June 5, 2015

June 5, 2015

catholicnewsherald.com charlottediocese.org S E RV I N G C H R I ST A N D C O N N EC T I N G C AT H O L I C S I N W E ST E R N N O R T H C A R O L I N A

Charlotte Catholic, Bishop McGuinness grads urged to ‘keep God first,’ 20

Asheville Catholics attend Blessed Oscar Romero’s beatification Mass,

‘A whole new life opens before you beginning today’

Catron ordained to transitional diaconate

6, 19

INDEX

Contact us.......................... 4 Español.................................19 Events calendar................. 4 Our Faith............................. 2 Our Parishes................. 3-18 Schools........................ 20-25 Scripture readings............ 2 TV & Movies...................... 26 U.S. news.......................... 28 Viewpoints...................30-31 World news...................... 29

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‘It is a great day in the history of St. Pius X’

Groundbreaking held for new pre-K school in Greensboro, 21

Our faith

catholicnewsherald.com | June 5, 2015 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

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St. Norbert:

Pope Francis

War, ‘cult of appearance’ harm families

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amilies are weakened and destroyed by war, “the mother of all forms of poverty,” as well as by economies and policies that worship money and power, Pope Francis said.

“It’s almost a miracle” that, even in poverty and crisis, the family can keep on going, safeguarding its bonds and staying intact, he said at his weekly general audience in St. Peter’s Square June 3. Leaders who consider family ties and affection as something peripheral to the quality of life “don’t understand a thing,” he said. “Instead, we should kneel before these families, who are a true school of humanity, who are saving society from barbarity.”

Continuing a series of talks about the family, the pope began a new chapter addressing the various social conditions and problems that put today’s families to the test.

The pope began by focusing on the hardship of poverty, which is further aggravated by war. “War is always something terrible,” he said, as it is “a great predator of lives, of souls and the most sacred and dearest of attachments.”

But despite such difficulties, there still are many poor families who are able to live “with dignity, seeking to live their daily life” and placing their trust in God, the pope said.

The ability of some poor families to persevere, “however, must not justify our indifference, but, if anything, increase our shame that there is so much poverty,” he said.

Healthy families are the “mainstay” of healthy individuals and communities, he said, so if that cornerstone is removed, “everything collapses.”

“Today’s economy often specializes in the enjoyment of individual well-being, but widely practices the exploitation of family relationships. This is a serious contradiction,” he said, criticizing economic and political experts as being “stingy” in not recognizing or including the “enormous work of the family” in their analyses and balance sheets.

“A new civil ethics will come about only when those responsible for public life reorganize social bonds starting with the fight against the perverse spiral” of poverty, he said.

Fighting poverty is not just a matter of families getting “bread” on the table, the pope said; it is about having jobs, stable employment, education, health care, housing and transportation.

Spread by the mass media, “fake models” of the family based on “consumerism and the cult of appearance” also harm families, he said, and have a greater impact on poorer families and increase the breakdown of family ties.

Gave up wealth, power to become a priest Feast day: June 6 On June 6 the Catholic Church honors St. Norbert of Xanten – who started out as a frivolous and worldly cleric, but was changed by God’s grace into a powerful preacher and an important reformer of the Church during the early 12th century. He is the founder of the Norbertine order.

Born around the year 1080 in the German town of Xanten, Norbert belonged to a high-ranking family with ties to the imperial court. As a young man he showed a high degree of intelligence and sophistication – which marked him out as a contender for offices within the Church, the state, or both. None of this, however, was any guarantee of a holy life.

On the contrary, Norbert’s gifts and advantages would prove to be a source of temptation even after he joined the ranks of the clergy.

Norbert was ordained as a subdeacon, and enrolled with a group of clerics in his town, before moving on to an appointment with the powerful Archbishop of Cologne. He went on to serve the German Emperor Henry V, in a position which involved the distribution of aid to the poor. In all of this, however, Norbert displayed no particular piety or personal seriousness, living a rather pleasurable and luxurious life.

His worldly outlook had been called into question in 1110, when he accompanied Emperor Henry V on a trip to Rome. The pope and emperor were involved in a long-running dispute over the right to right to choose the Church’s clergy and control its properties. As their negotiations failed, Norbert was moved by the pope’s argument that the Church must govern itself. At the same time, he saw his master Henry V take the extreme measure of imprisoning the pope in order to have his way in the matter.

This was not enough, in itself, to prompt a reform of Norbert’s own life. That change would come from a brush with death, in approximately 1112: while riding on horseback near Xanten, he was caught in a storm and nearly killed by a lightning bolt. The frightened horse threw Norbert off, and he lay unconscious for some time.

Sobered by the experience, he left his

Father George David Byers

Priests’ vesting prayers for Mass

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hile it is no longer the practice for all priests to offer prayers while vesting for Mass, many do offer these “vesting prayers.” The prayers are a good occasion for them to be enriched with a profound humility and willing availability to act in the very Person of Christ at the Holy Sacrifice. In this series, we look at each vesting prayer and its corresponding vestment, as an intimate insight into the spiritual lives of priests at their most vulnerable moment every day, helping all the rest of us also to understand just who we are before God and neighbor.

PRAYER 4 – “Ad cingulum” (Prayer used for the cincture) Also online At www.catholicnewsherald.com: Read more about the feasts of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus (June 12) and the Immaculate Heart of Mary (June 13). Also, read about more saints whose feast days are celebrated in June, including: St. Justin Martyr, June 1; Sts. Marcellinus and Peter, June 2; St. Charles Lwanga and companions, June 3; St. Barnabas, June 11; St. Anthony of Padua, June 13; St. Aloysius Gonzaga, June 21; St. Thomas More, June 22; St. Cyril of Alexandria, June 27; and St. Irenaeus, June 28.

imperial post and began a period of prayer and discernment in a monastery.

At age 35, he heard God calling him to the priesthood.

Radically converted to the ideals of the Gospel, Norbert was now set against the worldly attitude he had once

“Præcinge me, Domine, cingulo puritatis, et exstingue in lumbis meis humorem libidinis; ut maneat in me virtus continentiæ et castitatis.” (“Gird me about, O Lord, with the cincture of purity so as to extinguish in my loins the inclinations of wanton desires, that the virtue of continence and chastity may abide in me.”)

If without God-given virtue, the bodies, the loins of the priest – as with everyone else – are given to the inclinations of wanton desires, and if followed, brutally destroy the purity of heart and agility of soul, the continence and chastity with which every priest is to offer the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. The idea here is not to repress anything, which never works, and which the Church never recommends. It’s true that this prayer is recited as the priest ties this liturgical rope about his waist, both gathering the folds of his alb and holding the

ST. NORBERT, SEE page 27

VESTING PRAYERS, SEE page 27

Your daily Scripture readings JUNE 7-13

Sunday (The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ): Exodus 24:3-8, Hebrews 9:11-15, Mark 14:12-16, 22-26; Monday: 2 Corinthians 1:1-7, Matthew 5:1-12; Tuesday (St. Ephrem): 2 Corinthians 1:18-22, Matthew 5:13-16; Wednesday: 2 Corinthians 3:4-11, Matthew 5:1719; Thursday (St. Barnabas): Acts 11:21-26, 13:113, Matthew 5:20-26; Friday (The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus): Hosea 11:1, 3-4, 8-9, Isaiah 12:2-6, Ephesians 3:8-12, 14-19, John 19:31-37; Saturday (The Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary, St. Anthony of Padua): 2 Corinthians 5:14-21, Luke 2:41-51

JUNE 14-20

Sunday: Ezekiel 17:22-24, 2 Corinthians 5:610, Mark 4:26-34; Monday: 2 Corinthians 6:1-10, Matthew 5:38-42; Tuesday: 2 Corinthians 8:1-9, Matthew 5:43-48; Wednesday: 2 Corinthians 9:6-11, Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18; Thursday: 2 Corinthians 11:1-11, Matthew 6:7-15; Friday (St. Romuald): 2 Corinthians 11:18, 21-30, Matthew 6:19-23; Saturday: 2 Corinthians 12:1-10, Matthew 6:24-34

JUNE 21-27

Sunday: Job 38:1, 8-11, 2 Corinthians 5:14-17, Mark 4:35-41; Monday (St. Paulinas of Nola, Sts. John Fisher and Thomas More): Genesis 12:1-9, Matthew 7:1-5; Tuesday: Genesis 13:2, 5-18, Matthew 7:6, 12-14; Wednesday (The Nativity of St. John the Baptist): Isaiah 49:16, Acts 13:22-26, Luke 1:57-66, 80; Thursday: Genesis 16:1-12, 15-16, Matthew 7:21-29; Friday: Genesis 17:1, 9-10, 15-22, Matthew 8:1-14, Saturday (St. Cyril of Alexandria): Genesis 18:115, Luke 1:46-50, 53-55, Matthew 8:5-17.

Our parishes

June 5, 2015 | catholicnewsherald.com catholic news heraldI

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Deacon Aaron Cory Catron Home parish: St. Frances of Rome Church, Sparta; originally St. Mary, Mother of God Church in Wytheville, Va. Raised in: Rural Retreat, Va. Family: Parents, Jerry and Mia Catron; brother, Micah Catron College: Belmont Abbey College, Class of 2010 Degree: B.A. in Theology and Philosophy

Bishop Peter J. Jugis (center) ordains Aaron Cory Catron to the transitional diaconate at Mass May 30 at St. Patrick Cathedral in Charlotte.

Pre-Theology: Pontifical College Josephinum Theology: Pontifical College Josephinum Summer assignments in the diocese: Previously at St. John the Evangelist Church, Waynesville, and Immaculate Conception Mission, Canton, in 2011; St. Francis of Assisi Church, Jefferson, and St. Frances of Rome Mission, Sparta, in 2012; St. Vincent de Paul Church, Charlotte, in 2014

Photos by sueann howell | catholic news herald

‘A whole new life opens before you beginning today’

Catron ordained to the transitional diaconate SueAnn Howell Senior reporter

CHARLOTTE — Seminarian Aaron Cory Catron was ordained to the transitional diaconate May 30 during Mass at St. Patrick Cathedral – one of the final steps on his path towards the priesthood.

At the start of the ordination rite, Catron was presented to the faithful and to Bishop Peter J. Jugis by Father Christopher Gober, vocations director for the Diocese of Charlotte. After vouching for his character and preparedness for holy orders, Father Gober then asked Bishop Jugis to accept Catron for ordination. A resounding round of applause went up as Bishop Jugis gave his approval.

“Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, Cory Catron is now to be advanced to the order of deacons through the laying on of hands and the prayer of ordination,” Bishop Jugis said during his homily. Catron would receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit in ordination to help the Church in the three-part duties of a deacon to ministry of the Word, ministry of the altar and ministry of charity, he said.

“He will demonstrate that he is a servant – a servant to all, following the example of Jesus, who came not to be served but to serve. As a minister of the altar he will proclaim the Gospel, prepare the sacrifice, and distribute the Lord’s Body and Blood to the faithful.

“As minister of the Word he will instruct believers and nonbelievers in the doctrine of Christ, and he will preside over public prayer, assist at and bless marriages, bring viaticum to the dying, conduct funeral rites and administer baptism.”

Bishop Jugis recounted the reading for the day’s Mass from the Acts of the Apostles, which describes the deacon St. Philip running to catch up with a chariot to speak to the man riding in it.

“He took the initiative and asked the question of the chariot passenger: ‘Do you understand what you are reading in the prophet Isaiah?’ We see a beautiful example of enthusiasm, engaging himself in the ministry,” Bishop Jugis said. “He took the initiative, instructing the man in the doctrine of Christ, proclaiming Jesus to him. Then he administered the sacrament of baptism when the court official requested to be baptized.”

Interests/hobbies: “I like to read and write, and also to be outdoors – fishing, hiking, camping and boating. Having been raised by a librarian, I have a broad and eclectic taste in books. I find writing to be a helpful spiritual discipline sometimes, and use it almost as a form of contemplative prayer.”

Q&A with the new deacon CNH: When did you first realize you had a vocation to the priesthood?

Deacon Catron: I think the thought of priesthood was there sometime when I was in high school – particularly later on, junior and senior year. I was raised Catholic but didn’t really come to appreciate and understand my faith and to learn more about it until I began reading up on it in about the ninth grade. As I grew in my understanding and my prayer life, a vague attraction to the priesthood began.

Going to Belmont Abbey was hugely catalytic to bringing that into focus, as was attending the Eucharistic Congress each year. I think the Congress in 2006 was the first time I had a concrete sense that God might be calling me to the priesthood. I felt a certain peace as I walked behind the Blessed Sacrament, almost like something was telling me to follow.

CNH: Who has mentored you or given you a good example to follow during these years of discernment and seminary studies?

St. Philip was then snatched away by the Holy Spirit, Acts describes, and he went about proclaiming Jesus to all of the surrounding towns.

“Such enthusiasm, engaging himself in the diaconal ministry,” Bishop Jugis noted. “This whole reading is a perfect example not only of diaconal ministry, but of Pope Francis’ teaching on personal encounter as a most effective method of evangelization: bringing Christ to others through a personal encounter with

Deacon Catron: First, my grandfather, who passed away in 2005, was a tremendous example of faith, family and learning.

It was his books about Catholicism that I inherited and that paved the way for me initially. My parents, of course, were supportive the whole way, particularly once I had a clear vision of where I might be headed.

The monks at Belmont Abbey, particularly Abbot Placid, Father Kieran, Father Arthur, Brother Edward and Brother Andrew, whose friendship and guidance throughout the years I was in college and thereafter, were a constant help. And Father James Stuhrenberg, who was my summer pastor in 2012, is a shining example of priestly joy and fraternity.

CATRON, SEE page 27

Q&A, SEE page 27

Transitional Deacon Casey Coleman (left) and permanent Deacon Ruben Tamayo (center) are all smiles after vesting Deacon Catron May 30.

UPcoming events 4

catholicnewsherald.com | June 5, 2015 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Bishop Peter J. Jugis will participate in the following upcoming events: June 5 – 7 p.m.

Sacrament of Confirmation Divine Redeemer Church, Boonville June 7 – 10 a.m.

Sacrament of Confirmation St. Francis of Assisi Church, Lenoir June 13 – 1:30 P.M. Holy Mass for Rosary Congress St. Mark Church, Huntersville June 15 – 7 P.M. Sacrament of Confirmation

St. Aloysius Church, Hickory June 18 – 7 P.M. Sacrament of Confirmation Our Lady of the Americas Church, Candor June 20 – 5 P.M. Sacrament of Confirmation Our Lady of the Annunciation Church, Albemarle June 22 – June 24 Meeting of Bishops of the Atlanta Province Charlotte

June 23 – 12:10 P.M. Mass with Bishops of the Atlanta Province St. Patrick Cathedral, Charlotte June 26 Holy Hour for Priesthood Ordination Candidates St. Patrick Cathedral, Charlotte June 27 – 10 a.m.

Priesthood Ordination Mass St. Patrick Cathedral, Charlotte

Diocesan calendar of events June 5, 2015 Volume 23 • Number 18

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

CONFERENCES NORTH CAROLINA MARIAN ROSARY CONGRESS: 10 a.m.

Saturday, June 13, at St. Mark Church, 14750 Stumptown Road, Huntersville. Call 1-844-YES-MARY for details.

LAY ORGANIZATIONS Blood Drive: Sunday, June 14, at St. Matthew Church, 8015 Ballantyne Commons Pkwy., Charlotte LECTURES & REFLECTIONS

STAFF 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

The Catholic News Herald is published by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte 26 times a year.

NEWS: The Catholic News Herald welcomes your news and photos. Please e-mail information, attaching photos in JPG format with a recommended resolution of 150 dpi or higher, to catholicnews@charlottediocese.org. All submitted items become the property of the Catholic News Herald and are subject to reuse, in whole or in part, in print, electronic formats and archives.

ADVERTISING: Reach 165,000 Catholics across western North Carolina! For advertising rates and information, contact Advertising Manager Kevin Eagan at 704-370-3332 or keeagan@charlottediocese.org. The Catholic News Herald reserves the right to reject or cancel advertising for any reason, and does not recommend or guarantee any product, service or benefit claimed by our advertisers.

SUBSCRIPTIONS: $15 per year for all registered parishioners of the Diocese of Charlotte and $23 per year for all others.

POSTMASTER: Periodicals class postage (USPC 007-393) paid at Charlotte, N.C. Send address corrections to the Catholic News Herald, 1123 S. Church St., Charlotte, N.C. 28203.

Holy Happy Hour: 6:30 p.m. Saturday, June 6, at Tequila’s Mexican Restaurant, 238 W. Main Ave., Gastonia.

Dr. Chuck Meakin, a Catholic oncologist, will talk about end-of-life discussions. For details, call the parish office at 704-867-6212.

Marriage encounter weekend: July 31-Aug. 2. For details and registration, visit www.NCMarriageDiscovery. org or call 704-315-2144.

SUMMER ADULT FAITH FORMATION IN CHARLOTTE: St. Matthew “You”niversity is offering eight classes this summer on Scripture, theology, the saints, liturgy and social justice. Classes are offered on a variety of days and times. Learn more and register online at www. stmatthewcatholic.org/summerforum.

NATURAL FAMILY PLANNING NFP Introduction and Full Course: 1-5 p.m.

Saturday, July 18, at St. Matthew Church, 8015 Ballantyne Commons Pkwy., Charlotte. Topics include: effectiveness of modern NFP, health risks of popular contraceptives and what the Church teaches about responsible parenting. Sponsored by Catholic Charities Diocese of Charlotte. RSVP to Batrice Adcock, MSN, RN, at 704-3703230.

Other OPUS DEI Recollection FOR MEN AND WOMEN: Directed by a priest of Opus Dei, at St. Matthew Church, 8015 Ballantyne Commons Pkwy., Charlotte. Opus Dei is a Catholic institution founded by St. Josemaría Escrivá.

Its mission is to help people turn their work and daily activities into occasions for growing closer to God, for serving others, and for improving society. Schedule for men: 7-9 p.m. Friday, June 12, includes confessions starting at 6:30 p.m. For details, contact Joe Ignacio at 704-752-7155 or email joremy.ignacio@gmail.com.

Schedule for women: 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Saturday, June 13, includes Mass at noon and confessions starting at 9:30 a.m. For details, contact Remy Ignacio at 704-752-7155 or email remy_ignacio@hotmail.com.

Religious liberty March and Prayer Vigil: 11:30 a.m. Friday, June 26, in downtown Charlotte. March will start at the Diocesan Pastoral Center and proceed to the federal courthouse. Organized by March for Life Charlotte to coincide with the U.S. bishops’ Fortnight for

Freedom campaign. Email religiousliberty@windstream. net for details.

Open House for New Creation Monastery: 2 p.m.

Friday, June 19, at 100 Madora St., Mount Holly. Come experience the Mill House Chapel, sacred art library and some backyard heritage. For details, call Father John Hoover at 704-344-0934.

Mass for U.S. military personnel: 3:30 p.m.

Sunday, July 19, at St. Patrick Cathedral, 1621 Dilworth Road East, Charlotte. Rosary to be recited at 3 p.m.

Mass will be offered for all military personnel who have died and for those who are currently serving.

All military personnel are invited to come in uniform.

Photos of those who have died or who are now serving in the military will be displayed in the cathedral. To include your service member, mail a photocopy of them with their name and military rank on the back of the photocopy to Nancy Weber, Office of the Bishop, 1123 S. Church St., Charlotte, NC 28203, no later than July 13.

(Please do not send original photographs as they cannot be returned.)

SAFE ENVIRONMENT TRAINING “Protecting God’s Children” workshops are intended to educate parish volunteers to recognize and prevent sexual abuse. Upcoming workshops are listed below.

