Dec. 8, 2017

December 8, 2017

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Donors’ generosity raises $745,225 for disaster relief 3

2018 Eucharistic Congress theme announced 3

INDEX

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

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Historic visit

In Myanmar and Bangladesh, pope calls for dialogue and respect for all

Our Lady of Mercy School celebrates 60th anniversary 12

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‘Of One Heart and One Mind’

Pastoral letter published 20 years ago still relevant today

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Our faith

catholicnewsherald.com | December 8, 2017 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

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Pope Francis

Bangladesh, Myanmar youths are sign of hope

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oung people in Myanmar and Bangladesh are a source of hope for a peaceful future in their countries after years of war and suffering, Pope Francis said.

As is customary, at his general audience Dec. 6, the first after his Nov. 27-Dec. 2 trip to Asia, Pope Francis reviewed his visit.

“In the faces of those young people, full of joy, I saw the future of Asia: A future that doesn’t belong to those who build weapons, but to those who sow brotherhood,” the pope said.

Noting that it was “the first time a successor of Peter visited Myanmar,” the pope said he hoped to express “the closeness of Christ and the Church to a people who have suffered due to conflict and repression and that now is slowly moving toward a new condition of freedom and peace.”

The Catholic Church in Myanmar is “alive and fervent,” he said, adding that he had “the joy of confirming them in the faith and in communion.”

He also said his Nov. 29 meeting with a group of senior Buddhist monks was a moment to “manifest the Church’s esteem for their ancient spiritual tradition and the trust that Christians and Buddhists together can help people to love God and neighbor while rejecting every kind of violence and opposing evil with good.”

Pope Francis said his visit to Bangladesh “followed in the footsteps of Blessed Paul VI and St. John Paul II” and “marked a further step toward respect and dialogue between Christianity and Islam.”

He also praised the country’s care for religious liberty and its welcoming of welcoming hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees from Myanmar.

“I wanted to express my solidarity with Bangladesh in their commitment to aid the Rohingya refugees flowing en masse in their territory, where the population density is among the highest in the world,” the pope said.

The “most significant and joyful event” of ordaining 16 new priests in Dhaka, he said, was “the sign of a living community where the voice of the Lord resounds, calling on them to follow Him.” This joy was also evident during his visit to the home in Dhaka where the Missionary of Charity sisters care for “so many orphans and people with disabilities,” Pope Francis said.

More inside PAGE 16: “In Myanmar and Bangladesh, pope calls for dialogue and respect for all”

‘Of One Heart and One Mind’ Pastoral letter published 20 years ago still relevant today

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wenty years ago, Charlotte Bishop William Curlin and Raleigh Bishop Joseph Gossman appealed to their flocks and to all North Carolinians “of good will to reach out to those in dire economic need.” In their pastoral letter “Of One Heart and One Mind,” the two bishops discussed the disparity in economic opportunities across North Carolina and invited “Tar Heel Catholics and their neighbors in business, government and the community to ways of ensuring economic justice for ev­eryone.”

The pastoral letter, published in the Catholic News Herald on Nov. 21, 1997, and in the Nov. 23, 1997, edition of Raleigh’s N.C. Catholic, was the first joint pastoral letter by North Carolina’s two Catholic bishops. It expressed urgent concern for the poverty and inequality among North Carolinians and called the local Church to swift and sincere action – action that continues to be needed today. “... As followers of Jesus Christ our

Lord, and as pastoral leaders of the Roman Catholic commu­nity in North Carolina, we feel compelled to express our grave con­cern for the children, women and men in our state who lack sufficient economic means to live full and fruitful lives,” the bishops wrote.

“We are concerned because in the midst of a strong economy there are those among us looking for work who cannot find it; those who need and desire fulltime jobs but are limited to part-time or temporary employment; and even among full-time workers a substantial number who fall below subsistence wages and are unable to provide for their family’s basic necessities,” they wrote. “The economic recovery of the last six years has generated a wider income and benefit gulf between the upper and lower ends of our work force. To the working poor, the impact of the expansion has been selective and discriminatory. These economic disparities lead to injustices demanding our attention.

We must raise our voices and act to improve and change these conditions.”

“We write to ask you, our sis­ters and brothers, to embrace with us our Church’s responsibility to help shape our world so that the God-given dignity of every human being will be acknowledged, respected and protected.”

“As Catholics, though we are relatively small in number in North Carolina, we have a responsibility to continue to use whatever influence we have to ensure that public policy decisions are more accountable to the common good of all North Carolinians, from the native born to the newly arrived,” they wrote, urging individuals, businesses and organizations to advocate for policies to aid the working poor and all those who find themselves “falling through the cracks.”

The bishops’ pastoral letter prompted the Charlotte diocese to commission the ONE HEART, SEE PAGE 20

Your daily Scripture readings DEC. 10-16

Sunday: Isaiah 40:1-5, 9-11, 2 Peter 3:8-14, Mark 1:1-8; Monday (St. Damasus I): Isaiah 35:1-10, Luke 5:17-26; Tuesday (Our Lady of Guadalupe): Zechariah 2:14-17, Luke 1:2638; Wednesday (St. Lucy): Isaiah 40:25-31, Matthew 11:28-30; Thursday (St. John of the Cross): Isaiah 41:13-20, Matthew 11:11-15; Friday: Isaiah 48:17-19, Matthew 11:16-19; Saturday: Sirach 48:1-4, 9-11, Matthew 17:9-13

DEC. 17-23

Sunday: Isaiah 61:1-2, 10-11, Luke 1:46-50, 53-54, 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24, John 1:6-8, 19-28; Monday: Jeremiah 23:5-8, Matthew 1:18-25; Tuesday: Judges 13:2-7, 24-25, Luke 1:5-25; Wednesday: Isaiah 7:10-14, Luke 1:26-38; Thursday (St. Peter Canisius): Song of Songs 2:8-14, Luke 1:39-45; Friday: 1 Samuel 1:24-28, 1 Samuel 2:1, 4-8, Luke 1:46-56; Saturday (St. John of Kanty): Malachi 3:1-4, 23-24, Luke 1:57-66

DEC. 24-30

Sunday: 2 Samuel 7:1-5, 8-12, 14, 16, Romans 16:25-27, Luke 1:26-38; Monday (The Nativity of the Lord): Isaiah 52:7-10, Hebrews 1:1-6, John 1:1-18; Tuesday (St. Stephen): Acts 6:8-10, 7:54-59, Matthew 10:17-22; Wednesday (St. John): 1 John 1:1-4, John 20:1-8; Thursday (The Holy Innocents): 1 John 1:5-2:2, Matthew 2:13-18; Friday: 1 John 2:3-11, Luke 2:22-35; Saturday: 1 John 2:12-17, Luke 2:36-40

Our parishes

December 8, 2017 | catholicnewsherald.com CATHOLIC NEWS HERALDI

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Donors’ generosity raises $745,225 for disaster relief SUEANN HOWELL SENIOR REPORTER

2018 Eucharistic Congress Diocese Of Charlotte

September 7 & 8

2018 Eucharistic Congress theme announced CHARLOTTE — The theme for the 14th Eucharistic Congress of the Diocese of Charlotte has been announced by Bishop Peter Jugis: “I am the living bread,” are the words that will surround the familiar cross and Eucharist that have comprised the annual event’s logo since 2014.

The 2018 theme is taken from the Gospel book of John (6:51) and is a part of the discourse on the bread of life in which Christ repeatedly explains to His followers that they must eat His Body and drink His Blood if they want to have eternal life.

The verse is the third time in Scripture where Jesus explicitly describes Himself as the bread of life.

In the George Haydock Catholic bible commentary, the importance of the statement is explained: “Now (He) no longer calls the belief in Him, or the preaching of the gospel, the bread that He will give them; but He declares that it is His own flesh, and that flesh which shall be given for the life of the world.”

The Eucharistic Congress will take place Sept. 7-8 at the Charlotte Convention Center, the weekend after Labor Day. In addition to the unveiling of the theme, two short videos promoting the Eucharistic Congress are now available on the Eucharistic Congress website, www.goeucharist.com. This year, for the first time, a Spanish version of the video is available.

The website and the Eucharistic Congress Facebook page will be updated in the coming weeks and months as speakers for the event are confirmed.

Attendance at the Eucharistic Congress has grown every year since it was inaugurated in 2005. An official with the City of Charlotte estimated that the crowd size for the 2017 Eucharistic procession through the city streets was more than 20,000, making it the largest in the history of the annual event.

The Eucharistic Congress is funded in part by contributions to the annual Diocesan Support Appeal. Learn more about the DSA and donate online at www.charlottediocese.org/dsa.

— David Hains, director of communication

from donors across the diocese.

A “super collection” taken up across the diocese Sept. 30-Oct. 1 to aid those impacted

by Hurricanes Irma and Maria and the earthquake in Mexico yielded $399,599.

These donation totals do not include

CHARLOTTE — Parishioners across western North Carolina responded generously to calls for donations in the wake of three powerful hurricanes that devastated large parts of Texas, Florida, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands last summer.

A total of $745,225 was raised through special collections held in the Diocese of Charlotte in response to these devastating natural disasters, as well as aid for victims of a magnitude 7.1 earthquake that rattled Mexico City Sept. 19, killing 370 people and injuring more than 6,000.

Hurricane Harvey wreaked havoc on Houston and southern Texas Aug. 25-30, killing 88 people and causing nearly $200 billion in damage. In a four-day period, many areas received more than 40 inches of rain.

Flooding inundated hundreds of thousands of homes, displaced more than 30,000 people, and prompted more than 17,000 rescues.

Just days later, Hurricane Irma’s 120-plus-mph winds pounded entire CNS | BOB ROLLER islands in the eastern A bent metal cross is seen on the roof of San Ignacio Catholic High School in San Caribbean, brought Juan, Puerto Rico, Oct. 25, more than one month after Hurricane Maria devastated unprecedented the island. On Oct. 3, it was the first Catholic school on the island to reopen after flooding on Cuba’s the hurricane. north coast, devastated the individual or parish donations given Florida Keys, snapped construction cranes directly to aid organizations and other in downtown Miami and targeted cities charities who responded to the disasters. along Florida’s Gulf Coast. The storm The Diocese of Charlotte is distributing killed more than 30 people in the Caribbean the Hurricane Harvey donations as and 75 in the United States. follows: $245,626 to the U.S. Conference Two weeks later, Category-5 Hurricane of Catholic Bishops to go to the affected Maria caused catastrophic damage to dioceses; $50,000 directly to the Diocese of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, Beaumont, Texas; and $50,000 to Catholic killing at least 58 people and devastating Charities of Southeast Texas. the islands’ electrical grids and water Donations from the “super collection” systems. are being distributed as follows: $239,599 to Hurricanes Irma and Maria have been the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops to the costliest Caribbean hurricanes on go to the affected dioceses; $25,000 to NPH record, analysts reported to news media in International, which cares for orphaned late September. and abandoned children in Latin America Months later, communities impacted and the Caribbean; $100,000 to Catholic by all three hurricanes continue to dig Relief Services for use in its Mexico relief out in the aftermath, and emergency efforts; and $35,000 to Catholic Charities aid continues to be needed to help them Diocese of Charlotte to benefit disaster rebuild. victims.

A collection held in early September for — Catholic News Service and Wikipedia contributed.

Hurricane Harvey relief yielded $345,626

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Catholic Voice North Carolina changes DAVID HAINS DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATION

Catholic Voice North Carolina is shrinking, at least for the time being.

The public policy organization, which had been supported by the state’s two bishops, will continue with support only from Bishop Peter Jugis and the Diocese of Charlotte. The Diocese of Raleigh withdrew from Catholic Voice on Nov. 30.

The nine-year-old organization attempts to influence legislation that supports the teaching of the Catholic Church. Since its establishment in 2008, Catholic Voice has reached out to legislators in Raleigh and Washington through email campaigns.

More than 5,000 Catholics in the state are active participants in Catholic Voice who reach out to their legislators when the bishops send out email alerts on bills under consideration in either the N.C. General Assembly or the U.S. Congress. Approximately 2,000 of the participants are from the Diocese of Charlotte.

The change in support for Catholic Voice North Carolina will not change its name or its website, www. catholicvoicenc.com. Participants from the Diocese of Raleigh will no longer receive alerts from Catholic Voice.

In deciding to continue with the organization, Bishop Jugis recognized the commitment of the Catholics in the diocese who have supported Catholic Voice by responding to the alerts.

Catholic Voice has been active in its support of respect life legislation and causes. Its first email campaign was in favor of the Choose Life license plates that can now be purchased from the N.C. Department of Motor Vehicles.

Diocesan Respect Life Coordinator Jessica Grabowski describes Catholic Voice as “imperative” for the work being done in the diocese.

“Having a voice with the weight of Bishop Jugis is highly valued when contacting our local senators and representatives about legislative life issues. With the support of our bishop, we can more greatly highlight the urgency for or against bills that truly are matters of life and death,” she said.

When Bishop Jugis and Bishop Michael Burbidge of the Diocese of Raleigh began Catholic Voice, the organization was in regular contact with legislators via its lobbyist, Monsignor Michael Clay of Raleigh.

Monsignor Clay left the lobbying position in 2012 and it was not filled.

Bishop Burbidge was transferred to the Diocese of Arlington, Va., in 2016. His successor, Bishop Luis Zarama, who was installed in Raleigh’s new cathedral in August, gave no reason for the withdrawal from Catholic Voice.

Catholic Voice will seek to increase the number of participants and hence its “voice” through a parish bulletin campaign in the early part of 2018.

