fourth from left, and other religious leaders at the White House Sept. 11.

Christian leaders meet Obama, discuss concerns for Mideast minorities Barb Fraze Catholic News Service

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Eight Eastern Christian leaders spent 40 minutes talking to President Barack Obama about the situation of Christians and other minorities in the Middle East.

“We felt how deeply moved he was by what was happening to the Christians there,” Lebanese Cardinal Bechara Rai, Maronite patriarch, said at a Mass later the same day at Our Lady of Lebanon Maronite Catholic Church. The Sept. 11 Mass closed the three-day inaugural In Defense of Christians summit.

The cardinal said each of the leaders from Eastern Catholic and Orthodox rites had a chance to speak individually to Obama, who the White House said “dropped by National Security Advisor Susan Rice’s meeting at the White House.”

Although the White House did not release details of the discussion, throughout the summit the Christian leaders spoke of the threat to Christians and other minorities posed by Islamic State militants, particularly in Iraq and Syria.

Several said they were advocating religious freedom, an inherent right. They spoke of the need for local leaders and the international community to become involved in a solution because, as one Orthodox bishop said, “no one can possibly agree to a beheading.”

A White House statement, read out near the

end of the In Defense of Christians summit, said Obama reinforced the U.S. commitment to fight Islamic State militants and other groups that threaten the Middle East, as well as American personnel and interests in the region.

“He underscored that the United States will continue to support partners in the region, like the Lebanese Armed Forces, that are working to counter (Islamic State fighters) and promote regional stability. The delegations agreed on the need for all leaders in the region to reject violence and prejudice and call for moderation, tolerance of other views and religions, and an end to sectarian divisions.

“The president emphasized that the United States recognizes the importance of the historic role of Christian communities in the region and of protecting Christians and other religious minorities throughout the Middle East,” the statement said.

The Christian leaders who met with Obama and rice were Cardinal Rai; Catholicos Aram of Cilicia, patriarch of the Armenian Apostolic Church; Syriac Catholic Patriarch Ignace Joseph III Younan; Melkite Catholic Patriarch Gregoire III Laham; Syriac Orthodox Patriarch Ignatius Aphrem II; Bishop Angaelos, general bishop of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria; retired Chaldean Bishop Ibrahim Ibrahim of St. Thomas the Apostle of Detroit; and Antiochian Orthodox Metropolitan Joseph of New York and All North America.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Members of Congress and pro-life leaders Sept. 18 criticized the federal government for failing to ensure federally subsidized health plans will not cover elective abortions.

“Health care should always support the dignity and life of the human person. It can never be about taking a life,” said Melissa Swearingen, adviser and spokeswoman for the president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz of Louisville, Kentucky.

She joined in a news conference held outside the Capitol that was organized in response to a new report from the nonpartisan Government Accountability Office showing that in several states subsidized health plans set up under the Affordable Care Act’s exchanges are covering abortions.

House members and pro-life representatives convened to call on the Senate to pass H.R. 7, the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion and Abortion Insurance Full Disclosure Act. Passed by the House in January, the measure applies the principles of the Hyde amendment to federal health programs, including the Affordable Care Act. Since 1976, the Hyde Amendment has prohibited the use of taxpayer dollars to fund federal subsidies to any part of a benefits package that includes elective abortions.

The measure also would require health plan enrollees be given full disclosure of the extent of coverage of abortion services provided by their plan.

In an interview with the Catholic News Service, Swearingen said the GAO report validated concerns the U.S. bishops have had that the federal health care law would allow abortion coverage, calling it “a tragedy.”

She also said it was “ridiculous” that people, whether they are pro-life or they support legal abortion, cannot find out if a subsidized health care plan covers abortion, even if it is their plan.

“It’s not really fair that they’re taking money from you as a taxpayer and they’re putting it into a premium that you have to pay that has to cover abortion in that plan, and you don’t even know,” she said.

Under the Affordable Care Act, state health care issuers are prohibited from using federal funds to pay for non-excepted abortion services, that is, those that are exceptions under Hyde.

The Affordable Care Act was passed in 2010 without Hyde amendmentlike protections. A day after he signed it into law, President Barack Obama issued an executive order to applying the Hyde amendment restrictions to health insurance exchanges getting federal subsidies.

Despite the order, the GAO in its Sept. 15 report identified more than 1,000 such plans that cover elective abortions.

The health care law also requires insurers to estimate the cost of coverage of abortion per enrollee per month and to collect from each enrollee a premium for that coverage that is “segregated from any other premium amounts.” The report said this is not being done.

“Obamacare ... as the pro-life community warned, is the vehicle for the massive subsidization by the American taxpayers of health plans that pay for elective abortion,” said Susan Muskett of the National Right to Life Committee. “And those accountable for this are the lawmakers who voted for Obamacare.”