For details, contact your parish office. To register and confirm workshop times, go to www.virtus.org.

CANDLER: 9:30 a.m. Saturday, June 13, St. Joan of Arc Church, 768 Asbury Road CHARLOTTE: 8 a.m. Saturday, June 13, 18 Family Life Center, St. Thomas Aquinas Church, 1400 Suther Road HIGH POINT: 6 p.m. Thursday, June 11, Meeting Room 1, Immaculate Heart of Mary Church, 4145 Johnson St. HUNTERSVILLE: 6 p.m. Tuesday, June 9, and noon Saturday, June 13, Parish Hall (Monsignor Joseph A. Kerin Family Center), St. Mark Church, 14740 Stumptown Road THOMASVILLE: 1 p.m. Saturday, June 13, Our Lady of the Highways Church, 943 Ball Park Road SUPPORT GROUPS

PRAYER SERVICES & GROUPS Pro-Life Rosary: 9 a.m. Saturday, June 6, rain or shine at 901 N. Main St. and Sunset Drive, High Point, to pray for an end to abortion. For details, call Jim Hoyng at 336-882-9593.

Anointing of the sick: Sunday, June 7, all Masses at Queen of the Apostles Church, 503 N. Main St., Belmont.

For details, call Jeanne LaFrancis at 704-825-9600, ext.

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Silent Meditation for the Feast of St. Romuald: 3 p.m. Friday, June 19, at New Creation Monastery, 100 Madora St., Mount Holly. St. Romuald was the founder of the Camaldolese order. For details, call Father John Hoover at 704-344-0934.

Missa Solemnis for the Nativity of St. John the Baptist: 6 p.m. Wednesday, June 24, at St. Ann Church, 3635 Park Road, Charlotte.

St. Peregrine Healing Prayer Service: 7:30 p.m. Thursday, June 25, at St. Matthew Church, 8015 Ballantyne Commons Pkwy., Charlotte. St. Peregrine is the patron saint of cancer and grave diseases. The healing prayer service will be offered for all those suffering with cancer or other diseases. For details, contact the parish office at 704-543-7677.

Second Annual Blessing of the Bikes: 2 p.m.

Sunday, June 28, at St. Matthew Church, 8015 Ballantyne Commons Pkwy., Charlotte. This year all riders are invited to meet at 11 a.m. at Harley-Davidson of Charlotte.

The HOG Chapter will grill out for riders and H-D is providing a live band. Kickstands up at 1 p.m. for an organized ride to St. Matthew Church, where Monsignor John McSweeney will bless all bikers in hopes of a safe riding season. For details, email Vince Esposito at stmatthewbikers@gmail.com.

Mindfulness Workshop: 6 p.m. Thursday, June 11, at St. Pius X Church, 2210 N. Elm St., Greensboro.

Mindfulness is a special way of paying attention which can help you better cope with life’s stresses, including the stress of grief after the loss of a loved one.

Grieving the loss of a spouse: Support group for husbands and wives who are mourning. Meets the second Monday of each month from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at St. Matthew Church, 8015 Ballantyne Commons Pkwy., Charlotte. For details, call Sister Marie Frechette at 704-543-7677.

RETROUVAILLE: Retrouvaille is a program for married couples who are struggling with problems in their marriage. For confidential information, call 1-800-4702230 or 1-434-793-0242, or email retrouvaillenc@msn. com. Learn more at www.retrouvaille.org.

YOUNG ADULTS AQUINAS’ FINEST: A new social group for Charlotte-area Catholics in their 20s and 30s, under the patronage of the Angelic Doctor. Learn more and view upcoming events online at www.stacharlotte.com/finest.

YOUNG ADULTS AT The Cathedral: St. Patrick Cathedral invites all Catholics in their 20s and 30s to join its next fellowship event, an evening reflection by Father Jason Christian, parochial vicar at St. Thomas Aquinas Church in Charlotte, at 7-8 p.m. Monday, June 8, at the cathedral, 1621 Dilworth Road East, Charlotte.

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.

June 5, 2015 | catholicnewsherald.com

OUR PARISHESI

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RICO DE SILVA | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Queen of the Apostles Church celebrates Pentecost, golden anniversary with outdoor Mass BELMONT — Close to 400 members of Queen of the Apostles Church in Belmont celebrated the birthday of the Church, as well as the parish’s 50th anniversary, with an outdoor Mass on Pentecost Sunday, May 24. Father Frank Cancro, pastor, celebrated a bilingual Mass on the Sisters of Mercy’s Sacred Heart campus, just a block away from the church on Main Street.

At the beginning of the celebration, parishioners processed in carrying banners representing the many ministries at Queen of the Apostles Church.

Preaching on a beautiful and sunny spring day, Father Cancro shared a simple yet profound refrain he had recently heard to capture the essence of the occasion: “’The only way that things will work is if we work together.’ Because that truly is

what Pentecost is about,” he said during his homily.

The outdoor Mass was the high point of the parish’s year-long golden jubilee celebration, all with the aim of building discipleship. After the celebration, participants enjoyed a delicious catered picnic, and children enjoyed outdoor games and entertainment.

At www.catholicnewsherald.com: See video highlights and more photos from Queen of the Apostles Church’s Pentecost Sunday celebration, as well as read more about the parish’s 50th anniversary

Diocese releases new insurance-related policy manual for all parishes, schools, agencies CHARLOTTE — The Diocese of Charlotte has debuted a comprehensive Risk Management and Insurance Manual for all parishes, schools and agencies.

The new manual was presented to clergy, staff and volunteers during a series of six workshops recently presented across the diocese by diocesan Properties and Risk Management Director Anthony Morlando and diocesan Finance Director Bill Weldon.

The new manual is a compilation and update of previously separate policies, Morlando said, and is the result of a year-long effort that included input from many expert sources across the U.S. as well as local stakeholders within the diocese.

“The goal was to capture and incorporate ‘best practices’ that have proven successful across the country,” he said, and is designed for use by all 92 parishes and missions, the 19 diocesan schools, and various agencies and ministries of the diocese.

The manual summarizes diocesan insurance coverage and how to report claims, but it also provides a wide range of information on how to prevent property losses and other potentially costly problems – everything from installing security alarms to handling candles and incense safely. Heating and electric hazards, flood risk, kitchen dangers and more are also discussed.

It also includes basic information on preventing and responding to school violence, theft, arson and other emergency crises, as well as resources for planning ahead in the case of tornadoes and severe storms.

Other sections cover facilities rental and usage, festivals, food handling and alcohol policies, guidelines for using volunteer workers, policies for child care centers, construction projects and building contracts, vehicle usage, and mandatory safety training programs.

Morlando noted that the diocese has a laudable track record on safety with its insurance company, Catholic Mutual Group, and he praised his predecessor Deacon Guy Piché for the firm foundation which he set. This new manual, he said, will “further develop a strong and vigilant ‘culture of safety’ across the diocese.”

“This effort is meant to not only protect our buildings and people, but to try to lower even further our cost of insurance,” he said.

The diocese is self-insured, which means claims are paid directly out of diocesan reserves, he explained. The diocesan-wide program includes property insurance, builders’ risk insurance, general liability, automobile insurance, crime coverage, workers’ compensation, and more. Each parish, school and agency contributes proportionately to pay for the insurance plan coverages in place.

— Patricia L. Guilfoyle, editor

Photo provided by CRS

Learn about caring for Iraqi, Syrian refugees CHARLOTTE — Cullen Larson of Catholic Relief Services will give a public presentation on “Not Abandoned: Caring for Iraqi and Syrian Refugees - the Church Responds” in Asheville and Charlotte. Sponsored by Catholic Charities, these presentations seek to raise awareness of the current refugee crisis in the Middle East, where over 2.5 million people have fled Syria and Iraq to escape religious and ethnic persecution.

Larson will speak 3-4 p.m. Sunday, June 14, in the Fellowship Hall, St. Eugene Church, 72 Culvern St., Asheville; and 2-3 p.m. Monday, June 15, in Room I-89, Diocese of Charlotte Pastoral Center, 1123 S. Church St., Charlotte. Both talks are free and open to the public.

Find out what the Church is doing to assist these refugees, many of whom are Christians who have fled their homelands where they have lived for centuries. Find out also what you can do to advocate on behalf of these refugees.

Questions: email nphaskell@charlottediocese.org for the Asheville event or jtpurello@ charlottediocese.org for the Charlotte event.

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catholicnewsherald.com | June 5, 2015 OUR PARISHES

Two Asheville Catholics attend Blessed Oscar Romero’s beatification Mass in El Salvador Rico De Silva Hispanic Communications Reporter

CNS | Lissette Lemus

Priests carry the blood-stained shirt of Archbishop Oscar Romero during his beatification Mass at the Divine Savior of the World square in San Salvador May 23.

His Excellency The Most Reverend Peter J. Jugis Bishop of Charlotte requests the honor of your presence at the Liturgy of Ordination to the Holy Priesthood Reverend Mr. Casey Allen Coleman Reverend Mr. Santiago Agustín Mariani Saturday, the twenty-seventh day of June Two thousand and fifteen at ten o’clock in the morning Saint Patrick Cathedral 1621 Dilworth Road, East Charlotte, North Carolina Reception immediately following Great Hall

met Blessed Romero in 1978 while she was a university student in San Salvador.

His Sunday homilies were broadcast nationwide by the Archdiocese of San Salvador’s radio station. But in 1978, government agents blew up the station late one night. “So, that Sunday, people could not hear his homily because of it. One of the Assumption Sisters asked if I could type Monseñor’s homily so they could disseminate it to the people. That was the first time I had contact with him,” Chavez recalled.

Reilly-Buser said she has a strong devotion to Blessed Romero. “While I never met him, I had heard so much about him, especially from Esther.”

“I wasn’t sure I could justify the expense of going. But when Esther asked me to go with her, I couldn’t refuse. It was great to be a part of such a historic moment,” Reilly-Buser said.

ASHEVILLE — Traveling to El Salvador for the beatification Mass of Archbishop Oscar Romero May 23 was an unforgettable experience for Esther Chavez and Megan Reilly-Buser.

The two Asheville residents – one a parishioner at St. Lawrence Basilica, the other a member of St. Eugene Church – attended the massive outdoor Mass at San Salvador’s Divine Savior of the World Square in which the Church declared the late archbishop a martyr for the faith.

Archbishop Romero was assassinated on March 24, 1980, while celebrating Mass at the Divine Providence Hospital Chapel in San Salvador, just a day after pleading and ordering soldiers to stop killing innocent civilians during El Salvador’s brutal civil war.

“Blessed Romero is another brilliant star that belongs to the sanctity of the Church of the Americas,” said Cardinal Angelo Amato, head of the Vatican’s Congregation for Saints’ Causes, during the ceremony in San Salvador.

“And thanks be to God, there are many.”

While those who persecuted him have died or are in obscurity, “the memory of Romero continues to live in the poor and the marginalized,” Cardinal Amato said.

Four Latin American presidents, six cardinals and hundreds of bishops attended the Mass, but for Chavez and Reilly-Buser the celebration Photo provided by Antonio Garcia was all about “Monseñor Esther Chavez and Megan Reilly-Buser pose after a May 28 talk about Romero,” a champion of the Blessed Oscar Romero at St. Joan of Arc Church in Candler. poor and the oppressed, and the Salvadoran people.

“Where was Monseñor (Romero) the “Reports say that there were 300,000 to day he was beatified? In the child who was 500,000 of us there that day,” Reilly-Buser selling water under such intense heat, in said. “It was powerful, it was incredibly the woman selling popsicles… Because that joyful.” was a celebration and it didn’t matter to the When the cause for Blessed Romero’s people if a priest, bishop or cardinal was canonization was read, she continued, speaking. Monseñor was there,” Chavez “there was such a silence and respect, and said. everyone relished reliving his solidarity Reilly-Buser also said she felt the presence with the Salvadorian people. They have a of Blessed Romero under the extreme saying there, ‘Con Romero, Dios pasó por conditions during the ceremony. “It was so El Salvador’ (‘With Romero, God visited El hot that when you fanned yourself, you got Salvador’), and you could really feel that.” a hot breeze. We were wall-to-wall people or, In a message read during the ceremony, I should say, building-to-building-crossingPope Francis said Blessed Romero “built the-street people, inches away from the the peace with the power of love, gave person next to you. testimony of the faith with his life.” The “And yet we felt a cool breeze cooling shirt he died in, soaked in blood, was us off from time to time. Not only on our carried in by eight deacons and priests in a faces, but on our body and even below on glass case at the start of the Mass. our legs as well. No way to explain that...

Reilly-Buser and Chavez arrived in we were too close together for a breeze like San Salvador in time to attend a public that to cut through and for all of us to feel procession and vigil Mass before the May it.”

23 beatification.

Chavez said the example of Blessed Chavez recalled, “That was a very special Romero’s life and having returned to El vigil because we were blessed from heaven Salvador for his beatification Mass has with rain the whole way from the cathedral given her new hope in her commitment to to the Savior of the World Plaza, where the social justice. vigil Mass was celebrated. When Megan “It’s worth dying for a just cause when a and I were walking, the water rose to person works or fights for the rights of the our ankles, but that didn’t matter. What poor and the oppressed. It doesn’t matter mattered was we were all walking and where we are because we know the poor singing at times… We were not sharing and the oppressed are everywhere.” pain, but so much happiness instead.”

— Catholic News Service contributed.

Chavez, originally from El Salvador,

June 5, 2015 | catholicnewsherald.com

Mercy Sister Elizabeth Robertson dies at 87 BELMONT — Mercy Sister Elizabeth Robertson, also known as Sister Mary de Paul, died peacefully on May 1, 2015, in the Marian Center at Sacred Heart Convent following a lengthy illness, aged 87. She was professed with the Sisters of Mercy for 68 years.

A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated May 4, 2015, at Sacred Heart Convent in Belmont. Burial followed at Belmont Abbey Cemetery.

Elizabeth Robertson was born on Dec. 4, 1927, in Baltimore, Md., the only child of Ethel and Robertson Chester Robertson. In 1947 she traveled to the South and entered the Sisters of Mercy in Belmont. After earning a bachelor’s degree from Belmont Abbey College, she began her ministry in elementary education.

She was noted for her compassion with children, and many Catholic schoolchildren throughout North Carolina,

Florida, New York, New Mexico and Saipan were the recipients of her teaching talents.

She had a lifelong dream of working for Native Americans that came to fruition in 1991, when she had the opportunity to live with and minister to the Zuni people in New Mexico. She worked with them for four years and often talked about the wonderful experience she had while living on their reservation.

Sister Elizabeth was an accomplished dancer and the slightest note of music would have her feet moving in rhythm. In her later years she was unable to speak or walk, but when she heard music playing her feet and hands would beat in time to the tempo. Her pleasant smile was a hallmark of her presence and despite her inability to talk, her smile said it all.

She was preceded in death by her parents.

Memorials may be directed to Sisters of Mercy, 101 Mercy Dr., Belmont, NC 28012.

McLean Funeral Directors of Belmont was in charge of the arrangements.

— Catholic News Herald

Mercy Sister honored for her work CHARLOTTE — Mercy Sister Jeanne Marie Kienast was honored as one of Charlotte’s “50 Most Influential Women” May 29, during a gala ceremony at the Hilton Charlotte Center City sponsored by the Mecklenburg Times.

The seventh-annual awards event was created to spotlight and recognize the important role women Kienast play in the greater Charlotte region, in the economy, and in society. The honorees represent the most influential women in

business, government, education, and not-for-profit fields. They are selected by a panel of independent business leaders based on professional accomplishment and community involvement within the Charlotte area.

Sister Jeanne Marie was nominated based on her years of work with the homeless ministry at St. Matthew and St. Gabriel churches in Charlotte. This year marks her 70th anniversary of profession as a Sister of Mercy.

The overall “Woman of the Year” award was given to Dianne Chipps Bailey with Robinson, Bradshaw, and Hinson.

— Tiara Benfield. Photo by Chuck Eaton/www.

CharlotteCatholicSeniors.com

OUR PARISHESI

Protecting God’s Children We proclaim Christ to the world around us by our efforts to provide a safe environment for all people, especially the young and the vulnerable.

In 2002, the bishops of the United States issued the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People. The charter addresses the Church’s commitment to respond effectively, appropriately and compassionately to cases of abuse of minors by priests, deacons or other church personnel.

DIOCESAN REQUIREMENTS FOR REPORTING MINISTRY-RELATED SEXUAL ABUSE OF A MINOR 1. Any individual having actual knowledge of or reasonable cause to suspect an incident of ministry-related sexual abuse is to immediately report the incident to the Chancery.

2. The Chancery will then report the incident to the proper civil authorities. The individual reporting the incident to the Chancery will be notified of the particulars regarding the Chancery’s filing of the incident with civil authorities.

3. This reporting requirement is not intended to supersede the right of an individual to make a report to civil authorities, but is to ensure proper, complete and timely reporting.

Should an individual choose to make a report to civil authorities, a report is still to be made to the Chancery.

The charter can be found on the diocesan website, Charlottediocese.org, click on the tab, “Safe Environment.”

Secretary / Administrative Assistant Our Lady of Consolation Catholic Church 1235 Badger Court - Charlotte, NC 28206 Our Lady of Consolation Catholic Church is seeking a full-time Secretary to the Pastor as Administrative Assistant. This will also entail administrative, secretarial and clerical office support to the parish office operations. Position is Full time: 9:00 am - 5:00 pm, Monday through Friday

Responsibilities include but not limited to: • Enter sacramental records in the Parish Records Books • Gather schedules of departmental activities to prepare and print weekly calendar as requested • Facilitate inventory control measures, purachasing, maintaining and recording inventory for the church, including sacramental and liturgical supplies • Receive visitors in the Parish Office and answer the telephone, address their inquiries and direct as appropriate, both in person and on the phone • Be available as needed for unforeseen things that come up • Supervise the maintenance of parishioner contributions

Qualifications: • General knowledge of the Catholic Church, sacraments, rites and liturgies.

• Experience working in a parish office environment preferred.

• Good communication skills and ability to relate to a variety of people in a spirit of generosity.

• Excellent grammar, vocabulary and listening skills.

Photo provided by Eileen Kelly Dickerson

Catholic Campus minister celebrates 25 years as a Grey Nun of the Sacred Heart Ten Grey Nuns of the Sacred Heart celebrated their jubilees – the anniversary of their entrance into religious life – at a Mass and dinner at the Motherhouse in Yardley, Pa., in May. Included among them was Sister Eileen Spanier, who serves the Diocese of Charlotte as a Catholic Campus minister in the Charlotte area. She is celebrating her 25th jubilee this year.

Pictured are (from left): Sister Mary Denis Woods (70 years), Sister Mary Salvadore (50 years), Sister Rita Frances Brady (60 years), Sister Cecelia Cosgrove (50 years), Sister Mary Karen Kelly (60 years), Sister Mary Dee Smith (50 years), Sister Elizabeth Dawn Gear (50 years), Sister Eileen Spanier (25 years), Sister Faith Marie McGahan (60 years). Not pictured is Sister Irene Murphy (75 years).

• Ability to maintain privacy and confidentiality.

• Working knowledge of Microsoft Office programs (Word, Outlook, Publisher and Excel) and knowledge of Parish Data Systems & Parish Soft

Please visit olc2301@att.net for a detailed job description.

