Feb. 16, 2018

February 16, 2018

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

‘No more’: People gather to pray for end to human trafficking 7

Hundreds enjoy a ‘Night to Shine’ at St. Pius X Church 9

INDEX

Contact us............................................4 Español...............................................13-15 Events calendar...................................4 Our Faith...............................................2 Our Parishes.................................. 3-12 Schools................................................16 Scripture readings..............................2 TV & Movies.........................................17 U.S. news........................................18-19 Viewpoints....................................22-23 World news................................... 20-21

Lent The journey begins

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704-370-3333

INSIDE: Reflections to help you raise up, sacrifice and offer

FUNDED BY THE PARISHIONERS OF THE DIOCESE OF CHARLOTTE THANK YOU!

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‘Look how the Lord has made us grow’ Our Lady of Lourdes Parish celebrates its 75th anniversary

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Kids read with ‘Tail Waggin’ Tutors’ St. Michael School uses therapy dogs to assist young students with learning to read

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Iglesia estuvo presente en Washington Encuentro del Ministerio Social Católico abogó por acuerdo migratorio

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Our faith 2

catholicnewsherald.com | February 16, 2018 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

The Chair of St. Peter Feast day: Feb. 22

Pope Francis

People have right to receive God’s Word, so preach it well

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veryone who goes to Mass has the right to hear the word of God in all its fullness, which means it must be read well and explained well with “fervor,” Pope Francis said. People have the right to hear God’s Word in a way that “knocks at the heart and changes hearts,” he said at his weekly general audience in St. Peter’s Square Feb. 14.

The pope continued his series of audience talks on the Mass, underlining the importance of receiving “abundantly from the treasury of God’s Word” present in the Mass readings and the homily.

“Each one of us, when we go to Mass, we have the right to receive abundantly God’s Word, read well, well-spoken and then explained well in the homily,” he said. “It is a right.”

If the Word is not “preached with fervor,” that, too, represents depriving the faithful of their spiritual right to receive the Word, he added.

“The Lord speaks to everyone, pastors and the faithful. He knocks on the heart of all those who attend Mass, each one with their circumstances in life, age, situation.

The Lord consoles, calls and draws forth buds of new and reconciled life.”

After a period of silence, he said, the assembly comes together in reciting the Creed, which shows their response to what they have heard and received.

“There is a vital connection between listening and faith. They are united,” he said. “Faith, in fact, does not come from the imagination of human minds,” but comes from listening to Christ’s Word.

Faith is nourished then by listening and leads to the sacrament” of the Eucharist.

The Creed is followed by the Prayers of the Faithful, formally called the “universal prayer” because “it embraces the needs of the Church and the world,” he said.

Prayers are offered for the Church, for those who govern, for those in need, for all of humanity and for the salvation of the entire world, the pope said.

People must remember “what the Lord Jesus told us: ‘If you remain in Me and My words remain in you, ask for whatever you want and it will be done for you.’ But we don’t believe this because we have little faith,” he said.

The assembly at Mass must use the moment to ask for difficult or really important things because for those who truly believe, it will be done in one way or another, he said. “Everything is possible to one who has faith,” the pope said, citing Jesus’ words to the father of a boy who had spent his whole childhood possessed by an evil spirit.

Remember how the father responded, the pope said, “I do believe, help my unbelief!”

“We, too, can tell the Lord, ‘I believe but help my unbelief,’” he added.

The Feast of the Chair of St. Peter celebrates the papacy and St. Peter as the first bishop of Rome. St. Peter’s original name was Simon.

He was married and was living and working in Capernaum as a fisherman when Jesus called him to be one of the Twelve Apostles.

Jesus bestowed on Peter a special place among the Apostles. He was one of the three who were with Christ on special occasions, such as the Transfiguration of Christ and the Agony in the Garden of Gethsemani. He was the only Apostle to whom Christ appeared on the first day after the Resurrection. Peter, in turn, often spoke on behalf of the Apostles.

When Jesus asked the Apostles: “Whom do men say that the Son of Man is?” Simon replied: “Thou art Christ, the Son of the Living God.” And Jesus responded: “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jona. For flesh and blood have not revealed it to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I say to you, you are Peter (Cephas, a rock), and upon this rock (Cephas) I will build my Church (ekklesian), and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give to you the keys of the kingdom of heaven.

And whatsoever you shall bind upon earth, it shall be bound also in heaven: and whatsoever you shall loose on earth, it shall be loosed also in heaven.” (Mt 16:13-19) In saying this, Jesus made St. Peter the head of the entire community of believers and placed the spiritual guidance of the faithful in St. Peter’s hands.

However, St. Peter was not without faults. He was rash and reproached often by Christ. He had fallen asleep in the Garden of Gethsemani instead of praying, as Jesus had asked him to do. He also denied knowing Jesus three times after Christ’s arrest.

Peter delivered the first public sermon after Pentecost and won a large number of converts.

He also performed many miracles and defended the freedom of the Apostles to preach the Gospels. He preached in Jerusalem, Judea and as far north as Syria.

He was arrested in Jerusalem under Herod Agrippa I, but he miraculously escaped execution. He left Jerusalem and eventually went to Rome, where he preached during the last portion of his life. He was crucified there, head downward, as he had desired to suffer, saying that he did not deserve to die as Christ had died.

The date of St. Peter’s death is not clear.

Historians estimate he was executed between the years 64 and 68. His remains now rest beneath the altar of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome.

— Catholic News Agency

IMAGE COURTESY OF THE VATICAN MUSEUMS

“The Crucifixion of St. Peter” by Guido Reni, 1604-1605.

Your daily Scripture readings FEB. 18-24

Sunday: Genesis 9:8-15, 1 Peter 3:18-22, Mark 1:12-15; Monday: Leviticus 19:1-2, 11-18, Matthew 25:31-46; Tuesday: Isaiah 55:10-11, Matthew 6:715; Wednesday (St. Peter Damian): Jonah 3:110, Luke 11:29-32; Thursday (The Chair of St. Peter): 1 Peter 5:1-4, Matthew 16:13-19; Friday (St. Polycarp): Ezekiel 18:21-28, Matthew 5:2026; Saturday: Deuteronomy 26:16-19, Matthew 5:43-48

FEB. 25-MARCH 3

Sunday: Genesis 22:1-2, 9-13, 15-18, Romans 8:31-34, Mark 9:2-10; Monday: Daniel 9:4-10, Luke 6:36-38; Tuesday: Isaiah 1:10, 16-20, Matthew 23:1-12; Wednesday: Jeremiah 18:1820, Matthew 20:17-28; Thursday: Jeremiah 17:5-10, Luke 16:19-31; Friday: Genesis 37:34, 12-13, 17-28, Matthew 21:33-43, 45-46; Saturday (St. Katharine Drexel): Micah 7:1415, 18-20, Luke 15:1-3, 11-32

MARCH 4-10

Sunday: Exodus 20:1-17, 1 Corinthians 1:2225, John 2:13-25; Monday: 2 Kings 5:1-15, Luke 4:24-30; Tuesday: Daniel 3:25, 34-43, Matthew 18:21-35; Wednesday (Sts. Perpetua and Felicity): Deuteronomy 4:1, 5-9, Matthew 5:17-19; Thursday (St. John of God): Jeremiah 7:23-28, Luke 11:14-23; Friday (St. Frances of Rome): Hosea 14:2-10, Mark 12:28-34; Saturday: Hosea 6:1-6, Luke 18:9-14

February 16, 2018 | catholicnewsherald.com CATHOLIC NEWS HERALDI

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D

uring Lent, we are asked to devote ourselves to seeking the Lord in prayer and reading Scripture, to service by giving alms, and to sacrifice self-control through fasting.

Throughout Lent the Catholic News Herald will publish – in print, online and on social media – a series of daily and weekly reflections produced by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, in English and Spanish, designed to help you reflect on the purposes of Lent and embrace your baptismal commitment to love and serve God.

More online At www.catholicnewsherald.com: Read daily and Sunday Lenten reflections and find links to prayers, videos, lectio divina for the Sundays of Lent, and many other resources for your family’s Lenten observances On Facebook at Catholic News Herald and Catholic News Herald Español: Short daily reflections to help you pray and reflect during the Lenten season

The Gospel for the First Sunday of Lent is depicted in “Jesus Tempted in the Wilderness” (c. 1886-1894), a watercolor by James Tissot, on display in the Brooklyn Museum.

First Sunday of Lent READ

In today’s first reading, we hear about God’s covenant with Noah, and in the Gospel, we hear about Jesus’ journey into the desert. Both the universal flood in the story of Noah and Jesus’ journey into the desert lasted 40 days. These are just two examples of the biblical roots that explain why Lent lasts for 40 days. Other references to 40 days in Scripture include: the number of days spent by Israel in the desert, the number of days spent by Moses on Mount Sinai, the number of days spent by the prophet Elijah in the desert before going to encounter God on Mount Herob, and the number of days of penance of the inhabitants of Nineveh.

REFLECT

What tempts me the most – to do something bad or to refrain from doing something good? What sin or weakness lies at the heart of this temptation?

What reasons do I give for delaying my efforts to grow closer to God and His Church? What can I do to help build the Kingdom of God?

PRAY Lord of Lent, Lord of Easter, As you went into the desert So do I follow Putting aside that which distracts me Grabs at me Falsely claims me.

To search inside To confront myself My best, my worst My good works and my sins.

And each time, I find you there To call to me again With words of challenge and words of mercy.

And as I fall to my knees, in prayer, in fasting In sacrifice and penitence Somehow, you have it in yourself to reach out and gently lift me To renew me To claim me as nothing of this world can claim me.

Meet me in the desert, Lord. Claim me anew.

Amen.

—Lenten Rice Bowl Prayer from Catholic Relief Services

The Gospel for the Second Sunday of Lent is depicted in “The Transfiguration” (c. 1886-1894), by James Tissot, also on display in the Brooklyn Museum.

Second Sunday of Lent READ

PRAY

REFLECT

Hear, O Lord, the sound of my call; have pity on me, and answer me.

Of you my heart speaks; you my glance seeks; your presence, O Lord, I seek.

Hide not your face from me; do not in anger repel your servant.

You are my helper: cast me not off; forsake me not, O God my savior.

I believe that I shall see the bounty of the Lord in the land of the living.

Wait for the Lord with courage; be stouthearted, and wait for the Lord.

— Catholic Household Blessings and Prayers

Read today’s readings before going to Mass: Gn 22:1-2, 9a, 10-13, 15-18; Ps 116:10, 15, 16-17, 18-19; Rom 8:31b-34; and Mk 9:2-10.

In what parts of my life does the glory of God shine most clearly? What parts of my life do I need to ask God to transfigure in His grace?

How can I help others to see and feel God’s presence?

Reflecting on Abraham’s willingness to do what God commanded in the first reading, pray this prayer (Ps 27:7-9, 13-14) about seeking God’s will in your own life:

UPcoming events 4

catholicnewsherald.com | February 16, 2018 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Bishop Peter J. Jugis will participate in the following upcoming events: FEB. 18 – 2 P.M. Rite of Election St. Barnabas Church, Arden

MARCH 1 – 10 A.M. Diocesan Foundation Board Meeting Catholic Conference Center, Hickory

FEB. 24 – NOON Rite of Election St. Paul Church, Greensboro

MARCH 3 – NOON Rite of Election St. Matthew Church, Charlotte

Diocesan calendar of events February 16, 2018

ENTERTAINMENT

NATURAL FAMILY PLANNING

Volume 27 • NUMBER 10

ARTS AT THE ABBEY PRESENTS ‘ALLAN WARE, CLARINET’: 8 p.m. Thursday, March 1, in the Abbey Basilica, 100 Belmont-Mt. Holly Road, Belmont. Allan Ware, a North Carolina native who now lives in Germany, will be accompanied by Davidson College pianist David Gilliland.

The program entitled “French Fireworks” includes music

by Poulenc, Saint-Saëns, Milhaud and Debussy. Donations will be gladly accepted. For details, go to www.bac.edu or call 704-461-6012.

NFP INTRODUCTION AND FULL COURSE: 1:30 p.m.

Saturday, April 21, St. Aloysius Church, 921 2nd St. N.E., Hickory. 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 704-370-3230.

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.

THE 22ND ANNUAL CHARLOTTE ST. PATRICK’S DAY PARADE: Saturday, March 17, in uptown Charlotte.

Accepting applications until March 1. To register for the parade, go to www.charlottestpatsday.com and click “application.” For details, contact 803-802-1678 or dyerhart@hotmail.com.

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

LECTURES & WORKSHOPS ‘LISTENING AS AN ACT OF JUSTICE’: 9 a.m.-1 p.m.

Saturday, Feb. 17, Curtin Hall in the Mercy Administration Center, 101 Mercy Dr., Belmont. The Sisters of Mercy are offering this workshop because of their commitment to non-violence. It will be presented by Sharon Browning, a trained mediator and attorney. As Pope Francis said in his New Years’ talk on non-violence: “An ethics of fraternity and peaceful coexistence between individuals and among peoples cannot be based on the logic of fear, violence and closed-mindedness, but on responsibility, respect and sincere dialogue.” For details, call 704-8295260 or go to https://fs18.formsite.com/rtresp/form31/ index.html.

JUSTICE ON TAP, ‘SHARE THE JOURNEY’: 6 p.m.

Thursday, Feb. 22, in Biss Hall at St. Peter Church, 507 South Tryon St., Charlotte. Hear the facts and stories of refugees across the world and right here in Charlotte.

Spend an evening with kindred spirits to learn about refugee resettlement. Short video, followed by Q&A. Guest speakers: Giulia McPherson, director of Advocacy and Operations at Jesuit Refugee Service/USA and Kailey Otten, program director at Catholic Charities’ Refugee Resettlement Office. Must RSVP at www.signupgenius. com/go/10c0848abab2ba3fd0-refugees. Light supper and beverages available.

PARENTING TEENS IN THE AGE OF ANXIETY: 6:30-8:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 22, in the Ministry Center at St. Gabriel Church, 3016 Providence Road, Charlotte. What is behind the surge of anxiety rates among teens? What can parents and teens do to manage anxiety? Jonathan Hetterly, a licensed counselor from Southeast Psych, will present what parents and teens need to know about managing anxiety in stress. Sponsored by the parish’s Mental Health and Wellness Ministry. RSVP at www. stgabrielchurch.org/wellness.

PRAYER SERVICES & GROUPS ANOINTING OF THE SICK: 10 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 17, St. Luke Church, 13700 Lawyers Road, Mint Hill. Anointing is typically presented to those who need healing from physical or mental illness or someone who will be undergoing surgery. For details, call Mary Adams at 704-545-1224.

THE VIGIL PROJECT: 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 17, St. Matthew Church, 8015 Ballantyne Commons Pkwy., Charlotte. This community of artists, musicians and filmmakers produces multimedia resources for authentic encounters with God and growth in prayer. Start Lent with this beautiful evening of praise, worship and adoration. Incense will be used.

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

Thursday, Feb. 22, St. Matthew Church, 8015 Ballantyne Commons Pkwy., Charlotte. St. Peregrine is the patron saint of cancer and grave diseases. The healing prayer service will be offered for all those suffering with cancer or other diseases. For details, call the church office at 704-543-7677.

IGBO MASS: Noon Sunday, Feb. 25, at St. Mary’s Church, 812 Duke St., Greensboro. For details, call the parish office at 336-707-3625.

PRO-LIFE ROSARY: 11 a.m. Saturday, March 3, at 901 North Main St. and Sunset Drive, High Point. Come pray for the end of abortion, and invite anyone else who would support this important cause. Anyone with difficulty standing for 15-20 minutes is welcome to bring a folding chair. Outdoors, rain or shine. For details, call Jim Hoyng at 336-882-9593 or Paul Klosterman at 336-848-6835.