Congressman Chris Smith, R-New Jersey, criticized the Obama administration’s handling of the issue.

“It’s curious that the administration’s response to this report is not to deny that the law ... allows the funding of abortion. Rather the administration says it’s incumbent on the states and the insurance companies to comply with the law,” he said. “Well, it’s incumbent on this executive branch of government to enforce the law.”

On behalf of Catholics trying to follow church teaching, Swearingen said it’s important that they know where their money is going.

“The Catholic Church teaches that abortion is a grave evil, it’s the taking of an unborn life, and we think it’s very bad for women, very bad for families and for the community,” she said. “(Catholics) should be able to know if their money is going into a plan that covers something that they would find morally illicit, that they would find probably very reprehensible and abhorrent, and they would never want to be a part of it if they knew.”

The GAO report said the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which is part of the Department of Health and Human Services, has provided limited guidance about the rules relating to coverage of abortion by health care plans. The HHS agency told the GAO “that additional clarification may be needed.”

September 26, 2014 | catholicnewsherald.com catholic news heraldI

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65, will be installed in Chicago Nov. 18 during a Mass at Holy Name Cathedral in Chicago.

Cardinal George is 77, two years past the age when bishops are required by Church law to turn in their resignation to the pope. He retains the office of archbishop until his successor’s installation. The cardinal was first diagnosed with bladder cancer in 2006 and had a recurrence of cancer in 2012. In August, the archdiocese announced that he was participating in a clinical research trial for a new cancer drug. His health concerns stepped up the process of searching for his successor as archbishop of Chicago.

In Brief Marchers hope grass-roots action shows urgent need for climate solution NEW YORK — Myriad Catholic groups joined a singing, chanting, sea of people who streamed along Manhattan’s West Side Sept. 21 to urge global action on climate change. Organizers of the People’s Climate March estimated nearly 400,000 men, women and children rallied to the cause. The spirited 2.2-mile march was the signature event of a weeklong series of demonstrations, seminars and prayer services to urge bold action by the participants in the U.N. Climate Summit Sept. 23. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon invited government leaders and private-sector representatives to the ambitious summit to commit to substantial, replicable, concrete actions to reduce carbon emissions.

Marchers expressed fervent hope that the huge grass-roots turnout would send an unmistakable message to policymakers about widespread public concern over climate change.

Bishop Cupich named to succeed Cardinal George as Chicago archbishop CHICAGO — The Archdiocese of Chicago now knows who will succeed Cardinal Francis E. George. Pope Francis has appointed Bishop Blase J. Cupich of Spokane, Wash., as the ninth archbishop of Chicago. Archbishop Cupich,

Boys Town founder’s cause moving at ‘lightning speed,’ says official BOYS TOWN, Neb. — Three years to the day that the Archdiocese of Omaha officially opened the sainthood cause for Father Edward Flanagan, local officials plan to submit its findings to the Vatican. The announced date of March 17, 2015, will cap what started as a grassroots effort among alumni more than a decade ago for sainthood for the Omaha priest and founder of Boys Town.

During a Sept. 15 presentation at the Great Hall on the Boys Town campus, Steve Wolf, president of the Father Flanagan League Society of Devotion, said the process was moving at “lightning speed,” crediting background work at Boys Town, the tribunal and commissions installed by Archbishop George J. Lucas and the prayers of supporters. “Their dedication and focus is moving this cause forward at a speed that is almost unheard of,” Wolf said.

Lawmakers’ override of vetoes an ‘affirmation that all life matters’ JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — The Missouri Legislature voted Sept. 10 to override Gov. Jay Nixon’s vetoes of bills setting a 72-hour waiting

period before an abortion decision and a tax credit bill that benefits pregnancy help centers, maternity homes and food pantries. The Senate voted late in the evening 23-7 to override the veto of the waiting-period bill, which had been passed earlier by the House of Representatives, 117-44. Earlier, the Senate voted 27-2 to override the tax credit bill after the House voted 123-37 for override. Passage makes Missouri the third state in the U.S. to enact a 72-hour waiting period, along with Utah and South Dakota.

Karen Nolkemper, executive director of the Respect Life Apostolate of the Archdiocese of St. Louis, called the votes “a public affirmation that all life matters, even that of the most vulnerable among us.”

cases. The majority of recent claims allege abuse that took place in the 1970s and 1980s.

The theologians expressed dismay over the scandal itself as well as “the manner in which these scandals have been handled.”

In a reply, Archbishop Nienstedt addressed their proposals point by point, noting that he already taken the initiative to plan a series of healing Masses “designed for all those who feel they have been hurt by the Church.” The first Mass was Sept. 22, with more to come over the next several months.