UPcoming events 4

catholicnewsherald.com | December 8, 2017 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Bishop Peter J. Jugis will participate in the following upcoming events: DEC. 9 – 11 A.M. Sacrament of Confirmation St. James Church, Concord

DEC. 14 – 6 P.M. Advent Reception for Deacons and Wives Bishop’s Residence

DEC. 25 – MIDNIGHT Holy Mass for the Nativity of the Lord St. Patrick Cathedral

DEC. 12 – 5 P.M. Advent Reception for Employees Bishop’s Residence

DEC. 18 – 12:30 P.M. Advent Lunch for Seminarians Bishop’s Residence

DEC. 31 – 11 A.M. Holy Mass for the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph St. Patrick Cathedral

MESSAGE FROM BISHOP JUGIS:

Two Holy Masses

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Diocesan calendar of events December 8, 2017

ENTERTAINMENT

Volume 27 • NUMBER 5

‘AN AFTERNOON OF SACRED MUSIC FOR ADVENT AND CHRISTMAS’: 2 p.m.

Saturday, Dec. 16, at St. Patrick Cathedral, 1621 Dilworth Road East, Charlotte. The choir is directed by Dr. Gianfranco DeLuca.

Listen to works from Antonio Vivaldi (Magnificat in G minor) and additional works by Morales, Reger and Grancini. For details, call the cathedral’s parish office at 704-334-2283.

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

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.

ESPAÑOL MINISTERIO DE PADRES Y MADRES ORANTES: 7 p.m. el tercer viernes de cada mes, en la Iglesia St. Thomas Aquinas, 1400 Suther Road, Charlotte.

Todos los padres de familia están invitados a tener un re-encuentro con Jesús Sacramentado, en una Hora Santa.

Todos unidos oraran por los hijos del mundo entero. En este Ministerio, el Rosario es nuestra arma y la Eucaristía es nuestra savia. Para más detalles, llamar a Gloria 704-807-5237.

CLASES DE INGLÉS: 6-9 p.m. todos los martes y jueves en el Community Life Center, en la Iglesia de St. Mary, 205 W. Farris Ave., High Point. Para más información y para registrarse, llamar al 336-848-6970.

PRAYER SERVICES & GROUPS CATECHETICAL TALKS ‘SPIRITUAL COMBAT IN THE LIFE OF THE CHRISTIAN’ AND ‘PRAYER IN THE SPIRITUAL LIFE’: 2:30 p.m.; Vespers at 4 p.m.; and Divine Liturgy at 5 p.m.

Saturday, Dec. 16, at Ukrainian Catholic Mission of Canton, located at Immaculate Conception Mission Church ,42 Newfound St., Canton.

PRO-LIFE ROSARY: 11 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 6, at 901 North Main St. and Sunset Drive, High Point. Come pray for the end of abortion, and invite anyone else who would support this important cause.

Anyone with difficulty standing for 15-20 minutes is welcome to bring a folding chair. Outdoors, rain or shine. For details, call Jim Hoyng at 336-882-9593 or Paul Klosterman at 336-848-6835.

CHARLOTTE CATHOLIC WOMEN’S GROUP MORNING REFLECTION: 9 a.m.

Monday, Dec. 11, at St. Vincent de Paul Church, 6828 Old Reid Road, Charlotte.

Mass will be celebrated at 9 a.m., followed by the reflection at 10:30 a.m., by our guest speaker Father Christopher Roux.

His talk will be the Camino and his

experiences with the seminarians last summer. For details or to RSVP, visit www. charlottecatholicwomensgroup.org.

ST. PEREGRINE HEALING PRAYER SERVICE: 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 21, in the main church at St. Matthew Church, 8015 Ballantyne Commons Pkwy., Charlotte. The healing prayer service is offered for all those suffering with cancer or other diseases. For details, call the church office at 704-543-7677.

‘60 MINUTES WITH JESUS’: Saturday, Jan. 30-Wednesday, Jan. 24, at St. Matthew Church, 8015 Ballantyne Commons Pkwy. Parish mission hosted by Father James Sichko, a full-time preacher, evangelist and motivational speaker based in the Diocese of Lexington, Ky. For details, call Michael Burck at 704-5437677, ext. 1020.

VIGIL OF THE TWO HEARTS: Join Catholics across Charlotte for Mass and overnight Eucharistic Adoration every first Friday-Saturday at St. Patrick Cathedral in Charlotte to pray for the strengthening and healing of marriages and families, the conversion of our nation, and to offer reparation for the sins of mankind through prayer and penance.

The vigil will begin with Mass at 8 p.m. each first Friday, followed by Adoration and scheduled prayer, and conclude with 8 a.m. Mass each first Saturday. For details and to sign up for Adoration times, go to www.prolifecharlotte.org.

HEALING MASS AND ANOINTING OF THE SICK: 2 p.m. every third Sunday of the month, St. Margaret of Scotland Church, 37 Murphy Dr., Maggie Valley. Individual prayers over people after Mass by Charismatic Prayer Group members. For details, call the church office at 828-926-0106.

SUPPORT GROUPS & RETREATS RACHEL’S VINEYARD RETREATS: Rachel’s Vineyard can help men and women who have experienced abortion begin their healing journey. It creates a healing environment of prayer and forgiveness. The retreat works to reconnect people to themselves, their friends and family after having an abortion. For details, email Jackie Childers jackie.childers1@gmail.com.

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, 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.

SAFE ENVIRONMENT TRAINING “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 HENDERSONVILLE: 9 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 13, Immaculate Conception Church, 208 Seventh Ave., West WORKSHOPS READY TO BECOME A U.S. CITIZEN?: Saturday, Dec. 9, at 14th St., WinstonSalem. Free naturalization workshop. Preregistration and eligibility screening are required. For details, call Maritza Solano at 336-714-3212.

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: OUR LADY OF CONSOLATION CHURCH: contact Denise Duliepre, 917-575-0871 ST. GABRIEL CHURCH: on Facebook at “St. Gabriel Young Adult Ministry”

he Solemnity of Christmas this year occurs on a Monday, and a question has arisen as to whether Catholics are obliged to participate in Holy Mass for the Fourth Sunday of Advent, and then participate again in another Mass for the Solemnity of Christmas. Are two separate Masses required? The answer to that question is yes: Catholics are obliged to participate in Holy Mass for the Fourth Sunday of Advent, and also participate in another Mass for the Solemnity of Christmas.

Since the Fourth Sunday of Advent and the Solemnity of Christmas are two separate obligations, participation in two separate Masses is required to fulfill both obligations.

Participation in only one Mass will not fulfill both obligations.

It is a great witness to our love for the Lord and our love for our faith to be present at the offering of Mass on the high holy days of Advent and Christmas.

This truly is a blessed time of the year for us.

On Jan. 1 we have the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God. While Catholics are not obliged to participate in Holy Mass on Jan. 1 this year, we are nevertheless encouraged to attend Mass to honor the patroness of our diocese and ask for her prayers.

Let us joyfully celebrate the opportunities that God gives us to honor the true reason for the season: Jesus Christ our Savior!

BISHOP PETER JUGIS leads the Diocese of Charlotte.

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 “The Cathedral of St. Patrick - Young Adult Ministry” ST. PETER CHURCH: look them up on MeetUp at www.meetup.com/StPeters-Catholic-Young-Adult-MinistryCharlotte-NC ST. THOMAS AQUINAS CHURCH: online at “Aquinas’ Finest,” www. stacharlotte.com/finest

Clarification In the Nov. 24 article “Interpreting success: Catholic Charities’ new training program for interpreters, translators builds bridges, empowers people,” the email address to contact Program Coordinator Jessica Salazar for more information is ccdoctie@charlottediocese. org. Inquiries may also be directed to 336-714-3208.

December 8, 2017 | catholicnewsherald.com

OUR PARISHESI

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Benedictine Abbot Oscar Burnett passes away BELMONT — The Right Reverend Oscar C. Burnett, seventh abbot of Belmont Abbey, died peacefully in the Lord on Tuesday evening, Nov. 21, 2017.

The Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated in the Basilica of Our Lady, Help of Christians at Belmont Abbey in Belmont on Saturday, Nov. 25, with interment following in the Abbey cemetery.

A native of Savannah, Ga., he was the third of five children of the late Oscar Caldwell Burnett and Ellen Nell Burnett (née Wheeler) Burnett.

Throughout his life, he was devoted to and proud of his family and native city. After graduating from Benedictine Military School in 1944, he served in the U.S. Army Air Force during the closing months of World War II. He earned an A.A. degree from Armstrong State College and a law degree from the Lamar School of Law at Emory University.

He practiced law in Savannah for six years before entering the novitiate at Belmont Abbey, professing his vows in 1958. He completed his seminary studies at Belmont Abbey and was ordained a priest in 1962.

At Belmont Abbey College he held a number of positions over time, including associate professor, chair of the Social Sciences Division, campus minister, member of the Board of Trustees, president and chancellor. Known by the students as “the Big O,” his career as dean of students was legendary for swift discipline. He also served on two different occasions as associate pastor of St. Benedict Church and teacher at Benedictine High School in Richmond, Va. As executive director of the Ecumenical Institute of Wake Forest University and Belmont Abbey College from 1984 to 1990, he earned wide respect and made significant contributions to ecumenical and interfaith relations in North Carolina and the Southeast.

His service to the monastic community over the years included the offices of subprior, procurator, pastor of the abbey parish, novice master and prior.

In December 1991, at age 65, when most men enter retirement, he was elected abbot for an eight-year term. At a critical time in the Benedictine community’s history, he completed a full term of office, the first abbot in 40 years to do so. As abbot, there was no detail of community life too insignificant for his exacting attention. He intervened decisively in the administration of Belmont Abbey College and served for a year as interim president at no small personal cost, likely saving the college.

He will be remembered with special gratitude for his kindness in bringing his boyhood pastor and mentor, Benedictine Father Bede Lightner, back to Belmont Abbey for the final years of his life and having him reinstated in his monastic vows and priesthood.

After his retirement from the office of abbot in 1999, he remained at Belmont Abbey, taking the title of abbot emeritus and continuing to direct his life and activities. He served again for nearly two years as prior, and continued his service as mentor and spiritual guide for countless friends and alumni, exercising his kindness particularly through much-appreciated letters and notes.

Abbot Oscar is survived by the monks of Belmont Abbey, by his sister, Margaret Burnett of Savannah, and numerous nieces

PHOTOS PROVIDED BY BELMONT ABBEY

The late Abbot Oscar Burnett (above) was known as “The Big O” by his students at Belmont Abbey College. His career as dean of students was legendary for swift discipline. and nephews.

Each monk of the community will offer three Masses for Abbot Oscar, and the community commends him to the monks of the congregation for the customary suffrages for their deceased confreres.

— Catholic News Herald

Remembering Abbot Oscar Everyone should be as blessed and fortunate as I have been to have had Abbot Oscar as a mentor and friend in my life. He had a tremendous impact in making me the man that I am today. I arrived at Belmont Abbey College in the fall of 1962 as a forlorn and homesick foreign student from Singapore. Father Oscar took me under his wing and encouraged and nurtured me.

I was privileged to work alongside the “Big O,” as he was affectionately known back then, as one of his early dormitory proctors, when he was the dean of students. The task was challenging because he was a strict, but fair, disciplinarian. As a sophomore, my grade in one of my premed courses slipped. When Father Oscar found out about this, he stormed into my room and gave me a stern warning about going to medical school. What he said and did are best left out, but set me straight he did.

During medical school, we kept in touch, and he was a ready and willing counselor.

When I married my wife Diana, Father Oscar officiated at the wedding. One of the proudest moments in my life was when Father Oscar stood before a federal judge and other witnesses and gave a testimony on my behalf, on the occasion of my naturalization as a U.S. citizen.

We continued to be in touch with Abbot Oscar over the years. We exchanged letters

At age 65, when most men enter retirement, Abbot Oscar Burnett (above right) was elected abbot for an eight-year term. He completed a full term of office, the first abbot in 40 years to do so.

and occasional phone calls, in times of joy and sadness. We are touched by his love for his sisters, the Abbey, the students and his friends, and most of all, his love for God. His many letters contained evidence of his love for and the special relationship he had with the risen Christ.

How blessed we were to have had the opportunity to visit him at the 2016 Homecoming ! He was mentally sharp and he still had that robust, back slapping, sense of humor and laugh and we shared many memories of years past.

We thank God for his presence in our lives. We will miss him.

— Francis Lim, MD ’66 My wife Mary and I have had a 50-year relationship with Abbot Oscar. I first met Abbot Oscar, then known as Father Oscar, in 1962 as a freshman at Belmont Abbey College. Later he became the dean of students and he asked me to be a resident/ dorm proctor. Over the next two years we developed a close relationship as I became the senior dorm proctor. I often called him by one of his nicknames, the “Big O,” and he would laugh happily the way he always laughed. Of course we had many serious conversations. He was a kind and warm person, and in his role as adviser to me and all the students, he was both tough when necessary but mostly kind.

My wife and I recently visited him. He had been the celebrant at our wedding 47 years ago. We will never forget how wonderful he was during the wedding.

To our surprise during the ceremony, he asked us to change positions with him so that we faced the people and he just faced us. During the sign of peace during the wedding he told us to walk down the aisle and wish everyone we could touch, “Shalom.” The congregation was moved by his human touch.

We have a great love for Abbot Oscar, and

feel blessed to have known such a kind, insightful and wise person.

— Dr. John and Mary (Bryan) Nackashi I knew Abbot Oscar Burnett for almost 55 years. I came to Belmont Abbey College as a freshman student in 1963 and Father Oscar was the dean of students. He was tough but fair and many students got to see the “Big O” (as he was known) walking around campus at all hours. He was a good teacher and an even better orator. He progressed from job to job over the years until he was elected abbot. Even though he held authority roles, he related extremely well with students and has officiated at the weddings of many students over the years.

