April 28, 2017

S E RV I N G C H R I ST A N D C O N N EC T I N G C AT H O L I C S I N W E ST E R N N O R T H C A R O L I N A

Love sewn into every stitch St. Vincent de Paul youth complete ninth annual ‘Quilts of Love’ project

Easter: Christ’s gift to us ‘His resurrection is His answer to our cry for help’

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5 INDEX

Contact us.......................... 4 Español.................................. 7 Events calendar................. 4 Our Faith............................. 2 Our Parishes.................. 3-6 Schools............................8-9 Scripture readings............ 2 TV & Movies.......................12 U.S. news...................... 14-15 Viewpoints................... 18-19 World news.................. 16-17

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Catholic Charities Week May 1-7: Strengthening families, building communities, reducing poverty 10-11

Fred Gallagher: ‘It is Easter and the light rises’ 18

A p ril 2 8 , 2 0 1 7

Our faith 2

catholicnewsherald.com | April 28, 2017 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Pope Francis

Why be afraid when God is always showing the way

C

hristians always have hope, no matter how bleak, bad or uncertain the journey, because they know God is always by their side, Pope Francis said.

In fact, “even crossing parts of the world (that are) wounded, where things are not going well, we are among those who, even there, continue to hope,” he said at his weekly general audience in St. Peter’s Square April 26.

Just a few days before his visit to Cairo April 28-29, the pope continued his series of talks on the nature of Christian hope, saying it is rooted in knowing God will always be present, even to the end of time.

The Gospel of St. Matthew, he said, begins with the birth of Jesus as Emmanuel – “God with us” – and ends with the risen Christ telling His doubtful disciples to go forth and teach all nations, assuring them that “I am with you always, until the end of the age.”

The apostle shows how “ours is not an absent God, sequestered in a faraway heaven. Instead He is a God ‘impassioned’ with mankind,” so tenderly in love that He is unable to stay away, the pope said.

Human beings are the ones who are really good at cutting off ties and destroying bridges, not God, he said.

“If our hearts get cold, His remains incandescent,” the pope said. “Our God always accompanies us even if, through misfortune, we were to forget about Him.” In fact, the decisive moment between skepticism and faith is “the discovery of being loved and accompanied by our Father,” the pope said.

Life is a pilgrimage, a journey in which “the seduction of the horizon” is always calling the human “wandering soul,” pushing people to go and explore the unknown, he said. “You do not become mature men and women if you cannot perceive the allure of the horizon – that boundary between heaven and earth that asks to be reached” by those who are on the move.

Christians never feel alone “because Jesus assures us He not only waits for us at the end of our long journey, but accompanies us every day,” even through dark and troubled times, he said.

God will always be concerned and take care of His children, even to the end of all time, he said. “And why does He do this? Quite simply because He loves us.”

So if God has promised “He will never abandon us, if the beginning of every vocation is a ‘Follow me,’ with which He assures us of always staying before us, why be afraid then?” the pope asked. “With this promise, Christians can walk everywhere,” even in the worst, darkest places.

“There is no place in the world that can escape the victory of the risen Christ, the victory of love.”

“St. Catherine of Siena,” a 17th century oil painting

by Baldassare Franceschini

St. Catherine of Siena Feast day: April 29 St. Catherine was a third-order Dominican, peacemaker and counselor to the pope. She single-handedly ended the Avignon exile of the successors of Peter in the 14th century.

Born in Siena, on the feast of the Annunciation, March 25, 1347, Catherine was the 23rd of Jacopo and Lapa Benincasa’s 25 children. Her twin sister died in infancy.

She exhibited an unusually independent character as a child and an exceptionally intense prayer life. When she was 7 years old, she had the first of her mystical visions, in which she saw Jesus surrounded by saints and seated in glory. In the same year she vowed to consecrate her virginity to Christ. When, at the age of 16, her parents decided that she should marry, she cut off her hair to make herself less appealing, and her father, realizing that he couldn’t contend with her resolve, let her have her way.

She joined the Dominican Tertiaries and lived a deep and solitary life of prayer and meditation for the next three years.

She had constant mystical experiences, capped by the end of the three years with an extraordinary union with God granted to only a few mystics, known as “mystical marriage.”

St. Catherine suffered many intense periods of desolation alongside her mystical ecstasies, often feeling totally abandoned

by God. She ended her solitude at this point and began tending to the sick, poor and marginalized, especially lepers. As her reputation for holiness and remarkable personality became known throughout Siena, she attracted a band of disciples, two of whom became her confessors and biographers, and together they served Christ in the poor with even greater ardor.

God called her to a more public life while she was still in her 20s, and she established correspondences with many influential figures, advising and admonishing them and exhorting them to holiness, including the pope himself, who she never hesitated to rebuke when she saw fit.

Great political acts which are attributed to her include achieving peace between the Holy See and Florence who were at war, to convince the pope to return from his Avignon exile, which he did in 1376, and to heal the great schism between the followers of the legitimate pope, Urban VI, and those who opposed him in 1380. She achieved this while on her deathbed.

Her “Dialogues,” one of the classics of Italian literature, are the record of her mystical visions which she dictated in a state of mystical ecstasy.

In 1375, while visiting Pisa, she received the stigmata, even though they never appeared on her body during her lifetime, owing to her request to God. They appeared only on her incorruptible body after her death.

She died in Rome on April 29, 1380, at the age of 33.

She is one of the two patron saints of Italy; the other is St. Francis of Assisi.

— Catholic News Agency

Also online

At www.catholicnewsherald.com: Check out stories of other saints whose feast days are in April, including St. Anselm (April 21), Pope St. Martin I (April 13) and St. Isidore of Seville (April 4).

Your daily Scripture readings APRIL 30-MAY 6

Sunday: Acts 2:14, 22-33, 1 Peter 1:17-21, Luke 24:13-35; Monday (St. Joseph the Worker): Acts 6:8-15, John 6:22-29; Tuesday (St. Athanasius): Acts 7:51—8:1, John 6:3035; Wednesday (Sts. Phillip and James): 1 Corinthians 15:1-8, John 14:6-14; Thursday: Acts 8:26-40, John 6:44-51; Friday: Acts 9:1-20, John 6:52-59; Saturday: Acts 9:31-42, John 6:60-69

MAY 7-13

Sunday: Acts 2:14, 36-41, 1 Peter 2:20-25, John 10:1-10; Monday: Acts 11:1-18, John 10:1118; Tuesday: Acts 11:19-26, John 10:22-30; Wednesday (St. Damien de Veuster): Acts 12:24—13:5, John 12:44-50; Thursday: Acts 13:13-25, John 13:16-20; Friday (Sts. Nereus and Achilleus, St. Pancras): Acts 13:26-33, John 14:1-6; Saturday (Our Lady of Fatima): Acts 13:44-52, John 14:7-14

MAY 14-20

Sunday: Acts 6:1-7, 1 Peter 2:4-9, John 14:112; Monday (St. Isidore): Acts 14:5-18, John 14:21-26; Tuesday: Acts 14:19-28, John 14:27-31; Wednesday: Acts 15:1-6, John 15:1-8; Thursday (St. John I): Acts 15:7-21, John 15:9-11; Friday: Acts 15:22-31, John 15:12-17; Saturday (St. Bernardine of Siena): Acts 16:1-10, John 15:1821

Our parishes

April 28, 2017 | catholicnewsherald.com catholic news heraldI

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Easter: Christ’s gift to us

‘His resurrection is His answer to our cry for help’ SueAnn Howell, Kimberly Bender, Patricia L. Guilfoyle Catholic News Herald

CHARLOTTE — “The risen Christ says apply my victory to each one, and baptize them.”

This was the message proclaimed

by Bishop Peter Jugis April 15 as he celebrated the Easter vigil Mass at St. Patrick Cathedral, which was filled with young and old at dusk to greet the Light of the World.

The liturgy began with the blessing of the Paschal fire and lighting of the Paschal candle at the Marian grotto outside the cathedral. Then hundreds of faithful processed behind Bishop Jugis – candles in hand – into the darkened cathedral to hear the Exsultet chanted.

After the Scripture readings and psalms, the cathedral’s lights were turned on and bells were rung as the faithful sang the Gloria.

“The resurrection of Jesus from the dead – easily the greatest of all the miracles that Jesus performed, raising Himself from the dead,” Bishop Jugis said in his homily. “The Gospel readings give us the eyewitness accounts of those who saw Jesus nailed on to the cross. And then saw Him die on the cross, breathe His last, and then saw Him buried.”

And then the Gospels go on to give the eyewitness accounts who saw the risen Christ with their own eyes, who not only saw Him but spoke with Him, carried on conversations with Him, touched Him with their own hands and ate with Him, Bishop Jugis said.

“The resurrection is real. The eyewitness accounts that we have verify Jesus is risen from the dead. Jesus came to our rescue and He saved us,” he continued in his homily. “We all know what it means to help someone, to come to someone’s rescue.

When someone has been hurt or injured or maybe in distress of any kind. Possibly you’ve had that experience of coming to someone’s rescue.”

Jesus came to our rescue when the whole human race was crying out “Help us, help us. We’re lost. Rescue us from all this sin.

Save us. Rescue us,” Bishop Jugis said.

“He did rescue us, and that is what we are celebrating this evening. He rescued us with His resurrection. He broke the stranglehold that sin and death had upon us, and He gave us new life. His resurrection is His answer to our cry for help. And here it is, the resurrection of Jesus and His promise of our own future resurrection from the dead.”

Christ’s victory over sin and death, through His resurrection, then is transmitted to each one of us through the grace He gives us in baptism.

“Why do we baptize? The answer really easter, SEE page 13

More online At www.catholicnewsherald.com: See more photos from Holy Week and Easter

Photos by Tara Heilingoetter, Patrick Hession, Bill Washington and AMy Burger | Catholic News Herald

(Clockwise from top) Candles are lit during the Easter Vigil Mass at Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Monroe. Father Paul McNulty confirms new members to the Church during the Easter Vigil Mass at St. Mark Church in Huntersville. Parishioners of St. Francis of Assisi Church in Jefferson pray the Way of the Cross in an outdoor prayer garden with Father James Stuhrenberg, pastor. Father John Eckert baptizes a boy during the Easter Vigil Mass at Sacred Heart Church in Salisbury. Monsignor John McSweeney washes feet during the Holy Thursday Mass at St. Matthew Church in Charlotte. Priests venerate the cross on Good Friday at St. Matthew Church.

UPcoming events 4

catholicnewsherald.com | April 28, 2017 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Bishop Peter J. Jugis will participate in the following upcoming events: April 28 – 6 p.m.

Sacrament of Confirmation St. John the Evangelist Church, Waynesville and St. Margaret of Scotland Church, Maggie Valley April 30 – 9:30 a.m.

Diocesan Youth Conference Closing Mass Ridgecrest Conference Center, Black Mountain

May 1 – 6 p.m.

Sacrament of Confirmation Immaculate Heart of Mary Church, High Point

May 6 – 5:30 p.m.

Sacrament of Confirmation Holy Cross Church, Kernersville

May 3 – 6 p.m.

Sacrament of Confirmation St. Philip Church, Statesville

May 8 – 9 a.m.

Holy Mass St. Patrick Cathedral, Charlotte

May 5 – 10 A.M. Holy Mass Christ the King High School, Huntersville

May 9 – 11 a.m.

Presbyteral Council Meeting Pastoral Center, Charlotte

Evening Novenas: Every Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. at Christ the King Church, 1505 East Kivett Dr., High Point. All are invited to pray the Novena to Our Lady of Perpetual Help. Join them in praying for the needs of your families and for our hurting world. For details, call the parish at 336-883-0244.

director. For details, go to www.ccdoc.org/education.