— Catholic News Service

Letter urges archbishop to make ‘fresh effort’ to listen to Catholics ST. PAUL, Minn. — A group of theologians has urged Archbishop John C. Nienstedt of St. Paul and Minneapolis “to make a fresh effort” to listen to laypeople and bring spiritual healing to the archdiocese. A dozen tenured members of the theology department at the University of St. Thomas released an open letter to the archbishop Sept. 15. The group proposed Archbishop Nienstedt “leave the legal talk to the lawyers (and) bring pastoral talk to the people”; that he reintroduce himself “to the people and parishes”; and finally, that he “engage laypeople in the important work of the archdiocese. We believe that without such public steps the pastoral state of the archdiocese is not sustainable,” they said.

After facing strong criticism over how the archdiocese handled recent cases of abuse allegations concerning certain priests in archdiocese, Archbishop Nienstedt and other archdiocesan officials have taken several steps to overhaul the process of addressing such

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Forgiveness and Healing Following Abortion Catholic Charities can help men and women who have experienced abortion begin their healing journey. Rachel’s Vineyard Weekend Retreat creates a healing environment of prayer and forgiveness. The retreat works to reconnect individuals to themselves, their friends, and family and to realize God’s ever present love.

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Our world 20

catholicnewsherald.com | September 26, 2014 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Pope names five women to International Theological Commission Francis X. Rocca Catholic News Service

VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis, who has said the Catholic Church has “not yet come up with a profound theology of womanhood,” named five women, a record number, to the International Theological Commission.

One of the women is U.S. Mercy Sister Prudence Allen, former chair of the philosophy department at St. John Vianney Theological Seminary in Denver, and now a member of the chaplaincy team at Lancaster University, England.

On Sept. 23, the Vatican released the names of 30 theologians who will serve a five-year term on the commission. Women have served on the panel since 2004, but, until now, there have never been more than two.

The five women appointees also include Australian Tracey Rowland, dean of the John Paul II Institute for Marriage and Family in Melbourne, who is a prominent authority on the theology of Pope Benedict XVI; and Moira Mary McQueen, a Canadian-British citizen who serves as director of the Canadian Catholic Bioethics Institute at the University of St. Michael’s College in the University of Toronto.

In addition to Sister Allen, the commission will include one other American: Capuchin Franciscan Father Thomas G. Weinandy, former executive director of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops Secretariat of Doctrine.

The International Theological Commission was established in 1969 to study important doctrinal issues as an aid to the pope and to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. It has produced documents in recent years on such topics as “Christian monotheism and its opposition to violence” and “sensus fidei in the life of the Church.”

Pope names panel to streamline marriage annulment process Francis X. Rocca Catholic News Service

VATICAN CITY — Two weeks before the start of an extraordinary Synod of Bishops on the family, the Vatican announced the formation of a special commission to reform the process of granting marriage annulments.

“The work of the commission will start as soon as possible and will have as its goal to prepare a proposal of reform of the matrimonial process, with the objective of simplifying its procedure, making it more streamlined, and safeguarding the principle of the indissolubility of matrimony,” said a Vatican statement Sept. 20.

The new body’s work will address what Pope Francis has identified as a key challenge in the “pastoral care of marriage.”

“There is the legal problem of marriage nullity, this has to be reviewed, because ecclesiastical tribunals are not sufficient for this,” the pope told reporters in July 2013.

Pope Francis related the problem of

annulments to the situation of divorced and civilly remarried Catholics, whose predicament he said exemplifies a general need for mercy in the Church today.

According to Church teaching, such Catholics may not receive Communion unless they obtain an annulment of their first, sacramental, marriage or abstain from sexual relations, living with their new partners as “brother and sister.”

A proposal to allow some divorced and civilly remarried Catholics to receive Communion without meeting either of those conditions, introduced by German Cardinal Walter Kasper at a meeting of the world’s cardinals in February, is expected to be one of the most discussed issues at the two-week synod on the family, which opens Oct. 5.

The new commission on the annulment process, which Pope Francis established Aug. 27, has 11 members, including Cardinal Francesco Coccopalmerio, president of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts, and Archbishop Luis Ladaria Ferrer, secretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

More online An Extraordinary Synod of Bishops will meet at the Vatican Oct. 5-19, bringing together the presidents of national bishops’ conferences, the heads of Eastern Catholic churches, Vatican officials and papally appointed delegates, including laypeople.

The theme of the extraordinary synod is: “The pastoral challenges of the family in the context of evangelization,” and synod members will be called upon to find ways to improve the pastoral application of Church teachings, ways to explain it and to help Catholics live it. They will prepare an agenda for the worldwide Synod of Bishops at the Vatican Oct. 4-25, 2015, to continue the discussion on pastoral approaches to the challenges facing families.