Please send resume and letter of interest to Rev. Carl Del Giudice, Pastor, Our Lady of Consolation Catholic Church, 1235 Badger Court, Charlotte, NC 28206 or by email to

ctdelgiudice@charlottediocese.org

7

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catholicnewsherald.com | June 5, 2015 OUR PARISHES

Diocese’s first chancellor celebrates 60th anniversary of priesthood Patricia L. Guilfoyle Editor

GREENSBORO — Monsignor Joseph Showfety returned to the church of his childhood May 19 to say Mass and give thanks to God for his priestly vocation. The day marked his 60th jubilee of ordination, and the place – St. Benedict Church in Greensboro – was where he had first felt the call to priestly life as a young altar boy.

Monsignor Showfety is one of the first native priests in the Diocese of Charlotte and served for seven years as its first chancellor.

Growing up the son of devout Lebanese Catholic immigrants Abdou and Edna Showfety, Monsignor Showfety lived just a few blocks away from St. Benedict’s, and starting in the third grade at St. Benedict School he began serving 7 a.m. daily Mass.

He credits Daughter of Charity Sister Genevieve Riordan and the other women religious who were his teachers, as well as Monsignor Hugh Dolan, pastor, for encouraging his vocation.

Serving at the altar drew him closer to Christ, he recalls, and he thinks it’s unfortunate that more children today do not have the same opportunity to attend daily Mass as he once did.

“Priests can be a great, great influence on kids,” he notes.

Showfety He attended The Citadel in Charleston, S.C., in the final months of World War II and then spent 16 months in the Navy. After service he went to Mount Saint Mary’s College (now University) in Emmitsburg, Md., for four years. Bishop Vincent Waters of Raleigh then transferred him to St. Mary’s Seminary in Baltimore, the nation’s oldest Catholic seminary, to complete his studies.

He remains grateful that Bishop Waters moved him to St. Mary’s, and he has many fond memories of the rector there, Sulpician Father James Laubacher.

“He was a very good man,” he recalls, and had just the right approach in guiding each of the men through their discernment and preparation for the priesthood. No small feat for the rector, when Monsignor Showfety’s class alone had 153 men.

During the summers the young seminarian worked in parishes, doing mostly “census work” – visiting parish families’ homes and updating the parish rolls. It was grueling work in the summer heat and humidity, he recalls, especially given the black serge cassocks they wore at the time, but he didn’t mind.

He was ordained by Bishop Waters on May 19, 1955, along with Father Thomas Clements and the late Father Robert Shea.

He remembers Bishop Waters as a demanding yet fair leader who knew every inch of his North Carolina territory and loved the Church. “He knew the parishes, he knew the priests,” he says. “I can never exaggerate the work he did for the Church in this state.

It was his goal to have a Catholic presence in every county in the state.”

Before he retired in 2002, Monsignor Showfety served in 11 parishes in North Carolina, and nearly everywhere he served he either oversaw new building projects or

renovations.

One of his first assignments was at a small parish in eastern North Carolina, he remembers. When he checked the bank account, he found only $1.73, he says with a laugh. When he left the parish for his next assignment a couple of years later, the parish had a couple thousand dollars in the bank, he adds.

Monsignor Showfety also served as director of Our Lady of the Hills Camp, principal of Asheville Catholic High School and director of Bishop McGuinness High School, but it as the first chancellor of the diocese from 1972 to 1979 that the impact of his service still resounds today.

He was one of the first to learn in late 1971 when Bishop Waters told Monsignor Michael Begley that he had petitioned Rome to divide his diocese of 60,000 Catholics and create the Charlotte diocese.

The story goes like this: Two days before Thanksgiving 1971, Bishop Waters visited Monsignor Begley in Greensboro, then pastor of Our Lady of Grace Church.

Under the guise of looking for property in Greensboro for future parish use, Bishop Waters took the pastor with him. The Raleigh diocese already owned property nearby to relocate Notre Dame High School.

Monsignor Showfety describes what happened next: “Bishop Waters and Monsignor Begley were driving toward the property when the bishop pulled over.

‘I’m going to ask you a question. If you say “yes” I’ll take it from there. If you say “no” you must never say a word about this conversation to anyone.’

“Intrigued but not surprised by the secrecy, Monsignor Begley wondered what the question was. ‘Rome has decided to make Charlotte a diocese with you as the bishop,’ said Bishop Waters. ‘Do you accept?” The monsignor didn’t hesitate and answered, “Yes.” Bishop Waters simply put the car in gear and the bishop with the bishop-elect continued down the road.”

So how did Monsignor Showfety become the first chancellor?

He recalls that there had been a freak snowstorm in Hendersonville, where he served as pastor at Immaculate Conception Church. He had just come back to the rectory from shoveling a path to the church through the 15 inches of snow. It was a First Friday, Dec. 3, 1971, and he had to prepare to celebrate 11 a.m. Mass. The phone rang.

“It was Bishop-elect Begley calling. I congratulated him and our conversation continued. He said, ‘I want you to be chancellor.’ My reply was, ‘I want to build a new church in Hendersonville.’ He replied, ‘I know you do. It’ll be built, but not by you. I want you in Charlotte.’”

For the next few weeks, Monsignor Showfety traveled back and forth several times to Raleigh to work with the chancellor there, Monsignor Louis Morton. It was the holiday season, but there were only six weeks to set everything up. The date for Bishop Begley’s ordination had been set for Jan. 12, 1972, at St. Patrick Cathedral, which was being elevated from its status as a parish church.

Titles for all parish properties and all diocesan vehicles had to be transferred from Bishop Waters to Bishop Begley. It was quite a lot to do for the six men involved: SHOWFETY, SEE page 18

Photo provided by Father Paul Gary

Monsignor Showfety celebrated his 60th anniversary of ordination with Mass May 19 at St. Benedict Church in Greensboro followed by a reception hosted by the Vincent G. Taylor Fourth Degree Assembly 779.

Diocese of Charlotte archive photo

Our Lady of Grace Church was dedicated on Sept. 14, 1952, presided over by apostolic delegate Archbishop Amleto Cicognani (center). The priest with his back facing the congregation is Monsignor Hugh Dolan, and behind him is Monsignor Lawrence Newman. Note, second from right, serving as vimp is a young Joseph Showfety of Greensboro, who later became one of the area’s first native priests and then rose to serve as the new Diocese of Charlotte’s first chancellor when the diocese was established in 1972.

Other jubilarians Other priests celebrating special anniversaries of ordination in May and June include: Father Thomas Clements, 60 years; Jesuit Father Francis Reese and Benedictine Father Kieran Neilson, 55 years; Monsignor Richard Bellow and Jesuit Donald Ward, 45 years; Father Richard Hanson, Father Joseph Mulligan and Benedictine Father David Brown, 40 years; Benedictine Abbot Placid Solari and Benedictine Father Christopher Kirchgessner, 35 years; Father John Allen, 25 years; Father James Collins, Father Eric Houseknecht and Father Mark Lawlor, 20 years; Father David Brzoska, Father Joseph Dinh, Father Christopher Gober, Father Matthew Kauth, Father Shawn O’Neal, Father Luis Osorio and Father Frank Seabo, 15 years; Father James Ebright, 10 years; and Father Gabriel Carvajal-Salazar, Father John Eckert and Father David Miller, 5 years.

June 5, 2015 | catholicnewsherald.com

OUR PARISHESI

9

Jesuits, priests, friends

Fathers Reese, Ward celebrate combined 100 years of priesthood SueAnn Howell Senior reporter

MOORESVILLE — The first time you meet Jesuit Fathers Frank Reese and Don Ward, you get the sense that you are in for a few laughs. Their friendship forged over the past four years as Jesuit priests serving the people at St. Thérèse Church is evident.

They poke fun at each other, smiling as they exchange inside jokes. It seems as if they have been friends and roommates forever.

“We’ve been banished to the downstairs (of the rectory),” they joke.

Despite the fact that Father Frank, 87, entered the Jesuit order in 1950 and Father Don, 76, entered in 1957, the two have more of a brotherly relationship.

This year, Father Frank is celebrating his 55th anniversary of ordination; Father Don his 45th.

Both priests say they grew up in very devout Catholic families in Philadelphia, attending Catholic schools during their formative years, and the Jesuits they came into contact with in their families and in their schools really made an impression on them.

But Father Don remembers rejecting the idea of a priestly vocation during his senior year of high school.

“I went to Holy Cross (in Worchester, Mass.), thinking I was going to be a doctor, and I met a very nice chemistry teacher who taught me that was not my vocation,” Father Don jokes. “Somewhere during the first year of college, I thought I would like to do what I saw Jesuits doing.

I never thought about any other order or the diocesan priesthood.”

Father Jesuit Father Frank Reese Frank spent 14 months in the Army in the mid-1940s before discerning his call to the priesthood.

The two laugh about their college experiences.

“Frank went to St. Joe College and I went to Holy Cross,” Father Don explains. “But Frank finished and I didn’t!”

“And I had the same experience with chemistry!” Father Frank chimes in.

Father Frank has an interesting explanation as to why he passed through the various steps of Jesuit formation more quickly than usual. “It was because I was bald,” he deadpans, and people thought he was a later vocation.

After novitiate studies and vows in Wernersville, Pa., Father Frank studied philosophy in Spring Hill, Ala., for two years (1953-’55) with Jesuits from all over the country. He then taught for two years at Georgetown Prep outside Washington, D.C. In 1957, Father Frank entered the largest Jesuit seminary in the U.S., Woodstock College outside of Baltimore (now closed), for his theology studies.

“It wasn’t easy, but it was worthwhile,” he recalls.

He was ordained in the Woodstock College Chapel by Cardinal Egidio

‘Keep trying to follow the leading of the Lord.’

Vagnozzi, on June 19, 1960, along with 23 other Jesuits.

“It was a joyful time,” he recalls, especially since his parents and some of his other family were able to attend. “It was great to be finally getting out into parishes, to get out of the House of Studies.”

Father Frank also worked with six other priests who served at a mental hospital in Shillington, Pa., after ordination while finishing his theology studies.

Father Don, who was ordained after the Second Vatican Council, had a slightly different experience.

He studied theology at a new seminary north of Chicago, in Aurora, Ill., staying in a former Hilton Hotel with a room overlooking a pool.

“It was very good for me. I had studied (for years) with the same people. I hadn’t left the province. I didn’t know anyone (out there). It was much more structured than the East Coast. The Midwest sueann howell | catholic news herald was more structured. I had a Brother Jesuits, Father Frank Reese (far left) and Father Donald Ward (far right) are pictured with Bishop Peter J. Jugis after the great time.” dedication of the new St. Thérèse Church March 28 in Mooresville. They are celebrating 55 years and 45 years of priestly ministry, He returned to Woodstock respectively. Also pictured are Jesuit Father Vincent Curtin, pastor; Deacon Joe Santen; Deacon Myles Decker; and Jesuit Father College for his second and Dominic Totaro. third year of seminary. “I really did like Woodstock. I He had the help of Sister Verstege in his Jesuit superiors to send him abroad. He really liked theology. It was a happy time assisting the Hispanic community in finally got his wish in 1981, when he was for me.”

Burnsville, where she still ministers today. sent to Chile.

Father Don was also ordained in the Father Frank says he never could have He spent two years in Santiago teaching chapel at Woodstock College, in 1970, imagined all that the Lord has done in in the high school there. He also worked

by Cardinal Lawrence Sheehan in the his life as he has followed the path of St. with the outreach to the poor started last class ordained there. He remembers Ignatius of Loyola in serving the Church as

by St. Alberto Hurtado called Hogar driving home to attend his sister’s a Jesuit. de Cristo (Home of Christ), helping the graduation the day before his ordination “We are formed in the spirituality of needy. He was able to work in Osorno for and then driving his father through a bad St. Ignatius, our founder, which calls us three years before returning to the U.S. to storm to attend his ordination the next day. to strive to know Jesus more intimately, serve at St. Joseph’s Preparatory School His dad was ill, so it meant a lot to have love Him more ardently and serve Him in Philadelphia – the same school where him there, he says. more perfectly, and always to strive for the Father Frank taught years before.

“His being there is what I remember ‘magis,’ i.e., to try to do whatever is for the Father Don jokingly admits that his most about the ordination. I don’t greater glory of God.” superiors have “matched the jobs to my remember anything about the Mass.”

“I could tell God was doing something personality” over the years.

“I mentioned my dad in my first homily,” different when he moved me to North His love of new experiences and he adds. “He told me if I talked too long Carolina,” he adds. “I could feel it in my exposure to different cultures have allowed he’d walk out. A famous Jesuit who was being.” him to travel the world during his priestly there told me that was the best homily he Father Don has also settled into life in ministry, especially Africa. had ever heard!”

North Carolina at the growing parish of “It was challenging. It grew on me. I Teaching was a huge part of both priests’ St. Thérèse. He has been there for seven loved Africa.” experiences as they developed their gifts He bounced back and forth between cities years, arriving before Father Frank, and and talents. now particularly ministers to the parish’s in the northeastern U.S. (Camden, N.J., was Father Frank spent his first year after Latino community. one city where he served Puerto Rican and ordination in tertianship, a third year of “Of all the changes (in my assignments) Dominican parishioners) and places like spiritual formation. He was sent to high the Dominican Republic and Africa. “It was this adjustment has been the easiest of schools in Pittsburgh, Pa., then back to my life,” he says. “I really like North a fabulous experience,” he said of serving his beloved Philadelphia, where he taught Carolina!” the elderly in the Dominican Republic. at St. Joseph’s Preparatory School for Both Father Frank and Father Don have Father Frank, on the other hand, has 11 years. After a sabbatical in Toronto, advice for men discerning the priesthood. a very distinguished service record here he asked to work in Appalachia and was “Pray. Talk to people. Trust,” says Father in the U.S., especially in western North assigned to start spiritual retreats in Hot Frank. “Keep trying to follow the leading of Carolina, where he also served in Mars Springs, N.C., at what became the Jesuit the Lord. In my experience, the Lord leads.

Hill, working with the Catholic community House of Prayer. He was also the pastor for It may require patience. Trust requires to build St. Andrew the Apostle Church in Madison County, where the Jesuits first that.”

1991 and ministering to the people of nearby came to minister in the 1920s.

Father Don agrees that prayer is Sacred Heart Mission in Burnsville. He “I worked with a wonderful pioneer essential. “Pray. Have a spiritual director. had a growing Hispanic population at his priest, Jesuit Father Andy Graves. He was Stay close to the Eucharist.” parishes there and he greatly appreciated a wonderful mentor and friend. (Also) They both agree that they are very their deep love of the faith. He admits his Father Joe McCloskey and Mercy Sister blessed by the communities they serve, grasp of Spanish, which he did not learn Peggy Verstege. It was a great experience.” which welcomed them warmly. until his 70s, was a bit of a challenge.

After Father Don was ordained, he “It’s been a joy ride,” Father Frank But, he recalls, “It was a very joyful served briefly in Boston and then spent says about his priestly vocation, drawing experience. Studying the Bible in a new nine years at Gonzaga High School in laughter from Father Don. “Some days!” language was a great gift. It opens your Washington, D.C. He always had a deep chimes in Father Don. eyes in a different way.” desire to serve outside the U.S., and begged

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catholicnewsherald.com | June 5, 2015 OUR PARISHES

Job Opportunity – Sales

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Photo provided by father frank seabo

Father Frank Seabo, pastor of Holy Infant Church in Reidsville, elevates the Precious Blood during the Mass in which parish children received their first Holy Communion this year.

CCDOC.ORG

‘Do not fear the power of God’s will in your life’ Holy Infant pastor celebrates 15 years of priesthood SueAnn Howell Senior reporter

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Counselors work with the client on their personal journey, addressing the challenges of life. Services are provided on a “sliding fee scale” based upon family or individual income. Some insurance policies accepted.

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Asheville 828-255-0146 Charlotte 704-370-3232 Greensboro 336-274-5577 Winston-Salem 336-727-0705

REIDSVILLE — Father Frank Seabo is a testament to the power of a good homily.

More than 24 years ago he was at Mass at Sacred Heart Cathedral in Raleigh and a homily on service by Father Jerry Lewis, rector, ignited the spark of his vocation to the priesthood.

Father Seabo was born and raised in Vineland, N.J., in between Philadelphia and Atlantic City. His father was a Methodist and his mother was a Catholic who raised him in the Catholic faith. He attests that another reason why he is a priest today is due to his father’s Christian witness.

Father Seabo was 33 at the time he heard Father Lewis’ homily on service. Over the course of the next four years he discerned that he was called to enter seminary.

He studied at the Theological College at The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. “There, I spent quite a bit of time at the Dominican House of Studies which was next door,” he recalls.

On June 3, 2000, he and six other men were ordained priests for the Diocese of Charlotte at St. Matthew Church in Charlotte by then Bishop William G. Curlin.

Father Seabo has had a variety of assignments over the past 15 years since then.

“I started at St. Lawrence Basilica in Asheville as parochial vicar,” he says.

“Then St. Joseph Church in Bryson City with a mission Our Lady of Guadalupe on the Cherokee Indian Reservation as administrator, St. Margaret Mary Church

in Swannanoa, St. Joan of Arc Church in Candler and Holy Infant Church in Reidsville as pastor.”

He has been the pastor of Holy Infant Church for two years.

When asked what he enjoys most about his priestly ministry, Father Seabo says “celebrating the sacraments, visiting the sick and witnessing to the people’s faith.

By God’s will I have gravitated to smaller parishes. I love the personal contact and learning the family relationships.

One cannot know 70 to 80 percent of the parishioners in a larger parish.

“I have had the blessing of learning the stories and the histories of so many of my parishioners over the years. The more I think about it, the more I am aware that I am not worthy to have experienced the joys that I have had with my parishioners over the years.”

Universally, he says, he has found that wherever he has served he has experienced the kindness of the people of God. “The areas my parishes are located in have been predominantly Southern Baptist. However, I have felt welcomed in them all by fellow ministers and the people.”

Some of the biggest lessons he has learned over the past 15 years are: “Silence is golden, speak after you have prayed and thought upon it.” He says that the challenges have been “trusting God’s power in my life and trying to constantly renew myself in Jesus.” Some of the joys have been “living my life as who I am and serving others as a priest.”

Father Seabo, 57, came to his priestly calling late in life, although he has a deceptively youthful appearance. He says people would probably be surprised to know his age. “I still feel like I’m 30,” he adds.

His advice for men discerning a vocation to the priesthood? “Find a priest who loves his life as a priest. Begin the art of listening. Do not fear the power of God’s will in your life.”

Father Seabo plans on celebrating Mass with his “dear parishioners at Holy Infant” on his anniversary.

June 5, 2015 | catholicnewsherald.com

Confirmed in the Spirit

Photos by Doreen Sugierski | Catholic News Herald

DENVER — Young people at Holy Spirit Church in Denver received the sacrament of confirmation during Mass May 18 celebrated by Bishop Peter Jugis. Before Mass, as is his custom, Bishop Jugis talked with the confirmation students and asked them questions about the faith.

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catholicnewsherald.com | June 5, 2015 OUR PARISHES

St. Gabriel Perpetual Adoration founder passes the torch after 22 years SueAnn Howell Senior reporter

CHARLOTTE — In the early 1990s, Kathleen Potter had a strong desire to help bring Perpetual Adoration to a church in Charlotte. Her pilgrimages to Fatima, Portugal, and the Blessed Virgin Mary’s messages given to three children in 1917, drove her to seek out a special place where the faithful could pray.

She believed that Our Lord should have a place to be adored every hour of every day – a place where the faithful could come to Him with their joys and sufferings, spending time in prayer before Him exposed on the altar in the Blessed Sacrament.

Potter, 88, a lifelong parishioner of St. Patrick Cathedral, and several other Catholics in the Charlotte area talked about how to make this dream a reality.

“For a couple of years I looked for a place that was conducive to Perpetual Adoration,” Potter says. Potter found what she calls “a hole in the wall” – a little room in a hallway at St. Gabriel Church on Providence Road.