RSVP by May 15 to jtpurello@charlottediocese.org.

Sponsored by Catholic Charities and the diocesan African American Affairs Ministry.

Diocesan calendar of events April 28, 2017

ENTERTAINMENT

Volume 26 • Number 15

Spring Fling for SEniors: 9 a.m. Tuesday, May 16, at St. Matthew Church, 8015 Ballantyne Commons Pkwy., Charlotte. Group entertainment and crafts. Lunch provided. Mass celebrated at 3 p.m. To register, call Sandra Breakfield at 704-370-3220. Sponsored by the Diocese of Charlotte Elder Ministry.

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

‘Liberating a Continent – John Paul II and the Fall of Communism’ documentary: 6:30 p.m.

Saturday, May 20, Room D of the Ministry Center at St. Gabriel Church, 3016 Providence Road, Charlotte.

Discussion and light refreshments afterwards. Organized

by UNC-Charlotte faculty members Dr. Dean Hoffman and Dr. Kamila Valenta. For details, email dhoffman@uncc.edu or kvalenta@uncc.edu.

STAFF EDITOR: Patricia L. Guilfoyle 704-370-3334, plguilfoyle@charlottediocese.org

NATURAL Family Planning

ADVERTISING MANAGER: Kevin Eagan 704-370-3332, keeagan@charlottediocese.org

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

Saturday, May 20, at St. Matthew Church, 8015 Ballantyne Commons Pkwy., Charlotte. Topics include: effectiveness of modern NFP, health risks of popular contraceptives and what the Church teaches about responsible parenting. Sponsored by Catholic Charities Diocese of Charlotte. RSVP to Batrice Adcock, MSN, RN, at 704-3703230.

SENIOR REPORTER: SueAnn Howell 704-370-3354, sahowell@charlottediocese.org Online reporter: Kimberly Bender 704-808-7341, kdbender@charlottediocese.org Hispanic communications reporter: Rico De Silva, 704-370-3375, rdesilva@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.

PRAYER SERVICES & Groups First African Community Mass: 3 p.m. Saturday, April 29, Daily Mass Chapel at St. Matthew Church, 8015 Ballantyne Commons Pkwy., Charlotte. Father Casmir Maduakor, from Nigeria, will celebrate the Mass, which will incorporate aspects of many African cultures.

Fellowship afterwards in the banquet room. For details, contact Anne Ibekwe at 609-792-1115.

Pro-Life Rosary: 9 a.m. Saturday, May 6, at 901 North Main St. and Sunset Dr., High Point. Outdoors, rain or shine. Parking available nearby. Come to pray for the end of abortion. For details, call Jim Hoyng at 336-882-9593 or Paul Klosterman at 336-848-6835.

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.

Charlotte Catholic Women’s Group Spring Reflection and Luncheon: 9 a.m. Monday, May 8, St. Patrick Cathedral, 1621 Dilworth Road East, Charlotte.

Mass will be celebrated by Bishop Peter Jugis. A reflection by Father Timothy Reid will begin at 10:30 a.m. in the Family Life Center. Luncheon will follow the talk. To RSVP, visit www.charlottecatholicwomensgroup.org.

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

CHARLOTTE Maronite Mission: Masses are offered every Sunday at 12:30 p.m. at St. Matthew Church’s Waxhaw Campus, 4116 Waxhaw-Marvin Road, Waxhaw. The Maronite Mission of Charlotte is an Eastern rite Catholic Church in full communion with the pope.

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.

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 parish office at 828-926-0106.

Men’s Prayer Group: 7:30-8 a.m. Thursdays at St. Patrick Cathedral, 1621 Dilworth Road East, Charlotte.

Join Father Christopher Roux, rector and pastor, and other area Catholic men for Sunday Gospel meditations, the rosary and fellowship. For details, call the parish office at 704-334-2283.

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: CHARLOTTE: 6:30 p.m. Monday, May 15, St. John Neumann Church, 8451 Idlewild Road GREENSBORO: 9 a.m. Saturday, May 6, at St. Benedict Church, 109 West Smith St. SALISBURY: 9 a.m. Saturday, April 29, Sacred Heart School, 385 Lumen Christi Lane SEMINARs IMMIGRATION 101 WORKSHOP: 1- 2:30 p.m., at St. Eugene Church, 72 Culvern St., Asheville. Presented by lawyers Jen Riddle and Natalie Teague. For details, call the parish office at 828-254-5193.

FRee EState Planning Seminar: 6:30-8 p.m.

Wednesday, May 17, at the Diocesan Pastoral Center, 1123 S. Church St., Charlotte. Attendees will learn about wills, trusts, powers of attorney, probate, bequests and other planned gifts, as well as Catholic teaching on end-oflife issues. Attorney Christian Cherry with Grier Furr & Crisp will present legal information. His presentation will include Q&A. Provided by the diocesan planned giving office. Parking is free and light refreshments will be served. For details, contact Judy Smith at jmsmith@ charlottediocese.org or call 704-370-3320.

‘The Intersection of Poverty, Race, and Wealth in America’: 7-8:30 p.m. Thursday, May 18, at St. Eugene Church, 72 Culvern St., Asheville. Bilingual talk

by Ralph McCloud, director of the Catholic Campaign for Human Development, For details, go to www. ccdoc.org/education. RSVP by May 15 to nphaskell@ charlottediocese.org. Sponsored by Catholic Charities and the diocesan African American Affairs Ministry.

‘The Intersection of Poverty, Race, and Wealth, and Health Outcomes in America – A Review of Current Data and Research’: 9:30 a.m.-1 p.m.

Saturday, May 20, at St. Gabriel Church, 3016 Providence Road, Charlotte. Talk by Ralph McCloud, director of the Catholic Campaign for Human Development, and Joseph Purello, Catholic Charities Social Concerns and Advocacy

SUPPORT GROUPS Shining Stars Adult day respite: Meets on Mondays and Wednesdays at St. Gabriel Church, 3016 Providence Road, Charlotte. Shining Stars is a nonprofit adult day respite program for members of the community with early to moderate Alzheimer’s disease. For details, call Suzanne Bach at 704-335-0253 Alzheimer’s Caregiver and Family Support Group: Meets the first Monday of the month, 6:30-8 p.m., in Family Center Room 203 at St. Mark Church, 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.

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” 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/St-Peters-Catholic-Young-Adult-MinistryCharlotte-NC. St. Thomas Aquinas Church: online at “Aquinas’ Finest,” www.stacharlotte.com/finest.

St. Mark Church in Huntersville: online at www. meetup.com/St-Mark-Catholic-Church-Youth-AdultMinistry/ Holy Spirit Church in Denver: call Nicole Lehman, 704-607-5207.

Is your PARISH OR SCHOOL hosting a free event open to the public? Deadline for all submissions is 10 days prior to desired publication date. Submit in writing to catholicnews@charlottediocese.org.

April 28, 2017 | catholicnewsherald.com

OUR PARISHESI

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National Mother’s Day collection to ‘crown’ Mary’s Shrine

Sister Veronica Grover, SHCJ, passes away at 87

WASHINGTON, D.C. — On Mother’s Day, May 14, a special one-time second collection will take place in parishes across the United States to raise funds for the Trinity Dome, the final project to complete the nation’s preeminent Marian shrine and patronal church, oftentimes affectionately referred to as “America’s Catholic church.”

The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception is the largest Roman Catholic Church in the United States and North America, and one of the 10 largest churches in the world.

Designated by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops as a National Sanctuary of Prayer and Pilgrimage, the basilica is dedicated to the patroness of the United States – the Blessed Virgin Mary under her title of the Immaculate Conception.

The Trinity Dome National Collection offers the faithful a unique opportunity to leave a lasting legacy by contributing to the completion of Mary’s Shrine, thereby honoring their Catholic heritage and entrusting themselves and their families to the Mother of God. The Trinity Dome is the central and largest dome of the National Shrine. This “Crowning Jewel” will be adorned in mosaic according to the original iconographic scheme of the Great Upper Church and will depict the Most Holy Trinity, the Blessed Virgin Mary as the Immaculate Conception, and a procession of saints who have an association with the U.S. and the National Shrine.

The procession of saints includes, among others, St. Juan Diego (the first canonized male Native American), St. Kateri Tekakwitha (the first canonized female Native American), St. Teresa of Calcutta (an honorary American citizen), St. Francis Cabrini, M.S.C. (the first U.S. citizen to be canonized), St. John Paul II (the first pope to visit the National Shrine), and St. Junípero Serra (declared a saint by Pope Francis at the National Shrine in 2015, the first canonization ever to take place on American soil).

The text of the Nicene Creed will encircle the base of the dome and the dome’s four pendentives, or vaulted corners, will feature the four Evangelists: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.

During his visit to the basilica on Sept. 23, 2015, Pope Francis blessed the preliminary segment of mosaic created for the Trinity Dome containing the words of the beginning and end of the Nicene Creed: “I believe in one God” and “Amen.”

The basilica was also visited by Pope Benedict XVI, St. John Paul II, and St. Teresa of Calcutta, among others. The basilica, though distinctly American, rivals the great sanctuaries of Europe and the world.

Byzantine-Romanesque in style, its massive, one-of-a-kind superstructure is home to over 80 chapels and oratories that relate to the peoples, cultures and traditions that are the fabric of the Catholic faith and the mosaic of our great nation. The basilica also houses the largest collection of contemporary ecclesiastical art on earth.

Open 365 days a year, the basilica is host to nearly one million visitors annually, attracting pilgrims and tourists alike from across the country and around the world.

All of the proceeds from the special collection on May 14 will go towards completing the Trinity Dome.

— The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception

Teacher, administrator, author, pastoral assistant

Photo provided by Peggy Gibbons

St. Vincent De Paul students proudly display their newly-crafted lap quilts in front of the Ministry Center Chapel. Pictured are Jose Mata Esqueda, Nataline Suaris, Susan Morales, Jessica Garcia Lopez, Edward Haro, Jaime Alipzar, Emily Morales and Juan Dios Lopez. Not pictured are quilting team instructors Drenna Hannon and Imelda Panzer.

Love sewn into every stitch St. Vincent de Paul youth complete ninth annual ‘Quilts of Love’ project Peggy Gibbons Special to the Catholic News Herald

CHARLOTTE — St. Vincent de Paul Church’s usually quiet Ministry Center Assembly Room was anything but quiet in April as sewing machines hummed and students began the annual “Quilts of Love” project.

Thanks to support from the pastor Father Mark Lawlor, the parish’s faith formation staff, donations from parishioners, an excellent team of volunteers, and the enthusiasm of faith formation students, 12 one-of-a-kind lap quilts were crafted over two Saturdays earlier this month.

The annual project serves both as a Lenten outreach program for the parish and as a way for students to earn service hours. Since the program began nine years ago, students have created and delivered more than 180 quilts to parishioners in the Charlotte area.

The quilts were blessed at the 11:30 a.m. Mass on Divine Mercy Sunday, April 23, by Father Lawlor. Following the blessing, each quilt was packaged in a gift bag along with a bottle of holy water, a rosary, prayer cards, a handwritten “Story of the Quilt” by the student, a history of the project, a parish bulletin and other religious information. Students then surprised the recipients by personally delivering their quilts following the Mass.

Each nine-block lap quilt consists of a white 12-inch-by-12-inch center block bearing a Christian symbol drawn by the student. The students then select eight more similarly-sized blocks from a wide variety of colored and patterned cloth.

Once the nine blocks are sewn together, a different cloth color and pattern are chosen to create a four-inch border around the perimeter of the quilt. To complete the quilt, a fleece backing is added to provide the warmth and weight of the quilt.

To keep the quilt top and bottom from separating when laundering, the quilt is “tied” down at the four corners of the center block.

