Nov. 23, 2018

November 23, 2018

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Pax Christi leaders visit Charlotte to talk about countering racism 5 Diocese found compliant with annual child protection audit

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Advent reflections to prepare you for the coming of Christ 2-3

Thanksgiving, la historia del Día de Acción de Gracias 9

Our faith 2

catholicnewsherald.com | November 23, 2018 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Editor’s note Starting this week, the Catholic News Herald offers these Advent reflections courtesy of Catholic Relief Services. These Advent reflections, activities and prayers invite us to prepare our hearts to welcome Emmanuel, “God with us” (Matthew 1:23), into our world at Christmas.

These weekly reflections, based on the Gospel readings for each Sunday in Advent, connect the journey that brought Mary and Joseph to the stable with the journey of all those communities around the world that continue to encounter poverty.

At www.crs.org: More resources for your Advent journey, including videos, prayers and even a “digital Advent retreat”

Gracious Lord, Child of Bethlehem Gracious Lord, Child of Bethlehem, As You were born into a family who fled to Egypt as refugees, help us grow in solidarity with refugees everywhere, to know we are all refugees, until our hearts find refuge in You. As You were born under an oppressive regime, let us grow in solidarity with those whose governments deny them their rights and try to undermine their dignity.

Help us work for just governance everywhere.

As it was workers, the shepherds, who first came to know You, the carpenter’s son, let us remember the dignity of human labor – that You share a special love for those who work hard for their sustenance, and toil beside them.

Let us honor You, in work and in prayer, that livelihoods may be secure, and that workers not be exploited.

As You were adored by the Magi who came from far-off nations to honor You, let us bring to all nations the great good news that is Your love.

As Your coming was joyfully sung by angels, let us with joy celebrate the gift of life every time a child of God is conceived, and honor that gift with our care.

As You were denied any birthplace but a stable, help us to open our homes, our lives, our hearts to the coming of God and His presence in Your people.

Be born this time into our hearts, dear Lord. Gracious Lord, Child of Bethlehem, through the cradle of our hearts, be born into our world.

Amen.

“The Census at Bethlehem,” by Pieter Bruegel the Elder (1566). Set in a snowy, winter scene inspired by his native Flanders, Pieter Bruegel the Elder depicts Mary and Joseph (pictured in the foreground, with Mary riding a donkey) on their way to be registered in a census ordered by the Romans. Bruegel had a tendency to depict biblical events in a contemporary and local setting, which this painting illustrates perfectly. This painting is on display at the Royal Museums of Fine Arts in Brussels, Belgium.

“Mary and Joseph on the Way to Bethlehem,” by Hugo van der Goes (1475). Part of the Portinari Altarpiece on display at the Galleria degli Uffizi in Florence, Italy, it depicts Mary and Joseph traveling to Bethlehem.

The Flemish artist illustrated Mary’s advanced pregnancy by depicting the aging Joseph carefully guiding his wife down the steep and rocky mountain.

Advent wreath prayer All gather around the Advent wreath: LEADER: In the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

Christ Jesus, During these 4 weeks of Advent, we reflect on how we can prepare our hearts to better follow You. We pray that Your light guides us, especially in moments of darkness. We pray, too, for those around the world who struggle on their own journeys, wherever they live. Each week, as we light another candle on the wreath and approach the celebration of Christmas, let us remember that You are the light of the world, that You lead all people on their journeys and that You bring all people from darkness into light.

ALL: Christ, let Your light guide all those who journey. Light the appropriate candle(s).

READER: A reading from the Gospel of Luke (2:1-5) In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that the whole world should be enrolled. This was the first enrollment, when Quirinius was governor of Syria. So all went to be enrolled, each to his own town. And Joseph, too, went up from Galilee from the town of Nazareth to Judea, to the city of David that is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, to be enrolled with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child.

The Gospel of the Lord.

ALL: Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

LEADER: We hear in this reading that Mary and Joseph had to journey to Bethlehem to enroll in a census while Mary was pregnant. Like the Holy Family, who struggled on their journey to find a place for their child to be born, millions around the world also face challenging journeys. They are forced to leave their homes when violent conflict erupts without warning. Women may walk miles each day just to get water. Farmers must find new ways to support their families after a storm, drought or war destroys their crops.

ALL: Christ, let Your light guide all those who journey.

LEADER: Loving God, together with those around the world who struggle on their journeys, we gather around this wreath and pray with joyful hope that the light of Christ will illuminate our paths.

We praise you for the gift of Your Son, Jesus Christ, light of the world and hope of all nations.

We ask Your blessing throughout the Advent season for those of us gathered here and for those who journey throughout the world. We ask all this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

©2018 CATHOLIC RELIEF SERVICES. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

November 23, 2018 | catholicnewsherald.com CATHOLIC NEWS HERALDI

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‘To you, O Lord, I lift my soul.’

Pope Francis

Where there are lies, there can be no love

PRAY Lord, You call us to be watchful because we do not know what tomorrow may bring. We pray that we may be ready to answer Your call without delay and help one another along the way.

Amen.

L

REFLECT Inez prepared for the future by recognizing God’s goodness in creation and caring for it. How do you care for God’s creation in your daily life?

ACT This week, make a list of ways that you notice God’s goodness through creation.

GIVE Care for creation and support farmers like Inez Ramirez.

When you buy ethically produced coffee you help others care for creation.

Visit www.ethicaltrade.crs.org.

PHOTO BY OSCAR LEIVA | SILVERLIGHT FOR CRS

n LIGHT THE ADVENT WREATH In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit … Come Lord Jesus, be our light!

Grant us eyes to recognize You as we wait and watch for You in the world around us.

n READ THE GOSPEL First Sunday of Advent (Cycle C): Luke 21:25-28, 34-36: “Be vigilant at all times and pray …”

n REFLECT WITH A STORY Jesus paints a frightening picture in this week’s Gospel: the sun, moon and stars are in dismay. The waves of the ocean are being tossed about. Even heaven is shaking! God’s very creation – the world in which we live and work – is trying to tell us something, and Jesus is encouraging us to pay attention. God reveals His greatness through creation; creation is beautiful and gives us what we need to live and to eat. But if we do not care for creation today, we may be in trouble in the future.

How do we care for God’s creation? In Guatemala, farmers like Inez Ramirez are working hard to care for plants, water and the soil that grows their crops. Like his father before him, Inez is a coffee farmer. But he is facing

major challenges. His crops have contracted a fungus known as coffee leaf rust, which is destroying coffee crops across Central America.

Despite losing half his crop, Inez is determined and hopeful. Just as Jesus calls us to “Be vigilant at all times and pray,” Inez remains watchful for opportunities and is eager to try new ways of farming. He and his brothers and parents are working through their challenges as one community. “We’ll figure out a way,” Inez says.

Inez sees God’s goodness in creation and takes care of it to help his family and future generations. Jesus also asks us to pay attention to how He is present in the world. We can show our love for Him and for others through the actions we take today.

Your daily Scripture readings NOV. 25-DEC. 1

Sunday (Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe): Daniel 7:13-14, Revelation 1:5-8, John 18:33-37; Monday: Revelation 14:1-5, Luke 21:1-4; Tuesday: Revelation 14:14-19, Luke 21:511; Wednesday: Revelation 15:1-4, Luke 21:12-19; Thursday: Revelation 18:1-2, 21-23, 19:1-3, 9, Luke 21:20-28; Friday (St. Andrew): Romans 10:9-18, Matthew 4:18-22; Saturday: Revelation 22:1-7, Luke 21:34-36

DEC. 2-8

Sunday (First Sunday of Advent): Jeremiah 33:14-16, 1 Thessalonians 3:12-4:2, Luke 21:2528, 34-36; Monday (St. Francis Xavier): Isaiah 2:1-5, Matthew 8:5-11; Tuesday (St. John Damascene): Isaiah 11:1-10, Luke 10:21-24; Wednesday: Isaiah 25:6-10, Matthew 15:2937; Thursday (St. Nicholas): Isaiah 26:1-6, Matthew 7:21, 24-27; Friday (St. Ambrose): Isaiah 29:17-24, Matthew 9:27-31; Saturday (The Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary): Genesis 3:9-15, 20, Ephesians 1:36, 11-12, Luke 1:26-38

DEC. 9-15

Sunday: Baruch 5:1-9, Philippians 1:4-6, 8-11, Luke 3:1-6; Monday: Isaiah 35:1-10, Luke 5:1726; Tuesday (St. Damasus I): Isaiah 40:1-11, Matthew 18:12-14; Wednesday (Our Lady of Guadalupe): Zechariah 2:14-17, Judith 13:1819, Luke 1:26-38; Thursday (St. Lucy): Isaiah 41:13-20, Matthew 11:11-15; Friday (St. John of the Cross): Isaiah 48:17-19, Matthew 11:16-19; Saturday: Sirach 48:1-4, 9-11, Matthew 17:9-13

ying or being inauthentic is seriously wrong because it hinders or harms human relationships, Pope Francis said. “Where there are lies, there is no love, one cannot have love,” he said Nov. 14 during his weekly general audience in St. Peter’s Square.

To live a life “of inauthentic communication is serious because it obstructs relationships and, therefore, it obstructs love,” he said.

The pope continued his series of talks on the Ten Commandments, focusing on the command, “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor,” which, according to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, forbids misrepresenting the truth.

“We are always communicating,” whether with words, gestures, one’s behavior and even by being silent or absent, the pope said. People communicate by who they are and what they do as well as by what they say, which means people are always at a crossroads, “perched” between telling the truth or lies.

“But what does the truth mean?” he asked.

It is not enough to be sincere, he said, because someone could be sincere about a mistaken belief, and it is not enough to be precise because someone could hide the full meaning of a situation behind a barrage of insignificant details.

Sometimes, he said, people think that revealing other people’s personal business and confidential information is fine also because, “I only told the truth.”

Gossip, however, destroys communion by being indiscreet and inconsiderate, the pope said.

The tongue is like a knife, he said, and “gossip kills,” destroying people and their reputation.

“So then, what is the truth?” he asked.

The ultimate model of truth is Jesus, who came into the world “to testify to the truth.” As he told Pontius Pilate, “Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice,” according to the Gospel of John (18:37).

To follow Jesus is to live “in the Spirit of truth” and bear witness to God’s truth, merciful love and fidelity, he said.

“Every person affirms or negates this truth with their every act – from minor everyday situations to more serious choices,” the pope said, so people need to ask themselves whether they are upright and truthful in their words and deeds, “or am I more or less a liar disguised as truth?”

“Christians are not exceptional men and women. But they are children of the heavenly Father, who is good, who does not disappoint and who puts in our heart the love for our brothers and sisters,” he said. “This truth is not spoken so much with a speech. It is a way of being, a way of living and you see it in every single deed.”

“To not bear false witness means to live like children of God who never ever refutes” or contradicts Himself, and never tells lies, he said.

UPcoming events 4

catholicnewsherald.com | November 23, 2018 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Bishop Peter J. Jugis will participate in the following upcoming events: NOV. 27 – 6 P.M. Sacrament of Confirmation St. Luke Church, Mint Hill

DEC. 1 – 11 A.M. Sacrament of Confirmation Sacred Heart Church, Brevard

NOV. 29 – 6 P.M. Sacrament of Confirmation St. Luke Church, Mint Hill

DEC. 4 Bishop’s Advent Dinner for Priests Bishop’s Residence, Charlotte

DEC. 7 – 7 P.M. Holy Mass for the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception St. Patrick Cathedral, Charlotte DEC. 11 Bishop’s Advent Reception for Pastoral Center Employees Bishop’s Residence, Charlotte

Diocesan calendar of events November 23, 2018

ENTERTAINMENT

Volume 28 • NUMBER 4

ART EXHIBIT, ‘MOST HIGHLY FAVORED, THE LIFE OF THE VIRGIN MARY’: Nov. 8-Jan. 31, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, 14542 Choate Circle, Charlotte.

This exhibition has been curated to help the viewer learn and explore more about this Most Highly Favored Lady and the rightful place she played in the life of Jesus and the life of the Church. If you are interested in learning more about the exhibit, including visiting hours, special events or to set up a personal tour, contact Michelle Littlejohn at 704-940-5814 or dlittlejohn@gordonconwell. edu.

1123 S. CHURCH ST. CHARLOTTE, N.C. 28203-4003 catholicnews@charlottediocese.org

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

STAFF EDITOR: Patricia L. Guilfoyle 704-370-3334, plguilfoyle@charlottediocese.org ADVERTISING MANAGER: Kevin Eagan 704-370-3332, keeagan@charlottediocese.org SENIOR REPORTER: SueAnn Howell 704-370-3354, sahowell@charlottediocese.org ONLINE REPORTER: Kimberly Bender 704-808-7341, kdbender@charlottediocese.org HISPANIC COMMUNICATIONS REPORTER: Cesar Hurtado, 704-370-3375, rchurtado@charlottediocese.org GRAPHIC DESIGNER: Tim Faragher 704-370-3331, tpfaragher@charlottediocese.org COMMUNICATIONS ASSISTANT/CIRCULATION: Erika Robinson, 704-370-3333, catholicnews@ charlottediocese.org

THE CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD is published by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Charlotte 26 times a year.

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

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

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

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

ANNUAL SANTA CRAFT FAIR: 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 1, St. Matthew Church, 8015 Ballantyne Commons Pkwy., Charlotte. Browse and shop unique handcrafted items from 100-plus vendors. Have professional photos made with Santa from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Eat in the food court with a sit-down dining area. Enjoy free coffee and a donut. For details, call the parish office at 704-543-7677.

CHRISTMAS IN COMMON: 4 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 2, 101 Mercy Dr., Belmont. A multicultural celebration of Christmas music and dance presented by Queen of the Apostles Church. Reception following in the MAK Family Life Center at Queen of the Apostles Church, 503 North Main St., Belmont. For details, call the parish office at 704-825-9600.

ANNUAL CONCERT OF SACRED MUSIC FOR ADVENT AND CHRISTMAS: 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 15, St. Patrick Cathedral, 1621 Dilworth Road East, Charlotte.

Performing at the concert will be the Cathedral Choir and the Cathedral Children’s Choir. The choirs will sing the “Magnificat in C major” by Johann Christian Bach, plus works by Michael Haydn, Handel and Rheinberger. All are invited to attend.

NATURAL FAMILY PLANNING NFP INTRODUCTION AND FULL COURSE: 1:30-5 p.m.

Saturday, Jan. 12, 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.

PRAYER SERVICES & GROUPS MULTILINGUAL NOVENA AND MASS: 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 27, St. Mary’s Church, 1414 Gorell St., Greensboro.

Multilingual novena and Mass for Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal. Reception will follow. For details, CALL the parish office at 336-272-8650.

ROSARY NOVENA IN REPARATION FOR THE SINS OF OUR NATION AND FOR CHRIST’S SUFFERING CHURCH: 6:15 p.m. Wednesdays, Oct. 3-Nov. 28, Maryfield Chapel, 1315 Greensboro Road, High Point. Included are prayers of reparation and consolation, praying the rosary, Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and Benediction. All are invited.

PRO-LIFE ROSARY: 10 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 1, 901 North

Main St. and Sunset Drive, High Point. Come and help pray for the end of abortion, and feel free to invite anyone who would be morally supportive of this very important cause. The Pro-Life Rosary is held on the First Saturday morning of each month. For details, contact Jim Hoyng at AJHoyng@HotMail.com or Paul Klosterman at PaulJKlosterman@Aol.com.

ST. PEREGRINE HEALING PRAYER SERVICE: 7:30 p.m.

Thursday, Dec. 20, St. Matthew Church, 8015 Ballantyne Commons Pkwy., Charlotte. (The date change is due to Christmas.) This solemn prayer service includes a blessing with the St. Peregrine relic. St. Peregrine has been called the wonder worker for his intercession on behalf of those living with serious illness. He is the patron saint of all who are afflicted by cancer, leg ailments or any life-threatening disease. He is also the patron saint of youth at risk. For details, call the parish office at 704-543-7677.