MEN’S EVENING OF REFLECTION: 6 p.m. social and 7 p.m. reflection, Saturday, March 17, in Brian Hall at Our Lady of Grace Church, 2203 West Market St., Greensboro.

Reflection on “The Role of Man in the Modern World” with guest speaker Father Daniel McCaffrey. To register, go to www.rcmenmar17@eventbrite.com or email John Endredy at jendredy@gmail.com.

A DIVINE MERCY HOLY HOUR: 7 p.m. every first Friday at St. Thomas Aquinas Church, 1400 Suther Road, Charlotte.

The Holy Hour consists of readings from the Diary of St. Faustina Kowalska, the sung Chaplet of Divine Mercy, benediction and veneration of the Divine Mercy Image.

(Note: There will not be a Holy Hour during Lent.) For details, call Paul Deer at 704-577-3496.

ST. STEPHEN MARONITE CHURCH: Masses are offered every Sunday at 12:30 p.m., at St. Matthew Church’s Waxhaw location, 4116 Waxhaw-Marvin Road, Waxhaw. St. Stephen Maronite Church of Charlotte is an Eastern-rite

Catholic Church in full communion with the pope.

VIGIL OF THE TWO HEARTS: Join Catholics across Charlotte for Mass and overnight Eucharistic Adoration every first Friday-Saturday at St. Patrick Cathedral in Charlotte to pray for the strengthening and healing of marriages and families, the conversion of our nation, and to offer reparation for the sins of mankind through prayer and penance. The vigil will begin with Mass at 8 p.m. each first Friday, followed by Adoration and scheduled prayer, and conclude with 8 a.m. Mass each first Saturday. For details and to sign up for Adoration times, go to www.prolifecharlotte.org.

SUPPORT GROUPS & RETREATS CHRONIC PAIN SUPPORT GROUP: 1:30-2:30 p.m.

Wednesday, Feb. 21, in the Parish Center at St. Thomas Aquinas Church, 1400 Suther Road, Charlotte. For more information call Jennifer Watson, M.P.T. Arthritis Services, at 704-348-2723 or Sandra Breakfield, Catholic Charities’ Elder Ministry Director, at 704-370-3220.

Sponsored by Arthritis Services in conjunction with Catholic Charities Diocese of Charlotte.

CATHOLIC CANCER SUPPORT MINISTRY: 7 p.m. Second and fourth Thursday of each month, at St. Leo the Great Church, in the Bishop Begley Parish Center, 335 Springdale Ave., Winston-Salem. If you or your loved one is living with a cancer diagnosis, hearing from others who’ve been through one already can be a great source of comfort and support. Find inspiration and hope in the wisdom of those living with cancer, cancer survivors, caregivers and a variety of speakers. For details, email Mary Beth Young at mbyoung@stleocatholic.org.

SAFE ENVIRONMENT TRAINING “Protecting God’s Children” workshops are intended to educate parish volunteers to recognize and prevent sexual abuse. For details, contact your parish office. To register and confirm workshop times, go to www.virtus. org. Upcoming workshops are: CHARLOTTE: 9:30 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 22, St. Matthew Church, 8015 Ballantyne Commons Pkwy.; 6 p.m.

Thursday, Feb. 22, Thomas Aquinas Church, 1400 Suther Road MOORESVILLE: 1 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 17, St. Therese Church, 217 Brawley School Road THOMASVILLE: 1 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 17, Our Lady of the Highways Church, 943 Ball Park Road

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

February 16, 2018 | catholicnewsherald.com CATHOLIC NEWS HERALDI

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LENT BEGINS WITH ASH WEDNESDAY

Religious men and women gathered for the annual World Day for Consecrated Life Mass with Bishop Peter Jugis Feb. 3 at St. Patrick Cathedral in Charlotte. A reception followed in the parish’s Family Life Center.

PHOTOS BY SUEANN HOWELL | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

JOHN COSMAS | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

CHARLOTTE — Parishioners of St. Patrick Cathedral and students at St. Patrick School receive ashes from Bishop Peter Jugis during an 8:30 a.m. Mass on Ash Wednesday.

DELLA SUE BRYSON | CORRESPONDENT BILL WASHINGTON | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

SALISBURY— Students at Sacred Heart School receive ashes during Mass on Ash Wednesday morning at Sacred Heart Church.

SYLVA — Father Casey Coleman, pastor at St. Mary, Mother of God Church, burns old palms in preparation for Ash Wednesday.

Gideon and Corbin Freeman, the sons of Sara Freeman, the parish’s faith formation coordinator, assist Father Coleman.

JOHN COSMAS | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

HUNTERSVILLE — St. Mark Church members receive ashes during a noon Mass at St. Mark Church.

More online At www.catholicnewsherald.com: See more photos from Ash Wednesday services across the Diocese of Charlotte

‘Spiritual union is the most precious possession that a consecrated person has’

Religious jubilarians honored during Mass Feb. 3 CHARLOTTE — At the annual Mass for the World Day for Consecrated Life, celebrated Feb. 3 at St. Patrick Cathedral, five women and men religious were honored for their decades of service to the Church.

Religious brothers celebrating special jubilee anniversaries this year include: Benedictine Father Francis Forster (60 years) and Benedictine Father David Kessinger of Belmont Abbey (60 years). Religious sisters celebrating special jubilee anniversaries include: Mercy Sister Ellen McSorley (70 years); Mercy Sister Brigid McCarthy (50 years); and Mercy Sister Paulette Williams (50 years).

Bishop Peter Jugis drew inspiration for his homily from the readings selected for the Mass and the words Pope Francis shared with consecrated religious on his recent visit to Peru.

“Jesus says ’Remain in me as I remain in you (John 15:1-8).’ “Beautiful words which He spoke during the Last Supper, with the theme of the vine and the branches. We must always remain in the Lord, as He is always remaining in us,” Bishop Jugis said.

“He is speaking about our spiritual union with Jesus, which we know is so vital to and is so critical to the vocation to the consecrated life.”

Bishop Jugis shared that when Pope Francis traveled to Peru last month, he met with hundreds of men and women religious and spoke to them about this spiritual union with Jesus.

“He talked about this theme in his discourse, of spiritual union with Jesus, and called our spiritual union with Him ‘the most precious possession of a consecrated person.’ Beautiful words, beautiful description that he gave! Our spiritual union is the most precious possession that a consecrated person has.”

That “most precious possession,” he continued, recalls the parable Jesus told of the pearl of great price.

He also noted that Pope Francis asked religious to take time periodically to recall those days when they were first discerning their vocation, when they began to realize that the Lord was calling them.

“When we experienced that gaze of Jesus in a very special, unique, very personal encounter

with the Lord, where He came to meet us and encounter us…when He let us know He was expecting something different, something more of us.”

Bishop Jugis said that this time in a religious person’s life is similar to when the disciples were being called, as they too “experienced the gaze of God, penetrating into their heart…as He knew them and loved them.”

“Each one of us in consecrated life has had a similar experience – where the Lord came and decided to encounter each one of us personally, in a unique way, in a unique situation, and He let us know He was expecting more of us.”

The joy of following Christ also marks the life of a consecrated person, Bishop Jugis noted from the pope’s talk in Peru.

“Joy fills the hearts and lives of all those who encounter Jesus. He (Pope Francis) said in our daily encounter that we have with the Lord Jesus, (we find) that joy that we first experienced in knowing that He had come especially to us and chosen us for a special purpose in His Church and in the world. That joy is constantly being renewed by our daily encounter with Jesus, by our remaining in Jesus as He is remaining in us.”

Bishop Jugis thanked all of the religious gathered at Mass and those from the Diocese of Charlotte serving in religious orders throughout the world.

“We pray that by your presence here in the midst of our local Church in the Diocese of Charlotte that all of us in the local Church, inspired by your example, by your witness of holiness, may be inspired to a closer following of Jesus ourselves,” he said.

“It really is a wonderful daily spiritual adventure each one of us is on – an adventure of grace, an adventure of walking with the Lord on a daily basis, as we renew our relationship with Him and grow in our love for Him and grow in holiness.”

At the conclusion of Mass, he joined members of more than seven religious communities from across western North Carolina in the Family Life Center at St. Patrick Cathedral for a luncheon in their honor.

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catholicnewsherald.com | February 16, 2018 OUR PARISHES

‘LOOK HOW THE LORD HAS MADE US GROW’

Our Lady of Lourdes Parish celebrates 75th anniversary SUEANN HOWELL SENIOR REPORTER

MONROE — Our Lady of Lourdes parishioners had even more reason to celebrate their patronal feast day this year, as the parish commemorated its 75th anniversary with Mass offered by Bishop Peter Jugis. He was pastor of the parish in 2003 when he received the call from Rome to become the fourth bishop of the Diocese of Charlotte.

Concelebrating the Mass were one of the parish’s longtime former pastors, Spiritan Father Ed Vilkauskas, now retired, and current pastor Father Benjamin Roberts.

“The 75th anniversary is a very important milestone in the history of Our Lady of Lourdes Parish,” Bishop Jugis said during his homily. “The first sentiment that must come to our hearts is that of gratitude to Almighty God for giving (Raleigh) Bishop Eugene McGuinness in the early 1940s the wisdom and the foresight to establish this parish here in Monroe, Union County.”

Bishop Jugis looked out over the church, filled to capacity, and said, “Look how the Lord has made us grow! We are still growing in Christ with each passing year.

Our numbers are increasing – a sign of God’s blessing.”

Bishop Jugis outlined three reasons for the parish’s existence.

“First, we come together as a parish family to worship God, by offering to God the Sacrifice of Christ in the Sacrifice of the Mass. It is the most important work of the parish,” he explained. “What we do here is more important than anything else that what happens in any other building on the campus. This place, the church, is most important because the most important activity of any parish is worshiping God.” The second reason for the parish, he continued is “for your salvation, for your sanctification, to make you holy and to prepare you for eternal life. If we are not trying to accomplish that goal, then why are we here? As a social group? A fraternal organization? No, we are here for the work of your salvation – to make sure each one of you gets to heaven, to prepare you for

Program Manager MiraVia is seeking a full time, bi-lingual Program Manager for its Outreach Program in Charlotte, N.C. This position provides pregnancy related services such as support groups, life-skill classes and material assistance. Supervises all aspects of the Outreach Program including staff, volunteers, client services and facility management. Must be highly organized and detailed oriented to maintain excellent client records and program documentation.

Fluency in English and Spanish (including knowledge of the Hispanic culture) is required as well as knowledge of pregnancy health, infant care, parenting and an understanding of Catholic teachings on the sanctity of life. A minimum of a Bachelor Degree in Social Work or related field and three years experience in a Human Services field.

Full job description at http://miravia.org.

Submit resumes to Debbie Capen at debbiecapen@miravia.org.

Religious artwork and murals can be seen inside Our Lady of Lourdes Church during the Monroe parish’s 75th anniversary Mass Feb. 11, its patronal feast day.

Bishop Peter Jugis greeted parishioners and offered blessings after the Mass.

PHOTOS BY SUEANN HOWELL | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

eternal life.”

The third purpose of a parish is to be a center of evangelization, he said. “We are here, yes, for our own salvation, but Jesus created a Church also, as Pope Francis says, to go out into the world, to be a leaven of God’s mercy, love, holiness and salvation to all the world.”

Father Benjamin Roberts also spoke a few words at the anniversary Mass, directing his comments to both former pastors.

“Thank you seems to be inadequate,” he said.

He continued by explaining that the motto of the seminary he attended, St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Philadelphia, is “exiit qui seminat’ (‘the one who goes out and sows’).

“The reason it is the motto of the seminary is that the priest is sent out to sow the seed of God. We are not the harvesters. We are the sowers of the seed.

St. Paul expresses the same sentiment when he says, ‘I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.’ There is something better that I can say to these two priests than ‘thank you.’ Your Excellency, Father Ed, behold your harvest!”

Parishioner Lorraine Michael attended

Mass and staffed a table for the prayer shawl ministry in the narthex, accepting yarn donations from parishioners and handing out shawls to anyone who needed one. Bishop Jugis blessed the shawls and yarn donations after Mass, and Michael presented a few completed shawls to Bishop Jugis.

A member of the ministry for three years, Michael said, “I needed a niche, I wanted to do something; I couldn’t figure out what. When I heard about the prayer shawl committee, that was my open door.

I love it because we find ways to help people.”

She loves the parish, she added. “I found my home. It’s nice. Here, everyone has open arms. We have a nice mixed group. We have a good Hispanic community and an Anglo community.”

Danny Gurley, a former Baptist who came into the Church four years ago at Our Lady of Lourdes and was baptized by Father Roberts, was emotional when he met Bishop Jugis in person for the first time and asked him to bless a rosary.

“I almost want to cry,” Gurley said. “He’s an amazing man, a very godly man.”

Carol Ford, who served as lector at Mass, is a longtime parishioner who has been active in several ministries over the years.

She has been at the parish since relocating from the Northeast with her family in 1979.

“When I realized I was on the schedule to read today for the bishop, I was very excited,” Ford said. “The little chapel (the original church) was not full back then.

You knew if a new person came in, which was pretty nice. It was 80 families then. We have seen massive growth.”

Father Vilkauskas has the distinction of being the longest-serving pastor in the parish’s 75-year history, serving from 1988 to 2000. He also served as the evangelization director for the Diocese of Charlotte during that time.

“I was here for the 50th anniversary celebration,” he recalled. “There were some of the original parishioners here and they had the stories and the tales from 1942. This parish is built on the grounds of the former Camp Sutton. The soldiers (from the Northeast) met young ladies here and married and they stayed with their brides in Monroe. Mass was at the priest’s house in Monroe then. The soldiers formed the core group, and stayed on.”

“This is a very active parish,” he said.

“A very dynamic parish, like most of the diocese. (Unlike the Northeast) here, it’s keeping up with the growth.”

“Every priest is running in order to keep up!” he joked.

During his homily, Bishop Jugis reminded everyone gathered of the reason why they were there.

“Our purpose, here at Our Lady of Lourdes Parish, is to be evangelizers – to take the love of Christ that we celebrate here and not keep it locked up within ourselves, but take the love of Christ that fills your hearts and carry it with you into all of your activities out there in the community – joyfully living your faith out there in the world, so that people can come to know of Jesus through you.

“This is the mission, this is why we are here.”

More online At www.catholicnewsherald.com: See video highlights and more photos from Our Lady of Lourdes Church’s 75th anniversary celebration

February 16, 2018 | catholicnewsherald.com

OUR PARISHESI

7

Transformed

by Christ:

A Feb. 8 service to pray for the end to human trafficking was led

by Catholic Charities’ Respect Life Program Director Jessica Grabowski; Tammy Harris, Respect Life coordinator at St. Gabriel Church in Charlotte; Joseph Purello, Catholic Charities’ director of Social Concerns and Advocacy; Mercy Sister Rose Marie Tresp, director of justice for the sisters’ South Central Community; and Deacon Chip Wilson from Queen of the Apostles Church in Belmont.

Eighth annual Men’s Conference set for Feb. 24

LISA GERACI | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

‘No more’: People gather to pray for end to human trafficking LISA GERACI CORRESPONDENT

BELMONT — The Sisters of Mercy and Catholic Charities Diocese of Charlotte hosted a service Feb. 8, the feast of St. Josephine Bakhita, to pray for an end to human trafficking.

The public and the sisters gathered together at the Sacred Heart Convent Chapel to pay homage to the patron saint of Sudan, held captive as a slave, suffering torture and abuse. The service was led by Catholic Charities’ Respect Life Program Director Jessica Grabowski; Tammy Harris, Respect Life coordinator at St. Gabriel Church in Charlotte; Deacon Chip Wilson from Queen of the Apostles Church in Belmont; Joseph Purello, Catholic Charities’ director of Social Concerns and Advocacy; and Mercy Sister Rose Marie Tresp, director of justice for the sisters’ South Central Community.