If you came to Abbot Oscar with a problem or for counseling, he was surprisingly gentle and would go out of his way to help in any way he could. He was always ready to laugh and had a very distinctive laugh.

I remember talking to Abbot Oscar many years later at a reunion outing. As we reminisced, he said was glad that he had mellowed because he knew he was very tough in years past and he liked his gentler self better.

He officiated at the wedding of my wife Meg and me in the Abbey basilica in 1995 and he baptized two of our daughters. He always remembered us on special days and the notes he sent were always joyous and fun to read.

He always took pride in the fact that he never needed medicines even into his 90s.

He loved walking up and down the avenue in front of the Abbey with students and was only slowed briefly when he had a knee replacement. I remember going to Mercy Hospital the day after his last knee replacement. I figured at 90 he would be in the hospital for a few days. When I got there the next morning, I was told that ABBOT, SEE PAGE 20

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catholicnewsherald.com | December 8, 2017 OUR PARISHES

The Daughters of the Virgin Mother attended the land blessing for St. Joseph College Seminary Oct. 22 in Belmont.

Pictured are (from left) Father Matthew Kauth, seminary rector; Bishop Peter Jugis; Sister Mary Raphael; Sister Mary Elizabeth; Sister Mary Veronica; and Taylor Marie Halbig, a postulant.

SUEANN HOWELL | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Daughters of the Virgin Mother community expands, has new home PHOTO PROVIDED BY MARYKNOLL SISTER MARY LOU HERLIHY

SUEANN HOWELL SENIOR REPORTER

Maryknoll sister moves HENDERSONVILLE — Maryknoll Sister Rebecca Nyaki recently said goodbye to Immaculate Conception Church, Helping Hand Developmental Center and St. Gerard House in Hendersonville, where she has been serving for several years.

She has moved to Yonkers, N.Y., where she is now working at the nearby Maryknoll Center. In May she graduated from the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago with a master’s degree in pastoral services and the Maryknoll leadership team in Ossining, N.Y., asked her to take on the immigration ministry there. The Tanzania native became a U.S. citizen in 2016, and she said she hopes to use her experience as an immigrant to help others who migrate to the United States. “It has been a blessing to be a parishioner of Immaculate Conception in Hendersonville the last 10 years as we all walk on our journey with Christ,” she said. “God bless you all and continue to bring the lost and broken into the arms of Jesus.” She is pictured with Maryknoll Sisters Mary Lou Herlihy and Peggy Lipsio, who continue to serve in Hendersonville.

Over 8,000 babies killed in Mecklenburg County alone last year!!

Be a witness for the sanctity of human life and an act of reparation for an end to abortion.

Come and save our children today… join the 12th Annual March for Life Charlotte and pray.

Save the date! Friday, January 12 March for Life Schedule Mass for the Unborn 9:00am St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church 6828 Old Reid Road, Charlotte, NC 28210

Fr. Joshua Voitus

Guest Preacher Fr. Joshua Voitus - Pastor of St. Vincent de Paul Parish - Charlotte, NC

11:00am Start to gather in overflow parking lot across from the Pastoral Center at 1123 S. Church St. to prepare for march 11:45am Instructions for march and prayer before march 12:00pm Begin march to Trade and Tryon Streets where Fr. John Eckert will preach; then to the courthouse at 401 W. Trade St. to pray the Rosary and Chaplet of Divine Mercy

Go to www.marchforlifecharlotte.org for details on parking and signs

GASTONIA — Clergy of the Diocese of Charlotte have a powerhouse of prayer in the growing community of the Daughters of the Virgin Mother.

The community, formed by Sister Mary Raphael and approved by Bishop Peter Jugis in 2015, attends to the practical and spiritual needs of men preparing for the priesthood, as well as those already ordained.

The community now includes two novices: Sister Mary Elizabeth and Sister Mary Veronica. A postulant, Taylor Marie Halbig, joined the community eight months ago.

That growth prompted the Daughters to search for a permanent home, and through the generosity of donors, they bought a small home on Belvedere Avenue in Gastonia last August.

The group’s charism and mission are in response to a 2007 appeal issued by the Congregation for the Clergy to spur a movement of prayer in the Church intended to encourage priestly vocations as well as unite priestly vocations to the support of spiritual maternity, particularly on the part of consecrated women religious.

Through much prayer, spiritual direction and discernment, Sister Mary Raphael – who spent many years discerning religious life cloistered as a Poor Clare of Perpetual Adoration – heard the call to form the community to provide care for bishops, priests and seminarians under the patronage of Our Lady, Mother of the Eternal High Priest, and of St. John Paul II. “Feeling a call to respond to that initiation, over the course of years I sought spiritual direction,” Sister Mary Raphael says. “What evolved was this rule of life that says how consecrated women religious of the Diocese of Charlotte can respond to this call.

“I think that’s an important aspect. Just as a young man feels called to a diocese, a local Church, I also felt called to a local Church. This rule is written for sisters in the Diocese of Charlotte.”

The community’s rule of life centers on living in imitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary through their consecrated life, spiritual motherhood and prayerful penance, Sister Mary Raphael says. They strive to be visible reminders and witnesses of the relationship between Christ the High Priest and His bride, the Church.

Their rule revolves around Calvary and the priest as both priest and victim, she

explains. “If the priest is the alter Christus, called to stay on the Cross, then you have Our Lady at the foot of the Cross. The consecrated religious woman is meant to imitate her.

“You have Christ the High Priest offering the sacrifice. Like Our Lady, we want to say to the priest, ‘Stay on the Cross where you belong.’ Why do I have the audacity to say that? Because I promise to stay on Calvary, too.”

The community strives to encourage seminarians of the diocese through prayer and practical help where possible.

As part of their initial training in the postulancy and the novitiate, the Daughters assist mothers and children at the MiraVia residential home at Belmont Abbey College by preparing meals, assisting with child care and providing love and emotional support.

Sister Mary Raphael also prepares meals four days a week for the 16 men studying at St. Joseph College Seminary. After the sisters make their first profession, they too will assist in the practical needs of the college seminary, currently located adjacent to St. Ann Church in Charlotte.

Sister Mary Raphael notes that while living as visible witnesses, the Daughters do so in recognition that a woman most profoundly gives of herself through the veiled mystery of silence, hiddenness and gentle availability.

“She watches for the needs around her, but does not forcefully impose herself on them. Always ready to respond in joyful evangelical availability and humble readiness to assist in the needs of the priests and seminarians, she also is docile to the powerful surrender that gave Our Lady the grace and courage to say, ‘Do whatever He tells you’ (John 2:5).”

— Daughters of the Virgin Mother contributed.

Help the Daughters of the Virgin Mother At www.daughtersofthevirginmother.com: Get more information on the Daughters of the Virgin Mother or offer financial assistance to help them pay off their mortgage and provide practical support to the priests and seminarians of the Diocese of Charlotte. Donations may also be mailed to: Daughters of the Virgin Mother, Our Lady of Loreto Convent, 1112 S. Belvedere Ave., Gastonia, NC, 28054. Questions? Email Sister Mary Raphael at srmaryraphael@gmail. com.

December 8, 2017 | catholicnewsherald.com

OUR PARISHESI

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Women’s retreat: To share the spirit of Advent, focus on prayer and God’s love ANNETTE K. TENNY CORRESPONDENT

GREENSBORO — Advent has begun, and amid the busyness of the holiday season, a group of women in the Triad recently gathered for a retreat designed to help them focus during Advent and prepare their hearts for Christmas.

Regnum Christi of the Triad offered an evening retreat Nov. 30 entitled “Women’s Advent by Candlelight,” an evening of reflection, prayer, fellowship and food.

Regnum Christi is a Catholic apostolate under the auspices of the Legionaries of Christ comprised of lay, consecrated and ordained members.

Patty Disney, a Regnum Christi team leader who helped to organize the retreat, hoped participants would take with them a sense of peace and calm throughout the holiday season.

In a world that does not value faith in God, women must be encouraged to live their faith each and every day, Disney said.

This retreat was an opportunity to gather together, share prayer time and offer support to one other.

Throughout the evening, women were encouraged, inspired and reminded that to share the spirit of Advent in their homes, they must first create a sacred space within

themselves for prayer so as to deepen their relationship with God. The evening began with a reflection offered by Father Paul Buchanan, pastor of Our Lady of Grace Church in Greensboro, where the retreat was held.

Father Buchanan invited the women to what he called “a bit of Lectio Divina,” an invitation to listen with hearts, minds and imagination to key moments in Scripture that reflect the expectant joy of Advent: the Annunciation, the shepherds’ encounter with the angels, and Mary and Joseph finding Jesus in the temple. Be receptive to God’s will and His love for us, just as Mary was, he told the participants, and ask her to help guide them throughout Advent. Like Mary, we may not understand all of God’s plan for us, but as we wait for the coming of the Lord, Mary waits with us, he said.

Catherine Vendetti, a young lay missionary for Regnum Christi who travels throughout the Southeast offering spiritual talks and presentations, was the keynote speaker for the retreat.

Vendetti used selected scenes from the 2006 film “The Nativity Story” as a framework for her presentation on three ways to let oneself be loved: loved by God, loved by oneself and loved by others.

Some people, she said, feel starved for the love God offers because they don’t give

themselves time to build a relationship with Him. Mary’s relationship with God certainly didn’t start with the appearance of the Angel Gabriel, she said. Rather, Mary’s prayer life and her constant attention on following God’s will in her life demonstrated her closeness with God. To respond to God’s call, Vendetti said, one must create an interior life of constant communication with God through regular prayer. While cooking, cleaning or shopping, Vendetti suggested to the participants, keep one’s mind and heart on the baby Jesus as if they were preparing for their own baby’s arrival.

Loving oneself, Vendetti also noted, can sometimes be the most difficult thing to achieve. Evaluating one’s own expectations is a good place to start, she said. Ask yourself: Are those expectations reasonable, good and true? Do they result in feelings of the worth and dignity that God has bestowed on you?

Vendetti concluded with encouraging the women to let themselves be loved by others during this Advent season. In giving love to others, they must also allow others to reciprocate and share their love in return.

“We were created in the image and likeness of God. That means we were created to love and be loved as the Holy Trinity loves and is loved,” she said.

To learn more about the Regnum Christi movement in the Diocese of Charlotte, go online to www.rcgreatercharlotte.com.

Fall 2017 CRS Rice Bowl grants distributed JOSEPH PURELLO SPECIAL TO THE CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

CHARLOTTE — This fall, seven parishes and three Catholic non-profits each received a $1,000 CRS Rice Bowl MiniGrant from Catholic Charities Diocese of Charlotte to assist with a broad array of services to help those in need.

The 2017 CRS Rice Bowl Mini-Grant recipients are from the following cities: Asheville (three), Charlotte, Greensboro, Jefferson, Linville, Salisbury, Sapphire and Winston-Salem. Funded programs included two community gardens, two nutritional programs for pregnant women, material assistance funding for low-income individuals and families, meals for those who are homeless, two food pantries, and a children’s backback food nutrition outreach program.

Catholic Charities’ Western Region Poverty and Justice Coordinator Nick Haskell recently had the opportunity to go to St. Eugene Church and meet with representatives from the Society of St. Vincent De Paul Conference of St. Lawrence Basilica, St. Eugene and St. Joan of Arc parishes, and presented a $1,000 Rice Bowl Grant check to the conference.

CRS, founded in 1943, is the official overseas relief and development agency of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

CRS alleviates suffering and provides assistance to people in need in more than 100 countries without regard to race, religion or nationality. Go to www.crs.org to learn more about its ongoing work.

The Catholic Charities CRS Rice Bowl Mini-Grant applications are available every fall. See www.ccdoc.org/cchdcrs for details.

JOSEPH PURELLO is the director of Catholic Charities Diocese of Charlotte’s Office of Social Concerns and Advocacy.

Glory to God in the highest; and on earth peace to men of good will.

Luke2:14 This Advent and Christmas set your heart and mind on the things above!

PHOTO PROVIDED BY JAMES GREEN

Pictured are representatives of the St. Vincent de Paul Conference comprised of parishioners from three Asheville area churches: (back row, from left) Margaret Normile, Mike Donahue, Bob Cozart, Pete Solet, Jack Witzel and Francesco DiIorio; (front row, from left) MaryAnn Wharton, Lynn Brockman, Father Patrick Cahill (pastor of St. Eugene Church), Bob Phillips (St. Vincent de Paul Conference president), Nick Haskell of Catholic Charities, and Bill Hassinger.

Visit The Catholic Shoppe at Belmont Abbey College.

We have everything you need for Advent and Christmas-and something for everyone on your list!

Enjoy our extended Christmas shopping hours from Friday, November 24th to

Saturday, December 23rd

M-T-W-F-Sat. - 10a - 5p Thursday - lOa - Sp Call us at 704-461-5100 for more information. � �

THE CATHOLIC SHOPPE At Belmont Abbey College

"That in all things God be Glorified"

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catholicnewsherald.com | December 8, 2017 OUR PARISHES

For the latest news 24/7: catholicnewsherald.com

In Brief Sacred music concert coming at St. Patrick Cathedral CHARLOTTE — All are invited to the Annual Cathedral Choir Concert at St. Patrick Cathedral starting at 2 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 16. “An Afternoon of Sacred Music for Advent and Christmas” will feature works from Antonio Vivaldi (his “Magnificat in G minor”) and additional works by Morales, Reger and Grancini. The choir is directed by Dr. Gianfranco DeLuca. The concert is free, but a free will offering will be taken. For details, call the cathedral parish office at 704-334-2283.