CHARLOTTE CATHOLIC WOMEN’S GROUP ADVENT RETREAT: 9 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 1, St. Therese Church, 217 Brawley School Road, Mooresville. Reflection will be led

by Father Paul McNulty at 10:30 a.m. in the Day Chapel.

RSVP requested to www.charlottecatholicwomensgroup. org. All women of the Diocese of Charlotte are invited.

ST. MARTIN DE PORRES GROUP OF LAY DOMINICANS GROUP MEETING: 12-4 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 2, St. Matthew Church, 8015 Ballantyne Commons Pkwy., Charlotte. The meeting will begin by praying the rosary in the church prior to the 12:30 p.m. Mass. The meeting will continue after Mass in NLC 132 with fellowship, study, and Vespers.

Please feel free to bring a lunch. For details, contact Mary Snow at snowma007@hotmail.com. Everyone interested is welcome to attend.

UNWRAPPING THE GIFTS OF ADVENT: 9 a.m.-3 p.m.

Saturday, Dec. 8, St. John Neumann Church, 8451 Idlewild Road, Charlotte. Parish mission presented by Sister Susan Schorsten, HM, and Sister Gay Rowzie, HM. Registration is free and open to all. RSVP by Dec. 2 to Kelly Flowers at Kelly@4sjnc.org.

CHARLOTTE AIRPORT SUNDAY MASS: The Airport Chaplaincy at Charlotte Douglas International Airport offers Mass at 8:30 and 10:30 a.m. each Sunday in the airport chapel. All travelers and visitors are welcome.

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: BELMONT: 9 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 1, Queen of the Apostles Church, 503 North Main St.

Trinity Church, 1039 N.C. Hwy. 90 West SEMINARS & WORKSHOPS END OF LIFE ISSUES AND CATHOLIC MORAL TEACHING: 7 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 11, St. Pius X Church, 2210 N Elm St., Greensboro. Guest speaker Father Charles Vavonese will discuss the following topics: What ordinary means should be used to preserve life? What are the ethical and religious directives regarding assisted nutrition and hydration? Palliative care for the terminally ill?

The Church’s belief on physician-assisted suicide, “do not resuscitate” orders, living wills, health care power of attorney, and medical orders for life-sustaining treatment will also be discussed. Father Vavonese is from the Diocese of Syracuse, NY., and is an expert in Catholic moral teaching on end-of-life issues. For details, call the parish office at 336-272-4681.

YOUNG ADULTS CHARLOTTE AREA: Groups for Catholics in their 20s and 30s, single or married, are active on MeetUp at www. meetup.com/charlottecatholicyoungadultministry 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 Facebook “St Peter 20s and 30s Ministry” ST. THOMAS AQUINAS CHURCH: online at “Aquinas’ Finest,” www.stacharlotte.com/finest HOLY SPIRIT CHURCH IN DENVER: call Nicole Lehman, 704-607-5207 ST. LEO THE GREAT CHURCH IN WINSTON-SALEM: online at “Winston Salem Frassati,” www.wsfrassati.com GREENSBORO WAY OF CHRIST: The young adult ministry at St. Pius X Church in Greensboro: at www.stpiusxnc. com/woc, on Facebook at “wayofchrist” and Twitter @wocgreensboro or email Dan McCool at wocgreensboro@gmail.com.

ST. MICHAEL CHURCH IN GASTONIA: For Catholics in their 20s and 30s in the Gastonia area. Meets once a month. Online at www.stmichaelsgastonia.org/youngadult 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: 6 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 4, St. John Neumann Church, 8451 Idlewild Road MOORESVILLE: 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 29, St. Therese Church, 217 Brawley School Road TAYLORSVILLE: 6 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 28, Holy

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.

Our parishes

November 23, 2018 | catholicnewsherald.com CATHOLIC NEWS HERALDI

Diocese found compliant with annual child protection audit CHARLOTTE — The Diocese of Charlotte has again passed an annual independent audit of its child protection procedures.

The yearly audit conducted in August by Stonebridge Business Partners of Rochester, N.Y., monitors U.S. dioceses’ compliance with the U.S. bishops’ Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People, which addresses the Church’s commitment to respond effectively, appropriately and compassionately to cases of abuse of minors by clergy or other Church personnel.

The diocese’s efforts to ensure the protection of children include criminal background checks and educational awareness programs on recognizing and preventing abuse. Auditors have found the Charlotte diocese in compliance with the charter every year since its inception.

In the previous fiscal year (July 1, 2017, to June 30, 2018), the diocese conducted 3,940 background checks, which are required for all clergy, religious, employees and volunteers.

Since 2002, nearly 54,000 adults have also received training in the safe environment awareness program entitled “Protecting God’s Children.” Last fiscal year alone, the diocese held “Protecting God’s Children” training sessions for 2,929 diocesan personnel.

“Protecting God’s Children” helps adults learn to recognize the warning signs of abuse and the many ways that sexual abuse harms victims, families, parishes and communities.

It teaches them appropriate ways to respond to suspicious behaviors and how they can help to prevent abuse.

Diocesan spokesman David Hains noted, “If you took all of the people in the diocese who have gone through our sex abuse awareness training and background checks, you could just about fill Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte. That is a great commitment on the part of the people who have taken the training and from the diocese, which has provided it for nearly 16 years.”

The diocese has invested more than $550,000 over the past 15 fiscal years in the training program, besides a full-time person to manage the program and countless hours provided by volunteer trainers.

The cost of these various child protection measures and the compliance review totaled $102,711 during the previous fiscal year.

Last fiscal year the diocese also provided financial assistance to, or on behalf of, victims totaling $7,824, all of which was for counseling and medical services.

The diocese incurred no costs in connection with sexual misconduct lawsuits in fiscal 2018.

Diocesan insurance funds and the diocesan general fund were used for payment. As in the past, none of these funds came from the Diocesan Support Appeal or from parish savings.

— Catholic News Herald

Learn more At www.charlottediocese.org/human-resources/ safe-environment: Find out more about the Diocese of Charlotte’s child protection policies, sign up for “Protecting God’s Children” training, contact the Victim Assistance Coordinator, or report a claim of abuse.

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People gathered to hear Sister Patricia Chappell, executive director of Pax Christi USA and member of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, speak at Our Lady of Consolation Church in Charlotte Nov. 16-17.

PHOTO PROVIDED BY MORRIS WHITAKER

Pax Christi leaders visit Charlotte to talk about countering racism LISA GERACI CORRESPONDENT

CHARLOTTE — Conversations about how to combat racism are continuing among Catholics in Charlotte, and their latest effort to encourage racial unity and promote social justice featured the leaders of Pax Christi USA. Pax Christi USA is a national Catholic peace movement founded in 1972, part of Pax Christi International. Sister Patricia Chappell, its executive director, and Sister Anne-Louise Nadeau, director of programs, were hosted by Our Lady of Consolation Parish in Charlotte Nov. 16-17, where they met with local Catholic leaders from parishes that have been working to bridge the divide between races in Charlotte following racial protests that erupted in 2016. The racial protests, sparked by a police shooting, led to the death of a young member of Our Lady of Consolation Parish.

Members from that parish joined with parishioners from St. Peter, St. Gabriel, St. Luke and St. Matthew churches – vowing to improve racial relations among Catholics, one person, one conversation, one encounter at a time.

Catholic teaching is clear, both sisters noted in their talks: racism is a sin and every Catholic has an obligation to speak out against it.

“We have to deal with economic and interracial injustice,” said Sister Patricia. “Being a Catholic organization, we must begin with our own beloved Church.”

Sister Patricia noted the U.S. bishops’ approval last week of a new pastoral letter against racism, “Open Wide Our Hearts: The Enduring Call to Love.”

“Despite many promising strides made in our country, racism still infects our nation,” the pastoral letter stated.

“Racist acts are sinful because they violate justice. They reveal a failure to acknowledge the human dignity of the persons offended, to recognize them as the neighbors Christ calls us to love.”

The pastoral letter also stated: “As Christians, we are called to listen and know the stories of our brothers and

sisters. We must create opportunities to hear, with open hearts, the tragic stories that are deeply imprinted on the lives of our brothers and sisters, if we are to be moved with empathy to promote justice. ...We must invite into dialogue those we ordinarily would not seek out. We must work to form relationships with those we might regularly try to avoid.”

Sister Patricia noted that the bishops called for concrete steps to combat racism – covering topics such as racial slurs and jokes to racial profiling, xenophobia and anti-immigrant sentiments. Racism is a personal sin, but also a collective or social sin, she emphasized.

“We as parishes and dioceses are going to be mandated, not just if we feel like it, but mandated, to look at the issues of systemic racism,” Sister Patricia said.

“We need to get behind our bishop, our clergy, our systems and our diocese, or it won’t happen.”

Nearly all of the U.S. bishops, including Bishop Peter Jugis, voted for the pastoral letter, she noted, “but we cannot be satisfied until it is spoken about on every pulpit, talked about in every school, in every diocese and in every office. It’s our mandate, as baptized Catholics, to be concerned about systemic racism.

We have no other choice (but) to be our sisters’ and brothers’ keeper. You and I are the Church, but some of us don’t believe it. Therefore, some of us get scared to address the bishop or the Church. Catholic social teaching says to every one of us: we have the right to organize.”

In her remarks, Sister Anne-Louise acknowledged that confronting with honesty the impacts of “white privilege” on her own life has been difficult.

“I have lost friends during the way, but I like the woman I have become,” she said.

Talking about race, Sister Anne-Louise emphasized, “is not about putting more guilt on people, it is not about shaming.

It is just about talking about the truth, and sometimes the truth has got to hurt a little bit before anything good comes out of it.”

LISA GERACI | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Sister Patricia Chappell spoke as part of an ongoing campaign by several Charlotte parishes to encourage dialogue between white and black Catholics and promote racial unity in Charlotte.

More online At www.catholicnewsherald.com: Read the full text of the U.S. bishops’ new pastoral letter against racism, “Open Wide Our Hearts: The Enduring Call to Love” As with past events, participants gathered in small groups to talk about racism, their own experiences and memories, and how their Catholic faith informs their view of the problem.

Several people brought up instances where they were discriminated against, or heard family members use raciallytinged terms in referring to people of color. Some said they felt embarrassed to talk about race, or pressured not to talk about it.

“We must deal with systemic racism that exists in our Catholic Church, systemic racism that exists in our nation and in the world. We have to be able to do it openly, honestly, relevantly – but also frankly,” Sister Patricia said. “In order to be in right relationships, we need to be able to tell the truth. People of color, we can’t do it by ourselves, because if we could have, we would have done it a long time ago. White folk, you can’t do it by yourselves. We have to do it together. But RACISM, SEE PAGE 15

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catholicnewsherald.com | November 23, 2018 OUR PARISHES

Diocesan youth ministry releases survey results SUEANN HOWELL SENIOR REPORTER

CHARLOTTE — Where do our young people currently stand in their faith life?

That was the underlying premise of the Diocese of Charlotte’s Youth Ministry survey of youth who are active in their parish or Catholic school. Results of the extensive survey of 670 teenagers, conducted by principal researcher Dr. Charlotte McCorquodale, were released earlier this month by Youth Ministry Director Paul Kotlowski. It is the first youth survey by the diocese since 2012.

The survey included only youth who already participate in parish life or attend Catholic school, but Kotlowski noted the survey results demonstrated that “involvement in parish youth ministry has a positive impact on youth and their attitudes toward their faith and the Church.”

“These survey results are an excellent selling point for getting and keeping teens involved in parish youth ministry,” he said.

“Used correctly, these results can serve as a worthwhile diagnostic tool for parishes, as it can assist in the determination of direction and emphasis in programming and program development.”

Some of the results which Kotlowski highlighted: n Most of those surveyed said they enjoyed the youth ministry program offered at their parish, with 86 percent calling their experience of religious education either good (49 percent) or excellent (47 percent). n There was an increase from 26.5 percent to 31 percent of youth who said they have considered a vocation to the priesthood or religious life, over the 2012 survey. n 66 percent of Catholic school respondents, 66.5 percent of public school respondents, 56.9 percent of home school respondents and 55.6 percent of private school respondents claimed to have a personal relationship with Jesus.

Kotlowski also noted that questions about Catholic teaching showed mixed results: n While 94 percent of respondents agreed with Catholic teaching that Jesus in truly present in the Eucharist, 39 percent also thought that all religions are equal. n When asked if God has determined right and wrong, 84 percent agreed. But when asked if right or wrong are a matter of personal opinion, approximately 26 percent of white respondents and 51 percent of Hispanic respondents agreed with the statement. n 67 percent of respondents agreed with Church teaching that marriage is between one man and one woman, about the same percentage reported in the 2012 survey.

Michael Becker, youth minister at Sacred Heart Church in Salisbury, worked with Kotlowski on designing the survey and evaluating the results.

“In several of the answers you can see how our culture is attacking the moral compass of even our best and most engaged youth,” Becker noted.

He pointed to 20 percent of youth disagreeing that marriage can only be between one man and one woman; 39 percent stating that all belief systems and religions are equal; and 33 percent falling into relativism by agreeing that right and wrong are a matter of opinion.

“This shows that we have a lot of work to do teaching our teens about morality, especially the tough topics. We need to reach out to our youth in a charitable manner and help them to understand the morality of the Church and the teachings of Christ,” Becker said.

Michael Quinn, youth minister at St. James Church in Concord, had 29 youth respond to the survey.

“This survey has given us a better sense of what our youth see as important,” Quinn said. “As a diocese we seem to be supporting and speaking to those needs well. It also helped us identify some ways that we were not as aware of a need in our youth.”

Quinn thought the survey “left us with more precise questions that we need to seek answers to from our youth in order to continue developing our ministries for them.”

Sarah Rose, youth minister at St. Aloysius Church in Hickory, said, “What encourages me most is that, for those who responded, the Mass continues to be central in their faith. I was also encouraged by the additional ‘faith practices’ responses which, again, would be pretty strong given that this was such a small population of active youth.”

Rose said she has made a concerted effort at her parish to engage youth from both the white and Hispanic communities. The youth even helped rename their youth ministry “Infractum,” is Latin for “unbroken.”

“How perfect that our teens chose a name in the universal language of the Church that identified us as a group that was unseparated and unbroken,” she said.

She added, “Imagine if our faith didn’t end on Sunday, but that we went out – with Christ fresh on our tongues – and spread the fire of the Holy Spirit to bring people to the Church. Now there lies the model for Catholic youth ministry.”

PHOTOS PROVIDED BY CATHY CHIAPPETTA AND JOAN GUTHRIE

St. Peter teenagers Matthew Chiappetta, Joe Audino, Luke Hudson, Aidan Healy, William Kernodle, Zoe Postal, Gabriel Schuhl and Chloe Wilson attended the 2018 Ignatian Family Teach-In for Justice Nov. 3-5 in Washington, D.C. (Below) The youth designed their own T-shirt for the annual gathering of teens.

St. Peter youth attend Ignatian Family Teach-In for Justice CATHY CHIAPPETTA SPECIAL TO THE CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Nearly 2,000 individuals including eight teens and four adults from St. Peter Church gathered for the 21st annual Ignatian Family Teach-In for Justice Nov. 3-5 in Washington, D.C. Each year, the gathering connects Catholic faith and justice, addressing timely issues through two days of dynamic speakers, breakout sessions and networking opportunities. Known as the largest annual Catholic social justice gathering in the U.S., the Teach-In attracts attendees from more than 135 Jesuit and other Catholic universities, high schools and parishes in the U.S., as well as Canada, Mexico, Spain and El Salvador. While all ages are represented at the event, the majority of attendees are aged 16-22.