“I thought that if Bishop (John) Donoghue would give us permission, that would be a good place.”

She met with the bishop, and he gave his permission for a Perpetual Adoration chapel to be established. The group was given permission to use the small room at St. Gabriel Church to house the Blessed Sacrament for Perpetual Adoration starting in 1992. The chapel was expanded in 2004.

“It was the only Perpetual Adoration chapel in the diocese,” Potter recalls. “I was

thrilled to death to bring this to fruition.”

Estelle Wisneski was one of the other prayer warriors who has assisted in this effort since the beginning, more than 22 years ago. She has recently taken over the coordination duties from Potter, who has had to slow down a bit because of her health.

“This Perpetual Adoration apostolate has been very close to Kathleen’s heart since she went to ask Bishop Donoghue to allow us to start it sometime in the fall of 1992, as did several others of us from St. Vincent de Paul Church,” Wisneski says.

“Kathleen really has been the one who has overseen the implementation of it and made sure that there was always a committed person to cover each hour,” Wisneski explains.

“She still goes over every afternoon to make a visit and to check to make sure that the hours have been taken care of, because if they’re not, she fears that the chapel would have to be closed.”

In recent years, even with the growth among parishes in the Charlotte metro area, the Adoration chapel has been in need of adorers, especially to fill the overnight hours. There are currently 260 people signed up, but many of them are long-time adorers who are advanced in age and will need to step down in the future.

Ideally, Wisneski says, they would like to have at least 100 more people sign up, some as substitutes, to ensure that all hours of Perpetual Adoration will be covered. She has 24 coordinators who help her keep track of the adorer list and help sign up new adorers whenever possible.

“I’ve been a coordinator for the 11

p.m.-midnight hour from the beginning, so I guess Kathleen thought I’d be the logical one to take her place now that she needs to retire,” she says. “People have sacrificed so much over the years to keep this going. I want to make sure this continues.”

Wisneski says she knows it’s not going to be an easy job, “but I also believe that if God calls us to do something ‘extra’ for Him and His Church, He will give us the graces we need to persevere and succeed. sueann howell | catholic news herald “Like Kathleen, I love the The Perpetual Adoration Chapel at St. Gabriel Church has been a place for Holy Eucharist above all quiet prayer and reflection for more than 22 years. things and I, too, desire that this beautiful apostolate Lord will be praised, adored and loved in continue so that others can experience the the Blessed Sacrament in our Adoration joy and peace that being with Our Lord even chapel.” one hour a week brings to their souls and to Potter says that spearheading the their lives and their families.”

Perpetual Adoration efforts at St. Gabriel Father Frank O’Rourke, pastor of St. Church over the past two decades has been Gabriel Church, has agreed to allow a tremendous blessing, and she has greatly parishioners involved in the Perpetual enjoyed meeting people and inviting them Adoration apostolate to speak at all of the Masses on the Feast of Corpus Christi June to spend an hour with the Lord.

She believes her mission and the purpose 7 to announce the need for more adorers. of the Perpetual Adoration chapel is a call “Perpetual Adoration at St. Gabriel to prayer. gathers such a cross-section of our “We need prayer with everything that is Catholic community in prayer that is for going on in the world. We could turn the sure a blessed ministry,” Father O’Rourke whole thing around if we would pray more. says. “Kathleen Potter’s shepherding this That’s what motivates me,” she explains. from the beginning has kept the flame “God must have wanted it for it to have of faith alive for the past 22 years. Her lasted this long.” building a firm foundation assures that the

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June 5, 2015 | catholicnewsherald.com

Join us for 5th Annual

St. John Neumann Catholic Church 8451 Idlewild Road | Charlotte, NC 28227 Friday, June 12, 5:00 PM-11:00 PM Saturday, June 13, 4:00 PM-11:00 PM

Special appearance by Maney, LauRen and Roy of the Kiss Morning Show on Kiss 95.1 on Friday evening from 5:00-9:00 PM

• Admission is free!

• Tickets available for purchase for food, rides and games.

• Purchase a wristband for unlimited rides on Friday night!

• Carnival rides!

• Try your skill at our midway games and win a prize!

• Great food! Cheesesteaks, Spiedis, Ethnic Foods, Funnel Cakes and More!

• Continuous live music!

• Silent auction and BINGO inside the Parish Hall.

• Fantastic laser light show on Saturday night!

For more information visit http://4sjnc.org/sonfest_2015

Hamburger eating contests sponsored by American Burger Company all weekend long!

OUR PARISHESI

Get your raffle ticket with a chance to win $2,500!

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catholicnewsherald.com | June 5, 2015 OUR PARISHES

Celebrating first Holy Communion DENVER — Children at Holy Spirit Church in Denver celebrated their first Holy Communion in May during Mass offered

by Father Carmen Malacari, pastor.

Photos by Doreen Sugierski | Catholic News Herald

Photo provided by Dave Ross

MURPHY — Nine children received their first Holy Communion at St. William Church in Murphy May 3, during Mass celebrated by Father Alejandro Ayala, pastor.

SYLVA — (From right) Alister Newsome, Chris Arch, Gideon Freeman and Corbin Freeman received their first Holy Communion on May 3, during Mass celebrated by Father Joshua Voitus, pastor.

Photos by Karen Greene | Catholic News Herald

FOREST CITY — More than 20 young people at Immaculate Conception Church in Forest City received their first Holy Communion in May, during Mass celebrated by Father Herbert Burke, pastor.

Della Sue Bryson | Catholic News Herald

June 5, 2015 | catholicnewsherald.com

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Photo provided by Father Frank Seabo

REIDSVILLE — Nineteen children at Holy Infant Church in Reidsville celebrated their first Holy Communion in May, during Mass celebrated by Father Frank Seabo, pastor.

Bill Washington | Catholic News Herald

SALISBURY — Mary Kathryn Aycock was among the children who received their first Holy Communion at Sacred Heart Church in Salisbury during Masses on May 2 and May 9. Father John Eckert, pastor, celebrated the Masses. Also pictured, Father Eckert prays over the children before Mass on May 9.

STATESVILLE — More than 50 children received their first Holy Communion May 3 during two Masses at St. Philip the Apostle Church in Statesville, during Mass celebrated by Father Thomas Kessler, pastor. The children also participated in a May procession which ended in the crowning of a statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and each child offered blue and white carnations at Mary’s feet. At the 10:30 a.m. Mass, 17 children from the Englishspeaking classes received their First Holy Eucharist: Willow Adams, Daisy Aguirre, Daniela Aguirre, Ara Alvarez, Aaron Alvarez, Limairy Anselmo Pineda, Aidan Bennett, Riley Bennett, Caroline Cleaves, Caden Connolly, Fallon Grant, Giancarlo Lopez, Luis Robles, Braeden Staples, Tony Trifaro, Brissa Vargas and Anh Vu. At the 12:30 p.m.

Spanish Mass, 35 children received the sacrament for the first time: Pedro Basilio, Rosa Isela Basilio, Elizabeth Castenada, Anna Lynette Castillo Aguilar, Alexander Chavez, Brayan Alfredo Coronado, Dionicio Coronado Jr. , Juan Alfredo Coronado Cazares, Fernando Cuanas, Jimena Cuanas, Lorena Cuanas, Eddy Cuanas Mariano, Cynthia Enciso Aquilar, Leslie Gabriel, Oscar Gabriel, Lindsay Garcia, Caroline Gomez Meza, Bryan Hernandez, Maria Stephanie Juarez, Emily Mariano Tapia, Ervin Morales Estrada, Ernesto Morales Estrada, Michelle Noveron-Palacios, Stephany NoveronPalacios,Natalie Nunez, Eduardo Jose Olvera Gomez, Giovani Olvera Gomez, Emely Perez Garcia, Edwin Santibanez, Karla Santibanez, Aida Vasquez-Lopez, Angie Vasquez-Lopez, Bryan Villalobos, Diana Zepeta Aldavera and Marleny Zepeta Aldavera.

Photos provided by Connie Ries

Photos by Raymond Taber | Catholic News Herald

WINSTON-SALEM — More than 140 children at Our Lady of Mercy Church in WinstonSalem celebrated their first Holy Communion during two Masses, May 9 and May 16.

Photo provided by Annie Fournier

WINSTON-SALEM — Four children at St. Benedict the Moor Church in Winston-Salem received their first Holy Communion in May, during Mass celebrated by Father Anthony Forte, pastor. Pictured are Ayanna Halstead , Angie Hernandez, Joshua Knickrehm and Jhonathan Bass with their faith formation teacher Syveria Hauser and Father Forte.

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Elkin parishioner receives Curlin Award ELKIN — Pentecost had an extra special meaning this year for members of St. Stephen Mission in Elkin: One of their own, Adrienne Lux, was awarded the 2015 Bishop William G. Curlin Award for Outstanding Pastoral Care.

This diocesan award is presented to those who “exemplify the principles of Christ’s love in the ministry of pastoral care.�

Lux has served in pastoral care ministry for more than 20 years. She and Tom Lux, her husband of 56 years, have also been very involved parish and community life since their arrival in North Carolina in 1982. Both serve in parish ministries and have also volunteered at Tri-County Christian Crisis Ministry.

Paul J. Kotlowski, diocesan director of Youth Ministry, presented the award at Mass on May 24, citing the extraordinary pastoral ministry of its namesake, Bishop Emeritus Curlin.

Pictured singing the Alleluia are Lux and Kotlowski with Sister Janis McQuade, pastoral administrator and Father John Hanic, pastor. — Sister Janis McQuade, S.S.J.

Religious liberty march planned

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July 18th - St. Matthew Catholic Church, Charlotte August 8th - Holy Family Catholic Church, Clemmons September 19th - St. Joseph Catholic Church, Newton For more information visit our website or contact Batrice Adcock, MSN at 704.370.3230 or bnadcock@charlottediocese.org.

CHARLOTTE — All are welcome to participate in a march for religious liberty on Friday, June 26, from the Diocese of Charlotte Pastoral Center to the Charles Jonas Federal Building and Courthouse in uptown Charlotte. The march will begin at 11:30 a.m. The march, which is sponsored

by March for Life Charlotte, will include praying of the Litany of Religious Freedom, the rosary and the Divine Mercy chaplet. Guest preacher will be Father Michael Kottar, pastor of St. Mary Help of Christians Church in Shelby. For questions, email religiousliberty@windstream.net.

SJN prepares for fifth annual SonFest carnival, fundraiser CHARLOTTE — The fifth-annual SonFest, a popular carnival and community fundraiser organized by St. John Neumann Church in Charlotte, will take place Friday-Saturday, June 12-13.

The event is sponsored by American Burger Company and features musical acts, rides, a silent auction, family bingo, ethnic and carnivalfavorite food, and more. Top 40 radio hosts Maney, LauRen and Roy of Kiss 95.1 Mornings will be guest emcees on Friday evening. Admission is free, but but tickets will be available for purchase for rides such as the Hot Dog, Way Out Swing, and Inflatable Slide, as well as a variety of food and beverages. The Kid Zone will feature Thomas the Train, Taxi Jets and a Bounce House.

American Burger Company will also host six hamburger eating contests.

Proceeds from this year’s SonFest will benefit The Relatives, an organization of resources that helps children and youth find shelter and support. The Relatives serves as the Safe Place agency for Mecklenburg County and the surrounding area. “Five years ago when we created this event, we envisioned it growing each year with different rides and more musical acts,� said Father Patrick Hoare, pastor. “The attendance at SonFest has grown each year with the changes we’ve implemented. This year we are excited to have a laser light show as our grand finale!�

The event will be held from 5 to 11 p.m. June 12, and 4-11 p.m. June 13 at the church, located at 8451 Idlewild Road.

For more information, visit www.4sjnc.org/ sonfest_2015. — Jennifer Noto

Seminarians’ summer assignments announced CHARLOTTE — The Diocese of Charlotte has announced the following assignments for some of its seminarians for this summer: n Deacon Cory Catron: St. Michael the Archangel Church, Gastonia n David McCanless: St. John the Baptist Church, Tryon n Peter Ascik: St. Ann Church, Charlotte n Christopher Bond: Spanish studies n Brian Becker: Spanish studies n Christian Cook: Spanish studies n Alfonso Gamez: St. Francis of Assisi, Lenoir n Matthew Bean: St. Mark Church, Huntersville n Britt Taylor: Sacred Heart Church, Salisbury n Jacob Mlakar: St. Eugene Church, Asheville n Miguel Sanchez: St. Thomas Aquinas Church, Charlotte — Catholic News Herald

Mass to honor military personnel on July 19 CHARLOTTE — Bishop Peter J. Jugis will celebrate a Mass for U.S. military personnel at 3:30 p.m. Sunday, July 19, at St. Patrick Cathedral in Charlotte. The Mass will be offered for all military personnel who have died and for those who are now serving. All military personnel are invited and encouraged to come in uniform. A rosary will be recited starting at 3 p.m.

Photos of those who have died or who are now serving in the military will be displayed in the cathedral. To include your service member, preferably in uniform, mail a photocopy of them IN BRIEF, SEE page 17

June 5, 2015 | catholicnewsherald.com

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IN BRIEF FROM PAGE 16

with their name and military rank on the back of the photocopy to Nancy Weber, Office of the Bishop, 1123 S. Church St., Charlotte, NC 28203, to be received no later than July 13. (Please do not send original photographs as they cannot be returned.)

Hickory teen earns Eagle Scout rank AOH installs officers, honors two members Knights essay contest winners recognized

Pennybyrn hosts program about consecrated life HIGH POINT — On May 23 Pennybyrn at Maryfield Retirement Community welcomed Oblates of St. Francis de Sales Father Vincent Smith, pastor of Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in High Point, and Sister Mary Whelan, superior general of the Poor Servants of the Mother of God, for Mass and a discussion on consecrated life.

Father Smith described the Church’s ongoing Year For Consecrated Life, gave a general overview of the history of religious life in the Church, and reminded the audience of everyone’s call to holiness. He also talked about the many religious communities who serve in North Carolina.

Sister Mary shared how the Poor Servants of the Mother of God are living out their consecrated life in the various ministries around the world. The Poor Servants of the Mother of God minister in High Point with Pennybyrn at Maryfield Retirement Community, which the sisters founded in 1947, as well as educational and pastoral ministries in Ireland, England, Italy (Rome), Africa, and other locations.

— Pamela Olson

HENDERSONVILLE — Knights of Columbus Immaculate Conception Council 7184 and Blue Ridge Assembly 2130 recognized the top place writers in their 12th annual patrioticthemed essay contest during a special Memorial Day program at Immaculata School in Hendersonville. This year’s contest challenged Immaculata middle school students to compose an essay on the topic: “What responsibility do you as a citizen have to your country? What responsibility does your country have to you as a citizen?” The essay topic was determined jointly by the Knights and school instructors to further develop character building and personal responsibility discussions the students have been having. The essays were judged by a three-member panel from the council. The top three writers in each middle school grade level received a commemorative medal and a monetary award.

The 2015 first-, second- and third-place awards were presented to the following students, respectively: n Sixth grade – Leia Rose Thompson, Madison Morgan and Kimber Belk n Seventh grade – Bryson McKenney, Raymond Prado and Rachel Ursin n Eighth Grade – Katherine Pace, Juan Pablo Mantilla and Mattie Moore Pictured are: (front row) Madison Morgan; (middle row, from left) Bryson McKenney, Raymond Prado and Rachel Ursin; (back row, from left) Supreme Knight Ken O’Brien, Faithful Navigator Mike Nelson, Mattie Moore, Juan Pablo Mantilla, Grand Knight Birch Devault, Katherine Pace, and Supreme Knight Fred Carberry.

— Randy Hair

HUNTERSVILLE — The St. Brendan Division of the Ancient Order of Hibernians, based at St. Mark Church in Huntersville, held its annual officer installation and awards banquet April 30.

State President Robert Driscoll of Greensboro performed the installation. Founding President of the St. Brendan Division, Joe Dougherty, was presented with the Hibernian of the Year Award and Ray FitzGerald was recognized for his service as president of the division over the past three years.

The Ancient Order of Hibernians is an Irish Catholic fraternal society designed to promote Irish culture and is open to all practicing Catholic men of Irish decent. The division hosts an annual St. Patrick’s Day Dinner that supports Catholic education and participates in various local service projects.

Pictured (from left) are: Ray FitzGerald, past president, St. Brendan Division; AOH State President Robert Driscoll of Greensboro; Dick Seymour, current president of St. Brendan Division; and Joe Dougherty, founding president, St. Brendan Division.

Parish raises money for playground equipment JEFFERSON — The Hispanic community and the special projects group at St. Francis of Assisi Church in Jefferson recently joined forces to buy playground equipment for parish children. A bake sale and tamale sale helped raise approximately $1,800 for the playground and for fencing. A portion of the funds raised was also put into the parish’s building fund.

— Patrick Hession

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Youth perform at Pennybyrn at Maryfield HIGH POINT —Members of the Greensboro Catholic Home Educators group performed in their annual talent exhibition for residents at Pennybyrn at Maryfield in High Point April 21.

Children sang, danced, played instruments and recited poems for the residents.

— Mike FitzGerald

— Pamela Gaylord

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HICKORY — Mitchell Menard, the the son of Dr. Dale and Kathleen Menard, was recently awarded the Eagle Scout rank. Menard is a member of Boy Scout Troop 351 of St. Aloysius Church in Hickory.

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catholicnewsherald.com | June 5, 2015 OUR PARISHES

SHOWFETY: FROM PAGE 8

two bishops, two chancellors and two attorneys. Monsignor Showfety spent three days just transferring car titles at the state Department of Motor Vehicles in Raleigh.

“The police in that office asked me if I lived there,” he remembers with a chuckle.

That excitement and rapid pace set the tone for the new diocese and Monsignor Showfety’s role as chancellor, but, he adds, “everything fit in place.” The two dioceses worked together through the complex work with warmth and a spirit of brotherhood.

Bishop Waters, he recalls, treated the new diocese with generosity and fairness: “He took care of us as much as his own diocese.”

A temporary office was set up for the new bishop and the chancellor in a couple of rooms of the rectory at St. Patrick Cathedral by its pastor, Father Richard Allen.

On Jan. 12, 1972, Bishop Begley was ordained, and that night Bishop Waters and Bishop Begley hosted a large dinner at a downtown Charlotte hotel to celebrate.

The next morning, Monsignor Showfety says, “we were open for business.”

Neither Bishop Begley nor Monsignor Showfety – then Father Showfety – had any experience for their new jobs, he recalls with a laugh. They had been parish priests and run schools, and Bishop Begley had led Raleigh’s Catholic Charities office, but neither had worked in a chancery.

“You grew into the job by doing the work,” he says. “You were involved in everything.”

The people of the newborn diocese were supportive, he adds, and “the priests were extremely, extremely cooperative and helpful.” Particularly Father Allen at the cathedral, Monsignor Showfety says, who “was always extremely helpful in every way.”

Bishop Begley spent a lot of time traveling, particularly for confirmations, and Monsignor Showfety accompanied him as his master of ceremonies. Monsignor Showfety also remained busy with the new work of the diocese as well as filling in at parishes wherever needed.

About a month after Bishop Begley was ordained, they found a home for sale about a block away from the cathedral and purchased it for $82,500 to serve as the bishop’s residence. “It was a beautiful home,” but it needed a little work, Monsignor Showfety recalls. Friends from High Point renovated the house and set up a chapel, as well as furnished and decorated it.

CCDOC.ORG

The new diocese set up a fiscal calendar and accounting system, issued its first financial report 18 months after the diocese’s creation, and looked for office property so they could move out of a small house on St. Patrick’s campus that served as the chancery.