“We came together as a community to pray for an end to human trafficking and for the victims of trafficking on this important day,” Grabowski said.

“Trafficking is a human life and dignity issue, as it devalues human life in a way that hurts not only all those involved in the trafficking industry but the social and economical pillars of our society. Here at Catholic Charities Diocese of Charlotte we are working to raise awareness of this issue, call for more prayer, and collaborate with other community organizations who are actively fighting this issue and protecting victims who have been trafficked.”

The service was filled with intentional prayerful silences, a reading of Psalm 126, a biography of St. Bakhita, and recitation of the “Prayer for an End to Human Trafficking” by Catholic Relief Services.

Mouths recited the prayer beginning with the line, “Oh God, we didn’t see them...”

This sentiment might ring true for many people, but Harris, development director at Redeeming Joy (a faith-based non-profit that ministers to female sextrafficking victims), knows all too well that the problem of human trafficking in Charlotte is not hard to find.

“This population is being overlooked,”

Harris said. “We need to focus on them and give them aid. If there is a marginalized population that is ignored, we (the Church) have an obligation to serve them.”

With eyes shut, attendees continued praying, “But you (God) did...”

Attendee Kara Griffin recalled the moment when she saw Pope Francis hug a prostitute and told her, “Today I ask for forgiveness from all of you, for all Christians and Catholics that abused you, and forgiveness from me for not praying enough for you and this slavery.”

“I cried. It was one of the most beautiful things I ever saw,” she said.

Fingers clasped in prayer as the next lines of the prayer echoed off the chapel’s arched ceiling: “The hundreds and thousands of human beings trafficked each year to join the millions who are trapped in modern-day slavery...”

Contrary to most assumptions, trafficking is a problem here in the United States, not just abroad. Harris explained, “Charlotte is the 10th-largest sex trafficking hub in the country. No city wants to admit they have a sex trafficking problem. Yet, in 2016, the National Human Trafficking Hotline identified approximately 2,700 victims of trafficking in North Carolina. Unfortunately, these estimates are underrepresenting the reality of the severe situation, since a lot of cases go unreported or undercharged.”

The crowd continued in prayer: “Under terrible conditions, they work in factories, plow fields, harvest crops, work quarries, fill brothels, clean homes, and haul water...”

Sister Rose Marie Tresp noted, “Most of us don’t realize how much we benefit from human slavery, as what we buy is very cheap but due to modern-day slavery.”

The prayer went on to describe: “Many are children with tiny fingers for weaving rugs and small shoulders for bearing rifles...”

Harris pointed out, “The average age of entry into sex trafficking is 12 to 14 years old. On average, the lifespan of a victim of sex trafficking is seven years, due to the violent nature of this crime. Foster children, homeless children, kids from broken homes, and kids with learning

disabilities are high-risk potential victims.”

Looking up at a beaten and bloody Jesus on the crucifix, attendees continued to pray: “Their labor is forced, their bodies beaten, their faces hidden from those who don’t really want to see them...”

Harris described a harsh reality for trafficking victims, many of whom “can be anyone’s little girl or boy.”

“Most of these girls have been beaten to a pulp, raped over 20 times a night, and some have seen people killed with their own eyes. It is a lot easier to see trafficking if we imagine: ‘Oh, that girl was kidnapped and thrown in a truck.’

It is a lot harder to see grooming as: ‘Oh, little Suzie has an inappropriate relationship with someone on Facebook and he is not really in California, he is down the street, and he is not really 17, he is 20.’ It is a lot harder to see that path that this child is going down.

Perpetrators will typically spend nine months grooming a young girl into the life of sex trafficking.”

Eyes started opening in prayer: “But you see them all, God of the poor. You hear their cry and you answer...”

These Catholics know God and have seen miracles.

“By opening our eyes, and breaking our hearts...” they prayed.

“We need to change our mindset,” Harris said. “We really need to wrap our heads around the fact that they are all victims. Pope Francis asked the prostitute for her forgiveness. This is a really good model for us Catholics. We don’t have a right to shame. We never walked a day in their shoes; we don’t know what they endured.”

They ended in prayer: “And loosening our tongues to insist: No mas. No more.

Amen.”

For more To learn more about fighting the problem of human trafficking in the Charlotte area, a trafficking awareness event will be held at St. Matthew Church on Sunday, March 11.

For details, email Kara Griffin at karagogreen@gmail.com or Tammy Harris at tammy.redeemingjoy@gmail.com.

MOORESVILLE — St. Thérèse Church will host the “Transformed by Christ” eighth annual Catholic Men’s Conference Feb. 24. The event will begin at 7:30 a.m. with registration and continue until 3:40 p.m. at the church, which is located at 217 Brawley School Road.

The 2018 men’s conference features Catholic speakers who will educate and motivate men to live out their Catholic faith boldly. Mass, Eucharistic Adoration and time for confession also mark the event, which also includes lunch.

Speakers for the 2018 conference include: Benedictine Abbot Placid Solari, abbot of Belmont Abbey and homilist; Father Dwight Longenecker, former Anglican minister who converted to Catholic priest; Augustinian Father Tom McCarthy, friar and priest; and Patrick Madrid, Catholic radio host, author and frequent EWTN guest.

The Knights of Columbus are the organizers for the event. Tickets are available online or at the door. Ticket prices vary and are: $35, general admission; $30, Knights of Columbus members and senior citizens; $25, students and sons; and clergy are admitted free.

For more information and to register, go to www.catholicmenofthecarolinas.org.

Questions? Call 980-999-0182 or email cltcmc@ gmail.com.

— SueAnn Howell, senior reporter

Catholic radio network pledge drive begins BELMONT — A pledge drive to help Carolina Catholic Radio Network launch two Triad-area radio stations is under way.

The two new stations, part of five total new stations planned, would provide Catholic radio from Mocksville to Burlington, Eden to Asheboro and Pilot Mountain to Lexington, said David Papandrea with CCRN. The estimated population in the listening area is over 1 million. The CCRN has an agreement in principle to lease the two radio stations with a cost of $72,000 annually. It would cost an additional $48,000 a year for local programming and operations.

For the “highway to heaven” to start broadcasting, Papandrea said they will need about pledge support of $10,000 monthly to launch and operate the Triad area stations.

The fundraising campaign kicked off Feb. 14, with hopes to raise annual pledges of $300,000 to green-light all five stations. Those include two additional stations planned in Charlotte, one along I-85/485 and another along I-77 and I-40, and a third in Asheville.

The CCRN was created last year and the network currently has one station on the air: Belmont Abbey College’s WBAC-LPFM 101.5.

Donations can be made online at www.

CarolinaCatholicRadio.org or by mail to Carolina Catholic Radio Network, P.O. Box 1148, Clemmons, NC 27012-1148.

For details, contact David Papandrea at 704-880-0260 or David.Papandrea@ CarolinaCatholicRadio.org.

— Kimberly Bender, online reporter

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catholicnewsherald.com | February 16, 2018 OUR PARISHES

St. Barnabas Parish sets up diaper bank thanks to local grant ARDEN — Thanks to the generosity of the Walnut Cove Members Association, the St. Vincent de Paul Society of St. Barnabas Church in Arden was recently awarded a $6,000 grant to start a diaper bank in conjunction with its food pantry. The diaper bank is aimed at helping provide an adequate supply of diapers to needy families with small children.

Diapers are an issue for many lowincome families because they are expensive and required in large numbers. Further, the need is magnified because diapers cannot be purchased with food stamps and there are no other federal, state or local safety-net programs allocating funds for the purchase of diapers. Western North Carolina does not have a major diaper bank, and diapers are only available in limited quantities through local food pantries and churches.

With this grant, the St. Vincent De Paul Society will have the resources to augment

the limited local supply and support the diaper needs of at least 10 needy children in the western North Carolina community for an entire year.

WCMA is a philanthropic group comprised of property owners at the Cliffs at Walnut Cove in Arden who are interested in supporting local western North Carolina charities. WCMA raises money through member dues, donations and an annual “Weekend of Giving” fundraising event. At the end of each year, these funds are distributed to a variety of local charitable organizations in which members are actively involved. Since its inception in 2007, WCMA has awarded 270 grants, totaling more than $930,000, to a diverse range of nonprofits.

This year St. Barnabas Church’s St. Vincent De Paul diaper bank program was one of 32 grant requests selected for funding.

— Robert May

Former OLG teacher passes away SCRANTON, Pa. — Sister Jane Meehan (formerly known as Sister Annmarie) of the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary died Feb. 4, 2018, at Our Lady of Peace Residence in Scranton.

The Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated Feb. 10, 2018, at Our Lady of Peace Residence. Interment followed at St. Catherine’s Cemetery in Moscow, Pa. Sister Jane was born on Feb. 12, 1928, in Meehan New Albany, Pa., the daughter of the late James and Annabelle Healey Meehan.

She entered the IHM Congregation on Sept. 8, 1948, and made her temporary profession of vows on May 9, 1951, and her final profession of vows on Aug. 2, 1954.

She earned a Bachelor of Science in education and a Master of Science in counselor/secondary education from Marywood College.

Sister Jane served as a teacher in the following schools: St. John the Evangelist Elementary School in Binghamton, N.Y., from 1951 to 1953; Our Lady of Grace Elementary School in Greensboro, from 1953 to 1955; St. Thomas Aquinas Elementary School in Archbald, Pa., from 1955 to 1957; St. Agnes Elementary School in Baltimore, Md., from 1957 to 1963; St. Ephrem Elementary School in Brooklyn, N.Y.,

from 1963 to 1968; and Our Lady Queen of Martyrs Elementary School in Forest Hills, N.Y., from 1968 to 1974.

She served as a guidance counselor at the following schools: Maria Regina Diocesan High School in Uniondale, N.Y., from 1974 to 1980; Bishop Neumann High School in Williamsport, Pa., from 1980 to 1985; Bishop Hannon High School in Scranton from 1985 to 1987; St. Mary’s High School in Manhasset, N.Y., from 1987 to 1996; and Seton Catholic High School in Pittston, Pa., from 1996 to 1997.

Sister Jane then served as minister to homebound parishioners at St. John the Evangelist Parish in Pittsburgh from 1997 to 2004; pastoral visitor at the Marian Convent in Scranton from 2004 to 2006; pastoral visitor at Our Lady of Peace Residence in Scranton from 2006 to 2011; and as a member of the support service staff at the IHM Center in Scranton from 2011 to 2017.

From 2017 until her death, Sister Jane was a prayer minister at Our Lady of Peace Residence in Scranton.

She was preceded in death by two brothers, James Jr. and Francis; and two sisters, Mary Jackson and Kathleen.

She is survived by two sisters, Alice Rice of Massapequa, N.Y.; and Annabelle Kravetz of Mildred, Pa.; and by the members of the IHM Congregation.

Memorial contributions may be made to support the retired IHM Sisters c/o the IHM Sisters Retirement Fund, IHM Center, 2300 Adams Ave., Scranton, PA 18509.

— Catholic News Herald

You are cordially invited to the 15th Annual

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Kevin Mark Kampman, Publisher (retired) Winston-Salem Journal

At this complimentary event, you will be invited to make a generous gift to help raise our goal of $400,000 to Strengthen Families, Build Communities, and Reduce Poverty in the Piedmont Triad Region.

For reservations, please call 336-714-3228 or go to ccdoc.org/partnersinhope

What is the goal of business? Our culture tells us to imitate the "Wolf of Wall Street" and generate P,rofit at any cost. But Andreas Widme raws on Christian traditioniand the Theology of the Body to show that business is a dignified calling and that faith-rather than economics, or even culture-is the real business of life.

::=: Monday, February 26, 2018 8:00 p.m.

Abbey Basilica at Belmont Abbey College

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February 16, 2018 | catholicnewsherald.com

(Right) Shay Walters and her son Ben Walters celebrate during the Night to Shine at St. Pius X Church in Greensboro. (Below) Night to Shine buddies and guests celebrate the crowning of kings and queens at the end of the night.

9

Respect Life essay contest winner named CHARLOTTE — Catholic Charities Diocese of Charlotte’s Respect Life Program announces the winner of its annual Respect Life Essay Contest is Lewis Nazarian, an 11thgrader at Charlotte Catholic High School.

The essay prompt given to high school students from around the diocese was: “How in today’s society are we best able to say ‘Yes’ to life and ‘No’ to death?”

Jessica Grabowski, Catholic Charities Respect Life Program Director, was able to present the award to Nazarian after Mass at Charlotte Catholic High School last week.

“Thank you to Principal Kurt Telford, Father Jason Barone and all the staff at Charlotte Catholic High School for supporting this event and planning the special award presentation,” Grabowski said. “In addition, a special thank you to Saint Benedict Press/Tan Books for sponsoring gifts for the finalists this year.”

Look for more information later this summer for next year’s Respect Life Essay Contest and visit www.cccdoc. org/respectlife for news and announcements from Catholic Charities’ Respect Life Program.

PHOTOS BY GEORGIANNA PENN | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Hundreds enjoy a ‘Night to Shine’ at St. Pius X Church GEORGIANNA PENN CORRESPONDENT

GREENSBORO — Hundreds gathered for a Night to Shine Feb. 9 at St. Pius X Church in Greensboro. A Night to Shine, sponsored by the Tim Tebow Foundation, is a prom night experience for guests with special needs celebrated in more than 500 churches around the world the weekend before Valentine’s Day each year.

Monsignor Anthony Marcaccio, pastor of St. Pius X Church, kicked off the evening in prayer. Guests were served dinner and each assigned a personal buddy. Hair and make-up stations, Bingo, photo booths, lots of love and lots of joy filled the air at this year’s Night to Shine.

“Night to Shine is the first event we have held where our youth and parish leaders planned and worked together to provide a joyous experience for our guests,” said Carolyn Painley, St. Pius X staff member and pastoral associate. “This experience gave our youth the chance to see and understand that Christ’s love is cherished and celebrated as it shines through all people.”

“We had about 100 guests, 100 buddies and 100 volunteers,” said Lindsay Kohl, director of formational ministries at the parish.

Our youth stewards greatly impressed me with their willingness to jump right in and minister to our guests in every way possible,” Kohl said. “From helping with food service or photography – to being a buddy for the night and dancing with our guests – the young men and women of our parish and the community were an integral part in making this such a successful night.”

“It was a blessing to host the Night to Shine because it helped reinforce our belief that every person, every life, is a gift from God and should be celebrated,” she said.

“The Night to Shine was a beautiful celebration of life, visible in the joy that radiated from our guests and our volunteers the entire evening.”

The growing Greensboro parish has a long history of helping those with special needs, said Krisan Walker, community life chair and Sunshine Club coordinator.

“Sunshine Club is a social club that allows individuals with special needs to get together socially while giving caregivers a break,” she said. “Sunshine Club has been meeting monthly for over 20 years at St. Pius X and this is one of the ways we embrace the culture of respecting life here at St. Pius X.”

OUR PARISHESI

Say Yes Besides the Sunshine Club, the parish also has an arm of faith formation that pairs teens with students with disabilities so they can participate fully in the faith formation class with their peers.

“I can’t imagine a more perfect match for Night to Shine,” said Chana Ball, Sunshine Club volunteer and St. Pius X parishioner. “Since Sunshine Club is a monthly, year-round event, we at St. Pius X have lots of experience working with folks with special needs, which is extremely helpful. This population is so appreciative of everything, large and small, that is done for them. It is so heartwarming!”