On the morning of Nov. 5, the Teach-In culminated with what is estimated to be the largest Catholic advocacy day of the year. More than 1,500 individuals proceeded to legislative advocacy meetings with members of Congress and their staffs on Capitol Hill to urge Congress to enact immigration and criminal justice reform. Teens from St. Peter including Matthew Chiappetta, Joe Audino, Luke Hudson, Aidan Healy, William Kernodle, Zoe Postal, Gabriel Schuhl and Chloe Wilson met with advisor Taylor Ware from Congresswoman Dr. Alma S. Adams’ office to advocate for humane immigration policies.

“To see such passion and fire in those who have every reason to dodge responsibility for the state this world is in, but do not, was both remarkably moving and inspiring. These teens are not quite old enough to vote, but they make their voices heard in order to stand up for justice and remind us continually, of the human, desiring and deserving dignity, that can be found in every experience,” said Jessica Heroy, St. Peter parishioner and chaperone.

Begun in 1997 in Columbus, Ga., the Teach-In is held every November to commemorate the Jesuit martyrs of El Salvador. The six Jesuit priests and two companions were murdered on Nov. 16, 1989, for speaking out against

the country’s tumultuous civil war. The Teach-In relocated from Georgia to Washington, D.C., in 2010 in response to the growing interest in legislative advocacy.

The 2018 presenters included Bishop George Murry, S.J., former chairman of the U.S. bishops’ Committee Against Racism and bishop of the Diocese of Youngstown in Ohio; Nichole Flores, Ph.D., Latinx theologian and faculty member at the University of Virginia; The Peace Poets, a collective of artists that celebrate, examine and advocate for life through music and poetry; Joanna Williams, director of education and advocacy at the Kino Border Initiative; Jorge Huete-Perez, Ph.D., senior vice president at the University of Central America in Nicaragua, exploring root causes of migration; and Jesuit Father James Martin, bestselling author and editor-at-large at America Magazine.

“For more than two decades, the Teach-In has invited the Jesuit network and broader Catholic Church to reflect on the realities of injustice faced by many in the U.S. and beyond,” said Christopher Kerr, executive director of the Ignatian Solidarity Network. “In a time of fear and division, this year’s theme invites attendees to understand the stories and lived experiences behind the issues to better understand the intersectional complexities of work for justice – and to find the courage to tackle those complexities in our shared work for justice.”

The 2018 theme, “Discipleship at the Crossroads: The Courage to Journey Together as an Intersectional Community,” invited participants to journey to the intersections of today’s most pressing and timely justice issues. Inspired by Pope Francis’ call to “try to listen and be silent in order to make space for the beauty of God,” attendees were encouraged to “get to know people, listen, expand the circle of ideas.”

St. Peter teen Chloe Wilson reflected, “‘Our citizenship is in heaven’ is a quote from the Bible, and those words really represent the mission of the whole IFTJ experience.”

CATHY CHIAPPETTA is the faith formation director of St. Peter Church in Charlotte.

November 23, 2018 | catholicnewsherald.com

OUR PARISHESI

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Charlotte Catholic grad helps ‘Spread the Word to End the Word’ as VT Homecoming platform SUEANN HOWELL SENIOR REPORTER

BLACKSBURG, Va. — A 2015 Charlotte Catholic High School graduate is the first candidate to be sponsored by Virginia Tech’s Newman Community Campus Ministry in the college’s annual Homecoming Queen competition.

Ali Buck selected a Respect Life platform, partnering with the Special Olympics in its “Spread the Word to End the Word” initiative during the week-long Homecoming campaign Oct. 29-Nov. 4.

Buck, who volunteered with Camp SOAR in Charlotte for two summers, chose this initiative to start a conversation on the use of the word “retarded” when referring to people with special needs, in the hope of ending use of this derogatory term.

“My campaign focused on starting the conversation on campus with friends, family members and even strangers to stop using the word ‘retarded’,” Buck explained. “The goal of my efforts was to show students that using the r-word hurts, and it personally affects people that you encounter every day.”

Throughout the week of campaigning, Buck asked students to sign a banner to stop using the word.

“It was super exciting because I originally bought one banner that I planned to use the whole week, but we filled it with signatures in one day. We

(Above) Charlotte Catholic High School graduate Ali Buck (center) promoted her 2018 Homecoming Queen platform “Spread the Word to End the Word” during a week-long campaign at Virginia Tech University. (Right) Buck made two banners to support all the signatures by students and others who pledged to join her efforts to treat people who have special needs with dignity.

PHOTOS PROVIDED BY ALI BUCK

ended up needing to get a second banner on Wednesday, which we filled by Friday,” she said.

Buck was introduced to “Spread the Word to End the Word” at a middle school youth group event at her parish, St. Matthew Church in Charlotte.

“We had a representative from the organization come and speak to us about why we should not use the word and asked us to sign the pledge. That event and my signature stuck with me from then on.

“It became something that I was passionate about, and I was so excited to bring the campaign to a campus as large as Virginia Tech,” she said.

Buck and her team also gave out red awareness ribbons to students when they signed the banner.

“I hope that with people wearing the ribbons on their backpacks, it will be an easy way to start the conversation with other people,” she added.

Buck was not crowned Virginia Tech’s Homecoming Queen, but she believes that she and her Newman Center team were successful in starting a real conversation on campus.

“Throughout the week we talked to hundreds of people and our message was spread throughout campus. I spoke to so many students who were able to open up to me that they had a sibling with special needs. It was an amazing experience,” she said.

Celebrating Thanksgiving – Korean style PHOTOS PROVIDED BY AMY BURGER

Giving thanks by helping others HUNTERSVILLE — Parishioners at St. Mark Church organized their annual Thanksgiving Food Drive last week, donating enough food to fill a paper bag with groceries to feed a family a traditional Thanksgiving meal. This year the parish collected well over 1,500 bags of food, distributing filled bags to more than 300 families. Additional food was given to Our Lady of the Assumption Church’s food pantry in Charlotte, and $25 gift cards were also collected to give to families so that they may buy fresh meat and produce. Volunteers were needed for several weeks to collect, sort and then distribute the food in this parish-wide event.

Also pictured: Preschool classes collected soup broth to donate to the Angels and Sparrows Soup Kitchen in Huntersville. Each child brought in a can of broth and then they ran their annual Turkey Trot on the grounds of the church.

GREENSBORO — Korean Catholics in Greensboro recently celebrated Chuseok, the Korean version of Thanksgiving.

Literally translated as “autumn eve,” Chuseok is the Korean harvest festival that is celebrated on the 15th day of the eighth month of the lunar calendar on the full moon, which means it is usually held around the autumn equinox. On Sept. 23, parishioners at St. Peter Yu Church brought traditional foods such as songpyeon (a stuffed rice cake) to be blessed before Mass. Besides celebrating the harvest and the turn of the season, Koreans traditionally visit their family’s graves and pray for the dead during Chuseok.

PHOTOS PROVIDED BY ST. PETER YU KOREAN CHURCH

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catholicnewsherald.com | November 23, 2018 OUR PARISHES

For the latest news 24/7: catholicnewsherald.com

In Brief

St. Pius X Knights donate winter clothing GREENSBORO — The Knights of Columbus ministry “Coats for Kids” is a national program devoted to providing warm winter clothing to deserving children. To date nationally, the Knights have donated half a million coats in North America and Canada. To that end, St. Pius X Council 11101 Knights of Columbus recently delivered 168 winter coats to a local charitable organization, BackPackBeginnings, whose mission is to feed, comfort and clothe children in need. It is a volunteer effort providing comfort without charge to needy children in Greensboro and outlying communities. The money to purchase the coats came from Brother Knights and the generosity of St. Pius X parishioners. BackPackBeginnings has interacted with the Greensboro parish through

its community life director, Carolyn Painley, who coordinated this effort as well as at Cone and Irving Park Elementary, Elm Street Head Start and Hope Academy.

Pictured are (from left): Clothing Pantry Chair Leigh Jones, District Deputy Knight John Joyce, Grand Knight Jim Duffy, Youth Chairman Dan Allen and Administrative Assistant Wendy Brewer.

— John Russell

Clemmons parish groups step up to aid food pantry CLEMMONS — The St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Guild and the Columbiettes from Holy Family Parish recently held a bake sale to support the Meals for Morgan food program for students at Morgan Elementary School and the Clemmons Food Pantry. They were able to raise more than $1,200 in one weekend. They hold this bake sale twice a year with great success. Pictured are Ellen Tommasi from the St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Guild and Mark Southern, Ed Wilke and Charles Cunningham from the Clemmons Food Pantry.

— Ellen Tommasi IN BRIEF, SEE PAGE 15

PHOTO PROVIDED BY JESSICA GRABOWSKI

Spotlight on human trafficking in Charlotte CHARLOTTE — Catholic Charities Diocese of Charlotte’s Respect Life Program and the Respect Life Committee at St. Gabriel Parish in Charlotte hosted an educational forum Nov. 17 on human trafficking and luring in social media. A panel of experts explained the breadth of the problem in the Charlotte region and answered questions from the audience.

Pictured are panelists Joy Anderson, a rescued trafficking victim; Dr. Matt Phillips, a professor at UNC-Charlotte; and Maria Kuylen of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security fielding questions.

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November 23, 2018 | catholicnewsherald.com

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Padre Fidel Melo

La gratitud humana

L

CÉSAR HURTADO | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

(Arriba) La capilla de Nuestra Señora de la leche y el buen parto, levantada en 1615 en la Misión Nombre de Dios en St. Augustine, Fla. Esta devoción a la maternidad de María fue traída de España en 1603. Derecha: Una recreación del altar rústico recuerda la primera Misa de Acción de Gracias celebrada en territorio norteamericano por el P. Francisco López de Mendoza Grajales en companía del conquistador Pedro Menéndez de Avilés, soldados, colonizadores e indígenas.

Thanksgiving, la historia del Día de Acción de Gracias

Oración por el Día de Acción de Gracias Oh Dios, te agradecemos por esta tierra, nuestro hogar; por el ancho cielo y el sol bendito, por el salado mar y la corriente del agua, por las inmensas colinas y los vientos que nunca descansan, por los árboles y la hierba bajo los pies.

Nosotros te agradecemos por nuestros sentidos con los que escuchamos el canto de las aves, vemos el esplendor de los campos de verano, saboreamos las frutas de otoño, nos regocijamos al sentir la nieve y respiramos el aliento de la primavera.

Danos un corazón muy abierto a toda esta belleza; y guarda nuestras almas de ser tan ciegas que pasamos sin ver, incluso cuando la zarza común está ardiendo con tu gloria.

Oh Dios, creador nuestro, que vives y reinas por los siglos de los siglos. Amén.

CÉSAR HURTADO REPORTERO HISPANO

CHARLOTTE ­— Este jueves 22 de noviembre se celebra Thanksgiving o el Día de Acción de Gracias que recuerda la cena de agradecimiento de un grupo de peregrinos con nativos, en la que se dio gracias a Dios por la abundancia de cosechas en el nuevo mundo, ocurrida en Plymouth, Massachusetts, en 1621.

Los peregrinos, cristianos protestantes que se separaron de la Iglesia de Inglaterra, habían llegado a Plymouth Rock el 11 de diciembre de 1620 a bordo del navío Mayflower. El primer invierno fue muy duro para ellos, pero en el siguiente otoño

obtuvieron una buena cosecha y decidieron celebrarlo con una gran cena, incluyendo a los indígenas que les habían ayudado a sobrevivir el primer año.

Los hombres cazaron carne para la cena.

No se sabe a ciencia cierta si los pavos de la región fueron parte de ella, ya que usaban el término ‘pavo’ para cualquier ave silvestre.

Aunque hoy no falta el pastel de calabazas para el Día de Acción de Gracias, son muy pocas las posibilidades que ese alimento formara parte del menú de la primera celebración. Las reservas de harina se habían usado, así que no había pan o pasteles de ninguna clase. Había suficiente ACCIÓN DE GRACIAS, PASA A LA PÁGINA 15

Lecturas Diarias NOV. 25-DEC. 1

Domingo (Nuestro Señor Jesucristo, Rey del Universo): Daniel 7:13-14, Apocalipsis 1:5-8, Juan 18:33-37; Lunes: Apocalipsis 14:1-5, Lucas 21:1-4; Martes: Apocalipsis 14:14-19, Lucas 21:511; Miércoles: Apocalipsis 15:1-4, Lucas 21:12-19; Jueves: Apocalipsis 18:1-2, 21-23, 19:1-3, 9, Lucas 21:20-28; Viernes (San Andrés): Romanos 10:9-18, Mateo 4:18-22; Sábado: Apocalipsis 22:1-7, Lucas 21:34-36

DEC. 2-8

Domingo (Primer domingo de Adviento): Jeremías 33:14-16, 1 Tesalonicenses 3:12-4:2, Lucas 21:25-28, 34-36; Lunes (San Francisco Javier): Isaías 2:1-5, Mateo 8:5-11; Martes (San Juan Damasceno): Isaías 11:1-10, Lucas 10:21-24; Miércoles: Isaías 25:6-10, Mateo 15:29-37; Jueves (San Nicolás): Isaías 26:1-6, Mateo 7:21, 24-27; Viernes (San Ambrosio): Isaías 29:17-24, Mateo 9:27-31; Sábado (La Inmaculada Concepción de la Bendita Virgen María): Génesis 3:9-15, 20, Efesios 1:3-6, 11-12, Lucas 1:26-38

DEC. 9-15

Domingo: Baruc 5:1-9, Filipenses 1:4-6, 8-11, Lucas 3:1-6; Lunes: Isaías 35:1-10, Lucas 5:1726; Martes (San Dámaso I): Isaías 40:1-11, Mateo 18:12-14; Miércoles (Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe): Zacarías 2:14-17, Judith 13:18-19, Lucas 1:26-38; Jueves (Santa Lucía): Isaías 41:13-20, Mateo 11:11-15; Viernes (San Juan de la Cruz): Isaías 48:17-19, Mateo 11:16-19; Sábado: Eclesiastés 48:1-4, 9-11, Mateo 17:9-13

a gratitud es la virtud por la cual una persona reconoce, interior y exteriormente, los regalos recibidos y trata de corresponder por estos dones recibidos.

Esencialmente la gratitud consiste en una disposición interior, un corazón agradecido. Y al ser genuino este agradecimiento, de alguna forma se expresa con palabras o con acciones. Y por lo tanto incluye tres elementos: n El reconocimiento de que un regalo o don ha sido recibido n La expresión de aquella gratitud con nuestras palabras n Y si la vida nos da la oportunidad, corresponder de alguna forma.

Un ejemplo bíblico de gratitud se encuentra en el Evangelio de San Lucas, en el capítulo 17, versículos del 11 al 19. “Y aconteció que yendo Jesús a Jerusalén, pasaba entre Samaria y Galilea. Y al entrar en una aldea, salieron a su encuentro diez hombres leprosos, los cuales se pararon de lejos y alzaron la voz, diciendo: ¡Jesús, Maestro, ten misericordia de nosotros!

Y cuando él los vio, les dijo: Id, mostraos a los sacerdotes. Y aconteció que, mientras iban, fueron limpiados.

Entonces uno de ellos, cuando vio que había sido sanado, volvió glorificando a Dios a gran voz, y se postró sobre su rostro a los pies de Jesús, dándole gracias; y este era samaritano. Y respondiendo Jesús, dijo: ¿No son diez los que fueron limpiados? Y los nueve, ¿dónde están? ¿No hubo quien volviese y diese gloria a Dios, sino este extranjero?

Y le dijo: Levántate, vete; tu fe te ha sanado”.

De 10 leprosos que fueron sanados milagrosamente por Nuestro Señor Jesucristo, solo uno regresó a darle las gracias. Jesús lo puso como ejemplo de persona agradecida y se entristeció por los otros nueve que no regresaron a darle las gracias.