Quilts were delivered to parishioners in nursing homes, the homebound, people in rehabilitation or hospitalized, or otherwise identified by the parish to receive a quilt.

ROSEMONT, Pa. – Sister Veronica Grover, a Sister of the Holy Child Jesus for 66 years, died April 11, 2017, at Holy Child Center in Rosemont, Pa. She was 87.

A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated Thursday, April 20, 2017, at New Sharon Chapel in Rosemont. Interment was at Calvary Cemetery in West Conshohocken, Pa. Born Feb. 16, 1930, and raised in West Philadelphia, Sister Veronica was the daughter of Catherine (Reddy) Grover and James Grover. Her mother was born in Donegal, Ireland, and came to America at the age of 17. Her father was the son of Irish immigrants and attended St. James School in Philadelphia, where he was taught by Holy Child Sisters.

In 1940, the family faced considerable challenges when Sister Veronica’s father suffered a heart attack. She never forgot the love and devotion that her mother gave to her invalid husband. At her father’s wake two years later, Sister Veronica met the Holy Child Sisters for the first time.

They were from West Catholic Girls’ High School. She was struck by their compassion as they listened to her mother share details of her husband’s suffering. Sister Veronica experienced this same humanity and compassion when she attended West Catholic. These qualities drew her to enter the Society of the Holy Child Jesus after high school graduation. She made her final vows in 1955 and became well known by her religious name Mother Mary Agnese.

Sister Veronica’s first nine years of teaching were spent in St. Mary School in Melrose, Mass.; St. James School in Philadelphia; Our Lady of Lourdes School in New York City; and St. Edward School in Philadelphia. After receiving a Master of Arts in history from Villanova University in 1959, she began teaching history at West Catholic. As an alumna, she was excited to be on the faculty which included 21 Holy Child Sisters. She enjoyed her 13 years teaching there during which she witnessed many changes – Vatican II, the civil rights movement and the Vietnam War. Sister Veronica introduced African-American history into the school’s curriculum and attended workshops on race relations. Her strong commitment to social justice and peace stemmed from these years. She also organized a committee to educate the Holy Child Sisters on justice and peace issues.

In 1971, Sister Veronica started teaching at John W. Hallahan Girls’ Catholic High School, where she introduced an alternative program promoting race relations. The year 1976 marked a decisive point in her ministry as she began to work for the National Catholic Education Association as director of the newly-established Office for Justice and Peace Education. With Dominican Brother Edward van Merrienboer, she developed the first curriculum for justice and peace education titled “Seeking A Just GROVER, SEE page 13

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catholicnewsherald.com | April 28, 2017 OUR PARISHES

Photos provided by Marjorie Storch

(Left) Walk for AIDS Participants are led by members of Our Lady of Guadalupe Church carrying the Walk banner.

(Above) Approximately 300 people participated in House of Mercy’s 2017 Walk for AIDS.

House of Mercy’s Walk for AIDS raises $47,717 to support low-income residents living with AIDS BELMONT — House of Mercy, a nonprofit residence serving low-income persons living with AIDS, held its 24th Annual Walk for AIDS April 22. Approximately 300 people participated in the walk on a beautiful spring morning to raise AIDS awareness and funds to benefit House of Mercy.

Stan Patterson, House of Mercy’s president and CEO, welcomed participants and introduced guest speakers Maggie Baucom, House of Mercy’s board chair, and Sister of Mercy Jill Weber, also a member of the board. Both spoke about the impact House of Mercy has made with the help of community support. House of Mercy has been home to 327 men and women living with AIDS. Members of Our Lady of Guadalupe Church of Charlotte carried the Walk banner for the three-mile walk.

Following the walk through downtown Belmont, participants gathered on the House of Mercy grounds for a picnic lunch. DJ Buddy Love provided music and inspiration for dancing. Stan Patterson announced $47,717 was raised – surpassing the $41,500 goal and setting a Walk for AIDS record.

Prizes were awarded to Team Maggie (Board Chair Maggie Baucom) for top fundraising

team, who raised $10,000; Our Lady of Guadalupe Church for second-place team, for raising $6,038; and Team Palmer (Board Secretary Ellen Palmer) for third-place team, for raising $1,740. Chantelle Hurst was the top individual fundraiser, Alonza Jones was the second-place individual fundraiser and Margaret Mayes was the third-place finisher.

This year’s Walk for AIDS sponsors were St. Matthew Church in Charlotte, Family of Doug Newton, Wells Fargo, RK T-Shirts, WSGE 91.7 FM, St. Gabriel Church of Charlotte, SmartWay, EMD Serono, Rodgers Builders, Gilead, CaroMont Health, BNC Bank, Our Lady of Guadalupe Church and St. Aloysius Church of Hickory.

Patterson also thanked all the community partners who have supported House of Mercy since it opened on May 18, 1991.

“With your generous support, we set a Walk for AIDS fundraising record of $47,717 raised,” he said. “These funds will help provide a home and care for low-income persons living with AIDS at House of Mercy. Together we have significantly changed the lives of hundreds of residents and their loved ones. Thank you!”

— Marjorie Storch

For the latest news 24/7: catholicnewsherald.com

Anyone working in Church ministry is welcome, but space is limited to 75 people at each location, so pre-registration is required

by Monday, May 15. Email Rosheene Adams, director of the diocesan African American Affairs Ministry, at rosheeneadams@gmail.com, with the event you want to attend, your contact information, diocesan/parish affiliation, and any food restrictions you have. Lunch will be provided.

— Joseph Purello

In Brief Pastor talks about conversion CHARLOTTE — Father Timothy Reid, pastor of St. Ann Church in Charlotte, was the featured guest on the EWTN program “The Journey Home” April 24. The program features lengthy interviews with host Marcus Grodi and Catholic converts.

Raised a Methodist, Father Reid’s conversion story began in college when he decided he wanted to know God better. His faith journey took him through Christian fundamentalism where he Reid developed some antipathy toward Catholics. Eventually the study of the history of Christianity led to his conversion to Catholicism and ordination in 2004. The program can be viewed on www.ewtn. org.

Workshops to build intercultural competence in ministry being held in Charlotte, Winston-Salem The Diocesan African American Affairs

Talks about poverty and race to be held in Asheville, Charlotte Patricia L. Guilfoyle | Catholic News Herald

Five Scouts from St. Leo Church earn Pillars of Faith Award MIDLAND — Nearly 500 young people and adults from 21 parishes attended the Diocese of Charlotte’s annual Catholic Camporee March 31-April 2 at Belk Scout Camp. At this year’s Camporee, a record number of five Boy Scouts – Nicolas Martinez, Christopher Day, Zeke Adams, Franklin Burgess and Nathan Russell – received the Pillars of Faith Award for having earned all four Catholic religious emblems (the Light of Christ, Parvuli Dei, Ad Altare Dei and the Pope Pius XII). All five are members of Troop 958 from St. Leo the Great Church in Winston-Salem.

Ministry and Catholic Charities are working together to offer Lunch & Learn workshops on Friday, May 19, in Charlotte and Winston-Salem to assist those involved in Church ministries to “Build Intercultural Competence.”

The Charlotte workshop will be held 9:3011:30 a.m. at the Diocesan Pastoral Center, 1123 S. Church S., and the Winston-Salem workshop will be held 2-4 p.m. at Catholic Charities’ new location at 1612 East 14th St., N.E. Donna Toliver Grimes, assistant director for

African American Affairs for the U.S. Catholic Conference of Bishops, will present both workshops.

This workshop, using content developed by the USCCB, is designed to help those involved in Church ministry to raise their awareness in the area of intercultural competency through guidelines recommended by the bishops’ Committee on Cultural Diversity in the Church.

This workshop is for people of every cultural, ethnic or racial group in the Church.

Ralph McCloud, director of the Catholic Campaign for Human Development, will speak about “The Intersection of Poverty, Race, and Wealth in America” from 7 to 8:30 p.m.

Thursday, May 18, at St. Eugene Church, located at 72 Culvern St. in Asheville. This is a bilingual event, offered in English and Spanish. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.

Joseph Purello, director of Catholic Charities’ Social Concerns and Advocacy office, will join McCloud for a related talk two days later at St. Gabriel Church in Charlotte. They will speak on “The Intersection of Poverty, Race, and Wealth, and Health Outcomes in America – A Review of Current Data and Research” from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, May 20, at St. Gabriel Church, located at 3016 Providence Road in Charlotte.

RSVP to these events, which are sponsored

by Catholic Charities Diocese of Charlotte and the diocesan African American Affairs Ministry,

by Monday, May 15. Go to www.ccdoc.org/ education for details.

facebook.com/ catholic news HERALD ESPAÑOL

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April 28, 2017 | catholicnewsherald.com

Conmemorando el sacrificio de Cristo

FOTOS DE Bill Washington | Catholic News Herald

SALISBURY — Feligreses participan en la Via Crusis en la Iglesia de Sacred Heart.

BOONVILLE — El Padre José Enrique GonzálezGaytan lava los pies de los feligreses el Jueves Santo en la Iglesia Divine Redeemer.

FRANKLIN — ­ El juicio de Cristo representado durante una Estación viva de la Cruz en la Iglesia St. Francis of Assisi.

Vickie Provost | Catholic News Herald

BOONVILLE — Una cruz de palma se sostiene en alto durante la procesión en el comienzo de la misa en la Iglesia Divine Redeemer el Domingo de palma.

FOREST CITY — La Veneración de la Cruz y las estaciones de la Cruz se celebraron al aire libre por la comunidad hispana el Viernes Santo en la Iglesia Immaculate Conception.

Giuliana Polinari Riley | Catholic News Herald

Más en línea

FOTOS DE Sergio Lopez | Catholic News Herald

En www. catholicnewsherald.com: Ver más fotos de Semana Santa y Pascua

Our schools 8

catholicnewsherald.com | April 28, 2017 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

For the latest news 24/7: catholicnewsherald.com

In Brief Charlotte Catholic senior nominated for appointment to U.S. Naval Academy CHARLOTTE — Charlotte Catholic High School senior Nicholas Derrico has been offered an appointment to the U.S. Naval Academy with the Class of 2021. Derrico received two nominations to be considered for an appointment to the Naval Academy. U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis and Congressman Robert Pittenger, representing the 9th Congressional District of North Carolina, presented him with nomination letters last fall.

At Charlotte Catholic, Derrico is an outstanding and well-rounded student, participating in athletics, holding leadership positions and working a part-time job as well.

He was the only junior to start on the school’s 2016 4A State Champion football team. To his teachers, he is known as a student who enjoys good discussions, who seeks to broaden his own views, who helps other students, and who asks questions to probe more deeply into the issues.

“Nick is a man you would want on your team, whether athletic or academic,” said Karen Grauman, director of counseling services at the high school. “I know that our military will be better with a man like Nicholas Derrico in it.” ­— Carolyn Kramer Tillman

Photo provided by Lucy Torres

Catholic Homeschool Class of 2017 high school graduates The following students graduated this year from various homeschooling programs in the Diocese of Charlotte: Luke Joseph Martin of St. Patrick’s Academy; Stephen Elijah Grant of Holy Family Academy; John Joseph Grant of Holy Family Academy; Joseph Michael Torres of Mother of Divine Grace School; Timothy Joseph Blatchford of St. Michael’s Academy Homeschool; Jacqueline Marie Adams of Kolbe Academy; Catherine Rose Yellico of Mother of Divine Grace School; Virginia Marie Ohlhaut of Queen of the Most Holy Rosary Homeschool; and Justin Joseph Peetz of Holy Family Homeschool. Congratulations, graduates!