At www.catholicnewsherald.com: Follow coverage of the upcoming Extraordinary Synod of Bishops

Pope: No ‘magic wand’; evangelizing takes work, trust in God Carol Glatz Catholic News Service

VATICAN CITY — Bring the Gospel to those who need it most: the poor, the frazzled and the lost, who wander the world without any guidance or protection, Pope Francis told pastoral workers.

Remember the Church’s ministry is like working a field hospital, where the attitude is helping the wounded and holding those who are hurt more than guarding laws that only keep people away, he said.

There are “so many people who are hurt and they are asking us to be close. They are asking us the same thing they asked Jesus,” to be by their side, he said Sept. 19.

The pope met with more than 2,000 pastoral workers from 60 countries who were at the Vatican attending an international meeting on “The Pastoral Project of ‘Evangelii Guadium,’ the Joy of Announcing the Gospel.” The meeting Sept.

18-20 had participating bishops, religious and laypeople look at ways Pope Francis’ apostolic exhortation could guide their work of evangelization.

The pope said the Church’s main task is evangelizing, especially to those most in need of Christ and His good news.

The pope also said that when Jesus went to towns and villages to teach, His heart broke seeing the crowds because, according to the

Gospel of Matthew, “they were troubled and abandoned like sheep without a shepherd.”

“How many people in the many existential peripheries of our day are ‘troubled and abandoned’ and wait for the Church, they are waiting for us!

“How much poverty and loneliness unfortunately we see in the world today!

How many people live in great suffering and ask the Church to be a sign of the Lord’s closeness, goodness, solidarity and mercy,” he said.

In the hard work of sharing the Gospel, he told them, do not get discouraged, but have “patience and perseverance.”

“We don’t have a magic wand for everything, but we do have trust in the Lord, who accompanies us and never abandons us,” The pope said the enormous amount of work and demands being made on pastoral workers “make us run the risk of becoming frightened and withdrawing in on ourselves out of fear and self-defense.”

“And out of that springs the temptation of self-sufficiency and clericalism, that codifying the faith into rules and instructions, which the scribes, Pharisees and doctors of the law did during the time of Jesus. We will have everything exact and everything just-so, but the faithful and those who are seeking will continue to be hungry and thirsty for God,” he explained.

If pastoral ministry uses the same approach the scribes and Pharisees took, “never, never will we be witnesses of being close” to people like Jesus was, he said.

The pope encouraged Church members to go out into the larger community at all times of day and night to see who may be looking to be fellow “workers in the vineyard.”

Do not overlook “the weakest and the most disadvantaged,” he said, but be generous with them, letting them be useful contributors to the Church’s ministry.

He also warned people working in pastoral ministry against getting too caught up in “the song of the Sirens,” that call them to engage in countless “frenetic series of initiatives” and campaigns that keep them busy, but neglect paying attention to spiritual growth and an encounter with God. “Let’s not forget to do like Jesus did” with His disciples, he said. After a long day proclaiming the Gospel, they would go to a quiet place to be together to pray and reflect.

“Pastoral programs without prayer and contemplation will never touch people’s hearts. They will stop at the surface never allowing the seed of the Word of God to take root, sprout, grow and bear fruit,” he said.

At the end of the day, it all comes down to offering credible testimony with one’s life, he said.

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September 26, 2014 | catholicnewsherald.com catholic news heraldI

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In Brief Vatican puts former nuncio accused of sex abuse under house arrest VATICAN CITY — The Vatican has placed a laicized papal ambassador under house arrest as he awaits a criminal trial for sexually abusing young boys. Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, the Vatican spokesman, said Sept. 23 regarding the case of former Archbishop Jozef Wesolowski, a Pole who served as nuncio to the Dominican Republic until August 2013.

In June a Church court investigated Wesolowski on charges of sex abuse in the Dominican Republic and dismissed him from the clerical state, depriving him of all rights and duties associated with being a priest except the obligation of celibacy. Wesolowski would face a criminal trial under the laws of Vatican City State, the Vatican said at the time. Because of the “gravity of the accusations,” investigators decided to arrest the former ambassador, the spokesman said, but “in light of the medical condition of the accused, supported by medical documentation,” he was placed under house arrest in Vatican City.

Pope, in Albania, says killing in God’s name is sacrilege TIRANA, Albania — Killing in the name of God is sacrilege, and religious leaders must denounce the use of faith to justify violence and oppression, Pope Francis said during a one-day visit to Albania. In a world “where an authentic religious spirit is being perverted and where religious differences are being distorted and exploited,” Albania is an “aspiring example” to everyone that peaceful coexistence is possible, Pope Francis told Albania President Bujar Nishani and other dignitaries upon his arrival in the country Sept. 21. No one should “consider themselves to be the ‘armor’ of God while planning and carrying out acts of violence and oppression,” the pope said.

