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
September 30, 2016
Join hands and pray for life 6
INDEX
Contact us.......................... 4 EspaĂąol.................................. 9 Events calendar................. 4 Our Parishes.................. 3-8 Schools......................... 14-15 Scripture readings............ 2 TV & Movies.......................16 U.S. news...................... 18-19 Viewpoints.................. 22-23 World news.................. 20-21 Year of Mercy..................... 2
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Calling for peace, justice in Charlotte
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YEAR OF MERCY PROFILE
Bryson City, Charlotte and Sparta churches celebrate anniversaries 10-13
Camp Hope: A place of joy 2
Year of Mercy 2
catholicnewsherald.com | September 30, 2016 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD
Camp Hope: A place of joy Pope Francis
Anyone who repents, desires God’s embrace can be saved
T
he Church is not just for people who are good, who think they’re good or pretend to be good, it is for everyone, especially the bad because the Church is mercy, Pope Francis said. No one is excluded from God’s forgiveness, even the worst sinners, who only must draw near to Jesus with a repentant heart “and the desire to be embraced,” he said Sept. 28 at his weekly general audience. In his continuing series of talks on mercy, the pope focused on St. Luke’s Gospel account of the crucifixion and its story of the “good thief.” Jesus was nailed to a cross between two criminals, was jeered at by the crowds, and still he begged God to forgive them because “they know not what they do.” Not many understood how the Messiah could allow Himself to be nailed to the cross and do nothing to try to save Himself, the pope said. But “Jesus saved us by remaining on the cross. And all of us know that it is not easy to remain on the cross, our little everyday crosses.” The fact that He – an innocent man – died between two criminals attests to the fact that “God’s salvation can reach anyone in any condition, even the most negative and painful, he said. “God’s salvation is for everyone, no one is excluded,” but His mercy and pardon are there “above all for the bad because the Church is mercy.” Pope Francis urged those who are suffering, especially those confined to a hospital bed, locked in a prison or trapped by war to gaze at the cross, “let the power of the Gospel penetrate your hearts and console you, give you hope and the deepest assurance that no one is excluded.” The “good thief,” who recognized who Jesus was, admitted his own guilt and saw his earthly punishment as just, is the perfect role model of repentance and an excellent example of a Christian who trusts in God, he said. He showed a profound respect and reverence for God; he was aware of God’s omnipotence and His infinite goodness, the pope said, and “it is this confident respect that helps make room for God and trust in His mercy even in the darkest night.” That Jesus is there among the guilty, offering salvation, scandalizes the leaders, the pope said, but for the good thief, “it is the bedrock of his faith.” Here “the unthinkable has happened – God loved me so much that He died on the cross for me.” The Lord’s passion finds its culmination in His words of pardon on the cross, the pope said, and reveals His mission – to save all sinners.
Knights, volunteers, supporters make summer camp special for Holy Angels residents BELMONT — Holy Angels and the Knights of Columbus hosted an annual boat ride and cookout Sept. 17. The Knights from Council 770 and Queen of the Apostles Church joined together to grill hamburgers and hot dogs for Holy Angels’ residents and staff. The Knights recruited friends from the Charlotte Yacht Club to bring pontoon boats to the Holy Angels Camp for everyone to enjoy a leisurely ride around the lake. Members of the Ceol na Gael Irish Pipe Band from Charlotte provided musical entertainment at the cookout. Holy Angels provides specialized, around-the-clock care for children and adults with intellectual developmental disabilities and delicate medical conditions at its facility in Belmont, located on the Sacred Heart Campus of the Sisters of Mercy.
More online At www.catholicnewsherald.com: See more photos from Holy Angels’ Camp Hope Photos by Travis Burton | Catholic News Herald
Your daily Scripture readings OCT. 2-8
Sunday: Habbakuk 1:2-3, 2:2-4, 2 Timothy 1:6-8, 13-14, Luke 17:5-10; Monday: Galatians 1:6-12, Luke 10:25-37; Tuesday (St. Francis of Assisi): Galatians 1:13-24, Luke 10:38-42; Wednesday: Galatians 2:1-2, 7-14, Luke 11:1-4; Thursday: Galatians 3:1-5, Luke 11:5-13; Friday (Our Lady of the Rosary): Galatians 3:7-14, Luke 11:15-26; Saturday: Galatians 3:22-29, Luke 11:27-28
OCT. 9-15
Sunday: 2 Kings 5:14-17, 2 Timothy 2:8-13, Luke 17:11-19; Monday: Galatians 4:22-24, 26-27, 31–5:1, Luke 11:29-32; Tuesday: Galatians 5:1-6, Luke 11:37-41; Wednesday: Galatians 5:18-25, Luke 11:42-46; Thursday: Ephesians 1:1-10, Luke 11:47-54; Friday: Ephesians 1:11-14, Luke 12:1-7; Saturday (St. Teresa of Jesus): Ephesians 1:1523, Luke 12:8-12
OCT. 16-22
Sunday: Exodus 17:8-13, 2 Timothy 3:144:2, Luke 18:1-8; Monday (St. Ignatius of Antioch): Ephesians 2:1-10, Luke 12:13-21; Tuesday (St. Luke): 2 Timothy 4:10-17b, Luke 10:1-9; Wednesday (Sts. John de Brébeuf, Isaac Jogues and Companions): Ephesians 3:2-12, Luke 12:39-48; Thursday: Ephesians 3:14-21, Luke 12:49-53; Friday: Ephesians 4:1-6, Luke 12:54-59; Saturday (St. John Paul II): Ephesians 4:7-16, Luke 13:1-9
Our parishes
September 30, 2016 | catholicnewsherald.com catholic news heraldI
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Calling for peace, justice in Charlotte
Patricia L. Guilfoyle | Catholic News Herald
Father Patrick Winslow, pastor of St. Thomas Aquinas Church, leads benediction during a prayer service Sept. 21, following a night of protests in the Charlotte parish’s neighborhood.
Bishop Jugis calls all to pray for peace, justice in Charlotte Patricia L. Guilfoyle Editor
Patricia L. Guilfoyle | Catholic News Herald
Vivian Carr, Justin Carr’s mother, and her sons, Kenneth Johnston and Ellis Carr, speak during the prayer service at Our Lady of Consolation Church in Charlotte Sept. 23, held a day after Justin Carr (pictured below) died from a gunshot wound he suffered during protests in Charlotte that erupted after a fatal police shooting.
Charlotte parish mourns death of protester Patricia L. Guilfoyle Editor
CHARLOTTE — Justin Carr’s future looked bright. He had just celebrated his 26th birthday, started a new job, and was getting ready to settle down with his high school sweetheart and start a family. But all that ended the night of Sept. 21, when a bullet shattered his skull. The next day, he was dead. Carr’s death marked the most violent episode in nearly a week of protests in Charlotte that erupted after another man, Keith Lamont Scott, was shot and killed by police Sept. 20 in an apartment complex parking lot. Demanding justice in the police shooting, Carr protesters marched through uptown Charlotte Wednesday evening and confronted police in riot gear. Carr was among them. “I need to make a stand,” he told his mother when he called her from the scene. He said he wanted to follow in the footsteps of his grandmother, who had marched during the civil rights era. Less than an hour later, Vivian Carr learned her son was in the hospital, clinging to life. Charlotte-Mecklenburg police have charged Rayquan Borum, 21, in Carr’s death. Vivian Carr recounted her last memories of her son during a special prayer service Sept. 23 at Our Lady of Consolation
How you can help
Church, where the Carr family has worshipped for three generations. The prayer service was organized by Father Carl Del Giudice, pastor, to give people a chance to share their feelings about the protests and A GoFundMe account, the tragedy that had struck their “Justice for Justin,” parish family. Father Del Giudice has been created to help gave Carr last rites before he died, the Carr family with their and he has been ministering to the unexpected expenses. Carr family following this tragedy. Cards and well-wishes may “I know that my son died for a also be sent to Our Lady of cause,” Vivian Carr told a standingConsolation Catholic Church, room-only crowd gathered in the 1235 Badger Ct., Charlotte, church on Statesville Avenue. NC 28206. “I just want to thank everybody for coming out and thanks for all of the love and support that everybody’s given,” she continued. “It’s very, very, very hard for me. This is the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do in my life. But through everybody’s love, support and my strength in God, I’m able to carry through this.” Carr’s two brothers praised him for standing up for people’s rights and they defended his reputation from what they called false social media reports. Struggling to find words through his tears, Ellis Carr said, “They MOURNING, SEE page 24
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — After two nights of violence in Charlotte, Bishop Peter J. Jugis called on “the half-million Catholic men, women and children of the Diocese of Charlotte” to join him in prayers for “peace and justice” for all victims of violence and for law enforcement personnel who have been victims of “unjust violence.” “Let us pray for all men and women of good will to be instruments of harmony and the always-shining light of Christ in our neighborhoods, workplaces, schools and public places,” Bishop Jugis said in a statement Sept. 22. The protests began late Sept. 20 following the fatal police shooting of 43-year-old Keith Lamont Scott, an African-American, outside an apartment complex on Old Concord Road. In their statement, Charlotte-Mecklenburg police said Officer Brentley Vinson, who also is an AfricanAmerican, perceived an “imminent deadly threat” and shot Scott. Scott later died at a local hospital. Family members insisted that Scott was unarmed and was reading a book while waiting in the parking lot to pick up his son from a nearby school bus stop. Police said they recovered a weapon from the scene, not a book. Vinson has been placed on administrative leave while police conduct an investigation that includes eyewitness interviews and review of police video footage. When Scott family members took to social media to criticize police the evening of Sept. 20, people began to gather at the site of the shooting. By 11 p.m., the protest had swelled to about 1,000 people. When some protesters began throwing rocks and smashing the windows of several police cars, police used tear gas to disperse the crowd, but people continued to protest and block roadways. Police arrested one person. More than a dozen police officers were slightly injured in the melee. PEACE, SEE page 24
UPcoming events 4
catholicnewsherald.com | September 30, 2016 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD
Bishop Peter J. Jugis will participate in the following upcoming events: Oct. 1 – 5 p.m. Sacrament of Confirmation St. Lawrence Basilica, Asheville
Oct. 12 – 6 p.m. Seminarian Education Campaign Bishop’s Residence, Charlotte
Oct. 16 – 1:30 p.m. Sacrament of Confirmation St. Eugene Church, Asheville
Oct. 2-7 Priests Retreat
Oct. 14 – 10 a.m. Diocesan Finance Council meeting Diocesan Pastoral Center, Charlotte
Oct. 20 – 6:30 p.m. Sacrament of Confirmation St. Barnabas Church, Arden
Oct. 14 – 7 p.m. Sacrament of Confirmation St. Francis of Assisi Church, Mocksville
Oct. 22 – 10 a.m. 75th Anniversary of Dedication of Church St. Benedict the Moor Church, Winston-Salem
Oct. 9 – 12:30 p.m. Holy Mass for the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem St. Patrick Cathedral, Charlotte
Diocesan calendar of events September 30, 2016
Lectures & Workshops
Volume 25 • Number 26
‘Out of the Shadows’ Human Trafficking Awareness: 6:30 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 9, at St. James the Greater Church, 139 Manor Ave., Concord. Lecture on the efforts taking place in Cabarrus County and how you can be equipped to take action. Guest speakers Sister Rose Marie Tresp, director of Justice for South Central Region, Institute of the Sisters of Mercy, and Hannah Arrowood, founder and executive director of Present Age Ministries. For details, email Dot Reilly at dotnowellreilly@gmail.com.
“Protecting God’s Children” workshops are intended to educate parish volunteers to recognize and prevent sexual abuse. For details, contact your parish office. To register and confirm workshop times, go to www.virtus. org. Upcoming workshops are:
Education and Awareness about Human Trafficking: 7-8:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 13, in Rooms B and C at St. Gabriel Church, 3016 Providence Road, Charlotte. Join parishioners from around the diocese on a briefing on Human Trafficking. Speakers include law enforcement, legal advocates and victims of the industry. To RSVP, email Tammy Harris at mharris1217@ gmail.com.
Charlotte: 9 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 1, St. Peter Church (Biss Hall), 507 South Tryon St.
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
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.
SAFE ENVIRONMENT TRAINING
ASHEVILLE: 9 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 5, St. Lawrence Basilica (parish office building basement), 97 Haywood St.
GREENSBORO: 9 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 15, St. Paul the Apostle Church, 2715 Horse Pen Creek Road KERNERSVILLE: 9 a.m. Saturday. Oct. 1, Holy Cross Church, 616 South Cherry St. SUPPORT GROUPS
Natural family planning NFP Classes: 1-5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 22, at St. Matthew Church, 8015 Ballantyne Commons Pkwy., Charlotte. Effectiveness of modern NFP, health risks of popular contraceptives and what the Church teaches about responsible parenting. Sponsored by Catholic Charities Diocese of Charlotte. RSVP to Batrice Adcock, MSN, RN, at 704-370-3230. PRAYER SERVICES & Groups Pro-Life Rosary: 9 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 1, at 901 North Main St. and Sunset Drive, High Point. Outdoors, rain or shine. Parking available nearby. For details, call Jim Hoyng at 336-882-9593 or Paul Klosterman at 336-8486835. St. Thomas More Society Red Mass: 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 13, at St. Patrick Cathedral, 1621 Dilworth Road East, Charlotte. Benedictine Abbot Placid Solari will be the celebrant. The Red Mass is celebrated annually for judges, attorneys, law schools students, government officials and law enforcement, generally in conjunction with the opening of the new session of the U.S. Supreme Court. Dinner following Mass. For details, call the parish office at 704-334-2283. Procession for life: 9 a.m. Mass, Saturday, Oct. 15, at St. Vincent de Paul Church, 6828 Old Reid Road, Charlotte. Immediately after Mass we will pray one decade of the rosary, continuing the rosary as the group processes to pray at Family Reproductive Health abortion facility at 700 E. Hebron, Charlotte, with Father Casey Coleman. We’ll process back to the chapel after about 30-35 minutes of prayer at the facility, concluding with benediction. Hosted by Helpers of God’s Precious Infants. For details, visit www.charlottehelpers.com. PRESENTATION, SOLEMN VESPERS AND VENERATION OF RELICS: 4:30 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 16, at St. Mary Church, 22 Bartlett St., Sylva. Come venerate the first-class relic of St. Elizabeth of the Trinity, OCD, who will be canonized by Pope Francis Oct. 16 in Rome. Presentation at 4:30 p.m. Solemn Vespers and veneration at 5:30 p.m.
MOTHERING WITH GRACE: Second Saturdays at 7:30 a.m. in the Assembly Room at St. Vincent de Paul Church, 6828 Old Reid, Charlotte. For details visit www. motheringwithgrace.org. Shining Stars Adult day respite: Meets on Mondays and Wednesdays at St. Gabriel Church, 3016 Providence Road, Charlotte. Shining Stars is a nonprofit adult day respite program for members of the community with early to moderate Alzheimer’s disease. For details, call Suzanne Bach at 704-335-0253. Alzheimer’s Caregiver and Family Support Group: Meets the first Monday of the month, 6:30-8 p.m., in Family Center Room 203 at St. Mark Church, 14740 Stumptown Road, Huntersville. Organized with the Alzheimer’s Association, the monthly meetings are for the caregivers and family members of people with Alzheimer’s. For details, email Janet Urban at jgraceart@yahoo.com. AFTER THE BOXES ARE UNPACKED: A 10-week class based on the book will meet Wednesdays, starting Sept. 14 at St. Thérèse Church, 217 Brawley School Road, Mooresville. Sessions meet 10 a.m. to noon or 7-8:30 p.m. For details, contact Sophia McNiff at 704-508-2217 or Tracy deRoos at 704-663-3575 or tjderoos@windstream. net. YEAR OF MERCY Divine Mercy day of healing: 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 1 , at St. Matthew Church, 8015 Ballantyne Commons Pkwy., Charlotte. Divine Mercy Holy Hour: Every first Thursday of each month at 7:30 p.m., in the Daily Mass Chapel at St. Matthew Church, 8015 Ballantyne Commons Pkwy. Everyone is welcome to attend and pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, venerate and be blessed by the parish’s first-class relic of St. Faustina Kowalska. Recite Divine Mercy prayers and read Scripture and excerpts from St. Faustina’s diary. Each month’s Holy Hour will be for the following intentions: Oct. 6, Marian Jubilee Dedicated to Mary; Nov. 3, prisoners; Dec. 1, healing of the family.