Charlotte Catholic debate, speech team brings home more awards CHARLOTTE — Charlotte Catholic High School’s Debate and Speech Team was named runner-up (second place) in the North Carolina State Championship. The team also earned third place in the Steven Davis Award of Excellence in Debate.

Thirty-seven members of the Charlotte Catholic High School Debate and Speech Team were selected to compete in the 40th Tarheel Forensic League state championship tournament April 1-2 at Southview High School and Southview Middle School in Fayetteville.

More than 575 students from 34 schools across North Carolina competed.

The following members received individual debate awards: n David Edwards: second place, Junior Varsity Lincoln-Douglas n Caleb Schilly and Charles Haltiwanger: second place, Junior Varsity Public Forum n Jack Kelly and David Williams: Junior Varsity Lincoln-Douglas Quarter-Finalist

n TJ DiVittorio and Joe Dicristo: Junior Varsity Public Forum Quarter-Finalist n Paul Gennett and Kendyl James: Varsity Public Forum Octa-Finalist n Austin Franks and Louis Ciano: Junior Varsity Lincoln-Douglas Octa-Finalist n AJ Sciacca and Omeed Arooji: Junior Varsity Public Forum Octa-Finalist n Ramsey White and Elizabeth Gregory: Junior Varsity Public Forum Octa-Finalist n Will McKane and Fletcher Curran: Junior Varsity Public Forum Double Octa-Finalist The following members received individual speech awards: n Darlene Singui-Tanyi: Program Oral Interpretation State Champion and third place in Dramatic Interpretation n Uwa Akhere: Second place in Dramatic Interpretation and semi-finalist in Humorous Interpretation n Emily Ford: Semi-finalist in Humorous Interpretation and quarter-finalist in Impromptu Speaking n Myia Legrande: Semi-finalist in Dramatic Interpretation and quarter-finalist in Program Oral Interpretation n Brenna McBride: Semi-finalist in Dramatic Interpretation n Samantha Pean, Mariana Rodriguez and Kathryn Barnabei: Semi-finalists in Declamation — Mary A. Morales and Carolyn Kramer Tillman

CCHS Speech and Debate head coach earns national, state recognition CHARLOTTE — The head coach of Charlotte

Catholic High School’s Debate and Speech Team has received national and state recognition for her efforts and dedication. Mary A. Morales recently was awarded the Diamond Coach Award, her first, by the National Speech and Debate Association. She also was named the Carolina West District Coach of the Year.

Coaches earn distinction in the NSDA through team participation, student achievement, public service and leadership work.

To earn a Diamond Award, Morales a coach must be a member of the NSDA for at least five years. Coaches earn additional Diamond levels based upon the points they receive in the Honor Society. A coach who attains 1,500 points is awarded a first Diamond Award. Coaches with 3,000 points are awarded a second Diamond Award, and so on.

Winning coaches will be recognized at the world’s largest academic competition, the National Speech and Debate Tournament, which will be held this June in Birmingham, Alabama.

More than 7,000 students, coaches, and parents from across the country attend the National Tournament each year.

The National Speech and Debate Association is the largest interscholastic speech and debate organization, serving middle school, high school and collegiate students in the United States for the past 90 years.

It provides competitive speech and debate activities, high-quality resources, comprehensive training, scholarship opportunities and advanced recognition to more

than 150,000 students and coaches every year. ­— Carolyn Kramer Tillman

OLG students celebrate Multicultural Day GREENSBORO — Kindergarten students at Our Lady of Grace School recently celebrated Multicultural Day. This class pictured above learned about Australia.

— Aphton K. Lang

Frassati Friends tours military park GREENSBORO — Children from Frassati BRIEFS, SEE page 9

April 28, 2017 | catholicnewsherald.com catholic news heraldI

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BRIEFS FROM PAGE 8

Friends, a Catholic homeschooling group in the Greensboro area, recently toured the Guilford Courthouse National Military Park in Greensboro. Named after Blessed Pier Frassati, Frassati Friends meets every Wednesday for a couple of hours in a local park for play, prayer and lunch. For details about the group, contact Emily Ayala at ayalasgolf@gmail.com or 336686-7858.

Charlotte Catholic photography students earn national awards CHARLOTTE — Two Visual Arts students from Charlotte Catholic High School recently received prestigious national awards through the Scholastic Art Awards competition. Senior Bella Garner and sophomore Perris Bowling were awarded Silver Medals in the National Scholastic Art and Writing Awards competition.

In the 2017 Mid-Carolinas Regional competition, Bowling’s and Garner’s photographic printmaking received Gold Key Awards. Gold Key recipients automatically advance to the national competition. Of the 1,800 Mid-Carolinas Gold Key recipients, only 37 students received national awards.

“Perris and Bella are among the top one percent of Scholastic Art award recipients in 2017 – nationally,” said photography teacher

Joann Keane. “Photographic printmaking is one of the more recent photographic processes introduced at CCHS. Photography is everevolving as technology advances rapidly and in so many directions. In this fast-paced digital world, to see students gravitate to photoartistic opportunities that utilize more hands-on methods is amazing and gratifying.”

“And, thanks to the generosity of the CCHS Foundation, we’ve been able to expand photographic printmaking opportunities, utilizing grant funds for both a wider format dye sublimation printer and larger press,” she added.

Garner and Bowling are the second and third National Scholastic Art Award recipients in the history of Charlotte Catholic. In 2015, Maddie Susi received a National Gold for her photography. In an interesting twist, Garner’s printmaking image is a photo of Maddie.

“Bella and Paris have made us all very proud,” said Principal Kurt Telford. “To see them honored in the top 1 percent nationally is just terrific.” ­— Carolyn Kramer Tillman We welcome your school’s news! Please email news items and photos to catholicnews@charlottediocese.org.

Stewardship Uniquely Honors Our Parents

Photo provided by Tammy Eason and Sheila Levesque

Rolling the dice to raise money for school GASTONIA — St. Michael School recently hosted a fundraiser auction and benefit, with the theme of the evening being “Diamond Jubilee” in honor of the school’s 75th anniversary this year. The event, held at the Gastonia Conference Center, attracted more than 250 people. Money raised from the event will be used to enhance educational opportunities for the school.

Let your Catholic Voice be heard Join Catholic Voice NC. CatholicVoiceNC.org

No membership fees Receive legislative email alerts

To celebrate Mother’s Day on May 14 and Father’s Day on June 18 consider honoring your parents with a stewardship gift to the church. This can be done through an endowment at your parish, or by establishing an endowment through the diocese for your parish that will forever bear your family’s name.

To receive the free brochure, A Simple Guide to Gift Planning, contact: Ray-Eric Correia, Director of Planned Giving, at 704-370-3364 or recorreia@charlottediocese.org

CATHOLIC VOICE NC www.CatholicVoiceNC.org

The non-partisan voice of North Carolina’s Catholic leaders

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iiiApril 28, 2017 | catholicnewsherald.com

FROM TH

Catholic Charities Week

May 1-6: Strengthening families, building communities, reducing poverty

I

NEW CENTRAL REGION OFFICE PLANNED We are very excited that the agency is expanding to open a new regional office. The Central office will coordinate the efforts of Catholic Charities’ services to ensure that they reach the people in need in: Alexander, Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Burke, Caldwell, Catawba, Cleveland, Iredell, McDowell, Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford, Rowan, Watauga, and Wilkes counties.

We have spent the past 10 months meeting with pastors, parish staff, service leaders and community leaders to gain insight on the region that would help to determine the immediate services that will be offered. We expect a physical regional office to be open in Catawba County by this summer.

Initial core services will be a Wee Care Shoppe, immigration services and the coordination of intentional and needed support for parish outreach services that already serve the poor and vulnerable.

Parishes in the region are already providing incredible supportive services to people in need, so we would like to help parish efforts and offer whatever support is needed. Because the region covers such a large geographic area, we fully expect to open satellite offices that will prevent people from driving over an hour to reach one of our offices. We have a two- and a five-year plan for the continual growth in services in the area. The office is working with staff from other agency services including Advocacy and Social Concerns, Respect Life and Elder Ministry to make sure those services reach the

n his Easter “Urbi et Orbi” message, Pope Francis reminded Christians, “In every human situation, marked by frailty, sin and death, the Good News is no mere matter of words, but a testimony to unconditional and faithful love: it is about leaving ourselves behind and encountering others, being close to those crushed by life’s troubles, sharing with the needy, standing at the side of the sick, elderly and the outcast.”

Catholic Charities Diocese of Charlotte endeavors to accompany those persons in need of assistance in just such a way.

“Our program participants come from different places and different faith experiences but they found a home here at Catholic Charities,” says Dr. Gerard Carter, executive director of Catholic Charities Diocese of Charlotte.

“We are humbled that they placed their trust in this faith community to be that source of help and support. They knew they could turn to us, the Church and all the people of goodwill, who they discovered would accept and assist them with dignity and respect.”

Last year, more than 500 volunteers offered their time and talent to assist an array of program participants. “If we had to replace our volunteers with paid staff, we’d have to hire an additional 15 full-time employees,” Carter noted.

“But it’s more than just the nearly $700,000 saved through volunteers. What is equally important is that so many people of goodwill here throughout the diocese are putting their faith into action to make this world even a bit better for those in need.”

“Thank you so much for partnering with Catholic Charities, so that many wonderful people see that they’re not alone and abandoned in the world. That the world is still a place where there are faith-filled people who genuinely care, with a care that cuts across all of the divisions in our world. And those people who genuinely care are you.

“Thank you.”

parishioners within the Central counties.

To make such a large effort successful, volunteers are needed to launch services.

If you are interested in volunteering, receiving the region’s monthly newsletter or learning more about services, call 828270-3067 or email me at dcbullard@charlottediocese.org.

— Diane Bullard, Central Region director

As we imagine the possible new ways we can positively impact the lives of the people we serve, we see a bright future for Catholic Charities in the Piedmont Triad Region.

— Becky DuBois, acting director, Piedmont Triad Office

NEW PIEDMONT TRIAD OFFICE OPENS After nearly 27 years at the current location on West Second Street, the Piedmont Triad Office’s move to a new location will bring all staff and services under one roof rather than spread across three buildings. The new office includes a larger food pantry, more space for the Wee Care Shoppe and ample space for food pantry clients to wait inside, and it locates all staff in the same area of the building. Although the staff have worked well together, locating staff offices together will facilitate greater coordination of services to better serve the needs of people and families served by Catholic Charities.

The new office provides the space for staff to focus on the future and provides opportunities for expansion of services or the development of new services and programs that will transform the lives of people we serve. The increase in space will allow the office to provide more food for more families in need, more baby clothes for more families with limited incomes, and more case management services to strengthen and stabilize families.

TRANSITION OUT OF POVERTY PROGRAM UPDATE

The Transition Out of Poverty program has assisted more than 50 households with intensive case management services in the past year. Many participants have moved toward stability in the five focus areas of housing, income, food, health care and education. We have been able to join with community partners to provide services that address the challenges the participants face. Participants report having one-on-one engagements with their social worker has helped them to set and reach their goals. This has been accomplished through the collaborative efforts of our program participants, case managers and community partnerships.

TOP is making a true difference and is helping to transform lives.

— Sharon Davis, Social Work/Program Assurance director At www.ccdoc.org: Learn how you can make a difference as a volunteer or help fund these life-changing programs!