“The happiness, joy, and excitement is palpable every month as the ‘Sunshiners’ gather for dinner and a few hours of fun,” she said. “I would love to see Night to Shine become an annual event for our friends.”

Ball and her son John have been helping for almost a decade. “As a parent, you always hope you’ve done enough to show your children that it’s a big world out there, people are different, circumstances are different, and it is so very important to share your talents with people who might need your help or support,” she said.

“It is in giving of ourselves that we learn and grow and figure out our place in the world. By reaching past what is familiar to us, we see that helping spread love and kindness is essentially why we are here. So, volunteering a few hours on a Friday night seems like a wonderful way to show that we each can make a difference. And when our hearts are open to give love, well, we get love in return,” she said.

More online At www.catholicnewsherald.com: Read a volunteer’s account of what it was like to be at “Night to Shine”

Being pro-life is more than just a label. It is more than just going to the occasional pro-life conference. It is more than just attending a march. Being pro-life is about living pro-life. But what exactly does living pro-life entail? I can tell you for certain it is not throwing a Twitter post online proclaiming that you love babies.

It is not walking around school proclaiming that “I am pro-life and a good Christian because I am attending the March for Life.”

No, living pro-life cannot be achieved with just words. St. Francis of Assisi has been quoted telling us to “Preach the Gospel at all times. When necessary, use words.” While the validity of this quotation’s attribution is debated, the message holds true. In order to truly evangelize, you must act instead of just speak.

A friend of mine did something that truly exemplifies this evangelization in modern society. On a Saturday, she went out to a Planned Parenthood, put in her earbuds, and sang and danced in front of the abortion clinic. Not once did she speak to or even make eye contact with the people walking in and out. But, in her innocent act of dancing and singing, she reminded these pregnant women of what life truly is. She told me that throughout the day, of the 20 to 30 people who walked up the path, around 10 of them turned around. Because of her seemingly small act of evangelization, 10 lives were saved that day.

My friend Mariah helped me to realize that in today’s society, you need to get your face out of your phone in order to say yes to life. You need to get out into the world, showing people that your life is worth living.

Those who believe that abortion, the death penalty, and euthanasia are acceptable are not likely to listen to you in a verbal argument or debate. Instead, to say no to death and to help them say no, show your love for life and show the importance of life throughout your day. Be a caring person and go out and show your love for your classmates, coworkers and strangers on the street. Say thank you to anyone and everyone who helps you in any way. Show your respect for their work and their life. If you want to say yes to life and no to death, don’t just say it, show it.

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catholicnewsherald.com | February 16, 2018 OUR PARISHES

For the latest news 24/7: catholicnewsherald.com

In Brief Deacon appointed CHARLOTTE — Bishop Peter Jugis has appointed Deacon Sigfrido Della Valle to St. Joan of Arc Parish in Candler and also to assist Father Julio Dominguez, Hispanic Ministry Coordinator for the Smoky Mountain Vicariate, effective Feb. 1.

to believing in the possibility that lies within each of us. They have been providing quality and innovative services for individuals with intellectual developmental disabilities for over 60 years.”

As a business, Holy Angels has a positive impact on the local area economy – providing nearly 350 jobs with an operating budget of more than $15 million.

Innovative programs and services serve as the hallmark of Holy Angels, including four business endeavors that offer employment opportunities for individuals with intellectual developmental disabilities. More than 20 years ago Cherubs Café opened, followed by Cherubs Candy Bouquet (now Bliss Gallery) and most recently, Cotton Candy Factory.

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

Pictured are (from left) the Rev. Rob Hinman, Holy Angels board chair; Regina Moody, Holy Angels president/CEO; and Janet Sarn of Park Sterling Bank.

— Sister Nancy Nance

Lenten retreat at the cathedral

Holy Angels named Business of the Year BELMONT — Holy Angels was named the Business of the Year by the Montcross Chamber during its Annual Celebration in Mt. Holly Feb. 1. During the presentation it was stated, “Holy Angels is a special company, dedicated

CHARLOTTE — A Lenten Day of Reflection, “An Upper Room Experience,” will be offered Saturday, March 3, at St. Patrick Cathedral, directed by Father Richard Sutter, parochial vicar. The program will run from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. and will include Mass and Eucharistic Adoration.

Everyone aged 16 and older is welcome to attend. Come discover the three keys to unlock your Upper Room experience with Jesus this Lent: the Living Word, the Eucharist and the Cross.

Register online at www.stpatricks.org.

Celebrating the feast of St. Blaise FOREST CITY — Immaculate Conception Church observed the devotion of the Blessing of the Throats Feb. 3, the feast of St. Blaise.

Pictured, Deacon Andy Cilone administers the Blessing of the Throats with candles he had acquired at the Church of St. Blaise in Dubrovnik, Croatia. St. Blaise is the patron saint of the city of Dubrovnik.

is a light of revelation for the Gentiles and the glory of the people of Israel. The Church traditionally commemorates Simeon’s words with the blessing of candles on this day. Father Brian Becker, parochial vicar at St. Mark Parish in Huntersville, continued this tradition with a traditional Latin blessing of candles after the 12:30 p.m. Latin Mass.

That same evening, at St. Patrick Cathedral in Charlotte, Father Christopher Bond, parochial vicar at St. Matthew Parish in Charlotte, and assisted by St. Matthew Deacon Gary Schreiber, blessed candles before the 8 p.m. First Friday Mass which attracted more than 60 faithful.

The Mass, which began with a candlelight procession, was part of the Vigil of the Two Hearts monthly devotion organized by C-PLAN (Catholic Pro-Life Action Network of Charlotte) to offer penance for the sins of abortion, strengthening of families and praying for the conversion of the nation.

For more information about the Vigil of the Two Hearts visit www.prolifecharlotte.org/twohearts or email info@prolifecharlotte.org.

— Mike FitzGerald, correspondent

— Giuliana Polinari Riley, correspondent

Celebrating Candlemas CHARLOTTE — People around the Charlotte area celebrated the Feast of the Purification, the Church’s former celebration of what’s now celebrated as the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, with Masses on Feb. 2, commemorating the purification of the Blessed Mother. Although not required due to her sinless nature, the ceremony, required under Mosaic law, prescribed a woman wait 40 days after childbirth before returning to the Temple.

The feast day is also known as the Feast of Candles or Candlemas, which recalls the words of the Temple priest Simeon, who in the Gospel of Luke, prophesized that Christ

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

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February 16, 2018 | catholicnewsherald.com

OUR PARISHESI

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AMBER MELLON | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

BOONE — St. Elizabeth Parish also celebrated World Marriage Weekend by encouraging parishioners to bring in their wedding pictures. Married couples receive a special blessing and were treated to a reception.

CHARLOTTE — On Feb. 10, Knights of Columbus Council 9560 hosted a wedding vow re-commitment ceremony for St. Vincent de Paul Parish. More than 25 couples attended the ceremony celebrated by Father Joshua Voitus, pastor, including Mr. and Mrs. Jim Dorsey (pictured), who are celebrating 60 years of marriage. The Knights also organized a reception afterwards for the couples.

PHOTO PROVIDED BY IMMACULATE CONCEPTION CHURCH

Celebrating World Marriage Day HENDERSONVILLE — Couples celebrating 65, 64, 60, 50, 40 and 25 years of marriage were honored at Mass Feb. 11 at Immaculate Conception Church, where they had the opportunity to renew their vows. A reception followed.

PHOTO PROVIDED

This Lent, come join us in prayer at the

Traditional Latin Mass.

The Mass of Calvary.

The Mass of the Martyrs & the Saints.

Sundays 9:00 am Low Mass (Offered during Lent) Charlotte Catholic HS Chapel 7702 Pineville-Matthews Road Charlotte, North Carolina

The Mass of our Ancestors.

The Mass of All Ages.

Sundays 12:30 pm High Mass (Coffee & Donuts after Mass) St. Ann Catholic Church 3635 Park Road Charlotte, North Carolina

Latin-English & Latin-Spanish Mass booklets will be available as well as a pamphlet on the connections between the Traditional Latin Mass and the Passion of Christ. For more information, please contact the Charlotte Latin Mass Community at info@charlottelatinmass.org; or visit www.charlottelatinmass.org.

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catholicnewsherald.com | February 16, 2018 OUR PARISHES

D’Ambrosio leads multi-generation, two-day retreat in Greensboro ANNETTE K. TENNY CORRESPONDENT

GREENSBORO — St. Paul the Apostle Church in Greensboro held a parish-wide retreat in January led by well-known theologian, author and speaker Dr. Marcellino D’Ambrosio (known on TV and radio as “Dr. Italy”).

The two-day event began Friday evening with a covered dish dinner, followed by D’Ambrosio’s keynote address, “How To Get More Out of Mass.” He challenged his audience to think about how Jesus is really present in the Eucharist and he offered real world, practical ways to “unlock the power of His presence so as to make each Mass a life-changing experience.”

Saturday began with a pancake breakfast hosted by the parish’s Knights of Columbus Council 13236.

The day’s discussions were divided into adult sessions given by D’Ambrosio, and teen sessions given by D’Ambrosio’s twin sons, Anthony and Marcellino.

Both young men are youth ministers, worship musicians and evangelizers. Grade school sessions, taught by parish staff, were also available.

D’Ambrosio started off by discussing “The Family as Domestic Church.” While this is a familiar theme to many Catholics, D’Ambrosio deepened the discussion with stories of the ups and downs of his own Catholic upbringing. As a father of five, he was also able to relate his and his wife’s experiences in the trials and joys of creating their own domestic church.

While parents and grandparents were getting tips on how to build their family church, the teens were listening to the D’Ambrosio twins share their faith challenges. Titled “Let Me Live: The Story of How God Walked Into My Grave and Called Me Up Into His Resurrection,” the young men spoke passionately about their personal conversions and the need to be open to the call of Holy Spirit. Developing a close relationship with Jesus Christ, they said, requires not just one act but countless actions each day. Life in Christ, they told their young audience is anything but passive.

In another session, D’Ambrosio encouraged parents and grandparents to keep lines of communication open and to talk to their kids about many subjects, not just religion.

It’s imperative to restore the “centrality of the table,” he said. Family relationships harden, he told them without frequent communication. Bring back the family dinner, at least one night a week. Make sure everyone contributes to the conversation, no matter the subject. Nourish yourself with scripture and sacraments and you will be able to nourish your family when the opportunity presents itself. Above all, he reminded the attendees, remain humble and have a sense of humor.

“Pray for your family, pray for what they need,” he said, “not for what you want.”

D’Ambrosio said he hoped retreat participants would walk away with two things: excitement and inspiration that there is “more than what they’ve experienced so far in their Catholic life,” and “…one practical suggestion where they can change the pattern of their life.” Whether it’s the way they pray, the way they approach the Eucharist or confession, he said he hoped they left with a practical way to change the way they live their faith.

In other programs during the retreat, Anthony and Marcellino D’Ambrosio and the parish’s youth ministry encouraged teens to see the saints through a new lens, as well as to see how God is already working in their lives.

The retreat at St. Paul Parish was a pleasure, D’Ambrosio said, as he and his sons don’t often travel and minister together. The parish asked specifically for all of them.

“The twins’ ministry has evolved into parish consultation, writing and producing film and digital evangelization content,” he noted.

They also have a music worship ministry and with a younger brother and other band members, travel to conferences.

D’Ambrosio’s ministry is evolving as well.

After many years of parish, radio and television evangelization, he’s feeling called to write more but also to produce podcasts and short video teaching, on You Tube, for example.

“I’m looking forward to working with the twins on new projects and new ways of evangelizing,” he said.

ANNETTE K. TENNY | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Anthony and Marcellino D’Ambrosio perform with members of St. Paul Church’s Youth Choir during the concluding Mass at a two-day retreat designed for the whole family.

PAUL DOIZÉ | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Retreat focuses on the connection between faith and science KERNERSVILLE — Approximately 100 people attended a Jan. 27 retreat entitled “God and Science – Where Does the Evidence Lead?” at Holy Cross Church. The retreat was led by Steven R. Hemler, president of the Catholic Apologetics Institute of North America and author of “The Reality of God: The Layman’s Guide to Scientific Evidence for the Creator.” The day began with Mass, followed by discussions and multimedia presentations of scientific evidence – as well as evidence from human nature – demonstrating God’s existence. The program also included discussion of Church teaching on evolution and the complementarity of faith and science.

FACEBOOK.COM/ CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD ESPAÑOL

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February 16, 2018 | catholicnewsherald.com

(Arriba) Un numeroso grupo se congregó en las afueras del Congreso en Washington DC para orar por los beneficiarios de DACA, quienes enfrentan un futuro incierto debido a la finalización del programa.

Padre Fidel Melo

Tiempo de Cuaresma

JACLYN LIPPELMANN | CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

C

uaresma (“cuadragésimo” o cuarenta días antes de la Pascua), es el tiempo de preparación de la Iglesia por medio del sacrificio y la oración para celebrar dignamente la Resurección de Jesucristo. Marcada con un profundo espíritu de sacrificio por medio del ayuno y la abstinencia de carnes, junto a la plegaria u oración, nos da tiempo y espacio para impulsar nuestra vida hacia una mayor cercanía a Dios.

La duración se inspira en el modelo bíblico de preparación y purificación antes de iniciar una nueva etapa, evento o misión.

Así tenemos el ejemplo del gran diluvio, con una duración de cuarenta días y cuarenta noches, que purificó al mundo de su antiguo pecado. O el caso de Moisés, que pasó el mismo tiempo de preparación para entrar en la presencia de Dios y recibir los mandamientos (Éxodo 24, 18). Y nuestro Señor Jesucristo, quien antes de iniciar su ministerio público fué conducido hacia el desierto donde permaneció por cuarenta días y noches en ayuno y oración para finalmente enfrentar las tentaciones del demonio (Mt. 4, 1-2).

Es así que la Iglesia antecede cuarenta días de preparación a la festividad más importante de nuestra fe, la Resurrección del Señor, “porque si Cristo no hubiera resucitado, vana sería nuestra predicación y vana también nuestra fe” (1 Cor. 15, 14).

Dicho lo anterior, comprendemos que la iglesia nos invita a elevar nuestro ser a Dios, dejándonos conducir por las “alas del alma” con sacrificio, penitencia y oración. En el sacrificio entra en juego el ayuno y las buenas obras, porque una penitencia ha de estar siempre acompañada de la caridad, es decir, de salir de sí mismo y mirar hacia los demás y sus necesidades. Una buena penitencia siempre nos conducirá al alejamiento de las actitudes narcisistas que solo buscan complacernos a nosotros mismos, olvidándonos de los demás.

El mejor sacrificio es romper con la opresión y toda maldad, dar pan al hambriento, vestir al desnudo, socorrer al sin techo, no dar la espalda al que te necesita (Isaías 56, 6-7). Por lo tanto, hablar de sacrificio no solo se refiere al ayuno de alimentos y abstinencia de carnes sino también al desapego de los malos hábitos y costumbres, como adicciones, mal carácter, maledicencia en el hogar o el trabajo, inhumanidad, insensibilidad, egoísmo, rencor, venganza, arrogancia.

Por otra parte, la oración es muy importante ya que es la comunicación con Dios en base diaria. Para orar nos podemos ayudar con las Sagradas Escrituras, libros, manuales de oraciones o lecturas sobre la vida de algún santo. No olvidemos que hay que conversar con Dios de un modo espontáneo, es decir, con nuestras propias palabras. Ya sea en tiempos designados, o aún en medio de nuestras actividades, podemos elevar nuestros pensamientos a Dios y comunicarnos con Él.