Divine Mercy Holy Hour: Every First Friday of each month at 7 p.m. at St. Thomas Aquinas Church, 1400 Suther Road, Charlotte. There will be readings from the Diary of St. Maria Faustina Kowalska, veneration of the Image of Divine Mercy, the sung Chaplet of Divine Mercy, exposition of the Blessed Sacrament and benediction. Year of Mercy website: Keep up to date on all Jubilee Year of Mercy events, download catechetical resources on the spiritual and corporal works of mercy, watch videos on the theme of mercy, and much more, at the Diocese of Charlotte’s Year of Mercy website: www. yearofmercy.rcdoc.org. YOUNG ADULTS ASHEVILLE THEOLOGY ON TAP: For Catholics in their 20s and 30s in the Asheville region. For details, check them out on Facebook, Twitter or MeetUp. CHARLOTTE AREA: Groups for Catholics in their 20s and 30s, single or married, are active on MeetUp at www. meetup.com/charlottecatholicyoungadultministry, and at: St. Gabriel Church: on Facebook at “St. Gabriel Young Adult Ministry” St. John Neumann Church: call Meg VanGoethem, 815-545-2587 St. Matthew Church: On Facebook at “Young Adult Life: A St. Matthew Ministry” St. Patrick Cathedral: on Facebook at “St. Patrick Cathedral Frassati Fellowship-Young Adult Ministry” St. Peter Church: look them up on MeetUp at www. meetup.com/St-Peters-Catholic-Young-Adult-MinistryCharlotte-NC St. Thomas Aquinas Church: online at “Aquinas’ Finest,” www.stacharlotte.com/finest Our Lady of Consolation Church: contact Denise Duliepre, 917-575-0871 Holy Spirit Church in Denver: call Nicole Lehman, 704-607-5207 St. Michael Church in Gastonia: For Catholics in their 20s and 30s in the Gastonia area. Meets once a month. Online at www.stmichaelsgastonia.org/youngadults. ST. LEO The great church: online at “Winston Salem Frassati” www.wsfrassati.com. GREENSBORO WAY OF CHRIST: The young adult ministry at St. Pius X Church in Greensboro: at www.stpiusxnc.com/woc, on Facebook at “wayofchrist” and Twitter @wocgreensboro or email Dan McCool at wocgreensboro@gmail.com.
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.
September 30, 2016 | catholicnewsherald.com
OUR PARISHESI
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Travel to the Holy Land with Lay Ministry Study Pilgrimage
CNS | Jaclyn Lippelmann, Catholic Standard
Charlotte artist Chas Fagan, sisters from the Missionaries of Charity, and Patrick Kelly, executive director of the St. John Paul II National Shrine, unveil the official canonization portrait of St. Teresa of Calcutta during a Sept. 1 ceremony at the shrine in Washington. The image was displayed during her canonization at the Vatican Sept. 4.
Photo provided by Chas Fagan
Fagan is pictured in Rome Sept. 4 for the canonization of St. Teresa of Calcutta.
‘Bringing a saint to life’ Charlotte artist captures essence of St. Teresa of Calcutta in canonization image SueAnn Howell Senior reporter
CHARLOTTE — Chas Fagan, renowned American artist and parishioner of St. Peter Church, is the artist behind the image of the Church’s newest saint, Teresa of Calcutta, also known to the world as Mother Teresa. The Knights of Columbus commissioned Fagan to create the official portrait for her canonization Mass Sept. 4 at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. Fagan never met Mother Teresa, but to get a sense of her personality he spoke with people who knew her over the years and worked closely with her. “They spoke of her joy and her radiating smile,” he said. “I researched images online and found a candid photo of her with St. John Paul II where she is looking up at him with a warm smile. That’s the inspiration I was going for – a warm, joyous expression.” Fagan also credits celebrity portrait photographer Michael Collopy, who documented Mother Teresa’s work in Calcutta. “He called me out of the blue,” Fagan recalled. “He knew Mother Teresa well and had done a book about her. He offered his entire archive of photographs to go through for inspiration. I chose a couple photos I liked for the face and for the hands and I created a pose to make it work. Without his tremendous photographs it would not have happened.” So how does he capture the essence of a world-renowned person such as Mother Teresa? “What I like to do with any portrait is to bring that person to life in front of me. As the painting goes along, you are gradually doing that and you feel it more and more as you do. That was definitely the case with her,” he said. The portrait is entitled “St. Teresa of Calcutta: The Carrier of God’s Love.” Fagan explained how the image got its name. “I cannot take any credit for that. It is my understanding that (Missionaries of Charity) Father Brian Kolodiejchuk, the postulator for her cause for sainthood, was the selector of that title.” At the official unveiling of the portrait at the St. John Paul
II National Shrine Sept. 1, Fagan was humbled by the positive reactions of the dozens of Missionaries of Charity sisters at seeing the image for the first time. “The sisters’ reaction to the painting throughout my entire journey with the painting has been the highlight. It’s like a highlight at every moment,” he said. “So at the unveiling a lot of them were there. The immediate smiling reaction was more than I had ever hoped for.” As Divine Providence would have it, there was a second unveiling that day shortly after the first. “I got to experience it all over again,” Fagan said. “With the second group I got to stand next to them, kind of in profile, and watch their reaction to the painting. It was like having a front row seat for an artist. It was really very flattering and wonderful.” He recalled that at the initial unveiling he was asked what he felt about it the whole experience. He replied, “The hard part was actually the absence of the portrait in my studio, because she had been there for a while. She had been part of the family. The absence hit me more than anything else.” Fagan flew to Rome for the festivities and the canonization Mass Sept. 4. “I had never been to Rome before. It was incredible. From the vigil, to the canonization, to the feast day…it was just incredible!” he said. During the canonization Mass he was seated to the right of the altar, close to the basilica, where he was looking up at the portrait of St. Teresa of Calcutta he created. “That’s what I was doing, looking up. I was sitting right up against the façade, looking straight up at it the whole time.” He is humbled by such the warm response to his latest work, and expressed incredulity at the Holy Father’s tweet of the image on social media. “It was otherworldly to see it happen like that. What made me happy is his reference to her smile. In the end, the composition that shows her with a smiling expression was the right thing to do, so that made me very happy.” Other reactions have been pouring in since the canonization Mass. “My email is full and my answering machine was loaded when I got back. One that sticks out in my mind was an older lady who left a message. She had no idea she was going to leave a message but found the number and called. It was the cutest thing ever.” Although Fagan did not have a particular devotion to the saint prior to creating her portrait, he admired her greatly. “I count myself among half the world who admired her altruism and her boundless energy. She was an example to everyone and to me.”
CHARLOTTE — The Diocese of Charlotte’s Lay Ministry office is sponsoring a study pilgrimage to the Holy Land Feb. 10-19, 2017. The 10-day trip is the first of its kind offered by the diocese. Dr. Frank Villaronga, diocesan director of the Lay Ministry program and Father Fidel Melo, vicar of Hispanic Ministry, will lead the pilgrimage. The study pilgrimage is open to anyone. People who have completed the Lay Ministry program or a similar formation program are encouraged to attend. Villaronga is creating specific reflections to correspond to Scripture and the holy sites and cities on the pilgrimage route. Pilgrims will visit Galilee, Capernaum, the Mount of Beatitudes, Tabgha, Magdala, Tabor, Nazareth, Cana, Mount Carmel, Caesarea Maritima, Bethlehem, Jericho, Masada, the Dead Sea, Mount Zion, Jerusalem, the Mount of Olives, St. Anne’s Church and Ein Karem. “The pilgrimage begins before we get on the airplane,” Villaronga said. “I am creating some reflection materials so people can prepare ahead of time by reflecting on some of the passages mentioning the places we will be going.” One example is a reflection Villaronga is preparing on St. Elijah and Mount Carmel. The pilgrims will also visit the Mount of Beatitudes, so he is creating a scripture reflection for that, too. “There is not going to be heavy studying, but some kind of reflection,” he said. “I would like to possibly have people meet in small groups to reflect together (on what they experience). People won’t have to worry about reading a lot ahead of time because I will have the materials prepared for them.” The pilgrimage will primarily be in English, but Spanish-speaking pilgrims are also encouraged to attend as Father Melo and a bilingual guide will provide information in Spanish during the pilgrimage. “One of the things I like about this particular pilgrimage is we have something called ‘Share the Bread,’ where we break up into groups of four to five and have dinner in the homes of Christians there. It is really nice because you get to talk to the people who live there and find out what the reality of living there and to share a meal,” Villaronga said. He hopes to take between 20 and 30 people to the Holy Land on this inaugural Lay Ministry Study Pilgrimage. A deposit of $500 per person is due by Oct. 28 to hold a spot on the pilgrimage. Full payment is due Nov. 8. Cost for the pilgrimage including airfare starts at $3,295. Land-only fees start at $2,295. For details, contact Villaronga at 704370-3274 or frankv@charlottediocese. org. — SueAnn Howell, senior reporter
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catholicnewsherald.com | September 30, 2016 OUR PARISHES
Join hands and pray for life Faithful across the Diocese of Charlotte are encouraged to gather on Sunday, Oct. 2, to kick off Respect Life Month and form “Life Chains” as a public witness for the dignity of all human life, from conception to natural death. Life Chains are being organized in the following communities, either on Oct. 2 or another date as noted:
ARDEN
DENVER 537 N.C. 16 Business at Holy Spirit Church, 12:30-1:45 p.m.; Jeff DiCosmo, 704-489-9756
FOREST CITY West Main Street near Hudlow Road, 2-3:30 p.m.; Dennis Puntel, 937-478-9282
GASTONIA Garrison Boulevard from Union Road to New Hope Road, 2-3 p.m.; Linda Mooney, 704-5893930
Hwy 25 in front of the YMCA/Urgent Care Center, 2-3 p.m.; Joanne Gregory, youth@ saintbarnabasarden.org
GREENSBORO
BELMONT
HENDERSONVILLE
Belmont-Mt. Holly Road from Woodlawn Avenue to Central Avenue, 2-3 p.m.; Rolando Rivas, 704-898-3084 Main Street at Central Avenue, 1:30-3 p.m.; Tom Carey, 904-728-4300
U.S. 25 (Asheville Highway) at Patton Park (Clairmont Drive), 2-3 p.m.; Sharon Asbury, 828697-6188 Hwy. 64 at Howard Gap Road, 2-3 p.m.; Sue Kuchler, 828-692-0170
BREVARD
HICKORY
Broad at Main streets, 2:30-3:30 p.m.; Janice Castevens, 828-273-0275
Hwy. 70 at 16th Street S.E., 2:30-3:30 p.m.; Bob Hall, 828-322-9570
Battleground Avenue, 2:30-3:30 p.m.; Bernie and Elaine McHale, 336-292-1118
CHARLOTTE
HUNTERSVILLE
8451 Idlewild Road (outside St. John Neumann Church), 2-3:30 p.m.; David DeBrosse, 704-649-6163 Arboretum-Providence Road at Windbluff Drive, 12:30-1:30 p.m.; Susan Lerch, 704-9073076 Ballantyne Commons Parkway at Rea Road, 2-3 p.m.; Liliana Salas, 704-293-5001 East Boulevard at Scott Avenue, 2-3 p.m.; Tina Witt, 704-846-7361 Pineville-Matthews Road (Hwy. 51) at Rea Road, 2-4 p.m.; Deborah Ware, 704-650-6095 Hillside Avenue at Park Road, 2-3 p.m.; Andy Zorichak, 980-233-9168 Park Road at Old Reid Road (outside St. Vincent de Paul Church), 12:45-1:45 p.m.; Susan Collis, 704-554-7088 Providence Road at Sharon Lane, 2-3 p.m.; James Lashua, 704-840-7236 University City Boulevard at Suther Road at I-485, 1-2 p.m. (park at St. Thomas Aquinas Church); Gretchen Fitz, 704-549-1604
Stumptown at Ranson roads, 2-3 p.m.; Michael FitzGerald, 704-992-1702
KANNAPOLIS
File, Bill Washington | Catholic News Herald
Members of Sacred Heart Church, led by Father John Eckert, pastor, prayed the rosary in downtown Salisbury for Respect Life Sunday last year.
Pruett, 704-965-5260
Geraldine Houston, 704-902-7018
MURPHY
THOMASVILLE
Peachtree Street (in front of the courthouse), 2-3 p.m.; Nancy Lorie, 305-978-0724
Southgate Shopping Center, 2:30-3:30 p.m.; Yvonne Ford, 336-301-9891
SALISBURY
WAYNESVILLE/HAYWOOD COUNTY Walnut Street at Russ Avenue, 2:30-3:30 p.m.; Cynthia Hall, 828-926-9706
13700 Lawyers Road at I-485, 12:30-1:30 p.m.; Bob Hayes, 386-478-9137
Main at Innes streets, 2-3 p.m.; Barbara Franklin, 704-636-2117 SHELBY At the corner of Gidney and Dekalb streets, 2:30-3:30 p.m.; Ingeborg Collins
MOORESVILLE
SPARTA
Hwy. 150 at Williamson Road, 2-3:30 p.m.; Terri Geraci, 704-493-8439
Main Street at Hwy. 18, 2:30-3:30 p.m.; Gary and Marie Carlson, 336-657-8013
Mount Holly
STATESVILLE
Cannon Boulevard (Hwy. 29) at First Street (near the overpass), 2-3:30 p.m.; Timothy Brennan, 704-938-7393
KERNERSVILLE 600 Main at Cherry streets, 12:30-1:30 p.m.; Melanie Feeney Lewis, 336-996-5109, ext. 12
MINT HILL
Main Street at Catawba Avenue, 2-3 p.m.; Sue
WINSTON-SALEM Hanes Mall Boulevard west of Stratford Road, 2-3:30 p.m.; Lori Bowser, 336-655-9479 For details about the Life Chain events, go online to www.lifechain.net.