HE COVER

,

April 28, 2017 | catholicnewsherald.comiii

Marriage

784 618

20,205 clients served

Preparation Clients

Natural Family Planning Clients

415

volunteers contributed

27,637

117 dignified burials

hours

2,510

Social Concerns Education & Respect Life

counseling sessions to clients

354

event participants

190 services to 55

2016

Far West Families First

14 households

20

13,085

food pantry clients provided with 438,675 pounds of food and pounds of non-food supplies

13,285

2,403 bags of clothing to 731households 846

clients received Direct Assistance

pregnancy support clients

& individuals received 57 families adoption services parenting 50 teenmothers and fathers

Holiday Assistance provided to households

528

Get Involved

Refugees served

421 Resettled 425 Assisted 258 Employed 94 Apartments setup

957 Elder Ministry clients 364

Annual Report

Youths in Crisis

served

2,807

553

Learn more about Catholic Charities at ccdoc.org to volunteer, donate, and support local offices to help strengthen families, build communities, and reduce poverty in the Diocese of Charlotte.

Immigration services CCDOC.ORG

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Mix 12

catholicnewsherald.com | April 28, 2017 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

For the latest movie reviews: catholicnewsherald.com

In theaters

student (Oscar Isaac) falls for an artist and fellow Armenian (Charlotte Le Bon) who is seeing a firebrand American journalist (Christian Bale). As Turkey enters World War I and embarks on a campaign of ethnic cleansing, the pair faces arrest, prison and, potentially, death. So, too, does the reporter after he attempts to inform the world of the killings. Remarkable courage, perseverance and their unwavering Christian faith sustain the survivors against all odds. Given its potential to raise awareness of a historical tragedy, the film is probably acceptable for mature adolescents. Scenes of wartime atrocities and violence, a nongraphic, brief crude language.

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

‘Gifted’

‘The Promise’ The relatively little-known 1915-22 genocide of the Armenian people by the Ottoman Turks is brought into sharp focus in this epic drama. Director and co-writer, Terry George melds an important history lesson with a tender love story. In 1914 Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul), an idealistic medical

A 7-year-old math prodigy (McKenna Grace) gets caught up in a custody battle between the easygoing uncle (Chris Evans) by whom she has been raised since her mother committed suicide during her infancy and her hard-driving grandmother (Lindsay Duncan). At issue is the degree to which she should forsake a normal life to concentrate on her studies. Director Marc Webb’s endearing and well-acted drama, which also features Jenny Slate as the girl’s caring teacher, is briefly marred by the young heroine’s exposure to the aftermath of a bedroom encounter and her use of a vulgar expression. Though fleeting, these elements of Tom Flynn’s script, together with some other adult fare, make what might have been a family-friendly movie into one exclusively suitable for grown-ups and perhaps older teens.

Mature references, including a suicide theme, a couple of uses each of crude and crass language.

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

Do you have a car sitting in a driveway catching leaves? Maybe it will not start or needs a major repair. Catholic Charities benefits from the donation of your vehicle. Donate your vehicle and receive a tax benefit!

Call 1-855-930-GIVE today!

CCDOC.ORG

On TV n Friday, April 28, 6:30 p.m. (EWTN) “Celebrating the Spirit of St. Mary Euphrasia.” The pivotal events of St. Mary Euphrasia Pelletier, told through a monologue as if she is addressing her sisters from discussing her efforts to spread St. John Eudes’ work and her founding of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd. n Friday, April 28, 8 p.m. (EWTN) “Father Joe Walijewski: A Pencil in Our Lord’s Hand.” The life and mission of Fr. Joseph Walijewski, a priest from Wisconsin who tirelessly served the poor in South America, and his recent cause for canonization. n Saturday, April 29, 8 p.m. (EWTN) “St. Giuseppe Moscati: Doctor of the Poor.” The second in a two-part series about the life of St. Giuseppe, who dedicated himself to caring for the sick and forsaken, ultimately dedicating all of his possessions and sacrificing his very life in their service. Part 2. n Sunday, April 30, 1:30 p.m. (EWTN) “In the Name of Miracles.” The story of the miraculous cure of Maureen Digan and her son at the tomb of Sister Faustina, which Rome later used for her canonization. n Saturday, May 6, 8 p.m. (EWTN) “Romero.” The true story of Archbishop Oscar Romero’s transformation from an apolitical priest to a committed leader of the Salvadoran people. n Sunday, May 7, 4 p.m. (EWTN) “Fatima: A Living Faith.”

A EWTN original docu-drama on the apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima and the meaning of each message she gave to the three shepherd children.

The Te Deum Foundation Cordially invites you to attend a special Mass in honor of the

Centennial Anniversary of Our Lady of Fatima Principle Celebrant – Bishop Peter J. Jugis, JCD

Donate Your Car Make your car go the extra mile.

Donate your car to Catholic Charities to help fund programs for those in need. All vehicle makes, models and years welcome.

Truck, boat, RV and motorcycle donations accepted.

855.930.GIVE (4483) www.ccdoc.org/CARS Catholic Charities relies on your direct support to help fund its various ministries.

Saturday, May 13, 2017 Rosary – 10:30am Mass – 11:00am

Cathedral of St. Patrick 1621 Dilworth Road, East Charlotte, NC 28203

Reception following Mass For more information: tedeumfoundation@gmail.com

336-765-1815

April 28, 2017 | catholicnewsherald.com catholic news heraldI

EASTER FROM PAGE 3

is quite simple: the risen Christ told us to. The risen Christ tells His disciples to go forth and teach all nations and baptize them in the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,” Bishop Jugis continued.

“The risen Jesus, having won the victory, then tells His disciples to apply this victory to the whole human race: Baptize them through those blessed waters which shall contain His grace.”

“A real cleansing from sin takes place through the grace of baptism,” he said before welcoming one catechumen at the vigil Mass, giving him the sacraments of initiation – baptism, confirmation and Holy Communion.

‘What lesson will Jesus teach you?’

In a silent procession to begin the Good Friday liturgy, Bishop Jugis entered St. Patrick Cathedral and lay prostrate before the sanctuary steps, humbling himself before God and in the presence of the faithful. This annual service held at 3 p.m., the hour Jesus Christ died on the cross, recalled the sacrifice of God’s only begotten Son for the salvation of souls.

The liturgy began with the reading of the Passion narrated by transitional Deacon Christopher Bond, with Deacon Brian McNulty as the voice, Bishop Jugis

addressed.”

Bishop Jugis elaborated by pointing out that Pontius Pilate, when he brings Jesus out and displays Him on the judge’s bench, says to the mob, “Behold your king.” And the crowd responds, “Take Him away, crucify Him!” “Behold Him, look at Him, your king,” Pilate says. And the crowd answers back, “No!” Jesus uses the same word “behold” later on, as He hangs on the cross. As He tells His disciple to “behold” his mother, the disciple responds: Yes! “Seeing His mother and His disciple there whom He loved, He says to His mother, ‘Woman, behold your son.’

And then to the disciple, ‘Behold, your mother.’ And from that hour the disciple took her into his home.”

In today’s secularized world, Bishop Jugis noted, society gives the same negative response when Christians say, “Behold your King. Behold Jesus. Behold His teachings and His Church’s teachings.”

“Just as in Pilate’s time, the mob responds, ‘Take Him away and crucify Him,’” Bishop Jugis said.

In contrast, when a believer is asked to “behold,” the response is very different, he continued.

“In this liturgy today, we are asked three times to behold: ‘Behold the Cross. Behold the wood of the Cross on which hung the Salvation of the World,’ ” Bishop Jugis said.

“Later on, at Communion time, we will be asked: Now, behold the Lamb of God who is really present! and we respond with humility and love.”

‘Behold Jesus. Behold His teachings and His Church’s teachings.’ as Jesus and the congregation responding as the crowd. They took those gathered on the tortuous journey Christ suffered from the Garden of Gethsemane through His crucifixion on Golgotha.

“Have you ever taken the time to take a good look at the crucifix that you have in your home? Especially if you are having a particularly difficult time or a rough day, to find strength or courage just by your union with the Lord crucified?” Bishop Jugis asked during his homily.

“The word ‘behold’ appears several times today in this celebration of the Passion of the Lord,” he noted. “The invitation to behold, or to take a good look at – just as you would take a good look at the crucifix. That word behold used in today’s liturgy receives many different responses from the various audiences to which it is

Holy Thursday: Remembering Jesus’ gift of the Eucharist to us St. Patrick Cathedral was filled to capacity Thursday evening as Bishop Peter Jugis celebrated the Mass of the Lord’s Supper. The liturgy marked the start of the Triduum, the three holy days preceding the Resurrection of the Lord at Easter.

The Triduum “is like a retreat that the Church gives us now at the end of Lent to bring us into Easter to make sure that we are focused and ready for the great celebration that is about to come on Easter Sunday,” Bishop Jugis said during his homily. “It is our love for Jesus that brings us here this evening to this Mass of the Lord’s Supper, and … a desire to be close to Jesus in the special days that follow.”

The Mass of the Lord’s Supper recalls Jesus’ institution of the Eucharist at the Last Supper, His washing the feet of His disciples, His agony in the Garden of Gethsemane, and His betrayal and arrest.

Through the Eucharist – “this beautiful sacrament of His Body and Blood,” this “living bread come down from heaven” – Jesus fulfills His promise “that He would be with us to the end of time,” Bishop Jugis noted.

He also reflected on Jesus’ words from the day’s Gospel (John 13:1-15), “Do you realize what I have done for you?”

Jesus said these words after He had washed His disciples’ feet, showing by example the humility and charity He wants them to follow. But those words could also apply to the Eucharist, Bishop Jugis said, and it is a question we should all ask ourselves.

“Do you realize what He has done for you, in giving you His living Presence in the Eucharist? Have you ever taken a moment to reflect upon that?” he asked the congregation.

“Do you realize the strength and the grace that is available to you in your daily living because of His living Presence in the Eucharist?

“Do you realize what a gift you have in the living Body and Blood of Christ, so that you can have His life within you? The Eucharist is alive!”

He prayed in conclusion, “May the Lord Jesus fill us with His love as we draw close to Him this evening, and may we remain close to Him throughout these holy days that are upon us.”

GROVER FROM PAGE 5

Society.” Her ministry included extensive travel to present workshops. During a memorable visit to Bogota, Colombia, for a meeting of the International Organization of Catholic Educators, she delivered the official paper for the United States.

Having received an invitation from Father Les Schmidt, a Glenmary priest, to educate the people in the South about the social teachings of the Catholic Church, Sister Veronica was missioned to Charlotte. In 1982, she helped to establish a justice and peace center named “Pacem in Terris.” She traveled throughout North and South Carolina, Alabama and Mississippi presenting workshops and providing resources to schools and parishes. She authored “Achieving Social Justice,” a textbook for high school students that was widely used in schools throughout the country.

As more Holy Child Sisters began to minister in the South, Sister Veronica was named area superior. She became a vital part of a small faith community called “The Friday Night Apostles.” In 1985, she was invited to attend the West African Provincial Chapter. She called those eight weeks in Nigeria a life-changing experience.

In 1987, St. Luke Church was established in Charlotte, with Father Joseph Mulligan as pastor. The nephew of Helen Mulligan, SHCJ, Father Mulligan invited Sister Veronica to join this exciting new project as director of education. For seven years, in a storefront location, these two pioneers gradually built a community noted for

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its hospitality and outreach to the poor.

This welcoming spirit prevailed when they moved to a large well-planned church and community center. In 1990, Sister Veronica was commissioned by the Glenmary Research Center to write a case study entitled “Human Life in the Service of Profit.” This was based on the experiences of women textile workers and detailed the injustices of the mill system as well as the silence of the larger civic and church communities. On the diocesan level, she taught two courses in the lay ministry training program and until 2004, she chaired the Diocesan Justice and Peace Committee.

While at St. Luke Church, Sister Veronica gathered a large number of SHCJ Associates. Much of her time and energy centered on their formation; she was convinced that the voices of the laity needed to be heard. The outreach program there extends to the Holy Child ministries in the Dominican Republic, where parishioners volunteer their time each year.