El ambiente para vivir la cuaresma es muy importante. Y aquí destaco la palabra “desierto” que aparece en los relatos sobre los encuentros con la presencia de Dios. El desierto implica menos bullicio, ruido y distración, resultando un lugar apropiado para meditar más fácilmente en el misterio de las realidades divinas y la vida en general. Durante la Cuaresma se nos invita a adentrarnos en un ambiente de “desierto” en el que podamos alejarnos de aquello que pueda ser una ocasión de distración y nos impida reencontrarnos con Dios y el prójimo.

Que Dios nos conceda en este tiempo santo de Cuaresma poder alcanzar más facilmente nuestros propósitos de ser mejores personas para celebrar la Pascua. Que si nos encontramos agobiados, perseguidos o cansados como el profeta Elías podamos encontrar el consuelo, la fortaleza y alimento divino para seguir en nuestra vida y misión. O si estamos confundidos, como el pueblo de Dios junto a Moisés, podamos recibir la claridad de su santa voluntad aceptando su santa ley. Y que en la luz de Cristo podamos vencer las tentaciones y trampas que el maligno pone en nuestro camino PADRE FIDEL MELO es el director del Ministerio Hispano de la Diócesis de Charlotte.

(Abajo) Los participantes de la Diócesis de Charlotte visitaron las oficinas del congresista Thom Tillis, quien ha presentado una propuesta para legalizar a los DACAmentados.

FOTO CORTESÍA

IGLESIA ESTUVO PRESENTE EN WASHINGTON

Encuentro del Ministerio Social Católico abogó por acuerdo migratorio CATHOLIC NEWS AGENCY / CÉSAR HURTADO AGENCIA DE NOTICIAS CATOLICA / REPORTERO HISPANO

WASHINGTON D.C. — Un grupo de sacerdotes, religiosos, jóvenes inmigrantes y activistas se reunieron en las afueras del Capitolio el pasado 6 de febrero para orar por los ‘soñadores’, cuyas vidas están en el limbo, y por los legisladores que tienen el poder de cambiar su situación.

“Hemos hecho todo lo demás ... ahora rezamos”, dijo la hermana Mary Ellen Lacy, religiosa de las Hijas de la Caridad, y señaló las muchas marchas y protestas que han tenido lugar en los últimos meses.

“Realmente, en este punto todo está en las manos de Dios”, puntualizó.

El congresista Juan Vargas, D-California, se unió al servicio de oración como un compañero católico. “Es hermoso pedirle a María que interceda hoy, no solo por los ‘dreamers’, sino también por sus padres”, dijo.

Los beneficiarios del Programa de Acción Diferida para los Llegados en la Infancia (DACA) son inmigrantes traídos por sus padres de manera ilegal a los Estados Unidos cuando eran solo niños.

Aproximadamente 800 mil han sido protegidos de la deportación en virtud de la orden ejecutiva firmada en 2012 por el entonces presidente Barack Obama. Sin embargo el problema es mayor, pues se considera que existen cerca de 1.8 millones de jóvenes ‘soñadores’, a quienes no alcanzó a cubrir DACA. Además, el programa debe concluir el 5 de marzo, a menos que el Congreso actúe para resolver el problema.

EN ACCIÓN

Más de 500 católicos participaron del Encuentro del Ministerio Social Católico, realizado del 3 al 6 de

febrero en Washington DC. Durante esa conferencia discutieron asuntos sociales de importancia para la Iglesia Católica y se reunieron con varios representantes legislativos el 6 de febrero para abogar por el tema migratorio, en especial los jóvenes DACAmentados.

Eduardo Bernal, coordinador del Ministerio Hispano del Vicariato de Charlotte, fue uno de los seis integrantes de la delegación de la Diócesis de Charlotte que estuvo presente en el Encuentro.

El grupo visitó el martes 6 las oficinas de los congresistas Thom Tillis y Richard Burr, donde se entrevistaron con sus asistentes para dar a conocer las solicitud de solución al tema migratorio de los ‘Dreamers’, la unidad familiar y la permanencia de los programas de asistencia humanitaria y de salud.

“Me he sentido muy orgulloso de participar, pues se puede apreciar que es la Iglesia la que está defendiendo los derechos del pueblo”, dijo Bernal, añadiendo que esta es una prueba más que Dios habla, pues a través de su Iglesia y sus 525 enviados, “Dios se dirigió a los representantes del país y les hizo conocer su sentir”.

14

catholicnewsherald.com | February 16, 2018 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

‘Vayan por el mundo y proclamen a todos la buena noticia’ (Marcos 16:15)

La misión de Los Apóstoles de la Palabra ¿QUÉ ES APÓSTOLES DE LA PALABRA?

CÉSAR HURTADO REPORTERO HISPANO

CHARLOTTE — Una pequeña casa localizada en Mount Holly aloja a una hermana y dos jovencitas en formación del movimiento ‘Apóstoles de la Palabra’, una misión establecida en 2013 en Charlotte, que ya había trabajado en el área desde 2004.

Eri Rodríguez, responsable de formación de la casa de mujeres y originaria de Laguna del Cofre, Chiapas, se interesó en el movimiento a los 19 años, cuando se le invitó a participar en un encuentro juvenil en su ciudad natal. Eri levantó la mano y decidió hacer el intento de vivir una nueva experiencia. “A mi papá le dije que me iba solo por cuatro meses, los que se han convertido en casi 22 años”, nos dijo sonriente.

La hermana nos aclara que no llegó por ninguna decepción o porque no encontró con quién casarse. “Estoy, con todas las dificultades que se encuentran en el camino, por un ideal de la que estoy convencida y luchando por la santidad”, nos aseguró.

La iniciativa surgió en 1968 en México, cuando el padre Flaviano Amatulli Valente, misionero Comboniano enviado a desarrollar la una revista misional, vio en La Chinantla, Oaxaca, la urgente necesidad de evangelización.

A inicios de los años 70 inicia la formación de jóvenes catequistas y misioneros laicos, enviándolos a las rancherías con el objetivo que sea el mismo laico quien evangelice a otros laicos.

En 1978, con el permiso del Obispo de Veracruz, Guillermo Ranzahuer, la comunidad logra establecerse, extendiendo el voluntariado misionero, al que respondieron numerosos jóvenes.

La hermana Eri refiere que la preocupación inicial del padre Amatulli fué la Biblia, pues “para muchos católicos, y es triste reconocerlo, la Biblia es aún un libro no conocido”.

CESAR HURTADO | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

(Izq) Eri Rodríguez, acompañada de Gabriela Avendaño (derecha) y la joven Brenda Cruz (centro), de Gastonia, quien acaba de comprometer su servicio por un año.

(Der) La misión cuenta con una amplia colección de material educativo y de formación bíblica a la venta.

EN CHARLOTTE

“Llegamos a Charlotte por providencia divina”, afirma la hermana Eri, “aunque el Padre Gabriel (Carvajal) fue de los primeros misioneros que llegó a Carolina del Norte en 1997, sin ser sacerdote, y dió

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a conocer la misión de Apóstoles de la Palabra en la Diócesis de Charlotte.

“Cuando era laico, tuve la suerte de tenerlo como párroco en la Diócesis de San Andrés Tuxla, Veracruz, donde me inscribí como catequista en los cursos que él organizaba”, refiere el padre Carvajal, Vicario de la Iglesia San Gabriel.

“Este movimiento tiene el carisma de ir a donde está la gente más apartada, más abandonada, donde el sacerdote ni siquiera puede llegar. Como dice Isaías, pude experimentar que hermoso es ver los pies del que corre por los montes llevando las buenas noticias a toda esa gente”, añade.

Pero el trabajo de Los Apóstoles no

solo es ofrecer capacitación a laicos.

Visitan parques, mercados de pulgas y tocan puertas casa por casa.

“Todavía nos falta mucho”, asegura la hermana Eri. “Es una bendición contar con una casa”, afirma, y espera que su tarea sea “como la levadura”, pues “esta misión es de todos”.

Si requiere mayor información, contacte a la hermana Eri al 209-626-0542 o escriba un correo a apostolesusa@gmail.com.

Más en la versión online En www.catholicnewsherald.com: Vea un vídeo sobre la misión de los Apóstoles de la Palabra en Charlotte

Se necesitan voluntarios en los Tribunales de Inmigración CESAR HURTADO REPORTERO HISPANO

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

Truck, boat, RV and motorcycle donations accepted.

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CHARLOTTE — Un grupo de voluntarios se presentó el pasado sábado 10 de febrero en la Iglesia Bautista Myers Park respondiendo al llamado de la Unión Americana de Libertades Civiles (ACLU, por sus siglas en inglés) para capacitarse como observadores en los Tribunales de Inmigración.

Según explicó Lisa Wielunski, directora del equipo de defensa de los derechos de los inmigrantes de ACLU en Charlotte, el proyecto de capacitación fue creado la primavera pasada por un equipo del capítulo de Charlotte de ACLU de Carolina del Norte.

“Realizamos nuestra primera capacitación a fines de junio, y el proyecto ya nos ha hecho sentir orgullosos en términos de ‘sacar a la luz’ las operaciones de los tribunales de inmigración a toda la comunidad”, señaló Wielunski.

Según indicó la representante de ACLU, los voluntarios han asistido a más de 55 sesiones del calendario de audiencias del Tribunal de Inmigración de Charlotte. “Los abogados que se presentan regularmente en esas salas nos han comentado que se puede apreciar una mayor cortesía de los jueces y que, desde que dio inicio el proyecto, las solicitudes de asilo se

CESAR HURTADO | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Según los organizadores, la labor de los observadores ha dado resultados positivos en los procesos de asilo que se procesan en la Corte de Charlotte. entregan rutinariamente a todos los solicitantes que podrían calificar para tal alivio”, resaltó la activista.

Si está interesado en donar su tiempo y talento en esta tarea de ayuda para la comunidad inmigrante, puede escribir un correo electrónico a wielunski.legal@ gmail.com para enterarse de futuras fechas de capacitación y los requisitos para la inscripción.

February 16, 2018 | catholicnewsherald.com CATHOLIC NEWS HERALDI

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FOTOS DE CESAR HURTADO | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

(Arriba, izq) Danzante de ‘Saya’, baile típico del altiplano peruano-boliviano, donde se celebra la fiesta de la Virgen de la Candelaria. A su lado, la guardia de honor de la Virgen de Suyapa, Honduras. (Centro, izq) Miembros de la comunidad hondureña se alegraron de celebrar por primera vez la fiesta de su patrona y llevaron sus imágenes para ser bendecidas. (Abajo, izq) Decenas de imágenes del Niño Jesús fueron ‘presentadas’ durante la celebración de la Presentación del Señor en la iglesia San Gabriel.

(Arriba, der) El padre Fidel Melo, director del Ministerio Hispano de la Diócesis de Charlotte, acompañado de niños y jóvenes participantes en la celebración de la Virgen de Suyapa. (Abajo, centro) El Padre Fidel Melo y el diácono Guillermo Anzola reciben a una madre que presenta a su niño de 40 días. (Abajo, der) Un verdadero fervor compartido por toda la familia se pudo observar durante estas fiestas.

En charla prematrimonial CHARLOTTE — Una jornada de emociones intensas vivieron las numerosas parejas que se presentaron al curso de preparación matrimonial organizado el pasado sábado 10 de febrero.

CESAR HURTADO | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

CESAR HURTADO | CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Alabando con Alegría CHARLOTTE — Tony Rubi, compositor de numerosas canciones litúrgicas, compartió sus experiencias con miembros y directores de coros parroquiales en el Centro Pastoral de la Diócesis de Charlotte.

Our schools 16

catholicnewsherald.com | February 16, 2018 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

For the latest news 24/7: catholicnewsherald.com

In Brief Christ the King High School hires football coach HUNTERSVILLE — Christ the King High School has hired Joshua Sims-Crowell Sr. as its football program’s new head coach. He will be the program’s second head coach, and will have an opportunity to lead a young team into its third season in the fall of 2018.

“We are thrilled and excited to have Coach Crowell join the Christ the King community,” said Athletics Director Phil Harrington. “Not only is Coach Crowell going to bring a lot of knowledge and expertise about the game of football to our student-athletes, he is also going to bring a lot of excitement and enthusiasm to our players and fans.”

Crowell played wide receiver and punt returner at N.C. Central University, an FCS Division I school in Durham. After graduating, he was the offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach at Neal Middle School before joining the coaching staff at his alma mater Beddingfield High School in Wilson, where he served as the running backs coach and co-offensive coordinator. In the past three seasons, he had a hand in winning two conference championships as well as producing three 1,000-yard rushers, two 1,500-plus-yard passers, and two 1,000- yard receivers.

“I look forward to the opportunity to lead the Christ the King football program. I’m very eager to get started with a great group of student-athletes, parents, coaches, faculty, staff, and an outstanding community,” Crowell said.

— Christ the King High School

(Left) First-grader Brendan Sherrill reads to his class as Suzanne Fairbairn and Zip listen.

(Below) Sister Carolyn Mary Coll and Casey read to kindergarten students at St. Michael School.

PHOTOS PROVIDED BY ST. MICHAEL SCHOOL

Kids read with ‘Tail Waggin’ Tutors’ St. Michael School uses therapy dogs to assist young students with learning to read ERIC WILDSTEIN THE GASTON GAZETTE

MACS well-represented at All-District Band Clinic CHARLOTTE — Mecklenburg Area Catholic Schools is proud of the 19 students from four area band programs who performed in the AllDistrict Band Clinic held in Belmont. The event, held at Stewart Cramer High School, was sponsored by the South Central District Bandmasters Association. The MACS students joined more than 400 other students selected from area band programs.

Students rehearsed for more than 15 hours before the clinic to perform a wonderful concert for family and friends. Along with performing with the top musicians in the district, the senior high school students worked with renowned conductor Dr. Kevin Geraldi, director of orchestral activities at the University of North Carolina-Greensboro.

Pictured are Charlotte Catholic High School students: (back row, from left) Evan Woody (tenor saxophone), Ben Ranzinger (trombone), Patrick Macalintal (clarinet) and Matthew Sie (alto saxophone); (front row, from left) Emma Joseph (flute), Austin Munn (trumpet), Jake Daniel (clarinet) and Abbey Roper (flute). Not pictured are Elizabeth Branch (flute), Rachel Sarvey (clarinet).

In the second picture, Holy Trinity students are (from left): Sarah Chittenden (French horn), Megan Sie (clarinet), Paige Ingram (bass clarinet), Sophie Young (French horn), Casey McGuire (baritone saxophone), Jonathan Mathis (French horn) and Gianna Tonucci (clarinet).

Also participating were Our Lady of the Assumption student Angel Cordova (flute) and St. Mark student Corey Brenner (bass clarinetist).

— Timothy W. Cook

GASTONIA — Six-year-old Jillian Gardner, a first-grader at St. Michael School, spent part of a recent morning in the media center reading aloud the children’s book “Care Bears: How Does Your Garden Grow?” But her audience wasn’t a teacher or classmate or human at all. Sitting with his paws resting comfortably by her side was Zip, an eight-yearold standard poodle, who listened and watched quietly as Jillian read the story to him.

Starting in January, the school brought in trained obedience and therapy dogs like “Zip” once a week to serve as an audience to children in pre-kindergarten, kindergarten and first-grade students as they practice their reading skills. The idea, says Principal Sheila Levesque, is to help students overcome feelings of intimidation, and to develop and practice their literacy skills in a safe and relaxed environment by reading to the dogs.

“This is a great way for a student just to let it go, let everything go and let things happen,” Levesque said.

“You’d be surprised the flow and how things just kind of occur naturally when they’re sitting next to a dog, and they’re reading to a dog or they’re creating a story in their head about whatever it may be that they want to talk about.”