Christmas trees stolen from lot at St. Gabriel Church

PHOTOS PROVIDED BY MARY HELEN CUSHING

Celebrating Thanksgiving CHARLOTTE — St. Vincent de Paul Preschool celebrated Thanksgiving with a visit from a Native American parishioner, Peggy Gibbons, who taught the 3- and 4-year-old students about her Lumbee Tribe and their traditional dress. She showed them her talking stick and drum. Then she shared a story about how animals decided to be friends with the people, which included a short song she sang with the children repeatedly throughout the story. The 3-year-old classes also invited their parents to join them for a Pie Picnic and a short performance of Thanksgiving songs. In addition, in thanksgiving for all of their blessings, all of the classes at the preschool collected food which was donated to Loaves and Fishes.

CHARLOTTE — Someone stole $600 worth of Christmas trees from the lot at St. Gabriel Church in south Charlotte.

At least a half-dozen trees were reported stolen from the unsecured lot on the church property, located at 3016 Providence Road, around 7 a.m. Nov. 27, according to a Charlotte Mecklenburg Police report. No arrests have been made as of Nov. 29, a police spokesman reports.

The St. Gabriel Men’s Club has been selling trees for more than 30 years. The trees were not secured on the church property.

Funds raised by the sale of the trees are given to charity.

— Catholic News Herald

CCDOC.ORG

The Holy Land 10 Days: April 16 – 25, 2018

includes Haifa • Tiberias Nazareth • Bethlehem • Jerusalem hosted by: Fr. Michael T. Kottar, Pastor of St. Mary Help of Christians Parish in Shelby, NC

Help to end hunger Catholic Charities has food pantries in Asheville, Charlotte and Winston-Salem. Each pantry provides walk-in assistance on a first-come, first-served basis during scheduled hours. At the pantries, clients can help choose their food items – because providing food and assistance with dignity is what we believe in.

$3,399 from Charlotte (includes breakfast & dinner daily) Holy Mass Daily - Christian Guides Smaller Group Experience - First Class Hotels

For a detailed brochure please contact: Jean Judge, St. Mary Help of Christians Parish 818 McGowan Rd. Shelby, NC 28150

704-487-7697

Looking to give back this holiday season? Drop off a food donation today and make a difference in a neighbor’s life.

Asheville: 828-255-0146 Charlotte: 704-370-3232 Winston-Salem: 336-727-0705

A PERFECT CHRISTMAS GIFT

December 8, 2017 | catholicnewsherald.com

OUR PARISHESI

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Anxiety / Depression Acid Reflux / Sleep Hormones / Fatigue Cholesterol / Acne

DELLA SUE BRYSON | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Blessing of bread SYLVA — Father Casey Coleman, pastor, blessed bread for Thanksgiving at St. Mary, Mother of God Church.

For the latest news 24/7: catholicnewsherald.com

In Brief

‘Coats for Kids’ arrive just in time for winter GREENSBORO — On a chilly Saturday morning, Nov. 11, St. Pius X Knights of Columbus Council 11101 arrived at the Level Crossing Apartment complex to donate 145 children’s winter coats in a variety of colors and sizes.

The committee, chaired by Knight Dan Allen, annually purchases the coats from Supreme Knights of Columbus with funds donated to the council. Shortly after the Knights’ arrival, they were swarmed by the youngsters and were quickly “sold out.” Pictured are St. Pius X Knights aided by Knights of St. Mary’s Council 8684 and Our Lady of Grace Council 939 and volunteers.

— John Russell

Holy Angels presents Legacy of Love Award BELMONT — During the recent Annual

“Grazie Mille ... A Weekend of 1000 Thanks,” Holy Angels presented its Legacy of Love Award – established in 2016 to honor those individuals who have made a lasting impact on Holy Angels and the residents they serve, leaving a legacy to be long remembered. The award was bestowed posthumously on Richard Penegar Nov. 18 during the Grazie Mille Gala at the Mt. Holly Grand Hall. Penegar’s wife Lucy, son Mark and the entire Penegar family were on hand to accept the award.

Penegar retired from Holy Angels Board of Directors in 2003, after serving for 45 years.

According to Regina Moody, Holy Angels’ president and CEO, “Richard was making room for new ideas and younger members and ideas.

He left us in good hands – he recruited his sonin-law Mike Deely (who continues to serve as a board member).”

Throughout his life and in his quiet way Penegar made a difference – not only at Holy Angels, but throughout Gaston County. He served as an advocate and was a voice for those who couldn’t speak for themselves. In a period of growth at Holy Angels, he shared his special brand of wisdom. And always he would say – “it’s for the children.” He left a lasting impact on Holy Angels and the residents who are served – leaving a legacy to be long remembered.

Holy Angels was founded in 1955 by the Sisters of Mercy. The private, nonprofit corporation located in Belmont provides residential services and innovative programs for children and adults with intellectual developmental disabilities with delicate medical conditions.

The CARF accredited programs include Holy Angels Morrow Center, the McAuley Residences (Fox Run ICF/MR group homes (three sixbed), Belhaven ICF/MR group home (15-bed), Moody Place ICF/MR group home (15-bed), four community group homes, Great Adventures, Camp Hope, and four businesses – Cherubs Café, Cotton Candy Factory and, soon to open, Bliss Gallery in downtown Belmont and Cherubs Market, Cramerton (providing meaningful job opportunities with adults with intellectual developmental disabilities) along with LifeChoices, an adult day activities program offering living and learning opportunities.

To learn more about Holy Angels or to volunteer, call 704-825-4161 or go to www. holyangelsnc.org.

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

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REFLECT & WONDER The Spiritual Practice of Journal Writing Saturday, January 6, 2018 9am – Noon Presented By: Julie Marr “Journal” comes from the Old French jornel, a day’s travel or work. A journal is a journey of the mind and spirit. There are countless ways to keep one – it’s just a matter of finding a style that is ideal for you. This workshop is equal parts information, inspiration and interaction with the page.

Julie Marr is trained in Spiritual Direction, an ancient practice that is about recognizing and responding to the sacred in everyday life. A graduate of UNC – Chapel Hill, she is an advertising writer and creative director in Charlotte.

Cost: $15

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iiiDecember 8, 2017 | catholicnewsherald.com

Room At The Inn …where hope is born Room At The Inn is a unique, comprehensive program helping homeless, single, pregnant women from all areas of North Carolina, not only during their pregnancies but also after the birth of their babies. By providing shelter, food, clothing, case management, child care, transportation and life skills education in a structured environment, we help these families have new lives of healthy, hope-filled selfsufficiency.

“The service that this organization provides is exceptional. It is respectful, supportive, continuous and enduring. The outcomes have been very impressive” The Nussbaum Maternity Home

CATHOLIC N

Council on Accreditation Final Accreditation Report

The Council on Accreditation accredits human service organizations that meet the highest standards of credibility, integrity and accountability and that implement best practices throughout their agencies. We are proud to be the only Catholic maternity home in the southeastern United States to have received this national recognition.

Transitioning from dependency and hopelessness is a difficult process for anyone, especially for someone about to become a new mother. Room At The Inn offers a variety of programs designed to help these young women develop the skills necessary to successfully meet their own goals and aspirations.

Maternity Home: Licensed by the NC Department of Health and Human Services to provide residential maternity care, the Mary C. Nussbaum Maternity Home provides shelter, food, clothing, transportation, case management and life skills education in a structured environment. Located in Greensboro, NC, the home provides services to homeless, pregnant NC residents 18 years and older.

Clients may bring other children.

• 100 % of graduates 18 years of age or older increased their income • 100 % of maternity home graduates transitioned to permanent housing

Maternal and Infant Health: Access to both pre-natal and post-natal healthcare is essential for pregnant women. Infants and toddlers require proper check-ups and healthcare. A significant number of our clients suffer from substance abuse and/or mental health issues and need suitable treatment and counseling. Additionally our maternity home programs provide life skills education related to healthy living, proper nutrition for the women and children and a safe, nurturing place to heal both the body and the soul.

• 13 Babies were born College Program: Graduates of the maternity home programs who want to enter or return to college are eligible for our Supported Community Living Services for Single Mothers attending College. In addition to housing, we provide case management, child development services, financial/material assistance and tutoring/life skills education.

Residential services are provided at the following facilities: The Amy's House is located next door to our maternity home and was named for Amy Elizabeth Disney The Back Yard Ministry is donated space from Cherry Street United Methodist Church in Kernersville • 100% of participants making progress toward completing their degree Other Shelters: Room At The Inn operates an Immediate Stay Shelter program for those who are waiting for admission into the Nussbaum Maternity Home program and and Extended Stay program for mothers and children who have graduated from the Nussbaum Maternity Home program and are waiting for permanent housing to become available. Both of these programs are housed in the Amy Elizabeth Disney House.

• 26 Children received child care services • 5,917 nights of shelter provided • 12,882 meals provided *All statistics are for fiscal year ending 6/30/2017

P R P c a c

A T a m a

C p A

Cory is a unique young woman. Quiet and polite, she always seems deep in t faces inside. Like many single women, finding out she was pregnant was not struggle. She had spent so many months before getting pregnant learning to ta head.

Cory never doubted that her unborn child was a gift from God. But she also kne told her about Room At The Inn and she turned to us.

From the day she moved into the home last spring, Cory was in many ways a talkative, all of the mothers and staff always were happy when she entered the

During her first few days with us, she received adoption counseling. S immediately that this was the plan God had for her child. Although Cory often about the process, she never wavered in her belief that this was what sh needed to do. Sarah Beth (the counselor from the adoption agency) and th provided her with love and support throughout her entire pregnancy. She ne On September 27, her daughter Charlotte was born. Cory felt so blessed that had chosen were able to be there with her along with the staff from the very of little Charlotte’s life. What a strong mother Cory is!

Cory’s story reminds us all how important gratitude is in our lives. Cory n express her gratitude for our ministry. Cory taught all of our staff and volun about courage and love, that we, too, continue to feel grateful to her. The ado as you can imagine, feel so blessed. And, one day, little Charlotte will be able gratitude toward Cory, her adoptive parents, and to God who made all of this p PO Box 13936 Greensboro, NC 27415

(336) 996-3788 Phone (336) 275-9522 Fax

Email: in Visit us at:

NEWS HERALD

Pratt Proverbs 31 Program: Residents in the maternity home programs are invited to participate in the Pratt Proverbs 31 Program. Participants get involved in the faith community of their choice and/or suitable volunteer programs. Participants are able to grow spiritually and as responsible, caring women. Participation is completely voluntary and no client is denied other services for declining to participate in this program.

December 8, 2017 | catholicnewsherald.comiii

Have people on your Christmas list who are hard to buy for? Why not make a donation to Room At The Inn in their honor? Honor cards are now available. Use the envelope in this issue to send us your request by December 16th to ensure processing and delivery by Christmas Eve.

Aftercare Program: The graduates of our programs continue to be an important part of our family even after the birth of their children. Quarterly alumni meetings are conducted at the maternity home. Clients are eligible for material assistance for up to five years after the birth of their children.

Pictured here are 9 of the 13 mothers currently in our programs.

Currently, we have 6 pregnant women in the maternity home, 6 women – 3 pregnant (all waiting for beds in the maternity home) and 3 with newborns in Amy’s House, and 1 mother and her son in our Kernersville home.

thought. From outward appearances, you would never know the struggles she t something she had planned for. As a recovering alcoholic, every day was a ake one day at a time that the news was like a MACK truck racing through her

ew that taking care of herself every day was a cross to bear. A friend in recovery

a breath of fresh air. Always polite, always grateful, even when she wasn’t too e room. She had seemed to radiate peace. And she did.

She recognized n had questions he wanted and he house staff ever felt alone. the couple she y first moments

never failed to nteers so much optive parents, to express her possible.

nfo@RoomInn.org www.RoomInn.org

A note from Albert: Our mothers are busy... we have three currently finishing up their semesters, with one mother in Amy’s House just one final paper away from graduating with her bachelor’s degree! Two are in job training programs and six are working. Between their doctor’s appointments, their studies and jobs, parenting and life skills classes and their counseling, there is so much to do. I just want to let you know how much we need your generous support this Christmas. Running residential programs, especially for pregnant women is an expensive undertaking.

Since the Carolina Maternity Home Association was formed in 2010, the number of maternity home in the state has dropped from 14 to 8. This partly explains why we always have a waiting list and why all of our facilities stay at capacity. There is such a great need.

Ways YOU can help save lives and provide a future of hope: • Use the envelope in this issue to send a financial contribution • Give a gift in honor of someone for Christmas with our honor cards • Give in memory of a loved one or in honor of someone’s birthday or other special occasion • Spread the word • Participate in fundraisers • Donate items • Like us on facebook • Pray • Volunteer • Leave a legacy - put us in your will

On behalf of our mothers and children, we pray that you and your families have a Blessed Christmas

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Our schools 12

catholicnewsherald.com | December 8, 2017 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

‘Our Lady of Mercy is a loving and serving parish and school community. I am grateful to God to be here at OLM and to celebrate 60 years of academic excellence.’ Sister Geri Rogers, SSJ Principal History of Our Lady of Mercy School

(Right) Father Carl Zdancewicz, OFM Conv., pastor of Our Lady of Mercy Church in Winston-Salem, is pictured with secondgrade students at Our Lady of Mercy School this year. (Below) Our Lady of Mercy School archival photos.

PHOTOS PROVIDED BY OUR LADY OF MERCY SCHOOL

Our Lady of Mercy School celebrates its 60th anniversary FATHER CARL ZDANCEWICZ, OFM CONV. SPECIAL TO THE CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

WINSTON-SALEM — Anniversaries are great moments in our life when we take a little time to remember the past and the present and what gifts have been given to enhance our life.

Our Lady of Mercy School is celebrating its 60th birthday. Sixty years of educating both Catholic and non-Catholic students... what a feat for any institution in our age!