Failing health in 2014 made it necessary for Sister Veronica to move to Holy Child Center in Rosemont, where her family and friends visited her frequently. Despite the distance, she remained well connected and loved by many parishioners, friends and the SHCJ Associates in Charlotte.

She joins her parents, five sisters and one brother in eternal life. She is survived by many nieces, nephews and cousins.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be sent to Society of the Holy Child Jesus-American Province, 1341 Montgomery Ave., Rosemont, PA 19010, or make a gift online at www.shcj.org/ american/donate.

Donohue Funeral Home of Wayne, Pa., was in charge of the arrangements.

— Catholic News Herald

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Our nation 14

catholicnewsherald.com | April 28, 2017 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

For the latest news 24/7: catholicnewsherald.com

In Brief Va. Catholic bishops praise governor for commuting death sentence RICHMOND, Va. — The Virginia bishops said they “welcome with gratitude” the April 20 decision by Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe to commute the death sentence of Ivan Teleguz. “We are all children of the same merciful, loving God, and He alone has dominion over all life,” said Bishop Francis X. DiLorenzo of Richmond and Michael F. Burbidge of Arlington in an April 20 statement released by the Virginia Catholic Conference.

The bishops said they have a “profound respect for the sanctity of every human life, from its very beginning until natural death” and they “continue to express deep sorrow and pray for all victims of violence and their loved ones.” They also said they would continue to “pray for a change of heart and a spirit of remorse and conversion for all those who commit acts of violence.”

Teleguz, found guilty in a 2001 murder for hire of his former girlfriend, was set to be executed April 25. He petitioned the governor with a request for a pardon, which was not given; he will now serve life in prison without a chance of parole.

Make persecution ‘difficult for others to ignore,’ cardinal says WASHINGTON, D.C. — With religious persecution against Christians on the rise worldwide, it is important for other Christians to stand in solidarity with them, said Cardinal Donald W. Wuerl of Washington.

Christians in the United States and elsewhere must raise their voices on behalf of “the millions who are suffering,” he said April 20 during a symposium held in connection with the release of “In Response to Persecution, Findings of the Under Caesar’s Sword Project on Global Christian Communities,” a report detailing the nature of persecution against Christians in different nations across the globe.

“Make it difficult for others to ignore,” the cardinal said. Doing so, Cardinal Wuerl noted, may require Christians “to be aware” of the persecution their fellow believers face on different continents.

He suggested one response should be to “continue to support the flow of material assistance” to persecuted Christians through aid agencies like Catholic Relief Services, the U.S. bishops’ international aid agency; Caritas Internationalis, the Vatican umbrella agency for different nations’ Catholic relief organizations; or their counterparts run by other Christian denominations and organizations.

Vatican says it would welcome visit by Trump VATICAN CITY — If U.S. President Donald Trump requests a meeting with Pope Francis in May, the Vatican will try to make it work, a top Vatican official said. “Pope Francis always is willing to welcome heads of state who ask,” Archbishop Angelo Becciu, Vatican substitute secretary of state, told the Italian news agency ANSA April 19. Trump is scheduled to be in Taormina, in southern Italy, May 26-27 for a summit of G-7 leaders and representatives of the European Union.

Sean Spicer, White House spokesman, told reporters April 19, “We will be reaching out to the Vatican to see if a meeting, an audience with the pope can be accommodated. We’ll have further details on that.

Obviously, we would be honored to have an audience with his holiness.”

Every U.S. president since Dwight D. Eisenhower has visited the Vatican to meet the pope. Eisenhower met St. John XXIII at the Vatican in December 1959.

Trump signs bill to let states redirect funds away from abortion clinics WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Donald Trump signed a bill into law April 13 that allows states to redirect Title X family planning funding away from clinics that perform abortions and to community clinics that provide comprehensive health care for women and children. The new law overrides a rule change made in the last days of the Obama administration that prevented states from doing so. “The clear purpose of this Title X rule change was to benefit abortion providers like Planned Parenthood,” said Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan of New IN BRIEF, SEE page 15

More states consider assisted suicide legislation Mark Pattison Catholic News Service

WASHINGTON, D.C. — More states are considering assisted suicide legislation, although few seem to be making inroads in adding themselves to the five states and the District of Columbia where it is legal.

A bill in Alaska closely modeled after Oregon’s Death With Dignity Act, which took effect 20 years ago, was the subject of a legislative hearing April 6. But lawmakers in a divided Legislature are in session for only 90 days, and coming to agreement on a state budget appeared to be taking up lawmakers’ time.

At a March 28 hearing on the bill, Margaret Dore, an attorney from Washington state where assisted suicide is also legal, said advocates of doctor-assisted suicide are misleading the public about the real impact on society’s most vulnerable. Dore, who also is president of Choice Is an Illusion – a nonprofit that opposes assisted suicide and euthanasia – said the bill does not deal only with those who are dying. For example, Oregon’s suicide bill lists diabetes as a “terminal illness,” Dore cautioned.

In addition to Oregon, Washington state and the District of Columbia, assisted suicide is also legal in California, Colorado and Vermont.

Arizona lawmakers passed a bill in March that would protect state health care providers and medical facilities from discrimination if they refuse to assist in services or provide items that result in the death of a person.

The bill is meant to shield doctors, nurses or medical facilities that choose to exercise personal conscience in not participating in end-of-life situations.

Although Colorado voters approved a medical aidin-dying referendum last year, within two months of the vote, around one-third of hospitals in Colorado had decided to opt out of offering medical aid in dying, including the state’s largest health system, Centura Health.

In Hawaii, the state house’s Health Committee in March unanimously voted to defer a bill that would have legalized physician-assisted suicide for terminally ill patients two weeks after the Senate had overwhelmingly voted in favor of the bill.

The Catholic Church in Hawaii actively opposed the bill, including action by the Hawaii Catholic Conference and Bishop Larry Silva of the statewide Diocese of Honolulu, who called physician-assisted suicide a “wolf in sheep’s clothing” and “another manifestation ... of the ‘culture of death,’” adding his concern that legalizing assisted suicide would open the door to a “culture of euthanasia” and abuse of the elderly.

A similar bill was introduced in Iowa by two Senate Democrats, but it has little chance of succeeding in a Republican-dominated Legislature.

Companion bills were introduced in both houses of Indiana’s Legislature to prove “end-of-life options.” The bills allow an individual with a terminal illness who meets certain requirements to make a written request to an attending physician for medication that the individual may self-administer to die. It also specifies requirements a physician must meet to prescribe the medication to a patient. However, no action had yet been taken on the bills.

Kansas’ Death With Dignity bill also is modeled closely on Oregon’s law. A patient requesting aid-indying medication will have to be at least 18 years old, a Kansas resident, mentally capable of making and communicating health care decisions, and diagnosed with a terminal disease that will result in death within six months.

Kentucky’s legislative session ended without any assisted-suicide bill passing.

In Maine, dozens of people turned out April 5 to argue for and against a pair of bills that would allow Maine doctors to prescribe life-ending drugs to those suffering from terminal illness. One proposal, sponsored by Republican State Sen. Roger Katz, is similar to a law

passed by Vermont in 2013, and to a bill that was rejected narrowly by the Maine Legislature in 2015.

The other bill, sponsored by Democratic State Rep. Jennifer Parker, would allow a doctor to prescribe and a patient to self-administer a lethal medication to end the patient’s life.

The two sponsors of Maryland’s End of Life Option Act withdrew the bill in March when they realized they did not have the votes to pass it in the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee. The Maryland Catholic Conference was among the opponents of the measure; the conference is part of the Maryland Against Physician Assisted Suicide coalition.

Assisted suicide advocates in Massachusetts are trying for the eighth time to get a bill passed.

Companion bills were introduced in the winter. The state’s legislative session runs through 2018.

A bill was reintroduced in the Minnesota Legislature to give terminally ill patients access to medication to end their lives – but the measure has little chance of passing. Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life warned that passing the bill would open the door to new kinds of pressure and coercion, citing Oregon statistics the organization says shows that 40 percent of those obtaining life-ending medications have expressed concern about being a burden on family and friends.

Competing bills were introduced in Mississippi: a Death With Dignity Act, and a bill that declares that “no person shall receive a prescription for medication to end his or her life.”

An independent lawmaker in Nebraska’s unicameral Legislature introduced the Patient Choice at End of Life Act, which was identical to a bill he submitted in 2016. The Judiciary Committee split 4-4 on it after Gov. Pete Ricketts tweeted that he opposed assisted suicide, effectively killing the bill.

Four House Democrats, and a group of Democrats, Republicans and independent senators in Nevada introduced an aid-in-dying bill in March. The bill was referred to the Senate Health and Human Services Committee.

New Jersey may be the closest to being the next jurisdiction to allow assisted suicide. A bill passed the full House last fall during the 2016-17 legislative session, and then was approved by a Senate committee in November.

After New Mexico’s Supreme Court ruled against the right to die last year by refusing to overturn a law making it a felony to help end the life of a terminally ill patient, lawmakers tried again. An End of Life Options Act was introduced in the state House in January and approved by the House Health and Human Services Committee the next week. A companion Senate bill voted on by the Senate Public Affairs Committee March 3. It was taken up by the full Senate and defeated 22-20 in a late night vote March 15.

Lawmakers in North Carolina and Ohio said they would introduce similar legislation in 2017.

In Oklahoma, one bill, the Death Certificate Accuracy Act, introduced in January, would require listing “suicide” as the cause of death under any assisted dying law that may pass in the future. It has passed the House and was pending in the Senate Health and Human Services Committee.

In Pennsylvania, two state senators introduced the Pennsylvania Death With Dignity Act in January. The bill was immediately referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee, where no assisted suicide bill has made it out of committee since at least 2007.

Utah’s End of Life Options Act, introduced in January, the bill was tabled in the House Health and Human Services Committee on a 9-3 vote, which effectively ended its progress.

In Wisconsin, a day after the state passed a measure allowing the terminally ill to have access to experimental drugs that have not yet been approved for use by the federal Food and Drug Administration, an aid-in-dying bill was introduced. Its fate is uncertain.

April 28, 2017 | catholicnewsherald.com catholic news heraldI

IN BRIEF FROM PAGE 14

York, who is chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities. “Congress has done well to reverse this very bad public policy, and to restore the ability of states to stop one stream of our tax dollars going to Planned Parenthood and redirect it to community health centers that provide comprehensive primary and preventive health care,” he said in a March 31 statement a day after the Senate voted for the measure. Vice President Mike Pence, as president of the Senate, cast a tie-breaking vote March 30 allowing passage of a joint resolution to block the Obama-era regulation that went into effect Jan. 18, just two days before Trump was sworn in.

who is a candidate for sainthood. Mayer said the idea for the Masses is to not only celebrate the archbishop’s life, ministry and legacy but also to “storm heaven” with prayers for his canonization.

She felt he was a saint the first time she met him. When he spent time with her and her husband and their six children, she observed his gentle manner with the children and how he spoke to them about Jesus and His sacrificial love – all of which convinced her even more he was a saint. He was “so clear about God’s love for us,” Mayer said.

— Catholic News Service

Churches urged to say Mass on Archbishop Sheen’s birthday WASHINGTON, D.C. — A grass-roots effort calling on Catholic churches around the world to celebrate a special Mass on the May 8 birthday of the late Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen could see its goal of 1,000 Masses soon reached. As of April 13, close to 900 churches had pledged to celebrate a Mass in memory of the prelate, an Emmy-winning televangelist and who spread the Gospel message far and wide as head of the Propagation of the Faith from 1950 to 1966.

Lo Anne Mayer, a New Jersey Catholic, is one of those who launched the Mass effort.