The pope said he chose to visit the Balkan nation because the peaceful collaboration between its Muslim-majority population and minority Catholic and Orthodox communities “is a beautiful sign for the world. It’s a signal I want to send,” he said, that religion, far from causing division, is the very foundation of freedom and brotherhood. In a meeting with Muslim, Christian and Catholic leaders and representatives, Pope Francis said “authentic religion is a source of peace, not violence” and any “distorted use of religion must be firmly refuted as false. To kill in the name of God is sacrilege. To discriminate in the name of God is inhuman,” he said.

Spouses make each other better men, women, pope says at wedding VATICAN CITY — Presiding over the wedding of 20 couples in St. Peter’s Basilica, Pope Francis celebrated marriage as the union of a man and woman playing complementary roles during their common journey through life. “This is what marriage is all about: man and woman walking together, wherein the husband helps his wife to become ever more a woman, and wherein the woman has the task of helping her husband to become ever more a man,” the pope said Sept. 14. “Here we see the reciprocity of differences.” The pope spoke during a wedding Mass for couples from the diocese of Rome.

In typically frank style, Pope Francis admitted married life can be tiring, “burdensome, and often, even nauseating.” But the pope assured the brides and grooms that Christ’s redemptive

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sacrifice would enable them to resist the “dangerous temptation of discouragement, infidelity, weakness, abandonment. The love of Christ, which has blessed and sanctified the union of husband and wife, is able to sustain their love and to renew it when, humanly speaking, it becomes lost, wounded or worn out,” he said.

Pope appoints two U.S. priests to help tackle sexual abuse VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis appointed two U.S. priests to top positions at the Vatican for dealing with the sexual abuse of minors. The pope named U.S. Father Robert W. Oliver to be the new secretary of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, and appointed Jesuit Father Robert J. Geisinger to replace Father Oliver as the promoter of justice at the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith – the Vatican’s chief prosecutor of sex abuse crimes.

Father Oliver fills a new full-time position of secretary for the pontifical commission, which Pope Francis established in December.

The commission, which currently has eight members, including a survivor of clerical sexual abuse, mental health professionals and experts in civil and Church law, is tasked with laying out a pastoral approach to helping victims and preventing abuse.

Advisers start first draft toward document overhauling Vatican VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis’ international Council of Cardinals has begun creating the first draft of a new apostolic constitution that would implement a major reform of the Vatican bureaucracy. The so-called C9, a papally appointed group of nine cardinal members, held its sixth meeting Sept. 15-17 with Pope Francis at the Vatican to help advise him on the reform of the Vatican’s organization and Church governance.

In a first step toward reorganizing the Roman Curia, Pope Francis created the Secretariat for the Economy in February as a way to begin universal oversight and standards for all of the Vatican’s financial assets and activities.

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To order DVD, visit our Web Site at: www.loveandmercy.org or send $20 plus $4 (shipping & handling) to: Love and Mercy Publications, P O Box 1160, Hampstead, NC 28443

CCDOC.ORG

Sts. John Paul II, John XXIII feast days added to Church calendar VATICAN CITY — In light of “countless requests from every part of the world,” Pope Francis has approved putting Sts. John Paul II and John XXIII on the Church’s universal calendar of feast days. Called the General Roman Calendar, it is the universal schedule of holy days and feast days for the Latin rite of the Catholic Church. The two saints’ feast days, both of which have the ranking of an optional – not obligatory – memorial, are Oct. 11 for St. John XXIII and Oct. 22 for St. John Paul II. — Catholic News Service

Help and Hope for Those in Need John 14:27 gives us hope with these words: Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.

Catholic Charities counseling services take these words and put them in to action, offering individual, family, premarital, marital and group mental health psychotherapy.

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catholicnewsherald.com | September 26, 2014 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

‘Throughout history, when Catholics and other believers in revealed religion have been forced to choose between being taught by God or instructed by politicians, professors, editors of major newspapers and entertainers, many have opted to go along with the powers that be. This reduces a great tension in their lives, although it also brings with it the worship of a false god. It takes no moral courage to conform to government and social pressure.’

Cardinal Francis George, O.M.I.

O

A tale of two churches

nce upon a time there was a Church founded on God’s entering into human history in order to give humanity a path to eternal life and happiness with him. The Savior that God sent, His only-begotten Son, did not write a book but founded a community, a church, upon the witness and ministry of 12 apostles. He sent this Church the gift of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of love between Father and Son, the Spirit of the truth that God had revealed about Himself and humanity by breaking into the history of human sinfulness.