In 1974, the diocese purchased and renovated an office building on Morehead Street near downtown Charlotte – its first consolidated office space.

Monsignor Showfety also formed the first diocesan finance council, consisting of lay professionals from around the diocese, and negotiated health insurance coverage for clergy and staff. A process for reviewing building projects and large capital expenditures was also put into place, to ensure that the parishes and the diocese would not take on more debt than they could afford.

The work of the new diocese occupied much of Monsignor Showfety’s time, even as he continued filling in at parishes.

One of the last projects Monsignor Showfety was involved in as chancellor was renovation of St. Patrick Cathedral in 1979, to accommodate the changes of Vatican II. Some earlier plans had included a proposal to replace the pews with folding chairs and the altar with a portable altar that could be moved to different places in the church, but that proposal was rejected.

The diocese hired Francis Gibbons of Baltimore, who was known for church renovations and also later did work at St. Leo the Great Church in Winston-Salem.

The marble altar was reworked, a new pipe organ was installed, and the ceiling was redesigned. Over the nave, a blue and silver ceiling was painted depicting crowns with a cross along with wheat and grapes representing the Eucharist. The design comes from the diocesan coat of arms and serves as a reminder of Queen Charlotte of Mecklenburg, for whom the city of Charlotte was named.

Besides all of the other firsts that Monsignor Showfety was a part of, he was among the first of four monsignors appointed by the new diocese in 1976. (The three others were Monsignors William Pharr, Richard Allen and Michael O’Keefe.)

It was meant to be a surprise, but that day – as on most days – he was the one to open the mail. He couldn’t help but see the confirmation letter from Rome, he recalls with a laugh, and he had to feign surprise when Bishop Begley made the announcement that afternoon.

Of all the changes over the years, the 88-year-old Monsignor Showfety is proud of how the diocese has grown and flourished, and he applauds the growing participation of the laity and an emphasis on stewardship.

He notes, “It was the biggest honor and privilege of my priesthood” to serve as the diocese’s first chancellor.

“I look back now and thank God for the vocation He gave me.”

— Includes excerpt from “Voices and Places of The People of God,” by David Hains

Carolina’s Catholic Family Day

- PAGE 4 -

DÍA PARA LAS FAMILIAS CATÓLICAS DE LAS CAROLINAS

Catholic Charities invites you to attend a presentation

by Cullen Larson, Regional Director for the Southeast Region-US Operations, Catholic Relief Services on

Not Abandoned: Caring for Iraqi and Syrian Refugees – the Church Responds The event seeks to raise awareness of the current refugee crisis in the Middle East, where an estimated 2.5 million people have fled Syria and Iraq to escape religious and ethnic persecution. Find out what the Catholic Church is doing to assist these refugees, many of whom are Christians who have fled their homelands where they have lived for centuries. Find out also what you can do to advocate on behalf of these refugees.

Sunday, June 14 – 3 - 4 pm, doors open at 2:30 pm Fellowship Hall, St. Eugene Catholic Church 72 Culvern Street, Asheville, NC This presentation will be simultaneously offered in Spanish.

Questions: please email nphaskell@charlottediocese.org.

Monday, June 15 – 2 pm - 3pm, doors open at 1:30 pm Room I-89, first floor of the Pastoral Center of the Diocese of Charlotte 1123 South Church Street, Charlotte, NC 28203 Questions: please email jtpurello@charlottediocese.org.

Sunday, July 26, 2015

Domingo, 26 Julio, 2015

park hours 10am – 10pm

las horas del parquet de 10:00am a 10pm

Come and Enjoy a day of fun and fellowship at Carowinds with your family and friends!

Ven y disfruta este tiempo de comunidad con tus familias y amigos.

48 per person

48 por persona

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Package includes Admission to Carowinds, Mass in the Theater from 10:30 – 11:45 and an all you can eat picnic lunch 12:00 – 1:00 the meal will have an a bundance of Southern Fried Chicken, All American Hot Dogs, Vegetarian Beans, Chips, Drinks and Cookies.

El paquete incluye la admisión para el parquet Carowinds, Misa con los tres obispos en el teatro a las 10:30 – 11:45 y todo lo que pueda comer en el picnic d almuerzo.

Come and celebrate with Catholics of the Carolina’s, as we gather for the 3rd Annual Catholic Family Day at Carowinds Name / Nombre Address/Direccion Email/ Correo Electronico

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Complete the order form and mail with payments to: Diocese of Charlotte – Carolina’s Catholic Family Day 1123 S. Church Street • Charlotte, NC 28203

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Make Checks Payable to Diocese of Charlotte. Deadline for ordering tickets is July 14, 2015.

For more information – visit www.charlottediocese.org Questions? Email pjkym@ymail.com (Director, Office of Youth Ministry) © 2014 Dale Earnhardt, Inc. Intimidator™ takes its name from Dale Earnhardt, “the Intimidator”

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Cesar Hurtado

Un regalo inesperado

Foto proporcionada por Antonio Garcia

(Arriba) Esther Chavez (centro izquierda con volante en la mano) de la Basilica de San Lorenzo en Asheville, y Megan Reilly-Buser de la Iglesia de San Eugenio en Asheville, con un grupo de personas que asistieron a la charla de ellas en la cual ellas compartieron sus impresiones después de haber asistido a la Misa de Beatificación de Mons. Oscar Romero el 23 de Mayo pasado.

L

as cosas hermosas de la vida llegan mucha veces donde y cuando menos lo esperas.

Como por ejemplo, viajando en el transporte público, subí acompañado de mi hija al metro de Washington D.C. La estación de “Chinatown” estaba llena, no repleta, pero el ajetreo de la gente que corría para llegar a tiempo a algún lugar la hacía parecer muy congestionada.

Hasta aquí nos trajo una caminata en medio de la lluvia, la que aprovechamos mi hija y yo para conversar, compartir nuestras preocupaciones, temores y demonios internos que a veces nos atormentan.

Después de una pequeña espera apareció el tren al que subimos y en el que encontramos lugar sin problemas. Algo hizo que volteara la mirada y dirigiera mis ojos hacia las puertas.

La imagen que vi no la podré olvidar mientras viva. Un hombre que no poseía sus dos piernas, sentado en su silla de ruedas, sostenía sobre su regazo a una mujer, evidentemente con mala salud, abrazándola fuertemente, con amor, como se abraza cerrando los ojos al ser que has amado y perdido.

A ambos se le notaba que la vida no los había tratado bien. Los dos mostraban huellas en sus rostros, en sus cuerpos, en sus ropas. Sin embargo, él la abrazaba como si con ello alcanzara el Cielo.

Con delicada fuerza la atrajo hacia sí mismo, levantó su cabeza y la besó tiernamente en los labios.

Ella abrió sus ojos, entendió que era el momento de levantarse, salir del vagón y continuar su dura existencia. Ellos habían hallado un pequeño oasis, un paréntesis del dolor, breve pero inmenso, en el interior de un vagón del metro de la ciudad de Washington D.C., el centro del mundo, la capital política del imperio occidental donde reina la Libertad y la Igualdad para todos los seres humanos. !Que lección nos regaló el Señor a quienes pudimos observar el cuadro de esta realidad en la tierra!

Mi hija y yo comprendimos que nuestros problemas en verdad son solo contratiempos. Que disfrutar de salud, una cama, un techo y un plato de comida son verdaderos regalos de la Providencia de Dios que debemos apreciar y agradecer todos los días de nuestra vida. Que contar con el amor de una sola persona, ya sea nuestra pareja, un hijo, una hija, nuestro padre, madre o un amigo es importante. Y mucho, porque refleja el amor de ese Dios maravilloso que nos dio la vida, que desde el vientre de nuestra madre nos conoce y cuida, y que nunca nos olvida.

Por eso es vital mantener los ojos bien abiertos y los oídos listos para escuchar los mensajes que Dios tiene preparados para nosotros y que, por una u otra razón, no alcanzamos a percibir.

Un punto final. Aprovechemos cada instante de nuestra vida, por Dios y para Dios, amando a nuestra familia, amigos y enemigos. Quizás con esta sea la receta para alcanzar la verdadera felicidad.

Cesar Hurtado, productor audiovisual graduado en la Universidad de Lima, es miembro de la Iglesia San Gabriel en Charlotte y periodista para HOLA Noticias en Charlotte.

(Izquierda) Sacerdotes cargan la camisa cubierta de sangre de Mons. Oscar Romero durante su Misa de Beatificacion el 23 de Mayo en la Plaza del Divino Salvador del Mundo en San Salvador.

CNS | Lissette Lemus

Mujeres católicas de la diócesis asisten a la beatificación de Mons. Romero en El Salvador RICO DE SILVA HISPANIC COMMUNICATIONS REPORTER

ASHEVILLE — Esther Chávez y Megan Reilly-Buser, miembros de la Basílica de San Lorenzo y la Parroquia de San Eugenio en Asheville respectivamente, asistieron el pasado 23 de Mayo a la Misa de Beatificación de Monseñor Oscar Romero en El Salvador. “¿Dónde estaba Monseñor (Romero) en el día de su beatificación? En el niño que vendía agua en ese gran calor; en la mujer que vendía las paletas. Porque eso era una fiesta, y no importaba para la gente si estaba hablando un sacerdote, un obispo o un cardenal… Monseñor estaba ahí,” dijo Chávez. Originaría de El Salvador, Chávez conoció en vida a Monseñor Oscar Romero.

Las homilías que Monseñor Romero daba durante la Misa en la Catedral en ese entonces eran transmitidas a todo el país por la estación católica de la Arquidiócesis de San Salvador YSAX, la Voz Panamericana, “Yo conocí a Monseñor Romero en 1978 cuando la radio católica fue dinamitada. En ese Domingo que sucedió eso la gente no pudo escuchar la homilía, y me pidió una de las Hermanas de la Asunción que si la podía escribir a máquina para distribuirla a la gente. Esa fue la primera vez que yo tuve contacto con él,” recordó Chávez.

Chávez junto con Reilly-Buser viajó a El Salvador el 22 de Mayo y participaron en la Misa de Vigilia el Viernes, 22 en la noche, y también

asistieron, junto con aproximadamente medio millón de personas, a la Misa de beatificación de Mons. Romero al día siguiente en la Plaza del Divino Salvador del Mundo.

“Fue una Vigilia muy especial porque para mí nos bendijeron del Cielo porque llovió todo el camino desde la Catedral hasta el Salvador del Mundo, el área donde se celebró la Misa de Vigilia. Y Cuando Megan y yo íbamos caminando, el agua nos subía hasta nuestros tobillos, pero eso no importaba. Lo que importaba era que íbamos todos caminando y cantando por momentos… Era un compartir no tanto de dolor, sino de felicidad,” dijo Chávez.

A pesar de que Reilly-Buser es originaria de los Estados Unidos, ella dijo que la Iglesia de Latino América tiene “un lugar especial en mi corazón.” Y a pesar de que ella nunca conoció a Mons. Romero, dijo que “quiero mucho al Beato Oscar Romero, y he escuchado tanto acerca de él, especialmente de Esther.”

Reilly-Buser vivió en Guatemala por dos años cuando era misionera laica de los Religiosos Claretianos. Fue en Guatemala, durante los años 90, que ella conoció a Chávez, y desde ese entonces se han convertido en buenas amigas.

Durante la Misa de Beatificación en la Plaza del Salvador del Mundo, el 23 de Mayo, “Éramos 500 mil personas, y habían 1,600 sacerdotes, 200 obispos y 72 o 74 cardenales,” dijo Chávez.

También, de acuerdo a ella, hubo

delegaciones de muchos países de Latino América y el resto del mundo.

“Cuando el obispo que leyó la biografía de Romero (durante la Misa de Beatificación), hubo tanto silencio y respeto, y todos los presentes nos regocijamos en la solidaridad (de Romero) con el pueblo de El Salvador.

Hay un dicho en El Salvador que dice, ‘Con Romero Dios pasó por El Salvador.’ Y de verdad que se sintió eso durante la ceremonia,” recordó ReillyBuser.

Monseñor Oscar Romero fue asesinado el 24 de Marzo de 1980 cuando decía Misa en la Capilla del Hospital de la Divina Providencia en El Salvador. Chávez dijo que durante el funeral de Mons. Romero, en la cual ella estuvo presente también, pero ese día “Hubo otra masacre en el medio de la Misa. Según como dijo el representante del Papa en El Salvador el Sábado. Él falleció en una Misa que no se pudo terminar el día que lo asesinaron. En una Misa fue enterrado que no se pudo terminar, pues por la masacre, pero el Sábado, la Iglesia le da la oportunidad de reconocerle como Mártir y Beato con una Misa completa,” dijo Chávez.

Chávez concluyo diciendo que el haber asistido a la Misa de la Beatificación de Monseñor Romero le ha dado esperanzas de que “Vale la pena morir por una causa justa cuando se trabaja y se lucha por los oprimidos y los pobres. No importa donde estemos, porque sabemos que hay pobres en todas partes.”

Our schools 20

catholicnewsherald.com | June 5, 2015 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

(Right) Charlotte Catholic High School graduates process in for their baccalaureate Mass May 26 at St. Matthew Church in Charlotte. (Far right) Graduates of Bishop McGuinness High School stand during their baccalaureate Mass May 28 at St. Pius X Church in Greensboro.

Photos by SueAnn Howell and Georgianna Penn

Charlotte Catholic, Bishop McGuinness grads urged to ‘keep God first’ SueAnn Howell and Georgianna Penn Catholic News Herald

CHARLOTTE — Wearing graduation gowns and broad smiles, graduates from Charlotte Catholic and Bishop McGuiness high schools processed in for their respective baccalaureate Masses last week – taking a final moment to pray and give thanks before moving on to the next stage in their lives.

The liturgies were celebrated by Bishop Peter J. Jugis on May 26 at St. Matthew Church in Charlotte and on May 28 at St. Pius X Church in Greensboro. During each Mass, Bishop Jugis prayed for the Holy Spirit to bless the graduates and guide them as they graduate from high school.

Reflecting on the Gospel of John 20:19-23 during his homily, Bishop Jugis encouraged the graduates to “stay close to God and He will stay close to you.”

Keep God first in your lives, he told them, and you will find happiness. “As long as you realize that priority and honor it, you will find happiness in life.”

“One way that you can show that you are close to God is by being an active part of your church family in Christ,” he said, “practicing your faith.

“Keep God first in your life, not only on Sunday by your attendance at church, but every day.”

He also urged the graduates to consider how to apply the Catholic education they have received.

“How are you going to live out what you have learned here?” he asked them. “The answer should be service to others.”

He continued, “The measure of a person, now, moving into adulthood, is: how can you more and more forget about yourself and move into a mode of serving others?”

“Even if you go for further education now in college, it will be for that purpose: to prepare yourself for a life of service to others,” he said.

Use Jesus Christ as your example, he encouraged them.

“Jesus said that He came not to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for others. So for all of us, Jesus sets the standard.”

“Now is the time, as you leave high school behind, to start preparing to serve in whatever direction God takes you,” he said, whether that is in the vocation of marriage, religious life, the priesthood or the single life. They are all “a call to serve others out of love for Christ.”

The world needs their Christian witness, he encouraged the graduates.

Bishop Peter Jugis delivers the homily at Charlotte Catholic’s baccalaureate Mass.

Bishop McGuinness graduates honored their mothers with hugs and roses at their baccalaureate Mass.

He reminded Charlotte Catholic graduates of Pope Francis’ advice to young people at World Youth Day 2013 in Rio de Janeiro: “to go out into the world to create a mess – to create chaos,” specifically, to stir up the culture of indifference by bringing the truth and the love of Christ and the presence of Christ into every situation.

“Maybe those words of our Holy Father can apply to us this evening, as you decide how you are going to live out the education you received at Charlotte Catholic High School,” Bishop Jugis told the 350-plus graduates at St. Matthew Church.

The Class of 2015 is Principal Kurt Telford’s first graduating class since he accepted the position last fall, first as interim principal and then permanently in November.

“I am very proud of the Class of 2015,” Telford said after Mass. “They are a smart and driven group of students who have strived for academic success. I have been very impressed with their spirit of service and volunteerism.”

At Bishop McGuinness, graduates honored their mothers after the final prayer of the Mass, presenting them each with a rose and a hug.

Bishop Jugis praised both the Charlotte Catholic and Bishop McGuinness graduates “for the good work that you have done and the honor that you bring” to each school.

“I’m proud of you, graduating seniors,” he said.

“May the Holy Spirit continue to help you and guide you on your way as He was there to guide the Apostles on their way as they went out into the world,” he prayed. “As you stay close to God, may He always remain close to you.”

June 5, 2015 | catholicnewsherald.com catholic news heraldI

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Photos by Georgianna Penn | Catholic News Herald

(Above) Monsignor Anthony Marcaccio, pastor of St. Pius X Church, is pictured with Louis DeJoy and his wife Dr. Aldona Wos during the May 26 groundbreaking for the 22,885-square-foot DeLoy Primary Education Center at St. Pius X School. The Greensboro couple was among the most generous benefactors on the $3.6 million school project.

(Left) Young students at St. Pius X School and Monsignor Marcaccio help break ground on the new DeLoy Primary Education Center, which will expand the school’s program to include pre-kindergarten.

‘It is a great day in the history of St. Pius X’

Groundbreaking held for new pre-K school in Greensboro Georgianna Penn Correspondent

GREENSBORO — Students, teachers, clergy, friends, family and dignitaries all gathered under sunny skies May 26 at St. Pius X School for the groundbreaking ceremony for the new DeJoy Primary Education Center. “It is a great day in the history of St. Pius X,” noted Monsignor Anthony Marcaccio, pastor of St. Pius X Church.

The day began with celebrating the history of St. Pius X Parish, which marks its 60th anniversary this year.

Monsignor Marcaccio recognized the presence of members of the Kelleher family, responsible for one of the founding gifts for the school six decades ago. Also present were members of the school’s first graduating class.

St. Pius X School currently offers K-8 education. The new DeJoy Primary Education Center will enable the school to add a pre-kindergarten program, which is increasingly in demand at the growing Greensboro parish and the surrounding community, Principal Anne Knapke said.

The new 22,885-square-foot building will house two pre-K classrooms, as well

as two kindergarten classrooms and two first-grade classrooms which already exist in the current school but will move to the new building. There will also be a separate pre-K playground and a covered outdoor classroom.

The $3.6 million project is part of the parish’s three-year “Making a Place to Gather and Grow” campaign and was combined under the auspices of the Diocese of Charlotte’s “Forward in Faith, Hope, and Love” campaign. The parish has raised more than $6.5 million of the $8.6 million campaign, which will also help build a new 23,477-square-feet Parish Life Center for the growing community of more than 1,730 registered families.

Construction is scheduled to begin June 8, and is being overseen by Rentenbach Constructors of Greensboro. The DeJoy Primary Education Center is expected to be completed for the start of the 2016-’17 school year, and enrollment applications for the new pre-K program will be taken starting this fall.

Knapke praised the school’s design team and the parish’s building committee, led by parishioner Tom Martin. She expressed that being able to meet educational needs as well as provide a nurturing and safe

environment is of great importance. “They worked hard to make the space attractive, bright and engaging. They really thought of the students we’d be serving,” she said.

The new school will feature a space for small group instruction, “collaboration space” between the kindergarten classrooms, and between the two first-grade classrooms, an intimate reading nook and large assembly room with multiple-use capability, and heightened security.

During the groundbreaking ceremony, Monsignor Marcaccio said, “We know the words of the familiar Psalmist, ‘If the Lord does not build the house, in vain do the builders labor.’ Whenever we look to the interest of our neighbor or community and serve them, we are in a sense God’s coworkers.” He then prayed for the successful completion of the project and for the safety and well-being of those working on it. He continued with a reading from 1 Corinthians 3:9-11 and the Lord’s Prayer.