Glenway Drive at Crossroads, 2-3:30 p.m.;
Historic St. John’s Bible comes to Charlotte CHARLOTTE — The story behind The St. John’s Bible, which Smithsonian Magazine called “one of the extraordinary undertakings of our time,” was presented Sept. 21 at St. Gabriel Church in Charlotte. The St. John’s Bible is the first hand-calligraphed, hand-illuminated Bible to have been commissioned in 500 years. Composed of seven hand-calligraphed volumes, it has 1,150 pages featuring 160 illuminations. One of the volumes from the Bible, the Book of the Gospels, was displayed for visitors to get an up-close look courtesy of David Allaway, director of the St. John’s Bible Heritage Program. Commissioned by the Benedictine monks of St. John’s Abbey in Minnesota as a celebration of the new millennium, the work was executed by and under the direction of Donald Jackson, the chief scribe to Queen Elizabeth II. This 21st century manuscript combines the use of medieval methods and materials with modern technology. The St. John’s Bible has been praised by Popes Francis and Benedict, displayed in the Library of Congress and featured on “The Today Show.” Scholars have compared the scope of the work to that of the Sistine Chapel. More information about The St. John’s Bible is online at www.saintjohnsbible.org. Brandon Berryhill | Catholic News Herald
September 30, 2016 | catholicnewsherald.com
OUR PARISHESI
‘This experience is deeply enriching my priesthood, imbuing within me a spirit of the catholicity of the Church.’
CCDOC.ORG
photo provided by Deacon Matthew Hanes
At his ordination Oct. 1, 2015, Father Joseph Matlak receives the Liturgikon, the official English translation of the Divine Liturgies, from Bishop Bohdan Danylo, the bishop of the Eparchy of St. Josaphat, during Divine Liturgy (Mass) at St. Josaphat Cathedral in Parma, Ohio.
Tri-ritual priest reflects on his vocation, married life Sue Ann Howell Senior reporter
CHARLOTTE — Father Joseph Matlak, 31, is celebrating his one-year anniversary of ordination as a priest of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church. He has recently been named administrator of the St. Basil Ukrainian Greek Catholic Mission and chaplain of Holy Trinity Middle School. Father Matlak has a unique priesthood, as he has permission to celebrate Holy Mass (also called Divine Liturgy) in three rites: the Byzantine rite and the two forms of the Latin rite. He celebrates Mass in the Extraordinary Form (Latin Mass) at St. Thomas Aquinas Church and in the Ordinary Form (Novus Ordo) at the middle school. He is also married, as Eastern Rite Catholic married men may be considered for ordination at their bishop’s discretion. Father Matlak and his wife Katie Ann were married in 2014. Father Matlak expressed that he is grateful to Bishop Peter Jugis and the entire Diocese of Charlotte for “their unparalleled cordiality and hospitality. I have been received as though being one of their own, who works and strives together with them for the same goal, the glory of God and the good of His people!” Recently we asked Father Matlak to share his vocation story with the Catholic News Herald: CNH: Can you share some information on your background? FATHER MATLAK: I was born on March 2, 1985, in Dunstable (Bedfordshire), England, but spent much of my childhood growing up in London Colney and Saint Albans (Hertfordshire), England. I am a
cradle Catholic, born of a Ukrainian father and a Portuguese mother, both of whom were devout and practicing Catholics. CNH: When did you realize you had a call to the priesthood? FATHER MATLAK: I share one thing in common with St. John Paul II. We wanted to become actors before we thought about the priesthood. Nevertheless, throughout my teenage years, I always enjoyed reading theology, and I remember wanting to study theology at the university level since the age of 12. A significant event in my early teenage years was when my father became very ill. He died in the early hours of the morning, while I was holding him in my arms and feeling his last gasps of breath upon my face. If I may be permitted to say, it was a very good and holy death. He had received the sacraments, and his family surrounded him – mourning, yes – but, most importantly, praying. After his death, I gave myself to studying and understanding the teachings of the Catholic Church. I thoroughly enjoyed my secondary religion classes, beginning with the Gospels and then philosophy and ethics. The turning point occurred when I was 16 years old. I went on a long summer vacation to the Portuguese island of Madeira, where my mother was born and grew up. Her native village is situated high up in the mountains, and our house was within walking distance of a convent of the Poor Clares of Perpetual Adoration. I often descended those hundreds of steps, in order to visit the chapel. I recall one day going to pray before the Lord, when, as I was leaving, I heard a high-pitched female voice that summoned MATLAK, SEE page 17
Upcoming Days of Reflection Join Catholic Charities for an opportunity to gather with other seniors from around the diocese to deepen and share one’s faith. Days of Reflection provide the chance to experience the inspiring power of God’s love and be nourished by His word as one continues a life-long journey of faith. • Wednesday, October 19th – Catholic Conference Center, Hickory Presenter: Fr. Brian Cook Topic: “The Call to Mercy: Where Do We Go From Here?” Deadline to Register: Monday, October 10th Cost: $15 per person includes morning refreshment and lunch • Thursday, October 27th – Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Church, Lexington Presenter: Msgr. Mo West Topic: “Celebrating God’s Love & Mercy” Deadline to Register: Tuesday, October 18th Cost: $12 per person includes morning refreshment and lunch • Wednesday, November 9th – Holy Family Catholic Church, Winston-Salem Presenter: Fr. Brian Cook Topic: “Mercy: The Bridge from Heaven to Earth” Deadline to Register: Monday, October 31st Cost: $15 per person includes hors d’oeuvres and lunch Visit the website for more information or contact Sandra Breakfield at 704.370.3220 or sabreakfield@charlottediocese.org or call 704.370.3228.
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catholicnewsherald.com | September 30, 2016 OUR PARISHES
For the latest news 24/7: catholicnewsherald.com
In Brief
accepting the award from CWS Event Director Mary Catherine Hinds. Also pictured is Carolyn Painley, pastoral associate for community life. St. Pius X Church has been fighting hunger since 1994, with the past 22 years of community walks raising $405,581 to help Greensboro Urban Ministry Potter’s House Community Kitchen locally and to help Church World Service globally to purchase life-saving food, water, and self-help resources including seeds, tools, wells, water systems, micro loans and technical training. The parish is now gearing up for the 2016 CROP Hunger Walk, scheduled for Oct. 16 at NewBridge Bank Park. — Carolyn Painley and Terry Rumley
presentations, group sharing, the sacrament of reconciliation, Eucharistic Adoration, Mass, and much more. These retreats are a great way to come together in prayer with other high school teens from across the diocese, grow in faith and love for God’s Church and one another. All high school-aged students in the diocese are invited. For details, go to www.charlottediocese.org/ ev/youth-ministry/events/high-school-retreat.
Learn more about putting an end to human trafficking
All invited to ‘Divine Mercy Day of Healing’
SPX receives national CROP Walk award GREENSBORO — St. Pius X Church recently received the “Cream of the Crop Award” from Church World Service for its efforts in the 2015 CROP Hunger Walk. The parish CROP Walk team, led by David and Allison Ray, raised $30,508 to help fight hunger in Greensboro and around the world. This national award is for the third highest CROP Hunger Walk fundraising team in the United States. Pictured is Monsignor Anthony Marcaccio, pastor,
CHARLOTTE — Come celebrate Christ’s mercy with a “Divine Mercy Day of Healing” on Saturday, Oct. 1, at St. Matthew Church. The day starts at 9 a.m. with Mass, exposition of the Blessed Sacrament and benediction, singing of the Divine Mercy Chaplet, and anointing of the sick. Afterwards, enjoy a continental breakfast and hear a variety of guest speakers including Father Glenn Comandini and Deacons Gary Schrieber and Jack Staub. For details and to register, go online to www. stmatthewcatholic.org.
Attention, high school students CHARLOTTE — The Diocese of Charlotte Youth Ministry Office has opened registration for its annual High School Fall Retreat, set for Oct. 21-23 at Holy Spirit Church in Denver. The theme of this year’s retreat is “Enduring Mercy.” The High School Fall Retreat is a weekendlong retreat, led by a team of teens and adults, that includes prayer, games, activities,
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of Scotts Elementary School in Statesville, as Father Thomas J. Kessler, pastor, looks on. The donation will benefit the School Lunch Program and the Weekend BackPack Program, which aims to ensure that “children in need have balanced, nutritious food they need to learn and grow.” The backpacks are distributed to children in need through the school system on specific Friday afternoons. — Connie Ries
Statesville parish helps local school STATESVILLE — Lindsey and Andy Mehall, on behalf of St. Philip the Apostle Church, recently presented a check to LeAnne Hall, principal
CHARLOTTE — Did you know in 2015, Charlotte ranked as the sixth largest metropolitan area for human trafficking violations, and North Carolina was among the top 10 states in the nation? A free program detailing the epidemic of human trafficking in the Charlotte area will be held from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 13, at St. Gabriel Church, hosted by the parish’s Respect Life Committee and C-PLAN. Speakers include law enforcement, legal advocate and victims of the industry. Everyone is welcome to attend to learn more about Catholic social teaching on the issue, how to get involved in the fight against this modern form of slavery, and how to protect your children. St. Gabriel Church is located at 3016 Providence Road in Charlotte. The program will be held in the parish’s Ministry Center (rooms B and C). RSVP to Tammy Harris, St. Gabriel Church’s Respect Life coordinator, at tmharris1217@gmail.com. A similar program will be held at St. James the Greater Church in Concord Sunday, Oct. 9. See the calendar of events for details. We welcome your parish’s news! Please email news items to Editor Patricia L. Guilfoyle at catholicnews@ charlottediocese.org.
California Missions Pilgrimage February 8 – 15, 2017
$3,549* per person* *Price is per person based on double occupancy PILGRIMAGE INCLUDES: Airfare: Roundtrip from Charlotte (CLT) Airport Accommodations: 8 days / 7 nights Superior Tourist Class Hotels (3 star hotels) Meals: 7 Breakfasts & 6 Dinners. Sightseeing: As indicated in the itinerary. Also included: Daily Mass, Airport-hotel transfers, hotel tips & taxes, baggage handling at hotels (1 piece per person), Touring by Private Air-Conditioned Motorcoach, Services of a Professional Tour Escort. Travel Protection Plan is not included but available upon request. There are a limited number of single rooms available - Single Supplement: $1150 Land only (no airfare or airport-hotel transfers included): $3255 Price is based on a minimum of 20 passengers **Price does NOT include tips to drivers and guides or any items not specified $300.00 Non-Refundable Deposit Required Make Check Payable to: The Catholic Tour Spiritual Director: Fr. Mark Lawlor For more information please contact: Fr. Mark Lawlor or Lorena Castillo Ritz at 704-644-4653
facebook.com/ catholic news HERALD ESPAÑOL
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September 30, 2016 | catholicnewsherald.com
Eduardo Bernal
La Iglesia al servicio de la familia
L
a familia, en los tiempos modernos, ha sufrido quizá como ninguna otra institución, la acometida de las transformaciones amplias, profundas y rápidas de la sociedad y de la cultura. Muchas familias viven esta situación permaneciendo fieles a los valores que constituyen el fundamento de la institución familiar. Otras se sienten inciertas y desanimadas de cara a su cometido, e incluso en estado de duda o de ignorancia respecto al significado último y a la verdad de la vida conyugal y familiar. Otras, en fin, a causa de diferentes situaciones de injusticia se ven impedidas para realizar sus derechos fundamentales.” Así comienza la exhortación apostólica Familiaris Consortio que se promulgo en el año 1981, este documento es el manual que nosotros usamos para responder a las necesidades de la familia hoy día. La Iglesia conoce muy bien los retos de la familia pues la misma Iglesia es familia de familias, comunidad de comunidades. También sabemos que la mejor manera de poder enfrentar los retos a los que la familia se enfrenta es con la ayuda de otras familias que estén dispuestas a poner al servicio de sus hermanos y hermanas sus dones y talentos. Dicho de otra manera, sus capacidades y habilidades, su experiencia, capacidad de compartir lo aprendido, pero principalmente su experiencia de Cristo Nuestro Señor y Buen Pastor. Les cuento que estamos formando un equipo de Pastoral Familiar compuesto por familias que servirán a otras familias. ¿Cuál es el requisito para ser parte de este equipo? Muy fácil, ser casados por la Iglesia y estar dispuestos a compartir lo que ya sabemos y lo que aprenderemos con otras familias de la comunidad. Pero, ¿Qué es la Pastoral Familiar? Es la acción evangelizadora que ejerce la Iglesia orientada por sus pastores al servicio de la familia acompañándola en todas sus etapas. Este equipo de familias recibirá la formación necesaria para poder servir a otras familias de varias maneras y en varios momentos. Por ejemplo, dando retiros, talleres, acompañamiento espiritual, escuela de padres, escuela de matrimonios, grupos de familias, etc. La familia está pasando por momentos difíciles, es muy cierto, pero también es estos mismos momentos la Gracia de Dios se deja sentir en su Iglesia. Este es el momento de dar el paso y dejar de ser espectador y ser protagonista. ¿No sientes que te arde el corazón? El Señor te está llamando para servir. Lo más importante ya lo tienes pues eres tú, lo demás nosotros lo ponemos, pero tú debes dar el paso, tomar la decisión. En cada comunidad de nuestras vicarias y diócesis necesitamos tener equipos de Pastoral Familiar, pues en todas tenemos familias que necesitan escuchar de otras familias la Buena Nueva. Tú y tu familia pueden ser parte de esa Buena Nueva. ¿Me escuchas? Tomando las palabras del profeta Isaías 40:3 “Esta es una voz que grita en el desierto, preparen el camino del Señor.” Sí, preparémoslo, tú y tu familia, y la mía también. No te invitaría si no estuviera dispuesto junto con mi familia a hacer lo mismo. Entonces escúchenme, y acepten esta invitación. El Sábado, 5 de Noviembre, en la Parroquia de San Gabriel, en la ciudad de Charlotte tendremos un día diocesano dedicado a descubrir que es la Pastoral Familiar, y de la necesidad de esta en nuestras comunidades. Estamos invitando a todas las parejas y familias que ya están sirviendo de alguna manera a la familia a través del pre-Cana, retiros, talleres, pláticas para la familia. También invitamos a aquellas familias que se sienten llamadas a servir en esta pastoral hacia la familia. Sí deseas responder a este llamado de tu Iglesia y de la familia católica, habla con tu sacerdote o coordinador parroquial o de vicaria. Ellos te darán más información sobre este día que será el comienzo de un caminar que estará lleno de bendiciones y desafíos. El cupo es limitado. Con la alegría del Evangelio, y pidiendo la misericordia de Dios para todos, los animo a poner esta invitación en oración en sus hogares con su familia. Eduardo Bernal es el Coordinador del Ministerio Hispano del Vicariato de Charlotte. Para mayor información contáctelo a hispmincharlotte@gmail.com.
Foto proporcionada por Colleen Assal
(Arriba) Jóvenes adolescentes de la Parroquia de San Pablo en Greensboro durante su última visita al Ecuador a la Parroquia del Niño Jesús. La Parroquia hermana del Niño Jesús consiste en 16 capillas dispersadas en una grande área rural en ese país, y sirve a más de 50,000 católicos en esa diócesis.