Es obvio que la gratitud es una virtud necesaria en una auténtica relación con Dios y con las personas que de alguna manera nos ayudan en la vida.

Ahora bien, la gratitud a Dios se expresa con nuestra Adoración y la consagración de nuestras vidas para Él. ¡Feliz día de Acción de Gracias a todos!

EL PADRE FIDEL MELO es el director del Ministerio Hispano de la Diócesis de Charlotte.

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catholicnewsherald.com | November 23, 2018 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

‘Tenemos mucho que agradecer’ Familia inmigrante venezolana celebrará su primera cena de Acción de Gracias CÉSAR HURTADO REPORTERO HISPANO

CHARLOTTE ­—Las lágrimas caen por las mejillas del venezolano Orlando Antonio Lugo, 39 años, casado, con dos hijos, al recordar los difíciles momentos que debió afrontar como inmigrante recién llegado a los Estados Unidos.

Orlando, su esposa Suhail Méndez, embarazada con ocho meses de gestación, y sus dos hijos, Orleand Josué de 10 años y Odland Saúl de nueve, residen desde hace unas semanas en un pequeño apartamento localizado en la zona este de Charlotte, donde han asentado su hogar y día a día luchan juntos para salir adelante ante los retos que se les presentan.

Orlando llegó hace siete meses a New Jersey, obligado por la terrible situación que atraviesa su país, dejando en la ciudad de Valencia, estado Carabobo, Venezuela, a su esposa e hijos, con la esperanza de trabajar y abrir camino para el reencuentro familiar en Estados Unidos.

Después de trabajar en restaurantes, un amigo lo invitó a trasladarse a Charlotte, Carolina del Norte, donde “había mejores oportunidades de trabajo”.

Lamentablemente, a poco de instalarse en Charlotte, su amigo dejó la habitación que compartían y desapareció.

“No supe qué hacer. No conocía a nadie, no tenía trabajo, no conocía el área. Pero me dije que si quería traer a mi familia no me podía quedar sin hacer nada”, relata, por lo que puso manos a la obra se lanzó a buscar trabajo.

DÍAS FELICES

La experiencia laboral de Orlando estaba relacionada con logística y almacenes.

En Venezuela trabajó para una empresa grande, Polar, donde disfrutaba de una buena posición y excelentes beneficios.

Su esposa, Suhail, laboraba en una compañía farmacéutica transnacional.

Juntos pudieron instalar un floreciente negocio de carnicería.

Todo marchaba sobre ruedas, hasta que la economía del país se derrumbó y los sueldos que recibían mensualmente no alcanzaban ni para comprar el desayuno.

El control oficial que impuso precios irreales en la carnicería y la corrupción de los oficiales controladores trajo abajo el negocio que no tenía forma de generar utilidades.

Orlando, dirigente sindical en su trabajo, comenzó a sufrir persecución por su papel en defensa de los trabajadores. Ahora no solo no había qué comer, sino que también estaba en riesgo su vida y la de su familia.

“Tenemos que irnos”, decidieron ambos.

Suhail hizo un arreglo con su empleador y renunció. Orlando, habiendo trabajado

en la misma empresa por 17 años, recibió ochenta dólares por concepto de beneficios laborales.

Después de vender sus posesiones, Orlando viajó a Estados Unidos con una billetera vacía, pero con el corazón lleno de esperanzas.

SINSABORES

“Yo soy trabajador”, asegura Orlando, “no le tengo miedo al trabajo fuerte y haría todo, lo que fuera por mi familia”. Sin embargo su buena voluntad no era suficiente y, después de trabajar por una o dos semanas, lo despedían de los trabajos de construcción por falta de experiencia.

“Ser principiante, no saber el oficio, ser discriminado, CÉSAR HURTADO | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD todo eso lo viví, y me La familia conformada por Orlando Lugo, Odland de 9 años, Suhail Méndez y Orleand de 10 han encontrado en Charlotte un oasis de paz, angustiaba saber que tranquilidad y estabilidad tras dejar atrás una pesadilla en Venezuela, su país natal que aman y extrañan. En esta fiesta de Acción de mi familia seguía en Gracias, que celebrarán con unos amigos que los acogerán en su hogar, dicen que tienen, pese a los sinsabores vividos, “mucho que Venezuela y no la agradecer”. podía ayudar”.

Después de profundidad a algunos visitantes. resolver que era el momento de que su a la escuela elemental a la que asisten, “Yo ya pensaba que si regresaban a mis familia se reuniera con él en Estados donde los han incluído en el equipo de hijos y a mi esposa me regresaba para Unidos, una persona lo contrató para béisbol. El bus escolar pasa por la puerta Venezuela, sin importar lo que tuviera que trabajar en la remodelación de 20 unidades del condominio y el parque deportivo está a hacer para mantenerlos allá”, dijo Orlando de vivienda. solo unos pasos de casa.

Pero quiso Dios que tras el interrogatorio, “Trabajé dos semanas de 6 de la mañana Además, la niña que lleva en el vientre al que siempre Suhail respondió con la a once de la noche. Eran dos mil dólares Suhail debe nacer la primera semana de verdad, permitieran su ingreso con la con los que esperaba contar para pagar los diciembre. condición que, a los diez días, regresara pasajes de mi familia. Acepté no cobrar la Este año será el primero en el que a Venezuela. Los planes de la pareja primera semana porque para mí era como celebrarán el Día de Acción de Gracias y, cambiaron y, de inmediato, consumieron estar ahorrando”, nos cuenta. con todo lo sufrido, Suhail nos dice que gran parte de sus ahorros contratando un Al terminar la obra la desilusión fue tienen mucho que agradecer. “¡A cuántas abogado en Miami para pedir asilo. tremenda. El contratista nunca le pagó a personas las detienen en inmigración y Orlando, quien perdió tiempo, dinero y, lo no pasan! Tenemos que agradecer a Dios peor de todo, la esperanza. por lo que tenemos, por nuestra salud, por MUCHO QUE AGRADECER Sin embargo, la pareja pudo conseguir la familia, por la generosidad de muchas Pero llegar a Charlotte, aunque con un el dinero para pagar los boletos aéreos proceso todavía duro de adaptación, ha sido personas de la comunidad que nos han de la familia hasta Miami. Orlando iría a ayudado a estar donde ahora estamos. Y es una bendición. buscarlos a Florida en autobús. también una excelente ocasión para pedir Poco a poco han mejorado las La incertidumbre era tremenda. Suhail por lo que viene, por los que no están con condiciones de vivienda, han encontrado y sus niños, con visado de turista, podrían nosotros”. ayuda con amigos y organizaciones, se han ser devueltos a Venezuela en caso de Orlando afirma que está contento de vivir relacionado socialmente y, lo mejor de todo, despertar alguna duda en los oficiales de en un país “muy organizado donde la ley Orlando ha encontrado trabajo estable en inmigración. Suhail fue interrogada “en se cumple”. Pese a estar agradecidos con una compañía de pintura de propiedad de el cuartito”, un espacio de interrogatorio los Estados Unidos, esta hermosa familia una “gran y generosa persona de origen personal que los agentes migratorios espera, algún día, regresar a Venezuela, su mexicano que me ha extendido la mano”. utilizan para cuestionar con mayor casa y verdadero hogar.

Sus hijos se están adaptando fácilmente

Recursos disponibles para el Adviento El Adviento, período de preparación para celebrar la Navidad, comienza cuatro domingos antes de esta fiesta. Este año 2018, iniciará el domingo 2 de diciembre y el último domingo de Adviento será el 23 de diciembre.

El término ‘Adviento’ viene del latín adventus, que significa venida, llegada. El color usado en la liturgia de la Iglesia durante este tiempo es el morado. Con el Adviento comienza un nuevo año litúrgico en la Iglesia.

En nuestra publicación podrán encontrar, en las páginas en inglés, muchos recursos para irnos preparando para celebrar el nacimiento de Nuestro Señor Jesucristo. Nosotros, en la sección en español, hemos encontrado valioso compartir con

ustedes progresivamente todo este material en nuestra página web, catholicnewsherald.com, y en nuestra página de Facebook, facebook.com/CNHespañol.

Si aún no nos sigue en Facebook, lo invitamos a que nos visite, nos de un ‘like’ y siga la publicación en esta red social.

No pierda la oportunidad de seguir semana a semana las diferentes actividades, reflexiones y oraciones que podrá llevar a cabo en familia para que todos, juntos en comunidad, celebremos la Navidad.

Recuerde, Navidad es Jesús.

— César Hurtado, Reportero Hispano

November 23, 2018 | catholicnewsherald.com CATHOLIC NEWS HERALDI

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Nombran coordinadora de Pastoral Juvenil Hispana CÉSAR HURTADO REPORTERO HISPANO

La Asociación Tepeyac de Nueva York, organizadora de la Carrera Antorcha Guadalupana, tuvo este año 2018 una deferencia especial para con la Diócesis de Charlotte pues la Antorcha permaneció por siete días en su territorio, visitando igual número de parroquias de la diócesis y recibiendo el saludo y homenaje de una comunidad inmigrante unida por la fe en la ‘Morenita del Tepeyac’ y San Juan Diego.

El mal tiempo reinante durante los primeros días de la llegada de la Antorcha no impactó en el ánimo de los corredores ni fieles que esperaron su llegada.

FOTOS CORTESÍA LEANDRO BERNABÉ Y GUSTAVO VILLANUEVA

Antorcha Guadalupana entregó mensaje de ‘Mamá María’ CÉSAR HURTADO REPORTERO HISPANO

GREENSBORO — Para el Diácono Enedino Aquino, coordinador del Ministerio Hispano del Vicariato de Greensboro, el mensaje de unidad familiar que nos envía ‘Mamá María’, fue entregado un año más por la Antorcha Guadalupana, “gracias al fervor grande de cientos de corredores que con sacrificio acortaron las distancias” entre padres e hijos que viven en México y los Estados Unidos y que, por alguna razón, separados por una frontera, no pueden visitarse como desearían.

La Antorcha fue recibida el sábado 10 de noviembre en la línea fronteriza entre Carolina del Sur y Carolina del Norte por una delegación enviada por la parroquia Nuestra Señora de Lourdes, primera estación del recorrido en nuestro estado, que después de rendir homenaje a la Virgen Morena entregó la posta en la parroquia San James de Concord.

“Estamos impresionados con todo lo que sucedió”, dijo Gustavo Villanueva, organizador de Monroe. “La Antorcha encendió la llama. Gracias a nuestro párroco la comunidad se involucró mucho y eso nos dejó muy activos, con la luz encendida y preparados para su fiesta, que celebraremos el 12 de diciembre”, añadió.

Después de ser trasladada a la parroquia San José en

Newton y recibida con alegría por su feligresía que no se amilanó con la lluvia, el martes 13 la Antorcha estuvo presente en la parroquia San Francisco de Asís en Mocksville.

El miércoles 14, cerca de 80 corredores entregaron la Antorcha en la parroquia Santa María en Greensboro.

El jueves 15 se trasladaron las imágenes de San Juan Diego y la ‘Morenita’ hasta la parroquia Inmaculado Corazón de María en High Point, donde fue recibida por más de 400 fieles. El Diácono Enedino Aquino, en su prédica, señaló que el mensaje de ‘Mamá María’, “entregado con amor a todos nosotros” es sencillo: “hagan lo que Él les diga”.

La noche del jueves la Antorcha se trasladó a la parroquia Nuestra Señora de los Caminos, en Thomasville, donde se le ofrecieron danzas y se celebró una Misa a las 11:15 de la noche.

Finalmente, el viernes 16, a las 6 de la mañana, 114 corredores partieron para entregar la posta en Durham a las 5:30 de la tarde, después de once horas de carrera.

Leandro Bernabé, uno de los veteranos organizadores locales, dijo que en este año se pudo sentir con más fuerza la unión de los líderes y que “el amor de Santa María de Guadalupe, sumado a la fe inmensa en estos tiempos difíciles, nos fortalece en el crecimiento como personas y familia”.

Bernabé informó que una parroquia de Hendersonville ha presentado una petición para acoger el próximo año a la Antorcha Guadalupana.

CHARLOTTE — Reconociendo la importancia del crecimiento de la feligresía hispana en la Diócesis de Charlotte, las autoridades diocesanas anunciaron la contratación de la Sra. Ibis Centeno como coordinadora de la Pastoral Juvenil Hispana.

La posición ha sido reactivada después de muchos años que permaneciera vacante, respondiendo a la urgencia de atender las necesidades pastorales de los adolescentes, jóvenes y jóvenes adultos hispanos de la diócesis.

Centeno, cubana de nacimiento, sufrió, junto con su familia, persecución religiosa en su país de origen debido a la política de la revolución que encabezó Fidel Castro.

Llegada a California por los años 90, junto con su esposo, se dedicaron a la tarea de ser ‘padres postizos’, una actividad de muchos sinsabores al ser testigo del abuso y maltrato de varios menores que estuvieron a su cargo.

Pasados los años, con su esposo y cuatro hijas, se instaló en la zona de Statesville y empezó a asistir a la iglesia Santa Teresa de Mooresville. Allí se involucró con la comunidad trabajando como coordinadora latina y posteriormente como coordinadora del Ministerio Hispano del Vicariato de Salisbury.

“Pero todo ese tiempo, la formación que recibí fue jesuita, de la espiritualidad ignaciana, siguiendo los pasos y la dirección de San Ignacio de Loyola”, explica Centeno.

“Por lo que conociendo a Cristo, me enamoré completamente de Él”, añade.

Toda esa formación le abrió las puertas a convertirse en Directora Regional del Ministerio Hispano de la Provincia de Maryland y el Noreste de los Estados Unidos para la Oficina de Espiritualidad Ignaciana, encargándose también el Sureste, cubriendo el territorio desde Baltimore, Maryland, hasta la Florida. El cargo lo ocupó por tres años, hasta la primera mitad de 2018.

Sin embargo, durante todo el tiempo que Centeno trabajó para los jesuitas, nunca se alejó del grupo de coordinadores de la Diócesis de Charlotte y participó de las reuniones para mantenerse al tanto de la actividad en nuestra región.

Centeno, que ya inició sus labores de coordinación, espera solidificar la misión del Ministerio Juvenil Hispano asumiendo las tareas de colaboración, comunicación, compromiso y conexión entre los líderes y las agrupaciones juveniles.

El trabajo inicial que plantea su oficina es estudiar y conocer la realidad de los grupos juveniles en número y calidad a través del contacto con los líderes, coordinadores de vicariato, párrocos y directores de formación de fe parroquiales.

Más adelante espera mantener actualizada la página web de la Pastoral Juvenil, crear un calendario de eventos y actividades a nivel diocesano, actualizar y abrir nuevos puentes a través de las redes sociales para mantener contacto permanente con los jóvenes.

Centeno es una convencida de la urgente necesidad de lograr una eficiente comunicación con los jóvenes. Afirma que “hay que unirse con los jóvenes en donde están ellos y llevarles lo que tenemos nosotros, pero al nivel que ellos tienen. Y si no nos ponemos al día con los medios de comunicación que ellos utilizan nos vamos a quedar afuera”.

Para comunicarse con Ibis Centeno, provisionalmente llame al teléfono 704-9022244. “Estaré encantada de recibir su llamada”, asegura.

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iiiNovember 23, 2018 | catholicnewsherald.com

FROM TH

Buying

Fair trade gifts SUEANN HOWELL SENIOR REPORTER

Put your Catholic faith int holiday season by buying gi “fair trade.”

WHAT IS FAIR TRADE?

Fair trade products are items which producers in developing countries are their work and that labor and environm what they should be.

Fair trade is meant to help producer countries or economically marginalize exploitation and achieve better workin conditions. Transparency and account workers, equity in trading partnership between producers and consumers are of fair trade. Members of the fair trade advocate for improved social condition environmental standards.