The youngest of the St. Pius X school children also blessed the ceremony with a special song, “Jesus Loves Me.” Monsignor Marcaccio also thanked Louis DeJoy and his wife, Dr. Aldona Wos, among the most generous benefactors on the school project and for whom the new

building is named.

“Without the support of the DeJoys, this project would not be possible. I have every confidence that in this 60th anniversary year future generations 60 years from today will bless our benefactors for what they have done. Some of the earliest lessons learned here are the most important. We are so grateful that they will be learned in the context of faith, truth and love, and with the hope for a better tomorrow,” he said.

Wos, the secretary of N.C. Department of Health and Human Services and former ambassador to Estonia, explained that their financial support is in gratitude for the Catholic education she received.

The Polish native said her 12 years of Catholic schooling prepared her for the many different roles she’s had in her life. On behalf of the DeJoy family, she said, “We would like to acknowledge the leadership role St. Pius X has had in our community, directly under the guidance of Monsignor Marcaccio. The DeJoy Primary Education Center will provide outstanding educational opportunities for the youngest members of our community, offering our children a head start to fulfill their full potential.”

Academic Fair highlights school’s mission CHARLOTTE — Students and parents at St. Matthew School viewed class projects focusing on the Catholic faith during the school’s Academic Fair May 14. The annual event provided parents and students an opportunity to view completed work, focusing on a preview of content and projects for the 2015-’16 school year. Pictured is a 9-foot-by-20-foot bulletin board designed by Jessica Demartine’s third-grade class and parent volunteer Lori Hileman, highlighting key components of the Catholic faith covered in third grade. Entitled “Growing in Faith,” the board “displays a year of growth in our Catholic faith – beginning with creation, and ending with the feast of Our Lady of Fatima,” Demartine said. Students’ work is displayed in each section of the timeline encompassing Creation, service, Lent, the joyful mysteries, triptychs and rosaries. Each flower of the timeline was created by hand and emphasizes the nature and beauty that has been entrusted to us by God. Photo provided by Patty Fischer

When asked why she volunteers at St. Matthew School, Hileman replied, “Service leads to peace and peace leads to joy. This is my service. I am happy to help. I am thankful for the relationships it has created and the example it shows my kids.”

Displays at the Academic Fair affirmed the mission of the school: “To provide an atmosphere of faith and love where Jesus is alive and where students will be able to develop spiritually, intellectually, emotionally, physically, and socially.

Through our quality academic program and Christian partnership between faculty, staff, and parents, students will recognize their individual value and the responsibility they have as models of Catholic faith, to God, the Catholic Church, family, community, and the world, both now and in the future.”

“Growing in Faith” is the culmination of several aspects of this mission, including the Christian partnership between staff and parents.

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catholicnewsherald.com | June 5, 2015 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Where are you going?

QUO VADIS DAYS III

June 15-19, 2015 * Belmont Abbey College A camp for Catholic men ages 15-25 to learn more about the priesthood, deepen their faith, and help discern God’s call in their lives.

www.charlottediocese.org/vocations

June 5, 2015 | catholicnewsherald.com catholic news heraldI

Charlotte Catholic High School Class of 2015 University of Alabama Amato, Neil Balch, Madeline Knowles, Kathryn Shaver, Mary Hunter Weeks, Hannah Atlanta Knights Hockey Club Bishop, Brendan American University Hampson, Erin Appalachian State University Albuquerque, Ian Cline, Rachel Durant, Hayley James, Jamir King, Jacob Larsen, Vanessa Rimmer, James Sabates, Will Wilson, Jonathan University of Arizona Corsi, Elizabeth Auburn University Fabyan, Grace Grady, Hannah Young, Sarah Belmont Abbey College Brannon, Anne Eckert, Gregory Gonzalez, Marie-Josee Wilkinson, Bridget Belmont University Toal, Savannah Turley, Marisa Benedictine College Jones, William Bentley University Smith, Chase Boise State University Heilman, Alexander Brevard College Efenecy, Christopher Pratt, Sean Central Michigan University Whalen, Saidey Central Piedmont Community College Blackson, Brennon Brady, Conor Brennan, James Brocco, Nicholas Diaz, Alice Gale, Charles Gates, Katherine Smith, Benjamin Thompson, Joseph College of Charleston Clark, Mary Jane Cordova, Jonatan Donohue, Corey Grouse, Danielle Packard, Carley Sullivan, Caitlynn Wicker, Thomas

University of Chicago Chavez, Daniel

Emmanuel College Santanello, Christopher

Christendom College Santschi, Meghan

Emory University Grace, Jillian

Claflin University Gbenyon, Imani

Florida Atlantic University Cobb, Madison

Clemson University Andreozzi, Peter Barkley, Caitlin Carp, Mariah Cattafesta, Lauren Chapman, Christian Dalton, Sarah Fioretti, Peter Hatchett, Meredith Helline, Brody Horning, Mallory Jasper, Polly Koletic, Jonathan Lamothe, David Lapps, Mitchell Lindsey, Kaylee Salzer, Charles

Florida State University Hawkins, Hannah Martino, Morgan Waterbury, Tristan

Coastal Carolina University Garrison, Paige Colorado School of Mines Lynch, Kevin Colorado State University O’Rourke, Caroline Davidson College Margerum, Casey University of Dayton Palmer, Austin Duquesne University Gruender, Morgan East Carolina University Asmer, Peter Becks, Jacob Bottrill, Luke Bouvier, Andrew Brandt, Kalie Brennan, John Brinson, Patrick Carlin, Sean Coleman, Katherine Davis, Alexander Dymock, Zachary Elchert, Nicholas Fiato, Christopher Fitzgerald, Rachael Frye, Joshua Horsey, Meghan Killian, Richard Knox, Erin Linus, Joseph Offord, Robert Pham, Hao Piraino, Thomas Prys, Emily Rakyta, Emily Silva, Veronica Trantham,Phillip Vasquez-Rios, Virginia Webb, William Wright, Melissa Elon University Demmitt, Madison Kowalewski, Matthew Shelton, Taylor Swanson, Hunter

Fordham University Griffin, Connor Lopez. Marissa Mata, Julianne Furman University Foster, Molly Kressner, Faith Peterson, Katheryn Powers, James Gaston College Luczak, Courtney George Mason University Menkhaus, Patrick Georgetown University McDonough, Brendan Georgia Institute of Technology Bauer, Christopher Leach, Margaret University of Georgia Muniz, Felix Schneider, Courtney Hampden-Sydney College Byrne, Seamus Miller, Thomas Zambetti, Charles Hanover College Campbell, Allison Haverford College Scibelli, Joseph High Point University Campione, Christopher Pierle, Caroline Valentine, Madelyn Watts, Lindsey Kansas State University Dean, Matthew University of Kentucky Carey, Courtney Potts, Hannah Seger, Taylor Kutztown University of Pennsylvania Lavarro, Jose O’Shields, Joseph Lander University Weaver, Nicolas Lees-McRae College Ritz, Jon Franco Louisiana State University Patterson, Elizabeth

Loyola Marymount University Goocher, John Marquette University Winner, Samuel Marshall University Tezza, Scott University of Maryland, College Park LaPiana, Peter Mercer University Priester, Jacob University of Miami Baeza, Marco Michigan State University Bruner, Amanda University of Michigan Postoll, Rebecca University of Mississippi Kloiber, William Oglesby, David Montreat College Osborne, Alexandria UNC-Asheville Assael, Samantha Cox, Olivia DeFeo, Nicole Earnhardt, Hannah Rigali, Katlyn UNC-Chapel Hill Akins, Hunter Almon, Megan Battle, Sarah Braccia, Alexandra Bradford, Sarah Caponigro, Tyler Chambers, Elliot Cox, Kendall Cox, Zachary Dandurand, Brooke Dettmer, Kathryn Ferraro, Stephanie Gibbons, Clare Harty, Mackenzie Joy, Jessica Kocher, Mallory McBride, Robert Oakley, Lucas Runkle, Daniel Schilly, Haley Singletary, Elizabeth Stanley, Alexandra UNC-Charlotte Andrews, Ella Boyd, Charles Byrnes, Riley DoCabo, Nicholas Gendoes, Brett Jackson, Blake Jones, Jennifer Maragno, Jeremy Marrero, Ernesto Moore, Patrick Nelson, Cole Nguyen, Michelle Ospina, Sara Puno, Alexandra Roche, Spencer Rohan, Timothy Ross, Robert Rudd, Nicholas

Ruth, Patrick Sampson, Maureen Shaver, Ian Stetzler, Michael Story, Thomas Struckmeyer, Christian Tiehen, Emily Tuttle, Melissa Vermillion, Ryan Wenning, Malena Willis, Stephen UNC-Greensboro Barnwell, Arianne Fowler, Lauryn Okwara, Ifunanya Thompson, Bria UNC-Wilmington Boyajian, Mary Curry, Timothy DeVries, Jack Dorante, Annaliese Duffy, Kelcy Kalbaugh, Patrick Kessel, Audrey Lozzi, Clayton Muminov, Ravshan Orellana, Ebony Ruesch, Emma Rusterholz, Laura Shaul, Hannah Sparre, Catherine Stiegler, Catherine Wallace, Kathryn Wiese, Callie Zban, Elaina NC State University Akins, Haley Arias, Juan Asariparambil, Noyal Auger, Andrew Boon, Logan Brown, Kelsey Charlonis, Anthony Cona, Kathleen Corah, Ann Cure, Daria Dickerson, Thomas Fagan, Giacomo Hattenhauer, Nicholas Lisi, Erin Marthinsen, Jacob McDonald, Nolan McElravey, Patrick Morgan, Lily Nguyen, Jenny Niemer, Nicole O’Mara, Brian Patterson, Chase Picone, Maria Prys, Alexander Roche, Michael Roosa, Colleen Russell, Hayley Sands, Catherine Sartori, Julia Schottland, Elizabeth Smith, James Sommer, Brigid Stawinsky, Rachael Stockley, Benton Sweeney, Sean Turner, John Vallandingham, Nicole Warwick, Erin Wolljung, Anna Young, Madison University of Notre Dame MacQuarrie, Keenan Warwick, Isabella

Presbyterian College Archer, Megan

Texas Christian University Suddeth, Graham

Purdue University Diaconu, Adria Wasson, David

The University of Texas, Austin Hood, Walker McCullagh, Nora

Queens University of Charlotte Fanelli, Frank Fanelli, Meghan Murphy, Natalie Rizzieri, Nicholas Simpson, Kathleen Ward, Ross University of Richmond Alvino, Colby Saint Joseph’s University Ducey, Coleen Saint Louis University Bredder, Paige University of San Francisco Keogh, Price University of South Carolina Baalman, Andrew Broom, Addie Burkard, Owen Byrnes, Michael Crainer, Chad Dickinson, Stuart Fassler, John Gilmore, Julia Gould, Evan Green, Lucy Halili-Felse, Samantha Korte, Juliet Norton, Alyssa Schacht, Lance Schinman, Alex Schweihs, Sarah Steiner, Jason University of Southern California Wood, Martha Southern Methodist University Nolan, William Spalding University Bolly, Hannah Stanford University Miller, Ian Stevens Institute of Technology Crotty, Daniel Suffolk University Edmond, Hannah Syracuse University Breaux, Madison Mulligan, Quinn Wallon, Natalie University of Tennessee Donahue, Caroline Frasciello, Alexis Kreidler, Abbey Woody, Benjamin

University of Toledo Boswell, Mitchell Tufts University LaPiana, Alexander United States Air Force Academy LaPiana, Joseph United States Military Academy Litton, Robert Speidel, Jack United States Military Academy Preparatory School Miller, Ryan United States Naval Academy Brosnan, Riley Valparaiso University Trumpower, Jakob Virginia Commonwealth University Mathew, Alwin Virginia Tech Boll, Joshua Buck, Alexandra Corradi, Bridget Mead, Braedon Truslow, Peyton University of Virginia Freeman, Rachel Stranick, Sara Wake Forest University Gileta, Steven Mathis, Thomas Morales, Angeline-Marie Washington & Lee University George, Elise Miller, Jack Spratt, Carolyn West Virginia University Tomich, Andrew Western Carolina University Hady, Brian Lloyd, Dillon Martino, William St. Onge, Anna Thigpen, Ciara Wofford College Poff, Jordan Scavone, Claire Xavier University Ducey, Meghan

Texas A&M University Lokey, Christopher

The Senior Class of 2015 has earned a total of $19,158,353 in scholarships.

We congratulate these seniors, as well as the entire senior class, for their many outstanding accomplishments.

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catholicnewsherald.com | June 5, 2015 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

For the latest news 24/7: catholicnewsherald.com

In Brief

Pre-kindergarten class makes retreat to Prayer Center GREENSBORO — The pre-kindergarten class at Our Lady of Grace School in Greensboro recently visited St. Francis Springs Prayer Center in Stoneville. On their retreat, the students walked the grounds, talked about God’s creation, planted flowers, made bird feeders and enjoyed lunch. They completed the day with a talk from Caupchin Franciscan Father Louis Canino and a short prayer service in the outdoor chapel.

— Lori Eanes

Charlotte Catholic Foundation awards $83,000 in grants, scholarships CHARLOTTE — Cutting-edge robotics, bonuses for teachers and aid to see Pope Francis are just some of the things on the way to Charlotte Catholic High School, its students and faculty because of donors to the Charlotte Catholic High School Foundation.

The foundation announced May 18 that it has awarded $43,000 in grants in 2015. The grants were made possible because of those who attended, supported and sponsored “The Gala” earlier this spring.

“Supporters of Charlotte Catholic are second to none. It’s why this year’s gala was a huge success,” said Foundation President Cindy Grim. “Because so many people stepped up to the plate to help and to donate we were able to fund many worthwhile initiatives at our school.”

This year’s grant applicants presented a wide-range of needs in keeping with the foundation’s mission “to enrich the spiritual, academic and cultural developments of our students.”

The following grants were approved for funding at the May meeting of the foundation’s board of directors: n $10,000 in the form of a matching grant to help provide endof-year bonuses to Charlotte Catholic teachers and staff n $10,000 to implement a humanoid robotics program in support of the school’s engineering and computer science students n $10,000 for a pilot project involving Blackbard Learn, a virtual learning environment and course management system used at many universities

OLG teachers draw inspiration from Benedictine rule Kate McMullen Special to the Catholic News Herald

St. Matthew students raise money for St. Jude’s Hospital CHARLOTTE — This spring, St. Matthew School participated in St. Jude Children’s Hospital’s “Math-a-Thon.” The service project was a great success, raising $10,125. Over the years, St. Matthew School has donated $157,063 to the hospital. This is equivalent to the cost of the entire course of treatment for a brain tumor patient. Pictured are the students from Trish Wendover’s fourth-grade class who participated in the Math-a-Thon.

— Kevin O’Herron

n $5,000 to replace a broken crucifix in the school chapel and add statues of Mary and Joseph to complete the Holy Family (An additional $2m500 was donated by Robert, William, Melissa and Joseph Kloiber Jr. or this project.) n $2,392 will go to the Music Department for the purchase of an overhead projector and camera for use in choral classes n $1,800 for Guidance Services to conduct a “College Application Boot Camp” to aid students in the increasingly complicated college application process n $1,000 awarded to Campus Ministry to assist students in need who wish to attend this fall’s visit to the U.S. by Pope Francis “The grants from the CCHS Foundation help to support the mission of Charlotte Catholic High School across the spectrum, from our Catholic faith to 21st century technology,” said Charlotte Catholic’s Principal Kurt Telford. “All our students will benefit from these grants.”

During the past school year, the foundation also awarded $26,000 in tuition assistance and $2,500 in a college scholarship through the Kara Kloiber Memorial Scholarship Fund. An additional $11,000 was awarded in tuition assistance and $500 in a college scholarship. All tuition assistance was need-based and paid directly to Mecklenburg Area Catholic Schools on behalf of Charlotte Catholic students.

“The Gala” raised nearly $95,000 in all for Charlotte Catholic High School, the foundation reported. The remaining funds will be set aside for future needs at the school.

— Charlotte Catholic High School Foundation and Gala Committee

GREENSBORO — After moving to their new school building last year, the faculty and staff at Our Lady of Grace School in Greensboro began searching for ways to grow closer together as a community.

It was important for them to re-imagine their aspects of community in their new environment, teaching together in one building. They turned to a text written nearly 1,500 years ago that outlines ways to keep faith in mind while living in a tightly-knit community: the Rule of St. Benedict.

St. Benedict of Nursia is regarded as the father of Western monasticism, and his Rule lays out the tenets of living in a community of monks, including how to go about daily duties mindfully and prayerfully and how to stay humble, silent and obedient among the others in the community. The faculty and staff at Our Lady of Grace School focused on these three virtues while studying the Rule of

St. Benedict together.

“I thought that with talking about these virtues, we could come together as a community with compassion, understanding and patience,” said secondgrade teacher Celia McMullen, who as interim principal last year organized discussions on the text.

To further their understanding, the faculty arranged a Skype call earlier this month to speak with Abbot Gregory Duerr and Brother John Paul Le of Mount Angel Abbey in Oregon. First-grade teacher Kelly Hudspeth and her family have been friends of Mount Angel Abbey and Abbot Gregory since Hudspeth’s father was a student there in 1963. Abbot Gregory, then Father Gregory, baptized Hudspeth and her twin brother, and the family has maintained a spiritual connection with the Benedictines there and with the text of the Rule of St. Benedict.

“Benedictine spirituality is Christcentered,” Hudspeth said, “and thus offers much wisdom for Christian families.”

The Skype call was the first to have taken place between the Benedictine Abbey in Oregon and a Catholic school in North Carolina.

“I can attest that our faculty truly enjoyed the impact that Abbot Gregory and Brother John Paul Le made on us,” Hudspeth said. “It was great to bring the pieces together, and it was truly a blessing!”

St. Michael School holds Crowning of Mary ceremony SPX eighth-graders visit D.C. GREENSBORO — Eighth-graders and faculty members from St. Pius X School enjoyed a special tour of the White House during their recent class trip to Washington, D.C.

GASTONIA — Father Matthew Buettner and the second-grade class led St. Michael School teachers and students in the annual Crowning of Mary ceremony May 8. The entire school participated in the procession, praying and singing songs. The ceremony ended with each child placing a flower around the statue of Mary.

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

Photo provided by Pat Burr

June 5, 2015 | catholicnewsherald.com catholic news heraldI

Christ the King Catholic High School Class of 2015 Angela Teresa Arce Patrick Charles Blattner Gianna Loreta Caminiti Thomas John Caprariello Alexandria Christine Cedrone Matthew Edward Crowell Hannah Elizabeth Cutlip Brittany Kay Fitzpatrick Timothy Terrence Hayes Daniel John Hogan Maria Gabriela Hurt Kristopher Reagan Hurysz Jacob Aaron Johnson Kathryn Lee Keehne Harrison Clark Kight

The University of North Carolina at Wilmington The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill The University of South Carolina Western Carolina University High Point University Emory University The University of North Carolina at Wilmington Queens University of Charlotte The University of North Carolina at Asheville North Carolina State Universityl Western Carolina University Rochester Institute of Technology East Carolina University The University of North Carolina at Greensboro The University of North Carolina at Charlotte

Johnathan Clinton Lewis Matthew Joseph Marenna Kaitlyn Rose Miller Danielle Rose Morlando James Craig Mundy Carley Marie Murphy Michael Luis Ortiz David Bernard Schneider Mary Kathryn Selzer Patricia Ann Selzer Thomas Joseph Selzer Michael Thai-son Vu Steven Matthew White Matthew Christopher Williams

North Carolina Wesleyan College Western Carolina University The Catholic University of America The University of North Carolina at Greensboro The Catholic University of America Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Queens University of Charlotte Central Piedmont Community College The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill The Catholic University of America The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill FairďŹ eld University University of Notre Dame Southern Methodist University

25

Mix 26

catholicnewsherald.com | June 5, 2015 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

For the latest news 24/7: catholicnewsherald.com

In Brief

On TV

‘Tomorrowland’ Borrowing the name from the futuristicthemed section of Disneyland and other Disney parks, this delightful science-fiction film is great fun for the entire family. A young woman (Britt Robertson) is recruited by a mysterious robot (Raffey Cassidy) for a mission to save both Earth and the eponymous utopia that exists in another dimension. They join forces with a former inventor (George Clooney) to wrest control of the future from a coldhearted bureaucrat (Hugh Laurie). Cartoonish but bloodless action sequences and a few mild oaths.