Parroquia en Greensboro hace conexión global Jennifer Krawiec Corresponsal
GREENSBORO — La Parroquia de San Pablo Apostol en Greensboro tomo la tradición de permanecer activa en el área del Triad de Carolina del Norte, y la hizo global en el año 2000. Un grupo de miembros de esa parroquia sintió el llamado de hacer mas, lo cual los inspiró a hacer una propuesta de extender las donaciones caritativas al extranjero. Despues de varias sesiones para encontrar ideas y mucha investigación, el comité encontró una parroquia católica con la cual la Iglesia de San Pablo pudiera establecer un mutuo entendimiento de cultura, estilo de vida y diferencias en nuestra profesión de fe. En Diciembre del 2001, la parroquia adoptó a la Iglesia del Niño Jesús en Manta, Ecuador, como su parroquia hermana, y estableció entonces un lazo de 2,500 millas entre los católicos de Norte y Sur America, un lazo que ha creado un mayor entendimiento y solidaridad entre las dos comunidades. La Parroquia del Niño Jesus consiste en 16 capillas dispersadas en una grande área rural, y que sirve a mas de 50,000 catolicos en esa diócesis. De acuerdo a Colleen Assal, asociada pastoral de la Iglesia de San Pablo el Apostol, ambas parroquias intercambiaron cartas inicialmente para conocerse mejor una con otra. Se explicaron costumbres del lugar, eventos locales de cada una y se establecio una apreciación mutua de las diferencias culturales de ambas parroquias dijo Assal. Un nuevo ministerio fue creado también en la Iglesia de San Pablo debido a la necesidad de voluntarios de habla-hispana para ofrecer servicios de traducción. Una amistad entre las parroquias se estableció, y entonces las necesidades financiares del Niño Jesus se tomaron en cuenta, y se le ha
ofrecido asistencia financiera. Desde el 2001, los miembros de San Pablo han recaudado suficientes fondos para instalar un sistema de agua e irrigación, como también para establecer una clínica y remodelar tres comedores públicos para el Niño Jesus. La Iglesia de San Pablo también ha donado sillas de rueda y aparatos para los oídos a los miembros necesitados de Niño Jesus. En el 2002, la parroquia de Greensboro creó un programa de becas, el cual ha beneficiado a mas de 250 estudiantes. Los donantes contribuyen con $150 anualmente para ayudar estudiantes de escuela primaria y secundaria, o $180 anualmente para beneficiar estudiantes universitarios. Las becas estudiantiles pagan por libros, uniformes, transportación y otras necesidades. Los patrocinadores y estudiantes intercambian fotos y cartas, y generalmente se forman lazos de amistad entre los dos. Assal agregó que algunas familias mantienen contacto con estudiantes ya graduados, y al mismo tiempo los patrocinadores continúan apoyando a nuevos estudiantes. De acuerdo a Assal, los estudiantes en el Ecuador se inspiran a sacar buenas notas y a trabajar duro en sus estudios al saber que existe una familia apoyándolos financiera y espiritualmente. Generalmente, una vez al año, miembros de la Iglesia de San Pablo viajan al Ecuador. Tambien, los jóvenes adolescentes de esa parroquia han hecho dos viajes misiones a ese lugar. Sacerdotes y miembros del Niño Jesus usualmente visitan Carolina del Norte cada dos años y se hospedan con familias de la Iglesia de San Pablo. Miembros de ambas parroquias también se mantienen en contacto durante el año por medio de intercambio de correspondencia entre niños, intercambio de tarjetas de Navidad y una circular de eventos cada tres meses. Estas conexiones con estas familias muestran GLOBAL, SEE page 17
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catholicnewsherald.com | September 30, 2016 FROM THE COVER
Photos by Della Sue Bryson | Catholic News Herald
‘This parish is meant for community’ Bryson City, Cherokee celebrate decades as faith communities in the Smoky Mountains Della Sue Bryson Correspondent
BRYSON CITY — Sept. 18 was a special day for the mountain parish community of St. Joseph and its mission in Cherokee. The day was a celebration of the 75th anniversary of St. Joseph’s Church dedication, as well as the 50th anniversary for Our Lady of Guadalupe Mission’s dedication. Bishop Peter Jugis was on hand to offer the anniversary Mass, as well as to administer the sacrament of confirmation to two Bryson City youths, Tayla Holt and James Posey. In his homily, Bishop Jugis encouraged the two youths, and all of the parishioners, to grow in holiness. “The Church is here for our sanctification, for our salvation,” he said. “We cannot do it by ourselves. We need the help of others to grow in holiness and to stay on the path to our salvation.” He emphasized that the Church is here to strengthen the faithful so that they can go out into the world and spread the Gospel. “Don’t let it stop here, go out into the world,” he said. “Everywhere you go, you represent Christ. We are His missionaries; we have to do our part. This is what binds us together as a parish family.” The anniversary Mass was a close-knit affair in the small Smoky Mountain church that sits along the Tuckasegee River, which flows right through the town of 1,300 people. Parishioner Dave Baker, a cantor and one of the five choir members, said, “There is warmth here, a sense of authenticity within this small collection of families. It is truly delightful, and maybe the combination of family and small mountain town makes it feel so genuine.” “The 75th anniversary of the dedication of St. Joseph’s and the 50th anniversary of the dedication of Our Lady of Guadalupe Mission are reminders that the faith is something that must be handed on by one generation and
received by the following one,” said Father Peter Shaw, pastor. “It humbles me to be part of the work of so many priests, deacons, sisters and laity who have labored and nourished the faith in these mountains. God willing, our community here in Bryson City and the Qualla boundary will continue to give witness to the truth for many more years, to play our part in the unbroken handing on of the faith that was given from Christ through His Apostles and the bishops, to each of us.” Before Easter, the church installed a new tabernacle behind the altar. The 100-year-old tabernacle was purchased by Father Shaw and restored in time for the anniversary celebration, thanks to the generosity of anonymous benefactors. The new tabernacle caps a year of improvements at the church, including a new Allen organ, altar candles and crucifix, altar linens and sanctuary lamp. “Another impressive point from today, for me, was seeing Father Shaw move the tabernacle behind the altar,” Baker said. “It’s truly glorious having a central place of honor for Our Lord.” Confirmation candidate Tayla Holt honored her grandmother, who has been married for 50 years, by wearing her wedding dress as her confirmation dress. Said Holt’s mother Kim Holt, “I have been with St. Joseph Parish since I moved down to North Carolina 25 years ago. Over the years it has become part of my family and it has been a wonderful blessing to have my own marriage and all my children’s sacraments here. It is a beautiful church in the heart of the Smokies.” Lectors at the Mass were Joe Kamarata, parish council chairman, and Kathy Posey, the parish’s faith formation coordinator and mother of confirmation candidate James Posey. Joe and Lisa Kamarata brought up the offertory gifts. Dr. David Ramsey III, a parishioner of St. Mary, Mother of God Church in Sylva and a candidate in the diaconate formation program, served at the Mass. Craig Car, the parish picnic coordinator, and several volunteers helped to make the parish picnic that followed the Mass a great success. Along with a variety of foods and desserts, there was a silent auction and raffle for the parish’s Respect Life Committee. Families and friends enjoyed the day and being together as a parish. Bob Burns, a parishioner for 22 years, said, “This parish is meant for community. It was a great success and I believe there were over 100 people here. This was a very
good turnout.” “I couldn’t have been happier or more proud as a pastor and spiritual father,” said Father Shaw. “There was much work that was done quietly and behind-the-scenes, so to speak, to make the day as wonderful as it was. Between the planning and working of the picnic, the hours of practicing by the choir, and the mundane (but important) work of cleaning the church, I couldn’t have done it myself. So thank you to everyone that helped to make the day so pleasantly memorable. As a parish, we have many reasons to be proud and grateful.”
More online At www.catholicnewsherald.com: Learn more about the history of St. Joseph Church and Our Lady of Guadalupe Mission
September 30, 2016 | catholicnewsherald.com
FROM THE COVERI
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Photos by Patrick Hession | Catholic News Herald; provided by Gerson Cuevas
Parishioners of St. Frances of Rome Mission in Sparta celebrated their church’s 50th anniversary Sept. 25 with Mass, offered by Bishop Peter Jugis, and a picnic afterwards. Among those at the celebration were (left) Betsy Dillon, one of the oldest members of the church, and (below) newly ordained Father Cory Catron and former pastor Monsignor Gerald Lewis.
Rome mission celebrates 50th anniversary Patrick Hession Correspondent
ROME — “Gloria Dios en el cielo, y en la tierra paz a los hombres que aman al Señor. Glory to God in Heaven, and on earth peace to men who love the Lord.” With this introduction to the Gloria, English and Spanish voices joined together Sept. 25 in a joyful bilingual celebration of the 50th anniversary of St. Frances of Rome in Sparta as a mission church. The celebration continued with a catered picnic on the grounds. In his homily, Bishop Peter Jugis reminded listeners that there are three reasons why the anniversary of a church is celebrated. “First, a church is the place where the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is celebrated. This is the center of all parish life, where we are nourished by the Body and Blood of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Second, a church is dedicated to making you holy and to see that you get to heaven. All the priests who serve you are dedicated to this primary purpose. Third, a church is the center for evangelization, where we reach out to our communities to bring the truths of the Gospel to our friends and neighbors. Everything else a parish does is centered on these three purposes.” The dedication of the church in 1966, the parish hall in 1986, and the cemetery in 2015 were landmarks in a long pilgrimage for Catholics in the community. The parish has grown from 17 original members to approximately 152 families, including yearround and summer residents and a sizable Hispanic community. Among the priests present for the 50th anniversary celebration were Father Roland Hautz and Monsignor Gerald Lewis. Father Hautz said he served St. Frances of Rome “for one-fifth of its 50 years.” He is celebrating his 63rd year as a priest. He proudly recalled two men he brought into the Church while he was serving in Rome. One was Father Fred Werth, who now
serves as pastor of St. Andrew the Apostle Church in Mars Hill. The other was a Pentecostal evangelist. Monsignor Lewis said that, when he first started coming to Sparta in 1961, there were only seven people at the church. He and other priests who came to this area celebrated Mass in the Sparta Community Center, the Veterans of Foreign Wars Hall, the cafeteria of the Blue Ridge Shoe Factory, and the homes of area Catholics, he recalled. Over the years, parishioners have been actively involved in its evolution as a growing Catholic community in Alleghany County. The youth community created beautiful additions to the church. Elizabeth Flattery built the Life Garden, which is accented by a large Sacred Heart of Jesus statue donated by parishioner Ruth Stephenson. Eagle Scout projects include the Grotto of Mary beside the church by Paul Kovacich, and a fence, walkway and center crucifix pillar at the cemetery by Vincent Benish. Stained glass windows in the church are being commissioned from St. Frances’ homegrown artist, Vanessa Wright Hollifield. Hollifield also painted the uniquely-designed Stations of the Cross. In the 50 years since the dedication of St. Frances of Rome, the Sparta community has come to know the generous and charitable nature of their Catholic brothers and sisters. Volunteers help out at the Solid Rock Food Closet, Alleghany Cares and Alleghany Pregnancy Center. Parishioners also serve in community leadership roles and help in organizing community events.
History of St. Frances of Rome Mission The mission is named for St. Frances of Rome, a 15th century mystic, wife and mother who was remarkable for her charity to the poor and her zeal for souls. Before the early 1960s, Catholics in this mountain county trekked over the hills to Elkin or to North Wilkesboro to attend Mass. In 1961, priests from North
Wilkesboro began traveling to Sparta, just four miles from the Virginia border, to celebrate Mass. Father (now Monsignor) Lewis first celebrated Mass in Alleghany County on the feast of the Assumption, Aug. 15, 1961, in the home of Mrs. J. Lee Johnson and celebrated Christmas morning Mass at the home of Joe and Mildred Savick. Though small in number, the Catholic population was determined to spiritually reinforce its presence by building a church. In 1965, North Carolina Bishop Vincent Waters directed the pastor, Father Joseph Bumann, to begin searching for property in Sparta to build a church. With a $10,000 grant from the Catholic Church Extension Society and $3,000 from Geraldine Payne Gilbert and her husband to decorate the church, the project was underway. Julian Altobellis of Wilmington was hired as architect to design the church. Noted liturgical designer Ade Bethune directed the interior decoration. Monsignor Lawrence Newman gave $500 for an altar in memory of his mother, and Ed and Marilyn Darr gave the stained glass “Jesus with the Children” window above the altar. The church was built in memory of Frances Payne Darr. On Sept. 25, 1966, Bishop Waters dedicated the church. Father Lewis, the pastor, Father Kenneth Parker and Father Leo McIlrath, who served the mission in previous years, were concelebrants for the dedication Mass. In November 1966, the parish received a relic of St. Frances of Rome from Cardinal Francis Spellman, Archbishop of New York, to place in the altar. In 1972, St. Frances of Rome became part of the new Diocese of Charlotte. It was served by priests from North Wilkesboro, among them Father Justin Pechulis, Father Francis Donahue and Father Bede Wattigny. The church continued to be staffed by
priests from North Wilkesboro until 1976. Priests of the Glenmary Home Missioners also arrived to serve at the churches in Allegheny and Ashe counties. These priests included Father Fid Levi, Father Tony Jablonowski, Father Richard Kreimer, Father Jon Otterbacher, Father Hautz and Father Patrick O’Donnell. On Feb. 5, 1976, St. Francis of Assisi Church in Jefferson assumed pastoral care of the Rome mission. In the mid-1980s, the St. Frances of Rome family began raising funds for a multipurpose parish hall/education building. Bishop John F. Donoghue blessed and dedicated the structure in October 1986 at a Mass attended by more than 200 Catholics, friends and clergy. Glenmary priests served the mission church until 1998, when diocesan priests assumed pastoral care. Since 1998, Father Ronald Marecki, Father Wilbur Thomas, Father Mark Lawlor, Father C. Morris Boyd, Father Patrick Winslow and Father Joseph Dinh have served as pastor or administrator. Since July 2010, Father James Stuhrenberg has served as pastor. In 2014, planning began for a cemetery at the church. Bishop Jugis dedicated St. Frances of Rome Cemetery on March 11, 2015.
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iiiSeptember 30, 2016 | catholicnewsherald.com
FROM TH
‘From the earliest times at St. Matthew the spirit of mercy has been here’ Monsignor John McSweeney
Pastor, St. Matthew Church in Charlotte
Diocese’s largest parish celebrates 30t SueAnn Howell Senior reporter
CHARLOTTE — In a joy-filled joint celebration, parishioners, staff and clergy of St. Matthew Church gathered Sept. 21 to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the parish and to recognize the Sisters of Mercy and their contribution to the Church and the diocese. Eighteen Sisters of Mercy made the trip from the convent in Belmont to attend Mass and witness the dedication of the parish banquet hall in the name of the late Sister Jeanne Marie Kienast, who served the parish from its humble beginnings. “Today, we as the community of St. Matthew celebrate 30 years,” Monsignor John McSweeney said at the beginning of his homily. He reminisced about the past, sharing that back in 1984 the diocese was looking around the greater Charlotte area for land to establish new parishes in the future. “They would be named after the evangelists,” he explained. “Bishop (Michael) Begley, Father (Joseph) Kerin and myself got in the car. I had gotten a survey of this land. Their tradition, which I never agreed with,” he joked, “was to walk the property. I am deathly afraid of snakes! So we came here. This property was purchased in 1984.” The Sisters of Mercy were simultaneously in the process of building a new Mercy South hospital in Matthews, which was also a very rural area at that time, Monsignor McSweeney said. “Sept. 21, 1986, it was announced there would be a new parish and the new parish would be St. Matthew, located in this part of town,” he
recalled. “From that day on, the journey begins.” “This parish was always built on the idea that was established in the Vatican II spirit of the baptismal commitment of each person and that each person is welcome, no matter what. You are welcome here because we are all sons and children of God. We come around this altar to give honor and glory to Almighty God.” He shared that the trees planted on the property over the years serve a purpose: to create a spiritual oasis, so that all who come to the parish grow in spirituality and in service to the community. “We always work with the idea of living stones. That’s why this building has so many cinder blocks in it. Every block in this building represents somebody, and everyone is different. (We are) always understanding the sense of mercy and how we are all in it together.” Monsignor McSweeney noted that when the parish began, it comprised only 200 parishioners. Today there are more than 11,000 registered families. ”The parish is grown up now,” he said. “We have about 34,000 people who say they are a part of the community of St. Matthew. In that is a philosophy of spirituality, of service and social. It’s still going. “When we look at the spiritual life here of our parish, I am sort of proud to say that every day we have 300 to 400 persons attending daily Mass. The day begins with daily Mass. The day begins with another group that gathers for the Divine Office… Another group prays the rosary praying for peace, vocations, etc. The Divine Mercy Chaplet (is prayed), too. “Why? Because at St. Matthew we give honor and glory to Almighty God first and foremost.”