Fair trade particularly focuses on comm typically exported from developing count countries. Handicrafts, coffee, chocolate, fruit, flowers and gold are all popular fair

WHAT IS FAIR TRADE ROOTED IN?

Fair trade is grounded in three core b producers should have the power to exp consumers. Secondly, trade practices h promoted an unbalanced distribution o nations and exploited the developing w should be made to promote fair trade pr the developing world as well as benefit Lastly, buying products from producers countries at a fair price is a more efficie sustainable development than tradition One aspect of fair trade is the “social buyers of fair trade goods pay to the pe produce them. Producers or producer-g and how this social premium is spent – socioeconomic development at the loca environmental initiatives, public schoo other infrastructure that their governm

Blush bunny stuffed animal $26 The Little Market is non-profit founded by women to empower women, offering items from $10 and up. Each bunny purchase empowers artisans at Naguska in Peru. www.thelittlemarket.com

CauseGear Daytote $45 Designed in Chicago and handcrafted in India, CAUSEGEAR is social enterprise committed to transforming the lives of one million people trapped in unfathomable poverty and injustice. This daytote comes in a rainbow of colors, in leather or canvas, with prices starting at $18. www.causegear.com

HE COVER

November 23, 2018 | catholicnewsherald.comiii

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g with a purpose

s are a powerful way to act in faith

to action this ifts certified as

guarantee that paid fair prices for mental conditions are

rs in developing ed areas escape ng and business tability, respect for ps, and dialogue e all key aspects e movement also ns and sustainable

modities and products tries to developed wine, sugar, fresh r trade items.

beliefs. First, press unity with have generally of wealth between world, so efforts ractices that help the developed world. s in developing ent way of promoting nal charity and aid. l premium” that eople or groups who groups decide where usually towards al level, such as ols, water projects and ment is not providing.

Producers also use the premium to invest in capital, such as trucks and equipment, and provide education for their workers, such as learning sustainable farming techniques.

IS FAIR TRADE CATHOLIC?

The fair trade concept is deeply rooted in the Catholic faith. Fair trade is an approach to business and trade that is based on a commitment to uphold the dignity of every person and promote the common good.

The common good is “the sum total of social conditions which allow people, either as groups or as individuals, to reach their fulfillment more fully and more easily,” the Catechism of the Catholic Church tells us (CCC 1906).

Fair trade is based on cooperation and mutual benefit, and is in many ways consistent with the Catholic vision for economic activities that promote the common good.

St. John Paul II wrote in his encyclical “Centesimus Annus” that a business should act not as a “society of capital goods” directed solely toward the attainment of financial goals, but rather as a “society of persons” that serves the common good.

In a 2013 letter to the G8 nations, the U.S. bishops also noted: “Trade and trade rules must serve the universal common good of the whole human family and the special needs of the most vulnerable nations. It is counterproductive to provide agricultural development assistance on the one hand and then to use unfair agricultural trade policies that harm the agricultural economics of poorer nations on the other.”

By buying fair trade products, we put Catholic values into concrete action. Our purchases respect human dignity, promote economic justice and cultivate global solidarity.

HOW DID FAIR TRADE START?

The first attempts to commercialize fair trade goods began in the 1940s and 1950s with religious groups and nongovernmental organizations. Ten Thousand Villages, an NGO within the Mennonite Central Committee, and SERRV International were the first, in 1946 and 1949 respectively, to develop fair trade supply chains in developing countries.

Their products, almost exclusively handicrafts ranging from jute goods to cross-stitch work, were sold mostly at churches or fairs. The goods themselves often had no other purpose than to indicate that a donation had been made.

The current fair trade movement was shaped in Europe in the 1960s. Fair trade then was often seen as a political

‘Purchasing is always a moral and not simply economic act.’ — Pope Benedict XVI gesture against neo-imperialism, when radical student movements began targeting multinational corporations and raising concerns that traditional business models were fundamentally flawed.

The slogan at the time, “Trade not Aid,” gained international recognition in 1968 when it was adopted by the United Nations’ Conference on Trade and Development to emphasize establishing fair trade relations with the developing world over focusing on direct aid.

HOW ARE FAIR TRADE PRODUCTS CERTIFIED?

Items certified as “fair trade” not only purport to guarantee fair prices, but also abide by ethical principles.

Child and slave labor are not used in producing fair trade items, for example. Workplaces are safe, and workers have the right to unionize and have a say in their working conditions. Prices cover the cost of production, yes, but are also sufficient to enable social improvement, promote business development, and protect the local environment.

Fair trade certification also promotes long-term business relationships between buyers and sellers, crop financing, and greater transparency throughout the supply chain.

To become certified as fair trade, producers and farmers must follow standards set by Fairtrade International, also known as Fairtrade Labeling Organizations International or FLO International. This international non-profit, based in Bonn, Germany, handles inspecting and certifying producer organizations in more than 50 countries throughout Africa, Asia and Latin America. It also licenses companies offering fair trade products and governs who can use the “Fair Trade Certified” label. FLO International independently audits producers, traders and the entire supply chain to ensure that the internationally-agreed fair trade standards are met.

The fair trade certification system covers thousands of products and commodities, and the fair trade certification mark can now be found on about 30,000 different items. Popular items are bananas, honey, coffee, oranges, cocoa beans, cotton, dried and fresh fruits and vegetables, flowers, nuts and oil seeds, quinoa, rice, sugar, tea and wine. Clothing, sustainable wood products and jewelry are also growing in popularity.

Mama Tierra coffee $12 Every purchase of Mama Tierra Coffee supports the work of Catholic Relief Services ($2 per bag) to restore and protect coffee communities across southern Mexico and Central America with clean water, healthy soil and resilient farmers. www.equalexchange.coop

FAIR TRADE, SEE PAGE 14

Treat and coffee gift boxes from $30

Ecuador scarf $20

The Tegu Pocket Pouch is a set of magnetic wooden blocks made from FSC-certified Honduran hardwoods that fit neatly into a felt pouch. The blocks easily connect via tiny magnets in each block, so kids can create lots of fun shapes.

Fair trade chocolates, coffee and food in a recycled gift box – ideal for business gifts and to send to friends and family far away at Christmastime. Equal Exchange was founded in 1986 to challenge the existing trade model (which favors large plantations, agri-business and multinational corporations), and support and promote small and fair trade farmers.

Serrv sells handcrafted gifts, food, apparel, jewelry and home decor from 55 artisan and farmer organizations in more than 30 countries. The non-profit is dedicated to lifting disadvantaged artisans, farmers and their families out of poverty.

www.fairtradewinds.net

www.equalexchange.coop

www.serrv.org

Tegu Pocket Pouch magnetic wooden blocks $26

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catholicnewsherald.com | November 23, 2018 FROM THE COVER

Local fair trade retailers

Indonesian Wood Nativity $125 One World aims to improve the livelihood of disadvantaged artisans and help pay for food, education, healthcare and housing for those who would otherwise lack opportunity for a stable income. This Fair Trade Indonesian Wood Nativity Set is hand carved from sustainable Albizia wood, crafted by Fair Trade artisans in Indonesia.

Ten Thousand Villages 10 College St. Asheville, NC 28801 828-254-8374 www.tenthousandvillages.com/ asheville#fndtn-home A fair trade retailer of artisancrafted home decor, personal accessories and gift items from across the globe.

www.oneworldfairtrade.net

Highland Books 277 N. Broad St. Brevard, NC 28712 828-884-2424 www.highlandbooksonline.com/ Sells fair-trade products from Ten Thousand Villages and Serrv.

Crosstrade Jewelry and Gifts 1087 Main St. #2 Blowing Rock, NC 28605 828-295-8691 www.crosstradenc.myshopify.com Aims to promote artisans and producers in impoverished areas of Brazil by connecting their handmade goods to customers in new markets.

The Marketplace at Oak Street 19725 Oak St., Unit 8 Cornelius, NC 28031 980-613-2120 www.themarketplacenc.com Partners with Christian organizations around the world that are empowering people with employment, which then opens the door to share the love of Jesus. Sells clothing, jewelry, handbags, home goods, coffee, tea, chocolates and more from Elegantees and Hands Producing Hope and Woven Grace.

FAIR TRADE FROM PAGE 13

FLO International reports having 1,599 certified producer organizations in 75 countries as of 2017 – representing more than 1.6 million farmers and workers around the world.

Global sales of fair trade products rose by 8 percent to approximately $9.6 billion in 2017, generating estimated premiums of more than $200 million for farmer and worker organizations, FLO International’s latest annual report shows. The United Kingdom, Germany and the U.S. were the largest fair trade markets according to 2017 retail sales, with American consumers buying $1.1 billion in fair trade goods.

HOW DO YOU SHOP FAIR TRADE?

Basically, look for the label. Fair trade labeling in the United States is usually described as “Fair trade,” “Fair Trade Certified” or “FTC.” There are five widely recognized labels (two of which are pictured here): Fair Trade International, Fair Trade U.S.A., Fair for Life, the World Fair Trade Organization and the Fair Trade Federation.

Fair trade certified products are available in most cities as well as online. (Several retailers located in the Diocese of Charlotte are listed at right.)

Catholic Relief Services also has a CRS Ethical Trade Holiday Gift Guide, featuring vendors here including Mama Tierra Coffee, Equal Exchange, Serrv, Maggie’s Organics, CauseGear and Prosperity Candle and more. A portion of your purchase benefits CRS. “Our faith calls us to respect the dignity of work, God’s people and His creation,” says CRS ethical trade program officer Erin Mackey. “With every purchase, a donation goes to CRS – for twice the impact!”

— World Fair Trade Organization, Wikipedia and Providence Coffee contributed.

Learn more At www.ethicaltrade.crs.org: Support Catholic Relief Services’ fair trade efforts by using its easy-to-shop “Ethical Trade Holiday Gift Guide,” featuring vendors like Mama Tierra Coffee, Equal Exchange, Serrv, Maggie’s Organics, CauseGear, Prosperity Candle and more.

At www.fairtradecertified.org: What does it mean to be “fair trade certified,” especially in the U.S.?

At www.fairtradewinds.net/guide-fair-trade-labels: Fair trade labeling and what the different labels actually mean

Haiti Rubble Pillar Candles from $55

Organic Wool Killington Hiking Sock $23

Beeswax and soywax candles (starting at $12) support people in Haiti, Burma and victims of human trafficking in the U.S. With every purchase, a donation is made to support CRS. These concrete pillar candle holders are made with actual material from the 2010 earthquake that devastated Port-au-Prince, symbolizing the work to shine a light despite darkness.

Maggie’s Organics sells organic cotton and wool socks, leggings, accessories and apparel for men, women and children. It believes in using certified organic fibers and ensuring fair labor practices, supporting U.S. textile workers for more than 20 years. Five color choices. Shop the CRS holiday gift guide for even more selections! www.maggiesorganics.com

www.prosperitycandle.com

Pura Vida Worldly Art 3202a N. Davidson St. Charlotte, NC 28205 704-335-8587 www.puravidaart.com/ Fair-trade clothing, jewelry, home goods, textiles, musical instruments, food and more from around the globe.

Just Be 352 S. Elm St. Greensboro, NC 27401 336-274-2212 www.onlyjustbe.com/ Sells clothing from Elegantees.

Ten Thousand Villages – Greensboro 1564A Highwoods Blvd.

Greensboro, N, 27410 336-834-4606 www.tenthousandvillages.com/ greensboro#fndtn-home ​ nique World Gifts U 2751 North Center St., Viewmont Area Hickory, NC 28601 828-328-5595 www.uniqueworldgifts.org Sells products from Serrv and Ten Thousand Villages.

Serena Cuff Set $57 Dawn Drops $24 Purpose Jewelry is handcrafted by artisans who have escaped human trafficking. All proceeds go to the nonprofit organization International Sanctuary, which provides holistic care ad job training to these women. Use the promo code CRS. www.purposejewelry.org

Peaceful Dove Bread Warmer $27 Whitewashed terracotta and handwoven kaisa grass basket www.fairtradewinds.net

Ten Thousand Villages – Montreat 303 Lookout Road Montreat, NC 28757 828-669-1406​ www.tenthousandvillages.com/ montreat

November 23, 2018 | catholicnewsherald.com CATHOLIC NEWS HERALDI

IN BRIEF FROM PAGE 8

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year is the 38th anniversary of the CROP Walk and that St. Pius X Parish has participated consistently in the walk since 1994, earning a Cream of the Crop Award the past several years. St. Pius X walkers were more than 150 strong this year, with a goal of families walking together. This year the group designed its own T-shirt with the church’s logo on the front and motto (“Know, Love and Serve God”) on the back.

— Carolyn Painley and Kandice Weglin

Hibernians help MDA CÉSAR HURTADO | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Imágenes talladas en madera recrean la celebración de la primera Misa de Acción de Gracias en territorio norteamericano. Se puede ver el altar rústico, al celebrante, al conquistador Menéndez y sus soldados, así como a dos indígenas Timucuas, uno de ellos arrodillado. Tras la Misa, colonizadores e indígenas compartieron alimentos. La obra se expone en el Museo de la Misión Nombre de Dios en San Augustine, Fla.

ACCIÓN DE GRACIAS VIENE DE LA PÁGINA 9

cantidad de calabazas, porque crecían en el campo y ellos las comían cocidas. Tampoco había leche, sidra, papas o mantequilla. No había vacas para producir leche y la papa, recientemente descubierta, aún creían muchos que era venenosa.

La cena incluyó pescado, bayas silvestres, berros, langostas, fruta seca, maíz, almejas, venado y ciruelas.

El Día de Acción de Gracias fue proclamado oficialmente por el presidente Lincoln en 1863, para ser celebrado el último jueves de noviembre. En 1941 fue declarado oficialmente, por el Congreso de Estados Unidos, un día festivo, a celebrarse el cuarto jueves de noviembre.

PRIMERA CELEBRACIÓN

Cincuenta y seis años antes de Plymouth Rock, el 8 de septiembre de 1565, se ofreció la primera misa de Acción de Gracias en San Augustine, Florida. Un altar rústico que se levanta en la Misión ‘Nombre

de Dios’ recuerda la Misa ofrecida por el Padre Francisco López de Mendoza Grajales, sacerdote diocesano y capellán de la flota española, a la que asistieron el Almirante Don Pedro Menéndez de Avilés, fundador de la ciudad, colonizadores, soldados e indígenas Timucuan.

El historiador John Gilmary Shea asegura que la Misa fue celebrada “para santificar la tierra y recibir las bendiciones del cielo antes de dar el primer paso para construir una habitación humana”.

Cuenta la historia que al término de la Misa los soldados españoles se despojaron de sus armaduras, los indios de sus lanzas y ambos grupos compartieron los alimentos. Se cree que los españoles aportaron guiso de ajo con carne de cerdo, garbanzos y aceite de oliva y los nativos contribuyeron con pavo silvestre, peces, mariscos, calabaza, frijoles y frutas.

Actualmente en la Misión se levanta la Capilla de la Virgen de La Leche y el Buen Parto, devoción traída desde España en 1603.

Según indicó uno de los guías del histórico lugar, “este es el sitio que Dios señaló con su dedo donde debía iniciar la evangelización de Norteamérica”.

Cuidado con nuestras mascotas CHARLOTTE — Aunque parezca mentira, la fiesta de Acción de Gracias es una de las temporadas con mayor ocupación para los veterinarios. Sin querer ni saber, muchas personas ofrecen alimentos dañinos a sus mascotas. Por ello les entregamos algunas recomendaciones de los especialistas: n Aunque está bien compartir un poco de carne de pavo con sus mascotas, nunca le dé el hueso completo a su mascota. Los huesos del pavo pueden astillarse y quedar atrapados en la garganta, la tráquea o el estómago de su mascota. n Mantenga a las mascotas alejadas de nuevos alimentos: muchos de ellos les pueden causar malestar estomacal, incluso provocar pancreatitis, una inflamación del páncreas que a veces es mortal. n El chocolate, las cebollas, el ajo, el alcohol, las pasas y las uvas son venenosas para algunas mascotas. No se las proporcione. n Ofrezca a las mascotas un lugar tranquilo y seguro para relajarse, como una jaula o una habitación cerrada. Deles camas o toallas y mucha comida y agua. n Tenga a mano el teléfono de su veterinario si, pese a todas sus precauciones, su mascota se enferma.