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

‘San Andreas’

‘The Water Diviner’ An Australian father (Russell Crowe) copes with the loss of his three sons (Ryan Corr, Edward James Fraser, Ben O’Toole) at the Battle of Gallipoli during World War I in this fictional drama inspired by true events. He journeys to Turkey, where a former enemy official, in a gesture of reconciliation, decides to help him locate the remains of his sons. Along the way he befriends a hotel owner (Olga Kurylenko) and her son, with grief issues of their own. Bloody war violence and disturbing images of death.

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

An eye-popping, ear-splitting 3-D chronicle of a California earthquake when the eponymous tectonic fault line splits open. A seismology professor invents a system to predict earthquakes before they happen. It works, and with the help of a television reporter (Archie Panjabi), and helicopter rescue pilot (Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson). he sounds the alarm from Los Angeles to San Francisco for everyone to “drop, cover and hold on.” A typical summer popcorn movie and occasional crude language.

CNS: A-III (adults); MPPA: PG-13 n ‘Far from the Madding Crowd’; CNS: A-II (adults and adolescents); MPAA: PG-13 n ‘Ex Machina’: CNS: O (morally offensive); MPAA: R n ‘Mad Max: Fury Road’: CNS: L (limited adult audience); MPAA: R

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n Saturday, June 6, 11 p.m. (EWTN) “Remain With Us, Lord.” An inspirational collection of personal stories and theological reflections on the importance of the Sacrifice of the Holy Mass. n Saturday, June 6, 11:34 p.m. (EWTN) “El Camino: The Way of St. James.” Young American men between the ages of 17-22 make a pilgrimage on the historic route in Spain known as the Way of St. James. The men explain their decision in taking part and the crosses they bear along the way. n Sunday, June 7, 7:30 p.m. (EWTN) “Forgotten Heritage: St. Juliana of Liège.” Father Owen Gorman and Father John Hogan explore the role St. Juliana of Liège had in bringing about the Feast of Corpus Christi and its relationship to the Eucharistic heritage of Europe. n Monday, June 8, 6:30 p.m. (EWTN) “St. Francis and Brother Bernard.” A close look at the life and spirituality of St. Francis’ first follower Brother Bernard and their way of life. Filmed on location in Assisi, Italy. n Thursday, June 11, 6:30 p.m. (EWTN) “Frank Duff: A Model of Catholic Laity.” Testimonies from those who knew Legion of Mary founder Frank Duff on his life, works and current cause for sainthood. n Saturday, June 13, 8 p.m. (EWTN) “Padre Pio: Between Heaven and Earth.” Live action movie on the miraculous life of St. Pio of Pietrelcina, whose spiritual gifts made him a powerful witness for Christ and a profound spiritual director for 21st century society. Part 2 of 2. n Saturday, June 13, 11 p.m. (EWTN) “St. Margaret Mary and the Sacred Heart.” The story of St. Margaret Mary and the mission Christ gave her to spread devotion to His Sacred Heart; includes a tour of her convent in Paray-le-Monial, France.

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n Friday, June 5, 6:30 p.m. (EWTN) “The Forsaken.” An up-close and compelling look at orphaned children from Bolivia and how dedicated caregivers, with help from the Archdiocese of St. Louis’ Mission office, are providing care and financial support to help give these children a chance at life.

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We are looking for Catholic Men & Women of Irish Heritage who want to promote their Irish Heritage;

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Offer study-abroad grants for education in Ireland Donate millions of dollars annually to charitable causes Assist Seminarians, & Catholic Schools Continue to fund Hibernian scholarships at Notre Dame

Promote IRISH CULTURE in dance, piping, drumming, films and lectures locally We presently have Divisions locally at St. Mark’s & St. Matthew’s, in addition to Divisions throughout the state.

We are looking to expand into Gaston County. If you live in the Gaston County area and are Irish, or of Irish Heritage Please contact me for information or questions.

John (Sean) O’Daly, Mecklenburg Co. Board President 704-524-4509 (or) email jfodaly@gmail.com Go mbemannal Dia duit

June 5, 2015 | catholicnewsherald.com catholic news heraldI

VESTING PRAYERS: FROM PAGE 2

ends of the stole in place, but the cincture has no superstitious value. It is not a kind of badge of the Manichaean heresy, which has it that spiritual things are good while material things are evil.

Instead, humility is necessary for the priest to be at ease not with sin, but with any weakness, any of the effects of original sin inherent to our fallen human nature.

He prays for purity, particularly purity of intention, which only God can provide – making the priest a kind of mirror radiating an intimate friendship with God. It is that lively friendship, full of integrity, honesty, righteousness, goodness and kindness, with respect for self and others, which brings about the virtue of profound continence and chastity, the scintillating brilliance of personally being a kind of tabernacle of the Most High with the indwelling of the Most Holy Trinity.

In providing an abundance of purity, of friendship, the Lord has untoward inclinations extinguished. Purity is that singular virtue of continence (to be contained in the love of God, which is positive) and chastity (being cut off from worldly selfishness, the result of that which is positive). In other words, wanton inclinations are not denied or attacked, but instead are overwhelmed just as darkness is overcome by light. This is not about coping mechanisms, or thinking that tying a rope around oneself is a protection against sinfulness; it’s about Jesus’ truth and love.

The symbolism of the cincture ties together many millennia of liturgical practice, stretching far back into the Hebrew Scriptures, right to the beginning.

In Genesis 3:21, God caused Adam and his wife to be clothed in the bleeding skins of freshly slaughtered beasts. Instead of the fig leaves they used for repression, He covered them with an indication of the violence of sacrifice by which, in the future, He would lift them out of their quagmire through the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. He took the initiative to place enmity (grace) within us by reaching out His heel to crush the power of Satan while Himself

ST. NORBERT: FROM PAGE 2

embodied. This made him unpopular with local clerics, who responded with insults and condemnation. But Norbert was not turning back. He gave all of his wealth to the poor, reducing himself to a barefoot and begging pilgrim who possessed nothing except the means to celebrate Mass.

Pope Callixtus II gave Norbert permission to live as an itinerant preacher, and he was asked to found a religious order so that others might live after his example. He settled in the northern French region of Aisne, along with a small group of disciples who were to live according to the Rule of St. Augustine. On Dec. 25, 1121, they were established as the Canons Regular of Premontre, also known as the Premonstratensians or Norbertines.

Their founder also established a women’s branch of the order, before returning to Germany for a successful preaching tour. He founded a lay branch of the Premonstratensians (the Third Order of St. Norbert), and went on to Belgium, where he preached against a sect that denied the power of the sacraments. His order was invited into many Northern European

was crushed, He taking on the death we deserve for sin and having the right in justice to have mercy on us (see Gn 3:15).

St. John the Baptist wore a leather cincture (see Mk 1:6 and Mt 3:4) even as he pointed out the Lamb of God who would be sacrificed for us. In that sacrifice, He clothed us in the first garment Adam wore before the fall, that of grace, even as Jesus’ own skin was torn from Him by the Roman soldiers’ scourging. Even more than that grace before the fall, we are now clothed with the grace of unity with the very Son of God. Although the leather cincture is worn as part of the habit of many religious orders, diocesan clergy and some religious orders use a cloth fascia with their cassocks and religious habits. For the sake of poverty, some religious orders use rope.

Jesus, the first-born of our Heavenly homeland, let His life be smitten for us, speaking of the fulfilment of the Passover, of His body being given over for us, His blood being poured out for us. For the Passover, the Lord commanded this: “In this manner you shall eat it: your loins girded ... For I will pass through the land of Egypt that night, and I will smite all the first-born” (Ex 12:11-12). For the Last Supper, Jesus said this: “Gird your loins ... Blessed are those servants whom the master finds vigilant on his arrival. Amen, I say to you, he will gird himself and have them recline at table, and proceed to wait on them” (Lk 12,35-37). At Mass, the Lord serves us.

Without purity, especially purity of intention, a priest could easily sin against continence and chastity by violating the conscience of his congregation, effectively raping them by using the Mass as a bully pulpit for promoting his own views instead of the living truth of Jesus, who is Himself the Spouse of the Church. With purity the priest lives his own marriage with the Church, rejoicing to recite the wedding vows of Christ: This is my body given for you, my blood poured out for you. Such a priest will respect himself and others, and know honesty, integrity, righteousness, goodness and kindness, inviting others to do the same. This prayer for purity is an excellent preparation to say Holy Mass.

Father George David Byers is administrator of Holy Redeemer Parish in Andrews.

dioceses, and there was talk of making Norbert a bishop.

Though he avoided an earlier attempt to make him the Bishop of Wurzburg, Norbert was eventually chosen to become the Archbishop of Magdeburg in Germany.

The archdiocese was in serious moral and financial trouble, and the new archbishop worked hard to reform it. His efforts were partly successful, but not universally accepted: Norbert was the target of three failed assassination attempts, made by opponents of his reforms.

When a dispute arose over the papal succession in 1130, Norbert traveled to Rome to support the legitimate Pope Innocent II. Afterward he returned to Germany and became a close adviser to its Emperor Lothar. In a sense, his life seems to have come full-circle: the first hints of his conversion had come on a trip to Rome two decades earlier, when he accompanied a previous emperor. This time, however, Norbert was seeking God’s will, not his own advancement.

With his health failing, Norbert was brought back to Magdeburg. He died there on June 6, 1134. Pope Gregory XIII canonized St. Norbert in 1582.

— Catholic News Agency

27

sueann howell | catholic news herald

Deacon Aaron Cory Catron and his parents Mia and Jerry Catron are pictured with Bishop Peter J. Jugis after the ordination Mass.

CATRON: FROM PAGE 3

them. Certainly, Deacon Philip models diaconal ministry for us in an exemplary way.”

In the ministry of charity, an essential part of the work of deacons from the beginning, Catron would also model Christ, he said. “What could be a greater work of charity than to devote oneself to the salvation of another?”

The day’s Gospel reading from Matthew 5:13-16 was particularly appropriate for the diaconate Mass, Bishop Jugis also noted in his homily, as it reminds us – particularly those called to holy orders – that followers of Christ are to be the “light of the world” and must “let their light shine before others” so that they may see those good deeds and glorify God. Then Bishop Jugis addressed Catron directly: “Now, dear son, you are to be raised to the order of the diaconate.

A whole new life opens before you beginning today, the life of an ordained minister of the Church.

“You will now be changed by the action of the Holy Spirit. He will mark you with an indelible character to configure you to Jesus Christ who came as the servant of all. You are united to Christ the Deacon, the Servant, through the sanctifying grace of diaconate ordination.

Q&A: FROM PAGE 3

CNH: What would you like to say to young men who may have a call to the priesthood?

Deacon Catron: Prayer is absolutely essential. Prayer, and realizing that God puts certain people in your life at certain times to teach you something. Sometimes the lessons are a joy, sometimes they are very difficult, and sometimes the difficult lessons open you to the more joyous ones.

Be aware of the ways in which He can be working in your life. Know that you’re

“You must also from this day forward, every day, unite yourself to Christ – seeking to configure yourself to Him. Remain united to Christ in a most profound way through your prayer every day. He is your close friend, your close companion.”

After the homily, Catron approached Bishop Jugis in front of the altar, placing his hands in the bishop’s hands, vowing obedience. Then Catron descended the sanctuary stairs and lay prostrate before the altar as the people chanted the Litany of the Saints.

Upon rising from the floor, he again approached Bishop Jugis and knelt as the bishop laid his hands upon his head, invoking the Holy Spirit. At the conclusion of the prayers of ordination, Catron was vested by fellow transitional Deacon Casey Coleman and permanent Deacon Ruben Tamayo. His parents, Jerry and Mia Catron, and his family sat in the front pews, proudly watching his vesting.

After being greeted by the priests and deacons assembled for the Mass, Deacon Catron prepared the altar for the Liturgy of the Eucharist. He then assisted Bishop Jugis at the altar, distributing the Precious Blood at Communion.

During the Mass, Bishop Jugis encouraged Deacon Catron in his ordained ministry, saying, “Through your faithful service, may you be blessed to hear the Lord say to you on the last day, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of your Lord.’”

not alone in your desire to do His will, and seek the friendship of those who will bring that out. Seek also people who can help you in your struggles – in which you are also not alone.

CNH: Is there any comment you would like to share with our readers about becoming a transitional deacon here in the Diocese of Charlotte?

Deacon Catron: I am grateful for the prayers and sacrifices of such a wonderful diocese over the years. I am very blessed to be called to serve here, and I can’t wait to get to work serving you.

— SueAnn Howell, senior reporter

Our nation 28

catholicnewsherald.com | June 5, 2015 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

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In Brief Nebraska bishops welcome override of veto of bill ending death penalty LINCOLN, Neb. — Nebraska state senators overrode Gov. Pete Ricketts’ veto of a bill repealing capital punishment that had been supported by the state’s Catholic bishops. In a 30-19 vote May 27, the senators supported a bill that replaces the death penalty with a sentence of life in prison without parole. The bill had gained the support of Nebraska’s three Catholic bishops, who earlier commended lawmakers for their historic vote May 20 to repeal capital punishment. They said then that support for the bill reflects the teaching of the Catholic faith and that use of the death penalty cannot be justified today. Ricketts vetoed the bill May 26, but legislators acted quickly. The 30 votes were just enough to override the veto.

Under statehouse rules in the unicameral legislature, at least 30 of 49 senators must vote to overturn a gubernatorial veto. “Our support for this bill also flows from our prayerful reflection on the words of Jesus Christ himself: ‘Love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your heavenly Father,’” said the state’s three bishops, Archbishop George J. Lucas of Omaha and Bishops James D. Conley of Lincoln and Joseph G. Hanefeldt of Grand Island. Their joint statement was issued by the Nebraska Catholic Conference, which represents the bishops’ public policy interests. Lawmakers had originally voted 32-15 to pass the bill.

With the vote, Nebraska became the 19th state to end the use of the death penalty.

USCCB plans fourth annual Fortnight for Freedom with events nationwide WASHINGTON, D.C. — Threats to religious freedom continue to emerge, making it more urgent for people of faith to take action to defend the full realm of religious practice, said Archbishop William E. Lori of Baltimore. Speaking during a May 28

webinar announcing the fourth annual Fortnight for Freedom, Archbishop Lori called on Catholics to learn about the importance of religious liberty throughout the history of the United States and to actively promote free religious practice during the two-week period beginning June 21. This year’s fortnight observance will open with Mass at 10:45 a.m. (EDT) June 21 at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Baltimore. It closes with Mass at noon (EDT) July 4 at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington.

“Religious freedom is not something that stands alone. It’s not simply a legal question for the Church. It pertains very much to the new evangelization,” Archbishop Lori explained.

This year’s fortnight observance theme is the “Freedom to Bear Witness,” stemming from the Gospel message that Jesus came to the world to bear witness to the truth, explained Hillary Byrnes, assistant general counsel for the USCCB, who joined the archbishop during the webinar. She said dozens of local events in dioceses across the country are planned, including prayer services, discussions and charitable works.

(There will be a march for religious liberty in Charlotte on Friday, June 26. See page 16 for details.)

New pastoral letter looks at Catholics’ identity, today’s challenges to faith WASHINGTON, D.C. — Washington Cardinal Donald W. Wuerl has issued a new pastoral letter “about who we are as Catholics.” “We will reflect on our identity as disciples of Jesus – followers of Christ – adopted children of God,” he notes in the introduction. A key part of the pastoral looks at “our freedom to be who we are as followers of Christ, and some of the challenges of our age as we try to live and share our faith,” he says. Issued on Pentecost Sunday, May 24, the letter is titled “Being Catholic Today: Catholic Identity in an Age of Challenge.”

Chapters in the pastoral deal with the gift of new life through baptism; reflections on what it means to be a member of God’s family; the ways by which people can see the presence of the Catholic Church; what the choice to be a follower of Jesus entails; the impact of God’s mercy in people’s lives and in the world; and the Church’s

contributions to the wider community.

As baptized Catholics, “we are engaged in a new life of the Spirit, so that working in and through us, the Spirit might transform the whole world,” Cardinal Wuerl said.

Catholics “are members of God’s family, His Church. ... The Catholic Church is the living and saving presence of Jesus Christ in the world,” he wrote. Catholics are called to manifest God’s kingdom, not only within the Church’s walls, “but out in the world, building up the common good,” he said.

Church should make views on homosexuality understandable, says priest WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Church not only needs to provide pastoral care for those with same-sex attraction but it should also make its teaching “accessible, understandable and compelling for people,” said the director of a Church apostolate that ministers to homosexuals. Father Paul Check, director of Courage for the past eight years, said Catholics with same-sex attraction would be also more likely to “understand what the Church teaches if it became more plain to them that they have a place in the Church.”

He aims to get that message across through the work of his apostolate, which particularly focuses on providing clergy training, but he said the message still needs to “get to the ground to people who need it.” The priest, who considers himself “an advocate for an underserved population,” said the Church’s teachings on chastity and contraception are not well understood, and added that they are “all part of one tapestry and they include the question, obviously, of homosexuality.”

One way to get this across will be through an international conference focusing on the Church’s ministry to homosexuals. The conference, taking place near Detroit this August, is a lead-in to the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia in September and the world Synod of Bishops on the family at the Vatican in October.

It aims to help those in pastoral care ministries gain a better understanding of the Church’s teaching on homosexuality as well as insight on how to put into practice the U.S. bishops’ 2006 document “Ministry to Persons With a Homosexual Inclination: Guidelines for Pastoral Care,” said Father Check.

— Catholic News Service

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National shrine celebrates dedication of bas-relief of ‘Stella Maris’ Catholic News Service

WASHINGTON, D.C. — A newly dedicated basrelief sculpture at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington portrays Mary calming the troubled sea, with the North Star above her head.

The image of Our Lady Star of the Sea “will become a point of spiritual pilgrimage for the people of the sea” when they visit the shrine, said a news release announcing the sculpture, installed in the narthex of the shrine’s Upper Church.

It also “will help draw attention to the important services that our mariners, fishermen and sea forces have done for our country and the world,” the release said.

The bas-relief “roundel,” as it is called, is a gift of the Confraternity of Our Lady Star of the Sea and the Apostleship of the Sea USA. Both Catholic organizations have a strong devotion to Mary under the title of “Stella Maris,” or Star of the Sea. She is the patroness of seafarers and their families.

The two groups commissioned Lou DiCocco and the Liturgical Arts Studio in Havertown, Penn., to create the sculpture.

Retired Bishop J. Kevin Boland of Savannah, Ga., dedicated it May 24 during a special Mass. The main celebrant and homilist for the Mass, he is the U.S. bishop-promoter of the apostleship, a worldwide Catholic maritime ministry.