This Church, a hierarchical communion, continued through history, living among different peoples and cultures, filled with sinners, but always guided in the essentials of her life and teaching by the Holy Spirit.

She called herself “Catholic” because her purpose was to preach a universal faith and a universal morality, encompassing all peoples and cultures. This claim often invited conflict with the ruling classes of many countries. About 1,800 years into her often stormy history, this Church found herself as a very small group in a new country in Eastern North America that promised to respect all religions because the State would not be confessional; it would not try to play the role of a religion.

This Church knew that it was far from socially acceptable in this new country. One of the reasons the country was established was to protest the king of England’s permitting the public celebration of the Catholic Mass on the soil of the British Empire in the newly conquered Catholic territories of Canada. He had betrayed his coronation oath to combat Catholicism, defined as “America’s greatest enemy,” and protect Protestantism, bringing the pure religion of the colonists into danger and giving them the moral right to revolt and reject his rule.

Nonetheless, many Catholics in the American colonies thought their lives might be better in the new country than under a regime whose ruling class had penalized and persecuted them since the mid-16th century. They made this new country their own and served her loyally. The social history was often contentious, but the State basically kept its promise to protect all religions and not become a rival to them, a fake church. Until recent years.

There was always a quasi-religious element in the public creed of the country. It lived off the myth of human progress, which had little place for dependence on divine providence. It tended to exploit the religiosity of the ordinary people by using religious language to co-opt them into the purposes of the ruling class. Forms of antiCatholicism were part of its social DNA. It had encouraged its citizens to think of themselves as the creators of world history and the managers of nature, so that no source

of truth outside of themselves needed to be consulted to check their collective purposes and desires. But it had never explicitly taken upon itself the mantle of a religion and officially told its citizens what they must personally think or what “values” they must personalize in order to deserve to be part of the country. Until recent years.

In recent years, society has brought social and legislative approval to all types of sexual relationships that used to be considered “sinful.” Since the biblical vision of what it means to be human tells us that not every friendship or love can be expressed in sexual relations, the Church’s teaching on these issues is now evidence of intolerance for what the civil law upholds and even imposes. What was once a request to live and let live has now become a demand for approval. The “ruling class,” those who shape public opinion in politics, in education, in communications, in entertainment, is using the civil law to impose its own form of morality on everyone. We are told that, even in marriage itself, there is no difference between men and women, although nature and our very bodies clearly evidence that men and women are not interchangeable at will in forming a family. Nevertheless, those who do not conform to the official religion, we are warned, place their citizenship in danger.

When the recent case about religious objection to one provision of the Health Care Act was decided against the State religion, the Huffington Post (June 30, 2014) raised “concerns about the compatibility between being a Catholic and being a good citizen.” This is not the voice of the nativists who first fought against Catholic immigration in the 1830s. Nor is it the voice of those who burned convents and churches in Boston and Philadelphia a decade later. Neither is it the voice of the Know-Nothing Party of the 1840s and 1850s, nor of the Ku Klux Klan, which burned crosses before Catholic churches in the Midwest after the Civil War. It is a voice more sophisticated than that of the American Protective Association, whose members promised never to vote for a Catholic for public office. Rather, this is the self-righteous voice of some members of the American establishment today who regard themselves as “progressive” and “enlightened.”

The inevitable result is a crisis of belief for many Catholics. Throughout history, when Catholics and other believers in revealed religion have been forced to choose between being taught by God or instructed by politicians, professors, editors of major newspapers and entertainers, many have opted to go along with the powers that be. This reduces a great tension in their lives, although it also brings with it the worship of a false god. It takes no moral courage to conform to government and social pressure.

It takes a deep faith to “swim against the tide,” as Pope Francis recently encouraged young people to do at last summer’s World Youth Day. Swimming against the tide means limiting one’s access to positions of prestige and power in society. It means that those who choose to live by the Catholic faith will not be welcomed as political candidates to national office, will not sit on editorial boards of major newspapers, will not be at home on most university faculties, will not have successful careers as actors and entertainers. Nor will their children, who will also be suspect. Since all public institutions, no matter who owns or operates them, will be agents of the government and conform their activities to the demands of the official religion, the practice of medicine and law will become more difficult for faithful Catholics. It already means in some states that those who run businesses must conform their activities to the official religion or be fined, as Christians and Jews are fined for their religion in countries governed by Sharia law.