— César Hurtado, Reportero Hispano

RACISM FROM PAGE 5

in order to do it together we have to deal with the pain and the hurt, with the rage, and the reverence of who we are called to be, and that is children of God. We are all called to be children of God.” The day ended with suggestions for

practical action, including: finding ways (individually and collectively) to get out of one’s social, racial and cultural “comfort zone”; being more empathetic; reaching out to others and finding ways to work together; addressing the “isms” of society with children; reaching out across parishes and continuing cross-cultural work; forming a delegation to discuss with Bishop Jugis how the Charlotte diocese could implement the new pastoral letter; and fostering further discussion.

GREENSBORO — The Guilford County Na Cara Division 1 of the Ancient Order of Hibernians recently held a “Halfway to St. Patrick’s Day” fundraiser for the Muscular Dystrophy Association of Greensboro at Sedgefield Country Club’s Cardinal Course Club House. The event featured a silent auction, games, DJ, the Jamestown Pipe and Drum Band, delicious hors d’ oeuvres and refreshments. In the spirit of the AOH Motto – “Friendship, Unity, and Christian Charity,” a contribution of more than $7,700 was presented to MDA. In spite of Hurricane Florence’s impact on local weather conditions, the event’s turnout generated the largest single charity contribution made to date by Na Cara.

Youth help fight hunger NEWTON — St. Joseph Church’s youth group recently participated in the annual Hunger Walk in downtown Newton to raise money and awareness for Eastern Cooperative Christian Ministry and The Corner Table (a local soup kitchen).

— Kara Antonio, correspondent

— John B. Malmfelt

SPX members join CROP Walk

GREENSBORO — St. Pius X parishioners joined walkers who participated with other faith communities in the Greensboro CROP Hunger Walk Oct. 14. The CROP Walk raises awareness and money to help eliminate poverty and food insecurity, while promoting sustainable farming techniques locally and internationally. Carolyn Painley, the parish’s community and outreach associate, said this

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

Luke2:14

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Our schools 16

catholicnewsherald.com | November 23, 2018 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Sacred Heart students get creative in ‘Makerspace Challenge’ ROBIN FISHER SPECIAL TO THE CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

SALISBURY — In September, Sacred Heart School officially kicked off its first “Makerspace Challenge.” A makerspace is a common place where students share interests, ideas, equipment, and knowledge to create, invent, learn and explore. All grades in kindergarten through the eighth grade competed in the challenge, for which the creative word was “cardboard.”

The broad challenge topic enabled Sacred Heart students to really explore their imaginations, and their projects included wild and domestic animals by kindergartners to Viking ships from eighth-graders. Fifth-grade students created “landforms and major waters,” and third-graders made “virtue webs,” just to name a few.

“I have selected our third-graders to highlight how our school takes standard curricula and allows them to explode in our students’ minds. It really is just mind-blowing,” said Makerspace Director Erin Brinkley. “During the past month, our third-graders have been reading ‘Charlotte’s Web’ and have studied

different types of spiders and their webs. They carefully researched spiders, invented devices that simulate how spiders climb (string and spider pictures), planned a design and finally created their own individual webs. Next, these young thirdgraders moved their ideas to our ‘Cranium Cove Makerspace,’ where the building phase began. Using a variety of supplies including cardboard, string, paint, glue,

tape and perseverance, these students created their webs. As a final touch, each web included a virtue or positive character trait at the center, as inspired by ‘Charlotte’s Web.’ What makes the webs outstanding is that the word at the center of a student’s web did not describe themselves, but a classmate that was selected secretly.”

Sacred Heart cannot be more excited

about the creative student learning happening in their Makerspace.

“I am just over the moon about it. Our next generation has to be innovative and creative,” said Principal Tyler Kulp. “We have such a big responsibility as educators to teach the standard curricula, but not just as our students sit at their desks. They have to be able to apply these curricula in the world they live in.”

‘Socktober’ a success WINSTON-SALEM — Students at St. Leo School in Winston-Salem wrapped up their “Socktober” fundraiser Oct. 31. They collected nearly 5,500 pairs of socks for victims of the recent hurricanes. Socks are the most needed item but are the most rarely donated, so to alleviate this problem students collected socks throughout October. The class that collected the most each week won a cupcake party. The first week winners were the first-graders (who collected the pile pictured above), the second week winners were the fourthgraders, and the final week winners were the sixth-graders.

PHOTO PROVIDED BY MELISSA KINSLEY

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November 23, 2018 | catholicnewsherald.com CATHOLIC NEWS HERALDI

For the latest movie reviews: catholicnewsherald.com

In theaters

‘Good Catholic’ video series feature local priests SUEANN HOWELL SENIOR REPORTER

‘Instant Family’ After taking in three siblings (Isabela Moner, Gustavo Quiroz and Julianna Gamiz) from foster care, a good-hearted couple (Mark Wahlberg and Rose Byrne) faces a series of challenges that disrupt their previously placid lifestyle and leave them wondering if they can cope with the commitment they’ve made. While the result is a fundamentally pro-family film, the script includes material appropriate for grown-ups only. Much scatological humor, a handful of profanities, a couple of milder oaths, at least one rough term, frequent crude and crass language.

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

‘Beautiful Boy’ The sheer randomness of drug addiction and the ensuing raw family pain are covered effectively, although succinctly, in this adaptation of two memoirs by journalist David Sheff (Steve Carell) and his oldest son, Nic (Timothee Chalamet). There are no solutions offered in this drama, no speeches and no moralizing. Instead, the story finds Dad trying to be supportive to the point of exhaustion until he realizes that his son has to solve the problem for himself. Pervasive rough language.

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

‘Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch’ This adaptation of Theodor Geisel’s 1957 children’s fable “How the Grinch Stole Christmas!” is an extravagant animated adventure narrated by Pharrell Williams. The eponymous grump (voice of Benedict Cumberbatch) lives high above the hamlet of Whoville with his loyal dog by this side. With a heart “two sizes too small,” he wants nothing more than peace and quiet and to be left alone. Determined to put a halt to the incessant joy and goodness of the Whos, he strikes on the idea of masquerading as Santa Claus and stealing every Christmas present, tree and decoration in sight.

One intrepid girl (voice of Cameron Seely), has plans of her own, however. With a few welcome nods to the true religious meaning of Christmas, this is perfectly acceptable holiday fare for all ages with a core lesson about the redemptive power of kindness and forgiveness. Mild cartoonish action.

CNS: A-I (general patronage); MPAA: PG

CHARLOTTE — In this digital media age, access to inspirational tools is just a click away. The “Good Catholic” video series featuring priests of the Diocese of Charlotte are some of the latest ways the faithful can enhance their prayer lives and understanding of the Catholic faith.

The Catholic Co.’s latest “Good Catholic Great Advent” series features Father Noah Carter, parochial vicar of St. Mark Church in Huntersville.

The 22-day series begins on the first day of Advent.

Subscribers to the “Great Advent” series receive one article per day, followed by a 3- to 6-minute video reflection.

“The content is aimed at helping Catholics live the season of Advent in renewed way of spiritual preparation in view of Christmas,” explains Father Carter. “The articles and videos touch upon theological themes of Christ’s first coming, as well as His second coming, and all of the rich ways that the Church prepares to celebrate the birth of Christ.”

Father Carter hopes people will be inspired to slow down and simplify their lives during Advent. “Many times, we rush and rush to make everything perfect, but forget to withdraw a bit and really reflect on the desires of our heart.”

Spending 15 minutes with an article and video reflection each day enables people to keep the joyful expectation of Christ uppermost in their minds.

The Catholic Co. has a total of six “Good Catholic” video series to date, varying in length from 21 days to 40 days in duration.

Other “Good Catholic” videos featuring local clergy include: “Fatima: 100 Years” with reflections by Father Patrick Winslow, pastor of St. Thomas Aquinas Church in Charlotte; “Heroic Virtue” and “The Four Last Things” with reflections by Father Timothy Reid, pastor of St. Ann Church in Charlotte; “Mary Undoer of Knots,” with reflections by Father David Miller, pastor of St. Dorothy Church in Lincolnton; and “School of Prayer” with reflections by Father Joseph Matlak, pastor of St. Basil the Great Eastern Catholic Parish in Charlotte.

Genevieve Cunningham, a marketing manager for the company, says the “Good Catholic” online content is a way for Catholics to access a digital series to deepen their prayer lives and knowledge of their faith. “Through videos, articles and daily email reminders, each subscriber takes a spiritual journey. They are also able to discuss their thoughts on each series and prayer requests with other subscribers in a private Facebook group.”

Online At www.goodcatholic.com: Get more information about the “Good Catholic” video series and pricing

17

On TV n Friday, Nov. 23, 7 a.m. (EWTN) “Padre Pio Way of the Cross.” Stations of the Cross led by Father Alessio as he reads Padre Pio’s meditations at San Giovanni, the place where Padre Pio spent more than 50 years as a priest. Many pilgrims still travel to this remote part of Italy. n Saturday, Nov. 24, 8 p.m. (EWTN) “Lourdes.” The life of the great saint of Lourdes, Bernadette, and the vast impact she had in the lives of others.

Part 2. n Sunday, Nov. 25, 10 p.m (EWTN) “Convinced.” While discerning his own conversion, Donald Johnson traveled around the country and met all kinds of people who overcame obstacles and opposition to fully embrace their Catholic faith. n Tuesday, Nov. 27, 5:30 p.m.

(EWTN) “Pakistan: Shahbaz Bhatti, A Man With a Dream.” An exploration of the life of Shahbaz Bhatti, an outspoken critic of Pakistan’s blasphemy laws and the only Catholic in Pakistan’s cabinet, who predicted his own assassination and preemptively recorded a message in the event of his death. n Wednesday, Nov. 28, 4:30 p.m.

(EWTN) “John Paul II: Be Not Afraid.”

An animated biography of the early life of St. John Paul II up to his election as pope. n Wednesday, Nov. 28, 5:30 p.m..

(EWTN) “Mozambique: A Witness to Faith.” The story of how the Church and people of Mozambique persevered after 23 catechists, including women and children, were murdered in a violent attack on a catechist center in Guiua. n Friday, Nov. 30, 8 p.m. (EWTN) “The Story of Saint Brigid of Ireland.”

A documentary of one of the pillars of Irish Christianity, St. Brigid of Kildare, a religious foundress and tireless champion for the poor and Ireland’s people. n Saturday, Dec. 1, 8 p.m. (EWTN) “Marie’s Story.” A religious sister teaching at the Larnay Institute in central France offers to work with the blind and deaf daughter of a 19th century artisan. Based on true events. n Tuesday, Dec. 4, 4 p.m.. (EWTN) “Image of God: What is Advent?”

Elementary school teacher Mary Jo Smith and the Faith Factory kids learn about their faith by discussing basic Catholic truths from the Bible to the Eucharist in this informative children’s series.

CCDOC.ORG Case Coordinator - Greensboro Catholic Charities Diocese of Charlotte seeks a full-time Case Management Coordinator to provide services in Guilford County. Position requires strong interactions with Catholic parishes and community agencies. Go to www.ccdoc.org/jobs for details.

Our nation 18

catholicnewsherald.com | November 23, 2018 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

U.S. BISHOPS’ FALL GENERAL ASSEMBLY

Vatican asks U.S. bishops to delay vote on sex abuse response proposals DENNIS SADOWSKI CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

BALTIMORE — At the urging of the Vatican, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops will not vote on two proposals they were to discuss at their Baltimore meeting regarding their response to the clergy sex abuse crisis.

Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo of GalvestonHouston, USCCB president, informed the bishops as they opened their fall general assembly Nov. 12 that the Vatican wanted the bishops to delay any vote until after a February meeting with the pope and presidents of the bishops’ conferences around the world that will focus on addressing clergy abuse.

Affected are proposed standards of episcopal conduct and the formation of a special commission for review of complaints against bishops for violations of the standards.

Cardinal DiNardo said he was disappointed that no action would be taken during the assembly, but that he was hopeful that the delay “will improve our response to the crisis we face.”

The cardinal’s announcement came two days after Pope Francis met with Archbishop Christophe Pierre, apostolic nuncio to the United States, at the Vatican.

Archbishop Pierre returned to the United States Nov. 11 in time for the first day of the U.S. bishops’ general fall assembly in Baltimore.

However, at a midday news conference, Cardinal DiNardo said the request to delay action came from the Congregation for Bishops.

The assembly planned to move forward with discussion of both proposals from the bishop’s Administrative Committee.

The Administrative Committee consists of the officers, chairmen and regional representatives of the USCCB. The

committee, which meets in March and September, is the highest authority of the USCCB outside of the full body of bishops when they meet for their fall and spring general assemblies.

In response, Cardinal Blase J. Cupich of Chicago suggested the general assembly move forward with its discussion of the two proposals. He also called for a special assembly in March to weigh and vote on the measures after being informed by the outcome of the February meeting in Rome.

“It is clear that the Holy See is taking seriously the abuse crisis in the Church,” Cardinal Cupich said, adding that the February meeting was a “watershed moment” in Church history.

“We need to be clear where we stand and tell our people where we stand,” he said.

Later in the morning session, just before the assembly adjourned for a day of prayer and penitence, Cardinal DiNardo opened his presidential address pointing to the weakness within the Church that has led to the clergy abuse crisis.

Repeatedly citing the words of St. Augustine, he said “in order that weakness might become strong, strength became weak.”

He called for action to lift the entire brotherhood of bishops from a place of weakness that has allowed the clergy sex abuse crisis to exist. While there were to be no votes on specific action at the meeting, he said the deliberations the bishops would undertake would set them on the route to healing for the Church and for victims of abuse.

He also held up his own weakness to victims, saying: “Where I have not been watchful or alert to your needs, wherever I have failed, I am deeply sorry.”

Cardinal DiNardo urged the bishops to root themselves in the life and teaching of Jesus to lead the Church and the victims of abuse to healing. He also called for the

bishops to focus on the needs of victims so that “our example not lead a single person away from the Lord.”

He also said that the bishops must be as accountable as anyone else in ministry in the Church and that they, like priests and other Church workers, must adhere to the same standards of conduct identified in the “Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People.”

“Whether we will be remembered as guardians of the abused or of the abuser will be determined by our action beginning this week and the months ahead. Let us draw near to Christ today sacrificing him our own ambitions and promptly submit ourselves totally to what he demands of us both in love and justice,” he said.

In his seven-minute address, the cardinal said that he read that St. Augustine warned there are two extremes that pose dangers to the faithful -- despair and presumption.

“We and the faithful can fall into despair believing that there is no hope for the Church or (for) good change in the Church.

We can also believe that there are no hopes for healing from these sins,” he said.

“But we must always remember that there is a thing called trusting faith and it leads us on our current journey. This trusting faith provides us roots, roots for a living memory. Our people need this living memory of hope,” he said.

Presumption can lull the Church into inactivity, he added, “by presuming that this will blow over, that things simply return to normal on their own. Some would say this is entirely a crisis of the past, and it is not. We must never victimize survivors over again by demanding that hey heal on our timeline.”

While the majority of abuse incidents occurred decades ago, the pain among victims “is daily and present,” he continued and warned against leaving behind people who have been hurt by

clergy.

“In justice we must search for every child of God whose innocence is lost to a horrific predator at any time decades ago or this very day,” Cardinal DiNardo said.