From its humble beginnings located on South Main Street in Winston-Salem and now located on Link Road in the former Bishop McGuinness High School, the parishioners pulled together to have a Catholic school in their parish. So many parents and grandparents have given generously over the many years to its upkeep, tuition assistance, and to the general giving campaigns to make Our Lady of Mercy School great.

Every week I venture down the first-floor school hallway and review the artwork, and history and science projects located on the bulletin boards. I can see the progress of the younger students as they grow in wisdom and knowledge. The dedicated teachers of our parish school, over the years, have been its greatest shining light. These men and women choose to work (or should I say minister) in the Catholic school setting. The Sisters of St. Joseph of Philadelphia have been and are the

leaders of our school. I hope some of you can remember the good sisters teaching us how to write, do arithmetic, and begin our quest for knowledge in the sciences.

I have experienced Catholic education from the very beginning of my academic life until I received ordination and my masters degree in counseling and psychology. Even to this day, I still remember most of the sisters and priests who taught me throughout my educational journey.

Our Lady of Mercy Parish was first in the hands of the diocesan priests and then given over to the care of the Conventual Franciscans. Our current location on Link Road provides a beautiful school building and campus for our students to thrive in. Our classrooms are bright with dedicated rooms for music, art, Spanish, technology and science lab. The gym is a state-of-the-art facility.

The track and soccer field provide for many outdoor activities.

Students participate in weekly school liturgies as readers, singers and altar servers.

Our religious education is enhanced by our students learning the practical life experiences described via the opening of the Scriptures and the homilies given by the friars. The point of religion is to create a foundation of core values and morals that guide us throughout our entire lives. Catholic schools produce well rounded, dedicated individuals who excel in serving the common good of any community.

For all the above we can shout to the heavens: thank you, God, for Our Lady of Mercy and its many gifts.

FATHER CARL ZDANCEWICZ, OFM Conv., is pastor of Our Lady of Mercy Church in Winston-Salem.

Our Lady of Mercy Parish, located on the south side of Winston-Salem, was established in 1954, and from its earliest days a parish school was a priority.

On Sept. 22, 1957, Bishop Vincent Waters dedicated the parish building, containing a church which was in the basement of the structure, an auditorium on the second floor and the parish school.

Present at the church’s dedication was the Right Reverend Michael J. Begley, later the first bishop of the Diocese of Charlotte. At this time, the Sisters of St. Joseph from Chestnut Hill, Pa., staffed the school.

The parish was expanded in 1967, during the tenure of its fifth pastor, Monsignor Lawrence Newman, who was a proponent of Catholic schools. He worked to increase the number of Catholic students and was responsible in the enrollment of 340 students into what was limited quarters for the school. To hold the overflow, four trailers were brought in, and the auditorium stage, sacristy, and basement of the convent were also re-purposed for the growing school.

In 1984 the school’s first lay principal, Sandra McMonagle, was hired by then pastor Father Edward Sheridan. Three Sisters of St. Joseph continued to teach at the school, while two other sisters ministered at the parish in religious education and social services.

In 1987 Father Canice Connors, OFM Conv., and a small group of Franciscan friars began their mission at Our Lady of Mercy Parish.

Our Lady of Mercy celebrated a milestone on Jan. 15, 1989, when Bishop John Donoghue dedicated the Monsignor Newman Center, housing three classrooms and various offices and rooms in honor of Monsignor Lawrence Newman.

On Nov. 22, 2002, the school moved from its Banner Avenue location to a renovated building on Link Road that once housed Bishop McGuinness High School.

From 2003 to 2006 the school continued to grow, with more classes and a pre-kindergarten added. McMonagle retired in 2006 after 22 years of leadership and was succeeded by Cheryl Zuiker.

Sister Geri Rogers, SSJ, has served as principal since 2007.

As it continues to grow, Our Lady of Mercy School has developed a regional flavor with students coming from many neighboring parishes. In the days ahead, it hopes to carry on the past tradition and develop an even brighter future.

— Our Lady of Mercy School

Mix

December 8, 2017 | catholicnewsherald.com CATHOLIC NEWS HERALDI

For the latest movie reviews: catholicnewsherald.com

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On TV n Friday, Dec. 8, 9:30 a.m. (EWTN) “The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin.” The mysteries of the rosary come to life. Produced by the famous Family Theater ministry founded by the late Father Patrick Peyton, CSC.

In theaters

n Friday, Dec. 8, 10:45 a.m. (EWTN) “November Song.” After witnessing an old woman pray by a gravestone, a young girl is challenged of her careless ignorance of faith, life and death. n Friday, Dec. 8, 4 p.m. (EWTN) “ Nunc Coepi: The Life of Venerable Bruno Lanteri.” A documentary on the life and legacy of Venerable Bruno Lanteri, who co-founded of the Oblates of the Virgin Mary, an order dedicated to the preaching of the Spiritual Exercises, contemplation and devotion to the Blessed Virgin.

‘The Man Who Invented Christmas’ This charming fact-based historical drama tells the origin story of Victorian author Charles Dickens’ (Dan Stevens) beloved novella, “A Christmas Carol.” With his last three titles having failed to sell, Dickens fears falling into debt if his next production is equally unpopular.

As he struggles with writer’s block and the endless distractions of his burgeoning family’s domestic life, a visit from his feckless father (Jonathan Pryce), whom Dickens blames for the sufferings of his childhood, is a particular source of worry and conflict, the writer fancifully summons up and interacts with his own characters, most prominently dour miser Ebenezer Scrooge (Christopher Plummer). His patient wife and unpaid literary agent offer him encouragement, and the conversion story he eventually pens finds a real-life counterpart in the amendment of Dickens’ own behavior.

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

‘Roman J. Israel, Esq.’ Generally intriguing character study, set in Los Angeles, in which an eccentric civil rights lawyer (Denzel Washington) finds his ideals put to the test when the critical illness of his senior partner leads to the dissolution of their firm, and he is offered a much-needed job by a successful acquaintance (Colin Farrell) he considers a sellout. Though the dialogue in writer-director Dan Gilroy’s drama, which also features Carmen Ejogo as a social activist, sometimes lapses into political rhetoric, the moral shadings of the two main characters keep the proceedings from becoming dull. Possibly acceptable for older teens. Occasional crude and crass language.

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

‘Coco’ A young Mexican lad’s (voice of Anthony Gonzalez) quest to follow in the footsteps of his hometown’s most famous son (voice of Benjamin Bratt) by becoming a world-renowned musician takes a supernatural turn on the Day of the Dead when he is mysteriously transported to the afterlife as depicted in the folklore associated with the pre-Columbian aspects of that celebration. There a goodhearted but slippery character (voice of Gael Garcia Bernal) becomes his guide and agrees to help him obtain the blessing of a deceased relative he will need if he is to return to the land of the living. Teens and grownups can safely appreciate it. Non-scriptural religious ideas.

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

PHOTO PROVIDED BY ELIZABETH HARRIS

Married couples speak to participants of Asheville Christian Quick Connect at Habitat Brewing Co. Nov. 18.

Speed dating takes on a Christian focus KIMBERLY BENDER ONLINE REPORTER

ASHEVILLE — It can be hard for Catholic singles to meet people who share their values.

To help overcome this challenge, St. Lawrence Basilica parishioner Elizabeth Harris created Asheville Christian Quick Connect events in hopes of helping others make connections with those of a similar faith background. Quick Connect is a speeddating style event for Christian singles aged 25-45 looking to meet that potential special someone.

The second event, held at Habitat Brewing Co. Nov. 18, was an intimate group of seven participants. Last year, the event drew eight.

Harris said she hopes she can attract more people to these events and host them twice a year – in the spring and fall.

“I think it’s a really good start,” Harris said. “Even with the small group, I feel it’s quality over quantity. Those who participated seemed to get a lot out of it.”

Jake Flannick, 31, and a St. Lawrence Basilica parishioner, says he thought it was worthwhile to attend.

“I felt like I met people, even the men, that I’d like to have a friendship with,” he said. “I was happy I went.”

Elizabeth Spika, 28, agrees.

“The event was a lot of fun, very welcoming to all who walked in, a very nice way to spend a Saturday,” she said.

“The real reason I attended was to make friends. I’ve been in Asheville for four months, and I’ve never had anyone to really hang out with. Now, I have two girl friends and a guy friend.”

Spika said she’s between parish homes, attending St. Eugene Church as well as St. Lawrence Basilica with a guy she met through the event.

“I feel I would definitely do it again, even just to make more friends,” Spika said.

To kick off the Nov. 18 Quick Connect, married couples spoke about their relationships. Afterwards, participants divided into pairs and were given about 10 minutes to talk with each other. Harris provided a list of suggested questions – more

“intentional” than basic get-to-know-you questions – such as “what does your prayer life look like?” and “how do you envision balancing marriage and having a family?”

At the end of the event, participants had the opportunity to exchange contact information. Then they enjoyed more social time to grab a bite and a drink and continue to mingle, Harris said.

Although it is open to any Christians, all but one participant at the November Quick Connect was Catholic.

“I reached out to many Christian denominations in surrounding areas,” Harris said. “I’ve made it an ecumenical event, as Asheville has a small Christian base in our age range.”

Harris brought the idea to host these events to Asheville after attending a Catholic speed dating event in Philadelphia during Pope Francis’ U.S. visit.

“I’m single, and I’ve felt like it’s difficult to meet faithful singles looking for marriage,” Harris said. “I like the philosophy of dating for marriage, not to just fill a void or whatever.”

The event encourages friendship, and many successful marriages start with friendship, she said.

Flannick said he was a little apprehensive to attend his first speed dating event.

“Among people in our age group here, it seems like there are few people who are religious,” Flannick said. “It’s hard to meet someone of the same faith.”

While the sense of “intentionality” of speed dating made Flannick a bit uncomfortable, he said that focus also made it easier to talk with others who share his values.

The majority of the fee to participate in the Quick Connect event is donated to charity, Harris notes. This year, $80 was given to Clean Clothes for Dignity. Last year’s event raised money for Homeward Bound.

“As Christians we’re called to give back and be charitable,” Harris said. “I like to raise awareness for different non-profits as well.”

To learn more about future Asheville Christian Quick Connect events, contact avlquickconnect@gmail.

n Saturday, Dec. 9, 9 a.m. (EWTN) “The Story of Our Lady of Guadalupe.” A look at the history of the appearance of the Blessed Mother to Juan Diego and her devotion at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City. n Saturday, Dec. 9, 8 p.m. (EWTN) “1531- A Story that Is Not Finished Yet.” Learn about the apparition of Our Lady of Guadalupe, a major milestone in Mexico’s Catholic history after the time of the Spanish Conquest. n Monday, Dec. 11, 1 p.m. (EWTN) “The Father Effect.” John Finch takes a deeper look at the profound effect fathers have on the lives of their children, and how children with absent fathers can find healing and forgiveness. n Monday, Dec. 11, 6:30 p.m. (EWTN) “The Journey of Sister Marie De Mandat-Grancey.” Witness the life of Sister Marie de Mandat-Grancey, a French nun who founded the House of the Virgin Mary in Ephesus, Turkey, in this EWTN original docu-drama hosted by Michael O’Neill. n Tuesday, Dec. 12, 12 p.m. (EWTN) “Holy Mass on the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe.” n Wednesday, Dec. 13, 6:30 p.m.

(EWTN) “Pure in Heart.” The history and work of “Pure of Heart,” a Catholic apostolate that has since expanded from its foundation in Dublin, Ireland, to spread the Church’s teachings on love, purity, chastity and human sexuality to four other countries. n Friday, Dec. 15, 8 p.m. (EWTN) “Croatia: The Untamable Cardinal.” A documentary on the life and faith of Cardinal Aloysius Stepinac, who was accused of treason by Yugoslavian Communists and condemned to 16 years of forced labor. n Saturday, Dec. 16, 8 p.m. (EWTN) “Jerzy Popieluszko: Messenger of the Truth.” The true story of Blessed Father Jerzy Popieluszko, who spoke out against communism in Poland despite the threats against his own life.

Our nation 14

catholicnewsherald.com | December 8, 2017 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Congress urged to ‘fix fundamental flaws’ in final tax reform bill CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congress must “fix the fundamental flaws” in both the Senate and House versions of the tax reform proposal as lawmakers try to reach an agreement on a final bill, said the chairman of the U.S. bishops’ Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development.

Bishop Frank J. Dewane of Venice, Fla., the chairman, issued a statement Dec. 2 in response to Senate passage of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act in a 51-49 vote at 1:50 a.m.

Washington time. Both chambers must meet in conference to reconcile differences in the two measures to bring a final bill to a vote.

“Congress must act now to fix the fundamental flaws found in both bills, and choose the policy approaches that help individuals and families struggling within our society,” said Bishop Dewane.

“We are reviewing the final Senate bill and will soon provide analysis about key improvements that are necessary before a final agreement should be reached and moved forward,” he said.

“For the sake of all people – but especially those we ought, in justice, to prioritize – Congress should advance a

final tax reform bill only if it meets the key moral considerations outlined in our previous letters,” Bishop Dewane said.

He was referring to Nov. 9 and Nov. 22 letters from the U.S. bishops addressing the House and Senate versions, respectively.

Quoting St. John XXIII’s 1961 social encyclical “Mater et Magistra,” the bishops said that “decisions about taxation involve fundamental concerns of ‘justice and equity,’ with the goal of taxes and public spending ‘becoming an instrument of development and solidarity.’”

Signing the three-page Nov. 9 letter were Bishop Dewane; Bishop Oscar Cantu of Las Cruces, N.M., outgoing chairman, Committee on International Justice and Peace; and Bishop George V. Murry of Youngstown, Ohio, chairman, Committee on Education.