She also knew and admired Archbishop Sheen,

CCDOC.ORG

Prayer to St. Joseph of Cupertino For Success in Examinations O humble St. Joseph of Cupertino, singularly favored by God in overcoming the difficulties of study and the worries of examinations, implore the Holy Spirit to enlighten my mind and strengthen my memory in the search of His truth and wisdom. Help me especially in the decisive moments of this examination, protecting me from that forgetfulness and disturbing anxiety which often affect me. May I succeed in offering God my finest work and may I grow in knowledge, understanding, humility and charity. May everything that I attempt to learn in life be offered in faithful service to God, from whom flows that wisdom which leads to eternal life. Amen St. Joseph of Cupertino pray for me, Our Lady of Good Studies pray for me, Holy Spirit enlighten me!

Remember, when you succeed in the exams then you should thank St. Joseph of Cupertino and help make known his powerful intercession among other students.

31st Annual Spring Fling Catholic Charities invites senior adults from across the diocese to join us for fun and fellowship at the 31st Annual Spring Fling. Come reconnect with friends, while meeting new ones, in a daylong experience where you can learn about health information that could transform your life. Build upon your faith while enjoying exciting activities and performances, create wonderful memories and friendships.

Tuesday, May 16 – St. Matthew Catholic Church 8015 Ballantyne Commons Pkwy, Charlotte, NC 28277 $15 per person (includes lunch) Registration deadline: May 8 Visit www.ccdoc.org for a complete schedule of events and registration forms.

For more information contact Sandra Breakfield at: 704-370-3220 or email: sabreakfield@charlottediocese.org

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Our world 16

catholicnewsherald.com | April 28, 2017 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Pope to Egyptians: Let papal visit be sign of friendship, peace Carol Glatz Catholic News Service

VATICAN CITY — Praying that God would protect Egypt from all evil, Pope Francis told the nation’s people that a world torn apart by indiscriminate violence needs courageous builders of peace, dialogue and justice.

“I hope that this visit will be an embrace of consolation and of encouragement to all Christians in the Middle East; a message of friendship and esteem to all inhabitants of Egypt and the region; a message of fraternity and reconciliation to all children of Abraham, particularly in the Islamic world,” the pope said in a video message broadcast April 25, ahead of his April 28-29 trip to Cairo. “I hope that it may also offer a valid contribution to interreligious dialogue with the Islamic world and to ecumenical dialogue with the venerated and beloved Coptic Orthodox Church.”

It will be the pope’s 18th trip abroad in his four years as pope and the seventh time he visits a Muslimmajority nation. He will be the second pope to visit Egypt, after St. John Paul II went to Cairo and Mount Sinai in 2000.

The pope thanked all those who invited him to Egypt, those who were working to make the trip possible and those “who make space for me in your hearts.”

He said he was “truly happy to come as a friend, as a messenger of peace and as a pilgrim to the country that gave, more than 2,000 years ago, refuge and hospitality to the Holy Family fleeing from the threats of King Herod.”

“Our world, torn by blind violence, which has also afflicted the heart of your dear land, needs peace, love and mercy; it needs workers for peace, free and liberating people, courageous people able to learn from the past to build a future without closing themselves up in prejudices; it needs builders of bridges of peace, dialogue, brotherhood, justice, and humanity,” he said.

He said it was “with a joyful and grateful heart” that he was heading to Egypt – the “cradle of civilization, gift of the Nile, land of sun and hospitality, where patriarchs and prophets lived” and where God made His voice heard.

The day the video was released, April 25, was also the feast day of St. Mark, who evangelized the Egyptian port city of Alexandria, Egypt, before being martyred there.

Pope Francis offered his morning Mass for “my brother Tawadros II, patriarch of Alexandria” of the Coptic Orthodox Church, asking that God abundantly “bless our two churches.”

In Egypt, President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi said Egypt would welcome the pope and “looks forward to this significant visit to strengthen peace, tolerance and interfaith dialogue as well as to reject the abhorrent acts of terrorism and extremism.”

Christians in Egypt, Syria and Iraq struggle with mounting pressures from extremists challenging their religious identity and the right to practice their faith and continue to exist in their ancestral homelands.

Pope Francis has urged an end to what he called a “genocide” against Christians in the Middle East, but he also has said it was wrong to equate Islam with violence.

Christians are among the oldest religious communities in the Middle East, but their numbers are dwindling in the face of conflict and persecution.

Egypt’s Christian community makes up about 10 percent of the country’s 92 million people.

Get the latest online At www.catholicnewsherald.com: Follow daily coverage of Pope Francis’ visit to Egypt April 28-29

CNS | Paul Haring

Pope Francis carries a candle as he arrives to celebrate the Easter Vigil in St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican April 15.

Risen Christ calls all to follow Him on path to life, pope says Cindy Wooden and Junno Arocho Esteves Catholic News Service

VATICAN CITY — Jesus is the risen shepherd who takes upon His shoulders “our brothers and sisters crushed by evil in all its varied forms,” Pope Francis said before giving his solemn Easter blessing.

With tens of thousands of people gathered in St. Peter’s Square April 16, the pope called on Christians to be instruments of Christ’s outreach to refugees and migrants, victims of war and exploitation, famine and loneliness.

For the 30th year in a row, Dutch farmers and florists blanketed the area around the altar with grass and 35,000 flowers and plants: lilies, roses, tulips, hyacinths, daffodils, birch and linden.

Preaching without a prepared text, Pope Francis began – as he did the night before at the Easter Vigil – imagining the disciples desolate because “the one they loved so much was executed. He died.”

While they are huddling in fear, the angel tells them, “He is risen.” And, the pope said, the Church continues to proclaim that message always and everywhere, including to those whose lives are truly, unfairly difficult.

“It is the mystery of the cornerstone that was discarded, but has become the foundation of our existence,” he said.

And those who follow Jesus, “we pebbles,” find meaning even in the midst of suffering because of sure hope in the Resurrection.

Pope Francis suggested everyone find a quiet place on Easter to reflect on their problems and the problems of the world and then tell God, “I don’t know how this will end, but I know Christ has risen.”

Almost immediately after the homily, a brief but intense rain began to fall on the crowd, leading people to scramble to

find umbrellas, jackets or plastic bags to keep themselves dry.

After celebrating the morning Easter Mass, Pope Francis gave his blessing “urbi et orbi,” to the city of Rome and the world.

Before reciting the blessing, he told the crowd that “in every age the Risen Shepherd tirelessly seeks us, His brothers and sisters, wandering in the deserts of this world.

With the marks of the passion – the wounds of His merciful love – He draws us to follow Him on His way, the way of life.”

Christ seeks out all those in need, he said. “He comes to meet them through our brothers and sisters who treat them with respect and kindness and help them to hear His voice, an unforgettable voice, a voice calling them back to friendship with God.” Pope Francis mentioned a long list of those for whom the Lord gives special attention, including victims of human trafficking, abused children, victims of terrorism and people forced to flee their homes because of war, famine and poverty.

“In the complex and often dramatic situations of today’s world, may the risen Lord guide the steps of all those who work for justice and peace,” Pope Francis said. “May He grant the leaders of nations the courage they need to prevent the spread of conflicts and to put a halt to the arms trade.”

The pope also offered special prayers for peace in Syria, South Sudan, Somalia, Congo and Ukraine, and for a peaceful resolution of political tensions in Latin America.

The pope’s celebration of Easter got underway the night before in a packed St. Peter’s Basilica.

The Easter Vigil began with the lighting of the fire and PATH, SEE page 17

April 28, 2017 | catholicnewsherald.com catholic news heraldI

For the latest news 24/7: catholicnewsherald.com

In Brief At Easter, Mideast church leaders affirm Christian presence BEIRUT — In Easter messages, Catholic patriarchs in the Middle East deplored the widespread carnage and suffering, yet affirmed the presence of Christians in the region by calling upon their faithful to carry on with hope.

From Bkerke, the patriarchal seat of the Maronite Catholic Church in Lebanon, Cardinal Bechara Rai condemned “all kinds of wars, persecutions and attacks.”

Cardinal Rai, Maronite patriarch, urged the international community “to find political and diplomatic solutions to conflicts and to lay the foundations for a just, comprehensive and lasting peace” in the region. He implored the international community to stop countries from providing cover, aid and weapons to terrorist organizations. “It is shameful for the rulers of states – with financial and military influence – who have made our eastern land a land of war, killing and destruction, a haven for terrorist organizations and fundamentalist movements,” Cardinal Rai said. “They have ignited a fire they think burns in its place, but it has spread.”

He also condemned the “blatant and repeated persecution of Christians” in Egypt. He called upon “Muslims and Islamic countries to take

PATH FROM PAGE 16

Easter candle in the atrium of the basilica.

Walking behind the Easter candle and carrying a candle of his own, Pope Francis entered the basilica in darkness.

The basilica was gently illuminated only by candlelight and the low light emanating from cellphones capturing the solemn procession.

The bells of St. Peter’s pealed in the night, the sound echoing through nearby Roman streets, announcing the joy of the Resurrection.

During the vigil, Pope Francis baptized 11 people: five women and six men from Spain, Czech Republic, Italy, the United States, Albania, Malta, Malaysia and China.

In his homily, reflecting on the Easter account from the Gospel of St. Matthew, the pope recalled the women who went “with uncertain and weary steps” to

17

active positions and initiatives to deter this persecution and to preserve the positive image of Islam.”

Pope pays tribute to modern martyrs, calls for witnesses of God’s love ROME — The Church today needs believers who witness each day to the power of God’s love, but it also needs the heroic witness of those who stand up to hatred even when it means giving up their lives, Pope Francis said.

At Rome’s Basilica of St. Bartholomew, a shrine to modern martyrs, Pope Francis presided over an evening prayer service April 22, honoring Christians killed under Nazism, communism, dictatorships and terrorism.

“These teach us that with the force of love and with meekness one can fight arrogance, violence and war, and that with patience peace is possible,” the pope said in his homily in the small basilica on Rome’s Tiber Island.

Departing from his prepared text, Pope Francis said he wanted to add to the martyrs remembered at St. Bartholomew by including “a woman – I don’t know her name – but she watches from heaven.” The pope said he’d met the woman’s husband, a Muslim, in Lesbos, Greece, when he visited a refugee camp there in 2016. The man told the pope that one day, terrorists came to their home. They saw his wife’s crucifix and ordered her to throw it on the ground. She refused and they slit her throat.

— Catholic News Service

Christ’s tomb.

The pope said the faces of those women, full of sorrow and despair, reflect the faces of mothers, grandmothers, children and young people who carry the “burden of injustice and brutality.”

The poor and the exploited, the lonely and the abandoned, and “immigrants deprived of country, house and family” suffer the heartbreak reflected on the faces of the women at the tomb who have seen “human dignity crucified,” he said.

However, the pope added, in the silence of death, Jesus’ heartbeat resounds and His resurrection comes as a gift and as “a transforming force” to a humanity broken by greed and war.

“In the Resurrection, Christ rolled back the stone of the tomb, but He wants also to break down all the walls that keep us locked in our sterile pessimism, in our carefully constructed ivory towers that isolate us from life, in our compulsive need for security and in boundless ambition that can make us compromise the dignity of others,” he said.

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ViewPoints 18

catholicnewsherald.com | April 28, 2017 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Parish spotlight

Fred Gallagher

The light rising “Light rises in the darkness for the upright; the Lord is gracious, merciful and righteous.”

(Psalm 112:4)

G

Photo provided by Kim Burke

An Easter donation CHARLOTTE — Girl Scout Troop 2697 of St. Matthew Church recently delivered 190 Easter baskets to Catholic Charities Diocese of Charlotte, for the fourth year in a row. The Scouts collected items through the generosity of St. Matthew parishioners and neighborhood friends. The baskets were filled with colorful grass, toys, candy-filled eggs, stuffed animals and books, and then the Scouts wrapped and topped each basket with a beautiful bow.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

iven that our faith is built upon Christ’s coming into the world, serving us, suffering and dying for us, and then rising from the dead, it is natural to speculate all the more about what His rising means in our lives.