He explained that healing can result through forgiveness, adding, “Let us not only be willing but also ready and eager to ask for forgiveness.”

“Combating the evil of sexual assault in the Church will require all our spiritual and physical resources,” he said. “We must draw near to Christ in our sorrow, in humility and in contrition to better hear his voice and discern his will. It is only after listening that we can carry out the changes needed, the changes the people of God are rightfully demanding.”

Bishops see much they can do despite no vote on steps to addressing abuse BALTIMORE — The U.S. bishops arriving in Baltimore expected to make a statement with a series of steps meant to address a new clerical sexual abuse scandal in the Church, among them a collection of standards of episcopal accountability, the creation of a lay-dominated commission to investigate allegations of bishop misconduct and a third-party reporting system to field such complaints. They left Baltimore with no action on those steps. Even a hastily written, seemingly innocuous statement asking the Vatican to release “soon” its documentation on an investigation into retired Archbishop Theodore E. McCarrick went down to a lopsided defeat Nov. 14.

So what is left for the bishops to do? Perhaps not much as a group right now, but individually they still can do much within their own dioceses, according to bishops at a Nov. 14 news conference following the public portion of the bishops’ annual fall meeting.

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November 23, 2018 | catholicnewsherald.com CATHOLIC NEWS HERALDI

19

U.S. BISHOPS’ FALL GENERAL ASSEMBLY Bishops overwhelmingly approve pastoral against racism BALTIMORE — The U.S. bishops overwhelmingly approved a pastoral letter against racism Nov. 14. “Open Wide Our Hearts: The Enduring Call to Love – A Pastoral Letter Against Racism” passed 241-3 with one abstention. “Despite many promising strides made in our country, racism still infects our nation,” the pastoral letter says. “Racist acts are sinful because they violate justice. They reveal a failure to acknowledge the human dignity of the persons offended, to recognize them as the neighbors Christ calls us to love.”

Survivors of clergy sex abuse tell bishops of rejection, pain BALTIMORE — Luis A. Torres Jr. stood before a group of U.S. bishops during one of the most publicly watched of their fall annual meetings Nov. 12 and in doing so revealed to the world the reality that he has lived with since childhood: that he was abused by a priest. “I’m not private anymore. Everyone knows,” said Torres, a lawyer and member of the Lay Review Board of the Diocese of Brooklyn, N.Y., which examines policies for removing priests who have abused. It was unclear but it seemed that the moment marked the first time he revealed the truth publicly. He also spoke of what he witnessed toward those who have come forward in the Church when they revealed what had happened to them at the hands of clergy. “I witnessed a Church that didn’t understand or didn’t seem to care, or worse, a Church that was actively hostile to the children

who had trusted and suffered under its care,” he said. “A Church that professed faith but acted shrewdly, a Church that seemed to listen less to Christ’s teachings and more to the advice of lawyers, a Church that seemed less interested in those it had harmed.”

Standards for bishop accountability discussed BALTIMORE — A series of standards of episcopal accountability for bishops was formally unveiled Nov. 13, but with the proposed standards not going to be voted on, interest in discussing them during the meeting’s public session Nov. 14 was low. The Vatican’s intervention, announced when the USCCB meeting began Nov. 12, asked that the bishops not approve any elements of their proposals to strength its policies on clergy sex abuse until they can be reviewed for their conformity to canon law and after the February meeting at the Vatican for presidents of bishops’ conferences worldwide. “In our dioceses, there already exist codes of conduct,” said Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin of Newark, N.J., chairman of the Committee on Clergy, Consecrated Life and Vocations, Nov. 13. “In light of that, the focus became on how to build additional policy and best practices to hold ourselves accountable.”

investigation of allegations of misconduct by Archbishop Theodore E. McCarrick. The bishops decided to let the Vatican’s investigation proceed without urging any further action. The resolution was introduced Nov. 14 after three days of discussion during the fall meeting that focused on the response of the full body of bishops to the clergy abuse allegations within the U.S. Church.

Bishops OK Sister Thea Bowman sainthood effort BALTIMORE — The U.S. bishops gave their assent to the canonization effort launched for Sister Thea Bowman by the Diocese of Jackson, Miss. The assent, on a voice vote, came Nov. 14. The “canonical consultation” with the body of U.S. bishops is a step in the Church’s process toward declaring a person a saint.

Sister Bowman, a Mississippi native and the only African-American member of her order, the Wisconsin-based Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration, was a widely known speaker, evangelizer and singer until she died of cancer in 1990 at age 52. “The faithful in, and well beyond, the Diocese of Jackson,” have asked for her canonization process to begin, said Bishop Joseph R. Kopacz of Jackson.

National Review Board expects Bishops vote to let Vatican probe to push bishops on accountability BALTIMORE — Members of the National continue without comment Review Board see their work as one way BALTIMORE — The U.S. bishops Nov. 14 defeated a resolution 137-83 to encourage the Vatican to release all documents related to the

to continue challenging the U.S. bishops “not to back down” from efforts to improve accountability in responding to clergy sexual

abuse, said board chairman Francesco Cesareo.

“This is a moment of opportunity and it is not a moment to be wasted. If we don’t get it right this time we may not get a third chance to really grapple with this issue,” Cesareo said after delivering a report from the board Nov. 13.

“They see this as a moment whereby we can potentially have a cultural shift and change,” he said of the all-lay board, which the bishops set up in 2002 to oversee compliance with the “Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People.” The report offered a series of recommendations, including a call to review diocesan and seminary files, archives and clergy personnel records dating to at least 1950 and to make the findings public when possible. It also backed the USCCB proposals for a code of conduct for bishops and the formation of a special commission for reviewing complaints against bishops for violating the standards.

2019 budget has refugee cuts BALTIMORE — The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ 2019 budget, approved Nov. 14 by a 22312 vote with six abstentions, reflects increased expenses related to the new clergy sex abuse crisis, according to Archbishop Dennis M. Schnurr of Cincinnati, USCCB treasurer. It also reflects, he said, the downward trend in the USCCB’s Office of Migration and Refugee Service’s budget due to federal policy changes.

MRS’ budget has shrunk from $97 million last year to $78 million this year and to $66 million next year, “an overall decrease of about $31 million,” Archbishop Schnurr said. The 2018 budget estimates abuse-related costs at $500,000, he added, “and as much as $1 million for 2019.”

— Catholic News Service

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Our world 20

catholicnewsherald.com | November 23, 2018 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

For the latest news 24/7: catholicnewsherald.com

In Brief Pope offers prayers for victims of wildfires; death toll climbs SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Cal Fire officials reported that the death toll had reached 77 in the Camp Fire north of Sacramento, one of the deadliest blazes in the state. The number of people who are missing has reached almost 1,000.

At the Vatican Nov. 18, Pope Francis said, “A special prayer goes to those affected by the fires that are plaguing California. ... May the Lord welcome the deceased in his peace, comfort their families and support those who are involved in relief efforts.

As of Nov. 19, 150,000 acres had been scorched and 12,794 structures destroyed by the Camp Fire. Containment of the fire was 65 percent to date and full containment was expected Nov. 30.

“The tremendous loss from the Camp Fire ravaging parts of the diocese is devastating,” said Bishop Jaime Soto of Sacramento. “The families in Paradise and the surrounding communities affected by the fire can rely on the support of our prayers.”

The entire population of Paradise of about 30,000, was forced to evacuate Nov. 9; the town was destroyed.

“We also pray for the brave men and women responding to this disaster and battling the fires,” the bishop added in a statement posted on the diocesan website, www.scd.org. “May all those who have died in this catastrophic inferno be granted eternal repose in the merciful hands of the Lord Jesus.”

Caravan from Central America receives rough reception MEXICO CITY — The first participants in the caravan of Central Americans arriving in Tijuana, Mexico, were met with hostility as residents of an affluent neighborhood confronted migrants wanting to camp on a beach near the border fence separating the United States and Mexico. The residents demanded the migrants leave Tijuana, sang the Mexican national anthem and shouted, “Mexico!” as caravan participants were taken to shelters, according to press reports and videos on social media.

Father Andres Ramirez, director of Caritas Mexico in the Archdiocese of Tijuana, said such rough receptions were not the rule in Tijuana as the border city has a history of welcoming migrants and incorporating them into the community.

“Tijuana is a city of migrants,” he said. Father Ramirez attributed the hostility to Tijuana being the final stop prior to caravan participants hoping to cross into the U.S. to seek asylum.

Some may have decided to stay in Tijuana, where factory work is abundant.

How long the migrants stay in Tijuana remains uncertain as 3,140 people already are waiting to file asylum claims. U.S. Customs and Border Patrol has been processing only 90 requests per day, according to press reports. The Archdiocese of Tijuana and religious organizations, including the Scalabrinian order, operate shelters for migrants in region. The facilities have filled with deportees IN BRIEF, SEE PAGE 21

CNS | PAUL HARING

Pope Francis eats lunch with poor people as he marks World Day of the Poor at the Vatican Nov. 18. Some 1,500 people joined the pope for lunch in Paul VI Hall.

Helping the poor is not a papal fad, but a duty, pope says CAROL GLATZ CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

VATICAN CITY ­— As the rich get richer, the increasing misery and cries of the poor are ignored every day, Pope Francis said.

“We Christians cannot stand with arms folded in indifference” or thrown up in the air in helpless resignation, the pope said in his homily Nov. 18, the World Day of the Poor.

“As believers, we must stretch out our hands as Jesus does with us,” freely and lovingly offering help to the poor and all those in need, the pope said at the Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica. About 6,000 poor people attended the Mass as special guests; they were joined by volunteers and others who assist disadvantaged communities.

After the Mass and Angelus, the pope joined some 1,500 poor people in the Vatican’s audience hall for a multi-course lunch.

Many parishes, schools and volunteer groups across Rome also offered a number of services and meals for the poor that day.

God always hears the cries of those in need, the pope said in his homily at the Mass, but what about “us? Do we have eyes to see, ears to hear, hands outstretched to offer help?”

Pope Francis urged everyone to pray for the grace to hear the cries of all the poor: “the stifled cry of the unborn, of starving children, of young people more used to the explosion of bombs than happy shouts of the playground.”

May people hear the cry of the abandoned elderly, those who lack any support, refugees and “entire peoples deprived even of the great natural resources at their disposal,” he said.

Referring to the Gospel story of the poor man begging for scraps, Pope Francis many people today are just like Lazarus and “weep while the wealthy few feast on what, in justice, belongs to all. Injustice is the perverse root of poverty.”

Every day, he said, the cry of the poor becomes louder, but it is increasingly ignored. Their cries are “drowned out by the din of the rich few, who grow ever fewer and more rich,” he said.

The pope reflected on St. Matthew’s account of what Jesus did after he fed thousands with just five loaves and two fish.

The passage (Mt 14: 22-32) explains that instead of gloating or basking in the glory of successfully feeding so many people, Jesus goes up to the mountain to pray.

“He teaches us the courage to leave, to leave behind the success that swells the heart and the tranquility that deadens

the soul,” the pope said.

But then Jesus goes back down the mountain to the people who still need Him, he said.

“This is the road Jesus tells us to take – to go up to God and to come down to our brothers and sisters,” to tear oneself away from a life of ease and comfort and leave behind fleeting pleasures, glories and superfluous possessions, the pope said.

Jesus sets people free from the things that do not matter so they will be able to embrace the true treasures in life: God and one’s neighbor, he added.

The other event in the passage according to St. Matthew, the pope said, is how the storm and the winds died down after Jesus got into the boat carrying His frightened disciples.

The secret to navigating life and its momentary storms, the pope said, “is to invite Jesus on board. The rudder of life must be surrendered to Him” because it is He who gives life, hope, healing and freedom from fear.

The third thing Jesus does is stretch out His hand to Peter, who, in his fear and doubt, is sinking in the water.

Everyone wants true life and needs the hand of the Lord to save them from evil, the pope said.

“This is the beginning of faith – to cast off the pride that makes us feel self-sufficient and to realize that we are in need of salvation,” he said. “Faith grows in this climate” of being not on a pedestal aloof from the world but with those crying for help.

“This is why it is important for all of us to live our faith in contact with those in need,” the pope said. “This is not a sociological option or a pontifical fad. It is a theological requirement” to acknowledge one’s own spiritual poverty and that everyone, especially the poor, is pleading for salvation.

“Rouse us, Lord, from our idle calm, from the quiet lull of our safe harbors. Set us free from the moorings of self-absorption that weigh life down; free us from constantly seeking success.

Teach us to know how to ‘leave’ in order to set out on the road You have shown us: to God and our neighbor,” he said.

The pope established the World Day of the Poor to encourage the whole Church to reach out to those in need and let the poor know their cries have not gone unheard, the pope said in his message this year.

U.N. groups estimate there are some 700 million people in the world who are unable to meet their basic needs and that 10 percent of the world’s population lives in extreme poverty.

November 23, 2018 | catholicnewsherald.com CATHOLIC NEWS HERALDI

IN BRIEF FROM PAGE 20

in recent years, Father Ramirez said, meaning the archdiocese had little space to offer the caravan.

Catholic, aid agencies press for end of war in Yemen WASHINGTON, D.C. — Catholic and international aid organizations are pressing for an end to Yemen’s worsening war, where the United Nations says one child dies every 10 minutes. David Beasley, executive director of the World Food Program, called Yemen “the world’s worst humanitarian disaster in 100 years.” Half of Yemen’s 28 million people are on the brink of starvation and the country is suffering from the worst cholera epidemic in modern history.

“The humanitarian disaster in Yemen is of horrific proportions,” Kevin Hartigan of Catholic Relief Services said, describing the crisis erupting in the impoverished nation at the tip of the Arabian Peninsula which is embroiled in a nearly four-year-old conflict. “More certainly needs to be done to assist a population that is on the brink of starvation, and we intend to expand our response with the generous support of Catholics in the United States.”

Meanwhile, CRS continues to support its partner, Islamic Relief of Yemen, while working to establish a presence in the country, Hartigan added. Its support has included funding and

technical assistance in response to the cholera epidemic and providing emergency relief in the besieged humanitarian port city of Hodeida.

Recent fighting between Iranian-backed Houthi rebels occupying Hodeida and government militias supported by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates threatens to push the country into a full-blown famine. Up to 85 percent of food passes through the Hodeida port.

“The best thing I did in ministry was to teach children the Gospel through plays,” says Sister Clare Vandecoevering, 88.

“Oh, they were just delighted!” A member of the Sisters of St. Mary of Oregon, she spent over 50 years in the classroom.

Speakers: Protecting human rights is a common endeavor VATICAN CITY — An unbalanced focus on the word “rights” without a primary focus on the word “human” can lead to situations where the interests of the powerful or the wealthy prevail over the good of all human beings, which is what the Universal Declaration of Human Rights attempted to promote, said the Vatican secretary of state. Anticipating the 70th anniversary of the declaration in December, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state, said the rights of all are threatened when human life is treated as “property” rather than as a gift and when the focus is only on an individual and not what is common to all human beings.

“Unfortunately, it is precisely the right to life that seems most exposed to the individualism that particularly characterizes Western society,” the cardinal said Nov. 15 at an international symposium sponsored by the Joseph RatzingerPope Benedict XVI Foundation. The right to life, recognized in Article 3 of the declaration, is “the true basis of all human rights,” he said.

— Catholic News Service

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catholicnewsherald.com | November 23, 2018 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

The challenge of being a Christian Matt Nelson

O

ne of the greatest obstacles to becoming a committed Christian is that Christianity is challenging. The task of living a fully God-centered life is no walk in the park, as the lives of the greatest and most fully converted Christians who have ever lived – the saints – will attest. Indeed, Christianity lived to the fullest involves struggle. But is the struggle worth it?