The letter referenced Bishop Dewane’s Oct. 25 letter to House members in which he offered moral guidelines for lawmakers to consider in any tax reform proposal.

The guidelines focused on the country’s responsibilities to care for the poor; form and strengthen families; develop a progressive tax code; raise adequate revenues for the sake of the common good; avoid cuts to poverty programs to finance any tax cuts;

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and incentivize charitable giving.

Overall, in light of those moral guidelines, the Nov. 9 letter called the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 “unacceptable” as currently written and said it contained “many fundamental structural flaws that must be corrected.”

‘Decisions about taxation involve fundamental concerns of “justice and equity”...’

Bishop Frank J. Dewane

Chairman of the U.S. bishops’ Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development The three signers praised the provision to double the standard deduction, saying that it “will help some of those in poverty to avoid tax liability, and this is a positive good contained in the bill.” But the bishops also said that because tax-policy is “so far-reaching,” Congress also must provide “ample time for Americans to discuss the complexities of these reforms and fully understand their effects.”

The Nov. 22 letter, signed by Bishop Dewane, said the Senate tax reform bill fell short.

“As written, (it) will raise income taxes on the working poor while simultaneously providing a large tax cut to the wealthy,” Bishop Dewane said. “Tax breaks for the financially secure, including millionaires and billionaires, should not be made possible by increased taxes to families struggling to meet their daily needs.”

“The Senate bill avoids some of the pitfalls of the House bill by not tampering with the adoption tax credit or the exclusion for employer adoption assistance programs, and by retaining the out-of-pocket medical expenses deduction, which is a lifeline for families facing serious and chronic illnesses,” Bishop Dewane added. But he found little in the measure to commend.

No dispensation for this year’s Christmas Mass on Monday CAROL ZIMMERMANN CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Although Christmas this year is the day after the fourth Sunday of Advent, Catholics looking to count a Sunday evening Mass Dec. 24 for both that Sunday obligation and Monday’s Christmas Mass obligation will have to think again.

The U.S. bishops already saw this coming at the beginning of the year and said Catholics should attend separate Masses for the two days.

A newsletter issued by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Divine Worship noted that a “two-for-one” Mass cannot occur in the very rare circumstances when two of the six holy days of obligation – the feast of the Immaculate Conception or Christmas – fall the day before or after Sunday.

“When consecutive obligations occur on Saturday-Sunday or Sunday-Monday, the faithful must attend Mass twice to fulfill two separate obligations,” the committee said.

The reason Catholics might consider the idea of receiving dispensation from a Monday Mass likely stems from the U.S. bishops’ vote in 1991 to lift the obligation to attend Mass on holy days of obligation that fall on Saturdays or Mondays. But that vote was only for three of the six holy days: the feast of Mary, Mother of God, Jan. 1; the feast of the Assumption, Aug. 15; and the feast of All Saints, Nov. 1.

This does not apply to Christmas and the feast of the Immaculate Conception, which is Dec. 8. Most dioceses have transferred observance of the feast of the Ascension from the Thursday 40 days after Easter to the following Sunday.

Also inside PAGE 4: “Two Holy Masses,” a message from Bishop Peter Jugis

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December 8, 2017 | catholicnewsherald.com CATHOLIC NEWS HERALDI

For the latest news 24/7: catholicnewsherald.com

In Brief SNAP apologizes to St. Louis Archdiocese, priests over false abuse claims ST. LOUIS — The Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests issued an apology to the Archdiocese of St. Louis and two of its priests, Father Joseph Jiang and the late Msgr. Joseph D. Pins. The Nov. 27 apology was issued as part of a settlement with SNAP in a defamation lawsuit filed by Father Jiang in 2015, according to the archdiocese. The SNAP defendants never want to see anyone falsely accused of a crime.

Admittedly, false reports of clergy sexual abuse do occur,” said the apology, which was released by the archdiocese. “The SNAP defendants have no personal knowledge as to the complaints against Father Joseph Jiang and acknowledge that all matters and claims against Father Jiang have either been dismissed or adjudicated in favor of Father Jiang,” it said. “SNAP acknowledges that false claims of clergy sexual abuse injure those clerics falsely accused and the Roman Catholic Church,” the apology added.

Miami archbishop: Fixing immigration system doesn’t mean demonization WASHINGTON, D.C. — Miami Archbishop Thomas G. Wenski said laws need to be changed to fix the country’s broken immigration system, but in the process, immigrants should not be demonized. “Fixing illegal immigration does not require the demonization of the so-called ‘illegals,’” said Archbishop Wenski, addressing an audience at a Nov. 28 event in Miami sponsored by the Immigration Partnership and Coalition Fund. “America has always been a land of promise and opportunity for those willing to work hard. We can provide for our national security and secure borders without making America, a nation of immigrants, less a land of promise or opportunity for immigrants.” His comments were posted on the Archdiocese of Miami’s website.

Panelists: Iraq Christians’ status more stable but still precarious WASHINGTON, D.C. — Although life in Iraq for Christians has stabilized since the routing of Islamic State from the country, their numbers are down from 2014, when the militant group began its insurgency, with their towns largely wrecked and infrastructure in shambles. This was the assessment of panelists at a Nov. 28 roundtable in Washington sponsored by the Knights of Columbus in recognition of a week of “Solidarity in Suffering” declared by the U.S. Catholic Church that began Nov. 26 to raise awareness of the situation of persecuted Christians

throughout the world. Chaldean Archbishop Bashar Matti Warda of Irbil, Iraq, in the Kurdistan region in the country’s north, said in 2014, when Islamic State made its first territorial gains, “we found ourselves suddenly caring for 15,000 Christian families, not including Yezidis,” another religious minority native to the Ninevah Plains in the region. The Christians had fled from their homes further south in Iraq; the United States last year called Islamic State’s atrocities in the region constituted genocide.

Net neutrality protections called critical to faith community WASHINGTON, D.C. — The chairman of the U.S. bishops’ Committee on Communications has urged the Trump administration to keep current net neutrality rules in place because an open internet, he said, is critical to the nation’s faith communities and how they interact with their members. “Without open internet principles which prohibit paid prioritization, we might be forced to pay fees to ensure that our high-bandwidth content receives fair treatment on the internet,” said Bishop Christopher J. Coyne of Burlington, Vermont. “Nonprofit communities, both religious and secular, cannot afford to pay to compete with profitable commercialized content,” he said in a Nov. 28 statement. The concept of an open internet has long been called “net neutrality,” in which internet service providers neither favor nor discriminate against internet users or websites.

On Nov. 21, the current chairman of the Federal Communications Commission announced his proposal to roll back rules on neutrality put in place in 2015 by the Obama administration.

Contraceptive mandate battle still on: States fight exemptions WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Little Sisters of the Poor, who have always been known for their care for the poor elderly, have been in the spotlight for the past six years with their objection to the federal government’s requirement that they provide insurance coverage of contraceptives for their employees.

They hoped the issue was behind them after a new rule was issued in October by the Department of Health and Human Services granting an exemption to the contraceptive mandate for religious nonprofits who oppose the mandate on religious grounds. But days after the rule was issued, Pennsylvania and California filed complaints against the federal government over the exemption.

Delaware, Maryland, New York and Virginia joined California’s lawsuit to become the first plaintiff group to file a motion for a preliminary injunction seeking to prevent the new exemption rule from going into effect. This means the Little Sisters of the Poor are going back to court. Mark Rienzi, senior counsel at Becket, the law firm representing the sisters, said in a Nov. 21 press call that the HHS rule “should have been the end of the story” and the end of a “long and divisive culture war.”

— Catholic News Service

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Our world 16

catholicnewsherald.com | December 8, 2017 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Advent is time to identify sin, help the poor, see beauty, pope says CINDY WOODEN CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

VATICAN CITY — Advent is a time to be watchful and alert to the ways one strays from God’s path, but also to signs of his presence in other people and in the beauty of the world, Pope Francis said.

Reciting the Angelus prayer Dec. 3, the first Sunday of Advent, Pope Francis told people gathered in St. Peter’s Square, “Being watchful and alert are the prerequisites for not continuing ‘to wander far from the Lord’s path,’ lost in our sins and infidelities; being watchful and alert are the conditions for allowing God to break into our existence, to give it meaning and value with his presence full of goodness and tenderness.”

Like the ancient Israelites who wandered in the desert, the pope said, “we, too, often find ourselves in a situation of infidelity to the Lord’s call; he indicates the right path, the path of faith, the path of love, but we look for happiness elsewhere.”

Advent gives people time to review the paths they have taken and to turn back to the ways of God, he said.

It is a time for paying attention to the needs of others, “trying to counter the indifference and cruelty” present in the world, the pope said. But it is also a time to “rejoice in the treasures of beauty that also exist and should be protected.”

“It is a matter of having an understanding gaze to recognize both the misery and poverty of individuals and societies, but also to recognize the riches hidden in the little things of daily life precisely where God has put them,” he said.

Pope Francis, who had returned to the Vatican late the night before after a six-day trip to Myanmar and Bangladesh, also used his midday address as an opportunity to thank everyone who had prayed for the trip’s success and everyone who had a hand in organizing it.

The pope said he carried with him “the memory of so many faces tried by life, but still noble and smiling. I carry them in my heart and in my prayers.”

Pope Francis greets children as he arrives at Yangon International Airport in Yangon, Myanmar, Nov. 27, for the start of his six-day visit to Myanmar and Bangladesh.

CNS | PAUL HARING

In Myanmar and Bangladesh, pope calls for dialogue and respect for all CINDY WOODEN CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

VATICAN CITY — As on every papal trip, Pope Francis’ visit to Myanmar and Bangladesh included a mix of meetings with government officials and events focused firmly on the nations’ Catholic communities.

The political implications of his Nov. 27-30 stay in Myanmar and his Nov. 30-Dec. 2 stop in Bangladesh grabbed the headlines mainly because of the situation of the Rohingya people, a Muslim minority being pushed from Myanmar’s Rakhine state and seeking refuge in Bangladesh.

But the political and pastoral sides of his trip were interwoven, including his attention to the Rohingya and his defense of their rights.

Meeting Rohingya refugees at the end of an interreligious gathering in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Dec. 1, Pope Francis said each human being is created in God’s image and likeness. “Today, the presence of God is also called ‘Rohingya,’” he said after listening to each of the 16 refugees briefly tell their stories.

“They, too, are images of the living God,” Pope Francis told Christian, Muslim, Buddhist and Hindu leaders. “Let’s not close our hearts.

Let’s not look away.”

The Catholic communities in both Myanmar and Bangladesh are very small; Catholics make up slightly more than 1 percent of the population in Myanmar and only a quarter of 1 percent of the population in Bangladesh. Yet, in both countries, the influence of the Church is disproportionately large because of the contributions of Catholic schools, hospitals and other activities.

In Myanmar, the majority of people are Buddhist and in Bangladesh the majority are Muslim. On the return flight to Rome Dec. 2, Pope Francis was asked about how a Catholic should balance a commitment to interreligious dialogue and a commitment to evangelization

with the hope of welcoming converts into the Church.

The key, the pope said, always is witness.

It is not a Christian’s job to try to persuade someone to become Christian. That is the Holy Spirit’s job, he said, but individuals must prepare the way by offering a living witness of what it means to be Christian.

The main ingredients of witness, he said, are living according to “the Beatitudes, giving testimony to Matthew 25 (feeding the hungry, welcoming the stranger, visiting the sick), the Good Samaritan and forgiving 70 times seven.”

The pope met privately with a varied group of religious leaders in Myanmar before holding a formal meeting with leaders of the nation’s Buddhist community Nov. 29.

Quoting Buddha and a prayer attributed to St. Francis of Assisi, the pope insisted that in a land where the powerfully bonded pairing of religion and ethnicity have been used to prolong conflict, it was time for religious leaders to reclaim the greatest values and virtues of their faith traditions.

Pope Francis also held separate meetings in both countries with the nation’s bishops.

In Myanmar, he told the bishops that the idea that differences are a threat to peaceful coexistence is an example of an “ideological colonization” sweeping the world and trying to make everyone the same.

“The unity we share and celebrate is born of diversity,” he said. Unity in the Church and in a nation “values people’s differences as a source of mutual enrichment and growth. It invites people to come together in a culture of encounter and solidarity.”

As Myanmar continues its transition to democratic rule and tries to deal with the challenges of development and full equality for all its ethnic groups, Pope Francis told the bishops to ensure that their voices are heard, “particularly by insisting on respect for the dignity and rights of all, especially the poorest

and most vulnerable.”

Before leaving the country, he celebrated Mass Nov. 30 with thousands of young people from throughout Myanmar. He told them to be messengers of the Good News of God’s love and mercy.

“As messengers of this good news, you are ready to bring a word of hope to the Church, to your own country, and to the wider world,” he said. “You are ready to bring good news to your suffering brothers and sisters who need your prayers and your solidarity, but also your enthusiasm for human rights, for justice and for the growth of that love and peace which Jesus brings.”

Witness was also the theme he highlighted at a large Mass in a park in Yangon, Myanmar’s capital.

“I know that many in Myanmar bear the wounds of violence, wounds both visible and invisible,” the pope said in his homily.

The temptation is to think that “healing can come from anger and revenge. Yet the way of revenge is not the way of Jesus.”

Pope Francis prayed that Catholics in Myanmar would “be faithful witnesses of the reconciliation and peace that God wants to reign in every human heart and in every community.”

In Bangladesh, his only public Mass was celebrated Dec. 1 and included the ordination of 16 priests, who came from different dioceses and religious orders. He read the prescribed homily from the rite of ordination, but then spoke off the cuff to thank the thousands of people who had traveled far for the Mass. He also encouraged them to pray for their priests.

The next day, before leaving Bangladesh, he met with priests, religious and seminarians at Holy Rosary Church in Dhaka. He told them the harmony, mutual respect and peace that should reign in relations between members of different religions must first be found between members of the Catholic Church.

December 8, 2017 | catholicnewsherald.com CATHOLIC NEWS HERALDI

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In Brief Pope: World has reached moral limit on nuclear deterrence ABOARD THE PAPAL FLIGHT FROM BANGLADESH — The Cold War policy of nuclear deterrence appears morally unacceptable today, Pope Francis said. St. John Paul II, in a 1982 message to the U.N. General Assembly, said deterrence “may still be judged morally acceptable” as a stage in the process of ridding the world of nuclear weapons. But Pope Francis, in a message in early November to a Vatican conference, said “the very possession” of nuclear weapons “is to be firmly condemned.”

During a news conference Dec. 2 on his flight back to Rome from Dhaka, Bangladesh, Pope Francis was asked what had changed since St. John Paul wrote to the United Nations and whether the war of words between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korea’s Kim Jong Un influenced his position.

“What has changed?” the pope responded.

“The irrationality has changed.”

Pope Francis said his position is open to debate, but “I’m convinced that we are at the limit of licitly having and using nuclear weapons.”

Pope urges continued dialogue between Orthodox, Catholics VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis, in a message to Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople, urged Catholics and Orthodox

to continue the path of dialogue on key theological issues to achieve full communion between the two churches. Theological discussions on primacy – the authority of the lead bishop – and synodality, or the deliberation of the College of Bishops in the West and the synod of bishops in the Eastern churches, can enable Orthodox and Catholics “to evaluate, even critically, some theological categories and practices which evolved during the second millennium,” the pope said in a written message delivered Nov. 30 to the patriarch in Istanbul.

The pope’s message was carried to Patriarch Bartholomew by Cardinal Kurt Koch, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, who led a Vatican delegation to Istanbul for the feast of St. Andrew the Apostle, the patriarchate’s patron saint.

Pope: Bishops should exercise authority in annulments VATICAN CITY — A diocesan bishop is the sole judge in the streamlined process for handling marriage annulments, Pope Francis said. The simplified process “is not an option that the diocesan bishop can choose, but rather an obligation that derives from his consecration and from the mission received,” making the bishop the sole and exclusive authority in charge throughout the three phases of the briefer process, the pope said.

The pope made his remarks during an audience Nov. 25 with canon lawyers, priests and pastoral workers attending a course sponsored by the Roman Rota, a Vatican tribunal that mainly deals with marriage annulment cases.

The pope encouraged them to be close to those who are suffering and who expect help “to restore peace to their consciences and God’s will on readmission to the Eucharist.”

Estate Planning Elder Law | Probate WAITING COULD DEVASTATE YOUR FAMILY St. Matthew’s Parishioner

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Elementary/Middle School Principal Our Lady of Grace Catholic School Our Lady of Grace (OLG) Catholic School is located in Greensboro, North Carolina. The Parish is seeking a loyal and participating Catholic for the position of School Principal beginning July 1, 2018.

Our Lady of Grace has a student population of 230 students and a faculty of 25.

OLG administers student programs for children from age 3 through 8th grade. We also serve a special community of children through differentiated learning with our PACE and Quest programs.

Academic/Professional Requirements: Master’s degree in educational administration/supervision or a Master’s degree in education with a willingness to obtain administrative certification.

Experience in a Catholic school and special education programs is preferred. The candidate must be: strongly committed to educating our children in the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church in both word and example; enthusiastic about Catholic Schools and their mission; able to work collaboratively with parish administration, faculty, staff, parents and parish organizations; and able to articulate and implement a vision for the school in areas of curriculum, outreach and technology.

Please send a resumé and cover letter to: Annette Bagnoli, School Administrative Assistant 201 S. Chapman Street, Greensboro, NC 27403 abagnoli@olgsch.org Applications accepted through January 15, 2018

17

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January 6th - St. Matthew Catholic Church, Charlotte | One Day Class 1:30 pm to 5:30 pm February 3rd - St. Matthew Catholic Church, Charlotte | One Day Class 1:30 pm to 5:30 pm April 21st - St. Aloysius Catholic Church, Hickory | One Day Class 1:30 pm to 5 pm For more information visit our website or contact Batrice Adcock, MSN at 704.370.3230 or bnadcock@charlottediocese.org.

ViewPoints 18

catholicnewsherald.com | December 8, 2017 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Bishop Robert Barron

A

dvent is the liturgical season of vigilance or, to put it more mundanely, of waiting. During the four weeks prior to Christmas, we light the candles of our Advent wreaths and put ourselves in the spiritual space of the Israelite people who, through many long centuries, waited for the coming of the Messiah (“How long, O Lord?”).

In the wonderful avant-garde German movie “Run Lola Run,” a young woman finds herself in a terrible bind: She needs to gather an enormous amount of money in a ridiculously short period of time. Throughout the movie she runs and runs, desperately trying through her own frantic efforts to make things right, but nothing works.

Finally, at the moment when she finds herself at the absolute limit of her powers, she slows to a trot, looks up to heaven and says, “Ich warte, ich warte” (“I’m waiting, I’m waiting”). Though she does not explicitly address God and though there has been no hint throughout the movie that Lola is the least bit religious, this is undoubtedly a prayer.

And in the immediate wake of her edgy request a rather improbable solution to her problem presents itself.

Lola’s prayer has always reminded me of Simone Weil, that wonderful and mysterious 20th-century French mystic whose entire spirituality is predicated upon the power of waiting, or – in her language – of expectation. In prayer, Weil taught, we open our souls, expecting God to act even when the content of that expectation remains unclear. In their curious vigilance and hoping against hope, both Lola and Simone are beautiful Advent figures.

HOLD YOUR HORSES

Their attitude is, of course, deeply rooted in biblical revelation. From beginning to end of scripture we discover stories of people who are compelled to wait.

The patriarch Abraham received the promise that he would become, despite his old age, the father of a son and through that son the father of descendants more numerous than the stars in the night sky. But the fulfillment of that promise was a long time in coming. Through many years, as he and his wife grew older and older, as the likelihood of their parenthood became increasingly remote, Abraham waited. Did he doubt? Did he wonder whether he had misconstrued the divine promise? Did he waver in his faith? Did he endure the taunts of his enemies and the pitying glances of his friends? Probably. But he waited, and in time the promise came true.

Abraham’s great-grandson Joseph, the wearer of the multicolored coat, saw in a dream that he would be a powerful man and that his brothers would one day bow down to him in homage. But the realization of that dream came only after a long and terrible wait. He was sold into slavery by those very brothers, falsely accused of sexual misconduct, humiliated, and finally sent to prison for seven years. Imagine what it must have been like to endure years in an ancient prison – the discomfort, the total lack of privacy, the terrible food in small amounts, sleeplessness, torture, and above all, hopelessness. This is what Joseph had to wait through before his dream came true in a most unexpected way.

The people of Israel were miraculously delivered from slavery in Egypt, led across the Red Sea by the mighty hand of Moses – and then they waited. A journey that normally would have taken only a few weeks stretched to 40 years as they wandered rather aimlessly through the desert. The book of Exodus frequently gives us indications of what this time of vigil was like: “The people grumbled against Moses, ‘We are disgusted with this wretched food…

Why did you lead us out into this desert to die? Were there not graves enough in Egypt?’” (Exodus 16:2-3) They were hardly models of patience.

Even poor Noah had to wait, cooped up in the ark with his irritable family and restless animals while the waters slowly retreated.

In the course of the Christian tradition, there is much evidence of this spirituality of waiting. Relatively late in life Ignatius of Loyola realized he was being called

by God to do great things. But before he found his path

What are you waiting for? he passed through a wide variety of experiences in the course of many years: a time of stark asceticism and prayer at Manresa, wandering to the Holy Land and back while living hand-to-mouth and sleeping in doorways, taking elementary courses in Paris alongside young kids, gathering a small band of followers and leading them through the Spiritual Exercises. Only at the end of this long sojourn – founding the Company of Jesus – did he realize the great thing God called him to do.

In Dante’s Purgatorio (from his “Divine Comedy”), the theme of waiting is on prominent display. Dante and Virgil encounter a number of souls who slouch at the foot of the mountain of Purgatory, destined to make the climb to heaven but compelled for the time being to wait. How long?

As long as God determines.

GOD HAS NO EXPRESS LANE

All of this, I submit, is very hard for most of us. I suppose we human beings have always been in a hurry, but modern people especially seem to want what they want when they want it. We are driven, determined, goaloriented, fast-moving. I, for one, can’t stand waiting.

Living in a large city, I find myself unavoidably in a lot of traffic jams, and nothing infuriates me more. Usually stuck behind a massive truck, you have no idea when you will get where you want to be, and there is nothing you can do about it.

I hate waiting at doctors’ offices; I hate waiting in line at the bank; I hate waiting for the lights to come back on when the electricity fails.

So when I’m told that waiting seems to belong to the heart of the spiritual life, I’m not pleased, for here, too, I want answers, direction, clarity – and I want them pronto.

I desire to feel happy and to know what God is up to; I need my life to make sense – now. I’m pleased to live a spiritual life, but I want to be in charge of it and to make it unfold according to my schedule: Run Barron Run. All of this is profoundly antipathetic to the mood and spirit of Advent.

So what sense can we make of the countercultural and counterintuitive spirituality of vigilance? The first thing we have to realize is that we and God are, quite simply, on different time tables. The second letter of Peter states this truth with admirable directness: “To you, O Lord, a thousand years are like a day.” (2 Peter 3:8) To the God who stands outside of space and time and who orders the whole of creation, our hours, days, years, eons have a radically different meaning. What is a long time to us is an instant for God, and hence what seems like delay to us is no delay at all to God. What seems like dumb and pointless waiting to us can be the way that God, in a unique and finally mysterious manner, is working God’s purposes out.

But we can make things even more specific. Is it possible that we are made to wait because the track we are on is not the one God wants for us? Author G.K. Chesterton said that if you are on the wrong road, the very worst thing you can do is to move quickly. And there is that old joke about the pilot who comes on the intercom and says, “I have good news and bad news, folks: The bad news is that we’re totally lost; the good news is that we’re making excellent time!” Maybe we’re forced to wait because God wants us seriously to reconsider the course we’ve charted, to stop hurtling down a dangerous road.

Or perhaps we are made to wait because we are not yet adequately prepared to receive what God wants to give us. In his remarkable letter to Proba, St. Augustine argued that the purpose of unanswered prayer is to force expansion of the heart. When we don’t get what we want, we begin to want it more and more, with ever greater insistency, until our souls are on fire with the desire for it.

Sometimes it is only a sufficiently expanded and enflamed heart that can take in what God intends to give.

What would happen to us if we received, immediately and on our own terms, everything we wanted? We might be satisfied in a superficial way, but we wouldn’t begin to appreciate the preciousness of the gifts. After all, the Israelites had to wait thousands of years before they were ready to receive God’s greatest gift.

Even if we are on the right track and even if we desire with sufficient intensity what God wants to give, we still might not be ready to integrate a particular grace into our lives or to handle the implications of it. Joseph the dreamer clearly wanted to be a great man, but if he had been given political power and authority when he was an arrogant kid, the results would have been disastrous both for himself and for those under his control. His many years of suffering – his terrible wait – made him a ruler with both wisdom and deep compassion. And so, when his brothers did indeed finally bow down to him as he foresaw in his dream, he was able to react not in vengeance, but in love: “I am Joseph, your brother.”

THREE ADVENT PRACTICES

What practically can we do during the season of waiting and vigil keeping? What are some practices that might incarnate for us the spirituality described here?

How about the classically Catholic discipline of Eucharistic Adoration? To spend a half-hour or an hour in the presence of the Lord is not to accomplish or achieve very much – it is not really “getting” anywhere – but it is a particularly rich form of spiritual waiting.

As you keep vigil before the Blessed Sacrament, bring to Christ some problem or dilemma that you have been fretting over, and then pray Lola’s prayer: “Ich warte, ich warte.” Say, “Lord, I’m waiting for you to solve this, to show me the way out, the way forward. I’ve been running, planning, worrying, but now I’m going to let you work.”

Then, throughout Advent, watch attentively for signs.

Also, when you pray before the Eucharist, allow your desire for the things of God to intensify; allow your heart and soul to expand. Pray, “Lord, make me ready to receive the gifts you want to give,” or even, “Lord Jesus, surprise me.”

A second – and more offbeat – suggestion: Do a jigsaw puzzle. Find one of those big, complex puzzles with thousands of small pieces, one that requires lots of time and plenty of patience, and make of it an Advent project.

As you assemble the puzzle, think of each piece as some aspect of your life: a relationship, a loss, a failure, a great joy, an adventure, a place where you lived, something you shouldn’t have said, an act of generosity. So often the events of our lives seem like the thousand pieces of a puzzle lying incoherently and disconnectedly before us. As you patiently put the puzzle together meditate on the fact that God is slowly, patiently, according to his own plan and purpose, ordering the seemingly unrelated and incongruous events of our lives into a picture of great beauty.

Finally, take advantage of traffic jams and annoying lines – really anything that makes you wait. And let the truth of what 18th-century spiritual writer Jean-Pierre de Caussade said sink in: “Whatever happens to you in the course of a day, for good or ill, is an expression of God’s will.” Instead of cursing your luck, banging on the steering wheel, or rolling your eyes in frustration, see the wait as a spiritual invitation.

When you are forced to slow down, pray one of the great, repetitive vigil prayers of the Church, such as the rosary or the Jesus prayer (“Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner”). With this resolution in mind, hang a rosary around your rearview mirror at the beginning of Advent. Consider the possibility that God wants you at that moment to wait and then sanctify the time through one of those savoring prayers.