Companion, obedience and therapy dog trainer Suzanne Fairbairn of Belmont is spearheading the program at St. Michael School using Zip and her other regular poodle, three-year-old Pippin. Sister Carolyn Mary Coll also uses her therapy dog for the program, which is seeking other volunteer therapy dogs from the community.

Fairbairn, a retired church pianist, has been training dogs for about 18 years. She regularly visits and hosts therapy dog programs around the community at places like Catawba Heights Elementary, where she is a student mentor, preschool and day school at First Presbyterian in Belmont, Holy Angels and Covenant Village.

She has seen firsthand how therapy dogs can become a positive influence on a child. She told a recent story of a child at Catawba Heights Elementary who was essentially a mute when they met. But that all changed after the child was introduced to Fairbairn’s therapy dog.

“She, within three weeks, was whispering secrets to my dog, and by the end of that year she was whispering to me,” Fairbairn said. “And the next year

she became a little chatterbox. It’s the fact that the dog is not threatening, that they give unconditional love and they’re willing to be a part of your journey, whatever that is – if you’re unhappy or if you don’t read well or if you just need somebody to be your friend.”

The program at St. Michael, called “Tail Waggin’ Tutors,” has started in the pre-K, kindergarten and first-grade classes, where students are learning a specific instructional objective for about a week without the dogs. Then, once a week, the dogs come in and students choose a book and spend up to five minutes with them.

When the dogs sit with the students, they assist the students with the mechanics of reading, such as sounding out a word, as students read a book aloud.

Levesque said research has indicated that reading with therapy dogs increases a young student’s fluency, comprehension skills and their word-study mechanics.

“And whether there are words on it (the book) or not, they can create a story that they can tell,” Levesque said. “It’s all about storytelling, it’s the beginning of sequencing, it’s the beginning of the fundamentals of reading skills in the Pre-K.” The school hopes to expand the program to the second grade next year, Levesque said.

Mix

February 16, 2018 | catholicnewsherald.com CATHOLIC NEWS HERALDI

For the latest movie reviews: catholicnewsherald.com

In theaters

St. Gabriel parishioner produces documentaries about women religious KIMBERLY BENDER ONLINE REPORTER

‘The 15:17 to Paris’ Uneven drama recounting the circumstances that led up to the thwarting, in August 2015, of a terrorist attack and potential massacre on the train of the title. Traveling from Amsterdam to the French capital as tourists, a trio of Americans (Anthony Sadler, Alek Skarlatos and Spencer Stone all portraying themselves), two of them with military backgrounds, courageously stop a heavily armed jihadist bent on a shooting spree among the captive passengers. More honorable than entertaining, their faith-friendly story does emphasize selfsacrificing heroism and the potential of ordinary people to achieve great things. Gun-play and non-lethal violence, a sequence involving gory wounds, a couple of uses of profanity and a pair of milder oaths, numerous crude and crass terms.

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

‘Peter Rabbit’ The anthropomorphic characters in Beatrix Potter’s beloved children’s books are showcased but also transformed in this manic comedy, a mix of live action and CGI animation. The eponymous bunny (voice of James Cordon), here a fast-talking juvenile delinquent, a hipster dude with a nasty murderous streak, is elated when the mean gardener next door kicks the bucket, allowing him and his furry friends access to his vegetables and cottage. When the deceased’s grandnephew moves in and falls for his comely neighbor, the rabbits once more declare war. The film does impart some of the lessons of Potter’s books, including the importance of family, honesty and forgiveness.

A vengeance theme, some rude humor and action sequences.

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

‘The Shape of Water’ Equal parts romantic fantasy, classic horror film and musical nostalgia piece, writer-director Guillermo del Toro’s story of a cleaning lady (Sally Hawkins) in 1962 Baltimore who falls in love with a fish-man (Doug Jones) from the Amazon who is being kept in the secret lab where she works. Nothing about this element of the movie is intended to appear prurient or shocking. But del Toro likes to underline his points in this mix of “Beauty and the Beast,” with the cinematic equivalent of a bright, thick Magic Marker. Bizarre activity, fleeting gore, frequent rough language.

CNS: L (limited adult audience); MPAA: R

70s, 80s, and 90s even. So they’re looking back on many decades of ministry.

“I want for their voices to be heard and their stories to be heard. I think a lot of people don’t really know what religious life is for lots of reasons.”

People’s assumptions about religious

CHARLOTTE — Julie McElmurry, a lay Franciscan and parishioner of St. Gabriel Church in Charlotte, has been producing documentaries about women religious to show people what religious life is like and preserve their tales.

“My hope is that a woman will watch one of these and realize that she is called to join these women,” McElmurry said.

Through her own experience, growing up around sisters in the North Carolina town of Cherokee, attending graduate school as one of two lay people, living with and near sisters and other religious, McElmurry has heard many incredible stories of faith and ministry.

“It’s not an experience a lot of people have. I thought I could use videos to capture, preserve and share stories PHOTO PROVIDED BY JULIE MCELMURRY that people might not hear “Such a Free Life: A Glimpse of South Carolina’s Franciscan otherwise,” McElmurry said.

Monastery” is a documentary Julie McElmurry produced last “This is kind of a way to give year looking at the lives of the Poor Clare Nuns of St. Clare a gift back to women religious Monastery in South Carolina. who have meant a lot to me over the years.” life can come especially from what they In 2016, McElmurry received her see on TV and in movies. first $1,000 grant from the National “To actually see the women on video Catholic Sisters Week to produce a where they’re smiling, laughing and documentary. National Catholic Sisters talking about their life, that is just very Week, a branch of the National Catholic powerful,” she said. “It’s almost like Sisters Project, is a series of events that a virtual way to introduce people to instruct, enlighten and bring greater focus to the lives of the women religious. each other. Once they ‘meet’ the sisters, they’re going to be interested in them This year it will be held March 8-14. and will want to hear their stories.”

Since then she’s made four McElmurry, who also leads retreats, documentaries, and is completing her said she uses excerpts of some of the as fifth, and has received two additional a jumping-off point to reflection time. grants from the same organization. The She said she hopes Catholic school documentaries are available online for and faith formation teachers will be free, have been shown at functions and able to use clips from these videos for screened at seven film festivals in the classroom instruction as well.

Carolinas and even Romania and Kenya.

“I want this to be a resource for The Poor Clare Sisters in Travelers people as well as to be informative and Rest, S.C., have one of the movies, interesting to watch,” she said.

“300 Years of Good,” featured on To date, McElmurry has interviewed the homepage of their website. The more than 60 sisters, and a couple of documentary features interviews with the women she interviewed for her first women religious in North Carolina and documentary have since passed away.

South Carolina who tell their stories of Video footage McElmurry captures is serving and empowering the poor.

McElmurry started her film endeavors also sent to the religious communities when she’s finished editing the in Florida a few years ago, producing interviews so they can be preserved in promotional videos for her thenthe community’s archives. parish about the ladies guild and faith formation. After receiving the grant, More online McElmurry spent two months traveling to Florida, Philadelphia and even using At www.catholicnewsherald.com: See a planned trip to Hawaii to interview some of the recent documentaries produced women religious.

by Julie McElmurry Now, she is completing a documentary about the Poor Clare Sisters in At www.franciscanpassages.com: Learn Cincinnati, Ohio, that will be shown at more about Julie McElmurry and her an event sponsored by the Archdiocese projects in March. These documentaries allow At www.nationalcatholicsistersweek.org: women religious to tell their own stories Learn more about National Catholic Sisters from their life. “Their stories are so Week amazing,” McElmurry said. “Most of the people I’m interviewing are in their 60s,

17

On TV n Saturday, Feb. 17, 8 p.m. (EWTN) “Bakhita.”

Dramatic life of Josephine Bakhita, Sudaneseborn slave who became a nun in the Order of the Cannossian Sisters and was canonized by St. John Paul II. Part 1. n Saturday, Feb. 17, 9:40 p.m. (EWTN) “Crux.”

Bishop Donald Hying encourages viewers to live in the quiet of the moment in order to better hear and understand God’s plan for their lives. n Monday, Feb. 19, 6:30 p.m. (EWTN) “St. Anthony School: One Team, One Family.” An EWTN original documentary, Bob Dolan shows how St. Anthony School in Milwaukee, Wis., is successful in providing a life-changing Catholic education despite difficult economic conditions. n Wednesday, Feb. 21, 6:30 p.m. (EWTN) “The Angels of the Arctic Circle.” An inside look at Carmelite nuns who have become an oasis of healing and wisdom for believers and nonbelievers alike in secular Norway. n Thursday, Feb. 22, 6:30 p.m. (EWTN) “The Calling.” An engaging and inspiring film which brings new hope and confidence for young Catholics in England and Wales to think about their vocation. n Friday, Feb. 23, 6:30 p.m. (EWTN) “The Jasper Wall: The Persecuted Church.” Powerful documentary about the persecution of Christians in Pakistan. n Saturday, Feb. 24, 8 p.m. (EWTN) “Bakhita.”

Dramatic life of Josephine Bakhita, Sudaneseborn slave who became a nun in the Order of the Cannossian Sisters and was canonized by St. John Paul II. Part 2. n Sunday, Feb. 25, 1:30 p.m. “In Concert: Catholic Choral Masterpieces.” Filmed on location at the Music and Beyond festival in Ottawa, Canada, the Theatre of Early Music performs Pergolesi’s “Stabat Mater.” n Sunday, Feb. 25, 5:30 p.m. (EWTN) “A Season of Grace: Come to the Mountain.” Father Cedric prepares Catholics for their Lenten journey to Easter with a series of meditations focused on revolutionizing how they see grace, love and redemptive suffering. n Sunday, Feb. 25, 10 p.m. (EWTN) “Gladsome Light.” An introspective look at the monastic work and prayer life of the monks of Holy Transfiguration Skete as they go about their day-to-day duties. n Wednesday, Feb. 28, 3:20 p.m. (EWTN) “A Lenten Pilgrimage: St. Clement.” Dr. Timothy O’Donnell, president of Christendom College, examines the Lenten Stational Churches of Rome. n Saturday, March 3, 8 p.m. “Polycarp.” When the Roman proconsul demands all citizens to worship Caesar, Polycarp and other Christians must find the courage to stand up for their faith against the growing threat of persecution.

Our nation 18

catholicnewsherald.com | February 16, 2018 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

St. Louis Catholic groups assemble ‘best practices’ after Ferguson MARK PATTISON CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

WASHINGTON, D.C. — After the police killing of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, near St. Louis, in the summer of 2014, Catholic organizations in the Archdiocese of St. Louis took a long, hard look at what they were doing to serve poor communities in the archdiocese – and what they could be doing better.

More than three years after the killing, and the cycle of protests that sprang up in its wake, there is not only more collaboration within the archdiocese, but also between Catholic agencies and other public and private groups who share at least in part a similar mission.

That was the assessment of four speakers from the archdiocese as they unspooled a “best practices” workshop Feb. 4 during the Catholic Social Ministry Gathering in Washington.

“What drives wealth inequality, which is far bigger than income inequality?” asked Ray Boshara, of the archdiocesan Peace and Justice Commission. He said there are three economic drivers: “the year you were born, race/ ethnicity and education.” He said he also suspects twoparent vs. one-parent families and gender also have a part to play, but the first three factors have data to back them up. And those factors, Boshara said, count for more today than they did a generation ago.

The region also is split between “thrivers” and “strugglers,” Boshara added. Thrivers, about one-third of the population, may have lost a little wealth at the onset of the Great Recession, “but they’ve more than made up for it,” he said, while strugglers “haven’t gotten back to where they were” when the economic downturn happened a decade ago.

The archdiocese is working on three priorities to beat back inequality: providing early childhood education (“the numbers are amazing,” Boshara said); raising money to put $500 to $1,000 in an interest-bearing savings account for newborns to use once they reach college; and addressing “racial equity, primarily through dialogue and relationship-building,” he added. “We think relationships are important and we’ve done things to foster that in the St. Louis area.”

Lynn Squires, president of the board of directors of the St. Charles Lwanga Center, the archdiocesan ministry to black Catholics, didn’t expect to return to her hometown.

But “what do you do when your city blows up?” she asked.

“I had no plan. God had a plan. He ordered my steps.”

The center looked at what it did and saw that it was fulfilling its mission, but it also saw very little overlap with everything else going on in the archdiocese. The center, according to Squires, has since made it a point to be a part of more archdiocesan activities, and expects reciprocity.

“We are not a problem to be fixed,” she said. “We are the solution.”

Photographs surround the casket of Michael Brown before the start of his Aug. 25, 2014, funeral at Friendly Temple Missionary Baptist Church in St. Louis. The unarmed 18-year-old Brown died after being shot in Ferguson, Mo., by police officer Darren Wilson Aug. 9, 2014. Wilson claimed self-defense and was not charged in the case. The shooting led to racially charged clashes in Ferguson, which is on the outskirts of St. Louis.

CNS | RICHARD PERRY, POOL VIA EPA

Tyrone Ford, director of service integration for Catholic Charities of St. Louis, said an internal assessment of its eight affiliate agencies shortly after the Ferguson unrest prompted the decision to seek closer collaboration with other agencies, both private and public, to make a more profound difference in the lives of the poor, particularly in nine poverty-dominant ZIP codes in northern St. Louis County.

The result: “Pathways to Progress,” a partnership between Catholic Charities and six other agencies in the area, including the YWCA, the Urban League and the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. The YWCA, for instance, provides early childhood education services, while another agency provides services for children from kindergarten through eighth grade. The numbers are not huge – 30 last year, 44 this year and 75 next year – but Ford said it’s having a positive impact.

In asking poor St. Louisians their biggest needs, transportation – the expected top choice – came in second to legal services. “They had a lot of legal issues that were preventing them from obtaining housing, employment and transportation to get them to that employment,” Ford said.

The point of the initiative, Ford added, is to “stop the relation of client (and provider) and take ownership of your life to be prosperous, and not in poverty.”

Tamara Kenny, director of advocacy and engagement at Catholic Charities, said that for exiting clients of its member agencies, “health was their greatest concern. ...

Poor mental health was the single biggest obstacle their clients faced.” On top of that, she added, are the “racial health disparities that exist in our state.”

Citing data supplied by the Missouri Foundation for Health, Kenny said blacks are seven times more likely than whites to seek emergency room treatment in Missouri for schizophrenia; 5.5 times as often for asthma; 3.9 times as often for hypertension; and 3.2 times as often for eye infections.

Kenny said blacks also are more than twice as likely to get inadequate prenatal care and to face infant death.

“There are higher rates for cancer, kidney disease, stroke and diabetes,” Kenny said. Blacks in Missouri live five years less on average than do whites, she added.

Even so, “Missouri has the third most restrictive Medicaid eligibility requirements for parents,” Kenny said.

“Racism itself can be a toxic source of trauma.”

Boshara said St. Louis Archbishop Robert J. Carlson sent a letter to priests in the archdiocese, asking them to talk about racial issues in their homily for the first Sunday of Lent. The archbishop included homily aids and web links with his letter, but some pastors are reportedly shying away from the task.

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In Brief

funding for contraception in its health insurance plans which involves it even more directly in contributing to immoral activity.”

Bishop Rhoades made the comments in reaction to the announcement by Holy Cross Father John I. Jenkins, Notre Dame’s president, that the university had once again made changes on coverage of contraceptives in its health plans.

Report: NGOs adhering to policy Trump: Acts of love, courage are to keep aid from covering abortion signs of God’s grace in the U.S. WASHINGTON, D.C. — A report on the Trump administration’s reinstatement of the “Mexico City Policy” shows that nongovernmental organizations “are willing and able to comply with this policy,” said the U.S. bishops’ pro-life committee chairman. “That compliance does not appear to undermine delivery of appropriate health services,” said Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan of New York in a Feb. 8 statement.