Often the skeptic will see the struggle and be deterred. What he may not see – perhaps a result of self-inflicted spiritual blindness – is the outflow of joy that permeates every saint’s struggle; and if he does see it he will not want it – not because he does not want joy but rather because he does not want joy enough to give up his old ways. But of course, even the most hardened skeptic cannot be considered a total write-off. Indeed some skeptics are eventually compelled to change their mind. This is the hopeful realization that drives evangelization.

The rejection of God today, however, is often not caused primarily by philosophical argument. Usually it is a result of indifferentism towards religion – a result of what Bishop Robert Barron has called the “Meh” culture. The question is: Is this popular religious indifference warranted?

Are Christians who toil for the cause of Christ wasting their precious time?

Imagine a friend offered you a free lottery ticket. Would you take it? You’ve got nothing to lose – it’s free! Too busy? Oh, but if you win – you win millions. You’ve got nothing to lose and millions to gain, so why not take the ticket? Of course you’d take it.

The great mathematician Blaise Pascal, in his “Pensées” (“Thoughts”), saw a similar scenario regarding faith in Jesus Christ. He concluded that the struggle to believe was worth it. He saw that if you believe in Christ – or at least die trying – you will gain everything as God promised.

But if you choose to say no without trying – if you choose to say “Meh” – you lose will everything. Dr. Peter Kreeft unpacks Pascal’s Wager in his essay “Argument from Pascal’s Wager”: “If God does not exist, it does not matter how you wager, for there is nothing to win after death and nothing to lose after death. But if God does exist, your only chance of winning eternal happiness is to believe, and your only chance of losing it is to refuse to believe.

As Pascal says, ‘I should be much more afraid of being mistaken and then finding out that Christianity is true than of being mistaken in believing it to be true.’”

The Christian life demands change, and the toughest kind. It often means turning from the things that come easiest – things that satisfy our natural urges. But the ability to freely choose to say no to our urges and impulses is what makes us distinctly human. (This is why we do not lock up dogs and chimpanzees for rape and murder.) To say no – and yes! – at the right time is what makes humans happy. This is true freedom.

Christianity is an invitation to actualize the human destiny of everlasting happiness; and through the Church, God has provided the road map to get us there.

Christianity is hard because it aims to soften hearts. One of the tough facts of Christianity is that we must face up to

the fact that we are fallen. We are often not what we ought to be. G.K. Chesterton writes: “One of the chief uses of religion is that it makes us remember our coming from darkness, the simple fact that we are created” (from the Boston Sunday Post).

What makes Christianity hard is that it reminds us of our imperfections. We are much too prideful to enjoy such a thing – and this, I fear, is where the skeptic checks out. The skeptic robs himself of the opportunity to encounter the Good News. Chesterton famously remarked: “The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting; it has been found difficult and left untried” (Chapter 5, “What’s Wrong with the World”).

This is the great modern tragedy arising out of an age of hedonism and “choose your own way” morality. One might call our times the “Age of Self-Sedation.”

Instead of pursuing the supernatural high that explodes interiorly from personal

responded to this question by remarking: “I didn’t go to religion to make me happy.

I always knew a bottle of Port would do that. If you want a religion to make you feel really comfortable, I certainly don’t recommend Christianity.”

It is true that Christianity does not exist to make us happy. But it does exist to make us joyful. Kreeft, who some believe is the “C.S. Lewis of our times,” makes the following distinction: “Joy is more than happiness, just as happiness is more than pleasure. Pleasure is in the body.

Happiness is in the mind and feelings. Joy is deep in the heart” (from “Joy”).

The Gospel is an invitation to life everlasting from the Everlasting Man – and with life everlasting comes joy everlasting.

Christ promises us that “no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man conceived, what God has prepared for those who love Him” (1 Cor 2:9). Of course, this offer means nothing if God does not

‘Christianity is hard because it aims to soften hearts.’ union with God (the highest of highs – just read St. John of the Cross or St. Teresa of Avila), the modern man chases sex, drugs, travel, houses, fame, “likes,” retweets, and on goes the list. But it is to no lasting avail.

The Good News is, however, that there is a cure. The cure is Christ. And the cure is administered especially through the sacraments of the Catholic Church. The Church is a “hospital” for sinners: “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick; I came not to call the righteous, but sinners” (Mk 2:17).

Perhaps the greatest heresy in all of history is the desire to have Jesus without His Body, the Church (Rom 12; 1 Cor 12).

But to say “I’ll have Jesus – but hold the Church” is to say “I’ll have some of Jesus, but not all of Him.” (See Catechism of the Catholic Church 795.) This is where the Reformers turned a reform into a revolution.

They did not reform Jesus Christ’s Church.

They discarded an essential part of it – the priesthood – and with the priesthood, the sacraments. They threw out the bottle with the medicine still inside.

Of course, the Church was discarded but not dissolved. Indeed, the Church persists as she always has and will (Matt 16:18), and her doors are as open as they’ve ever been – to all. She continues to rise above the hard tide of secularism, standing firm and holding fast to her moral and doctrinal traditions, which are more than just traditions. They are truths. And it is the Christian’s recognition of these “nonnegotiables” that makes Christianity so demanding in an age of rampant anti-religion and relativism. Indeed, as Chesterton observed, “These are the days when the Christian is expected to praise every creed except his own.”

A Christian who thinks he can be a saint without suffering in this world is mistaken.

This begs the question: “Who would choose such an unhappy life?” In “God in the Dock,” the former atheist C.S. Lewis

exist. It would mean the Christian labors in vain. At best it would be a nice idea worth spreading to make one feel warm and fuzzy, a safety blanket for the naïve.

Steven Hawking once proposed that heaven is a “fairy story for people afraid of the dark.” Oxford mathematician John Lennox replied by saying, “Atheism is a fairy story for those afraid of the Light.”

God is not a wishful “projection” of the human mind, as Ludwig Feuerbach and friends have contended. There is far too much external evidence for the existence of God. Thus, theoretical physicist Paul Davies, though not a religious man, has concluded upon analysis of the cosmos: “There is for me powerful evidence that there is something going on behind it all...It seems as though somebody has fine-tuned nature’s numbers to make the Universe...The impression of design is overwhelming” (from “The Cosmic Blueprint”).

A different kind of projection that is, however, a real issue is the skeptic’s projection of human qualities onto God. Thus, when the critic of Christianity says, “If God really existed He would (or would not) do this or that,” what he really means is, “If I were God, I would (or would not) do this or that.” This might be called the anthropomorphic problem of the problem of evil. Contrarily, the God of Christianity is eternal, immaterial, all-powerful, all-knowing, all-present – and yes, all-good and loving. He is not like us in all His perfection but rather wholly other. Therefore, we cannot expect to understand God’s ways absolutely. This is where religious belief comes in – when the human intellect meets its threshold and “informed” faith bursts forward. As a wise English convert to Christianity has reflected: “The poet only asks to get his head into the heavens. It is the logician who seeks to get the heavens into his head.

And it is his head that splits.”

This does not mean, however, that Christian faith and the works that flow from it are based irrationally on a grand metaphysical guess about the unseen.

Christianity hinges on the person of Jesus, and virtually all New Testament experts today, including the critics, agree that Jesus certainly existed. To add to the testimony of His existence, ancient texts such as the Babylonian Talmud record Jesus to be a worker of wondrous deeds. We have more reliable historical information about Jesus than almost any other major figure in antiquity.

Furthermore, the miracle claims of Christianity abound and continue to survive rigorous scientific scrutiny. Recognized by researchers are new developments with the Shroud of Turin; naturally inexplicable events like a dancing sun in Fatima confirmed by secular newspapers and hundreds of eyewitnesses; the “bread” of the Eucharist mysteriously changing to uncorrupting human flesh (like in Lanciano, Italy); the incorrupt bodies of deceased saints (like St. Bernadette); and countless records of miraculous cures and healings, such as those in Lourdes, France. This sheds some light on why Christians are so willing to suffer for their faith: they know with their heart, as well as their head, that Jesus is who He claimed to be. And through miraculous events such as these, God has given believers (and unbelievers) a little help.

It must be noted, however, that in Christianity, the heart has a certain primacy over the head; for God judges hearts, not heads. Faith is largely a matter of the heart – indeed, its surrendering, even breaking. This is why C.S. Lewis described Tolkien’s “fundamentally religious and Catholic work,” “The Lord of the Rings,” in the following way: “Here are beauties which pierce like swords or burn like cold iron; here is a book that will break your heart” (from “Review of J.R.R. Tolkien’s ‘The Lord of the Rings’”).

But the choice to be Christian is as much a decision to follow one’s head as a decision to follow one’s heart. Faith stands on the shoulder of reason as we “logic things out” to approach (and accept) the mysteries of faith.

But religious faith is not opposed to reason.

Reason leads to faith. As St. John Paul II has confirmed for us: “Faith and reason are like two wings on which the human spirit rises to the contemplation of truth” (“Fides et Ratio”).

The thriving Christian life is an allencompassing effort of the whole person, body and spirit. St. Irenaeus has suggested that “the glory of God is man fully alive.”

This is why saints are the best argument for the truth of Christianity. Their lives testify that following one’s heart can be difficult – and so can following arguments where they lead.

I’ll leave you with the words of one of the most influential saints in all of history, St. John Paul II: “I plead with you! Never, ever give up on hope, never doubt, never tire, and never become discouraged. Be not afraid.”

MATT NELSON writes for the Word on Fire blog, online at www.wordonfire.org, and his own blog at www. reasonablecatholic.com. This commentary originally appeared Nov. 14.

November 23, 2018 | catholicnewsherald.com CATHOLIC NEWS HERALDI

23

Parish spotlight

Steven Richardson

Psalm 23 and the sacraments

P

salm 23 begins with words that make us comforted for their straightforward admission of our need: “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.” It is this line that prepares us to receive the seven sacraments in just six short verses of a beautiful hymn. And before we explore the sacraments themselves in the words of the psalmist, we must pause to recognize why we need them.

It is the start of Psalm 14 that reminds us, “The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.’” (Ps 14:1) And, in contrast, St. Gabriel reminds us during the Annunciation, “With God nothing will be impossible.” (Lk 1:37) We have no human way to pay our ransom to God for the sin that we have committed, just as we have no human way to cleanse ourselves, to sustain ourselves, along the path to the mountain of God. We can walk the roads of our lives without God, using only earthly sustenance. But to truly live without want – to “lie down in green pastures” (Ps 23:2) – we must seek pastures that do not wither away like the grass of Psalm 103. “As for man, his days are like grass; he flourishes like a flower of the field; for the wind passes over it, and it is gone, and its place knows it no more.” (Ps 103:15-16) To place us into those green pastures, the Lord leads us “beside still waters” (Ps 23:2). And here we come to the sacrament of initiation, the doorway that is baptism.

For what other reason could there be to rest beside those waters, to let the calm sea wash over us? The start of the third verse reveals this: “He restores my soul.” The sacrament of baptism restores our soul, redeeming it from the original sin that stains it and turning us toward God. We open our eyes to see the green fields and the placid sea.

And though there are many paths, ways that we can stray from the road that leads to the mountain of God, we have a way to return to the right path. “He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake” (Ps 23:3). It is the name of Jesus that our sins are forgiven in the sacrament of reconciliation, and it is a return to righteousness that we receive. When we stray from the path, we can find our shepherd’s hand upon our shoulder, guiding us back to the way that leads out of the wilderness, to the straight and narrow way.

Our shepherd, Jesus Christ, is present in our midst always through the hands of our priests. Along with the other consecrated members of the Body of Christ, the priests provide God’s healing and mercy to those who desperately need it. For we are indeed sheep, white and innocent among the shadows of the world. As Jesus told us, “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves” (Mt 10:16). How are we to traverse “the valley of the shadow of death” (Ps 23:4) without a good shepherd to guide us?

Acknowledging that we need our shepherd, in fact, is the only way to make it through.

Without Christ, present in our priests, we are “harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd” (Mt 9:36). But knowing that holy orders have passed down from the apostolic times, with all of the power that Jesus gave to those who walked with Him, we can fear no evil. “For thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me” (Ps 23:4). We are reminded that Jesus is “with us always, even

to the end of the age” (Mt 28:20) when we look upon the staff of those who lead us.

And we can fear no evil in that valley of death, even when earthly death approaches and surrounds us, because of the sacrament of anointing. Because of this, when we are sent out, we “do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul” (Mt 10:28).

Even if we are strengthened in our earthly bodies, we are all the more strengthened to reach our ultimate goal: salvation.

The nourishment that brings us out of our tribulation and sustains us as we walk the narrow path is the Eucharist. When Christ was born and laid in a manger by Our Lady, the Blessed Mother, it can truly be said that “She has also set her table” (Prov 9:2). To that place of feeding – in Bethlehem, the city of bread – with the light shining over the stable, the words of Mary called out: “Whoever is simple, let him turn in here! Come, eat of my bread and drink of the wine I have mixed.

Leave simpleness, and live, and walk in the way of insight” (Prov 9:4-6).

Through Mary, the Mother of the Eucharist, God “preparest a table before me in the presence of my enemies.” The bread that came down from heaven is the “armor of God” (Rom 13:12) that shields us, as well as the food that strengthens us to continue to walk our path, even when it does descend into the shadow of death. For we are all one in the Body of Christ.

One in His Body, we accept the task of being His hands and feet on earth through the sacrament of confirmation. Without Him, we can do nothing, but with Him our “cup overflows” (Ps 23:5). Like the earliest followers of Christ, who did not know how to pray, didn’t know how to proclaim Him, didn’t even know how to remain with Him to the end, we are strengthened by the Holy Spirit.

“Thou anointest my head with oil,” the psalmist says (Ps 23:5), and this gives us the same gifts that the tongues of fire gave to those who were in the Upper Room with the Mother of God. We are all one in the Body of Christ, not just in the food that we eat, but also in the universal call to holiness, the blessed commission that we receive as our head is anointed. “Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity! It is like the precious oil upon the head, running down upon the beard, upon the beard of Aaron, running down on the collar of his robes!” (Ps 133:1-2).

With the gifts of the Holy Spirit, “goodness and mercy” indeed follow us for all our days. (Ps 23:6) With this, we are strengthened to remain faithful to our nuptial vows, to Christ, to His Church, and to our spouses on earth, if we are called to that sacrament. Whether we have received the sacrament of holy orders or the sacrament of marriage, or both, we are joined to Christ, in His house. We love our neighbor because we love Him. “For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness” (Ps 84:10). And with the sacraments, we shall truly “dwell in the house of the Lord forever” (Ps 23:6).

STEVEN RICHARDSON is a Lay Dominican and a member of St. Ann Parish in Charlotte with his wife Mary and his three children, Maria, Rita and Joseph.

PHOTOS PROVIDED BY ANN GRAVES

St. Mary’s celebrates black Catholic history GREENSBORO — St. Mary’s Church celebrated Black Catholic History Month and its own black Catholic roots in Greensboro in November. The Knights Of Peter Claver were a focus of the celebration Nov. 11, with Mass offered by Vincentian Father William Allegretto, pastor. In his homily, Deacon Stephen Pickett from St. Francis of Assisi Church in Lenoir talked about the Knights Of Peter Claver and the legacy of the Knights’ namesake St. Peter Claver, a Spanish priest who ministered to African slaves. Deacon Pickett explained that the Knights of Peter Claver in Mobile, Ala., were founded because black men were prevented from joining the Knights of Columbus during the era of segregation. Headquartered in New Orleans, the Knights are now the largest historically African-American Catholic lay organization in the U.S., and there is a chapter in the Diocese of Raleigh. The parish’s celebration was also highlighted with music from St. Mary’s African Igbo Choir.

In a discussion program after Mass, Deacon Pickett urged parishioners to support the sainthood causes for Father Augustus Tolton, Sister Thea Bowman and other black Catholics whose causes for canonization are under way.

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