We know it means that Jesus is the Son of God and that the fulfillment of His promise to us was made evident when the stone was rolled away and an empty tomb held only His burial cloth. We know it means that not only do we belong to Him but that He belongs to the Father and returns to the Father in the Resurrection. And Their love is so powerful and penetrating it is an actual person in the Holy Spirit.

But once we know this, what does this rising light of the Resurrection mean to us in our daily lives? To answer that warrants our taking a look at the darkness. Where have you been? What is the darkness you have witnessed or been a part of ? Is it in the shattering loneliness children have felt in the break-up of their families? Is it in the corrosion of hatred, the debilitation of addiction, the desperation of suicide? Is it in the human degradation that is war in violent fields afar or down our street or in our homes? Is it in the slow seep of doubt brought on by a materialist philosophy so common in our technological, secular world? Does the dark show up in disease, the sudden heart-wrenching loss or protracted suffering of a loved one? Does darkness creep steadily in the guise of sins so small we think we needn’t tend to them until one day we look back and realize how changed we are? We are in exile here on earth and the dark surely engulfs us. We crouch down in it, we curl up in it.

But “light rises in the darkness for the upright.” The upright. Yes, we’re asked to stand. We are asked to rise up and out of ourselves as the light is rising. But how do we do it?

A friend of mine in recovery from alcoholism responded to the call in AA’s 12 Steps for a spiritual awakening. He said, “If I wake up in the morning it’s a spiritual awakening!” He also told the story of a fellow at an AA meeting with a group of old-timers (folks who have been sober a long time) talking about a spiritual awakening. He cornered one of them after the meeting and said, “You know, I understand just about everything I hear, but I just can’t seem get this spiritual awakening stuff.” The old-timer asked him how long he had been sober, and he replied, “Two years.” “You’ve had it!” the old-timer said and walked away.

Sometimes we think of spiritual experiences or spiritual awakenings (the light rising) as coming from somewhere other than our daily lives, somewhere other than the grit and grime and glory of our everyday intimacies, our personal contact

with people and animals and nature and ideas. The rising of the light is possible every moment of the day and in every single action that occurs. It is possible in every thought, every wish, every forward motion and in every restraint. The light rises in our minds and in our hearts, and it animates our hands in the work we do and

‘The rising of the light is possible every moment of the day and in every single action that occurs. All we do is stand up and we find a gracious God anxious to show His mercy...’ our footsteps in where we choose to go. All we do is stand up and we find a gracious God anxious to show His mercy, anxious for each of us to embrace a way of living that lends dignity to the time we have here.

And perhaps it can even be instructive for those we love.

The light in my life rises in the sound of my daughters laughing together. It rises in a private text from my son in college when he says, “I love you, too, Dad.” It rises hearing my wife sing a jazz standard or watching her affection with our new great big rescue dog. And it always rises in the private little inside jokes that only we have known for so many years. Light rises in my life when at Mass the Down Syndrome child three pews ahead turns around and stares curiously at me. It rises when my old confessor, now with Alzheimer’s, calls from his monastery in Wisconsin to chat. It rises in a holiday letter to my brothers, in one more bench press with my gracious God right there in the sore muscles and in five more minutes of a neighborhood walk in the still brisk twilight. And I feel the light rising in so many of the kindnesses shown me over so many years. It rises, still, incredibly, in the forgiveness others have shown me. I see it in the eyes of strangers and in the eyes of those I love. It rises in my Church and in my workplace and in my home.

Yes, it is Easter and the light rises. And it will keep rising until there is no more darkness to trip us up and again, nothing left in the tomb but the burial cloth.

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

April 28, 2017 | catholicnewsherald.com catholic news heraldI

Deacon James H. Toner

Sr. Constance Carolyn Veit

Healing the loss of a loved one

What we know that ain’t so:

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

The mood of the times What we think is the right road

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bortion, same-sex marriage and euthanasia are rights. The poor are poor because the rich are rich. The earth is over-populated, and man himself is the chief threat to the well-being of our planet.

Islam is a religion of peace. War is always immoral. Democracy is always the best form of government, and governments exist to protect the rights they give us. There is no truth; sin does not exist; and there is no final judgment.

But it’s the wrong road Jesuit Father James Schall contends these are the lies that are at the heart of our country and culture today. He defines “culture” as “a complex composition of the manners, rites, language, laws, ideas and customs of a people.”

The Germans have a word for all this: “zeitgeist,” which means the mood or spirit of the times.

Certain clusters of ideas emerge as powerful and paramount, and we challenge them only at our social peril.

“Everybody” knows that truth is relative to 1 John 2:15 time and place.

“Everybody” knows that authority derives from privilege.

“Everybody” knows there is nothing given “A Line Through the or defined about Human Heart,” by being human: Jesuit Father James V. we are infinitely Schall (Kettering, Ohio: malleable – Angelico Press, 2016) by scalpel.

“Everybody” knows I have a right to a child, that I have a right to define good and evil to suit my purposes (within what is legal), and that I have a right to die when and how I choose.

There is, in fact, no escape from the zeitgeist.

The lies of the times are on our TVs, in the movies, radio programs, newspapers, internet and commercials. They are heard at ball games, bars, water coolers, and at the family dinner table. They are heard at high schools, colleges and churches. They are ubiquitous.

They infect the thinking of us all. Of us all – even many of those who ought to be preaching and teaching in principled opposition to the lies of our times.

The zeitgeist is unapologetically aggressive, and it mocks anyone “backwards” enough to challenge it. It is sometimes called “political correctness,” sometimes “secular humanism,” sometimes “modernism,” sometimes “progressivism.” These terms, however, do not capture the core of the zeitgeist because its

‘Do not love the world or the things in the world.’

Suggested reading

emphatic insistence that we humans, here and now, in our own way, and according to our own standards of good and evil, can build a civic paradise is, in a word, diabolical.

But we do want to be seen as progressive, don’t we? Frequently, then, we publicly agree with the zeitgeist (a tactic known as “virtue signaling”) or we even think along with it (a mental process known as “group think”) in part because we don’t want to be unpopular.

Dare to challenge the false gospel of the day – libertinism, socialism, utopianism, pantheism, inclusivity, diversity, religious indifferentism or syncretism, pacifism – and you will be branded as xenophobic, Islamophobic, homophobic, transphobic, and probably misogynist and fascist to boot. As the noted Catholic writer Charles Peguy once trenchantly put it: “We shall never know how many acts of cowardice have been motivated by the fear of not appearing sufficiently progressive.”

Here again in our day is the resurgence of the first, the fundamental, the forever temptation. It is identified in Genesis 3, in which the devil calls God a liar and tells our first parents that we can be like God. This conceit, this temptation, this evil runs like a scarlet thread through the pages of Scripture and the pages of history.

It is so strong that it insinuates itself into all that we say and do – and even, at times, on the pens and tongues of those commissioned or ordained to resist it and to remind us, with St. Paul, that we must never conform ourselves to the lies of our times but, rather, seek and do the will of God (see Rom 12:1-3), which we know through Sacred Tradition, Sacred Scripture, and Sacred Teaching (the Magisterium of the Church).

As G.K. Chesterton once pointed out, “We do not want ... a Church that will move with the world. We want a Church that will move the world.”

But do we? Or do we prefer a Church where we hear secularism celebrated in bland homilies and in catchy, popular tunes; where we see the liturgy as an extension of social custom and practice; where we deride those who strive to preserve the full aura of the sacred as “restorationists.” (By the way, that is, in fact, a compliment, although usually not meant as one.)

“I am surprised at you,” wrote St. Paul. “In no time at all you are ... accepting another gospel” (Gal 1:6).

For decades, we have sought a Catholic message that tells us to fit in with society, to be lax about Catholic moral teaching; to be tolerant of anyone and anything whose message is intended to inveigle us into “getting with the times,” being a “progressive Catholic,” and thinking as the rest of the world thinks.

We Catholics have – or ought to have – a very different perspective: “For the message about Christ’s death on the cross is nonsense to those who are being lost. ... for what seems to be God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and what seems to be God’s weakness is stronger than human strength” (1 Cor 1:18, 25; see also Catechism of the Catholic Church 1327).

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

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lost my mother unexpectedly last November, after having lost my father after a long illness eight years earlier. My siblings and I suddenly found ourselves “orphans” as we marked our first Thanksgiving and Christmas without either parent.

Now we are anticipating our first Mother’s Day without Mom. The loss of a loved one, especially a parent, can engender intense and contradictory feelings. I have found that the Church’s 50-day celebration of Easter has offered me unexpected graces and consolations as my siblings and I mourn the loss of our mother.

Two Easter symbols have helped me to believe that in Christ crucified and risen all of our grief and pain – all our woundedness – can be healed.

The first is the Paschal candle and the second is the Divine Mercy image.

Despite participating in the Easter Vigil every year, I never really paid attention to the five grains of incense with which the Paschal candle is inscribed before being lit. These symbolize the wounds of Christ. As he presses the grains into the candle, the priest says, “By His holy and glorious wounds, may Christ the Lord guard and protect us.”

In “Remembering God’s Mercy,” author Dawn Eden observes, “it is only after these wounds are called to memory that the light of the risen Christ, symbolized by the ignited candle, shines forth and spreads its glow … The light of faith – the lumen fidei that shines upon us and gives us our identity as Christians – is the light of Christ precisely as wounded.”

In the Divine Mercy image revealed to St. Faustina, the risen Jesus reveals the wounds of His crucifixion and His pierced heart. In her diary,

St. Faustina relates numerous occasions when Christ invited her to take refuge in His sacred wounds, as in a safe hiding place. Christ also refers to His wounds as a fountain of life and mercy, and Faustina sees in them a sign of God’s great love. It is consoling for me to realize that in His unfathomable mercy, Christ embraces both my mother and myself, with all our human imperfections, hiding us in His merciful wounds.

The Divine Mercy image and the Paschal candle remind me that it is in the Mass that we are bathed in the waters of new life, fed with His Living Bread and healed of our wounds.

It is also in the Eucharist that we are united with the communion of believers, including those who have passed on before us. There I can still experience communion with my parents – though in a manner quite different from our regular visits and phone calls. As our Catholic faith teaches in the catechism, the union of those who sleep in the Lord with those who are left behind “is in no way interrupted … (but) reinforced by an exchange of spiritual goods.”

Those who have gone before us to their heavenly reward do not cease to intercede for us. “Being more closely united to Christ, those who dwell in heaven fix the whole Church more firmly in holiness,” the catechism says. By their concern, “our weakness is greatly helped.” In faith, I know that my bond with my parents is not broken by their passage from this life. My siblings and I are not really orphans after all. Happy Mother’s Day, Mom! Sister Constance Veit is communications director for the Little Sisters of the Poor.

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From online story: “Gratitude, discernment, hope needed for renewal, pope tells Marists” Through press time on April 26, 6,962 visitors to www.catholicnewsherald.com have viewed a total of 14,101 pages. The top seven headlines in April were: n View the current print edition of the Catholic News Herald.............................................406 n Photo gallery: Easter Masses.................................................................................................... 367 n Concord parish dedicates Our Lady of Guadalupe Hall..................................................... 339 n Catholic radio station launches in Rowan County...............................................................225 n Easter Triduum celebrated in the Extraordinary Form.......................................................188 n Take a ‘Seven Churches’ pilgrimage in Charlotte..................................................................178 n Bishop Jugis venerates, beholds cross on Good Friday...................................................... 155

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