The cardinal, who is chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities, made the comments in reaction to the release of a six-month report on implementation of the policy, now called Protecting Life in Global Health Assistance.

The policy ensures that U.S. foreign aid does not subsidize foreign nongovernmental organizations that perform or promote abortion on demand.

In a Jan. 23, 2017, executive memorandum – issued three days after his inauguration – President Donald Trump, reinstated and expanded the policy, which his predecessor, President Barack Obama, rescinded Jan. 23, 2009, three days after his inauguration for his first term.

Objections raised over Notre Dame’s new change on contraceptive coverage SOUTH BEND, Ind. — An Indiana bishop said he supports the University of Notre Dame’s Feb. 7 decision to stop coverage of abortion-inducing drugs and add natural family planning services to the school’s health plan, but he said coverage of artificial birth control by a Catholic institution is unacceptable.

“The Catholic Church clearly teaches that contraception is an immoral action that contradicts the truth of marital love,” said Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades of Fort Wayne-South Bend, whose diocese includes Notre Dame.

“I strongly support the decision of the University of Notre Dame to stop the government-funded provision, through its third-party administrator, of abortion-inducing drugs and sterilization procedures,” he said in a statement. “I am also happy that the university will provide natural family planning services in its insurance plans. At the same time, I strongly disagree with Notre Dame’s decision to provide

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Acts of love, courage and sacrifice by first responders, parents and children alike are hallmarks of a country that is rooted in prayer and deep faith in God, President Donald Trump told the National Prayer Breakfast. The president held up as “American heroes” people from many walks of life who strive to help others as part of their daily routines and in emergencies. He said they are signs of God’s grace during a 14-minute speech Feb. 8 at the Washington Hilton Hotel.

In particular, Trump cited American servicemen and servicewomen around the world “defending our great American flag,” police officers “who sacrifice for their communities,” teachers who “work tirelessly” for their students and parents who “work two and three jobs to give their children a better, a much more prosperous and happier life” as signs of inspiration.

“American heroes reveal God’s calling,” he said. “All we have to do is open our eyes and look around us and we can see God’s hand in the courage of our fellow citizens. We see the work of God’s love in the power of souls.”

Such actions are powered by prayer, he said.

Panel: Ecological conversion begins in heart of each person WASHINGTON, D.C. — Change begins in small ways, and the contributions the Catholic Church can make when it comes to saving the planet start when the laity asks itself simple questions about behavior and how it affects the environment, said a social justice minister from Colombia addressing a large gathering of social ministry leaders in Washington. “The Church, as the people of God, needs to look inside and ask: what are we doing for our common home?” said Dallana Contreras, who participates in peace strategies for Caritas Colombia where she has worked for five years. She took part in a Feb. 4 panel addressing “Solidarity in Our Common Home.”

Contreras, along with other social justice ministers from around the U.S. and the world, discussed various issues concerning the environment during the 2018 Catholic Social Ministry Gathering Feb. 3-6 in Washington.

It’s important to do a quick survey, she said, and ask: “Are we damaging nature because of

what we eat? Are we wasting water? Do I waste energy for hours?” Answering those questions can lead Catholics toward coherence between faith and testimony, she said.

Catholics gather on Hill to pray lawmakers will protect the Dreamers WASHINGTON, D.C. — A group of priests, religious, young immigrants and their supporters gathered outside of the U.S. Capitol Feb. 6 to pray for the Dreamers, whose lives are in limbo, and for the legislators who have the power to change their situation.

“We’ve done everything else ... now we pray,” said Sister Mary Ellen Lacy, a Daughter of Charity, noting the many marches and protests that have taken place over the past months. “It really is in God’s hands at this point.”

The prayer service was sponsored by several Catholic organizations, including the Catholic Legal Immigration Network Inc., the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul, the Columban Center for Advocacy and Outreach, Network, the Sisters of Mercy, the Sisters of the Good Shepherd, Pax Christi USA, the DREAM Project, the Society of the Sacred Heart, the Franciscan Action Network and the Ignatian Solidarity Network.

Members of many of those organizations were on Capitol Hill as a part of the final day of the Feb. 3-6 Catholic Social Ministry Gathering in Washington. During that conference, they discussed social issues of importance to the Catholic Church and met with their representatives Feb. 6 to advocate for these issues.

Pope names Marist as auxiliary bishop for Atlanta Archdiocese

Marist Father Joel M. Konzen, who is principal of Marist School in Atlanta, as an auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of Atlanta. Bishopdesignate Konzen, ordained a priest in the Society of Mary in 1979 in New Orleans, has been principal of Marist School since 1999.

Cardinal blesses cemetery plaques honoring memory, legacy of slaves WASHINGTON, D.C. — Saying the time had come to “right a wrong,” Cardinal Donald W. Wuerl blessed and dedicated commemorative bronze plaques honoring unknown enslaved men, women and children buried throughout the Archdiocese of Washington. Washington’s archbishop sprinkled holy water on the plaques during a Feb. 3 Mass at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.

“We have gathered today to begin to right a wrong and correct a failure – a serious and unjust failure,” the cardinal said in his homily.

“It seems that over decades and decades, not to say centuries, our brothers and sisters in the faith who were enslaved, who lived in human bondage, were treated with the same inequity at their burial. Many received no public marker ... what we have come here to do today is to see that here and now all are properly remembered.”

The inscription on the plaques reads: “Dedicated to the memory of those unknown who were enslaved and buried throughout the Archdiocese of Washington.”

The top of each plaque has an image of Christ crucified on the cross, and the bottom includes a quotation from Wisdom 3:1: “The souls of the just are in the hand of God, and no torment shall touch them.”

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19

Our world 20

catholicnewsherald.com | February 16, 2018 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

A small sampler of Pope Francis quotes VATICAN CITY — In his formal documents, many speeches and unscripted morning homilies the past five years, Pope Francis has given the Church plenty of “food for thought” on many issues of great importance.

Here are eight quotes from the pope, organized by topic: n On clerical sexual abuse: “Before God and His people I express my sorrow for the sins and grave crimes of clerical sexual abuse committed against you. And I humbly ask forgiveness. I beg your forgiveness, too, for the sins of omission on the part of Church leaders who did not respond adequately to reports of abuse made by family members, as well as by abuse victims themselves.

This led to even greater suffering on the part of those who were abused, and it endangered other minors who were at risk.” (Homily at Mass with survivors, July 7, 2014). n On creation: “We have forgotten that we ourselves are dust of the earth; our very bodies are made up of her elements, we breathe her air and we receive life and refreshment from her waters.” (“Laudato Si’, On Care for Our Common Home,” May 24, 2015). n On economics: “Let us say ‘no’ to an economy of exclusion and inequality, where money rules, rather than service.

That economy kills. That economy excludes. That economy destroys Mother Earth.” (World Meeting of Popular Movements, July 9, 2015). n On faith: “Please do not water down your faith in Jesus Christ. We dilute fruit drinks – orange, apple or banana juice – but please do not drink a diluted form of faith. Faith is whole and entire, not something that you water down. It is faith in Jesus. It is faith in the Son of God made man, who loved me and who died for me.”

(World Youth Day, July 25, 2013). n On the family: “No family drops down from heaven perfectly formed; families need constantly to grow and mature in the ability to love. ... May we never lose heart because of our limitations or ever stop seeking that fullness of love and communion which God holds out before us.” (“Amoris Laetitia,” April 8, 2016). n On life: “Human life is sacred and inviolable. Every civil right rests on the recognition of the first and fundamental right, that of life, which is not subordinate to any condition, be it quantitative, economic or, least of all, ideological.” (Speech to the Italian prolife movement, April 11, 2014). n On mercy: “Mercy: the bridge that connects God and humanity, opening our hearts to the hope of being loved forever despite our sinfulness.” (“Misericordiae Vultus,” April 11, 2015). n On migration: “Migrants are our brothers and sisters in search of a better life far from poverty, hunger, exploitation and the unjust distribution of the planet’s resources, which are meant to be equitably shared by all.

Don’t we all want a better, more decent and prosperous life to share with our loved ones?” (Message for World Day of Migrants and Refugees 2016).

— Carol Glatz, Catholic News Service

Five years a pope: Francis’ focus has been on outreach CINDY WOODEN CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE

VATICAN CITY — Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio was elected pope just a few days after telling the College of Cardinals that the Catholic Church faced a clear choice between being a Church that “goes out” or a Church focused on its internal affairs.

After the cardinal from Buenos Aires, Argentina, was elected March 13, 2013, and chose the name Francis, he made “go out,” “periphery” and “throwaway culture” standard phrases in the papal vocabulary.

Catholics have a wide variety of opinions about how Pope Francis is exercising the papal ministry, and many of his comments – both in informal news conferences and in formal documents – have stirred controversy.

But, as he wrote in “Evangelii Gaudium,” the apostolic exhortation laying out the vision for his pontificate: “I prefer a Church which is bruised, hurting and dirty because it has been out on the streets, rather than a Church which is unhealthy from being confined and from clinging to its own security.”

But there are two areas of internal Church affairs that he recognized needed immediate attention: the reform of the Roman Curia and the full protection of children and vulnerable adults from clerical sexual abuse.

The organizational reform of the Curia has been taking place in stages, but Pope Francis has insisted that the real reform is a matter of changing hearts and embracing service.

On the issue of abuse, nine months into his pontificate, Pope Francis established the Pontifical Commission for Child Protection to advise him on better ways to prevent clerical sexual abuse and to ensure pastoral care for the survivors.

While Pope Francis has emphatically proclaimed “zero tolerance” for abusers and recently said covering up abuse “is itself an abuse,” as his fifth anniversary approached serious questions arose about how he handled accusations that Chilean Bishop Juan Barros, who was a priest at the time, covered up allegations of abuse against his mentor.

The new scandal threatened to undermine the widespread popularity of Pope Francis and his efforts to set the Church on a new course.

For Pope Francis, that new course involves evangelization first of all.

“Evangelizing presupposes a desire in the Church to come out of herself,” he had told the cardinals just days before the conclave that elected him. “The Church is called to come out of herself and to go to the peripheries, not only geographically, but also the existential peripheries: the mystery of sin, of pain, of injustice, of ignorance and indifference to religion, of intellectual currents and of all misery.”

Mercy is the first thing the Church is called to bring to those peripheries, he says.

Pope Francis has continued his predecessors’ practice of literally “going out,” making 22 trips outside of Italy and visiting 32 nations.

But he also regularly visits the peripheries of Rome, both its poor suburbs and its hospitals, rehabilitation centers, prisons and facilities for migrants and refugees.

The residence, the Domus Sanctae Marthae, is a guesthouse built by St. John Paul II with the intention of providing decent housing for

Pope Francis greets an elderly woman as he meets with people of the Banado Norte neighborhood in Asuncion, Paraguay, in this July 12, 2015, file photo. The pope has shown special concern for the aged, the sick and those with disabilities.

CNS | PAUL HARING

cardinals when they would enter a conclave to elect a new pope. Pope Francis decided after the 2013 conclave to stay there and not move into the more isolated papal apartments in the Apostolic Palace.

On Holy Thursday each year, he has celebrated Mass at a prison, care facility or refugee center and washed the feet of patients, inmates or immigrants, both men and women, Catholics and members of other faiths. He also ordered the Vatican Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments to clarify that the feet of both women and men can be washed at the Holy Thursday Mass of the Lord’s Supper.

During the 2015-’16 Year of Mercy, he made a visit one Friday a month to people in particular need, including those at a school for the blind, a neonatal intensive care unit, a community of recovering alcoholics, a children’s group home and a community for women rescued from traffickers who forced them into prostitution. Once the Year of Mercy ended, the pope continued the visits, although not always every month.

In September 2015 as waves of migrants and refugees were struggling and dying to reach Europe, Pope Francis asked every parish and religious community in Europe to consider offering hospitality to one family. The Vatican offered apartments and support to a family from Syria and a family from Eritrea. Then, seven months later, Pope Francis visited a refugee center on the island of Lesbos, Greece, and brought 12 refugees back to Rome on the plane with him.

Less than three months into his pontificate, he began denouncing the “throwaway culture” as one where money and power were the ultimate values and anything or anyone that did not advance money or power were disposable: “Human life, the person are no longer seen as primary values to be respected and protected, especially if they are poor or disabled, if they are not yet useful – like an unborn child – or are no longer useful – like an old person,” the pope said at a general audience.

In the first three years of his papacy, he published three major documents: “Evangelii

Gaudium” (The Joy of the Gospel); “Laudato Si’, on Care for Our Common Home,” on the environment; and “‘Amoris Laetitia’ (The Joy of Love), on Love in the Family,” his reflections on the discussions of the Synod of Bishops in 2014 and 2015.

People skeptical about the scientific proof that human activity is contributing to climate change objected to parts of “Laudato Si’,” but the criticism was muted compared to reactions to Pope Francis’ document on the family, especially regarding ministry to divorced and civilly remarried Catholics and the possibility that, under some conditions, some of those Catholics could return to the sacraments.

The strongest criticism came from U.S. Cardinal Raymond L. Burke and three other cardinals, who sent to the pope and then publicly released in November 2016 a formal, critical set of questions, known as “dubia,” insisting that allowing those Catholics to receive the sacraments amounted to changing fundamental Church teaching about marriage, sexuality and the nature of the sacraments.

Pope Francis has not responded to the cardinals, two of whom have since died. But in December, the Vatican posted on its website the guidelines for interpreting “Amoris Laetitia” developed by a group of Argentine bishops, as well as Pope Francis’ letter to them describing the guidelines as “authentic magisterium.”

The guidelines by bishops in the Buenos Aires region said the path of discernment proposed by Pope Francis for divorced and civilly remarried couples “does not necessarily end in the sacraments” but, in some situations, after a thorough process of discernment, the pope’s exhortation “opens the possibility” to reception of the sacraments.

In the document and throughout his pontificate, Pope Francis has emphasized God’s mercy and the power of the sacraments to spur conversion and nourish Christians as they try to progress in holiness.

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In Brief Pope: Lent is time to be aware of false prophets, cold hearts VATICAN CITY — Catholics should use the season of Lent to look for signs and symptoms of being under the spell of false prophets and of living with cold, selfish and hateful hearts, Pope Francis said. Together with “the often bitter medicine of the truth,” the Church – as mother and teacher – offers people “the soothing remedy of prayer, almsgiving and fasting,” the pope said in his message for Lent, which began Feb. 14 for Latin-rite Catholics. The pope also invited all non-Catholics who are disturbed by the increasing injustice, inertia and indifference in the world, to “join us then in raising our plea to God in fasting and in offering whatever you can to our brothers and sisters in need.”

The pope’s Lenten message looked at Jesus’ apocalyptic discourse to the disciples on the Mount of Olives, warning them of the many signs and calamities that will signal the end of time and the coming of the Son of Man.

Nun’s recovery is 70th official miraculous healing at Lourdes ROME — As the Church celebrated the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes, a French bishop announced the 70th officially recognized miraculous cure of a pilgrim to the Lourdes grotto where Mary appeared 160 years ago.

Bishop Jacques Benoit-Gonnin of Beauvais

formally declared Feb. 11 “the prodigious, miraculous character” of the healing of Sister Bernadette Moriau, a French member of the Franciscan Oblates of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, who had been partially paralyzed for more than 20 years despite repeated surgeries to relieve pressure on the nerve roots of her lower back.

In November 2016, the International Medical Committee of Lourdes confirmed the nun’s “unexplained healing, in the current state of scientific knowledge.” But it is up to the bishop, not the physicians, to declare a healing miraculous.

Lourdes, close to the Pyrenees in southern France, attracts millions of visitors each year and has been a place of pilgrimage since St. Bernadette Soubirous reported the first of 18 visions of the Virgin Mary while gathering firewood in 1858.