A reader of the tale of two churches, an outside observer, might note that American civil law has done much to weaken and destroy what is the basic unit of every human society, the family. With the weakening of the internal restraints that healthy family life teaches, the State will need to impose more and more external restraints on everyone’s activities. An outside observer might also note that the official religion’s imposing whatever its proponents currently desire on all citizens and even on the world at large inevitably generates resentment. An outside observer might point out that class plays a large role in determining the tenets of the official State religion.

“Same-sex marriage,” as a case in point, is not an issue for the poor or those on the margins of society.

How does the tale end? We don’t know. The actual situation is, of course, far more complex than a story plot, and there are many actors and characters, even among the ruling class, who do not want their beloved country to transform itself into a fake church. It would be wrong to lose hope, since there are so many good and faithful people.

Catholics do know, with the certainty of faith, that, when Christ returns in glory to judge the living and the dead, the Church, in some recognizable shape or form that is both Catholic and Apostolic, will be there to meet Him. There is no such divine guarantee for any country, culture or society of this or any age.

Cardinal Francis George, O.M.I., leads the Archdiocese of Chicago. His commentary is reprinted with permission from the Catholic New World, the archdiocesan newspaper, which originally published it Sept. 7.

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September 26, 2014 | catholicnewsherald.com catholic news heraldI

Dr. Gerard Carter

I

Catholic Charities proud to assist unaccompanied refugee minors

n the Sept. 12 edition of the Catholic News Herald, the plight of unaccompanied children making the perilous journey into the United States from Mexico and Central America was considered in light of the ways in which the local faith community and Catholic Charities Diocese of Charlotte are responding.

In this second installment, we wish to increase understanding of a second group of unaccompanied children who enter our nation: unaccompanied refugee minors.

Catholic Charities is part of a complex, international network that serves refugee children who have become separated from their parents and other family members after fleeing their countries of origin. One key distinction between unaccompanied children entering through our southern border and unaccompanied refugee minors is the legal immigration status afforded by the federal government to refugee children resettled by agencies such as Catholic Charities.

Catholic Charities formally collaborates with the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in serving unaccompanied refugee minors who have fled from persecution, or fear of persecution, in their home countries to a second country of asylum. Their cases have been processed by organizations such as the United Nations High Commissioner of Refugees, the U.S. Department of State, and the International Organization of Migration before they are ever able to touch down at the Charlotte-Douglas International Airport. Our immediate and ultimate goal is to ensure that the best interests of these children are secured as they enter, integrate and thrive in their new homes, and that they are provided with appropriate ongoing care and individualized services.

While there are different categorizations of these unaccompanied minors, which can affect technical aspects of their resettlement, case managers at Catholic Charities Diocese of Charlotte provide these children and their future legal guardians with comprehensive cultural orientations, covering topics ranging from appropriate hygiene practices to the federal laws surrounding neglect and child abuse.

We also perform regular home visits for the purpose of determining the suitability of the minors’ placement, intentionally creating safe spaces for our clients to articulate their own feelings and concerns about their new homes and the cultural adjustment process. During these home visits, caseworkers consider the physical health, visible adjustment indicators and overall disposition of these children.

We help register the children in local schools, connect them to educational resources and help them acquire school essentials. As is their right under federal guidelines, we assist them in enrolling in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (previously called “food stamps”), Medicaid, and cash assistance at the Department of Social Services. It is our responsibility to ensure that all their health needs are met, beginning with a screening at the local county health department, where they receive all necessary immunizations.

In addition to each of these services, we treat each child in an individualized and specialized way, taking into account and following up on special medical considerations, mental health requirements and a myriad of other concerns.

The unique vulnerabilities of unaccompanied refugee minors are contrasted with their incredible potential to truly flourish in the United States, and for this reason, we recognize that they are a very special group that deserve the best available services, delivered with absolute dignity and respect. We are proud and privileged at Catholic Charities Diocese of Charlotte to carry out this work of mercy to these vulnerable children in the name of our diocesan faith community. For more information about our services to refugees, go online to www. ccdoc.org/services/refugee-citizenship-language.

Dr. Gerard Carter, Ph. D., is the executive director of Catholic Charities Diocese of Charlotte. Co-authoring this commentary was Katrina Hruska, AmeriCorps member. Read his previous commentary on unaccompanied minors online at www.catholicnewsherald.com.

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Fred Gallagher

A rallying point for all Catholics

C

atholic left or Catholic right; contemporary or traditional; Catholic heavy or Catholic light; whether you go to a “liberal” parish or a “conservative” parish, it doesn’t matter: We do all have a rallying point, don’t we? And I’m not talking about the Mass – that of course, is and should always remain our liturgical rallying point and the Holy Eucharist, of course, our sacramental rallying point. But philosophically and culturally, where can all of us Catholics truly come together to celebrate and fight for what we believe in?

It seems to me that as our mainstream culture becomes more intent on living out what Pope St. John Paul II referred to as the “culture of death,” we may recognize our Catholic brothers and sisters not only by the religious medals around their necks but also by our shared, distinct call to celebrate and protect the dignity of the human person. This issue may sound vague and general enough not to ruffle any feathers, but for us Catholics it is not so simple.

For Catholics, respect for all human life means we must oppose abortion and euthanasia. Though not morally indefensible in all cases, at least in modern America we are opposed to capital punishment. We are obliged to study end-of-life issues which can be quite complex. And for young Catholic couples finding it difficult to conceive, some of the common avenues open to others – invitro fertilization, artificial insemination, donor eggs, surrogate pregnancies and such – are not open to them because of a theology of the body that focuses on the innate dignity of the human being, on the essential dignity of themselves and their spouse. In addition, it used to be that we saw more people with Down syndrome out and about, but it is rarer to see them today. Why? Very simply, their parents kill them before they are allowed to be born; national research shows that for every baby born with Down syndrome, there was another who was aborted.

We live in a pervasive culture that celebrates certain rights of the individual (usually associated with physical pleasure) but increasingly that same culture reserves the right to destroy our most vulnerable citizens: the old and the unborn.

So the cultural rallying point for all Catholics must be about restoring and protecting the rights of people whose lives our faith says we value as we do our own. We call it the “right to life.”

There are other big issues, sticky ones, that we Catholics often would rather not talk about but that are also related to ensuring the dignity of all life. Take homosexuality, for example.

As a Catholic, my Catechism (the Catechism of

‘It seems to me that until we all take seriously the defense of human dignity in all its forms, we’re simply making our religion fit our politics.’ the Catholic Church) tells me that homosexual acts are naturally disordered (that is, they do not uphold the natural dignity of the human being) and just as morally unacceptable and unjustifiable as adultery. It’s there in black and white, a continuous teaching of our faith. But that’s not a popular message for many in today’s world.

However, that same Catechism also states that I must not discriminate against people with a homosexual orientation. The origination of that orientation has little, if anything, to do with how I am to respond to those who live with it. One can pretend our faith doesn’t tell us to love them, or one can embrace what our faith teaches. This, too, is an uncomfortable message for some in the Church, but it is directly connected to what our faith teaches about the dignity of all human life.

It seems to me that until we all take seriously the defense of human dignity in all its forms, we’re simply making our religion fit our politics.

We want to make it easy, but Jesus and His Church just won’t let us.

The simplest thing to do is to throw barbs, to be so entrenched in a position that the philosophical undergirding of seeking and realizing the human dignity of each and every person goes out the window. I’ve seen this happen in small, private ways and also in ways that can rock a community.

Instead, every move I make and every word I say as a Catholic should be a rallying point that upholds the sacred notion of the inherent dignity of each and every human being, because we are all made in God’s image and likeness. Anything less is just not enough.

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.

Most-read stories on the web Through press time on Sept. 24, 10,220 visitors to www.catholicnewsherald.com have viewed a total of 24,352 pages. The top 10 headlines in September so far are: n Changes to priest assignments announced........................................................................................................................... 2,132 n 10th Eucharistic Congress blog goeucharist.tumblr.com.................................................................................................... 1,108 n Charlotte Catholic High School getting parking deck, stadium expansion.....................................................................805 n Photo gallery: Eucharistic Procession through uptown Charlotte......................................................................................714 n Bishop Jugis: ‘You need the grace and the power of the Eucharist’................................................................................. 494 n St. Patrick Cathedral, ‘mother church of the diocese,’ celebrates 75th anniversary.................................................. 434 n Father Joseph Kelleher passes away...........................................................................................................................................351 n Home School Fine Arts Festival a success.................................................................................................................................216 n Servers achieve highest rank.........................................................................................................................................................183 n 2014 Eucharistic Congress guide..................................................................................................................................................179

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catholicnewsherald.com | September 26, 2014 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Thank you!

Forward in Faith, Hope, and Love has surpassed $68 million in pledged commitments!

To date, more than 15,000 individuals and families have made gifts and pledges to Forward in Faith, Hope and Love, making this a genuinely historic engagement of people in the Diocese of Charlotte. We can now move forward and transform our diocese through investing in our parishes and broader ministries.

Deep appreciation goes to all those who have made generous sacrificial commitments to the campaign through prayers and extraordinary financial investments. To date, over $11 million in payments have already been received toward fulfilling pledged commitments. These monies continue to be distributed every quarter to the parishes and broader ministries.

The success of this united effort will help us renew, strengthen, and advance our diocese and parishes in the work of putting into action Jesus’ Gospel message of salvation.

www.forwardfaithhopelove.org