The entire Bible ends on a note not so much of triumph and completion as longing and expectation: “Come, Lord Jesus.”

From the very beginning of the Christian dispensation, followers of the risen Jesus have been waiting. Paul, Augustine, Chrysostom, Agnes, Thomas Aquinas, Clare, Francis, John Henry Newman, and Simone Weil have all waited for the Second Coming and have hence all been Advent people. During this season let us join them, turning our eyes and hearts upward and praying, “Ich warte, ich warte.”

BISHOP ROBERT BARRON is the founder of Word on Fire Catholic Ministries and auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. He is also the host of “Catholicism,” an award-winning documentary about the Catholic faith.

December 8, 2017 | catholicnewsherald.com CATHOLIC NEWS HERALDI

19

Letter to the editor

Giving and receiving a box of joy Fred Gallagher

The holidays: A grief resumed

T

he remarkable C.S. Lewis, chronicling the loss of his wife in his acclaimed book “A Grief Observed,” pulled no punches in describing the stinging loss and bewildering doubt associated with that time. Here was perhaps the greatest Christian apologist of the 20th century angry with God and spiritually despondent at the prospect of living without his beloved wife Joy. One of the most heartbreaking insights Lewis shared was the fact that not only did he have to live with his grief, he also had the assurance that he would be living with it tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow. It was not only a grief observed, it was also, each new day, a grief resumed.

That whole dynamic is a variation of what happens to so many of us during the holidays. Some version of the grief we have endured either in recent times or even in times long gone, comes back in the seasonal rush, the department store sales, the TV snowflakes and the sometimes arbitrary expectations of joy. And our rampant and obsessive consumerism doesn’t help; it becomes little more than an inefficient distraction.

In the years I have attended the grieving process, participated in grief seminars, written books on the subject and sat at the deathbeds of people I love, one of the most important things I have learned about living with the loss of someone dear is that each and every manifestation of grief is entirely individual, not subject to anyone’s notion of “stages” or “phases” or other prescriptive blueprints. Our grief is our own. Any one of us may exhibit responses common to others who are grieving, but for each of us the experience as a whole is absolutely singular.

Another thing I’ve learned is that we are creatures naturally given to remembrance, and that the act of remembering can be as sacred an act as there is. As Catholics, in the very center of our worship, the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, we embrace an act of remembrance. We don’t fully understand it, but we participate in the sensate choreography of a remembered and found again miracle; we enter the Mystery of Christ’s Presence. The philosopher Gabriel Marcel said, “Life is not a problem to be solved but a mystery to be lived.” In our grief we live in remembrance, as Christ asks us to do in every Mass. We live in the sacred mystery of our memories.

The holidays (holy days) are upon us and when it comes to our grief, each person may have to find his or her own path through the sometimes unpredictable maze. Along the way, however, it is important to recognize that grief is a normal, natural human response to loss. Memorializing or remembering – such as taking flowers to a grave, offering Masses, praying together with other family or friends for the repose of a loved one’s soul, establishing a charitable fund in a loved one’s name, or any number of other memorial gestures, including giving gifts that may recall the life of our loved one – can help us in the healing process.

One grief counselor recently wrote that he disliked the word “closure” in that we sometimes suffer the illusion that we can grieve for a period of time and then put away our memories, fears, hurt, anger and loneliness – putting them away in cubbyholes as if they never existed. I have learned that grief doesn’t work that way. I have learned that grief never expressed in any way can become a dark, perhaps even volatile part of us. And I have learned that our grief is always assimilated in some form or fashion.

Our losses do become a part of us, and, if expressed in any of a hundred different healthy ways, they can become a beautiful part of who we are, infused with the character of the love one who has passed.

As for the holidays, this year it might be time to decide just how much of the chaos generated by commercial aspects of the season we want to be a part of. It might be the year to keep it as simple as we can and let ourselves feel the gratitude and the blessings of Thanksgiving, knowing full well that there is an absence at our table of plenty. It might be the year to try to ease up on some of our seasonal obligations and take time to come close to love the Christ Child as never before, to live in His mystery, to imagine the tender care of Joseph and Mary permeating the air in that rough-hewn cave and making its way to our own hearts. It might be the year to take a little closer look at the loved ones around us who could be saying all the wrong things, like, “He’s in a better place,” or “I know how you feel” or “Don’t cry,” or “Just keep busy.” But they are well intentioned and we know they do love us.

The intensity of our pain will lessen but our suffering lingers. It is, in fact, evidence of a love greater than loneliness, a love greater and livelier and more potent than death itself. In the holidays our grief is often resumed because we remember that very love. Our experience of it does not die, but it does change. For the present, the great and sacred mystery of the love we have shared lives most sweetly in our encounters with others and that love does, most assuredly, define us. And so it is that in the depth of our wounds that we find our capacity to continue to love: a grief observed… a life resumed.

FRED GALLAGHER is an author and editor-in-chief with Gastonia-based Good Will Publishers Inc.

A few weeks ago I had an interesting conversation with a good friend. We were discussing gift-giving, always an interesting topic to ponder this time of year. Specifically, we were discussing a shoebox gift program called Box of Joy. Our conversation gave me many points to consider in my prayer and meditation over the following weeks. Why a Box of Joy? Why give a gift of a toy to a stranger in another country?

Why not use those funds to donate to a local charity? Or if led to address the needs of the poor in another country, why a toy? Why not a clean water project, or education? Does donating to a program such as Box of Joy spread a secular ideal of Christmas? Does it diminish the true meaning of Christmas?

Well, let’s pack a box and see, I thought.

I spent several weeks considering the types of things I might assemble. Should I pick a girl or a boy? What age group? If I came across something that I thought would be good in the box I set it aside. And as I did, I’d think of that unknown child. Isn’t that a little like a prayer? As the weeks passed, I had a nice stack of things: books, rosaries, holy cards, toys, notepads, even nice plastic shoe box containers, a good start. Soon it was time to pack, so I headed to the store to fill in the gaps. I took my daughter and a friend to help.

We started with an outfit. A T-shirt and leggings for a toddler. We couldn’t decide which to get, so we bought two! “Oh goodness, we shouldn’t leave the boys out,” I thought, so we picked out a boy outfit, too. And shoes, they could surely use shoes. Oh, and some fresh crayons to go with the notepads. “Honey, go pick out a ball for the boy. Make sure it will fit in the box! And let’s be practical and get some toothbrushes.” All the while, I was smiling and thinking about our

unknown child (children now!). Again, isn’t that a little like a prayer?

After we got it all home, I spent another hour, putting the boxes together. Sorting and dividing the erasers and pencils and crayons and stickers and Slinkys. Folding the clothes. Arranging them nicely in the plastic bins. Placing a children’s holy card on the top of each one. Making sure that they close properly. I labeled them, added the funds for mailing, and secured them with rubber bands. All the while, I was still smiling and thinking about these children, a little prayer.

So weeks of planning and hours of shopping and assembly later, I have a Box of Joy (well, three!) ready to be shipped. Who has the joy?

Well right now, I do. But I pray that the items I’ve selected will bring joy to their recipients. I hope they enjoy playing with the ball or the doll, that the clothes fit, and the shoes are serviceable.

But that isn’t really the point. My gift isn’t the shoes, the clothes or the toys. In all the planning, shopping, packaging and praying, what I am really giving is a box of me.

And that was my epiphany. That is what Jesus does for me. He gives me Himself. Unfathomable, and yet so simple really.

So, back to the box. In it, I’ve freely given a gift of myself with no expectation of anything in return. And that is what He wants of me, a free gift of myself to Him, in everything. My pastor advised me years ago that in seeking God’s will, I should do the little things that He places right in front of me. This was one of those little things.

I joyfully await to see what He puts in my path next.

KRISTEN LEVINE lives in Gastonia.

Letters policy The Catholic News Herald welcomes letters from readers. We ask that letters be originals of 250 words or fewer, pertain to recent newspaper content or Catholic issues, and be written from a perspective of Christian charity.

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catholicnewsherald.com | December 8, 2017 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

ONE HEART

ABBOT

FROM PAGE 2

FROM PAGE 5

Faith in Action Institute of Greensboro to conduct a study of the needs and assets of the far western region of North Carolina. To implement some of the findings from the study, in 1999 the diocese provided seed funding to establish a Catholic Charities presence in Murphy. Today Catholic Charities offers case management services to people and families in Cherokee, Clay, Graham and Swain counties – offering individualized help based on people’s specific needs, with the aim of helping them move out of poverty.

At a more systemic level, Catholic Charities’ Far West Growing Opportunities Grant Program assists the economic development activities of organizations committed to sustainable economic growth in the region. Since 2000 more than $327,000 in Catholic Charities Growing Opportunities Grants have been dispersed to organizations working in the region, including $16,000 distributed last fall to seven non-profit organizations and ministries combating food insecurity.

But Catholic Charities is eyeing further action as the needs of the population in the region change.

Nearly two decades after the Faith in Action Institute study, the Hinton Rural Life Center in Hayesville partnered with scholars from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro in 2016 to once again consider critical factors influencing local residents’ quality of life. The results of this study, “Enhancing Quality of Life In Southern Appalachia: An Asset Based Community Development Planning Report,” provide priorities and plans for community growth in the region. The study found that low wages, the lack of good-paying jobs and limited transportation options are keeping people trapped in poverty, and food insecurity, limited access to health care, lack of affordable housing and an increase in substance abuse and mental health problems continue to depress the region. Catholic Charities is evaluating this latest study for ways it can sharpen its focus on helping people in this economically distressed area of the diocese.

he was gone. I immediately thought the worst, but they quickly reassured me that he’d gone back to the Abbey to recover. He was up and walking again in no time. He was tough and didn’t want to slow down or be dependent.

— Dr. Kevin Soden

Read online At www.catholicnewsherald.com: Read the 1997 pastoral letter “Of One Heart and One Mind”

I had known Abbot Oscar since I was 12 years old.

I grew up in St. Michael’s Parish in Gastonia, which was staffed by the Benedictines. My first encounter with the good abbot was when he was still a deacon. He graciously took our Boy Scout troop to Boy Scout camp.

Abbot Oscar was a later vocation to the monastic life and priesthood, entering the monastery only after having been a successful attorney in Savannah.

My first need of the then Brother Oscar was not his great spiritual insights. No, I needed a lawyer! I got in a fight at Boy Scout camp and was about to be sent home when Attorney Oscar came to my defense. I was allowed to stay.

This little altercation began a close relationship which has now lasted more than half a century.

I was privileged to attend Belmont Abbey College.

When I arrived on campus, then Father Oscar had been named dean of students and a professor of business law and constitutional law. We affectionately called him “The Big O.” He was tough but very fair – just what a bunch of young men needed.

The “Big O” had a particular heart for prisoners and used to round up some of us boys and take us to the prison in Dallas, N.C., to play baseball with the inmates. He taught us by example.

After college I decided to attend law school at least in part as a result of my classes in business law with Father Oscar.

As the years went by, Father Oscar became my confessor and helped guide me as a young man over the rough spots and around the blind corners that

any young man faces as he grows older and hopefully wiser. The “Big O” was always there for me.

Later in life I was honored to be named to the Board of Trustees of Belmont Abbey College.

Thereafter Father Oscar became Abbot Oscar. This was during a difficult period for both the monastery and the college. As abbot he most successfully guided the monastery and for a time functioned as CEO of the college during our search for a new president.

During this time Abbot Oscar asked me to become vice chairman and later chairman of the Board of Trustees. In such capacities I worked very closely with him for more than a decade. Our relationship of working together continued unabated until he finally retired from the Board of Trustees.

While during this time there were many memorable events, perhaps one stands out more than others as emblematic of Abbot Oscar’s love and devotion to the students of Belmont Abbey College.

Another trustee and I had just been seated in the abbot’s office for a very important meeting. Just as the meeting started, Abbot Oscar was notified that a young female student’s brother had just been killed in a car wreck back home. Rather than letting his capable staff handle this matter, Abbot Oscar immediately suspended our meeting. He got in touch with the young student’s best friend at school and the two of them went to break the sad news to the sister of the young man just killed. He then had the young lady’s friend accompany her home.

Abbot Oscar certainly had his priorities right.

He was always there for me, and I saw firsthand how he was there for others as well.

There are perhaps as many “Big O” stories among Abbey alumni of my generation as there are alumni.

Some of these are truly funny, many very touching, all centered around a most personal relationship with and concern for students.

Quite simply: Abbot Oscar spent a lifetime devoted to Belmont Abbey Monastery and College, teaching young men and women not only how to earn a living but, more importantly, how to live a Christ-centered life. What more could anyone ask of one man?

— Bob Gallagher

“ My sister was to be a nun, and I was to be a mother,” says Notre Dame Sister Mary Ann Hanson (foreground), 79, “but God had other plans.” During 61 years of religious life, she has joyfully followed those plans. Along with the senior religious shown here—and 32,000 more across the United States—Sister Mary Ann benefits from the Retirement Fund for Religious.

Your gift helps provide nursing care, medications, and other necessities. Please be generous.

Roughly 94 percent of donations aid senior religious.

Retirement Fund for Religious Please give to those who have given a lifetime.

Please give at your local parish December 9–10.

Or donate by mail: National Religious Retirement Office/CHA 3211 Fourth Street NE Washington DC 20017-1194 Make check payable to Retirement Fund for Religious.

www.retiredreligious.org Photo (from left): Sister Gloria Rodríguez, MGSpS, 80; Father Albert Bunsic, OCD, 81; Sister Alfonsina Sanchez, OCD, 96; Sister Mary Ann Hanson, SND, 79. ©2017 United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Washington, DC. All rights reserved. Photographer: Jim Judkis.