Concelebrants were Monsignor Walter Rossi, rector of the national shrine, and Father Sinclair Oubre, diocesan director of the Apostleship of the Sea for the Diocese of Beaumont, Texas. Assisting at Mass was Deacon Patrick LaPoint, port chaplain board member of the Apostleship of the Sea USA. Begun in Glasgow, Scotland, in 1920, the Apostleship of the Sea takes the form of seaside chapels and Catholic welcome centers as well as onship clergy and Catholic chaplaincy programs.

The apostleship, which operates under the Pontifical Council for Migrants and Travelers, has an international network of chaplains and volunteers who serve the pastoral and social needs of mariners and those working in the fishing industry, as well as their families, and all who work and travel on the waterways of the world.

The U.S. branch of the apostleship was begun in 1976 and falls under the pastoral care of migrants, refugees and travelers, a division of the Secretariat of Cultural Diversity in the Church at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in Washington.

Our world

June 5, 2015 | catholicnewsherald.com catholic news heraldI

Dublin archbishop: Church needs ‘reality check’ after marriage vote DUBLIN — Archbishop Diarmuid Martin of Dublin has said the Church needs a “reality check” after Irish voters overwhelmingly supported same-sex “marriage.” Ireland was the first country in the world to put same-sex “marriage” to a popular vote and the May 22 poll was backed by 62 percent of the population.

Same-sex marriage is now a constitutional right in Ireland.

“I think really that the Church needs to do a reality check, a reality check right across the board, to look at the things it’s doing well, to look at the areas where we really have to start and say, ‘Look, have we drifted away completely from young people?’” he said.

Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state, said the referendum’s outcome represented not only “a defeat for Christian principles, but a defeat for humanity.” “I was very saddened by this result. The Church must take into account this situation but in the sense of strengthening its efforts in evangelization,” he said in Rome May 26.

German Cardinal Walter Kasper said the referendum is “emblematic” of today’s postmodern belief that “everything is equal,” which is in contrast to Church doctrine. “We cannot accept putting (such unions) on the same level with marriage,” he said.

The Church needs to find new ways and a “new language” to express its fundamental teachings about love, marriage, sexuality and the equal dignity and reciprocal “diversity of man and woman in the order of creation,” he said.

“It’s necessary to be careful about not using expressions that can sound offensive without, however, hiding the truth,” Cardinal Kasper said. But marriage between a man and a woman is “the fundamental cell of society, the source of life for the future,” and other forms of unions and surrogate pregnancies risk having “enormous consequences,” especially on children, he said.

Regarding the fact that many Catholics in Ireland voted in favor of the same-sex “marriage” law, the cardinal said it shows the Church has been “too quiet on these issues. Now is the time to discuss them.”

The Gospel and Church teaching are clear, he said, “but traditional expressions” and explanations “evidently no longer reach people’s hearts and minds.”

— Catholic News Service

Holy Spirit leads to truth, renews the earth, emboldens, pope says Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service

VATICAN CITY — The power of the Holy Spirit transforms people into bold witnesses of the Gospel, who reach out to others, exercise charity and live in harmony with creation, Pope Francis said.

Celebrating Pentecost Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica and reciting the “Regina Coeli” prayer with tens of thousands of people gathered in St. Peter’s Square May 24, the pope spoke of Pentecost as the day the Church was born universal but united.

When the Spirit came upon the disciples, Pope Francis told people in the square, “they were completely transformed: fear was replaced by courage, closure gave way to proclamation and every doubt was driven away by faith full of love.”

The day’s first reading, Acts 2:1-11, recounts how people from every land heard the disciples speaking in their own languages, the pope said. “The Church was not born isolated, it was born universal – one, catholic – with a precise identity, but open to all.”

The good news of salvation proclaimed by the disciples was meant for the whole world, he said.

“Mother Church does not close the door in anyone’s face,” he said. “Not even the biggest sinner’s.”

The tongue of fire resting on the head of each disciple as a sign of the Holy Spirit was “the flame of love that burns away all harshness; it was the language of the Gospel that crosses every border humans make and touches the hearts of the multitude without distinction of language, race or nationality.”

Today, just as on Pentecost, the pope said, the Holy Spirit is poured out on the Church and on every follower of Jesus “so that we would leave behind our mediocrity and being closed off, and rather communicate to the whole world the merciful love of the Lord.”

In his homily at the Pentecost Mass that morning, Pope Francis said the Scriptures assure Christians that the Holy Spirit continues to be at work in the Church and in the world doing what Jesus promised the Spirit would do: “He guides us into all the truth, He renews the face of the earth, and He gives us His fruits.”

Filled with the Holy Spirit, the disciples went from being confused about Jesus’ death and afraid to speak and afraid of being arrested, to being bold announcers of salvation in Jesus, the pope said.

The Spirit made them understand that “the death of Jesus was not His defeat, but rather the ultimate expression of God’s love, a love that, in the resurrection, conquers death and exalts Jesus as the living one, the Lord, the redeemer of mankind, the Lord of history and of the world.”

At the same time, the pope said, the Spirit is the one who renews the earth and can renew people’s relationship with it.

“The Holy Spirit whom Christ sent from the Father, and the creator Spirit who gives life to all things, are one and the same,” he said. “Respect for creation, then, is a requirement of our faith: the ‘garden’ in which we live is not entrusted to us to be exploited, but rather to be cultivated and tended with respect.”

If people allow themselves to be renewed by the Spirit, he said, “we will indeed be able to experience the freedom of sons and daughters in harmony with all creation.”

The gifts of the Holy Spirit are meant to be shared with all, Pope Francis said. “The world needs the fruits, the gifts of the Holy Spirit, as St. Paul lists them: ‘love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.’”

God sent the Holy Spirit “so that we may live lives of genuine faith and active charity, that we may sow the seeds of reconciliation and peace.”

The Spirit cannot be forced on anyone, the pope said. But “closing oneself off from the Holy Spirit means not only a lack of freedom, it is a sin.”

“There are many ways one can close oneself off to the Holy Spirit: by selfishness for one’s own gain; by rigid legalism – seen in the attitude of the doctors of the law whom Jesus referred to as hypocrites; by neglect of what Jesus taught; by living the Christian life not as service to others but in the pursuit of personal interests; and in so many other ways.”

Report: Papal encyclical named after St. Francis prayer of praise VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis’ encyclical on the environment will be titled “Laudato Sii” (Praised Be), a line from St. Francis of Assisi’s “Canticle of Creatures,” and will be released June 16, said the head of the Vatican publishing house.

Salesian Father Giuseppe Costa, speaking at an event in Naples May 30, told reporters that publishers from around the world had been asking for the rights to reprint “Laudato Sii” when it is released in mid-June. The Vatican press office declined to confirm

the title of the document and the release date, although it also declined to say Father Costa was wrong.

“Laudato sii” is the introductory phrase to eight verses of St. Francis of Assisi’s famous prayer thanking God for the gifts of creation. “Praised be you, my Lord, with all your creatures, especially Sir Brother Sun, who is the day, and through whom you give us light,” one of the first lines says.

— Catholic News Service

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In Brief Church growth rates highest outside Europe, the Americas WASHINGTON, D.C. — Results of a study released June 1 by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate said that the highest growth rates in Catholicism are in Africa and Asia. “Overall, the global Catholic population has grown by 57 percent since 1980. However, this growth differs by region, with Europe’s Catholic population growing by just 6 percent while the number of Catholics in Africa grew by 238 percent,” said the report, “Global Catholicism: Trends & Forecasts.” “Differences between these two regions are largely attributable to differences in fertility rates over time.

Over the last 50 years, the proportion of the global population who are Catholic has remained remarkably steady at about 17.5 percent. Most demographers anticipate a global population exceeding 10 billion by 2100, up from 7.3 billion now.

Pope Francis lists abortion, unsafe workplaces ‘attacks on life’ VATICAN CITY — Abortion, abandoning migrants at sea, unsafe working conditions, malnutrition, terrorism and euthanasia are all “attacks on life,” said Pope Francis. In an audience with members of the Italian Science & Life Association May 30, the pope said “life is a gift” and urged more reflection on how people are treated throughout all stages of life. “The degree of progress of a civilization is measured precisely by its capacity to care for life, especially in its most fragile phases,” he told the association, which had gathered its members in Rome the previous day to mark its 10th anniversary. “When we speak of humanity, let us never forget the attacks on the sacredness of human life,” he said.

“The plague of abortion is an attack on life.

Allowing our brothers and sisters to die in boats in the Strait of Sicily is an attack on life.

Death at the workplace, because minimum safety conditions are not respected, is an attack on life. Death because of malnutrition is an attack on life. Terrorism, war, violence, euthanasia as well, is an attack on life.”

— Catholic News Service

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catholicnewsherald.com | June 5, 2015 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Deacon Kevin Bezner

Whether to wear my clericals on vacation

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n Orthodox monk, who is also a priest, tells the story of how he was out in the city near where he lives one day with a friend who is a Roman Catholic priest.

As they walked through the downtown marketplace, a man approached the monk and asked if he were a priest and would hear his confession. After the unburdened man had left, the Roman Catholic priest said to the monk, “He didn’t ask me to hear his confession. He asked you.”

The reason the man did not ask the Roman Catholic priest to hear his confession, the monk explains, was because he was dressed like everyone else. Wherever he goes, the monk stands out. He dresses in black and wears a cassock and riassa, a large pectoral cross, and a kamilavka with veil. He doesn’t blend in. He doesn’t hide among the crowd. His clerical dress announces to the world that he is a Christian priest ready to serve.

I thought of the monk’s story recently after listening to a homily in which the priest noted how overjoyed he is that he no longer must wear the heavy chasuble he was forced to wear when he was new to the priesthood. The chasuble was so heavy, he said, he felt weighed down. So he rushed through the Sunday Mass so he could strip it off.

The point of his story, he said, was that the Church was weighing down people instead of lifting them up. He never stated exactly what he thought the Church was doing to weigh down people, but it was implicit in his metaphor of the heavy chasuble.

In his contemporary view of things, the Church’s traditions are burdensome and weigh down people and the Church needs to strip them off.

The Church, in fact, he said, needs to live in the now and forget about where we are going. Thinking about where we are going, he said, puts weight on our shoulders. We are a Resurrection people, he said, but the Church prevents us from soaring.

I was traveling in Florida, and before I left I had struggled with the question of whether I should pack my cassock, riassa and skufia which covers my head – the clerical dress I am expected to wear as a Ukrainian Catholic deacon.

I was ordained less than a year ago, and I am still getting used to thinking of myself as a deacon. Despite the strange looks from some of the parishioners sitting near me and the priest’s look of discomfort as I approached to receive Holy Communion, I was glad I had not hidden my vocation. I was not weighed down by my clothing. I was lifted up because I was fulfilling a commitment I made to Our Lord.

Too many in our Church today seek to strip away tradition and all that makes us Catholic. Our secular society has taken its cue from such Catholics-in-name-only and so has attempted to use the law to force us to accept the immorality it characterizes as just.

While priests complain of the burden of chasubles and Catholic-in-name-only colleges and universities advance the ways of the world, emboldened citizens, some who call themselves Catholic, attack a bishop who seeks to ensure that the teachers at Catholic schools under his jurisdiction teach the true faith.

They often succeed because too often we choose to conform to the world. Unlike the layperson who can primarily display the light of faith in the way he lives, those who have been ordained or who have taken a religious vow can also wear distinct clothing that announces to the world their Catholic faith.

To dress otherwise is to extinguish that light for the poorest of the poor, missing the opportunity to evangelize souls in need in the world – “For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light,” the Lord says.

Father Deacon Kevin Bezner serves at St. Basil the Great Ukrainian Catholic Mission in Charlotte. This commentary was originally published on www. thechristianreview.com.

Fred Gallagher

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Late spring and the beauty of Ordinary Time

ere in the late spring in North Carolina, we are blessed with a few days of low humidity even as the temperatures begin to rise. And that makes the dusk of the evening particularly pleasant. It’s a time to begin things and a time to wait for things.

Not long ago I got my garden in, this year with a wire fence around it to keep the pesky critters out!

So now I weed and I wait. Some of the birds that disappeared for a while are now back at the feeders: the cat birds and the cardinals and the brown thrashers that sing like opera divas. They’re back, working incessantly at finding food and waiting in the night at their nests.

In the Church the penitential season of Lent flows to the heraldry of Easter Sunday and the joyous Easter season. Then, after Pentecost, we come into what the Church calls “Ordinary Time,” which will stretch to Advent.

Of course, in the Church Ordinary Time is not the least bit ordinary. It is a time fashioned after the Latin word “ordo,” meaning “order.” Ordinary Time is the ordered time of the Church’s life – that is, the time when Christ’s invisible hand guides us and when His transforming love touches our lives. It is a time we recall His walking among us, His healing us, His calling us to prayer and repentance.

And it is a time we recognize in the so-called “ordinary” activity of life – the waking and the working and the raising of our children, the taking of our spouse’s hand, the looking out for the sick and the poor hidden among us – something sacred. It is a time to come to understand the sanctity of our daily existence, made so by the Father in His Creation, made sacramental by His incarnate Son and given meaning over and over again every day by the Holy Spirit, making the profane sacred with every breath. It is the time Father Jean Pierre de Caussade famously referred to as “the sacrament of the moment.”

Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel once said, “The higher goal of spiritual living is not to amass a wealth

of information but to find sacred moments.” Now is the time we search for those sacred moments. Because I am sometimes too distracted by our secular culture to find them, I have taken to looking in the Eucharist; in devotional prayer; in the faces of those suffering; in family, happy or sad, hopeful or forlorn; in the words of Scripture and the words of those who create stories that highlight human dignity even amid our decadence and concupiscence. I look in celebration and in sorrow, in the intricate designs of nature and the soulful art of human hands, in the work of my own hands and in the rest at the end of day. And I look always in language, in the phrasings of great poets, and, most especially, in the intonations of those I love.

So this late spring is anything but ordinary, when we start things in hope and we wait on things in faith.

It is a time we might reflect on the goodness that has accompanied our efforts, at work and at home. It is a time we might anticipate the deeper significance of the hardships that have befallen us and how we can allow them to be transformed into something meaningful. It is an “ordered” time when we further refine personal and professional plans, when we muster the work necessary for those plans and when we thank our God for the strength and grace to accomplish something beautiful for Him to behold. The late spring: when the dogwoods remind us of Christ’s wounds and other colorful blossoms that have astounded us, give way to the lush green of daily life, when things grow, quietly, steadily and with our work and God’s purpose attendant to their progress.

There is an “order” that is the foundation of our lives, in our starting and in our waiting, and in the life God has granted us. It is the absolute beauty of Ordinary Time.

Fred Gallagher is an author, book editor and former addictions counselor. He and his wife Kim are members of St. Patrick Cathedral in Charlotte.

June 5, 2015 | catholicnewsherald.com catholic news heraldI

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Parish spotlight

St. Barnabas marks National Day of Prayer Deacon James H. Toner

What we know that ain’t so:

“What you think is the right road may lead to death” (Prv 14:12)

Personally opposed What we think is the right road

I

am all for Catholic teaching, but it is a private matter. We should admire Catholic politicians who do not permit their faith to influence their political judgment. They should not force their values down other people’s throats, and they should keep in mind the separation between Church and state. This was exemplified in 1960, when presidential candidate John F. Kennedy said, “I do not speak for my Church on public matters – and the Church does not speak for me.”

But it’s the wrong road

During a political campaign, Hilaire Belloc, the famous British writer and devout Catholic, was being heckled by someone demanding to know if he was a “papist.”

Belloc replied: “Sir, so far as possible I hear Mass each day and I go on my knees and tell these beads (say the rosary) each night. If that offends you, then I pray God may spare me the indignity of representing you in Parliament.”

Self-identified Catholic politicians who renounce the teaching of the Church about issues of primordial importance may have developed effective public relations skills, but they have divorced their consciences from Christ, in whose name the Church teaches.

St. Peter and the I use the Apostles, from adjective Acts 5:29 primordial, for I mean that there are matters of such significance that one cannot dissent from them and remain Catholic.

“God and Caesar,” For example,

by Cardinal George Pell. as American Washington, D.C.: CUA citizens we are Press, 2007. free to debate the existence of God, the divinity of Christ or the inerrancy of the Bible, but we may not deny those matters and reasonably call ourselves Catholic. Other matters, though, may prompt entirely legitimate debate among well-meaning Catholics.

Catholics may reasonably debate fiscal or foreign policy, but issues such as abortion, for example, are matters of settled Catholic teaching.

On Nov. 1, 1885, Pope Leo XIII wrote that “it is unlawful to follow one line of conduct in private life and another in public, respecting privately the authority of the Church, but publicly rejecting it; for this would amount to joining together good and evil” (“Immortale Dei,” 47).

Catholic politicians who abandon the Church when it comes to vital issues which

‘We must obey God rather than men.’

Suggested reading

may prove inconvenient, or politically costly to them, arrogantly compartmentalize or ignore the faith which comes to us from the Apostles. They have anointed their personal opinions as masters of their moral conscience and destiny.

No Catholic should doubt the duty and the right of the Church “to announce moral principles, including those pertaining to the social order, and to make judgments on any human affairs to the extent that they are required by the fundamental rights of the human person or the salvation of souls” (Catechism of the Catholic Church 2032; also see 1269, 2039, 2246, 2420). Similarly, no Catholic should doubt his own responsibility to form his conscience in obedience to Church teaching about such essential matters (CCC 87, 890, 1269, 1783, 2037, 2257).

Candidate John F. Kennedy was running for office at a time when anti-Catholic feeling was running high. For reasons of political strategy, he mapped out a campaign in which he was at pains to minimize his Catholic roots. More recent Catholic politicians face not just questions of political campaign strategy, but matters of life and death.

That they would claim to be loyal sons and daughters of the Church while reviling key Church moral teachings ought to be a troubling matter to every Catholic.

Along these lines, Professor Robert George recently wrote about the death of Mario Cuomo, whose public endorsement – indeed, avid support – of abortion was, and remains, a great and grievous scandal. We must deeply regret, not only the politically expedient course Cuomo chose, but also the moral course he rejected. Imagine, George says, if Cuomo had used his Godgiven talents to speak out as a champion of the unborn; imagine if he had said that his political career mattered not in the least in comparison to his moral duty to be a witness for life; imagine if he had merged his “private Catholic conscience” with his public duties.

Scripture plainly warns us about the perils arising from our tendency to do what is popular rather than what is right. Pilate gave in to that (Mt 27:24) as do many others. The Catechism proclaims, as does the deacon at the end of Mass, that we – including those who say they are Catholic but ignore Church teaching – must be faithful witnesses: “The fidelity of the baptized is a primordial condition for the proclamation of the Gospel and for the Church’s mission in the world.

In order that the message of salvation can show the power of its truth and radiance before men, it must be authenticated by the witness of the life of Christians. ‘The witness of a Christian life and good works done in a supernatural spirit have great power to draw men to the faith and to God.’” (2044) To think, to speak, to write, to act as a Catholic is rarely easy and is sometimes very difficult. Indeed, there are times and places in which being Catholic has led to martyrdom. Belloc knew that. So should we.

Deacon James H. Toner serves at Our Lady of Grace Church in Greensboro.

Photo provided by Bob Hinkel and Cathie Stout

ARDEN — More than 80 parishioners of St. Barnabas Church in Arden and the surrounding community participated in an ecumenical prayer service for the National Day of Prayer May 7, hosted at St. Barnabas Church.

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Holy Hour Homilist: His Eminence Timothy Cardinal Dolan

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Join us for the Eleventh Eucharistic Congress September 11 – 12, 2015 Charlotte Convention Center

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2015 Eucharistic Congress Diocese Of Charlotte

September 11 & 12