Carol Vincent, her late husband Jer of those original parishioners. She rec rectory during the parish’s humble be “All the hospitality, all the ministrie isn’t anything here that somebody can community. That’s what we need – co community.” Later in his homily, Monsignor McS times at St. Matthew the spirit of mer this Jubilee of Mercy. (There is) that w reach out to do something different.” One of the things the parish and staf to honor the late Mercy Sister Jeanne serving the parish. She died in Decemb lead Bible studies, counseled parishion and reached out to the poor and less fo known for her keen wit, a wonderful se “Jeanne Marie isn’t with us physica but “she is very much here. The Merc physically alive in this parish.” After his homily, Monsignor McSwe from the parish in her honor to Catho Executive Director Dr. Gerard Carter diocese. Sister Ann Marie Wilson was amon “Sister Jeanne Marie worked with t
HE COVER
September 30, 2016 | catholicnewsherald.comiii
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Photos by sueann howell | catholic news herald
Monsignor John J. McSweeney, pastor of St. Matthew Church in Charlotte, celebrated the parish’s 30th anniversary Mass Sept. 21. Honored guests included the Sisters of Mercy South Central Community of Belmont. The late Mercy Sister Jeanne Marie Kienast (left), who served the parish for three decades, was honored posthumously with a donation of $75,000 from the parish to Catholic Charities Diocese of Charlotte to further her commitment to assisting the poor in the community. The banquet room in the parish’s New Life Center was also dedicated in her name. Her longtime friend and co-worker in parish ministries, Sister Therese Galligan, is pictured (left) with the memorial plaque in the parish banquet room. Kienast
th anniversary, honors Sisters of Mercy
rry, and their children were some calls attending daily Mass in the eginnings. es have grown,” Vincent said. “There n’t grasp. I think that that brings ommunity. We started out with
Sweeney said, “From the earliest rcy has been here. Here we are in whole understanding that we have to
ff at St. Matthew wanted to do was Marie Kienast, who spent decades ber 2015. She helped found ministries, ners who needed a listening ear, ortunate in the community. She was ense of humor and infectious smile. ally,” Monsignor McSweeney said, cy presence is still very much
eeney presented a $75,000 donation olic Charities Diocese of Charlotte to help the poor throughout the
ng the Sisters of Mercy at the Mass. the first pastor, Monsignor Kerin,
and he always was very pleased to have her,” she noted. “He said he would administer the sacraments and she would minister to the family. He said it was like hand and glove. So this is a beautiful tribute not only to all the Sisters of Mercy, but a beautiful tribute to her.” Mercy Sister Therese Gallagher was Sister Jeanne Marie’s longtime roommate and coworker in the parishes with her, helping to spearhead new ministries and outreach programs around the diocese. “I am thrilled to be a Sister of Mercy. It has been a wonderful life. I am also thrilled about Jeanne Marie, that they are honoring her in this way. And I know she is with us in spirit,” she said. Sister Jeanne Marie’s niece, Jean Kienast Culbreth, came from California to be present for the dedication of the parish banquet room in her late aunt’s honor. She was wearing a small, gold crucifix that St. Matthew Church had given Sister Jeanne Marie years ago. “I am stunned. I can hear her voice saying, ‘I didn’t do that much. I didn’t deserve this.’ She was very humble. I honestly didn’t know all that she had done,” Culbreth said. Longtime parishioner Carol Vincent also shared her thoughts on Sister Jeanne Marie’s contributions to the parish. “She started the HOPE program at St. Matthew, reaching out to people in need. It just took off from there. The ministries (at the church) all started with HOPE,” Vincent said. Monsignor McSweeney also elaborated during his homily on the why the parish wanted to honor the work of all the Sisters of Mercy, following in the footsteps of their foundress, Catherine McAuley. “The Knights of Columbus are here today because they asked to be
here, sisters, to honor you,” Monsignor said. “We are going to be honoring the Sisters of Mercy, to honor that sense of health care, that sense of education, that sense of parish ministry, that sense of caring for the poor in all different ways.” He asked Mercy Sister Mary Hugh Mauldin, who still serves the parish, to join him at the top of the sanctuary steps so as to recognize her and the Sisters of Mercy for their contributions. He presented her with a certificate of appreciation for all she has done and continues to do for the parish and the Church. “It’s our privilege to honor the Sisters of Mercy. It plays out with the Mercy Associates who are here today in the sense of this idea that we care for each other… Mercy is about relationships and how we take care of each other. We learn to take care of each other through education,” Monsignor McSweeney explained. Deacon Daren Bitter, a parishioner at St. Matthew for the past 10 years and a deacon for more than five years, assisted at the Mass. “The thing that impresses me the most is the sense of the Holy Spirit that courses throughout the parish,” Deacon Bitter said. “There’s this notion that it is the largest parish in the country, and it probably is. It’s still an intimate environment where people can find their home in small groups and journey with Christ in a small environment. The charity out of this parish is mind-boggling. It’s a joy!” Monsignor McSweeney reflected on what he has seen happen at the parish over the past three decades. “In 30 years this place, not this building, has become a witness to what Pope Francis is asking all of us to be: to be people of mercy.”
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catholicnewsherald.com | September 30, 2016 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD
Charlotte Catholic High School graduate Emma Caponigro, (second from right) was one of five high school students from Charlotte selected for the Student Leadership Internship Program with Bank of America this summer. Photo provided by Emma Caponigro
Charlotte Catholic grad interns at Freedom School Partners this summer SueAnn Howell Senior reporter
CHARLOTTE — Emma Caponigro, a 2016 graduate of Charlotte Catholic High School, had a unique opportunity this summer: taking part in the Student Leadership Internship Program through Bank of America. She was one of five students from Charlotte selected to intern at the Freedom School Partners, to gain leadership experience in a professional setting. Nationwide, Bank of America selected 225 students from 45 cities to participate in this year’s program. Prior to her selection for the competitive internship, Caponigro served for three years as a volunteer on the Mecklenburg County Teen Court, first as a juror and then as a prosecution and defense attorney. The Teen Court allows youth aged 11-17 to appear before a jury of their peers and gives them a second chance after committing a misdemeanor. After completion of their sentence, the offense is expunged from a defendant’s record. “It was very eye-opening,” Caponigro said. “It was good to be able to meet the defendants beforehand, to get to know why they committed the misdemeanors. It widened my horizons about what was happening in my community and what I could do to help.” Caponigro found the Freedom School Partners
internship to be fruitful, as well. The non-profit program assists students with maintaining literary skills over the summer to help boost literacy when they return to school in the fall. More than 1,000 children were enrolled in the Freedom School Program in Charlotte across 15 locations. “It was awesome. I completely enjoyed every part of it. I’m so sad it is over!” Caponigro said. She was able to rotate through the locations, visiting one in the morning and driving to another in the afternoon. Caponigro was able to visit 13 of the 15 sites during her internship. The Freedom Schools offered pep rallies in the morning, with songs and announcements and guest speakers. A reading curriculum followed and then lunch was served and more activities followed in the afternoon. “We would bring the older students on college tours, to the Nature Museum and Mint Museum,” Caponigro explained. “We did science experiments with them. I also helped with their evaluations to test the kids to see how their reading compared from the beginning to the end of the Freedom School.” Caponigro learned a lot about non-profits and how they work. She was also able to travel, all expenses paid, to Washington, D.C., with the other Bank of America interns for a Leadership Summit as part of the internship.
“They taught us how to capitalize on the opportunities available to us. So some of us interns invited the executive director of the Freedom School to lunch, and we learned about her and how she helped pioneer the Freedom School. “There was really an emphasis on finding a cause you are passionate about, and in the career you choose to always advocate for those causes. It helped us understand no matter your career, you can always advocate for what you are passionate about.” Caponigro said her faith deepened through this experience, especially when she witnessed the children participating in the Freedom School pep rally each morning. “Seeing the kids sing in the pep rally, the first song is ‘Hallelujah.’ They sing it every morning. That’s really great. Also the Freedom School sites are at churches, of all different faiths. It’s great to see these churches come together and give so much of their time to help these kids.” Caponigro is the daughter of Rick and Kris Caponigro, parishioners of St. Gabriel Church in Charlotte. She is now in the Honors Program at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and hopes to enter the School of Public Health to study health policy management, while also working towards a minor in business. “I hope to go back and volunteer at some of the schools. I made such great friends,” Caponigro said.
Workshop on BFRBS Join TLC and members of the local community for a day of education, healing and support!
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September 30, 2016 | catholicnewsherald.com catholic news heraldI
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In Brief BMHS student earns NSCAA Scholar Award KERNERSVILLE — Kienle Valentine, a 2016 Bishop McGuinness High School graduate, has been selected to receive the 2015-’16 NSCAA Girls High School Scholar All-South Region Award. Valentine was one of only 29 players selected from 12 states and one of only five North Carolina players selected for the award. She graduated Valentine with a 4.71 gradepoint average and is the second member of the Bishop McGuinness girls soccer program to earn the National Soccer Coaches Association of America award in consecutive years. (Kally Saffar was selected NSCAA All-South Scholar for the 2014-’15 academic year.) Valentine was selected to the N.C. Soccer Coaches Association 1A AllState Team as a senior. She was named all-conference and all-region Player of the Year as a junior and senior, and
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she finished her senior season with 16 goals and nine assists for 41 points. Four of her goals were game-winners. She was a team captain as a senior, leading the Villians to a 17-5-2 record and fifth in the final North Carolina Soccer Coaches Association final Class 1A state ranking. Valentine is attending the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. — Kimberly Knox
CTK students receive National Merit honors HUNTERSVILLE — Christ the King High School student Alexander Koenigsberger has been named a National Merit Semifinalist in the 2017 National Merit Scholarship Program. This indicates that Koenigsberger scored in the top 16,000 students out of 1.6 million PSAT test-takers. He is the school’s first National Merit Semifinalist in its five-year history. Koenigsberger will continue in the competition and will be notified later in the school year if he is a finalist. Finalists are chosen based on academic achievement, extracurricular involvement and leadership. Christ the King students Victor Anastacio, Kirsten Fernando, Alexandra Huet-Hudson, Alec Karam and Gregory Taylor Seeling have been named Commended Students in the 2017 National Merit Scholarship Program. These awards indicate that these students scored in the top 50,000 out of 1.6 million test-takers. — Laura E. Henry
Photo provided by Aphton K. Lang
OLG students take a hike GREENSBORO — Seventh-graders at Our Lady of Grace School recently learned about the ecosystem of the creek in the mountains, fed pigs, goats, chickens and bunnies, learned to set up a compost pile and hiked at the Green River Preserve in Cedar Mountain.
Stand out. Get the Catholic News Herald delivered to your email inbox! You’ll be able to read your newspaper earlier, and you’ll help save some trees. It’s free, too – making this a pretty outstanding deal. Contact us at catholicnews@charlottediocese.org or 704-370-3333 to sign up today!
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catholicnewsherald.com | September 30, 2016 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD
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In theaters
pauses occasionally to reflect on the dividing line between justice and vengeance. It also features Christian references and imagery as well as examples of devotion ranging from the sincere to the eccentric. Though it’s a chivalrous parable that presents Catholic theology’s just-war theory in microcosm and showcases self-sacrificing heroism, its pervasive mayhem will nonetheless seem unjustified to some. Constant stylized violence with gunplay, several uses of profanity and crass expressions. CNS: A-III (adults); MPAA: PG-13
‘Snowden’
‘The Magnificent Seven’ After a ruthless gold-mining mogul (Peter Sarsgaard) uses his private army of thugs to slaughter several inhabitants of a frontier town in cold blood, and threatens the survivors with a similar fate unless they sell their land to him for a pittance, the widow (Haley Bennett) of one of his victims hires a roving lawman (Denzel Washington) to organize resistance. The result is a motley band of skilled gunmen and an extended shoot-’em-up showdown. At once violent and somewhat thoughtful, director Antoine Fuqua’s jaunty western, the remake of a 1960 film that was itself an adaptation of Akira Kurosawa’s “Seven Samurai” from 1954,
Interesting but one-sided and overlong biography of Edward Snowden (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), the controversial former intelligence officer who, in 2013, revealed to the press the existence of a secret National Security Agency program for the collection of mass data that he considered abusive. As Snowden recalls the events of his life, beginning with his service in the Army, for the benefit of a documentary filmmaker (Melissa Leo), and plots how to carry out his leak with two reporters (Zachary Quinto and Tom Wilkinson), director and co-writer Oliver Stone initially presents his protagonist as a conscientious man pulled in different directions by his loyalty to the government, his larger sense of duty and his love for his live-in girlfriend (Shailene Woodley). Once Snowden resolves on his eventual course of action, however, a hero-worshipping tone takes hold to a degree that mars the film’s effectiveness. Since the proper balance between security and privacy is a prudential judgment about which viewers of faith are free to disagree, adult moviegoers, some of whom may be put off by the picture’s brief but explicit portrayal of sexuality, will have to draw their own conclusions. A graphic scene of nonmarital sexual activity, images of upper female nudity as well as partial nudity in a strip club, a few uses of profanity, frequent rough and crude language. CNS: A-III (adults); MPAA: R
On TV n Sunday, Oct. 2, 4 p.m. (EWTN) “40” A pro-life film with a focus on how the legalization of abortion in America has affected women, children, and society for over 40 years. n Sunday, Oct. 2, 5:30 p.m. (EWTN) “You Are a Masterpiece.” A captivating tour of the pre-born with 3D animation and state-of-theart images. It instructs parents on how to discuss human procreation with their younger children when the proper time arrives, teaching them about life before birth. n Monday, Oct. 3, 6:30 p.m. (EWTN) “St. Francis of Assisi.” A docudrama on the life of St. Francis of Assisi, who renounced everything for God. n Saturday, Oct. 8, 8 p.m. (EWTN) “Romero.” The true story of Archbishop Oscar Romero’s transformation from an apolitical, complacent priest to a committed leader of the Salvadoran people. n Tuesday, Oct. 4, 9:30 a.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 Wednesday, Oct. 5, 4:30 p.m. (EWTN) “Odyssey: A Journey
Back Home.” Ulysses, king of Ithaca, has just won the Trojan War. Now he wants to return home to his beloved wife Penelope and son Telemachus. A new look at this classic tale of faith, courage, patience and family unity. n Wednesday, Oct. 5, 6:30 p.m. (EWTN) “The Last Appeal.” Andrea Syglowski and Caitlin Moreland star in the story of a peasant girl chosen to spread the message of the Divine Mercy to the world in preparation for the Day of Judgment. n Friday, Oct. 7, 8 p.m. (EWTN) “Our Lady of the Rosary at Pompeii.” A look at the founding of the Shrine of Our Lady of the Rosary at Pompeii, Italy, by Blessed Bartolo Longo, along with the history of the Battle of Lepanto in 1571, in which victory over the invaders was won by the faithful praying the rosary. n Monday, Oct. 10, 6:30 p.m. (EWTN) “Fatima.” St. John Paul II travels to Fatima to thank Our Lady for sparing his life from the assassin’s bullet. n Friday, Oct. 14, 8 p.m. (EWTN) “Fatima and the Popes.” A historical look behind the connection between the apparitions of the Blessed Mother at Fatima and the popes, beginning with Pope Benedict XV through Benedict XVI.
The Life and Legacy of Thomas More
This series Connects the Good News of Christ with issues that confront men today: The Search for Meaning and Fulfillment A Sense of Self-Worth The Drive for Success and Achievement Work and Leisure Sexuality Friendship and Marriage The Exercise of Responsibility.
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Reception/Talk The Catholic Vision and Practice of Sports
6:30-8:30 pm (co-ed 16+) Dr. William Thierfelder shares his secret to worldclass performance in sports, business and everyday life. Based upon his award-winning book: LESS THAN A MINUTE TO GO! RSVP Requested: donna.smith@stmarknc.org
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September 30, 2016 | catholicnewsherald.com catholic news heraldI
MATLAK FROM PAGE 7
my attention (and probably the rest of the village, too). It was Sister Rosa, the only one with permission to speak with guests. She asked me to come back and have a chat with her. During the course of that conversation, she advised me to return home and ask my mother’s permission to enter the seminary. I was certainly not going to upset her by saying “no” directly, and so I smiled and went on my way. On the very next day, my aunt and I visited Funchal, the capital city of Madeira. I asked her to take me to the cathedral for daily Mass, and we stumbled in upon a priestly ordination. We remained long enough to obtain the first blessing from one of the newly ordained priests. For the next few weeks, as I was returning to England from the summer vacation, I felt very bothered by the idea that God might be calling me to the priesthood after all. I tried my very best to ignore it, but could not quite shake the thought. One evening, I attended Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament in a neighboring parish. A devout Catholic laywoman gave me one of her books to read. I was mesmerized by a chapter describing the journey of the soul, and, in particular, by one paragraph that outlined the importance of following a vocation from God. She wrote that people could do a thousand good things in life, but that they would never bear as much fruit as they would if they were to follow their vocations. Very shortly thereafter, I was sitting in history class, staring at the crucifix on the wall behind the teacher’s desk. In my head, I began saying “Fine, I’ll do it – just leave me alone!” From that very moment onwards, I felt enormous interior peace. For the next two years, I encountered either discouragement or outright opposition from some of my teachers, but my family supported and encouraged me. One family member asked me, “Who is going to take care of your mother?” But I remember my mother replying, “You must go, if God is calling!” After secondary school, I pursued undergraduate studies in ancient history at King’s College London, where I took a special interest in Byzantine history and theology. There I encountered many Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholics, who helped me to appreciate and learn about that part of my heritage that was kept from me – and I have been discovering more and more people with a similar story. That time in my life was also pivotal in the decision to discern my priestly vocation within the context of the Eastern Churches. CNH: Where did you attend seminary? FATHER MATLAK: I resided at St. Josaphat Seminary in Washington, D.C., while pursuing seminary studies in philosophy and theology at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. CNH: Where/when were you were ordained and by whom? FATHER MATLAK: I was ordained at St. Josaphat Cathedral in Parma, Ohio, on Oct. 1, 2015, by Bishop Bohdan Danylo, the bishop of the Eparchy of St. Josaphat in Parma. CNH: Can you explain what it means to be tri-ritual, to be able to celebrate the Mass in three rites? FATHER MATLAK: I am a canonically a priest of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, the largest of the Eastern Churches in full communion with the Church of Rome. I have also received faculties from the Congregation of the Eastern Churches to celebrate in the Latin rite. This means that I have permission to celebrate in both the
Byzantine rite and Latin rite, of which there are two forms – the Ordinary Form and the Extraordinary Form (Missal of 1962). As a result, I find myself celebrating the Liturgy/ Mass in three different rites or forms, depending upon the place and situation. This experience is deeply enriching my priesthood, imbuing within me a spirit of the catholicity of the Church. CNH: What do you enjoy most about your priestly ministry? FATHER MATLAK: In the priesthood, no two days are ever the same. Like any adventure, there are difficult climbs to endure, and there are pleasant valleys to admire. I am happiest at the altar of God and in that most happy ministry of the confessional. I am happy teaching in the classroom, and being there to guide a person who wants to learn more about the Church and her faith. I enjoy the fraternity among priests, whose hearts burn for the salvation of souls, as does mine. CNH: What it is like to be a married priest? FATHER MATLAK: According to the tradition of the Eastern Churches, a candidate for major orders has to be married before ordination to the diaconate. It is not that “priests can get married,” as is commonly assumed, but rather that married men are ordained to the priesthood. In Eastern Christianity, monasticism is a vocation held in very high esteem. Those who discern celibacy commonly seek out a monastic community. However, after having met my wife in church, I realized that God was calling me to marry, and specifically to marry her. Thereafter, the bishop decides whether or not to ordain a married man. I may never have been ordained, and so the important thing was to discern whether or not I was called to marriage first. My wife had not grown up in the Eastern Churches, although she was aware of them through her experience at the Franciscan University of Steubenville. Ironically, she never thought she would be married to a priest. She recalls at one point emphatically telling the wife of a priest that she would never do so! As it turned out, she became my biggest champion, often encouraging me whenever I wanted to doubt that I even had a priestly vocation. (I have found that this is a common story among the wives of our priests and deacons.) The most important thing to understand is that this is a divine vocation. It is not enough simply to “find a wife” before ordination, but rather to find the right person to marry. In our case, we both began praying for our future spouses at around the same time, and specifically to the Mother of God. While not being a priest herself, the wife of the priest certainly shares to some extent in the priestly life and ministry of her husband. She is traditionally an esteemed and revered member of the parish, and very often takes on positions of leadership and service in accordance with her abilities and talents. Therefore, it is no wonder that the wife of a priest has traditionally been given a title (Pani Dobrodyka, Pani Matka, Matushka, Presbytera, Khouria). The Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches is clear that a priestly family is called to shine forth as an example of virtue among the Christian faithful. People look to us, in order to see how we pray, how we honor and respect one another, how we raise our children, how we serve those around us, how we image the divine plan for marriage and the family. It is impossible for me to preach something from the pulpit, and then to be unfaithful to it during the rest of the week. My own homily serves as my conscience! As with any marriage, this is a school of martyrdom (witness) and sanctification, and, as such, it is a vocation that is simultaneously joyful and challenging. But most importantly, it
is a place where divine grace is very powerfully present, because it helps us put off the “old man” of pride and selfishness, and put on the “new man” of selflessness and service. CNH: What is something people would be surprised to know about you? FATHER MATLAK: I wanted to be an actor. I learned to play the guitar. I earned my black belt in Shotokan karate at the age of 11. I learned ballroom dancing. CNH: Your one-year anniversary of ordination is this month. What is the biggest lesson you have learned during your first year of priesthood? FATHER MATLAK: After the consecration in the Byzantine Rite of Ordination, the bishop breaks a particle of the Host and places it in the hands of the newly ordained priest. He then instructs the new priest to look after it with his life, for one day God will demand an account of the portion of the Church entrusted to him. The new priest then goes to the back of the altar, bows his head upon it, and meditates upon this awesome responsibility until time for Holy Communion. The priestly vocation is masterfully designed to break a man of his pride and selfishness. Divine grace heals what is lacking within the priest, so as to mold him into the likeness of the image of God and of Christ the High Priest. CNH: What advice would you give to a man discerning a vocation to the priesthood? FATHER MATLAK: If you think God might be calling you to the priesthood, you will only discover the divine purpose for your life if you focus entirely upon God and the kingdom of heaven. Do not overly delay in pursuing this glorious vocation, because so many distractions and temptations are capable of making us abandon the path
that God has designed especially for us. There are so many souls out there in need of a priest. Give, give, give, and you will receive a hundredfold in return! — SueAnn Howell, senior reporter
GLOBAL FROM PAGE 9
que “la Iglesia es mas grande que nuestra parroquia, o nuestra diócesis o nuestro país,” dijo Assal. Durante la primavera, un devastador terremoto asotó al Ecuador. A la iglesia principal del Niño Jesus no le paso nada, pero las otras capillas, comedores públicos y las casas de algunos de los feligreses necesitaron de muchas reparaciones. Los miembros de San Pablo rápidamente recaudaron cerca de $27,000 para enviar a sus hermanos y hermanas ecuatorianos. El Padre Joe Mack, párroco de San Pablo, ha estado en contacto con el párroco del Niño Jesus concerniente a los eventos después del terremoto. Algunos miembros de San Pablo, los cuales reciben noticias del Ecuador por medio del Facebook, Skype y WhatsApp de las familias de los estudiantes que ellos patrocinan, dicen que las familias del Niño Jesus estan bien y continúan con el proceso de reconstrucción. Assal concluyó que, “A través de nuestro Programa de Adopcion Parroquial, hemos aprendido que todos somos hermanos y hermanas en Cristo, llamados por medio de nuestro bautizo a vivir una vida de ser dsicipulos, amando y sirviendo a Dios y a nuestro prójimo por todo el mundo.” — Traducido al español por Rico De Silva, Catholic News Herald
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catholicnewsherald.com | September 30, 2016 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD
Exhibit of St. Thomas More artifacts debuts at St. John Paul II shrine Mark Pattison Catholic News Service
WASHINGTON, D.C. — A new exhibit featuring artifacts revolving around St. Thomas More has opened at the St. John Paul II National Shrine in Washington. Titled “God’s Servant First: The Life and Legacy of Thomas More,” the exhibit runs through March 31. The title comes from what are believed to be More’s last words before going to the chopping block where he was beheaded: “I die the king’s good servant, and God’s servant first.” Nearly all of the 60 or so items in the exhibit come from Stonyhurst College in England, according to Jan Graffius, the curator of collections at Stonyhurst, a Jesuit institution. The Knights of Columbus and Stonyhurst’s Christian Heritage Center organized the exhibit and are its sponsors. To be able to have so many artifacts is remarkable, Graffius told Catholic News Service Sept. 15, the day before the exhibit opened, as she and her team were putting the finishing touches on the exhibit. King Henry VIII, who had St. Thomas More imprisoned in the Tower of London for more than a year before his execution, and subsequent monarchs had made Roman Catholicism virtually illegal and had all traces of Catholicism wiped out. St. Thomas More, a lawyer and the first layman to serve as chancellor of England, had balked at helping Henry VIII obtain an annulment so he could marry Anne Boleyn in hopes of bearing him a son to be heir to the throne. After the pope denied the annulment, Henry declared himself head of the church in England, conferring upon himself the power to divorce and marry whomever he pleased. More, who also was a husband and father, resigned his position as chancellor to the throne to avoid being forced to acknowledge Henry VIII as head of the church. But after a law was passed requiring acknowledgment by all Britons of Henry’s authority, More refused to sign a document stating as such. He was
ultimately imprisoned, convicted of a capital treason with the help of perjured testimony, and beheaded. He has since been seen as a champion of conscience rights. The luckless first wife of Henry VIII, Catherine of Aragon, spent her last days before her own death, possibly from poisoning, embroidering grapes onto a chasuble. That chasuble is in the exhibit. Anne Boleyn wasn’t all that lucky, either. After bearing a daughter – Elizabeth I – and later miscarrying, she fell into Henry’s disfavor, was imprisoned on trumped-up charges of adultery, incest and treason, was herself beheaded 11 months after Thomas More, and buried not far from him, Graffius said. Two relics in the exhibit made their way to the United States a few months ahead of the rest of the artifacts. One is a jawbone fragment of St. Thomas More; the other is a ring worn by St. John Fisher, who was also martyred under Henry VIII. Both were on exhibit during the U.S. bishops’ “Fortnight for Freedom” activities in June and July. The anti-Catholic laws imposed by Henry VIII stayed on the books in England for nearly three centuries until they were repealed in 1829. In 1886, St. Thomas More was beatified. In 1935, both he and St. John Fisher, who had been executed a few months before More, were both canonized. St. Thomas More was added to the Anglican calendar of saints in 1980. Because of the anti-Catholic laws, Graffius said, Catholic parents had to sneak their children out of the country, sometimes under false identities, so they could receive a Catholic education. One of those schools was in the Spanish Netherlands – mostly modern-day Belgium and Luxembourg – and was the forerunner to Stonyhurst College. St. Thomas More was part of the martyrology proclaimed every day at the school. The exhibit includes a schoolbook used by two cousins who eventually made their way to the United States. On one page of the book, an illustration of two
Parent Educator Catholic Charities Diocese of Charlotte seeks a full-time (35 hours per week) Parent Educator to provide direct child development and parent education and casework services to parents and their children within the guidelines of agency philosophy, policy, procedures and professional criteria and in compliance with contract/grant requirements. Applicants should have experience working with diverse populations. Position requires a Master’s degree in Social Work, Early Childhood Development, Family Studies or related field and 2 years direct experience working with children, youth, and families. Position requires fluency in the English language; fluency in Spanish (reading, writing and speaking) preferred. To be considered, a resume (2 pages maximum) and separate one-page cover letter must be submitted by COB on October 24, 2016 at CLBarnes@charlottediocese.org
CNS | Tyler Orsburn
Janet Graffius, curator of collections at Stonyhurst College in England, is reflected in exhibit glass containing St. Thomas More artifacts at the St. John Paul II National Shrine in Washington Sept. 15. The shrine’s exhibit or More artifacts will open daily until March 31, 2017. men was defaced when one of the students sketched the men as smoking pipes. To this day, she added, nobody knows whether the pipes were added by John Carroll, the first Catholic archbishop in the United States, or his cousin Charles Carroll, the only Catholic signer of the Declaration of Independence. In 2000, St. John Paul II made St. Thomas More, who had already been the patron saint of lawyers, the patron saint of statesman and politicians. The pontiff said his life and martyrdom offered a testimony that “spans the centuries” and “speaks to people everywhere of the inalienable dignity of the human conscience.” Patrick Kelly, the shrine’s executive director, said in a statement that St. Thomas More’s example “remains thoroughly modern.” “He is an eloquent example of courageous Christian discipleship, and it
is our hope that this exhibit will inspire others to imitate his virtues and his extraordinary fidelity to God and to a wellformed conscience,” Kelly added. The exhibit comes during the golden anniversary of the 1966 film biography of St. Thomas More, “A Man for All Seasons.” Recently restored with a new Technicolor print, “A Man for All Seasons” – based on the stage play of the same name – grossed the fifth-best box office numbers of the year, a stunning accomplishment given that it wasn’t released until Dec. 12 that year and the weightiness of its subject matter. The movie was nominated for eight Oscars and won six, including Best Picture, Best Director for Fred Zinneman and Best Actor for Paul Scofield as Thomas More. It also won five British Academy Film Awards and four Golden Globes, as well as a Best Actor award for Scofield at the Moscow International Film Festival.
September 30, 2016 | catholicnewsherald.com catholic news heraldI
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In Brief Despite drop in poverty, advocates say much work remains to lift up poor WASHINGTON, D.C. — While 3.5 million fewer Americans were living in poverty and the median household income grew 5.2 percent in 2015, advocates maintain that there’s much more work ahead to help the country’s 43.1 million poor in their struggles to obtain affordable housing, feed their families and find well-paying jobs. “The (poverty) statistics went down, but there’s still a lot of work to do,” Sheila Gilbert, president of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul’s national council, said. “I would suspect that probably the ones that were the closest to coming out of poverty and had the most resources were the ones who were able to come out of poverty. Those who are further down the line are still in poverty,” she said. The Census Bureau reported Sept. 13 that the poverty rate declined to 13.5 percent last year from 14.8 percent in 2014. In addition, federal statistics show that median household income rose to $56,515 in 2015, an increase from $53,718 a year earlier. The figure represents the first annual increase in median household income since 2007, the year before the onset of the Great Recession. Even with the rise in incomes, the 2015 levels still fall short of peak median incomes recorded in 1999.
Archbishop: Violence ‘now part of the American way’ PHILADELPHIA — A shooting rampage late Sept. 16 that left a West Philadelphia resident and the shooter dead, plus two police officers and three civilians wounded, drew a strong response from Archbishop Charles J. Chaput. “Combine easy access to guns with a culture that breeds resentment, self-focus, personal license and contempt for human life and the
law, and what you get is what happened over the past weekend: the terrible shootings of innocent people by Nicholas Glenn and others,” Philadelphia’s archbishop said Sept. 19. The Philadelphia Police Department said Glenn, 25, was armed with a single semiautomatic handgun and several clips of ammunition when he went on a shooting spree as he walked calmly through a West Philadelphia neighborhood that Friday night, before he was shot and killed by police.
Archbishop: Study shows ‘urgent need’ for dialogue with other faiths WASHINGTON, D.C. — The findings of a recent Georgetown University study on how Catholics regard Muslims show an “urgent need” to “cultivate positive dialogue” not just among Catholics and Muslims, but with other faith traditions as well, according to Archbishop Blase J. Cupich of Chicago. “Experience has shown that when people of different faith traditions build personal relationships and engage in dialogue to learn about one another, they develop the capacity to work together; and they come to appreciate the positive elements in one another’s traditions,” said a Sept. 21 statement by Archbishop Cupich, the Catholic co-chairman of the National Catholic-Muslim Dialogue. According to a survey of 1,027 Catholics, nearly half of Catholics can’t name any similarities between Catholicism and Islam. When asked about the overall impression of Muslims, three in 10 Catholics admit to having unfavorable views, and Catholics are less likely than the general American public to know a Muslim personally. The survey results were published Sept. 12 in the study “Danger & Dialogue: American Catholic Public Opinion and Portrayals of Islam.” It was conducted by a research group with Georgetown University’s Bridge Initiative,which studies Islamophobia. Dialogue was “strongly advocated” by the Second Vatican Council in its document “Nostra Aetate,” Archbishop Cupich said. The document addressed the relations of the Catholic Church with other religions. “
CRS announces new CEO WASHINGTON, D.C. — A six-month search for a new president and CEO for one of the largest
Catholic Schools Director of Development The Diocesan Office of Development has an opening for a full-time director of development for Catholic Schools. The candidate must be a college graduate with a degree in marketing, communications, or related field. He or she must have at least three years of experience in fundraising and marketing. Responsibilities include managing two regional annual giving campaigns, handling all aspects of production of newsletters and annual reports, and serving as liaison to regional schools, foundation boards, and parish based Catholic schools.
humanitarian relief agencies in the world ended at its doorstep, with Catholic Relief Services announcing Sept. 16 that it is hiring a veteran employee – the agency’s No. 2 – Sean Callahan, as its new president and CEO. “We looked all across the nation and found that the best person for the job was Sean, already working for us,” said Bishop Richard J. Malone of Buffalo, N.Y., head of the CRS Board Search Committee, in a statement announcing Callahan’s new position, which begins Jan. 1, 2017. He succeeds Carolyn Y. Woo, who ends her five-year term at the end of 2016.
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La. Bishop Talley, a priest of the Atlanta Archdiocese, was named an auxiliary bishop of Atlanta in January 2013 and was ordained a bishop in April of that year. Bishop Ronald P. Herzog is the bishop of Alexandria; he has headed the diocese since 2005. As coadjutor, Bishop Talley automatically becomes head of the diocese upon the death or retirement of its bishop. As coadjutor he will work with Bishop Herzog in governance of the diocese. — Catholic News Service
Atlanta auxiliary bishop named coadjutor for La. diocese WASHINGTON, D.C. — Pope Francis has named Auxiliary Bishop David P. Talley of Atlanta as coadjutor of the Diocese of Alexandria,
Invites You
22nd Annual Fundraising Banquet
“Gifts of Mercy”
Featured Speaker ~ Kerri Caviezel We welcome guest speaker, Kerri Caviezel, a teacher, coach, and passionate pro-life advocate who has devoted her life to working with youth and spreading the pro-life message. With many years of teaching experience, speaking on issues concerning the Sanctity of Life became a natural outgrowth to spread a preventative message of help, hope, and truth through conferences and other venues around the globe. Kerri stated that the program and care provided to pregnant mothers and their babies at MiraVia is “truly an amazing ‘Gift of Mercy.’” Kerri is married and has three children. Charlotte Convention Center v Crown Ballroom Thursday, October 20, 2016 Registration/Reception, 5:30 pm – Seating for Dinner, 6:15 pm
Reservations are free but REQUIRED Please submit a cover letter and resume by October 24, 2016 to Jim Kelley, Office of Development, jkkelley@charlottediocese.org.
To make a reservation or to host a table of (8-10) go to http://miraviabanquet22.eventbrite.com OR contact Banquet Reservations at (704) 525-4673, ext. 10 by October 10, 2016 MiraVia, Inc. is a Catholic non-profit maternity and after-care program serving women and their children in the Charlotte, N.C. region. All material support and services are offered free of charge to clients. Please visit our website, www.mira-via.org, for more information.
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catholicnewsherald.com | September 30, 2016 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD
Vatican revises norms for examining alleged miracles Junno Arocho Esteves Catholic News Service
CNS | Massimiliano Migliorato, Reuters
Pope Francis embraces a child during a special audience with more than 80 victims of the attack in Nice, France, during a special audience Sept. 24 in Paul VI hall at the Vatican.
Fight hatred with love, respect for others, pope tells Nice survivors Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service
VATICAN CITY — With some stoic and others sobbing, survivors and family members of the victims of the July terrorist attacks in Nice met Pope Francis during a special audience at the Vatican. After expressing his condolences to the families of the 86 people who died and his prayers for the recovery of the more than 400 people who were injured in the attack July 14, Pope Francis greeted each and every one of the more than 800 people who traveled from France for the audience. The group also included city and regional officials, first responders and members of the Alpes Maritimes Fraternite, a group of Christian, Muslim and Jewish leaders who have been working in Nice to promote mutual respect among different religious communities. “To establish a sincere dialogue and fraternal relations among all people, particularly among those who confess
belief in one merciful God, is an urgent priority that all leaders, both political and religious, must seek to promote and which each person is called to establish” with his or her neighbors, the pope said. “When the temptation to turn in on oneself or to respond to hatred with hatred and violence with violence is great,” he said, “an authentic conversion of heart is necessary.” “One can respond to the devil’s attacks only with the works of God, which are forgiveness, love and respect for one’s neighbor, even if he or she is different,” the pope said. After apologizing that his French was not good enough, Pope Francis said it was very moving to encounter so many people “who suffer in body and soul because, on an evening of celebration, violence blindly struck you or your loved ones without regard for origin or religion.” “May the certainty of eternal life, a belief also shared by members of other religions, be of consolation to you,” the pope said.
VATICAN CITY — In an effort to ensure transparency as well as historical and scientific accuracy, Pope Francis has approved revised norms for the Congregation for Saints’ Causes regarding medical consultations on healings alleged to be miracles. Among the regulations published by the Vatican Sept. 23 was the requirement that the medical panel have a quorum of six experts and that a two-thirds majority is needed to approve a statement declaring a healing has no natural or scientific explanation. Previously, the declaration – a key step in a pope’s recognition of a miracle attributed to the intercession of a candidate for sainthood – required the approval of a simple majority of the consultation team members present. “The purpose of the regulation is for the good of the (saints’) causes, which can never be separated from the historical and scientific truth of the alleged miracles,” Archbishop Marcello Bartolucci, secretary of the congregation, said in a Sept. 23 statement. Archbishop Bartolucci presided over a seven-member commission that began revising the regulations in September
2015 to update the norms established by St. John Paul II in 1983. Except in the case of martyrs, in general two miracles are needed for a person to be declared a saint – one for beatification and the second for canonization. The new regulations, which were approved with the pope’s mandate Aug. 24 by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state, also state that an alleged miracle “cannot be re-examined more than three times.” For each alleged miracle, the Medical Consultation team is comprised of a maximum of seven experts; when the promoter of a cause appeals a negative judgment, a new team of physicians and medical experts must be appointed, the new norms say. The members of each consultation will remain unknown to the postulator, as the promotor of the specific cause called. A presumed miracle is first reviewed by two medical experts within the congregation, and with their recommendation is then sent to the Medical Consultation team. While the medical experts receive compensation for their work, the new regulations state that they will only be paid through wire transfer. Prior to the approval of the new norms, experts were given the option to receive cash payments for their work.
CNS | L’Osservatore Romano, handout
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Pope highlights sanctity of life in Year of Mercy visits VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis donned a green hospital gown over his white cassock and entered the neonatal unit of a Rome hospital, peering in the incubators, making the sign of the cross and encouraging worried parents. The trip to the babies’ ward of Rome’s San Giovanni Hospital and then to a hospice Sept. 16 were part of a series of Mercy Friday activities Pope Francis has been doing once a month during the Year of Mercy. By visiting the ailing newborns and the dying on the same day, the Vatican said, Pope Francis “wanted to give a strong sign of the importance of life from its first moment to its natural end. Welcoming life and guaranteeing its dignity at every moment of its development is a teaching Pope Francis has underlined many times,” the statement said. With the September visits he wanted to put “a concrete and tangible seal” on his teaching that living a life of mercy means giving special attention to those in the most precarious situations. During the Mercy Friday visits, Pope Francis has spent time with migrants, the aged, at a recovery community for former drug addicts and at a shelter for women rescued from human trafficking and prostitution.
September 30, 2016 | catholicnewsherald.com catholic news heraldI
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In Brief Vatican official: Colombian peace agreement is start of change CARTAGENA, Colombia — An agreement to end Latin America’s last armed conflict is the start of a process of positive change for Colombia, Cardinal Pietro Parolin said hours before the government and Marxist rebels were set to sign peace accords Sept. 26. “This country of Catholics has come together in prayer,” the Vatican secretary of state said before roughly 2,500 who had gathered in St. Peter Claver Church in Cartagena. “Colombians have lived through forced displacements and violence. ... And that is why we need to find the road to peace and justice.” Later that day, Colombian government officials and rebels of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, were to sign a peace agreement to move the country of 47 million people a step closer to ending an internal armed conflict that claimed the lives of at least 220,000 people and forced roughly 5 million from their homes and communities.
Three Mexican priests murdered within days MEXICO CITY — A priest abducted from his parish residence in the Mexican state of Michoacan has been found dead, the Archdiocese of Morelia confirmed Sept. 25. He was the third priest murdered in Mexico within days. State prosecutors say Father Jose Alfredo
Lopez Guillen, pastor in the community of Janamuato, 240 miles west of Mexico City, died of gunshot wounds shortly after being abducted Sept. 19. The abduction and murder in Michoacan continued a disturbing trend of attacks against priests across Mexico, though Catholic leaders are at a loss to explain the motives, which have included robbery, organized crime activity and possible conflicts with drug cartel leaders. The Catholic Multimedia Center has documented the murders of 15 Mexican priests in less than four years.
No war is holy, pope says at interreligious peace gathering ASSISI, Italy — Violence in the name of God does not represent the true nature of religion and must be condemned by all faiths, Pope Francis said. “We never tire of repeating that the name of God cannot be used to justify violence. Peace alone, and not war, is holy!” the pope said Sept. 20 at the closing ceremony of an interreligious peace gathering in Assisi. Following a prayer service with Christian leaders, including Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople and Anglican Archbishop Justin Welby of Canterbury, the pope joined religious leaders from around the world to appeal for peace and unity. The religious leaders also heard the experience of a victim of war from the Syrian city of Aleppo and prayed for those who had died in conflicts around the world. In his speech, the pope called on believers of every faith “to confront the great sickness of our time: indifference. It is a virus that paralyzes, rendering us lethargic and insensitive, a disease that eats away at the very heart of religious fervor, giving rise to a new and deeply sad paganism: the paganism of indifference.” and forming mature priests, who are not slaves to their personal vices and weaknesses. — Catholic News Service
THE JOURNEY CONTINUES OCTOBER 22
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WORLD YOUTH DAY UNITE Join WYD Alumni to Celebrate Your Faith Speakers, Music and Food beginning at 12:00 noon Unveiling of new Saint John Paul II Statue 4:30 pm Mass for the Feast Day of Saint John Paul II 5:00 pm
SAINT JOHN PAUL II NATIONAL SHRINE 3900 HAREWOOD ROAD, NE WASHINGTON, DC 20017 jp2shrine.org/wydunite
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catholicnewsherald.com | September 30, 2016 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD
As a society, we are blind to injustice Father Benjamin Roberts
W
e have a crisis, and it’s not just race and violence. We have a crisis. But it is much older than the events of the past week in Charlotte. It’s much older than the violence that has been taking place in our cities in the past few years. We have a crisis and we have had it for a long, long time. We have lost our ability to see. We are blinded as a society. The people of Amos’ time were blinded, too. So was the rich man in the parable of the Lord Jesus. They were blinded by riches. They were blinded by comfort. They were blinded by selfishness. They had lost their ability to see. And what is it that they could no longer see? What is it that they could look upon with their eyes but not see? They were blinded to the image and likeness of God. They could not see and would not see the image and likeness of the Lord of heaven and earth in the faces of the people around them. They could not see and would not see the sacred value of the sacred gift
of every life. That was their crisis and it is ours as well. We have lost, as a society, the ability to see the gift of life. We have lost, as a society, the capacity to see the dignity of every human life as a unique and precious gift of Almighty God. We have been blinded by riches. We have been blinded by comfort. We have been blinded by selfishness. We are blinded, as a society, every time a child is slaughtered in the womb. We are blinded, as a society, every time a child is abused or neglected. We are blinded, as a society, every time a school becomes a place of violence and not a place of learning. We are blinded, as a society, every time the sick are neglected. We are blinded, as a society, when those who live on the margins are quietly swept off the page of our history. We are blinded, as a society, when we take vengeance in the name of justice. We are blinded as a society every time a life is considered less valuable than a thing.
But we follow the One who makes the lame to walk and the blind to see. The Lord Jesus is the One who can heal our blindness. The Lord Jesus is the One who can correct our vision. The Lord Jesus is the One who can help us see what was from the beginning, the image and likeness of God. The Lord Jesus is the One who will open our eyes so that we can recognize Him and recognize His presence in every human life. We have a crisis, and it’s not just race and violence. We have a crisis, as a society. But here in the celebration of the Eucharist, we gaze upon the face of the Savior, and He corrects our vision. In Him, we see the face of the Invisible God. We see the face of life. We see the face of hope. We see the face of love and of mercy. We look to Jesus, and pray, “Lord, I want to see.” Amen. Father Benjamin A. Roberts is pastor of Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Monroe. This was the homily he preached Sept. 25, for the 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time.
‘But in the celebration of the Eucharist, we gaze upon the face of the Savior, and He corrects our vision.’
A prayer of gratitude Father Herbert Burke
I
saw a man who was blind, and I was grateful to God that I could still see. I asked the Lord to help me keep my eyes pure and only look at the good things that will lead me to heaven. I saw a man who had no hands, and I was grateful to God that I still had hands I could use to help my neighbor and work for God. And I ask God to keep my hands from sin. I saw a man who had no feet, and I was grateful to God that I could still walk. And I ask God to keep my feet on the path of heaven and never allow me to walk the path of hell. I saw a man who could not speak, and I was grateful to God that I could talk. And
I asked God to help me speak about the goodness of God and His love and not use my speech for evil talk. I saw a man who had lost his mind, and I was grateful to God that I could still think clearly. And I ask God to help me think about Him and to not use my mind for evil, but to pray to Him with my heart, mind and soul. I saw a man who had no life in God, who was filled with excessive love of self and the sinful things of the world. And I was grateful that I had life with God and knowledge of the faith, the commandments, the works of mercy and the sacraments.
I ask God to keep me close to Him, to walk with Him always. I ask Him to keep my life united to His and to never let me be separated from Him. I ask that I may say with Jesus, “My kingdom is not of this world and my treasure is in heaven.” I ask God for the grace to persevere in the faith – to always be grateful and always be faithful to the God who gave me all I have in this world and offers to give me so much more in the next world. Father Herbert Burke is pastor of Immaculate Conception Church in Forest City.
September 30, 2016 | catholicnewsherald.com catholic news heraldI
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Parish spotlight
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)
Great America What we think is the right road
F
irst group: America has never been great! Second group: “Don’t let anyone tell you America isn’t great!” Third group: America must be made great again!
But it’s the wrong road Three distinct groups. Three disparate “roads.” Three decidedly divergent political views. Two of them must be wrong. So, three questions: Has the American political system always been corrupt? By contrast, is it great now? Was it great, only to fall into a chasm of political failure, but still capable of correction under the right guidance? And a fourth question about the preceding three other questions: Are such political questions, in any case, appropriate for Catholic discussion and debate? This question is the easiest to answer: “To the Church belongs the right always and everywhere to announce moral principles, including those pertaining to Alexis de Tocqueville 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 “Render Unto souls” (Catechism of Caesar,” by the Catholic Church Archbishop Charles 2032). J. Chaput (New York: The Church must Doubleday, 2008) not stand mute in the face of great evil. The Church must always find, follow and trumpet forth the truth about moral goodness. The Church is called upon by Our Lord to amplify God’s law, which is the ancient Hebrew notion of “herut” (having God’s law engraved on our hearts). Therefore, the Church must speak wisely about contentious issues which trouble our times and lives, reminding us always to serve God before political leaders (refer to Ex 1:17, 2 Chr 12:8, 1 Macc 2:22, Acts 5:29 and CCC 2313). For Catholics, resolving questions about whether America was, is or will again be great depends upon the answer to this: Is what we do as a nation consistent with divine law? If we trash the divine law, which is eternal, then
‘America is great because America is good, and if America ever ceases to be good, America will cease to be great.’ Suggested reading
we have abandoned God, as did so many of the kings of Israel and Judah in the time of the Divided Kingdom (about 930 to 600 B.C.), and as, tragically, we have done in our own day by legislatively permitting the slaughter of the unborn. As Proverbs tells us: “Righteousness makes a nation great; sin is a disgrace to any nation” (14:34 GNB), and “A nation without God’s guidance is a nation without order” (28:18). Consider: “Moses went up and told the people all the Lord’s commands and all the ordinances, and all the people answered together, ‘We will do everything that the Lord has said’” (Ex 24:3). From Scripture, we know that the king is told that “All will go well with you if you honor the Lord your God, serve Him, listen to Him, and obey His commands” (1 Sam 12:14), but national disaster will be the price of political rebellion against God. A great leader, acting in conformity with divine duty, demands the people’s commitment to truth. Compare that with what we hear in the public arena today. What appears to be an intractable question about the greatness of a nation is, in fact, not so very difficult. If the leaders of our country act consistently in the light of supernatural truth, we may well be “one nation under God.” If, however, God is driven from schools, colleges and the corridors of power – if the nation’s leaders seek to exalt themselves by dethroning God – then the nation is, sooner or later, doomed (see Hosea 13:16, Isaiah 1:27-28, Jer 2:9-13). As there are no sinless people (except Our Lord and Our Lady), neither are there any sinless nations. It was the journalist Carl Schurz who put it best: “My country, right or wrong; if right, to be kept right; and if wrong, to be set right.” That is the gist of an ordered patriotism; that is the goal of an inspired politician; that is the task of the Catholic electorate: to determine if our country is in moral disarray and, if so, to set it right according to the counsel of divine law. “Take away the supernatural,” G.K. Chesterton once incisively wrote, “and what remains is the unnatural.” If our country is in the throes of what is contrary to “the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God” (Declaration of Independence), our task is to provide political remedies. A nation may be judged on the basis of many criteria, one of which is what evil it tolerates in the name of “progress” (see 2 John 9 NAB), and another of which is the extent to which it is willing to accept moral medicine. As Pope Leo XIII wrote in 1890: Catholics must “make a strong endeavor that the power of the Gospel may pervade the law and institutions of the nations.” Society “ought to promote the exercise of virtue, not obstruct it. It should be animated by a just hierarchy of values” (CCC 1895). If we want America to be great – or to become great again – then we must work always to ensure that its political authority will be “exercised within the limits of the moral order” (CCC 1923) and that such authority will advance the genuine common good (CCC 1924-1928). “If they pray to me and repent and turn away from the evil they have been doing, then I will hear them in heaven, forgive their sins, and make their land prosperous again” (2 Chr 7:14 GNB). There is the path to greatness. Let us take it. Deacon James H. Toner serves in the Diocese of Charlotte.
Bill Washington | Catholic News Herald
Salisbury men go on ‘mini-retreat’ SALISBURY — About 48 men from Sacred Heart Church were treated to a “mini-retreat” Sept. 17, sponsored by the Knights of Columbus Council 8680. The morning began with Mass, followed by a continental breakfast prepared by the Knights of Columbus. Father John Eckert, pastor, spoke about the call to universal holiness. This is a call to recognize that each one of us is called to be saints, and while this is a lofty goal, God gives us the grace to achieve it. At the end of the day, we’re called to do so much more than the bare minimum, he said; we’re called to holiness. Father Lucas Rossi, parochial vicar, spoke on “praying for Scripture,” focusing on Lectio Divina, using a Benedictine guide developed by Benedictine Father Luke Dysinger that suggests going more deeply into the Scripture by reading, pondering and praying the readings. The retreat was concluded with confession and recitation of the rosary, led by Deacon James Mazur.
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‘This worldliness is like a “black hole” that swallows up what is good and extinguishes love,” and anesthetizes the soul.’ Pope Francis
From online story: “Christians must make history, never be prophets of doom, pope says” Through press time on Sept. 28, 14,626 visitors to www.catholicnewsherald. com have viewed a total of 28,474 pages. The top 10 headlines in September have been: n Catholic church near site of Charlotte protest prays for peace, justice..........2,975 n Eucharistic Congress draws 15,000.............................................................................2,714 n Benedictine archabbot was at golf legend’s bedside when he died...................1,594 n Charlotte parish mourns death of young protestor................................................1,236 n St. Ann parishioner enters Carmelite Monastery Aug. 30....................................... 861 n View the current print edition of the Catholic News Herald...................................530 n Former St. Michael School principal passes away at 29 ......................................... 521 n St. Pius X Parish celebrates opening of DeJoy Primary Education Center ......490 n Bishop Curlin reflects on his friend, St. Teresa of Calcutta....................................423 n Seminarian enrollment reaches 24.................................................................................375
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catholicnewsherald.com | September 30, 2016 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD
PEACE FROM PAGE 3
At St. Thomas Aquinas Church, just a few blocks from the scene of the police shooting and the first day of protests, about 150 people gathered to pray for peace Sept. 21. During Wednesday evening Eucharistic Adoration and benediction, Father Patrick Winslow, pastor, offered prayers for police and for people who have suffered injustice, as well as prayers for his neighborhood and the city of Charlotte. “Last evening we were all taken by surprise when two events collided here in Charlotte – you could even say, in our own backyard,” Father Winslow said. “One, the national ongoing concern about racism in law enforcement and, two, the incident of an African-American man who lost his life in an altercation with local police.” “In times such as these, it is good to recall that light shines in the darkness, and it must shine through you,” Father Winslow urged parishioners. “Knowing the genuine spirit of our parishioners, I am confident that you will embrace a path of peace, prayer and charity.” Referring to the Gospel according to St. John, Father Winslow said, “Retrospectively reflecting upon the events of Christ’s cross, His death and resurrection, he observes that the ‘light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it.’
“This bold declaration refers to the triumph of the cross of Christ where the friction of human injustice set ablaze the Light of God in an otherwise dark world.” “Since then,” Father Winslow continued, “history has made it clear that the true battlefield upon which the light vanquishes that darkness is not between nations, it is not between races, nor is it in the streets of Charlotte or any U.S. city. “The true battlefield is within the human heart – within each of us. This is where injustice must be defeated. This is where prejudice and unjust discrimination live. This is the place from which fear and darkness enter the world. And likewise, it is the place where it can be vanquished.” “I beg you, storm and loot your hearts, not the streets, if you want true change for the good,” he said. “Vanquish the enemy within and then you will truly help your neighbor.” Protests turned violent for a second night Sept. 21 in uptown Charlotte, about 10 miles away from the site of the fatal police shooting. Protester Justin Carr was shot and later died, several other people were injured, and a few businesses vandalized and looted. Charlotte-Mecklenburg police again used tear gas to disperse the crowd. State leaders declared a state of emergency Sept. 21, triggering the North Carolina National Guard and the State Highway Patrol to assist local law enforcement in responding to the violence, and city leaders put in place a midnight curfew that was not lifted until Sept. 25.
St. Matthew Seventh Annual Divine Mercy Day of Healing Invite From Rev. Msgr. John J. McSweeney Register: www.stmatthewcatholic.org/divinemercy
HIS M E R C Y Endures Forever
October 1, Exposition. 2016 – 9amSinging – 3pm;of StChaplet. MatthewAnointing Catholic Church, Charlotte, NC 9am – Mass, of Sick, Benediction 28277 9:00 am 10:15 am 10:45 am 11:00 am 11:45 am 12:15 pm 1:00 pm 1:15 pm
2:15 pm
3:00 pm
Mass, Exposition, Singing of Chaplet, Anointing of Sick, Benediction Continental Breakfast Welcome & Overview: Keys to an Enduring Attribute of Mercy Deacon Gary Schrieber, Spiritual Director, Cenacles of Divine Mercy Key 1 – GRACE: from Sacraments particularly Reconciliation: MERCY Rev. Glenn Comandini, STD, Parochial Vicar, Saint Matthew CC Box Lunch Key 2 – WORD: as revealed in Scripture and dictated to St. Faustina Deacon Jack Staub, St. Matthew Catholic Church, Charlotte, NC 15 minute break Key 3- PRAYER/Trust - “Trust and Fulfillment of God’s Will” - recorded message from Sr. Caterina Esselen, OLM, Superior of Congregation of Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy in the United States, St. Faustina’s order Key 4- Deeds – “The Spiritual & Corporal Works of Mercy,” Deacon Gary Schrieber, Induction - Eucharistic Apostles of Divine Mercy. Visit: resource tables Closing Hymn
MOURNING FROM PAGE 3
took my best friend. He was the best big brother ever.” During the prayer service, people spoke of their fear of getting stopped by police or their sons getting racially profiled. “I am scared,” said one woman who has one son and four grandchildren. “I’m asking all of you to hug your sons, keep them close, make sure that they are extra (careful) when they leave home, because we don’t know.” Others begged people to get involved in the community, uniting to turn their anger into economic and political change. With black Americans’ spending power, one speaker said, “our dollars can talk. If they don’t understand anything else, they don’t understand our marching, they don’t understand our protesting, I promise you they’ll understand dollars.” Father Del Giudice acknowledged people’s anger and fear, but he encouraged them to lift each other up and bring their Catholic faith into the world, “uplifting and elevating others to do better, and honoring and recognizing who we are.” Deacon Curtiss Todd similarly challenged people to “think and talk and act just like Jesus.” He recounted his own experiences with racism while growing up in segregated Winston-Salem, including one incident at the local country club pool, which at one time was limited to white people only. He recounted how a little boy was allowed to bring his dog into the pool, but when a black employee accidentally fell into the pool that same day, “they immediately closed the pool, drained it, scrubbed it, disinfected it, before they would let people back in to it. What’s the lesson I learned? That many whites see blacks as less than animals.” Hatred, though, comes from the devil, who seeks to divide us, Deacon Todd said. Instead, people should look to Jesus as their example.
“Develop a personal relationship with Jesus,” he said. “Rely on God.” “When we develop that personal relationship with Jesus, we begin to think, talk and act just like Him. We have that relationship where we know what He would do in a certain situation,” he said. “It doesn’t mean turn the other cheek, let somebody walk all over you. It means, yes, you can protest but you have to protest within the range that God gives you.” Vivian Carr echoed his advice. “I stand here today to say, especially to the young people: if you’re going out, go in peace. Don’t go down there acting crazy.” “I know you’re angry. Of course, I’m angry, too,” she said. “But I have God with me.” Carr’s pregnant girlfriend Tanae Ray was the last person to speak at the prayer service. Ray described how they had been close friends for years before they began dating in the ninth grade. Their relationship had been “on and off” over the years, but recently he had asked to marry her. Over the past few weeks, she said, “he was just so excited, the happiest I’ve ever seen him.” When Carr told her he was going to the protest, she didn’t think he was serious. She said she regretted not stopping him from going. “I feel like I could have prevented it.” “If I had known these were his last days I would have cherished it,” she continued through her tears. “Now I’m carrying his son. Everybody’s saying, ‘It’s going to be OK.’ But it’s not. I need Justin. Ain’t nobody can take his place – no brothers, uncles, cousins. I need him, and I don’t have him,” she wept. “How do I live without my best friend? How do I stay strong? He was everything to me. “They say time heals all wounds. I just hope that’s the case with me. But I just don’t feel I can make it without him.” After his death, Carr’s heart, lungs and liver were donated to enable other people to live, Vivian Carr said. “His heart beats on,” she said. “He’s already helped save three other lives.”
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 4 – SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2016
Marian Eucharistic Conference
Featured Speakers
Fr. Bill Casey, Fathers of Mercy Tim Staples, Catholic Answers OurLarry featured speakers will focus on Fr. Richards, EWTN seeking to anchorPresident ourselves & tofounder, the two Tom Peterson, pillars of the RealHome Presence Christ in the Catholics Come andofVirtueMedia
Eucharist and the Blessed Virgin Mary. Special Note A first class relic of
St. Faustina and St. Padre Pio will be displayed. Bishop Robert E. Guglielmone will be the celebrant and homilist for Mass.
Featured Speakers
Most Rev. Robert E. Guglielmone Bishop of Charleston
Registration
General Admission: Fr. Bill Casey, CPM $65, Youth: $35 Registration by Oct. 23 by mail. The Fathersrequired of Mercy
Friday dinner and Saturday lunch are Fr. WadeRegistration Menezes,atCPM included. the door $75.
Sister Caterina Esselen, OLM
Rev. Glenn Comandini, STD
Deacon Gary Schrieber
Jesus, I Trust In You
Deacon Jack Staub
The more Fathers of Mercy call For information, (864) 354-7160 or go to Dcn. Harold Burke-Sivers www.meconferencesc.net Catholic Evangelist and Speaker SC 29615 Hilton Hotel | 45 West Orchard Park Drive | Greenville, Dr. Ricardo Castanon Gomez Eucharistic