Expert: Church’s legal process for abuse cases need changing ROME — Even though the Church has all the necessary norms and laws in place to safeguard minors from abuse by clergy, the problem continues to be a lack in understanding or caring about those rules and guidelines and applying them effectively, said one Jesuit expert. But what must change, “without a doubt,” are Church procedures for handling accusations of abuse, said Jesuit Father Hans Zollner, head of the Pontifical Gregorian University’s Center for Child Protection.

The legal process “must be more transparent and more transparent for everyone,” including the victims, the accused and his or her superiors, Father Zollner told reporters Feb. 9 at a ceremony awarding 18 people – religious and laity – diplomas for completing a specialization course in safeguarding minors.

Victims receive no information during the

process and the accused are left “in limbo” for what may be five years or more not knowing if they will be sentenced or even found guilty, he said. Not even the bishop or religious superior of the accused receives information about what’s happening, he added. So while the Church’s definitions of what constitutes a crime and suggested sentences are clear, he said, what needs addressing is how to beef up the Church’s legal system so that it can “actually bring justice to everyone” and truly protect minors.

Pope: Recognize ways people tolerate human trafficking VATICAN CITY —- Few people have considered how communities and nations actually tolerate and encourage human trafficking, particularly as it relates to prostitution, Pope Francis said. Modern forms of slavery “are far more widespread than previously imagined, even – to our scandal and shame – within the most prosperous of our societies,” the pope said Feb. 9 during a meeting with an international group of law enforcement and Church workers.

“God’s cry to Cain, found in the first pages of the Bible – ‘Where is your brother?’ – challenges us to examine seriously the various forms of complicity by which society tolerates, and encourages, particularly with regard to the sex trade, the exploitation of vulnerable men, women and children,” the pope told the Santa Marta Group.

The Santa Marta Group is an anti-trafficking initiative organized by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales to bring together representatives of bishops’ conferences and top national and international law enforcement officials to promote cooperation, particularly in identifying victims of trafficking and caring for them once they are rescued.

Two ex-managers of Vatican bank ordered to pay damages VATICAN CITY — A Vatican court found two former top managers of the Vatican bank liable for mismanagement and ordered an injunction for them to pay damages. The sentence was announced Feb. 6 by the bank, formally known as the Institute for the Works of Religion (IOR).

It did not specify the amount it is seeking in damages, but the Italian news agency ANSA said the damages the bank incurred totaled about 47 million euro (about $58 million). Paolo Cipriani, the former director, and Massimo Tulli, the former deputy director of the Vatican bank, had offered their resignations “in the best interest of the institute and the Holy See” in July 2013.

The court’s sentence comes from “a civil liability action started by IOR in September 2014 supported by a comprehensive review of financial investments made by IOR before mid-2013,” the bank said in a statement. In February 2017, an Italian tribunal in Rome had found Cipriani and Tulli guilty of violating norms against money laundering; both men were given four-month prison sentences.

2 Mexican priests killed in ambush MEXICO CITY — Two priests were gunned down as they returned from Candlemas celebrations in a corner of Mexico rife with drug cartel violence and increasingly lethal for prelates. Fathers Ivan Anorve Jaimes and Germain Muniz Garcia were killed Feb. 5 as they drove between the cities of Taxco and Iguala in Guerrero state, 100 miles south of Mexico City.

State officials said later that day that an armed group blocked the priests’ vehicle and opened fire. The priests were traveling with four other passengers, all of whom were injured.

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catholicnewsherald.com | February 16, 2018 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD

Bus lights, a blood moon and blind ambitions

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his particular morning, as I eased my husband’s truck down the road, I witnessed the early morning sky lit only by the Super Blue Blood Moon hanging low in the horizon. The trip to Atlanta was to be a simple one: take two ultrasound units and place them on a shipment container filled with collected donations headed to Ghana for a springtime delivery.

Not 20 minutes into my journey, I came upon what seemed to be dozens of red flashing lights piercing the eerie, early morning winter fog. At first glance, it looked akin to the scene of a horrible accident or a police investigation involving dozens of emergency vehicles. A surfeit of hazard lights made the entire sight overwhelmingly alarming.

After a taking a second, longer glance, it became clear. Instead of an accident, I was happening by an elementary school with almost a dozen buses letting school kids off at the door. “What an impressive sight to behold,” was my initial reaction as my heart swelled with pride at the vigilance of our society. “What an amazing demonstration of how much we value our children – our government enacting these strict safety regulations on even our buses to protect our precious ones!”

Now on a typical morning, I would have glanced at such ado and put it all out of my head, but the cargo of my truck and the purpose of my trip weighed on my heart. The entire spectacle provided mental fodder for the day.

Our family has been involved in international mission work for almost two decades. In addition to this, we involve ourselves in pro-life work with a focus on helping both the mother and the pre-born child. These varied passions found a natural blend with our pro-life medical work in Ghana. So when two of our allied crisis pregnancy centers offered to donate their recently upgraded old ultrasound machines, we were elated to be the recipients on behalf of the Ghanaian people.

Destination: Atlanta! Beaming with excitement, and maybe a bit jittery from an extra shot of caffeine for the road, my thoughts raced from daydreams to wonder about just what miracles might be achieved in Ghana at the skillful, gentle hands of a doctor there, blessing mothers and defending vulnerable angelic-like perfections.

These ultrasound machines had been used to save pre-born babies from abortion in North Carolina, and would next save babies from the slaughter of abortion a world away.

As I thought about the giggling boys and girls exiting the buses, I wondered how many of those little ones had been miraculously spared from abortion.

“How is it,” I pondered, “that our society places such an obvious value on children who have been selectively spared from destruction, and yet we cannot see the child in the womb as warranting the simple protection of the law? Have we become a society so shallow that we feign deep reverence for life greatly received, or have we been dangerously fooled? Why do we hide our sins of disobedience under the cloak of lawful vigilance by protecting our kids, but then disgrace God’s gifts in a deep mire of selfish ambition, shrouded in justified reasons?”

In the words of Søren Kierkegaard, “There are two ways to be fooled. One is to believe what is not true; the other is to refuse to accept what is true.”

By refusing to “accept what is true,” refusing to grant a child in the womb his or her justly deserved unalienable rights, our society has been skillfully duped into embracing the notion that our lives are our own, fertility our right, and children a commodity. Morality becomes a societal subjective truth, the natural end being overall contempt for authenticity, and loathing of a Supreme Moral Authority. “I am undoubtedly the maker of my own destiny!” we bitterly convince ourselves.

The grim reality of this truth was on full display on Jan. 29, 2018, when 14 “Catholic” U.S. senators openly rejected a ban on abortions for fetuses past 20 weeks’ gestation. While this seemed to be largely a symbolic vote or litmus test which was expected to fail, it laid bare the reprehensible ambitions of the culture of death, inasmuch as pro-choice proponents refused to defend the fetus capable of pain.

Maybe they voted out of pride, vanity or blind political ambition? Maybe the vote was quite disconcerting to each senator, made with tremendous trepidation. Only God knows. But the senators’ votes stand in direct contrast to 2,000 years of Church teaching and violate a direct command from our Lord: “Thou shall not kill.” We live under His mandate and we would be circumspect to take note: “See that you do not despise one of these little ones; for I tell you that in heaven their angels always behold the face of my Father who is in heaven.” (Matt 18:10) We have been created from God’s great pleasure and delight. As mere creations, God allows us freedom to either humbly submit to or reject His authority. Still, both in life and in death we belong to

SueAnn Howell

Jesus is my valentine

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PHOTO PROVIDED BY KATHLEEN HARRISON

Two ultrasound machines are packed up and ready to be shipped from North Carolina to Ghana.

Him, and we marvel at His creation. “You were bought at a price; therefore glorify God with your body.” (1 Cor 6:20).

In meekness and without pretension, we are asked to submit to the Church under whom His authority has been placed. “For I have kept the ways of the Lord, and have not wickedly departed from my God. For all His ordinances were before me, and His statutes I did not put away from me. I was blameless before Him, and I kept myself from guilt. Therefore the Lord has recompensed me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in His sight.” (Psalm 18) As we witness to our Catholic faith with words, actions and votes, the world watches. And while the world looks on and jeers, our children watch, too. They count on our courage to stand and defend the sanctity of their lives. They watch while we fight for the despised and condemned. They learn by watching how we treat the unfortunate and the bruised. They understand the bleak connection between “choice” and “condemned” for the pre-born infant in the womb. And most assuredly as we load our boys and girls on buses rightly replete with caution lights, they will do as we do toward the least of our brothers.

KATHLEEN HARRISON, RN, MSN, FNP, and her husband, Dr. Matt Harrison, have worked with Helping Hands Medical Missions since 2003 and have been involved in pro-life work since 2002. They are members of Sacred Heart Church Salisbury..

t’s hearts as far as the eye can see this time of year. Retailers have their shops stocked with chocolates, flowers, stuffed bears and greeting cards with sentiments that are sweet, mushy and even humorous – meant to be exchanged with your significant other on Valentine’s Day, Feb. 14.

The world is a couples’ paradise it seems, and that is why this time of year can be challenging for anyone who is unmarried, widowed or not in a relationship.

I would like to say we live in a world that promotes God’s view of marriage, waiting until we meet the person He has selected for us from all time, remaining chaste and practicing self-control until, with His blessing, we join in holy matrimony with the one He has given to us to cherish.

Unfortunately, though, we live in a world that promotes promiscuity, celebrates vulgarity and neglects the dignity of every human person created by God for Him – to know, love and serve Him. For the past 11 years I have had the opportunity to practice chastity, living a single life, remaining celibate in what some would say are prime years of my life.

No, I am not a nun. I don’t live in a convent or behind cloister walls. I live in the world, with all that entails.

Yes, I had a normal childhood with crushes on boys, boyfriends in high school and college, a brief engagement, another engagement and then a 17-year marriage which ended in separation and divorce.

I raised my son as a single mother for the better part of his 19 years, with periods of unemployment resulting in many moves and years of financial instability.

So I know what it is like to love and to suffer heartbreak and loneliness.

All the years of drama, when I followed my own will and not God’s will for my life, have taught me that true love, true peace, resides in Him. He has healed my broken heart, bound up my wounds and restored what I had carelessly given away when I foolishly followed what the world proclaimed to be love.

He sends little love letters via people He puts into my life, bringing me a message of hope. He sends me hugs from heaven with X’s in the Carolina-blue sky and a perfectly-timed song on the radio.

I feel His warm embrace at Mass when I am surrounded by my Church family.

And I see Him when I sit with Him in Adoration, just gazing at Him with a silly grin on my face.

After all these years – 52 of them – I have been blessed with the gift of wisdom.

I now know that Jesus is my valentine.

SUEANN HOWELL is the senior reporter for the Catholic News Herald.

February 16, 2018 | catholicnewsherald.com CATHOLIC NEWS HERALDI

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Deacon Kevin Bezner

Pope’s suggested change to the Lord’s Prayer could harm the faithful

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n an interview last December, Pope Francis called the phrase “lead us not into temptation” in the Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13; Luke 11:2-4), or “Our Father,” confusing. The pope suggested as a possible change the phrase “do not let us fall into temptation.” Given the pope’s comments, it seems a good time to take a look at how the phrase and the prayer have been taught by authoritative Catholic and Orthodox commentators through the ages, and based on their commentary to consider whether such a change is warranted.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches that the Greek verb for “lead” can mean two things: “do not allow us to enter into temptation” and “do not let us yield to temptation.”

The Catechism goes on to explain that since God cannot tempt or be tempted, and desires “to set us free from evil,” we ask Him to prevent us from taking the path of sin. We sin because we consent to temptation. The phrase, the catechism teaches, “implies a decision of the heart.”

The catechism shows us, therefore, the importance of our understanding that God cannot tempt or be tempted and that the phrase “lead us not into temptation” is connected to another, “but deliver us from evil.”

Understanding these two points opens up the phrase to us and allows us to read it, and the one that follows, in a positive way: “You (or Thou), God, do not lead us or bring us into temptation. You, God, deliver us from evil.”

Everyone endures trials and temptations.

This is one of the conditions of life. With the assistance of the Holy Spirit, the catechism teaches, we learn to discern between what is a trial that will help us grow in faith and what is a temptation, as well as the difference between a temptation and giving into it.

We learn, too, to depend on God’s grace and mercy. When we are tempted, the catechism teaches, God gives us the strength to endure the temptation. We must choose, however, to accept the strength, the grace, he gives us to resist or endure.

“Christ Our Pascha,” the catechism of the Ukrainian Catholic Church, considers the line an expression of our faith that God does indeed give us this strength.

The Orthodox catechism of Peter Mogila (1596-1647) offers two interpretations of the phrase. The first is that we offer to God our prayer that He free us from temptation; the second is that if He allows us to be tempted that He ensure that we not be tempted beyond our strength.

Mogila’s catechism further states that with this phrase we ask God to give us the strength to endure martyrdom, if called to be a martyr, and that in such a case that He allow us to suffer only what we can bear.

In his sermons on the Lord’s Prayer, St. Gregory of Nyssa (ca. 335-395) explicates this phrase by looking at the entire phrase, “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil,” and by looking closely at the word “evil.” The word “evil,” he says, refers to the “evil one,” the devil, and so concerns the wickedness found

in the world. The Christian prays to God, therefore, to be delivered from the temptations of the world, through the grace of God, that cause him to sin.

St. John Chrysostom (ca. 349-407) also focuses on the word “evil,” but as part of the phrase “the evil one” in his homilies on the Gospel of Matthew. The prayer St. John refers to is the translation of the Lord’s Prayer that continues to be used by the Orthodox today, which reads “deliver us from the evil one” rather than “deliver us from evil.” This is because, as St. John notes, “evil” is derived from the devil or “the evil one.”

In his reading of this line, St. John says that we are instructed to avoid rushing into battle with the devil. The prayer teaches us, he says, that the devil is our enemy, that we are at war with the devil, and that God is our protector.

St. Augustine (354-430) addresses the Lord’s Prayer in his work “The Lord’s Sermon on the Mount.” In his discussion of the phrase, St. Augustine uses a slightly different translation: “Bring us not into temptation.” He notes that some translations use the word “lead” and calls it an “equivalent.” When they pray, he says, some explain the word “lead” by thinking of the phrase as meaning “‘Do not suffer us to be led into temptation.’”

God, St. Augustine reminds us, does not bring us or lead us into temptation.

He does, however, permit those who have “deserted His aid … to be led by a most hidden economy and by his own deserts.”

The prayer, he goes on to say, is “not that we be not tempted, but that we be not brought into temptation.”

St. Augustine’s rich reflection speaks of this line in relation to a number of Old Testament and Gospel passages, including: Deuteronomy 13:3, translated in the text here as “The Lord your God trieth you, that He may know if you love Him”; and Our Lord’s words to Peter in Luke 22:31-32, translated here as “Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat ... I have prayed that thy faith fail not.”

A change in the phrase as suggested by the pope would not take its meaning too far away from the traditional understanding of this wording. A change would, however, make the prayer more literal, less poetic and less evocative.

The problem is not that the phrase is confusing, as the pope suggests. The problem is with the inclination today to make everything easy for the lazy.

A lazy Christian is a lukewarm Christian.

Such a Christian is one whose faith most likely will fail when tempted.

Better for the faithful to reflect on the meaning of these words as they currently exist in the translation of the prayer, as part of the entire prayer, and to consult authoritative, traditional sources to assist in their reflection when they cannot understand the meaning.

FATHER DEACON KEVIN BEZNER serves at St. Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic Mission in Raleigh. This was originally published Jan. 12 in The Christian Review, where Deacon Bezner is a contributing editor.

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catholicnewsherald.com | February 16, 2018 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD